WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Senate confirmed Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services by a 61-35 vote April 28 and she was sworn in to the post hours later. During the Senate debate, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., who is Catholic, attributed the delay in confirming Sebelius to […]
Continue readingVATICAN CITY (CNS) — Greed lies at the root of all evil and is the source of the current global economic crisis, Pope Benedict XVI said. “It is precisely greed that insinuates to us that having is the highest good” in life and yet it is greed that distorts the purpose of material goods and […]
Continue readingST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) — Father Larry Snyder admits it’s a daunting challenge: starting work on cutting the U.S. poverty rate in half by 2020 at a time when thousands of Americans are drowning in debt and organizations that serve the poor are straining to meet their clients’ needs. Not only is Catholic Charities USA, […]
Continue readingWASHINGTON (CNS) — Asian-born men make up 11 percent of the ordination class of 2009 even though the number of Asian Catholics in the United States hovers around 3 percent of the total Catholic population, an annual survey of incoming priests has found. At the same time, men of Hispanic descent make up 12 percent […]
Continue readingASUNCION, Paraguay (CNS) — The revelation that Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo, a former Catholic bishop, fathered a child before being laicized has damaged the church’s image, the country’s Catholic bishops said. Bishop Ignacio Gogorza Izaguirre of Encarnacion called the news “a blow against our church.” In a statement issued April 14, a day after Lugo […]
Continue readingVATICAN CITY (CNS) — For making what he described as “the most difficult decision in my political life,” Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico was given a front-row seat at a papal audience and was to see Rome’s Colosseum lit up in honor of his state. Greeting Pope Benedict XVI April 15, Richardson asked him […]
Continue readingWASHINGTON (CNS) — President Barack Obama was warmly welcomed to Georgetown University April 14 for a speech on the economy, in which he said that although more tough times lie ahead, including additional layoffs and stock market ups and downs, “for the very first time, we’re beginning to see glimmers of hope.” In a 45-minute […]
Continue readingWHEELING, W. Va. (CNS) — As West Virginia mourned the 29 coal miners killed in the April 5 explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine in Montcoal, Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston said the safety of the state’s miners must be a priority. “We offer this Mass for the 29 miners who lost their […]
Continue readingLIMA, Peru (CNS) — The conviction of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori on charges related to human rights violations during his administration shows that “justice is becoming real” in the country, said a priest who served on the truth commission that investigated those and other cases. The April 7 sentence described facts that “authorities had […]
Continue readingVATICAN CITY (CNS) — The rituals of Holy Week and Easter offer Catholics an opportunity to understand the “priceless gift of salvation obtained by Christ’s sacrifice” on the cross, Pope Benedict XVI said. The Easter triduum, which represents the heart of the whole liturgical year, is a time for the faithful to immerse themselves in […]
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