NEW YORK (CNS) — The Democratic and Republican presidential nominees both have agreed to be guest speakers at the Al Smith dinner Oct. 16 in New York, the Archdiocese of New York announced Sept. 17. The archdiocese said Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain would “share nonpartisan good humor before an audience of civic, […]
Continue readingWASHINGTON (CNS) — If federal immigration officials cannot create more “humane” conditions when making enforcement raids against undocumented immigrants, then “these enforcement raids should be abandoned,” said Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration. The raids, conducted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the […]
Continue readingWASHINGTON (CNS) — The National Catholic Partnership on Disability is calling on health care providers to continue life support as long as necessary for people who cannot determine for themselves that such support is needed, unless death is “inevitable and imminent.” In an Aug. 22 statement outlining its stance, the Washington-based partnership said life support […]
Continue readingMEXICO CITY (CNS) — The Catholic Church in Latin America is changing its approach to the continuing epidemic of HIV and AIDS, and many are welcoming the changes. “While moral double standards and stigma remain strong elements of the response to HIV and AIDS in many evangelical and Protestant churches, I’ve recently seen an enthusiastic […]
Continue readingKAUNAS, Lithuania (CNS) — A Lithuanian archbishop said freedom and Western ideas have led to a resistance to Catholic teaching and severe clergy shortages in the former Soviet republic. “Freedom has brought people many possibilities, but most aren’t capable of using it responsibly, and this is also a test for the church,” said Archbishop Sigitas […]
Continue readingNEW DELHI (CNS) — The Catholic Church in India has petitioned the country’s Supreme Court to protect Christian lives and property in Orissa state. Archbishop Raphael Cheenath of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar told the Asian church news agency UCA News Sept. 2 that the church decided to approach the highest court “as we are not getting sufficient response” […]
Continue readingSAN FRANCISCO (CNS) — Pro-life groups are asking California voters to approve a measure that would prohibit abortions involving underage girls until 48 hours after a parent or other family member has been notified. Proposition 4, commonly referred to as “Sarah’s Law,” qualified for the Nov. 4 ballot. It will be the third parental notification […]
Continue readingTORONTO (CNS) — A coalition of religious and nongovernmental organizations has been trying to challenge the U.S. and Canada Safe Third-Country Agreement and hopes to go to the Supreme Court of Canada to fight the case. As of Aug. 26, Canada’s highest court had not decided whether it will hear the case compiled by the […]
Continue readingWASHINGTON (CNS) — The chairmen of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life and doctrine committees criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying she “misrepresented the history and nature of the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church on abortion” in a nationally televised interview Aug. 24. Pelosi, D-Calif., who is Catholic, said in an appearance that day on NBC’s […]
Continue readingVATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope Benedict XVI chose the Bible as the topic for this fall’s Synod of Bishops, he turned the church’s attention to an area he has long considered crucial and in need of revitalization. The pope’s concern touches several levels. For one thing, despite an upsurge in biblical interest after the […]
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