Archbishop John Nienstedt is among those criticizing the Jan. 20 announcement by the federal Department of Health and Human Services that religious organizations could delay but not opt out of a requirement that all health plans cover contraception and sterilization at no cost.
Archive for Category: "Nation and World"
Haitian quake survivors leaving camps for a place they can call home
It took almost two years, but Haitian earthquake survivor Sonya Mallebranche has a place she can call home again.
Bishops, religious to attend major conference on preventing abuse
Representatives of most of the world’s bishops’ conferences and 30 religious orders will meet in Rome in early February to launch a global initiative aimed at improving efforts to stop clerical sexual abuse and better protect children and vulnerable adults.
Bishops plan to use London Olympics to renew interest in Catholic faith
British bishops plan to use the 2012 London Olympic Games to renew interest in the Catholic faith
HHS move amounts to ‘to hell with you,’ bishop says as protests mount
A week after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told individuals and institutions who oppose contraception “to hell with you,” as one bishop put it, members of the U.S. Catholic hierarchy were mobilizing their followers to fight.
Cardinal links religious liberty fight with abortion struggle
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, made his remarks during his homily at the Jan. 22 opening Mass for the National Prayer Vigil for Life.
HHS delays, but does not change, rule on contraceptive coverage
“The Catholic bishops are committed to working with our fellow Americans to reform the law and change this unjust regulation,” said Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Father Joncas honored for theological scholarship
Minnesotan Father Mike Joncas will receive the Sophia Award Feb. 12; the honor recognizes his work that discloses “the riches of the liturgical tradition in ever new and creative ways.”
Pope warns of threat to freedom of religion, conscience in U.S.
Pope Benedict XVI called on the church in America, including politicians and other laypeople, to render “public moral witness” on crucial social issues
Stopping sex trafficking at the Super Bowl
Picking up from efforts to stem sex trafficking at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, 11 women’s religious orders from Indiana and Michigan are working to stop sex trafficking at this year’s Super Bowl in Indianapolis.
Recommendations issued for Year of Faith
In an effort to help Catholics have a better and correct understanding of their faith and become authentic witnesses to Christ, the Vatican issued a list of pastoral recommendations for celebrating the upcoming Year of Faith.
Letter objects to altering definition of marriage
A letter signed by more than three dozen U.S. religious leaders objects to the specter of religious groups being forced to treat same-sex unions “as if they were marriage.”
Ceremony for new cardinals to feature changes
In part to avoid giving the impression that becoming a cardinal is a sacrament or quasi-sacrament, Pope Benedict XVI will use a revised, streamlined prayer service to create 22 new cardinals in February.
Mormons feel misunderstood but say their religion is gaining acceptance
Mormons in the United States might be getting more attention these days, but they have mixed views on what this attention means.
Vatican encourages a recovery of ‘apologetics’
In the Catholic Church, it’s true that everything old can be new again, and the Vatican wants one of those things to be the art of “apologetics” — dusted off and updated to respond to new challenges, including those posed by militant atheists.
Supreme Court upholds church school’s exception to laws against firing
For the first time, the court held that a “ministerial exception” to federal employment laws exists.
Events in Washington, around US mark 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade
One thing that always stands out in the annual marches and rallies in Washington and across the country marking the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision legalizing abortion is the crowd.
Spanish priest says exorcism is God’s ‘gift to help us believe’
If everything you know about exorcism you learned by watching the movie, “The Exorcist,” Father Jose Antonio Fortea wants to exorcise those notions from your head.
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