Seeing the U.S. Capitol building being stormed by a rioting mob Jan. 6 brought a visceral reaction from Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, a Republican from Nebraska. Fortenberry, who is Catholic and often attends daily Mass at St. Peter's Church on Capitol Hill, called the attack a "desecration."
The buzz of text messages from campaign volunteers, handwritten political postcards mailed from out of state, along with a barrage of advertisements, came to a halt after the U.S. Senate runoff elections in Georgia on Jan. 5.
Just as the political and criminal fallout has continued over the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by people seeking to halt the Electoral College certification of President-Elect Joe Biden's win in the November election, the fallout has extended to job losses for those who have been identified as taking part in the siege.
Recognizing "the gifts of each baptized person" -- women and men -- Pope Francis ordered a change to canon law and liturgical norms so that women could be formally installed as lectors and acolytes.
Rep. Chris Smith was in his office in the Rayburn House Office Building, writing remarks to acknowledge the tally of the presidential election results when alarms sounded.
Tommy Lasorda, who won two World Series titles during his 21-year managerial reign with the Los Angeles Dodgers and became an ambassador for baseball in retirement from the sport, died Jan. 7 in Los Angeles at age 93.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi referenced the Epiphany, St. Francis of Assisi, and also uttered a prayer as the House of Representatives reconvened the night of Jan. 6 to confirm the Electoral College win of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. in the November presidential election. The count had been interrupted by hundreds of marauders who breached the Capitol that afternoon, bringing the count to a halt.
Sweden's about-face in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic can give way to much-needed reflection and conversion in the country, said Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm.