Tom Cornell, Catholic worker and Dorothy Day lieutenant, dies at 88
United StatesRNS Tom Cornell, the longtime Catholic pacifist who humbly referred to Catholic Worker co-founder Dorothy Day as “my spiritual mother”, died on 1st August in a hospital near the Peter Maurin Catholic Worker farm that he helped run with his family in Marlboro, New York, where he lived with his wife of 58 years, […]
In the US, Wisconsin Catholic bishop takes rare step of removing defiant priest
Madison, Wisconsin, USAP A Wisconsin Catholic bishop has taken the unusual step of removing a priest from the ministry after he made a series of divisive remarks about politics and the pandemic. The Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse said in a statement Friday that Bishop William Patrick Callahan has issued a decree immediately removing […]
Pope asks US bishop to resign after cover-up investigation
Rome, ItalyAP A bishop in Minnesota resigned Tuesday at the request of Pope Francis after he was investigated by the Vatican for allegedly interfering with past investigations into clergy sexual abuse, officials said. The Vatican said Francis accepted the resignation of Crookston Bishop Michael Hoeppner and named a temporary replacement to run the diocese. Hoeppner […]
26 deaths in three US convents, as nuns confront the pandemic
Livonia, Michigan, USAP At a convent near Detroit, 13 nuns have died of COVID-19. The toll is seven at a center for Maryknoll sisters in New York, and six at a Wisconsin convent that serves nuns with fading memories. Each community perseveres, though strict social-distancing rules have made communal solidarity a challenge as the losses […]
A new book urges canonisation of late US Catholic Archbishop Fulton Sheen, father of electronic Mass
Vatican CityRNS The Catholic Church’s pioneer of electronic evangelisation, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, was a missionary of the modern age, bringing the church into millions of homes and giving a sometimes obscure faith an approachable, contemporary face. After appearing frequently on The Catholic Hour radio show from 1930 to 1950, his hit television series Life Is […]
Pope denies prior knowledge of now expelled US cardinal McCarrick’s sexual misconduct
Vatican CityReuters Pope Francis has denied he knew about sexual misconduct by former US cardinal Theodore McCarrick before the start of church investigations that found him guilty. McCarrick, once one of the most powerful men in the US Catholic hierarchy, was expelled from the Roman Catholic priesthood in February after he was found guilty of […]
In the US, Atlanta Archbishop Wilton Gregory tapped to lead Washington, DC, Catholics
Washington DCRNS Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta has been tapped to head the influential US Archdiocese of Washington, filling a slot left vacant in October after its previous archbishop, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, was accused of mishandling cases of sexual abuse by priests during his time in Pittsburgh. Gregory had been widely expected to fill Wuerl’s seat […]
More than a third of US Catholics question loyalty in wake of scandals, says survey
RNS A new survey reveals that more US Catholics are questioning whether they should remain in the church today than when news of the “Spotlight” child sex abuse scandal broke in the Boston Archdiocese in 2002. According to a poll released Wednesday by Gallup, more than a third of US Catholics – 37 per cent – surveyed […]
In the US, with Cardinal Wuerl stepping down, who’s next?
RNS The buzz about the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who heads the archdiocese of Washington, DC, and whose resignation the Pope accepted on Friday, had a lot to do with his position: technically, as some outlets pointed out, Wuerl is the most highly ranked member of the American Catholic hierarchy to lose his office […]
ESSAY: CATHOLIC-HEAVY SUPREME COURT MOVES RIGHT AS THE CHURCH MOVES LEFT
US religion commentator JACOB LUPFER, in an article first published on Religion News Service, reflects on the latest nomination to the US Supreme Court…