Opinion

The Vatican announced Feb. 22 that Pope Francis has recognized the martyrdom of a fellow Jesuit, Salvadoran Father Rutilio Grande, and two companions who were murdered en route to a novena in 1977 in El Salvador. Papal recognition of their martyrdom clears the way for their beatification, although the Vatican did not announce a date for the ceremony. “The announcement ... read more

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.  — Three new communities of women religious are bringing their missions of evangelization through helping others to the Diocese of Charleston. The Daughters of St. Anne, an order based in India, arrived in South Carolina in September 2019 and now serve at three parishes. Founded in 1857, their order’s charism is “evangelization through loving service.” Sister Deepa ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Realizing that many people are hesitant to fill out the upcoming census, the U.S. Census Bureau is calling on religious leaders to help promote it. “You are your community’s most trusted voice,” Steven Dillingham, Census Bureau director, told a group of interfaith leaders at the Washington National Cathedral Feb. 18, saying his agency depends on them to ... read more

CLEVELAND — A Cleveland-area Catholic priest arrested in December was accused of several new charges, including sex trafficking involving a minor, federal prosecutors said Friday. A criminal complaint filed in federal court also charged Father Robert McWilliams with receiving or distributing child pornography and sexual exploitation of children. Federal investigators said in a court document that McWilliams, 39, would pretend ... read more

WARREN, Michigan — Seven football players at a prominent all-boys Catholic high school in suburban Detroit will be charged with assault after two alleged hazing victims and witnesses came forward, police said. Warren police have been investigating football players at De La Salle Collegiate High School for allegedly assaulting other players with broomsticks in October 2019. The school has acknowledged ... read more

ROME – As the Boy Scouts of America slide further into scandal with allegations of widespread sexual abuse continuing to go public, the Catholic Church also finds itself on the public hot seat again one year after a global summit on child protection. Exactly 12 months after Pope Francis’s historic Feb. 21-24 abuse summit, attended by the presidents of all ... read more

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – Friday was declared a day of mourning in the Diocese of Kumbo, a week after at least 24 people – most of them children – were killed in Ngarbuh, a village in Cameroon’s North West region. “We have been reliably informed about a very sad incident, which took place on the 14th of February in the village ... read more

[Editor’s Note: Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Maggie Musso (née Skoch) earned a BA in Theology at the University of Notre Dame, where she developed a passion for working with and serving people with mental illness. During her senior year, she worked as the intern in the Division of Student Affairs on projects related to student mental health and ... read more

ROME — The 12-year process of updating the Code of Canon Law section dealing with crimes and penalties was necessary “to make it more organic and responsive to new situations and problems,” Pope Francis said. Meeting Feb. 21 with members and staff of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Francis said the work of revising Book VI of the Code ... read more

BONN, Germany — This year’s spring assembly of the German bishops’ conference, scheduled in Mainz March 2-5, will be dominated by the election of a successor to the its current president, Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising. The cardinal, 66, is retiring from presidency and has said it is time for a younger generation to take the helm, reported ... read more

JERUSALEM — Israel on Thursday called on Belgium to scrap this weekend’s annual Carnival parade after last year’s featured a float with anti-Semitic caricatures. The carnival in the industrial city of Aalst has its roots in the Middle Ages and often features satirical floats that take shots at local politicians and the wealthy. “Belgium as a Western Democracy should be ... read more

LEICESTER, United Kingdom – An English bishop has expressed concern that new immigration restrictions announced by the UK government could lead to an increase in human trafficking. Britain left the European Union at the end of January, and has announced that the EU’s free movement of people will no longer apply in the UK after the end of 2020. Under ... read more

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The 12-year process of updating the Code of Canon Law section dealing with crimes and penalties was necessary “to make it more organic and responsive to new situations and problems,” Pope Francis said. Meeting Feb. 21 with members and staff of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Pope Francis said the work of revising Book VI ... read more

Becoming a police officer or an FBI agent requires more skills than just locking up “bad guys.” Today’s law enforcement professionals — from uniformed patrol officers to seasoned prosecutors — draw on sociology, psychology and human behavioral science, as well as physical sciences such as forensics and even anthropology to investigate crimes and keep the public safe. “The sociological component ... read more

NAPLES, Italy — When Lionel Messi climbs up the steps from the moat surrounding the field at the San Paolo Stadium on Tuesday and emerges into the Champions League spotlight, he’ll be stepping onto sacred ground. The ground where fellow Argentina great Diego Maradona achieved some of his most memorable exploits and where the player he is often compared to ... read more

The Vatican announced Feb. 22 that Pope Francis has recognized the martyrdom of a fellow Jesuit, Salvadoran Father Rutilio Grande, and two companions who were murdered en route to a novena in 1977 in El Salvador. Papal recognition of their martyrdom clears the way for their beatification, although the Vatican did not announce a date for the ceremony. “The announcement ... read more

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.  — Three new communities of women religious are bringing their missions of evangelization through helping others to the Diocese of Charleston. The Daughters of St. Anne, an order based in India, arrived in South Carolina in September 2019 and now serve at three parishes. Founded in 1857, their order’s charism is “evangelization through loving service.” Sister Deepa ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Realizing that many people are hesitant to fill out the upcoming census, the U.S. Census Bureau is calling on religious leaders to help promote it. “You are your community’s most trusted voice,” Steven Dillingham, Census Bureau director, told a group of interfaith leaders at the Washington National Cathedral Feb. 18, saying his agency depends on them to ... read more

CLEVELAND — A Cleveland-area Catholic priest arrested in December was accused of several new charges, including sex trafficking involving a minor, federal prosecutors said Friday. A criminal complaint filed in federal court also charged Father Robert McWilliams with receiving or distributing child pornography and sexual exploitation of children. Federal investigators said in a court document that McWilliams, 39, would pretend ... read more

WARREN, Michigan — Seven football players at a prominent all-boys Catholic high school in suburban Detroit will be charged with assault after two alleged hazing victims and witnesses came forward, police said. Warren police have been investigating football players at De La Salle Collegiate High School for allegedly assaulting other players with broomsticks in October 2019. The school has acknowledged ... read more

ROME – As the Boy Scouts of America slide further into scandal with allegations of widespread sexual abuse continuing to go public, the Catholic Church also finds itself on the public hot seat again one year after a global summit on child protection. Exactly 12 months after Pope Francis’s historic Feb. 21-24 abuse summit, attended by the presidents of all ... read more

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – Friday was declared a day of mourning in the Diocese of Kumbo, a week after at least 24 people – most of them children – were killed in Ngarbuh, a village in Cameroon’s North West region. “We have been reliably informed about a very sad incident, which took place on the 14th of February in the village ... read more

[Editor’s Note: Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Maggie Musso (née Skoch) earned a BA in Theology at the University of Notre Dame, where she developed a passion for working with and serving people with mental illness. During her senior year, she worked as the intern in the Division of Student Affairs on projects related to student mental health and ... read more

ROME — The 12-year process of updating the Code of Canon Law section dealing with crimes and penalties was necessary “to make it more organic and responsive to new situations and problems,” Pope Francis said. Meeting Feb. 21 with members and staff of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Francis said the work of revising Book VI of the Code ... read more

BONN, Germany — This year’s spring assembly of the German bishops’ conference, scheduled in Mainz March 2-5, will be dominated by the election of a successor to the its current president, Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising. The cardinal, 66, is retiring from presidency and has said it is time for a younger generation to take the helm, reported ... read more

JERUSALEM — Israel on Thursday called on Belgium to scrap this weekend’s annual Carnival parade after last year’s featured a float with anti-Semitic caricatures. The carnival in the industrial city of Aalst has its roots in the Middle Ages and often features satirical floats that take shots at local politicians and the wealthy. “Belgium as a Western Democracy should be ... read more

LEICESTER, United Kingdom – An English bishop has expressed concern that new immigration restrictions announced by the UK government could lead to an increase in human trafficking. Britain left the European Union at the end of January, and has announced that the EU’s free movement of people will no longer apply in the UK after the end of 2020. Under ... read more

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The 12-year process of updating the Code of Canon Law section dealing with crimes and penalties was necessary “to make it more organic and responsive to new situations and problems,” Pope Francis said. Meeting Feb. 21 with members and staff of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Pope Francis said the work of revising Book VI ... read more

Becoming a police officer or an FBI agent requires more skills than just locking up “bad guys.” Today’s law enforcement professionals — from uniformed patrol officers to seasoned prosecutors — draw on sociology, psychology and human behavioral science, as well as physical sciences such as forensics and even anthropology to investigate crimes and keep the public safe. “The sociological component ... read more

NAPLES, Italy — When Lionel Messi climbs up the steps from the moat surrounding the field at the San Paolo Stadium on Tuesday and emerges into the Champions League spotlight, he’ll be stepping onto sacred ground. The ground where fellow Argentina great Diego Maradona achieved some of his most memorable exploits and where the player he is often compared to ... read more