Opinion

ST. PAUL, Minnesota — Catholic hymn composer David Haas is not permitted to give presentations, workshops or concerts at events hosted by Catholic entities in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and his music will no longer be used at archdiocesan events, the archdiocese announced July 8. Tim O’Malley, archdiocesan director of ministerial standards, said in a statement the ... read more

ROME — Staff at the Pope John XXIII hospital in Bergamo — once the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy — announced they had no more patients with coronavirus in their intensive care unit. After 137 days of trying to keep critically ill patients alive, staff gathered July 8 for a moment of silence to remember those who passed ... read more

OXFORD, United Kingdom — An international virtual pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Lourdes, France, will “affirm the power of prayer” against COVID-19, said the shrine’s vice rector. “Lourdes is all about spiritual and physical healing, and we’ve received 15,000 prayer petitions daily throughout the lockdown from around the world — for people about to die or fearing infection,” said Father ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Justice Clarence Thomas spoke and Chief Justice John Roberts ruled. The Supreme Court’s most unusual term featured victories for immigrants, abortion rights, LGBTQ workers and religious freedoms. The usually quiet Thomas’s baritone was heard by the whole world when the coronavirus outbreak upended the court’s traditional way of doing business. When the biggest decisions were handed down, ... read more

SACRAMENTO, California — Crossroads Community Church Senior Pastor Jim Clark wants to keep his 1,500 parishioners safe during the coronavirus pandemic but he’s drawing the line at a new California ban on singing or chanting at religious services. “I said enough’s enough,” Clark said. “We will be singing and praising the Lord. … We don’t chant, but if we did ... read more

SAO PAULO — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced on Friday his second pick to head the education ministry in 11 days, naming a college professor and church pastor to the post. Milton Ribeiro, a former deputy dean of Mackenzie University in Sao Paulo who preaches at a Presbyterian church in Santos outside the metropolis, will be in charge of one ... read more

PARIS — Notre Dame Cathedral will be rebuilt just the way it stood before last year’s devastating fire. No swimming pool or organic garden on the roof of the medieval Paris monument, or contemporary glass spire, or other modern twists. And to stay historically accurate, it will again be built with potentially toxic lead. That’s the verdict reached by French ... read more

ROME – Amid a chorus of resistance from the global Orthodox world, Turkey’s State Court ruled Friday to revert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia, one of the most iconic monuments for both Christianity and Islam, to a mosque. Announced July 10, the decision annuls a 1934 decision to convert the building into a museum, ruling that the conversion was unlawful. Built under ... read more

[Editor’s Note: Brandon McGinley is a Catholic writer and speaker based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He worked in politics for several years, including pro-life and pro-family advocacy with the Pennsylvania Family Institute. Most recently, he was the editor for EWTN Publishing. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, First Things, the Catholic Herald, Plough, The Lamp, and other publications. He ... read more

ROSARIO, Argentina – Alvaro Calvente, 15, defines himself as a young man with “capabilities you can’t even imagine,” who dreams with meeting Pope Francis and who sees the Eucharist as the “biggest celebration,” so he spends several hours a day repeating the words of the Mass to himself. He and his father, Idelfonso, along with a family friend Francisco Javier ... read more

ROSARIO, Argentina – In a letter signed by a third of the Catholic bishops in Ecuador, the prelates ask President Lenin Moreno to authorize the use of a bleaching agent as an “alternative medicine” to treat COVID-19. “We ask you to authorize the use of chlorine dioxide,” said ten of the 30 bishops in the country in a letter to ... read more

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine lawmakers voted Friday to reject the license renewal of the country’s largest TV network, shutting down a major news provider that had been repeatedly threatened by the president over its critical coverage. The House of Representatives’ Committee on Franchises voted 70-11 to reject a new 25-year license for ABS-CBN Corp. The National Telecommunications Commission had ordered ... read more

BEIJING — China said Friday it will retaliate against U.S. officials and institutions following Washington’s imposition of sanctions on three local officials of the ruling Communist Party over human rights abuses in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. China will “definitely fight back” against actions it considers interference in its internal affairs and that which threaten its sovereignty, security and development ... read more

ROME – On Thursday, the Curas Villeros in Argentina published a brief video of Pope Francis, who had recorded a personal message ensuring them of his prayers for three priests in the movement who are currently infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus. A group of close to 40 priests who live and work in the slums of Buenos Aires, the Curas ... read more

ST. PAUL, Minnesota — Catholic hymn composer David Haas is not permitted to give presentations, workshops or concerts at events hosted by Catholic entities in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and his music will no longer be used at archdiocesan events, the archdiocese announced July 8. Tim O’Malley, archdiocesan director of ministerial standards, said in a statement the ... read more

ROME — Staff at the Pope John XXIII hospital in Bergamo — once the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy — announced they had no more patients with coronavirus in their intensive care unit. After 137 days of trying to keep critically ill patients alive, staff gathered July 8 for a moment of silence to remember those who passed ... read more

OXFORD, United Kingdom — An international virtual pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Lourdes, France, will “affirm the power of prayer” against COVID-19, said the shrine’s vice rector. “Lourdes is all about spiritual and physical healing, and we’ve received 15,000 prayer petitions daily throughout the lockdown from around the world — for people about to die or fearing infection,” said Father ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Justice Clarence Thomas spoke and Chief Justice John Roberts ruled. The Supreme Court’s most unusual term featured victories for immigrants, abortion rights, LGBTQ workers and religious freedoms. The usually quiet Thomas’s baritone was heard by the whole world when the coronavirus outbreak upended the court’s traditional way of doing business. When the biggest decisions were handed down, ... read more

SACRAMENTO, California — Crossroads Community Church Senior Pastor Jim Clark wants to keep his 1,500 parishioners safe during the coronavirus pandemic but he’s drawing the line at a new California ban on singing or chanting at religious services. “I said enough’s enough,” Clark said. “We will be singing and praising the Lord. … We don’t chant, but if we did ... read more

SAO PAULO — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced on Friday his second pick to head the education ministry in 11 days, naming a college professor and church pastor to the post. Milton Ribeiro, a former deputy dean of Mackenzie University in Sao Paulo who preaches at a Presbyterian church in Santos outside the metropolis, will be in charge of one ... read more

PARIS — Notre Dame Cathedral will be rebuilt just the way it stood before last year’s devastating fire. No swimming pool or organic garden on the roof of the medieval Paris monument, or contemporary glass spire, or other modern twists. And to stay historically accurate, it will again be built with potentially toxic lead. That’s the verdict reached by French ... read more

ROME – Amid a chorus of resistance from the global Orthodox world, Turkey’s State Court ruled Friday to revert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia, one of the most iconic monuments for both Christianity and Islam, to a mosque. Announced July 10, the decision annuls a 1934 decision to convert the building into a museum, ruling that the conversion was unlawful. Built under ... read more

[Editor’s Note: Brandon McGinley is a Catholic writer and speaker based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He worked in politics for several years, including pro-life and pro-family advocacy with the Pennsylvania Family Institute. Most recently, he was the editor for EWTN Publishing. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, First Things, the Catholic Herald, Plough, The Lamp, and other publications. He ... read more

ROSARIO, Argentina – Alvaro Calvente, 15, defines himself as a young man with “capabilities you can’t even imagine,” who dreams with meeting Pope Francis and who sees the Eucharist as the “biggest celebration,” so he spends several hours a day repeating the words of the Mass to himself. He and his father, Idelfonso, along with a family friend Francisco Javier ... read more

ROSARIO, Argentina – In a letter signed by a third of the Catholic bishops in Ecuador, the prelates ask President Lenin Moreno to authorize the use of a bleaching agent as an “alternative medicine” to treat COVID-19. “We ask you to authorize the use of chlorine dioxide,” said ten of the 30 bishops in the country in a letter to ... read more

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine lawmakers voted Friday to reject the license renewal of the country’s largest TV network, shutting down a major news provider that had been repeatedly threatened by the president over its critical coverage. The House of Representatives’ Committee on Franchises voted 70-11 to reject a new 25-year license for ABS-CBN Corp. The National Telecommunications Commission had ordered ... read more

BEIJING — China said Friday it will retaliate against U.S. officials and institutions following Washington’s imposition of sanctions on three local officials of the ruling Communist Party over human rights abuses in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. China will “definitely fight back” against actions it considers interference in its internal affairs and that which threaten its sovereignty, security and development ... read more

ROME – On Thursday, the Curas Villeros in Argentina published a brief video of Pope Francis, who had recorded a personal message ensuring them of his prayers for three priests in the movement who are currently infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus. A group of close to 40 priests who live and work in the slums of Buenos Aires, the Curas ... read more