Opinion

On Nov. 12, the U.S. bishops expressed support that St. Irenaeus of Lyon be declared a Doctor of the Church. The vote came following a bid for the support of the U.S. bishops as requested by Cardinal Phillipe Barbarin of Lyon, France, in conjunction with the support of the French episcopal conference. While there is no fixed process for declaring ... read more

HONG KONG — A bishop is calling on the Hong Kong government to set up an independent inquiry into the death of a student during the latest pro-democracy riots. Ucanews.org reported Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing of Hong Kong made his call during a prayer meeting to mourn Chow Tsz-lok, who died Nov. 8 after a suspicious fall at a ... read more

BALTIMORE — A new “pastoral framework for marriage and family life” should be ready for a vote by the U.S. bishops by next November at the latest, according to Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia. It may even be ready for a vote when the bishops meet in June 2020, said Archbishop Chaput, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on ... read more

BALTIMORE — In a high-stakes issue before the Supreme Court Nov. 12, it was not clear how the justices will ultimately resolve the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA. The court heard arguments on three separate appellate court rulings that have blocked President Donald Trump’s 2017 order to end DACA — a 2012 program ... read more

BALTIMORE — The U.S. bishops voted to approve close to 300 new hymn texts for the Liturgy of the Hours. The Nov. 12 vote was 205-5 with two abstentions. The proposal needed two-thirds of the Latin-rite bishops to vote yes, or 164 votes. They must now receive confirmation from the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments. This effort ... read more

“What did they think they believed in?” I was listening to a podcast when those words stopped me dead in my tracks. The host, a Catholic, was discussing a couple of high-profile evangelical megachurch pastors who recently had announced that they had lost their faith. Sadly, we hear such stories all the time — often not involving megachurch pastors, but ... read more

BALTIMORE — The U.S. bishops added their assent to a call to have St. Irenaeus declared a doctor of the church. The action came Nov. 12, the second day of their Nov. 11-13 fall general meeting in Baltimore. “This is perhaps a way to correct an oversight of history,” said Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, chairman ... read more

BELLEVILLE, Ill. — A priest who served at several southern Illinois parishes has pleaded guilty to the distribution of child pornography and the possession of methamphetamine. Father Gerald Hechenberger faces up to 26 years in prison after pleading guilty last week to three counts of possessing pornographic photos of children and one count of possession of methamphetamine. Hechenberger was arrested ... read more

MIAMI — Two months after Hurricane Dorian upended life in the northern Bahamas, a newly launched fund will support hundreds of Catholic school students displaced by the storm. The Archdiocese of Nassau recently launched the Each One Reach One initiative of its Bahamas Catholic Board of Education. Under the initiative, donors can assist some 220 students from Abaco and Grand ... read more

SYDNEY (CNS) — The High Court of Australia has decided to give Cardinal George Pell, 78, a final chance to argue against his conviction on five counts of child sexual abuse. High Court Justices Michelle Gordon and James Edelman announced Nov. 13 that they referred the cardinal’s appeal application to the full, seven-member court. The unusual move means the full ... read more

BALTIMORE (CNS) — On the agenda for the U.S. bishops’ Nov. 11-13 meeting in Baltimore were elections and discussions of key challenges in the church and the nation. Unlike recent previous meetings, their response to the clergy abuse crisis was mentioned but was not the primary focus. On the second day of the meeting, Nov. 12, the bishops elected Archbishop ... read more

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — The Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky says the Catholic archbishop is doing well after a seven-hour surgery for his ongoing cancer treatment. News outlets citing The Record report 73-year-old Archbishop Joseph Kurtz announced Tuesday that the surgery was successful. The Record is a paper published by the Archdiocese of Louisville. Kurtz says he is up, walking and hoping ... read more

[Editor’s note: This is part one of an hour-long interview with Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, a member of Pope Francis’s commission for the protection of minors. Part two will be published tomorrow.] MEXICO CITY – Last week, Father Hans Zollner, a German Jesuit who is a member of Pope Francis’s Commission for the Protection of Minors, showed an uncharacteristic moment ... read more

MUMBAI, India – “Strengthening family bonds” was the theme of the Golden Jubilee of St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Sambalpur on Nov. 10. The diocese, located in the state of Odisha, was established in 1951, but the Church in the area was undeveloped, mostly serving the local marginalized Tribal community. However, the diocese experienced huge growth, leading to the designation of ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the U.S. Supreme Court justices prepared to hear oral arguments in a case on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program the morning of Nov. 12, Catholics met at Columbus Circle in Washington to pray the rosary for the intention of all DACA recipients, their families and all immigrants in the United States. “We’re not just ... read more

On Nov. 12, the U.S. bishops expressed support that St. Irenaeus of Lyon be declared a Doctor of the Church. The vote came following a bid for the support of the U.S. bishops as requested by Cardinal Phillipe Barbarin of Lyon, France, in conjunction with the support of the French episcopal conference. While there is no fixed process for declaring ... read more

HONG KONG — A bishop is calling on the Hong Kong government to set up an independent inquiry into the death of a student during the latest pro-democracy riots. Ucanews.org reported Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing of Hong Kong made his call during a prayer meeting to mourn Chow Tsz-lok, who died Nov. 8 after a suspicious fall at a ... read more

BALTIMORE — A new “pastoral framework for marriage and family life” should be ready for a vote by the U.S. bishops by next November at the latest, according to Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia. It may even be ready for a vote when the bishops meet in June 2020, said Archbishop Chaput, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on ... read more

BALTIMORE — In a high-stakes issue before the Supreme Court Nov. 12, it was not clear how the justices will ultimately resolve the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA. The court heard arguments on three separate appellate court rulings that have blocked President Donald Trump’s 2017 order to end DACA — a 2012 program ... read more

BALTIMORE — The U.S. bishops voted to approve close to 300 new hymn texts for the Liturgy of the Hours. The Nov. 12 vote was 205-5 with two abstentions. The proposal needed two-thirds of the Latin-rite bishops to vote yes, or 164 votes. They must now receive confirmation from the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments. This effort ... read more

“What did they think they believed in?” I was listening to a podcast when those words stopped me dead in my tracks. The host, a Catholic, was discussing a couple of high-profile evangelical megachurch pastors who recently had announced that they had lost their faith. Sadly, we hear such stories all the time — often not involving megachurch pastors, but ... read more

BALTIMORE — The U.S. bishops added their assent to a call to have St. Irenaeus declared a doctor of the church. The action came Nov. 12, the second day of their Nov. 11-13 fall general meeting in Baltimore. “This is perhaps a way to correct an oversight of history,” said Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, chairman ... read more

BELLEVILLE, Ill. — A priest who served at several southern Illinois parishes has pleaded guilty to the distribution of child pornography and the possession of methamphetamine. Father Gerald Hechenberger faces up to 26 years in prison after pleading guilty last week to three counts of possessing pornographic photos of children and one count of possession of methamphetamine. Hechenberger was arrested ... read more

MIAMI — Two months after Hurricane Dorian upended life in the northern Bahamas, a newly launched fund will support hundreds of Catholic school students displaced by the storm. The Archdiocese of Nassau recently launched the Each One Reach One initiative of its Bahamas Catholic Board of Education. Under the initiative, donors can assist some 220 students from Abaco and Grand ... read more

BALTIMORE (CNS) — On the agenda for the U.S. bishops’ Nov. 11-13 meeting in Baltimore were elections and discussions of key challenges in the church and the nation. Unlike recent previous meetings, their response to the clergy abuse crisis was mentioned but was not the primary focus. On the second day of the meeting, Nov. 12, the bishops elected Archbishop ... read more

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — The Archdiocese of Louisville, Kentucky says the Catholic archbishop is doing well after a seven-hour surgery for his ongoing cancer treatment. News outlets citing The Record report 73-year-old Archbishop Joseph Kurtz announced Tuesday that the surgery was successful. The Record is a paper published by the Archdiocese of Louisville. Kurtz says he is up, walking and hoping ... read more

[Editor’s note: This is part one of an hour-long interview with Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, a member of Pope Francis’s commission for the protection of minors. Part two will be published tomorrow.] MEXICO CITY – Last week, Father Hans Zollner, a German Jesuit who is a member of Pope Francis’s Commission for the Protection of Minors, showed an uncharacteristic moment ... read more

MUMBAI, India – “Strengthening family bonds” was the theme of the Golden Jubilee of St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Sambalpur on Nov. 10. The diocese, located in the state of Odisha, was established in 1951, but the Church in the area was undeveloped, mostly serving the local marginalized Tribal community. However, the diocese experienced huge growth, leading to the designation of ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the U.S. Supreme Court justices prepared to hear oral arguments in a case on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program the morning of Nov. 12, Catholics met at Columbus Circle in Washington to pray the rosary for the intention of all DACA recipients, their families and all immigrants in the United States. “We’re not just ... read more

Baltimore — Current issues of the day and references to the teachings of Pope Francis can be found throughout the materials approved by the U.S. bishops to supplement their existing document on Catholic participation in public life. The materials — an introductory letter and four videos — address concerns such as the common good, immigration, abortion, poverty, care for creation ... read more