Opinion

BRONX, New York — Smiling behind their bushy beards, the gray-frocked Franciscan Friars of the Renewal served up Easter brunch for the homeless once again this year — a beloved feature of Easter in the South Bronx. This celebration of unshakeable hope, shared with those many deem hopeless, has continued nonstop since 1987, when the ... read more

CHICAGO — The pastor of a Chicago Catholic parish who was asked to step aside following allegations he sexually assaulted a minor 36 years ago was reinstated Friday. In a letter to members of Christ the King parish, Cardinal Blase Cupich said Father Larry Sullivan has returned to duties because the allegations could not be ... read more

ROME — John Kerry, U.S. President Joe Biden’s special envoy for climate, met privately with Pope Francis May 15, the day after giving a keynote address at a closed-door meeting of the Pontifical Academy for Sciences and the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences. Because Kerry is not a head of state, the Vatican issued no ... read more

LEICESTER, United Kingdom – Dublin’s archbishop has called a proposal that religious education could be “separated out” of Ireland’s schools a “backward step.” Archbishop Dermot Farrell was speaking on May 13 at the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association. Nearly 88 percent of primary schools in the Republic of Ireland are affiliated with the Catholic Church ... read more

ROME – As part of its own “Laudato si’ Week” being celebrated May 16-24, but also with the hope of influencing an upcoming UN Food Systems Pre-Summit in Rome in July, the Vatican is presenting a series of webinars on food for all. Given that, according to the UN’s World Food Program, some 957 million ... read more

NEW YORK – As masks come off and the U.S. begins to move past the COVID-19 pandemic, Cardinal Blase Cupich wants Catholics to stay vigilant about social issues that continue to plague the nation, always putting the poor and marginalized first. “Whatever the project, however complex the issue or how enormous the challenge, the starting ... read more

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island — The leader of Rhode Island’s Catholics has restored the obligation to attend Sunday Mass, which was suspended in March 2020 at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic as in-person services at all houses of worship were suspended. “It’s time to come home. It’s time to return to Sunday Mass,” Diocese of ... read more

LONDON — Northern Ireland’s largest British unionist party chose a religious conservative from the party’s traditionalist wing as its new leader on Friday. Edwin Poots, currently Northern Ireland’s agriculture minister, won a two-person contest to lead the Democratic Unionist Party — the senior partner in the Catholic-Protestant power-sharing government in Belfast. He replaces Arlene Foster, ... read more

NAIROBI, Kenya — A priest from the Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray says killings, abductions and rape are still occurring in the region where a military offensive launched in November. The targets for killings are men and boys, who are being eliminated by armed forces and their allies, and women ... read more

As Israel escalated its assault on Gaza May 14, the nation also faced growing civil unrest in its mixed Jewish-Arab cities, considered a symbol coexistence. Jewish mobs destroyed Arab property, and Arab mobs attacked Jewish businesses and burned synagogues, with attempted lynchings on both sides. May 12 saw the heaviest violence, and in Israel’s largest ... read more

ROME — Pope Francis told a group of young women and men that as Catholic Scouts they have a “noble mission” to witness to the Gospel with their faith, service and care of creation. The French Scouts, with their commitment to helping others, are also “called to work for a more ‘outgoing’ church and for ... read more

ROME — Young members of the clergy who are tempted to avoid the complex realities of the world — finding solace and safety instead in the sacred — can be vulnerable to the illusions of the mafia, said the priest heading a new department on the Mafia and other criminal networks. “The temptation for the ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace called on Israelis and Palestinians to end the violence in Jerusalem and Gaza that has claimed dozens of lives and left hundreds of people injured. “The maiming and killing of one’s neighbor only serves to demonize one’s adversary and deepen ... read more

SEATTLE — Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne has formed a Racial Justice and Cultural Diversity Commission to guide the archdiocese on issues and initiatives “concerning intercultural competency and the sin of racism.” “As members of the body of Christ, we must continue to break down prevailing attitudes and any expressions of racism — both in ... read more

PISCATAWAY, New Jersey — A seminarian from the Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey, was killed in a hit-and-run accident in New York City, the diocese reported. Ngu Quoc Tran, known as Peter by friends and classmates, was killed while walking on Manhattan’s East Side the evening of May 11. “Any time we hear of the ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As more Americans see internet connectivity for their homes every bit as essential as water, heat, electricity and telephone service, Congress has stepped in to give some of the nation’s most cash-strapped households a hand. Called the Emergency Broadband Benefit, or EBB, the subsidy will pay $50 of a household’s monthly internet ... read more

TROY, New York — Just a few seconds after walking into her home, there is no doubt that Sopia Grate is Catholic. Each room holds a photo of Jesus or Mary, and in her front window sill is a display of Jesus, lined with roses and candles of saints in a homemade shrine. Similarly, photos ... read more

BRONX, New York — Smiling behind their bushy beards, the gray-frocked Franciscan Friars of the Renewal served up Easter brunch for the homeless once again this year — a beloved feature of Easter in the South Bronx. This celebration of unshakeable hope, shared with those many deem hopeless, has continued nonstop since 1987, when the ... read more

CHICAGO — The pastor of a Chicago Catholic parish who was asked to step aside following allegations he sexually assaulted a minor 36 years ago was reinstated Friday. In a letter to members of Christ the King parish, Cardinal Blase Cupich said Father Larry Sullivan has returned to duties because the allegations could not be ... read more

ROME — John Kerry, U.S. President Joe Biden’s special envoy for climate, met privately with Pope Francis May 15, the day after giving a keynote address at a closed-door meeting of the Pontifical Academy for Sciences and the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences. Because Kerry is not a head of state, the Vatican issued no ... read more

LEICESTER, United Kingdom – Dublin’s archbishop has called a proposal that religious education could be “separated out” of Ireland’s schools a “backward step.” Archbishop Dermot Farrell was speaking on May 13 at the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association. Nearly 88 percent of primary schools in the Republic of Ireland are affiliated with the Catholic Church ... read more

ROME – As part of its own “Laudato si’ Week” being celebrated May 16-24, but also with the hope of influencing an upcoming UN Food Systems Pre-Summit in Rome in July, the Vatican is presenting a series of webinars on food for all. Given that, according to the UN’s World Food Program, some 957 million ... read more

NEW YORK – As masks come off and the U.S. begins to move past the COVID-19 pandemic, Cardinal Blase Cupich wants Catholics to stay vigilant about social issues that continue to plague the nation, always putting the poor and marginalized first. “Whatever the project, however complex the issue or how enormous the challenge, the starting ... read more

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island — The leader of Rhode Island’s Catholics has restored the obligation to attend Sunday Mass, which was suspended in March 2020 at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic as in-person services at all houses of worship were suspended. “It’s time to come home. It’s time to return to Sunday Mass,” Diocese of ... read more

LONDON — Northern Ireland’s largest British unionist party chose a religious conservative from the party’s traditionalist wing as its new leader on Friday. Edwin Poots, currently Northern Ireland’s agriculture minister, won a two-person contest to lead the Democratic Unionist Party — the senior partner in the Catholic-Protestant power-sharing government in Belfast. He replaces Arlene Foster, ... read more

NAIROBI, Kenya — A priest from the Catholic Eparchy of Adigrat in Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray says killings, abductions and rape are still occurring in the region where a military offensive launched in November. The targets for killings are men and boys, who are being eliminated by armed forces and their allies, and women ... read more

As Israel escalated its assault on Gaza May 14, the nation also faced growing civil unrest in its mixed Jewish-Arab cities, considered a symbol coexistence. Jewish mobs destroyed Arab property, and Arab mobs attacked Jewish businesses and burned synagogues, with attempted lynchings on both sides. May 12 saw the heaviest violence, and in Israel’s largest ... read more

ROME — Pope Francis told a group of young women and men that as Catholic Scouts they have a “noble mission” to witness to the Gospel with their faith, service and care of creation. The French Scouts, with their commitment to helping others, are also “called to work for a more ‘outgoing’ church and for ... read more

ROME — Young members of the clergy who are tempted to avoid the complex realities of the world — finding solace and safety instead in the sacred — can be vulnerable to the illusions of the mafia, said the priest heading a new department on the Mafia and other criminal networks. “The temptation for the ... read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace called on Israelis and Palestinians to end the violence in Jerusalem and Gaza that has claimed dozens of lives and left hundreds of people injured. “The maiming and killing of one’s neighbor only serves to demonize one’s adversary and deepen ... read more