Washington
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High court considers place of same-sex marriage
By PATRICIA ZAPOR, Catholic News Service
Published April 30, 2015WASHINGTON (CNS)—The questions raised by Supreme Court justices as they considered April 28 whether they should rule that same-sex marriage should be made legal nationwide covered a gamut of rights concerns—religious, equal protection, states’ ability to enact their own laws. In two and a half hours of oral arguments, the line of questions and the […] Full Story
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Acts of Apostles tells of people, events in Christianity’s early history
By DAVID GIBSON, Catholic News Service
Published April 16, 2015WASHINGTON (CNS)—Jews from many nations, speaking a wide array of languages, were staying in Jerusalem at the time after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension when a powerful wind swept in upon a house where his apostles and some others, including his mother, were meeting. Hearing the wind and curious to know what was happening, these […] Full Story
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Holy Spirit’s role, growth of community, preaching among Acts themes
By DAVID GIBSON, Catholic News Service
Published April 16, 2015WASHINGTON (CNS)—Here is a look at some of the themes and events described in the Acts of the Apostles: The Spirit’s coming: The Holy Spirit’s role in the early Christian mission is a theme in the Acts. Benedictine Father Dale Launderville, a Scripture scholar, says that Acts shows “remarkable growth in the church due to […] Full Story
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Jesus’ apostles and disciples, men and women among the figures in Acts
By DAVID GIBSON, Catholic News Service
Published April 16, 2015WASHINGTON (CNS)—The Acts of the Apostles introduces readers to many people of ancient Christian times. There are Jesus’ apostles and disciples, men and women, catechists, members of the Jewish community and others. Let’s meet a few of them: Sts. Peter and Paul: These apostles stand as Acts’ central personalities. Peter’s role is more dominant in […] Full Story
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After mudslide, faith groups form partnership to provide help, healing
By JEAN PARIETTI, Catholic News Service
Published April 16, 2015OSO, Wash. (CNS)—When a headline-making catastrophe strikes a community, it often rallies together, bringing together disparate people who previously had little more than geography in common. Such was the case in Oso and other towns in Washington’s North Fork Stillaguamish Valley, when a devastating mudslide in March 2014 obliterated a neighborhood and claimed the lives […] Full Story
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More action on immigration happening in courts, not so much in Congress
By PATRICIA ZAPOR, Catholic News Service
Published March 20, 2015WASHINGTON (CNS)—As the Obama administration filed an emergency motion seeking to overturn a judge’s order blocking programs to defer deportation for certain immigrants, a policy adviser for the U.S. bishops said there’s little chance for comprehensive immigration reform through Congress. The Justice Department March 12 filed an emergency motion in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court […] Full Story
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Templeton winner hopes L’Arche communities ‘may become sign of peace’
By NATE MADDEN, Catholic News Service
Published March 20, 2015WASHINGTON (CNS)—Jean Vanier, a Catholic author and theologian who founded L’Arche, an international network of communities where people with and without intellectual disabilities live and work together, has won the 2015 Templeton Prize. L’Arche is dedicated to the creation and growth of communities, programs and support networks for people with intellectual disabilities across the globe. […] Full Story
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Texas judge blocks DAPA, DACA expansion; administration to appeal
By PATRICIA ZAPOR, Catholic News Service
Published February 19, 2015WASHINGTON (CNS)—A little more than one day before an expansion was to take effect in a deferred deportation program known as DACA, a federal judge in Texas issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Obama administration’s effort. In a 123-page memorandum released by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott late in the evening Feb. 16, District Court Judge […] Full Story
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Catholics called to do everything in their power to end human trafficking
By KATIE SCOTT, Catholic News Service
Published February 19, 2015WASHINGTON (CNS)—Highlighting the life, suffering and enduring hope of St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese slave, Washington Auxiliary Bishop Martin D. Holley called for reflection and action to combat modern-day slavery during his homily on the first International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking Feb. 8. We must “do everything in our power through […] Full Story
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‘Pro-life warriors’ join together for D.C. march
By NATE MADDEN, Catholic News Service
Published February 5, 2015WASHINGTON (CNS)—On a chilly and cloudy morning on the National Mall in Washington, crowds gathered Jan. 22 for the annual March for Life, this year marking the 42nd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion virtually on demand. Tens of thousands gathered first to hear a lineup of speakers, before […] Full Story
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Atlanta-area youth travel to national March for Life
By ANDREW NELSON, Staff Writer
Published February 5, 2015WASHINGTON—Area high school students were among the thousands in the nation’s capital to support the March for Life. Students from Holy Spirit Preparatory School, Atlanta, Pinecrest Academy, Cumming, St. Pius X High School, Atlanta, and Blessed Trinity High School, Roswell, traveled to Washington to join the sea of marchers on Jan. 22, many from high […] Full Story
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Father Merton at 100: Still inspiring people to get closer to God
By DENNIS SADOWSKI, Catholic News Service
Published February 5, 2015WASHINGTON (CNS)—When Trappist Father Thomas Merton addressed persistent racism in his writing during the 1960s, his message seemingly reached into the future. Appealing to society to recognize that all people are children of God, Father Merton questioned practices that prevented African-Americans from achieving full equality and called for the end of discrimination in all forms. […] Full Story
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Year of Consecrated Life events planned
Published January 22, 2015
WASHINGTON—The Catholic Church continues to celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life, which began Nov. 29, 2014, and will continue through Feb. 2, 2016. In Atlanta, on Monday, Feb. 2, on the Feast of the Presentation, a vespers service will be celebrated for the religious of the archdiocese at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Conyers, […] Full Story
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Supreme Court agrees to take up same-sex marriage cases this term
By CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
Published January 22, 2015WASHINGTON (CNS)—The Supreme Court Jan. 16 agreed to hear four cases over the constitutionality of same-sex marriage, tackling the questions of whether the 14th Amendment requires states to allow such marriages and whether it requires them to recognize same-sex marriages licensed in other states. In brief orders, the court accepted petitions from Tennessee, Michigan, Kentucky […] Full Story
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Catholic press raises questions about role of satire aimed at religion
By CAROL ZIMMERMANN, Catholic News Service
Published January 22, 2015WASHINGTON (CNS)—In the days since the terrorist attack in Paris that killed 12 people, including the editor and four cartoonists at a satirical newsweekly, the discussion about the role of satire and just how far freedom of speech should go has become a hot topic. From the onset, most commentators condemned the Jan. 7 attack […] Full Story
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Demographic changes affecting church now an emerging reality for nation
By MARK PATTISON, Catholic News Service
Published January 8, 2015WASHINGTON (CNS)—Catholics in the United States have been told frequently over the past decade or more about the demographic changes coming to the makeup of their church—especially with the growing number of Hispanics now living in the U.S. Now, however, it’s the United States’ turn to recognize and deal with the emerging reality of demographic […] Full Story
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Pope Francis continues to take ‘the world by storm’
By CAROL ZIMMERMANN, Catholic News Service
Published December 23, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—During the second year of his pontificate, Pope Francis was still feeling the love, and not just from Catholics or those from his homeland of Argentina. A Pew Research Center study released Dec. 11 showed that the pope has broad support across much of the world. Sixty percent of the 43 nations polled had […] Full Story
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Pope Francis credited for urging U.S., Cuba to normalize relations
By DENNIS SADOWSKI, Catholic News Service
Published December 23, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—Pope Francis personally appealed to President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro this year to encourage both leaders to normalize diplomatic relations, a senior Obama administration official said. Speaking on background, the official told reporters Dec. 17 that the pope followed up the personal appeals with letters to the U.S. and Cuban leaders, […] Full Story
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U.S. women religious find Vatican report affirms their ministry
By DENNIS SADOWSKI, Catholic News Service
Published December 17, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—U.S. women religious welcomed the conciliatory tone of a Vatican report on religious life and appreciated acknowledgement of the important ministry that they practice day in and day out in the life of the church. They also said the report, released Dec. 16, opens a new beginning for women religious, who have continued their […] Full Story
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Vatican Museums get 3-D treatment in film
By MARK PATTISON, Catholic News Service
Published December 11, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—For those who have never been inside any of the Vatican Museums, seeing a documentary about them done with a 3-D effect on the big screen could be a real treat. “The Vatican Museums 3D” begins a theatrical release on hundreds of screens around the country in December. Even for those lucky enough to […] Full Story