Washington
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Court says rule too rigid for execution exemption over mental ability
Published June 12, 2014
WASHINGTON (CNS)—The Supreme Court May 27 tossed out Florida’s standard for determining when someone’s intelligence level renders them exempt from execution. In a 5-4 decision, the court followed up on a 12-year-old ruling that said it is unconstitutional to execute people who have mental disabilities. The new ruling said states must use more than an […] Full Story
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Bishop weigh in on search for missing Nigerian girls
Published May 29, 2014
WASHINGTON (CNS)—Among the U.S. leaders speaking out for action to track down and return 276 kidnapped schoolgirls in Nigeria are the chairman of a Catholic bishops’ committee and the director of the Africa Faith and Justice Network. In statements May 9, Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, and Dominican Father Aniedi Okure, a […] Full Story
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Supreme Court ruling allows prayers before meetings
By CAROL ZIMMERMANN, Catholic News Service
Published May 19, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—The Supreme Court ruled May 5 that prayers said before town council meetings in Greece, N.Y., do not violate the Constitution. In their 5-4 decision, the judges noted a historical precedent to opening local legislative meetings with a prayer and stressed that the predominantly Christian nature of the prayers in the New York town […] Full Story
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Survey finds ongoing dissatisfaction with new Missal language
By PATRICIA ZAPOR, Catholic News Service
Published May 19, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—A survey of attitudes among priests and lay parish leaders about the revised Roman Missal found just under half dislike the changes to the Mass introduced in the U.S. in 2011, and 75 percent think the language is “awkward and distracting.” Priests, more strongly than laypeople, dislike the liturgical changes, the survey said, with […] Full Story
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Religious leaders pledge to protect persecuted Middle East Christians
By MARK PATTISON, Catholic News Service
Published May 16, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—Close to 200 ordained and lay religious leaders have signed a pledge to commit themselves and the United States to protect Christians in Iraq, Syria and Egypt, who they say are being persecuted for their faith. Key points in the pledge, released at a May 7 news conference on Capitol Hill, are: – a […] Full Story
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Bishops’ Immigration Proposals
Published April 22, 2014
U.S. Catholic bishops support key elements for any legislation to bring about comprehensive immigration reform, including: A Path to Citizenship: Permitting undocumented immigrants to earn citizenship over time after paying a fine, learning English, working, and being placed behind those already in the permanent residency or “green card” line. Future Flow Worker Program: Providing visas […] Full Story
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High court hears oral arguments in companies’ challenge to HHS mandate
By CAROL ZIMMERMANN, Catholic News Service
Published April 3, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—Oral arguments in two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court March 25 focused on whether for-profit corporations have religious grounds to object to the new health care law’s requirement that most employers provide contraceptive coverage in their employee health plans. Crowds on both sides of the issue gathered outside the Supreme Court on a […] Full Story
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Meetings of U.S. presidents and popes: long, but not ancient, tradition
By CAROL ZIMMERMANN, Catholic News Service
Published April 3, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—Although some details have emerged of the conversation between Pope Francis and President Barack Obama March 27, the public may never know all that was said in that 50-minute get-together behind closed doors at the Vatican. And that’s pretty much the story for most of the meetings between 12 U.S. presidents and six popes […] Full Story
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Inertia on immigration law bring pressure for fixes
By PATRICIA ZAPOR, Catholic News Service
Published March 20, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—As frustration grows over the lack of progress on immigration reform and protests about the high number of deportations become more widespread and dramatic, President Barack Obama March 13 and 14 told activists he would consider ways to ease the effects of strict enforcement. The announcement came as immigrants facing deportation have been waging […] Full Story
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Guidance on Lent from the USCCB
Published March 11, 2014
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) provided the following questions and answers about Lent and Lenten practices. Q. Why do we say that there are 40 days of Lent? When you count all the days from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, there are 46. A. It might be more accurate to say that […] Full Story
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‘Son of God’ movie ‘a love story,’ say husband-wife producers
By MARK PATTISON, Catholic News Service
Published March 6, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—The upcoming movie “Son of God” should be seen as “a love story,” according to two of its executive producers, the husband-and-wife team of Mark Burnett and Roma Downey. “This really is a love story—the greatest love story ever told,” Downey said. The couple brought the 10-hour miniseries “The Bible” to television last year, […] Full Story
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CRS Rice Bowl program has new twists: an app, recipes, contest
By PATRICIA ZAPOR, Catholic News Service
Published February 20, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—When trying to change one’s eating habits, especially cutting calories, there’s nothing like getting some made-to-order recipes from a popular chef to help keep one motivated. At least that’s part of the thinking behind one of the new approaches to Catholic Relief Services’ annual Rice Bowl program for Lent, the 39-year-old CRS campaign to […] Full Story
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Hearing women’s stories of abortion, Gospel reading comes alive
By BARBARA GOLDER, Special To The Bulletin
Published February 6, 2014I have now officially surpassed my previous record of consorting with Catholics, set when I was fortunate enough to attend a papal Mass with 85,000 or so of my closest Catholic relatives. With half a million folks or so at the March For Life—and a great plenty of them Catholic—I’m guessing I passed that mark […] Full Story
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Youths must help world see God has plan for ‘each life,’ priest says
By RICHARD SZCZEPANOWSKI, Catholic News Service
Published February 6, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—Braving near-record low temperatures and Arctic-type wind chills, thousands of young people from across the Archdiocese of Washington and the United States gathered in Washington for a rally and Mass prior to the annual Jan. 22 March for Life. “We can help the world understand that no one is an accident, all have a […] Full Story
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USCCB report studies, makes suggestions about rise in solo minor migrants
By PATRICIA ZAPOR, Catholic News Service
Published February 6, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—Dangerous conditions in their homelands are leading tens of thousands more families in Central America and Mexico to send their children by themselves to cross the U.S. border illegally, according to a report by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration. Citing data from two U.S. federal agencies, the report estimates that, […] Full Story
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Two types of HHS mandate cases are at different points in legal process
By PATRICIA ZAPOR, Catholic News Service
Published February 6, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—The Supreme Court is involved in two types of issues related to claims by employers who say they should not have to provide coverage of contraceptives in their workers’ health insurance plans because this violates the employers’ faith-based moral objections. Both matters revolve around requirements in the Affordable Care Act that employer-provided health insurance […] Full Story
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‘Citizen-scholar’ and former Ambassador to Vatican Thomas Melady dies
By PATRICIA ZAPOR, Catholic News Service
Published January 9, 2014WASHINGTON (CNS)—Former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Thomas P. Melady, who served in several diplomatic posts and continued to play a role as “citizen-scholar” long past the age when most people would have retired, died Jan. 6. He was 86. Melady died at his Washington home of a brain tumor, which doctors only recently diagnosed. […] Full Story
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For mother of prisoner, death penalty issue in ‘forefront of our lives’
By PRIYA NARAPAREDDY, Catholic News Service
Published December 6, 2013WASHINGTON (CNS)—Terri Steinberg said she never thought about the death penalty until her son was put on death row. Steinberg said her son Justin Wolfe spent 12 years on death row in the state of Virginia, after initially turning himself in to the police to clear his name from murder charges. But he was convicted. […] Full Story
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Mandela recalled as a man who inspired others to uphold human dignity
By Catholic News Service
Published December 6, 2013WASHINGTON (CNS)—Pope Francis joined church and government leaders from around the world in crediting Nelson Mandela for a steadfast commitment to promoting human rights and upholding the dignity of all people in response to the death Dec. 5 of the former president of South Africa. In a message to South Africa President Jacob Zuma, Pope […] Full Story
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Dioceses ask for input from Catholics to prepare for synod
By PATRICIA ZAPOR, Catholic News Service
Published December 5, 2013WASHINGTON (CNS)—In the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pa., Catholics are being encouraged to do a little studying about church teaching and then weigh in on the preparation material for next year’s extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family. The Harrisburg Diocese is one of a handful around the country, including the Atlanta Archdiocese, that have online […] Full Story