Georgia Bulletin

Washington

• Congress’ shutdown showdown: Good theater, but is it good government?

  By MARK PATTISON, Catholic News Service
  Published June 24, 2010

  WASHINGTON (CNS)—“The play’s the thing,” Shakespeare wrote. The drama being played out in Congress since the lawmakers returned from summer vacation has made for riveting viewing, with cable news channels showing shifting vote totals on crucial bills in real time. But questions arise on the strategy of each house of Congress passing bills knowing they […] Full Story

• Cardinal says USCCB continues legal, moral analysis of HHS mandate

  Published June 10, 2010

  WASHINGTON (CNS)—In a Sept. 17 letter to U.S. bishops, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan said the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops continues to study the legal and moral implications of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act. The USCCB also continues to “develop avenues of response […] Full Story

• Catholic Agencies Around World Rush Aid To Haitian Earthquake Victims

  By DENNIS SADOWSKI, CNS
  Published January 21, 2010

  Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services has been asked by the Vatican to coordinate the church’s relief and recovery efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. The Pontifical Council Cor Unum, the Vatican office that promotes and coordinates Catholic charitable giving and distributes the money the pope designates for charity, made the request of the U.S. bishops’ aid agency because […] Full Story

• New Social Encyclical Called Groundbreaking

  By NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN, CNS
  Published July 16, 2009

  Pope Benedict XVI’s new encyclical, “Caritas in Veritate” (“Charity in Truth”), breaks new ground on such topics as microfinancing, intellectual property rights, globalization and the concept of putting one’s wealth at the service of the poor, according to Catholic scholars and church leaders. In interviews with Catholic News Service and in statements about the encyclical […] Full Story

• Catholic Leaders See Hope, Challenges In Election

  By Catholic Leaders See Hope, Challenges In Election
  Published November 13, 2008

  Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, president of the U.S. Catholic bishops, congratulated President-elect Barack Obama on his “historic election” Nov. 4 as the first African-American to win the White House. “The people of our country have entrusted you with a great responsibility,” the cardinal said in a letter to Obama on behalf of the […] Full Story

• Once Allies On Immigration, Candidates Now Diverge

  By PATRICIA ZAPOR, CNS
  Published October 8, 2008

  Not long ago, the two leading presidential candidates clearly supported the same approaches to fixing the dysfunctional U.S. immigration system. In 2006, Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois was among those working to try to pass the ill-fated comprehensive immigration reform bill co-written by Republican nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Sen. Ted […] Full Story

• Iraq War Poses Major Challenges For Next President

  By DENNIS SADOWSKI, CNS
  Published October 2, 2008

  The legacy of President George W. Bush will be framed primarily by one event: the ongoing war in Iraq. At five and a half years and running, the Iraq War—portrayed by Bush as a vital front in what he has characterized as the war on terror—has left Americans divided and much of the world community […] Full Story

• Leaders: Don’t Forget Human Aspect Of Bailout

  Published October 2, 2008

  Church leaders urged members of Congress and the Bush administration to keep the human and ethical dimensions of the economic crisis in mind as they craft a financial bailout package for Wall Street. “This crisis involves far more than just economic or technical matters, but has enormous human impact and clear ethical dimensions which should […] Full Story

• Candidates’ Stands On Life Cover More Than Abortion

  By NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN, CNS
  Published September 25, 2008

  On few topics do presidential candidates Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain diverge as sharply as on abortion. But on other life issues—embryonic stem-cell research, assisted suicide and the death penalty—the differences are not always easy to ferret out. On abortion, McCain’s campaign Web site said the Republican candidate “believes Roe v. Wade is […] Full Story

• North Georgia Young Adults, Youth Trek To Sydney

  By STEPHEN O’KANE, Staff Writer
  Published July 17, 2008

  Youth, young adults, priests and chaperones from North Georgia are among the 15,000 people who traveled from the United States to World Youth Day, the international event convened by Pope Benedict XVI in Sydney, Australia, July 15-20. According to organizers, the U.S. contingent was the largest delegation representing any country outside of Australia. Also 50 […] Full Story

• Observers Applaud Pope’s Visit As Right On Target

  By CAROL ZIMMERMANN, CNS
  Published May 1, 2008

  When Pope Benedict XVI left New York April 20 after his six-day visit to the United States, Catholics were catching their breath from the whirlwind tour and many were trying to figure out what kind of impact the visit would leave in its wake. The trip—anticipated since last November—prompted a fair amount of guesswork about […] Full Story

• Pope Calls Scandal ‘Countersign’ To Gospel Of Life

  By JULIE ASHER, CNS
  Published April 24, 2008

  One of the “countersigns to the Gospel of life” in the United States is the sexual abuse of minors, a situation “that causes deep shame,” Pope Benedict XVI told about 300 U.S. bishops gathered April 16 in the crypt church at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. He called […] Full Story

• Pope Meets Privately With Sexual Abuse Victims

  By JOHN THAVIS, CNS
  Published April 24, 2008

  Pope Benedict XVI held an unscheduled meeting with victims of priestly sexual abuse, shortly after pledging the church’s continued efforts to help heal the wounds caused by such acts. The Vatican said the pope met privately in a chapel at the apostolic nunciature with “a small group of persons who were sexually abused by members […] Full Story

• Pope Says Religious Values Forged ‘Soul’ Of America

  By JOHN THAVIS, CNS
  Published April 24, 2008

  In a meeting at the White House, Pope Benedict XVI and President George W. Bush discussed the problem of terrorism and how to confront it while respecting human rights. The two leaders also expressed their joint concern for the protection of human life, marriage and the family, according to a statement issued after a private […] Full Story

• Pope Affirms, Challenges Catholic Educators

  By CAROL ZIMMERMANN, CNS
  Published April 24, 2008

  In an address to U.S. Catholic educators April 17, Pope Benedict XVI thanked them for their work and urged them to continue to bring their students to a deeper understanding of faith “which in turn nurtures the soul of a nation.” “A particular responsibility … for each of you, and your colleagues, is to evoke […] Full Story

• Atlanta Superintendent ‘Awed’ By Holy Father

  By MARY ANNE CASTRANIO, Staff Writer
  Published April 24, 2008

  The head of Atlanta’s Catholic schools, Superintendent Diane Starkovich, described with awe her experience at Pope Benedict’s meeting with Catholic educators April 17 on the campus of Catholic University of America. “It was one of those experiences you’ll remember for the rest of your life,” she said. One of over 400 educators representing every U.S. […] Full Story

• Speakers Encourage Catholic Social Ministry Workers

  By PATRICIA ZAPOR, CNS
  Published March 6, 2008

  Catholic social ministry is often frustrating, but a handful of speakers made a point of acknowledging the value of the work and thanking participants in an annual gathering of church workers in Washington. “The church owes you a debt of gratitude,” said Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla., at a Feb. 27 Mass closing […] Full Story

• Extraordinary Ministers Of Eucharist Will No Longer Purify Vessels At Mass

  By NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN, CNS
  Published November 9, 2006

  At the direction of Pope Benedict XVI, extraordinary ministers of holy Communion will no longer be permitted to assist in the purification of the sacred vessels at Masses in the United States. In an Oct. 23 letter, Bishop William S. Skylstad, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, asked his fellow bishops to inform […] Full Story

• A Year After Hurricanes, Dioceses Still Recovering

  

  By CAROL ZIMMERMANN, CNS
  Published August 24, 2006

  Southern dioceses from Texas to Alabama are still reeling from the swath of destruction left by last year’s hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Diocese of Biloxi, Miss., both hit hard by Hurricane Katrina Aug. 29, have taken steps toward recovery, but full-scale restoration is still a long way off […] Full Story

• Collection To Aid Two Hurricane-Affected Dioceses

  By GEORGIA BULLETIN STAFF AND CNS REPORTERS
  Published August 3, 2006

  Because the needs of two dioceses affected by Hurricane Katrina “remain staggering and extremely urgent,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has asked that a special national collection be taken up in August in Catholic parishes. Sixty percent of the collection will be distributed to the Archdiocese of New Orleans and 40 percent to the […] Full Story