Are Catholicism and democracy incompatible? Pope Pius IX, in his notorious 1864 Syllabus of Errors, seemed to think so. Every Catholic politicians since then has had to wrestle with the eruptions and upheavals that occur where these two tectonic plates grind together. The latest example is President Joe Biden, who has been reprimanded by the President Read more
The American Catholic bishops are split over how to deal with Joe Biden, the first Catholic president since John F. Kennedy, but it’s not just one split. A small but vocal minority wants to punish the new president for his support of legalized abortion, gay rights and birth control. These are the bishops who consider Read more
US bishops are backing an anti-racism pastoral letter aiming “to combat the scourge of racism in the hearts and minds of the faithful, in our own church communities and in the structures of society”. Read more
Demands from a Vatican archbishop for the Pope’s resignation and America’s clergy sexual abuse scandal were on the agenda when Pope Francis met with several US bishops yesterday for talks. Read more
Over 140 theologians, educators and lay leaders have called for all the bishops in the United States to resign. Just as Chile’s 34 bishops resigned in May after revelations of sexual abuse and corruption, US bishops should also submit their resignations to Pope Francis. Doing so would show the public an act of penance and Read more
Catholic leaders in the United States are disgusted President Donald Trump wants National Guard troops to go to the US-Mexico border. They say it is morally irresponsible, dangerously ineffective and unwise. Rather than keeping migrants out of the United States, they would like the administration to be more welcoming. In a statement from the Hope Read more
The US Bishops and the English Westminster Justice and Peace Commission jointly oppose President Trump’s Executive Order issued last week. “The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in unity with Pope Francis, strongly supports environmental stewardship and has called consistently for ‘our own country to curtail carbon emissions,’” said Bishop Frank J Dewane of Florida. Read more
America’s bishops are calling for compassion and family unity in the face of President Donald Trump’s immigration laws. Archbishop Gomez, who is the vice president of the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops, said immigration is the “human rights test of our time”. Commenting on Trump’s immigration laws, he said having a policy that solely focuses Read more
Watching the USCCB meeting this week was frustrating. The conference seems stuck. At a time when the country desperately needs a strong moral voice, the united voice of the bishops is sidelined, fretting about things that don’t matter and tepidly addressing the things that do. And, it was apparent to all that the concerns of Read more
An archbishop known for his conservative views is to co-ordinate a committee of US bishops working on the implementation of Amoris Laetitia. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) said Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia will lead a working group of five bishops. The group’s purpose is “to support our Holy Father in furthering the reception Read more