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
The US Catholic Church has spent millions of dollars in the last decade opposing measures that would help sex abuse victims get redress. The church has paid lobbyists to work against bills in four states that would extend statutes of limitation for child sex abuse cases or grant an extra window in some cases for Read more
The editor-in-chief of the US-based Catholic News Service has resigned abruptly at the request of a US bishops’ conference official. Tony Spence had posted tweets in reaction to religious freedom legislation under debate in Georgia and Tennessee and a gender identity measure in North Carolina. He also tweeted about an article in another publication about gay Read more
American Catholic bishops joined various faith groups in calling on the US Supreme Court to give temporary relief to undocumented persons in the country who are eligible for deportation. “Courts have repeatedly recognized that there is a public interest in maintaining stable families and communities,” the bishops said in an amicus brief filed on March Read more
An investigation into alleged sex abuses by priests in the Diocese of Pennsylvania in the United States found that two bishops protected over 50 priests who sexually abused hundreds of children. The 147-page grand jury report came uncovered a “secret archive” of evidence stuffed into boxes and filing cabinets in a church office in the Read more
Sharp debate on the degree to which US bishops should adjust their priorities to match those of Pope Francis preceded approval of an election-year guide. The US bishops, meeting this week in Baltimore, approved an election guide called “Faithful Citizenship”. It stresses the moral imperative to evaluate political candidates according to their position on marriage Read more
Pope Francis has hailed the “courage” shown by United States bishops in facing up to the clergy sex abuse crisis. Speaking to about 400 bishops in Washington, DC, on September 23, the Pope said the bishops had regained the authority and trust which was demanded of them. He also praised the bishops for being ready Read more
American Catholic bishops have been told that many priests admit they don’t feel comfortable giving guidance to couples on marital problems. At their spring assembly, the bishops heard from three married couples speaking about marriage and the family. One of the couples, Ricardo and Lucia Luzondo, raised the issue of seminarian and priest formation. “We Read more
A US cardinal said he has some unanswered questions about the practicality of proposed reforms in the Roman Curia, the Vatican’s main administrative bureaucracy, although he praised efforts to clean up Vatican finances and to combat clergy sexual abuse. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston, also told Crux in a wide-ranging interview on Saturday that Read more