Catholic News

Pope celebrates Presentation, Day of Consecrated Life
Celebrating the feast of the Presentation and the Day of Consecrated Life at Vespers in St. Peter's basilica on February 2, Pope Benedict XVI tied the two observances together in his ...
Cardinals called to day of reflection before February consistory
Pope Benedict XVI has called all members of the College of Cardinals to join in a day of reflection on February 17, on the eve of the consistory at which he will create 21 new ...
English bishops to distribute 1 million 'faith cards'
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has printed one million "faith cards" for distribution to the faithful. "It's an idea that we had to remind people that they are ...
Komen Foundation, under fire, reverses policy on Planned Parenthood
Facing enormous public pressure, the Susan G. Komen Foundation has rescinded a decision to drop funding for Planned Parenthood, and issued a public apology for announcing that decision ...
European evangelization initiative to spread to 72 cities
The president for the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization has announced that the metropolitan missions that are taking place in 12 European cities this Lent will expand ...
5 priests arrested in China
Five priests affiliated with the underground Church in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia have been arrested in Erenhot, a small city of 16,000 on the Mongolian border. The five were ...
SSPX leader: 'we have to say no'
The head of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) has indicated that the traditionalist group remains at odds with the Vatican on key issues regarding the teachings of Vatican II. In a ...
Indian nun may face arrest for refusing to allow Hindu ceremony in classroom
Militant Hindus are charging that a Catholic nun "wounded the religious sentiments of the community" when she disrupted a Hindu religious ceremony organized by a student during class in a ...
Writer plans London temple to atheism
A Swiss writer and philosopher has announced plans to build a £1M ($1.58 million) temple to atheism in London. "Normally a temple is to Jesus, Mary, or Buddha, but you can build a ...
Romney rips Obama on HHS mandate; critics rip Romney
In an editorial column for the Washington Examiner, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has denounced the Obama administration for requiring Catholic institutions to provide ...
Milwaukee archdiocese faces 550 abuse claims in bankruptcy proceeding
More than 550 people have filed claims for compensation because of sexual abuse by clerics of the Milwaukee archdiocese. The claims were filed just before a deadline imposed by ...
Vatican Observatory cosponsors exhibition on astronomy
The Vatican Observatory, joined by Italy's National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Pisa University's physics department, is sponsoring "Stories from Another World," an exhibition in Pisa. ...
Obama address at National Prayer Breakfast
Speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington on February 2, President Barack Obama discussed how his faith has influenced his policies and avoided any reference to the ...
AP story summarizes HHS-mandate debate
For those just catching up with the dispute between the Obama administration and the Catholic hierarchy, an AP story accurately sketches the ...
Retired general withdraws from speech at West Point, citing Islamic protests
A retired US Army general has withdrawn from a commitment to speak at the US Military Academy because of complaints from Islamic groups. Lt. Gen. William Boykin, a decorated veteran of ...
Obama mandate inverts Jefferson's notion of religious freedom, says columnist
Francis Beckwith argues that the Obama administration's mandate for contraceptive coverage betrays a radical approach to religious freedom, and one fundamentally at odds with the original ...
Secularists seen moving aggressively against Catholicism in Ireland
"Ireland used to be full of one-eyed nationalists," writes columnist David Quinn in the Irish Independent. "Today, it is full of one-eyed secularists." Quinn points to a Labor Party ...
Irish prime minister may reconsider closing of embassy at Vatican
Facing considerable public backlash after closing his country's embassy at the Vatican, Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) Enda Kenny has said that he may reconsider the ...
Sex abuse dropping where 'code of silence' is broken, says Vatican official
The Vatican's chief prosecutor in sex-abuse cases sees a decrease in the incidence of clerical abuse in those countries where the "code of silence" has been broken. Msgr. Charles ...
Judge dismisses complaint against Vatican in swindle case
A federal judge in Mississippi has dismissed a complaint against the Vatican, brought by insurance commissioners in connection with an elaborate financial scheme conducted by a man who had ...