BREAKING NEWS
Supreme Court order gives religious organizations new chance to challenge New York abortion rule
Read full article: Supreme Court order gives religious organizations new chance to challenge New York abortion ruleThe Supreme Court is ordering a New York court to take a new look at whether some religious organizations should be excluded from a state regulation requiring health insurance plans to cover abortions.
What US adults think about Pope Leo XIV, according to a new AP-NORC poll
Read full article: What US adults think about Pope Leo XIV, according to a new AP-NORC pollA new AP-NORC poll finds that just over a month after Pope Leo XIV became the first U.S.-born pontiff, American Catholics are feeling excited about their new religious leader.
A judge tells federal agencies they can't enforce anti-trans bias policies against Catholic groups
Read full article: A judge tells federal agencies they can't enforce anti-trans bias policies against Catholic groupsA federal judge has ruled that two federal agencies cannot punish Catholic employers and health care providers if they refuse, for religious reasons, to provide gender-affirming care to transgender patients or won’t provide health insurance coverage for such care to their workers.
Supreme Court sides with Catholic charity in religious-rights case over unemployment taxes
Read full article: Supreme Court sides with Catholic charity in religious-rights case over unemployment taxesThe Supreme Court has handed down a unanimous ruling in a religious rights case, finding a Catholic charity in Wisconsin can’t be required to pay unemployment taxes when other religious groups are exempt.
Deadly April rainfall in US South and Midwest was intensified by climate change, scientists say
Read full article: Deadly April rainfall in US South and Midwest was intensified by climate change, scientists sayHuman-caused climate change intensified deadly rainfall in Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and other states in early April and made it more likely to occur.
‘A pope of the people’: San Antonio parishioners reflect on Pope Francis’ legacy
Read full article: ‘A pope of the people’: San Antonio parishioners reflect on Pope Francis’ legacyWhile Catholic faithful gathered Monday at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City to mourn the death of Pope Francis, several parishioners prayed and paid their respects at San Fernando Cathedral in downtown San Antonio.
Men toting chains and pierced with cactus keep a Good Friday tradition in Atlixco, Mexico
Read full article: Men toting chains and pierced with cactus keep a Good Friday tradition in Atlixco, MexicoEvery year, crowds fill the streets of the central Mexican town of Atlixco on the Catholic holiday of Good Friday to witness the sight.
St. Paul Catholic School to close amid declining enrollment, money issues
Read full article: St. Paul Catholic School to close amid declining enrollment, money issuesIn an online statement, the archdiocese said the school has only about 100 students, has had to rely on about $250,000 from the parish each year, and has more than $1 million in deferred maintenance needs.
Former San Antonio priest appears in court in sexual assault case
Read full article: Former San Antonio priest appears in court in sexual assault caseA former Catholic priest, who was arrested in 2023 on an aggravated sexual assault charge, appeared in court Monday as his attorneys sought access to investigative documents from the Archdiocese of San Antonio.
Multiple tremors near Greek island of Santorini shut schools and put residents on edge
Read full article: Multiple tremors near Greek island of Santorini shut schools and put residents on edgeA series of earthquakes near the Greek island of Santorini have led authorities to shut down schools, dispatch rescue teams with sniffer dogs and sent instructions to residents including a request to drain their swimming pools.
Trump to nominate the head of Catholic advocacy group as US ambassador to the Vatican
Read full article: Trump to nominate the head of Catholic advocacy group as US ambassador to the VaticanPresident-elect Donald Trump says he’s nominating the president of the advocacy group CatholicVote to be the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.
Catholic bishops urged to boldly share church teachings — even unpopular ones
Read full article: Catholic bishops urged to boldly share church teachings — even unpopular onesSeveral U.S. Catholic bishops on Wednesday encouraged the church to boldly share Vatican teachings on a range of hot-button issues, including the condemnation of abortion, euthanasia, surrogacy and gender-affirming surgery.
Burial held for Catholic priest and Indigenous peace activist killed in southern Mexico
Read full article: Burial held for Catholic priest and Indigenous peace activist killed in southern MexicoHundreds of people have turned out for the burial of Catholic priest Marcelo Pérez, an activist for Indigenous peoples and farm laborers who was killed in the southern Mexico state of Chiapas.
Archdiocese of Los Angeles agrees to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse
Read full article: Archdiocese of Los Angeles agrees to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuseThe Archdiocese of Los Angeles has agreed to pay $880 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse dating back decades.
Pope expels a bishop and 9 other people from a Peru movement over 'sadistic' abuses
Read full article: Pope expels a bishop and 9 other people from a Peru movement over 'sadistic' abusesPope Francis has taken the unusual decision to expel 10 people from a troubled Catholic movement in Peru after a Vatican investigation uncovered “sadistic” abuses of power, authority and spirituality.
Judge lets over 8,000 Catholic employers deny worker protections for abortion and fertility care
Read full article: Judge lets over 8,000 Catholic employers deny worker protections for abortion and fertility careA federal judge is allowing more than 8,000 Catholic employers nationwide to reject government regulations that protect workers seeking abortions and fertility care.
JD Vance's Catholicism helped shape his views. So did this little-known group of Catholic thinkers
Read full article: JD Vance's Catholicism helped shape his views. So did this little-known group of Catholic thinkersOhio Sen. JD Vance’s 2019 conversion to Catholicism helped shape his political worldview.
Knights of Columbus covers shrine's mosaics by ex-Jesuit artist accused of abusing women
Read full article: Knights of Columbus covers shrine's mosaics by ex-Jesuit artist accused of abusing womenThe Knights of Columbus, the world’s largest Catholic fraternal group, has covered up defining features of the mosaics in its Washington D.
Hours to make and seconds to destroy, Holy Week flower carpets are a labor of love in Guatemala
Read full article: Hours to make and seconds to destroy, Holy Week flower carpets are a labor of love in GuatemalaEach Holy Week, thousands of residents of the colonial, volcano-fringed city of Antigua participate in some of Guatemala’s oldest and most popular Easter traditions.
AP PHOTOS: Boston celebrates St. Patrick's Day; Biden holds White House brunch with Irish leader
Read full article: AP PHOTOS: Boston celebrates St. Patrick's Day; Biden holds White House brunch with Irish leaderWhile some American cities celebrated St. Patrick’s Day a day early, others, including Boston, one of the most Irish cities in the country, kicked off parades and festivities on Sunday.
A Wisconsin ruling on Catholic Charities raises the bar for religious tax exemptions
Read full article: A Wisconsin ruling on Catholic Charities raises the bar for religious tax exemptionsA ruling by the Wisconsin Supreme Court is raising the bar for religions to show that their charity arms deserve tax exemptions.
Victims of Catholic nuns rely on each other after being overlooked in the clergy sex abuse crisis
Read full article: Victims of Catholic nuns rely on each other after being overlooked in the clergy sex abuse crisisThe sexual abuse of children by Catholic sisters and nuns has been overshadowed by far more common reports of male clergy abuse.
Voucher expansion leads to more students, waitlists and classes for some religious schools
Read full article: Voucher expansion leads to more students, waitlists and classes for some religious schoolsAfter last year's wave of wins for the so-called school choice movement, some religious schools in those states are seeing enrollment rise and are planning for a fuller future.
Argentina's poverty levels hit 57% of population, a 20-year high in January, study finds
Read full article: Argentina's poverty levels hit 57% of population, a 20-year high in January, study findsA study has found more than 57% of Argentina's people are considered poor, the worst poverty level in 20 years.
Six nuns and two other people kidnapped in Haiti have been released, archbishop says
Read full article: Six nuns and two other people kidnapped in Haiti have been released, archbishop saysThe archbishop of Port-au-Prince says six nuns kidnapped in Haiti last week along with two other people have been released.
No charges filed against two Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse in Converse, Honey Creek
Read full article: No charges filed against two Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse in Converse, Honey CreekNo criminal charges have been filed against two Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse against minors.
Catholic-Jewish research substantiates reports that Catholic convents sheltered Jews during WWII
Read full article: Catholic-Jewish research substantiates reports that Catholic convents sheltered Jews during WWIIResearchers have discovered new documentation that substantiates reports that Catholic convents and monasteries in Rome sheltered Jews during World War II.
New Madrid museum set to unveil five centuries of Spain's royal collections
Read full article: New Madrid museum set to unveil five centuries of Spain's royal collectionsSpain is set to unveil what is touted as one of Europe’s cultural highlights of the year with the opening in Madrid of The Royal Collections Gallery next month.
The end of an era for the Sisters of Charity of New York
Read full article: The end of an era for the Sisters of Charity of New YorkThrough more than 200 years of service, the Sisters of Charity of New York have nursed Civil War casualties, joined civil rights and anti-war demonstrations, cared for orphans, and taught countless children.
San Antonio Four become advocates in West Texas murder case
Read full article: San Antonio Four become advocates in West Texas murder caseKnown as the San Antonio Four at the time, the Latina lesbians whose 1998 sexual assault convictions were thrown out in 2016 and their records expunged, are trying to help do the same for a gay Apache convicted in the 1981 murder of a Catholic priest in Odessa.
On Greece's Santorini, 13 cloistered nuns pray for the world
Read full article: On Greece's Santorini, 13 cloistered nuns pray for the worldIn a historic monastery set in the tourist-thronged main town of Santorini, one of the trendiest Greek islands, 13 cloistered nuns live a vocation little understood but central to Catholicism — tireless prayer.
Campus ministries, counselors join to tackle mental health
Read full article: Campus ministries, counselors join to tackle mental healthAs student anxiety skyrockets, campus ministries are trying to help by not just offering the comforts of faith and community, but also creating collaborations with mental health professionals.
Vatican ponders priesthood amid abuse research, revelations
Read full article: Vatican ponders priesthood amid abuse research, revelationsThe Vatican this week is hosting a three-day symposium on the Catholic priesthood amid renewed public attention on clergy sex abuse scandals and fresh research into the abuses of priestly power.
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US Catholic school association seeks rebound from grim year
Read full article: US Catholic school association seeks rebound from grim yearThe organization overseeing Catholic schools in the United States gets a new chief executive this week as it seeks to rebound from its biggest one-year enrollment drop since the 1970s.
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Rift on Communion policy as US Catholic bishops open meeting
Read full article: Rift on Communion policy as US Catholic bishops open meetingDivisions have flared up among U.S. Catholic bishops as they opened a national meeting highlighted by a sensitive agenda item: a possible rebuke of Catholic politicians, including President Joe Biden, who receive Communion while supporting abortion rights.
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Rioters ignore pleas for calm as violence flares in Belfast
Read full article: Rioters ignore pleas for calm as violence flares in BelfastPolice in Northern Ireland deployed water cannons for the first time in six years as they tried to disperse protesters who hurled stones, fireworks and gasoline-filled bottles at officers during another night of violence in Belfast.
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The Latest: Metro Manila, outlying provinces go on lockdown
Read full article: The Latest: Metro Manila, outlying provinces go on lockdown___ROME — Police in Italy have been cracking down on violators of ordinances aimed at reining in what has been weeks of stubbornly high incidences of COVID-19 cases. North Macedonia has recorded more than 126,000 coronavirus cases and more than 3,600 deaths. ___TIRANA — Albania started a mass inoculation campaign Sunday ahead of the summer tourism season after acquiring 192,000 doses of Chinese coronavirus vaccine Sinovac earlier this week. The church drew media attention after reports it had opened the service to its entire congregation despite a tough coronavirus lockdown and sharply rising infection rate in the Netherlands. ___MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s government is acknowledging that the country’s true death toll from the coronavirus pandemic now stands above 321,000.
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Poles hold more protests over abortion; activist released
Read full article: Poles hold more protests over abortion; activist releasedThe poster, she said, celebrated the recent liberalization of the abortion law in Argentina and expressed hope Poland would be next. Mass nationwide protests have recurred repeatedly since then, growing into the largest protest movement in post-communist Poland. The court's judges argued that allowing abortion when there are congenital defects is unconstitutional because the Polish Constitution protects human life. Suchanow and Marta Lempart, the leaders of the Women’s Strike group that has spearheaded street protests against the law, are now looking for inspiration to Argentina. AdIrene Donadio, a leading strategist with International Planned Parenthood Federation, a group promoting reproductive health and choice, said her organization is appalled that such a restrictive law could be imposed in a European Union member state.
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Poland: Near-total abortion ban takes effect amid protests
Read full article: Poland: Near-total abortion ban takes effect amid protests(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)WARSAW – A near-total ban on abortion has taken effect in Poland and triggered a new round of nationwide protests three months after the constitutional court ruled that the abortion of congenitally damaged fetuses is unconstitutional. Members of Poland's ruling Law and Justice party, which is aligned with the Roman Catholic Church, had sought the new restriction. The protesters are demanding a full liberalization of the abortion law and the resignation of the government, neither of which seem likely in the short term. Some protesters Wednesday covered their faces with green bandanas, which are the symbol of the abortion rights movement in Argentina. The constitutional court is made up mostly of Law and Justice appointees who ruled on a motion brought by lawmakers from the party.
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New protests as Polish court seals divisive abortion ruling
Read full article: New protests as Polish court seals divisive abortion rulingPeople gather in Warsaw, Poland Wednesday Jan. 27, 2021 to protest after the country's top court on Wednesday confirmed its highly divisive ruling that will further tighten the predominantly Catholic nation's strict anti-abortion law. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)WARSAW – New anti-government protests broke out in Polish cities Wednesday, shortly after the country's top court confirmed its highly divisive ruling that will further tighten the predominantly Catholic nation’s strict anti-abortion law. The ruling right-wing Law and Justice party is widely seen as having undue influence on the judiciary following reforms it passed affecting the way judges are appointed. It was made in response to a motion from over 100 ruling party lawmakers, whose names have not been made public. A prominent lawmaker for Law and Justice, Marek Suski, said work will begin on an entirely new abortion law that will take into account lethal defects.
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What’s Up South Texas!: Deacon shares unique musical talents with community
Read full article: What’s Up South Texas!: Deacon shares unique musical talents with communityNew Braunfels – A New Braunfels man is sharing his passion for music and ministry with his community through his collection of unique instruments. He has collected, rebuilt, and played different organs including the Caracal Organ, or band organ, which features many different instruments, and the Calliope organ, which is sitting on an old Model T car. You can see it in their eyes.”AdFey said he and his brother began this journey of this unique way of sharing music. Christmas music, classical music, patriotic music, Rock and Roll. “I think anybody with unique talents, if they are open to sharing them with people, I think that is a plus for the people you are serving and for yourself.”RELATED: What’s Up South Texas!
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Bosnian city of Mostar holds 1st local election in 12 years
Read full article: Bosnian city of Mostar holds 1st local election in 12 years(AP Photo/Kemal Softic)MOSTAR – MOSTAR, Bosnia-Long-entrenched ethno-nationalists were projected to win the first local election in Bosnia’s southern city of Mostar in 12 years, but early results of Sunday's vote also indicated multiethnic parties and alliances would be a strong part of the future city council. Mostar is split between Muslim Bosniaks and Catholic Croats, who fought fiercely for control over the city during the country’s 1992-95 war. It hasn’t held a local election since 2008, when Bosnia’s constitutional court declared its election rules discriminatory and ordered them changed. Thus, the lawmakers from multiethnic parties appear set to become tiebreakers in all but certain disputes between the dominant Bosniak and Croat nationalists. Prior to the war, ethnically mixed couples made up 10% of all marriages in Mostar, and the city was markedly cosmopolitan.
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As COVID-19 deaths mount in El Paso, the pandemic is robbing some mourners of traditional funerals
Read full article: As COVID-19 deaths mount in El Paso, the pandemic is robbing some mourners of traditional funerals"If not, I understand because of what [El Paso] is going through, and I understand what [the church] is going through as well." The pandemic has disproportionately affected El Paso compared to cities of similar or larger sizes. As of Wednesday, there had been more than 91,000 cases recorded in El Paso County, the fourth-highest total in the state. Her family and hundreds of others in El Paso have applied for financial assistance to help pay for funerals. But it allotted an additional $350,000 in CARES Act funding this year as the deaths started to mount, said Irene Valenzuela, the executive director of El Paso County’s Community Services Department.
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A more conservative court hears same-sex foster parent case
Read full article: A more conservative court hears same-sex foster parent caseThe case is a big test of religious rights on a more conservative court. Catholic Social Services, which is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, says its religious views keep it from certifying same-sex couples as foster parents. Kavanaugh, for his part, suggested Wednesday there should be a way for Catholic Social Services to continue to work with foster families. Even liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor seemed to recognize the court was sympathetic to Catholic Social Services. Catholic Social Services did not, and the city stopped placing children with the agency, which sued.
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Pelosi to church: 'Follow science' on COVID-19 restrictions
Read full article: Pelosi to church: 'Follow science' on COVID-19 restrictionsWASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed back Friday against the Catholic archbishop of San Francisco's criticism of COVID-related restrictions, saying he should “follow science” rather than advocate for fuller in-person gatherings for Mass and worship. “With all due respect to my archbishop, I think we should follow science on this,” Pelosi said. Pelosi noted that faith and science are sometimes seen at odds. “Around here, people say to me, You're a person of faith, why do you believe in science?" “I say, I believe science is an answer to our prayers.
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School employee says man with menacing look, tried to rob her and get in her car
Read full article: School employee says man with menacing look, tried to rob her and get in her carSAN ANTONIO A man is accused of trying to rob a woman and get into her vehicle in the parking lot of a Catholic school, San Antonio police said. According to an arrest affidavit, Mata approached the woman in the parking lot of St. James Catholic School as she was walking to her vehicle. She tried to drive away as the suspect attempted to open the doors to her vehicle, the affidavit states. The victim believed the defendant wouldve injured or killed her due to the look of terror and anger in his eyes, the affidavit states. Police said Mata was a suspect in an attempted car burglary at the same parking lot earlier that day.
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Providence High School holds car parade for graduating seniors
Read full article: Providence High School holds car parade for graduating seniorsSAN ANTONIO – A car parade was held Friday morning for the Class of 2020 at Providence High School. Class of 2020, upload your pics! Principal Alicia Garcia said the car parade was held because a traditional Mass honoring the graduates couldn’t be celebrated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Car parades have become a creative and safe way to recognize people on special occasions during the pandemic. Garcia said she thanks all of the staff for their hard work, especially during this difficult time.
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7 questions you were too embarrassed to ask about Dia de Muertos
Read full article: 7 questions you were too embarrassed to ask about Dia de MuertosDía de Muertos — as it’s known in Mexico — is a holiday that remembers and honors our deceased loved ones. As part of Christianizing and enculturating the people of Mexico, Spain’s evangelizers moved them to the Catholic Calendar — All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Families clean the gravesites of their deceased loved ones and put out food and drink on their graves and on their ofrendas, or altars. For example, if your deceased grandfather loved tamales and a good tequila, those items would be placed out for him to enjoy on Día de Muertos. Despite its name, Día de Muertos begins after midnight on Oct. 31 and ends on Nov. 2.
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Throwback Thursday: UIW's history can be traced to letter, call for help in 1869
Read full article: Throwback Thursday: UIW's history can be traced to letter, call for help in 1869SAN ANTONIO – The foundation of the University of Incarnate Word can be traced back to a single letter in 1869, that was sent from a bishop in San Antonio to the Catholic sisters in France. The letter asked for the sisters to help take care of victims of a cholera outbreak in the city. “The sisters and the school always emphasized science, along with the humanities and the arts,” said Hinojosa. “At Christmas time we celebrate, the Nativity of the Lord, which is the celebration of the word incarnate,” Hinojosa said. “It's been a long haul from that little letter where the mayor needed help and bishop wrote for help for the sisters.”