Catholic leaders applaud decision to commute Julius Jones’ death sentence
Catholic opponents of the death penalty, including Oklahoma City's archbishop, praised the Nov. 18 announcement that the Oklahoma governor granted death-row inmate Julius Jones clemency -- just hours before he was scheduled to be executed.
Bishops encouraged to be creative as synodal process begins
The synodal process the church is entering into is meant to show that "no one is unimportant in this time of listening," Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, told his fellow bishops gathered for their annual fall general assembly.
Catholic advocates express optimism on future of immigration reform
Catholic immigration advocates sent a positive message to U.S. prelates at end of the Nov. 17 public session of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' fall general assembly, saying 3 million to 11 million people in the U.S. could soon benefit from some type of immigration reform.
Armenian Orthodox: Spitting incident shows racism, hate
The Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem urged Israeli police to "seriously investigate" a Nov. 15 incident in which a young Orthodox Jewish man spit several times at the entrance of the patriarchate, then angrily gestured with his middle finger toward a surveillance camera.
With new COVID rules, New Zealand bishops to have Masses for unvaccinated
New Zealand's bishops said they will ensure that people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 can safely attend Mass under a new system, while warning that unvaccinated priests will be limited in their ministry.
Church cannot repair what it does not recognize, cardinal says on abuse
Gathering information and statistics on the sexual abuse of minors is an important tool for assessing established responses and for crafting recommendations to fix a failed system, said U.S. Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley of Boston, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
Vatican trial raises more questions than answers
At the ongoing Vatican trial involving alleged embezzlement, money laundering and abuse of office, the defense has raised more questions about the prosecution's handling of the investigation into the Vatican's questionable majority share purchase of a London property.
Archbishop: Pandemic hasn’t stopped church from aiding moms in need
The U.S. bishops' "Walking with Moms in Need" initiative may have been slowed by the coronavirus pandemic, but it has by no means stopped helping expectant mothers from any walk of life, according to Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas.
Bishops approve plans for three-year National Eucharistic Revival
The U.S. bishops' focus on the significance of the Eucharist in the life of the church isn't just about on the statement they approved at their fall meeting.
Bishops urged to implement framework for marriage and family ministry
The chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth called on his fellow bishops Nov. 17 to work "in every way possible" to implement the national pastoral framework for marriage and family ministry that they approved in June.
