Archbishop Kurtz, Cardinal DiNardo elected to top USCCB posts

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., was elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops by a wide margin Nov. 12. The archbishop, the current USCCB vice president, received 125 votes during the first round of balloting during the fall general assembly of the U.S. bishops in Baltimore.

Desperate Filipinos add to challenging logistics of delivering aid

International and local groups were poised to get aid to the worst-hit areas of the typhoon-stricken central Philippines, but the challenges of getting help to communities growing desperate for food and water went beyond just making sure roads were clear.

Archbishop: DOMA ruling, ENDA passage put marriage at ‘critical point’

The Supreme Court's ruling that rendered the federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, and the Senate's passage Nov. 7 of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act put the legal defense of marriage "at a critical point in this country," said the archbishop who heads the U.S. bishops' Subcommittee on the Promotion and Defense of Marriage.

At Manila air base, distraught family members hope for plane to Leyte

The back entry to the grandstand at the Villamor Air Base was teeming with people as the noon sun peaked. It was Nov. 11, three days after Super Typhoon Haiyan pounded the central Philippine islands, leaving a path of overwhelming destruction that emergency and relief workers were hard-pressed to penetrate.

‘Putrid’ hypocrisy worse than mere sin, pope says

God loves and forgives sinners but abhors and condemns "putrid" hypocrites who lead others to sin, Pope Francis said.

Cardinal Dolan urges bishops to make religious freedom a priority

New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan called upon his brother bishops to champion the cause of people around the world being persecuted because of their faith even as the bishops continue to prevent what he described as infringements upon religious practice in the United States.

Catholics pray for veterans, true freedom during annual ‘Red, White and Blue’ Mass

Catholics and others with connections to the military did their best to show both their patriotism and their gratitude for the faith and other American freedoms during the third annual Red, White and Blue Mass Nov. 3.

Rosary Sunday poster contest winners get pizza with the bishop

Catholic students from across the Diocese of Phoenix submitted more than 3,000 entries to this year’s Rosary Sunday Celebration Poster Contest.

Keeping status quo for undocumented called ‘stain on soul of nation’

Passing comprehensive immigration reform is "a matter of great moral urgency that cannot wait any longer for action," New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan told House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, in a Nov. 7 letter.

Vatican envoy reminds U.S. bishops: No ruling on Medjugorje apparitions

The Vatican ambassador to the United States has reminded U.S. Catholics that the Vatican has not recognized alleged Marian apparitions in Medjugorje, Yugoslavia, as authentic.