U.S. Supreme Court sends Zubik case back to lower courts
WASHINGTON (CNS) - The U.S. Supreme Court May 16 sent the Zubick v. Burwell case, which challenges the Affordable Care Act's contraceptive requirement for employers, back to the lower courts. The justices' unanimous decision, explained in a nine-page order, was based on the information that both si...Read full story »
Monday, May 16, 2016
Sisters of Life hold up dignity of single moms in 25-year-old ministry
NEW YORK (CNS) – On a drizzly gray morning in early May, the bright kitchen at Visitation Mission on Manhattan's East Side was filled with the sound of laughter and the inviting aromas of fresh-cut vegetables and baking cookies, as postulants and novices of the Sisters of Life prepared food f...Read full story »
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Funeral Mass years after death/ Mercy for priests removed
Q. You noted in a recent column that the Mass is "the most powerful prayer that can be offered on a deceased person's behalf." That comment brought back a wave of sorrow for my wife and me. Ten years ago, her father died after a lengthy and progressive illness. Due to the fact that we were living o...Read full story »
Thursday, May 12, 2016
God doesn't barter, rewarding the good, punishing the bad, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Salvation has nothing to do with the tidy business of bartering -- earning God's love in return for good behavior, Pope Francis said. "If you do well you get a reward; if you do poorly you get punished. This is not the logic of Jesus," whose ability to love and forgive is unco...Read full story »
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Theology of tears: For pope, weeping helps one see Jesus
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has been sharing a theology of tears: tears of compassion, compunction and consolation. Although Pope Francis does not mask his emotions in public, he rarely is seen to cry. One obvious exception was in Albania in September 2014 when h...Read full story »
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Theologians' brief in HHS mandate case might lead to compromise ruling
WASHINGTON (CNS) - Supreme Court cases, with their multiple friend-of-the-court briefs, leave extensive paper trails behind them and although these briefs might get lost in the shuffle, occasionally some stand out. In Zubik v. Burwell, the challenge to the Affordable Care Act's contraception requir...Read full story »
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Wearing a veil in church/ Destination weddings?
Q. Recently, I have been "convicted" to wear a veil in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament -- both when I am at Mass and during my adoration hours in our parish's Chapel of Perpetual Adoration. Several other women in the parish have also felt led to do so. However, I am told that some of these wo...Read full story »
Wednesday, May 04, 2016
Pope Francis: Nothing can keep God from seeking those who stray
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- There is no such thing as a soul that is lost forever, only people who are waiting to be found, Pope Francis said. God is not part of humanity's "throwaway culture" and does not shut out the sinner and those most in need, the pope said May 4 during his weekly general audience....Read full story »
Wednesday, May 04, 2016
Mapping with the stars: Nuns instrumental in Vatican celestial survey
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - Of the many momentous or menial tasks women religious perform, one of the better-kept secrets has been the role of four Sisters of the Holy Child Mary who were part of a global effort to make a complete map and catalog of the starry skies. Up until recently, the women were no m...Read full story »
Wednesday, May 04, 2016
Catholic vote not as monolithic as it once was, but still important
WASHINGTON (CNS) - Is there a Catholic vote? Well, yes. Kind of. Voting patterns show Catholics vote much like the rest of America, with minor swings one way or the other, depending on the candidate and the state. Nevertheless, the Catholic vote still is important, as syndicated columnist, politica...Read full story »
Wednesday, May 04, 2016
