Posts In Category
National & World News
‘Mary on the Mantel’? Think ‘Elf on the Shelf’, but Catholic
by Mary Farrow Denver Newsroom, Dec 1, 2020 / 02:55 pm MT (CNA).- For the past 16 years, Elf on the Shelf has become a tradition, both hated and loved, for families in the days leading up to Christmas. Based on a book and accompanying doll, the elf is a …
Diocese of Pittsburgh announces its third round of parish mergers
CNA Staff, Nov 30, 2020 / 06:08 pm MT (CNA).- The Diocese of Pittsburgh has announced that it will initiate its third round of parish mergers early next year, reducing its current 107 parishes to 81. The mergers will take effect January 4, creating 14 groupings of parishes from 40 …
Pope Francis names new bishop of scandal-ridden Buffalo diocese
Vatican City, Dec 1, 2020 / 05:45 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis Tuesday appointed Bishop Michael Fisher, an auxiliary of Washington, to be the next bishop of the scandal-ridden Diocese of Buffalo, New York. Fisher, 62, will take over leadership of Buffalo as the diocese faces a new lawsuit from …
Pope Francis tells Orthodox leader: I am confident we will achieve full unity
Vatican City, Nov 30, 2020 / 06:30 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis told the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Monday that he is confident that Catholics and Orthodox Christians will attain full communion. In a message to Bartholomew I on the Feast of St. Andrew, Pope Francis praised the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s …
Advent at Home: How Catholics are preparing for a season of joy – even in 2020
by Mary Farrow Denver Newsroom, Nov 28, 2020 / 04:35 pm MT (CNA).- Wry jokes and memes about the decided awfulness of the year 2020 – with the pandemic, ensuing lockdowns and economic distress, as well as civil unrest in a turbulent election year – are well known to just …
Pope Francis: ‘Advent is the season for remembering the closeness of God’
by Courtney Mares Vatican City, Nov 29, 2020 / 05:40 am MT (CNA).- On the first Sunday of Advent, Pope Francis recommended a traditional Advent prayer to invite God to draw close during this new liturgical year. “Advent is the season for remembering the closeness of God who came down …
Pope Francis to new cardinals: May the cross and resurrection always be your goal
Vatican City, Nov 28, 2020 / 10:30 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis created 13 new cardinals Saturday, urging them to remain vigilant lest they lose sight of their goal of the cross and resurrection. “All of us love Jesus, all of us want to follow him, yet we must always …
‘Tolton’ play in spotlight as Church addresses racial division
by Perry West Denver Newsroom, Nov 27, 2020 / 04:00 am MT (CNA).- During the U.S. bishops’ meeting last week, Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento said his diocese had hosted a one-man play honoring the first African-American slave to become a Catholic priest, as part of its efforts to address …
Supreme Court overturns NY church restrictions, Brooklyn bishop says religion ‘essential’ during pandemic
CNA Staff, Nov 26, 2020 / 01:23 pm MT (CNA).- The Supreme Court said Wednesday night that NY state restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic are a violation of the First Amendment’s protection of free religious exercise. After the ruling the Bishop of Brooklyn, whose diocese was a plaintiff in the …
Kentucky dioceses keep Masses open despite governor’s request
CNA Staff, Nov 25, 2020 / 03:00 pm MT (CNA).- Kentucky’s four Catholic dioceses will not suspend public Masses despite the governor’s request that religious services be held online only until December 13. Gov. Andy Beshear (D) requested that houses of worship stop having in-person services in an effort to …
