Pro Choice Caucus calls on Biden to end Hyde Amendment

by Kate Scanlon Washington D.C., Mar 3, 2021 / 04:00 pm MT (CNA).- Congressional Democrats called on President Joe Biden this week to remove pro-life protections from the 2022 federal budget. The Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, the Democratic Women’s Caucus leaders, and other members of the House and Senate sent a …
USCCB: Moderna’s and Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccines ethically preferable to Johnson & Johnson’s

CNA Staff, Mar 3, 2021 / 03:19 pm MT (CNA).- The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on Tuesday reiterated the Vatican’s teaching on COVID-19 vaccines produced with the help of abortion-derived cell lines, after a vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson received FDA approval over the weekend. The bishops …
Pope Francis will bless this Virgin Mary statue desecrated by Islamic State

by Courtney Mares Rome Newsroom, Mar 4, 2021 / 07:20 am MT (CNA).- Iraqi Catholics have asked Pope Francis to bless a statue of the Virgin Mary that was desecrated by the Islamic State. The Marian statue was decapitated in the Christian village of Karamles, between Mosul and Erbil, during …
a Global Perspective: A Conversation With the Apostolic Nuncio, ARCHBISHOP CHRISTOPHE PIERRE

by Jessica Rinaudo It’s not every day that the apostolic nuncio, the Vatican’s ambassador to the U.S., visits Cincinnati. But in November, Father Earl Fernandes, his former assistant at the nunciature, invited him to make the trip to Southwestern Ohio from Washington, D.C. During his visit, Archbishop Christophe Pierre took …
U.S. Bishop Chairmen for Doctrine and for Pro-Life Address the Use of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 Vaccine

March 2, 2021 WASHINGTON– On March 2, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Doctrine, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued a statement on the …
Be not afraid: A priest shares his thoughts on the gift of confession

Father John “Rob” Jack, who teaches systematic theology at the Athenaeum of Ohio/Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West, is well known for encouraging and hearing confession at every parish he travels to and in his many parish missions, recorded talks, and programs for Sacred Heart Radio. He shared the …
Pope Francis prays for a renewal of the Sacrament of Reconciliation

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Mar 3, 2021 / 05:00 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of March is for a renewed experience of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In his video for the prayer intention, created by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the pope asked for …
The Good Friday tradition of the ‘Last Words of Christ’

By CNA Staff CNA Staff, Mar 2, 2021 / 06:30 pm MT (CNA).- The tradition of reflecting on the last words of Christ from the cross is a Good Friday practice popular in many places across the globe. Some sources trace the tradition back to Peruvian Jesuit priest Francisco del …
How to obtain a plenary indulgence during Holy Week

By CNA Staff CNA Staff, Mar 2, 2021 / 12:43 am MT (CNA).- A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ, Mary and all the saints to remove the temporal punishment due to sin. The indulgence applies to sins already forgiven. …
Columbus diocese announces strategic planning initiative

Columbus, Ohio, Mar 1, 2021 / 08:01 pm MT (CNA).- The Diocese of Columbus announced Monday a strategic planning initiative meant to discern the future of the local Church, encouraging evangelization and missionary discipleship. “This really is our plan – all of us together,” Bishop Robert Brennan of Columbus said …