Vatican cardinal supports common Easter date for Catholics, Orthodox
Vatican City, Mar 12, 2021 / 05:00 am MT (CNA).- The president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, Cardinal Kurt Koch, has supported a suggestion that Catholics and Orthodox work to agree on a common date to celebrate Easter. A representative of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to the World …
Survey: One in three Catholics in Germany thinking of leaving Church
CNA Staff, Mar 12, 2021 / 03:00 am MT (CNA).- A third of all German Catholics are considering leaving the Church, according to a new survey published on Thursday. The representative study, unveiled March 11, was conducted by the Erfurt-based opinion research institute INSA Consulere on behalf of the Catholic …
Chicago archdiocese announces another round of parish mergers
Chicago, Ill., Mar 11, 2021 / 07:01 pm MT (CNA).- The Archdiocese of Chicago announced this week the development of several new parish groupings as part of the “Renew My Church” plan. The archdiocese announced the decision March 9 and 10. The plan is to combine 13 parishes into five …
ACLU gets $15 million LGBT grant from billionaire foe of Christian morals and religious freedom
by CNA Staff CNA Staff, Mar 11, 2021 / 08:31 pm MT (CNA).- The American Civil Liberties Union has received a major donation from a billionaire heir whose LGBT activism includes both funding for efforts to limit religious freedom and funding for Christian groups – including Catholic dissenters – that …
A Dad’s Parting Wisdom and Spiritual Fatherhood
In his Apostolic Letter Patris Corde, Pope Francis describes St. Joseph as a beloved father; a tender and loving father; an obedient and accepting father; a working father who was creatively courageous; and, finally, as the “shadow of the Father,” reflecting the Eternal Fatherhood of God. Priests are also called …
Catholic nun begs police not to shoot protesters during Myanmar unrest
by Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Mar 10, 2021 / 08:10 am MT (CNA).- A religious sister in northern Burma knelt before police on Monday, begging them not to use violent force against protestors. In avideo, Sr. Ann Rose Nu Tawng, a member of the Sisters of St. Francis Xavier, can …
New Mexico assisted suicide bill ‘worst in the nation’, Archbishop Wester warns
Santa Fe, N.M., Mar 10, 2021 / 07:01 pm MT (CNA).- The New Mexico legislature could soon pass an assisted suicide bill that is “the worst in the nation”, Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe has said, lamenting “bills that threaten vulnerable life.” Wester said H.B. 47, which would legalize …
Priest prepares to sell his coveted collection to raise money for low-income students
by The Catholic Spirit St. Paul, Minn., Mar 11, 2021 / 12:53 am MT (CNA).- A baseball card collection worth thousands of dollars was a split second away from being dropped into a trash can and disappearing forever in a landfill. Father John Ubel, rector of the Cathedral of St. …
Senator Rubio: China is depriving Uyghurs of their ‘humanity’
by Christine Rousselle Washington D.C., Mar 11, 2021 / 08:15 am MT (CNA).- Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) lambasted the Chinese authorities for restricting the religious practices of the largely-Muslim Uyghur population, at a Wednesday hearing. “When a regime deprives a people of their right to practice their faith freely, they …
March 11: St. Sophronius
A courageous leader of the Jerusalem Church during the Islamic conquests of the seventh century, Patriarch Saint Sophronius I has his liturgical memorial on March 11. Though he is acknowledged and celebrated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, St. Sophronius is more commonly venerated among Eastern Catholics and …
