WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, in its analysis of the Senate health care bill, said late June 26 the measure would leave 22 million more people without insurance. "This moment cannot pass without comment," said Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Religious liberty won June 26 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states cannot discriminate against religious institutions in the distribution of state funds for nonreligious activities.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Supreme Court of the United States said that this fall it will hear a case involving President Donald Trump's travel ban, which seeks to delay entry into the country by immigrants from six majority-Muslim countries and one that suspends, for a time, the entry of all refugees.
Read moreWASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. Supreme Court said June 26 it will hear arguments next term on whether a Denver baker unlawfully discriminated against a same-sex couple in declining to make them a wedding cake.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court June 26 said a Lutheran preschool should not be excluded from a state grant program to refurbish its playground surface just because it is a religious entity.
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QUEBEC CITY (CNS) -- Matt Schiller, advertising and business manager at Catholic New York, has received the 2017 St. Francis de Sales Award from the Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada.
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San Francisco, Calif., Jun 22, 2017 CNA/EWTN News.- A California court on Wednesday dismissed 14 of 15 criminal charges against an undercover journalist behind the video exposé of Planned Parenthood’s role in the fetal tissue trade.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Senate's Better Care Reconciliation Act contains "many of the fundamental defects" that appeared in the House-passed American Health Care Act "and even further compounds them," said the bishop who heads the U.S. bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.
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SAN FRANCISCO (CNS) -- Retired Archbishop John R. Quinn of San Francisco, who led the Northern California archdiocese for 18 years, died June 22 after a long illness. He was 88. The archbishop had moved to the Jewish Home of San Francisco from St. Mary's Medical Center June 16, but he "experienced difficulties with his breathing early this morning," San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone said in an announcement. "He was transported to the nearest hospital but could not be revived."
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Washington D.C., Jun 21, 2017 CNA/EWTN News.- The U.S. bishops have launched a website and video to mark the beginning of this year’s Fortnight for Freedom, focusing on religious freedom issues both at home and abroad.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the chairmen of the bishops' migration and international policy committees urged Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly to defer deportation of Chaldean Christians and others arrested June 11.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- It is important the world move from indifference about the plight of the world's refugees to solidarity with them, Auxiliary Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville of Washington said June 19.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Why do Catholics pray the rosary? The history of the rosary traces to the 13th century. It is believed that Mary gave St. Dominic the rosary to rescue the church from the Albigensian heresy.
Read moreWASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. Catholic bishops "unequivocally reject" acts of violence such as the attack outside a London mosque and pleaded with all people "to cease from committing or plotting to commit further acts."
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, said the state of Alabama erred in denying an indigent defendant now on death row a separate psychiatric evaluation that would assist in his own defense.
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Newark, N.J., Jun 20, 2017 CNA/EWTN News.- Last month Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark welcomed a pilgrimage of self-identified LGBT pilgrims, with an archdiocesan spokesman saying it should be seen in the context of welcoming everyone, not as archdiocese sponsorship of the event.
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Washington D.C., Jun 19, 2017 CNA/EWTN News.- The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a defendant has a right to a mental health evaluation independent of the prosecution, which could have wide-ranging implications for the justice system.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The annual observance of World Refugee Day June 20 "provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the global refugee situation and the success of resettled refugees," an official with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a June 19 statement.
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AVE MARIA, Fla. (CNS) -- For Curtis Martin, founder and CEO of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, "It's all grace." He was describing the apostolate's consecration to Mary June 13 during its five weeks of new staff training at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria.
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Manchester, N.H., Jun 18, 2017 National Catholic Register.- In the name of raising up lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ, another U.S. Latin-rite diocese has decided to restore confirmation to its traditional place before first Holy Communion.
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DETROIT (CNS) -- The organizer of a June 16 protest in Detroit against federal agents' rounding up more than 100 Iraqi-American immigrants told local media that those who were detained had no prior warning that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would be arresting them the morning of June 11.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The retired Catholic archbishop of Havana called for dialogue between the United States and Cuba, and said it's the only way in which past and present problems can be solved. In a June 19 letter published in Palabra Nueva, the magazine for the Archdiocese of Havana, Cardinal Jaime Ortega, who played a major role in the rapprochement between Cuba and the U.S., said "resorting to old models" and applying them presently to Cuba can "overshadow or delay" the resolution of conflicts between the two countries.
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NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- Father Tim Hedrick, parochial vicar of St. Catherine of Siena Church in Metairie, was in Washington continuing his canon law studies when a news alert came across his phone June 14 that Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise, the House majority whip, had been shot.
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INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) -- The U.S. bishops voted June 15 to make the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty a permanent standing committee. The 132-53 vote came on the second day of the bishops' spring assembly in Indianapolis. There were five abstentions. A simple majority was required for approval.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Two court cases seeking to shape the place of religion in U.S. society are under review by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in Cincinnati, one with the possibility of reaching the Supreme Court of the United States.
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Denver, Colo. (CNA) -- It's only been out for a few weeks, but that's enough time for "13 Reasons Why" to have become the latest teenage Netflix binge craze. Based on the 2007 young adult novel by the same name, "13 Reasons Why" follows the story of Hannah Baker, a troubled 17 year old who took her own life.
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INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) -- Standing before some 200 bishops from across the country, Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory said that "we can never say that we are sorry enough for the share that we have had in this tragedy of broken fidelity and trust" in the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church.
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INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) -- At a time when an estimated 50 percent of Catholics 30 and younger no longer identify with their religion, the U.S. bishops June 14 discussed the need to reverse that trend and why the consultation process for the October 2018 Synod of Bishops on youth and vocations is crucial to that effort.
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INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) -- Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., called the U.S. Catholic bishops to be missionary disciples through listening and fostering solidarity and a culture of encounter.
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ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CNS) -- U.S. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana was listed in stable condition after being shot by a gunman early June 14 and transported out of a baseball field in Alexandria, a suburb of Washington. He was scheduled to undergo surgery.
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INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) -- Francesco Cesareo, chairman of the National Review Board, urged the U.S. bishops June 14 during their spring meeting in Indianapolis to continue to keep their commitment to stopping clergy sexual abuse and supporting victims of abuse "at the forefront" of their ministry.
Read moreWASHINGTON (CNS) -- The California Supreme Court June 6 examined whether a ballot measure passed in November to speed up executions is constitutional. After voters narrowly approved Proposition 66, as the measure is called, it was challenged by opponents. It now comes down to whether the state's citizens or the court will decide how capital punishment cases are handled.
Read moreHOUSTON (CNS) -- Local law enforcement and local jurisdictions should not be required to enforce federal immigration law, said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Read moreSOUTHFIELD, Mich. (CNS) -- When U.S. immigration agents rounded up and arrested Chaldean Christians in southeast Michigan June 11, it was "a very strange and painful day for our community in America," said the head of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle, based in Southfield.
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MENLO PARK, Calif. (CNS) -- Tara Clemens was an Anchorage, Alaska, attorney, and an evangelical Christian who joined the Catholic Church during her last months of law school. On May 28, she made first vows as Sister Marie Dominic of the Incarnate Word, a cloistered Dominican nun at Corpus Christi Monastery in Menlo Park.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Zbigniew Brzezinski, who served as national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter and was a noted author, lector and statesman, was remembered at his June 9 funeral Mass as brilliant political strategist who was deeply committed to his Catholic faith.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A priest who loves rebuilding hot rods and assisting seminarians is donating a 1969 Pontiac Firebird Convertible that he refurbished for a raffle in support of vocations for the Diocese of Gallup in New Mexico.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -- The popular Netflix show "13 Reasons Why," which portrays a fictional teen's suicide and the aftermath, has sparked the curiosity of young people and the concern of parents and school counselors in the Diocese of Nashville and around the country.
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Los Angeles, Calif., Jun 7, 2017 CNA/EWTN News.- The Archbishop of Los Angeles has urged a prayerful and prudent response to a housing crisis in his city, relating the problem to the link between human and environmental ecology.
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Washington D.C., Jun 7, 2017 CNA/EWTN News.- To preserve their future and reveal the life found within the Church, Catholics in the United States must not forget their faith, but should find hope within it.
Read moreWASHINGTON (CNS) -- The 14th annual report on diocesan compliance with the U.S. Catholic Church's "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" shows that church leaders have taken steps to help many find healing as victims of clergy sexual abuse, but there is still work to be done.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The co-authors of a House bill that will provide humanitarian aid to Christians and other religious groups suffering at the hands of Islamic State militants praised the June 6 House passage of the measure and urged the Senate to quickly act on it.
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PHILADELPHIA (CNS) -- It is no accident that each year many films shown on television between Memorial Day and the June 6 anniversary of D-Day center on World War II. After all, with more than 16 million men and women under arms, it was easily the largest and deadliest war ever fought by the United States.
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Philadelphia, Pa., Jun 7, 2017 CNA/EWTN News.- A society that relies on reason and technology, without faith, risks forgetting God and making a deal with the devil, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia has warned.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Washington Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl blessed a new statue of St. Junipero Serra June 4, calling him "an example of the power and grace of God at work." The blessing came on the feast of Pentecost, the day that the Catholic Church celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Vice President Mike Pence and other speakers addressed securing religious liberty and protecting the sanctity of human life both in the United States and worldwide, particularly in the Middle East, at the 13th annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington June 6.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -- Bishop David R. Choby of Nashville died June 3 at St. Thomas West Hospital where he was undergoing treatment for injuries that he sustained in a fall at his home Feb. 7. He was 70.
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PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) -- The morning after police in Portland arrested 14 demonstrators at dueling political protests, about 800 worshippers turned out in a unified show of support for a man whose heroic act transcended division.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Supreme Court June 5 unanimously overturned decisions by three separate federal appellate courts and ruled that the retirement plans of three church-affiliated hospital systems -- two of them Catholic -- are indeed "church plans" as defined by Congress under a 1980 statute.
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Washington D.C., Jun 6, 2017 CNA/EWTN News.- Despite its pro-life actions, the latest health care reform bill has “many serious flaws,” the U.S. bishops have said. People without a strong voice in the political process “must not bear the brunt of attempts to cut costs,” several leaders with the U.S. bishops' conference told U.S. Senators in a June 1 letter. They said lawmakers have “grave obligations” related to health care legislation and need to reject the “grave deficiencies” of the American Health Care Act.
Read moreWASHINGTON (CNS) -- In a series of tweets June 5, U.S. President Donald Trump seemed to express frustration with his own lawyers' efforts to push forward with a revised version of a plan that seeks to temporarily ban travelers and refugees from certain majority Muslim countries, and said the lawyers "should have stayed with the original travel ban."
Read moreATLANTA (CNS) -- Frances McBrayer used to be able to focus on ensuring that refugees had an apartment to live in, the weary travelers were picked up at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and had jobs lined up to integrate families who had spent years in desolate camps into the Atlanta community.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- U.S. Catholics joined Pope Francis and the rest of the world in expressing sorrow for those killed and severely injured in the latest terrorist attacks in London the night of June 3.
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Napa, Calif., Jun 1, 2017 CNA/EWTN News.- What’s a good way to reach a lot of young people all at once? Plant yourself at an entrance of a popular music festival with a sign, some free stuff, and a smile.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholic leaders said President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate change agreement snubs the needs of impoverished people around the world and eschews responsibility to begin addressing the causes of global warming.
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There are four accounts in Scripture that describe the apostles after Jesus' ascension. -- Matthew 28:19 has the apostles going forth to make disciples of all nations. -- Mark 16:20 says that the apostles "went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs" sending them throughout the world proclaiming "eternal salvation."
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Cardinal Peter Turkson, a top adviser to Pope Francis, questioned how well President Donald Trump's declarations of "America first" serve understanding across the broader global community.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- President Donald Trump's June 1 decision "not to honor the U.S. commitment" to the Paris climate agreement "is deeply troubling," said the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace.
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Washington D.C., Jun 1, 2017 CNA/EWTN News.- The controversial abortion provider Planned Parenthood has lost over half a million unique patients in five years, but its abortion figures remain the same – a consistency its critics have blasted.
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Washington D.C., May 31, 2017 CNA/EWTN News.- A leaked draft of a federal rule that would protect religious organizations from the controversial federal contraception mandate has won the support of religious liberty advocates, who say that it is sorely needed.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A leaked draft rule from the Department of Health and Human Services exempting religious groups from the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act was welcomed by church officials and attorneys representing the Little Sisters of the Poor, one of the groups that challenged the mandate at the U.S. Supreme Court.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) --- Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch, renowned for his ecumenical efforts, addressed a Washington gathering of Catholic and Lutheran leaders striving for unity. Cardinal Koch's speech took place May 30 at "The 500th Anniversary of Martin Luther's Posting of the Ninety-Five Theses Conference: Luther and the Shaping of the Catholic Tradition," held at The Catholic University of America.
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Washington D.C., May 29, 2017 CNA/EWTN News.- At 21 years old, Millie Lopus was pregnant and scared. A rising college senior at Loyola University Maryland, she was being pressured into having an abortion by her ex-boyfriend, the father of the child.
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Denver, Colo., May 27, 2017 CNA/EWTN News.- In response to Denver's large homeless population, the city is providing lockers for the homeless to place their belongings so they can take better advantage of local outreach programs.
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PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) -- On a crowded Portland commuter train May 26, a selfless Catholic father of four stepped forward to calm a tense situation. He was that kind of guy. Rick Best defended two women being accosted by a passenger yelling hate speech about Muslims and other groups. Best, a 53-year-old member of Christ the King Parish in Milwaukie, Oregon, would die for his noble deed.
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