Even Queen Elizabeth II is expected to attend this week’s ecumenical “Service of Reflection and Hope.” So why has the president of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, turned down his invitation?
Dispatches
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Report: Many women serve as ‘de facto deacons.’ Does the church recognize their gifts?
Even though women make up more than half of U.S. Catholics and 80 percent of lay ecclesial ministers, a new report found that Catholic women still struggle to have their contributions recognized.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
El Salvador’s death squads have new targets but continue their bloody work
El Salvador’s contemporary death squads do not engage in political liquidation. Their targets have largely been criminal suspects or innocent bystanders caught up in the violence.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Joe Biden to meet Pope Francis at the Vatican on Oct. 29
Biden’s Vatican meeting comes just a couple of weeks before U.S. bishops are expected to vote on a controversial document that could take aim at pro-choice Catholic politicians.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
A Franciscan sister joins the fight for Indigenous rights in Brazil
In a region of vast distances, weak infrastructure and a relatively small number of priests, religious and laywomen like Sister Laura are the mainstay of Catholic spirituality.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
The pandemic has made Americans more aware of others’ needs. The result? More charitable giving.
A likely increase in 2021 charitable giving is being driven by two factors: increasing financial security and a “heightened sense of people’s needs in the philanthropic marketplace” because of the continuing Covid-19 crisis.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Engaging the next generation of Catholic philanthropists will mean leaning into the church’s social justice tradition
Catholic ministries face an uncertain financial future as religiosity decreases among younger Americans—including, perhaps, descendants of prominent Catholic philanthropic leaders.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Could Indigenous demonstrations against corruption lead to lasting change in Guatemala?
Guatemala’s historical social inequality has only worsened because of economic deterioration intensified by the Covid-19 pandemic and a political crisis created by President Giammattei’s increasing authoritarian tendencies.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Pope Francis’ restrictions on the Latin Mass made headlines in July. But most U.S. Catholics heard nothing about it.
“Catholics who attend Mass weekly are both more likely to be aware of the new restrictions and more inclined to oppose them than Catholics who attend less frequently,” according to a new Pew survey.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Top Vatican Cardinal: Joe Biden should not be denied Communion
“The Eucharist should not in any way become a weapon,” Cardinal Peter Turkson said in response to a question about a document U.S. bishops are drafting about Communion.