News

Israeli Citizen Named Melkite ArchbishopFor the first time, the Vatican and the Melkite Catholic Synod of Bishops have agreed on an Israeli citizen to be archbishop of Akko, Israel. Archimandrite Elias Chacour, parish priest of the village of Ibillin in northern Galilee and founder of Mar Elias Coll

First Lady and Pope Talk of Peace and ViolenceLaura Bush, wife of the U.S. president, and one of her 24-year-old twin daughters, Barbara Bush, met the pope at the Vatican on Feb. 9 during a brief stop in Rome on the way to the Olympics. After the meeting, she told reporters traveling with her that p

Bush’s Health Care Plan Seen as InadequatePresident George W. Bush’s plan to expand health insurance coverage through health savings accounts, outlined in his State of the Union address on Jan. 31, is of no value to low-income populations, the head of the Catholic Health Association said

Ugandan Archbishop Makes Plea to U.N.Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu, Uganda, presented a statement to the United Nations Security Council on Jan. 24 asking that the United Nations take action to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in northern Uganda. Specifically he asked that the United Nation

Pope Calls for Deeper Understanding of LoveIn his first encyclical, Pope Benedict XVI called for a deeper understanding of love as a gift from God to be shared in a self-sacrificial way, at both a personal and a social level.The pope said "love between couples, often reduced today to selfish se

Florida Court Overturns Voucher ProgramThe Florida Supreme Court struck down the state’s school voucher program on Jan. 5 in a 5-to-2 ruling that disappointed Florida Catholic Conference officials. The ruling said the Opportunity Scholarship program violates the state’s constitution, whi

Communist Restrictions Remain, Say CzechsThe Czech Republic bishops’ conference said it could seek international arbitration against a new religious law imposing Communist-style restrictions on church activities. We can’t understand why the state wishes to tie the church down with these

U.S. Bishops Support Condemnation of TorturePolicies that are unclear about the torture of prisoners damage U.S. international interests and credibility and are an offense against human rights, said panelists, who included a retired Army general, a former adviser to the Departments of State and Defe

Vatican Condemns Regrettable Incidents’: Attacks on Nuns, Arrests of Priests in China The Vatican has condemned two regrettable incidents in Chinathe beating of several nuns and the continued arrests of underground Catholic priests. The violence used against several defenseless religious women

Vatican Document on Homosexuals A long-awaited Vatican document drew a sharp line against priestly ordination of homosexuals, but in the process raised a series of delicate questions for church leaders and seminary officials. The six- page instruction, prepared by the Congregation for Catholic Educa