U.S. Supreme Court justices said on Nov. 6 they will hear seven pending appeals in lawsuits brought by several Catholic and other faith-based entities against the Obama administration’s contraceptive mandate. Among the plaintiffs are the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Archdiocese of Washingto
Signs Of the Times
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The Earth at Risk
On Nov. 3 Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, gave the keynote address at Santa Clara University’s two day conference on “Laudato Si’”: “Our Future on a Shared Planet: Silicon Valley in Conversation with the Envir
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News Briefs
After a deadly outbreak of violence around his parish in the Central African Republic’s capital of Bangui, Moses Otii Alir, a Comboni priest, expressed the hope that Pope Francis’ planned visit would open people’s hearts to God’s love and “renew the face of this beautif
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Overdue Alliance in Florida Straits
It was one of the more absurd moments of America’s Cuba policy.In 2011, as the Communist island began drilling for what may be billions of barrels of oil off its northern coast, a legitimate fear gripped the United States. That was the specter of an oil spill, a BP-style disaster choking the F
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News Briefs
Sarah Torre, an analyst for the Heritage Foundation, reported at a discussion in Washington on Oct. 30 that the number of cancer screenings conducted at Planned Parenthood affiliates had declined by half over the last 10 years, while the number of abortions climbed from 250,000 to 327,000. • On
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One-Child No More
China’s government, after enforcing a one-child policy since 1980 to combat a population that appeared to be growing out of control, announced on Oct. 29 that it will now allow families to have a total of two children. The policy has caused significant demographic issues—there are 116 to
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Romero ‘Defamed’
Pope Francis had strong words on Oct. 30 for Catholic priests and bishops who “defamed” the assassinated archbishop of San Salvador, Oscar Romero. Going off script during a meeting with 500 pilgrims from El Salvador, Pope Francis said, “The martyrdom of Archbishop Romero was not fu
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Bishops Hope for Peace in Syria
Syriac Catholic bishops, meeting in Lebanon during their annual synod, called for a diplomatic solution to achieve peace in Syria and Iraq. In a statement released at the conclusion of the assembly, the bishops pleaded for an end to the civil war in Syria, now in its fifth year, and urged countries&
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Wildfires Cause Local Misery And Global Environmental Offense
Rainfall in late October helped disperse the choking haze overhanging several regions of Indonesia severely affected by forest and peat fires. But much more rain is needed to help put out the massive fires, Luhut Panjaitan, coordinating minister of Politics, Law and Security, told reporters. “
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Bishops in Climate Call
Catholic bishops from five continents issued a challenge to U.N. delegates who will meet in Paris in December to discuss the international framework on climate change, calling for “a just and legally binding climate agreement” to emerge from the negotiations. The bishops and cardinals is