The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act heading to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature will provide relief to Americans in need amid the pandemic, but it lacks “protections for the unborn,” the U.S. bishops said.
Bishops
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Many Texas parishes will keep face masks, even as governor lifts mandate
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, has called the Mississippi and Texas orders “ill-advised.”
Posted inExplainer, Faith
Explainer: Cardinal Tobin will now help Pope Francis pick bishops. What does that mean for the U.S. Church?
Cardinal Joseph Tobin, named today to the influential Congregation for Bishops, has been known as a “Pope Francis bishop”—one who generally follows the pope’s lead in prioritizing social justice issues and dialogue over culture war flashpoints.
Posted inFaith, News
Bishop Rhoades: Catholics can take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine ‘in good moral conscience’
“There’s no moral need to turn down a vaccine, including the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is morally acceptable to use,” Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, said in a new video.
Posted inFaith, News
Pope Francis names Cardinal Joseph Tobin to congregation that helps name bishops
Pope Francis has named Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, a member of the Congregation for Bishops, the office that advises the pope on the nomination of bishops around the world.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
How not to talk about vaccines: Some bishops are choosing the culture war over the common good
Statements by some U.S. bishops on the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine for Covid-19 are proving to be a cautionary tale about confusing Catholics on what is morally permissible.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
‘Pastorally dangerous’: U.S. bishops risk causing confusion about vaccines, ethicists say
Recent statements from the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the U.S. bishops’ conference say Catholics should not take the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine if other options are available. But some Catholic ethicists and theologians say such messages are unhelpful in the face of this ongoing crisis.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
U.S. Bishops’ working group on Biden wraps up with plans to issue document on ‘eucharistic coherence’
“As with every administration, there will be areas where we agree and work closely together and areas where we will have principled disagreement and strong opposition,” Archbishop Gomez said.
Posted inFaith, News
U.S. Bishops: If the Equality Act is passed it will ‘discriminate against people of faith’
H.R. 5 would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, the credit system and jury duty.
Posted inFaith, News
Cardinal Gregory prays on CNN for 500,000 Americans killed by Covid-19
The cardinal called it “a great honor and privilege” to offer the prayer at the invitation of Jake Tapper, CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent, on the program “We Remember 500,000: A National Memorial Service for Covid-19.”