A December 2011 photo of Panama ex-dictator Manuel Noriega at El Renacer Prison outside Panama City. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix, File)

Learning from the United States’ disastrous infatuations with dictators

by Tim Padgett March 20, 2017

As a former tyrant languishes in a hospital bed, the U.S. should ponder its routine of coddling military monsters.

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., accompanied by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., right, speaks at a news conference following a GOP party conference at the Capitol, Wednesday, March 15, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Dispatches, Politics & Society

Catholic bishops: Proposed Obamacare replacement contains “serious flaws”

by Michael J. O’Loughlin March 20, 2017

“Regarding access for those most in need, the AHCA includes changes which place many people at significant risk,” Bishop Frank J. Dewane wrote.

Volunteers with Catholic Charities' St. Maria's meals program in Washington, D.C. (CNS photo/Chaz Muth)

News, Politics & Society

Catholic leaders wary of Trump’s proposed cuts to international aid and anti-poverty programs

by Michael J. O’Loughlin March 16, 2017

The president’s proposed budget calls for ending several international aid programs.

Politics & Society, Short Take

Why we need to protect government workers from political retribution

by Ellen K. Boegel March 15, 2017

Federal laws limit the politicization of the government. It may be time for the public to demand those laws be strengthened.

President Donald Trump listens during a meeting on healthcare in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, March 13, 2017. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Politics & Society, Short Take

Why liberals should stop calling Trump ‘unfit’ to be president

by Margot Patterson March 14, 2017

Comparing the president to Putin, Hitler or the anti-Christ distracts from what is taking shape on the ground.

Victoria Daza, a native of Peru and an immigrants' rights activist, holds her daughter during a rally in support of immigrants in Massapequa Park, N.Y., Feb. 24. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)

Faith in Focus, Politics & Society

A parish priest asks: How do I respond when ICE comes for my flock?

by Raymond P. Roden March 13, 2017

The decisions of our government with regard to immigrants since Jan. 20 have been despicable, and support among Catholics for those decisions embarrassing.

A displaced Iraqi woman prays the rosary in 2014 inside St. Joseph Church in Irbil, Iraq. The church gives refuge to thousands of people who were displaced by the Islamic State. (CNS photo/Daniel Etter, CRS)

News, Politics & Society

Don’t close doors to refugees, church leaders say

by Carol Glatz - Catholic News Service March 9, 2017

The answer to the refugee crisis is continued assistance “not to close the gates of the countries where people are knocking for survival,” Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi said.

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., raises the gavel during the opening session of the new Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 3. (CNS photo/Jonathan Ernst, Reuters)

News, Politics & Society

U.S. Catholic leaders respond to GOP ‘repeal and replace’ health care proposal

by Catholic News Service March 8, 2017

Health care is not just another issue, but a “fundamental issue of human life and dignity” and “a critical component of the Catholic Church’s ministry.”