By Russell Shaw OSV News When Dr. Bernard Nathanson died of cancer in February 2011, the obituary writers dutifully recorded that he’d become a Catholic back in 1996. Some even recalled the reason he gave for taking that step. In the 1960s and 1970s, Nathanson, a New York OB-GYN, had been a national leader in […]
Medically ‘changing’ sex not morally justified, say bishops
By Julie Asher OSV News WASHINGTON — Surgical, chemical or other interventions that aim “to exchange” a person’s “sex characteristics” for those of the opposite sex “are not morally justified,” said the U.S. bishops’ doctrine committee in a statement released March 20. “What is of great concern, is the range of technological interventions advocated […]
Human composting, alkaline hydrolysis not acceptable for burial, say U.S. bishops
By Gina Christian OSV News Two new alternatives to burial and cremation fail to comply with the Catholic Church’s teaching on respect for the bodies of the dead, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine said. In a March 23 statement, the committee said it had evaluated human composting and alkaline hydrolysis, […]
Effie Caldarola: The mental health crisis
FEELING IT It was hard to find joy in the day. Rain pelted the morning windows incessantly. I burrowed under the covers and, grasping for gratitude, told myself it was good we were getting needed moisture. After the rain came unremitting gloom, strong winds and falling temperatures. When baking cinnamon rolls brought no respite […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Do we relax Lenten fasts on Sunday?
QUESTION CORNER Q: I understand that the 40 days of Lent do not include Sundays, because every Sunday is a “little Easter” when we remember and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. I hear people say it is “cheating” if one doesn’t abstain on Sundays from whatever one “gives up” during Lent, but I wonder why one would […]
Both praise, protest for Pope Francis’ LGBTQ outreach
By Gina Christian OSV News Pope Francis has evoked both praise and protest for his outreach to LGBTQ persons during his decade-long papacy, as he has offered warmth and welcome while upholding the Catholic Church’s teaching on human sexuality. “My experience of Pope Francis has been hope-filled and also frustrating,” Ish Ruiz, a gay theologian […]
Bishop, cardinal spar in media over Eucharist, ‘heresy’
By Gina Christian OSV News Two U.S. prelates have recently traded what one called some “strong words” in the media, debating the reception of holy Communion, sexual sin, pastoral outreach to marginalized Catholics and allegations of heresy among church leadership. At issue is the tension between offering pastoral welcome and inclusion without compromising church doctrine, […]
Dating crisis fuels Catholic marriage vocation collapse
By Rachel Hoover OSV News Among Catholics, the sacrament of matrimony is in freefall. Over 50 years between 1969 and 2019, Catholic marriages declined 69% even as the Catholic population increased by nearly 20 million, according to Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. In 2021, as U.S. Catholics largely emerged from the […]
Abduction
Missionary sister says God told her to remain ‘peacefully patient’ during captivity in Burkina Faso By Peter Finney Jr. OSV News NEW ORLEANS — Around Christmas in 2021, Marianite Sister Suellen Tennyson, then supervising her congregation’s medical clinic in Yalgo, Burkina Faso, in West Africa, received a text message from her nephew, James Downing, who […]
Effie Caldarola: The integrity of our modern Catholic heroes
FEELING IT Somewhere in Nicaragua, a Catholic bishop languishes in prison because of his outspoken opposition to the policies of an unjust government. Bishop Rolando Álvarez, a handsome and youthful 56-year-old, has been accused of “treason” and “undermining national integrity” by the Ortega regime. Earlier, 222 political prisoners, including priests, were released to the […]
