Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Father Kenneth Doyle: Why are there only four Gospels?

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  QUESTION CORNER Q: Luke’s Gospel begins, “Several biographies of Christ have already been written.” Why, then, are there only four Gospels in the New Testament, and how were they chosen? (Charlottesville, Virginia) A: First, just a comment on your quote from the opening verse of Luke. The text you offer comes from an edition […]

Toronto doctors lay out procedures for euthanasia for children

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By Michael Swan Catholic News Service TORONTO — In a prestigious medical journal, doctors from Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children have laid out policies and procedures for administering medically assisted death to children, including scenarios where the parents would not be informed until after the child dies. The article appears just three months before the […]

Vatican diplomacy with China: ‘Two steps forward, one step back’

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By Michael Sainsbury Catholic News Service BANGKOK — When Deng Xiaoping took charge of the Chinese Communist Party in late 1978 and announced his program of reform, it was the beginning of the end of 39 years of isolation for China’s Christians. The year 1978 was also the beginning of the 27-year papacy of St. […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: I’m divorced, may I receive Communion?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: I am in my 50s and have now been divorced for three years. I was married in the Catholic Church and have always attended Sunday Mass regularly and received Communion. But I have begun to wonder whether I should still take Communion. I asked a priest recently in confession, and he said […]

Effie Caldarola: The view from my pew

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FOR THE JOURNEY The crisis in the U.S. Catholic Church lumbers along. We were still reeling from the Pennsylvania grand jury report on clergy sexual misconduct and hierarchical cover-up when a disgruntled archbishop released a scathing letter calling for Pope Francis to resign. Now, many states are launching probes into diocesan files, a good thing. […]

Former cardinal living in rural Kansas friary

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By Rhina Guidos Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — The Archdiocese of Washington announced Sept. 28 that former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, who was removed from ministry earlier this year after abuse allegations came to light, is now living in Kansas in a friary for Capuchin Franciscan friars. Archbishop McCarrick resides at St. Fidelis Friary in […]

Catholic aid agencies respond after massive quake, tsunami in Indonesia

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By Catholic News Service JAKARTA, Indonesia — Catholic aid agencies were among those working to assess the needs and get relief to the island of Sulawesi after an earthquake and tsunami left more than 800 people dead. Indonesia’s disaster agency said Oct. 1 the death toll from the magnitude 7.5 earthquake and tsunami was more […]

Clergy sex abuse not about gay priests, top psychologist says

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By Gina Christian Catholic News Service PHILADELPHIA — Misconceptions people may have about sexual abuse, sexual harassment and homosexuality as elements of the ongoing crisis in the church can hinder efforts to address it, according to a leading psychologist and expert on the crisis. The complex nature of each of the elements can make it […]