Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Richard Doerflinger: A public health crisis

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A MORE HUMAN SOCIETY The recent tragic deaths of fashion designer Kate Spade and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain have dramatized what The New York Times calls the “public health crisis” of suicide. That crisis was underscored on June 8 when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the U.S. suicide rate increased […]

Father Eugene Hemrick: Causes of unkindness

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THE HUMAN SIDE What are some leading causes of heartless conflicts in life? One look at kindness and its opponent gives the answer. Kindness is being well-disposed toward our self, neighbors, world, government, church and God. Kindness respects, values and promotes the development of another. Understanding the enemies of kindness is the best antidote for […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: Who are the pope’s security detail?

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QUESTION CORNER Q: Who are the men protecting Pope Francis who are wearing suits and ties? Are they part of the Italian national police force, Swiss Guards or a private security firm? (They seem to protect the pope not only at the Vatican, but they travel with him on papal trips.) (Edison, New Jersey) A: […]

47-year old abuse allegation against Cardinal McCarrick found credible

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  By Mark Pattison Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, said June 20 he will no longer exercise any public ministry “in obedience” to the Vatican after an allegation he abused a teenager 47 years ago was found credible. Bishop James F. Checchio of Metuchen, New Jersey, where […]

Canadian bishops: marijuana use may soon be legal but still sinful

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  By Deborah Gyapong Catholic News Service OTTAWA, Ontario — Marijuana use across Canada may soon be legal in the eyes of the law, but it will remain a sin in the eyes of the church, said Canada’s bishops. With the exception of cannabis use for medicinal purposes, consuming marijuana violates the virtue of temperance […]

Ex-Vatican diplomat guilty of distributing child porn

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  By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — A Vatican court found Msgr. Carlo Alberto Capella, a former staff member at the Vatican nunciature in Washington, guilty of possessing and distributing child pornography. Judge Giuseppe Della Torre, head of the tribunal of the Vatican City State, delivered the verdict June 23, and […]

Bishops receive hundreds of calls offering foster care for detained kids

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By Mark Pattison Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — Maybe it was the request by the Pentagon for 20,000 mattresses as military bases become, at least partly, shelters for detained border crossers. Maybe it was the federal government report that 2,342 children had been separated from 2,206 parents at the U.S.-Mexico border between May 5 and […]

Italian journalist takes aim at fake news about the pope

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By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — From the moment of his election, Pope Francis’ down-to-earth take on communicating the Gospel has led to countless front-page headlines either praising or criticizing him. But his disarming and sometimes even blunt style also has meant he has become a popular target of “fake news.” […]

Carole Norris Greene: Black culture at a royal wedding!

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COMMENTARY I never saw it coming, a British royal wedding that brought American black culture center stage before the world! This happened May 19 as Prince Henry of Wales, known as Prince Harry, wedded former American actress Rachel Meghan Markle. Now she is the Duchess of Sussex, elevated to stratospheric fame. It was surreal to […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: The pope’s answer ‘seemed shocking’

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QUESTION CORNER Q: In a recent issue of our diocesan paper, I read an article about a conversation that had occurred in Italy between Pope Francis and a young boy. The boy — who was both fearful and tearful, as he whispered his question to the pope — wanted to know whether his deceased father […]