Politicians and Bishops Call for BipartisanshipAs the second razor-thin presidential election in a row was declared a victory for President George W. Bush on Nov. 3, the candidates and the Catholic bishops of the United States looked ahead to soothing bitter partisanship from the campaign. In his co

Social Doctrine Compendium Promotes Human Dignity, Common GoodThe God-given dignity of humans and the obligation to promote the common good of all the world’s people require the Catholic Church to speak on social issues, says the new Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. The church&

U.S. Bishops to Vote on Adult Catechism, New Conference PresidentWhen the U.S. Catholic bishops meet in mid-November, they will be asked to approve a first-ever U.S. national catechism for adults and elect a new president to lead them for the next three years. They will also be asked to vote on join

Pope Asks for Greater Unity in U.S. ConferencePope John Paul II asked U.S. bishops to engage in frank dialogue and informed discussion to build greater unity and consensus within the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In a message to New York bishops, the pope praised the bishops’ conference

Vatican Tells U.N. War Did Not Make World SaferAddressing the United Nations, a leading Vatican official said the war in Iraq did not make the world safer and that defeating terrorism will require multilateral cooperation that goes beyond short-term military operations. Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, t

Catholics Engaging in Personal Attacks Over Politics, Says Archbishop FlynnThe fusillade of personal attacks in the current presidential campaign is infecting the debate over issues among Catholics, said Archbishop Harry J. Flynn of St. Paul-Minneapolis. One wonders why the Christian values of chari

Vatican Dismayed Over Memo on CommunionWhen Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger sent out a brief memo in June about politicians and Communion, he probably never imagined it would ignite a heated discussion about Catholics and voting. The document, leaked to an Italian reporter but never officially acknowledge

Pope Urges Bishops: Collaborate in GovernanceIn the wake of the sexual abuse scandal, U.S. bishops should be open to a more collaborative style of governance that shares responsibility with lay Catholics, Pope John Paul II said.A consultative approach should not be seen as an abandonment of episcopa

In Northeastern Chad’s Heat and Rain, Refugee Graves Are Added DailyAbout 100 graves of Sudanese refugees line the cemetery of the Farchana refugee camp in northeastern Chad. New bodies are added every day, with most of the deceased being young children or the elderly who have succumbed to the

Catholics Rank Abortion Below War, EconomyAbortion was named as a very important priority by 49 percent of Catholics who expect to vote for President George W. Bush, coming behind Iraq, terrorism, moral values and the economy, each of which was named by at least 64 percent in a recent Pew poll. The