Reactions Vary to Pope’s Comments on Feeding Although some see Pope John Paul II’s message at a recent Vatican conference as closing the book on the question of whether nutrition and hydration may be withdrawn from patients in a persistent vegetative state, others in U.S. Catholic health

Kennedy to Kerry: Catholic Candidates in Strikingly Different TimesWhen Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts ran for president in 1960, he faced a barrage of questions from a predominantly Protestant public, like, "How do we know you can separate your Catholic beliefs from your political re

Vatican Asks Bishops to Focus on Wider IssuesTop Vatican officials are urging U.S. bishops to move beyond the sexual abuse crisis and restore their focus to the wider range of pastoral and international issues. That is the main message emerging from a series of encounters in late March between heads

Pope Says Patients Must Receive Nutrition, HydrationPatients who are in a persistent vegetative state, even for years, must be given nutrition and hydration as long as their bodies can absorb the nourishment, Pope John Paul II said. The administration of water and food, even when delivered using art

Keeler Prays With Victims at Day of AtonementIn a day designed to bring healing and promote understanding, Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore prayed with the victims of clerical sexual abuse during a day of atonement on March 7, asking the survivors to forgive the church for the sins it had com

John Jay Report Undergoing RevisionsErrors in the report prepared by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice on sexual abuse by Catholic clergy leave unanswered one of the central questions the report was supposed to answer: How did church leaders respond to allegations of sexual abuse? The report

Sexual Abuse Brought Smoke of SatanIn its report on the causes of the crisis of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in the United States, released on Feb. 27, the National Review Board said grievously sinful acts of priests and inaction by bishops let the smoke of Satan enter the church.As a result the

Dioceses Release Figures on Sexual Abuse Although not required to do so by the Dallas Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, Catholic bishops across the country are releasing statistics about sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy in their dioceses. The Associated Press re

4,450 Priests Accused of Abusing 11,000 ChildrenCNN reported on Feb. 16 that, according to a draft report it had obtained about sexual abuse of minors by U.S. Catholic priests and deacons, roughly 4,450 members of the clergy have been accused of abusing a total of 11,000 minors between 1950 and 2002

Boston’s Archbishop Troubled by Ruling on Gay Marriage Archbishop Sean P. O’Malley of Boston said the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s expanded ruling on gay marriage is more troubling than its initial decision. The court’s decision on Nov. 18 struck down the state&rsqu