The U S Census Bureau announced today that median household income declined in 2010 and the poverty rate increased The bureau reported the highest numbers of people living in poverty in the 52 years it has collected such estimates There were 46 2 million people in poverty in 2010 up from 43 6 mi

The Irish government spent the last few days pondering the official response from the Vatican on the Cloyne Report and the uproar which ensured upon its publication Basically they offer a thank you for your response but we stand by everything we said to the curia including the remarkably bitter

clap your hands Here s the neat takeaway from Rod Dreher registering his disgust at Real Clear Religion as the applauseometer jumped when Gov Rick Perry defended Texas indefensible record on capital punishment It is worth contemplating why it is that conservatives who believe the government

As a threatened U N showdown over Palestinian statehood approaches are tensions on the rise between settlers and Palestinians on the West Bank Recent Israeli approval of hundreds of new housing units for settlers has needless to say irritated Palestinians who remain committed to the two-state opt

The U S bishops released their annual Labor Day statement on Aug 24 Penned by Stockton Calif Bishop Stephen Blaire ldquo Human Costs and Moral Challenges of a Broken Economy nbsp will likely prove notable for observations that in years past would have hardly seemed controversial his reitera

The unexpectedly rapid fall of the house of Qaddafi has given many in the media an opportunity to speculate on whether the rebel victory constitutes a political ldquo win rdquo for Obama His controversial decision to involve U S forces in the campaign to oust the colonel six months ago was much

A memo from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate CARA at Georgetown University offers some stats worth worrying over The Great Recession appears to have had a significant effect on U S fertility and infant baptisms have tracked that overall decline Fewer babies have been part of t

Reports out of China indicate that Beijing is increasing its pressure on members of the so-called underground Catholic church distinguihed from the Beijing-administered Patriotic Catholic Church by its fealty to Rome Union of Catholic Asian News UCAN is reporting that Chinese security officials

The Anne E Casey Foundation released their ldquo 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book rdquo today and it did not make for encouraging reading According to the report after showing dramatic improvement between 1996 and 2000 the condition of America rsquo s children has been in a significant decline since

The investigation into unusual spikes in child deaths at Catholic institutions for the mentally disabled in the Netherlands during the mid-1950s now includes two facilities St Joseph s for boys where 34 residents died between 1952 and 55 and St Anna s for mentally disabled women and girls whe