On May 1, the United Methodist Church -- a global, U.S.-based Protestant denomination -- announced the reversal of what its leadership termed "one of the sources of heated, often painful dispute" among members of the denomination: Without debate, the UMC's top legislative
In theory, an artificial womb could help save the lives of premature babies and even give some frozen embryos the opportunity to be born while changing the contours of the nation’s abortion debate. But as with anything else, the emerging medical technology
Something that happened at a bishops’ meeting nearly half a century ago raises questions about the Vatican’s action this past November telling the U.S. bishops to cancel a scheduled vote on two proposals for self-policing on sexual abuse. It also illustrates the
Two years ago, Sister Susan Francois, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, had a few handsful of followers on Twitter, and no trolls. But since national secular media publications began picking up on the story that Sister Francois,
From Jan. 22-27, millions of young Catholics will convene in Panama City, Panama, for World Youth Day. They will come from all over the globe, from every inhabited continent, and just about every country. But many more will be staying home, unable
Eight years ago, Ben Hoffman wanted nothing to do with the Catholic Church after being abused by his parish priest. Today, at age 25, he uses that experience to encourage people to stay in the Church, calling it, “our home because Christ
Ohio’s state legislature in mid-December was on the verge of passing a law that would ban abortions at the moment that a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can be as early as six weeks of pregnancy. If not vetoed by Gov. John
Polarization in the United States has increased dramatically in recent decades. At a Georgetown University event on polarization in a “broken Church and nation,” John Carr, the director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, described the grim landscape
As the 46th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s legalization of abortion approaches, the court is being asked to reconsider its refusal to recognize the humanity of the unborn. Pro-life groups hope the court — now believed to have a majority of pro-life
In public schools across the country, teachers and students practice lockdown drills if a gunman storms their building and opens fire. In some school districts, principals and teachers learn how to bandage gunshot wounds and apply tourniquets. “That’s insane to me. That’s
In their new pastoral letter on racism, the Catholic bishops in the United States seek to acknowledge the reality of racism and the Church’s complicity in racial prejudice while calling on Catholics to come together and find solutions. The letter, entitled “Open