NEWS
BRUSSELS -- The bishops of the European Union, while applauding a proposed EU report on expanding the access of all women to adequate health care, take strong issue with the report's characterization of abortion as a human right and its claim that "a total ban on abortion care or denial of abortion care is a form of gender-based violence."
Church to blame for residential schools: poll
By Michael Swan, The Catholic RegisterWhile the work toward a formal apology from Pope Francis is ongoing, a clear majority of Canadians hold the Catholic Church primarily responsible for the damage done by residential schools, according to a Leger poll conducted June 4- 6.
U.S. Supreme Court rules in favour of Catholic agency in foster case
By Carol Zimmermann, Catholic News ServiceWASHINGTON -- In a unanimous decision June 17, the Supreme Court said that a Catholic social service agency should not have been excluded from Philadelphia's foster care program because it did not accept same-sex couples as foster parents.
Alberta pastor to appeal worship ruling
By Quinton Amundson, The Catholic RegisterThree congregants of GraceLife Church near Spruce Grove Alta., are joining their pastor’s fight for religious freedom after a provincial court ruled Pastor James Coates’ religious and life, liberty and security freedoms were not infringed by pandemic regulations.
Restoring languages will help right past wrongs
By Michael Swan, The Catholic RegisterWhen news of the 215 unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Residential School landed in Edmonton, an elder in the Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples wanted to put out a statement in Cree. The problem is that survivors of the residential school system lost their language when they were children in the schools.
MP calls on faithful to make Liberals pay for ignoring conversion therapy concerns
ByOTTAWA -- A Conservative MP wants Catholics and other Canadians of faith to remember during the next election that the federal Liberal government is ignoring concerns about a bill to ban conversion therapy for youth that could make some religious discussions about human sexuality illegal.
As fighting continues in Myanmar, thousands take refuge in churches
By Catholic News ServiceYANGON, Myanmar -- Thousands of people have taken refuge in churches and convents as Myanmar's military continues to fight local resistance forces.
Bill ends abortion limits, warns pro-life group
By Catholic News ServiceWASHINGTON -- The Women’s Health Protection Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House on June 8, “would invalidate nearly all existing state limitations on abortion,” said Jennifer Popik, director of federal legislation for National Right to Life.
EU urged to improve immigration policies
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY -- As the remains of a rickety boat, pulled from the floor of the Mediterranean Sea, were enshrined as a memorial to the hundreds of migrants who died when it sank, Pope Francis prayed that such tragedies would “challenge everyone’s conscience and foster the growth of a more supportive humanity that tears down the wall of indifference.”
UNDRIP campaign finally paying off
ByOTTAWA -- There have been false starts and bitter disappointments before, but Catholic and other faith organizations now see a light at the end of the tunnel in achieving a key aspect of reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous peoples.
Record number of abortions recorded in England and Wales in 2020
By CNA/EWTN NewsLONDON, England -- A record number of abortions took place in England and Wales in 2020, according to new statistics.