Kurt Jensen

Archbishop Timothy Broglio, archbishop of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, was the principal celebrant and homilist, assisted by military chaplains and priests.

Although individual accounts are by now familiar to many, the purpose of the hearing, said commission chair Vicky Hartzler, a former congresswoman from Missouri and an evangelical Christian, was to draw attention to what she called "a dark picture for religious freedom."

The Black and Indian Missions Office originated in 1874 as the Bureau of Catholic Missions, with wider goals added in subsequent years. 

Although not religious, many of the more than 70 films in which Redford starred since 1960, and the nine he directed since 1980, explored themes of ethical quandaries, spirituality and moral decisions and were respectful of faith. 

Bishop Daniel Garcia, Central Texas born and raised, delivered an emotional homily condemning racism and the harsh treatment of migrants as he was installed as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Austin, Texas, on Sept. 18.

Six pro-life activists, a majority of them Catholics including two recently pardoned by President Donald Trump, are now facing state charges for a July 31 Red Rose Rescue abortion clinic "rescue" in Upland, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, that temporarily disrupted its activities.

A leading Catholic immigration expert expressed outrage over the Supreme Court's June 23 ruling allowing the Trump administration to remove immigrants who lack legal authorization to live and work in the U.S., to countries not specifically identified in their removal orders — known as "third-country removals" — without advance notice.

On Jan. 22, 1974, the first anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, which enshrined abortion on demand as a constitutional right, Villanova students, including the future Pope Leo XIV, were part of a pro-life demonstration at Independence Mall in Philadelphia.

On the eve of the national March for Life rally in Washington, President Donald Trump announced Jan. 23 he was issuing pardons for 23 protesters arrested for violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinics (FACE) Act.

Two federal civil lawsuits, each seeking $75 million, accuse the Missouri dioceses of Springfield-Cape Girardeau and Jefferson City of covering up clergy sexual abuse in the 1980s and 1990s and also of enabling the priests who allegedly committed the abuse.

Catholic schools are still excluded from Maine’s tuition grant program, a federal judge ruled Aug. 8, but he added that he expected the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit to eventually provide "a more authoritative ruling."

Newhart was pursuing a less-than-stellar business career when he suddenly shot to showbiz stardom in 1960 with his first album, "The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart." The LP went on to earn a Grammy Award as Album of the Year — a first for a comedy recording.

In a case involving parental preferences, a "congregation preference" and hiring decisions at two Catholic preschools, a federal judge in Denver ruled June 4 that Colorado's government violated state law by excluding those preschools from participating in the state's universal preschool program.

At The Catholic University of America to discuss the need for a diverse and welcoming church, Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory fielded a wide range of audience questions while also reflecting on his own faith journey from childhood.

Homeland Security publicized a decision Oct. 5 to waive 26 federal laws to allow the building of 20 more miles of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, an expansion long opposed by the U.S. Catholic bishops.

In order to consider the parables of Jesus Christ with empathy, keep in mind the fullness of Jesus' humanity and ability to tell stories with a sense of humor, Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory of Washington said in a July 16 homily.

A political climate hostile to the needs and existence of immigrants is not only morally wrong, it also weakens the structures of democratic governments, said Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley of Boston.

Jeanne Mancini wants it to be clear: The national March for Life in Washington will continue even with the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, its 1973 ruling that found a right to abortion in the U.S. Constitution and legalized it nationwide.

This year's Society of Catholic Scientists conference was an intimate gathering with the theme of environmental stewardship linked to the papal encyclical "Laudato Si'." Speakers discussed Catholic environmentalism going back to the fourth century, and topics such as soil conservation, the preservation of tropical forests, the importance of bees and genetic advances used to conserve wild animal populations.

President Joe Biden, addressing the National Prayer Breakfast Feb. 3, called for a return to the political civility he said he'd known as a freshman U.S. senator from Delaware.