Just days after France passed legislation to amend its constitution to include a right to abortion, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a bill that would allow terminal patients to seek “assisted dying.” The new legislation, which eschews phrases like “assisted suicide” and “euthanasia,” drew harsh criticism from the French bishops, who called the chosen Read More…

Twenty-four young people have been accepted as “perpetual pilgrims” to walk a combined distance of 6,500 miles across America this spring to the National Eucharistic Congress. The pilgrims’ names were announced by organizers of the Congress on Monday. “After sifting through more than 100 applications and conducting multiple rounds of interviews and follow-up screenings, the Read More…

The people of Ireland resoundingly rejected two proposed changes to the nation’s constitution, in a vote that took place on International Women’s Day, March 8. The measures were both opposed by the Irish bishops, who spoke out against them. The first amendment would have broadened the definition of “family,” to include “durable relationships” other than Read More…

While many Catholic churches in the United States are feeling the financial pinch, causing some parishes to close and others to combine, the Diocese of Scranton in Pennsylvania may have found a solution. The diocese has launched a Catholic Foundation that is meant to provide long term support for diocesan efforts through returns on investments.  Read More…

In spite of an atmosphere of extreme danger and uncertainty, the Church in Haiti is providing pastoral care to a population that takes great risks to be together as the body of Christ. “We are still working in areas that are very, very difficult,” said Fr. Victor Auguste, a Salesian missionary in Port-au-Prince.  It is Read More…

A February 27 report from the European Institute of Bioethics is drawing attention to rising rates of euthanasia in the nation of Belgium. The statistics, drawn by the Federal Commission for the Control and Evaluation of Euthanasia in Belgium (CFCEE), show record high numbers, which had already increased by 10% in 2022.  The data from Read More…

“The way to the betterment of societies is through the education of girls and young women,” Pope Francis told participants at a conference on holy women taking place in Rome, on March 7, 2024, the day before International Women’s Day. As the Pope condemned discrimination against women in education that still occurs today, the conference Read More…

Both the Vatican and the French bishops’ conference made last minute appeals as both houses of France’s parliament came together to enshrine the taking of an unborn human life into the country’s constitution. The Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life made it clear that there can be no “right” to take a human life. And the Read More…

Nearly six months after the devastating fires that wrought havoc on the island of Maui, the Catholic Diocese of Honolulu is still working to return to normalcy. A recent report highlighted the efforts of the diocese to tend to its 10 parishes, keeping children in school and administering vital aid to those who are still Read More…

The Congregation of the Mission (CM), founded by St. Vincent de Paul, is approaching its 400th anniversary in 2025. To mark this momentous occasion, the religious community is undertaking a significant renovation of its Motherhouse in Paris, France. St. Vincent de Paul dedicated his life to serving the poor, marginalized, and sick. He established the Read More…

The Conference of Bishops of France expressed sadness after members of the French Senate voted overwhelmingly to enshrine abortion rights in the Constitution. The vote on February 28 was 267-50. For the Constitution to be amended, three-fifths of both houses of Parliament, meeting together in a special session known as a congress, must pass the Read More…

There will be hundreds of opportunities for people to honor the Eucharist and interact with pilgrims as they carry the Blessed Sacrament across four pilgrimage routes to the National Eucharistic Congress this summer. Organizers of the Congress and Pilgrimage, in a webinar on Thursday, discussed highlights of the four routes, coming from all four compass Read More…