Waiting for an Answer

BY Wayne Laugesen

Maryknoll Priest Confused on Excommunication

September 20-26, 2009 Issue

COLUMBUS, Ga. — In spite of a news report that Maryknoll Father Roy Bourgeois has confirmed that he has been excommunicated, the priest says he just does not know.

Best known for his ongoing protests at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, formerly the School of the... READ MORE

Emergency in Intensive Care

BY Joan Frawley Desmond

Catholic Hospitals Scramble to Inform Poorly Catechized Patients

September 13-19, 2009 Issue

WASHINGTON — Throughout the summer, critics used town hall meetings to stir fears regarding the proposed health-care reform bill. They’ve warned of possible medical “rationing” and “death boards” designed to withhold care for the elderly and the disabled.

Back in Washington, however,... READ MORE

Faith Caught and Taught

BY Barb Ernster

Peer-to-Peer Ministries See a Sizeable Growth Spurt

September 13-19, 2009 Issue

After experiencing a mostly secular environment at the University of Southern California, Christie Hamers decided to spend her first year after college ministering to high school-age youth. The 21-year-old from Newport Beach, Calif., is one of more than 100 team members being trained for NET... READ MORE

Bringing the Bible to Life

BY EDDIE O’NEILL

September 13-19, 2009 Issue

Tim Gray paid attention when the Vatican held a synod on Scripture in the life and mission of the Church last October.

Now he’s helping to spread the wisdom that came out of it. Gray, president of the Augustine Institute in Denver, was an organizer and speaker at the 2009 National Catholic Bible... READ MORE

Chicago’s Catholic Cartoonist

BY Monta Monaco Hernon

September 13-19, 2009 Issue

Jack Higgins has been a full-time cartoonist for the Chicago Sun-Times since 1984. The Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist has traveled the world covering international events and has drawn five political conventions and a Super Bowl.

He got in the business to cover Chicago politics, and... READ MORE

When ‘Rights’ to the Pill Trump the First Amendment

BY Sue Ellin Browder

September 13-19, 2009 Issue

BELMONT, N.C. — Federal action against Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina is only the latest in a decade-long effort to secure universal access to paid contraceptive-drug coverage.

The battle seems to be heating up; laws, legal action and government agencies take aim at Catholic... READ MORE

2 Moms Made Twin Monkeys

BY Tom Hoopes

‘DNA Swap’ Technology Is a New Cloning Challenge

September 13-19, 2009 Issue

HILLSBORO, Ore. — Gabrielle Mileti says it’s tough being a mother of a child with mitochondrial DNA disorder. The condition literally saps her son of his energy.

New research on monkeys doesn’t hold out promise for her son, Joey. Instead, it raises new ethical issues by attempting to prevent... READ MORE

Health-Care Revival

BY Steve Weatherbe

Church Reform Backers Stage Huge Obama Conference Call as Public Support Wanes

September 6-12, 2009 Issue

WASHINGTON — A coalition of church groups staged a mammoth conference call with President Obama in support of health-care reform Aug. 19. The call reportedly drew 140,000 participants.

But public support for health reform is waning, according to polls. Nor does the public believe Obama’s... READ MORE

Edward Kennedy’s Catholic Legacy

BY Father Raymond J. de Souza

America’s Culture Wars

September 6-12, 2009 Issue

In death Sen. Edward M. Kennedy hardly needs his biography recalled. His life could hardly have been more chronicled. What is more interesting to ask, especially in light of the Catholic faith to which he was so devoted — a family priest was at his bedside when he died — is what life he might... READ MORE

Marriage: Good for What Could Have Ailed You

BY Janneke Pieters

September 6-12, 2009 Issue

HARPERS FERRY, W. Va. — Joyce (not her real name), a fifty-something practicing Catholic, suffers from diabetes, a blood disorder and difficulty walking. While some of her health problems may be genetic, according to a recent study, they also may be related to the fact she has been both widowed... READ MORE

Keep Christ in Iraq

BY Jeff Gardner

Christians Hope for Autonomous Region

September 6-12, 2009 Issue

WASHINGTON — Since the June 30 withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq’s urban centers, the level of violence in Iraqi cities has risen sharply. For almost six years, Iraq’s Chaldo-Assyrian Christians have been caught in the eye of this violent storm.

On Aug. 19, truck bombs in Baghdad, killing... READ MORE

Catholic Charities’ Deal With the Feds Scrutinized

BY Robert Kumpel

September 6-12, 2009 Issue

WASHINGTON — Catholic Charities’ acceptance of a $100 million contract from the Obama administration opens the agency up to compromise, some Catholics say.

The deal also could present problems in the future, especially if the agency is forced to adapt federal standards for employment and... READ MORE

False Charges Ousted Priest for 2 Years

BY Gail Besse

May 7-13, 2006 Issue

WEYMOUTH, Mass. — A shy smile creased the face of Father Charles Murphy as the congregation’s applause enveloped him.

Father Murphy had just returned to public ministry after what he called “dark days.” He had fought a 30-year-old sexual abuse claim that a civil court eventually dismissed... READ MORE

Kindling the Fires of Faith

BY Thomas L. McDonald

August 23-September 5, 2009 Issue

SAN FRANCISCO — Imagine your dream library of spiritual classics. What would it contain?

Start with a good Catholic Bible, of course. Perhaps add the works of Augustine, Aquinas, and a complete set of the Fathers of the Church. There would be individual classics: Butler’s Lives of the Saints,... READ MORE

Repairing Same-Sex Attraction

BY JANNEKE PIETERS

Experts Question APA Report

August 23-September 5, 2009 Issue

TORONTO — Mental-health professionals should avoid telling same-sex-attracted clients that therapy can change their sexual orientation, the American Psychological Association advises.

The organization, which represents 150,000 psychologists nationwide, also issued a report during its annual... READ MORE

Chinese Stem-Cell Advance Met With Cautious Optimism

BY Joan Frawley Desmond

August 23-September 5, 2009 Issue

WASHINGTON — Three separate teams of researchers in China and the United States have published papers confirming that reprogrammed mouse skin cells could behave exactly like embryonic stem cells.

The scientific community — as well as pro-life groups eager to discourage the advance of... READ MORE

Health-Care Battle Is Shaping Up

BY Steve Weatherbe

August 23-September 5, 2009 Issue

WASHINGTON — Americans are mobilizing in a battle royal over health-reform measures sitting in Congress during the summer recess. Catholics appear equally polarized.

Members of Congress have found no respite back home: Their town hall meetings with citizens have been marked by inflammatory... READ MORE

India’s Christians Still on Alert

BY Anto Akkara

Impunity and Intimidation Worry Church Ahead of Massacre’s Anniversary

August 23-September 5, 2009 Issue

HUBANESWAR, India — Kandhamal went up in flames Aug. 23, 2008, with many Christians losing their lives and homes.

Church leaders are bracing for a possible repeat on the first anniversary of the troubles that were sparked by the assassination of a Hindu leader.

But ecumenical leaders in Orissa,... READ MORE

New Life on View

BY Tim Drake

Knights Offer Free Ultrasound Machines

August 23-September 5, 2009 Issue

IOWA CITY, Iowa — When Rachel Owen officially opens the doors to Choices Medical Clinic in Iowa City, she’ll have medical technology that she previously had only dreamed about.

Thanks to a donation from the Knights of Columbus, Owen has use of a 4D ultrasound machine that provides parents with... READ MORE

Unborn May Lose Ground

BY JOAN FRAWLEY DESMOND

August 9-22, 2009 Issue

WASHINGTON — One question never surfaced at President Obama’s health-care press conference. Would the health-care reform bill mandate abortions? Would it end the longtime ban against the use of federal funds to subsidize abortions?

Seeking to maintain political traction on his health-care... READ MORE

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