The Cardinal Newman Society has reported that Boston College’s student health plan includes coverage for “family planning services,” including contraception.

Here’s an excerpt from the Cardinal Newman Society’s Oct. 7 press release about the matter:

“Contraception and birth control services are explicitly covered under the student health plan, Blue Care Elect Preferred (PPO), which is an optional plan for students provided by Boston College.  Although elective abortion is not explicitly stated in the policy, Koster Insurance Agency, Inc., Boston College’s insurance agent, could not rule out the possibility that abortions are covered by the policy, according to an article in...READ MORE

In an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Vrhbosna,  president of the bishops’ conference of Bosnia, said he expects the Vatican will soon release a directive — perhaps before the end of this year — that will address the Marian apparitions that allegedly are occurring at Medjugorje.

Go here to access the article posted at Reuters’ FaithWorld blog about the matter. It includes some useful background about the controversy over Medjugorje, and about recent actions undertaken by Medjugorje’s local bishop, Bishop Ratko Peric of Mostar-Duvno.

A more detailed report about Bishop Peric’s most recent comments about Medjugorje is available in this Sept. 28...READ MORE

Oct. 13 marks the 92nd anniversary of the famous final apparition of the Virgin Mary at Fátima, Portugal, in 1917.

This year, the date has an additional significance: It marks the formal release in the United States of a new and highly acclaimed movie about Fátima, The 13th Day.

The promotional trailer posted with this blog entry provides a glimpse of the movie’s contents. Information about local screenings of the movie is available here. DVDs of the movie, available after Dec. 1, can be ordered here through the website of Ignatius Press.

And for an independent take on this excellent new production, Register subscribers can go here to access the assessment given by the Register’s...READ MORE

This Union of Catholic Asian News article details efforts undertaken by some young Indonesian Catholics to send aid to survivors of the earthquake that devastated the island of Sumatra Sept. 30.

Their efforts are mostly small-scale, but this only serves to highlight that even small shipments of aid are desperately needed there. And to remind Catholics who are lucky enough to live in more economically privileged countries that they too should be ready to help out victims of natural disasters.

Catholic Americans who want to make donations to disaster relief efforts in Sumatra, and to other countries such as the Philippines that have been struck recently by natural calamities, can go here to...READ MORE

That’s right, an Italian scientist whose work was funded by an Italian association of atheists and agnostics has undertaken some experiments that he claims “prove” the Shroud of Turin isn’t really the burial cloth of Jesus, but rather a fraud created in medieval times.

What is the conclusive research that the scientist has conducted that allegedly refutes the substantial body of scientific findings that suggest the cloth was indeed wrapped around the body of Jesus following his crucifixion?

According to this Reuters article, it consists of nothing more than the fact that the scientist has managed to come up with a complicated technique to create an image on a linen cloth that...READ MORE

Rome Reports has released this short video encapsulating the reasons why a new English translation of the Roman Missal is being prepared.

The new translation is now entering the final stages of approval, and it is expected to be introduced into widespread liturgical use in about two years.

Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia, who heads the Vatican’s Vox Clara committee that is charged with overseeing the international project to create a new English translation, says in the video, “The main goal of the translations is to get them accurate, faithful to the Latin. But also beautiful, strong and compelling English. And that means a lot of hard work.”

The Register has published...READ MORE

Miguel Diaz, whose letters of credence as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See were accepted Friday by Pope Benedict XVI, identified several current issues as being of leading importance for dialogue between the United States and the Vatican.

Diaz spoke about the matter Friday with Vatican Radio, shortly before meeting the Pope.

The areas specified by Diaz as “common to our interests with respect to the Holy See and the United States” were: rejection of religion as a means of violence; rejection of terrorism; prevention of transmission of HIV/AIDS from mother to child; prevention of human trafficking; and cooperation on interracial, intercultural and interreligious conversation.

Last night on “The Late Show,” David Letterman confessed — in an extremely peculiar and awkward way — about having engaged in sexual acts with female employees of his show.

The revelations came in a lengthy account of what Letterman said was a recent attempt to blackmail him for $2 million in connection with these liaisons. His account was interspersed with jokes, at which the audience laughed. The audience also laughed at times where it appeared Letterman wasn’t joking at all.

Even when Letterman finally got around to divulging the specific content of the blackmail attempt, and acknowledged that he had indeed engaged in sexual activity with female “Late Show” employees, the...READ MORE