D.C. Archdiocese, Georgetown spar over Kathleen Sebelius speech

By David Gibson, Religion News Service
Tensions between the Archdiocese of Washington and Georgetown University are escalating ahead of a scheduled address Friday by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, a conflict that is becoming a microcosm of the political battles raging inside the Catholic church.
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Vatican laicizes Canadian bishop convicted of importing child porn

By Catholic News Service
OTTAWA, Ontario -- Raymond Lahey, the retired bishop of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, who was convicted of importing child pornography, has been laicized by the Vatican, said the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
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Another Legionary priest caught in scandal

A high-profile American priest in the Legionaries of Christ has acknowledged having had a sexual relationship with a woman and fathering her child, adding another chapter to the growing scandals surrounding the controversial religious order.
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Obama 'accommodation' offers no fundamental change, USCCB attorneys say

By Nancy Frazier O'Brien, Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON -- Although the Obama administration's proposed accommodation for religious employers to the mandate that contraceptives and sterilization be included in most health plans "may create an appearance of moderation and compromise," it does not change the administration's fundamental position, attorneys for the U.S. bishops said in comments filed Tuesday.
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Of breasts, moms and magazine covers

By Heidi Schlumpf
Heidi Schlumpf
I suppose pretty much everything that needs to be said about this month’s controversial Time magazine cover (featuring a young mom breastfeeding her almost-4-year-old while he's standing on a stool next to her) has been said, written, blogged, posted and tweeted. Sadly, much of the conversation -- even on Catholic blogs and sites -- has been less than charitable. I will try to be more so in my comments about the cover for a story on attachment parenting.
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Student loan debt may prevent many U.S. Catholics from entering religious orders

WASHINGTON -- Student debt might be forcing many Catholic U.S. college graduates considering religious life to postpone or even forego testing their vocation, a new study reports. "In essence, they're too poor to take the vow of poverty," commented the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, which conducted the study.
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Hierarchy's inability to mourn thwarts healing in church

The Catholic hierarchy from the papacy on down seems to be roiling through a series of manic episodes in which they execute perverted power plays against those perceived as enemies. This kind of mania often is exhibited by large identity groups whose power has been threatened and who are unable to respond adaptively to that loss through a process of healthy mourning.
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Chaput removes five Philadelphia priests from ministry

Three priests cleared of accusations; 17 cases for suspended priests still pending
Five of the 26 Philadelphia priests suspended in the wake of sexual abuse allegations revealed in last year’s grand jury report will be removed from public ministry, Archbishop Charles Chaput announced Friday at a press conference. Three of the 26 will be returned to ministry, while 17 cases are still pending in various stages of the investigation process.
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Pope orders German Catholics to make the 'for many' change

By Jonathan Luxmoore
The struggles German Catholics are having with changes in the eucharistic prayer will be familiar for U.S. Catholics whose Mass language changed in 2011. In 2013, Germans who are used to praying that Jesus died für alle (for all) will be praying that Jesus died für viele (for many). And the order to make the change is coming directly from Pope Benedict XVI.
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Cold feet in match between Rome and Lefebvrists

ROME -- Cold feet, of course, are fairly common before any wedding. It’s thus probably no surprise that as Rome and the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, popularly known as the “Lefebvrists,” prepare to walk down the aisle, important voices on both sides of the match are having some second thoughts.
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When the budget is a moral failure, who will speak for the poor?

Commentary The House of Representatives has passed a budget based largely on a plan proposed in late March by Congressman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., — a practicing Catholic — and later endorsed by presumed-Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. The plan is structured to spare military spending from mandatory cuts. It is a vicious, anti-life austerity budget that, if implemented, would hammer the poor, the sick, the vulnerable and elderly.
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Bishops are picking a fight this election year

Few would have wagered a year ago that this presidential election season would be marked by a call to arms for Catholics to fend off the impending death of religious liberty in the United States. Or that one of the hot-button cultural issues in the presidential campaign would be distribution of contraceptives under the Affordable Health Care Act.
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