Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville of Houma-Thibodaux, La., passed away unexpectedly late Jan 19 due to complications from recent health problems, according to a post from the diocese. He was 63.

Although most Americans describe themselves as “pro-choice,” a majority also would support some legal limits on abortion, as well as conscience protections for health care workers who do not wish to participate in those procedures, according to a new Marist Poll sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.

Auxiliary Bishop Matthew G. Elshoff compared California’s 2022 decision to enshrine a right to abortion up to the point of delivery into the state constitution to the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, in which the U.S. Supreme Court held that the Constitution did not guarantee the rights of American citizenship to people of African-American descent, even if they were no longer slaves.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Jan. 17 in a pair of cases concerning the regulatory power of federal agencies and the deference that courts give those agencies in their interpretation of the law, a legal doctrine known as Chevron deference.

At least 18 Catholic bishops have signed on to a call by PAX Christi USA for the U.S. government to redirect military spending to fund human need.

The situation in the Gaza Strip is “extremely catastrophic,” and people are dying not only from violence but from preventable illnesses, said the CEO of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

John and Sharon Echaniz are living out the reality of that offer of forgiveness, relying on their deeply held Catholic faith to implement what John called in his statement “those pesky words near the end” of the Lord’s Prayer — “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

“Donum Vitae” is a document that, nearly 40 years ago, made explicit the church’s teaching about in vitro fertilization and related practices, including gestational surrogacy — a teaching that in January 2024 made headlines after Pope Francis called for a worldwide ban on surrogacy while speaking with members of the diplomatic corps assigned to the Holy See.

An exhibit on the martyred Ulma family currently on display at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington is a worthy tribute to the Polish family whom Pope Francis said is “for all of us a model to imitate in striving for goodness and in the service of those in need.”

Before the “Homeland War” of the 1990s, the residents of Vukovar, Croatia, thought it a peaceful city. But a devastating tragedy interceded — and three decades later, the city lives in an uneasy peace, shrouded in memories of horrific tragedy and loss.