world news
Pope to celebrate Ash Wednesday at Vatican, skipping ‘station churches’
Pope Francis will celebrate Ash Wednesday Mass Feb. 17 in St. Peter’s Basilica rather than making the traditional walk from the Church of St. Anselm to the Basilica of Santa Sabina on Rome’s Aventine Hill, the Vatican said.
Aid to the Church in Need admits its founder was accused of assault
The international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need said it found “very plausible” the claim of a former employee that the late Norbertine Father Werenfried van Straaten, founder of the charity, had sexually assaulted her in the 1970s.
Global players join to set vaccine priorities, allocate resources fairly
Several global institutions are working to find ways to allocate COVID-19 vaccines in ways that are equitable and effective in stanching the acute phase of the pandemic.
Movie Review: ‘Minari’
Set in the 1980s, “Minari” (A24), a gentle mix of drama and comedy, explores the immigrant experience from a Korean American perspective.
Students object to Abby Johnson as speaker, call her past comments ‘hate speech’
In her Zoom presentation for The Catholic University of America Feb. 9, Abby Johnson didn’t address the controversy that had preceded her appearance.
Bill would block taxpayer funding of abortion, make Hyde Amendment permanent
U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, has introduced a bill to prohibit use of federal taxpayer dollars to fund abortions.
California bishops welcome court’s ruling easing worship restrictions
Two California Catholic bishops applauded the Supreme Court’s Feb. 5 ruling easing the state’s restrictions on indoor worship put in place with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Florida bishop and Catholic school win Super Bowl food wager
Catholics in St. Petersburg, Florida, will need to get their napkins ready because some barbecue from Kansas City, Missouri, is coming their way.
Dioceses dispute conclusions, methods of AP report on pandemic funding
U.S. dioceses are crying foul over an investigative report on coronavirus relief funding they say grossly mischaracterized the Catholic Church’s finances and unrestricted cash flows, leaving the crass impression the church used the 2020 CARES Act to hoard cash.
Naming undersecretaries for synod, pope gives a woman a vote
Xaviere Missionary Sister Nathalie Becquart will not be the first woman undersecretary of a major Vatican office, but she will be the first woman with a right to vote at a meeting of the Synod of Bishops.