Bishops' actions at spring meeting called a 'work in progress'

BALTIMORE — The gathering of U.S. bishops June 11-13 in Baltimore was anything but business as usual.
WATCH: Lay groups cautious about bishops' actions to boost accountability

BALTIMORE — Representatives of lay organizations expressed caution over the steps taken by U.S. bishops to boost accountability and transparency in dealing with clergy sexual abuse, saying future actions by the bishops will determine how successful the initiatives ultimately will be.
WATCH: U.S. bishops take action to respond to church abuse crisis

BALTIMORE — During the June 11-13 spring assembly of the U.S. bishops in Baltimore, it was clear the bishops had to respond to the sexual abuse crisis in the church -- and on the last day of their gathering they approved a series of procedures to begin this process.
WATCH: Response to abuse crisis looms large

BALTIMORE — At the start of the June 11-13 spring assembly of the U.S. bishops in Baltimore, it was clear the bishops had a task at hand: to respond to the sexual abuse crisis in the church.
Bishops urged to pass 'effective' policies on accountability, transparency

WASHINGTON — When the bishops gather in Baltimore starting June 11, Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City, Missouri, said he's "hopeful we will have some progress made in moving the football" on the church's response to the abuse crisis by approving several proposals to hold the bishops accountable.
Bishop bars Illinois Catholic lawmakers who back abortion from Communion

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Springfield Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki issued a decree June 6 stating that Catholic lawmakers in the Illinois Legislature "who promoted or voted for extreme abortion legislation" cannot receive Communion in churches in his diocese.
Toronto Raptors' player took a shot at priesthood training

WASHINGTON — When Pascal Siakam was in his young teens attending a minor seminary in Cameroon — and mostly playing soccer in his free time — he likely never imagined he'd be playing in the NBA Finals.
In recalling soldiers' D-Day sacrifice, archbishop prays for world peace

WASHINGTON — In remembering the estimated 4,400 Allied troops who died storming the beaches of Normandy, France, 75 years ago on D-Day, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services said that "Jesus Christ reminds us there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends."
Laity not playing 'gotcha' with bishops on abuse, review board chair says

WASHINGTON — The path to rebuilding the U.S. church's credibility as it emerges from the lingering clergy sexual abuse scandal rests in embracing the role of laypeople as important collaborators, said the chairman of the National Review Board.
WATCH: Challenges to seal of confession attributed to clergy sex abuse scandals

WASHINGTON — For centuries, the Catholic Church has maintained that what a penitent says to a priest in the confessional is strictly confidential, but in 2019 that rite continues to be challenged by governments.
Bishop Dewane calls for action to address gun violence after mass shooting

WASHINGTON — In the wake of a mass shooting that left 12 people dead in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development called for American society to examine why such violent incidents continue to occur.
Former Army soldiers reunited after 50 years share faith, memories

PITTSBURGH — The Virgin Mary and the Catholic faith have ways of connecting believers across space and time. Take, for example, Dr. Robert Pacek of Natrona Heights, near Pittsburgh, and Juan Zamarippa of San Antonio.
Tornadoes damage Ohio community, church

DAYTON, Ohio — Although Queen of Martyrs Catholic Church in Dayton sustained significant damage from the May 27 tornadoes that swept through the southwestern region of the state, a statue of Mary on the property remained standing next to the ruined bell tower.
Students plan to raise nuclear weapon dangers in fall return to campuses

WASHINGTON — At the start of his senior year at The Catholic University of America last fall, Tim Jones never thought he'd be joining a crash course on nuclear weapons policy within days of his May 18 graduation.
Catholics join faith leaders gathered to remember child deaths at border

WASHINGTON — Jesus would be "indignant" and hold accountable those responsible for the deaths of at least five migrant children at the U.S.-Mexico border, said Sister Marie Lucey of the Franciscan Action Network, one several faith leaders who on May 23 participated in a vigil to remember the young migrants.
Catholic Charities weighing response to violent Midwest storms, flooding

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City expressed gratitude that lives were spared and that all residents of the Missouri capital are accounted for following a devastating tornado.
Dallas bishop questions affidavit, says police raid was 'traumatic'

WASHINGTON — Bishop Edward J. Burns of Dallas questioned an affidavit and a dramatic raid by local police who descended on church property in the Texas diocese wearing "ski masks and SWAT gear" in mid-May saying they were looking for documents related to abuse investigations.
As migrants continue streaming into Mexico, donor fatigue sets in

Sister Bertha informed the cashier, "We're buying it to feed our migrant brothers" who are stranded in this city near the Guatemala border. The cashier responded: "Why are you doing that? What you're doing isn't right."
El Salvador lays to rest another priest presumably assassinated by gangs

WASHINGTON — Thousands attended the May 20 funeral of a Salvadoran priest found by his parishioners in what some presume is a gang killing.
U.S. bishops 'gravely disappointed' with House passage of Equality Act

WASHINGTON — Five U.S. bishops, chairmen of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' committees or subcommittees, said May 17 they were "gravely disappointed" with the U.S. House of Representatives passage of the Equality Act.
Immigration advocates express concerns about Trump immigration plan

WASHINGTON — Catholic immigration advocates raised concerns about a proposal from President Donald Trump that would reshape U.S. immigration policy to incorporate a "merit-based" system that prioritizes high-skilled workers over those with family already in the country.
Pro-life leaders applaud passage of abortion bill in Alabama

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — By passing a bill to ban abortion in nearly all circumstances, the Alabama Legislature has recognized that abortion is "the extinguishing of a unique human life," said the president and CEO of Americans United for Life.
Police conduct search at Dallas diocesan sites for files on alleged abusers

DALLAS — Dallas police executed search warrants at three Diocese of Dallas sites May 15, saying that process was an extension of their ongoing investigation of sexual abuse allegations into six current or former priests, including one accused of sexually abusing three minors and who is believed to have fled the country to his native Philippines.
Jesuit astronomer works to unravel the mysteries of galactic evolution

It's enthralling to this Vatican Observatory astronomer that halos of stars that have fallen into one galaxy from another during collisions and mergers can provide clues to a galaxy's multibillion-year history.
Martyred Romanian bishops symbolize church's 'resurrection from darkness'

WARSAW, Poland — A cardinal incarcerated for 18 years after refusing to abandon his church and a bishop thrown in an unmarked grave after starving to death in an "extermination prison" are among seven communist-era martyrs who will be beatified by Pope Francis during his upcoming visit to Romania.
Cardinal visits refugees in Greek camps as political solutions falter

MYTILENE, Greece — The Vatican and the Greek government agree on what should happen to the asylum-seekers in Greek camps: They should be welcomed by European communities and helped to build a new life on the continent.
Cardinal DiNardo welcomes new papal norms on preventing clergy abuse

WASHINGTON — New papal norms on preventing clergy sexual abuse are "a blessing that will empower the church everywhere to bring predators to justice, no matter what rank they hold in the church," said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Jean Vanier, who changed lives of intellectually disabled, dies in Paris

TORONTO — Jean Vanier, 90, founder of L'Arche communities and co-founder of Faith and Light, died May 7. Vanier had been suffering from cancer and was assisted at a L'Arche facility in Paris.
U.S. bishops dialogue with abuse survivors in first-of-its-kind gathering

WASHINGTON — Starting when she was about 7, Teresa Pitt Green was sexually abused by a series of priests for more than a decade. Yet years later, it was another clergyman's words that broke the temptation to kill herself.
Church attacked by Maduro loyalists

VATICAN CITY — While protests against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro raged across the country, National Guard forces loyal to the embattled head of state launched tear gas at churchgoers attending Mass at a local parish.