Nigerian bishop promises three more priests for state

A sign of the times: A Nigerian bishop who already has four priests serving in the Diocese of Little Rock, Ark., promises to send three more. Details on the visit of Bishop Lucius Ugorji are in the Arkansas Catholic.

Three ordained in a joyous multicultural celebration

A sign of the times, Part 2: Recent ordinations in the Diocese of Honolulu symbolize that the U.S. priesthood is becoming more ethnically diverse and that the average age of new ordinands is increasing. The Hawaii Catholic Herald reports on the state’s first triple ordination in 15 years. All three new priests are in their [...]

‘Origins’ on sex abuse crisis, European culture

This week’s Origins: CNS Documentary Service returns to texts from the Catholic Theological Society meeting as well as a speech by the pope on European culture and the “crisis of modernity.” The details:

Two experts examine issues behind the sexual abuse crisis in the U.S. church. Mercy Sister Sharon Euart, a canon law consultant, looks at [...]

Pro-choice politicians can cause scandal

Here’s more proof that the debate continues to simmer over whether to deny Communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion: Msgr. J. Gaston Hebert, administrator of the Diocese of Little Rock, Ark., (the diocese has been without a bishop since the transfer of Bishop J. Peter Sartain to Joliet, Ill., last year), says in a [...]

Amnesty International’s abortion policy draws criticism, response

Amnesty International’s new policy calling for the elimination of penalties for anyone who provides an abortion or obtains one is still being debated in the pages of the Catholic press. The National Catholic Register editoralizes that Amnesty is “baldly misrepresenting facts in a desperate attempt to escape the consequences of its own actions.” In Canada, [...]

‘Evan Almighty’: A film study guide for Catholic Christians

If you’ve seen or plan to see the new motion picture “Evan Almighty” (the one about a modern-day Noah and his ark, if you’ve just emerged from under a rock), you may want to read this article in The Tidings in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by Sister Rose Pacatte. The second half of it [...]

‘Origins’ on Muslims, lay ministry, workers’ rights

Interesting stuff in this week’s Origins: CNS Documentary Service:

Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor of Westminster, England, takes a wide-ranging look at Muslim-Christian relations in a post-Sept. 11 world. (Subscribers: click here)
Three lay theologians examine the U.S. bishops’ 2005 text on lay ecclesial ministry: H. Richard McCord recalls the text’s development (subscribers: click here); Edward Hahnenberg asks whether [...]

Pro-life walkers, homeschooling, and an award to a Mormon agency

Three stories of interest in the latest Intermountain Catholic of Salt Lake City:

Pro-life cross-country walkers stop in Salt Lake City
Homeschooled 18-year-old excels in music, academics
Catholic Relief Services recognizes LDS church for partnerships on natural disasters

‘Origins’ this week on climate change, theologians

Global climate change and the relationship between theologians and bishops are the two topics addressed in the latest edition of Origins, the CNS Documentary Service:

The U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works invited religious groups to share their views on the moral and ethical dimensions of global climate change. Origins presents the testimony [...]

God’s hand touched actor, film

This is a week or two old, but still worth a look: The star has been called “the Brad Pitt of Mexico,” but the subject is serious. You may not have heard of “Bella” yet, so let the Western Catholic Reporter in Edmonton, Alberta, introduce you to the movie, to the film company with the [...]