The new Vatican doc on blessings is a call to serve.
Fr John McKenzie welcomes the headline-making declaration from Rome that Catholic clergy can bless same-sex couples and the irregularly remarried.
International
Vatican: Catholic priests can bless same-sex, remarried couples
Yet another bombshell from the Vatican on LGBTQ+ issues greenlights same-sex blessings—though maintaining a traditional view of marriage.
The New Globalization is not Christian.
Dr. Ronald Smith grapples with the realities of rapid globalization led by Asia and Russia in an age of religious pluralism.
Assata Shakur wrote to the pope 25 years ago. Her letter still resonates.
Efran Menny resurfaces an oft-forgotten letter from a famed Black activist (and lapsed Catholic) to John Paul II, urging him to act for Black liberation.
Interview: Dr. Cynthia Bailey Manns, an African-American laywoman at the synod
Dr. Valerie Lewis-Mosley and Nate Tinner-Williams discuss with Manns the historic meeting in Rome that left her energized about synodality and the future of the Church.
Baltimore group meets with Vatican officials to urge canonization of U.S. Black Catholics
The activists have long called for an exception to the notably unwieldy canonization process—which has yet to produce a single Black American saint.
'Frei Martinho', Brazil's Black American saint-to-be, feted during bishop's visit
Fr Martin Maria de Porres Ward, a Boston-born Conventual Franciscan who served in Brazil, has been under consideration for sainthood since 2020.
Vatican: Transgender people can be baptized, serve as godparents
The new document from Rome also answers similar questions concerning homosexual people and those in same-sex relationships (including marriage).
As genocide brews, what do Christians owe Christians in the Holy Land?
Nate Tinner-Williams laments the Israel-Hamas War, which has brought harm largely to Palestinian civilians while Western leaders turn a blind eye.
Pentagon restricts government travel to Israel
The moves comes amid growing concern about non-combatant safety in the Israel-Hamas warzone, where thousands of civilians have been killed.
Rebuild of Fort Mose, nation's first Black town, gets $200k in new funding
A groundbreaking for the replica of the nation's first free Black settlement—a Catholic outpost—has been scheduled for January 2024.
Letter: House Reps. press White House on innocent Gazans in Israel-Hamas War
The communique comes amid Israel's ongoing blockade, bombing, and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, part of the now weeklong Israel-Hamas War.
Black Catholics are a people on the move.
Author Daryl Grigsby tells his experience of Black Catholic excellence, and how the holy Black men and women of the faith inspire him to press on.
Simone Biles wins big at worlds, secures four golds
Ahead of the 2024 Olympics, Simone Biles showed her characteristic mettle, besting opponents in all but one event at the World Championships in Belgium.
Simone Biles competing at first World Championships since 2019
The 26-year-old Black Catholic made a record sixth U.S. Worlds team earlier this month, and is already the most decorated athlete in the history of the sport.
Can Catholic social teaching change the world? I think so.
Dr. Ronald E. Smith says it's high time that the faithful—especially politicians—take up the radical call to solidarity from Pope Francis and his predecessors.