Religion News Service

Signs of the Times: Prayer breakfasts are generally not controversial events in the Catholic world, except when they are stages for giving awards to people like Attorney General William Barr.

The head of the Federal Election Commission chastised Catholic bishops during a pair of interviews this week, accusing church hierarchy of "hiding behind" their nonprofit status and declaring that this year's U.S. election amounts to a "spiritual war" that threatens the country's "Christian moral principles."

The sexual abuse trial of Piero Alfio Capuana, the lay leader of the 5,000-member Catholic Culture and Environment Association, began in this small Sicilian city on Sept. 15, three years after the abuse allegedly took place. 

Former Vice President Joe Biden addressed the faith-based anti-poverty group the Poor People's Campaign at a virtual event on Sept. 14, telling its members, "I want to be part of your movement."

Three months after police shoved him to the ground during a protest over the death of George Floyd, Martin Gugino, the Catholic peace activist, has quietly moved back to his home in Buffalo, New York.

Galli's journey to Catholicism is notable, in part because of the nation's political climate.  A former Presbyterian pastor, Galli spent seven years as editor-in-chief of Christianity Today, the premier publication for evangelicals whose founder was the legendary evangelist Billy Graham

The U.S. Navy will retain contracts with civilian Catholic priests at naval bases in California for at least another year, the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, said.

Signs of the Times: President Donald Trump's supporters are trying to paint Kamala Harris as being anti-Catholic, a fantastical accusation considering that her running mate, Joe Biden, is a Catholic.

A group of Catholic theologians, activists and nuns has signed an open letter to Catholic voters urging them to oppose President Donald Trump, who they argue “flouts core values at the heart of Catholic social teaching.”

Signs of the Times: I can see the headlines now: "Papal encyclical condemned as sexist." Groan!

Signs of the Times: American Catholics are fighting over whether Joe Biden can be called a Catholic politician. Connected to this question is another: "Can a Catholic vote for Biden?"

Signs of the Times: Since COVID-19 first began to spread, Pope Francis has been challenging Catholics and the world about the response to the pandemic. As a pastor, he's also offered us hope.

Signs of the Times: Pope Francis is at heart a pastor who likes to be with his people, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made that impossible. What should he do with all his extra time?

When the first COVID-19 cases hit Brazil in March, the government agency in charge of protecting the country's Indigenous peoples, the National Indigenous Foundation, ordered all civilians to leave the Indigenous reservations. Only essential workers, such as health care personnel and those involved in food distribution, could remain.

Few, if any, vice presidential candidates have had as much exposure to the world’s religions as Kamala Harris, the 55-year-old senator from California whom Joe Biden just picked as his running mate.

Signs of the Times: Many Americans assume the U.S. Catholic bishops are diehard supporters of Donald Trump, but on several issues, they strongly criticize the administration. 

Seven years after the disappearance of an Italian Jesuit priest in Syria, family members and Vatican officials address his legacy and demand the truth about what happened to the thousands who vanished in the war-torn Middle Eastern country.

Signs of the Times: Despite the terrible impact of COVID-19 on us, in what ways could the coronavirus change work, families and church for the better?

Catholic schools in Los Angeles county must now resume the fall year using distance learning, delaying previous plans to reopen their doors for in-person classes.

While Los Angeles public schools will remain online this fall, Catholic schools in the county still plan to reopen their doors for in-person classes.