Roman Catholic and Orthodox Jewish groups filed two federal lawsuits Thursday challenging the restrictions Gov. Andrew Cuomo (R-N.Y.) established for COVID-19 hot spots this week. Agudath Israel of America, an umbrella group for the strictly observant Haredi branch of Orthodox Judaism, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn are seeking an injunction to block Cuomo […]
WASHINGTON (AP) — A case about the appropriate separation between church and state is taking center stage at the Supreme Court, which is hearing arguments by telephone for a second week because of the coronavirus pandemic. The case involving two ex-Catholic school teachers and their former employers is one of two the court is tackling […]
American Catholics may notice one consequence of the coronavirus outbreak as soon as they step into their local parishes for Mass this weekend: holy water fonts without a drop of water inside. The emptying of the fonts, which Catholics use to bless themselves as they enter church, is just one of various measures that bishops […]
A Catholic health system in Northern California is being sued for its alleged last-minute denial of medical care to a transgender patient. Oliver Knight, a 29-year-old trans man, claims St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka canceled his August 2017 hysterectomy for religious reasons. “The Catholic bishops didn’t approve of my surgery. It seemed unreal,” he wrote […]
By Lisa McClain, Boise State University/The Conversation This month marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark “Humanae Vitae,” Pope Paul VI’s strict prohibition against artificial contraception, issued in the aftermath of the development of the birth control pill. At the time, the decision shocked many Catholic priests and laypeople. Conservative Catholics, however, praised the pope […]