Local Church•Protection of vulnerable people

Chicago Archdiocese Takes Unusual Legal Stand Against Alleged Fraud Scheme in Clergy Abuse Cases

The archdiocese alleges that the operation functioned for years and involved individuals with criminal backgrounds, including gang members and convicted offenders. The alleged scheme reportedly came to light after a recorded prison telephone conversation surfaced in which one participant allegedly described false accusations as a source of «easy money.»

Jun 19, 2026 15:07

Tim Daniels

Cardinals and Bishops•Local Church

The United States “consecrates” itself to the Sacred Heart despite opposition or indifference from 17 of the country’s bishops

Whether described as a consecration, an entrustment, or an act of dedication, the message emerging from Orlando was clear: the bishops hope that the future of the United States will be shaped not only by its founding ideals, but also by a renewed encounter with the love symbolized by the Heart of Christ

Jun 13, 2026 08:38

Tim Daniels

Local Church•Protection of vulnerable people

Presumption of innocence returns for priests: U.S. bishops approve revision of anti-abuse “charter”

More than twenty years after the Dallas Charter transformed the Catholic Church’s response to abuse, the latest revisions suggest that the document remains both a cornerstone of reform and a focal point for ongoing questions about accountability, transparency, due process, and pastoral care

Jun 13, 2026 08:18

Tim Daniels

Local Church

U.S.: Department of Defense reduces the number of recognized religious denominations. Catholics remain on the list

What has generated controversy is not who remains on the list, but who has disappeared from it. A wide range of smaller religious and philosophical communities—including atheists, humanists, Unitarians, deists, Wiccans, Druids, followers of Asatru, spiritualists, and various New Age movements—are no longer individually identified.

Jun 08, 2026 09:30

Tim Daniels

Good News

A “Christian Phone Network” Enters the Culture Wars: Can Faith-Based Filtering Redefine the Internet Experience?

What is new is the attempt to build an entire mobile ecosystem around explicitly religious moral criteria.

May 09, 2026 10:15

Tim Daniels

Causes of Saints•Good News•Local Church

A Forgotten Apostle of Molokai: Hawaii Establishes a Day to Honor Brother Joseph Dutton

Hawaii’s Catholic legacy is often associated with towering names such as the Belgian missionary who ministered to leprosy patients on Molokai or the Franciscan sister who later continued that work. Yet Joseph Dutton played an indispensable role in that same mission

May 04, 2026 17:11

Tim Daniels

Causes of Saints•Good News•Local Church

From Christopher Columbus to Mother Cabrini: The patron saint of migrants wins the vote for a statue in Chicago

The choice followed a public consultation process launched by the Chicago Park District after the removal of a statue of Christopher Columbus between 2019 and 2020, amid widespread protests linked to racial justice movements

Apr 22, 2026 17:07

Tim Daniels

Local Church•Vocations

A new generation of priests takes shape in the United States: data, trends and the quiet strength of vocation 2026

One of the clearest findings concerns the type of priesthood being embraced. A large majority—81 percent—are preparing for diocesan ministry, while 19 percent belong to religious institutes

Apr 21, 2026 17:37

Tim Daniels

Pro Life

Study shows a decline in maternal deaths in states with pro-life laws

Numbers, Narratives, and the Abortion Debate: New Study Reignites Questions on Maternal Mortality in the United States

Apr 18, 2026 20:17

Tim Daniels

Pope Leo XIV

Amid the polarization between Trump and Leo XIV, U.S. police respond to a bomb threat at the home of the Pope’s brother

Police in New Lenox, a suburban community outside Chicago, responded on the evening of April 15 at approximately 6:30 p.m. to reports of a bomb threat at the home of John Prevost, one of the Pope’s two older brothers

Apr 17, 2026 19:53

Tim Daniels

Analysis Opinion•Pro Life

Although support remains higher, a poll shows a slight decline in support for abortion in the United States

The post-Roe landscape has therefore not resolved the abortion question in the United States; it has relocated it

Apr 16, 2026 08:04

Tim Daniels

Cardinals and Bishops•Church and World•Local Church

3 cardinals on a prime-time TV show in the U.S.: They discuss Trump, the Pope, just war, and the surge in conversions

Appearing on 60 Minutes, Cardinals Robert McElroy, Blase Cupich and Joseph Tobin offered a coordinated, if nuanced, critique of the current moment. Their intervention came against the backdrop of escalating U.S. military action under Donald Trump and the outspoken calls for peace issued by Pope Leo XIV

Apr 14, 2026 11:31

Tim Daniels