In 1988, Joseph Coffey was in Germany, selling Japanese cars to American soldiers, and “having a good time, not really not knowing what my future was going to be.” On March 25, he was ordained in Washington’s Shrine of the Immaculate Conception as an auxiliary bishop for the military archdiocese of the United States, which counts as its members every Catholic on active duty in … [Read more...]
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Navy chaplain who prayed outside San Diego Planned Parenthood named bishop
Joseph Coffey, who prayed the rosary on Saturdays while serving as a chaplain at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, ordained an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese for Military ServicesApril 13, 2019 15 Comments
LA archbishop headed to Rome for Vatican meeting on bishops accountability
Archbishop Jose Gomez slated for post-Easter trip to fill in for ailing Cardinal Daniel DiNardo to discuss proposals for accountability the U.S. bishops hope to adopt in JuneApril 12, 2019 5 Comments
Archbishop José Gomez, the de facto head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) as the body’s president, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, faces health issues, will travel to Rome the week after Easter to meet Vatican officials to discuss new measures for U.S. bishop accountability. Crux has confirmed with multiple sources, who spoke under the condition of … [Read more...]
Benedict XVI addresses Church’s sex-abuse scandal
Pope Emeritus says crisis cannot be understood apart from its wider social context and the concurrent collapse of Catholic moral theologyApril 11, 2019 29 Comments
In an essay published Thursday at CNA, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI offered his thoughts about the sex abuse crisis facing the Church. Benedict reviewed the sexual revolution of the 1960s, and examined its effects on priestly formation and life, before suggesting the Church's proper response. “Today, the accusation against God is, above all, about characterizing His Church as … [Read more...]
It’s official: Wilton Gregory named Archbishop of Washington, D.C.
Gregory, 71, has been the Archbishop of Atlanta since 2004; he succeeds embattled Cardinal Donald WuerlApril 4, 2019 10 Comments
Over the last nine months, as this capital church has become the local nexus of the gravest crisis modern American Catholicism has known, the stakes facing its next leader have only ever increased. And now, a process that turned longer and more unwieldy than expected has reflected that reality, producing the figure who, in the minds of many, became the only possible choice – … [Read more...]
Visiting cardinal ‘anxious to share his concern’ for climate change
Cardinal John Ribat to visit at least 2 parishes in the Diocese of San BernardinoApril 3, 2019 22 Comments
This coming week Cardinal John Ribat will visit the MSC Community here in California. Forty years ago John Ribat, a young man from Papua New Guinea, made his profession of religious vows as a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. After being ordained a priest in 1985, he began his ministry as a parish priest in his native country. With a capacity for pastoral … [Read more...]
Will there ever be a pope from the United States?
There are numerous obstacles preventing an American from being elected to the papacyMarch 30, 2019 14 Comments
A lengthy excerpt from a soon-to-be-released book by America’s Vatican correspondent, Gerard O’Connell, made some waves at the weekend. Among other things, the excerpt detailed the tallies from the first round of voting in the 2013 conclave that eventually elected Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio, who took the regnal name of Francis. Titled, The Election of Pope Francis: An … [Read more...]
Atlanta Archbishop Wilton Gregory may lead D.C.
Appointment could come as early as next weekMarch 29, 2019 23 Comments
Pope Francis is expected to appoint Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta to serve as the next Archbishop of Washington, multiple sources have independently reported to CNA. Gregory would become the seventh Archbishop of Washington, succeeding Cardinal Donald Wuerl. A formal announcement could come as early as next week, sources say, though it has not yet been confirmed that … [Read more...]
“We’ll be at this for a while”
Bishop tells Los Angeles Religious Education Congress recovery from abuse scandals will take generationsMarch 25, 2019 16 Comments
In his debut at America’s largest annual Catholic gathering, one of the rising stars of the U.S. hierarchy warned that full recovery from the clerical abuse scandals, including a new style of leadership in the Church, will be a “generational” task. “We’ll be at this for a while,” said Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut, who made a splash at last fall’s Synod of … [Read more...]
One-time Sacramento Bishop Francis Quinn dies at 97
Served from 1980 to 1994; disapproved tough anti-abortion tactics outside clinics, called celibacy “man-made law," openly speculated that women might one day be allowed as priestsMarch 22, 2019 3 Comments
Bishop Francis A. Quinn died Thursday. At 97 years old, he was the oldest living bishop in the United States at the time of his death. Quinn served from 1980 to 1994 as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, which covers 42,000 square miles in 20 counties. He led a growing flock in Northern California, including seven new parishes, two elementary schools and one … [Read more...]
Cardinal DiNardo discharged from hospital following stroke
Has entered rehabilitation program expected to last about two weeksMarch 21, 2019 Leave a Comment
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston has been released from the hospital, following a mild stroke last week, his archdiocese announced March 20. The cardinal, who serves as president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, is expected to make a full recovery. DiNardo had suffered a stroke on the evening of March 15, while leading Stations of the Cross. He was admitted to St. … [Read more...]
