CNA Staff
The Catholic News Agency (CNA) Staff are a team of journalists dedicated to reporting news concerning the Catholic Church around the world. Our bureaus are located in Denver, Washington, and Rome. We have sister language agencies in Kenya, Germany, Peru, Brazil, and Italy. CNA is a service of EWTN News. You can contact us at news@catholicna.com with questions.
Articles by CNA Staff
Elementary school massacre 'not part of God’s plan,' Newtown priest says
Dec 16, 2012 / 12:37 pmThe motive behind the gunman whose Dec. 14 shooting rampage took the lives of 28 people, including 20 children, is not something that can be answered, Newtown's local Catholic priest said.
Church leaders express prayers, condolences over Sandy Hook shooting
Dec 15, 2012 / 10:45 amMembers of the Catholic hierarchy have expressed grief and sorrow over the Dec. 14 elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn. while offering prayers for victims and their families.
Halloween coincides with feast of missionary bishop St. Wolfgang
Oct 28, 2012 / 07:17 amOct. 31, though best known as the Vigil of the Solemnity of All Saints (All Hallows’ Eve) in the Western church, is also the liturgical feast day of St. Wolfgang of Ratisbon, who was regarded as one of the greatest German saints of his time
Denver bishop says Catholic grants can't undermine Church teaching
Jun 14, 2012 / 23:47 pmCountering critics who include former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, Bishop James D. Conley of Denver has defended the end of Catholic grants to the Compañeros immigrant resource center, saying that the Church cannot oppose "same-sex marriage" while funding those who advocate it.
Knights of Columbus to hold global prayer for Pope
May 29, 2012 / 12:45 pmOn the 35th anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI's episcopal ordination, the head of the Knights of Columbus has asked all 1.8 million members of the Catholic fraternal order to pray for the pontiff.
Students defend Christian Life Movement program from professor's attack
Dec 20, 2011 / 01:12 amAlumni of a study abroad program at Brock University in Ontario, Canada are criticizing a professor's attempt to sever the program’s ties with the school because of its connections with the Christian Life Movement.
Fr. Emil Kapaun beatification cause heads to Rome
Jul 6, 2011 / 03:51 amU.S. Army chaplain Fr. Emil Kapaun’s cause for beatification is headed to Rome, an event the Diocese of Wichita celebrated with a July 1 Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
Legion leadership may step down at next General Chapter
Jun 27, 2011 / 05:00 amThe vicar general of the Legion of Christ has confirmed that the order’s leaders are likely to step down at their next General Chapter meeting, which could be held as early as 2013.
Saint Thorlak, patron of Iceland, to be celebrated December 23
Dec 19, 2010 / 06:11 amThe Scandinavian island nation of Iceland will celebrate its national patron, St. Thorlak Thorhallsson, on Dec. 23.
Fr. Emil Kapaun nominated for Kansas honor
Oct 3, 2010 / 11:11 amFather Emil Kapaun, a priest of the Diocese of Wichita, is among the 24 men, women, or groups nominated for the Eight Wonders of Kansas People, a campaign by the Kansas Sampler Foundation to promote and educate about the Sunflower State.
Cloistered French nuns to make Gregorian chant album for Universal Music
Jul 27, 2010 / 04:07 amAn order of cloistered Benedictine nuns in France has signed a deal with Universal Music to produce an album of Gregorian chant. The abbess said that after time in prayer the nuns decided the effort could touch people’s lives.
The Last Airbender
Jul 19, 2010 / 00:00 amCritics have hailed “The Last Airbender” as a disaster and as an end of the career of director M. Night. Shyamalan. And while the movie does boast of terrible acting and very poor scripting especially when it comes to dialogue, it also features a tranquility and an originality that puts this film in the realm of something worth seeing.
'Nine Days that Changed the World' a must-see
Jun 18, 2010 / 00:00 amFew Catholics today truly understand the significance of the role that Pope John Paul II played in the fall of the Soviet Communist regime. Even Catholics who grew up with his Pontificate did not understand the value of his actions until later on. Newt and Callista Gingrich’s new documentary offers the contemporary Catholic a chance to see much of that first-hand.
Invictus a masterful blend of sport, psychology, and civil rights
Jun 11, 2010 / 00:00 amOlder children, teens and adults: Morally Acceptable: Excellent Crafstmanship
'Burn it!' if it's not in line with Church teaching: Alice von Hildebrand recalls her husband's inspiration
May 31, 2010 / 13:04 pm"If you find a word that is not in line with the Church, burn it!" were the instructions Catholic philosopher Dietrich von Hildebrand gave to his wife before he died in 1977. The man whose legacy of thought was revived in a three-day conference in Rome last week was described in intimate detail by the person who knew him best: his wife Alice.
‘Shrek: Forever After’ promotes family, friendship
May 27, 2010 / 00:00 amA while ago, I got lost. I’ll admit it. I stopped keeping track of which Shrek was in theaters. Somewhere in all the previews for no less than four Shrek movies, I wondered why they kept beating a dead horse. After all, the first one was great. The second one wasn’t as good. And they still had the nerve to produce a fourth!
Clash of the Titans a titanic crash
Apr 30, 2010 / 00:00 amMature teens and adults/morally ambiguous/Poor craftsmanship
Green Zone
Apr 23, 2010 / 00:00 amMatt Damon returns to the silver screen in a movie that calls the American conscience into question. The star of The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, etc., plays a Chief Warrant Officer in the United States Army whose job is to search for Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in post-invasion Baghdad.
'How to Train Your Dragon' an enjoyably simple experience
Apr 9, 2010 / 00:00 amFrom the producers of Shrek and Kung Fu Panda comes the best adventure yet. “How to Train your Dragon,” based on the book by Cressida Cowell, takes a unique story and makes a unique movie. Unlike other animated films such as Shrek, which are filled with inoffensive humor that nevertheless only adults will understand, “How to Train your Dragon” is much more direct, sincere, and far less subtle. While the usual lessons about teamwork, never giving up on your dreams, and the value of seeing things through new eyes are present, they aren’t what make this film one of the best animated films of this generation. In essence, when it comes to training your dragon, what you see is what you get. And what you get is a delightfully simple, straightforward, and heartwarming childrens movie. The basic premise revolves around a young Viking named Hiccup who lives on an island in the North Atlantic. “We have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets,” he says. “The only problems are the pests.” Dragons of varying shapes and sizes raid the island, steal the sheep and torch the houses. Though the Vikings have lived there for 300 years, all of the houses are new. And though every male Viking lives to kill dragons, poor Hiccup can barely lift a hammer in the blacksmith shop. To make matters worse, Hiccup’s father is the leader of the village, a man who can kill dragons with his bare hands. Hiccup longs to prove himself, so he uses his un-Vikinglike intellect to create new ways of fighting dragons. No one is more astonished than Hiccup when he actually takes down a Night Fury, the most elusive of all dragons. However, no one is more surprised than Hiccup when he discovers that everything they know about dragons is wrong. When the smoke fades, the fire breathing, sheep-snatching dragons are actually rather cute in their scaliness. They enjoy being scratched behind the ears and are afraid of dead eels.What follows is a charming adventure, not only in animation, but in story and plot development. Adding to the realism of the movie is the comically awkward relationship between the Viking father and his adolescent son who is nothing like him, the rather brutish courtship between Hiccup and Astrid, the girl he has a crush on who is devoted to fighting dragons, and the conclusion in which Hiccup faces the hard consequences of having lived up to his Viking heritage, engaged in battle, and emerged victorious at the cost of dismemberment. While the relationship aspect of the movie is more concrete and realistic than, say, the friendship between Shrek and Donkey, the outcome of the final battle actually carries more weight than the happily glowing almost-epilogue at the end of the film. And that realism is perhaps the most heartening aspect of the movie. “How to Train Your Dragon” isn’t critiquing society by creating a fairy kingdom with Starbucks on every corner, it’s not promoting a neo-hippie agenda on an alien planet, its not suggesting that we are burying ourselves in useless piles of junk. Instead, “How to Train your Dragon” is a good movie, as real as a completely fictional premise can get, and its rather innovative and charming in the process.While some (older children) might say that the film is meant for children ages 6-10, other reviewers have noted that scenes of animated violence and battles between Vikings and dragons may scare young children. The three year old sitting behind me seemed relatively unperturbed by the events on screen and spent most of the film trying to crawl into my row and say “hi” to me. However, for adults, the movie is just as appealing, cute, and heartwarming. “How to Train Your Dragon” has already been called “the best animated film of 2010” among a host of other lavish praises. Do yourself a favor and see this movie, enjoy the animation (though spending the extra money for 3D isn’t as necessary as in films like Avatar), enjoy the dialogue, and most of all, enjoy the cute dragon who steals the scene without ever saying a word. It’s the best $8 or $10 you’ll spend all year.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Mar 5, 2010 / 00:00 amOlder Children and Adults: Morally Acceptable: Good Craftsmanship