Articles by Kevin J. Jones
New bill could mean more scholarships for Catholic schools nationwide
Mar 6, 2019 / 16:36 pmA proposed federal tax credit-based scholarship program could provide a boost for parents who want to send their children to Catholic school, and it has the backing of a major Catholic education group.
Mobile archbishop: Victims of deadly tornadoes need your prayers
Mar 4, 2019 / 15:47 pmVarious storms spawned deadly tornadoes on Sunday, killing at least 23 people in central Alabama and causing more destruction through Georgia and Florida.
As LGBT push fails, Methodists reaffirm marriage, sexuality teachings
Feb 28, 2019 / 19:34 pmA major gathering of the United Methodist Church has reaffirmed its teaching on homosexuality, rejecting same-sex unions and the ordination of sexually active homosexuals, prompting predictions that some American congregations who reject this teaching will leave the denomination.
In El Paso, Catholic bishops meet along the border to discuss migration
Feb 25, 2019 / 18:01 pmCatholic bishops from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border are meeting in El Paso with immigration advocates, interreligious groups, and other leaders to show solidarity with migrants and to strategize action on migration.
Colorado's Catholic bishops will open abuse records for review
Feb 19, 2019 / 20:51 pmAn agreement between Colorado’s attorney general and the state’s Catholic bishops aims to investigate clergy sex abuse of minors in the state’s Roman Catholic dioceses, the dioceses’ past handling of sex abuse, and current procedures and responses to abuse allegations.
NY archdiocese responds to Cardinal Spellman groping allegation
Feb 11, 2019 / 19:00 pmThe Archdiocese of New York has said it had only recently learned of an allegation that the deeply influential Cardinal Francis Spellman groped a visiting West Point cadet in the 1960s, but says it will take the accusation seriously and has invited the accuser to contact the archdiocese.
Why Christians can criticize 'Green New Deal', but can't dodge 'green' politics
Feb 8, 2019 / 18:38 pmA joint congressional resolution for a “Green New Deal” is the latest effort aiming to apply political solutions to environmental problems. Whatever the merits of the proposal, one theologian says, Christians must think hard about what their faith says about environmental policy.
Has the birth control pill increased childbearing outside marriage?
Feb 7, 2019 / 00:03 amAccess to the birth control pill in the U.S. has increased the births of children outside of marriage, especially among poor and minority women, according to a new study of the contraceptive’s historic effects.
Colo. sex ed bill advances despite vocal opposition
Feb 1, 2019 / 10:22 amA controversial sex ed bill was approved by a Colorado House committee this week, despite significant concerns voiced by Coloradans at a hearing at the state legislature.
The Satanic Temple at Sundance: mockumentary or documentary?
Jan 30, 2019 / 23:13 pmThe Satanic Temple shocked Catholics when it scheduled a purported black mass at Harvard University in 2014.
Pro-life advocates gather in San Francisco for Walk for Life West Coast
Jan 25, 2019 / 09:58 amThe Walk for Life West Coast aims to gather thousands of pro-life advocates in San Francisco in the next days for mutual support, outreach and inspiration.
Not so neutral: Colorado's sex ed bill could marginalize Catholics
Jan 23, 2019 / 13:11 pmA “comprehensive sex education” bill in the Colorado legislature would require public schools to adopt a curriculum that could stigmatize Catholic beliefs about sexuality and gender, one critic warned.
When a baby dies, faith and medicine aim for compassion
Jan 19, 2019 / 10:00 amGrieving a miscarriage or stillbirth can be heart-wrenching. As awareness of that difficulty grows, medical professionals and clergy strive to offer meaningful ways to help parents mourn.
Small, well-funded LGBT group to challenge Catholic teaching at World Youth Day
Jan 16, 2019 / 16:06 pmA U.S.-based coalition of dissenting Catholics, whose backers include wealthy non-Catholic funders, is sending a small group of LGBT activists to World Youth Day in Panama to engage with media and pilgrims and to challenge Catholic teaching and practice they say is “harmful.”
Should Catholic health plans cover transgender surgeries? Settlement raises questions
Jan 15, 2019 / 00:03 amA Catholic healthcare network has settled an ACLU lawsuit over transgender surgeries, saying that it has covered these procedures in its employee medical plan since January 2017.
Pennsylvania grand jury's Catholic sex abuse report gets a factcheck
Jan 11, 2019 / 12:12 pmThe 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report on Catholic clergy sex abuse didn’t get the thorough scrutiny it deserved, and both readers and reporters have been too accepting of the “sensational charges” it made, says veteran Catholic journalist Peter Steinfels.
Money, power and Humanae Vitae: the forgotten story
Dec 31, 2018 / 15:00 pmThe controversy over Humanae Vitae, the papal encyclical that reaffirmed Catholic teaching on contraception 50 years ago, cannot be understood apart from the context of a well-funded advocacy network for population control after the Second World War.
Empty cradle, empty pews? What the low birth rate means for Catholics
Dec 28, 2018 / 15:15 pmDemographic reports indicate that the U.S. birth rate is at a 40-year low, with significant declines among Hispanic women. That low birth rate could mean declining Mass attendance because couples with children are more likely to attend church, one demographer says.
Why a famous social justice priest opposed birth control
Dec 21, 2018 / 05:00 amDuring the early cultural battles over birth control in 1920s America, social thinker Monsignor John A. Ryan brought a unique perspective to the debate: he argued that contraception hurt solidarity and other efforts to ensure a decent living for workers and their families.
There's room for newborn babies at Bethlehem's Catholic hospital
Dec 20, 2018 / 10:34 amA half mile away from the Nativity Church, the Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem also strives to be a special place for newborn babies, and their families.