Articles by Kevin J. Jones
After abortion litmus test controversy, Canada job grant program makes some changes
Dec 12, 2018 / 11:24 amCatholic organizations and others welcomed the Canadian government’s changes to rules for job grants that had required them to affirm abortion rights and other political causes - but they are still concerned that the rules could block some pro-life groups from participating.
Will Ireland’s abortion vote launch a new pro-life party?
Nov 24, 2018 / 03:59 amPeadar Toibin, an Irish lawmaker who was suspended from the Sinn Fein political party for voting against legalizing abortion, is working to launch a new pro-life political movement whose draft manifesto says “all human life should be protected” and “no mother or child should be left behind.”
Jesuits in western U.S. to name members credibly accused of abuse
Nov 13, 2018 / 16:24 pmMore names of clergy and religious accused of sex abuse are set to come out this December from a western U.S. province of the Society of Jesus, which says the decision to name the credibly accused is an effort for transparency that supports victims.
After 100 years, US Catholicism still bears the stamp of World War I
Nov 11, 2018 / 03:14 amA century after the close of World War I, the war has faded from living memory. But its effects endure.
When self-driving cars are forced to crash, whom should they hit?
Nov 8, 2018 / 12:00 pmIf a self-driving car is about to crash into a crowd, and it can only swerve to hit a baby stroller or a large man, whom should it decide to kill?
Why the Holy Land is the 'fifth gospel' of Christianity
Nov 7, 2018 / 03:07 amPilgrimage to the Holy Land is a powerful journey that can ignite Christian faith through seeing the places Jesus walked, worked miracles, died and rose from the dead.
Clergy sex abuse on the rise again, and Church leaders are ignoring why, sociologist says
Nov 2, 2018 / 14:13 pmAfter years in decline, Catholic clergy sex abuse could be on the rise again, warns a professor-priest’s analysis of relevant data.
Anti-religious freedom grants target Georgia, Florida, N.M., Texas
Oct 30, 2018 / 14:19 pmFour states, including Texas and Florida, are in the crosshairs of an anti-religious freedom funders’ network that coordinated the successful effort to recognize gay marriage in law.
Yemen war needs ceasefire, not the world’s silence, says bishop
Oct 30, 2018 / 02:01 amAmong those calling for a ceasefire in the disastrous Yemen conflict is Bishop Paul Hinder, apostolic vicar for Southern Arabia. Though the path out of war is difficult and requires warring parties to overcome deep mistrust, the bishop said both Christians and Muslims are praying for peace and justice.
Masterpiece Cakeshop case drew $500k in grants from religious freedom foes
Oct 25, 2018 / 03:00 amSome opponents of broad religious freedom protections have spent over $500,000 on advocacy and public relations campaigns related to the Masterpiece Cakeshop Supreme Court decision, a CNA analysis of recent foundation grantmaking has found.
Neutrality on assisted suicide is the wrong prescription, Catholic doctors say
Oct 19, 2018 / 13:50 pmThe American Academy of Family Physicians has taken a neutral position on assisted suicide and will lobby the American Medical Association to do the same, drawing criticism from Catholics but praise from assisted suicide advocates.
In fight against hunger, Pope says ‘beautiful words’ must lead to collective action
Oct 16, 2018 / 16:00 pmFeeding the hungry requires combined action and political will to provide real help for the poor, Pope Francis has said.
Wash. Supreme Court strikes down death penalty as arbitrary, racially biased
Oct 12, 2018 / 11:00 amThe ruling was issued Oct. 11 and makes the state one of twenty to halt the use of death penalty. The result was welcomed by Washington’s Catholic bishops.
For transparency, San Bernardino diocese lists priests credibly accused of sex abuse
Oct 9, 2018 / 14:01 pmA list of 34 priests credibly accused of abuse in recent decades was released Monday by the Diocese of San Bernardino. The local bishop has apologized to victims and said the failure to protect children has led to “new awareness” about the “terrible scourge” of sex abuse.
Pakistani scrutiny for multiple NGOs could close Catholic Relief Services
Oct 8, 2018 / 10:09 amCatholic Relief Services is among the 18 international organizations ordered closed by Pakistan’s new government without explanation. The move follows allegations related to the U.S. government’s pursuit of Osama bin Laden, in which a doctor’s false vaccination campaign claimed to be linked to the NGO Save the Children.
Ahead of Brexit, Irish fear border tensions and split parishes
Oct 5, 2018 / 08:00 amCatholic leaders fear a revival of border tensions in Ireland following Brexit. As the United Kingdom prepares for its withdrawal from the European Union, Catholics in parishes and dioceses split by the border are concerned that any return to a “hard border” could mean real effects on their day-to-day lives.
Holy See-China agreement draws criticism from US religious freedom advocates
Sep 30, 2018 / 14:02 pmThe Holy See’s provisional agreement with China on the appointment of bishops has drawn criticism from some U.S. religious freedom leaders, who contend that it concedes too much to power to the government and undermines efforts to protect other suffering religious groups.
Next step toward artificial reproduction violates human fundamentals, ethicist warns
Sep 25, 2018 / 02:01 amArtificial human reproduction appears to be on the horizon with Japanese scientists’ claim to have created immature human eggs from stem cells, but the technique could result in power that would cross the bounds of ethics and serve as a “profound violation” of marriage and marital love, a bioethicist has warned.
Youth synod deserves in-depth Catholicism, not LGBT lobbying, critics say
Sep 20, 2018 / 11:01 amA coalition of secular and dissenting Catholic LGBT groups aims to influence the Church’s upcoming Synod on Young People by rallying the like-minded to write to the synod to contend that the “rules” of the Catholic Church are causing “damage” to those who self-identify as LGBT.
What a vocation to be a Holy Land Franciscan looks like
Sep 10, 2018 / 15:01 pmA religious vocation to serve in the Holy Land is demanding, but there is nothing like walking where Christ walked to strengthen the life of a Christian, the Franciscans of the Holy Land maintain.