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US & Canada

News from United States & Canada covering parishes, dioceses, religious orders, community groups, homelessness, moral & political issues and pilgrims.


Why a record 18 LA churches are celebrating centenaries

Mike Cisneros writes in Angelus News: In 1923, a sign was placed in the hills above Los Angeles hoping to attract buyers to a new real estate development. Though the sign was only meant to be temporary, 100 years later it has become a symbol of both a bygone era and a representation of something that has endured through constantly changing times. That was the Hollywood sign. This year, many LA-a... Read More


Letter from US Christian leaders to President Biden

In a November 9, 2023 letter to President Biden, Churches from Middle East Peace (CMEP) and thirty American Christian leaders called on President Biden and his Administration to support an immediate ceasefire, de-escalation, and restraint by all involved. The text follows below. Dear President Biden: We, the heads of churches, denominations, and church-based organizations in the United States, rem... Read More


Pope removes US bishop from office

Bishop Joseph E Strickland 2013. Wiki image by Peytonlow

Pope Francis has removed Bishop Joseph E Strickland from the pastoral governance of the diocese of Tyler, USA, and has appointed Bishop Joe Vásquez of Austin as apostolic administrator of the same diocese, rendering it sede vacante. The decision came after an apostolic visitation last June in the Diocese of Tyler, which was entrusted to two US bishops, Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden, and Bishop... Read More


Catholic pray-in at White House urges Biden to support Gaza ceasefire

This afternoon, (2.30 local time) Catholic and other Christian peacemakers held a 'pray-in' near Lafayette Park outside the White House to call on President Joe Biden, a Catholic, to abide by Jesus's way of courageous love and heed Pope Francis's plea to take the side of peace, and urge all parties to de-escalate hostilities; abide by an immediate ceasefire; and release all hostages. The groups i... Read More


New York: Jewish campaigners shut down Grand Central Station to demand Gaza ceasefire

Grand Central Station protest. Image JVP

Jewish Voices For Peace said in in a statement today: "We're watching a genocide unfold in real time. In just three weeks, the Israeli military has killed over 8,000 Palestinians in Gaza, among them over 3,000 children. That's more than the annual number of children killed in conflicts across the globe since 2019. "As the Israeli military plunged Gaza into darkness on Friday - cutting off all inte... Read More


US Catholic organizations send peace appeal to President Biden

The Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace have joined more than two dozen US Catholic organizations in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to take the necessary steps to de-escalate the conflict in Israel-Palestine, including calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and for all parties to prioritize corridors for humanitarian aid for the people in Gaza; and to prioritize steps t... Read More


US faith communities mobilize against Death Penalty

Faith-led events opposed to Death Penalty

Faith communities across the United States are joining hands to observe the annual World Day Against the Death Penalty on 10 October. Catholic Mobilizing Network (CMN), a national organization working to end the death penalty, has identified 16 faith-led events and counting, serving as a poignant reminder that people of faith are helping lead the national effort to abolish capital punishment. Kris... Read More


Vatican calls on Louisiana Governor to grant clemency to Death Row population

Baton Rouge, LA - The Vatican's Pontifical Academy of Life has urged Governor John Bel Edwards to use his full executive power to clear Louisiana's death row. In a letter sent on Tuesday, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Academy, reiterated the Roman Catholic Church (the Church)'s opposition to the death penalty and called on the Governor to act. "Since every human life is sacred, ever... Read More


Canada: 'Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples is advancing'

Image: Vatican Media

Catholic bishops in Canada are gathered this week in King City, Ontario, for their annual Plenary Assembly, to discuss a series of issues including the expansion of euthanasia, reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, the protection of minors against abuse, the upcoming Synod on synodality and the Church's work in overseas development. Introducing the first session on Monday, 25 September, CCCB Pre... Read More


Canada: Excavations find no mass graves at residential schools

St Jean Baptiste Church, Morinville, Alberta

Two years ago, claims emerged in Canada that mass graves of indigenous children were found in residential schools run by Catholic and other religious groups. There was an instant outburst of public anger, some of it implicitly endorsed by Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and in the aftermath of the claims, at least 83 churches were burned or vandalised. However, since then, not one single ... Read More


Churches march in New York to declare no faith in fossil fuels

New York City: March to End Fossil Fuels 17.09.23. Photo: Simon Chambers/ACT Alliance

Representatives of the World Council of Churches (WCC) joined tens of thousands of demonstrators in New York City for the "March to End Fossil Fuels." This powerful protest took place just before the United Nations General Assembly, where world leaders gathered for crucial climate discussions. The march began with an interfaith invocation, bringing together people from various religious background... Read More


Text: Martin Luther King, Jr 'I Have a Dream' speech

Martin Luther King Jr delivering the speech on steps of Lincoln Memorial. Wiki Image

Dr Martin Luther King, Jr delivered this speech today, 60 years ago, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, on 28 August 1963. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came... Read More


US Churches in MLK Anniversary March on Washington

MLK anniversary marchers at Lincoln Memorial -  26 August 2023. -  Photo: Susan Kim/WCC

Thousands of demonstrators joined faith and community leaders in the 60th Anniversary March on Washington to the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, despite intense summertime heat. Many carried signs and flags. Children came with their parents and elders, many of whom remembered the day back in August 1963 when Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr and his "I have a dream" speech became icons in the push for ju... Read More


US call to reunite families separated by 'Operation Lone Star'

Family separation at US/Mexico border has been internationally condemned. Image: Columbans

River buoys laced with circular saws. Separated, imprisoned migrant families. Border officers ordered to push exhausted asylum seekers - including children - into a rushing river. That's the brutal state of affairs along the Rio Grande River right now, thanks to Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott's 'Operation Lone Star.' Abbott is Catholic, but he's making it clear that he takes neither Cathol... Read More

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