Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 22, 2020 / 01:30 pm (CNA).- The Supreme Court of the Netherlands ruled on Tuesday, April 21, that it is lawful for doctors to euthanize patients with severe dementia, provided that the patient had expressed a desire to be euthanized while still legally capable of doing so.  Lower courts had previously

Rome Newsroom, Apr 22, 2020 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- For Iraqi Christian and Yazidi communities still recovering from the destruction wreaked by the Islamic State, the coronavirus poses significant risks, NGOs have said in a joint statement.  “The public health system in Sinjar and the wider Nineveh Governorate was decimated by ISIS during its brutal

Vatican City, Apr 22, 2020 / 11:10 am (CNA).- Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin met with members of the Roman curia on Wednesday to discuss the gradual reopening of Holy See offices as Italy prepares to end its national lockdown. The heads of Vatican dicasteries decided to implement a “gradual reactivation of ordinary

CNA Staff, Apr 22, 2020 / 10:37 am (CNA).- In his column on Tuesday, Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles said that in God's providence, the pandemic is calling us to remember our need for God and to deepen our solidarity. “The deepest questions raised by this pandemic are about God and his designs,” the

CNA Staff, Apr 22, 2020 / 09:30 am (CNA).- A 45-minute phone call between Pope Francis and French president Emmanuel Macron revealed “a lot of convergence” between the two leaders on the coronavirus crisis, the president’s office has said.  French officials told reporters April 21 that the pope and Macron had discussed the debts of

Washington D.C., Apr 21, 2020 / 01:00 pm (CNA).- Last week, Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces became the first bishop in the United States to roll back the ban on the public celebration of Masses. His decision, and the reasons he gave for it, have highlighted a growing tension: while Church leaders try to comply

Washington D.C., Apr 21, 2020 / 11:25 am (CNA).- Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, says he will serve in leadership positions in the 2020 campaign to reelect President Donald Trump. While the priest told CNA that concerns about his political and ecclesiastical activity have been resolved, his home diocese has not

CNA Staff, Apr 21, 2020 / 11:00 am (CNA).- The Archbishop of Halifax-Yarmouth in Canada has offered prayers for the victims of a weekend shooting rampage in a small town in Nova Scotia, including a member of the country’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police.  In a letter addressed to the commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted

London, England, Apr 21, 2020 / 08:00 am (CNA).- Elderly and disabled coronavirus patients have the same right to life-prolonging treatment as others, the bishops of England and Wales have said.  In a statement April 20, the bishops noted that the pandemic had placed immense strain on Britain’s National Health Service (NHS).  “With the escalation

Vatican City, Apr 21, 2020 / 07:00 am (CNA).- Pope Francis appointed Tuesday Fr. Robert W. Marshall as the next bishop of Alexandria, Louisiana. “I have known Bishop-elect Marshall for a number of years and am very pleased to welcome him to episcopal ministry here in the Diocese of Alexandria,” Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New