US & Canada

As Trump threatens mass deportations, Iowa's Catholic Bishops have issued a letter saying "we want to assure you that you are not alone." They quote Pope Francis who said: "migrants are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity;" and invoke Matt 25 we will "all be held accountable for the way we treated others." A letter to our migrant brothers and sisters November 19, 2024 To our dear migrant brot... Read More

Most Reverend Timothy P Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has issued a statement following the results of yesterday's presidential election. Archbishop Broglio's statement follows: "In the United States, we are fortunate to live in a democracy and yesterday Americans went to the polls to choose who should lead ... Read More

Pax Christi USA, the national Catholic peace movement, acknowledges that Donald Trump and JD Vance have been elected as the next President and Vice President of the United States. We offer our prayers that their leadership might be guided by a commitment to pursue the "things that make for peace" (Luke 19:42) and the justice which must be the foundation of efforts toward reconciliation and healing... Read More

Washington's National Cathedral will be open for interfaith prayers and meditation on Election Day as votes are cast, and on the day after as votes are counted. Services will also be livestreamed. American Sign Language interpretation will be provided. During the services, the livestream chat will also be open for opportunities to engage and pray. Tuesday, November 5 The Cathedral nave will be op... Read More

Phyllis Zagano writes in the National Catholic Reporter: As the US presidential election draws near, a booming "fake news" business is targeting Catholics, especially those inclined to vote for Kamala Harris. Self-proclaimed "Catholic" websites and emailed "news" briefs push pro-Trump spins on news stories, often veering outside the margins of responsible reporting. The Loop, a daily email from th... Read More

The Benedictine Sisters of Erie, Mount St Benedict Monastery in Pennsylvania, have responded to "false and misleading information" about their membership, posted on X (formerly Twitter) by a Trump campaigner. The Sisters said in a press release today: 'A number of concerned persons in various states alerted the Sisters to a new post on X that claimed 53 voters were registered at the monastery's... Read More

Churches for Middle East Peace Executive Director Rev Dr Mae Elise Cannon have joined 19 other Christian faith leaders in a letter to both Harris and Trump campaigns to express a shared deep concern regarding the ongoing injustice and violations of human rights in Israel/Palestine. The leaders write: "Even as our primary focus for months has been on calling for an immediate end to the violence ... Read More

In late September the east coast of America was battered by Hurricane Helene, which killed at least 235 people and left massive damage across six states. In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Catholic Charities teamed up with local churches to distribute much needed basic supplies and services to members of the community recovering from the storm. The same region is now bracing itself f... Read More

On Monday, 5 August, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston, USA and appointed Bishop Richard Henning of Providence as his successor. The Capuchin Cardinal O'Malley was 80 in June this year. After having served in Florida, the US Virgin Islands, and Fall River since 1992, John Paul II appointed him on 1 July 2003 as Metropolitan Archbishop... Read More

Pope Francis has sent a message to Father James Martin SJ, for the start of the Outreach Conference for LGBTQ Catholics, which is taking place at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, on August 2-4. Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, is due to celebrate Mass for participants. Fr Martin, who carries out his apostolate among the LGBTQ community, wrote to the Pope, asking if he wo... Read More

On the second anniversary of Pope Francis's penitential pilgrimage to Canada, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), has provided an update on the steps that the Catholic Church in Canada has taken to respond to the Holy Father's calls for a future of justice, healing, and reconciliation. It encourages Catholics across the country to continue to listen to and support residential schoo... Read More

In a new letter today, more than 200 church leaders from around the world have urged world powers to end complicity in the ongoing violence and atrocities being committed in the Holy Land. The letter calls for an immediate permanent ceasefire, work for the release of hostages and prisoners held without due process of law alike, the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to civilians, and halting all w... Read More

Ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech before Congress, Christian groups, led by Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) will gather to pray for an immediate end to the violence being committed in Gaza and for peace for the day ahead. Speakers will include several notable Christian leaders. Since October 7, CMEP has called for (1) a permanent bilateral ceasefire, (2) the allowance of ade... Read More

Fr Joseph Nangle OFM, Pax Christi USA 2023 Teacher of Peace, writes: A spectre lurked over the Republican National Convention this week and lurks over its entire presidential campaign. It is "in the shadows," so to speak, and not much spoken about publicly. But it exists. Drawn up by the hard right think tank the Heritage Foundation, it is called 'Project 2025' or formally 'The 2024 Presidential ... Read More