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Conservative Catholics blast upcoming appearance by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at Georgetown University

David Gibson | May 7, 2012

(RNS) Can a Catholic politician speak at a Catholic university without drawing protesters? Not if it's House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan or, soon, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. By David Gibson.
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Bishops’ point man on ‘religious liberty’ gets a promotion

David Gibson | Mar 20, 2012

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (RNS) If there is any Catholic bishop who probably didn't need a bigger platform it would have to be William E. Lori, the hierarchy's high-profile point man in the battle for religious freedom. But now that he's been tapped as the next archbishop of Baltimore, Lori will be closer to the action in a fight that is defining the hierarchy and Lori's career. By David Gibson.
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Rick Santorum on Islam & on America: Equal Opportunity Discriminator

Omid Safi | Mar 18, 2012

The many Americans who are poor, black, Hispanic, gay/lesbian, non-Christian, women working outside the home, or Muslim, may not fit in. And those Americans who see America as a tapestry that is made stronger through our diversity will also feel out of touch and out of place in Santorum's America.
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White House proposal gives religious groups more say in birth control mandate

David Gibson | Mar 16, 2012

(RNS) The Obama administration is offering to expand the number of faith-based groups that can be exempt from the controversial contraception mandate, and proposing that third-party companies administer coverage for self-insured faith-based groups at no cost. By David Gibson.
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Bishops ‘dubious’ on White House contraception compromise

David Gibson | Mar 15, 2012

(RNS) U.S. Catholic bishops have voiced doubts about the Obama administration's plans to modify a mandate that employers provide free birth control coverage, and they are vowing a new campaign to rally Americans to defend religious freedom. By David Gibson.
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Bishop hopes to restart White House contraception talks

David Gibson | Mar 12, 2012

(RNS) The Catholic bishop leading the hierarchy's push against the White House's contraception mandate says the bishops hope to re-start contentious talks with the Obama administration but says church leaders "have gotten mixed signals from the administration" and the situation "is very fluid." By David Gibson.
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GUEST COMMENTARY: Disagreeing without being disagreeable

James Calvin Davis | Mar 12, 2012

(RNS) It's never been easy for us to determine the boundary line between individual rights and civic responsibility. But it doesn't help when pundits resort to name-calling, nor when complexities are reduced to bumper-sticker sound bites. By James Calvin Davis.
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Pope Benedict XVI denounces cultural shift toward gay marriage in U.S.

Alessandro Speciale | Mar 9, 2012

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Pope Benedict XVI on Friday (March 9) denounced the "powerful political and cultural currents" that are working to "alter the legal definition of marriage" in the United States. By Alessandro Speciale.
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Bishops face internal challenges in contraception battle

David Gibson | Mar 8, 2012

(RNS) as the U.S. hierarchy stakes its claim as the first and final arbiter of the Catholic position in this hotly contested battle, the bishops are also facing a number of internal challenges. Left unchecked, they could undermine the bishops' position and weaken their future standing if they are seen as losing their faceoff with the White House. By David Gibson.
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White House insists contraception talks are on track

David Gibson | Mar 6, 2012

(RNS) The Obama administration is pushing back against charges by the nation's top Catholic bishop that talks to create a broader religious exemption from a controversial birth control coverage mandate are "going nowhere," and that White House officials are dismissing the central role of the bishops. By David Gibson.
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