News & Commentary

President Joe Biden greets his son, Hunter Biden, after the president's speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Aug. 19, 2024. The president issued an expansive pardon for his son Dec. 1, marking a reversal of his previous statements he would not do so. (OSV News photo/Craig Hudson, Reuters)

Biden’s pardon of son brings mixed reaction, potential consequences

President Joe Biden’s expansive pardon for his son Hunter Biden Dec. 1 brought strong reaction from Catholic political observers and lawmakers alike, including criticism from Republicans and some members of Biden’s own Democratic Party.
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California bishop prays for victims of another ‘senseless’ shooting

San Jose Bishop Oscar Cantú urged prayers for the victims and their families after a gunman opened fired the morning of May 26 at a rail yard operated by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, or VTA, north of downtown ...
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Darkness does not mean devil has won, pope says at audience

Prayer is not a magic wand or a way to ask God to be at one's service, Pope Francis said. Prayer is a humble dialogue with God to grow spiritually and discover his will for the world, the pope said ...
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Prayers for healing, justice mark anniversary of Floyd’s death

George Floyd's death left "a hole in the hearts of his family and friends" and "a hole in the fabric of our society," said the director of the National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd May 25, ...
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Syriac Catholic patriarch says situation in Syria ‘humanly unbearable’

The Syriac Catholic patriarch said the situation in Syria "continues to be humanly unbearable and devastating" and risks emptying the war-torn country of its Christian community for good.
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US bishop echoes cardinal’s call for prayers for Chinese people

The chairman of the US bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace invited Catholics in the United States to offer prayers for the people of China and the well-being of the Catholic Church in that country May 23-30.
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Franciscan leaders urge ‘boldness’ by U.S. to end violence in Holy Land

The Franciscan order's six U.S. provincials told President Joe Biden in a joint letter May 19 that "now is the time for boldness to end the immediate violence" in the Holy Land.
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