Articles by Kevin J. Jones
America loses its only Trappist brewery, amid competitive beer market
May 24, 2022 / 17:27 pmThe first and only certified Trappist brewery in the U.S. has said that it will close, citing a lack of financial viability. The monks of St. Joseph’s Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts say they will find other ways to support their life of contemplative prayer.
Judge blocks auction of Dorothy's Wizard of Oz dress, over Catholic University's objections
May 23, 2022 / 18:50 pmThe Catholic University of America cannot auction a dress from the Wizard of Oz until a court resolves a legal challenge about its ownership, a federal judge has said.
Oklahoma passes extensive abortion ban bill, as country awaits Supreme Court ruling
May 23, 2022 / 16:50 pmThe Oklahoma legislature has passed another law limiting abortion, ahead of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could allow many more restrictions on abortion.
Not over the rainbow, yet: Lawsuit blocks Catholic University's auction of 'Wizard of Oz' dress
May 22, 2022 / 12:12 pmThe university had planned to auction the dress to fund its drama school.
Here's what to know about Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone
May 20, 2022 / 13:33 pmArchbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco is in the news for saying that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, a San Francisco Democrat and professed Catholic, may not receive Holy Communion because of her staunch, obstinate political support for abortion.
Final Australian state allows euthanasia and assisted suicide, rejecting religious exemptions
May 19, 2022 / 16:58 pmNew South Wales has become the sixth and final Australian state to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. Its legislation forces health care and elder care organizations with religious objections to allow the practice on their premises.
For sexual abuse victims in Santa Fe archdiocese, $122 million settlement a 'next step'
May 18, 2022 / 16:42 pmThe Archdiocese of Santa Fe has agreed on a $121.5 million bankruptcy settlement to provide compensation for hundreds of sexual abuse victims, the archdiocese announced Tuesday.
TikTok lifts ban on Ruth Sent Us. Here's what we know about this anti-Catholic group
May 18, 2022 / 15:30 pmRuth Sent Us has no publicly known leaders, spokespeople, or mailing address. Yet its inflammatory rhetoric and provocative, theatrical tactics have thrust it into the forefront of the media’s coverage of the furor surrounding the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade.
In Michigan, 'rogue decision' blocks longtime state abortion law
May 17, 2022 / 18:00 pmMichigan’s longstanding law against abortion cannot be enforced if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, a Michigan judge said Tuesday in a temporary injunction.
Legal scrutiny delays Northern Ireland limits on pro-life outreach at abortion clinics
May 16, 2022 / 14:39 pmThe Attorney General for Northern Ireland, Brenda King, has asked the U.K. Supreme Court to rule whether a ban on “influencing” women or protesting abortion outside abortion clinics is within the competence of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Senate again rejects sweeping federal abortion bill. Bishops relieved, Biden adamant.
May 11, 2022 / 17:25 pmAn expansive abortion bill that would declare abortion a human right, undercut existing state pro-life laws, and force objecting doctors to perform abortions, has again failed to pass the U.S. Senate.
As Covid-19 weakens, time for Catholics in England and Wales to return to Mass, bishops say
May 9, 2022 / 13:15 pmCatholics in England and Wales should come back to Mass now that the dangers of the Covid-19 pandemic have receded, the countries’ bishops have said as they announce the reinstatement of the Sunday Mass obligation.
Must Roe go? Yes, say Alito's leaked draft and other critics of abortion precedent
May 6, 2022 / 14:05 pmA leaked Supreme Court draft that could overturn pro-abortion rights precedents in the U.S. drew praise from critics who say the current precedent was built on deeply flawed legal and factual claims.
Painful changes for Catholic News Service as domestic operations to close
May 4, 2022 / 14:00 pmCatholic News Service, the news agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, will end domestic operations at the end of the year. The U.S. bishops’ conference characterized the changes and office closures as a “significant realignment.”
Roe v. Wade 'egregiously wrong from the start'? Key passages from leaked Dobbs draft ruling
May 3, 2022 / 18:00 pmThe Supreme Court’s previous abortion rulings were “egregiously wrong from the start” and on a “collision course with the Constitution.” These are among the colorful phrases of a 98-page preliminary draft of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could return abortion law to the U.S. states and their voters.
Cardinal Dolan talks Ukraine, refugee relief, Russian invasion
May 2, 2022 / 19:00 pmThe efforts to help Ukraine’s refugees are an inspiration, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York has said at the conclusion of his visit to the region. However, he is still discouraged by the “raw evil” of the Russian invasion and worried about worse to come in the future.
After religious controversy, Massachusetts school board okays Christian private school
Apr 29, 2022 / 17:10 pmA Massachusetts school committee has fulfilled its duty and approved the application of a private Christian school despite controversy when committee members questioned the planned school’s religious beliefs in a way that drew accusations of impermissible hostility to religion.
Lawsuit claims Knoxville diocese mishandled priest's sex assault of parishioner
Apr 28, 2022 / 16:58 pmThe Diocese of Knoxville allegedly mishandled a report that a priest sexually assaulted a parishioner who sought grief counseling in 2020, a lawsuit charges.
Health-sharing ministry's bankruptcy shows need for good standards, scrutiny, insiders say
Apr 28, 2022 / 12:00 pmA faith-based ministry that aimed to help Christians share one another’s medical costs filed for bankruptcy and dissolved last year, leaving members with tens of millions of dollars of unpaid medical bills. In response, others in the health share ministry field emphasized the need for high standards.
Afghanistan, other countries see worrisome religious freedom trends, USCIRF warns
Apr 26, 2022 / 19:00 pmAfghanistan and four other countries should be added to the ten countries already recognized by the U.S. State Department for having particular religious freedom problems, the U.S. Commission on Interreligious Freedom said in its annual report released Monday.