Articles by Matt Hadro
Indiana bishops call for end to federal executions
Dec 10, 2020 / 16:00 pmIndiana’s Catholic bishops are calling for an end to the death penalty, as two federal death row inmates are scheduled to be executed Thursday and Friday.
Analysis: What a Xavier Becerra HHS could mean for Catholics
Dec 9, 2020 / 15:30 pmOn Monday, President-elect Joe Biden tapped California attorney general Xavier Becerra to head the Department of Health and Human Services. If appointed, Becerra will lead an agency that has been at the epicenter of the “culture wars” in the U.S.—and many Catholic groups will now be bracing for those fights to intensify.
Remember Syrians this Christmas
Dec 9, 2020 / 11:30 amDo not forget the suffering Christians in Syria, a member of a pontifical aid foundation implored officials from the U.S., Hungary, and Poland on Wednesday.
Analysis: What is waiting for Bishop Fisher in Buffalo?
Dec 5, 2020 / 07:00 amAwaiting Bishop Fisher is a chancery with a tarnished reputation, a diocese named in hundreds of clergy abuse lawsuits, an ongoing bankruptcy process, the possible closure of parishes and schools, and a faithful weary both of scandal.
Should prisoners be first, or last in line for COVID vaccine?
Dec 3, 2020 / 17:00 pmAs public officials debate whether prison populations should be among the first or last to receive a COVID vaccine, ethicists say that incarceration should not be the deciding factor.
New coalition champions spiritual rights of patients
Dec 2, 2020 / 15:00 pmA new coalition seeks to promote the rights of hospital patients to have “reasonable” access to family and clergy during the pandemic.
Debate continues over who should get new COVID vaccines first
Dec 2, 2020 / 09:30 amA federal health advisory committee proposed on Tuesday that health care workers and long-term care facility residents should be the first to receive a COVID vaccine, as a Catholic ethicist warned that vulnerable people, like the elderly, cannot be pushed to the back of the line.
Next Buffalo bishop promises 'truth' and 'transparency'
Dec 1, 2020 / 15:30 pmThe newly-announced next Bishop of Buffalo, Bishop Michael Fisher, has promised to be a pastor who will promote transparency in the scandal-ridden New York diocese.
Trump administration in Supreme Court over Census policy
Nov 30, 2020 / 13:00 pmThe Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday on whether the Trump administration can exclude undocumented immigrants when apportioning congressional representatives based on a state’s population.
Pandemic conditions have increased Christian persecution
Nov 25, 2020 / 16:00 pmThe coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated Christian persecution in some places, according to a new report from the group Aid to the Church in Need International.
Massachusetts governor must decide whether to veto bill expanding abortion access
Nov 24, 2020 / 16:01 pmA measure expanding abortion access in Massachusetts has passed both the state house and senate, and could prompt a veto from the governor.
What Biden foreign policy picks mean for religious freedom
Nov 24, 2020 / 09:30 amPresident-elect Joe Biden announced several foreign policy appointments to his cabinet on Monday, including a nominee for Secretary of State. If confirmed, nominees will shape U.S. foreign policy on a range of subjects, especially religious freedom.
Bishop Malone and Buffalo diocese sued by NY AG over clergy abuse
Nov 23, 2020 / 11:40 amThe State of New York is suing the Diocese of Buffalo and its former bishops for failing to protect children for clergy sex abuse.
What pro-lifers can expect from a divided House and Senate
Nov 21, 2020 / 16:37 pmWith nearly all U.S. House and Senate races decided, Congress will be sharply divided the next two years—possibly undermining the viability of extreme pro-abortion policies.
Federal appeals court hears arguments over California abortion mandate
Nov 20, 2020 / 17:01 pmThe Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on Friday in the case of California churches against the state’s abortion coverage mandate.
Could Trump issue an executive order recognizing unborn babies as persons?
Nov 20, 2020 / 03:28 amWith just two months left in Donald Trump’s presidency, some pro-life intellectuals are calling for an executive order that offers legal protection for the unborn.
US religious liberty ambassador calls out China for using tech to suppress religion
Nov 19, 2020 / 12:01 pmThe U.S. will be working against the use of technology to suppress religious minorities, the religious freedom ambassador announced this week.
US bishops denounce racist violence and 'fringe ideology'
Nov 17, 2020 / 16:00 pmAfter a summer of mass protests and civil unrest, bishops from around the U.S. shared stories of confronting racism in their home dioceses at their annual fall meeting on Tuesday.
US nuncio to USCCB: To heal society’s wounds, Catholics must be Good Samaritans
Nov 16, 2020 / 14:18 pmCatholics need to be Good Samaritans to those wounded both by the coronavirus pandemic and by social conflict, the papal representative told U.S. bishops at their annual fall meeting on Monday.
McCarrick Report at odds with Cardinal Wuerl’s claims of ignorance
Nov 13, 2020 / 16:22 pmThe McCarrick Report sheds new light on when former Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, knew of allegations made against his predecessor, and what steps he and Vatican officials took to monitor or restrict McCarrick’s travel and residence.