Articles by Jonah McKeown
Who is Chen Guangcheng? Chinese human rights activist to speak at RNC
Aug 26, 2020 / 16:07 pmOne of the featured speakers at the Republican National Convention on Aug. 26 will be Chen Guangcheng, a Chinese lawyer and human rights advocate who has been an outspoken critic of the Chinese government— particularly its policy of forced abortions and sterilizations.
Catholics plead for Navajo man on eve of scheduled execution
Aug 25, 2020 / 17:01 pmCatholics are joining Native American leaders in calling for mercy for a Navajo man who is sentenced to die in a federal execution this week. The Navajo Nation objects to the execution.
My baptism was valid...right?
Aug 24, 2020 / 16:24 pmLast week, the news broke that Father Matthew Hood of the Archdiocese of Detroit had this summer learned that he was not validly baptized— despite believing that he had been ordained a priest in 2017.
All Creatures Great and Small
Aug 24, 2020 / 00:00 amMost of us associate St. Francis of Assisi with animals. But did you know St. Philip Neri also cared for animals, and even had some pets of his own? Have you ever wondered if you'll see your pet in heaven? We bring the question to two theologians. And finally, two priests tell us about their pet dogs.
Notre Dame classes go online for two weeks amid rising COVID-19 cases
Aug 21, 2020 / 03:00 amThe University of Notre Dame on Tuesday announced a two-week hiatus from in-person class instruction, amid a growing number of COVID-19 infections on campus. Some alumni, students, and faculty are calling on university president Father John Jenkins to suspend in-person classes altogether and move instruction online for the remainder of the semester.
San Francisco churches adapt to 12-person outdoor Mass limit
Aug 19, 2020 / 16:01 pmParishes in San Francisco, including the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, have been holding concurrent outdoor Masses in order to adapt to the city’s COVID-19 health orders.
Catholics pray for Navajo man scheduled for federal execution
Aug 19, 2020 / 02:00 amCatholics are speaking out on behalf of a Native American man on federal death row, who is set to be executed this month. The man’s tribe, the Navajo Nation, objects to the death sentence and has asked President Donald Trump to commute the sentence to life in prison.
Arrested Hong Kong Catholic ‘chose those handcuffs,’ for justice, godfather says
Aug 18, 2020 / 16:05 pmThe godfather of an arrested Hong Kong Catholic pro-democracy advocate says he hopes Jimmy Lai’s courageous example will inspire more calls for justice amid an ongoing crackdown on human rights in Hong Kong.
Portland street evangelist: More Bibles ‘prayed with’ than burned at protests
Aug 14, 2020 / 16:05 pmA Portland street evangelist whose Bibles were burned in an Aug. 1 street protest says although he is disappointed that some of the Bibles he distributed were destroyed, he believes the positive impact of his ministry outweighs the negative actions of a few protestors.
Nebraska governor to sign D&E abortion ban into law
Aug 14, 2020 / 15:14 pmGovernor Pete Ricketts of Nebraska is set to sign a ban on dilation and evacuation abortions into law at a ceremony on Saturday, after the bill passed the state legislature on Thursday.
After Beirut blast, what some Lebanese Christians are doing to help their neighbors
Aug 14, 2020 / 03:00 amThe massive explosion in the port area of Lebanon’s capital on Aug. 4 overturned cars, shattered windows, set fires, and damaged buildings across Beirut, a city of more than 350,000, with a metro area of more than 2 million people.
Lebanese scholar: The West cannot afford to abandon Lebanon
Aug 13, 2020 / 18:00 pmA Lebanese academic and aid worker told CNA on Thursday that if Western nations fail to help Lebanon recover from the explosion that rocked Beirut last week, the effect on regional and global security could be disastrous.
Analysis: Was a stack of Bibles burned in Portland, or was it fake news?
Aug 12, 2020 / 14:35 pmDozens of news stories from Aug. 1 repeated a claim by a Malaysia-based journalist that “a stack” of Bibles had been consumed in a bonfire, built by protestors in the middle of the street. Is it true?
Protestors burn Bible during Portland protests
Aug 3, 2020 / 13:25 pmProtestors in Portland, Oregon burned a Bible in the street during a protest outside a federal courthouse in the early morning hours of August 1, according to a local media report.
Catholic school superintendent: ‘Our kids need to go back to school’
Aug 1, 2020 / 08:00 amBishops and school superintendents across the US are emphasizing the importance of in-person education for the coming fall term, and are seeking to reassure parents that schools are taking the precautions necessary to keep children safe.
Catholic schools plan waivers, remote learning, as officials weigh safe reopenings
Jul 31, 2020 / 02:00 amAs the beginning of the fall school term approaches, Catholic schools in dioceses across the U.S. are asking the parents of students returning in person to sign waivers of liability amid the risk of coronavirus infection.
Fire torches Catholic parish offices, chapel in North Carolina
Jul 28, 2020 / 13:30 pmA fire tore through the parish offices of a historic Catholic church in Monroe, North Carolina early Monday morning, and though the damage is extensive, the church's pastor is thankful that the blaze did not touch the main sanctuary or the Blessed Sacrament.
Catholic builds a shrine to St. Junipero Serra on the site of destroyed Sacramento statue
Jul 8, 2020 / 02:00 amAfter rioters pulled down a statue of St. Junipero Serra in Sacramento on July 4, a local Catholic told CNA that she felt compelled, after prayer and reflection, to clean the spot where the statue once stood, to pray there, and to defend the 18th-century missionary’s legacy.
Catholic military archbishop laments US Navy ban on 'off-base indoor religious services'
Jul 7, 2020 / 15:07 pmThe US Navy is reportedly loosening some restrictions on some sailors attending “off-base indoor religious services,” which it had promulgated in late June and which the archbishop for the military service had called “particularly odious to Catholics.”
Alleged David Haas sexual assault victim speaks out
Jul 2, 2020 / 14:12 pmA former music and youth minister, who alleges that Haas aggressively kissed and groped her when she was 19, spoke to CNA this week about her experience. And one expert told CNA that the allegations against Haas point to the difficulties of ensuring that laity working in Church contexts are trustworthy, and beyond reproach.