Articles by Jonah McKeown
The Glastonbury Thorn: a resurrected symbol of Christmas
Dec 26, 2022 / 08:00 amThe English town of Glastonbury is home to a special tree — a hawthorn that blooms every Christmas and again in May.
The Christmas Truce of 1914: Here’s what really happened
Dec 25, 2022 / 10:00 amOn a chilly Christmas morning, soldiers from both sides of the trenches clambered over the barbed wire, arms raised, and shook hands.
5 classic Christmas movies to watch with the family this year
Dec 24, 2022 / 08:00 amFire up your favorite streaming service, and there’s no shortage of Christmas movies for you to snuggle up with this year.
Priests for Life's Frank Pavone: ‘The next pope can reinstate me’ to the priesthood
Dec 19, 2022 / 17:05 pm“This idea that any of this is permanent in terms of dismissal from the priesthood is simply incorrect," Frank Pavone said in an interview Monday.
Today is an ember day. What’s that?
Dec 17, 2022 / 09:00 amThis Saturday, Dec. 17, is a special day in the Catholic Church, though relatively few Catholics probably realize it.
Nigerian musician files lawsuit with Supreme Court challenging blasphemy conviction
Dec 16, 2022 / 14:15 pmADF International says the appeal has the potential to overturn Northern Nigeria’s blasphemy laws.
Ortega seeking to ‘destroy the Catholic Church in Nicaragua,’ advocates tell Congress
Dec 15, 2022 / 15:45 pmHuman rights experts decried the ongoing repression of the Church by Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and urged additional U.S. action to oppose Ortega’s regime.
Hungary stands out for its aid to beleaguered Christians in Iraq. Here’s why
Dec 14, 2022 / 15:44 pmHungarian President Katalin Novák visited Iraq last week, stopping at a majority-Christian town that has been rebuilt in recent years almost entirely with Hungarian support.
Federal judge allows for coverage of fertility awareness methods under health insurance
Dec 9, 2022 / 15:00 pmFertility awareness methods enable women to track their fertile cycles by charting one or more biomarkers. Couples can use this information to avoid or achieve pregnancy.
Indiana abortion doctor drops lawsuit against state attorney general
Dec 9, 2022 / 10:32 amAfter Caitlin Bernard disclosed she performed an abortion last summer on a 10-year-old Ohio child who was raped, Indiana's AG asked the state medical licensing board to discipline her.
Baltimore abuse survivors file request to make abuse report public
Dec 8, 2022 / 14:45 pmThe survivors are attempting to make public a recently sealed attorney general’s report that claims to chronicle hundreds of instances of clerical abuse.
Michigan church sues state over right to hire staff committed to Catholic teachings
Dec 7, 2022 / 12:55 pmThe parish is suing the state over a court ruling redefining “sex” discrimination that they argue threatens the parish’s ability to hire people.
Baltimore seals documents related to clerical sexual abuse report
Dec 6, 2022 / 15:30 pmA judge in Baltimore this week ordered everything related to the release of a major attorney general’s report on clerical sexual abuse to be made confidential.
Human rights commission ‘outraged’ as State Department excludes Nigeria from watchlist
Dec 5, 2022 / 15:00 pmIn Nigeria at least 60,000 Christians have been killed, many by their Muslim countrymen, over the past two decades.
The mighty Mississippi was once named ‘River of the Immaculate Conception.’ Here’s why
Dec 4, 2022 / 08:00 am“Immaculate” is not a word most people would use to describe the Mississippi River’s famously muddy waters. But Father Jacques Marquette was not most people.
Vermont to allow religious schools to use state assistance after settling lawsuit
Dec 2, 2022 / 16:15 pmState and local government officials agreed that Vermont’s exclusion of religious private schools from the program is unconstitutional and unenforceable.
Indiana AG files legal complaint against abortion doctor who performed a minor’s abortion
Dec 1, 2022 / 15:15 pmIndiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has asked the state’s medical licensing board to discipline the doctor who performed an abortion on a 10-year-old rape victim.
The Vatican says it’s been hacked — again
Nov 30, 2022 / 14:00 pmA Vatican spokesman said Wednesday that the Holy See has taken down its main vatican.va website amid an apparent attempt to hack the site.
Senate passes same-sex marriage bill, sending it back to the House
Nov 29, 2022 / 17:01 pmThe present bill would not require any state to allow same-sex couples to marry, but would require states to recognize marriages contracted in other states.
Pope Francis: Benedict XVI was ‘leader’ in responding to sexual abuse
Nov 28, 2022 / 16:30 pmPope Francis said his predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was a leader in “taking responsibility” and responding with transparency to clerical sexual abuse.