Articles by Shannon Mullen
At least 50 feared dead in attack on Catholic church in Nigeria
Jun 5, 2022 / 09:13 amSuch attacks in southwestern Nigeria are rare, while they have escalated sharply in the north in recent months.
Update on unrest: Tabernacle stolen, Catholic church defaced, pregnancy clinic vandalized
May 9, 2022 / 16:30 pmMore criminal acts targeting Catholic churches and pro-life advocates were reported Monday, after a Mother’s Day weekend marked by unrest in multiple locations in the U.S. tied to anger over a possible Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Roe v. Wade: Chief Justice Roberts orders investigation into source of 'egregious' leak
May 3, 2022 / 10:12 amChief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. called the leak of a preliminary draft opinion in a pivotal abortion case a "betrayal of the confidences" of the Supreme Court.
Roe v. Wade: 12 things to know about the leaked abortion opinion
May 3, 2022 / 08:08 amThe news organization Politico on Monday night published what it said was a leaked draft of the eagerly anticipated Supreme Court decision in the Mississippi abortion case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Here's what you need to know about this stunning development.
Pope Francis: 'The Lord is not looking for perfect Christians'
Apr 24, 2022 / 07:06 amJesus’ merciful words to a doubting St. Thomas reminds us that the Lord does not expect us to be “perfect Christians,” Pope Francis said in his Regina Caeli reflection on Divine Mercy Sunday.
Pro-life advocates mourn Vicki Thorn, founder of Project Rachel healing ministry
Apr 21, 2022 / 07:52 amThe unexpected death of Vicki Thorn, 72, the founder of Project Rachel, a post-abortion healing ministry, has shocked and saddened the pro-life community.
Finding faith at Harvard: These 5 Easter conversion stories will make your day
Apr 16, 2022 / 09:03 amThis year, 31 people — 17 of whom are students at Harvard — will enter the Catholic Church at a parish in the heart of Harvard Square. “When I tell other people about it," a chaplain told CNA, "it gives them hope to hear that many young people are still converting to Catholicism, and they’re doing it in a place as secular as Cambridge.”
Play ball! But go for the peanuts, skip the bratwurst at Good Friday opener
Apr 13, 2022 / 12:33 pmSorry, Cleveland baseball fans (the Catholic ones, anyway), there is no dispensation from fasting and abstaining because of the Guardians’ seasonal opener on Good Friday.
Senate confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson to become first black woman on Supreme Court
Apr 7, 2022 / 14:26 pmKetanji Brown Jackson, whose nomination was opposed by pro-life groups, will become the first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
Father Earl Fernandes, son of immigrants from India, named next bishop of Columbus, Ohio
Apr 2, 2022 / 13:45 pmBishop-elect Earl K. Fernandes said Saturday that to his knowledge he will become the first Indian-American Roman Catholic bishop in the U.S.
'Francis in Iraq': Powerful film focuses on the people the pope came to see
Apr 2, 2022 / 05:00 am"Francis in Iraq," a new documentary about the pope's historic visit to the war-torn country in 2021, hopes to raise awareness of the precarious existence of Christian communities that trace their origins to the time of the apostles.
‘Could you fairly judge a Catholic?’: Sen. Graham presses Ketanji Brown Jackson on Christian faith
Mar 22, 2022 / 10:05 amSen. Lindsey Graham on Tuesday pressed Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson on the importance of her Christian faith, asking at one point, “Could you fairly judge a Catholic?”
Pope Francis pleads for an end to 'abhorrent' war in Ukraine
Mar 20, 2022 / 05:28 amPope Francis continued to call for an end to the war in Ukraine Sunday, calling the violence against innocent Ukrainians “inhuman” and “sacrilegious.”
Ukrainian archbishop calls for worldwide novena ahead of Pope Francis' consecration of Russia, Ukraine
Mar 15, 2022 / 17:15 pmUkrainian Catholic leaders have been urging Pope Francis to take the dramatic step to consecrate both Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and will lead a nine-day novena to prepare for the March 25 event, a top prelate in the war-ravaged country told CNA.
Is the viral video of the Blessed Sacrament traveling through Kyiv fact or fiction?
Mar 15, 2022 / 15:30 pmA video from Ukraine tweeted on March 12 quickly went viral. But did it show the Blessed Sacrament traveling through war-torn Kyiv — or something else?
Pope Francis: Ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your desire to pray
Mar 13, 2022 / 07:37 amNoting that the Gospel reveals that Peter, James, and John had fallen asleep prior to Jesus' Transfiguration, Pope Francis urged the faithful during his Angelus reflection Sunday to call on the Holy Spirit to awaken their desire to pray.
Pro-life leaders applaud Texas Supreme Court ruling upholding Heartbeat Act
Mar 11, 2022 / 15:40 pmThe Texas Supreme Court ended a final challenge to the state’s Heartbeat Act Friday, leaving in place one of the nation’s most robust pro-life laws.
If this nun-doctor can't get a vaccine religious exemption, who can?
Mar 11, 2022 / 08:10 amIf a Roman Catholic nun who is a doctor serving the poor in DC can't get a religious exemption to the city's COVID-19 mandate, who can?
Focus on the goodness in others, not the flaws, Pope Francis urges
Feb 27, 2022 / 11:04 amIn his weekly Angelus address Feb. 27, Pope Francis reflected on Sunday’s Gospel, in which Jesus asks the question: “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?”
You saw the guitar blessing? There was more to that Mass that you missed
Feb 23, 2022 / 14:16 pmA tweeted video clip of a priest using a guitar to bless the congregation at the end of Mass sparked outrage on social media. But other features of the same Mass also raise eyebrows.