VIDEO
Ash Wednesday Reflection
Thinking as the Body of Christ
BERKELEY, CA, March 5, 2014 -- President of the Dominican School of Philosphy and Theology and CCGI Board member, Father Michael Sweeney, OP, provides a unique and beautful reflection on the Gospel for Ash Wednesday. It is very short but well worth viewing and contemplating.

Fertility Treatments Succeed
Without Assisted Reproduction
ROME, March 3, 2014  -- A doctor in Italy has seen great success in helping couples conceive by examining their overall health and treating underlying causes of infertility, without artificial reproduction technologies.

Pope Exhorts
Walk With Those Who
Suffer Failed Marriages
VATICAN, February 28, 2014 -- In his daily homily Pope Francis reflected on the beauty of marriage, emphasizing that when it fails, we should not condemn the couple, but accompany them on a path of healing in the Church.

Ethicists Warn Against
Three-Parent Reproductive Technology
WASHINGTON, DC, February 24, 2014 -- Concerned about the effects of a new technology that involves three parents providing genetic information to create a child, experts are cautioning against opening up the technology to human clinical trials.

Cardinals' Meetings Focus
Concern on Marriage, Family
VATICAN, February 22, 2014 -- In a series of closed-door meetings this week, cardinals from around the world expressed a common care and concern for the state of marriage and the family in the modern world.

Cardinals Bring 'Voice of Poor' to Vatican
Care for Marriage and Family High Priority
Needs Are Different But Vital in Poor Countries
VATICAN, February 23, 2014 -- Pope Francis’ appointment of new cardinals from distant and impoverished countries has helped bring the topic of pastoral care for those struggling in poverty to Vatican discussions.

Care About Ending Poverty?
Stop Talking about Inequality
Start Talking About Marriage
Don’t mind the rich-poor gap. Statistical analysis shows three factors—overall income growth, marriages, and local government spending—matter most for poorer children chasing the American Dream.  Bradford Wilcox, of the National Marriage Project has advice for President Obama his concerns about economic inequalty: Consider promoting marraige as a solution.

Archbishop Cordileone Calls for
Consitutional Amendment for Marriage
WASHINGTON, February 19, 2014 — Expressing strong support for the federal Marriage Protection Amendment (H. J. Res. 51) introduced by Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) in the U.S. House of Representatives, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco said, “The amendment would secure in law throughout the country the basic truth known to reason that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.” Archbishop Cordileone , chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, made the comments in a February 19 letter of support to Rep. Huelskamp.

Catholic Marriage Preparation
Needs to Better 'Evangelize'
Difference Between
Catechesis and Evangelization
DENVER, CO, February 19, 2014 -- The head of a major U.S. missionary apostolate says that evangelization – not simple catechesis – is needed to prepare Catholics for good marriages by putting Jesus Christ at the center of their lives.

Pope Francis:
Be Courageous...
Go to Confession!
VATICAN, Feburary 19, 2014(Vatican Radio) At the General Audience, Pope Francis continued his series of catechesis on the Sacraments. “When I go to Confession, it is to be healed,” he said. “To heal the soul, to heal the heart because of something I have done that is not going well.”

Pope Francis to Archbishop Chaput:
Bring Your A-Game to Rome
PHILADELPHIA, February 14, 2014 -- Pope Francis set out his agenda for a Church of “missionary disciples” in Evangelii Gaudium; now he’s assembling his team at the Vatican who will help him get the laity fully in the game of sharing the joy of the Gospel. His latest recruit is none other than Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who has proven himself second-to-none in activating lay people to embrace the Church’s missionary mandate with enthusiasm and vigor.

National Marriage Week
Recognizes Foundations of Society
WASHINGTON, DC, February 13, 2014 -- Catholics across the U.S. are joining in a celebration of National Marriage Week to promote the sacrament and vocation upon which society is built.

Vatican: UN Oversteps Its
Boundaries in Report Conclusions
VATICAN, February 7, 2014 -- In a statement released by the Vatican, Fr. Federico Lombardi criticized the U.N. child protection committee for its tone and “lack of desire” to recognize the Holy See’s efforts in protecting children.

UN Versus Holy See on
Human Sexuality, Gender Theory
Backlash in US
VATICAN, February 6, 2014 -- More than an indictment of the Church’s handling of child sex abuse, the report of the U.N. child rights committee on the Holy See seems meant to pressure the Church to change its teaching on human sexuality.

Stunning Adult Stem Cell
Developments Evoke Hope, Caution
WASHINGTON DC, February 7, 2014-- Remarkable advancements in stem cell biology are enabling scientists to reprogram mature cells into a variety of different tissues – but experts say these methods should be used carefully to avoid ethical questions and inadvertent cloning.