News & Commentary

Leaders of local Catholic Charities agencies from around the country traveled to Washington for a Nov. 18, 2025 summit organized by Catholic Charities USA, to share firsthand insights and experiences in serving those experiencing homelessness in their communities.

Catholic agencies strategize how to serve homeless amid major US policy change

The major change in federal policy on homelessness and its potential impact on the people Catholic Charities agencies serve was among the issues discussed at a summit of Catholic Charities' leaders and local politicians on Nov. 18.
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At Angelus, pope prays for Ida victims, Afghan refugees

Pope Francis offered prayers to the victims and families affected by Hurricane Ida, which devastated the southern and northeastern United States.
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New York fire chaplain says there are days when 9/11 ‘feels like yesterday’

Father Kevin M. Smith, a veteran fire chaplain, trauma counselor and loyal friend to scores of active and retired firefighters in the New York metropolitan area, receives more phone calls in early September than any other time of the year.
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Former Cardinal McCarrick pleads not guilty; two more lawsuits filed

Former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick pleaded not guilty Sept. 3 in a Massachusetts court, where he is facing three counts of sexually assaulting a teenager in the 1970s.
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Pope plans to visit climate change conference in Glasgow

Pope Francis said he plans to make several papal trips before the end of the year, including to Scotland in early November to attend the U.N. Climate Change Conference.
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Biden on U.S. leaving Afghanistan: ‘It was time to end this war’

President Joe Biden said the decision to end 20 years of U.S. military presence in Afghanistan on Aug. 31 came down to limiting further loss of American lives in a place where the country no longer had vital interests.
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Dioceses emerge from Hurricane Ida as others prepare to help

Catholic Charities in and around the areas of Louisiana and Mississippi affected by Hurricane Ida are collecting donations as they prepare to help with the yet-unknown damage caused by the late August storm.
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