Mary Rezac, Author at Crux

Pope Francis invites prisoners to lunch, instead they escape

Catholic News Agency, Vatican
October 17, 2017

Pope Francis regularly includes prisoners in his trips and events, including washing the feet of prisoners on Holy Thursday and holding a Jubilee Mass for prisoners at the Vatican last year. Recently, two prisoners took the opportunity presented during a meeting with the pope to escape.

Bishop Vasa on California fires: ‘Our diocese has been hit hard’

Catholic News Agency, Church in the US
October 12, 2017

Bishop Robert Vasa of the Diocese of Santa Rosa says the “sense of great helplessness is palpable” as wildfires consume much of his California diocese. “When people ask how they can help I answer that I really do not know. I do know that prayers are the greatest source of solace and help,” he said.

Catholic group continues Blessed Stanley Rother’s work in Guatemala

Catholic News Agency, Church in the US
September 26, 2017

Blessed Stanley Rother was also known for not wanting to abandon his people, even though he knew his life was at risk. After Rother died, his friend Father John Goggin said he still did not want the people to feel abandoned. That’s why he was grateful when the opportunity came to work with Unbound, a non-profit founded by lay Catholics who had also spent time serving as missionaries in Latin America.

California bill seeks to punish ‘misgendering’ with jail time

Catholic News Agency, Church in the US
September 2, 2017

A bill is making its way through California government that would compel workers to refer to residents in nursing homes and long-term care facilities by their preferred pronouns. The bill would also mandate that facilities allow residents room assignments and bathroom preferences based on gender identity rather than biological sex. Some are asking if this is a solution looking for a problem.

Controversy surrounds abortions for Downs syndrome in Iceland

Catholic News Agency, Global Church
August 16, 2017

Every pregnant woman in Iceland is given an option of a prenatal test that can detect Down syndrome with 85 percent accuracy. “Nearly 100 percent” of pregnancies that tested positive for Down syndrome were aborted.

Why YouTube needs Catholics

Catholic News Agency, Church in the US
August 13, 2017

“The explosion of streaming video, especially through our phones, means that people are open to the possibilities of what a video can show them. Like any media, streaming videos can be baptized and used to glorify God. Let’s not waste our time!” Steven Lewis, of ‘Steve the Missionary Channel’ on Youtube, said about the idea of a Catholic YouTube.