The Catholic bishops have released a statement in support of a constitutional amendment to clarify that a right to abortion is not guaranteed by the State of Iowa’s Constitution. The bishops said, “The dignity of the human person is the foundation of our moral vision for society. We recognize that each person is created in [...]
On caucus night, Feb. 3, 2020, Iowans will gather by party preference at their precinct sites to elect delegates to the 99 county conventions. The event is a statewide invitation to Iowans to gather in their communities to consider presidential candidates and issues and is the first-in-the-nation test of the 2020 electoral cycle. The Iowa [...]
Recent studies affirm the ability of Catholic schools to create positive outcomes for students and families. One of the reasons our education model succeeds is a commitment to helping students grow intellectually while demonstrating how to love and serve God by serving others. That principle is integrated into every education program, from small rural schools [...]
BISHOPS EXPRESS CONCERN ABOUT RACISM AND MASS SHOOTINGS Bishops from three committees at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) expressed their deep concern on Aug. 8 about racism and xenophobia that apparently motivated the recent massacre in El Paso and that have motivated numerous other recent mass shootings in the United States. Following [...]
Father William Joensen, Ph,D. was appointed today by Pope Francis to succeed Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines. Bishop-elect Joensen, 59, is a priest of the Archdiocese of Dubuque and a professor of philosophy at Loras College. He grew up in Ames. During a news conference held earlier today, Bishop-elect Joensen said “I’m an Iowa [...]
Iowa is among the states that recently enacted legislation or is now bound by a state court decision that eliminates, or places at serious risk, any meaningful restriction on abortion through nine months of pregnancy. The success of abortion advocates in achieving such broad victories in targeted states, and their commitment to build on it [...]
The Catholic bishops of Iowa are pledging cooperation with the Iowa Attorney General’s request for information to be voluntarily provided regarding clergy sexual abuse. Please see below for the full text of their statement: “Last week the Iowa Attorney General asked the state’s four Catholic dioceses to submit, by Aug. 1, 2019, documents related to [...]
Leadership of the U.S. Catholic bishops have issued statements recently regarding several issues: U.S. Bishops’ Chairmen Respond to U.S. House Vote on Equality Act Five chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have responded to the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the Equality Act (H.R. 5) on May 17. The Act would [...]
In the legislative session coming to a close, legislators considered a proposal to revise current Iowa law on fetal homicide, recognizing in the event of an assault of a pregnant woman, two human lives are at stake and in need of protection. Currently, at least 38 states have enacted fetal homicide laws that are a version of [...]
“Crime and corrections are at the intersection of rights and responsibilities. Those who commit crimes violate the rights of others and disregard their responsibilities. But the test for the rest of us is whether we will exercise our responsibility to hold the offender accountable without violating his or her basic rights. Even offenders should be [...]