WASHINGTON, DC - The chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committees on Migration, Religious Liberty and International Justice and Peace, along with the board of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) issued a joint statement expressing solidarity with Christians and all those who suffer in the Middle East.

WASHINGTON, DC - On Feb. 9, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a unanimous decision upholding a lower court's temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the implementation of several key provisions of Executive Order 13769.

WASHINGTON, DC - President Donald J. Trump issued an Executive Order addressing the U.S. refugee admissions program and migration to the United States, generally. The executive order virtually shuts down the refugee admissions program for 120 days, reduces the number of refugees to be admitted to the United States this year from 110,000 to 50,000 individuals, and indefinitely suspends the resettlement of Syrian refugees. In addition, it prioritizes religious minorities suffering from religious persecution, thereby deprioritizing all other persons fleeing persecution; calls for a temporary bar on admission to the United States from a number of countries of particular concern (all Muslim majority); and imposes a yet-to-be determined new vetting process for all persons seeking entry to the United States.

WASHINGTON, DC - National Catholic Schools Week 2017 will be observed in dioceses around the country January 29-February 4. This year's theme, "Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service," focuses on the important faith-building, academic and societal contributions provided by a Catholic education.

WASHINGTON, DC - President Donald J. Trump today issued an executive order to construct a wall at the U.S./Mexico border, to significantly increase immigrant detention and deportation, and to disregard/preempt/overrule the judgment of state and local law enforcement on how best to protect their communities.

WASHINGTON, DC - The National Prayer Vigil for Life will be held from Thursday afternoon, January 26 to Friday morning, January 27, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Over 20,000 pilgrims from around the nation will pray there for an end to abortion before the annual March for Life. The Vigil marks the 44th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions legalizing abortion nationwide. Since those decisions, over 57 million abortions have been performed legally in the United States.

WASHINGTON, DC—Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Pro-Life Activities, applauded the memorandum issued today by President Donald Trump restoring the Mexico City Policy and extending its requirements to all U.S. global assistance.

WASHINGTON, DC - As Congress discusses a repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act, the Chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, is urging members of the House and Senate to provide a replacement plan concurrently so that millions of Americans will continue to have access to vital health care.

WASHINGTON, DC - In 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II instituted a day of prayer for women and men in consecrated life. This celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd. Therefore, the World Day for Consecrated Life will be celebrated in the Church on Thursday, February 2, 2017 and in parishes on the weekend of February 4-5, 2017.

WASHINGTON, DC - The annual Collection for the Church in Latin America will be taken up in many dioceses the weekend of January 21-22. This collection has existed for over 50 years as a sign of solidarity between the Churches of the United States and those in Latin America and the Caribbean.

WASHINGTON, DC - The USCCB Special Task Force to Promote Peace in Our Communities has released a written version of the report today. The report includes findings and recommendations for bishops to continue the vital work of fostering healing and lasting peace in communities across the U.S. through concrete action, ongoing dialogue and opportunities for encounter.

WASHINGTON, DC - Throughout 2016 dioceses across the country participated in three emergency appeals, donating over $7 million for support in response to natural disasters.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Richard G. Lennon from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Cleveland and has named Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo as the Apostolic Administrator of the diocese until the installation of a new bishop.

WASHINGTON, DC - The U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage has released the final video in a series that highlights the unique meaning of marriage. Entitled "Made for the Common Good," the video features personal witnesses and policy experts discussing the importance of marriage between one man and one woman for children and for society at large.

WASHINGTON—A Day of Prayer with a focus on the plight of refugees and migrants will take place across the United States on December 12, 2016, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It will be a time to place before a merciful God the hopes, fears, and needs of all those families who have come to the U.S. seeking a better life.

WASHINGTON - Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), welcomed Pope Francis' November 20 apostolic letter "Misericordia et Misera" ("Mercy and Misery"). In his letter, Pope Francis extended the Year of Mercy provision granting priests worldwide a faculty related to the sin of abortion: "Lest any obstacle arise between the request for reconciliation and God's forgiveness, I henceforth grant to all priests, in virtue of their ministry, the faculty to absolve those who have committed the sin of procured abortion."

WASHINGTON—The USCCB Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America approved 204 grants totaling over $3.8 million at its meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, on November 12th. The total awarded this year is an historic high of over $8 million.

WASHINGTON - The following statement has been issued by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap., and Bishop Frank J. Caggiano in response to Pope Francis' call to begin preparations for the international World Youth Day (WYD) being held in Panama in 2019.

WASHINGTON— Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, vice president of the USCCB, offer Thanksgiving Day wishes to the nation.

The Washington, DC, City Council and the voters of Colorado both recently acted to legalize doctor-prescribed suicide. Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, chair of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, called for increased efforts to fight against assisted suicide, saying it must be "opposed with renewed vigor."

BALTIMORE, MD. (CNA/EWTN News) - After the recent presidential election, the new president of the U.S. Bishops is adamant about standing with all vulnerable persons, including the unborn and immigrants.

BALTIMORE - Bishop Gregory J. Mansour of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn introduced a discussion today, during the U.S. bishops' fall General Assembly, on ways the Church in the United States can assist persecuted Christians in the Middle East.

BALTIMORE - Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, was elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) during today's annual fall General Assembly in Baltimore. Cardinal DiNardo has served as vice president of the USCCB since 2013. Archbishop Jose Gomez was elected as USCCB vice president.

BALTIMORE—The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have approved their 2017-2020 strategic plan, during their annual Fall General Assembly in Baltimore, November 15.

On the opening day of the Catholic bishops' annual fall assembly in Baltimore, Bishop Richard J. Malone, bishop of Buffalo, discussed plans for an unprecedented gathering of Catholic leaders next July in Orlando, Florida.

BALTIMORE - The chairman of the U.S. Bishops' Special Task Force to Promote Peace in Our Communities presented findings and recommendations from the Task Force that call Bishops to continue and deepen the vital work of fostering healing and lasting peace in their respective communities.

USCCB Migration Chairman Calls Upon Elected Officials and All Americans to Work Together to Welcome Refugees and Immigrants without Sacrificing Our Core Values and Security

WASHINGTON, DC - Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has issued the following statement regarding last night's election of Donald Trump as President-Elect.

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will gather for Mass at St. Peter Claver Church in Baltimore during the first day of their fall general assembly. During the assembly, taking place November 14-16, the bishops will elect a new president and vice president, hear a report and recommendations on promoting peace in violence-stricken communities, and vote for the chairmen-elect of five committees. The bishops will also vote on the Conference's 2017-2020 strategic plan, Encountering the Mercy of Christ and Accompanying His People with Joy.

WASHINGTON, DC - The annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection will be held Dec. 10-11 in most U.S. parishes. Now in its 29th year, the collection is coordinated by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) and benefits nearly 33,000 elderly Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests whose religious communities lack adequate retirement funding.

WASHINGTON, DC - The annual collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) will be held in most parishes the weekend of November 19-20, on the Solemnity of Christ the King and the close of the Jubilee Year of Mercy.

At this important time in our nation's history, I encourage all of us to take a moment to reflect on one of the founding principles of our republic - the freedom of religion. It ensures the right of faith communities to preserve the integrity of their beliefs and proper self-governance. There have been recent reports that some may have sought to interfere in the internal life of the Church for short-term political gain. If true, this is troubling both for the well-being of faith communities and the good of our country.

WASHINGTON - Archbishop William E. Lori, Chairman of the USCCB's Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, and Bishop Gregory J. Mansour of the Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn, joined leaders from diverse faiths in writing to President Barack Obama, Senate President Pro Tempore Orrin Hatch, and House Speaker Paul Ryan concerning a report released last month by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The letter calls upon these political leaders "to renounce publicly the [report's] claim that 'religious freedom' and 'religious liberty' are 'code words' or a 'pretext' for various forms of discrimination." The President, Sen. Hatch, and Rep. Ryan each appoint members of the Commission.

WASHINGTON, DC - In a statement to mark Respect Life Month, October 2016, Timothy Cardinal Dolan of New York called for all human life to be "cherished and protected." Cardinal Dolan chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

WASHINGTON - Today the United Nations Security Council approved its first-ever resolution to reinforce the international norm against the testing of nuclear weapons.

WASHINGTON - Archbishop Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, Catholic co-chairman of the National Catholic-Muslim Dialogue, issued the following statement on the report Danger & Dialogue: American Catholic Public Opinion and Portrayals of Islam, recently published by Georgetown University's Center for Muslim - Christian Understanding.

WASHINGTON - Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued the following statement alerting the public to a deceptive ad campaign calling for taxpayer funding of abortion in the name of the Catholic faith.

Two USCCB committee chairmen have issued a joint statement reaffirming the Catholic Church's teaching on marriage "as exclusively the permanent, faithful, and fruitful union of one man and one woman [and] cannot change."

WASHINGTON - Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, responded to a statement issued last week by the chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights upon the issuance of its report on "Peaceful Coexistence."