Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C., is suing the U.S. federal government over a new regulation that requires employer health insurance plans to provide free coverage of contraceptives and sterilization, even if it may be contrary to their religious beliefs.

A proposal by Vanderbilt University to apply its nondiscrimination policy to the leadership of student religious organizations “will restrict freedom and diversity in student life by jeopardizing authentic religious expression,” Father John Sims Baker, the Catholic chaplain at Vanderbilt, wrote in a letter to the school’s chancellor.

Vatican officials are at an advanced stage in studying the possibility of a papal trip to Mexico and Cuba in the spring of 2012, the Vatican spokesman said.

Pope Benedict called for an end to prostitution and pornography, saying the practices denigrate women and represent “a serious lack of humanity.”

Actors with the group Ben Hur Live wait for the start of Pope Benedict’s general audience

Catholic cartoonist Bil Keane created this poster for the National Catholic Educational Association’s 2012 convention in Boston.

St. Anthony of the Desert was a wealthy landowner in the third century. Upon walking into church one day when he was 34, he heard Jesus’ words proclaimed: “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Matthew 19.21).

Anthony took those words literally. He gave away some of the family estate and sold the rest, giving the proceeds to the poor. He spent his remaining 57 years in the desert, living a life of asceticism and prayer, counselling people and inspiring the development of monasticism.

FR. RON ROLHEISER, omi

Today, both within society and the churches, we are finding it ever more difficult to resolve differences because our conversations are shot through with non-civility, name-calling, character-assassination and disrespect.

What’s particularly worrying is that we do this in the name of truth, cause, the Gospel and Jesus. We are giving ourselves permission to hate, demonize and disrespect each other in God’s name. Our cause seems so important that, consciously or unconsciously, we give ourselves permission to bracket some of the essentials of Christian charity, namely respect, graciousness, love and forgiveness.

Sunday, Nov. 27, the First Sunday of Advent, the new English language translation of the Mass will be implemented. Parishes will have prayer cards to help the faithful participate in the liturgy. But here is a small sample of the changes about to be implemented.

WINNIPEG – Society has a moral sense of suicide, homicide and genocide “but no moral sense of biocide or geocide,” says a Catholic bioethicist.

Sister Mary Rowell was quoting the late Thomas Berry, an American priest and ecologist as she spoke at the Canadian Religious Conference Oct. 29.