A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
-
Pope Francis met President Joe Biden today, at the Vatican. This was Biden’s first official visit to the Vatican since his inauguration. Biden is the second Catholic president in U-S history. He is in Rome to attend the G20 summit, this weekend.
A provision creating a national paid leave program will not be included in the social spending package being crafted by Congress. The “Build Back Better Act,” originally called for twelve weeks of paid family and medical leave. The length was negotiated down to four weeks, and then dropped entirely on Thursday. The United States is one of only eight countries with no national paid parental leave policy. It is only one of a few countries without a national medical leave policy.
Lawmakers in Illinois have voted to repeal parental notice requirements for abortion. The law required abortion providers to notify the parents of a minor seeking an abortion, at least 48 hours before the scheduled abortion. Catholics in Illinois have decried the repeal of the law.
Today, the Church honors Saint Narcissus. He was born toward the end of the first century. He was nearly 80 years old when he was named the bishop of Jerusalem. He was involved in the decree that Easter be kept always on a Sunday, and not continually with the Jewish Passover.