The World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015, the independent 501(c)(3) established to plan and stage a major international Congress addressing issues facing the family worldwide that will include a Papal visit in September 2015, confirmed today that a total of $30 million in cash and in-kind donations has been pledged to date in support of this historic gathering.

Congress should reaffirm the principle that government “should not force anyone to stop offering or covering much-needed legitimate health care” because of a conscientious objection to abortion or other procedures, said Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley of Boston and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. will be the principal celebrant and homilist for Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

Archdiocesan high schools and Catholic elementary schools in the City of Philadelphia will now be closed today, Tuesday, February 17, 2015 due to inclement weather conditions.

Father Louis J. Kolenkiewicz has been placed on administrative leave by Archbishop Chaput in response to concerns regarding his suitability for ministry. These concerns do not involve allegations of illegal or inappropriate contact with a minor, but constitute alleged violations of The Standards of Ministerial Behavior and Boundaries

A variety of resources to help Catholics observe Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, this year February 18, is being provided by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

In late 2014, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia published audited financial statements for The Office for Financial Services, its Pastoral Center entity, as well as other, separate entities for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014.

Today Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced a reprieve for all Pennsylvania death row occupants until current commonwealth studies of the death penalty are complete and he has had time to study the data.

The great Catholic writer Georges Bernanos once said that, “the world will be saved only by free men. We must make a world for free men.” He wrote those words nearly 70 years ago in the wake of a terrible world war. He understood from painful experience that man is made for God — and without faith, there can be no real freedom, only distractions and idolatries that eventually consume man himself.

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, gave strong support for the State Marriage Defense Act of 2015