CCI issues statement on House passage of redefinition of marriage legislation
The Illinois House today passed Senate Bill 10 on a 61-54 vote, with two voting "present." The Senate approved the legislation on Feb. 14, 2013. Gov. Pat Quinn has said he will sign the legislation into law. (View the House roll call here.) SB 10 changes the...
Education Newsletter: November 2013
School visits from the Illinois State Board of Education are needed in order to garner state recognition this year. The Catholic Conference of Illinois worked with the Board to focus on the backlog of state visits -- those schools that have not been visited since 2007...
'Defend Marriage Lobby Day' draws 2,500 to state Capitol
More than 2,500 Illinois residents descended upon the state Capitol on Wed., Oct. 23 for a "Defend Marriage Lobby Day." Efforts to change the state's legal definition of marriage from "between a man and a woman" to "between two persons" dominated the legislative...
CCI Radio Hour: Oct. 21, 2013
Oct. 21, 2013 show Brian Burch of CatholicVote.org joins Bob to talk about the organization's new initiative, CatholicVote365. Next up, Daniel Blomberg of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty discusses the firm's various cases against the HHS mandate. To...
Education Newsletter October 2013
The school year is back in full swing, and so is the CCI Education Newsletter. Check out the October 2013 issue to catch up on education-related legislation passed last year requiring insurance for high school student athletes, tweaking school safety drills, and...
CCI, Lewis University launch prison ministry training program
CCI Radio Hour: Sept. 16, 2013
Sept. 16, 2013 show CCI Executive Director Robert Gilligan is joined today by Bishop David J. Malloy of the Rockford Diocese as he offers insights on the war-torn country of Syria. Bishop Malloy spent a year in Damascus, the capital of Syria, during his time in the...
CCI's Robert Gilligan featured on Chicago Tribune marriage forum
Catholic Conference of Illinois Executive Director Robert Gilligan was a featured panelist on a forum on redefinition of marriage sponsored by the Chicago Tribune. Gilligan was joined by attorney Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society, state Rep. Greg Harris,...
CCI Radio Hour: Aug. 26, 2013
Aug. 26, 2013 show It may be summer, but we're not lazing away -- CCI's Bob Gilligan tackles three big issues in today's show. First up, Mike Kagan, superintendent of schools for the Rockford diocese and chair of CCI's Education Department,...
CCI joins amicus brief questioning mandatory life without parole sentence for juveniles
The Catholic Conference of Illinois this week joined other faith-based organizations in an amicus brief in a case before the Illinois Supreme Court calling for retroactive review of mandatory life sentences without parole for juveniles. The case comes on the heels of...