PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) -- The Archdiocese of Portland earlier this year asked a local homeless advocacy newspaper to end its link to an abortion provider to continue receiving grants from a Catholic agency. Street Roots refused to remove Planned Parenthood from a resource guide it offers homeless and poor people and so lost funding. The guide lists more than 300 service organizations in addition to Planned Parenthood, which offers some health care but also performs more abortions than any other organization. The grant was from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the U.S.

VIENNA (CNS) -- Leading Catholic and Orthodox bishops and theologians met in Vienna to continue their initial discussions on the key issue keeping their churches apart: the role of the bishop of Rome, the pope. The Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church met in Vienna Sept. 20-27. The meeting focused on "The Role of the Bishop of Rome in the Communion of the Church in the First Millennium" before the churches were divided.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) -- Minnesota's Catholic bishops have sent a letter and DVD to Catholics in the state about the church's response to measures recently introduced in the state Legislature that would change the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples. "As the chief pastor of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, I am writing to let you know of an important development that, if successful, will profoundly impact families throughout Minnesota," Archbishop John C. Nienstedt said.

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Hundreds of Catholic Charities leaders and staffers took to Capitol Hill Sept. 28 to promote new legislation that they believe could transform the U.S. approach to fighting poverty. Participants in Catholic Charities USA's centennial gathering in Washington visited their senators and representatives on the convention's final day to urge support for the National Opportunity for Community Renewal Act, introduced that day by Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.