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Washington D.C., Feb 7, 2017 / 09:51 am (CNA).- Two weeks ago, America witnessed a historic event. Tens of thousands of people gathered in Washington, D.C. for the 44th annual March for Life and heard from the highest ranking White House official to ever grace the March for Life stage – Vice President Mike Pence, along with top-ranking WH official Kellyanne Conway.

The day was a bit of a blur for those of us who were there, but in reflecting back on that historic event two weeks ago, I am reminded of the critical theme that we chose this year for the March for Life – “The Power of One.”

This year’s theme was conceived one night early last Spring during a “Tenebrae” service at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington D.C. The service, which means “shadows” in Latin, falls within the context of Holy Week, when Christians worldwide celebrate the Lord's Supper, the passion, death and ultimately resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.

At one point within the service, all of the lights in the cathedral except one – a candelabra with eight candles lit on the altar – are out. As meaningful lamentations from the Old Testament are read, one by one, each of the eight candles are snuffed out until the entire cathedral is pitch black. The darkness is stark and uncomfortable, but then everything changes. A single candle at the very top is lit, symbolizing Christ. It is notable and surprising how that one little candle creates an enormously different environment than the darkness. Literally, every square foot of that cathedral was touched by a little bit of light, and that little bit of light changed everything.   

“Even the smallest person can change the course of history” is a powerful line from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy and this line truly encapsulates “The Power of One” theme.  

Working to build a culture of life can sometimes feel like we are working and living in the darkness. I experienced that darkness back in June, one day after the Supreme Court made two life issues-related decisions: The first essentially gave abortion clinics a pass, and decided to treat them differently than other outpatient facilities with regard to health standards and regulations. In the second ruling, a family pharmacy from Washington State, after battling for many years, was told that they either had to violate their consciences by filling life-destructive drug prescriptions or close up their business.

As a pro-life American who doesn’t identify with either political party, approaching the close of difficult years with the Obama Administration on life and religious freedom issues, these decisions were somewhat of a final blow as we looked towards possible continuation of such policies over coming years.

But as I reflected on those two decisions and the other trials that our nation was facing, I was reminded of that little candle and the power it had to light the entire cathedral. I had to remember that no matter who is President, who is in Congress or what Supreme Court decisions are made – as significant as they are – every single one of us has the power to make a change in this world, and there is always hope. Thus, the theme of this year’s March for Life was born.

On Jan. 22, Americans from every inch of this country gathered in our nation’s capital for the historic 44th annual March for Life, not only to commemorate that dark day when Roe v Wade legalized abortion in our nation, but also to celebrate life and the countless lives saved throughout the years since abortion was legalized.

The speakers for this year’s March for Life embodied “The Power of One” theme in a way I could have never imagined. Vice President Mike Pence joined us as the first-ever vice president to address the March for Life, alongside top White House adviser Kellyanne Conway – both of whom are inspiring role models, exemplifying how one person can truly change the world.

Abby Johnson shared her story of being a former Planned Parenthood director who became an outspoken pro-life advocate and founder of “And Then There Were None.” Benjamin Watson spoke about his life outside of the NFL as a father of five, a strong Christian, and a pro-life advocate in the public square. The youth presence at the March for Life is always incredible and this year we were thrilled to hear from Katrina Gallic, a student at the University of Mary. She spoke about the many buses her school brings every year to the March for Life and how, despite the blizzard of 2016, they continued as witnesses to life; even after getting snowed in on the Pennsylvania turnpike.

The March for Life is made up of tens of thousands of people who have the capacity to be the candle in a world that sometimes feels dark. This is the true power of one – every person has the power to be a light in this often dark world. We've been marching strong for 44 years, and this year, more than ever, there is so much opportunity for change. We will continue to march until a culture of life and respect has been restored in the United States; a culture where abortion is unthinkable and the inherent dignity of the human person is respected from conception to death.

 

*Jeanne Mancini is the President of the March for Life.

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Washington D.C., Feb 7, 2017 / 12:20 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Planned Parenthood clinics had monthly quotas for abortions or abortion referrals, according to two former clinic workers in a new Live Action investigative video.

“I trained my staff the way that I was trained, which was to really encourage women to choose abortion; to have it at Planned Parenthood, because it counts towards our goal,” Sue Thayer, a former Planned Parenthood manager at Storm Lake, Iowa, revealed in an interview with the pro-life group Live Action.

“We would try to get the appointment scheduled for abortion before they left our clinic.”

Thayer was dismissed from her job with Planned Parenthood of the Heartland in 2008, and is a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the affiliate. The Storm Lake clinic at which she worked closed in 2012.

Her lawsuit claims Planned Parenthood of the Heartland defrauded Medicaid by billing for birth control before it had been prescribed and overcharging, and that they illegally billed Medicaid for abortion-related services. A federal judge ruled in June 2016 that the lawsuit could proceed to trial.

The video is the third report in the Live Action’s new investigative series on Planned Parenthood, “Abortion Corporation.” The group has in the past published reports on Planned Parenthood for America and conducted undercover investigations of its clinics.

The group claimed previously that, according to their own inquiries of Planned Parenthood clinics, 92 of 97 Planned Parenthood clinics across the country admitted they did not offer prenatal care for women.

In the third video, a former center manager and a former nurse described how their clinics set monthly quotas for the number of abortions to be performed – or if they did not offer abortions, the number of abortion referrals to be done.

They would offer employees incentives such as pizza parties or extra paid time off for meeting these quotas. Center managers would be recognized by upper management if their centers consistently met their quotas.

“So there were incentives built in, and it sounds kind of crazy but pizza is a motivator,” Thayer said.

Thayer described how they would pressure poor mothers into having abortions.

Clinic workers would discuss prices for services like pregnancy tests with expectant mothers. If mothers couldn’t make the minimum payment for services, clinic workers would ask her how she expected to pay for child care once she had the baby.

“If they’d say, ‘I’m not able to pay today,’ then we would say something like, ‘Well, if you can’t pay $10 today, how are you going to take care of a baby? Have you priced diapers? Do you know how much it costs to buy a car seat?” Thayer recalled telling pregnant mothers.

“‘There’s no place in Storm Lake, or whatever town they were in, you know, where you can get help as a pregnant mom. So really, don’t you think your smartest choice is termination? We can take care of that, set it up for you,’” she continued, referring to her advice for the mothers.

Marianne Anderson, a former nurse at Planned Parenthood, admitted, “I felt like I was more of a salesman sometimes, to sell abortions.”

“And we were told on a regular basis that you have a quota to meet, to keep this clinic open,” she said.

Lila Rose, president and founder of Live Action, insisted that Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, should be defunded and that Tuesday’s report was further proof that it must.

“Planned Parenthood doesn’t have quotas for adoptions. It doesn’t have quotas for prenatal care. But quotas for abortions? Absolutely,” she stated.

“It’s time to redirect our tax money toward local health clinics that actually provide real care to women, instead of to Planned Parenthood, a corporation focused on upping its abortion numbers.”

President Trump has promised his support of stripping Planned Parenthood of federal funds, and House Speaker Paul Ryan announced early in January an effort to defund the organization in a budget bill repealing the Affordable Care Act. A bill has also been introduced in the U.S. Senate to redirect federal funding away from Planned Parenthood to women’s health care providers which do not perform abortions.

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Vatican City, Feb 7, 2017 / 12:55 pm (CNA).- Pope Francis could meet with President Donald Trump at the end of May.

The British newspaper The Tablet, citing diplomatic sources, said the two will meet during President Trump’s visit to Italy.

Trump will go to the G7 summit of world leaders meeting held May 26-27 in Taorima, Sicily.

The president and the Pope have sometimes been put at odds.

During a Feb. 18, 2016 in-flight press conference, Reuters reporter Philip Pullella asked the Pope to respond to Donald Trump’s immigration stand.

Pope Francis answered: “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel.”

The pontiff added he would “give the benefit of the doubt” to the political candidate.

One week prior, Trump had bashed Pope Francis as a “pawn” for the Mexican government and “a very political person” who does not understand the problems of the United States.

Holy See spokesman Father Federico Lombardi on Feb. 19 told Vatican Radio that the Pope’s comment “was never intended to be, in any way, a personal attack or an indication of how to vote” and had repeated a longstanding theme of his papacy, bridge-building.

The U.S. bishops have responded critically to the Trump administration’s recent executive orders. One bars refugee admissions for 120 days and places an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees. It bars visa permissions for seven predominantly Muslim countries on the terror watch list and restrictions on refugees for 90 days.

The executive orders, which are facing legal challenges, also cap refugees at 50,000, compared to the 2016 cap of 117,000 and actual admitted refugees, who numbered 85,000 last year.

The Pope has made refugee assistance a key focus of his papacy and has temporarily named himself head of the refugee and migration section of the new Vatican Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development.

Father Michael Czerny, secretary of the dicastery, told CNA that the Holy See plans for the U.S. bishops to be its first line of communication and engagement with the U.S. government on immigration and refugee issues.

“They’re responding very well,” Fr. Czerny said of the bishops. “And for the moment, they’re the people to listen to on this issue.”

Other positions of the new president could have a bearing on U.S. relations with the Holy See.

While President Trump previously favored legal abortion, as a candidate he campaigned on promises he would support pro-life policy goals and he re-instated a policy barring federal funds for overseas organizations that promote or perform abortion.

Although President Trump was a deeply controversial presidential candidate, his surprise victory in November took place with significant Catholic support.

According to the Pew Research Center’s analysis of exit polls by NBCnews.com and CNN.com, Trump secured 52 percent of Catholic voters, including 60 percent of non-Hispanic white Catholics. He lost Hispanic Catholic voters to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by a margin of 67-26, though this was an improvement over 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s performance among the same demographic.

 

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IRVING, Texas (CNS) -- The Boy Scouts of America's new policy to accept members based on their gender identity will have no impact on Scouting units sponsored by the Catholic Church, said the National Catholic Committee on Scouting.

The Boy Scouts announced Jan. 30 that effective immediately, the Texas-based organization will determine membership eligibility for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts on a youth's gender identity as indicated on the membership application. Previously, the policy based eligibility on the gender indicated on a youth's birth certificate.

The change in policy "has no impact on the operation and program delivery of Scouting program(s) in Catholic-chartered units," said a Feb. 4 statement issued by the Catholic Scouting committee.

"Scouting serves the Catholic Church through the charter concept, which is similar to a franchise," it said. "The units chartered to a Catholic institution are owned by that organization. The BSA has stipulated that religious partners will continue to have the right to make decisions for their units based on their religious beliefs."

The statement was signed by George S. Sparks, national chairman of the National Catholic Committee on Scouting, and Father Kevin M. Smith, a priest of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, who is national chaplain of Catholic Scouting. The statement was approved by Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone of Charleston, South Carolina, who is the episcopal liaison between Catholic Scouting and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In announcing the membership change, Michael Surbaugh, chief Scout executive, said the organization has been "challenged by a very complex topic -- the issue of gender identity." "After weeks of significant conversations" at all levels of the Scouting organization, he said, officials decided a birth certificate is no longer sufficient for determining eligibility for participating in Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts.

"We've taken the opportunity to evaluate and update our approach," he said in a video message posted online. "I hope you'll join with me in embracing the opportunity to bring Scouting to more families and children who can benefit from what our organization has to offer."

"This is an area that we will continue to thoughtfully evaluate to bring the benefits of Scouting to the greatest number of youth possible all while remaining true to our core beliefs," Surbaugh said.

Those beliefs, he said, are based on the Scout Oath, which begins "with duty to God," and the Scout Law, which ends" with a Scout's obligation to be reverent."

In a separate statement emailed Feb. 7 to Catholic News Service, Effie Delimarkos, the Boy Scouts' director of communications, reiterated that "we will accept and register youth in the Cub and Boy Scout programs based on the gender identity indicated on the application. Our organization's local councils will help find units that can provide for the best interest of the child."

The organization did not say if a specific case had prompted the policy change, but another spokesperson told CNS that Boy Scouts' "approach to gender identity was no longer sufficient as communities are now interpreting gender identity differently."

Sparks and Father Smith said in their statement: "Scouting's chartered organizations have the right to uphold their own moral standards within the units they charter. The teachings of the Catholic Church are upheld."

About 70 percent of Boy Scout troops are run by faith-based groups.

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