Catholic News 2
BERLIN (AP) -- The extremist Islamic State group has published a video in which a man pledges allegiance to IS and vows Germany's people "won't be able to sleep peacefully anymore." It appears to be the same as the one found by German investigators on the phone of man who blew himself, killing himself and wounding 15 people....
RAMTHA, Jordan (AP) -- Syrian refugee Fawaz al-Jasem used to drop his tools and run when he saw police approaching the farm in northern Jordan where he has been picking vegetables for the past three years....
SAGAMIHARA, Japan (AP) -- Hatred appears to be what fueled a young Japanese man who went on a stabbing rampage, killing 19 people Tuesday at a facility for the mentally disabled where he had been fired. Months earlier, he reportedly gave a letter to Parliament outlining the bloody plan....
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A glass ceiling is shattering at the Democratic National Convention as Hillary Clinton ascends to the presidential nomination with Tuesday's roll call of the states, making her the first woman to lead a major party into a White House race....
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The world's first round-the-world flight to be powered solely by the sun's energy made history Tuesday as it landed in Abu Dhabi, where it first took off on an epic 25,000-mile (40,000-kilometer) journey that began more than a year ago....
SAGAMIHARA, Japan (AP) -- At least 19 people were killed and about 20 wounded in a knife attack Tuesday at a facility for the handicapped in a city just outside Tokyo in the worst mass killing in generations in Japan....
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The Latest on the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia (all times EDT):...
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Seeking to bridge deep Democratic divides, Bernie Sanders robustly embraced his former rival Hillary Clinton Monday night as a champion for the same economic causes that enlivened his supporters, signaling it was time for them, too, to rally behind her in the campaign against Republican Donald Trump....
New Haven, Conn., Jul 25, 2016 / 12:47 pm (CNA).- A new poll released Monday found that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe abortion clinics should be held to the same medical and safety standards as other outpatient surgery centers.The survey follows last month’s Supreme Court ruling striking down a Texas law regulating abortion clinics on the grounds that it placed an “undue burden” on a women’s “right to an abortion.”The case had challenged two Texas regulations of abortion clinics. One regulation said that abortionists must have admitting privileges at a local hospital in case of a medical emergency at their clinic. The other said that clinic buildings must meet the standards of ambulatory surgery centers: they must have proper sanitation, staffing, and medical experts on hand to deal with medical emergencies.Seventy-eight percent of those surveyed in the July 2016 poll believe that abortion clinics should be held to the same standar...
New Haven, Conn., Jul 25, 2016 / 12:47 pm (CNA).- A new poll released Monday found that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe abortion clinics should be held to the same medical and safety standards as other outpatient surgery centers.
The survey follows last month’s Supreme Court ruling striking down a Texas law regulating abortion clinics on the grounds that it placed an “undue burden” on a women’s “right to an abortion.”
The case had challenged two Texas regulations of abortion clinics. One regulation said that abortionists must have admitting privileges at a local hospital in case of a medical emergency at their clinic. The other said that clinic buildings must meet the standards of ambulatory surgery centers: they must have proper sanitation, staffing, and medical experts on hand to deal with medical emergencies.
Seventy-eight percent of those surveyed in the July 2016 poll believe that abortion clinics should be held to the same standards as other outpatient surgery centers.
The agreement was widespread across the board, including 77 percent of African Americans and 82 percent of Latinos, in addition to 77 percent of women, and 84 percent of millennials.
Even 74 percent of those who consider themselves “pro-choice” agreed that abortion clinics should meet the standards of other outpatient surgical centers.
Furthermore, 70 percent of Americans said that doctors who perform abortions to be required to have hospital admitting privileges.
This included 71 percent of women, 77 percent of millennials, and 78 percent of Latinos. Both those who identify as pro-life and those who identify as pro-choice showed a 71 percent rate of support for this requirement.
The survey, conducted July 5-12, 2016 by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion and commissioned by the Knights of Columbus, polled 1,009 adults in the U.S., with a 3.1 percentage point margin of error.
In addition to asking Americans about their views on medical standards for abortion facilities, the survey revisited questions from previous polls involving abortion restrictions.
It found that 78 percent of Americans support substantial restrictions on abortion and would limit it to the first trimester of pregnancy at most.
While this number is down from last year’s Marist survey, which found in January 2015 that 84 percent of Americans supported substantial abortion restrictions, the poll director said the numbers are still very stable throughout the years.
“The majority of Americans in favor of abortion restrictions has been consistently around 8 in 10 for the better part of a decade,” said Barbara Carvalho, director of the Marist Poll. “Though self-identification as pro-life or pro-choice can vary substantially from year to year, the support for restrictions is quite stable.”
The Marist poll also found that the majority of Americans – 62 percent – oppose taxpayer funding of abortion, although this number dropped by 6 percent from last year.
Opposition to taxpayer-funded abortion in the 2016 poll was found among 65 percent of African Americans, 61 percent of Latinos, and 45 percent of those who say they are pro-choice, in addition to 84 percent of Republicans, 61 percent of Independents and 44 percent of Democrats.
Remaining steady from last year, Americans by about a 20-point margin believed that medical professionals should not be forced to perform abortions against their conscience.
This included 61 percent of Latinos polled and 41 percent of those who identify as pro-choice.
Krakow, Poland, Jul 25, 2016 / 02:40 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- As thousands of youth are setting foot in Krakow for World Youth Day, many voiced their excitement not only to meet peers who share the same faith, but above all to see Pope Francis in person.For Ernest, a young pilgrim traveling from Zimbabwe, “that feeling is going to be out of this world. It’s going to be out of this world.”In July 25 comments to CNA, Ernest said that he’s always seen the Pope on TV, but never in person. He missed Francis during his trip to Africa last year, which included stops in Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic, because he decided to go on a pilgrimage to Uganda, but arrived only after the Pope had left. “People tell me it was really packed,” he said, adding that while it was a blessing to see the impact Francis left in Uganda, “I’m really excited and I'm really expecting to see the Pope” in person.Ernest said this is...
Krakow, Poland, Jul 25, 2016 / 02:40 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- As thousands of youth are setting foot in Krakow for World Youth Day, many voiced their excitement not only to meet peers who share the same faith, but above all to see Pope Francis in person.
For Ernest, a young pilgrim traveling from Zimbabwe, “that feeling is going to be out of this world. It’s going to be out of this world.”
In July 25 comments to CNA, Ernest said that he’s always seen the Pope on TV, but never in person. He missed Francis during his trip to Africa last year, which included stops in Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic, because he decided to go on a pilgrimage to Uganda, but arrived only after the Pope had left.
“People tell me it was really packed,” he said, adding that while it was a blessing to see the impact Francis left in Uganda, “I’m really excited and I'm really expecting to see the Pope” in person.
Ernest said this is his first time attending a WYD, but that after hearing his peers talk about their experiences in the 2011 and 2013 gatherings in Madrid and Rio de Janiero, he decided to go.
“They say it was a blessed experience, that’s why I’m here. I’ve never seen the Pope, so I want to see him for the first time! It’s so great to be here.”
Ernest and his group, numbering around 30-40 people, are just a small part of the more than 300,000 pilgrims expected to arrive to Krakow this week for WYD. World Youth Day officially kicks off July 25 and lasts through July 31, with Pope Francis arriving July 27. It will be the second WYD of his pontificate.
Most pilgrims traveling to Krakow will be arriving from other pilgrimages they've made to places such as Rome and other important sites in and around Poland such as the Shrine of Czestochowa, the Divine Mercy Sanctuary, and John Paul II's hometown of Wadowice, which sits some 30 miles southwest of Krakow.
In the days leading up to Pope Francis' arrival, groups of pilgrims are participating in several activities, including special sessions of catechesis, as well as a four-day youth festival and the possibility to visit a vocations center.
The catechesis sessions will be offered July 27-29 as part of the official WYD events, and will be preached in different languages by bishop from around the world on the gathering’s official theme: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
Many of the catechesis sessions will take place in Wadowice, as well as in churches and other selected venues in Krakow in order to ensure that all youth will be able to participate.
During the youth festival, which lasts from July 26-29, a religious, artistic and cultural program will take place in the evenings, during which youth will be able participate in concerts, exhibitions, workshops, sporting events and theater.
They will even have the opportunity to perform in front of the other youth as a means of expressing and sharing their culture with the others.
Vocations are another area of heavy emphasis during the event. Groups of priests, nuns and religious can be seen throughout the main areas of the WYD events approaching youth and handing them holy cards as they engage with them on faith and their communities.
Nothing, however, can outdo the excitement the youth feel about meeting thousands of their peers from all over the world and seeing Pope Francis in person.
Maria, a young woman born in Guayaquil, Ecuador but who is now living in Orlando, Fl., told CNA that this is her first WYD, and the fact that it’s being led by a Latin American Pope is “awesome.”
Even though she has lived in the United States since she was a toddler, Maria had a lot of family still living in Ecuador, and because of that was invited to travel to WYD with their group.
“I honestly didn’t expect it to be this big or to be as organized, but you feel the warmth of everyone and people give you so many nice gifts and it’s an amazing experience,” she said, adding even though WYD hasn’t officially started, everything she has expected “has really just come true.”
“There’s so much going on, there’s so many people that I’ve met, and I’ve learned new languages like Polish and German. It’s been great. It’s met all of my expectations if not exceeded them.”
Likewise, Majd, a youth from Australia, told CNA that his group arrived to Krakow Sunday, and that so far, “our experience here is absolutely lit.”
“It’s excellent, I love it. It’s really fun, fantastic,” he said, explaining that before coming to Krakow, their group traveled for 24 hours to get to Italy, where they visited important sites in Assisi, Siena, Florence and Pisa before heading to Warsaw, Czestochowa and finally Krakow.
Having participated in the 2008 WYD in Sydney, Majd said that despite having spent only a few days in Poland, he so far prefers the Krakow experience.
“The area is quite nice, the culture here is amazing, the people here are really welcoming. I really want to see more people,” he said, adding that for him, “there’s a lot more things I could probably learn from here than I would in Australia.”
Majd said this will be his first time seeing Pope Francis in person, and that he’s really looking forward to participating in Mass with Pope July 31 to mark the official close of WYD.
“I think it’d be great to see him, especially if I could see him up close. If I could get that I’m going to love it,” he said, explaining that he’s anxious to hear Francis talk about the Year of Mercy.
“I want to hear him talk about the Year of Mercy, how we can be better, how we can show mercy to others. I really want to learn a lot from him,” Majd said, saying he believes WYD will “definitely make the Jubilee better for us.”
“I’m hoping that this will definitely deepen my faith and that I can bring a lot of great souvenirs from here and that my family would learn from me my ways and the ways of Him.”
