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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- SpaceX has another launch under its belt, but not another rocket landing....
SAO PAULO (AP) -- Brazilian police hauled former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from his home and questioned him for about four hours Friday in a sprawling corruption case involving state-run oil company Petrobras that has already ensnared some of the country's most-powerful lawmakers and businessmen....
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The United States is pressing the U.N. Security Council for the first time to confront the escalating problem of sexual abuse and exploitation by U.N. peacekeepers, which has undermined the organization's credibility....
BEIJING (AP) -- China's leadership cut this year's growth target for its slowing economy to 6.5-7 percent and promised Saturday to allow private companies into its petroleum and telecoms markets as part of sweeping reforms aimed boosting productivity and incomes....
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- More than 20 years after O.J. Simpson's ex-wife and a friend were stabbed to death, police revealed Friday they are examining a knife that was reportedly found at the home where the former football star was living at the time....
WASHINGTON-Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York called on everyone "concerned about the tragedy of abortion" to recommit to a "vision of life and love, a vision that excludes no one" on January 14. His statement marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Cardinal Dolan chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops."Most Americans oppose a policy allowing legal abortion for virtually any reason - though many still do not realize that this is what the Supreme Court gave us," wrote Cardinal Dolan. "Most want to protect unborn children at later stages of pregnancy, to regulate or limit the practice of abortion, and to stop the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of unborn children. Yet many who support important goals of the pro-life movement do not identify as 'pro-life,' a fact which should lead us to examine how we present our pro-life vision to others.""Even as Americans rema...
WASHINGTON-Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York called on everyone "concerned about the tragedy of abortion" to recommit to a "vision of life and love, a vision that excludes no one" on January 14. His statement marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Cardinal Dolan chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"Most Americans oppose a policy allowing legal abortion for virtually any reason - though many still do not realize that this is what the Supreme Court gave us," wrote Cardinal Dolan. "Most want to protect unborn children at later stages of pregnancy, to regulate or limit the practice of abortion, and to stop the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of unborn children. Yet many who support important goals of the pro-life movement do not identify as 'pro-life,' a fact which should lead us to examine how we present our pro-life vision to others."
"Even as Americans remain troubled by abortion," wrote Cardinal Dolan, a powerful and well-funded lobby holds "that abortion must be celebrated as a positive good for women and society, and those who cannot in conscience provide it are to be condemned for practicing substandard medicine and waging a 'war on women'." He said this trend was seen recently when President Obama and other Democratic leaders prevented passage of the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act, "a modest measure to provide for effective enforcement" of conscience laws.
"While this is disturbing," said Cardinal Dolan, "it is also an opportunity." Pro-life Americans should reach out to "the great majority of Americans" who are "open to hearing a message of reverence for life." He added that "we who present the pro-life message must always strive to be better messengers. A cause that teaches the inexpressibly great value of each and every human being cannot show disdain or disrespect for any fellow human being." He encouraged Catholics to take part, through prayer and action, in the upcoming "9 Days for Life" campaign, January 16-24. More information on the campaign is available online: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxJwfcefUiU
He also cited the Year of Mercy called by Pope Francis as a time for women and men to find healing through the Church's Project Rachel post-abortion ministry.
The full text of Cardinal Dolan's message is available online.
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Keywords: Roe v. Wade, anniversary, Pro-Life, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, 9 Days for Life, USCCB, U.S. bishops, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Year of Mercy, Project Rachel, Pope Francis
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WASHINGTON-The Office of General Counsel of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) filed an amicus curiae brief in the U.S. Supreme Court, February 1, on behalf of USCCB, the Texas Catholic Conference and several Christian partners in support of a Texas law mandating health and safety standards protecting women who undergo abortions. Other groups joining the brief include the National Association of Evangelicals, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. The case is Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, currently before the U.S. Supreme Court."There is ample evidence in this case that hospital admitting privileges and ambulatory surgical center requirements protect women's lives and health," said the brief. "When such requirements are not enforced, abuses detrimental to women's lives and health arise."The brief noted that some abortion clinics have decla...
"There is ample evidence in this case that hospital admitting privileges and ambulatory surgical center requirements protect women's lives and health," said the brief. "When such requirements are not enforced, abuses detrimental to women's lives and health arise."
The brief noted that some abortion clinics have declared the standards too strict, although the standards are similar to those issued by the abortion industry. It added that abortion providers "should not be allowed to rely upon their own failure to comply with health and safety laws" as a reason to strike such laws down. The brief said the providers' resistance to such regulations is not in the best interests of women's health and safety. It also noted that over 40 years of precedent, including the Court's 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, reaffirms that states may regulate abortion to protect maternal life and health.
Full text of the brief is available online: www.usccb.org/about/general-counsel/amicus-briefs/upload/Whole-Woman-s-Health-v-Hellerstedt.pdf
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Keywords: General Counsel, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Texas law abortion, amicus curia, National Association of Evangelicals, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, U.S. Supreme Court
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Vatican City, Mar 4, 2016 / 01:35 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Leading his annual penitential service on Friday, Pope Francis told attendees to stand tall and be open to forgiveness, and not to let themselves remain under the heavy burden of sin.“Let us cast off...all that prevents us from racing towards him, unafraid of leaving behind those things which make us feel safe and to which we are attached,” the Pope said March 4.He told attendees not to “remain sedentary, but let us get up and find our spiritual worth again, our dignity as loved sons and daughters who stand before the Lord so that we can be seen by him, forgiven and recreated.”Pointing to the word “recreated,” Francis said it arrives to the heart of each person present, because it’s a reminder of what God said when he created man: “Rise! God has created us to stand. Arise.”The Pope’s homily was part of the annual “24 Hours for the Lord” event, which takes pl...
Vatican City, Mar 4, 2016 / 01:35 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Leading his annual penitential service on Friday, Pope Francis told attendees to stand tall and be open to forgiveness, and not to let themselves remain under the heavy burden of sin.
“Let us cast off...all that prevents us from racing towards him, unafraid of leaving behind those things which make us feel safe and to which we are attached,” the Pope said March 4.
He told attendees not to “remain sedentary, but let us get up and find our spiritual worth again, our dignity as loved sons and daughters who stand before the Lord so that we can be seen by him, forgiven and recreated.”
Pointing to the word “recreated,” Francis said it arrives to the heart of each person present, because it’s a reminder of what God said when he created man: “Rise! God has created us to stand. Arise.”
The Pope’s homily was part of the annual “24 Hours for the Lord” event, which takes place the fourth Friday and Saturday of Lent inside St. Peter’s Basilica.
A worldwide initiative led by Pope Francis, the event points to confession as a primary way to experience God's merciful embrace. It was launched in 2014 under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
Cardinals, bishops, priests and religious are invited by the Vatican to participate in the event by gathering around the Altar of the Confession inside the basilica.
As part of the penitential service, Pope Francis went to confession himself before administering the sacrament himself to a number of individuals.
Following the service in the Vatican, Churches throughout Rome will remain open for 24 hours to give pilgrims the opportunity to go to Confession and take part in Eucharistic Adoration.
In his homily, the Pope focused on the Gospel passage from Mark Chapter 10, in which a blind man named Bartimaeus hears that Jesus is passing by and calls out to him. As those around try to silence him, Bartimaeus cries out even louder.
Jesus hears him, stops and asks his disciples to bring Bartimaeus to him. When Bartimaeus arrives and asks to receive his sight, Jesus heals him immediately.
Pope Francis said the passage “has great symbolic value for our lives,” since each person finds themselves in the place of Bartimaeus.
“His blindness led him to poverty and to living on the outskirts of the city, dependent on others for everything he needed,” the pontiff said, explaining that sin has the same effect: “it impoverishes and isolates us.”
The blindness of sin leads us little by little to concentrate on what is superficial and to be indifferent to others, he said, noting that there are many temptations which have the power “to cloud the heart’s vision and to make it myopic!”
The Pope admitted that it is easy to be misguided, but cautioned that when we give into the temptation of only looking at ourselves, “we become blind, lifeless and self-centered, devoid of joy and true freedom.”
Jesus, however, passes by us and stops to listen in the same way that he did in the Gospel, the Pope said, explaining that like Bartimaeus, “our hearts race, because we realize that the Light is gazing upon us...which invites us to come out of our dark blindness.”
The closeness of Jesus makes us realize that something is missing when we are far away from him, Pope Francis said, adding that it is the presence of God which makes us feel the need for salvation and which “begins the healing of our heart.”
However, Francis lamented that there are always people like those in the Gospel who don’t want to stop when they see someone else suffering. These people, he said, prefer “to silence and rebuke the person in need who is only a nuisance.”
Francis said that by brushing these people off, we not only keep ourselves far from the Lord, but others as well. He prayed that everyone would realize that “we are all begging for God’s love, and not allow ourselves to miss the Lord as he passes by.”
The Pope then turned to role of pastors in the confessional, saying they are called in a special way “to hear the cry, perhaps hidden, of all those who wish to encounter the Lord.”
He encouraged them to re-examine behaviors that can get in the way of helping others draw close to Jesus, and to ask themselves if they are putting schedules, programs and regulations ahead of the desire for forgiveness.
Touching on the topic of God’s tenderness, the Pope said pastors must “certainly not water down the demands of the Gospel,” but at the same time they can’t risk “frustrating the desire of the sinner to be reconciled with the Father,” he said.
“We have been sent to inspire courage, to support and to lead others to Jesus,” he said, adding that their ministry “is one of accompaniment, so that the encounter with the Lord may be personal and intimate” and without fear.
Pope Francis concluded by noting how at the end of the Gospel, Bartimaeus immediately received his sight after speaking with Jesus, and then followed him.
When we draw near to Jesus like Bartimaeus did, “we too see once more the light which enables us to look to the future with confidence,” and which gives us the strength and courage to move forward, he said.
Francis encouraged attendees to follow Jesus “as faithful disciples,” so that they help everyone they meet to have the same experience of joy in receiving God’s his merciful love.
After “the embrace of the Father, the forgiveness of the Father,” in confession, the Pope told attendees to “celebrate in our hearts, because he is celebrating.”
IMAGE: CNS photo/Jorge Cabrera, ReutersBy David AgrenMEXICO CITY (CNS) -- Anoutspoken environmental activist in Honduras was murdered in her own home,sparking outrage and offering another example of the impunity and violence inthe Central American country.Berta Caceres, who won the 2015 GoldmanEnvironmental Prize -- an award considered the Nobel for ecological actions --was murdered at around 1 a.m. March 3 in what police initially called anattempted robbery, but family members denounced as politically motivatedmurder, according to media reports."A strong, dangerousmessage was sent today," said Mike Allison, an expert in Central Americanpolitics at the Jesuit-run University of Scranton, Pennsylvania. "It'soutrageous that after several years of international scrutiny and, at times,condemnation, that some people had no qualms ordering her murder."A Lenca indigenous leader,Caceres attracted international attention for her opposition to a hydroelectricdam on the Gualcarque River in west...
IMAGE: CNS photo/Jorge Cabrera, Reuters
By David Agren
MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- An outspoken environmental activist in Honduras was murdered in her own home, sparking outrage and offering another example of the impunity and violence in the Central American country.
Berta Caceres, who won the 2015 Goldman Environmental Prize -- an award considered the Nobel for ecological actions -- was murdered at around 1 a.m. March 3 in what police initially called an attempted robbery, but family members denounced as politically motivated murder, according to media reports.
"A strong, dangerous message was sent today," said Mike Allison, an expert in Central American politics at the Jesuit-run University of Scranton, Pennsylvania. "It's outrageous that after several years of international scrutiny and, at times, condemnation, that some people had no qualms ordering her murder."
A Lenca indigenous leader, Caceres attracted international attention for her opposition to a hydroelectric dam on the Gualcarque River in western Honduras, where construction crews arrived unannounced almost a decade ago. A court order banned her from the area and she endured death threats, but successfully led protests that thwarted the project.
"She was a woman committed to fighting for the protection of the environment and indigenous people's territories and the common struggle," said Jesuit Father Ismael Moreno, director of Radio Progreso and the Jesuit-run Team for Reflection, Research and Communication.
"This has been what she was known for," since founding the Council of Indigenous Peoples of Honduras in 1993, Father Moreno added. "It's been 25 years of perpetual struggle. ... She was the woman with the most recognition in all of Honduras" and well-known abroad.
Caceres participated in the 2014 World Meeting of Popular Movements at the Vatican but was not considered close with the Honduran church hierarchy.
Her actions had angered elites in Honduras, one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere and home to the highest homicide rate in the world. Father Moreno said she protested against concessions granted to foreign mining companies and was perhaps the best-known critic of a concept known as "model cities," which creates areas within Honduras that have laws and institutions different from the rest of the country, in an effort to attract international investment.
Mostly, though, she protested against proposed mines and hydroelectric projects, which were planned by foreign firms -- and, her supporters alleged, she dealt with threats from landowners and the authorities.
"We're heartbroken," said Father Moreno, who considered Caceres a close friend. "She was constantly under threat."
The murder brought international condemnation and calls for investigation.
President Juan Orlando Hernandez condemned the killing and promised a thorough investigation.
"This act causes mourning for all of us," he said via Twitter.
Police initially attributed Caceres' death to robbery, but later said she was shot four times, according to media reports.
The crime again confirms the problem of corruption and impunity in Honduras, where mass protests filled the streets in 2015 after it was discovered money embezzled out of the state social security system ended up in Hernandez's successful presidential campaign.
An international commission against impunity has been created in Honduras, following the example of neighboring Guatemala, where the president and vice president were impeached on corruption charges. Observers say it may not be as easy in Honduras.
"(The commission) and the international community should have no illusions about the environment into which they are operating," Allison said.
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Copyright © 2016 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.
IMAGE: CNS photo/Max Rossi, ReutersBy Cindy WoodenVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Exercise a little courage and go toconfession, turn away from selfishness and sin and back to God during the Yearof Mercy, Pope Francis urged people at a Lenten penance service."When our desire to be healed becomes more courageous,it leads to prayer, to crying out fervently and persistently for help, as didBartimaeus: 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me,'" the pope said,quoting from the Gospel of St. Mark.The penance service in St. Peter's Basilica March 4 kickedoff the Rome celebration of "24 Hours for the Lord," a period when selectchurches around the city were to be open all night -- or at least for extendedhours -- for confession and eucharistic adoration.After delivering his homily at the service, Pope Francis walkedto one of the confessionals in the basilica and knelt in front of a priest toconfess his sins. Then he and 60 priests went to other confessionals, or evenjust plastic chairs set in quiet cor...
IMAGE: CNS photo/Max Rossi, Reuters
By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Exercise a little courage and go to confession, turn away from selfishness and sin and back to God during the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis urged people at a Lenten penance service.
"When our desire to be healed becomes more courageous, it leads to prayer, to crying out fervently and persistently for help, as did Bartimaeus: 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me,'" the pope said, quoting from the Gospel of St. Mark.
The penance service in St. Peter's Basilica March 4 kicked off the Rome celebration of "24 Hours for the Lord," a period when select churches around the city were to be open all night -- or at least for extended hours -- for confession and eucharistic adoration.
After delivering his homily at the service, Pope Francis walked to one of the confessionals in the basilica and knelt in front of a priest to confess his sins. Then he and 60 priests went to other confessionals, or even just plastic chairs set in quiet corners, to hear confessions.
Like Bartimaeus, who was blind, Catholics go to confession because they want to see again, the pope said. "Our sins have made us lose sight of all that is good and have robbed us of the beauty of our calling, leading us instead far away from our journey's end."
The blindness of sin "impoverishes and isolates us," the pope said. It prevents people from seeing what is most important and instead makes them focus on themselves "until we are indifferent to others and to what is good."
"How easy and misguided it is to believe that life depends on what we have, on our success and on the approval we receive," the pope said. Sin makes people believe "the economy is only for profit and consumption" and "that personal desires are more important than social responsibility."
The Year of Mercy, Pope Francis said, "is the favorable time to welcome God's presence, to experience his love and to return to him with all our heart. Like Bartimaeus, let us cast off our cloak and rise to our feet: that is, let us cast aside all that prevents us from racing toward him."
Speaking to priests, particularly those about to administer the sacrament, Pope Francis urged them to ensure that nothing they do makes it more difficult for people to draw close to Jesus in confession.
Priests are meant to "inspire courage, to support and to lead others to Jesus," he said. "Our ministry is one of accompaniment so that the encounter with the Lord may be personal and intimate, and the heart may open itself to the savior in honesty and without fear."
The gift of priesthood, he said, is a gift that brings with it the ability to facilitate a sinner's personal encounter with the Lord and, even more, "to stretch out our hand and to absolve, thus making his mercy visible and effective."
"We certainly must not water down the demands of the Gospel, but we cannot risk frustrating the desire of the sinner to be reconciled with the Father," Pope Francis said. "For what the Father awaits more than anything is for his sons and daughters to return home.
"May every man and woman who comes to confession find a father who welcomes them and the Father who forgives them," the pope said in a brief addition to his prepared homily.
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Copyright © 2016 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.
