Catholic News 2
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. workers have been largely insulated from a global slowdown....
BEIJING (AP) -- What's the world's largest propaganda organ to do when it finds itself struggling to get TV drama-obsessed young Chinese to pay attention to the latest raft of Communist Party slogans?...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ben Carson ran for president, and his consultants won....
SEATTLE (AP) -- That an American adventurer could be the one to help crack one of aviation's greatest mysteries came as no shock to his friends, who say they aren't surprised Blaine Gibson's passion for mysteries, travel and meeting people would bring him to the Mozambique coast in search of clues about the missing Malaysia Airlines flight....
SYDNEY (AP) -- As the two-year anniversary of the disappearance of Flight 370 approaches, the situation would seem decidedly grim. The underwater hunt of a punishing patch of ocean that has trudged along since late 2014 has thus far come up empty, the stretch of water left to search is narrowing and skepticism of whether crews are looking in the right place continues to grow....
DETROIT (AP) -- The Republican establishment and its last best hopes to defeat Donald Trump spent a long and extraordinary day denouncing the billionaire businessman as dangerous, a "phony" and a "con man" unfit for office. Then, when it was all over, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and John Kasich swallowed hard and said they'd support Trump if he wins the GOP nomination....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- For months, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio tried to tear each other down in a bid to become Donald Trump's top challenger. The senators are now unlikely allies in an effort to stop Trump's march toward the Republican nomination....
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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MEDIA CONTACT
Don Clemmer
O: 202-541-3206
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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Rome, Italy, Mar 3, 2016 / 09:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal George Pell and a dozen survivors of clerical sex abuse met in Rome on Thursday, where they shared an emotional encounter and drafted a joint statement committing to work toward peace and healing.“I just met with about a dozen of the Ballarat survivors, support people and officials and heard each of their stories and of their sufferings. It was hard; an honest and occasionally emotional meeting,” Cardinal Pell, who is prefect of the Vatican's Secretariat for the Economy, said in the March 3 statement.Cardinal Pell read the statement aloud to reporters outside Rome’s Hotel Quirinale, where for the past four days he has been giving his testimony before Australia's Royal Commission investigating institutional responses to child sex abuse cases.He assured his commitment to working with members of the survivors group, many of whose families he knows from his time as a priest in Ballarat, a city in Au...
Rome, Italy, Mar 3, 2016 / 09:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal George Pell and a dozen survivors of clerical sex abuse met in Rome on Thursday, where they shared an emotional encounter and drafted a joint statement committing to work toward peace and healing.
“I just met with about a dozen of the Ballarat survivors, support people and officials and heard each of their stories and of their sufferings. It was hard; an honest and occasionally emotional meeting,” Cardinal Pell, who is prefect of the Vatican's Secretariat for the Economy, said in the March 3 statement.
Cardinal Pell read the statement aloud to reporters outside Rome’s Hotel Quirinale, where for the past four days he has been giving his testimony before Australia's Royal Commission investigating institutional responses to child sex abuse cases.
He assured his commitment to working with members of the survivors group, many of whose families he knows from his time as a priest in Ballarat, a city in Australia's state of Victoria.
“I know the goodness of so many people in Catholic Bellarat; a goodness which is not extinguished by the evil that was done.”
It is everyone’s desire to make things better on the ground, he said, and promised his personal commitment in helping the survivors to work effectively with the various agencies in Rome dedicated to fighting clerical sexual abuse, particularly the recently-established Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
At the hearing the cardinal testified on claims which resurfaced last year accusing him of transferring notorious abuser Gerald Ridsdale; of attempting to bribe David Ridsdale, a victim and nephew of the later-defrocked priest; and of failing to act on victims’ complaints.
Despite having testified before the commission twice before on the same charges, Pell offered to testify again and was summoned to return to Australia for deposition in December. However, the cardinal’s doctor advised against the long flight due to health issues.
As a result, Cardinal Pell volunteered to appear by way of video conference from Rome, which took place Feb. 28 – March 3.
David Ridsdale was present in Rome for the cardinal’s hearing alongside 14 other abuse survivors from Australia and their families, who launched a crowdfunding campaign in order to raise the money to send them, so that Cardinal Pell would have the same sort of public hearing as he would have in Sydney.
Cardinal Pell arranged for the group to meet with Fr. Hans Zollner, SJ, president of the Pontifical Gregorian University’s Center for Child Protection and a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, after the hearing finished.
After talking to Fr. Zollner, the survivors returned to Hotel Quirinale for their meeting with Cardinal Pell.
In comments to the media after the encounter, David Ridsdale described it as “extremely emotional,” but was happy they were able to meet “on a level playing field; we met as people from Bellarat.”
Cardinal Pell was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Ballarat in 1966, where many of the abuse survivors in Rome are from and where he served as a priest and later as a consulter to Bishop Ronald Mulkearns, who oversaw the diocese from 1971-1997.
Among the many survivors present were Anthony and Chrissie Foster, the parents of two clerical abuse victims. After two of the Fosters’ three daughters were abused by Fr. Kevin O’Donnell, one committed suicide, while the other became an alcoholic and was struck by a car while intoxicated, leaving her severely disabled.
Suicide has been common among victims of clerical sex abuse in Ballarat, and is something both Cardinal Pell and the survivors spoke out against in their statement.
“One suicide is too many. There have been many such tragic suicides,” Cardinal Pell said while reading it aloud.
He committed to working with the survivor group to try to stop suicides after abuse, and to make it so that “suicide is not seen as an option for those who are suffering.”
Despite the vast distance between Rome and Ballarat, the cardinal said he wants to continue contributing to making the city a model and a place of healing and peace.
He voiced his support to begin investigating the feasibility of creating a research center dedicated to enhancing the healing of abuse survivors and to improving the protection of youth, and expressed his faith in the loyalty and charity of the church-going community in Ballarat.
“I urge them to continue to cooperate with the survivors to improve the situation,” he said, and noted how much he owes on a personal level to the Ballarat community.
“It would be marvelous if our city became well-known as an effective center and the example of practical help for all those wounded by the scourge of sexual abuse,” he said.
