Catholic News 2

DUBLIN (AP) -- The Latest on the 2016 Irish election (all times local):...

 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-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...

Vatican City, Feb 27, 2016 / 10:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Before meeting with the president of Argentina Saturday, Pope Francis stopped by the funeral of Miriam Wuolou, a Vatican employee who died last week along with her unborn child, to pray and leave a bouquet of white roses.“Before the celebration the Holy Father went into the church to stand in prayer and in memory of the deceased, demonstrating his affection and his respect,” Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi SJ said Feb. 27. He said Pope Francis prayed in front of Wuolou’s coffin for 20 minutes before laying the bouquet and taking his leave.Wuolou was the receptionist at the Vatican’s Saint Martha guesthouse, where the Pope resides. She was found dead in her home Feb. 19.According to Italian news agency AGI, an autopsy showed that Wuolou, 34, who had suffered from severe diabetes, died due to a malfunction with her internal insulin pump, which controlled the level of glucose in her blood.She w...

Vatican City, Feb 27, 2016 / 10:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Before meeting with the president of Argentina Saturday, Pope Francis stopped by the funeral of Miriam Wuolou, a Vatican employee who died last week along with her unborn child, to pray and leave a bouquet of white roses.

“Before the celebration the Holy Father went into the church to stand in prayer and in memory of the deceased, demonstrating his affection and his respect,” Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi SJ said Feb. 27. 

He said Pope Francis prayed in front of Wuolou’s coffin for 20 minutes before laying the bouquet and taking his leave.

Wuolou was the receptionist at the Vatican’s Saint Martha guesthouse, where the Pope resides. She was found dead in her home Feb. 19.

According to Italian news agency AGI, an autopsy showed that Wuolou, 34, who had suffered from severe diabetes, died due to a malfunction with her internal insulin pump, which controlled the level of glucose in her blood.

She was pregnant at the time of her death in what doctors considered a “high-risk” pregnancy due to the severity of her diabetes. 

Her funeral service was held Saturday morning at Roman parish of Santo Stefano degli Abissini.

After praying in front of her coffin, Pope Francis headed back to the Vatican, where he met with Argentina’s new president Mauricio Macri. 

According to a Feb. 20 communique from the Vatican, the cordial discussion focused on the good relations between the two countries, as well as common points of interest such promoting an integral development, respect for human rights, the fight against poverty and drug trafficking, justice, peace and social reconciliation.

The positive contribution of the Argentine bishops’ conference and Catholic institutions in Argentina was also discussed, particularly in the areas of the promotion of human dignity and the formation of future generations, especially given the current economic climate.

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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Partial election results in Iran on Saturday point to major gains by reformists and moderates who favor expanding freedoms and engaging with the West, and who defended the recently implemented nuclear deal with world powers against opposition from hard-liners....

PALO ALTO, California (AP) -- In its fight with the FBI, Apple insists it's defending the privacy and safety of all iPhone users by resisting government calls to help unlock an extremist's iPhone. And now other big tech companies such as Google and Facebook are rallying to Apple's side....

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) -- Leilani Dominicci has all the typical worries of pregnant women plus a new one spreading across Puerto Rico: the fear she will become infected with the Zika virus and put her baby at risk....

BEIRUT (AP) -- A cease-fire brought relative quiet to parts of Syria for the first time in years on Saturday, offering civilians rare respite from Russian and Syrian government airstrikes despite some limited breaches of the agreement brokered by Washington and Moscow....

ATLANTA (AP) -- With Super Tuesday approaching, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz escalated their argument Saturday that Donald Trump is a conservative impostor, trying to make the case to voters they can keep the ascendant billionaire from claiming the Republican presidential nomination....

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (AP) -- Hillary Clinton hoped to cement her position as the Democratic front-runner with a big win in Saturday's South Carolina presidential primary, while rival Bernie Sanders moved on before the votes were even counted to focus on next week's Super Tuesday contests....