Catholic News 2
HESSTON, Kan. (AP) -- The Latest on the attack at a central Kansas factory (all times local):...
BEIRUT (AP) -- The Latest on the conflict in Syria and the provisional cease-fire proposed by the U.S. and Russia that is to go into effect at midnight (all times local):...
BEIRUT (AP) -- A cease-fire brokered by the United States and Russia went into effect across Syria on Saturday, marking the biggest international push to reduce violence in the country's devastating conflict, but the Islamic State group and al-Qaida's branch in Syria, the Nusra Front, were excluded....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Latest on the race for president ahead of Super Tuesday, the biggest single-day delegate haul of the nomination contests (all times Eastern):...
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.
---
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
# # #
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
---
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
# # #
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday paid a surprise visit to the San Carlo community at the Italian Centre for Solidarity (CeIS) near Castelgandalfo in the Alban hills. Founded by Father Mario Picchi, the San Carlo community works to prevent and combat social exclusion, focusing especially on those suffering from drug addiction.Listen to Christopher Wells' report: The unscheduled visit came as part of the Pope’s plan to make a concrete gesture linked to the works of mercy on one Friday of every month throughout this Jubilee year.The President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of New Evangelization, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, who accompanied the Holy Father, said the 55 young people and the volunteers living at the community centre were astonished to see him arrive unannounced and without a security escort.The Archbishop said Pope Francis spent time talking to each one of them and listening to their stories of battling drug dependency. Founded in the l...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday paid a surprise visit to the San Carlo community at the Italian Centre for Solidarity (CeIS) near Castelgandalfo in the Alban hills. Founded by Father Mario Picchi, the San Carlo community works to prevent and combat social exclusion, focusing especially on those suffering from drug addiction.
Listen to Christopher Wells' report:
The unscheduled visit came as part of the Pope’s plan to make a concrete gesture linked to the works of mercy on one Friday of every month throughout this Jubilee year.
The President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of New Evangelization, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, who accompanied the Holy Father, said the 55 young people and the volunteers living at the community centre were astonished to see him arrive unannounced and without a security escort.
The Archbishop said Pope Francis spent time talking to each one of them and listening to their stories of battling drug dependency. Founded in the late 1960s, the centre also welcomed Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II, who met with its young residents during an official visit in September 1983.
“With this sign,” the Archbishop said, Pope Francis “wanted to emphasize the need for continued confidence in the power of Mercy, which continues to support our pilgrimage and which, even in the coldest hours, makes us feel the warmth of God’s presence.”
Vatican City, Feb 26, 2016 / 11:35 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Continuing his knack for surprises, Pope Francis made an unscheduled stop at a rehabilitation center for those addicted to drugs and alcohol as part of monthly works of mercy, which he carries out on Fridays during the Jubilee Year of Mercy.He traveled to the Fr. Mario Picchi Italian Center for Solidarity on Friday afternoon for the surprise visit, where he spoke with the 60 guests receiving treatment, and offered words of hope.The center, a nonprofit organization founded by Fr. Picchi in 1979, organizes numerous initiatives aimed at fighting the marginalization of youth and families as well as social exclusion. Their primary objective is the prevention of and rehabilitation from drug addiction and alcoholism.In a Feb. 26 communique, the center’s president, Roberto Mineo, said that everyone was “without words” when they saw the Pope pull up in front of their door.True to his simple style, Francis arrived with ...
Vatican City, Feb 26, 2016 / 11:35 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Continuing his knack for surprises, Pope Francis made an unscheduled stop at a rehabilitation center for those addicted to drugs and alcohol as part of monthly works of mercy, which he carries out on Fridays during the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
He traveled to the Fr. Mario Picchi Italian Center for Solidarity on Friday afternoon for the surprise visit, where he spoke with the 60 guests receiving treatment, and offered words of hope.
The center, a nonprofit organization founded by Fr. Picchi in 1979, organizes numerous initiatives aimed at fighting the marginalization of youth and families as well as social exclusion. Their primary objective is the prevention of and rehabilitation from drug addiction and alcoholism.
In a Feb. 26 communique, the center’s president, Roberto Mineo, said that everyone was “without words” when they saw the Pope pull up in front of their door.
True to his simple style, Francis arrived with no special entourage, but was accompanied only by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization.
Mineo said the Pope “seemed at home” with both the workers and volunteers of the center, as well as with the patients themselves.
“He met at length with each one of them like a loving father listening to their stories and embracing them one by one,” Mineo said, noting how some of the guests showed the Pope photos of their families and children.
Papa al @CeIS_Roma "Non abbiate paura" pic.twitter.com/Mw7rFvS163
— CeISdonMarioPicchi (@CeIS_Roma) February 26, 2016
In a Feb. 26 communique from the Vatican, Archbishop Fisichella said that “the deep emotion” of the visit touched everyone, and that the Pope “wanted to stay together with the youth, he listened to their stories and made each one of them feel his closeness.”
The Pope, he said, encouraged them “not to be devoured by the ‘metastasis’ of drugs and, embracing them, wanted to make understood how the path started in the community is a real chance” to start again with “a life worth living.”
After hearing this “word of hope” from Pope Francis and receiving his blessing, Mineo said they told the Pope their primary philosophy in working with those suffering from addiction, namely, that “drugs are not defeated with drugs…the liberalization of soft drugs is not admissible.”
The philosophy is one Mineo said that their founder, Fr. Picchi, was serious about, and is something Francis himself has said on several occasions.
Mineo explained that the center had written the Pope a few weeks ago telling him about their work not only with drug addicted youth, but also with refugees and women who are victims of violence.
The letter’s messenger was the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who traveled to the center Dec. 19 to celebrate a Mass for Christmas.
“But we never imagined that the Pope, after reading our letter, would have honored us with his presence,” Mineo said.
Pope Francis’ decision to visit is part of his “Mercy Friday” initiative, in which he carries out one act of mercy a month on a Friday throughout the Holy Year.
Last month, he made a surprise visit to two different nursing homes in Rome. The first was the Bruno Buozzi Retirement Home on Via di Torre Spaccata, on the outskirts of Rome, which houses 33 elderly people.
Before returning to the Vatican, Francis made a second surprise stop at the “Casa Irde,” a home where six persons in a vegetative state live with their families and are provided assistance.
Vatican City, Feb 26, 2016 / 01:57 pm (CNA).- The CEO and co-founder of Instagram, Kevin Systrom, was received in a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace today.The Pope and Systrom spoke about the power of images "to overcome cultural, geographic or generational barriers," according to a Vatican source.Systrom has posted an image of his encounter with the Holy Father in his Instagram profile: “Today I had the honor of meeting Pope Francis. We spoke about the power of images to unite people across different cultures and languages. It was by far one of the most memorable experiences of my life!” Today I had the honor of meeting Pope Francis. We spoke about the power of images to unite people across different cultures and languages. It was by far one of the most memorable experiences of my life!A photo posted by Kevin Systrom (@kevin) on Feb 26, 2016 at 4:40am PST
Vatican City, Feb 26, 2016 / 01:57 pm (CNA).- The CEO and co-founder of Instagram, Kevin Systrom, was received in a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace today.
The Pope and Systrom spoke about the power of images "to overcome cultural, geographic or generational barriers," according to a Vatican source.
Systrom has posted an image of his encounter with the Holy Father in his Instagram profile: “Today I had the honor of meeting Pope Francis. We spoke about the power of images to unite people across different cultures and languages. It was by far one of the most memorable experiences of my life!”
Today I had the honor of meeting Pope Francis. We spoke about the power of images to unite people across different cultures and languages. It was by far one of the most memorable experiences of my life!
A photo posted by Kevin Systrom (@kevin) on Feb 26, 2016 at 4:40am PST
By Carol GlatzVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- By reflecting on the Passion ofChrist, the author of the Way of the Cross meditations for Pope Francis' GoodFriday service said he will focus on the suffering unfolding in the world todayand how "the martyrs of the 21st century are undoubtedly the apostles oftoday."Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti of Perugia-Citta della Pievetold Vatican Radio that his reflections on the traditional 14 stations willblend in "references to the present day, which unfortunately is notlacking in crosses" people are forced to bear."Therefore, I sought to interpret the sorrow throughthe lens of God's great love for humanity because otherwise sorrow doesn't makesense," he said Feb. 26."What strikes us the most is that Jesus took on thecross because he wanted to -- he could have avoided it," but he wanted totake on the sorrows of humanity, the cardinal said.He said the theme of the family will be highlighted,especially for the fourth station when Jesus meets his mother. "Alon...
By Carol Glatz
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- By reflecting on the Passion of Christ, the author of the Way of the Cross meditations for Pope Francis' Good Friday service said he will focus on the suffering unfolding in the world today and how "the martyrs of the 21st century are undoubtedly the apostles of today."
Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti of Perugia-Citta della Pieve told Vatican Radio that his reflections on the traditional 14 stations will blend in "references to the present day, which unfortunately is not lacking in crosses" people are forced to bear.
"Therefore, I sought to interpret the sorrow through the lens of God's great love for humanity because otherwise sorrow doesn't make sense," he said Feb. 26.
"What strikes us the most is that Jesus took on the cross because he wanted to -- he could have avoided it," but he wanted to take on the sorrows of humanity, the cardinal said.
He said the theme of the family will be highlighted, especially for the fourth station when Jesus meets his mother. "Alongside the tragedy of Mary," he said, will be reflected "the tragedy in our families, the situation of our families and young people," the problem of employment and a lack of meaning in life.
He said he will also look at the economic insecurity many people face, the plight of those forced to flee their homes because of war and poverty, and the persecution of today's Christians.
The sorrows afflicting both humanity and the church will receive attention, he said, and how both "need purification and reconciliation."
Everything will be looked at in view of Easter and Christ's resurrection -- "the great message of hope that we continue to bring."
Pope Francis asked the 73-year-old cardinal to write the meditations for his Good Friday service March 25 at Rome's Colosseum.
The pope had met the cardinal in 2013 a month after his election when the bishops of Umbria made their "ad limina" visits to Rome to report on the status of their dioceses. The two also spent a lot of time together later that year in Assisi, the Umbrian hometown of St. Francis.
Pope Francis gave him the red hat in 2014, making him the first cardinal from Perugia in 160 years; the last Archbishop of Perugia to wear a red hat was Cardinal Gioacchino Pecci, who became Pope Leo XIII in 1878.
Cardinal Bassetti serves as president for the Umbria region in the Italian bishops' conference.
- - -
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.
