Catholic News 2
PANMUNJOM, North Korea (AP) -- Tensions have increased significantly along the Demilitarized Zone since North Korea's recent nuclear test and rocket launch, a North Korean military official told The Associated Press on Monday, adding that while he could not comment on operational details, "the reality is that it is touch and go."...
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Some family members of victims and survivors of the San Bernardino terror attack will file court papers in support of a judge's order that Apple Inc. help the FBI hack into a locked iPhone as part of the terrorism investigation, a lawyer and others said Monday....
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Donald Trump has repeated inaccurate and racially charged crime statistics, reposted pledges of support from white supremacists and retweeted dubious questions about the citizenship of his presidential rivals to an online following of more than 6 million people on Twitter alone....
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) -- The Latest on the shootings in the Kalamazoo, Michigan, area (all times local):...
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) -- The Uber ride-hailing service acknowledged Monday that it received complaints about erratic driving by the suspect in the random shootings that killed six people in Kalamazoo, and a prosecutor said the man admitted carrying out the attacks....
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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Don Clemmer
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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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Washington D.C., Feb 22, 2016 / 10:19 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At a funeral Mass on Saturday, Catholics recalled the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia as a man of deep faith that informed his public service.“He was God’s first,” his son Fr. Paul Scalia noted of his father, citing public servant St. Thomas More’s iconic quote: “I die the king’s good servant but God’s first.”Justice Scalia died Feb. 13 at a resort ranch in West Texas at the age of 79. He was the longest-serving justice on the Supreme Court, having served since 1986.A lifelong Catholic, Scalia attended the Jesuit-run Xavier High School in New York City and then Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. for undergraduate studies. He was a parishioner at St. John the Beloved Catholic Church in McLean, Va.An estimated crowd of 3,300 attended Scalia’s funeral Mass Saturday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest church in Nor...
Washington D.C., Feb 22, 2016 / 10:19 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At a funeral Mass on Saturday, Catholics recalled the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia as a man of deep faith that informed his public service.
“He was God’s first,” his son Fr. Paul Scalia noted of his father, citing public servant St. Thomas More’s iconic quote: “I die the king’s good servant but God’s first.”
Justice Scalia died Feb. 13 at a resort ranch in West Texas at the age of 79. He was the longest-serving justice on the Supreme Court, having served since 1986.
A lifelong Catholic, Scalia attended the Jesuit-run Xavier High School in New York City and then Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. for undergraduate studies. He was a parishioner at St. John the Beloved Catholic Church in McLean, Va.
An estimated crowd of 3,300 attended Scalia’s funeral Mass Saturday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest church in North America.
Among those in attendance were current Supreme Court justices, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and numerous members of Congress, as well as the president of The Catholic University of America John Garvey and his wife Jeanne.
Celebrating the Mass was one of Scalia’s nine children, Fr. Paul Scalia, who is Episcopal Vicar of Clergy for the Diocese of Arlington. Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C. concelebrated, along with the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States Carlo Maria Vigano, and Bishop Paul Loverde of Arlington. More than 90 diocesan and religious priests also concelebrated.
Cardinal Wuerl welcomed all present at the beginning of the Mass to pray “for the extraordinary man, Justice Antonin Scalia” and “that God will grant him eternal rest.”
In his homily, Fr. Scalia remarked “what a great privilege and consolation” it was to bring his father through the Holy Door of the basilica during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, and for him gain the indulgence promised to those who enter in faith.
“We are gathered here because of one man,” Fr. Scalia began, “a man loved by many, scorned by others; a man known for great controversy and for great compassion.”
“That man, of course, is Jesus of Nazareth,” he added. “It is He Who we proclaim….It is because of Him” that “we do not mourn as those who have no hope, but in confidence we commend Antonin Scalia to the mercy of God.”
Fr. Scalia gave thanks to God for the “atoning death and resurrection of Christ” and for the sacraments – his father’s baptism in the Catholic faith, the sacrament of the Eucharist that “nourished him,” the sacrament of Penance which “healed him,” and the sacrament of Holy Matrimony. Justice Scalia was married to his wife Maureen for 55 years.
Those who knew the late justice remarked about how his deep Catholic faith informed his love for his country.
Justice Scalia loved the “clarity” and “coherence” of Church teaching, Fr. Scalia noted.
“He loved us and sought to show us that love,” the priest added of his father, saying that he shared the “blessing of the faith that he treasured” with his family.
Members of the family saw a more lighthearted side of the justice as well, the priest noted.
Once Justice Scalia, realizing he was in the confession line for his son, deliberately sought another line. “Like heck if I’m confessing to you,” he told Fr. Scalia later. “The feeling was mutual,” Fr. Scalia remarked with a smile.
“God blessed dad with a love for our country,” he said, noting how his father saw the American founding as a “blessing” but one that could be lost if faith was driven from the public square. Antonin Scalia understood that the “deeper” one grew in faith, the “better citizen” he became.
Former Sen. Rick Santorum agreed that Justice Scalia was both a man of faith and a patriot.
It was “very clear” that Scalia’s Catholic faith was the “foundation of everything he was,” Santorum told CNA after the Mass. “We must be fully Catholic and fully American,” he said of the late justice’s legacy.
“He was a very strong Catholic and a man of great integrity whose faith strengthened his public service and his love for his country,” said Fr. Dominic Legge, O.P., an instructor in Systematic Theology at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C.
Fr. Legge recounted to CNA how Justice Scalia visited the Dominican House just weeks before his death for an event celebrating the 800th anniversary of the founding of the order. Scalia spoke of his “reverence for the law” and prayed with the Dominicans in their chapel, which was exemplary of his character, Fr. Legge said.
And of course, there was a little controversy – never lacking with Scalia. “His talk was a little provocative for Dominicans,” Fr. Legge said, noting that Scalia disagreed with St. Thomas Aquinas but did so in an “entirely appropriate” fashion. He loved a good debate.
Despite Antonin Scalia’s faith and character, Fr. Scalia implored those present to pray for his father’s soul. After all, although he believed, he did so “imperfectly,” Fr. Scalia said. “Christ was not yet perfected in him.”
“Let us not show him a false love” and allow admiration to replace prayer, he said.
Kalamazoo, Mich., Feb 22, 2016 / 12:09 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Paul J. Bradley of the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Mich. offered his prayers and condolences for the victims of a shooting spree in the city that left six dead and at least two seriously injured Saturday evening. “We are shocked and saddened by the horrific acts of violence in our beloved Kalamazoo last evening,” Bishop Bradley said in a statement posted to the diocese’s website on Sunday.“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the six innocent people whose lives in this world were so mercilessly ended. May they live forever with God in the life of the world to come.”Picking targets seemingly at random, 45-year-old Uber driver Jason Brian Dalton allegedly went on an hours-long rampage Saturday evening, reportedly opening fire on a woman outside an apartment complex, a father and son looking at cars at an auto dealership, and a group of women parked at a C...
Kalamazoo, Mich., Feb 22, 2016 / 12:09 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Paul J. Bradley of the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Mich. offered his prayers and condolences for the victims of a shooting spree in the city that left six dead and at least two seriously injured Saturday evening.
“We are shocked and saddened by the horrific acts of violence in our beloved Kalamazoo last evening,” Bishop Bradley said in a statement posted to the diocese’s website on Sunday.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the six innocent people whose lives in this world were so mercilessly ended. May they live forever with God in the life of the world to come.”
Picking targets seemingly at random, 45-year-old Uber driver Jason Brian Dalton allegedly went on an hours-long rampage Saturday evening, reportedly opening fire on a woman outside an apartment complex, a father and son looking at cars at an auto dealership, and a group of women parked at a Cracker Barrel restaurant.
In between shootings, Dalton reportedly picked up Uber customers and collected fare.
Dalton was taken into custody around 12:40 a.m. after his Chevrolet HHR was spotted on a surveillance camera leaving a bar parking lot, authorities said. Police found a semi-automatic handgun during the arrest, and shell casings at each of the shooting scenes match the weapon.
In his statement, Bishop Bradley said: “We also pray for the perpetrator; may God show him mercy and change his heart. We commend the courage and dedication of our first responders for their commitment to keeping our community safe.”
The woman at the apartment complex and a 14-year-old girl in one of the parked cars are the known seriously injured victims. The woman is expected to survive. The girl was pronounced dead on the scene, but an hour later was able to respond to questions by squeezing her mother’s hand and is now listed as being in critical condition.
The motive for the shootings is unknown. Dalton has no prior criminal record and passed a background check when he was hired to be an Uber driver.
Police have said they believe Dalton acted alone and they do not think the shootings were an act of terrorism under federal law, which classifies terrorism as a violent or dangerous crime that appears to be intended to either (1) intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (2) influence government policy by intimidation or coercion; or (3) affect government conduct by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping.
At the end of his statement, Bishop Bradley offered prayers for “an end to all forms of violence.”
“May this Lenten season be a time for all of us to turn away from sin and be freed from the strong hold of evil’s influence so that we can live together in security and peace,” he said.
The Diocese of Kalamazoo held a Mass on Monday at noon at the St. Augustine Cathedral “to pray for the victims, the injured and traumatized, and for an end to violence.”
“May all those impacted by this senseless tragedy be comforted by the love of our united prayers.”
MOSHAV UDIM, Israel (AP) -- The death of 93-year-old Holocaust survivor Samuel Willenberg marks the passing of the last known link to the notorious death camp of Treblinka, perhaps the most vivid example of Nazi Germany's attempt to destroy European Jewry....
