Catholic News 2

Full Article

Full Article

Full Article

Full Article

 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

Full Article

Full Article

Vatican City, Feb 11, 2016 / 02:29 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In his new book on Benedict XVI, Vatican journalist Marco Mancini argues that while the retired pontiff became known for his shocking resignation three years ago, his real legacy began far earlier.

“Unfortunately, we remember Benedict for the great gesture of the renunciation, but if we go on remembering Benedict only for that act, it would not be doing a service to truth of the facts,” Mancini told CNA.

Neither would it be a service to history, to his pontificate or his person, “because he really in eight years confronted the totality of the themes and the emergencies that the Catholic Church lived.”

Benedict XVI's Feb. 11, 2013, announcement of his resignation from the papacy – exactly three years ago today – hit the Church “light a lightning bolt in a clear blue sky,” said one cardinal who was present in the room when the pontiff stunned the Vatican and the rest of the world with his decision.

But in his book “Benedict XVI: Un Papa Totale,” translating roughly as “Benedict XVI: a Complete Pope,” Mancini, 33, said Benedict's most memorable act was not his resignation, but everything he did to carry the Church through the many difficult and varied crises it endured during his eight-year reign.

The book, which as of now is only available in Italian, was presented at the Vatican's Teutonic College Feb. 5. Speakers at the event included Mancini, Angela Ambrogetti – editor of CNA's Italian edition ACI Stampa – as well as Archbishop Georg Gaenswein, prefect of the Pontifical Household.

Archbishop Gaenswein told CNA that in his opinion, Benedict XVI's greatest legacy “is yet to be discovered,” but that an important one we can see now “the personal and theological witness of a man who is a great theologian, but who did theology in a very, very humble way.”

The “silent reform” Benedict carried out is centered on the way he guided and governed the Church, “above all with clarity, but above all with his fine theology,” the archbishop said.

Mancini, who writes for ACI Stampa, is a former sports broadcaster, but began his work as a journalist in 2003 when he started writing for the Italian agency “Area,” reporting primarily on internal politics, particularly in the Vatican.

He has covered both the 2005 conclave that elected St. John Paul II, as well as the 2013 conclave that named Pope Francis as Benedict XVI's successor. In 2013 he co-authored a book with his colleague Andrea Gagliarducci titled “La quaresima della Chiesa,” meaning “The Lent of the Church.”

In his interview with CNA, Mancini said that the original plan for his book on Benedict was that it be released for the 10 year anniversary of his election to the papacy, but that the drafting took longer than expected.

Despite the fact it came out just before the three-year anniversary of Benedict XVI's announcement of his decision to resign, the book “doesn’t seek to remember the renunciation, it seeks remember his pontificate in its totality.”

“I tried to synthesize in 100 pages the pontificate of Benedict XVI, which is impossible. But I tried to underline the aspects that are perhaps less known to the greater public about the pontificate, from relativism, to his ecumenical commitment.”

A total of 96 pages, the book offers a nutshell overview of how Benedict XVI fought against scourges in the Church and in society such as the growing presence of relativism, the economic crisis, pedophilia, increasing global hostility toward Christians and the first “Vatileaks” scandal.

It also highlights Benedict XVI's many efforts in favor of ecumenical dialogue, particularly with the Orthodox and Anglican Churches, as well as his emphasis on caring for the environment and promoting sustainable development and business practices.

Mancini also notes that Benedict was the one to start the current process of reform and “cleaning” within the Roman Curia, which Pope Francis has continued, particularly on financial matters, the streamlining of the marriage annulment process and dialogue with the Muslim community.  

“Financial transparency and pedophilia are the two pillars of the process of reform that Benedict set up in the Church. He started,” Mancini said.

“(And) fortunately his successor has carried this process of reform forward,” he added, noting that while on his way back from Africa in November, Pope Francis himself said that Benedict is the one who started the reform.

On the papal plane from Bangui to Rome Nov. 30, 2015, Francis took a question from a journalist on corruption in the Vatican. In his response, the Pope noted how on Good Friday in 2005, 13 days before St. John Paul II died, the then-Cardinal Ratzinger had spoken about “the filth in the Church.”

“He denounced it first,” Francis said, noting that Ratzinger spoke about the same thing again shortly before the conclave, “and we elected him for that freedom in saying things.”

In his comments to CNA, Mancini noted that while Benedict did a lot in terms of beginning the current process of reform, it wasn't all smooth sailing – he also faced resistance, as Francis does today.

“When there is an idea of reform, whatever it is, there is always resistance. Pope Benedict faced a lot of resistance and a lot of problems,” Mancini said.

One of the toughest things Benedict had to face immediately after his election was a Curia that Mancini described as “too independent” due to John Paul II's declining health in the last years of his papacy.

“The problem, according to me, is that toward the end of the pontificate of John Paul II – he was an extraordinary Pope, absolutely extraordinary – the problem is that his physical limitations allowed him to govern very little.”

What resulted is that when Benedict XVI arrived, he had to put things back into order, so “the work of reform and order began right away.”

In addition to Benedict's efforts in creating financial transparency and accountability in abuse cases, he was also the one who first instituted a commission to study the streamlining of the marriage annulment process.

The commission finished its work and handed it in, but since Benedict resigned, he never made a move on it. Francis himself picked the project back up, forming a new commission to get an updated study of the issue, which resulted in the new process that went into place Dec. 10.

In terms of the resistance Benedict faced, Mancini said he believes it is the same “lobby” that is resisting Francis' process of reform.

“I think there is a lot of continuity between the two, whether it's among whoever tries to hinder the process of reform, or the way of reforming the Church,” he said, because Pope Francis “is continuing the same work that Pope Benedict started.”

“So I realize in speaking with many people, there's a need to thank Benedict more for what he did for the Catholic Church.”

Full Article

Emmitsburg, Md., Feb 11, 2016 / 03:42 pm (CNA).- Amid uproar over comparing struggling students to bunnies that should be drowned or shot, Mount St. Mary’s University president is now under fire for criticizing expressions of the Catholic faith at the school.

Already facing turmoil, the second-oldest Catholic university in the country is now seeing alumni and former faculty members publicly expressing their concerns over President Simon Newman’s disparaging remarks about the college’s Catholic identity – even reportedly calling some students “Catholic jihadis.”

Thane Naberhaus, a tenured professor who was recently fired from the Maryland university, told CNA that the president wanted to downplay the school’s Catholic identity because, in his words, “Catholic doesn’t sell.”

“He said publicly,” Naberhaus told CNA, “‘if you go in the marketplace, Catholic doesn’t sell, liberal arts doesn’t sell.’”

Since late January, Newman had been the focus of controversy. The school’s student newspaper, The Mountain Echo, ran a story about the president’s alleged plan to pursue the dismissal of 20-25 freshman students based on results from a survey predicting their future success at the school. A number of faculty members reportedly objected to the plan.

In the article, a faculty member quotes Newman as saying, “This is hard for you because you think of the students as cuddly bunnies, but you can’t. You just have to drown the bunnies…put a Glock to their heads.”

Newman later acknowledged to the Washington Post that he used the harsh words, saying that the statement was intended only to acknowledge difficult conversations that sometimes need to occur. The board of directors issued a statement calling his words “unfortunate,” but standing by Newman as president.

Amid the outcry that followed, a faculty member who served as an adviser to the student newspaper was fired, along with Naberhaus, who was a tenured philosophy professor and the director of the university’s honors program. He claims his letter of dismissal charged him with disloyalty to the university.

Newman responded to the backlash over the firings in a Feb. 10 statement to parents, where he said the university was not responding with the specific details of the firings in order to “take the high road.” He added that “it is critical that you know that we would never undertake actions like that unless the conduct in question warranted it.”

Mount St. Mary’s University was founded in 1808, alongside the establishment of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary. The seminary shares the campus with the school and receives seminarians from various dioceses.

David McGinley, a 2011 graduate of Mount St. Mary’s and a member of the Mount’s College of Liberal Arts Advisory Board, had concerns following an Oct. 23, 2015 meeting between Newman and the advisory board.

In that meeting, Newman “showed a lack of appreciation for or desire to continue or further Catholic identity in any regards to what one would call traditional,” McGinley told CNA.

“What he was saying is that Catholicism has lost its relevance,” McGinley added. The concerns Newman raised, he continued, were that Mount St. Mary’s was “not going to get customers to come” if it marketed itself as a Catholic university.

A Facebook group of concerned alumni and students, “Mount Family Speaks Out,” reported that Newman made similar remarks in an August student assembly.

According to a current administrative employee, who agreed to speak only on the condition of anonymity, President Newman has also criticized the cross, saying in passing that there were “too many bleeding crucifixes” in the employee’s office.

“I have a broken crucifix, and I have a crucifix that is done in limestone sculpture,” the source told CNA, adding that the president had made the comment after seeing them.

Naberhaus said that he has heard similar reports from other faculty members – including some instances of the president disparaging the crucifix and using profanity.

Numerous alumni also pointed to the Mount St. Mary’s landing page for prospective students as an example of the new attitude towards Catholic identity, noting that the page does not contain any references to the fact that it is a Catholic school.

“That is Simon Newman’s vision for Mount Saint Mary’s right there, encapsulated in that one webpage,” Naberhaus said.

Naberhaus also said that he has heard Newman refer to students as “Catholic jihadis.”

“He was kind of dividing up our student body and seeing a certain fraction of them,” Naberhaus said. “He seemed to think that there was a sizeable fraction of our campus that fell into that camp, Catholic jihadis, and I never was sure exactly what he meant by that, but he was definitely using that phrase.”

McGinley told CNA that in his meetings with Newman, he was disturbed by other “derogatory comments towards Mount students,” including a suggestion that some of the students – largely those who had been homeschooled – were “judgmental” and could pose “trouble” for the administration if they admonished fellow freshman for partying.

Catholic News Agency reached out to Mount St. Mary’s for comment. The university said that it would comment at a future time.

Photo credit: Jon Bilous via www.shutterstock.com

Full Article

IMAGE: CNS photo/Miguel Sierra, EPA

By David Agren

MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- A prison riot in the northern Mexican city of Monterrey has claimed 52 lives, offering another example of the problems plaguing Mexico's prison system and casting a pall over the arrival of Pope Francis in the country.

Nuevo Leon Gov. Jaime Rodriguez Calderon confirmed the death toll Feb. 11 and attributed the bloodshed to a clash between groups led by incarcerated leaders of the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas. The criminal groups, which were once partners, have fought for control of crime and smuggling territories in Mexico's northeastern states.

The clash in the Topo Chico prison came just one day before Pope Francis was to arrive in Mexico City for a six-day trip in which he was expected to address issues such as insecurity, corruption and violence.

Pope Francis' agenda includes a Feb. 17 visit to the once-notorious Cereso prison in the border city of Ciudad Juarez.

State officials say the Ciudad Juarez prison has improved in recent years, with gangs no longer ordering crimes in the city from behind bars, though priests working in the diocesan prison ministry and with the families of inmates say problems persist such as inmates having to pay for protection and privileges.

"There's a certain control by groups inside the prison. This has not completely been eradicated," said Father Oscar Enriquez, director of the Paso del Norte Human Rights Center in Ciudad Juarez. He works with families with relatives inside Cereso prison.

A 2014 report on correctional facilities from the National Human Rights Commission found widespread problems persisting in Mexican prisons such as overcrowding, self-rule and inmates awaiting trial being locked up with those already sentenced.

"Topo Chico had an occupancy rate of 156 percent" in 2013, said Jorge Kawas, security researcher and analyst in Monterrey. "Like most local prisons, it is also underfunded and pretty much ungovernable."

Father Robert Coogan, an American prison chaplain in Saltillo, 30 miles west of Monterrey, said the Topo Chico prison suffered from self-rule.

"They know how to calm the authorities down by doing things that are pleasing to the authorities," Father Coogan said, pointing to the way inmate leaders will keep prisons with self-rule clean, maintained and orderly as a way to keep wardens on their side.

"The reason for (inmates) controlling the prison is that you cannot have an escape every time someone comes in. But sometimes they will use their manipulation ... to get the people they want to release all in one place. Once they get them in one place, then they'll set them free."

- - -

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.

Full Article

Full Article