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 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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Albany, N.Y., Jan 30, 2016 / 04:13 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Catholic faithful are banding together to help rescue a possible relic of St. Kateri Tekawitha in a strange – and thoroughly modern – way: by using a crowdsourcing internet forum.

“It’s my first GoFundMe,” said Bill Jacobs, co-founder and president of the Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Conservation Center.

Speaking to CNA about the center’s “Rescue Saint Kateri Reliquary!” campaign, he explained, “Our hope is to raise enough money and get it back into the hands of the Church.”

St. Kateri Tekakwitha was born in 1656 as part of the Iroquois confederacy in what is now upstate New York and Southern Canada. After converting to Catholicism at age 19 and dying at age 24, she was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. She is the first Native American saint to be canonized, and is the patron saint of ecology and the environment, people in exile and Native Americans.

Jacobs said that the center was alerted to the sale of a reliquary – or special container holding a relic of the saint – through a discussion on Facebook, where users pointed to instances of relics and reliquaries that were being sold on the internet. According to the Code of Canon Law, it is “absolutely forbidden to sell sacred relics,” although they may be transferred with permission from the Apostolic See.

Through the conversation, Jacobs was alerted of a holder who had come into possession of a reliquary containing what appears to be a first-class relic coming from the bone of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, nearly 4 inches long.

The also has accompanying paperwork and seals that appear to verify the authenticity of the relic inside. “I checked out the names and the dates of the certificates for who was the archbishop at the time, and they all check out,” Jacobs said.

The current holder of the reliquary came across it when a religious order moved away and a number of their possessions were auctioned off together as a group. The thought of the reliquary – and relic inside – facing another auction pained Jacobs. “As a Catholic and as someone who loves St. Kateri – she’s the patron saint of our organization – I just couldn’t see it going up at another auction.”

To help return the relic to the Church and make it available for popular devotion, Jacobs began a fundraiser to recover the funds that the current holder spent when the reliquary was obtained. The current hold has agreed not to make a profit but to cover their cost for the reliquary itself. The total cost of the reliquary is listed on the crowdfunding site as $3,675.

While it is forbidden to buy and sell relics, the “Code of Canon Law does not say anything about buying or selling reliquaries,” explained Jeannine Marino, assistant director for the Secretariat of Evangelization and Catechesis for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

While it is not common, she could not imagine that the Holy See would be opposed to the Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Conservation Center’s efforts to recover the relic and reliquary, although she commented, “I do think though that the Holy See would want to verify its authenticity before returning it to public use.”

“Even with statements of authenticity,” she continued, “I still think the Holy See through the Congregation for the Causes of Saints would want to verify the authenticity,” particularly of what could be a first-class relic.

Such a case as Jacobs’ attempt to rescue the relic is unique, Marino emphasized. “I have never heard of a case like this.”

The fundraiser to purchase the reliquary acknowledges the rarity of the situation as well as the delicate measures that must be taken to recover the relic in a respectful manner. “The relic inside is priceless, and would be acquired as a gift,” Jacobs clarified on the fundraiser page. “Our goal,” the fundraiser continues, “is to protect this sacred relic from desecration and profanation.”

After they rescue the relic and return it to the Church, Jacobs insists on the crowdfunding page that the “relic will never again appear on the market.”

While it is still unclear where St. Kateri’s relic would go after being rescued, Jacobs says he hopes to place the relic in a church or shrine to the saint where it can be publicly venerated and remain safe.

“We want to get it back to the Church where it can be properly respected and taken care of, hopefully somewhere near where St. Kateri lived in upstate New York.”

More information on the “Rescue Saint Kateri Reliquary!” campaign can be found at: https://www.gofundme.com/kateri
 

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 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
# # #
MEDIA CONTACT
Don Clemmer
O: 202-541-3206

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(Vatican Radio) Turkey's state-run media say at least 33 people, including five children, have drowned in the Aegean Sea after their Greece-bound boat capsized off the Turkish coast, while far away in Germany refugees struggled in the aftermath of far-right attacks against them. Coast guards reportedly rescued 75 others from the sea Saturday near the resort of Ayvacik en route to the Greek island of Lesbos.

Listen to the report by correspondent Stefan Bos:

They were the latest victims this month when officials say more than 200 people already drowned trying to cross by sea from Turkey to Greece. From there tens of thousands of migrants fleeing war and poverty have already tried to reach Western nations such as Germany this year through the notorious Balkans route despite a harsh winter.

But a live hand grenade thrown at a migrant hostel in south-west Germany has underscored growing resentment towards refugees in the country.

Officials said the grenade was found overnight near buildings housing 170 refugees in the German town of Villingen-Schwenningen. Its pin had been pulled out but the explosives failed to detonate. Germany's Justice Minister Heiko Maas called it a new level of "hate and violence" in the country. “The degree of violence against refugee homes is frightening, if now hand grenades are being thrown into buildings in the middle of Germany.”

The minister added: “This has to be investigated, the perpetrators must be severely punished. We do not want to see dead people in refugee homes as a result of such acts.”

MORE ATTACKS

He also said the incident was the latest in a series of attacks. The federal criminal authority announced there  were more than a thousand acts against refugees and their homes last year alone. That is five times more than in 2014.

Tensions have risen after assaults on women in Cologne at New Year were linked to foreigners.

Officials said those involved represented not all refugees, but those comments have done little to end the outrage. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday tried to calm down vocal critics even within her own party of her open-door policy for refugees, saying asylum seekers from Syria and Iraq would go home once the conflicts there had ended.

Last year a record 1.1 million people sought asylum in Germany - many from war-torn Syria, but local authorities have struggled to house them.

Germany and some other Western nations seem increasingly isolated in their attempts to welcome refugees.

EASTERN EUROPE

Especially eastern European member states refuse to support a plan to redistribute as many as 160,000 migrants fleeing war and poverty across the European Union. Hungary and Slovakia even launched court cases against the EU plan.  

The EU's Schengen agreement on freedom of movement is also in jeopardy after Hungary fenced off its borders with Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and France have also reimposed border controls.

Concerns over the influx of refugees has raised the popularity of far-right and right-wing figures across Europe. They have been participating in an annual ball in Vienna at the imperial Hofburg palace, part of which houses the office of Austria’s President Heinz Fischer.

But thousands of protesters in the Austrian capital expressed concern about the event. "We are here to show the people that another and better world is possible where the all the refugees who are now coming top Europe are being welcomed," a young man said.

Yet the government of Austria, a crucial transit nation on the way to Germany, has made clear it will no longer allow all refugees arriving to pass freely through its borders.

Austria warned it would only accept 37,500 asylum claims this year, a drastic decrease from the 90,000 it received in 2015.

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Rome, Italy, Jan 30, 2016 / 12:24 pm (CNA).- Rome’s Circus Maximus was the site of a massive rally against a proposed law which would allow same-sex unions across the country of Italy. 

Hundreds of thousands are estimated to have gathered for ‘Family Day’ at the historic site in the capital city a week ahead of a vote which could allow same-sex couples to legally enter into civil unions. 

If passed, the legislation would grant same-sex couples - as well as non-married couples of the opposite sex - the same legal rights as married couples of the opposite sex. 

Among the legal allowances would be the adoption of a child by the same-sex partner of his or her parent. 

To date, Italy offers no legal rights to same-sex couples. 

"Italy is one of the few western countries that is still resisting this deviation," said Family Day organizer Massimo Gandolfini in an interview with Sky Tg24. Most European countries allow for legalized same-sex unions in some form. 

At a speech during the Family Day rally, Gandolfini told the crowds: "Without limits, our society will go mad!" the AP reports. 

Speakers addressed the throngs of crowds peacefully demonstrating with banners and signs, many of which called for the protection of a child’s right to a mother and a father. 

The proposed bill to give legal rights to same-sex partnerships was submitted to parliament Oct. 7, 2015.

Italy’s current prime minister, Matteo Renzi, has long expressed his intention to establish legal recognition of same-sex unions. 

Saturday’s event comes nearly a decade after the 2007 Family Day contributed to the demise of another civil union bill under Romano Prodi’s government.

Archbishop Giancarlo Maria Bregantini of Campobasso-Boiano told CNA’s Italian edition he came with members of his diocese.

The message of the gathering is that a family, consisting of a man and a woman, “is so deeply rooted in the Italian people, which has finally been awakened by a group of courageous lay persons,” the archbishop said. 

“These values do not have ideology, but they have the beauty of saying that every child needs a father and a mother.”

Archbishop Bregantini especially lauded the contributions made by the “brave” lay men and women to the movement. The demonstrations at Circus Maximus are indicative of a renewal in society, he added. 

“I am very happy to see this reality of enthusiasm which means that Italy is awakening. Europe needs these things: trust in the future, in children, in tomorrow,” he said. 

Earlier in the day, the Anonymous group’s Italian branch hacked into the official website for Family Day 2016 to display a graphic, reading: “Stop omophobia (homophobia): Love is Love.” As of press time, the site was under maintenance. 

The Senate is expected to hold its final vote on the bill to grant legal status to same-sex couples in mid-February. 

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