Catholic News 2
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Diplomatic triumph or travesty, America's relationship with one of its most intractable foes took two giant leaps forward this weekend when Iran released four Americans in a prisoner swap after locking in last summer's nuclear deal and receiving some $100 billion in sanctions relief....
 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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Rome, Italy, Jan 17, 2016 / 10:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Speaking Sunday at the major synagogue of Rome, Pope Francis called on Jews and Christians to counter the conflict, war, violence and injustice that open deep wounds in humanity.These call us “to strengthen our commitment for peace and justice,” he said Jan. 17. “The violence of man toward man is in contradiction with every religion worthy of this name, and in particular with the great monotheistic religions.”“The past must serve as a lesson for us in the present and into the future,” he said, recalling the tragedy of the Shoah, or Holocaust.Pope Francis began his speech thanking those who had greeted him, and stating: “During my first visit to this synagogue as Bishop of Rome, I wish to express to you, and to the whole Jewish community, the fraternal greetings of peace of this Church and of the entire Catholic Church.”He noted his personal connection with the Jewish community in B...
Rome, Italy, Jan 17, 2016 / 10:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Speaking Sunday at the major synagogue of Rome, Pope Francis called on Jews and Christians to counter the conflict, war, violence and injustice that open deep wounds in humanity.
These call us “to strengthen our commitment for peace and justice,” he said Jan. 17. “The violence of man toward man is in contradiction with every religion worthy of this name, and in particular with the great monotheistic religions.”
“The past must serve as a lesson for us in the present and into the future,” he said, recalling the tragedy of the Shoah, or Holocaust.
Pope Francis began his speech thanking those who had greeted him, and stating: “During my first visit to this synagogue as Bishop of Rome, I wish to express to you, and to the whole Jewish community, the fraternal greetings of peace of this Church and of the entire Catholic Church.”
He noted his personal connection with the Jewish community in Buenos Aires, which he visited frequently. This created “a spiritual bond, which has favored the birth of an authentic rapport of friendship and has inspired a common commitment.”
“In interreligious dialogue it is fundamental that we encounter each other as brothers and sisters before our Creator and that we praise him; and that we respect and appreciate each other, and try to collaborate.”
He remarked that in Jewish-Christian dialogue there is “a unique and particular bond, in virtue of the Jewish roots of Christianity: Jews and Christians must therefore considers themselves brothers, united in their God and a rich common spiritual patrimony, on which to build on and to continue building the future.”
Pope Francis recalled that his visit to Rome's great synagogue follows those of his immediate predecessors: St. John Paul II in 1986, and Benedict XVI in 2010. He referred to St. John Paul II's reference to the Jewish people as the “elder brothers” of Christians, and said that “we all belong to one family, the family of God, who accompanies and protects us as his people. Together, as Jews and as Catholics, we are called to assume our responsibility for this city, making our contribution, first of all spiritual, and favoring the resolution of our diverse problems. I hope that the closeness, mutual understanding, and respect between our two communities of faith always continue to increase.”
The Pope then noted that the Church has just observed the 50th anniversary of Nostra aetate, the Second Vatican Council's declaration on the relation of the Church to non-Christian religions. That document, he said, “made possible systematic dialogue between the Catholic Church and Judaism” and “defined theologically for the first time, in an explicit manner, the relation of the Catholic Church to Judaism.”
Nostra aetate provided an important stimulus for further necessary reflection, he noted. He added that “the theological dimension of Jewish-Catholic dialogue merits a greater profundity, and I wish to encourage all those involved in this dialogue to continue in this direction.”
The “inseparable bond which unites Christians and Jews” is theologically clear, he added. “Christians, to understand themselves, cannot fail to refer to their Jewish roots, and the Church, while professing salvation through faith in Christ, recognizes the irrevocability of the Old Covenant and the constant and faithful love of God for Israel.”
Turning from questions of theology to the challenges facing the world today, Pope Francis spoke first of the importance of integral ecology and the importance of both religions sharing the Bible's vision for stewardship of creation.
The Pope then discussed war, which “calls us to strengthen our commitment for peace and justice.”
“The violence of man toward man is in contradiction with every religion worthy of this name, and in particular with the great monotheistic religions.”
Pope Francis said that “life is sacred, a gift from God. The fifth commandment of the Decalogue says 'Do not kill'. God is the God of life, and always seeks to promote and defend it; and we, created in his image and likeness, are required to do the same.”
“Every human being, as a creature of God, is our brother, independent of his origin or religious practice,” he said, recalling that God “extends his merciful hand to all, independent of their faith and their origin,” and “cares for those who need him the most: the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the defenseless.”
“We must pray to him insistently so that he helps us to practice in Europe, in the Holy Land, in the Middle East, in Africa, and in every other part of the world the logic of peace, reconciliation, forgiveness, and life.”
He recalled with sorrow the Jewish experience of the Shoah, in which 6 million persons “were victims if the most inhuman barbarities, perpetuated in the name of an ideology that wanted to substitute God with man.”
Pope Francis remembered in a particular way the thousands of Roman Jews who were deported to Auschwitz in October, 1943, saying, “their sufferings, their anguish, their tears, must never be forgotten.”
“And the past must serve as a lesson for us in the present and into the future. The Shoah teaches us to always have the highest vigilance, in order to be able to intervene forcefully in defense of human dignity and peace.”
He concluded, addressing the assembly as elder brothers, in thanksgiving for the advances in Jewish-Catholic relations in the past 50 years: “We pray together to the Lord, so that he directs our path toward a good, better future.”
“God has a project of salvation for us, as he tells the prophet Jeremiah: 'I know the plans I have for you; plans of peace and not destruction, so that you enjoy a future full of hope'. May the Lord bless us and protect us. May he make his shine on us and may he give us his grace. Shalom alechem!”
ROME (AP) -- Pope Francis denounced all violence committed in the name of God during a visit to Rome's main synagogue Sunday, joining the oldest Jewish community in the diaspora in a sign of interfaith friendship at a time of religiously-inspired attacks around the globe....
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have been relatively civil so far during their months-long contest. But tensions in the Democratic presidential campaign are poised to flare in Charleston, South Carolina, Sunday night over curbing gun violence....
PARIS (AP) -- A man died in a French hospital Sunday after taking part in a drug trial for a painkiller based on a compound similar to cannabis, and five other participants remain hospitalized....
Severe weather sparked a pair of tornadoes that ripped through central Florida before dawn Sunday, officials said. A couple was killed and their son and four grandchildren were injured when one of the twisters destroyed their mobile home....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Americans imprisoned by Iran began their journey home Sunday, their friends and family awaiting emotional reunions, after delicate diplomatic negotiations that played out quietly in the shadows of international nuclear talks....
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- The latest developments as Iran and world powers implement a landmark deal reached last year to curb Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions (all times local)....
