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WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump appeared to cast doubt on the assessment of 17 U.S. intelligence agencies that blame Russia for election meddling, questioning Thursday why the Obama administration didn't try to stop it....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Republicans released their long-awaited bill Thursday to dismantle much of Barack Obama's health care law, proposing to cut Medicaid for low-income Americans and erase tax boosts that Obama imposed on high-earners and medical companies to finance his expansion of coverage....
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis appointed Professor Joachim von Braun as the new President of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on Wednesday.Professor von Braun is Ordinary Professor of Economics and Technological Change, as well as Director of the Center for Development Research at the University of Bonn in Germany.He told Vatican Radio's Mario Galgano his goal as head of the Academy will be to seek solutions for inequality and the destruction of the environment.Listen to the full interview: Professor von Braun said the Pontifical Academy of Sciences has a unique role to play in the world of science because it is a "global academy" and not linked to any specific nation.He said the 80 members composing the Academy are from different countries and religious backgrounds and many hold Nobel Prizes for their contribution to science.This, he said, means the Academy "has become a very influential body in the world of science".Professor von Braun said the...
Nearly 70 of priests of Ruteng Diocese in eastern Indonesia have sought the mediation of the Vatican to help resolve a bitter dispute with their bishop, whom they accuse of misappropriating more than US$100,000 in church funds.Representatives of the priests, accompanied by a bishops' conference official met Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi on June 16, seeking his help for a complete overhaul and transparency from Bishop Hubertus Leteng regarding how things are run in the diocese. The move comes after dozens of priests in the diocese on Catholic-majority Flores Island quit their posts in protest against their bishop.Father Alfonsius Segar, one of the priests who met Arch. Filipazzi, told UCANEWS that the Holy See’s representative to Indonesia, has promised to help resolve the dispute. "He will immediately take this issue up with the Vatican," Father Segar said. The priest also said the nuncio will send someone to the diocese ...
(Vatican Radio) The Holy See has expressed its concern for “the grave, widespread, and apparently planned attacks against the civilian population, religious institutions, and faith-based organizations” in the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially in the Kasai region.Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN in Geneva, made the comments to the Human Rights Council.“These are the tragic consequences of tensions which have never been adequately addressed, despite subsequent recovery and reconciliation initiatives,” he said.Archbishop Jurkovic said the Holy See “sincerely hopes” the government take “immediate action” regarding the following five points:"1. put in place a ceasefire that guarantees an end to wanton violence and prevent arms trafficking; 2. uphold its duty to protect and respect civilians and humanitarian relief personnel; 3. promote effective, objective, open and transparent effor...
(Vatican Radio) Colombia’s bishops have appealed to the Government and to the National Liberation Army (ELN) to agree on a bilateral ceasefire.The appeal came in a statement, signed by the President of the Colombian Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Luis Augusto Castro Quiroga and by other bishops including the Archbishop of Cali, Dario de Jesus Monsalve Mejia who heads the Catholic Commission for dialogue with ELN.Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni: “We wish to fuel dialogue until a final agreement is reached between the parties (…) with the aim of ending the armed conflict” the statement reads.The bishops continue pointing out that “happily, Pope Francis’ Apostolic visit is drawing close and this urges all to find common ground, without any exclusions, in order for each party to be able to take the first step. And they express their support for the ongoing negotiations between the Government and ELN rebels in Quito, Ecuador. &ldq...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday met with members of ROACO, (Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches) who have been holding their 90th plenary assembly in Rome this week.The meeting brings Church leaders from countries across the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe together with donor organisations which raise funds for Christians in the Eastern-rite Churches.Listen to Philippa Hitchen's report: The four day meeting has been focused on the difficult situation of Christians in Egypt, Syria, Iraq and the Holy Land, as well as reflecting on the training of priests and seminarians in all the Eastern-rite Churches.In his message to participants, Pope Francis thanked them for their constant work of charity and solidarity over the past half century in support of Latin and Eastern-rite communities under the care of the Vatican’s Congregation for Oriental Churches.Persecution and emigrationThese Churches of the Middle East, as well as in Eastern Europe, he said...
(Vatican Radio) A shepherd must be passionate, must know how to discern and how to denounce evil. Those were Pope Francis’ words during Mass on Thursday at the Casa Santa Marta, where he focused on the figure of the Apostle Paul and then turned his attention to the example offered by Don Milani. Like the parish priest of Barbiana, the Pope said, one should take care of one’s neighbour."The Good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep," said Pope Francis during his homily, drawing inspiration from the readings of the day and dwelling on the characteristics that a shepherd should have. The Pope noted in Saint Paul, the figure of the "true shepherd", who does not abandon his sheep unlike a "mercenary". The first quality, therefore, the Holy Father indicated, is that St Paul is "passionate". Passionate, he added, "to the point of telling his people, 'I feel for you all a kind of divine jealousy'." He ...
The Catholic bishops of the Philippines are urging their faithful to fight false information and news, especially on the internet and social media, saying it is against charity. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued a pastoral exhortation on Wednesday saying fake news is “a sin against charity” because it leads the people to wrong decisions. “Our Catholic faith obliges us to refrain from patronizing, popularizing and supporting identified sources of ‘alternative facts’ or ‘fake news’,” the bishops said in the pastoral exhortation entitled, “Consecrate Them In the Truth.” “Refuse to be themselves purveyors of fake news and to desist from disseminating this whether on social media or by word of mouth or through any other form of public expression,” they said in the exhortation signed by CBCP president Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen Dagupan.Freedo...
London, England, Jun 22, 2017 / 03:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Legal efforts to bar the parents of a British baby born with a disabling medical condition from seeking treatment overseas are based on deep ethical errors, a Catholic expert in medical ethics has warned.“It seems to me completely wrongheaded that the state should be stepping in here when the decision that the parents are making is really aimed at the best interests of the child,” Dr. Melissa Moschella, a Catholic University of America philosophy professor, told CNA.“It’s not crazy, it’s not abusive, it’s not neglectful. It’s the decision of parents who want to, however they can, to give their very sick child a chance for life.”She said such a decision “should be completely within the prerogative of the parent,” citing the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to Moschella, that declaration “clearly indicates that the parents, ...
