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Washington D.C., Sep 1, 2016 / 11:15 am (CNA).- Billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundations sought to use Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S. to influence the 2016 elections and cultivate influence within the Catholic Church, according to leaked documents attributed to the major grant makers.The documents said $650,000 in funds were committed for the foundations’ grantees PICO Network and Faith in Public Life to respond to the papal visit. The foundations said they “placed a bet” in early 2015 that the grantees would “be able to make the most of his trip.”“In order to seize this moment, we will support PICO’s organizing activities to engage the Pope on economic and racial justice issues,” said the documents.The documents, published on the site DCLeaks.com, appear to be May 2015 and October 2015 board meeting books of the foundations’ U.S. Programs division and a February 9, 2016 memo on the U.S. Programs’ Opp...
NEW YORK (AP) -- Chris Brown has a released a new song a day after he was arrested and released on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon....
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Authorities in Florida have found the Zika virus in trapped mosquitoes, the first time this has happened in the continental US....
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- An Indiana woman whose feticide conviction for a self-induced abortion was overturned in July walked out of prison Thursday, a day after a judge resentenced her to less time than she had already served and ordered her immediate release....
CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP) -- Tropical Storm Hermine strengthened into a hurricane Thursday and steamed toward Florida's Gulf Coast, where people put up shutters, nailed plywood across store windows and braced for the first hurricane to hit the state in over a decade....
(Vatican Radio) To mark the September 1st day of prayer for creation, Pope Francis has added a new work of mercy for Catholics to perform: caring for our common home, the planet and all its inhabitants.At a press conference on Thursday morning, Cardinal Peter Turkson, head of the new Vatican office for Promoting Integral Human Development, and Bishop Brian Farrell from the Council for Christian Unity, introduced the Pope’s message for this annual observance, together with Irish author Terence Ward.Philippa Hitchen went along to find out more…Listen: ‘It’s not every day that you have a new work of mercy in the Catholic Church!’ That was how the new director of the Vatican press office, American Greg Burke introduced the briefing, focused on the papal message entitled ‘Show Mercy to our Common Home’.Since biblical times, Christians have been called to carry out 6 acts of mercy, listed in St Matthew’s Gospel – giving food a...
(Vatican Radio) The Message of Pope Francis for the World Day of Prayer for Creation was presented on Thursday at a Press Conference in the Holy See Press Office.Presentations were given by the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Peter Turkson; the Secretary for the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Bishop Brian Farrell; and the author of the book The Guardian of Mercy, Terence Ward. The full text of the prepared remarks are below Press Conference / Conferenza Stampa, 1.09.2016Presentation of the Message of Pope Francis, “Show Mercy to our Common Home” for the celebration of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of CreationCardinal Peter K.A. Turkson Last year, following the launch of his encyclical Laudato Si’, Pope Francis announced that the Catholic Church would follow the good example our Orthodox brothers and sisters and institute a “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.” This ...
A diocese in the northern Philippines has voiced opposition to a government plan to revive a nuclear power plant constructed in the 1970s.The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant in the town of Morong in Bataan province was constructed during the term of former president Ferdinand Marcos. Costing US$.2.3 billion by the time of its completion in 1984, it remains intact though never fueled. Successive governments have not tried to operate the plant after studies revealed it was built near a major geological fault line and lies close to the then dormant Mount Pinatubo volcano."We don't want to put the lives of people in danger ... we don't want our sources of livelihood destroyed," read a pastoral letter issued by Bishop Ruperto Santos of Balanga. "The diocese has already spoken on this, and we are again making our position known," said Bishop Santos "For us, life is more precious than profit or money that will come from cheap electricity" he added and &qu...
(Vatican Radio) Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher of the Papal Household, urged Christians to glorify God for creation, saying "the primary duty of human beings towards creation is to lend it a voice." He said St Francis of Assisi did not pray “for creation” but instead prayed “with creation” or “because of creation.” The preacher noted that "the sovereignty of human beings over the cosmos" does not entail "the triumphalism of our species but the assumption of responsibility toward the weak, the poor, the defenseless."Fr Cantalamessa ‘s remarks came during the homily delivered by him at the Vespers in St Peter’s Basilica on September 1st for the World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation, presided over by Pope Francis.Please find below an English translation of Fr. Cantalamessa’s homily:Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFMCap.PRAYING FOR CREATION OR PRAYING WITH CREATION?Homily at Ves...
Chicago, Ill., Sep 1, 2016 / 06:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A woman with a dislodged intrauterine device claims she was turned down for removal of the device at a Catholic hospital because her doctor said the procedure went against Catholic rules on contraception.However, relevant directives from the U.S. bishops do not prevent the removal of contraceptive devices.Melanie Jones, 28, slipped and fell in her bathroom, dislodging her copper IUD to the point that it needed removal. She visited her doctor at Mercy Medical Group at Dearborn Station, an off-site location of Chicago's Mercy Hospital and Medical Center.She claims her doctor said she could not remove the IUD due to the hospital’s policy of following the U.S. Catholic bishop’s ethical and religious directives for health care. Jones said the doctor also told her that every other hospital in her network followed the same restrictions.Distraught, Jones filed a complaint with the American Civil Liberties Union of Illin...
