1. New US Ambassador to Holy See presents credentials to Pope, By Deborah Castellano Lubov, Vatican News, April 11, 2022 The new U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Joseph Simon Donnelly, of Indiana, presented his credential letters to Pope Francis on Monday morning in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. The Ambassador’s main task will be to liaise between the Holy See and the U.S. Government. Diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the United States of America were established between Pope St. John Paul II and U.S. President Ronald Reagan on 10 January, 1984. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-04/new-us-ambassador-holy-see-vatican-joseph-donnelly-pope-francis.html___________________________________________________________ 2. Cardinal Parolin says he hopes Vatican-China deal can be tweaked, By Andrea Gagliarducci, Catholic News Agency, April 11, 2022, 5:40 PM With the Vatican-China deal on the appointment of bishops due to expire in October, Cardinal Pietro Parolin hopes that the agreement can be tweaked. In the third part of a sit-down interview with CNA, the Vatican Secretary of State discussed the deal, the text of which has never been published. But he did not go into detail or explain precisely which aspects he hoped to change. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250937/cardinal-parolin-says-he-hopes-vatican-china-deal-can-be-tweaked___________________________________________________________ 3. Vatican trial’s ‘Tale of Two Narratives’ trundles on, By John L. Allen Jr., Crux, April 10, 2022, Opinion As I’ve said before, the Vatican’s “Trial of the Century,” which pivots on charges of fraud, misappropriation, and graft against ten individuals – including a cardinal – after a London real estate deal went horribly wrong, boils down to a Tale of Two Narratives. The first narrative is a story of criminality, featuring shady Italian businessmen and corrupt clerics who illegally conspired to bilk the Vatican of millions, and who are now getting their comeuppance. Making it worse, the stolen money came from Peter’s Pence, representing the hard-earned contributions of ordinary Catholics around the world to support the works of the pope.  The second is a tale of terrible money management, which ended up costing the Vatican north of $200 million, combined with the age-old tendency of hierarchs to seek scapegoats for their own failures. Making it worse, the squandered money came from Peter’s Pence, representing the hard-earned contributions of ordinary Catholics around the world to support the works of the pope. … [T]he picture painted by Brülhart and others is not that the Vatican was fleeced, but rather that it negotiated a series of stunningly inept business deals, eyes wide open, which were fully endorsed and even applauded by the most senior figures in the system. The obvious conclusion is that the current trial is, at bottom, an exercise in trying to shift responsibility for those deals to somebody else. It remains to be seen which of the two narratives will prevail when verdicts in the trial finally come in. For now, however, it seems fair to say that the case for criminality has taken some hits. https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2022/04/vatican-trials-tale-of-two-narratives-trundles-on___________________________________________________________ 4. Pope Francis calls for an Easter truce in Ukraine, By Associated Press, April 10, 2022, 7:36 AM Pope Francis opened Holy Week Sunday with a call for an Easter truce in Ukraine to make room for a negotiated peace, highlighting the need for leaders to “make some sacrifices for the good of the people.” Celebrating Palm Sunday Mass before crowds in St. Peter’s Square for the first time since the pandemic, Pope Francis called for “weapons to be laid down to begin an Easter truce, not to reload weapons and resume fighting, no! A truce to reach peace through real negotiations.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pope-francis-denounces-folly-of-war-in-palm-sunday-homily/2022/04/10/67ad0bc0-b8b4-11ec-a92d-c763de818c21_story.html___________________________________________________________ 5. On culture-war issues, tolerance should be a two-way street, By Gary Abernathy, The Washington Post, April 10, 2022, 8:00 AM, Opinion Many Americans, aside from the most politically progressive, are routinely perplexed by modern-day news cycles dominated by subjects of gender and sexual identification. … Much of the media has gone beyond merely reporting on these cases to all but taking the reins. Meanwhile, millions of Americans stand on the roadside shaking their heads as the bandwagon rolls by. And, in response to their reluctance to climb aboard, they are frequently labeled as bigoted, intolerant or just ignorant. In fact, most bear no ill will toward anyone regardless of orientation or choices. But based on their long-held traditional or religious principles — coupled with what they consider mere common sense — many believe the following:

  • Athletes who formerly competed as men and then do so as women have unfair advantages.
  • The refusal to use an innocuous phrase such as “boys and girls” in an effort not to offend is, in fact, offensive to millions of Americans.
  • Gender-neutral language such as “pregnant people” and “birth-giver” devalues the experiences of mothers and women in general — and it’s not necessary for experts to affirm it, although there are plenty who will.

… These are complicated topics with serious implications, and decency and mutual respect should guide us. Loving each other, even as we strongly disagree, is crucial to coexisting, and so tolerance is the better goal than some unattainable universal agreement. Some will insist otherwise, but the traditional advice might still work best: Silence is golden. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/10/disney-trans-swimmer-lgbtq-issues-tolerance/___________________________________________________________ 6. Maryland lawmakers override gov’s veto of abortion expansion, By Brian Witte, Associated Press, April 9, 2022 Republican Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto of a measure to expand access to abortion in Maryland was overridden on Saturday by the General Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats. The state will end a restriction that only physicians can provide abortions. The new law will enable nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants to provide them with training. It creates an abortion care training program and requires $3.5 million in state funding annually. It also requires most insurance plans to cover abortions without cost. … Hogan wrote in his veto letter that the legislation “endangers the health and lives of women by allowing non-physicians to perform abortions.” https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-business-larry-hogan-maryland-dad1958c99d05189036b43e34a2c6b69___________________________________________________________ 7. Regarding the April 5 Metro article “Antiabortion activist who stored fetuses pleads not guilty in separate case”:, By Ingrid Skop and Robin Pierucci, The Washington Post, April 9, 2022, Pg. A16, Letter to the Editor Regarding the April 5 Metro article “Antiabortion activist who stored fetuses pleads not guilty in separate case”: As medical doctors who routinely care for premature infants of roughly the same size as the five aborted fetuses in custody of the D.C. medical examiner, we have serious concerns about the decision not to perform autopsies given medical indications that the law might have been broken. Photographs of one fetus demonstrate surgical incisions that could indicate an illegal partial-birth abortion.It is difficult to make a determination of the legality of actions based on some of the other aborted remains, as the bodies have been dismembered. Though abortion is allowed by law, the public should understand that multiple peer-reviewed studies note the appearance of fetal pain by at least 15 weeks, or far earlier than the estimated gestational ages of these five fetuses. A forensic examination is warranted to determine whether an illegal partial-birth abortion occurred. Ingrid Skop is a senior fellow and director of medical affairs at the Charlotte Lozier Institute. Robin Pierucci is an associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/michigan-governor-sues-to-secure-abortion-rights-vacate-ban/2022/04/07/23d22ae0-b673-11ec-8358-20aa16355fb4_story.html___________________________________________________________ 8. Idaho Supreme Court temporarily blocks new abortion law, By Associated Press, April 8, 2022, 8:14 PM The Idaho Supreme Court on Friday temporarily blocked a new state law that would ban abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy and allow the law to be enforced through lawsuits. Idaho last month had become the first state to enact legislation modeled after the Texas statute banning abortions after about six weeks. The ruling from Idaho’s high court in a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood means the new law won’t go into effect as planned on April 22. The state Supreme Court instructed both sides to file further briefs as it considers the case before its ultimate decision. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/idaho-supreme-court-temporarily-blocks-new-abortion-law/2022/04/08/138233aa-b791-11ec-8358-20aa16355fb4_story.html___________________________________________________________ 9. DC aborted baby remains: 69 lawmakers demand action from DOJ, FBI, By Katie Yoder, Catholic News Agency, April 8, 2022, 4:12 PM Nearly 70 lawmakers on Friday called on the Justice Department and the FBI to investigate whether a local abortionist violated federal law after the discovery of five aborted babies in Washington, D.C. “We demand that you conduct a comprehensive investigation on the circumstances surrounding the deaths of each preborn baby,” the April 8 letter addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland read. The lawmakers, led by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-New Jersey), questioned whether D.C. police could conclude that each baby died as a result of legal abortion without an autopsy. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250923/dc-aborted-baby-remains-69-lawmakers-demand-action-from-doj-fbi___________________________________________________________ 10. Michigan bishops urge respect for law as governor sues to overturn abortion ban, By Carl Bunderson, Catholic News Agency, April 8, 2022, 5:00 PM After the Michigan governor sued Thursday asking a court to find that the state constitution includes the right to abortion, the state’s Catholic conference urged that the state’s laws, and judicial precedence, be respected. “It is unfortunate that the judicial branch is being used to try to invalidate a longstanding policy approved by elected representatives and left untouched by the Legislature for nearly a century since,” Rebecca Mastee, a policy advocate at the Michigan Catholic Conference, said April 7. “Let us also recall that the people of the state in 1972 voted at the statewide ballot to oppose abortion and, perhaps most relevant to today’s legal action, the state Supreme Court has precedent here as the law in question was upheld in 1973 in People vs Bricker. Our hope is that a greater respect for the distinct and separate branches of state government returns to the political sphere, and we pray for a deeper appreciation for the life and protection of unborn children in the hearts and minds of the citizens and elected officials of the state.” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, asked the Michigan Supreme Court to resolve whether a right to abortion is protected by the state’s constitution. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250924/michigan-bishops-urge-respect-for-law-as-governor-sues-to-overturn-abortion-ban___________________________________________________________ 11. DC aborted babies: Mayor says activist may have broken law, not abortionist, By Katie Yoder, Catholic News Agency, April 8, 2022, 5:16 PM In her first public comment on the case, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser gave no indication Friday that the city intends to autopsy the remains of five aborted babies that anti-abortion activists claim to have rescued from being disposed as medical waste. Instead, in a letter responding to Republican lawmakers in Congress who wrote to her calling for the city to investigate whether the abortionist broke the federal law, Bowser said one of the activists may have broken federal law. Bowser’s letter centered on anti-abortion activist Lauren Handy, who said she and Terrisa Bukovinac — both members of the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU) — received the aborted baby remains outside of a local abortion clinic from the driver of a medical waste disposal company.  … [Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma)], who shared Bowser’s response on Twitter, said, “This response tells me @MayorBowser thinks revealing the death of children is a crime, not taking the lives of children. Where are the babies? What has happened to them? Will they investigate or consider, for 1 sec, the possibility innocent lives are being taken for profit in DC?” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250925/dc-mayor-aborted-babies-activist-federal-law___________________________________________________________

TCA Media Monitoring provides a snapshot from national newspapers and major Catholic press outlets of coverage regarding significant Catholic Church news and current issues with which the Catholic Church is traditionally or prominently engaged. The opinions and views expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect the views of The Catholic Association.
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