| 1. As more states look to ban abortion during pandemic, legal battles erupt nationwide. By Arelis R. Hernández and Robert Barnes, The Washington Post, April 2, 2020, Pg. A7 A growing number of states are seeking to ban abortion during the current coronavirus-related public health emergency by classifying it as an unnecessary medical procedure, sparking legal battles nationwide. A federal appeals court ruled this week that Texas, one of the first states to enact such a ban, can temporarily prohibit abortions from taking place. The ruling came fewer than 24 hours after a federal judge in Austin lifted the statewide restriction on abortions that went into effect after Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed an executive order March 22 halting all procedures that were not “immediately medical necessary” to save a life. Attorney General Ken Paxton later said those include abortion. The seesawing rulings come as more states try to take the same approach as Texas, and abortion rights groups are increasingly taking states to court. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/as-more-states-look-to-ban-abortion-during-pandemic-legal-battles-erupt-nationwide/2020/04/01/f5c58e3e-7412-11ea-a9bd-9f8b593300d0_story.html
___________________________________________________________ 2. Did China Use Slave Labor to Keep Factories Open During Coronavirus?: A recent report from the Congressional-Executive Commission on China detailed how detainees are moved from the camps into nearby factories and in the agriculture industry, with goods made with their labor ending up in the supply chains of some major U.S. companies. By Matt Hadro, Catholic News Agency, April 2, 2020 Chinese authorities have been accused of forcing Muslim Uyghurs to work in factories as the coronavirus pandemic spread in the country. One religious freedom expert told CNA that the Communist government could be trafficking in slave labor. During the early months of 2020—as the number of new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases ballooned in China—there was “a huge increase in the amount of Uyghurs who have been assigned, or ‘graduated’ from these camps and assigned to work in factories,” Nadine Maenza, Vice Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), told CNA. “So there does seem to be, this year, in January, this surge in the amount of Uyghurs that have been transferred from the camps over to the factories,” she said. As many as 1.8 million Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other Muslim minorities are estimated to have been detained in camps by Chinese authorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Victims of the camps or their family members have reported political indoctrination, starvation, torture, beatings, and even forced sterilizations in the camps. A recent report from the Congressional-Executive Commission on China detailed how detainees are moved from the camps into nearby factories and in the agriculture industry, with goods made with their labor ending up in the supply chains of some major U.S. companies. “If these reports are accurate, it means that the Chinese government is trafficking in the slave labor of religious minorities,” Maenza said. https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/did-china-use-slave-labor-to-keep-factories-open-during-coronavirus
___________________________________________________________ 3. Australia’s Highest Court to Rule on Pell’s Appeal Next Week. By The Associated Press, April 1, 2020, 9:30 PM Australia’s highest court will deliver its ruling next week on whether to overturn the convictions of Cardinal George Pell, the most senior Catholic convicted of child sex abuse. … The High Court said Thursday its seven judges will give their verdict at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the east coast city of Brisbane. It had heard his appeal March 11-12 before hearings were canceled due to the coronavirus risk. The court’s decision could be the last chance for Pope Francis’ former finance minister to clear his name. https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/04/01/world/asia/ap-as-australia-cardinal-charged.html?
___________________________________________________________ 4. Vatican Authorizes Special Masses and Good Friday Prayers for Coronavirus Pandemic. By Catholic News Agency, April 1, 2020 The Vatican has asked priests around the world to recite a new prayer during this year’s Good Friday liturgy, and urged them to offer Masses for the end of the coronavirus pandemic. The Congregation for Divine Worship issued the new intention for the Solemn Intercessions during the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion in light of the coronavirus pandemic. https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/vatican-authorizes-special-masses-and-good-friday-prayers-for-coronavirus-p
___________________________________________________________ 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. | 
