1. Hong Kong bishop hopes for closer ties with Beijing diocese, By Associated Press, April 20, 2023, 1:38 AM Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic bishop said in a historic trip to Beijing that he hopes the dioceses of the two cities will have more exchanges and cooperation, local media reported Thursday amid signs of Sino-Vatican strains. Bishop Stephen Chow made the remarks during a Mass that was also attended by his counterpart in Beijing, Hong Kong’s public broadcaster RTHK said. Chow later told reporters he was encouraged to visit other dioceses. “I hope that this is not the last time,” Chow said. His five-day trip is the first visit to Beijing by Hong Kong’s bishop in nearly three decades and came two weeks after Vatican News, the news portal of the Holy See, reported that China had unilaterally appointed a new bishop to Shanghai. … https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/04/20/beijing-hong-kong-bishop-vatican/da9225b0-df34-11ed-a78e-9a7c2418b00c_story.html__________________________________________________________ 2. Wisconsin Supreme Court to hear appeal of ruling that Catholic Charities isn’t religious, State labor panel said charitable group doesn’t evangelize, so religious-freedom protections do not apply, By Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times, April 20, 2023, Pg. A2 The Wisconsin Supreme Court will review a case in which a state panel determined that the Catholic Charities Bureau in Superior, Wisconsin, and its subsidiaries aren’t “religious” enough to opt out of the state’s unemployment insurance program. The acceptance came a little more than three months after the appeal was filed and after several years of wrangling between Catholic Charities and the state’s Labor and Industry Review Commission over unemployment-insurance programs. Catholic Charities says it has a right to a religious exemption from the state program, which it says also has a higher cost than a church-run system providing equivalent benefits. … https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/apr/19/wisconsin-supreme-court-hear-appeal-ruling-catholi/__________________________________________________________ 3. Washington State House passes bill requiring clergy to violate the seal of confession, By John Lavenburg, Crux, April 20, 2023 After the Washington State House failed to pass an amendment to a bill that would require clergy to violate the seal of confession, Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane reminded legislators that throughout history “all” such attempts by “kings, queens, dictators, potentates, and legislators” have failed, and that even if it passed, clergy wouldn’t capitulate. “I want to assure you that your shepherds, bishop and priests, are committed to keeping the seal of confession – even to the point of going to jail,” Daly said in an April 19 statement. “The Sacrament of Penance is sacred and will remain that way in the Diocese of Spokane.” … https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2023/04/washington-state-house-passes-bill-requiring-clergy-to-violate-the-seal-of-confession__________________________________________________________ 4. Mother Angelica, Apostle of Radical Trust, The more time passes, the more clearly Mother’s legacy as an apostle of radical trust in God’s goodness comes into focus. It’s the thread that traces the twists and turns of her incredible life story., By National Catholic Register, April 20, 2023, Editorial In observance of the 100th anniversary of Mother Angelica’s birth, the Register spoke with several of our colleagues who worked beside her at EWTN during its miraculous evolution from an inauspicious garage start-up to the largest Catholic media network in the world. Something that EWTN Chairman of the Board and CEO Michael Warsaw shares about Mother in that piece bears repeating here. He says that Mother once asked the Lord why he chose her to undertake this seemingly implausible task. “The answer she heard was that she wasn’t the first person he had asked, but she was the first person who said ‘Yes,’” recalled Warsaw, the Register’s publisher. There are volumes of theology packed into that one little word, “Yes.” This was Mary’s response to St. Gabriel the Archangel at the Annunciation. It was the apostles’ answer to the Lord’s invitation to come follow him. … What is it that God is calling each of us to do for him? In what way are we being asked to “gamble all and trust the Lord,” as Mother did? What will our answer be? Mother loved a good party as much as anyone, and by all means, we ought to celebrate the occasion of her centennial. But if you’re looking for a fitting way to honor her memory and the inspiring legacy she left behind, consider a simple gift: Say “Yes” to God’s invitation. https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/mother-angelica-apostle-of-radical-trust__________________________________________________________ 5. Conservative Christians aren’t the only ones asking for accommodation in mailman case, Religious minorities — Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Seventh-day Adventists — have filed briefs asking the Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that gutted a civil rights statute’s protections for religious accommodation, By Yonat Shimron, The Washington Post, April 19, 2023, 12:35 PM The Supreme Court justices heard a case on Tuesday that may sound like another slam-dunk for Christian religious liberty that will bolster its reputation as a friend to the religious right. … But Groff v. DeJoy presents a different case. Organizations representing several religious minorities — Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Seventh-day Adventists — have filed briefs in support of Groff, asking the court to overturn a 50-year-old ruling that gutted a civil rights statute’s protections for religious accommodation. If the court now rules to expand those religious workers’ rights, conservative Christians won’t be the only, or even main, beneficiaries. At issue is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits religious discrimination in the workplace and requires employers to reasonably accommodate the religious practices of their workers unless doing so would require an undue hardship. … https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2023/04/19/conservative-christians-arent-only-ones-asking-accommodation-mailman-case/__________________________________________________________ 6. Supreme Court extends access to abortion pill to Friday, By Mark Sherman, Associated Press, April 19, 2023, 11:23 PM The Supreme Court is leaving women’s access to a widely used abortion pill untouched until at least Friday, while the justices consider whether to allow restrictions on the drug mifepristone to take effect. The court is dealing with a new abortion controversy less than a year after its conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright. At stake now is whether to allow restrictions on mifepristone ordered by a lower court to take effect while a legal challenge to the medication’s Food and Drug Administration approval continues. … https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/19/supreme-court-mifepristone-abortion-drug/f4402cae-de95-11ed-a78e-9a7c2418b00c_story.html__________________________________________________________ 7. Vatican inaugurates artisan apprentice school for basilica, By Associated Press, April 19, 2023, 2:19 PM The Vatican on Wednesday inaugurated a new arts and crafts academy inside St. Peter’s Basilica, which revives a centuries-old apprentice system that trained stonemasons, carpenters and artisans to care for the treasures in the world’s biggest Catholic church. … https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/04/19/vatican-arts-crafts-academy/c05f9412-dede-11ed-a78e-9a7c2418b00c_story.html__________________________________________________________ 8. North Dakota’s 6-week abortion bill becomes veto-proof, By Trisha Ahmed, Associated Press, April 19, 2023, 6:21 PM North Dakota state senators overwhelmingly passed a bill Wednesday that would ban abortion at six weeks of pregnancy, even in cases of rape or incest. The bill has passed the Senate and House with veto-proof majorities, so it could become law without Republican Gov. Doug Burgum’s approval. It would be one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. … https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/19/north-dakota-abortion-ban-six-weeks/7a82fe1c-df00-11ed-a78e-9a7c2418b00c_story.html__________________________________________________________ 9. 2nd abortion regulation bill vetoed by Kansas governor, By John Hanna, Associated Press, April 19, 2023, 6:05 PM Kansas’ governor vetoed legislation Wednesday that would require clinics to tell patients that a medication abortion can be stopped using an unproven drug regimen. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s action pushed back state GOP efforts to restrict abortion despite a decisive statewide vote affirming abortion rights in August 2022. It was the second time within a week that she vetoed an anti-abortion bill approved by the Legislature, which has Republican supermajorities and conservative leaders. … https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/19/abortion-medication-reversal-kansas-veto/87c5008e-def6-11ed-a78e-9a7c2418b00c_story.html__________________________________________________________

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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