TCA Podcast, – “Conversations with Consequences,” Episode 157 – Uncomfortable Truths in DC Abortion Images & Archbishop Borys Gudziak on Ukraine Crisis With the shocking images circulating online showing the terrible loss of life in Washington, D.C.; unborn babies potentially victims of infanticide; TCA colleagues Maureen Ferguson and Ashley McGuire join Dr. Grazie Christie to discuss the facts of this tragedy and what the pro-life movement can learn from this moment as we work to make abortion unthinkable, especially ahead of the Supreme Court’s decision on Dobbs. With the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, we revisit with Archbishop Borys Gudziak about the humanitarian efforts on the ground as civilians are still being evacuated especially from Mariupol, known to Ukrainian Catholics as Mary’s City. Father Roger Landry also offers an inspiring homily for Divine Mercy Sunday. Catch the show every Saturday at 7amET/5pmET on EWTN radio! https://thecatholicassociation.org/podcast/ep-157-uncomfortable-truths-in-dc-abortion-images-archbishop-borys-gudziak-on-ukraine-crisis/___________________________________________________________ 1. Prayers on the 50-yard line, Court to weigh rights of public employees vs. student protections, By Robert Barnes, The Washington Post, April 22, 2022, Pg. A1 Almost everyone agrees it should not require two trips to the U.S. Supreme Court to settle the case of a high school football coach who wants to pray at the 50-yard line. Maybe former Bremerton High School assistant coach Joseph Kennedy could have conceded that his postgame prayer of gratitude could take place somewhere other than midfield, or discouraged what one judge called a “spectacle” of stampeding supporters and politicians who rushed after one game to kneel beside him on the gridiron. Maybe the school district could have offered an accommodation that didn’t require Kennedy to climb to the stadium press box, or retreat to a janitor’s office in the school, to offer his prayer. Instead, it prohibited him from any “demonstrative religious activity” that is “readily observable to (if not intended to be observed by) students and the attending public.” Nonetheless, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District arrives before the justices Monday. It brings vexing questions about the ability of public employees to live out their faith while on duty and the government’s competing responsibility to protect schoolchildren from coercion and to remain neutral on the subject of religion. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/04/21/supreme-court-praying-football-coach/?___________________________________________________________2. Pope says proposed June meeting with Patriarch Kirill called off, By Inés San Martín, Crux, April 22, 2022, Opinion Pope Francis told an Argentine journalist that his planned second meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill – penciled in for June in Jerusalem – has been canceled, and argued that there is no sense in him visiting Kyiv if Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would resume “the following day.” “I cannot do anything that would jeopardize higher objectives, which are the end of the war, a truce or at least a humanitarian corridor,” he said, speaking with Argentine newspaper La Nacion. “What would be the use of the pope going to Kyiv if the war continues the next day?” https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2022/04/pope-says-proposed-june-meeting-with-patriarch-kirill-called-off___________________________________________________________ 3. Jesus a Socialist? That’s a Myth, By Alexander William Salter, The Wall Street Journal, April 22, 2022, Pg. A15, Opinion The idea that the teachings of Jesus are akin to socialism has been spreading around the internet for years in the form of memes, chain emails and Facebook posts. Some elected officials have a history of supporting the idea: The Rev. Raphael Warnock, a U.S. senator from Georgia, contended years ago that “the early church was a socialist church.” He’s not alone in holding this misguided belief. A much-cited passage from the Acts of the Apostles, the first work of church history, has strong socialist overtones. Christian socialists use this passage to argue socialism was a historical reality for the followers of Christ. If they’re right, that has huge implications for a country that remains majority Christian. Fortunately, they’re wrong. … It’s foolish to apply the categories of economic systems to the church. Socialism regiments society, an unplanned give-and-take among countless organizations, according to an all-encompassing economic blueprint. That isn’t the church’s mission. Reconciling all of creation to God in Christ is. While the church has a strong communitarian ethos, it isn’t committed to a specific set of economic institutions. Exploring the church’s internal constitution can be fascinating, and the generosity of the earliest Christians should serve as an example for us. But this has no relevance to the merits of single-payer healthcare or nationalizing railroads. Knowing whether an economic system comports with Christianity requires careful study of the church’s social teachings, but church history matters too. Historical memory and interpretation are powerful forces for shaping contemporary beliefs. A socialist can be a good Christian, but the narrative of early church socialism is a myth. Mr. Salter is an economics professor at Texas Tech University, a research fellow at TTU’s Free Market Institute, and a senior fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-myth-of-jesus-socialism-acts-new-testament-christianity-catholic-protestant-marx-communism-st-paul-11650575604?___________________________________________________________ 4. If Paris was worth a Mass, maybe Ukraine was worth a Pope/Orban summit, By John L. Allen Jr., Crux, April 22, 2022, Opinion Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán came calling on Pope Francis Thursday, and, according to the official chronology, the encounter lasted a robust 40 minutes. From one point of view, the headline could well be that the two leaders could spend that much time together without coming to blows. They disagree on almost everything, from the migrant and refugee crisis in Europe to the war in Ukraine. When Orbán won a crushing reelection victory on April 4, he boasted that that he had defeated his “opponent” in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and he took a congratulatory phone call from President Vladimir Putin of Russia. … According to the Hungarian government, since the beginning of the war more than 600,000 refugees from Ukraine have entered Hungarian territory. Of that number, roughly 17,000 have request humanitarian protection while more than 100,000 have asked for temporary residency permits, both of which signal an intention to remain in Hungary at least for the time being. … Francis has vowed to do “everything possible” to try to bring the war to an end, and, apparently, that includes refraining from rhetoric that would make any role for the Vatican as a possible mediator more difficult. Indeed, where others bristle at Orbán’s affinity for Putin, Francis may well see it as an asset, in the sense that at least one European leader is still taken seriously in the Kremlin and thus may be in a position to help get the Vatican’s eagerness to help across. In other words, if Paris was worth a Mass, perhaps Francis believes that Ukraine was worth 40 minutes with Orbán. Whether the tête-à-tête actually produces any momentum remains to be seen, but the pope may have felt it was a chance he simply had to take. https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2022/04/if-paris-was-worth-a-mass-maybe-ukraine-was-worth-a-pope-orban-summit___________________________________________________________ 5. Kentucky abortion law blocked in win for clinics, By Bruce Schreiner, Associated Press, April 21, 2022, 6:20 PM  A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a state law that effectively eliminated abortions in Kentucky after the state’s two remaining clinics said they couldn’t meet its requirements. The decision by U.S. District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings was a victory for abortion rights advocates and a setback for the Republican-led legislature, which passed the law in March and then overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of the measure last week. Both of the clinics indicated Thursday that they would immediately resume abortion services. … Jennings’ order did not delve into the larger issue of the new law’s constitutionality. Instead, it focused on the clinics’ claims that they’re unable to immediately comply with the measure because the state hasn’t yet set up clear guidelines. The judge said her order does not prevent the state from crafting regulations. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/kentucky-abortion-law-blocked-in-win-for-clinics/2022/04/21/2d3e420c-c1aa-11ec-b5df-1fba61a66c75_story.html___________________________________________________________ 6. Bill regulating medication abortions heads to Tenn. governor, By Kimberlee Kruesi, Associated Press, April 21, 2022, 3:02 PM Tennessee would become the latest state to impose harsh penalties on doctors who violate new, strict regulations dictating the dispensing of abortion pills under a proposal headed toward Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s desk. The proposal mirrors similar proposals introduced in Republican-controlled states seeking to clamp down medication abortion access. It’s a coordinated nationwide effort spearheaded by anti-abortion groups upset over the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent decision to remove a rule that required women to pick up the abortion medication in person. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/bill-regulating-medication-abortions-heads-to-tenn-governor/2022/04/21/a4b7a8b4-c1a5-11ec-b5df-1fba61a66c75_story.html___________________________________________________________ 7. Pro-Lifers Press Case Against Calif. Law They Claim ‘Decriminalizes Infanticide’, Critics say Bill AB 2223 could weaken protections for newborn infants, leaving some more vulnerable to neglect, abuse and abandonment., By Joan Frawley Desmond, National Catholic Register, April 21, 2022 Hundreds of pro-life activists and Christian church groups in California swarmed the statehouse in Sacramento April 19, waiting to register their opposition to proposed legislation they claim would “decriminalize infanticide.” The tense, hour-long hearing on the controversial bill was dominated by testimony warning that the legislation could weaken protections for newborn infants, leaving some more vulnerable to neglect, abuse and abandonment. “We are thrilled to see Californians all over the state traveling hundreds of miles to tell legislators decriminalizing infanticide is barbaric and indefensible,” Jonathan Keller, president of California Family Council, said in an April 18 statement marking the campaign to stop the bill. … At issue is one part of the bill, Section 7(a), which reads: “Notwithstanding any other law, a person shall not be subject to civil or criminal liability or penalty, or otherwise deprived of their rights, based on their actions or omissions with respect to their pregnancy or actual, potential, or alleged pregnancy outcome, including miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, or perinatal death.” The bill does not define “perinatal death.” But in response to objections raised by the California Catholic Conference and other groups, Wicks amended the bill to read, “perinatal death due to a pregnancy-related cause,” language pro-lifers say is too vague. The California Welfare & Institutions Code defines perinatal as “the period from the establishment of pregnancy to one month following delivery.” https://www.ncregister.com/news/pro-lifers-press-case-against-calif-law-they-claim-decriminalizes-infanticide___________________________________________________________

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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