1. Give Jimmy Lai a Nobel, By William McGurn, The Wall Street Journal, April 25, 2023, Pg. A15
Jimmy Lai goes on trial in Hong Kong on national-security charges in September. In October, the Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce this year’s Peace Prize. The Chinese Communist Party nightmare is that Jimmy (who is my godson) is awarded the Nobel for championing freedom at about the same time he is handed a life sentence for the exact same thing.
Enter Natan Sharansky. Mr. Sharansky spent nine years in a Soviet prison after trying to emigrate to Israel—and he supports the Nobel Peace Prize for Jimmy.
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Jimmy was first nominated for the prize in January, along with four other Hong Kong prisoners of conscience, by 15 academics representing 10 different nations. The four other nominees are all people who advocated for democracy: Chow Hang-tung, Gwyneth Ho, Lee Cheuk-yan and Joshua Wong. In February, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers nominated these same five for the Nobel—and added Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Zen to their list.
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In prison Jimmy is at peace with himself because he knows being there means he hasn’t betrayed his principles. A Nobel wouldn’t change that. But it would highlight the Communist Party’s insecurity about the lies it must tell to sustain its rule.
For Mr. Sharansky, the case for giving Jimmy Lai a Nobel Peace Prize is straightforward: “Because Jimmy is a very important leader in the struggle for freedom of the people of Hong Kong and in general in the world.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/give-jimmy-lai-a-nobel-ccp-china-trial-beijing-nominated-prison-democracy-freedom-hong-kong-b8eba334
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2. Pope Francis hopes to visit native Argentina next year, By Associated Press, April 24, 2023
Pope Francis said he hopes to travel to his native Argentina in 2024, which would mark the first time he would step foot in his homeland since becoming pontiff a decade ago.
“I want to go to the country next year,” the pope said in an interview with a columnist for Argentine newspaper La Nación that was published Sunday. The 86-year-old pope did not provide further details about the potential trip, which has been the subject of much speculation in his homeland.
Spokespeople for the Catholic Church in Argentina and the government did not comment on the pope’s remarks.
The timing of the visit seems planned to avoid any political undertones. It would come after a new president would be sworn in to office in December following the October elections that will choose the successor to President Alberto Fernández, who said last week he won’t be running.
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https://apnews.com/article/francis-pope-argentina-visit-travel-12f634550b26458c4196b110229da4b3
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3. Clinic says promise not to enforce abortion law not enough, By Colleen Slevin, Associated Press, April 24, 2023, 6:29 PM
The owner of a Catholic clinic challenging Colorado’s new ban on unproven treatments to reverse medication abortions testified Monday that a state pledge not to enforce the ban for now wasn’t enough to protect her staff and patients.
At a hearing in federal court, Dede Chism, co-founder and CEO of Bella Health and Wellness, said state lawmakers’ comments during debate on the measure about wanting to come after faith-based clinics like hers made her fearful. She said she worried about what could happen at the clinic if she continued to offer the treatments to women who wanted to stop a medication abortion.
“A promise is just a promise. I feel like I need something a little more concrete,” she said at the hearing, which was held to determine if U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico’s judge’s temporary order stopping enforcement of the new law against her clinic should be extended.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/24/colorado-ban-medication-abortion-reversal/0d9678e2-e2cf-11ed-9696-8e874fd710b8_story.html
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4. North Dakota governor signs law banning nearly all abortions, By Trisha Ahmed, Associated Press, April 24, 2023, 9:17 PM
North Dakota on Monday adopted one of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country as Republican Gov. Doug Burgum signed legislation banning the procedure throughout pregnancy, with slim exceptions up to six weeks’ gestation.
In those early weeks, abortion would be allowed only in cases of rape, incest or medical emergency, such as ectopic pregnancy.
“This bill clarifies and refines existing state law … and reaffirms North Dakota as a pro-life state,” Burgum said in a statement.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2023/04/24/abortion-north-dakota-six-week-ban/abda5552-e2eb-11ed-9696-8e874fd710b8_story.html
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5. Pope Francis to receive Ukraine’s prime minister on Thursday, By Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency, April 24, 2023, 9:30 AM
Pope Francis will receive the prime minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, at the Vatican on Thursday morning.
The two last met at the Vatican in March 2021 amid clashes between Ukraine and Russia in the Donbas region. Shmyhal has been Ukraine’s prime minister since March 2020.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254163/pope-francis-to-receive-ukraine-s-prime-minister-on-thursday
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6. Pontifical Academy for Life responds to outcry over Archbishop Paglia assisted suicide comments, By Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency, April 24, 2023, 8:06 AM
The Pontifical Academy for Life said Monday its president is against assisted suicide but thinks it is possible to have a “legal initiative” that would allow it to be decriminalized in Italy under “specific and particular conditions.”
The April 24 statement was issued following an outcry over a speech in which Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia defended legalizing medically assisted suicide in Italy. The archbishop called it a “feasible” approach to the issue in Italian society, despite the Catholic Church’s clear teachings against it.
“Personally, I would not practice suicide assistance, but I understand that legal mediation may be the greatest common good concretely possible under the conditions we find ourselves in,” Paglia said in a speech on April 19 during the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy.
The Italian news outlet Il Riformista published the text of Paglia’s speech on April 22.
Monday’s statement by the Vatican academy said Paglia “reiterates his ‘no’ towards euthanasia and assisted suicide, in full adherence to the magisterium.”
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254161/pontifical-academy-for-life-responds-to-outcry-over-archbishop-paglia-assisted-suicide-comments
__________________________________________________________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. |
