1. Thank You, Bill Barr, The Attorney General was the right man for the job in hyper-partisan times, By The Wall Street Journal, December 15, 2020, Pg. A18, Editorial
William Barr resigned as Attorney General on Monday, effective Dec. 23, and he’s certainly earned the right to leave early. He has been the right man at the right time for that difficult job, with the principles and toughness to make difficult decisions despite bitter Democrats in Congress and a willful President Trump.
Mr. Barr had already been AG once so he didn’t need the title. He took the job in a Washington marked by no-limits partisanship knowing that he would be criticized no matter what he did. But he wanted to clean up a Justice Department that he rightly knew had been tainted by a corrupt FBI under James Comey and political appointees in both parties who lacked the courage or tenacity to take responsibility for hard prosecutorial judgments.
…
[H]e has been a champion of free speech and religious liberty when both are under attack by progressives. His interventions on Covid-19 restrictions against houses of worship supported lawsuits that have been vindicated at the Supreme Court and forced governors to consider the First Amendment’s limit on their power.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/thank-you-bill-barr-11607994564?
___________________________________________________________
2. Catholic parishioners gave more money to churches that went online during quarantine than to those that did not, By Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post, December 15, 2020, Pg. A1
The coronavirus shutdown is affecting giving to Catholic parishes around the country in dramatically different ways, data shows, with some expected to see their offertory — parishioners’ donations, typically given at weekly services — down 50 percent, while others have had an increase. A study says a big factor is whether parishes switched to online services or decided to wait the virus out.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/12/14/covid-coronavirus-shutdown-catholic-parish-offertory-giving-down/
___________________________________________________________
3. Catholic Archdiocese of Washington seeks restraining order against D.C. so churches can prepare for Christmas, By Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post, December 14, 2020, 11:03 PM
The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington on Monday night filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, asking the court to quickly take up its request to rule against the mayor’s strict attendance caps on houses of worship.
To get the legal issues resolved before Christmas, the motion asks the District Court to decide by Friday. It was filed by the archdiocese’s lawyers, from the nonprofit religious liberty group, Becket.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/12/14/archdiocese-sues-restraining-order-bowser-coronavirus-covid-christmas/
___________________________________________________________
4. Trump eases rules for religious social service providers, By Collin Binkley, Associated Press, December 14, 2020, 5:52 PM
The Trump administration on Monday moved to loosen Obama-era restrictions on religious organizations that receive federal money to provide social services.
In new rules coordinated across nine federal agencies, the administration said it was clearing barriers that make it difficult for religious groups to participate in federal programs.
Chief among the changes is the elimination of a rule requiring faith-based groups to tell clients about their religious affiliation and to refer clients to a different program upon request.
…
The new rules are being finalized after a public feedback period that drew nearly 100,000 comments. Religious groups applauded the changes, while civil rights groups said they opened the door for discrimination.
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2020/12/trump-eases-rules-for-religious-social-service-providers/
___________________________________________________________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. |
