1. The Right — and Wrong — Way to Overturn ‘Roe v. Wade’, If the Supreme Court’s six originalist justices are truly originalists, they will end abortion altogether in their ‘Dobbs’ decision, which should have happened in ‘Roe.’, By Tim Busch, National Catholic Register, December 28, 2021, Opinion
Roe v. Wade is not long for this world. When the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on Dec. 1, most of the justices seemed ready to roll back the 1973 decision that forced abortion on the United States and poisoned our national politics.
Yet there’s a right way and a wrong way to overturn Roe, and, right now, the Supreme Court seems likely to make a profound mistake.
It’s not enough simply to return abortion policy to the states, as the justices seem inclined to do. The Constitution requires ending abortion altogether.
When Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, the Supreme Court didn’t just overrule the 46 states that refused to allow abortion on demand. The Court also rejected the understanding of personhood contained within the Constitution. Roe is based on the 14th Amendment, which says states shall not “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” While the Court defined “person” to mean a mother and no one else, the 14th Amendment was unquestionably written to include unborn children.
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The justices have an opportunity — and an obligation — to right that wrong. The Constitution demands it. The unborn deserve it.
Tim Busch is the founder of the Busch Firm in Irvine, California, and founder of the Napa Institute, a Catholic lay organization.
https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/the-right-and-wrong-way-to-overturn-roe-v-wade
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2. US Catholic clergy shortage eased by recruits from Africa, By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu, Associated Press, December 27, 2021, 5:21 PM
As fewer American-born men and women enter seminaries and convents, U.S. dioceses and Catholic institutions have turned to international recruitment to fill their vacancies.
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Africa is the Catholic church’s fastest-growing region. There, the seminaries are “fairly full,” said the Rev. Thomas Gaunt, director of Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, which conducts research about the Catholic church.
It’s different in the U.S. where the Catholic church faces significant hurdles in recruiting home-grown clergy following decades of declining church attendance and the damaging effects of widespread clergy sex abuse scandals.
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From 1970 to 2020, the number of priests in the U.S. dropped by 60%, according to data from the Georgetown center. This has left more than 3,500 parishes without a resident pastor.
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Amid the U.S. clergy shortage, religious sisters have experienced the sharpest declines, dropping 75% since 1970, according to the Georgetown center.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/us-catholic-clergy-shortage-eased-by-recruits-from-africa/2021/12/27/a7952d10-6726-11ec-9390-eae241f4c8b1_story.html
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3. India blocks foreign funds for Mother Teresa’s charity, By Krutika Pathi, Associated Press, December 27, 2021, 11:30 AM
India’s government has blocked Mother Teresa’s charity from receiving foreign funds, saying the Catholic organization did not meet conditions under local laws, dealing a blow to one of the most prominent groups running shelters for the poor.
The Home Ministry said a statement Monday that the Missionaries of Charity’s application for renewing a license that allows it to get funds from abroad was rejected on Christmas.
The ministry said it came across “adverse inputs” while considering the charity’s renewal application. It did not elaborate.
Its troubles come in the wake of a string of attacks on Christians in some parts of India by Hindu right-wing groups, who accuse pastors and churches of forced conversions. The attacks have especially been prominent in the southern state of Karnataka, which has seen nearly 40 cases of threats or violence against Christians this year, according to a report from the Evangelical Fellowship of India.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/india-blocks-foreign-funds-for-mother-teresas-charity/2021/12/27/48ceb16e-6732-11ec-9390-eae241f4c8b1_story.html
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4. Nicaragua seizes former Taiwan embassy to give it to China, By Associated Press, December 27, 2021, 12:45 PM
The Nicaraguan government has seized the former embassy and diplomatic offices of Taiwan, saying they belong to China.
President Daniel Ortega’s government broke off relations with Taiwan this month, saying it would recognize only the mainland government.
Before departing, Taiwanese diplomats attempted to donate the properties to the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Managua.
But Ortega’s government said late Sunday that any such donation would be invalid and that the building in an upscale Managua neighborhood belongs to China.
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Taiwan’s Foreign Relations Ministry condemned the “gravely illegal actions of the Ortega regime,” saying the Nicaraguan government had violated standard procedures by giving Taiwanese diplomats just two weeks to get out of the country.
It said Taiwan “also condemns the arbitrary obstruction by the Nicaraguan government of the symbolic sale of its property to the Nicaraguan Catholic church.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/nicaragua-seizes-former-taiwan-embassy-to-give-it-to-china/2021/12/27/c7135368-673c-11ec-9390-eae241f4c8b1_story.html
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5. In abortion rights debate, Biden doesn’t often use the word, By Colleen Long and Zeke Miller, Associated Press, December 27, 2021, 8:18 AM
President Joe Biden insists that he strongly believes in the rights spelled out in the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that are now under the most dire threat in decades.
But he barely even uses the word “abortion” and when his administration has been asked about what it can do to protect reproductive rights, the response has mostly been that Congress must write the landmark court decision into law, a strategy that is highly likely to fail.
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“What we want is to see is ideally the president use the bully pulpit to talk about abortion in a strong and effective way,” said Gretchen Borchelt, vice president for reproductive rights and health at the National Women’s Law Center. “It matters. It matters for the stigma that surrounds abortion, and it matters to show that it’s a priority for him and his administration.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-abortion-rights-debate-biden-doesnt-often-use-the-word/2021/12/27/884a62a4-6717-11ec-9390-eae241f4c8b1_story.html
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6. Cardinal Cupich issues new restrictions on Traditional Latin Masses, By Catholic News Agency, December 27, 2021, 11:30 AM
Cardinal Blase Cupich has issued a new policy for the Archdiocese of Chicago that curtails the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass and other sacraments in Latin using liturgical books that pre-Vatican II.
Under the policy, which takes effect Jan. 25, priests, deacons, and ordained ministers who wish to use the “old rite” must submit their requests to Cupich in writing and agree to abide by the new norms.
Those rules specify that the Traditional Latin Masses must incorporate scripture readings in the vernacular, using the official translation of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In addition, such Masses cannot take place in a parish church unless both the archbishop and the Vatican agree to grant an exemption.
The new policy also prohibits the celebration of Traditional Latin Masses on the first Sunday of every month, Christmas, the Triduum, Easter Sunday, and Pentecost Sunday.
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Chicago’s new rules mirror those spelled out in an explanatory document regarding Pope Francis’ edict published Dec. 18 by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Vatican office responsible for matters related to the sacred liturgy.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249989/cardinal-cupich-issues-new-restrictions-on-traditional-latin-masses
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7. Quebec shows how fortunate US is to have religious freedom, By Tom Joyce, The Examiner, December 24, 2021, 7:00 AM, Opinion
In Quebec, discrimination against people of faith is not only real but is mandated by the government.
The Canadian province’s Bill 21 has been the subject of a lot of controversies. The law bans all public employees in the province, including teachers, from wearing religious symbols at work. That includes the crucifix, kippahs, turbans, hijabs, and more.
It’s part of Quebec’s secularist approach to governance, and it’s a gross violation of religious freedom and a reminder of why Americans should be thankful to have freedom of religion.
The law is a blatant form of discrimination against people of faith. Whether someone is Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, or practices a different religion, he or she should have the right to practice that faith how he or she sees fit as long as it is not hurting other people.
The law also limits the economic opportunity of devoutly religious people. It means they have fewer job opportunities and are being blocked out of well-paying jobs.
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Society should accept people of faith, not reject them. What Quebec is doing deserves condemnation from across the world. As Americans, we should also take a moment to appreciate that we live on the other side of the border where a law like Bill 21 is a fringe idea.
Tom Joyce is a political reporter for the New Boston Post in Massachusetts. He is also a freelance writer who has been published in USA Today, the Boston Globe, Newsday, ESPN, the Detroit Free Press, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Federalist, and a number of other outlets.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/faith-freedom-self-reliance/quebec-shows-how-fortunate-us-is-to-have-religious-freedom
___________________________________________________________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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