1. Pope tightens oversight of Vatican-linked foundations, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, December 6, 2022, 8:26 AM Pope Francis on Tuesday tightened control and oversight over Vatican-based foundations and associations in his latest effort to impose international standards of accounting and governance on Vatican offices and affiliated entities. A new law aims to bring the Holy See into further compliance with recommendations from the Council of Europe’s Moneyval committee, which in April 2021 flagged as problematic the lack of an overarching law governing the creation and administration of foundations registered in Vatican City. Such foundations draw donations from the faithful, but until recently they had little oversight or accountability.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/pope-tightens-oversight-of-vatican-linked-foundations/2022/12/06/769a2f26-7567-11ed-a199-927b334b939f_story.html__________________________________________________________ 2. Tim Cook’s Bad Day on China, By William McGurn, The Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2022, Pg. A19, Opinion Apple CEO Tim Cook has been taking a beating over his company’s coziness with Beijing. It comes amid protests across China against the government’s strict Covid-19 lockdowns, including at a factory in Zhengzhou where most of the world’s iPhones are made.  Mr. Cook’s problem: When coupled with his outspokenness at home, the accommodations on China make him look like a hypocrite.  CEOs can always justify their operations by pointing to the economic benefits their companies bring to the communities in which they operate. Or CEOs can go the progressive route, presenting their companies as moral paragons. But they can’t have it both ways: holding themselves up as courageous in places where the risk from speaking out is low while keeping quiet about real oppression in places where speaking out can really hurt the bottom line. https://www.wsj.com/articles/tim-cooks-bad-day-on-china-apple-beijing-lockdowns-protests-airdrop-surveillance-ccp-human-rights-communist-11670278246__________________________________________________________ 3. Catholics in India barred from cathedral after liturgical dispute leads to clashes, By Nirmala Carvalho, Crux, December 6, 2022 Eastern Rite Catholics in celebrated Mass outside of St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica on Sunday, a week after authorities closed the church due to clashes between worshippers. The cathedral and mother church of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church is located in Ernakulam, a district of the city of Kochi in Kerala state. The Syro-Malabar Church has 4.25 million members, more than half of whom are located in Kerala. A liturgical controversy has been causing tension in the Eastern church, with many congregations resistant to a “unified” liturgy meant to end the various ways of celebrating the Eucharist within the church. Although most of the church has accepted the unified rite, the archdiocese of Ernakulam–Angamaly has been resistant to the change, which stopped the priest from facing the people during the Mass. In July of last year, Pope Francis wrote the Syro-Malabar Church and asked for it to adopt the unified rite. https://cruxnow.com/church-in-asia/2022/12/catholics-in-india-barred-from-cathedral-after-liturgical-dispute-leads-to-clashes__________________________________________________________ 4. LGBTQ students wrestle with tensions at Christian colleges, By Associated Press, December 5, 2022, 9:04 AM Most of the 200 Catholic institutions serving nearly 900,000 students have made efforts to be welcoming while staying true to their mission as Catholic ministries, said the Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.  The majority of Christian colleges and universities list “sexual orientation” in their nondiscrimination statements, and half also include “gender identity” – far more than did so in 2013, said Jonathan Coley, a sociologist at Oklahoma State University who maintains a Christian higher education database of policies toward LGBTQ students. But translating that into practice creates tensions affecting most campus life, including enrollment at single-gender institutions, housing, restroom design and pronoun use.  New Ways Ministry, which advocates for LGBTQ Catholics, keeps a list of over 130 Catholic colleges it considers LGBTQ-friendly because they provide public affirmation, including courses and clubs, said its director, Francis DeBernardo.  The Cardinal Newman Society, which advocates for fidelity to church teachings on all Catholic education issues, maintains its own list of recommended schools, a little more than a dozen the organization considers “faithful.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/lgbtq-students-wrestle-with-tensions-at-christian-colleges/2022/12/05/ba384c08-74a5-11ed-a199-927b334b939f_story.html__________________________________________________________ 5. Justices spar in latest clash of religion and gay rights, By Jessica Gresko and Mark Sherman, Associated Press, December 5, 2022, 9:30 PM The Supreme Courts conservative majority sounded sympathetic Monday to a Christian graphic artist who objects to designing wedding websites for gay couples, the latest collision of religion and gay rights to land at the high court. The designer and her supporters say that ruling against her would force artists — from painters and photographers to writers and musicians — to do work that is against their beliefs. Her opponents, meanwhile, say that if she wins, a range of businesses will be able to discriminate, refusing to serve Black, Jewish or Muslim customers, interracial or interfaith couples or immigrants. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-taking-up-clash-of-religion-and-gay-rights/2022/12/05/ed61e1a4-745d-11ed-a199-927b334b939f_story.html__________________________________________________________ 6. Only Pro-Life Judge on Inter-American Court of Human Rights Dies, Judge Eduardo Vio Grossi served on the IACHR, an international court based in Costa Rica that was created by the American Convention on Human Rights, a treaty ratified by the Organization of American States., By Catholic News Agency, December 5, 2022 Chilean Judge Eduardo Vio Grossi, the only pro-life judge serving at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), died Dec. 3 at the age of 78. In a Dec. 3 statement posted on Twitter, the IACHR expressed its “deep sorrow for the unfortunate death” and conveyed its “most heartfelt condolences to family and friends for such a painful and irreparable loss.” The IACHR is an international court based in Costa Rica that was created by the American Convention on Human Rights, a treaty ratified by the Organization of American States. https://www.ncregister.com/cna/only-pro-life-judge-on-inter-american-court-of-human-rights-dies__________________________________________________________

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.
Subscribe to the TCA podcast!
“Conversations with Consequences” is a new audio program from The Catholic Association. We’ll bring you thoughtful dialogue with the leading thinkers of our time on the most consequential issues of our day. Subscribe today or listen online and enjoy our entertaining and informative weekly episodes.