TCA Podcast, – “Conversations with Consequences,” Episode 201 – Dr. Kevin Majeres On The Golden Hour & Dave Reinhard Shares Litany Of Humility As so many strive to find meaning and growth in their daily lives, Dr. Kevin Majeres joins Dr. Grazie Christie to discuss OptimalWork and ways to reframe one’s mind to achieve greater success–and sanctity. Marking the beginning of Lent, Dave Reinhard talks about the Litany of Humility. Father Roger Landry also offers an inspiring homily as we journey through this period of penance. Catch the show every Saturday on EWTN radio at 7amET/5pmET. https://thecatholicassociation.org/podcast/ep-201-dr-kevin-majeres-on-the-golden-hour-dave-reinhard-shares-litany-of-humility/__________________________________________________________ 1. India Tries to Police Religious Conversions, By Tunku Varadarajan, The Wall Street Journal, February 24, 2023, Pg. A15, Opinion Most Americans know India is the largest democracy on earth, but fewer are aware that the country is, like the U.S., a federated union of states—28 of them. Policy makers in both countries tout democratic kinship as one reason why India and the U.S. are natural allies. Yet so different is India’s democracy from the liberty-oriented American variety that it can be hard to believe there’s any real kinship. To Americans who look closely enough, India will seem like a democracy that is frequently undemocratic, too often repressive of basic rights, particularly when faith or religion is involved. An example presents itself next month when lawyers acting for a range of civil-rights groups will argue before the Supreme Court of India that laws passed by nine states to clamp down on religious conversion are unconstitutional. These anticonversion laws, risibly titled Freedom of Religion Acts, purport to prevent religious conversion when done by “force” or “fraud,” or by “allurement” or “inducement”—which includes a prohibition on winning converts by suggesting that conversion would please God. An evangelist who promises a convert a place in heaven risks having the conversion struck down as void. Citizens who suspect that a “wrongful” conversion has taken place can file a complaint with the police. Astonishingly, the burden of proof “lies on the person who has caused the conversion”—to quote language, common to many of these laws, from the Karnataka state statute. Punishments include jail terms of up to five years. … Mr. Singh believes the Supreme Court of India can strike these laws down as unconstitutional. On what grounds? “Privacy, personal autonomy, Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and six different articles of the Indian Constitution.” “Yadda, yadda, yadda,” he adds in jest, to demonstrate how irrefutable his argument is. But Mr. Singh isn’t altogether optimistic, citing a Hindi proverb. “Whoever has the big stick owns the buffalo.” Might is usually right in present-day India. Even before the Supreme Court. Mr. Varadarajan, a Journal contributor, is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and at New York University Law School’s Classical Liberal Institute. https://www.wsj.com/articles/india-police-religious-conversion-law-hindu-nationalism-bjp-supreme-court-love-jihad-islam-christianity-89384a97__________________________________________________________ 2. Pope nationalizes Vatican assets, property in new reform, By Associated Press, February 23, 2023, 1:56 PM Pope Francis has essentially nationalized all assets and property owned by Vatican departments and affiliated institutions, declaring them to be sovereign patrimony owned by the Holy See and not any individual or office. The action outlined in a new law published Thursday marks Francis’ latest initiative to centralize Vatican assets so they can be managed properly, following years of mismanagement that led to huge losses and, prosecutors allege, criminal wrongdoing. Francis previously stripped the Vatican’s secretariat of state of its 600 billion-euro ($635 billion) portfolio and ordered the assets transferred to the Vatican’s patrimony office following a scandal involving a 350 million-euro investment in a London property. Vatican prosecutors have charged 10 people, including a cardinal, of defrauding the Holy See of tens of millions of euros through the London venture. … https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/pope-nationalizes-vatican-assets-property-in-new-reform/2023/02/23/b7c3bcec-b3ab-11ed-94a0-512954d75716_story.html__________________________________________________________ 3. Maryland mulls ending child sexual abuse lawsuit time limits, By Brian Witte, Associated Press, February 23, 2023 Adults who testified they were sexually abused as children urged Maryland lawmakers on Thursday to end the state’s statute of limitations for when civil lawsuits can be filed against institutions related to child sexual abuse. … Currently, people in Maryland who say they were sexually abused as children can’t sue once they reach the age of 38. The Maryland House has approved legislation in recent years that would have lifted that age limit, but it stalled in the state Senate. … In written testimony, the Maryland Catholic Conference, which represents the three dioceses serving the state, opposed the bill, saying the elimination of the civil statute of limitations retroactively “raises serious equity concerns and is particularly unnecessary in Maryland, which does not have a criminal statute of limitations for cases of child sexual abuse.” https://apnews.com/article/politics-maryland-state-government-lawsuits-c5009e56e61bcb5cc67d56e620485d62__________________________________________________________ 4. Trans youth care ban headed to Tennessee governor’s desk, By Jonathan Mattise and Kimberlee Kruesi, Associated Press, February 23, 2023 Transgender youth in Tennessee would be banned from receiving gender-affirming care under legislation currently headed to the desk of Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who has voiced support for the bill. House lawmakers voted 77-16 on Thursday, with three Democrats joining their Republican colleagues to pass the bill. … “These children do not need these medical procedures to be able to flourish as adults,” said House Majority Leader William Lamberth. “They need mental health treatment. They need love and support, and many of them need to be able to grow up to become the individuals that they were intended to be.” … Similar bills have advanced in Nebraska, Mississippi, Oklahoma and South Dakota. In Utah, the Republican governor recently signed a transgender medical ban into law. Meanwhile, a federal judge who blocked Arkansas’ ban on gender-affirming care for minors is now considering whether to strike down the law as unconstitutional. A similar ban in Alabama has also been temporarily blocked by a federal judge. https://apnews.com/article/politics-tennessee-state-government-health-gender-181952f6bd94a8e8c0a35be81afe00ad__________________________________________________________ 5. Holy See and the Sultanate of Oman establish diplomatic ties, By Andrea Gagliarducci, Catholic News Agency, February 23, 2023, 12:50 PM The Holy See and Oman have established full diplomatic relations, leaving only six countries worldwide without any diplomatic connection to the Vatican. The announcement on Feb. 23 did not come as a surprise because in November, during Pope Francis’ trip to Bahrain, there had been contact between the Vatican and Oman’s Foreign Ministry.  The agreement was signed on behalf of the Holy See by Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, Holy See Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York, and for the Sultanate of Oman by H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al-Hassan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Sultanate of Oman to the United Nations. … https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253722/holy-see-and-the-sultanate-of-oman-establish-diplomatic-ties__________________________________________________________ 6. Conservative Anglican leaders reject archbishop of Canterbury over same-sex union blessings, By Jonah McKeown, Catholic News Agency, February 23, 2023, 10:12 AM A group of religious leaders representing a significant portion of the world’s Anglicans voted this week to reject the leadership of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby after the Church of England’s governing body in early February voted to bless same-sex couples. The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches (GSFA), composed of 14 of the 25 Anglican provinces in areas such as Africa and Oceania, issued a statement Feb. 20 accusing the Church of England, of which Welby is senior bishop, of breaking communion with the provinces who remain faithful to a biblical view of marriage as being between one man and one woman. The GSFA leaders say Welby, by overseeing the incorporation into the Anglican liturgy of blessings of same-sex unions, has thus forfeited his position as “first among equals” leader of the global Anglican Communion.  https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253715/anglican-leaders-reject-archbishop-of-canterbury-over-decision-to-bless-same-sex-couples__________________________________________________________ 7. German bishops’ leader wants ‘common line’ on same-sex blessings ahead of synodal way vote, Bishop Georg Bätzing is expected to call for “a common line in favor of blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples” when German bishops next meet., By Luke Coppen, The Pillar, February 23, 2023, 3:45 PM When the German bishops’ conference meets next week, the group’s chairman will aim to see the country’s bishops support the prospect of liturgical blessings for same-sex couples, according to local media. The German Catholic news agency KNA reported Thursday that Bishop Georg Bätzing will call for “a common line in favor of blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples” at the bishops’ plenary assembly in Dresden from Feb. 27 to March 2. The bishops’ gathering will take place days before the final scheduled meeting of Germany’s controversial synodal way, a multi-year initiative bringing together bishops and select lay people to discuss far-reaching changes to Church teaching and structures. Among the documents scheduled for discussion at the March 9-11 synodal assembly is a paper advocating same-sex blessings, in defiance of a Vatican declaration in 2021 that “the Church does not have, and cannot have, the power to bless unions of persons of the same sex.” … KNA noted that the March synodal assembly will address a potentially “even more controversial” document on gender issues. The text, “Dealing with gender diversity,” will also have its second reading in March. The draft document condemns the “wilful negative politicization of intersex and transgender persons in the Church and in society,” and says that “all ordained ministries and pastoral vocations in the Church should be open to the intersex and transgender baptized and confirmed who sense a calling for themselves.” https://www.pillarcatholic.com/german-bishops-leader-wants-common-line-on-same-sex-blessings-ahead-of-synodal-way-vote/__________________________________________________________ 8. DOJ Charges 8 More Pro-Lifers With Violating FACE Act, By Mary Margaret Olohan, The Daily Signal, February 22, 2023 The Department of Justice has charged eight more pro-life activists with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. The latest charges stem from an August 2020 incident where pro-life activists Calvin Zastrow, Chester Gallagher, Heather Idoni, Caroline Davis, Joel Curry, Justin Phillips, Eva Edl, and Eva Zastrow allegedly blockaded the entrance to a Sterling Heights, Michigan, abortion clinic. These eight individuals blocked the door to an abortion clinic on Aug. 27, 2020, according to a DOJ release, which also states that Gallagher advertised their intentions on social media, he and Curry livestreamed the blockade, and another “uncharged co-conspirator” recorded the incident while saying that they were “going to stand in front of the door” and “interpose.”… https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/02/22/biden-doj-charges-eight-more-pro-life-activists-with-violating-face-act/__________________________________________________________

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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