1. Ex-Cardinal McCarrick asks court to dismiss sex assault case, By Alanna Durkin Richer, Associated Press, February 27, 2023
Lawyers for former Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick filed a motion Monday to dismiss a case charging him with sexually assaulting a boy decades ago, saying the 92-year-old once-powerful American prelate has dementia and is not competent to stand trial.
McCarrick pleaded not guilty in September 2021 in the Massachusetts case that alleges the priest sexually abused the boy at a wedding reception at Wellesley College in June 1974. He is the only U.S. Catholic cardinal, current or former, ever to be criminally charged with child sex crimes.
His attorneys said in their motion to dismiss that McCarrick was examined by a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who concluded the former cardinal suffers from dementia, likely due to Alzheimer’s disease.
“While he has a limited understanding of the criminal proceedings against him, his progressive and irreparable cognitive deficits render him unable to meaningfully consult with counsel or to effectively assist in his own defense,” McCarrick’s lawyers wrote. They say McCarrick maintains his innocence of all charges.
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https://apnews.com/article/massachusetts-religion-crime-dementia-6e3a436d2382f4f83e395ceca273f172
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2. West Virginia GOP majority House OKs religious freedom bill, By Leah Willingham, Associated Press, February 27, 2023, 5:13 PM
West Virginia’s GOP supermajority House of Delegates passed a bill Monday that would create a test for courts to apply when people challenge government regulations they believe interfere with their constitutional right to religious freedom.
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At least 23 other states have religious freedom restoration acts like the one being proposed in West Virginia. The laws are modeled after the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, signed in 1993 by then-President Bill Clinton, which allows federal regulations that interfere with religious beliefs to be challenged.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/west-virginia-gop-majority-house-oks-religious-freedom-bill/2023/02/27/c076ed18-b6e5-11ed-b0df-8ca14de679ad_story.html
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3. Citizens’ convention endorses legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide in France, By Solène Tadié, Catholic News Agency, February 27, 2023, 10:56 AM
A citizens’ convention made up of randomly selected members of the French public voted Feb. 19 in favor of legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide, including for minors, preparing the way for the drafting of new “end of life” legislation.
The 184-member council was convened by French President Emmanuel Macron to debate “end of life” issues after the government’s National Consultative Ethics Committee (CCNE) issued an opinion Sept. 13, 2022, favorable to legalizing assisted suicide.
For three months the convention debated the question, “Is the framework for end-of-life support adapted to the different situations encountered or should changes be introduced?” At the end of debate, 84% of the members of the citizens’ council agreed that the current legal framework does not respond to the “different situations encountered.” A full 66% of them felt that active assistance in dying in the form of euthanasia should be accessible, and 72% approved of assisted suicide.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253751/citizens-convention-endorses-legalization-of-euthanasia-and-assisted-suicide-in-france
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4. Albany Diocese bans Latin Masses following new guidance from the Vatican, By Tyler Arnold, Catholic News Agency, February 27, 2023, 5:28 PM
The Diocese of Albany, New York, has at least temporarily banned the Traditional Latin Mass at two parishes to comply with an order issued by the Vatican last week.
Effective immediately, parish churches in the diocese are prohibited from celebrating the Latin Mass in accordance with the “Missale Romanum” of 1962, according to a statement from the diocese.
“In light of the rescript, which the Vatican sent last week, the celebration of the Usus Antiquior [Traditional Latin Mass] is currently on hold in parish churches in the Albany Diocese,” the diocese noted in a statement provided to CNA. “As we explore various possibilities, the Usus Antiquior can continue at Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine in Auriesville, which is not a parish church in the diocese.”
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253757/albany-diocese-bans-latin-masses-following-new-guidance-from-the-vatican
__________________________________________________________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. |
