1. Pope denounces ‘restorationist’ orders, pokes fun at Medjugorje.
By Inés San Martín, Crux, February 9, 2017
Pope Francis said that clerical sexual abuse is the work of the devil, there’s corruption in the Vatican, warned against new religious orders with a “restorationist” mentality, and even appeared to take a gentle shot at reputed Marian apparitions such as Medjugorje, saying the real Madonna is not “the head of a post office that every day sends a different letter.”
These are only a handful of the points Pope Francis touched on during a meeting with 140 Superiors General of male religious orders and congregations last November, in an informal, behind-closed doors exchange.
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The pope also acknowledged that he’s worried about the decline of religious vocations in the West, something for which he said he hopes the next Synod of Bishops, directed to youth and vocational discernment, can address and suggest solutions.
Yet he’s also worried about the rise of some new religious institutes that attract many religious vocations, but which then fail, some because of the scandals of their founders. These, he said, are not inspired by the Holy Spirit but by a charismatic person.
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/
2. Chaffetz to move against city’s assisted-suicide law.
By Aaron C. Davis, The Washington Post, February 9, 2017, Pg. B3
Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican who opposes the District’s new assisted-suicide law, says he will move forward in committee on overturning the measure, setting up what could be a rare House floor vote to nullify a local District law.
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The decision by the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee disappointed the law’s advocates and D.C. leaders who consider Chaffetz’s plan an affront to home rule.
Congress in 1973 granted the District the right to elect a mayor and a legislative body to enact local laws, but retained the right to veto the city’s legislation and spending decisions.
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Under the D.C. law, which was passed by the D.C. Council in November, the nation’s capital would become the seventh jurisdiction to provide a way for terminally ill patients to end their lives.
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Both the House and Senate would have to agree to overturn the D.C. law by Feb. 18 to prevent it from taking effect, according to lawyers for the D.C. Council.
3. Sessions Triumphs: Confirmed as Attorney General: President Trump finally gets his top cop as liberal cities go lawless and leftist lawsuits stack up.
By Jim Stinson, Lifezette, February 8, 2017, 8:35 PM
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) was confirmed to be the next attorney general of the United States Wednesday by a Senate vote of 52-47. Sessions himself abstained.
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Conservative groups celebrated the win.
“Sen. Sessions brings a solid pro-life and pro-religious liberty record to the Department of Justice, which has been plagued for years by corruption and ideological policies that have undermined conscience rights and countless other civil liberties,” said Ashley McGuire, senior fellow with The Catholic Association.
http://www.lifezette.com/
4. Pro-life group accuses Planned Parenthood of having abortion quotas.
By Matt Hadro, Catholic News Agency, February 8, 2017, 8:35 PM
Planned Parenthood clinics had monthly quotas for abortions or abortion referrals, according to two former clinic workers in a new Live Action investigative video.
“I trained my staff the way that I was trained, which was to really encourage women to choose abortion; to have it at Planned Parenthood, because it counts towards our goal,” Sue Thayer, a former Planned Parenthood manager at Storm Lake, Iowa, revealed in an interview with the pro-life group Live Action.
“We would try to get the appointment scheduled for abortion before they left our clinic.”
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The video is the third report in the Live Action’s new investigative series on Planned Parenthood, “Abortion Corporation.” The group has in the past published reports on Planned Parenthood for America and conducted undercover investigations of its clinics.
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In the third video, a former center manager and a former nurse described how their clinics set monthly quotas for the number of abortions to be performed – or if they did not offer abortions, the number of abortion referrals to be done.
