1. Pope Francis Denounces ‘Cancel Culture’ and Antivaccine ‘Ideology’, Pontiff also warned of children’s social isolation from school closures during pandemic, By Francis X. Rocca, The Wall Street Journal, January 10, 2022, 6:36 AMPope Francis on Monday warned that antivaccine misinformation was undermining recovery from the pandemic and denounced a “cancel culture” intolerant of traditional values that he said was impeding cooperation among the world’s societies. … He also spoke about the effects of pandemic-related school closures on children, warning that many had taken “refuge in virtual realities that create strong psychological and emotional links but isolate them from others and the world around them.” … The pope said that effective multilateral diplomacy required the recognition of what he described as fundamental values: “the right to life, from conception to its natural end, and the right to religious freedom.” Instead, he said, many international organizations practice “ideological colonization,” a term he has previously used to describe efforts by rich nations to promote contraception, same-sex marriage and progressive concepts of gender in developing nations. Without offering specific examples, the pope related this practice to “the cancel culture invading many circles and public institutions.” “Under the guise of defending diversity, [cancel culture] ends up canceling all sense of identity,” the pope said. https://www.wsj.com/articles/pope-francis-denounces-cancel-culture-and-antivaccine-ideology-11641814583___________________________________________________________ 2. Top official leaves Vatican doctrine office, By Elise Ann Allen, Crux, January 10, 2022 In yet another shakeup of a department in the Roman Curia, the Vatican announced Monday that a high-ranking official in the Holy See’s doctrinal congregation is on his way out and will now lead an Italian diocese. In a Jan. 10 Vatican statement, it was announced that Archbishop Giacomo Morandi, until now secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), is leaving his Vatican post and will take over as the new leader of the Italian Diocese of Reggio Emilia-Guastalla. … No reasons were cited for Morandi’s exit from the Vatican; however, some observers believe it could be related to disagreement with Pope Francis’s decision to issue a decree last year restricting access to the Latin Mass. https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2022/01/top-official-leaves-vatican-doctrine-office___________________________________________________________ 3. Pope on COVID vaccines says health care a ‘moral obligation’, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, January 10, 2022, 5:34 AM Pope Francis suggested Monday that getting vaccinated against the coronavirus was a “moral obligation” and denounced how people had been swayed by “baseless information” to refuse one of the most effective measures to save lives. Francis used some of his strongest words yet calling for people to get vaccinated in a speech to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, an annual event in which he takes stock of the world and sets out the Vatican’s foreign policy goals for the year. … He lamented that, increasingly, ideological divides were discouraging people from getting vaccinated. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pope-on-covid-vaccines-says-health-care-a-moral-obligation/2022/01/10/f0f15dbe-7200-11ec-a26d-1c21c16b1c93_story.html___________________________________________________________ 4. Bishop welcomes pledge by five nuclear nations to prevent war, arms races, By Dennis Sadowski, Crux, January 9, 2022 The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace welcomed a pledge by five nuclear powers to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and new arms races. Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, Illinois, said in a Jan. 6 statement that the pledge from China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and the U.S. “is an important acclamation of the need to prevent nuclear war and avoid arms races.” “This principled statement affirms ‘a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought’ and stresses the importance of abiding by nonproliferation agreements and commitments,” Malloy said. https://cruxnow.com/cns/2022/01/bishop-welcomes-pledge-by-five-nuclear-nations-to-prevent-war-arms-races___________________________________________________________ 5. Cardinal Cupich booed and heckled by some at Chicago March for Life rally, By Shannon Mullen, Catholic News Agency, January 9, 2022, 12:25 PM An otherwise peaceful March for Life event in Chicago on Sunday turned contentious when some in the crowd booed and heckled Cardinal Blase Cupich during his speech at a rally at Federal Plaza. Cupich was escorted away by security personnel after speaking, the Chicago Tribune reported. Approximately one minute into his speech, Cupich, who wore a mask at the outdoor rally, elicited a ripple of boos when he shared words of support for those he saw in the crowd wearing masks. “You know, we come here in these days of the pandemic when life is threatened. And I’m so glad that I see many of you wearing masks. I hope that you continue to look for ways in which we can end this pandemic by promoting life. It’s really important to do that,” Cupich said. … “We have many reasons to be hopeful that the legal protections for the child in the womb, which we have advocated for decades, will soon become a reality,” Cupich said. “But as we’ve heard already today, that’s really not our only goal,” he said. “We march today for respect for all human life. That’s the goal that we need to pursue.” Cupich later pointed to the need to defend the elderly, the sick, immigrants, and those living in poverty, among others, against a mindset that treats human life as if it were “disposable.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250061/cupich-march-for-life-chicago___________________________________________________________ 6. Pope baptizes 16 babies in Sistine Chapel after year’s break, By Associated Press, January 9, 2022, 8:16 AM Pope Francis baptized 16 babies in the splendor of the Sistine Chapel on Sunday, resuming a decades-old Vatican tradition which had been interrupted last year by the pandemic. Francis told the parents of the nine girls and seven boys whom he formally ushered into the Catholic church through baptism that their duty was to “preserve the Christian identity” of their children. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pope-baptizes-16-babies-in-sistine-chapel-after-years-break/2022/01/09/503f926c-714e-11ec-a26d-1c21c16b1c93_story.html___________________________________________________________ 7. After a dismal 2021, Vatican prosecutors get New Year’s gift from the Swiss, By John L. Allen Jr., Crux, January 9, 2022, Opinion Presumably, when the prosecutors in the Vatican’s “trial of the century,” pivoting on a failed $400 million land deal in London, rang in the New Year a few days ago, like everyone else, they wished one another a happy 2022. … As it happens, the New Year actually has gotten off to a better start, because on Jan. 8, the prosecution scored a sort of moral victory in the unlikely setting of a Swiss appeals court. That court rejected a request by Italian financier Raffaele Mincione to unblock assets frozen by Swiss authorities a year ago in response to a request from Vatican prosecutors, estimated at roughly $70 million. … Technically, the Swiss ruling wasn’t exactly an endorsement of the Vatican prosecutors’ indictment of Mincione. What the court found was that since it has no way of knowing how many other assets Mincione may have at his disposal, it couldn’t determine how much real harm he’s suffering. Nonetheless, there were three related findings that had to bring some cheer to the beleaguered Vatican team. https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2022/01/after-a-dismal-2021-vatican-prosecutors-get-new-years-gift-from-the-swiss___________________________________________________________ 8. Pope Francis writes to controversial nun, thanking her for 50 years of LGBTQ ministry, By Sarah Pulliam Bailey, The Washington Post, January 8, 2022, Pg. A7 Pope Francis has sent an encouraging letter to an American nun thanking her for her 50 years of ministry to LGBTQ Catholics, more than two decades after she was investigated and censured by the Vatican for her work. In his letter dated Dec. 10, Francis wrote that Sister Jeannine Gramick has not been afraid of “closeness” and without condemning anyone had the “tenderness” of a sister and a mother. “Thank you, Sister Jeannine, for all your closeness, compassion and tenderness,” he wrote. He also noted her “suffering … without condemning anyone.” … For decades, Gramick and her New Ways Ministry co-founder, the late Rev. Robert Nugent, were considered controversial by some church leaders for the workshops they did about the science and theology around LGBTQ topics. Gramick said she would not provide her opinion, but she would present the Catholic Church’s teaching, as well as doctrinal positions from more moderate and liberal theologians. Gramick said she was under scrutiny from the Vatican for about 20 years before officials issued a declaration that she would be barred from ministry. “The ambiguities and errors of the approach of Father Nugent and Sister Gramick have caused confusion among the Catholic people and have harmed the community of the Church,” the 1999 statement from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith said. https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2022/01/07/pope-francis-writes-controversial-nun-thanking-her-50-years-lgbtq-ministry/___________________________________________________________ 9. Is Pope Francis right about babies and pets?, By Kathleen Parker, The Washington Post, January 8, 2022, 8:00 AM, Opinion Pope Francis rattled some big cages when he said people who adopt pets instead of people are selfish in some cases. The last part of that sentence was left out of many stories, and the rest informed some rabid reactions from pet lovers, as well as some childless-by-choice folks. Mainly, he was saying that economies are in trouble because of declining birthrates that are leaving not-enough productive people to support aging populations. He was also expressing concerns about what the effect will be on our humanity as people increasingly turn from human families to pet households. … We do seem to be obsessed with our animals these days, especially since covid-19 made pet companionship an around-the-clock experience for many of us who started working at home. This is especially true among millennials — the childbearing demographic — who reportedly have more pets than children, according to one study. One in 10 American pet owners are putting off having children (or having more) because of pet expenses, according to the American Pet Products Association (yes, there is one of those, too). … In my experience, very few first-time parents have any idea how much they’re going to love their little peanut. I mean uppercase L-O-V-E. This observation, I think, corresponds more accurately to the pope’s intentions. Love for one’s child is unexpectedly unselfish. Good parents surrender themselves to the care and nurturing of these helpless, tiny people and suddenly cannot imagine what they did with their lives before. Nothing that mattered, many will say. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/08/is-pope-francis-right-about-babies-pets/___________________________________________________________ 10. Swiss court insists Vatican suspects can get a fair trial, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, January 8, 2022, 6:45 AM A Swiss federal court has upheld a freeze on a reported 50 million euros in assets belonging to one of the suspects in a big Holy See fraud trial, rejecting among other things his argument that he can’t get a fair trial in the Vatican. In a decision published this week, the Swiss Federal Criminal Court said a recent ruling by the Vatican court that threw out some of the charges on procedural grounds showed that “the guarantees for a fair trial are fully respected by the Vatican justice system.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/swiss-court-insists-vatican-suspects-can-get-a-fair-trial/2022/01/08/82451092-7078-11ec-b1e2-0539da8f4451_story.html___________________________________________________________ 11. India restores foreign fund permit for Mother Teresa charity, By Associated Press, January 8, 2022, 1:14 AM India’s government has allowed Mother Teresa’s charity to receive foreign funds, weeks after blocking it saying the Catholic organization did not meet conditions under local laws, a lawmaker said Saturday. Derek O’Brien, a lawmaker from the opposition Trinamool Congress party, tweeted that Missionaries of Charity was back on the list of approved associations after its license to receive funds from foreign contributions was restored. On Christmas, the government had rejected the charity’s application to renew a license that allows it to receive funds from abroad, citing “adverse inputs.” The move was widely condemned by opposition politicians and rights groups and came in the wake of a string of attacks on Christians in some parts of India by Hindu nationalist groups, which often accuse pastors and churches of forced conversions. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/india-restores-foreign-fund-permit-for-mother-teresa-charity/2022/01/08/3c661572-704a-11ec-b1e2-0539da8f4451_story.html___________________________________________________________ 12. Nigerian bishop who criticized government over Christian persecution called in for questioning: report, By Jonah McKeown, Catholic News Agency, January 8, 2022, 3:33 PM A prominent Nigerian bishop has reportedly been ordered in for questioning by a state security agency, after the prelate criticized Nigeria’s government for complicity in the face of kidnappings and other persecution of the country’s Christians. Bishop Matthew Kukah, who leads the Sokoto diocese in Nigeria’s northwestern corner, released a Christmas message in which he said the government, led by president Muhammadu Buhari, seems to have left the fate of Nigerians in the hands of “evil men.” https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250058/nigerian-bishop-who-criticized-government-response-to-christian-persecution-called-in-for-questioning-by-state-secret-police___________________________________________________________ 13. Vatican to probe Cologne finances once cardinal returns from sabbatical, By Elise Ann Allen, Crux, January 8, 2022 Earlier this week, the troubled German Archdiocese of Cologne announced that the Vatican has agreed to conduct an external audit into its contracts once the archbishop of the diocese returns from a papal-mandated sabbatical. The audit will investigate canonical legality in the awarding of contracts over the past ten years, a diocesan statement said. https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2022/01/vatican-to-probe-cologne-finances-once-cardinal-returns-from-sabbatical___________________________________________________________ 14. 2nd stay sought against Ohio law on aborted fetal remains, By Julie Carr Smyth, Associated Press, January 7, 2022, 2:20 PM Ohio abortion providers again sued Friday to block a state law requiring that fetal remains from surgical abortions be cremated or buried. Clinics, through their lawyers at ACLU of Ohio, asked the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court for a second stay, arguing the new law imposes a funeral ritual on every patient, regardless of religious or spiritual belief. The clinics continue to characterize the law as an unconstitutional hurdle to women’s legal right to an abortion. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2nd-stay-sought-against-ohio-law-on-aborted-fetal-remains/2022/01/07/e9f03fa8-6fee-11ec-b1e2-0539da8f4451_story.html___________________________________________________________ 15. Priest’s Book Tells Sad Tale of Jesuits’ Abortion Complicity in the US, The late Jesuit Father Paul Mankowski knew how badly some of his brother priests and his superiors had betrayed the Society of Jesus., By Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Catholic Register, January 7, 2022, Opinion Need a prominent cleric to give cover to Catholic politicians who vote to preserve and expand abortion access? For more than 50 years, the Jesuits have had a man at the ready. It is a grave scandal in one of the Church’s most venerable orders. Jesuit Father Pat Conroy, who served as chaplain of the House of Representatives from May 2011 to January 2021, gave an interview published this week in The Washington Post, in which he defended Catholic politicians who promote abortion access. He went so far as to cite St. Thomas Aquinas on conscience to defend his position, which is both embarrassing and beneath the dignity of a proper Jesuit formation. For those with longer memories, the idea of a prominent Jesuit from the House of Representatives defending permissive abortion laws is not new. Father Conroy is a rather low-budget version of the late Jesuit Father Robert Drinan, but he remains a standard-bearer for what his brethren are wont to call “the Jesuit tradition.” …  The Jesuit priest was the godfather of the Democrats becoming the party of abortion, a transformation led by Catholic Democrats — Ted Kennedy, Joe Biden, Mario Cuomo and later Pelosi herself. No Catholic priest ever did more to promote abortion in law than Father Drinan. … Throughout the 1970s, it was often asked how Father Drinan could have served in Congress as a priest, let alone a priest who used his legislative vote and public position to promote abortion. Father Drinan and his Jesuit confreres repeatedly gave the impression that he had received approval from his Jesuit superiors and his local bishops. It was a lie. We now know that more fully, thanks to Father Mankowski, a Jesuit even more brilliant than Father Drinan, who died suddenly in September 2020. … Ignatius Press, founded by Father Joseph Fessio, another Jesuit eager for the truth to be known, published recently Jesuit At Large: Essays and Reviews by Paul V. Mankowski, S.J., edited by George Weigel. https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/priest-s-book-tells-sad-tale-of-jesuits-abortion-complicity-in-the-us___________________________________________________________

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