1. A Democrat-appointed judge gets it right, Christian colleges’ Title IX exemption upheld against LGBTQ challenge, By The Washington Times, January 18, 2023, Pg. B2, Editorial We’ve been highly critical of federal judges appointed by Democratic presidents when they indefensibly ignore the rule of law or blatantly disregard clear legislative intent in favor of their own political preferences in their rulings in divisive cases. … So it’s only fair that we also commend a federal judge appointed by a Democratic president when he or she gets a ruling right on the law and in favor of fairness and common sense (even if he or she might have personally preferred to rule otherwise). Such was the case on Jan. 12 when a federal court in Oregon upheld a Title IX exception that permits religiously affiliated colleges to receive federal funds even if their traditional theological beliefs regarding sexual orientation, gender identity and marriage are viewed by the left as discriminatory. … We don’t know whether the judge agrees with her ruling in terms of her public policy preferences, but that doesn’t — and shouldn’t — matter because that ruling is clearly the correct one in terms of the law and the Constitution. … https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/jan/17/editorial-democrat-appointed-judge-gets-it-right-f/__________________________________________________________ 2. Montana lawmaker seeks to overturn abortion ruling, By Amy Beth Hanson, Associated Press, January 17, 2023, 8:05 PM The Montana legislature is considering a proposal that would interpret the state’s constitutional right to privacy to mean that it does not protect the right to an abortion, a move that would echo others in several states to severely restrict or ban abortion. Sen. Keith Regier, the proposal’s sponsor, argued during a committee hearing Tuesday that the phrase “individual privacy” in the state Constitution should also refer to unborn babies that are individuals who have rights that should not be infringed upon. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/montana-lawmaker-seeks-to-overturn-abortion-ruling/2023/01/17/217b5eec-96b5-11ed-a173-61e055ec24ef_story.html__________________________________________________________ 3. Democratic governor, leaders move to expand abortion access, By David Sharp, Associated Press, January 17, 2023, 4:35 PM Maine Gov. Janet Mills and legislative leaders want to expand access to abortion — allowing abortions after 24 weeks with a doctor’s approval — and take steps to protect health care providers. One of the bills would allow abortion access anytime before birth if deemed necessary by a medical provider. Current state law bans abortions after a fetus becomes viable outside the womb, at roughly 24 weeks.

https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-access-to-care-maine-2d4737dbd6cf22f69d87987723337271

__________________________________________________________ 4. Nicaraguan priest found guilty, sentenced to eight years in prison for ‘conspiracy’, By Catholic News Agency, January 17, 2023, 2:30 PM The dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua has found a Catholic priest, imprisoned since August 2022, guilty of “conspiracy” against the state. According to the Nicaraguan media outlet 100% Noticias, Judge Nancy Aguirre of the Tenth Criminal District Trial Court of Managua found Father Oscar Benavidez Dávila guilty of the crimes of “conspiracy to undermine national security and sovereignty” and “spreading fake news.” The prosecution is now asking for a sentence of eight years in prison for the priest, the pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in the town of Mulukukú in the Diocese of Siuna. The accusations against the priest were made in September 2022 after he was held under arrest for 42 days in the Directorate of Judicial Assistance (DAJ) in Managua, better known as El Chipote, a prison notorious for torturing political opponents of the regime. The priest was apprehended Aug. 14, 2022, after celebrating Mass and was taken to the prison. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253372/nicaraguan-priest-found-guilty-sentenced-to-eight-years-in-prison-for-conspiracy__________________________________________________________ 5. McCarrick’s lawyers say he’s not competent to stand trial, By Joe Bukuras, Catholic News Agency, January 17, 2023, 4:43 PM Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick is in “significant” mental decline and may not be fit to stand trial for allegedly sexually abusing a 16-year-old boy, his attorneys say in a new court filing. The legal team for the 92-year-old ex-prelate said it plans to file a motion to dismiss the case, citing a neurological exam conducted by Dr. David Schretlen, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The exam took place on Dec. 5, 2022, at a facility in Missouri where McCarrick is living. The results show McCarrick to be suffering from “significant neuropsychological deficits” that “appear to have started relatively recently, to be worsening rapidly, and to impair both Mr. McCarrick’s cognition and his memory,” according to the court document filed Jan. 13 in Dedham District Court in Massachusetts. A final report is expected within 30 days. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253373/theodore-mccarrick-criminal-sex-abuse-trial-mental-incompetent__________________________________________________________ 6. Church in Colombia says government announcement of supposed cease-fire was a ‘great defeat’, By Catholic News Agency, January 17, 2023, 2:00 PM The Archdiocese of Bogotá has published an editorial criticizing the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, for announcing a supposed cease-fire, which the armed groups later denied they agreed to. “We must interpret as a first great defeat of the current government of Colombia the rejection by the ELN guerrillas of a supposed and agreed upon cease-fire proclaimed by the president of the republic,” reads the editorial of the Archdiocese of Bogotá that appeared Jan. 11 in its own publication, El Catolicismo. The ELN (National Liberation Army) is a guerilla group founded in 1964 on Marxist-Leninist principles and Liberation Theology. The archdiocese points out in the article, titled “There is no easy peace,” that “the announcement had been made with fanfare, putting together various criminal organizations in one bag, but the announcement took longer [to make] than the denial.” … The Colombian bishops offer “again to mediate in whatever is possible to build the long, very long and difficult path for the desired peace,” the article states. “But they cannot expose themselves to being used politically and thus undo the moral authority that is theirs. The current government has shown plenty of indications of how its words rarely correspond to reality and are more rhetorical and political than anything else,” the archdiocese observes in the article. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253367/church-in-colombia-says-government-announcement-of-supposed-cease-fire-was-a-great-defeat__________________________________________________________

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.