1. Vatican clears retired US bishop of multiple abuse claims, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, January 26, 2021, 6:26 AM
The Vatican has essentially slapped a retired U.S. bishop on the wrist for “flagrant” imprudent behavior with teenagers, even though a diocesan review board determined a half-dozen allegations of sexual abuse against him were credible.
The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith cleared retired Cheyenne, Wyoming Bishop Joseph Hart of seven accusations abuse, determined that five others couldn’t be proven “with moral certitude” and that two cases involving boys, who were 16 and 17, couldn’t be prosecuted given the Catholic Church didn’t consider them minors at the time of the alleged abuse, the diocese reported Monday. Another allegation wasn’t addressed in the decree.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/vatican-clears-retired-us-bishop-of-multiple-abuse-claims/2021/01/26/4e55e93e-5fc9-11eb-a177-7765f29a9524_story.html
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2. Group of US Catholic bishops urges support for LGBT youth, By David Crary, Associated Press, January 26, 2021
Declaring “God is on your side,” a Catholic cardinal, an archbishop and six other U.S. bishops issued a statement Monday expressing support for LGBT youth and denouncing the bullying often directed at them.
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Among those signing the statement were Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, and Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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Along with Tobin and Wester, the statement was signed by Bishops John Stowe of Lexington, Kentucky; Robert McElroy of San Diego; Steven Biegler of Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Edward Weisenberger of Tucson, Arizona, as well as two retired auxiliary bishops, Thomas Gumbleton of Detroit and Dennis Madden of Baltimore.
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Among those welcoming the bishops’ declaration was Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage.
″ I am appreciative of this reaffirmation of the Church’s care for those who are struggling with sexual identity issues, especially when they are targets of bullying and suffer rejection even from the very ones who should love and support them,” he said via email. “The Church stands in solidarity with them, and all of her children, to help them live a life of virtue.”
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2021/01/group-of-us-catholic-bishops-urges-support-for-lgbt-youth/
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3. Love is clearest sign of faith, pope says in homily for Christian unity, By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service, January 26, 2021
Abiding in God’s love means nurturing one’s relationship with him and with all those whom God loves, Pope Francis wrote in his homily for the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
“If our worship is genuine, we will grow in love for all those who follow Jesus, regardless of the Christian communion to which they may belong, for even though they may not be ‘one of ours,’ they are his,” the pope wrote for the prayer service Jan. 25 at Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
While a flare-up of sciatica, a painful nerve condition, prevented the pope from presiding over the ecumenical vespers, his homily for the service was read by Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2021/01/love-is-clearest-sign-of-faith-pope-says-in-homily-for-christian-unity/
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4. The Left Said Amy Coney Barrett’s Faith Made Her ‘Radical.’ Now, They Say Joe Biden’s Faith Makes Him ‘Devout’, By Cabot Phillips, Daily Wire, January 25, 2021, Opinion
Far from making her a more qualified public servant, Coney Barrett’s Catholic views were an indictment of her capabilities, weaponized by the same media now worshiping Biden’s worshiping.
Coney Barrett’s statement that her “legal career is but a means to an end … and that end is building the kingdom of God,” was held up by the New York Times as an example of her radicalism, with pundits and commentators alike questioning whether a public servant ought to allow their decision-making to be influenced by religion.
Such questions were absent from the headlines in coverage of President Biden’s faith. NPR, for example, ran a story titled “How Joe Biden’s Faith Shapes His Politics.” Far from calling him a radical, NPR alluded to the fact that “his speeches are woven with references to God, biblical language or the Pope,” as a positive.
“People who know him well say his Catholic faith is central to how he sees the world,” they noted.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-left-said-amy-coney-barretts-faith-made-her-radical-now-they-say-joe-bidens-faith-makes-him-devout
___________________________________________________________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. |
