1. A Rush To Pass Bills Restricting Abortion, At Least 29 States File Measures Gop Anticipates Roe Ruling’s New Landscape, By Caroline Kitchener, The Washington Post, January 31, 2022, Pg. A1
Nebraska lawmakers kicked off the new year by introducing a bill to ban all abortions if the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision is overturned. The next day, Florida legislators announced their plan to narrow the window for abortion access from 24 weeks of pregnancy to 15. And later that week in Phoenix, state legislators unveiled the Arizona Heartbeat Act, designed to mimic a Texas law passed last year.
With the U.S. Supreme Court expected to decide in the coming months whether to upend its nearly 50-year precedent that established a constitutional right to abortion nationwide, lawmakers in Republican-led states across the country have moved aggressively in recent weeks to lay the groundwork for a new era of abortion restrictions.
While it’s possible that the high court either will overturn Roe or leave the precedent fully intact, many legal scholars and advocates on both sides anticipate the justices will land somewhere in the middle, instantly changing the standard for abortion legislation. Antiabortion lawmakers are trying to predict what the Supreme Court might do as they craft laws designed to take effect soon after a ruling, whatever the justices decide.
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The push in GOP-led states have been matched, in some cases, by efforts in Democratic-run places to create abortion rights safe havens.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/29/abortion-supreme-court-roe-texas-mississippi/
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2. Catholic Schools Week 2022: Here’s what you need to know, By Catholic News Agency, January 30, 2022, 9:46 AM
Catholic schools have dramatically impacted the life of the U.S., beginning with that started by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Catholic schools provide a nurturing environment for growth in wisdom, knowledge, and grace and aim at something higher than education alone: the formation of our youth into saints in the making.
For decades the National Association of Catholic Education has promoted a week dedicated to celebrating the blessings of Catholic education and schools during the last week of January. Just what do you need to know about Catholic Schools Week and Catholic schools in general?
When does Catholic Schools Week 2022 begin?
This year, Catholic schools week is Jan. 30-Feb. 5, 2022. Take time during this week to support your local Catholic school by praying for the administration, teachers, and students who attend it in a special way.
What is the theme of Catholic Schools Week 2022?
This year’s theme is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.” From teaching kindergarten students how to genuflect to leading middle schoolers through Theology of the Body curriculums, Catholic schools aim to engender faith in their students and help them to relationship with the God who loves them and formed them in the womb. They also have a reputation for excellence; Catholic schools are known for their discipline and ability to form virtue, academic achievements, and extracurricular greatness. They are also known for their widespread commitment to serving Christ in others.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250259/catholic-schools-week-2022-heres-what-you-need-to-know
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3. America’s retiring priests, By Brendan Hodge, The Pillar, January 29, 2022
With more than one-third of priests in the United States already retired, priest retirements are expected to outpace ordinations in most U.S. dioceses for several years to come.
While the number of retired and retiring priests mirrors the trend of retiring Baby Boomers across the American workforce, clergy retirements represent a significant challenge in the Church — financially, and in terms of the distribution and allocation of resources.
There were 24,653 diocesan Catholic priests in the United States in 2020, according to data compiled by CARA, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. More than one-third of those priests was retired, and the share of American priests who are retired has more than doubled since 1980.
In nine American dioceses, more than 50% of diocesan priests are retired.
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In 1965 there were 21.2 active diocesan priests for every one who was retired. Today, there are only 1.9.
https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/americas-retiring-priests
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4. Holy Land’s Catholic bishops invite Orthodox leaders to contribute to synodal path, By Catholic News Agency, January 28, 2022, 9:10 AM
Catholic bishops in the Holy Land invited their Orthodox counterparts this week to contribute to the consultation process leading to the 2023 Synod on Synodality.
In a letter dated Jan. 24, the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land (ACOHL) explained that Catholics in the region were taking part in the local stage of a two-year synodal path launched by Pope Francis last October.
“We would be delighted to share with you what we are learning and also learn from you, listening to your wisdom and experience,” they wrote.
“Pope Francis has said and written repeatedly that Catholics have much to learn from the Orthodox regarding the exercise of synodality. As we set out on this way, we are more aware than ever that we, all together, as disciples of Christ in this Land, which is His home, are called to witness to him. We remember that his dearest wish was that we should be one (cf. John 17).”
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/250246/holy-land-s-catholic-bishops-invite-orthodox-leaders-to-contribute-to-synodal-path
___________________________________________________________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. |
