1. Coronavirus forces cancellation of papal baptisms in Sistine Chapel, By Reuters, January 5, 2020, 7:55 AM
On Sunday, one of the last pro-life House Democrats said farewell to Congress after serving eight terms.
“I want to thank the people of Illinois’ Third District for giving me the honor and privilege to serve you and our nation for 16 years,” former congressman Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) tweeted Jan. 3.
“America is not perfect, because humans can never be perfect. But we must pray and work every day that each of us and our nation better uphold the principle of equality, and that we better protect life and liberty every day for all, especially the most vulnerable,” he tweeted.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-pope-baptisms/coronavirus-forces-cancellation-of-papal-baptisms-in-sistine-chapel-idUSKBN29A1D6
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2. Vatican may need to explain what looks like its deal with the devil, By John L. Allen Jr., Crux, January 5, 2020, Opinion
This summer, Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, who served with distinction from 1991 to 2007 as the Archbishop of Moscow and later was named as the Archbishop of Minsk, ran afoul of the regime of Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko when he stated the obvious out loud, i.e., that there was reason to be skeptical of Lukashenko’s reelection on August 9. Officially Lukashenko won with 80 percent of the vote, but most international observers, including the European Union, found the election to be neither free nor fair and refused to recognize the results.
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Thus it was that when Kondrusiewicz left Belarus in September to go to Poland to take part in annual celebrations in honor of the Madonna of Częstochowa and also to attend the First Communion of a relative’s child, Lukashenko denied him permission for reentry. As a result, he was forced to spend the fall living in exile.
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Yet shortly before Christmas, news broke that Kondrusiewicz had been given permission to return to Minsk after a personal appeal to Lukashenko from Pope Francis. He was able to lead the church in Belarus through the Christmas liturgies, using the occasion to issue emotional appeals for unity, reconciliation, and forgiveness.
Then on Sunday, the other shoe dropped: The Vatican announced, without fanfare, that Pope Francis had accepted Kondrusiewicz’s resignation, citing the provision in the Code of Canon Law that refers to submitting one’s resignation at 75. Even at face value the explanation of age isn’t persuasive, given that Kondrusiewicz’s predecessor, Cardinal Kazimierz Świątek, was still in charge to the ripe old age of 96.
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The most obvious conclusion is that the Vatican, in effect, made a deal with the devil: Allow Kondrusiewicz to return, and we’ll take his job away so that he has no official standing to challenge you anymore.
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Nonetheless, sooner or later someone’s going to connect the dots and wonder out loud what’s going on. Vatican officials might be well advised to get their explanations on the record in advance, while they still can.
https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2021/01/vatican-may-need-to-explain-what-looks-like-its-deal-with-the-devil/
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3. Dan Lipinski calls for protection of ‘most vulnerable’ as he leaves US Congress, By Matt Hadro, Catholic News Agency, January 4, 2020, 2:35 PM
On Sunday, one of the last pro-life House Democrats said farewell to Congress after serving eight terms.
“I want to thank the people of Illinois’ Third District for giving me the honor and privilege to serve you and our nation for 16 years,” former congressman Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) tweeted Jan. 3.
“America is not perfect, because humans can never be perfect. But we must pray and work every day that each of us and our nation better uphold the principle of equality, and that we better protect life and liberty every day for all, especially the most vulnerable,” he tweeted.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/dan-lipinski-calls-for-protection-of-most-vulnerable-as-he-leaves-us-congress-45077
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4. Australia’s Catholic bishops seek answers about mystery billions linked to Vatican, By Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency, January 4, 2020
Australia’s Catholic bishops are considering raising questions with the country’s financial watchdog authority about whether any Catholic organizations were among the recipients of billions of Australian dollars in transfers reputedly from the Vatican.
AUSTRAC, Australia’s financial intelligence agency, revealed in December that the equivalent of around US$1.8 billion had been sent to Australia from the Vatican or Vatican-related entities since 2014.
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The Australian Catholic bishops said they had no knowledge of any Catholic dioceses, charities, or organizations in the country receiving the funds, and Vatican officials have also denied knowledge of the transfers, according to Reuters.
A Vatican official told Reuters that “that amount of money and that number of transfers did not leave the Vatican City,” and that the Vatican would also be seeking more details from Australian authorities.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/australias-bishops-seek-answers-about-mystery-billions-from-vatican-62879
___________________________________________________________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. |
