1. Pope to meet with Canada Indigenous amid demands for apology, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, July 1, 2021
Pope Francis has agreed to meet in December with Indigenous survivors of Canada’s notorious residential schools amid calls for a papal apology for the Catholic Church’s role in the abuse and deaths of thousands of native children.
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said Francis had invited the delegations to the Vatican and would meet separately with three groups — First Nations, Metis and Inuit — during their Dec. 17-20 visit. The pope will then preside over a final audience with all three groups Dec. 20, the conference said in a statement Tuesday.
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2021/07/pope-to-meet-with-canada-indigenous-amid-demands-for-apology/
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2. Responding to the horrors that face the Uighurs, A threat to the religious liberty of one people is a threat to the liberty of all, By Sam Brownbeck and Rushan Abbas, The Washington Times, July 1, 2021, Pg. B1, Opinion
The sanctioning of myself (Amb. Brownback) and USCIRF Chairs Gayle Manchin and Tony Perkins demonstrate the contempt that the Chinese regime has for freedom of religion and thought, and to any effort to promote the values of a liberal democracy, including mutual respect, within a society. We are encouraged that the international community is responding, as the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada have all designated this event as a genocide. But we must do more. Survivors like Gulbuhar are the link between the rest of the world and the horrors facing Uighurs in their homeland. It is now our responsibility to listen to their story and stand up for their humanity. Next month in Washington, D.C., we will be highlighting stories like Gulbuhar’s to hold a spotlight on international religious freedom, and the critical role it plays in maintaining a world that respects all faiths and ethnicities. A threat to the religious liberty of one people is a threat to the liberty of all. For this reason, the international community must continue to find opportunities to come together to highlight this important concept and fight for religious freedom for all. Standing united against intolerance, discrimination, and genocide is the only way to recognize the admirable goal of freedom of belief for all peoples.
Sam Brownback formerly served as U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom. Rushan Abbas is founder and executive director of Campaign for Uyghurs.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jun/30/responding-to-the-horrors-that-face-the-uighurs/
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3. Senate pro-life chair criticizes proposed ACA abortion billing rule, By Matt Hadro, Catholic News Agency, July 1, 2021, 6:00 AM
The chair of the Senate pro-life caucus on Tuesday criticized a proposed loosening of safeguards against taxpayer funding of abortion coverage on health exchanges set up under the Affordable Care Act.
“Abortion is not healthcare and taxpayers should not be subsidizing it,” stated Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), chair and founder of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, on Tuesday.
“This is another move by President Biden and Secretary Becerra to promote their abortion agenda above following the law, and is even more alarming as Democrats look to increase taxpayer subsidies for Obamacare,” he stated.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248215/senate-pro-life-chair-criticizes-proposed-aca-abortion-billing-rule
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4. The DeLauro Democrats and the Bishops, By George Weigel, National Catholic Register, July 1, 2021, Opinion
At 1pm on June 18, it was announced that three-quarters of the U.S. bishops had voted to develop a statement on the eucharistic integrity of the Church and the eucharistic coherence of Catholics. Within an hour, a “Statement of Principles” was released by 60 Catholic members of Congress, all Democrats and led by Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut.
Addressed to the bishops, the statement was respectful in tone. Shortly after its release, however, one of the signatories, Rep. Ted Lieu of California, tweeted that he was a Catholic who supported a “woman’s right to choose,” adding, “Next time I go to church, I dare you to deny me communion.” Congressman Lieu’s spluttering rather gave the game away: the purpose of the Members’ “Statement of Principles” was to intimidate the bishops.
It isn’t going to work, any more than the bombast from the Catholic Left before the bishops’ vote made a difference. And the abominable reporting after the bishops’ vote, which is certain to continue, won’t make a difference to the statement the bishops will consider in November. The days are past when the American hierarchy could be cowed by the political and journalistic principalities and powers and the “progressive” Catholic media.
…
Catholics who reject the ancient Christian teaching on the grave moral evil of abortion and facilitate its practice — a teaching affirmed and a practice condemned by every pope in Rep. DeLauro’s lifetime, including Pope Francis — are not in full communion with the Church. They are always welcome at Mass. But their own integrity demands that they refrain from receiving holy communion until they are no longer in a gravely defective state of communion with the Church.
And that is the sad condition of the signatories of the DeLauro “Statement of Principles” who were in Congress last year. For each of them “earned” a 100% 2020 NARAL-Pro Choice America voting record in the House of Representatives.
Each of them. 100%.
George Weigel is the distinguished senior fellow and William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington.
https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/the-delauro-democrats-and-the-bishops
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5. US Catholic bishops pledge to assist country’s review of past Indigenous boarding schools, By Emily McFarlan Miller, Religion News Service, June 30, 2021, 3:33 PM
U.S. Catholic bishops are “deeply saddened” by the recent confirmation of hundreds of unmarked graves on the grounds of two former residential schools for Indigenous children in Canada, according to a written statement by U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops spokesperson Chieko Noguchi.
Bishops are also “following closely” the U.S. Department of the Interior’s inquiry into what were known as Indian boarding schools in the United States and have pledged to “look for ways to be of assistance,” according to the statement shared with Religion News Service.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/us-catholic-bishops-pledge-to-assist-countrys-review-of-past-indigenous-boarding-schools/2021/06/30/0c4c1a6e-d9da-11eb-8c87-ad6f27918c78_story.html
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6. Federal judge blocks Indiana ‘abortion reversal’ law, By Tom Davies, Associated Press, June 30, 2021, 4:41 PM
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked an Indiana law that would require doctors to tell women undergoing drug-induced abortions about a disputed treatment for potentially stopping the abortion process.
The ruling came just before the so-called abortion reversal law adopted by Indiana’s Republican-dominated Legislature was to take effect Thursday. The temporary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon in Indianapolis puts the law on hold while the lawsuit challenging it makes its way through court.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/federal-judge-blocks-indiana-abortion-reversal-law/2021/06/30/2777b46c-d9bf-11eb-8c87-ad6f27918c78_story.html
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7. Invest in common good, not tax havens, pope tells business executives, By Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service, June 30, 2021
Business leaders must invest more in the common good and less in lining their own pockets, Pope Francis said.
As the economic effects wrought by the pandemic continue to be felt by many, business leaders must be “creative” in finding ways to create employment, the pope said June 30 in a video message to participants in the Argentine Association of Christian Business Executives’ annual meeting.
“Invest in the common good, not (by) hiding money in tax havens,” he said. “Investment means giving life, creating, it is creative. Knowing how to invest, not to hide. One hides when one’s conscience is not clear or when one is angry.”
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2021/06/invest-in-common-good-not-tax-havens-pope-tells-business-executives/
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8. Vatican secretary of state urges Catholic Church in Germany to unite, By Catholic News Service, June 30, 2021
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, urged German Catholics to put aside visions and individual needs, noting, “the community must take precedence.”
Addressing several German bishops during a church service June 29, Parolin referred to Pope Francis’ 2019 letter on the Synodal Path of the Catholic Church in Germany, reported the German Catholic news agency KNA. This reform dialogue deals with controversial issues such as Catholic sexual morality, priestly life, power and the separation of powers as well as the role of women in the church.
Parolin urged the church in Germany “to return to a unity that does not depend on agreeing to common orientations, as is usual in politics, but on being rooted in God.” He opposed “reducing togetherness to only one particular part, however relevant and significant it may be.”
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2021/06/vatican-secretary-of-state-urges-catholic-church-in-germany-to-unite/
___________________________________________________________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. |
