1. Defendant in Vatican trial claims Pope Francis knew all about the London property deal, By Andrea Gagliarducci, Catholic News Agency, July 11, 2022, 6:08 AM As the Vatican’s historic trial revolving around a London property deal and allegations of corruption continues, the question of what Pope Francis himself knew has been raised in court by a defendant. Interrogated on Thursday, July 7, Fabrizio Tirabassi, a former official of the Secretariat of State, said the pope had authorized the Secretariat to ask for a loan from the Institute of Works of Religion, commonly referred to as the Vatican Bank. The money was meant to pay off the mortgage and take over the management of the Sloane Avenue property in London’s affluent Knightsbridge district. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251761/defendant-in-vatican-trial-claims-pope-francis-knew-all-about-the-london-property-deal__________________________________________________________ 2. Vaccines, Religious Freedom and the Military, By Christopher J. Motz, The Wall Street Journal, July 11, 2022, Pg. A15, Opinion Military regulations guarantee religious freedom, but the Pentagon is defying them. More than 24,000 members across the branches have submitted religious-accommodation requests following Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s August 2021 vaccination order. Almost all have been rejected. These troops now face punishment and discharge. Many religious personnel are Christians who object to using abortion-derived cell lines to develop or test medical products. That precludes them from taking any of the four Covid-19 vaccines the Food and Drug Administration has authorized so far. … At stake are the careers and livelihoods of more than 24,000 troops who face ejection for exercising their religious rights. The Defense Department’s policy of religious rejection shows no signs of slowing. Congress needs to act by tying defense money to respect for the troops’ religious liberty. Mr. Motz is a lawyer in the Air National Guard and a former infantry officer in the Marine Corps. https://www.wsj.com/articles/vaccines-religious-freedom-and-the-miliary-exemption-abortion-cell-lines-pentagon-accommodation-covid-11657455343?__________________________________________________________ 3. Officials investigate vandalism, fires at Maryland churches, By Associated Press, July 10, 2022, 2:07 PM Investigations are underway into several weekend incidents of apparent arson and vandalism at churches in Maryland, authorities said. Montgomery County authorities said the incidents took place at three churches of different denominations a short distance away from each other in Bethesda, TV station WJLA reported. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/officials-investigate-vandalism-fires-at-maryland-churches/2022/07/10/1bdd040c-007b-11ed-8beb-2b4e481b1500_story.html__________________________________________________________ 4. The End of Roe Doesn’t Need to Bring an Increase in Maternal Mortality, By David Albert Jones, The New York Times, July 9, 2022, Opinion It has been argued repeatedly that without access to abortion, the health of women will suffer and women will die. This fear is expressed overtly by the three dissenting justices in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the decision that overturned Roe v. Wade last month. They cite experts who say that “a ban on abortions increases maternal mortality by 21 percent.” These concerns are real. But comparison with Europe shows that such dire outcomes are not preordained. Many of Europe’s abortion laws are stricter than many Americans may realize, and the issue is less of a political fixation, but maternal health outcomes in Europe are much better. … How does maternal mortality in these countries compare with maternal mortality in countries with more permissive laws? The answer again is clear. There is no significant difference in maternal mortality among countries in Europe on the basis of how restrictive their abortion laws are. Indeed, if anything, more restrictive states seem to be safer for women. Poland, which has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe, has the lowest rate of maternal mortality in Europe: only two deaths per 100,000 births. … If Mississippi and other red states wish to demonstrate that they are truly “pro-life,” then they must address their shameful levels of maternal mortality. The first priority is to address “concentrated disadvantage” among their poorest citizens, and especially among women of color. This measure has been shown to be an important determinant of maternal health. Second, it is essential to ensure that women have access to health care not only before and during but also in the weeks after giving birth. Third, according to the World Health Organization, midwife-led maternity services provide an evidence-based approach to reducing maternal mortality. Currently there are only four midwives per 1,000 births in the United States, in comparison with 43 per 1,000 births in the United Kingdom. There is much that could be done, but it is not being done and maternal mortality in the United States is not falling but rising. The right to abortion granted by Roe v. Wade did not prevent this ongoing scandal, and restricting access to abortion will not inevitably make things any worse. The situation is perpetuated, in part, by a national debate that remains hyper-focused on abortion access (whether against or in favor) rather than on the causes and remedies of maternal mortality. While this remains the case, hundreds of women and disproportionately women of color will continue to die needlessly every year in the richest country in the world. Dr. Jones is the director of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre in Oxford, England, a fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford University, and a professor of bioethics at St. Mary’s University, Twickenham. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/09/opinion/roe-abortion-women-death.html__________________________________________________________ 5. Biden to Sign Order Stepping Up Efforts to Protect Access to Reproductive Care, Some Democrats have urged a more robust administration response to the Supreme Court’s overturning Roe v. Wade, By Washington Post, July 9, 2022, 1:00 PM, Editorial Two weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated a woman’s constitutional right to choose, President Biden signed an executive order Friday that calls on the federal government to do everything in its authority to safeguard some abortion access for residents of states that outlaw the procedure. … “We cannot allow an out-of-control Supreme Court, working in conjunction with the extremist elements of the Republican Party, to take away freedoms and our personal autonomy,” Mr. Biden said in a speech from the White House.  … One possibility pushed by abortion rights advocates and considered by the Biden administration was the declaration of a public health emergency. HHS could then enable the out-of-state prescribing and dispensing of medications for abortion for people in states with abortion bans (there are eight so far…It should remain on the table for discussion as the plan is put together over the next 30 days. Whatever the end result, Mr. Biden is correct when he says the only way to secure reproductive rights is for Congress to restore the protections of Roe as federal law. The votes don’t exist for that and accordingly Mr. Biden rightly urged, “The challenge is go out and vote. Well, for God’s sake, there is an election in November. Vote, vote, vote, vote!” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/09/biden-executive-order-abortion-access-limits/__________________________________________________________ 6. European bishops hit back against resolution on abortion, By Elise Ann Allen, Crux, July 9, 2022Europe’s top body of bishops has condemned the European Parliament’s favorable vote Thursday, July 7, on a resolution calling for access to abortion to be included in the E.U. Charter of Fundamental Rights. The resolution, titled, “European Parliament resolution on the US Supreme Court decision to overturn abortion rights in the United States and the need to safeguard abortion rights and women’s heath in the EU,” also condemns the United States’ Supreme Court’s decision last month to overturn legislation protecting federal abortion rights. The resolution was adopted with 324 votes in favor, 155 against, and 38 abstentions. In a July 8 statement, Father Manuel Barrios Prieto, General Secretary of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), voiced regret for the resolution, which he said, “paves the way for a deviation from universally recognized human rights and misrepresents the tragedy of abortion for mothers in difficulties.” https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2022/07/european-bishops-hit-back-against-resolution-on-abortion__________________________________________________________ 7. Archbishop Lori: Biden’s abortion executive order ‘disturbing and tragic’, By Catholic News Agency, July 9, 2022, 8:15 PM The chair of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee on Saturday called President Joe Biden’s executive order aimed at protecting abortion access “deeply disturbing.” “It is deeply disturbing and tragic that President Biden is choosing instead to use his power as President of the United States to promote and facilitate abortion in our country, seeking every possible avenue to deny unborn children their most basic human and civil right, the right to life,” Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore said July 9. “Rather than using the power of the executive branch to increase support and care to mothers and babies, the president’s executive order seeks only to facilitate the destruction of defenseless, voiceless human beings,” he lamented. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251755/archbishop-lori-bidens-abortion-executive-order-disturbing-and-tragic__________________________________________________________ 8. Mass. Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers Attacked Hours After State Attorney General’s Warning, Nationally, 35 pregnancies centers have been damaged by vandalism since May 2., By Matthew McDonald, National Catholic Register, July 9, 2022 Two pro-life pregnancy centers were hit with overnight vandalism about 15 hours after the state’s attorney general issued a consumer advisory warning Massachusetts residents about such centers. One, Clearway Clinic, sustained smashed glass in two doors and three windows. “Jane’s Revenge” was spray-painted in black capital letters on the walkway by the entrance — a reference to the shadowy pro-abortion group that has been targeting pro-life organizations across the country with late-night property damage during the past two months. A little more than 2 miles away, Problem Pregnancy, a crisis-pregnancy center that is across the street from a Planned Parenthood location, was hit with blue and gold paint. They are the latest among more than 30 pro-life pregnancy centers damaged by vandalism since May 2, when the draft of a U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked. While most consist of broken glass and graffiti, a few of the attacks include arson. On Wednesday, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey issued a warning to the state’s residents against crisis-pregnancy centers, which her statement shortens to “CPCs.” https://www.ncregister.com/news/mass-pro-life-pregnancy-centers-attacked-hours-after-state-attorney-general-s-warning__________________________________________________________ 9. John Garvey improved Catholic University — and Washington, By Tim Busch, The Washington Post, July 8, 2022, 1:56 PM D.C. owes John Garvey a deep debt of gratitude. He has stood on principle, strengthened the city and shaped our nation and world to a profound extent. Garvey retired as president of the Catholic University of America on June 30. Garvey steered the nation’s most prominent religious university since 2011. Established with approval from the pope in the 1880s, the Northeast Washington school has educated generations of Catholics, including thousands of priests and future bishops and tens of thousands of lay leaders from all walks of life. The university confronted many challenges in the rapidly shifting 21st century, yet, under Garvey’s guidance, it has held fast to its mission and moral code. And D.C. benefited every step of the way. … His successor, Peter Kilpatrick, has the tough task of following someone who did so much for so many in so little as a decade. He may not be the president most people think of when it comes to our nation’s capital, but Garvey should be remembered as a president who made Washington proud. Tim Busch, a member of the board of visitors at the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America and an emeritus board member, is co-founder of the Napa Institute and chief executive of Pacific Hospitality Group. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/08/john-garvey-improved-catholic-university-washington/__________________________________________________________ 10. Impassioned Biden signs order on abortion access, By Seung Min Kim, Zeke Miller and Chris Megerian, Associated Press, July 8, 2022 President Joe Biden on Friday condemned the “extreme” Supreme Court majority that ended a constitutional right to abortion and delivered an impassioned plea for Americans upset by the decision to “vote, vote, vote vote” in November. Under mounting pressure from fellow Democrats to be more forceful in response to the ruling, he signed an executive order to try to protect access to the procedure. The actions Biden outlined are intended to head off some potential penalties that women seeking abortion may face after the ruling, but his order cannot restore access to abortion in the more than a dozen states where strict limits or total bans have gone into effect. About a dozen more states are set to impose additional restrictions. Biden acknowledged the limitations facing his office, saying it would require an act of Congress to restore nationwide access to the way it was before the June 24 decision. https://apnews.com/article/abortion-biden-us-supreme-court-government-and-politics-0e6496122de46f1039cbb2b5145d6d60__________________________________________________________ 11. Lawmakers move state abortion amendment closer to 2023 vote, By Mark Scolforo, Associated Press, July 8, 2022 A proposal to have voters decide whether to add a provision the Pennsylvania Constitution to say it does not guarantee any rights relating to abortion or public funding of abortions passed the Legislature on Friday and could be on the ballot next spring. The language was among five proposed Republican-written amendments that were approved by both the House and Senate after a pair of charged debates among state lawmakers who have promised their voters to fight for or against abortion rights. “Do we want the people of the commonwealth to fund abortions — why are we so afraid to put this question before the people?” said Rep. Clint Owlett, of Tioga County, among many Republicans to focus on letting the voters decide. https://apnews.com/article/abortion-2022-midterm-elections-health-government-and-politics-legislature-b20ac96ff7e6f46065c84d8ff7466a17__________________________________________________________ 12. Abortion ruling is opportunity to expand pro-life protections for mother and child, Adoption, other services can give mothers pro-life options to abortion, By Sen. Marco Rubio, Fox News, July 8, 2022, 7:00 AM, Opinion It was “just like the loss of a loved one,” said a doctor from Texas. “[I]t was just absolute horrendous dread,” sobbed a clinic director from Louisiana. These are not physicians lamenting the loss of a patient. They are abortion providers bursting into tears over the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, as recorded in a recent New York Times interview. Apart from inflated melodrama, the interview’s dominant theme is a feeling of helplessness on the part of abortionists. “I wanted to help her, but I know I can’t!” cried an Arizona receptionist, before giving a bizarre and disturbing description of her predicament: “[I]t’s basically like you have this fire, you see it getting bigger, you know there’s a bucket of water next to you, but you can’t touch it. You’re not allowed to grab that bucket of water and put out the fire.” First of all, comparing the growth and development of an unborn child to an out-of-control fire is deeply wrong. Every person has intrinsic dignity and should be cherished and protected, never denigrated or dismissed. But it’s also utterly ridiculous to suggest there’s nothing people can do to help mothers other than abort their unborn babies. Unplanned pregnancies are challenging to say the least. The thought of having a baby when you did not expect or want it, especially when you are in a difficult financial or social situation, may induce understandable fear, stress, and even panic. That is especially true when a young woman fears losing support from family and friends. As a society, we must always have compassion for mothers who are struggling, not just their babies.  But there are plenty of ways to walk alongside pregnant women that don’t involve the taking of innocent life. For one, virtually every city in the U.S. has a crisis pregnancy center, operated by well-trained volunteers willing to provide counseling, coaching, medical care, and logistical support — every step of the way, free of charge. In addition, there are between 1-2 million couples across the country waiting to adopt. Mothers always have the ability to put up their children for adoption when they are born.   … Today, even in blue states, women with unplanned pregnancies are feeling lost and confused. The lie that abortion is not only okay but normal and healthy is collapsing, but that doesn’t mean the challenges facing mothers and their children have disappeared. We have an opportunity to meet those women where they are with compassion and grace and remind them that they have options other than abortion. And we have an obligation to expand those options even further — to ensure America is safe for both mothers and their babies.  https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/abortion-ruling-opportunity-expand-pro-life-protections-mother-child__________________________________________________________ 13. Nicaragua expels Mother Teresa’s nuns in latest crackdown, By Vanessa Buschschlüter, BBC, July 7, 2022 Nuns from the order founded by Mother Teresa have left Nicaragua after their organisation was stripped of its legal status. They were escorted by police to the border and crossed into neighbouring Costa Rica on foot. Their organisation is among the latest to be shut down as part of a crackdown on anyone deemed to oppose President Daniel Ortega. The Catholic Church has been outspoken about human rights abuses in Nicaragua. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-62076784__________________________________________________________

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.
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