1. Pope Francis will stay longer in hospital, says Vatican, By Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency, July 12, 2021, 4:50 AM
Pope Francis will stay longer in hospital to recover from a surgery on his colon, the Vatican said on Monday.
Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said on July 12 that the pope would remain at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for “a few more days” before being discharged, “to optimize the medical and rehabilitation therapy.”
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248340/pope-francis-will-stay-longer-in-hospital-says-vatican
___________________________________________________________
2. Pope Francis Makes His First Public Appearance From The Hospital Since His Surgery, By Dave Mistich, NPR, July 11, 2021, 9:42 AM
From the balcony of a tenth-floor window at hospital in Rome, Pope Francis made his first public appearance Sunday since having major intestinal surgery a week ago.
During his Sunday address, the pope addressed the need for all people to have accessible health care. Reading from prepared remarks, Francis steadied himself on a lectern for support and praised the “tenderness” of those who care for the sick.
“In these days of being hospitalized, I have experienced once again how important good health care is, accessible to all, as it is in Italy and in other countries,” Francis said. “Free health care, that assures good service, accessible to everyone. This precious benefit must not be lost. It needs to be kept!”
https://www.npr.org/2021/07/11/1015064739/pope-francis-makes-his-first-public-appearance-from-the-hospital-since-his-surge
___________________________________________________________
3. Canada’s Trudeau Fans the Flame of Blame, By National Catholic Register, July 9, 2021, Editorial
The recent findings of unmarked graves located beside government-owned residential schools for Indigenous children that once operated in Canada has erupted into an international controversy, unjustly centered on the Catholic Church’s involvement with these schools.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau swiftly joined with Native leaders in demanding that Pope Francis apologize for the Church’s role in operating the majority of these residential schools during the 19th and 20th centuries.
This misguided rhetoric of blame has now escalated into the burning down and vandalization of a number of Catholic churches across Canada.
In the face of these deplorable attacks on Catholic churches (and, to a lesser degree, against churches belonging to other Christian denominations), it’s urgent to communicate a central pair of truths.
First, the creation of Canada’s residential-school system was a historical injustice, based upon prevailing assumptions about Indigenous peoples that tragically failed to recognize their personal and collective dignity and respect their existing cultural practices.
And second, the primary responsibility for this assimilationist system of schooling rests overwhelmingly with the Canadian government, not with the Catholic Church or the other Christian denominations who were contracted by the government to operate individual schools.
…
Along with emphasizing the primary role government played in the formation and operation of these residential schools, the Canadian prime minister should apologize for the way his posturing has quite literally fanned the flames of anti-religious bigotry in the wake of the recent gravesite disclosures. Doing so would demonstrate a long-overdue commitment toward authentic reconciliation.
https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/canada-s-trudeau-fans-the-flame-of-blame
___________________________________________________________
4. Wisconsin bishop takes rare step of removing defiant priest, By Todd Richmond, Associated Press, July 9, 2021, 1:24 PM
A Wisconsin bishop has taken the unusual step of removing a priest from the ministry after he made a series of divisive remarks about politics and the pandemic.
The Diocese of La Crosse said in a statement Friday that Bishop William Patrick Callahan has issued a decree immediately removing the Rev. James Altman as pastor of St. James the Less, a parish in the city of La Crosse on the Wisconsin-Minnesota border, about 140 miles (225 kilometers) southeast of Minneapolis. The decree will remain in effect for an undetermined length of time, the statement said.
…
Altman rose to prominence ahead of the 2020 presidential election with a fiery YouTube video in which he said Catholics can’t be Democrats and that anyone who supports Democrats will burn in hell.
…
Altman can appeal Callahan’s decree to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy, which can uphold or change Callahan’s decision. A further Vatican review is possible if the priest disagrees with the Congregation’s decision.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/wisconsin-bishop-takes-rare-step-of-removing-defiant-priest/2021/07/09/792b1fe4-e0d4-11eb-a27f-8b294930e95b_story.html
___________________________________________________________
5. Colorado law allows sex abuse victims to collect restitution in civil court from public, private institutions, By Autumn Jones, Catholic News Agency, July 9, 2021, 6:01 PM
On Tuesday, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed into law Senate Bill 88, which allows victims of sexual abuse to file for restitution from public and private entities in civil court.
The law adopted July 6 permits victims of abuse from 1960 to January 2022 retroactively to collect restitution from employers who knew about or who should have known about the abuse taking place, as long as claims are filed by January 2025.
…
The Colorado Independent Reconciliation and Reparations Program found zero substantiated allegations against any diocesan priests in active ministry in Colorado, and zero substantiated allegations against any diocesan priests since 1999.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248332/colorado-law-allows-sex-abuse-victims-to-collect-restitution-in-civil-court-from-public-private-institutions
___________________________________________________________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. |
