1. Pelosi, Pompeo speeches to lead bipartisan event, By Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times, July 13, 2021, Pg. A2
Hundreds of religious freedom advocates converge on the District on Tuesday for a threeday International Religious Freedom Summit aimed at cultivating a culture of liberty, said co-chairman Sam Brownback, a former ambassador-at-large for religious freedom.
Approximately 850 attendees are expected and seminars will also be livestreamed, said Mr. Brownback, a Republican.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jul/12/nancy-pelosi-mike-pompeo-top-slate-speakers-religi/
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2. Hospitalized pope expected to return to Vatican soon, By Associated Press, July 13, 2021, 7:16 AM
Pope Francis is expected to return to the Vatican “as soon as possible” following his stay in hospital for rehabilitation from intestinal surgery that he underwent earlier this month, the Vatican said on Tuesday.
The Vatican didn’t provide a target date in its daily medical update, repeating that the 84-year-old pope was continuing his planned course of treatment and rehabilitation.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/hospitalized-pope-expected-to-return-to-vatican-soon/2021/07/13/fe82a68e-e3c8-11eb-88c5-4fd6382c47cb_story.html
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3. Washington D.C. mother sounds off on mask mandates at camps after daughter gets sick, By Fox News, July 13, 2021, 3:35 AM, Video
Mother of four Ashley Mcguire pushes back on ‘political theater’ after 9-year-old daughter was forced to wear mask playing tennis.
https://video.foxnews.com/v/6263515919001#sp=show-clips
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4. A teen was accused of abuse inside Vatican City, Powerful church figures helped him become a priest., By Chico Harlan and Stefano Pitrelli, The Washington Post, July 12, 2021
The warnings started coming eight years ago, sent to some of the most powerful figures in the Roman Catholic Church, alerting them to a potential sex abuse crime that stood out from other church cases.
…
The profile of the alleged abuser, by itself, was unusual: not a priest, but rather a teenage altar boy, who was said to have coerced a peer to engage in various sex acts night after night over six years. And then there was the purported location: inside the Vatican’s own walls, at a youth seminary for the 15 or so altar boys who served the pope.
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And yet, in 2017, Martinelli was ordained a priest.
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But a Washington Post review of more than 2,000 pages of documents, most never previously reported, reveals that more powerful figures within the church hierarchy discounted warnings as they facilitated Martinelli’s rise. Centrally responsible for Martinelli’s fate were Cardinal Angelo Comastri and Bishop Diego Coletti, who quickly dismissed the claims against Martinelli as “calumny,” according to Coletti’s own account. Neither prelate is involved in the trial or any other known church disciplinary process.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2021/vatican-sexual-abuse/
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5. President of Vatican financial authority had ‘consulting’ deal with Secretariat of State, By The Pillar, July 12, 2021
Vatican prosecutors are investigating a potential financial conflict of interest for the former head of the Holy See’s financial watchdog authority, which leads anti-corruption efforts and other financial oversight duties in the Vatican.
René Brülhart, who served as president of the Financial Information Authority until November 2019, was paid as a consultant by the Secretariat of State at the same time he held a financial oversight position, The Pillar has confirmed.
The arrangement could be seen to violate the impartiality required for Brülhart’s work in financial law enforcement. He was indicted this month for alleged abuse of his Vatican office.
https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/president-of-vatican-financial-authority
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6. Federal appeals court dismisses lawsuit against Archdiocese of Chicago, By Kate Scanlon, Catholic News Agency, July 12, 2021, 1:24 PM
A federal appeals court on Friday dismissed a hostile work environment lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Chicago, citing a religious exemption in federal law.
In the case of Demkovich v. St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, a former parish employee sued both St. Andrew’s and the Chicago archdiocese for discrimination after he was fired in 2014.
The former employee, Sandor Demkovich, had served as the parish’s music director, choir director and organist, and had entered a same-sex marriage contract in 2014. The archdiocese said that violated both the terms of his employment and Church teaching. Demkovich alleged that the parish pastor created a hostile work environment for him based on his sexual orientation and medical issues.
In a 7-3 ruling on Friday, a full panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals found that due to the so-called “ministerial exception” in federal civil rights law, the court could not adjudicate Demkovich’s claims. The exception holds that the government cannot interfere in a church’s selection of its religious ministers.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248346/federal-appeals-court-dismisses-lawsuit-against-archdiocese-of-chicago
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7. Amid Catholic opposition, states are legalizing composting of human remains, By Alejandra Molina, Religion News Service, July 12, 2021, 4:03 PM
Washington, Colorado and Oregon are now among the U.S. states that have legalized the process of converting human bodies into soil, a procedure the Catholic Church said fails to show “respect for the body of the deceased.” Meanwhile, California and New York are seeking to be next in line to allow human composting.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/amid-catholic-opposition-states-are-legalizing-composting-of-human-remains/2021/07/12/3193c936-e34c-11eb-88c5-4fd6382c47cb_story.html
___________________________________________________________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. |
