Margaret Sanger has been morally promoted to the rank of Confederate general. It comes courtesy of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, which will remove Sanger’s name from its Manhattan clinic because her “racist legacy” and “deep belief in eugenic ideology” can no longer be denied.

…

No one can expect Planned Parenthood to reconsider its support for abortion. But if it means what it says about holding “long overdue dialogues” with “communities of color,” how about a public conversation with African-Americans who believe that black women struggling with unintended pregnancies ought to have more hopeful options than simply getting rid of their unborn children?

Plainly the cancel culture that has now taken down Margaret Sanger is not up to the job, because canceling is less about coming to terms with history than erasing it.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/margaret-sanger-gets-canceled-11595889653?
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2. One million people helped in Ukraine by Pope Francis’ charitable project, By Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency, July 28, 2020, 5:00 AM

Pope Francis’ charitable project for Ukraine, started in 2016, has helped nearly one million people in the war-torn country, according to the auxiliary bishop of Leopoli.

Bishop Eduard Kava told Vatican News July 27 that in four years the project has used around 15 million euros ($17.5 million) to help an estimated 980,000 people, including the poor, the sick, the elderly, and families.

“The Pope for Ukraine” was started in June 2016, at Francis’ request, to help victims of conflict in the Eastern European country.

Kava said the project was now winding down, and the last program to finish would be the funding of medical equipment for a hospital under construction.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/one-million-people-helped-in-ukraine-by-pope-francis-charitable-project-87667
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3. Analysis: Where Biden’s VP shortlist stands on abortion, By Christine Rousselle, Catholic News Agency, July 28, 2020, 3:00 AM

On the issue of abortion, CNA examined the voting histories and public policy stances of some names expected to be on Biden’s shortlist.

Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA)

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Bass has a 100% rating from NARAL, a national organization that supports expanded abortion access. She also has a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood Action Fund.

In 2013, Bass received the International Family Planning Hero award from Planned Parenthood and the United Nations. She was praised as a “true hero for women’s health and rights” by former Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards.

…

Rep. Val Demings (D-FL)

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Since arriving in Congress, Demings has had 100% ratings from Planned Parenthood Federation of America and NARAL. On the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision in 2020, Demings tweeted a call to “redouble our resistance against attempts” to pass pro-life legislation.

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Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)

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Harris is a staunch supporter of legal protection for abortion. As California attorney general, she drew the ire of the state Catholic conference by sponsoring a bill compelling pro-life pregnancy centers advertise for “free or low-cost” abortion services. That law was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2018.

More recently, Harris has confronted Biden over his own record on abortion – challenging the former vice president for not being “pro-choice” enough for the modern Democratic party. And her confrontation has been effective: Harris has been among a group of politicians widely seen to have pushed Biden to the left on abortion.

During the July 31 debate last year, Harris lambasted Biden’s long support for the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortion services. She accused Biden of “withhold(ing) resources to poor women to have access to reproductive health care, including women who were the victims of rape and incest.”

…

Amb. Susan Rice

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Rice’s name has been put forward as a potential Biden VP. As she has never run for office, she has made few public statements on domestic social issues.

…

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has been a vocal proponent of abortion, and has 100% ratings from both Planned Parenthood Federation of America and NARAL. She wore a Planned Parenthood scarf to President Donald Trump’s inauguration as a show of protest and as a show of support for the nation’s largest abortion provider.

Warren published the “Congressional Plan to Protect Choice,” a slew of proposals of pro-abortion legislation. These proposed legislation included “federal laws to preempt state efforts that functionally limit access to reproductive health care,” which would effectively prevent states from passing pro-life policies; and legislation that would mandate abortion coverage in health plans.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/analysis-where-joe-bidens-vp-shortlist-stands-on-abortion-18901
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4. Mexican bishops call for action ahead of Supreme Court abortion ruling, By David Agren, Catholic News Service, July 27, 2020

Mexico’s bishops called on Catholics to speak out ahead of a Supreme Court ruling that could lead to abortion being decriminalized nationwide.

In a statement July 24, the bishops said, “We urge all Catholic faithful and all citizens to join efforts to ensure that the dignity of each human being is appreciated and that we get through the serious challenges we confront at this time in our country.”

The first bench of Mexico’s Supreme Court is expected to rule July 29 on a lower court decision from the state of Veracruz. The Veracruz decision ordered the state legislature to reform its criminal code and remove any penalties for abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2020/07/mexican-bishops-call-for-action-ahead-of-supreme-court-abortion-ruling/
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5. Justice, dignity not just ‘privilege of the rich,’ Vatican official says, By Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service, July 27, 2020

Addressing the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a Vatican representative said the protection of rights and human dignity is not exclusive to the wealthy but also to the most vulnerable, especially victims of human trafficking.

“The common good demands that access to justice, political representation, and the recognition of the dignity of others are not the privilege of the rich, but rather should be accessible especially to the weak and vulnerable,” said Msgr. Joseph Grech, representative of the Vatican’s permanent mission to the international organizations in Vienna.

“All people should enjoy the same universally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Grech told participants of the 20th Alliance Against Trafficking in Persons Conference in Vienna.

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/07/justice-dignity-not-just-privilege-of-the-rich-vatican-official-says/
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6. US bishops launch year-long dialogue with young Catholics, By Catholic News Agency, July 27, 2020, 3:00 PM

Last weekend, a group of 300 Catholics, including 30 bishops and the apostolic nuncio to the United States, kicked off a new, yearlong initiative by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops aimed at improving relations with young people.

The program, called “Journeying Together,” launched across the weekend of July 25-26. It was originally scheduled to begin with an in-person conference to be held July 23-26 in Cleveland, but was moved online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In-person meetings are not expected to resume until 2021.

The initiative is sponsored by the USCCB’s Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church, together with the secretariats of Catholic Education and of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth. It is running in collaboration with the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry and the National Dialogue on Catholic Pastoral Ministry with Youth and Young Adults.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/us-bishops-launch-year-long-dialogue-with-young-catholics-93370
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7. Cardinal Kasper Defends Vatican Instruction on Parishes, By Catholic News Agency, July 27, 2020

Cardinal Walter Kasper has defended a new Vatican instruction on parishes after it was criticized by several German bishops.

In a July 27 guest commentary for Domradio, the radio station of Cologne archdiocese, Kasper said that critics missed the document’s central point.

“The German criticism completely misses the actual concern of the instruction: the pastoral conversion to a missionary footing. But precisely this basic concern of Pope Francis would be highly topical in view of the disturbing recently published numbers of departures from the Church.”

Cardinal Kasper, a theologian and former president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, was referring to statistics issued last month which showed that a record number of Catholics left the Church in Germany in 2019.

He said it was not appropriate to speak of “authoritarian neoclericalism” in relation to the document, which was issued July 20 by the Congregation for Clergy. 

The instruction, called “The pastoral conversion of the parish community in the service of the evangelizing mission of the Church,” set out guidelines on reforming parishes and restructuring dioceses to better serve their “singular mission of evangelization.”

A number of German bishops took issue with the document, including Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabrück, vice-president of the German bishops’ conference, and Cardinal Reinhard Marx, a member of the Council of Cardinals advising Pope Francis. Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne, however, welcomed the Vatican’s intervention.

Cardinal Kasper argued that the text’s critics had overlooked the instruction’s opening section and summary, which emphasized the common responsibility of the whole people of God for parishes.

https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/cardinal-kasper-defends-vatican-instruction-on-parishes
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8. Reopening Catholic Schools Can Benefit Countless Students, By Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, National Catholic Register, July 27, 2020, Opinion

Unlike students enrolled in public schools whose future depends on politicians and school boards petrified of teachers’ unions, my children attend private religious schools — my local parish school and a Classical Christian high school, to be precise. Back in mid-March, our schools sent students home for distance learning in obedience to the state stay-at-home orders. Teachers adapted. They dabbled in distance learning. The results, to be honest, were a mixed bag. That’s why I was thrilled to hear that both schools plan to reopen with real-life classes this fall. 

Andrea Picciotti-Bayer is a legal analyst and regular Register contributor

https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/reopening-catholic-schools-can-benefit-countless-students
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