TCA Podcast, – “Conversations with Consequences,” Episode 223 – Carrie Gress On ‘The End Of Woman’ & Colm Flynn Previews World Youth Day 2023! With World Youth Day in Lisbon taking place next week, we talk with Colm Flynn of EWTN News about the prepping and planning behind this amazing event plus the opportunity for encouter as so many youth and young adults flood the country so rich in Catholic history. Optimally-timed with all the media reports breaking down the new movie Barbie, Carrie Gress joins to discuss her new thought-provoking book, The End of Woman: How Smashing the Patriarchy Has Destroyed Us. Father Roger Landry also offers an inspiring homily to prepare us for this Sunday’s Gospel. Catch the show every Saturday at 7amET/5pmET on EWTN radio! https://thecatholicassociation.org/podcast/ep-223-carrie-gress-on-the-end-of-woman-colm-flynn-previews-world-youth-day-2023/__________________________________________________________ 1. Vatican and Vietnam agree to open resident Holy See office in Hanoi, as relations improve, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, July 27, 2023, 8:53 PMVietnam formally agreed Thursday to let a Vatican representative live in the country and open an office, a notching up of relations that could have implications down the line for the Holy See’s delicate ties with China. The Holy See announced the conclusion of the agreement during a visit to the Vatican by Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, who met with Pope Francis and the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The agreement still falls short of full diplomatic relations, which have been strained for decades. But the two sides have held regular talks since at least 1990 studying the renewal of ties, with Parolin overseeing the process for years, first as foreign minister and now as secretary of state. … https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/27/vatican-vietnam-relations-francis-china/3534ecae-2ca2-11ee-a948-a5b8a9b62d84_story.html__________________________________________________________ 2. Misleading clients on abortion could cost Illinois pregnancy centers, By John O’Connor, Associated Press, July 27, 2023, 5:53 PM  Illinois crisis pregnancy centers, which often pop up near abortion facilities to offer information about alternatives, could face penalties if they disseminate misleading or untruthful information. The move is another Democratic effort to insulate the state’s virtually unfettered access to abortion, even as neighboring states restrict it. Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzke signed legislation Thursday to immediately apply the state’s consumer protection statute to the pregnancy centers, non-medical facilities that offer some services to pregnant women and girls, such as ultrasound. They often discourage abortion by using counseling, material support and/or housing in an effort to persuade women to bring their pregnancies to term. The pregnancy centers wasted little time challenging the law’s constitutionality. The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, a national network of pregnancy help centers; and several centers in Illinois filed a federal lawsuit in Rockford seeking a restraining order and injunction against the state’s enforcement. “This law is a blatant attempt to chill and silence pro-life speech under the guise of ‘consumer protection,’” said Peter Breen, executive vice president of the Thomas More Society, which represents the plaintiffs. “Pregnancy help ministries provide real options and assistance to women and families in need.” … https://apnews.com/article/illinois-abortion-pregnancy-centers-64a76640a0de30a6b020e74318492bb9__________________________________________________________ 3. VA defends record on employee abortion objection, Woman, nonprofit say not the case, By Mark A. Kellner, The Washington Times, July 27, 2023, Pg. A6 The Department of Veterans Affairs said Tuesday that an accommodation for employees objecting on religious grounds to providing abortion counseling or services has been available since the policy was announced in September. However, if the accommodation has always existed, it was not communicated to Stephanie Carter, the Texas nurse practitioner who sued over the issue in December; First Liberty Institute, the conservative Christian legal nonprofit that represented her; or The Washington Times, which has repeatedly requested comment on the issue. What’s more, Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis R. McDonough failed to mention the existence of religious accommodation when asked about the Carter lawsuit at a press conference in March. … https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/jul/26/va-says-accommodation-abortions-always-place-recor/__________________________________________________________ 4. Vatican prosecutor seeks 7 years in jail for cardinal, confiscation of $460 million from 10 people, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, July 26, 2023, 7:65 AMThe Vatican prosecutor asked a court Wednesday to convict 10 people, including a cardinal, of a range of financial crimes, sentence them to three to 13 years in prison and order the confiscation of some 415 million euros ($460 million) to pay the Holy See back for bad investments and financial losses over the past decade. Prosecutor Alessandro Diddi ended six days of aggressive closing arguments with his requests for a verdict and sentencing. After a summer pause, the defense and civil parties in the Vatican’s “trial of the century” will deliver their closing arguments, with Judge Giuseppe Pignatone’s court expected to deliver a verdict before the end of the year. … https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/26/vatican-scandal-trial-cardinal-becciu-pope/761863a6-2bab-11ee-a948-a5b8a9b62d84_story.html__________________________________________________________ 5. FBI gives documents to Congress relating to memo targeting Catholics, By Joe Bukuras, Catholic News Agency, July 26, 2023, 3:05 PM The FBI handed over to Congress on Tuesday internal documents relating to the bureau’s now-withdrawn leaked memo that recommended investigating devotees of the Traditional Latin Mass. The leaked memo, dated Jan. 23, which originated from the bureau’s Richmond office, claims that racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists will likely become more interested in “radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology” within the next 12 to 24 months “in the run-up to the next general election cycle.” The new documents were only made available to the House Judiciary Committee. The FBI has requested that the committee not disseminate the documents without consulting it first. The document release comes after Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, the chairman of the committee, threatened to hold FBI director Christopher Wray in contempt over the bureau’s delay in responding to two subpoenas investigating alleged First Amendment violations from the bureau. … https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254909/fbi-gives-documents-to-congress-relating-to-memo-targeting-catholics__________________________________________________________ 6. California Jewish families sue state for discriminating against religious disabled children, By Peter Pinedo, Catholic News Agency, July 26, 2023, 10:00 AM Three Orthodox Jewish families in California are suing the state for a law that they say is directly discriminatory toward religious families and students with disabilities. The families’ case, Loffman v. California Department of Education, concerns a state law that allows disabled children in secular California families to receive special funding for their educational needs at the public or private school of their choice. Under this law, religious families with special-needs children are not allowed to access that same funding if they would like their children to attend religious schools. While families with disabled children in secular schools are reimbursed for their specialized education needs, religious families going to religious schools are not. … https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254902/california-jewish-families-sue-state-for-discriminating-against-religious-disabled-children__________________________________________________________ 7. The scientists who dissented from Humanae Vitae, By Sharon Kabel, The Pillar, July 26, 2023, 4:25 PM Sharon Kabel is a librarian, an independent researcher, and a Catholic. She recently completed a project researching the signatories to the 1968 Scientists’ Statement on Birth Control Encyclical, which rejected the teachings contained in Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae. Kabel examined the history of the statement and catalogued the 3,097 signatures attached to it. She presents these primary sources, along with her reflections: … https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/the-scientists-who-dissented-from__________________________________________________________

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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