1. Pope rejects German cardinal’s resignation, urges reform, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, June 10, 2021, 7:42 AM
Pope Francis refused Thursday to let German Cardinal Reinhard Marx resign over the sex abuse scandal in the church, but said a process of reform was necessary and that every bishop must take responsibility for the “catastrophe” of the crisis.
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Francis’ letter, written originally in Spanish and using an informal, brotherly tone, appeared to give Marx papal backing to proceed with the German Church’s controversial reform process that was launched as a response to the abuse crisis and reports into the German hierarchy’s mishandling of cases over decades.
The so-called “Synodal Path” has sparked fierce resistance inside Germany and beyond, primarily from conservatives opposed to opening any debate on issues such as priestly celibacy, women’s role in the church and homosexuality.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pope-rejects-german-cardinals-resignation-urges-reform/2021/06/10/7a6ec630-c9d7-11eb-8708-64991f2acf28_story.html
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2. N. Carolina Senate considers banning Down syndrome abortions, By Bryan Anderson, Associated Press, June 10, 2021, 6:10 AM
North Carolina senators are set to consider a proposal Tuesday that would bar women from getting abortions on the basis of their fetus’s race, sex or a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.
If the Senate approves the proposal, it would head to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who is unlikely to sign it as he has rejected previous efforts to restrict a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/n-carolina-senate-considers-banning-down-syndrome-abortions/2021/06/10/0e0d410e-c9d4-11eb-8708-64991f2acf28_story.html
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3. Religious schools eye shift in Justice Department tone on LGBTQ carve-outs, By Mark Kellner, The Washington Times, June 10, 2021, Pg. A2
One day after telling a federal district court it would “vigorously defend” laws exempting evangelical Christian colleges and universities — and other faith-based schools — from rules promoting LGBTQ rights, the Biden administration’s filing in the case lost its vigor.
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A Wednesday Justice Department filing omits language used by federal lawyers a day earlier in their response to a petition from Christian schools and their trade association asking for the department’s assistance in Hunter v. Department of Education.
On Tuesday, the Justice lawyers rejected concerns that the government would not “vigorously” defend exemptions that exist for Christian schools, but by Wednesday, the language was modified and decidedly less explicit.
https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/jun/9/doj-waters-down-promise-vigorously-defend-religiou/
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4. A Homeroom Angel in Green Bay, An anonymous donor gave Catholic school teachers $1,000 each., By Nicole Ault, The Wall Street Journal, June 10, 2021, Pg. A17
Teachers unions kept many public schools closed this year. But in one private education system, teachers are being rewarded for staying on the job. Someone in the Green Bay, Wis., area donated $1,000 to each teacher in the Green Bay Area Catholic Education network, which everyone calls Grace. Nearly 190 teachers will receive the bonus. ZipRecruiter puts the average teacher’s salary at a Catholic school in Green Bay at less than $42,000.
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One of Wisconsin’s largest private networks, Grace has more than 2,000 students enrolled in nine schools across 23 parishes… After closing in the initial Covid outbreak last spring, Grace reopened in August for in-person instruction five days a week.
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Grace’s commitment to classroom instruction paid off. New students entered throughout the school year, and enrollment heading into next fall is up by more than 120 students over the end of last school year. Ms. Desotell says public-school families are among those showing interest. The Wisconsin Parental Choice Program, which gives vouchers to lower-income families, could help. Nearly 550 students participated in the program this year at Grace, where average in-parish tuition is a little more than $3,000.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-homeroom-angel-in-green-bay-11623259173
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5. No matter how it’s framed, report card on Vatican reform a mixed bag, By John L. Allen Jr., Crux, June 10, 2021, Opinion
[T[he Vatican did a heroic job yesterday of attempting to frame its latest report card from Moneyval, the Council of Europe’s watchdog unit on financial crime. It touted the positive things the Moneyval team had to say, including the construction of a legal framework now in accord with best practices and generally strong levels of international cooperation.
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Still, there are troubling elements of the Moneyval findings that can’t simply be spun away or chalked up to “areas for growth,” especially for a financial reform under Pope Francis that’s supposedly been underway for the better part of a decade.
For one thing, the Moneyval team found that the Vatican still doesn’t have an accurate grasp of the risk it faces. It’s properly identified the danger that its bank might be used to launder the proceeds of crimes committed by foreign entities, Moneyval said, but still under-values the risk of such crimes by insiders – i.e., mid-level and senior officials, including bishops and cardinals – seeking personal gain or some other benefit.
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Until people see someone senior in the system held accountable for financial crime, the take-away is likely to be that the “reform” is sound and fury signifying relatively little.
With regard to London, the Moneyval report said suspects are expected to be brought to trial by summer 2021. It’s early summer 2021 now and, so far, no dates have been set for any court proceedings.
Safe to say people are watching … and, until then, the Moneyval grade for Francis’s financial reform probably can best be described as an “incomplete.”
https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2021/06/no-matter-how-its-framed-report-card-on-vatican-reform-a-mixed-bag/
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6. Cardinal Kasper ‘very worried’ about German Church’s ‘Synodal Way’, By Catholic News Agency, June 10, 2021, 3:35 AM
An influential theologian considered to be close to Pope Francis has said that he is “very worried” about the German Catholic Church’s controversial “Synodal Way.”
Cardinal Walter Kasper said in a June 8 interview with the Passauer Bistumsblatt that he hoped the prayers of faithful Catholics could serve as a corrective.
The 88-year-old German cardinal said: “I have not yet given up hope that the prayers of many faithful Catholics will help to steer the Synodal Way in Germany on Catholic tracks.”
The Synodal Way is a multi-year process bringing together bishops and lay people to discuss four main topics: the way power is exercised in the Church; sexual morality; the priesthood; and the role of women.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247951/cardinal-kasper-very-worried-about-german-churchs-synodal-way
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7. Sardinia charity linked to ousted Vatican cardinal searched, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, June 9, 2021, 3:29 PM
Italian police searched the offices of a Sardinian charity and diocese on Wednesday on behalf of Vatican prosecutors who are investigating a once-powerful cardinal on alleged embezzlement charges.
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Pope Francis sacked Becciu as head of the Vatican’s saint-making office and stripped him of his rights and privileges as a cardinal in September, amid a crackdown on financial mismanagement and corruption in the Holy See.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/sardinia-charity-linked-to-ousted-vatican-cardinal-searched/2021/06/09/0d677f42-c959-11eb-8708-64991f2acf28_story.html
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8. Massachusetts Roman Catholics called back to Mass, By Associated Press, June 9, 2021, 5:46 PM
Cardinal Sean O’Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston as well as the bishops of Springfield and Fall River in similar statements Wednesday announced that the faithful are once again required to attend Mass starting the weekend of June 19-20.
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O’Malley said Father’s Day was an appropriate time to lift the dispensation of the Sunday Mass obligation.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/massachusetts-roman-catholics-called-back-to-mass/2021/06/09/f4ba8e18-c952-11eb-8708-64991f2acf28_story.html
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9. Facing enrollment declines, some Catholic dioceses are betting on online schools, By Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service, June 9, 2021, 6:23 PM
Catholic schools across the country worked hard to keep their doors open this past academic year, even as many public schools remained closed.
But now, with the coronavirus pandemic in retreat and nearly all schools returning to in-person classes this fall, a dozen Catholic dioceses across the U.S. are launching permanent online schools.
The growth of online learning may be among the more unexpected of changes to come out of the pandemic. While most students will return to brick and mortar classrooms, some are never going back. A March NPR/Ipsos poll showed nearly a third of U.S. parents said they were likely to stick with remote learning indefinitely.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/facing-enrollment-declines-some-catholic-dioceses-are-betting-on-online-schools/2021/06/09/4ac4fb1a-c96a-11eb-8708-64991f2acf28_story.html
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10. Federal appeals court blocks sweeping Missouri abortion law, By Jim Salter, Associated Press, June 9, 2021, 1:27 PM
A federal appeals court panel on Wednesday blocked Missouri from enforcing a sweeping state abortion law that bans the procedures at or after eight weeks of pregnancy.
A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis heard arguments in September in the legal battle over the 2019 law. The measure also would prohibit a woman from having an abortion because the fetus has Down syndrome.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-appeals-court-blocks-sweeping-missouri-abortion-law/2021/06/09/86cb2d3c-c93d-11eb-8708-64991f2acf28_story.html
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11. Moneyval: Internal corruption is Vatican’s primary risk, By The Pillar, June 9, 2021
The report from Moneyval, published Wednesday but originally expected to be released in April, presents the findings of a two-week onsite inspection of Vatican financial institutions last year, which wrapped up in October. The visit was the first time inspectors had visited the city state since 2012.
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While generally praising Vatican institutions’ assessment and efforts to combat money laundering and terrorist financing by non-Vatican residents and institutions, inspectors “disagreed” with the Holy See about the ongoing threat of internal financial misconduct by officials.
“[Vatican] authorities have advised that they consider the risk of abuse of office for personal or other benefits presented by insiders and related money laundering to be low,” the report concluded. “However, the assessment team disagrees with this conclusion and is of the view that risks presented by insiders are important.”
“Cases which have received wide coverage in the media have raised a red flag for potential abuse of the Holy See/Vatican City State system by mid-level and senior figures (insiders),” the report noted.
https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/moneyval-internal-corruption-is-vaticans
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12. Deaths by euthanasia soared last year in Canada, By Christine Rousselle, Catholic News Agency, June 9, 2021, 6:02 PM
The number of Canadians who ended their lives by euthanasia and assisted suicide increased by 17% in 2020, the country’s health department announced on Monday.
According to Abby Hoffman, assistant deputy minister of Health Canada, 7,595 people received “medically assisted deaths” last year, a figure which amounts to 2.5% of all deaths in Canada for the year.
In 2019, 5,631 people died by physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia in Canada, which accounted for 2% of all deaths in the country.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247950/deaths-by-euthanasia-soared-last-year-in-canada
___________________________________________________________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. |
