1. Pope Francis’ recovery proceeding normally, By Vatican News, June 12, 2023
Doctors say Pope Francis is recovering well, as he observes medical indications, says the Holy See Press Office, in its latest update on the Holy Father’s recovery following his surgery last Wednesday.
In the statement, the Director of the Press Office, Matteo Bruni, said: “The medical team reports that the Holy Father’s post-operative recovery continues to be regular, observing medical indications.”
Pope Francis, he noted, “continues to eat regularly. This morning, he received the Holy Eucharist and then devoted himself to his work activities.”
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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-06/pope-francis-update-from-rome-gemelli-hospital-12062023.html
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2. Pope Francis sends message from hospital to European political party, By Courtney Mares, Catholic News Agency, June 11, 2023, 5:10 AM
While recovering in the hospital, Pope Francis sent a message to the largest political party in the European Parliament.
In a letter to the European People’s Party published by the Vatican on June 11, the pope urged politicians to be united on “issues where primary ethical values and important points of Christian social doctrine are at stake.”
“The Christian politician should distinguish himself by the seriousness with which he approaches issues, rejecting opportunistic solutions and always holding firm to the criteria of the dignity of the person and the common good,” Pope Francis said.
“In this regard, you have a very rich heritage on which to draw to bring your original contribution to European politics, namely the social doctrine of the Church. Think, for example, of the two principles of solidarity and subsidiarity and their virtuous dynamic.”
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254541/pope-francis-sends-message-from-hospital-to-european-parliament-political-party
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3. Delayed justice: 3 states remove all time limits on child sex abuse lawsuits, By David Sharp, Associated Press, June 9, 2023, 8:53 AM
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More survivors are pursuing cases as states increasingly consider repealing time limits for child sex crime lawsuits. Vermont was the first state to remove the limits in 2019, followed by Maine in 2021 and Maryland this year.
Michigan, Rhode Island and Massachusetts are poised to take action before their legislative sessions end.
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In April, Maryland lifted time limits on child sexual abuse lawsuits against institutions less than a week after the attorney general detailed decades of abuse of more than 600 children by over 150 priests associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Other states, meanwhile, have briefly removed the statute of limitations on lawsuits for childhood abuse. More than 10,000 lawsuits were filed when New York set aside time limits for two years.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/06/09/church-clergy-abuse-statute-limitations/9f4eca0c-0681-11ee-b74a-5bdd335d4fa2_story.html
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4. How Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis talks about his own Catholic faith on the presidential campaign trail, By Tiffany Stanley, Associated Press, June 9, 2023, 2:17 AM
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The governor’s religious rhetoric and hard-charging policies are at the center of his outreach to white evangelicals — an important voting bloc in the early GOP nominating contests. When it comes to his own Catholicism, DeSantis is more guarded, rarely mentioning his specific faith practices.
“I don’t think he’s a wear-your-religion-on-your-sleeve kind of guy,” said Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, a conservative advocacy organization that hosted a fall rally for DeSantis.
Burch argue DeSantis’ policies are the true measure of his faith, from Florida’s six-week abortion ban to a spate of laws targeting LGBTQ+ rights: “Perhaps a good Scripture reference that may describe him is, ‘By their fruits you shall know them.’”
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The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops has praised the DeSantis administration on its anti-abortion, school choice and anti-LGBTQ+ policies, while criticizing its death penalty support.
No political party is “totally consistent with the gamut of our Catholic interests,” [Miami Archbishop Thomas] Wenski said.
“Biden makes a bigger deal of his Catholicism than DeSantis does,” Wenski added, noting that “it gives all us bishops heartburn because of his radical abortion stance.”
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/06/09/florida-governor-ron-desantis-republican-religious-voters/574202b8-068d-11ee-b74a-5bdd335d4fa2_story.html
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5. The Archdiocese of St. Louis will pay $1 million to settle a sex abuse lawsuit, By Jim Salter, Associated Press, June 9, 2023, 2:01 PM
The Archdiocese of St. Louis will pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who was sexually abused as a child by a priest who previously spent 12 years in prison for abusing another boy, an attorney for the victim said Friday.
The plaintiff was an altar boy at Ascension Catholic Church in Chesterfield, Missouri. The suit alleged he was abused by the Rev. Gary Wolken starting in 1993, when the boy was in fourth grade, and continuing through 1995. The lawsuit said the plaintiff repressed memories until he was an adult. The man’s lawsuit, which did not use his name, was filed in 2018.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2023/06/09/st-louis-archdiocese-abuse-settlement/86e1858e-06dd-11ee-b74a-5bdd335d4fa2_story.html
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6. France hails ‘hero with a backpack’ who intervened in knife attack on very young children, By John Leicester, Associated Press, June 9, 2023, 12:45 PM
The attacker slashed at the 24-year-old Catholic pilgrim with the knife that he used to savagely stab one young child after another. But rather than run, Henri held his ground — using a weighty backpack he was carrying to swing at the assailant and fend off his blade.
French media hailed Henri as “the hero with a backpack” Friday after he was shown in a video grappling with the assailant and charging after him during the knife attack that critically wounded four children between the ages of 22 months and 3 years old, and also injured two adults.
Henri, who is on a nine-month walking and hitchhiking tour of France’s cathedrals and happened to be in the Alpine town of Annecy when the attacker rampaged Thursday though its lakeside park, also got personal words of gratitude Friday from President Emmanuel Macron. The French leader toured hospitals to meet victims and their families and thanked medical workers, police, firefighters, civilians — including Henri — and others whose first aid and swift actions helped save lives.
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Henri said he was powered by his Catholic faith.
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The profile of the suspected attacker, a 31-year-old Syrian political refugee, also fueled renewed political debate about French migration policies.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/06/09/france-knife-attack-annecy/4926c3dc-069a-11ee-b74a-5bdd335d4fa2_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. |
