1. A ‘Night of Rage’ on Abortion, By The Wall Street Journal, June 21, 2022, Pg. A16, Editorial As the nine Justices prepare to issue their final opinions of the current term, barricades are going up around the Supreme Court building. It’s a sad but necessary security measure because violence can’t be ruled out in response to the rulings. The threat is explicit on abortion, as the arrest of an armed man outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home attests. Demonstrators continue to protest outside the homes of some Justices, and now comes a vow from the shadowy group that calls itself Jane’s Revenge to commit what sounds like what Democrats would call insurrection if it were aimed at another part of government. … Media reports say the Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the attacks, and we hope so. Attorney General Merrick Garland made a show of establishing a domestic terror unit at the Justice Department, and equal justice means it can’t be aimed merely at right-wing groups. The Jane’s Revenge threats have received little attention in the rest of the press, but we hope the Washington, D.C., and Capitol police are much better prepared than they were for the riots of 2020 and 2021. The Justices and the Court as a democratic institution have to be protected. https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-night-of-rage-on-abortion-janes-revenge-fbi-merrick-garland-roe-v-wade-dobbs-v-jackson-11655664242?__________________________________________________________ 2. The Attacks on Crisis-Pregnancy Centers, By Nicole Ault, The Wall Street Journal, June 21, 2022, Pg. A15, Opinion First Image, established in 1984, is one of dozens of pro-life pregnancy centers and churches vandalized or attacked since the May 2 leak of Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a nonprofit advocacy group, issued a report last week detailing more than 40 “incidents of violence, vandalism and intimidation” since the leak. … While the violent fringe throws firebombs, the mainstream abortion movement has waged legal war on pregnancy centers—most famously in California, which ordered them to post information on how clients could obtain abortions. That case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled 5-4 in favor of the pregnancy centers in Nifla v. Becerra (2018). … All this belies the abortion-rights movement’s characterization of itself as “pro-choice.” No woman is forced to go to one of these clinics, where more than 10,000 licensed medical professionals worked or volunteered as of 2019, according to the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute. In addition to providing ultrasounds and pregnancy tests, the centers help women get supplies and counseling. However organized Jane’s Revenge may be, the threats and attacks in its name are real. … Mr. Cirillo [CEO of First Image] says the threats are a “concern” but “not one that daunts us at all in the work.” Mr. Harden, emphasizing his organization’s Christian mission, says CompassCare is “not going to stop” offering services. “We do what we do because of what we believe”—including “that everyone is made in the image of God. We even value the lives of those who firebombed our facility.” https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-attacks-on-crisis-pregnancy-centers-janes-revenge-abortion-roe-v-wade-violence-destroyed-11655653644?__________________________________________________________ 3. Pope Francis should never retire from this mission, By Michael Gerson, The Washington Post, June 21, 2022, Pg. A23, Opinion Only Francis knows the limits of his body. But it is evident how his yearnings are focused: First, Pope Francis is pushing for greater liturgical uniformity within the boundaries of the Second Vatican Council. … Second, Francis — the first pope from South America — has taken another large step in making the geographical “peripheries” of the church more central to its governing and mission. … Third, Pope Francis continues to tame the often sclerotic, sometimes corrupt Vatican bureaucracy (a.k.a. the Roman Curia). … Fourth, Francis is continuing his slow exposure of the Catholic Church to some of the better aspects and instincts of modernity, including the marriage of priests, an expanded role for women and a warmer welcome of LGBTQ Christians. This pope’s method is to raise such matters without pushing for dramatic doctrinal revisions that might lead to schism. Sometimes that both disappoints supporters and enrages critics. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/06/20/mission-which-pope-francis-should-never-retire/___________________________________________________________ 4. Merrick Garland’s shameful inaction, Failure to prosecute pro-choice extremists is indefensible, By The Washington Times, June 21, 2022, Pg. B2, Editorial When left-wing extremists vow to achieve their goals “by any means necessary,” believe them. They’ve made that shockingly, appallingly clear in the seven weeks since May 2, when Politico reported on a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion of the pending ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, an abortion-related case that could overrule Roe v. Wade. Since then, pro-choice extremists — groups with names like Jane’s Revenge and Ruth Sent Us — have been protesting menacingly outside the homes of Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. (who authored the draft opinion), Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, and of Chief Justice John G. Roberts’. That’s in flagrant violation of Title 18, Section 1507, a federal law that criminalizes parading or picketing in front of the homes of judges with the intention of influencing the outcome of pending litigation. Regardless of one’s position on abortion rights, that’s not just illegal and unethical, it’s indefensible. What, in some respects, is even more deeply disturbing than the illegal protests themselves is Attorney General Merrick Garland’s deafening silence and craven cowardice in his seeming unwillingness to condemn the unlawful activity, much less order the arrest and prosecution of the lawbreakers. … Mr. Garland should likewise use any means necessary to shut them down, starting with prosecuting those breaking federal law in protesting outside justices’ homes — and by investigating who illegally leaked the Dobbs case draft opinion and prosecuting him or her as well. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/jun/20/editorial-merrick-garlands-shameful-inaction/___________________________________________________________ 5. FBI investigates rising attacks on pro-life centers, churches, By Valerie Richardson, The Washington Times, June 20, 2022, Pg. A6 The FBI confirmed last week it is investigating attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers and churches, episodes of violence and vandalism that surged after the leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade. “The FBI is investigating a series of attacks and threats targeting pregnancy resource centers and faith-based organizations across the country,” the FBI told The Washington Times on Friday. “The FBI takes all threats seriously and we continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners and will remain vigilant to protect our communities.” The FBI National Press Office statement followed a full-court press from House and Senate Republicans, pro-life leaders and religious groups urging the Biden administration to take action on violent incidents carried out by shadowy activists and extremist groups such as Jane’s Revenge. CatholicVote President Brian Burch, who led a Thursday letter from conservative and religious leaders to Attorney General Merrick Garland, said he was “pleased to learn that law enforcement is finally responding to the widespread attacks on pro-life Americans.” “We will be monitoring their response closely to be sure it is more than mere words without follow-through,” Mr. Burch said. “We expect the Bureau to treat these threats and violence like they would any other attack on innocent Americans. Unlike the concerned parents who were investigated by the Bureau last year, these are real domestic terrorists.” … “President Biden has said domestic terrorism represents the greatest threat to our country,” said Mr. Burch. “Right now, that threat is coming from pro-abortion and anti-Catholic activists.” https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/jun/17/fbi-investigates-rising-attacks-pro-life-centers-c/__________________________________________________________ 6. Firebombed NY pregnancy center facing investigation — for not offering abortion services, By Joe Bukuras, Catholic News Agency, June 20, 2022, 5:08 PM While Jim Harden waits for those responsible for firebombing the pro-life CompassCare pregnancy center he runs in upstate New York to be brought to justice, he’s facing another, unexpected investigation — of the clinic itself. One of several pro-abortion measures New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law on June 13 authorizes the state’s commissioner of health, currently Dr. Mary T. Bassett, to conduct an in-depth study of pro-life pregnancy centers like CompassCare that don’t provide abortion services.  The probe will assess the impact that so-called “limited service pregnancy centers” have on women’s access to “accurate, non-coercive health care information” and “a comprehensive range of reproductive and sexual health care services,” the legislation states. A final report is due in December 2023. Harden, CompassCare’s CEO, told CNA that the state wants him to turn over information on CompassCare’s donors, patients, service processes, affiliates, and more. Meanwhile, no arrests have been made in the June 7 firebombing and vandalism of the clinic, located in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst, New York. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251593/new-york-investigating-pro-life-pregnancy-centers___________________________________________________________ 7. Two Nigeria churches attacked; worshippers killed, abducted, By Chinedu Asadu, Associated Press, June 19, 2022 Gunmen attacked two churches in rural northwestern Nigeria on Sunday, killing three people, witnesses and a state official said, weeks after a similar attack in the West African nation left 40 worshippers dead. The attack in Kajuru area of Kaduna State targeted four villages, resulting in the abduction of unspecified number of residents and the destruction of houses before the assailants managed to escape, locals said. It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind the attack on the Kaduna churches. Much of Nigeria has struggled with security issues, with Kaduna as one of the worst-hit states. At least 32 people were killed in the Kajuru area last week in an attack that lasted for hours across four villages. Worshippers were attending the church service at the Maranatha Baptist Church and at St. Moses Catholic Church in Rubu community of Kaduna on Sunday morning when “they (the assailants) just came and surrounded the churches” both located in the same area, said Usman Danladi, who lives nearby. https://apnews.com/article/politics-nigeria-west-africa-religion-93a0b12ecb42dfd2807ebd7046b62301__________________________________________________________ 8. Iowa Supreme Court: Abortion not fundamental right in state, By David Pitt, Associated Press, June 17, 2022, 4:09 PM  The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday cleared the way for lawmakers to severely limit or ban abortion in the state, reversing a decision by the court just four years ago that guaranteed the right to abortion under the Iowa Constitution. The court, now composed almost entirely of Republican appointees, concluded that a less conservative court wrongly decided abortion is among the fundamental privacy rights guaranteed by the Iowa Constitution and federal law. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/iowa-court-abortion-not-protected-by-state-constitution/2022/06/17/dbab8db8-ee46-11ec-9f90-79df1fb28296_story.html___________________________________________________________ 9. After ‘hookup’ scandal and ‘extended leave,’ Msgr. Burrill resumes ministry, By Catholic News Agency, June 17, 2022, 10:54 AM Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill has returned to active ministry as a priest in his home diocese, after he resigned last year from his post with the U.S. bishops ahead of reports alleging inappropriate behavior, including his use of an LGBTQ dating and “hookup” app. … In July 2021, Burrill resigned from his post as the general secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops ahead of a report by The Pillar alleging inappropriate behavior and the frequent use of the dating and “hookup” app Grindr. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251576/after-hookup-scandal-and-extended-leave-msgr-burrill-resumes-ministry___________________________________________________________ 10. Nigeria church massacre: State Dept. official meets local bishop, By Maisy Sullivan, Catholic News Agency, June 17, 2022, 11:46 AM A top U.S. State Department official met with a local bishop in Nigeria following a massacre at a Catholic church in that country, the office of Rep. Chris Smith confirmed. U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland met via a Zoom teleconference with Bishop Jude Arogundade after Smith, a Republican representing New Jersey, raised concerns about the safety of Christians in Nigeria. … “In the aftermath of the horrific attack that took place on June 5 at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in Owo, Ondo State, and in advance of your upcoming visit to Nigeria,” Smith wrote, “I ask that you make time in your schedule to meet with Bishop Arogundade of the Catholic Diocese of Ondo.” The statement comes in the wake of the massacre, where 40 people were confirmed dead and more than 60 injured.  … Before the massacre in the Diocese of Ondo, the State Department omitted Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern in its annual International Religious Freedom Report.In the press release, Smith noted alarming statistics from Open Doors USA, a network that serves persecuted Christians. The religious-freedom watchdog reported that a Christian is killed every two hours for practicing his or her faith — in Nigeria alone. This amounts to approximately 13 Christians killed per day, or 372 killed every month. According to Open Doors, Nigeria accounted for almost 80% of Christian deaths around the world last year. Finan told CNA that Smith’s office will continue to work with Arogundade. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251578/nigeria-church-massacre-state-dept-official-meets-local-bishop__________________________________________________________ 11. The air we breathe, By Timothy P. Carney, The Washington Examiner, June 16, 2022, 6:30 AM Focus on breathing steady and slow. When I was a child, that’s how my mother taught me to stop crying or fight off tears, and I had to deploy it the other Sunday. Inhaling slowly and exhaling steadily throughout Mass, I mostly succeeded in avoiding the waterworks. I almost kept it together when Monsignor Kevin Hart, our beloved old priest at St. Andrew Apostle for almost the entire 10 years we worshiped there, mentioned us in the announcements. “This is the Carney family’s last Mass at St. Andrew’s before they move to Virginia,” he began, instructing my wife, our children, and me to stand. Thus, a birthday party — Pentecost is called the “Birthday of the Church” — became a teary goodbye. … The rhythms of our days, weeks, years, and lives were measured out by the liturgies, sacraments, and celebrations of St. Andrew Apostle Parish. … St. Andrew has many strengths: the school principal, the director of religious education, and simply the congregation. But all of those excellent leaders credited Father Dan with their own ability to serve. The man is visibly infected with the Holy Spirit, and he in turn inspired his parishioners. He filled the church every Sunday — every day — with a strong spirit. I believed, against the odds, that Father Dan would always be there. I also believed, without thinking it through, that I would always be at St. Andrew. My most recent book, about the importance of community institutions, ends at St. Andrew. The last chapter concludes with a vision, veiled in the text but crystal clear in my mind, of me walking my oldest daughter down that St. Andrew aisle on her wedding day. I told her of that vision as we drove away from St. Andrew. “Really?” She said. “I always assumed I would get married at St. James.” St. James in Falls Church is, after all, where Katie and I married 16 years ago. It’s where Katie was baptized. It’s where her parents and sisters go to Mass. Our move to northern Virginia is, for my wife, moving home. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/community-family/the-air-we-breathe___________________________________________________________

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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