1. The Justices Side With Foster Children, By Sharonell Fulton and Toni Simms-Busch, The Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2021, Pg. A15, Opinion
As two single foster mothers of color, we have seen the harm caused by a foster system in crisis. We have also seen the hope and love created by faith-affirming foster agencies like Catholic Social Services. When Philadelphia decided in 2018 to shut down Catholic Social Services’ foster-care ministry because of its religious beliefs, we felt compelled to stand up for the agency. We are relieved and grateful that all nine justices of the Supreme Court ruled in our favor last week.
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Allowing for a diverse array of foster agencies to serve the community is vital. Over 60% of the foster families Catholic Social Services certifies and supports are racial or ethnic minorities. Philadelphia desperately needs more families like these to care for children in need.
The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision is a victory for our own children, who witnessed their mothers go to court to defend their futures, and those of children just like them. They now know that the entire Supreme Court believes their future is worth protecting, and that what we have always taught them is true: they are worthy, they are seen and they are loved. We hope that this victory will send a message to Philadelphia’s foster children and families that they too are worthy, seen, and loved, and that they deserve the happiness of a family.
Ms. Fulton has fostered more than 40 children in 25 years. Ms. Simms-Busch is a former social worker and an adoptive mother of two. They were the named plaintiffs in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-justices-side-with-foster-children-11624466809
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2. Gibraltar votes on whether to ease its strict abortion law, By Barry Hatton and Sergio Rodrigo, Associated Press, June 24, 2021, 8:03 AM
Gibraltar was holding a referendum Thursday on whether to introduce exceptions to the British territory’s ban on abortion.
Abortion is illegal in Gibraltar, unless it is needed to save the mother’s life. Abortion is legally classified as “child destruction” and is punishable by up to life in prison. It is one of Europe’s most restrictive laws on pregnancy termination.
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About 80% of Gibraltarians are Catholic, and the Bishop of Gibraltar has spoken out against the proposed changes. The Gibraltar Pro-Life Movement has run a “Save Babies, Vote No” campaign. It argues that in practice the legal change amounts to introducing abortion on demand, because the mental health proviso can be misused.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/gibraltar-votes-on-whether-to-ease-its-strict-abortion-law/2021/06/24/b9af72f2-d4c4-11eb-b39f-05a2d776b1f4_story.html
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3. U.S. bishops praise Biden for committing to give vaccines to needy nations, By Catholic News Service, June 24, 2021
The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and Peace praised President Joe Biden June 23 for his commitment to provide 500 million COVID-19 vaccines to lower-income countries.
This was recently matched by the G-7 nations, bringing the total of vaccines to 1 billion.
“As world leaders work together to help bring an end to this pandemic, we are grateful for President Biden’s leadership to aid the poor and vulnerable around the world who remain most at-risk,” said Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, USCCB president, and Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, Illinois, committee chairman.
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2021/06/u-s-bishops-praise-biden-for-committing-to-give-vaccines-to-needy-nations/
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4. House GOP leaders, attorneys general urge Congress to make Hyde permanent, By Julie Asher, Catholic News Service, June 24, 2021
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and several other Republican leaders in the House asked their Democratic counterparts June 22 to take up a measure introduced by Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., that would make the long-standing Hyde Amendment permanent.
Smith’s bill is called the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2021, or H.R. 18. It has 166 co-sponsors.
The Hyde Amendment, which first became law in 1976, prohibits use of federal Medicaid dollars for abortion except in cases of rape, incest or when the life of the woman would be endangered. Named for the late Rep. Henry Hyde, an Illinois Republican, the amendment is renewed every year as part of spending measures.
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2021/06/house-gop-leaders-attorneys-general-urge-congress-to-make-hyde-permanent/
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5. PM Draghi defends Italy from Vatican objections to LGBT law, By Associated Press, June 23, 2021, 1:21 PM
Premier Mario Draghi defended the independence of Italy’s parliament on Wednesday in the face of formal objections by the Vatican to a proposed law that would extend additional discrimination protections to the LGBT community.
“Ours is a secular country,” Draghi said in an address to the Senate. “Therefore, it is not a religious state.”
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The letter indicated the Vatican’s concern that the law would limit Catholics’ right to express their religious beliefs as guaranteed by treaties establishing diplomatic relations between Italy and the Vatican. It notes that the law would would require Catholic schools, like their public counterparts, to organize activities on a national day to fight homophobia and transphobia.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pm-draghi-defends-italy-from-vatican-objections-to-lgbt-law/2021/06/23/7304d73e-d447-11eb-b39f-05a2d776b1f4_story.html
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6. It’s about time lawmakers focus on pregnant women beyond the abortion debate. Here’s a bill that would do that., By Henry Olsen, The Washington Post, June 23, 2021, 4:51 PM, Opinion
Politicians rarely think about pregnant women outside of the abortion debate. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) hopes to change that.
Fortenberry has been working on a new bill, the Care for Her Act, which would make caring for a pregnant woman and meeting her needs the centerpiece of public policy. The soon-to-be-introduced legislation would do this by establishing a “commitment of care for the journey of life,” Fortenberry told me in a recent interview. He added that it would create an “opportunity for our solidarity” with women with unexpected pregnancies.
The bill has four basic provisions. First, it would make unborn children eligible for the child tax credit. Under current law, that means every expectant mother would get $3,600 she otherwise would not. Second, it would establish a federal-state partnership that assesses and catalogues all available resources and programs that an expectant mother is eligible for. Participation in the program would be voluntary for states, but those that do would commit to providing each expectant mother with that list at an appropriate time during her pregnancy, letting her know that the community is ready to care for her and her child. Third, it would provide federal grants for the advancement of maternal housing, job training and other educational opportunities. Finally, it would provide incentives to improve maternal health and child health outcomes.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/23/its-about-time-lawmakers-focus-pregnant-women-beyond-abortion-debate-heres-bill-that-would-do-that/
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7. Portland archbishop welcomes ‘Eucharistic Revival,’ emphasizes worthy reception of Communion, By Jonah McKeown, Catholic News Agency, June 23, 2021, 5:00 PM
Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon last week praised a new “Eucharistic Revival” initiative of the U.S. bishops that aims to foster deeper devotion to the Eucharist.
“It’s all intended to bring about a real revival in our faith, our love, our devotion and our living out of the Eucharistic mystery,” Archbishop Sample said Friday, as reported by The Catholic Sentinel.
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The archbishop said that some Catholic public officials, by using the office to advance abortion, are formally cooperating with grave evil, and thus could create public scandal by presenting themselves for Communion without first repenting of their position.
He explained the need for Catholics to live their lives in conformity with Church teaching, to receive Communion.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248113/portland-archbishop-welcomes-eucharistic-revival-emphasizes-worthy-reception-of-communion
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8. Bishop Paprocki: Regarding Communion debate “There should be no unity with iniquity”, By Alejandro Bermudez, Catholic News Agency, June 23, 2021, 4:56 PM
In a statement published on Wednesday, June 23, Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois lambasted recent media coverage of the USCCB vote to draft a document on the Eucharist.
Among the errors pointed out in the statement were claims by several media outlets that the “Vatican had warned the Catholic Bishops of the United States not to pass this proposal.”
Said Bishop Paprocki, “That is simply false.”
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Additionally, he noted that one of the “misleading arguments” was voiced by bishops and cardinals inside the USCCB. These bishops and cardinals argued that “drafting this document …would be divisive and would harm the unity of the bishops’ conference,” according to the statement.
However, Bishop Paprocki countered that “There should be no unity with iniquity.”
“Yes, we should strive for unity, but our unity should be based on the truths of our faith as found in Sacred Scripture and the constant Tradition of the Church. No one should want to be united on the path to perdition.”
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Addressing yet another inaccuracy, he asserted that Eucharistic consistency isn’t simply about “abortion and euthanasia,” but the problem of grave sin “of any kind.”
While mainstream reporting has often given the impression that the bishops recently decided only one sin will prevent someone from reception of the Eucharist, “It has been the constant teaching of the Catholic Church for the past two thousand years that those persons conscious of grave sin must first repent, confess their sins to a priest, and receive sacramental absolution before receiving holy Communion,” said the bishop.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248117/bishop-paprocki-regarding-communion-debate-there-should-be-no-unity-with-iniquity
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9. Christian legal group denounces ‘targeted smear campaign’, By Matt Hadro, Catholic News Agency, June 23, 2021, 10:00 AM
A Christian legal group said Wednesday that its inclusion in a report claiming that “religious extremists” are seeking “to roll back human rights in sexuality and reproduction” is part of a “targeted smear campaign.”
ADF International was responding to a report issued by the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF) ahead of a major European Parliament vote on abortion.
The EPF report, “Tip of the Iceberg: Religious Extremist Funders against Human Rights for Sexuality and Reproductive Health in Europe 2009-2018,” lists ADF International as one of more than 50 “anti-gender actors operating in Europe.”
Adina Portaru, who serves as senior counsel, Europe, for ADF International, said: “ADF International is a human rights organization that protects the fundamental freedoms and promotes the inherent dignity of all people.”
“We defend persecuted religious minorities across the globe and support the right to life. Our ‘Vanishing Girls’ campaign in southeast Asia, for example, defends girls against sex-based discrimination both before as well as after birth.”
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/248107/christian-legal-group-denounces-targeted-smear-campaign
___________________________________________________________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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