By Dan Lipinski, The Wall Street Journal, March 26, 2020, Pg. A19, Opinion

The morning after I narrowly lost my congressional seat in last week’s Illinois Democratic Primary, I decided to make a public statement and answer questions from the press. With the current wretched state of political discourse, I felt it important to be gracious in defeat.

…

Abortion advocacy groups poured millions into my opponent’s campaign. If I had simply changed my position on abortion, there probably wouldn’t have been a contest. Abortion proponents wanted to hear me express regret about sticking with my pro-life beliefs.

So rather than wait for the question, I faced it head-on in my statement. I defended my pro-life position, which is rooted in both my Catholic faith and science. “I could never give up protecting the most vulnerable human beings in the world, simply to win an election,” I said. “My faith teaches, and the Democratic Party preaches, that we should serve everyone, especially the most vulnerable. To stand in solidarity with the vulnerable is to become vulnerable. But there is no higher calling for anyone.”

…

The Democratic Party prides itself on being the party of inclusion. Even with a pro-choice plank in the platform, we could concede that there’s a diversity of opinion on the issue, as we once did. That would make sense, since one-third of Democratic voters describe themselves as pro-life, and almost 6 in 10 support some abortion restrictions. But rather than acknowledging these voters’ viewpoint, party leaders and presidential candidates refuse to tolerate anyone who doesn’t support abortion on demand at any time, paid for by taxpayers.

The Democratic Party asserts that its highest priority right now is to defeat President Trump. The party’s treatment of pro-life voters belies that claim.

Mr. Lipinski, a Democrat, represents Illinois’s Third Congressional District.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/no-compromise-on-life-11585175034? ___________________________________________________________

2. Vatican statistics show decline in number of consecrated men, women between 2013-2018.

By Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service, March 26, 2020

The decrease in the number of religious brothers and of women in religious orders is “worrying,” according to the Vatican statistics office.

While the number of religious brothers in Africa and Asia continues to increase, the number of religious brothers worldwide experienced an 8 percent drop between 2013 and 2018, while the number of women religious fell 7.5 percent globally in the same period, the Vatican Central Office for Church Statistics reported.

However, the number of baptized Catholics increased by 6 percent between 2013 and 2018, reaching 1.33 billion or almost 18 percent of the global population, the statistics office reported March 25.

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/03/vatican-statistics-show-decline-in-number-of-consecrated-men-women-between-2013-2018/
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3. Cardinal at heart of crisis predicts rebirth after coronavirus.

By John L. Allen Jr., Crux, March 26, 2020, Opinion

Among the many unknowns about the coronavirus pandemic, from a Catholic point of view among the biggest is this: When the day finally comes that the Church can return to normal liturgical and pastoral life, what then?

Will scores of Catholics across the world presently unable to attend Sunday Mass get in the habit of not showing up, and never come back? Will at least some of those Catholics, as a papal secretary recently warned in a strong social media message to priest friends in Rome, actually abandon the Church because they feel the Church abandoned them?

Or, will the forced withdrawal deepen Catholic hunger for community and the sacraments, and will the spirit of sacrifice and common cause inspired by the pandemic permanently deepen the bonds Catholics feel to the Church and to one another?

It’s impossible to answer with any certainty, and in all likelihood, it’ll be some mix of all of the above.

Yet if you’re going to listen to anyone about how things might play out, perhaps a cardinal at the global epicenter of the crisis who enjoys a reputation as one of the brightest lights in the European episcopacy – most informed European Catholic observers I know definitely would want him on their Quiz Bowl team – might be a good place to start.

“I’m certain that after the emergency is over, Christians will come back to church for the Mass with a greater appreciation,” said Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco of Genoa in an interview Tuesday with local Italian newspaper Il Secolo XIX.

…

Whether things will unfold as Bagnasco augurs remains to be seen, but it’s hard not to find some consolation in the possibility.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/states-differ-on-exempting-worship-from-coronavirus-closures/2020/03/24/fb7109dc-6e02-11ea-a156-0048b62cdb51_story.html
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4. New bishop named for Roman Catholic diocese in Alabama.

By Associated Press, March 26, 2020, 2:25 AM

Pope Francis named a new bishop of the Diocese of Birmingham, Alabama.

The new position for Bishop Steven J. Raica, who was the bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan, was officially announced Wednesday, news outlets reported.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/new-bishop-named-for-roman-catholic-diocese-in-alabama/2020/03/26/8ec5f774-6f2a-11ea-a156-0048b62cdb51_story.html
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5. Virginia governor makes attending church a criminal offense.

By Catholic News Agency, March 25, 2020, 11:00 AM

Virginia governor Ralph Northam has made it a criminal offense to attend church services of more than 10 people. An executive order went into effect in the commonwealth on Tuesday, March 24, making any non-essential gatherings a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail or a fine of $2,500.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/virginia-governor-makes-attending-church-a-criminal-offense-52677
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