TCA Podcast, – “Conversations with Consequences,” Episode 213 – Cary Solomon Talks Nefarious & Elizabeth Kirk on Foster Care Month! With the movie ‘Nefarious‘ getting rave reviews including from Cardinal Raymond Burke who says the film ‘aptly shines light on the Devil’s tactics in leading us to betray and abandon Our Lord,’ writer and director Cary Solomon joins to discuss the psychological thriller. We also celebrate National Foster Care month with Elizabeth Kirk discussing the beauty of adoption. Father Roger Landry also offers a moving homily to prepare us for Pentecost Sunday. Catch the show every Saturday at 7amET/5pmET on EWTN radio! https://thecatholicassociation.org/podcast/ep-213-cary-solomon-talks-nefarious-elizabeth-kirk-on-foster-care-month/__________________________________________________________ 1. American, Japanese bishops urge G7 to act on nuclear disarmament, By John Lavenburg, Crux, May 19, 2023 With the Group of Seven countries set to meet in Japan this weekend, four Catholic bishops whose dioceses have ties to nuclear weapons have sent an open letter to those involved in the summit, imploring them to take major steps towards nuclear disarmament. “We, the undersigned spiritual leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, urge you to use the upcoming summit of the International Group of Seven to undertake concrete steps toward global, verifiable nuclear disarmament,” states the letter signed by two American and two Japanese bishops.  The letter is signed by Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe, Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle, Archbishop Peter Michiaki Nakamura of Nagasaki and Bishop Alexis Mitsuru Shirahama of Nagasaki. The letter calls on G7 leaders to announce and commit to concrete steps to prevent a new arms race, guard against nuclear weapons use, and advance nuclear disarmament, as well as reiterate the sentiment G20 leaders put forth in November, that the threat and use of nuclear weapons is “inadmissible.” … https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2023/05/american-japanese-bishops-urge-g7-to-act-on-nuclear-disarmament__________________________________________________________ 2. Vatican recalls stamp celebrating Portugal’s colonial empire after complaints, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, May 18, 2023, 11:40 AM The Vatican has recalled a postage stamp promoting this year’s World Youth Day in Portugal following complaints that it celebrated Portugal’s colonial empire and the nationalist dictatorship of Antonio Salazar at a time when the Holy See has been atoning for colonial-era abuses. The stamp, which was still available for purchase online Thursday, features Pope Francis leading a group of children up Lisbon’s Monument to the Discoveries. The giant stone and concrete monument was built in 1960 to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator, one of the masterminds of Portugal’s maritime expansion in the 15th century. The monument, which is located on the north bank of the Tagus River in Lisbon, is repudiated by some in Portugal because it was built by and during the Salazar dictatorship as part the government’s push to promote national identity and feats such as the country’s colonial expansion in Africa. … https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/18/vatican-colonial-portugal-stamp/404e8466-f592-11ed-918d-012572d64930_story.html__________________________________________________________ 3. Rhode Island governor signs bill to fund abortion coverage for state workers and Medicaid recipients, By Associated Press, May 18, 2023, 10:06 PM Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee signed a bill into law Thursday that would let state funds be used to pay for health insurance plans that cover state workers and Medicaid recipients seeking abortions. The signing ceremony was held almost immediately after the state Senate approved the measure, also Thursday, on a 24-12 vote following less than an hour of debate in the chamber. McKee, a Democrat, said he was proud to sign the bill into law and include related funding in his state budget proposal. …https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/05/18/rhode-island-abortion/ecb5552e-f5b8-11ed-918d-012572d64930_story.html__________________________________________________________ 4. Right, left, and center, why is no cardinal good enough to be papabile anymore?, By Ed. Condon, The Pillar, May 18, 2023, 4:35 PM Past a certain point in a pontificate, handicapping the frontrunners to succeed the pope becomes an inevitable part of the daily chatter among curial staffers and Vatican journalists. But the current field of contenders is surprisingly thin, and, given the increasingly critical coverage any potential papabile seems to attract, there may be a real risk for any cardinal seen to be flying too high. While that may be put down partly to a desire in some quarters to ensure a reliable and effective heir to the Francis pontificate, the result may well be a wide open vote to succeed him. … https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/right-left-and-center-why-is-no-cardinal__________________________________________________________ 5. Antiabortion Group Used Cellphone Data to Target Ads to Planned Parenthood Visitors, Wisconsin group used precise geolocation data until last year to direct ads to women it suspected of seeking abortions, By Byron Tau and Patience Haggin, The Wall Street Journal, May 18, 2023, 9:49 AM A Midwest antiabortion group used cellphone location data to target online content to visitors of certain Planned Parenthood clinics, according to people familiar with the matter and documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.  “Took the first pill at the clinic? It may not be too late to save your pregnancy,” reads one ad such visitors were served on social-media sites including Facebook.  Veritas Society, a nonprofit fund established by the organization Wisconsin Right to Life, was using precise geolocation data to target those ads from as early as November 2019 through late last year, according to a Veritas Society website, several former employees of an advertising-technology company it used to target the ads, and other people familiar with the matter. The ad company told Veritas Society it had to stop because it was violating the company’s rules about targeting sensitive locations, the former employees said. The campaign used a common digital-advertising technology called geofencing to extract the unique device identifiers of phones carried into Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers, the people said. It then used those device IDs to target those people on popular social-networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat with antiabortion messaging. All three social networks said the ads violated their policies and said future such campaigns would be rejected.  … https://www.wsj.com/articles/antiabortion-group-used-cellphone-data-to-target-ads-to-planned-parenthood-visitors-446c1212__________________________________________________________ 6. Catholic bishops, educators ask regulators to reject transgender sports rule, By Tyler Arnold, Catholic News Agency, May 18, 2023, 12:20 PM Catholic bishops and educators are asking the Department of Education to reject a proposed rule change that would force K–12 schools and higher education institutions to allow biologically male students to participate in female athletics in certain cases if they receive federal funding. The proposed rule would amend the current regulations set by Title IX to restructure how schools must address transgender issues in athletics. The rule would require institutions to allow some students to participate in athletics programs that match their self-proclaimed gender identity, even if it is different from the student’s biological sex. The proposal would prevent across-the-board policies that restrict male sports to biological men and female sports to biological women but would allow schools that receive federal funding to limit participation in sports on a case-by-case basis. Schools, colleges, and universities would need to show, in individual cases, that limiting participation to biological males or females is necessary to preserve competitiveness or safety in that case. A public comment filed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Catholic Educational Association, and The Catholic University of America on May 15 urges regulators to reject the proposal. The comment was filed on the last day of the public comment period. … https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254351/catholic-bishops-educators-ask-regulators-to-reject-transgender-sports-rule__________________________________________________________ 7. Study: Most American corporations receive failing grades in religious freedom, free speech, By Tyler Arnold, Catholic News Agency, May 18, 2023, 9:45 AM A report that reviewed the policies of 75 major American corporations found rampant disregard for religious freedom and free speech in virtually every company and only saw eight businesses improve from last year. The report, conducted by Alliance Defending Freedom, rated each business in three separate categories: the market score, which considers its policies toward its customers and vendors; the workplace score, which considers its policies toward employees; and the public square score, which considers its political spending and public positions on free speech and religious freedom.  Nearly two-thirds of the corporations evaluated in the report scored 10% or lower in ADF’s 2023 Viewpoint Diversity Score Business Index, which ties together all three categories. Twelve percent of the corporations finished with a rating of 5% or lower. Only five corporations had a rating of 15% or higher. … https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254348/most-american-corporations-received-failing-grades-in-religious-freedom-and-free-speech-says-study__________________________________________________________

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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