1. Pope moves youth seminary out of Vatican amid abuse trial, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, May 26, 2021 Pope Francis has decided to move a youth seminary outside Vatican City, taking action before the Vatican’s criminal tribunal renders a verdict in a sex abuse trial involving a former seminarian and an ex-rector. The Vatican made no mention of the ongoing trial in its announcement Tuesday that the St. Pius X pre-seminary would relocate somewhere in Rome starting in September. The facility serves as a residence for altar boys ages 12-18 who serve at papal Masses in St. Peter’s Basilica. https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2021/05/pope-moves-youth-seminary-out-of-vatican-amid-abuse-trial/ ___________________________________________________________ 2. Bishops press Gomez to halt Communion debate, By The Pillar, May 25, 2021 A group of more than 60 bishops has written to Archbishop Jose Gomez this month, pressing for the U.S. bishops’ conference leadership to suspend discussion of the subject of Eucharistic coherence ahead of the USCCB’s June meeting, despite a recent letter from the Vatican’s doctrinal office counseling the bishops to continue discussing the matter. Discussion on the topic was scheduled in March through the ordinary USCCB procedure for setting meeting agendas. The letter was signed by several U.S. cardinals, including Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, and Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston. New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan was originally a signatory to the letter, but he withdrew his name from the text after it was sent. https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/bishops-press-gomez-to-halt-communion ___________________________________________________________ 3. Archbishop Cordileone ‘deeply grieved’ by attempts to delay consideration of Eucharistic teaching document, By Catholic News Agency, May 25, 2021, 5:20 PM Two U.S. archbishops on Tuesday responded to attempts by other U.S. bishops to delay consideration of a teaching document on the Eucharist by the full conference. “I’m deeply grieved by the rising public acrimony among bishops and the adoption of behind-closed-doors maneuvers to interfere with the accepted, normal, agreed-upon procedures of the USCCB,” Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco said in a statement provided to CNA on Tuesday. “Those who do not want to issue a document on Eucharistic coherence should be open to debating the question objectively and fairly with their brother bishops, rather than attempting to derail the process,” he added. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247786/archbishop-cordileone-deeply-grieved-by-attempts-to-delay-consideration-of-eucharistic-teaching-document ___________________________________________________________ 4. USCCB draft outline on ‘Eucharistic coherence’ document aims at broad catechesis, By The Pillar, May 25, 2021 A draft outline for the proposed U.S. bishops’ conference document on “Eucharistic coherence” would aim to teach broadly about the Eucharist itself, in addition to addressing particular situations regarding sacramental discipline. The outline was circulated as part of a memo sent to U.S. bishops by conference president Archbishop Jose Gomez on Friday. The outline and memo were sent to bishops after Gomez received a letter, signed by more than 60 US bishops, which pressed for a suspension of all conference discussion on the subject. https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/usccb-draft-outline-on-eucharistic ___________________________________________________________ 5. Biden’s Latest Move on the Transgender Issue Raises Medical and Ethical Concerns, A redefinition of sex discrimination in health care could have major repercussions., By Lauretta Brown, National Catholic Register, May 25, 2021 The Biden administration’s push on the transgender issue continued this month with a move that some say will violate the rights of health-care providers with religious or ethical objections to treating patients based on gender identity. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced May 10 that the Office of Civil Rights would interpret and enforce a ban on discrimination based on sex to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Roger Severino, the former head of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights who founded its Conscience and Religious Freedom Division during his time there, discussed the Biden administration’s announcement with the Register. Severino, who is currently a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, criticized the administration’s failure to follow the rulemaking process for such a change, calling the move “a dictate through a press release.” https://www.ncregister.com/news/biden-s-latest-move-on-the-transgender-issue-raises-medical-and-ethical-concerns ___________________________________________________________ 6. Pope Francis Hints at Imminent Changes in the Roman Curia, By Andrea Gagliarducci, National Catholic Register, May 25, 2021 Multiple sources have told CNA that Pope Francis told the Italian bishops that there will soon be a new prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, and that the appointment might come out as early as May 25. Pope Francis met the Italian bishops as they are gathering in their 74th general assembly. Pope Francis delivered an opening address to the assembly and later held an open discussion with the bishops. It was during this close-door session that the pope gave some preview about his upcoming decisions, and explicitly mentioned the appointment of the new prefect of the Congregation for the Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments. https://www.ncregister.com/news/pope-francis-hints-at-imminent-changes-in-the-roman-curia ___________________________________________________________ 7. Vatican launches seven-year Laudato Si’ action plan, By Elise Ann Allen, Crux, May 25, 2021 As the Vatican’s special year dedicated to papal eco-encyclical Laudato Si’ comes to a close, they have launched a seven-year action plan designed to encourage strategic actors to commit to achieving total sustainability with Pope Francis’s environmental advocacy as a guide. In a May 25 video message, Pope Francis called the action plan, called the “Laudato Si’ Action Platform,” a journey “that will see our communities committed in different ways to becoming totally sustainable, in the spirit of integral ecology.” https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2021/05/vatican-launches-seven-year-laudato-si-action-plan/ ___________________________________________________________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. |