TCA Podcast, – “Conversations with Consequences,” Episode 134 – Noelle Mering On Archbishop Gomez’ Take On Woke Ideology In light of Archbishop Gomez’s recent words on woke ideologies becoming the new religions of our day, Noelle Mering of the Ethics and Public Policy Center joins to discuss what we as Catholics can do to combat these popular movements in light of her own research and book: Awake, Not Woke: A Christian Response to the Cult of Progressive Ideology. Dr. Kathleen Berchelmann also joins of ‘My Catholic Doctor’ to discuss new threats to the Catholic conscience and how our faith inspires the true heart of a physician. Father Roger Landry also offers a moving homily to prepare for this Sunday’s Gospel. Catch the show every Saturday at 7am ET/5pmET on EWTN radio! https://thecatholicassociation.org/podcast/ep-134-noelle-mering-on-archbishop-gomez-take-on-woke-ideology/___________________________________________________________ 1. Pope offers hope to poor in visit to namesake’s Assisi home, By Alessandra Tarantino and Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, November 12, 2021, 6:12 AM Pope Francis traveled to the hilltop town of his namesake for the fifth time in his pontificate on Friday to honor the poorest and most marginal and urge that they be welcomed and cared for by the church. In one of his first outings in Italy since the coronavirus pandemic, Francis took his time greeting schoolchildren and some of the 500 people brought by Catholic charity groups to Assisi to join Francis in marking the Catholic Church’s world day of the poor. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pope-meets-with-poor-in-visit-to-namesakes-hometown-assisi/2021/11/12/cd3b09c2-439f-11ec-9404-50a28a88b9cd_story.html___________________________________________________________ 2. Pope urges European solidarity with migrants amid new crisis, By Associated Press, November 11, 2021, 8:03 AM Pope Francis renewed his call for Europe to welcome and show solidarity with migrants, saying the diversity they’re bringing to the continent is renewing European cities as a “beautiful mosaic, which should not be scarred or corrupted with prejudices or hatred.” … Francis has frequently insisted on the need for European countries to welcome and integrate would-be refugees and famously brought back a dozen Syrian Muslims with him when he travelled to a refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece in 2016. Francis is due to return to Lesbos early next month. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pope-urges-european-solidarity-with-migrants-amid-new-crisis/2021/11/11/c13b8ce2-42ef-11ec-9404-50a28a88b9cd_story.html___________________________________________________________ 3. Failure to protect creation will incur God’s judgment, pope says, By Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service, November 11, 2021 World leaders are running out of time and must address the challenges of climate change before it’s too late, Pope Francis said. In a letter to Catholics in Scotland signed Nov. 9, where the U.N. Climate Change Conference is being held, the pope said he hoped leaders attending the summit would “meet this grave challenge with concrete decisions inspired by responsibility toward present and future generations.” “Time is running out; this occasion must not be wasted, lest we have to face God’s judgment for our failure to be faithful stewards of the world he has entrusted to our care,” he wrote. The pope’s message came as the conference in Glasgow, also known as COP26, is set to conclude Nov. 12. https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2021/11/failure-to-protect-creation-will-incur-gods-judgment-pope-says/___________________________________________________________ 4. Canadian indigenous will meet pope privately in December, By Elise Ann Allen, Crux, November 11, 2021 On Wednesday the Canadian bishops confirmed that when a delegation of the country’s First Nations communities visit Rome next month, they will have private meetings with Pope Francis to discuss healing and a possible papal visit. In a statement from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), it was confirmed that around 25-30 indigenous will travel as part of the delegation visiting the Vatican from Dec. 17-20, accompanied by a small group of Canadian bishops. https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2021/11/canadian-indigenous-will-meet-pope-privately-in-december/___________________________________________________________ 5. Peace requires global disarmament, pope says in message, By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service, November 11, 2021 Criticizing the “abused idea” of deterrence through the stockpiling of weapons, Pope Francis called for integral disarmament worldwide in his message sent to the Paris Peace Forum. The concept of deterrence, which aims to use limited force or the threat of force in order to deter or dissuade an actor from taking a certain course of action, “does not guarantee the construction and maintenance of peace,” Pope Francis said. … In his message, the pope repeated his call that the post-pandemic world avoid “going back to normal,” when the norm has been severe economic disparity and inequality, “nearsighted” exploitation of natural resources and wasteful consumerism. “Returning to normal would also mean returning to old social structures inspired by self-sufficiency, nationalism, protectionism, individualism and isolation and excluding our poorest brothers and sisters,” he wrote. https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2021/11/peace-requires-global-disarmament-pope-says-in-message/___________________________________________________________ 6. Report on abuse in Church in US: Recent cases rare, but historical numbers show painful legacy, By Kevin J. Jones, Catholic News Service, November 11, 2021, 11:01 AM There are signs of progress in efforts to prevent sexual abuse of children, with under two dozen new allegations of recent abuse by clergy, according to the latest report on abuse in the Catholic Church in the U.S. At the same time, over 4,200 new allegations of historic abuse were reported and about 35% of dioceses and eparchies lack a formal process to audit parishes for child protection practices. The annual report on Findings and Recommendations on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People was released Nov. 9 by the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Child and Youth Protection. It is the eighteenth report since the charter was implemented in 2002. … Suzanne Healey, chair of the National Review Board, said the audit identified 22 allegations of abuse occurring recently. In each case civil authorities were also notified of the allegation so that local law enforcement could address the problems as needed. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249564/report-on-abuse-in-catholic-church-in-us-recent-cases-rare-but-historical-numbers-show-painful-legacy___________________________________________________________ 7. The US Bishops and the Communion Controversy: Blame Biden, Pelosi and the Media, By National Catholic Register, November 11, 2021, Editorial The U.S. bishops will gather Nov. 15-18 in Baltimore for their annual fall assembly. There, it’s virtually certain that the issue of Catholic politicians who promote abortion rights and also insist on receiving Communion will once again dominate the secular media’s coverage of their discussions. Staff writer Lauretta Brown previewed the meeting. Yet it’s not the bishops who are forcing debate of this issue at the assembly. The problem has been generated by these wayward politicians’ obstinate refusal to reform their consciences and to repent of their support for the evil of abortion — a scourge that has been responsible for the deaths of more than 60 million innocent unborn babies in the half-century since abortion was legalized in the United States. Moreover, as has been documented many times over in these pages during the course of this year, it’s impossible to avoid the matter in light of the actions of the two most prominent Catholic politicians in the nation, President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Since Biden became president in January, aided and abetted by Pelosi’s actions in Congress, he has sought to push forward the Democratic Party’s current pro-abortion agenda, which is far and away the most extreme expansion of the so-called right to abortion in our nation’s history. … Maybe it’s too much to hope that such Catholic politicians will ever be swayed by a medicinal correction regarding their support for legal abortion. But don’t criticize the bishops if the issue of reception of Communion does overshadow the other things on the agenda at the meeting in Baltimore. The fault lies with the news media that continually misrepresent the matter — and, even more, with Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and the other prominent Catholic politicians who continue to scandalize the faithful by their Eucharistically incoherent support for legal abortion. https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/the-us-bishops-and-the-communion-controversy-blame-biden-pelosi-and-the-media___________________________________________________________ 8. Special report: The Covid Mass effect, Survey on Religious Attitudes and Practices, By Brendan Hodge, The Pillar, November 11, 2021 The number of Catholics who say they go to Mass every week has dropped by 14% since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Pillar’s new Survey on Religious Attitudes and Practices. That decline could explain a proportional decline in parish collections: In March, The Pillar found parishes experienced a 12%  average decrease in collections during 2020 as compared to 2019, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdown orders implemented in many localities. https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/special-report-the-covid-mass-effect___________________________________________________________ 9. Amid COVID-19, most churches provide hybrid worship, half stopped picnics, By Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service, November 10, 2021, 12:03 PM Eight in 10 U.S. churches now provide hybrid services, offering options for congregants to worship either in person or online during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Almost a quarter of churches, the report said, have moderate to severe conflicts about pandemic restrictions. Amid technological adjustments, decisions about government and their own denominations’ COVID-19 restrictions on gathering, and greater requests for food and financial assistance, 67% of clergy said 2020 was the hardest year of their ministry. … The vast majority of churches — 88% — suspended in-person worship for some period of time. Most of those churches — 93% — have now resumed gathering in person. Despite the switch for so many congregations to a hybrid model, more than half of the churches in the survey (54%) reported that at the pandemic’s height they completely halted fellowship events, such as church suppers and picnics. … But more than 30% of congregations saw growth in requests for food assistance, counseling and spiritual guidance and a quarter received more requests for financial help. The rise in demand for these community services came as the churches saw an overall decline in the volunteers who might help meet those needs. Churches reported that just 15% of regular adult participants were volunteering, a significant drop from pre-pandemic times, when the Faith Communities Today survey reported 40% of participants volunteering. https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/amid-covid-19-most-churches-provide-hybrid-worship-half-stopped-picnics/2021/11/10/1d28e052-4248-11ec-9404-50a28a88b9cd_story.html___________________________________________________________

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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