1. Pope presses Muslim dialogue in first papal visit to Bahrain, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, November 3, 2022, 6:11 AM Pope Francis is bringing his message of dialogue with the Muslim world to the kingdom of Bahrain, where the Sunni-led government is hosting an interfaith conference on East-West coexistence even as it stands accused of discriminating against the country’s Shiite majority. Human rights groups and relatives of Shiite activists on death row have urged Francis to use his visit, which begins Thursday, to call for an end to the death penalty and political repression in Bahrain. But it’s not clear if Francis will publicly embarrass his hosts during his four-day visit, the first of any pontiff to the island nation in the Persian Gulf.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pope-presses-muslim-dialogue-in-first-papal-visit-to-bahrain/2022/11/03/6e78f7d4-5b43-11ed-bc40-b5a130f95ee7_story.html__________________________________________________________ 2. U.S. rabbi who worked on Jewish-Catholic relations to be knighted by pope, By Yonat Shimron, The Washington Post, November 2, 2022, 12:20 PM Rabbi A. James Rudin, a longtime interreligious affairs director for the American Jewish Committee, will be named a Papal Knight of Saint Gregory for his work on Catholic-Jewish relations, one of the few non-Catholics to receive the honor. Only eight other Jews have been knighted by the order, established in 1831, which recognizes personal service or unusual labor in support of the Catholic Church. Among them are three other rabbis, David Rosen and the late Mordecai Waxman and Leon Klenicki. Rudin, a Reform rabbi and a writer who has contributed hundreds of columns over the years to Religion News Service, traveled widely, meeting with popes, presidents, Protestant denominational leaders and world-famous evangelists in his efforts to improve Jewish-Christian relations in the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2022/11/02/rabbi-pope-francis-james-rudin/__________________________________________________________ 3. Democrats spend heavily on abortion ads in key gubernatorial races, By Kimberly Kindy and Greg Morton, The Washington Post, November 2, 2022, 8:42 AM In five key races for governor, Democrats are devoting the largest share of their ads to abortion, seeking to highlight their Republican opponents’ commitment to passing or preserving restrictions after the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade. As Democrats hope the issue will drive voter turnout, Republican gubernatorial candidates are leaning into advertising about crime and the economy. The trend echoes the parties’ divergent pitches to voters in national races, but with added immediacy on the state level, where governors will play a key role in setting abortion policy by signing or vetoing legislation and by launching legal challenges to abortion laws. A Washington Post analysis of data from AdImpact, which tracks television and digital ad spending, finds that 45 percent of Democratic candidates’ and issue groups’ TV advertising dollars in five states — Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania — has been spent on abortion ads.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/11/02/democratic-governor-candidates-abortion-ads/__________________________________________________________ 4. Abortion-rights protesters briefly interrupt Supreme Court, By Associated Press, November 2, 2022, 1:17 PM Protesters opposed to the Supreme Court’s decision overturning abortion rights briefly interrupted arguments at the court Wednesday and urged women to vote in next week’s elections. It was the first courtroom disruption since the court’s decision in June that stripped away women’s constitutional protections for abortion after nearly a half-century under Roe v. Wade. Three people stood up in the courtroom in the first few minutes of Wednesday’s session to denounce the abortion ruling, which came in a case from Mississippi, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.  The justices heard arguments Wednesday in a case involving reporting requirements under the Bank Secrecy Act.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/abortion-rights-protesters-briefly-interrupt-supreme-court/2022/11/02/b4a5cac6-5abb-11ed-bc40-b5a130f95ee7_story.html__________________________________________________________ 5. The Battle for State Supreme Courts, Majorities are at stake in several states with judicial elections., By The Wall Street Journal, November 2, 2022, 6:41 PM, Editorial Americans have learned the hard way that Governors and legislatures aren’t the only state decision makers. Supreme Court judges are also on the ballot across the country next week and they are crucial for the direction of state law and (alas) policy. Parties and interest groups are spending millions in high-court races in Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Montana and Kentucky. The outcomes will decide whether these courts act as neutral arbiters of the law, or too often become laws unto themselves. At stake are issues ranging from abortion to election law to economic freedom. The stakes are even higher now that the U.S. Supreme Court is re-establishing some federalist principles and returning more power to the states.  Judicial elections were once sleepy affairs, but in this polarized political era they are more important than ever. If Americans want to know their vote for elected representative counts, they’ll also have to elect a state judiciary that puts the law above policy preferences. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-battle-for-state-supreme-courts-election-november-midterms-11667426598?_________________________________________________________

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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