1. Pope Francis Names Joseph Tobin as Head of Newark Archdiocese, Indianapolis archbishop has built reputation as among the more progressive voices in the U.S. episcopate, By Ian Lovett, The Wall Street Journal, November 8, 2016, Pg. A3.
Pope Francis on Monday appointed Joseph W. Tobin, the archbishop of Indianapolis, to lead the Archdiocese of Newark, N.J., another signal of the pope’s intent to reshape the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S.
As the leader of the archdiocese in Indianapolis for the past four years, Archbishop Tobin—just named a cardinal last month— built a reputation as one of the more progressive voices in the U.S. episcopate.
Archbishop Tobin, who is designated to become a cardinal this month, will be the first cardinal to lead the Catholic church in northern New Jersey. And his appointment to Newark marks shifts under way in the U.S. episcopate.
Archbishop Tobin said he first met Pope Francis during the synod of bishops in 2005, during the pontificate of Benedict XVI. He praised Pope Francis’ “leadership of the church and the example of his life.” He a also spoke about their shared value of living simply, something he said he learned as one of 13 children growing up in Detroit.
“Maybe all of us don’t need everything that we think we need,” he said.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/pope-francis-names-joseph-tobin-as-head-of-newark-archdiocese-1478533526
2. Faith versus secularism, The ongoing tug of war demonstrates America’s cultural drift, by Foster Friess, The Washington Times, November 8, 2016, Pg. B1, Commentary.
Last month’s release of the Trump video demonstrates our culture’s drift from the Judeo-Christian values on which our nation was based. Jesus’ “Gift of Forgiveness” makes privately uttered, inappropriate statements of 11 years ago, for which regret has been expressed, irrelevant. But our culture is in a tug of war between His values and secularism.
Donald Trump calls for an end to the war on Christianity, but Hillary Clinton on April 15, 2015, at the Women in the World Summit in New York City declared that Christians need to change their beliefs saying, “Deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.”
Mrs. Clinton wants to repeal the Hyde Amendment, prohibiting taxpayer-paid abortions. Mr. Trump pledges to repeal the Johnson Amendment, which censors pastors’ political expressions. Mr. Trump’s Internal Revenue Service would not threaten pastoral political speech. Little Sisters of the Poor would not be forced to pass out abortion pills.
WikiLeaks revealed emails among Hillary Clinton’s key aides disparaging Catholics and calling for a “Catholic Spring.” Raymond Arroyo, managing editor of EWTN, the global Catholic network said, “For someone to come and say, ‘I have a political organization to change your church to complete my political agenda or advance my agenda,’ I don’t know how anybody could embrace that.” Secularism continues its march.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/nov/7/faith-versus-secularism/
3. Beware of Candidates Who Define Catholicism For Us, By Archbishop Joseph Naumann, Crisis Magazine, November 8, 2016.
It was painful to listen to Senator Kaine repeat the same tired and contorted reasoning to profess his personal opposition to abortion while justifying his commitment to keep it legal. He said all the usual made-for-modern-media sound bites: It is not proper to impose his religious beliefs upon all Americans. He trusts women to make good reproductive choices. And when all else fails, there is always: Do we really want to criminalize and fill our jails with post-abortive women?
With regard to the imposition of religious beliefs, Senator Kaine appears to have no qualms with his public positions conforming with his religious beliefs with regard to such issues as the church’s opposition to racism or our preferential option for the poor. He appears not to be conflicted with our public policies mirroring the Ten Commandments with regard to stealing, perjury, or forms of murder, other than abortion.
The founders of our nation actually dealt with this issue 240 years ago in the Declaration of Independence, in which they articulate certain self-evident and inalienable rights that government does not bestow but has a responsibility to protect. Our founders actually believed that the right to life is given to us by our Creator, not by the Supreme Court.
Why is Senator Kaine personally opposed to abortion, if he does not believe that it is the taking of an innocent human life? I hope in his science classes at Rockhurst he learned that at the moment of fertilization a new human life has begun with his or her own distinct DNA—different from the genetic code of both the child’s mother and father.
This presidential election presents all Americans with a difficult choice. Both major political parties have nominated very flawed candidates. In making your decision as a voter, I encourage you to think not only of the candidate, but who they will appoint to key cabinet and other powerful government positions if he or she becomes president. We are choosing not just a president, but an entire administration.
Finally, be wary of candidates who assume to take upon themselves the role of defining what Catholics believe or should believe. Unfortunately, the vice-presidential debate revealed that the Catholic running for the second highest office in our land is an orthodox member of his party, fully embracing his party’s platform, but a cafeteria Catholic, picking and choosing the teachings of the Catholic Church that are politically convenient.
http://www.crisismagazine.com/2016/choices-end-anothers-fundamental-right-begins
4. In Canada, assisted suicide could also kill Catholic healthcare, Catholic News Agency, November 8, 2016.
Only months after the Canadian Parliament approved legal assisted suicide, Catholic hospitals, palliative care centers and individual doctors have been put on the defensive amid calls to require them to help patients kill themselves.
Five doctors have filed a legal challenge against the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario for its policy that requires doctors who refuse to participate in assisted suicide and abortion to refer those patients to other doctors.
“In my view, it’s the future of Catholic healthcare that’s at stake,” said their spokesman, Larry Worthen. “No other jurisdiction outside of Canada where assisted suicide is legal requires referral.”
He said the college has been “extremely aggressive” in its handling of their case. The doctors are being cross-examined about their religious beliefs. One is Catholic, while four are evangelical Christians.
The college has authority to regulate the practice of medicine in the Ontario province. Refusal to comply with its policies could cost a doctor his or her medical license.
5. After today, the ‘Catholic vote’ should matter more, not less, By Carl Anderson, Crux, November 7, 2016.
The question that we as Catholics should ask ourselves is in what way Catholics in America can in the future be a source of unity and reconciliation, or whether we will be a cause of further division.
The answer to that question will depend largely on what we think it means today to be a Catholic in America. In other words, what is fundamental to our identity as Catholics?
Pope Francis, in his book, On Heaven and Earth, written while he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, stated: “There are those that seek to compromise their faith for political alliances or for a worldly spirituality… Henri de Lubac, says that the worst that can happen to those that are anointed and called to service, is that they live with the criteria of the world instead of the criteria that the Lord commands from the tablets of the law and the Gospel.”
While the pope was specifically writing about the clergy, I think what he says applies to all Catholics.
https://cruxnow.com/commentary/2016/11/07/today-catholic-vote-matter-not-less/
6. Catholics backing both Clinton and Trump make their case, By Mark Zimmermann, Crux, November 7, 2016.
As American Catholics line up to vote on Election Day, like their fellow citizens they’re deeply divided over the two major party candidates for president, Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton.
In the days leading up to the election, Crux spoke with a sampling of Catholic voters about their choice, which issues matter most to them, and what role their faith played in their decision. Unsurprisingly, some are voting Trump and some are backing Clinton.
Joseph Cella, a member of the Catholic Advisory Group for the Trump campaign and the founder of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, said he’s already voted in support of Trump and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, because of their stances “on the issues of greatest importance to Catholics, from the sanctity of human life to the defense of religious liberty.”
“Religious liberty is on the line. You have to take a stance. The sanctity of life is at risk,” and life must come first, said Cella, the Catholic liaison to the Trump/Pence campaign.
Steven Krueger, the president of Catholic Democrats, takes a far different view.
“I will be voting for Secretary Clinton because I think she will be a great president,” said Krueger, who noted that his group, which is headquartered in Boston, is an advocacy organization that promotes the Catholic social justice tradition in the public square and in the Democratic party.
Krueger said that if elected, Clinton will support economic policies that provide opportunities for all citizens, with equal pay for equal work.
“She will keep families of undocumented immigrants together, and provide a path for citizenship,” he said, noting Clinton’s support for comprehensive immigration reform.
The head of Catholic Democrats said Clinton would also work to “preserve God’s creation, expand health care access, make college education affordable for everyone, will work to eradicate racial injustice and to reform our criminal justice system, and will work to pass common sense gun safety legislation. I think she will be a strong, responsible commander in chief who knows how to keep peace and use our military might prudently.”
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2016/11/07/catholics-backing-clinton-trump-make-case/
