TCA Podcast, – “Conversations with Consequences,” Episode 78 – Amy Coney Barrett: Unsinkable On Her Way To The Supreme Court Dr. Grazie Christie is joined by her TCA colleagues Maureen Ferguson & Ashley McGuire dissecting the Senate confirmation hearings of Judge Amy Coney Barrett on her way to being the next Supreme Court Justice to sit on the highest court of the land. Kathryn Jean Lopez, Editor-at-Large of the National Review also joins with a look at Judge Barrett’s family life–and also what’s at stake when it comes to faith-based foster care–looking at the Supreme Court docket this Fall. https://thecatholicassociation.org/podcast/ep-78-amy-coney-barrett-unsinkable-on-her-way-to-the-supreme-court/ ___________________________________________________________ 1. Jewish, Catholic Groups Sue NY State Amid Crackdown on Religious Gatherings, Schools, By NBC New York, October 16, 2020 Three Rockland County Jewish congregations are suing New York state and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, saying he engaged in a “streak of anti-Semitic discrimination” with a recent crackdown on religious gatherings to reduce the state’s coronavirus infection rate. The Manhattan federal court lawsuit filed late Wednesday accused the Democrat of making negative, false, and discriminatory statements about the Jewish Orthodox community as he imposed new coronavirus measures to counter the state’s rising infection rate in so-called “red zone” areas. … The legal action comes as 28 Catholic churches in Brooklyn and Queens are subject to the new restrictions, including limiting the number of parishioners inside. Churches said that the measures are unfair, given that adjustments like sanitizing stations, socially distanced seating and changes to holy communion have already been made. https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/jewish-catholic-groups-sue-ny-state-amid-crackdown-on-religious-gatherings-schools/2671617/ ___________________________________________________________ 2. How Would Jesus Vote? Nobody Knows, Religious leaders should render unto Caesar and refrain from electioneering., By Libby Sternberg, The Wall Street Journal, October 16, 2020, Pg. A13, Opinion Religious leaders generally shy away from endorsing candidates officially. But they can subtly, and sometimes not subtly, point their congregations to politicians they prefer. … Yet there’s another approach that’s better than trying to prod congregants toward a particular candidate: the “way of love” that Bishop Curry so often talks about. Loving your neighbor means recognizing that neither party in the U.S. has a lock on virtue or vice. To suggest otherwise is not only partisan; it’s deeply deceptive and leads to more political strife. Loving your neighbor means accepting that we sometimes disagree—passionately—but still can embrace each other, smile at each other, and do good deeds for each other. We can solve problems in our families and neighborhoods, and we can heal broken hearts with loving words and actions. Ms. Sternberg is a novelist in Lancaster, Pa. https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-would-jesus-vote-nobody-knows-11602797312? ___________________________________________________________ 3. Pope replaces saint-making chief as corruption scandal grows, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, October 15, 2020, 10:05 AM Pope Francis named a new head for the Vatican’s saint-making office Thursday to replace the once-powerful cardinal at the center of a growing corruption scandal that has raised questions about the current Holy See leadership. Francis on Thursday promoted the Italian bishop who has been closely involved in efforts to draft a reform of the Vatican bureaucracy, Mons. Marcello Semeraro, to head the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Semeraro has served as the secretary of the commission of cardinals that Francis created in 2013 to reform the organizing constitution of the Vatican Curia. He replaces Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who was fired as prefect of the saint-making office in September. Francis cited evidence that Becciu, when he was the powerful No. 2 in the Vatican’s secretariat of state, sent 100,000 euros ($117,000) in Vatican funds to a charity controlled by his brother. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pope-replaces-saint-making-chief-as-corruption-scandal-grows/2020/10/15/7a020462-0eef-11eb-b404-8d1e675ec701_story.html ___________________________________________________________ 4. Pope taps cardinal from Congo to join group of key advisors, By Associated Press, October 15, 2020, 1:57 PM Pope Francis named the archbishop of Kinshasa, Congo, to his core group of cardinal advisers Thursday, giving the African prelate an influential new role in helping shape Vatican policy. Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu joins a geographically diverse group of seven cardinals who are helping Francis run the church and reorganize the Vatican bureaucracy. Besungu, a Cappuchin friar, was named archbishop of one of Africa’s biggest archdioceses in 2018 and was made a cardinal a year later. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/pope-taps-cardinal-from-congo-to-join-group-of-key-advisors/2020/10/15/d8ef9294-0f0f-11eb-b404-8d1e675ec701_story.html ___________________________________________________________ 5. Richmond diocese to pay $6.3 million to sexual abuse victims, By Associated Press, October 15, 2020, 3:43 PM The Catholic Diocese of Richmond announced Thursday that it is paying $6.3 million to 51 people who experienced sexual abuse as minors by clergy. The diocese released details in a report on its website. In February, Bishop Barry Knestout directed the formation of a program meant to offer assistance to those who experienced abuse. “Recognizing that no amount of money will ever be able to fully compensate for the injury inflicted by abusive clergy, Bishop Knestout announced the Independent Reconciliation Program as one of many means to offer individuals a tangible sign of the Church’s effort to repair the injury and overcome the estrangement caused by clergy sexual abuse of minors,” the report said. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/richmond-diocese-to-pay-63-million-to-sexual-abuse-victims/2020/10/15/a6e4f15e-0f1e-11eb-b404-8d1e675ec701_story.html ___________________________________________________________ 6. Addition of Cuba, China, Russia to UN Human Rights Council draws criticism, By Catholic News Agency, October 15, 2020, 4:51 PM A human rights group in Cuba criticized the election of China, Cuba, and Russia to the UN Human Rights Council, despite the history of authoritarianism and significant human rights abuses in each country. “The undeserved election of the Cuban totalitarian regime for a seat on the Human Rights council is an undue and dangerous recognition of a failed state that exhibits an extensive history of human rights violations,” said Eduardo Cardet, national coordinator for the Christian Liberation Movement (CLM). The CLM is a democracy and human rights advocacy group founded in Cuba in 1988 by dissident Oswaldo Paya. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/addition-of-cuba-china-russia-to-un-human-rights-council-draws-criticism-20844 ___________________________________________________________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. |