1. Head of U.S. religious freedom commission: Vatican should ‘rethink’ China agreement, By John Lavenburg, Crux, October 26, 2022
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom is “tremendously disappointed” with the Vatican’s decision to renew its deal with China, and it has expressed as much to the upper echelons of the U.S. government, according to one of the commissioners.
“I certainly understand as a Catholic that the Vatican is playing the long game here and not thinking about the immediate circumstances, but I think that these agreements have not produced any improvement in religious freedom for Catholics in China, and I think that the Holy See should really rethink its decision to dance with Xi on this whole business,” USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck told Crux.
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https://cruxnow.com/church-in-asia/2022/10/head-of-u-s-religious-freedom-commission-vatican-should-rethink-china-agreement
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2. Rubio calls out Chase on cancellation, By Kerry Picket, The Washington Times, October 26, 2022, Pg. A2
Sen. Marco Rubio questioned JPMorgan Chase and Co. CEO Jamie Dimon Tuesday about “politically-motivated de-banking” after the country’s largest banking company terminated the account of a conservative nonprofit.
According to the office of the Florida Republican, JPMorgan Chase recently terminated the bank account of the National Committee for Religious Freedom (NCRF), a 501(c)4 political action nonprofit, but the bank offered no forewarning or justification for the termination, apparently failing to follow its regular notification and appeals process.
Additionally, Mr. Rubio’s office said that when NCRF attempted to resolve the issue, “Chase staff told NCRF that they were prohibited from providing clarification, but that the decision may be reconsidered if NCRF provided a list of its major donors and its decision-making criteria and due diligence process for its funding decisions.”
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https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/oct/25/marco-rubio-questions-chase-ceo-jamie-dimon-over-c/
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3. EWTN/RealClear Poll: As Midterms Approach, Catholics in Key Battleground States Are Focused on the Economy, The focus on the economy by Catholics is a significant element in another major finding in the poll: President Biden faces strong disapproval among likely Catholic voters in six crucial battleground states., By Matthew Bunson, National Catholic Register, October 25, 2022
According to the findings of a new EWTN News/RealClear Opinion Research survey in the weeks before the 2022 midterm elections, large majorities of likely Catholic voters across six key battleground states — Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania — consider the economy, including jobs, inflation and rising interest rates, to be the most pressing issue facing America.
In the hotly contested state of Georgia, for example, 67.1% of Catholic voters view the economy as most important, while in Florida the issue rises to 67.6%. Overall, Catholics in the six states rank the economy most important by an average of 63.1%. The economic concerns of Catholic voters dwarf every other issue, including immigration and border security (11.4%), abortion (7.3%), climate change (7.2%), health care (4.5%) and crime (3.7%).
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In each of the battleground states, President Biden suffers from strong disapproval among Catholic voters, with an average disapproval across the six states of 62.2% and an average approval of 35.4%.
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https://www.ncregister.com/news/ewtn-realclear-poll-as-midterms-approach-catholics-in-key-battleground-states-are-focused-on-the-economy
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4. Pope, other leaders, appeal for end to ‘nuclear nightmare’, By Frances D’Emilio, Associated Press, October 25, 2022, 12:56 PM
Pope Francis joined other religious leaders Tuesday at Rome’s Colosseum to make a plea for peace and ending what they called the “nuclear nightmare” as fears intensify that Russia’s war against Ukraine may see atomic weapons used.
A ceremony at the ancient Roman arena capped a conference on promoting world peace. The Sant’Egidio Community, a Catholic charity with close ties to the Vatican, organized the three-day event in Italy’s capital.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pope-other-leaders-appeal-for-end-to-nuclear-nightmare/2022/10/25/efae0246-5485-11ed-ac8b-08bbfab1c5a5_story.html
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5. Stricter clergy oversight part of Buffalo diocese settlement, By Carolyn Thompson, Associated Press, October 25, 2022, 6:11 PM
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has agreed to strengthen its oversight of clergy accused of sexual misconduct to settle a lawsuit brought by New York’s attorney general alleging the church mishandled abuse claims and protected predatory priests, authorities said Tuesday.
The settlement requires the diocese to have a formal program to monitor credibly accused priests and submit to an annual compliance audit by a former FBI official with expertise in clergy sexual abuse, Attorney General Letitia James said.
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Buffalo Bishop Michael Fisher said the agreement confirms safety and reporting protocols the diocese has adopted in recent years. A priest supervision program begun last year assigns a monitor with law enforcement experience to any accused member of the clergy to enforce restrictions on their conduct. Supervised clergy risk having their pension withheld if they live near children or a school or perform priestly duties.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/stricter-clergy-oversight-part-of-buffalo-diocese-settlement/2022/10/25/274ea26c-54a1-11ed-ac8b-08bbfab1c5a5_story.html
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6. Nebraska struggling to OK ban despite anti-abortion history, By Margery A. Beck, Associated Press, October 25, 2022, 12:05 PM
Nebraska Republicans are expected to dominate as usual at the polls in November and retain control of the officially nonpartisan Legislature. They face a far tougher challenge flipping enough seats to push through a statewide abortion ban.
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Even with Republicans considered a lock to maintain control of Nebraska’s unique one-chamber Legislature, they need to gain at least two seats to end the state’s status as the nation’s most unlikely harborage for abortion services. Under legislative rules, some measures — including an abortion ban — can be blocked by the minority if supporters don’t get at least 33 votes in the 49-member Senate.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/nebraska-struggling-to-ok-ban-despite-anti-abortion-history/2022/10/25/e74187ec-547e-11ed-ac8b-08bbfab1c5a5_story.html
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7. Biden ‘gravely wrong’ to push abortion, Catholic bishops say, By Kevin J. Jones, Catholic News Agency, October 25, 2022, 5:00 PM
President Joe Biden, a professed Catholic, must end his “single-minded” abortion extremism and see the humanity in unborn children, the U.S. bishops have said. They said abortion’s impact is “tragic,” and urged the president to support mothers.
“The president is gravely wrong to continue to seek every possible avenue to facilitate abortion, instead of using his power to increase support and care to mothers in challenging situations,” Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said Oct. 25.
“This single-minded extremism must end, and we implore President Biden to recognize the humanity in preborn children and the genuine life-giving care needed by women in this country,” he said.
The U.S. bishops’ statement noted that last week Biden declared that his top legislative priority after the November elections is to codify a national right to abortion.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252652/biden-gravely-wrong-to-push-abortion-catholic-bishops-say
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8. Is new Pontifical Academy of Life appointee pro-abortion? She won’t say, By Kevin J. Jones, Catholic News Agency, October 25, 2022, 12:00 PM
A new appointee to the Pontifical Academy for Life is a technical adviser for a group whose work includes improving the market for “safe abortion” supplies.
Sheila Dinotshe Tlou, a nursing professor who is a former health minister in Botswana and a leader in HIV/AIDS prevention and other health causes, also is an outspoken advocate of contraception, a position at odds with the Catholic Church’s teaching that artificial birth control is morally unacceptable.
On Oct. 15, the Pontifical Academy for Life announced her appointment as one of several new members whose expertise and background will help provide “a constant and fruitful interdisciplinary, intercultural, and interreligious dialogue.”
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CNA sought comment and clarification from Tlou about her abortion views but she declined to comment until after February 2023. That is when the Pontifical Academy for Life is set to hold its next inaugural meeting, Tlou said.
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The recent appointment of Italian economist Mariana Mazzucato to the pontifical academy drew controversy because she is an outspoken advocate for abortion rights.
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Loyola Marymount University professor Roberto Dell’Oro, a newly reappointed member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, recently criticized the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade’s strong protections for legalized abortion.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252639/sheila-tlou-pontifical-academy-of-life-contraception
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9. Cardinal Hollerich: Church blessings for same-sex unions not a settled matter, By Hannah Brockhaus, Catholic News Agency, October 25, 2022, 11:05 AM
In an interview with Vatican media, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, S.J., said he believes Church blessings for same-sex unions, which the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has ruled against, is not a settled matter.
The cardinal’s answer came in response to an interview question about the decision last month by Belgium’s Catholic bishops to support the possibility of blessings for unions of same-sex couples — in defiance of the Vatican.
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In defiance of this declaration, Catholic bishops in Belgium published Sept. 20 a text for blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples in their dioceses. The bishops of Flanders — the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium — also published a liturgy for the celebration of homosexual unions.
In the interview, Cardinal Hollerich pointed to the etymology of the Italian words for “to bless” and “to curse”: benedire and maledire.
“If we stay with the etymology of ‘bene-dire,’ [‘say good’] do you think God could ever ‘dire-male’ [say bad] about two people who love each other?” Hollerich said.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252640/cardinal-hollerich-church-blessings-for-same-sex-unions-not-a-settled-matter
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10. Cardinal Tagle defends Vatican-China deal, By Courtney Mares, Catholic News Agency, October 25, 2022, 7:50 AM
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle has defended the Vatican’s decision to renew its provisional agreement with China on the appointment of bishops.
The Filipino cardinal, considered a contender to become the Catholic Church’s first Asian pope, said that the Holy See signed the agreement “to safeguard the valid apostolic succession and the sacramental nature of the Catholic Church in China.”
“And this can reassure, comfort, and enliven baptized Catholics in China,” Tagle said in an interview published on Oct. 22 on the Vatican’s official media channels.
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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252636/cardinal-tagle-defends-vatican-china-deal
__________________________________________________________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. |
