1. Pope Bahrain trip blends Muslim outreach, Catholic ministry, By Associated Press, October 6, 2022, 7:17 AM
Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Bahrain blends three of his top priorities as pope: Ministering to a tiny Catholic community, promoting dialogue with the Muslim world and fostering relations with other Christian communities, according to details released Thursday by the Vatican.
The Nov. 3-6 visit will mark Francis’ second trip to the Gulf, his second to a majority Muslim nation in as many months and his second to participate in an interfaith gathering sponsored by someone other than the Vatican to promote dialogue among people of different faiths.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pope-bahrain-trip-blends-muslim-outreach-catholic-ministry/2022/10/06/80364526-4568-11ed-be17-89cbe6b8c0a5_story.html
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2. The government needs to respect the consciences of faith-based health care providers, They shouldn’t have to participate in abortions, sterilizations, and ‘gender-transition’ procedures, By Kayla Toney, The Washington Times, October 6, 2022, Pg. B1, Opinion
For thousands of religious health care providers across the U.S., it is their deeply held faith that motivates them to serve patients from all backgrounds with excellent, compassionate medical care. Many would rather stop practicing medicine than be forced to violate their consciences.
Yet a new regulation from the Department of Health and Human Services threatens to do just that, forcing religious providers and institutions to participate in abortions, sterilizations and “gender-transition” procedures — all while allowing exceptions for secular reasons.
This week, a diverse coalition of health care providers, religious organizations and policy advocates submitted comments on HHS’ proposed update to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as the “transgender mandate.” This proposed rule would unravel important protections for religious exercise and would violate the consciences of thousands of health care providers whose religious beliefs prevent them from participating in abortions or sex-obscuring procedures.
First Liberty Institute represents multiple religious health care providers and entities, including nurse practitioners with religious objections to prescribing abortifacient and sterilizing medications, and a physician assistant whose religious beliefs prevent her from prescribing gender-transition hormones or referring patients for sex-obscuring surgery.
As our public comment explains, millions of Americans hold sincere religious beliefs about gender, sex, human life and the body. If HHS enacts this rule, it will attack members of many faith groups, including Christians, Buddhists, Muslims and members of the Orthodox Jewish community.
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The conscience rights of people of faith seeking to serve their communities through health care must be protected. We hope that HHS will take note of the widespread resistance to its proposed rule and take action to protect these courageous public servants.
Kayla Toney is associate counsel for First Liberty Institute, a nonprofit law firm exclusively dedicated to defending religious liberty for all Americans. Read more at FirstLiberty.org.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/oct/5/the-government-needs-to-respect-the-consciences-of/
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3. Colorado baker fighting ruling over gender transition cake, By Colleen Slevin, Associated Press, October 5, 2022, 9:10 PM
The Colorado baker who won a partial Supreme Court victory after refusing on religious grounds to make a gay couple’s wedding cake a decade ago is challenging a separate ruling he violated the state’s anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a cake celebrating a gender transition.
A lawyer for Jack Phillips on Wednesday urged Colorado’s appeals court — largely on procedural grounds — to overturn last year’s ruling in a lawsuit brought by a transgender woman.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/colorado-baker-fighting-ruling-over-gender-transition-cake/2022/10/05/2235acea-450f-11ed-be17-89cbe6b8c0a5_story.html
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4. Bishop Bode spokesman: Zollner did not advise remaining in office after abuse report, By Luke Coppen and JD Flynn, The Pillar, October 5, 2022, 1:31 PM
A Vatican leader on child protection did not advise a negligent German bishop to remain in office, the bishop’s spokesman said Wednesday, despite the bishop’s recent suggestion to the contrary.
“In conversation with Bishop Franz-Josef Bode, Father Hans Zollner spoke neither for nor against the bishop’s resignation,” Thomas Arzner, a spokesman for the Diocese of Osnabrück, Germany, told The Pillar Oct. 5.
The diocese responded to questions from The Pillar after a Sept. 22 press conference at which Bode, who was found to have mishandled abuse allegations against priests, said he had consulted with Fr. Zollner, a Vatican expert on child abuse, before deciding not to resign from diocesan leadership.
The bishop’s reference to Zollner was widely taken to imply that the priest had endorsed Bode’s decision to remain in office, despite scandal surrounding his episcopal leadership.
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Bode was elected deputy chairman of the German bishops’ conference in 2017 and is one of four members of a committee overseeing the country’s controversial “synodal way,” which is presented as a response to a devastating clerical abuse crisis in Germany.
The bishop has gained international attention for his support of female deacons and blessings for same-sex couples.
https://www.pillarcatholic.com/bishop-bode-spokesman-zollner-did-not-advise-remaining-in-office-after-abuse-report/
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5. Canada’s ‘Lower’ Abortion Rate Is Deceptive, The apparent discrepancy between the U.S. and Canadian abortion rates stems partly from flawed abortion data that’s only getting worse., By Chuck Donovan and Tessa Longbons, National Catholic Register, October 5, 2022, Opinion
Two University of Notre Dame professors are sharing an interesting and surprising message for pro-life Americans: If you want fewer abortions, copy Canada.
Writing in the Daily Beast, Susan Osterman and Tamara Kay argue that Canada’s abortion rate is lower than that of the United States and that this can be credited to universal health care, paid family leave and contraception.
As has already been pointed out, this surface-level analysis ignores a few obvious facts, including the reality that the U.S. abortion rate has been dropping for decades and the lack of any evidence that large, government-sponsored contraception programs have any major impact on abortion rates.
But there’s another problem with the Notre Dame professors’ efforts to ascribe Canada’s comparatively low abortion rate to the nation’s social policies: That low abortion rate is almost certainly not real.
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The apparent discrepancy between the U.S. and Canadian abortion rates doesn’t stem from any policy difference between the two nations. Instead, it’s a byproduct of what we have in common: extreme, no-limits abortion laws in many states and flawed abortion data that’s only getting worse. Scholars and writers need to be the first to question the data and avoid broad and inaccurate conclusions.
Charles A. ‘Chuck’ Donovan is a Notre Dame alumnus and president of Charlotte Lozier Institute. Tessa Longbons is an Illinois native and senior research associate at Charlotte Lozier Institute.
https://www.ncregister.com/blog/canada-abortion-rate-deceives
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6. New EWTN poll: Where do Catholics stand on abortion ahead of the 2022 midterms?, By Katie Yoder, Catholic News Agency, October 5, 2022, 1:31 PM
U.S. Catholic voters are split on the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, but a majority agrees that abortion should be restricted and that there should be at least some protections for the unborn child in the womb, according to a new EWTN News/RealClear Opinion Research poll.
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What is the takeaway from the latest poll, where abortion is concerned?
“This polling shows that Catholics, like the overwhelming majority of Americans, support commonsense protections for women and the unborn,” Ashley McGuire, a senior fellow with The Catholic Association, told CNA.
“It also affirms other recent polling that found Americans by strong numbers support the work of pregnancy resource centers in providing women facing crisis pregnancies with a real choice and the chance to thrive as mothers despite difficult circumstances,” she noted.
At the same time, McGuire added, “This new polling is also a reminder that more work needs to be done in catechizing Catholics on foundational Church teaching in support of vulnerable life in all stages — an effort that is continually undermined by Catholic politicians in the highest echelons of power who use their platforms to advocate for extreme abortion policies in direct violation of Church teaching.”
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252473/ewtn-poll-midterm-election-catholic-voters-abortion-views
__________________________________________________________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. |
