TCA Podcast, – “Conversations with Consequences,” Episode 228 – Pablo Kay Of Angelus News On Faith In Journalism & Mike Aquilina On The History Of Abortion Dr. Grazie Christie chats with her colleague Pablo Kay at Angelus News about the important work of Catholic journalism and why stories of faith and encounter need to be told. Mike Aquilina also joins with a glimpse into what he calls the Church’s original social justice struggle–examining the long history of abortion–and how Catholics have always led the way in condemning the atrocious act. Father Roger Landry offers an inspiring homily to prepare for this Sunday’s Gospel! Listen Saturday at 7am ET/5pmET on EWTN radio! https://thecatholicassociation.org/podcast/ep-228-pablo-kay-of-angelus-news-on-faith-in-journalism-mike-aquilina-on-the-history-of-abortion/__________________________________________________________ 1. My Son Sam Doesn’t Need ‘Special Ed’, His autism demanded it, experts said. Mary Queen of Peace proved them wrong., By Thomas Chiapelas, The Wall Street Journal, September 1, 2023, Pg. A15, Opinion There’s hardly any expert more intimidating than the adult who tells you what’s best for your child. He has decades of experience and reams of statistics. You have only your instincts. But there my wife, Liz, and I were, nine years ago, as a panel of 13 public-school administrators told us that our eldest son, 4-year-old Sam, should be placed in their care without delay. Sam had been diagnosed with autism, and according to the educators in the room, his future had already been written. In their hands, he would be in special education forever. We had a different sense of what was possible. Sam was already making progress with a therapist, and he was young for his class, so we asked to hold him back a year to give him a chance to mature in time for a regular kindergarten classroom. That evidently wouldn’t do. The administrators stuck to their guns. We stuck to ours. After having Sam do another year of focused therapy, we enrolled him at Mary Queen of Peace, our local Catholic school, where this week he began seventh grade on time with his classmates. No special-ed track for him. … But the deeper point is that not every child with special needs requires a special education neatly dictated by finely manicured projection tables and charts. What many of them need is a special community—and one rooted in faith can do more than the most well-funded and credentialed public-school programs. I know this because I’ve seen it in Sam’s life. In an environment that graciously receives him, my son can learn, his teacher can guide, and his classroom can embody the message of Christ: that we must let our light shine before others. … Challenges remain. But I can see that God’s light lives within my son. It shows through the cracks. https://www.wsj.com/articles/my-son-sam-doesnt-need-special-ed-autism-catholic-education-st-louis-301ddc9e__________________________________________________________ 2. Pope arrives on first visit to Mongolia as Vatican relations with Russia and China remain strained, By Nicole Winfield and Saruul Enkhbold, Associated Press, September 1, 2023, 4:23 AM Pope Francis arrived in Mongolia on Friday morning to encourage one of the world’s smallest and newest Catholic communities. It’s the first time a pope has visited the landlocked Asian country and comes at a time when the Vatican’s relations with Mongolia’s two powerful neighbors, Russia and China, are once again strained. … https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/08/31/mongolia-pope-vatican-china-russia-war-ulaanbaatar/91ff1cf2-481d-11ee-b76b-0b6e5e92090d_story.html__________________________________________________________ 3. Pope praises Russian composer, tells American Catholics to ‘move on’, By Elise Ann Allen, Crux, September 1, 2023 … Pope Francis during his flight greeted journalists traveling with him individually, as he does for every international trip, at one point commenting on diplomacy. Asked by a member of the press corps if he found diplomacy difficult, the pope replied, “Yes, you don’t know how difficult it is. Sometimes you need a sense of humor.” He was also asked about comments he made about American Catholics during a conversation with Jesuits in Portugal, during which he called out a “reactionary attitude” and a “climate of closure” on the part of some who he said replace faith with ideology. Francis seemed unbothered by the backlash his comments generated among American Catholics, saying, “Yes, they got mad, but move on, move on.” … https://cruxnow.com/pope-in-mongolia-live-coverage/2023/09/pope-praises-russian-composer-tells-american-catholics-to-move-on__________________________________________________________ 4. Activists prepare for yearlong battle over Nebraska private school funding law, By Margery A. Beck, Associated Press, August 31, 2023, 6:16 PM Activists declared a victory this week in their fight to repeal a new Republican-backed law allowing Nebraska taxpayer money to be used for private school tuition. But both sides acknowledge that the battle is just beginning. If the law is repealed, Nebraska would join North Dakota as the only states not offering some type of public payment for private school tuition. Opponents said Wednesday that they’d gathered nearly twice the roughly 60,000 signatures needed to ask voters for repeal. “If this initiative makes it onto the 2024 ballot, I can promise you the fight will not be over,” Gov. Jim Pillen said. Both Nebraska and North Dakota passed bills earlier this year to fund some private school tuition. North Dakota’s bill set aside $10 million in taxpayer dollars for private school tuition reimbursement. The legislation was later vetoed by the governor. … “When the bill takes effect, we look forward to the first round of scholarships reaching children in need for the 2024-2025 school year,” said Tom Venzor, director of the Nebraska Catholic Conference, the state’s Catholic lobbying group that advocates for the church’s 110 private schools in the state. … https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/08/31/school-choice-ballot-petition-nebraska/fa178aee-484b-11ee-b76b-0b6e5e92090d_story.html__________________________________________________________

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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