1. Trump-appointed justice could signal major Supreme Court shift on abortion, By Lawrence Hurley, Reuters, September 23, 2020, 7:06 AM
With President Donald Trump poised to nominate a U.S. Supreme Court justice to fill the vacancy created by the death of liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a new 6-3 conservative majority could be emboldened to roll back abortion rights.
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Anti-abortion groups are pushing for Trump to pick Barrett, a conservative Roman Catholic who he appointed to the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2017. Although she has not yet ruled directly on abortion as a judge, Barrett has twice signaled opposition to rulings that struck down abortion-related restrictions.
Abortion rights activists have voiced concern that Barrett would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.
https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-court-abortion/trump-appointed-justice-could-signal-major-supreme-court-shift-on-abortion-idUSL2N2GJ0OS
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2. Silverstream Priory, founded by conservative US monk, gets visitation, By Christopher White, National Catholic Reporter, September 23, 2020
A monastery in Ireland founded by a U.S.-born Benedictine monk — whose popular, though scrutinized, theological writings have been heralded by a number of leading traditionalist church prelates, including Cardinal Raymond Burke, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò and Texas Bishop Joseph Strickland — has been subject to a canonical visitation.
NCR has obtained a copy of the visitation decree of Silverstream Priory. Signed on May 2 by Bishop Thomas Deenihan of Meath, Ireland, and Vicar General Fr. Declan Hurley, the decree says those overseeing the visitation would be “paying special attention to concerns recently raised regarding the community dynamic.”
A five-page report on the visitation, also obtained by NCR, enumerates concerns about the financial management of the monastery and the structure of its community life.
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In their report, the three visitators say they are “very concerned about your current financial situation and the economic viability of the monastery.”
“Your income last year was only 50% of what it was in each of the three previous years, but your expenses have been increasing by 20% each year, over the last four years,” they state.
https://www.ncronline.org/news/people/silverstream-priory-founded-conservative-us-monk-gets-visitation
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3. In battleground states, Catholics are a pivotal swing vote, By David Crary, Associated Press, September 22, 2020
For decades, Catholic voters have been a pivotal swing vote in U.S. presidential elections, with a majority backing the winner — whether Republican or Democrat — nearly every time.
How they vote in the battleground states this year could well decide the outcome, and the rival campaigns are targeting them with fervent appeals to vote based on their faith.
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2020/09/in-battleground-states-catholics-are-a-pivotal-swing-vote/
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4. Vatican: Assisted suicide, euthanasia “intrinsically evil”, By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, September 22, 2020, 11:36 AM
The Vatican on Tuesday reaffirmed its stance that euthanasia and assisted suicide are “intrinsically evil,” and told priests they should minister to those contemplating such deaths to try to change their minds but shouldn’t be present at the end if they don’t.
The Vatican’s doctrine office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a lengthy new document on end-of-life care for the terminally ill on Tuesday. It takes into account medical advances, the advent of “do not resuscitate” orders and legal approval for assisted suicide, as well as new Vatican perspectives on palliative care, including for children.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/vatican-assisted-suicide-euthanasia-intrinsically-evil/2020/09/22/581c617a-fce9-11ea-b0e4-350e4e60cc91_story.html
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5. Survey: Catholics, like fellow Americans, favor abortion restrictions, By Catholic News Agency, September 22, 2020, 3:00 PM
The vast majority of Catholic likely voters – more than 8 in 10 – favor restrictions on abortion, a new poll released this week has found.
Only 15% of those surveyed said abortion should be permitted at any time in a pregnancy. The same percentage said abortion should never be permitted.
Eight percent said abortion should only be allowed in the first six months of a pregnancy, while 21% favored limiting the procedure to the first three months of a pregnancy. Thirty-one percent said abortion should only be permitted in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. Nine percent said it should only be allowed to save the life of the mother.
The poll, conducted Aug. 27 – Sept. 1 by RealClear Opinion Research in partnership with EWTN News, surveyed 1,212 likely voters who self-identify as Catholic.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/survey-catholics-like-fellow-americans-favor-abortion-restrictions-72416
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6. Poll: Catholics overwhelmingly concerned about church attacks, oppose ‘defund the police’, By Catholic News Agency, September 22, 2020, 1:40 PM
Eighty-three percent of Catholic likely voters are concerned about attacks on churches in recent months, a new poll has found.
The poll, conducted Aug. 27 – Sept. 1 by RealClear Opinion Research in partnership with EWTN News, surveyed 1,212 likely voters who self-identify as Catholic.
More than 60% of those surveyed said they were “very concerned” about recent vandalism and attacks on churches, and another 22% said they were “somewhat concerned.” Just 11% said they were either not very concerned or not at all concerned by the recent church attacks.
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Some commenters see the attacks against churches as part of a worrying rise in anti-Christian views.
More than 3 in 4 Catholics surveyed were concerned about anti-Christian sentiment amid recent social protests.
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An overwhelming majority – 82% of those surveyed – said they have at least some trust in their local police department to protect the interests of their family.
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Only 1 in 3 Catholics surveyed said they support “defund the police” initiatives, intended to shift funding from police departments to other social services.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/poll-catholics-overwhelmingly-concerned-about-church-attacks-oppose-defund-the-police-20706
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7. Vatican cardinal: Pope Francis ‘concerned’ about Church in Germany, By Catholic News Agency, September 22, 2020, 1:00 PM
A Vatican cardinal said Tuesday that Pope Francis has expressed concern about the Church in Germany.
Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, told the magazine Herder Korrespondenz Sept. 22 that he believed the pope backed an intervention by the Vatican’s doctrinal office in a debate over intercommunion between Catholics and Protestants.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) wrote last week to Bishop Georg Bätzing, president of the German bishops’ conference, saying that a proposal for a “Eucharistic meal fellowship” would harm relations with Orthodox Churches.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-cardinal-pope-francis-concerned-about-church-in-germany-72694
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8. Xinjiang officials admit large drop in birth rate, attribute it to family planning, By Catholic News Agency, September 22, 2020, 12:25 PM
The government of China’s Xinjiang autonomous region has acknowledged that birth rates there fell by nearly a third in 2018, much of which it attributed to “better implementation of family planning policy”.
They denied that involuntary contraception or sterilization had taken place.
In 2017 the birth rate in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region was 15.88 per 1,000 people; the next year, it was 10.69 per 1,000.
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In June an AP investigation found a systematic campaign by the Chinese Communist Party of pregnancy checks and forced abortions, sterilizations, and implantations of IUDs on Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/xinjiang-officials-admit-large-drop-in-birth-rate-attribute-it-to-family-planning-85537
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9. Trump to UN: Protect the unborn and religious minorities, By Matt Hadro, Catholic News Agency, September 22, 2020, 11:00 AM
President Trump told world leaders that the United States is committed to “protecting unborn children” in remarks to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) from the White House on Tuesday.
“America will always be a leader in human rights,” Trump said in his speech to the UNGA from the White House. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, world leaders were invited to deliver their speeches to the assembly remotely, and they were then broadcast as “live.”
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/trump-to-un-protect-the-unborn-and-religious-minorities-36772
___________________________________________________________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. |
