1. Pope uses mask, sanitizer as he appeals for public health, By Associated Press, September 9, 2020, 5:09 AM Pope Francis wore a face mask and used hand sanitizer Wednesday as he appealed for the faithful to look out for the health of others as well as themselves during the coronavirus pandemic. … It was the first time the pope has been seen in public wearing a mask and using hand sanitizer. … During his remarks, Francis lamented that “partisan interests” were emerging in which some nations and groups are seeking to keep vaccines for themselves, or to further their own political or economic interests. “The coronavirus is showing us that each person’s true good is a common good and, vice versa, the common good is a true good for the person,” he said. “Health, in addition to being an individual good, is also a public good. A healthy society is one that takes care of everyone’s health.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/pope-uses-mask-sanitizer-as-he-appeals-for-public-health/2020/09/09/37cc933a-f27c-11ea-8025-5d3489768ac8_story.html ___________________________________________________________ 2. GOP attacks Harris amid battle for Catholic voters’ support, By Elana Schor, Associated Press, September 9, 2020, 8:11 AM Soon after Joe Biden tapped Kamala Harris as his running mate, some conservatives began trying to portray her as anti-Catholic — a line of attack that President Donald Trump’s campaign continues to amplify as Democrats court Roman Catholic voters. The charge stems in part from questions Harris posed in 2018 to a federal judicial nominee about his membership in the Knights of Columbus, a lay Catholic fraternal organization. Harris asked the nominee if he agreed with the anti-abortion views of the group’s leader, views that broadly align with the church’s stance. … As Biden’s campaign launched its Catholic voter outreach effort last week, the Trump campaign blasted Harris’ questioning as “anti-Catholic bigotry” and said the Democrats’ stance on abortion “clashes strongly with Catholic pro-life beliefs.” It used similar language to refer to Harris alongside an online ad it rolled out last month. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gop-attacks-harris-amid-battle-for-catholic-voters-support/2020/09/09/a194628e-f295-11ea-8025-5d3489768ac8_story.html ___________________________________________________________ 3. USCCB urges Congress, White House to reach COVID-19 relief deal, By Catholic News Service, September 9, 2020 A leader with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has urged Congress and the White House Sept. 8 to reach a deal on the next COVID-19 relief package that meets the urgent needs of the nation. “Earlier this year, the leaders of our government reached a bipartisan deal that provided significant relief to those suffering from the health and economic crises that we continue to experience. Many of the good relief measures in that previous package are running out,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2020/09/usccb-urges-congress-white-house-to-reach-covid-19-relief-deal/ ___________________________________________________________ 4. US military archbishop laments Navy decision to end Masses at San Diego bases, By Christine Rousselle, Catholic News Agency, September 8, 2020, 3:10 PM The Archdiocese of the Military Services, USA is hoping the U.S. Navy will reconsider its decision to terminate its contracts with Catholic priests in the San Diego area as a cost-saving measure. … With the move not to renew contracts with non-military Catholic priests, Catholics living at Naval Base Coronado, NSA Monterey, and Naval Base Ventura County will be left with no priest to celebrate Mass on-base. The priests were notified in mid-August that they would not have their contracts renewed. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/us-military-archbishop-laments-navy-decision-to-end-masses-at-san-diego-bases-81227 ___________________________________________________________ 5. Supreme Court could rule soon on abortion pill regulations, By Catholic News Agency, September 8, 2020, 5:00 AM The Supreme Court could soon rule on a major abortion case, after the Trump administration appealed to maintain safety regulations of the abortion pill. The Justice Department (DOJ) filed an Aug. 26 emergency motion at the Supreme Court to halt a federal district court’s decision from going into effect that would nullify federal regulations of the abortion pill during the new coronavirus pandemic. In July, federal judge Theodore Chuang of Maryland ruled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) listing of the abortion pill regimen alongside higher-risk procedures and drugs posed an undue burden on women seeking abortions during the pandemic, because it required them to travel to a medical facility to obtain the abortion pills. Chuang, and a federal circuit court which upheld his ruling in August, said that women should be able to take abortion pills without a visit to a doctor’s office. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/supreme-court-could-rule-soon-on-abortion-pill-regulations-18611 ___________________________________________________________ 6. Report abuse learned in confession or go to jail, says Australian state, By Catholic News Service, September 8, 2020 A new law requires priests in the state of Queensland to break the seal of confession to report child sex abuse to police or face three years in jail. The law was passed by Queensland Parliament Sept. 8. It had support from both major parties and was opposed by the Catholic Church. https://cruxnow.com/church-in-oceania/2020/09/report-abuse-learned-in-confession-or-go-to-jail-says-australian-state/ ___________________________________________________________ 7. Young people have lessons to teach the church, pope says, By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service, September 8, 2020 Young Catholics are giving the church a valuable lesson in the real meaning of “synodality,” Pope Francis wrote. “They have asked us in a thousand ways to walk alongside them — not behind them or ahead of them, but at their side. Not over them or under them, but on their level,” he wrote in the introduction to a new Italian book of essays about youth ministry. Salesian Father Rossano Sala, one of the special secretaries of the 2018 Synod of Bishops on young people, wrote the book, Around the Living Fire of the Synod: Educating for the Good Life of the Gospel. https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/09/young-people-have-lessons-to-teach-the-church-pope-says/ ___________________________________________________________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. |