News & Opinions

January 3 -- cardinalnewmansociety.org
Obama Administration Responds to Justice Sotomayor, Catholic Health Plan on HHS Mandate
Today the Obama Administration told Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor that the Christian Brothers Services health plan is exempt from providing immoral insurance coverage to more than 200 Catholic schools and organizations—but the plan’s lead attorney says the argument ignores a serious violation of the clients’ religious freedom.
.......Obamacare says that when an entity is in a self-insured plan, like the Little Sisters are, they must file a certification form. But it’s not like other certification forms that the rule requires. It does not merely express their religious objections. The form also, specifically and additionally,“designates” their “third party administrator” to go get the abortifacient and birth control payments. - See more at: http://www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/2839/Obama-Administration-Responds-to-Justice-Sotomayor-Catholic-Health-Plan-on-HHS-Mandate.aspx#sthash.GLj3phKE.dpuf continued...

December 31 -- ncregister.com
Justice Sotomayor Temporarily Halts Mandate for Catholic Group in Denver
Justice Sotomayor Temporarily Halts Mandate for Catholic Group in Denver
The Supreme Court justice also instructed the government to respond by 10am Friday to arguments submitted against the mandate's enforcement.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor issued an order late Dec. 31, temporarily halting enforcement of the contraceptive mandate against the Denver-based Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged only hours before the Affordable Care Act began to take effect. continued...

December 26 -- Catholic News Agency
Vatican encourages renewed missionary zeal in Catholic schools
A recently released Vatican document is calling for a fresh commitment to Catholic identity within what it calls an increasingly secularized educational system.
At a press conference held Dec. 19, Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, said, “the Catholic identity of the school is fundamental.” continued...

December 26 -- catholicphilly.com
Appeals court reverses child endangerment conviction of Msgr. Lynn
Msgr. William J. Lynn, the highest ranking official of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia convicted of a crime in connection with the sexual abuse scandal of recent years may soon walk free from prison.
A three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Superior Court reversed the conviction of Msgr. William Lynn Dec. 26. The former secretary for clergy of the archdiocese was convicted on one count of endangering the welfare of a child in June 2012. continued...

December 26 -- Catholic News Service
Pope, on feast of first martyr, prays for persecuted Christians
Observing the feast of the church’s first martyr, Pope Francis prayed for Christians suffering persecution and discrimination around the world, even in countries that nominally honor religious liberty. continued...

December 24 -- Catholic News Service
Pope, on feast of first martyr, prays for persecuted Christians
Pope Francis’ homily at the vigil mass for Christmas focused on the importance of Jesus’ incarnation as a real and meaningful event.
“The grace which was revealed in our world is Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, true man and true God. He has entered our history; he has shared our journey. He came to free us from darkness and to grant us light,” said the Pope on Dec. 24 at the mass held in St. Peter’s Basilica. continued...

December 24 -- Catholic News Service
Dominican carolers bring joy of Christmas to downtown DC
Passers-by stopped for a moment to pause and listen in the busy streets of Washington, D.C., as Dominican brothers, sisters and friars gathered in joyful song to wish people a Merry Christmas.
One observer, John Cherry of Washington, D.C., described the scene as “very soothing to my spirit.” continued...

December 20 -- Catholic News Service
Help purify Legion of Christ, cardinal tells new priests
Cardinal Velasio de Paolis told 31 new priests of Legionaries of Christ that their perseverance shows “the love of Christ” that can overcome the past scandals of their congregation and purify and renew it.
“You have suffered, and you have realized the suffering that other Legionaries – beginning with the founder – have caused in the lives of others. And the suffering of others has helped you to understand and carry your own suffering,” the cardinal said in his homily before the priestly ordinations Dec. 14 at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome.
....The Legion’s extraordinary general chapter will begin on January 8, 2014. It will elect new superiors and approve new constitutions. continued...

December 19 -- Catholic News Agency
Humility is necessary for fruitfulness, emphasizes Pope
Pope Francis focused his daily homily on the importance of acknowledging the need for God in our lives in order to be fruitful Christians.
“Humility is necessary for faithfulness,” said the Pontiff on Dec. 19. “The humility to say to the Lord, ‘Lord, I am barren, I am a desert’ ...come to give us life, come to save us, because only You can. Alone, I cannot!” continued...

December 18 -- Catholic News Agency
Bishop Deeley appointed head of Maine's Portland diocese
Pope Francis today appointed Bishop Robert Deeley, who has been an auxiliary bishop of Boston for the past year, as bishop of the Diocese of Portland, which serves the state of Maine. continued...

December 16 -- Catholic News Agency
Pope Francis: Christians worldwide are 'united in blood'
In an interview with Italian newspaper La Stampa Dec. 15, Pope Francis called ecumenical dialogue a priority of his pontificate, noting that Christians of all traditions face the same persecution today.
“For me ecumenism is a priority. Today there is an ecumenism of blood. In some countries they kill Christians for wearing a cross or having a Bible and before they kill them they do not ask them whether they are Anglican, Lutheran, Catholic or Orthodox. Their blood is mixed. To those who kill we are Christians,” the Pope said. continued...

December 16 -- Hudson Institute
Experts warn of 'ominous trends' in Western secularism
Experts on religious liberty cautioned participants at a weekend conference in Rome that discrimination and persecution against Christians is growing in many regions of the world.
Paul Marshall, a senior fellow at the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute, spoke about the causes underlying current global anti-Christian persecution. continued...

December 14 -- Catholic News Agency
Ecumenism with Orthodox is near to Pope's heart, cardinal says
The relationship between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches is very important to Pope Francis, said the president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity.
“I think the ecumenical issue and the ecumenical challenge is very close to his heart,” Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch told CNA on Dec. 13. continued...

December 11 -- Catholic News Agency
European Parliament rejects notion of abortion as human right
Members of the European Parliament have rejected a report which suggested that abortion be defined as a “human rights and public health concern.”
The rejection of the report affirms the ability of the individual nations in the European Union to promote their own approach to sexual education and abortion policies. continued...

December 5 -- Catholic News Agency
Legion of Christ reaffirms commitment to addressing sex abuse
The acting general director of the Legion of Christ has shared the steps the order has taken to prevent sexual abuse and to respond to its allegations, focusing on the gravity of abuse and its victims' suffering. continued...

November 30 -- Vatican
Pope expresses hope for reunion with Orthodox Patriarch
Pope Francis sent special greetings to the Archbishop of Constantinople today, expressing his desire for continued dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
“You Holiness, beloved brother in Christ, this is the first time that I address you on the occasion of the feast of the Apostle Andrew, the first-called. I take this opportunity to assure you of my intention to pursue fraternal relations between the Church of Rome and the Ecumenical Patriarchate,” he wrote on Nov. 30 in the message delivered by Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. continued...

November 25 -- Vatican
Pope Francis meets Russian President Putin
Pope Francis had a private meeting in the Vatican on Monday afternoon with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. It’s the fourth time the Russian leader has been here to the Vatican – he met twice with Pope John Paul II in 2000 and 2003 and had an audience with Pope Benedict in 2007. continued...

November 24 -- Pope Francis
Quotes from Apostolic Exhortation - Evangelii Gaudium
"Can we continue to stand by when food is thrown away while people are starving? This is a case of inequality. Today everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless." [53] continued...

November 12 -- Human Life International
Devastation in the Philippines
Rosaries, Holy Masses, Chaplets of Divine Mercy, fasting -- every prayer and sacrifice is needed in spiritual solidarity with our Filipino brothers and sisters at this time! Rene is already out helping people, and Ligaya will leave as soon as she can safely return home. Please keep them, their families, and all Filipinos close to your heart as this brave nation picks up the pieces and begins to rebuild. continued...

November 12 -- Human Life International
‘Gays’ Admit ENDA game: Outlaw Christian Morality
The religious liberty death spiral continues.
One of the most dangerous and discriminatory pieces of legislation in modern times – the ironically tagged “Employment Non-Discrimination Act,” or ENDA – passed the U.S. Senate on Thursday by a vote of 64-32. Ten Republicans disgracefully joined liberal Democrats in this effort to ultimately outlaw the Judeo-Christian sexual ethic. continued...

November 6 -- cardinalnewmansociety.org
EXCLUSIVE: National Catholic Education Association Gets Gates Foundation Grant to Promote ‘Common Core’ in Catholic Schools
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation paid the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) more than $100,000 to support teacher training and materials on implementing the Common Core school standards, The Cardinal Newman Society has discovered. continued...

October 16 -- voiceofrussia.com
Syrian Christians turning to Russia for protection
About 50,000 Syrian Christians want to apply for Russian citizenship. In a letter to the Russian Foreign Ministry, they said that they were not planning to flee Syria, but if threatened with physical elimination, they would pin their hopes on Russia as the guarantor of their survival. Analysts think that despite the difficulties their request may involve, it won’t go unheeded. continued...

October 16 -- Facebook
CatholicSchoolParentsAgainstCommonCore
What is going on in your state? Your diocese? Let us know. Common Core has sneaked in and we have a say in getting it out. By the way, it has been illegally implemented in public schools and private schools should be thinking twice about it. continued...

October 16 -- Thomas More Law Center
Government Capitulates
Catholic Priest Allowed to Hold Religious Services at Naval Base Again; Chapel Doors Open to Catholic Parishioners
The Government capitulated just one day after the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, MI, filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Department of Defense’s actions which prohibited a Catholic Priest from celebrating Mass at a Naval base under threat of arrest and barred the Chapel to Catholic religious services due to the government shutdown. continued...

October 13 -- "The Miracle of the Sun"
Oct. 11, 2013 -- ed
October 13. The Virgin Mary had promised a miracle for the last of her apparitions so that all would believe. What transpired became known as "Miracle of the Sun". A crowd of approximately 70,000 including newspaper reporters and photographers, gathered at the Cova da Iria. Lúcia, moved by what she said was an interior impulse, called out to the crowd to look at the sun. Witnesses later spoke of the sun appearing to change colors and rotate like a wheel. Not everyone saw the same things, and witnesses gave widely varying descriptions of the "sun's dance". The phenomenon was claimed to have been seen by most of the people in the crowd as well as people many miles away. While the crowd was staring at the sun, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta said later they were seeing lovely images of the Holy Family, Our Lady of Sorrows with Jesus Christ, and then Our Lady of Mount Carmel. They said they saw Saint Joseph and Jesus bless the people. continued...

Pope Francis’ Interviews and the Bigger Picture
Oct. 10, 2013 -- ncregister.com
Opus Dei Father John Wauck teaches in the School of Church Communications at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. During the 2013 papal conclave, he served as a television commentator for ABC. On Oct. 8, he spoke with the Register's senior editor, Joan Frawley Desmond, about Pope Francis’ efforts to reach alienated Catholics and the public through an unprecedented strategy of informal interviews that reportedly bypassed Vatican filters. continued...

Join Us in Protesting Efforts at the UN to Sexualize Children!
Sept. 30, 2013 -- Family Watch
Family Watch had a team in Geneva, Switzerland for the past two weeks at the UN Human Rights Council. We were glad we decided to attend because upon arriving, we discovered one of the most outrageous attacks on children we have yet seen.
During this session, sexual rights activists reached a new low in their agenda to sexualize and corrupt even the youngest of children. continued...

A Global Slaughter of Christians, but America’s Churches Stay Silent
Sept. 27, 2013 -- Kirsten Powers
Christians are being singled out and massacred from Pakistan to Syria to the Nairobi shopping mall. Kirsten Powers on the deafening silence from U.S. pews and pulpits.
Christians in the Middle East and Africa are being slaughtered, tortured, raped, kidnapped, beheaded, and forced to flee the birthplace of Christianity. One would think this horror might be consuming the pulpits and pews of American churches. Not so. The silence has been nearly deafening. continued...

Pope Francis Grants an Interview and Shakes Up the Church
Sept. 19, 2013 -- ncregister.com
Catholic leaders in the United States respond to the Holy Father’s challenging comments.
A 12,000-word interview with Pope Francis appeared in Jesuit publications across the globe, provoking a furor that propelled Church leaders onto U.S. television talk shows to help explain what their new shepherd had in mind. continued...

Homeschooling: Under Fire at Home and Abroad
Sept. 18, 2013 -- catholicworldreport.com
The Romeike asylum case suggests the anti-homeschooling mindset already present elsewhere in the world may soon spread to the US.
While the freedom of religion and the rights of parents are basic human rights enshrined in law, a brief filed in the Sixth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals on June 26, 2013 by the US Justice Department suggests that educating children at home is not a basic human right. On the contrary, in the case of a German homeschooling family seeking political asylum in the United States, the right to homeschool can be denied in the interest of creating “an open pluralistic society.” In the case of Uwe Andreas Josef Romeike, et al, v Eric H. Holder, Jr. Attorney General, the Justice Department concluded that “Germany has no persecutory motive against religious minorities when enforcing the compulsory attendance statute,” continued...

Egypt Emergency Fund' to Aid Persecuted Christians
Sept. 12, 2013 -- Christian Newswire
The Egyptian army's crackdown on Mohamed Morsi's Cairo supporters unleashed the largest attack on Egyptian Christians and Coptic houses of worship in the country's modern history.
In recent weeks, international news outlets and human rights groups have reported Christians have been beaten, threatened and even killed, forcing millions of Christians, primarily from the Coptic Orthodox community, into hiding. Scores of Coptic churches, monasteries, shops, schools, clubs and orphanages have been looted and burned. Christian homes and businesses have been targeted for violence with red and black spray paint, and historic Christian relics have been destroyed, with one ancient altar turned into a site for Muslim prayers. continued...

Ancient Coptic Monastery Cancels Sunday Mass For First Time in 1600 Years
Monday, August 19, 2013 --- thegatewaypundit.com
The Monastery of the Holy Virgin Mary, also known as the Muharraq Monastery, was forced to cancel Sunday mass this week. It was the first time the monastery cancelled mass in 1600 years. The monastery lies on the path of the flight of the Holy Family in Egypt. - See more at: continued...

Egyptian Democratic Coalition Responds to Obama
Friday, 16 Aug 2013 --- NEWSMAX.COM
The National Salvation Front, a coalition of pro-democratic and secular parties in Egypt, set out its objections to remarks made by President Barack Obama Thursday on the escalating violence in Egypt. continued...

August 16, 2013 -- catholicworldreport.com -- Catherine Harmon
Under siege: Christian churches burn across Egypt
Coptic Catholic Bishop Kyrillos William of Assiut told Vatican Radio Aug. 15 that the government action and the reaction of the Muslim Brotherhood were not unexpected "because Egypt won't accept an Islamic state." The majority, he said, "wants to separate religion from the state."
Morsi supporters were "shouting slogans against the government, against the police and against the Christians because they are persuaded that all three are the cause of the fall of Morsi's regime." continued...

Aug. 15, 2013 -- CNSNews.com
Egyptian Islamists Target Christian Churches in Wave of Apparently Coordinated Attacks
Some supporters of Egypt's ousted Islamist president directed their wrath at the country's Christian minority Wednesday, in what activists described as "the worst coordinated attacks on Egypt's Coptic community in modern history." continued...

Aug. 6, 2013 -- Christian Newswire
Pope Francis Encourages Knights of Columbus in Works of Charity and Witness to Authentic Nature of Marriage, Life and the Rights of Believers
Sentiments Conveyed in Letter of Papal Greeting to Knights' International Convention continued...

Aug. 6, 2013 -- Christian Newswire
CRCOA Condemn K of C on Abortion, Gay Marriage
Concerned Roman Catholics of America (CRCOA) condemn the Knights of Columbus for their continuing failure to expel pro-abortion and pro-homosexual politicians. The K of C are meeting in San Antonio, Texas for the 131st Supreme Council Annual Meeting (Supreme Convention) taking place at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Hotel from August 6-8, 2013. continued...

July 22, 2013 - Msgr. Charles Pope
Four Common Tactics of the Devil
One of the key elements in any contest is to understand the tactics of your opponent and to recognize the subtleties of the strategy or moves they may employ. In the spiritual battle of life we need to develop some sophistication in recognizing, naming, and understanding the subtleties of common tactics of the Devil. continued...

Millions of dollars paid to WAGGGS and not enough is left to save Girl Scout camps:
July 16, 2013 -
Pluff Mud Perspectives: Lingering One Last Time at the Girl Scout Plantation
With the downturn in the economy, a dropping enrollment and the need to maintain its financial reserves, our local council could no longer afford to maintain the property as needed and continue to fulfill their core mission of "building girls of courage, confidence and character who will make the world a better place." And it is thus, with great difficulty and heavy hearts that they decided to part with this magnificent property along with 3 others. Yet, after 3 years of marketing, the plantation did not sell for the asking price. Hence this past week, I read in this Post and Courier article the Girl Scout Council's announcement to sell the property at absolute auction on July 26, 2013. continued...

July 16, 2013 - freerepublic.com
States enacted 43 pro-life laws in 1st half of 2013
During the first six months of 2013, state lawmakers enacted 43 “restrictions on access to abortion, the second-highest number ever at the midyear mark” and “as many as were enacted in all of 2012,” according to the Guttmacher Institute.
“Although the momentum for banning early abortion appears to have slowed, the same cannot be said for bans on abortion later in pregnancy,” continued...

July 12, 2013 - ncregister.com
Bishops Must Kill The CHA
Regrettably, if unsurprisingly, Sister Carol Keehan and the Catholic Health Association have thrown their lot in with the Administration over the HHS mandate rather than side with the Bishops.
All during the period in which the CHA feigned objection to the mandate, the White House website continued to cite the CHA support of the measure as proof it does not violate conscience rights. continued...

July 11, 2013 - FRC Action
What is ENDA?
ENDA is a "one size fits all" solution to alleged discrimination that erases all marriage-based distinctions. It grants special rights to homosexuals while ignoring those of employers. The federal government should not force private businesses to abandon their moral principles.
FRC Action opposes this legislation on the following grounds: continued...

July 5, 2013 - Catholic News Service
In first encyclical, pope celebrates faith as the light of human life
Pope Francis' first encyclical, "Lumen Fidei" ("The Light of Faith"), is a celebration of Christian faith as the guiding light of a "successful and fruitful life," inspiring social action as well as devotion to God, and illuminating "every aspect of human existence," including philosophy and the natural sciences. continued...

July 8, 2013 - cardinalnewmansociety.org
Philadelphia Archdiocese Opposes Dissident at Chestnut Hill College
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has stated that a Catholic college’s plans to host a priest who has advocated for the ordination of women would “damage the unity” of the Church, according to a statement released exclusively to The Cardinal Newman Society. continued...

July 2, 2013 - freerepublic.com
France's Jewish Education Minister: "We Must Replace the Catholic Church with a Republican Religion"
(Paris) "You will never be able to build a free nation with the Catholic Church." This wasn't uttered by Voltaire or Georges Danton, but the reigning French Education Minister from a 2008 interview, Vincent Peillon, at the launch of his book, La Révolution française n'est pas terminée (The French Revolution is Not Yet Over), as Tempos reported. continued...

June 28, 2013 - catholicculture.org
Final rules issued for HHS mandate
The Obama administration has released its final rules for the implementation of the health-care reform program by religious institutions, leaving essentially unchanged the requirement that all health-care programs for employees must supply coverage for contraception, sterilization, and abortifacient drugs. Please Read

June 28, 2013 - aclj.org
Feinstein No Einstein on Marriage
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is already taking these rulings as a signal to shred any remaining U.S. conscience and free speech rights by forcing a vote on ENDA. "To make this the law of the land, I will soon bring the Employment Non-Discrimination Act [ENDA] to the floor of the Senate for a vote." Please Read

June 27, 2013 -- Vatican Radio
Pope Francis encourages renewal of Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ
Pope Francis has confirmed the mandate of Papal Delegate Cardinal Velasio De Paolis for the Legionaries of Christ until 2014 and commended him for his work in fostering renewal within the Congregation following the 2010 visitation .
Below a translation of the letter from Pope Francis to Cardinal Velasio De Paolis: Please Read

June 26, 2013 - aclj.org
The Same-Sex Marriage Cases: What Happened and What they Mean
Earlier this morning the Supreme Court of the United States struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act and held that the supporters of Proposition 8 in California did not have standing to defend Prop 8 in federal court. Please Read

June 28, 2013 - frc.org
NYT: “GO EASY ON CHILD ABUSERS”
Unknown-1Bill Donohue comments on the New York Times’ reaction to a TV ad calling out the New York City public schools for coddling accused sexual predators:
In today’s New York Times, there is an analysis of former CNN anchor Campbell Brown’s new group, Parents’ Transparency Project, that was established to root out public school employees guilty of sexual misconduct. Please Read

June 25, 2013 - examiner.com
Judge says Montana's Big Mountain Jesus can stay
The famous Big Mountain Jesus of Montana is free to remain in place on federally owned land for at least 10 more years, according to a judge’s June 25 ruling in Missoula. The decision affirmed a U.S. Forest Service permit for the monument. Please Read

June 24, 2013 - mexmigration.blogspot
Peter Schey deconstructs S. 744
"About 4 to 5 million immigrants will most likely be left facing an extremely harsh and unforgiving set of laws almost certain to eventually force their detention and deportation (if detected) or more likely leave them in undocumented status for the rest of their lives (if undetected)." Please Read

June 21, 2013 - aclj.org
200 Pages of Transcripts Don’t "Solve" IRS Targeting, Raises More Questions
Meet John Schafer, the “conservative Republican” IRS screening manager in Cincinnati the Left says originated, orchestrated, and oversaw the vast complexity of an agency-wide scheme to target Tea Party groups, invasively scrutinize conservative groups, and delay their tax-exempt applications for years. Please Read

April 14, 2013 - Posted June 21
Bishop Jenky's homily at men's march and Mass
Editor's note: Following is the full text of the homily of Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC,:
There is only one basic reason why Christianity exists and that is the fact that Jesus Christ truly rose from the grave.
The disciples never expected the resurrection. The unanimous testimony of all four Gospels is that the terrible death of Jesus on the cross entirely dashed all their hopes about Jesus and about his message. He was dead, and that was the end of it. Please Read

June 14, 2013 - studentsforlife
Obama’s War on Girls
President Obama is waging a War on Girls by allowing young children to get Plan B without a physician or parent’s care or knowledge. Use of Plan B does NOT reduce abortion rates, but it does increase a whole host of dangerous risks. This is not “reproductive justice;” this is child abuse. Read more:

June 10th, 2013 - change.org
"Regnum Christi is a reality much wider than the Legion," the cardinal said.
Repeatedly over the past several months, the cardinal has referred to the Legionaries of Christ as part of Regnum Christi, rather than vice versa, and members of both groups have echoed that description. Read more:

June 10th, 2013 - change.org
Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston: Apologize for Co-Cathedral incident
The archdiocese has recently allowed the city's co-cathedral to be used by a female UMC bishop to ordain a few hundred UMC pastors, mostly female.
Since the UMC is officially pro-abortion and pro-birth control, this recent action calls into question our archdiocese' commitment to promoting core Catholic values. Read more: