News Briefs
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Pro-lifers wear their convictions on colorful T-shirts, sweatshirts
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Mark Hosbein stood on the corner of a busy Washington intersection under the steady rain Jan. 23 with a small duffle bag at his feet and a simple message for passers-by: "Please consider spiritually adopting an unborn baby who is in danger of abortion." Handing a reporter one of his brochures, Hosbein said as president of Hearts For Life, he is following the lead of the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, who promoted the idea of spiritual adoptions for the unborn years ago. People who commit to such an adoption agree to pray once a day for a year for an unborn child, he explained. "Our belief is God will save the life of the baby. It's a simple and powerful devotion." Hosbein, a member of St. Lawrence Parish in Indianapolis, said in the past five or six years, his organization has passed out 100,000 of his brochures. He was among several people hanging out signs and literature to pro-lifers as they walked toward the March for Life rally on the National Mall near the Smithsonian Castle. From the castle, the Washington Monument in one direction and the Capitol in the other were barely visible, as they were shrouded in fog. The weather in Washington was uncooperative, with intermittent rain and temperatures hovering in the high 30s. But as most years when the weather was bad, the tens of thousands of pro-lifers, a majority of them high school and college age, were undeterred, descending on the nation's capital to mark the 39th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. As they streamed toward the rally site from various points, rallygoers carried signs that declared their pro-life views. Among the messages were: "Adoption is an option," "Every time a baby is aborted, love is denied," "Praying for a culture of life" and "If it's not a baby, you're not pregnant."
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Cardinal links religious liberty fight with abortion struggle
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Participants at the annual March for Life were urged in advance of the march not to let themselves be compromised in their beliefs as the federal government pursues regulations that Catholic leaders say constitute an attack on conscience and religious liberty. "I beg and pray for the young people present and all youth and young adults not to be compromised in your dedication to the protection of life of each human person, born and unborn," said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston. "Keep it before your eyes and in your hearts immediately. Threats against life and against the consciences of those who say 'yes' to life must be met with timely and unwavering action, in our families and institutions, and yes, in the public square." Cardinal DiNardo, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, made his remarks during his homily at the Jan. 22 opening Mass for the National Prayer Vigil for Life. The overnight vigil, which included a closing Mass Jan. 23 and hourly Holy Hours in between, was conducted at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. The cardinal linked the 39-year struggle to end abortion on demand with Jan. 20's announcement from U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that most religious organizations would have to cover contraceptives and sterilization free of charge in their employee health plans, rejecting appeals from Catholic groups to widen the exemption. "Never before in our U.S. history has the federal government forced citizens to directly purchase what violates our beliefs," Cardinal DiNardo said, adding that the issue is "the survival of a cornerstone constitutionally protected freedom that ensures respect for conscience and religious liberty."
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Annual San Francisco walk draws tens of thousands of pro-life activists
SAN FRANCISCO (CNS) -- Tens of thousands of pro-life activists massed in front of San Francisco's City Hall and then filled the city's main thoroughfare Jan. 21, walking about two miles down Market Street to the Embarcadero. Banging drums, praying and chanting "We are pro-life," the enthusiastic throngs stopped traffic for more than a mile in a peaceful walk that took about an hour. Abortion rights protesters briefly stopped the walk by pulling orange netting hung with coat hangers in front of the walk, led by a banner that said "Abortion hurts women." Police who rode bicycles and motorcycles in advance of the walk pulled the abortion protesters out of the street. An hour before the opening prayer at Civic Center, signs jutted above a sea of people: "Defend Life," "Men Regret Lost Fatherhood," "California Nurses for Ethical Standards" and "Thank God You Were Not Aborted." We are here to say life is the choice, and women are hurt by abortion," said Dolores Meehan, who co-chairs the Walk for Life West Coast, which is held on the Saturday closest to the anniversary of Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion. Eva Muntean, who also co-chairs the walk, urged participants to sign petitions to put a parental notification of a minor's intent to procure an abortion on the ballot and urged support for a personhood amendment. At the rally, Dr. Vansen Wong, an obstetrician and gynecologist, told of performing abortions to pay off his medical bills, saying he ended hundreds of lives over the course of seven years working at an abortion clinic. "Abortion is barbaric, abortion is intolerable," Wong said, "Abortion has no place in any civilized society."
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Letter calls on Catholic GOP candidates to stop racial stereotypes
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A group of Catholic theologians and leaders of Catholic organizations called on Republican presidential candidates to "stop perpetuating ugly racial stereotypes on the campaign trail." The organization Faith in Public Life circulated the letter challenging fellow Catholics former Rep. Newt Gingrich and former Sen. Rick Santorum, both Republicans, to dial back from how they refer to the nation's first African-American president "with a title that evokes the past myth of 'welfare queens' and inflaming other racist caricatures." The group called the tactic "irresponsible, immoral and unworthy of political leaders." Describing themselves as "Catholic leaders who recognize that the moral scandals of racism and poverty remain a blemish on the American soul," the group noted that "some presidential candidates now courting 'values voters' seem to have forgotten that defending human life and dignity does not stop with protecting the unborn." The letter posted Jan. 19 on the organization's website reminded Gingrich and Santorum that "Catholic bishops describe racism as an 'intrinsic evil' and consistently defend vital government programs such as food stamps and unemployment benefits that help struggling Americans. At a time when nearly 1 in 6 Americans live in poverty, charities and the free market alone can't address the urgent needs of our most vulnerable neighbors." It went on to say that "while job seekers outnumber job openings 4-to-1, suggesting that the unemployed would rather collect benefits than work is misleading and insulting." They concluded by urging Gingrich, Santorum and all presidential candidates "to reject the politics of racial division, refrain from offensive rhetoric and unite behind an agenda that promotes racial and economic justice."
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HHS delays, but does not change, rule on contraceptive coverage
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Although Catholic leaders vowed to fight on, the Obama administration has turned down repeated requests from Catholic bishops, hospitals, schools and charitable organizations to revise its religious exemption to the requirement that all health plans cover contraceptives and sterilization free of charge. Instead, Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced Jan. 20 that nonprofit groups that do not provide contraceptive coverage because of their religious beliefs will get an additional year "to adapt to this new rule. This decision was made after very careful consideration, including the important concerns some have raised about religious liberty," Sebelius said. "I believe this proposal strikes the appropriate balance between respecting religious freedom and increasing access to important preventive services." But Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the Obama administration had "drawn an unprecedented line in the sand" with the decision. "The Catholic bishops are committed to working with our fellow Americans to reform the law and change this unjust regulation," he added. "We will continue to study all the implications of this troubling decision." U.S. Cardinal-designate Edwin F. O'Brien, pro-grand master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher and apostolic administrator of the Baltimore Archdiocese, called the decision "shocking and disturbing" in a Jan. 20 statement from Rome. Saying it would force individuals and religious organizations "to surrender their beliefs -- rooted in long-held Judeo-Christian tradition and practice -- for the sake of political and financial expediency," he called on Catholics "to pray for our elected officials and to work to reform this unjust regulation."
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Poll indicates strong majority of Americans OK abortion restrictions
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A poll taken for the Knights of Columbus and Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., indicates a strong majority of Americans continue to want restrictions on abortion. According to the poll, 79 percent of those surveyed said they would not allow abortion in the first three months of pregnancy. And 51 percent said they would allow abortion only in cases of rape, incest or to save the mother's life -- or not at all. The poll's numbers are almost unchanged from a similar poll taken two years ago. The survey responses were released in Washington Jan. 23, the date of this year's March for Life. According to the poll results, 84 percent said they believe that laws can protect both the life of the unborn and the health and well-being of women. This is up from 81 percent from the 2010 survey. "Almost four decades after the Supreme Court's decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, which resulted in the almost totally unrestricted abortion regime of today, these decisions continue to be out of step with the vast majority of Americans," said a Jan. 23 statement by Carl Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus. "Far from being settled law, the inadequacy of the court's reasoning on abortion in Roe and Doe is readily apparent to most Americans. Once a survey moves beyond the labels of pro-life and pro-choice, we see a fundamental unity among Americans in favor of significant abortion restrictions," Anderson said.
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New structure makes Healthcare West no longer officially Catholic
SAN FRANCISCO (CNS) -- Catholic Healthcare West announced a restructuring Jan. 23 that will make it no longer an official ministry of the Catholic Church, while keeping it "rooted in the Catholic tradition." Under the new governance structure, Dignity Health, as Catholic Healthcare West will now be known, will be a not-for-profit organization under which its Catholic hospitals "will continue to be Catholic, directly sponsored by their founding congregations and adhering to the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services," said the statement announcing the change. "Dignity Health's non-Catholic hospitals will continue to be non-Catholic, adhering to the Statement of Common Values." The organization owns or operates 25 Catholic hospitals and 15 non-Catholic hospitals. The system includes 10,000 physicians and 55,000 employees at hospitals and clinics in California, Arizona and Nevada. It has operations in the California archdioceses of Los Angeles and San Francisco and dioceses of San Bernardino, Sacramento, Monterey, Fresno and Stockton; the Diocese of Phoenix; and the Nevada dioceses of Reno and Las Vegas. William J. Cox, president of the Alliance of Catholic Health Care, a membership organization for California Catholic hospitals, told Catholic News Service that the "primary rationale" for the change was to bring the Catholic hospitals in the Dignity Health system "into compliance with the moral and doctrinal tenets of the church." The system includes some non-Catholic hospitals that permitted the direct sterilization of patients, he said, causing problems for Catholic hospitals under the former structure. The new structure will allow "the identity and integrity of the Catholic hospitals to be protected and strengthened," Cox said.
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WORLD
'Let it begin with me': Juarez parishioners work to change image
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (CNS) -- In a city that has become synonymous with violence and despair during a four-year drug war that has claimed more than 12,000 residents, parishioners at a small church are trying to change the image of Ciudad Juarez -- one person at a time. Reflecting on the hymn lyrics, "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me," Father Roberto Luna, pastor of Corpus Christi Church, urges the estimated 500 active parishioners in this impoverished and besieged neighborhood to live the life of Christ to the best of their abilities. He knows how daunting this task can be. The neighborhood Corpus Christi is in is adjacent to the Juarez Valley, where a war is being waged between the Sinaloa and Juarez drug cartels, and the war greatly affects the youth in the parish. Over the past year, Father Luna estimates that as many as 50 young people between the ages of 17 and 23 have been murdered, leaving survivors with a sense of anger, frustration and vengeance. Father Luna's counteroffensive against these spiritually destructive emotions is immersion of his parishioners in church activities, where he develops a sense of community and teaches the tools of the faith so his people can survive, emotionally and spiritually. He is a jovial man with a pragmatic appreciation of the local street life, which contributes to his close rapport with parishioners. One of his favorite ministries is the Saturday catechism program, which is attended by about 100 families. The day involves a potluck lunch in the fenced-in dirt corner lot of the church followed by classes for adults and children. He sees the invaluable responsibility of the family as a deterrent to the violence. "The family serves as the roots to a blossoming tree, and the more you keep feeding the roots, the stronger the tree will be," Father Luna said. "We're teaching love, peace, respect and tolerance."
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Prison, street programs help train seminarians in violent Mexican city
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (CNS) -- For several students at the Ciudad Juarez seminary, classes in theology and philosophy are integrated with experiences to prepare them for church work in this violent city. Every Sunday, Genaro Montes, 25, a third-year seminarian, travels with Father Alberto Mellandez, prison chaplain, to the notorious state prison on the edge of Juarez. Montes assists at Mass and with Scripture readings. Fifth-year seminarians Francisco Laoiza, 25; and Jesus Mendoza, 24, preceded Montes. Participation in the assignment is strictly voluntary. The seminarians say they are never told what the inmates are incarcerated for, but they know many are there because of the nearly 12,000 murders the city has experienced over the past four years, as well as for crimes involving narcotics, extortion, child abuse, battery and burglaries. "We can't ask, but sometimes they tell us what they are in for," said Montes, a burly, soft-spoken man. "Many are ashamed they are in jail because they were forced to do things they didn't want to do." The challenge of any religious group working in Ciudad Juarez is how to break the cycle of violence that many young people feel equals money, which equals power. "We are trying to teach the opposite, the love of God, church and life," Laoiza said.
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Nigerian bishops deplore fatal attacks in north by Islamic group
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Two Nigerian bishops deplored bloody attacks in a northern city by a radical Islamist group, warning of deep social divisions and displaced populations, the Vatican missionary news agency Fides reported. "They are destroying the hope of a united Nigeria," said Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Jos, referring to simultaneous attacks on government buildings by the extremist sect known as Boko Haram, Jan. 20 in the city of Kano, according to Fides. News reports said that more than 150 people, most of them Muslims, are believed dead following the attacks, the latest in a series by the radical organization, which seeks to impose Islamic law in the country's Muslim-majority North. "Kano is still in shock," Bishop John Namaza Niyiring of Kano, Nigeria's second-largest city, told Fides. "The coordinated series of attacks in different parts of the city lasted about three hours." Bishop Niyiring told Fides that the attackers had exploded bombs in various government and law-enforcement buildings, and subsequently shot randomly at people nearby. Some church buildings were damaged, but no priests or religious were reported among victims of the violence, he said.
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British cardinal: Suspicion, inertia, impatience damage ecumenism
CHESTER, England (CNS) -- A British cardinal encouraged Christians to overcome the "three enemies of ecumenism" and to pray for the progress of closer unity. Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, retired archbishop of Westminster, said "suspicion, inertia and impatience" had damaged the ecumenical project. The former co-chairman of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission also told about 500 worshippers gathered in the Anglican cathedral in Chester that prayer and grass-roots initiatives were the best means of keeping the ecumenical dream alive. "To mend the ruptures of the past is a task that devolves on each one of us here this evening," the cardinal said at the Jan. 22 service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. "For too long we have lived, as it were, apart, and one of the joys of my years as a priest and bishop has been the growing friendship that has come amongst us," he said. "For when we meet together and pray together, the suspicions of the past dissolve, and we reach the heart of the ecumenical movement, which is a spiritual movement focused on Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to whom we pray and in whom we reach the Father," he said. "And, of course, we overcome inertia by what we do together," the cardinal added. "We can have many notional ideas of what we want to do, but do we actually do them? In every village and every town, everywhere, there ought to be some things which Christians are doing together. It may be a prayer group; it may be an expression of social concern for the poor and needy; it may be joint services, especially at key times such as today," he said.
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PEOPLE
Former Archbishop Sanchez, first US Hispanic archbishop, dead at 77
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (CNS) -- Former Archbishop Robert F. Sanchez, a pioneer in Hispanic ministry who later resigned in disgrace when several women accused him of having abused them as adults, died Jan. 20 at age 77. His death was announced by Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan of Santa Fe, who said he died at noon in Albuquerque "surrounded by his family. Archbishop Sanchez was much loved as a native son by the people of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe," Archbishop Sheehan said. "He was respected by his brother bishops and looked up to by his priests. We continue to acknowledge the good he did during his episcopacy, are well aware of his human failings and mourn his death today." His funeral Mass was to take place Jan. 26 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe, following public visitation and an evening vigil service the day before. His interment was to be private. Archbishop Sanchez headed the Santa Fe Archdiocese from July 25, 1974, until Pope John Paul II accepted his resignation on April 6, 1993. He was the first U.S.-born Hispanic archbishop and widely regarded as a leader in the awakening of U.S. Hispanic Catholic cultural consciousness in the late 20th century. At the time of his resignation, the archbishop also was secretary of what is now the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and a consultor to the Pontifical Commission for Migration and Tourism at the Vatican. His leadership was cut short, however, when the CBS news show "60 Minutes" aired a segment in which at least five women alleged that they had been sexually abused by the archbishop during the 1970s and early 1980s.
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Altoona-Johnstown bishop eulogizes Paterno as 'good Catholic,' friend
ALTOONA, Pa. (CNS) -- Although Joe Paterno will be remembered as "a legend throughout our region and throughout our country," Bishop Mark L. Bartchak said the iconic football coach will be best remembered in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown as "a good Catholic, a family man and a friend to many." Bishop Bartchak made his comments Jan. 22 at a news conference at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona, prior to a prayer service celebrating Respect for Life. Paterno, 85, died that morning at Mount Nittany Medical Center in State College, just 10 weeks after the Nov. 18 announcement that he was suffering from lung cancer. That announcement came nine days after Paterno's 61-year career at Penn State University was terminated in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. "Faith and family were so important to Joe Paterno," said Bishop Bartchak. "Joe's commitment to prayer, family and faith was a great example to the students at Penn State," and will leave a lasting impact, he said. Bishop Bartchak expressed his appreciation for the efforts Paterno and his wife, Sue, made to support the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, particularly their leadership in raising funds for the new Catholic campus ministry center now under construction at Penn State. The Paternos served as chair couple for the capital campaign to build the center "and were major contributors themselves," the bishop noted.
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Life, liberty at 'core of our national character,' Boehner tells rally
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Americans "as a people are pro-life" because life and liberty "are intertwined and form the core of our national character," House Speaker John Boehner told the crowd gathered on the National Mall Jan. 23 for the 39th annual March for Life. "God who gave us life gave us liberty," said the Ohio Republican, who is a Catholic. He added that his pro-life stand isn't political, "it's just who I am." He and the other members of Congress who spoke at the rally said they were proud they had passed the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act and the Protect Life Act and voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and defund Planned Parenthood. But now, said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., "we must work to change the Senate and reclaim the White House which not only obstructs pro-life legislation but has for the past three years advanced abortion in so many ways, while not even attempting to appear to be working to make abortion 'rare' and offering support to women to choose life." Smith, a Catholic who is chairman of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, told the rallygoers that they were "an important part of the greatest human rights movement on earth -- the selfless struggle by prayer, fasting and works to defend and protect all weak and vulnerable persons from the violence of abortion, infanticide and euthanasia." He also told the crowd, "The violent destruction of a child in the womb is not an American value." More than an hour before the rally kicked off, thousands of pro-life marchers, the majority of them high school and college-age youths from across the country, began to fill in the space around the speakers' platform under overcast skies. The temperature hovered in the high 30s. Intermittent rain forced marchers to put on ponchos and assorted rain gear and pull out their umbrellas. The wet weather left the National Mall a soggy and muddy patch, which marchers slogged through after the rally as they headed to Constitution Avenue, past the Capitol and up to the Supreme Court.
Copyright (c) 2012 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops