News Briefs
By Catholic News Service
U.S.
Way disabled treated shows belief about human dignity, says archbishop
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Every child and adult with special needs, every unwanted unborn child and every person who is "poor, weak, abandoned or homeless" is "an icon of God's face and a vessel of his love," said Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput. "How we treat these persons -- whether we revere them and welcome them, or throw them away in distaste -- shows what we really believe about human dignity, both as individuals and as a nation," he said Jan. 22 in a keynote address at a pro-life conference in Washington. He was the keynote speaker at the 13th annual Cardinal O'Connor Conference on Life at Georgetown University. It is named for the late Cardinal John O'Connor, archbishop of New York from 1984 to 2000. The student-run conference drew more than 700 young people and adults. The agenda included sessions on topics such as the international abortion situation; media and the pro-life movement; abortion and natural law; adoption's role in the pro-life movement; and ethical controversies in evolving medical technologies. The day ended with a discussion on pro-life legislation with members of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus. In his keynote, Archbishop Chaput talked about "the kind of people we're becoming and what we can do about it," illustrating his theme by outlining the current situation facing unborn babies shown by genetic testing to have Down syndrome. He said he has friends who have children with disabilities, in particular Down syndrome. He noted that about 5,000 children with the genetic disorder are born in the U.S. each year, and currently there are about 400,000 people in the country with Down syndrome. But that population "may soon dwindle," he said. "And the reason why it may decline illustrates, in a vivid way, a struggle with the American soul. That struggle will shape the character of our society in the decades to come."
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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 after 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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T-shirts, balloons and banners proclaim pro-life crowd's convictions
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 giving 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 shrouded in fog and barely visible. The weather in Washington was uncooperative, with intermittent rain and temperatures hovering in the high 30s. But as in 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. Donning rain gear and holding umbrellas, they descended on the nation's capital to mark the 39th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. The Supreme Court handed down the decision Jan. 22, 1973. 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," "If it's not a baby, you're not pregnant," and "Abortion survivor: Daughter of rape."
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Tie with CRS helps Villanova University make connections to world
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- When the Villanova Wildcats beat the Seton Hall Pirates 84-76 in men's basketball Jan. 18, it wasn't just a hard-fought victory in the tough Big East conference. The game also was a win for the people of the Republic of South Sudan, the world's newest nation, thanks to a partnership between Villanova University and Catholic Relief Services. Billed as "Playing for Peace," the game gave student ambassadors an opportunity to showcase the struggles the people of South Sudan are experiencing as they work to build a nation from the rubble of a decades-long civil war. Jennifer Joyce Kissko, an assistant professor in the university's Center for Peace and Justice Education, said the event offered the chance to present an important concern to a wider audience that extended beyond the Villanova community. "It means a lot to use athletics as a vehicle. We thought we could engage people's attention for social justice," she told Catholic News Service. The event was more than a year in planning, Kissko said, adding that she hopes it will become an annual event that helps focus the campus on the important work of CRS somewhere in the world. Players from both squads wore special T-shirts in pre-game warm-ups that read "Playing for Peace" on the front and "Stay with Sudan" across the back. Augustinian Father Peter M. Donahue, Villanova's president, read a brief statement at halftime about the university's efforts on behalf of South Sudan. Fans received a handout as they entered the arena offering background on the country and ideas on how to get involved. Father Donahue introduced several of lost boys from Southern Sudan who were driven from their tribal villages and separated from their parents during the height of their country's civil war; one was a recent Villanova graduate. Several South Sudanese diplomats made the trip to Philadelphia for the game and also were introduced to the crowd.
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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." 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 he had a message for President Barack Obama: "The violent destruction of children in the womb -- killing babies -- is not an American value."
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WORLD
Silence is key ingredient to meaningful communication, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Amid the deluge of information and nonstop chatter in today's media, the church needs to help people find safe havens of silence, Pope Benedict XVI said. Far from being the enemy of calm and quiet, social media and the Internet can lead people to virtual sanctuaries that offer silent reflection, thoughtful dialogue and true meaning in life, he said. "Attention should be paid to the various types of websites, applications and social networks which can help people today to find time for reflection and authentic questioning, as well as making space for silence and occasions for prayer, meditation or sharing of the word of God," he said in his message for the 2012 celebration of World Communications Day. Even brief posts and viral tweets can carry potent messages when people use those tools -- not for spamming or for scanning the latest gossip -- but for sharing a real part of themselves, he said. "In concise phrases, often no longer than a verse from the Bible, profound thoughts can be communicated, as long as those taking part in the conversation do not neglect to cultivate their own inner lives," he said. The theme of this year's World Communications Day -- marked in most dioceses the Sunday before Pentecost, this year May 20 -- is "Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization." The papal message was released on the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron of writers, Jan. 24. At a news conference on the message's release, Archbishop Claudio Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, said there is a huge difference between a "semantic silence" that can be rich in or bolster meaning versus "keeping quiet" and ignoring the realty.
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Sex-selective abortions moving to West with immigration, author says
ROME (CNS) -- Aborting unborn girls on account of their gender has been a documented trend in certain Asian countries for at least two decades. Now, according to an Italian biologist and author, the practice is also growing in the West. Women and couples who emigrate from cultures where male children are deemed more prestigious and economically valuable "will often bring those same values to their new country," said Anna Meldolesi, author of "Never born: Why the world has lost 100 million women" ("Mai nate: Perche il mondo ha perso 100 milioni di donne"), in a telephone interview with Catholic News Service Jan. 22. In 1990, Nobel prize-winning economist Amartya Sen calculated at 100 million the number of women who, by the laws of nature, should be part of the world population but are not. The "missing women" in question, Meldolesi wrote, have been the victims of infanticide, intentional neglect of health and nutrition, and more recently, abortion on the basis of sex. Inspired by studies of sex-selective abortion among Asian immigrants in North America, Meldolesi said she tried to find out if there was a similar trend in her own country of Italy. Using four years of demographic data from ISTAT, the Italian statistics bureau, she found that the "sex ratio" of first-born children appeared to occur at the natural rate of about 105 males to 100 females, similar to the Italian population and other nationalities. But when it came to second and third children, figures showed that the number of boys increased markedly -- with the disproportion as high as 119 to 100 -- indicating that parents had probably aborted female fetuses, Meldolesi said. She concluded that sex-selective abortion, or "feminine feticide," has been common among Italy's Chinese and Indian immigrant populations, and also, to a lesser extent, among Albanians.
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PEOPLE
Being pro-life intellectually, politically not enough, bishop says
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- It is not enough to be pro-life intellectually and politically, said Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn. "We must embrace the Gospel of life in the depth of our souls in such a way that it continually transforms us: bringing us to our knees in repentance for our own failures against human dignity; filling us with joy and gratitude for God's gift of human life; permeating our minds and hearts with bedrock convictions, born of faith and reason, about the inviolable dignity of human life at every stage," he said. Bishop Lori was the homilist at a Jan. 21 Mass celebrated in conjunction with the Cardinal O'Connor Conference on Life at Georgetown University. The conference is named after the late Cardinal John O'Connor, who was archbishop of New York from 1984 to 2000. In recalling the Old Testament story of Jonah bringing the ancient city of Nineveh to repentance, which was used as one of the readings for the Mass, Bishop Lori said that Nineveh was an "apt symbol" for the United States. "In spite of a growing secularity, Americans remain, overall, a religious people," he said. "Years of pro-life witness have also moved the needle. More Americans account themselves as pro-life today than at any time since the Supreme Court's toxic Roe v. Wade decision in 1973" that legalized abortion virtually on demand. "Young people, in particular, are now casting a critical eye on the culture of abortion, maybe asking themselves if they were once considered a choice rather than a person," Bishop Lori added.
Copyright (c) 2012 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops