An Ongoing Effort to Gain All for HIS Glory.2010-03-10T04:32:23ZAva Puma and Bryan BoyleCopyright 2010, Ava Puma and Bryan BoyleSPHPBLOGNewscast 3/8Click on link in the top box under Catholic Information Network at the right to listen. This will open up a new window with an embedded player.
-- (Roll Theme) News, of the hour, on the hour, from Catholic Information Radio. I’m Bryan Douglas in Philadelphia, and at this hour…. (Theme Out)
Lead: Bishop-elect of Scranton Joseph C. Bambera has lamented the “unexpected and untimely death” of a priest who struggled with drug problems.
Fr. James B. Shimsky, 50, died on Thursday at St. Mary’s Hospital at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He had been at an addiction treatment facility in the area but had been admitted to the hospital for a medical problem, a press release from the Diocese of Scranton says.
According to the Scranton Times-Tribune, the Scranton native was arrested Jan. 30 after police said he was seen buying cocaine from his parked car in North Philadelphia. He had been on a leave of absence from the diocese since Feb. 1.
After studies at the University of Scranton and Pope John XXIII Seminary in Weston, Mass. Fr. Shimsky was ordained in June 2001. He served as assistant pastor at several parishes and was a chaplain at St. Michael’s School in Tunkhannock. He directed Hispanic ministry for the Greater Wilkes-Barre Area, and was a promoter of the Holy Name and the Sacred Heart and Rosary Societies in Wilkes-Barre.
In his last assignment he was pastor of Corpus Christi parish in Montdale, Pa.
.I’ll be back with more after this. (insert PSAs)
Story 2: Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa gave the first of three Lenten meditations last Friday in the Redemptoris Mater chapel of the Apostolic Palace. He emphasized the importance and meaning of grace within the Church and warned of a tendency in the Western world to reject it. L'Osservatore Romano summarized the meditation of the preacher of the Pontifical Household in the simple sentence, "God is accepted as a gift, one does not conquer him." Within Christianity, the papal preacher explained, there are duties and commandments, but the level of the commandments take second place, "before them is the level of the gift, of grace." "It is from the gift that duty springs, not vice versa," he said. He emphasized that Satan's attitude can be seen in certain elements of Western society today. "The rejection of Christianity," in addition to denying the Church and Christian he said, "is the rejection of grace."
Story 3: The Archdiocese of Denver is defending its decision to not readmit a local same-sex couple's child into a Catholic school, saying quote, “Parents living in open discord with Catholic teaching in areas of faith and morals unfortunately choose by their actions to disqualify their children from enrollment” unquote. The Archdiosean admission policy states clearly that n person shall be admitted as a student in any Catholic school unless that person and their parent(s) subscribe to the school’s philosophy and agree to abide by the educational policies and regulations of the school and Archdiocese.
Story 4: An official with the U.S. Catholic bishops’ conference has said that the bishops would work to secure a “key vote” for the progress of the Senate health care reform bill if an acceptable agreement on abortion funding restrictions is reached with House leaders. The USCCB supported the amendment by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), which added strong restrictions on the funding of abortion to the House health care legislation, in keeping with the Hyde Amendment. However, that provision did not make it into the present Senate version of the bill.
This is Catholic Information News.
Story 5: Early last week, a delegation of Catholic bishops from the U.S. toured Port-au-Prince, the recently-devastated capital of Haiti. During their stay, the prelates visited the Louverture Cleary School, a tuition-free, Catholic, co-ed, secondary boarding school for under-privileged Haitian children. The prelates then visited the graves of Archbishop Joseph Miot and Fr. Charles Benoit, the vicar general of Port-au-Prince, who were killed during the earthquake. The deacon accompanying the group pointed out that the lettering on Archbishop Miot’s tomb was done by a volunteer for the relief agency overseeing the visit.
Story 6: Pop Benedict told parishioners of a Roman parish yesterday that there is a need to change mentalities, so as to see laypeople as co-responsible for the Church, not merely as simple collaborators with the clergy. Regarding movements and new ecclesial communities, he lauded the fact that the Church has been open to them from the beginning, thus developing a wider awareness of the Church and experiencing new forms of evangelization. However, he said quote: "I call on you to continue in this direction with courage but also to dedicate yourselves to bring all of these realities together into a unified pastoral project” unquote.
(roll theme and establish) And that’s top news of the hour. I’m Bryan Douglas, CIR NEWS, for Catholic Information Radio.
]]>http://www.avemariablog.org/index.php?entry=entry100308-1110592010-03-08T00:00:00Z2010-03-08T00:00:00ZNewscast 3/5Click on link in the top box under Catholic Information Network at the right to listen. This will open up a new window with an embedded player.
-- (Roll Theme) News, of the hour, on the hour, from Catholic Information Radio. I’m Bryan Douglas in Philadelphia, and at this hour…. (Theme Out)
Lead: Leaders of the U.S. branch of the Traditional Anglican Communion have formally requested to enter into communion with the Catholic Church.
In a statement released from a meeting of the House of Bishops in Orlando, the Church announced quote “We, the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church in America of the Traditional Anglican Communion have met in Orlando, Florida, together with our Primate and the Reverend Christopher Phillips of the 'Anglican Use' Parish of Our Lady of the Atonement (San Antonio, Texas) and others At this meeting, the decision was made formally to request the implementation of the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus in the United States of America by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,” unquote.
The decision follows Pope Benedict's publication of “Anglicanorum coetibus,” which was released last year and addressed measures planned by the Vatican to allow Anglican communities to enter into communion with the Catholic Church.
For this to happen, each diocese will have to meet for an individual synod and eventually come together for a national one. It is believe that although there could be initial resistance among some within the Anglican community, eventually, once things are clarified, unification on the move should not be an issue.
I’ll be back with more after this. (insert PSAs)
Story 2: Pope Benedict has nominated four clergymen from within the Vatican to the Pontifical Committee for International Eucharistic Congresses on Thursday. The new members will work to celebrate and prepare the 50th International Eucharistic Congress, which will take place in Dublin in 2012. Organizers in Ireland describe the upcoming Eucharistic Congress as an international gathering of people which aims to: promote an awareness of the central place of the Eucharist in the life and mission of the Catholic Church, and to help improve understanding and celebration of the liturgy . Congresses take place every four years and offer liturgical and cultural events along with lectures and workshops to the faithful. The theme for the 2012 International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) is “The Eucharist: Communion with Christ and with one another.”
Story 3: The Obama administration has endorsed a proposal to create a new U.N. “super agency” to advance extremist feminist ideology, the Population Research Institute (PRI) says. The organization warns the agency could engage in “cultural imperialism” in service to radical causes. The proposed agency is supported by a consortium of radical feminist organizations called the Gender Equality Architecture Reform Campaign (GEAR). The proposal came at the New York meeting of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. The Obama administration and the European Union immediately seconded the proposal, which appears to have a good chance at passage.
Story 4: An attorney in Michigan defending a woman charged with smothering her newborn daughter to death has claimed that a judge’s Catholic religion and affiliation with Ave Maria Law School will color his judgment. The lawyer argued the judge’s work at the school was equivalent to attending a Ku Klux Klan meeting while trying a black man. At a Tuesday hearing Judge Timothy Kenny ruled that that the lawyer’s argument that the judge was biased was “not persuasive,” the Detroit Free Press reports.
This is Catholic Information News.
Story 5: Progress toward the beatification of Pope John Paul II may be delayed, a Polish newspaper reports, because doctors examining a reported miracle have been unable to reach a consensus. A Vatican official told the ANSA news agency that the team of doctors examining the reported miracle had not yet reached a finding, and their report is not expected until after Easter. However the Warsaw newspaper said that the doctors were split on the case. Vatican officials have cautioned, however, against attaching too much significance to the report.
Story 6: The US bishops' conference will push for the approval of the health-care reform legislation if the current Senate bill is amended to include the pro-life language contained in the version passed by the House. President Obama and the Democrat Party have indicated that they will push for House approval of the Senate bill. The USSCB has signaled that the Senate bill is unacceptable because it allows for abortion subsidies and fails to protect the conscience rights of health-care personnel. A majority of the US voters in a latest poll are not in favor of the bill, which is not mentioned in the USCCB statement.
(roll theme and establish) And that’s top news of the hour. I’m Bryan Douglas, CIR NEWS, for Catholic Information Radio.
]]>http://www.avemariablog.org/index.php?entry=entry100305-1256192010-03-05T00:00:00Z2010-03-05T00:00:00ZNewscast 3/3Click on link in the top box under Catholic Information Network at the right to listen. This will open up a new window with an embedded player.
-- (Roll Theme) News, of the hour, on the hour, from Catholic Information Radio. I’m Bryan Douglas in Philadelphia, and at this hour…. (Theme Out)
Lead: A recent Wall Street Journal article has detailed an interview with Representative Bart Stupak in which he said he opposes the current Senate health care bill for reasons other than the issue of federally funded abortions.
Rep. Stupak said last night that if Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi brought the Senate health care bill to the floor he would find it very hard to vote for it even if they fixed the abortion language.
When he was asked whether or not he would for the Senate legislation as is, the Congressman responded, “nope.”
Besides taking issue with the Senate health care bill providing federally funded abortions, Representative. Stupak said that the House version of the bill had tighter restrictions on insurance companies as well as new payment methods that would help doctors provide quality service – neither of which are included in the Senate version.
The Michigan representative also takes issue with the fact that House members will be called to vote on the Senate bill without being assured the changes they've requested with the legislation will ever get approved. Congressman Stupak stepped into the national political spotlight last year when he introduced an amendment to the House health care reform bill that maintained the Hyde Amendment ban on using federal funds to pay for abortions. The Stupak Amendment passed in the House by a vote of 240-194 in November.
I’ll be back with more after this. (insert PSAs)
Story 2: The Holy Father will make a trip to Spain in November of this year, according to announcements from both sides of the Mediterranean on Wednesday. On Nov. 6 he will be in Santiago de Compostela for the Year of St. James celebrations and then visit Barcelona to bless Antoni Gaudi's famous and unique Holy Family Cathedral. The visit to the site of St. James' tomb comes on the 900th anniversary of the construction of the city's cathedral. Archbishop Julian Barrio confirmed the announcement in a press conference from the northwestern Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela.
Story 3: The former president of Poland and winner of the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize, Lech Walesa, sent a letter to the friends and family members of Orlando Tamayo, the Cuban prisoner of conscience who died in captivity last week. Walesa denounced the Cuban government for silently doing away with those who call for freedom and democracy. His death, Walesa continued, is another sign that the regime of the Castro brothers pays no attention to the urging of the international community to end its human rights violations.
Story 4: Pope Benedict hopes to bring about a "reform of the reform" by suggesting rather than legislating changes in the liturgy, Monsignor Guido Marini, the papal master of ceremonies has revealed. In an interview with John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter, Marini said that the Pontiff would strongly encourage practices such as administering Communion to the faithful kneeling and on the tongue, the central placement of a visible crucifix on the altar, and the celebration of Mass ad orientem. But these would be "proposals," the liturgist said and does not anticipate formal papal directives to change the liturgy at this time.
This is Catholic Information News.
Story 5: In a conversation with the Washington Post, Archbishop Donald Wuerl defended the decision to eliminate health-care benefits for the spouses of employees at Catholic Charities. The archdiocesan agency made the change in reaction to a new law that requires institutions in the District of Columbia to provide equal coverage for same-sex partners. The archbishop said that in light of the clear conflict between the law and the teachings of the Church, archdiocesan officials had "no choice" but to change their policy.
Story 6: According to the prefect of the Vatican Secret Archives, the documents from Pope Pius XII's pontificate might be catalogued and ready for researchers in five years. There are some 16 million documents from Pius’ 1939-1958 pontificate. They have generated great interest due to the polemics surrounding Pius XII's aid to Jews during the Nazi era. Regarding those documents, Bishop Pagano said the Holy See would be willing to open the archives even tomorrow, since there is nothing to "fear" from them. But, he said, the documents must still be numbered, conserved, registered and ordered.
(roll theme and establish) And that’s top news of the hour. I’m Bryan Douglas, CIR NEWS, for Catholic Information Radio.
]]>http://www.avemariablog.org/index.php?entry=entry100303-1340412010-03-03T00:00:00Z2010-03-03T00:00:00ZNewscast 3/2Click on link in the top box under Catholic Information Network at the right to listen. This will open up a new window with an embedded player.
-- (Roll Theme) News, of the hour, on the hour, from Catholic Information Radio. I’m Bryan Douglas in Philadelphia, and at this hour…. (Theme Out)
Lead: Speaking in Houston, Texas, where then-Senator John F. Kennedy delivered a famous speech on religion during his presidential campaign in 1960, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver offered a serious and thoughtful critique of the late president's address. The Kennedy speech, which has been widely adopted as a model for Catholic politicians, was "sincere, compelling, articulate-- and wrong.
Archbishop Chaput said by setting up artificial barriers between private beliefs and public actions, Kennedy harmed the cause of Catholic influence in American political affairs and also said Kennedy’s Houston remarks profoundly undermined the place not just of Catholics, but of all religious believers, in America’s public life and political conversation. Today, half a century later, we’re paying for the damage.
Kennedy was right to say that he would be guided by his own conscience in his execution of the public trust, the archbishop argues. But he was wrong to suggest that his conscience could or should be separated from the guidance of his Church.
Archbishop Chaput says that the net result of the Houston speech was a gain for secularists who seek to remove religious influence from public life. He remarked that too many Christian individuals, Protestant and Catholic alike, live their faith as if it were 'private idiosyncrasy' which they try to prevent from becoming a 'public nuisance.
I’ll be back with more after this. (insert PSAs)
Story 2: A spokesman for the US bishops' conference has flatly contradicted the claim by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that the health-care reform plan now under discussion on Capitol Hill would not provide subsidies for abortion. However, ro-life groups have consistently pointed out that the bill advanced by the White House would provide taxpayer subsidies for abortion in several different ways. The group's analysis noted that the legislation provides direct federal funding of abortion on demand through Community Health Centers and would institute federal subsidies for private health plans that cover abortion on demand including federal mandates that would require even non-subsidized private plans to cover elective abortion."
Story 3: The Washington DC office of Catholic Charities will drop health-care coverage for spouses of employees in order to avoid clashing with a new law that requires equal treatment of same-sex couples. Officials for the agency chose to change their health-care plan for employees rather than expanding the definition of "spouse" to allow for the inclusion of a same-sex partner. The Washington archdiocese has already ended its adoption services because of the same law which would have required the Catholic agency to provide equal service to homosexual couples
Story 4: Bishop Denis Brennan of Ferns, Ireland, has called upon the parishioners of his diocese to help pay over €10.5 million ($14.2 million) in expenses from clergy sex-abuse lawsuits. That figure reflects the payments to abuse victims and to lawyers involved in about 60 cases. The cost would amount to about $150 for every Catholic living in the Ferns diocese. The diocesan finance officer said insurance had paid one-seventh but that, so far, the diocese had spent €3.5m partly by running down its savings and recently, by raising a €1.8m loan.
This is Catholic Information News.
Story 5: The strong words of Pope Benedict XVI against anti-Christian violence in Mosul were acknowledged with gratitude by Iraqis, according to a bishop speaking from Iraq on Monday. Christians, Muslims and members of two other Iraqi minority groups peacefully protested in Baghdad, calling for an end to the violence and demanding protection. Auxilary Bishop of Baghdad Shlemon Warduni spoke from the Iraqi capital with the Italian bishops' news agency SIR about the demonstrations and the reaction to the Pope's special greeting and call for government protection of minorities, especially Christians in Mosul.
Story 6: The Apostolic Nuncio in Chile, Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, remarked on Monday that the Church has already started reaching out to those most impacted by the country's 8.8 earthquake. Speaking with Vatican Radio, the archbishop noted that while communication has been difficult due to damage in the hardest-hit areas of Concepcion, Temuco and Curico, aid is being sent to the over one million people who have been left homeless.
(roll theme and establish) And that’s top news of the hour. I’m Bryan Douglas, CIR NEWS, for Catholic Information Radio.
]]>http://www.avemariablog.org/index.php?entry=entry100302-1348472010-03-02T00:00:00Z2010-03-02T00:00:00ZNewscast 3/1Click on link in the top box under Catholic Information Network at the right to listen. This will open up a new window with an embedded player.
-- (Roll Theme) News, of the hour, on the hour, from Catholic Information Radio. I’m Bryan Douglas in Philadelphia, and at this hour…. (Theme Out)
Lead: As Chile's Catholic Church coordinated aid to victims of the massive earthquake that struck the country's central coast on Feb. 27, church leaders expressed their condolences to families of the more than 700 people killed.
After praying the Angelus on Sunday,, Pope Benedict XVI said quote "I am praying for the victims and am spiritually close to those affected by this serious catastrophe. For them, I ask God to grant relief of suffering and courage in this adversity” unquote.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet declared the southern regions a disaster area, ordered the army to reinforce the police, and imposed a nighttime curfew on the region to halt looting of stores. She also asked other countries to assist with field hospitals, water purification, communications equipment, and generators.
Telephone communication with Chile still was difficult today, and Chileans abroad struggled to contact relatives. Much of the disaster area and even some communities around the capital city of Santiago are still without electricity.
The magnitude 8.8 quake, one of the eight strongest on record, struck at 3:34 a.m. local time Feb. 27. Over the next two days, more than 115 aftershocks measuring more than 5.0 were recorded, nine of them registering more than 6.0. The strongest earthquake on record, which measured 9.5, struck the same area in 1960.
I’ll be back with more after this. (insert PSAs)
Story 2: Syrian Catholic Archbishop Basile Casmoussa of Mosul led over 1,000 Iraqi Catholics in a silent protest on February 28 to demand that the government act to put a stop to violence against Christians there. The United Nations has estimated that over 680 Christians fled Mosul in the last week. In Kirkuk, Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako led another prayer rally, and warned against the "Nineveh Plains plain” which is a proposal to gather Christians into a single location in the Nineveh region. He called for Christians to be united in opposition to that proposal because the archbishop said, Catholic leaders have generally agreed that a Christian enclave in Iraq would be vulnerable to organized mob attacks.
Story 3: Archbishop Lawrence Saldanha of Lahore has denounced government indifference to the persecution of Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs in Pakistan, an indifference that has allowed the Taliban to impose a tax on non-Muslims in certain areas.
Lamenting the frequent incidents of violence and crime posing grave threat to the life, liberty, and property of the members of religious minorities in the country, Archbishop Saldanha said that “the government should protect the religious minorities on priority, as they happen to be one of the most vulnerable groups to social and organized crimes.”
Story 4: The Portuguese bishops have announced details of Pope Benedict’s May pilgrimage to their nation of 10.6 million. Capacity crowds of 150,000 and 250,000 respectively may attend open-air Masses in the capital city of Lisbon and in the northwestern city of Porto. The Pontiff will also visit Fatima, where 600,000 attended a Mass offered by Pope John Paul II in 2000.
“With You, We Walk in Hope: Christianity, and Mission” is the theme of the visit. 88% of the population is Catholic.
This is Catholic Information News.
Story 5: Returning from a conference in South Africa, the president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications has lauded the Church in India’s use of new technologies. Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli emphasized that such technologies should not be used for propaganda and proselytism, but rather should be used to communicate the joy of the Christian message to a world marked by loneliness, in accord with the writings of St. Paul
Story 6: On the occasion of the 70th birthday of the Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, Benedict XVI sent him a telegram to wish him well on his birthday. The Holy Father's message recalls the "pleasant memories" of his meetings with the Patriarch, referring above all to his visit to Fanar for the feast of St. Andrew in 2006. The telegram concluded quote, "I exchange with Your Holiness a holy embrace, expressing my hope in faith that the Spirit of God continue to enlighten and guide our path toward the full communion desired by Christ for all of his disciples” unquote
(roll theme and establish) And that’s top news of the hour. I’m Bryan Douglas, CIR NEWS, for Catholic Information Radio.
]]>http://www.avemariablog.org/index.php?entry=entry100301-1259262010-03-01T00:00:00Z2010-03-01T00:00:00ZNewscast 2/25Click on link in the top box under Catholic Information Network at the right to listen. This will open up a new window with an embedded player.
--
(Roll Theme) News, of the hour, on the hour, from Catholic Information Radio. I’m Bryan Douglas in Philadelphia, and at this hour…. (Theme Out)
Lead: Hundreds of Christian families are leaving Mosul, Iraq each day to escape a concerted campaign of violence and intimidation. Syrian Catholic Archbishop Basil Casmoussa presided on February 25 at a funeral for 3 family members who were the latest victims of execution-style murders.
Chaldean Catholic Bishop Emil Nona fears that Mosul will be emptied completely of Christians. In response to this, he will visit Baghdad to plead for help from the national government in establishing some minimal security for the city's religious minority.
Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk plans a demonstration calling the attention of international leaders to the ongoing massacre of Iraqi Christians."
Many of the Christians who are fleeing from Mosul, which has been prompted by a series of targeted killings, are looking for refuge in the Nineveh plains. Church leaders have warned against plans to confine Christians in that region, saying that it will subject the Christian minority to "ghettoization" and make it easier to plan anti-Christian violence for a single locale.
Pope Benedict XVI interrupted his Lenten Retreat long enough to issue a statement of deep sorrow over the news of fresh violence against Christians in Mosul. He assured the embattled minority that he would be them through prayer and affection during his spiritual exercises.
I’ll be back with more after this. (insert PSAs)
Story 2: The United States Catholic Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is urging congressional leaders to commit themselves to enacting genuine health care reform that will protect the life, dignity, consciences and health of all.
In yet another in an ongoing series, they’ve sent a letter to Congressional leaders, renewing their plea for passage of health-care reform legislation. The letter deliberately avoids references to any specific piece of legislation, but appears just as President Obama convenes a summit with leaders of Congress looking for support of his plan, which would include coverage for abortion. Without directly addressing the Obama plan, the USCCB leaders are making a more general argument for pro-life legislation.
Story 3: The Spanish parliament has approved new legislation that establishes a woman's so-called "right" to abortion and eliminates all restrictions during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. The new law also allows 16-year-old girls to obtain abortions without their parents' consent. The bill, advanced by the government of Prime Minister José Zapatero, was strongly opposed by the country's Catholic bishops, who warned that no Catholic legislator could vote for the bill in good conscience.
Story 4: Days after violence erupted in Punjab following the publication of a textbook with a blasphemous image of Jesus, the bishops of India welcome actions against the publisher but said they would not support an anti-blasphemy law introduced in one Indian state. The textbook publisher has since apologized, attributing the image’s publication to “oversight and human error.” The bishops, leery of the use of blasphemy laws against Christians in Pakistan, oppose a bill introduced in the northeastern state of Meghalaya that would make it a crime to “hurt the religious sentiments of people.” It was in Meghalaya that nuns first noticed the blasphemous image.
This is Catholic Information News.
Story 5: Catholics and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must continue to stand together as a "vital bulwark" against those in American society who want to "reduce religion to a purely private reality," the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops told a historic gathering at Brigham Young University in Provo.
Cardinal Francis George of Chicago spoke Feb. 23 on "Catholics and Latter-day Saints: Partners in the Defense of Religious Freedom" as part of the Mormon school's forum series. He was the first cardinal to speak at the university.
Story 6: The leader of the Anglican Communion has joined his voice to the chorus of those defending Christian presence in the Holy Land and urging peace so that Christian emigration will stop. On a four-day tour of the Middle East, Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury met with the Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Latin patriarchs, and with leaders of the Jewish community. In each meeting, there was affirmation of the need to do everything possible to support the Christian churches in the Holy Land, serving not only their own best interests but also those of all the people in the Middle East.
(roll theme and establish) And that’s top news of the hour. I’m Bryan Douglas, CIR NEWS, for Catholic Information Radio.]]>http://www.avemariablog.org/index.php?entry=entry100225-1709492010-02-25T00:00:00Z2010-02-25T00:00:00ZNewscast 2/23Click on link in the top box under Catholic Information Network at the right to listen. This will open up a new window with an embedded player.
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(Roll Theme) News, of the hour, on the hour, from Catholic Information Radio. I’m Bryan Douglas in Philadelphia, and at this hour…. (Theme Out)
Lead: As the head of the Catholic Health Association expressed hope that President Barack Obama's health care summit would "move health care reform closer to completion," the leaders of a group of Catholic physicians called on Congress to scrap the current legislative proposals and start over.
Sister Carol Keehan, a Daughter of Charity who is CHA president and CEO said quote "The American people are tired of partisan bickering and want lawmakers to find common ground toward creating a stronger, more equitable health care system," unquote.
But John Brehany, president and executive director of the Catholic Medical Association said in an open letter to Obama and members of Congress that the most responsible course of action would be to pause, reflect and then begin the legislative process again, working in a more deliberate and bipartisan manner.
A Feb. 25 summit is being convened by Obama to bring together key members of Congress from both parties and government officials to discuss an 11-page proposal unveiled by the president Monday. No specific legislative language was released, but a summary of the president's plan makes no mention of abortion or health care for immigrants.
A poll released Feb. 23 by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the nation is evenly split on current health reform legislation, with 43 percent in favor and 43 percent opposed.
I’ll be back with more after this. (insert PSAs)
Story 2: In the silence of St Joseph's Convent in Leeds each morning, Sister Catherine dresses herself in a gray habit and she slips her feet into the sandals of a Franciscan nun. Twelve years ago, when she was Kirstin Holum, she was reaching for her skates instead, competing in 1988 for the United States at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Instead of continuing her speed skating career, she joined the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, an order founded in New York in 1988. She arrived in September in England to work with the poor, with youth and to evangelize. She is a member of a community of four nuns based in a house that, until last year, was owned and occupied by the Sisters of Mercy.
Story 3: Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Washington closed its 80-year-old foster care and public adoption program in the District of Columbia so the agency would not violate church teaching by licensing same-sex couples as foster or adoptive parents. The program -- which covered 43 children and their biological families, 35 foster families and seven staff members -- was transferred to the National Center for Children and Families Feb. 1. Under a new law allowing same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia, Catholic Charities would have been required to place children with same-sex parents for foster care and adoption, which would violate church teaching that marriage is a permanent union between one man and one woman.
Story 4: Pope Benedict has sent a message of support to the Catholic bishops of Brazil as they begin their Fraternity Campaign, an annual Lenten tradition. This year's campaign-- which is being undertaken jointly by the Catholic bishops along with the National Council of Christian Churches and other Christian groups-- focuses on economic concerns. In his message the Pope praises the participants who this year have decided to unite their forces to reconcile people with God.
This is Catholic Information News.
Story 5: Children who are conceived by in vitro fertilization face elevated risks of health problems that include birth defects, diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure, medical studies show. As the first generation of IVF babies reaches adulthood, there are also indications that they face a higher rate of infertility, perhaps a genetic trait inherited from their parents. A doctor in the vanguard of IVF treatment says that parents are willing to accept that risk, reasoning that the children, too, can receive IVF treatment.
Story 6: Catholic relief agencies in 40 nations have received 200 million dollars in donations from individuals and $36 million dollars in pledges from governments and other institutions to assist Haitian earthquake victims, according to Caritas International, the international consortium of Catholic relief agencies. Within Haiti, Caritas has fed 500,000 people and given shelter kits to 43,000.
(roll theme and establish) And that’s top news of the hour. I’m Bryan Douglas, CIR NEWS, for Catholic Information Radio.
]]>http://www.avemariablog.org/index.php?entry=entry100223-1516572010-02-23T00:00:00Z2010-02-23T00:00:00ZNewscast 2/22Click on link in the top box under Catholic Information Network at the right to listen. This will open up a new window with an embedded player.
-- (Roll Theme) News, of the hour, on the hour, from Catholic Information Radio. I’m Bryan Douglas in Philadelphia, and at this hour…. (Theme Out)
Lead: The latest Vatican statistics show a slight increase in Catholics as a percentage of the world's population, and a slow but steady rise in the number of priests and seminarians worldwide.
The statistics, from the end of 2008, were presented along with the new Vatican yearbook on February 20th.
The Vatican said the number of Catholics reached 1.166 billion, an increase of 1.7 percent from the end of 2007. During the same period, Catholics as a percentage of the global population grew from 17.33 percent to 17.4 percent, it said.
The number of priests stood at 409,166, an increase of 1,100 over 2007. Since the year 2000, the Vatican said, the number of priests has increased by nearly 4,000, or about 1 percent. Looking at the way priests are distributed around the world, it said: 47.1 percent were in Europe, 30 percent in the Americas, 13.2 percent in Asia, 8.7 percent in Africa and 1.2 percent in Oceania.
The number of seminarians around the world rose from 116,000 at the end of 2007 to 117,000 at the end of 2008, an increase of more than 1 percent, it said. The increase in seminarians varied geographically: Africa showed an increase of 3.6 percent, Asia an increase of 4.4 percent, and Oceania an increase of 6.5 percent, while Europe had a decrease of 4.3 percent and the Americas remained about the same.
I’ll be back with more after this. (insert PSAs)
Story 2: Victims of the abuse scandal in the Archdiocese of Dublin said they are close to despair because they say the church will not take full responsibility for the covering up of the abuse. Clergy abuse survivors met with Dublin Archbishop Deermid Martin to discuss the outcome of the meeting of Irish bishops with Pope Benedict XVI and senior officials from the Roman Curia. The meeting reviewed a November report by an independent commission that investigated how the Dublin Archdiocese handled complaints of clerical child abuse between 1975 and 2004. Maeve Lewis, director of the One in Four abuse survivors' group, said that the statement issued by the Vatican only accepted the failure of Irish church authorities , but did not go far enough towards complete acceptance by the pope.
Story 3: Nineteen Catholic scholars of theology and history are asking Pope Benedict XVI to slow the process of the sainthood cause of Pope Pius XII. Saying that much more research needs to be done his papacy, the scholars said in letter to Pope Benedict that "history needs distance and perspective" before definitive conclusions can be reached on the role of Pope Pius during World War. Leading the effort are Father John Pawlikowski, professor of ethics at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and Father Kevin Spicer, associate professor of history at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass. Copies of the letter were also sent to Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan and Cardinal Walter Kasper.
Story 4: This Easter, thousands will enter the Catholic Church, and the U.S. bishops are encouraging all faithful to find ways to welcome the newest members. The conference publicized a list of suggestions for building this welcoming attitude. The message explained that Lent is the moment of final preparation for those who will receive the sacraments at the Easter Vigil Mass and encourages parishes to begin praying now for the candidates.
This is Catholic Information News.
Story 5: Britain’s House of Commons is set to vote on legislation this week that would introduce a program of sex education to primary school children from as young as 5 years of age. The "Children, Schools and Families Bill" also contains many other clauses which, critics say, is not so much a denial of Catholic teaching “as a whole uprooting of the natural law relationship between parents, children and the state.” The bill, which Members of Parliament will vote on Tuesday, is causing widespread concern among United Kingdom priests and laity who see it as further erosion of legitimate freedoms of religious belief.
Story 6: Benedict XVI entrusted his spiritual exercises that started Sunday to the intercession of the Blessed Mother, asking her to pray that Lent be a time lived with joy. The Pope said this Sunday before praying the midday Angelus with those in St. Peter's Square. It was his last public audience until next weekend, as he began his seven-day spiritual exercises. The Holy Father's address touched on what it means to enter into the Lenten journey, and said the Gospel from yesterday’s liturgy -- detailing Christ's temptations in the desert -- illustrates the meaning of what we all face at we journey through the Lenten experience..
(roll theme and establish) And that’s top news of the hour. I’m Bryan Douglas, CIR NEWS, for Catholic Information Radio.
]]>http://www.avemariablog.org/index.php?entry=entry100222-1544582010-02-22T00:00:00Z2010-02-22T00:00:00ZNewscast 2/18Click on link in the top box under Catholic Information Network at the right to listen. This will open up a new window with an embedded player.
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(Roll Theme) News, of the hour, on the hour, from Catholic Information Radio. I’m Bryan Douglas in Philadelphia, and at this hour…. (Theme Out)
Lead: It has been an historic week for the Church in Australia and around the world. The move of many Anglican Christians to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church has taken a decided step forward. In an interview with the Sidney Australia Daily Telegraph, Bishop David Robarts chairman of Forward in Faith in that country, explained that members of that Anglican association in Australia have decided they could no longer continue to participate in faith as a part of an Anglican Church in Australia which was not being faithful.
The Bishop explained that the Anglican communion was moving away from orthodox Christian belief and practice and leaving them by the wayside. So, last Sunday, Forward in Faith Australia voted unanimously to accept the invitation extended by Pope Benedict in his historic apostolic constitution that provides for the reception of Anglicans who wish to enter the Church. They will now take the next step in entering into full communion over the next months.
The entire process of following the directions set forth in the Apostolic Constitution is being presided over by Catholic Bishop Peter Elliott. There is no doubt this Anglican group will now make Church history. They will come into full communion with the Catholic Church while maintaining aspects of their liturgical distinctiveness and Anglican Ethos. Bishop Robarts said quote "I love my Anglican heritage, and I'm not going to lose it by taking this step." unquote
I’ll be back with more after this. (insert PSAs)
Story 2: Among the notorious dissenters from the clear teaching of the Catholic Church concerning homosexual practice is an organization called “New Ways Ministry”. The group explains its mission on its web site as “a gay-positive ministry within the larger Christian and civil communities.” In a warning, Cardinal Francis George, president of the USCCB, has issued a statement on the status of the organization restating the prohibition from any pastoral work involving homosexual persons. Cardinal George made it clear in his statement that this ministry has no approval or recognition from the Catholic Church and that they cannot claim to speak on behalf of the Catholic faithful in the United States.
Story 3: A grass roots organization in Mississippi has amassed over 130,000 signatures in order to place a Personhood amendment on an upcoming ballot in the state. The amount of signatures well surpasses the minimum requirement of 89,285 needed for a ballot initiative. Personhood Mississippi, a non-profit group that seeks to “protect all life, regardless of age, health, function, physical or mental dependency, or method of reproduction,” reported that this latest ballot initiative broke the state record and garnered more signatures than any other initiative in Mississippi's history. The group reported that once each district’s signatures are verified, the amendment will be placed on the November 2011 ballot.
Story 4: A Catholic man could face prison after violating a court order that forbade him from taking his toddler to Mass. Joesph Reyes of Chicago is in the midst of a bitter divorce suit with his estranged wife, who is Jewish. This comes after Reyes had previously received a restraining order forbidding him from “exposing his daughter to any other religion than the Jewish religion” after he had his daughter baptized a Catholic.
This is Catholic Information News.
Story 5: New details are suggesting that a 12-year-old Pakistani Christian who was raped, tortured and killed is one of many victims of child trafficking in that country. Sha zee a Massey died Jan. 21 in a Lahore hospital after her employer allegedly raped and tortured her. The girl, who was from a poor Catholic family, was working as a servant for a Muslim lawyer, Chaudry Naeem, in Lahore. The investigation into Sha zee a’s case has led back to a ring of organized crime based on child trafficking. In this system, children are taken from their poor families, often Christian, who are deceived into believing that there is dignified work for them among wealthier families.
Story 6: While U.S. atheists are fighting a proposed postal stamp honoring Mother Teresa of Calcutta, thousands of Catholics are pushing back against what they see as religious discrimination. CatholicVoteAction.org issued a press release Tuesday calling for Americans to join the nearly 78,000 signatories of a petition supporting the Mother Teresa stamp. The petition, addressed to U.S. Postmaster General Jack Potter, says quote We are shocked and saddened by reports that atheist groups are now mobilizing to stop issuance of a new stamp honoring Mother Teresa. unquote
(roll theme and establish) And that’s top news of the hour. I’m Bryan Douglas, CIR NEWS, for Catholic Information Radio.]]>http://www.avemariablog.org/index.php?entry=entry100218-1346132010-02-18T00:00:00Z2010-02-18T00:00:00ZNewscast 2/17Click on link in the top box under Catholic Information Network at the right to listen. This will open up a new window with an embedded player.
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(Roll Theme) News, of the hour, on the hour, from Catholic Information Radio. I’m Bryan Douglas in Philadelphia, and at this hour…. (Theme Out)
Lead: At his regular weekly public audience on Ash Wednesday today, Pope Benedict spoke about the Lenten call to conversion. Conversion, he told the audience in the Paul VI auditorium, means changing the direction of our lives. He said quote "It means going against the current, especially when that current is a superficial, incoherent, and illusory way of life that often drags us down, making us slaves of evil or prisoners of moral mediocrity." unquote
Against that approach the Pope said, the Church offers the stern reality of Ash Wednesday, with the reminder that we all face the same inevitable end: death and decay. The Church insists that we face that reality he observed, realizing that we tend to shrink from it because of the innate fear of our own ends. That reluctance to confront death is heightened, he noted, by "a culture that tends in many ways to censor reality."
However, the Pope reminded his audience, although Ash Wednesday brings a reminder that man is dust, our faith tells us that it is "dust that is precious in God's eyes." During the 40 days of Lent, the Holy Father added, the faithful should "renew thecommitment to follow Jesus, letting ourselves be transformed by his paschal mystery," to realize our true identity with and in Christ.
I’ll be back with more after this.
(insert PSAs)
Story 2: Irish Cardinal Sean Brady told reporters that the Catholic bishops of Ireland will make a public act of repentance during Lent in response to the sex-abuse scandal. Speaking to reporters after two days of meetings in Rome, the cardinal said that the bishops had not decided on a particular penitential act, but their gesture would be tantamount to "sackcloth and ashes."
Cardinal Brady acknowledged that there have been "differences of opinion" among the Irish bishops about the proper response to the scandal, but emphasized that they were completely united in their belief that concern for victims and a determination to avoid future abuse should be their top priorities.
Story 3: A conservative Anglican bishop has described his contacts with the Vatican as a little bit like Elizabethan espionage, and revealed that he feels the need to work around unsympathetic English bishops, in his effort to bring Anglicans into the Catholic Church. Anglican Bishop Andrew Burnham of Ebbsfleet tells Australian Catholic Bishop Peter Elliott that careful maneuvers are required to ensure that the Pope's invitation to Anglicans is not smothered by the management anxieties of the hierarchy. He also revealed that he has received strong support from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, but expresses his fear that efforts still face strong resistance among the bishops of England and Wales.
Story 4: The Diocese of Phoenix announced that Pope Benedict has laicized Msgr. Dale Fushek following an investigation into allegations that he sexually abused minors. The former diocesan vicar general, who founded the Life Teen youth ministry, was excommunicated in 2008 for schism. Fushek faces five trials on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and indecent exposure.
This is Catholic Information News.
Story 5: An Italian cardinal has warned politicians that they set themselves apart from the Church if they support legal recognition of same-sex marriage saying quote "It's impossible for the Catholic faith and support for putting homosexual unions on equal footing with marriage to coexist in one's conscience -- the two contradict each other," unquote. Cardinal Carlo Caffarra of Bologna wrote the warning, originally prepared for his own archdiocese, which was reprinted by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.
Story 6: The execution-style murder of a Christian student in Mosul, Iraq-- the 3rd such killing in that city this week-- has added to an "atmosphere of panic that reigns among Christians" there, the AsiaNews service reports. The campaign of violence against Christians, largely ignored by public officials, has driven many Christian families out of Mosul, which may be the ultimate goal of the sectarian violence.
(roll theme and establish) And that’s top news of the hour. I’m Bryan Douglas, CIR NEWS, for Catholic Information Radio.