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News, of the hour, on the hour, from Catholic Information Radio.
I’m Bryan Douglas in Philadelphia, and at this hour….
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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.
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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

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And that’s top news of the hour.
I’m Bryan Douglas, CIR NEWS, for Catholic Information Radio.