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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:
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.
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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.

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