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Here’s news, on the hour, from Catholic Information Radio.
I’m Bryan Douglas in Philadelphia, and at this hour….
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Lead:
Cardinal Julian Herranz, the president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, expressed sadness this week over those who “vilify” priests by generalizing cases of sexual abuse among the clergy.

Speaking to journalists this week, Cardinal Herranz said that the cases are profoundly sad and are the most serious crimes that can be committed by a priest. It is this fact which causes great sorrow to the Holy Father, because it means a priest is betraying his vocation and bringing hurt to many souls.

Nevertheless, he pointed out, only a small number of priests are involved in such cases, statistics do not even equal one percent.” For this reason, he lamented those who seek to tarnish the image of the Catholic priesthood and who in part are succeeding with the help of many in the media.

The intention vilifies the other 99 percent of priests faithful to their vocation, who with great generosity and desire, do the best they can for souls.” They “are working throughout the world and helping so many people in need and those marginalized in society,” the cardinal noted.

He also pointed out the image of the priesthood and the Church must not be tarnished because of the “detestable crimes” of a few of her members.

I’ll be back with more after this.
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Story 2:
The Pontifical Council for Culture has joined with an Italian biotech firm, NeoStem, in a joint effort to promote public recognition of the medical potential for use of adult stem cells. The initiative will "develop educational programs, publications and academic courses with an interdisciplinary approach. The joint effort is intended to encourage stem-cell research using stem cells taken from licit sources. At the same time, the Pontifical Council for Culture and NeoStem will seek to raise public awareness of the fact that the most promising developments in stem-cell research have involved tissues taken from adult sources.

Story 3:
A three-judge court in Kenya has ruled against official acceptance of the Islamic system of kadhi court. The kadhi courts, which are intended for use only by Muslims, apply the principles of shari'a law. The Kenyan judges ruled that the application of religious law to civil affairs is inappropriate in a secular country. The issue of Islamic courts has been a contentious point in the country's new proposed constitution. The Christian church in Kenya brought the case to court six years ago.

Story 4:
Responding to recent insinuations in the British press that Cardinal John Henry Newman was gay and was an intellectual forefather of today’s dissenters from Catholic teaching, Father Ian Ker, the author of the definitive biography of Newman, says that there is “irrefutable evidence of Newman’s heterosexuality.” The idea that Newman was a homosexual because of his friendship with Ambrose St. John comes from “the twentieth century, when the concept of friendship died.” Father Ker said.

Story 5:
Less than two weeks after Diocese of Burlington agreed to pay over $20 million to settle 29 lawsuits alleging the sexual abuse of minors by priests, the diocese has agreed to sell its historic 32-acre headquarters to Burlington College for an undisclosed sum. The property was recently put up for sale for $12.5 million. The diocese, which also is advertising its 26.5-acre Camp Holy Cross along Colchester's Malletts Bay for $7.5 million, limited its response to a short written statement. The college, according to its web site, is an “independent, progressive, liberal arts college” with 180 students.

This is Catholic Information News.

Story 6:
In an historic meeting, representatives of the Catholic Church in Cuba spoke with President Raul Castro about the release of political prisoners, among other items. The archbishop of Havana, Cardinal Jaime Ortega, gave a press conference on Thursday in which he reported on the meeting with President Castro, the first of its kind since Raul replaced his brother Fidel as head of the Cuban government. The conclusions of the meeting, regarded as positive by the Church leaders, point to the eventual release of political prisoners. Relations between the Vatican and the Castro regime improved after John Paul II's visit to Cuba in 1998, when he held a meeting with the former head of state, Fidel Castro.

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