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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….
(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.
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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.

Newscast for 8 & 9PM tonight.
Click 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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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:
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.
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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.

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

Newscast for 8 & 9PM tonight.
Click 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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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.
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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..

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

Newscast for 8 & 9PM tonight.
Click 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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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.

Newscast for 8 & 9PM tonight.
Click 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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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:
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.

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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.

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