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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:
Holy See on Wednesday confirmed the formation of a commission to investigate the so-called apparations claimed to be occuring in Croatia.

The Vatican communique reads: “The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the presidency of Cardinal Camillo Ruini, has established an international commission of investigation on Medjugorje. The Commission, composed of cardinals, bishops, and experts will work in a reserved manner, subjecting the results of their studies to the authority of the Dicastery and the Holy Father.”

Vatican spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi, said that no other information was available at this point besides the role of Cardinal Ruini as president. However, he did say that the commission will be formed by “more or less” 20 members.

Responding to a question from a journalist about the possible inclusion of Bishop Peric of Mostar, whose diocese includes supposed site, Fr. Lombardi said that he is not in possession of a list of members.

Speaking in Italian, he said to expect that investigations will take “a good while” to reach their completion and emphasized that the results of the commission’s activities will be submitted to the CDF, under whose mandate they are operating. The commission will only offer their technical findings to the Congregation, which in turn will “make decisions on the case.”

I’ll be back with more after this.
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Story 2:
The Catholic population of the United States rose from 67 million to 68 million between the beginning and end of 2008-- an increase of 1.5%, according to the recently published 2010 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches. In 2007, the Catholic population had fallen by nearly 400,000. Also reporting increases in 2008 were the Mormons, Assemblies of God, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Tennessee-based Church of God . Mainline Protestant communities such as the Presbyterian and the Episcopal ecclesial bodies continued to suffer steep declines. More conservative Protestant bodies such as the Southern Baptist Convention and the Lutheran Church -- Missouri Synod lost members as well.

Story 3:
Surprised by the number of abuse allegations in Bavaria, where over 100 have alleged being physical or sexual abused as youths, Archbishop Ludwig Schick of Bamberg has called for an increase in the canonical statute of limitations for clerical sex abuse. In calling for this change, Archbishop Schick echoes recent remarks by Msgr. Charles J. Scicluna, promoter of justice of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who said quote “Practice has shown that the limit of ten years is not enough in this kind of case, in which it would be better to return to the earlier system of delicta graviora not being subject to the statue of limitations,” unquote.

Story 4:
Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan says the use of federal money for abortion remains a grave concern. He has argued that abortion funding is a threat to universal health care because it excludes unborn children from its scope. Writing in a Monday post at his blog “The Gospel in the Digital Age,” Archbishop Dolan noted the “tough spot” of those who are enthusiastic about universal health care, but worry about the inclusion of overtly supportive language that would force people to pay for the murder of children without any legal means to oppose the practice.

This is Catholic Information News.

Story 5:
Using the platform of his general audience today, the Holy Father announced on that he will sign his Pastoral Letter to Irish Catholics on the feast day of St. Joseph. The content of the document is highly anticipated, and is meant to help guide the response to the sexual abuse cases that have severely shaken the Irish Church. Greeting the Irish faithful and pilgrims present in St. Peter’s Square on the feast of St. Patrick, Pope Benedict XVI shed light on the timetable for the release of the letter that will address this “painful situation.”

Story 6:
The Tourism chaplain for the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising has been immediately suspended from ministry after more allegations surfaced that he sexual abused minors. While some news reports have tried to link Pope Benedict to the charges, a subordinate in the archdiocese has claimed responsibility for failures in responding to the case. A statement from the archdiocese said that it had been presented with evidence the clergyman committed sexual abuse since an episode in 1986, and announced that he would be suspended from service with “immediate effect” pending a final determination of his case.

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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:
In a joint press conference today, the British Government and the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of Scotland, England and Wales is welcoming Pope Benedict's upcoming visit, calling it an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen ties between the country and the Holy See. The September papal visit, which is the first ever to take place in the British Isles, was formally announced by Queen Elizabeth II earlier today.

The Pope's itinerary includes not only a formal reception by The Queen but also a trip to the West Midlands, where he will beatify the 19th century theologian and scholar Cardinal John Henry Newman.

Father Edoardo Cerrato, Procurator General of the Oratorian Confederation, welcomed the news of the Sept. 2010 beatification, saying quote “Newman belongs to those who seek the truth through the gift of human reason illumined by the light of faith; and the Oratory of S. Philip, that counts Newman among its brothers, is profoundly aware of the great richness that, in Newman, has been given to her” unquote”

Also included in the papal visit are a public mass in Glasgow, a prayer vigil in London, an event focusing on education and a visit to the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace. The Holy Father will also pray with other Church leaders at Westminster Abbey.

Additional details of the Pope’s itinerary will be announced at a later date.

I’ll be back with more after this.
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Story 2:
Last Friday, leaders of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) in Canada sent a letter to the Holy Father formally requesting to become unified with the Catholic Church. This initiative, says a leading bishop, is what he believes to be part of a “worldwide movement.” Bishop Peter Wilkinson of the TAC Diocese of British Columbia, who authored the March 12 letter, said quote “I had Lutherans calling me saying, 'how do we get in on this?' And Orthodox (Christians) saying, much the same'” unquote He continued that he viewed it as a worldwide movement largely brought about by the vision of John Paul II and the intellectual vision of Pope Benedict, who is such an inspiration to the Anglican communion.

Story 3:
Countering the scandal wrought by the dissident Catholic Health Association, Archbishop Charles Chaput, of Denver says the Senate health-care bill does not meet minimum moral standards and therefore, does not have the support of the Catholic bishops. In reference to pro-Obama organizations who have been claiming that the bill is “sufficiently” pro-life, the Archbishop of Denver argues that groups, trade associations and publications describing themselves as ‘Catholic’ or ‘prolife’ that endorse the Senate version – whatever their intentions – are doing a serious disservice to the nation and to the Church and ensuring the failure of genuine, ethical health-care reform.”

Story 4:
Pope Benedict released his message for the 25th World Youth Day yesterday. His message invites the young people of the world to realize their vocations and not turn away disappointed as the young rich man in Mark's Gospel. Calling the World Youth Day initiative begun by Pope John Paul II "prophetic," the Holy Father writes that the events have reaped abundant fruits, permitting the new Christian generations to come together, listen to the Word of God and discover the beauty of the Church

This is Catholic Information News.

Story 5:
Invoking Canon 1244, which declares that diocesan bishops can decree special feast days or days of penance for their dioceses or places, Bishop Paul Loverde of Arlington has declared a day of prayer and fasting for protecting the life, dignity, health, and conscience rights of every human person in any legislation that Congress considers. “Catholic teaching tells us that our support for the dignity of life includes access to affordable health care,” he wrote in a March 11 letter and continued “This support, however, cannot come at the expense of the respect for life at all stages, from natural conception to natural death.”

Story 6:
The regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary is urging confessors to avoid creating excessive anguish or guilt in penitents, and to emphasize instead the merciful love of God. Bishop Gianfranco Girotti stated this in an address on the first day of a weeklong course on the internal forum. The course is focusing on moral and canonical themes related to the ministry of penance, above all that of confession. Speaking about this sacrament, Bishop Girotti highlighted the need for priests to be aware that they are "depositories of a precious and irreplaceable ministry."

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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:
Archbishop of Freiburg Robert Zollitsch met with Pope Benedict to speak of the revelations of abuse against minors and the measures being taken to investigate these occurrences. He said in a press conference afterward that the Holy Father expressed his "full support" for the steps put in place by the bishops' conference to respond to abuses.

The archbishop, president of the German Bishops' Conference, hosted a press conference at the Teutonic College in the Vatican after the papal audience. There, he told reporters about the content of his meeting with the Holy Father which immediately preceded the press meeting.

The German bishops have established a four point plan to reveal the truth, appraise current guidelines for dealing with problems, intensify prevention measures, and appoint responsible individuals to positions overseeing the plan.

The archbishop said he discussed these measures with the Pope, who in turn told him they should continue with these measures, as they are "decisive" and "courageous."
In further comments, the archbishop said he knew too little to say anything about Msgr. Georg Ratzinger—the Pope's brother—and the cases from the Diocese of Regensburg. He also reiterated the words from the German bishops' statement that the abuses have nothing to do with the vow of celibacy.

I’ll be back with more after this.
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Story 2:
Breaking with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the president of the Catholic Health Association has endorsed the Senate health care reform legislation that is scheduled to be voted on by the House of Representatives this week. Sister Carol Keehan, president of the organization, maintains the CHA has consistently argued that the health-care reform package should not include funding for abortion, however the group has continued to press for adoption of a reform package, even the legislation under consideration that has included abortion funding.

Story 3:
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Office of the United Nations and Specialized Institutions in Geneva, lamented the fact that “nearly 70 percent of the world’s 6.8 billion people live in countries with high restrictions on religion, the brunt of which often falls on religious minorities.” Archbishop Tomasi made his comments during a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council on March 12. Quoting Pope Benedict, Archbishop Tomasi also expressed concern about the increasing secularism of democratic regimes.

Story 4:
In a little-noticed town hall meeting in Brazil earlier this month, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that nations with restrictions on abortion deny women a “fundamental personal right.” 85% of the nation’s 189 million people are Catholic, making the nation the world’s most populous Catholic country. The secretary of state touted the Obama administration’s commitment to abortion in her exchange with a law student, saying quote “President Obama has taken steps since he became President to give the right of choice to women and to do what we can to help avoid women having to make that choice” unquote.

This is Catholic Information News.

Story 5:
A Jesuit who helped found the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has died at the age of 82. Father Robert Carter helped found the New York chapter of DignityUSA, an organization that dissents from Catholic teaching on homosexuality. The New York Times reported he led blessing ceremonies for gay couples, testified in support of the gay rights law proposed by Mayor Edward I. Koch before it was passed by the City Council in 1988, and urged Dignity to march in gay pride parades and marched himself in his clerical collar. Carter remained a Jesuit although he confided to friends that he had become an atheist.

Story 6:
Postmarked Friday, March 12, on the day honoring St. Gregory the Great, the House of Bishops of the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada, which is the official Canadian province of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), sent an signed request to William Cardinal Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to request “that the Holy Father’s Apostolic Constitution be implemented in Canada.” The letter was read in ACCC churches across Canada yesterday.

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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:
Rather than passing two bills championed by abortion supporters which aimed to impose restrictions on pregnancy centers, Virginia legislators chose to pass a resolution this week that praised the work of those centers.

Just one week after H.B. 452 and S.B. 188, heralded by Planned Parenthood and NARAL were introduced, subcommittees in both the Virginia House and Senate dismissed the bills after legislators heard from numerous pregnancy center workers and their affiliates. The pro-abortion groups had sought to impose restrictions on pregnancy centers and to limit the revenue they receive from pro-life license plates.

Jeff Caruso, founding director of the Virginia Catholic Conference, told the Catholic News Agency on Thursday that he found it ironic that Virginia's abortion clinics are not even required to be licensed by the state despite the fact that they perform invasive surgeries, and yet those same groups were leading the charge for intrusive regulations on pro-life centers this year.

After the two bills were defeated on Jan. 26, a resolution praising the work of pregnancy centers in the state was introduced in early March and was passed this week by both the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate.

Since similar legislative efforts have taken place in other states by pro-abortion groups, Caruso he believes these initiatives are part of a wider agenda to protect the pro-death bottom lines.

I’ll be back with more after this.
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Story 2:
Citing “serious flaws” in the health care bill Bishop Thomas G. Wenski has advocated a genuine reform that protects human life from conception to death. He urged Congress to correct the lack of conscience protections and the possible expansion of abortion coverage in the legislation before the Congressional reconciliation process. The Bishop of Orlando, Florida, writing in March 10 column for the Orlando Sentinel, said that the U.S. bishops have been involved in health care reform for more than 40 years and believe such care is a basic human right. A majority of the population, however, opposes a government take-over of the system in direct opposition to the bishops.

Story 3:
Dozens of Spanish women protested at the country's Ministry of Health this week on the International Day for Women and announced the formation of a Union of Mothers to stand up for the rights of stay-at-home moms. The reason they created the ‘Union of Mothers,’ is that the so-called feminist struggle has little by little taken an insufficient direction. They say they do not want to be treated like men, but rather being fully feminine, wish to be treated equally with the same opportunities, they related in a statement released yesterday.

Story 4:
This coming Sunday afternoon, the Holy Father will pay a visit to a Lutheran Church in Rome. The much anticipated appearance is the fruit of an invitation made in 2008 on the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's visit there. The community said it sees in the visit of the Bishop of Rome a sign of more mature and stronger ecumenical relation, which has become standard practice through the years. Pope Benedict will be joined by Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Cardinal Vicar of Rome Agostino Vallini.

This is Catholic Information News.

Story 5:
In a new book consisting of reflections based on the 2008 Synod on the Word of God, the secretary for the Synod of Bishops, Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, writes that homilies should not go on forever. He said it is useful to remember that in general the homily should not be longer than eight minutes, the average time listeners can concentrate on one theme. The preacher can write the homily, he said, but at the time of delivery should use an outline, a special guide that will allow him to follow a logical line of thought while looking at the faithful.

Story 6:
After media outlets misinterpreted an article by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn to say that he is questioning the Church's rule of priestly celibacy, several high ranking churchmen have spoken out in praise of celibacy as a gift. They also dismissed the idea that celibacy is connected to pedophilia. The question of celibacy and its possible role in recent cases of sexual abuses against minors has been in European headlines over the last two months. Schonborn’s comments were clarified by a diocesan spokesman saying that the cardinal was not questioning the Church's position on celibacy "in any way."

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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.
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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:
The USCCB, sending mixed signals again, has reiterated its opposition to the Senate version of the health care take-over legislation while still leaving the door open to support any compromise measure that comes out of the US Congress that addresses the provision of funding abortions.

Earlier this week it was reported the bishops signaled last Thursday that if agreement is reached with House leaders on anti-abortion language, the church would work to get out the votes needed to protect the provisions in the Senate.

However, in responding to questions, the bishops’ conference answered by saying whether, if the House of Representatives sent a health care reform bill to the Senate that includes acceptable pro-life language like the Stupak amendment, the Conference would defend the pro-life language against efforts by members of either political party to strike it from the bill.

The staff answered yes. According to the USCCB, some took that answer out of context, and misinterpreted it as a commitment by the bishops to endorse an overall health care bill as long as it includes pro-life language. No such position has been taken according to the conference. They say they’ve consistently said the Senate-passed health care bill fails moral criteria and must be changed; if changes do occur the bishops would study the new bill, then develop a position based on adherence to Catholic teaching, regardless of the opinion of the majority.

I’ll be back with more after this.
(insert PSAs)

Story 2:
The bishops of Ireland have agreed to undertake and lead penitential acts in their dioceses to acknowledge the truth and reflect on the failures of the Church with regard to the clerical abuse of children, according to a March 10 statement issued at the conclusion of the bishops’ spring meeting. The bishops reiterated their profound regret and sorrow that the avoidance of scandal and the preservation of the reputations of individuals and of the Church took precedence over the safety and welfare of children, the statement added.

Story 3:
Lucetta Scaraffia argues in a L’Osservatore Romano article that an increased presence of women, both religious and lay, in the “decisional spheres” of the Church could have helped prevent the clerical abuse scandal. Scaraffia cites the example of St. Daniel Comboni, who established missions in Sudan and apparently believed that the presence of nuns is essential in the missions because they are a defense and a guarantee of the missionary priest’s chastity. Pope John Paul II’s 1988 apostolic letter Mulieris Dignitatem and a 2004 letter of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith called for a greater feminine presence in the Church, Scaraffia adds, but these documents have yet to be fully implemented.

Story 4:
A study which claimed that Catholic college women are likelier to “hook up” than women with no religious affiliation has been criticized by researchers. Parts of the survey report were based on a sample size of only 39 Catholic college women, while the report wrongly saw a college's religious affiliation as more influential than parents.
The Georgetown University-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate’s (CARA) research blog relayed the researchers’ criticisms in an article titled “Replicate Before You Speculate Too Much …”

This is Catholic Information News.

Story 5:
Following a press conference on Monday to present a new book, Archbishop Nikola Eterovic announced that Pope Benedict will soon release an apostolic exhortation on the Bible. The exhortation will address themes presented at the most recent general assembly of the Synod of Bishops. In October of 2008, the Synod of Bishops met in the Vatican to discuss the relationship of the Word of God and the Church. According to the secretary general of the Synod, Archbishop Eterovic, Catholics can expect the document from the Holy Father after Easter, according to Rome Reports.

Story 6:
The recent distribution of Anti-Catholic tracts in a Tennessee town constituted “reprehensible acts of prejudice and hatred” by people who were ignorant of true Catholic teaching, the Bishop of Knoxville has said. Copies of a Jack Chick screed were being distributed in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. by members of Conner Heights Baptist Church. A student upset about the tract discussed it with his parish priest on March 3, the Diocese of Knoxville said. The priest then contacted the diocesan chancellor, who in turn informed Bishop Richard F. Stika about the material. After protests from the bishop and media coverage, the Baptist pastor Rev. Jonathan Hatcher ended the distribution.

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