Lourdes, France, Jun 6, 2019 / 10:09 am (CNA).- Pope Francis has appointed a special delegate to oversee the pastoral care of pilgrims and other management at the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France.
Pope Francis named Bishop Antoine H&eacu… […]
Melbourne, Australia, Jun 6, 2019 / 08:10 am (CNA).- The lead prosecutor arguing to sustain the conviction of Cardinal George Pell struggled Thursday in presenting the Crown’s case. Christopher Boyce struggled to answer questions from the three-j… […]
Springfield, Ill., Jun 6, 2019 / 04:05 am (CNA).- The Bishop of Springfield, Illinois, has decreed that state legislative leaders may not be admitted to Holy Communion within his diocese, because of their work to pass the state Reproductive Health Act…. […]
Des Moines, Iowa, Jun 6, 2019 / 12:03 am (CNA).- The Catholic bishops of Iowa have agreed to voluntarily hand over records on clerical sex abuse allegations in their dioceses, responding to a request made last week by the state attorney general.
&ldqu… […]
The Archbishop of Baltimore, William Lori, is facing intense scrutiny over his decision to remove the names of several clerics — many of them senior churchmen — from a report he made to the Vatican […]
St. Louis, Mo., Jun 5, 2019 / 06:18 pm (CNA).- A Missouri circuit court judge ruled Tuesday that doctors not employed by a St. Louis Planned Parenthood do not have to testify in a hearing on the clinic, which is the last functioning Planned Parenthood in the state.
Last week, Planned Parenthood in St. Louis sued the state after its health department refused to renew the clinic’s license.
State officials cited health and safety concerns about the clinic, while Planned Parenthood representatives said they had done everything possible to comply with state requirements.
The license of the Planned Parenthood clinic in question was set to expire May 31, but the clinic was able to secure a restraining order from Judge Michael F. Stelzer of Missouri Circuit Court in St. Louis, which allowed the clinic temporarily to continue operating past that date.
The state had subpoenaed five doctors in residence who had worked at the Planned Parenthood, though not as employees of the clinic, for interviews in the ongoing investigative hearing. Stelzer dismissed the subpoena as an “undue burden” on those doctors June 4.
“The non-parties have shown that compliance with the subpoenas would present an undue burden and hardship on [the non-Planned Parenthood physicians] and that the subpoenas should be quashed,” Stelzer wrote, according to CBS.
The state had previously said that the renewal of the Planned Parenthood’s license depended upon its interviews of these doctors.
While the clinic is the last abortion provider in Missouri, there is a private surgical abortion clinic near St. Louis, across the Mississippi River in Granite City, Ill. A Planned Parenthood clinic 20 miles away in Belleville, Ill. offers medication-induced abortion, the New York Times reported.
Dr. Colleen McNicholas, a Planned Parenthood physician in St. Louis, told CBS that “we are 100 percent committed to the best care that we can provide for patients. So certainly if there is an issue with the care we’re providing we want to know about it. We want to be able to address that. But we can’t do that when we’re being attacked.”
A 2016 report on an inspection of the clinic, the most recent available through CheckMyClinic.org, shows that the clinic at that time was in violation of multiple state standards involving the sterilization and storing of equipment, and the proper documentation of medication and procedures.
Pro-life advocates have expressed concern that the clinic’s closure has been delayed despite violations of public health standards.
“This particular facility’s track record shows an appalling pattern of botched abortions and other violations that prove they are incapable of policing themselves,” Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, said May 31.
“Planned Parenthood does not deserve special treatment and the health and safety of women should never come second to the abortion industry’s bottom line.”
Houston, Texas, Jun 5, 2019 / 05:06 pm (CNA).- The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston disputed reports that Cardinal Daniel DiNardo mishandled a sexual abuse claim against a priest, and denied that the archdiocese had ever received reports that the accus… […]
Washington D.C., Jun 5, 2019 / 05:00 pm (CNA).- A report was published Tuesday of an apparent affair between a married woman and a senior priest of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
While the case has provoked uncomfortable questions about what wa… […]
Washington D.C., Jun 5, 2019 / 04:54 pm (CNA).- The chairman of the US bishops’ migration committee welcomed Tuesday a vote in the House of Representatives passing a bill that would provide a citizenship path for some brought to the US illegally as children, among others.
The House passed the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 by a 237-187 vote June 4. Along with some “Dreamers”, who were illegally brought to the US as minors, it would allow a path to cizenship for qualified holders of Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Enforced Departure.
“This is a big step for Dreamers and TPS holders who have called the United States home but have been working and living in uncertainty for years,” said Bishop Joe Vásquez of Austin. “Dreamers, TPS and DED holders are working to make our communities and parishes strong and are vital contributors to our country. We welcome today’s vote and urge the Senate to take up this legislation which gives permanent protection to Dreamers, TPS and DED holders.”
The bill would grant qualifying childhood arrivals 10 years of legal residence, after which they could receive permanent legal residence with two years of higher education or military service, or three years of employment.
TPS is an immigration benefit that allows persons who are unable to return safely to their home countries because of armed conflict, other violence, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions to remain in the United States while the situation in their home country resolves. It protects them from deportation and grants them permission to work. DED protects from deportation persons from countries or regions facing political or civic conflict or natural disaster, and allows them to work. The status is currently given only to Liberians.
Those with TPS or DED could apply for lawful permanent residence if they have been in the country for at least three years and have passed background checks. After five yearrs of lawful permanent residence, they would apply for citizenship.
Voting for the bill were the Democrats in the House, as well as seven Republicans.
Similar bills have been introduced in the Senate, but according to Felicia Sonmez at the Washington Post “it is unlikely that the Senate will consider the bill.”
Last month, Bishop Vásquez and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston, president of the US bishops’ conference, voiced concern over a separate immigration plan from the Trump administration which prioritizes immigration status based on merit rather than family ties.
“We oppose proposals that seek to curtail family-based immigration and create a largely ‘merit-based’ immigration system,” they said. “Families are the foundation of our faith, our society, our history, and our immigration system.”
The administration’s proposal would significantly reduce the current family-based portion of the immigration system, instead focusing on applicants with high education and skill levels.
The plan would not provide legal status for those brought to the United States illegally as children. Nor does it provide a clear path forward for TPS holders.
Wheeling, W.V., Jun 5, 2019 / 02:20 pm (CNA).- Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore has released a letter to the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston addressing the findings of a preliminary investigation into the former head of […]
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