New York City, N.Y., Feb 17, 2021 / 12:18 am (CNA).- New York state this week legalized commercial surrogacy, prompting concerns about the exploitation of women and commodification of children.The law, passed during April 2020, took effect Feb. 15. Pri… […]
CNA Staff, Feb 16, 2021 / 04:18 pm (CNA).- President Joe Biden’s long self-presentation as a devout Catholic contradicts his strong political stands backing abortion. For Archbishop Joseph Naumann, this means Biden needs to acknowledge this, and … […]
Washington D.C., Feb 16, 2021 / 12:35 pm (CNA).- The White House on Tuesday reaffirmed President Biden’s support for taxpayer-funded abortion, and wouldn’t comment on abortion funding in a proposed COVID relief package.
At a press … […]
Washington D.C., Feb 16, 2021 / 09:00 am (CNA).- Nearly one-third of U.S. House members are supporting a new bill to ban most abortions after 20 weeks.
On Monday, Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) introduced the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Ac… […]
Denver Newsroom, Feb 16, 2021 / 03:09 am (CNA).- A newly relaunched Catholic website aims to educate parents, pastors, and teachers about gender ideology, which the website’s founders believe young people are often being exposed to without adults’ awar… […]
CNA Staff, Feb 16, 2021 / 12:39 am (CNA).- EWTN host Raymond Arroyo is releasing a new children’s book recounting the legend of The Good Thief, one of the men crucified alongside Jesus on Good Friday. “The Thief Who Stole Heaven,” written by Arroy… […]
Washington D.C., Feb 15, 2021 / 06:00 pm (CNA).- Catholic nuns in Burma have joined widespread protests against the recent military coup, Asian Catholic websites have reported.
According to UCA News, Catholic nuns from a variety of commu… […]
El Paso, Texas, Feb 15, 2021 / 05:48 pm (CNA).- A west Texas parish has restored a century-old statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus after it was vandalized and nearly destroyed last September. Shock and sadness brought together donors from all over the country who felt compelled to pray a
The Diocese of El Paso issued a statement on Feb. 11 announcing the statue’s return.
“There was an outpouring of grief when the St. Patrick Cathedral Sacred Heart statue was vandalized last fall. Shock and sadness brought together donors from all over the country who felt compelled to pray and to give. Today, the statue is restored and making its way back to St. Patrick Cathedral,” the diocese said.
The statue had been present at the cathedral since shortly after the dedication ceremony took place in 1917.
In September 2020, a vandal entered the cathedral’s sanctuary and decapitated the statue, which had been placed behind the main altar of the church. A 30-year-old man was charged with criminal mischief for the vandalism.
Mass was not taking place at the time of the vandalism, but the church was open for prayer.
At the time, the diocese expressed doubt that the broken pieces of the statue were possible to restore.
However, the statue was subsequently sent to Daprato Rigali Studios for repair. The Daprato brothers had made the original statue.
Elizabeth Rigali, director of art and design for the studio, said it was an honor to repair the statue, according to the diocese.
As part of the restoration process, the company had to reinforce the head, body, and base of the statue. They also had to sculpt a new hand, arm, and face.
“So many members of the faithful had looked to the Sacred Heart, his arms open wide in welcome, for over 100 years during some of the most joyful and challenging times in their lives, and the thought of its destruction and possible replacement was difficult to accept,” the diocese said.
The donations have been handled by the diocese’s Catholic Foundation. More than $38,000 was donated to support the statue’s restoration and shipping costs, as well as repair of the altar which was also damaged. Some of the funding will also be used to upgrade the cathedral’s security system.
“[The Catholic Foundation] extends its sincere appreciation to all who contributed in any amount and prayed for the statue’s restoration and safe return, especially the St. Patrick Cathedral community and leadership. Once again, the Diocese of El Paso came together in faith to overcome pain and obstacles from a place of compassion and forgiveness. Plans to welcome the Sacred Heart back home are underway and we’ll share more news when we have it,” the diocese said.
Pittsburgh, Pa., Feb 15, 2021 / 04:47 pm (CNA).- Four Catholic elementary schools will merge to form two schools for the school year beginning in fall 2021, the Diocese of Pittsburgh has said, as the local bishop stressed their continued importance.
“Catholic schools are vital to the future of both our Church and our world,” Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh said Feb. 12. “They educate minds, hearts, and spirits, teaching the value of service as they prepare young people to become productive citizens and future leaders.”
“Each day I thank God for all who faithfully support our Catholic schools,” said Zubik. “They serve our students, our diocese, and Jesus himself.”
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary school in Pleasant Hills will merge with Saint Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin in Whitehall. The Saint Gabriel campus will serve as the main site of the merged school.
Saint Phillip school in Crafton will merge with Saint Margaret of Scotland school in Green Tree, whose campus will serve the merged school.
Father David Poecking, president of South Regional Catholic Elementary Schools, said the decision follows “more than a year’s deliberation and many, many hours of study.”
“While change can be difficult, we can bring together the best of the past to support a strong future for the newly merged schools,” Poecking said.
The mergers were recommended after study of financial and demographic data, enrollment trends, and consultation with the parish and school communities.
Zubik approved the merger on the recommendations of the South Regional Catholic Elementary Schools, which became the new regional governing board in July 2020. It had previously served as an advisory board since its creation in 2017.
The Pittsburgh diocese credited the board with stabilizing enrollment and finances. It sees progress in regional organization of some schools.
“With regional governance, all of the parishes in a geographic region support Catholic school education and all have a voice in forwarding the mission of those schools,” the diocese said.
Michelle Peduto, Director of Catholic Schools, said the diocese’s school system will continue to work “to provide families with spiritually vibrant, academically excellent and financially sustainable Catholic schools for generations to come.”
The diocese is continuing a strategic planning initiative begun in 2015 in part as a response to declining Mass attendance, the financial struggles of some parishes, and fewer priests.
The diocese’s “On Mission for The Church Alive” initiative has been working to merge what were 188 parishes into what ultimately will be fewer than 60 parish groupings.
In November 2020, the diocese announced that it would begin a third round of parish mergers. This stage of the parish merging plan aims to reduce 107 parishes to 81.
The diocese faced controversy after the 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report, which detailed sexual abuse allegations in six of Pennsylvania’s eight Latin-rite dioceses, including Pittsburgh. In 2020 CBS Pittsburgh reported that since the report’s release, Mass attendance had dropped 9% and offertory donations declined 11%.
Several hundred sexual abuse claims have also posed significant financial difficulties for the diocese.
Even in 2018, regular Sunday Mass attendees numbered only 120,000, a 30% decline from 10 years before. There are about 628,000 Catholics in the diocese’s territory, according to the diocese’s website.
Washington D.C., Feb 15, 2021 / 01:00 pm (CNA).- Several state legislatures are considering requirements that student-athletes at public schools only participate in sports according to their biological sex, not according to their gender identity.
North Dakota’s House of Representatives last week passed a bill that would prohibit public schools from allowing a minor to participate in an exclusively girls or boys sports activity opposite their biological sex. According to the Bismarck Tribune, the bill would allow girls to participate in school sports for boys where girls’ teams do not exist.
State Rep. Kathy Skroch, a proponent of the bill, said it “upholds 50 years of progress and protecting women against discrimination and advocates for the preservation of the biological base standards for female sports competition,” according to the Bismarck Tribune.
The ACLU of North Dakota, which opposes the bill, said in a press release that the bill is “an attempt to codify discrimination against transgender youth.”
Also last week, Mississippi’s Senate approved similar legislation. If signed into law, the bills would likely face legal challenges, as a federal judge blocked an Idaho bill from going into effect last year.
The state bills come after former Democratic presidential candidate and congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) introduced the Protect Women’s Sports Act in the U.S. House last year.
In a December statement, then-Rep. Gabbard said that federal civil rights law “is being weakened by some states,” which she blamed for “creating uncertainty, undue hardship and lost opportunities for female athletes.”
The Connecticut state high school athletic association in 2017 allowed students to participate in single-sex sports according to their gender identity. Two male athletes identifying as transgender females subsequently participated in female high school track events, and won 15 state championship titles.
Several Connecticut high school female track athletes sued, alleging they were unlawfully discriminated against by the state’s policy.
“Our legislation protects Title IX’s original intent which was based on the general biological distinction between men and women athletes based on sex,” Gabbard said at the time her bill was introduced. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is federal civil rights law, and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education.
“It is critical that the legacy of Title IX continues to ensure women and girls in sports have the opportunity to compete and excel on a level playing field,” Gabbard stated. Her bill was not brought up for a vote after it was introduced in the last Congress.
President Joe Biden last month signed an executive order to extend federal protections against sex discrimination to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Legal experts warned that his order was sweeping in its scope, and would force women to share facilities–such as bathrooms, homeless shelters, and locker rooms–with males identifying as transgender females.
In a Feb. 3 confirmation hearing, President Biden’s nominee for Education Secretary said that high school male athletes identifying as transgender females should be allowed to participate in girls’ sports.
The nominee, Miguel Cardona, told members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee that it “is the legal responsibility of schools to provide opportunities for students to participate in activities, and this includes students who are transgender.”
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