After the passage of the new health care legislation, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, a Catholic, filed suit, questioning the constitutionality of the federal government requiring its citizens to buy health insurance. Yesterday, U. S. District Court Judge Henry Hudson (no relation) ruled that: “The mandate on individuals in President Barack Obama’s health-care legislation goes … Read more
The surprise results of this morning’s elections for USCCB president have had the blogging community in uproar. Most Catholics are already familiar with the new president, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York City; but his vice president — Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville — hasn’t had quite as high a profile (though surely that’s about … Read more
Time for a few Friday morning links: Yesterday the pope released Verbum Domini, an apostolic exhortation on Sacred Scripture. It’s a door-stop of a text — the 208-page PDF can be read here, or you can read excerpts via Zenit here. A Christian woman has been sentenced to death in Pakistan for “blasphemy.” Next week … Read more
When the USCCB issued its document a few weeks ago announcing the “Review and Renewal of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development,” I wondered aloud if the CCHD would be able to keep its promises. As it turns out, one of the promises was broken the moment the document was published. “Review and Renewal” specifically … Read more
Last week, the USCCB issued its “Review and Renewal of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.” The document contains a series of recommendations to reform CCHD grant awards in response to alarming disclosures that financial support was going to groups that supported abortion and same-sex marriage. Five groups were defunded, but dozens more have been … Read more
I participated in a 30-minute media conference call regarding the proposal being put forward by the CCHD to reform their grant making apparatus. Leading the call were Bishop Roger Morin, chair of the USCCB subcommittee on CCHD; John Carr, head of Justice, Peace, and Human Development at the USCCB; and Ralph McCloud, head of the … Read more
Not many articles at the National Catholic Reporter begin with, “My friend Deal Hudson.” But Michael Sean Winters bucks the trend by framing his polished polemic as a“shout out” of sorts to a friend on the other side of the Catholic political spectrum. (How far apart we really are is something to be determined down … Read more
Over the past two weeks, I’ve had extensive discussions with a wide group of Catholic leaders about the state of the Church in the United States. The frustration and impatience among Catholics, which I discussed last February in “Is It Time for a Catholic Tea Party?,” continue to grow. The occasions for this discussion were … Read more
UPDATED 9/13 Rev. David J. Mullen is pastor of Saint Brendan’s Parish in Bellingham, MA, but perhaps not for long. Father Mullen told entire parish on the weekend of September 4-5 that he will very likely be removed as pastor and be named parochial vicar because of his refusal to use the Talking About Touching … Read more
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has set five goals to pursue until the end of 2011. They are: Strengthening marriage Faith formation focused on sacramental practice Priestly and religious vocations Life and dignity of the human person Recognition of cultural diversity The USCCB Web site contains a link to a timeline for … Read more
On June 28, in the case McDonald v. Chicago, the United States Supreme Court held that cities and states cannot interfere with the right of individuals to keep and bear arms. The city of Chicago had tried to ban handguns, but Chicago resident Otis McDonald challenged the law, arguing that it made him less safe. … Read more
Last week, when the USCCB meeting in St. Petersburg coincided with the Catholic Health Association summit in Denver, the Catholic News Agency (CNA) ran several stories based on the testimonies of bishops attending the meeting. One of these stories got a great deal of attention. In it, Cardinal George castigated Sr. Keehan and the CHA for … Read more
Last week, when the USCCB meeting in St. Petersburg coincided with the Catholic Health Association summit in Denver, the Catholic News Agency (CNA) ran several stories based on the testimonies of bishops attending the meeting. One of these stories got a great deal of attention. In it, Cardinal George castigated Sr. Keehan and the CHA for … Read more
Last week, when the USCCB meeting in St. Petersburg coincided with the Catholic Health Association summit in Denver, the Catholic News Agency (CNA) ran several stories based on the testimonies of bishops attending the meeting. One of these stories got a great deal of attention. In it, Cardinal George castigated Sr. Keehan and the CHA for … Read more
Stephan Phelan, communications director for Human Life International, has written a thoughtful article at Catholic Advocate on the recent scandal at the Catholic Health Association and its impact on “the future of Catholic unity.” Phelan’s concern is underscored by the statement of three Cardinals on behalf of the USCCB, referring to CHA’s “rogue” support of … Read more
Deal Hudson and Matt Smith have been on fire over the USCCB’s membership in the controversial Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR). Deal wrote: There is nothing ambiguous about LCCHR’s lobbying activity on behalf of abortion, same-sex marriage, and “family planning.” All the items on the LCCHR Web site listed here affirm their … Read more
Over at Catholic Advocate I’ve described the sad situation, once again. The USCCB is a member of the Leadership Counsel for Civil and Human Rights, and one of its projects, The Coalition for Constitutional Values, has just published a video endorsing pro-abortion nominee for the Supreme Court, Elena Kagan. How can it be that the … Read more
During the height of the sex-abuse scandal, how many parents wished they had the ear of their bishops — to express their frustration, to demand reform? One Belleville, IL, man did: David Spotanski was the chancellor to Bishop Wilton Gregory while the bishop was president of the USCCB, and a ten-page memo that he wrote … Read more
Regular readers may be taken aback by the question, but I ask it seriously. In fact, I am repeating a question put to Francis Cardinal George by a reporter for the Catholic News Service. A March 23 story from CNS, written by Nancy Frazier O’Brien, featured an exchange with Cardinal George, president of the U.S. … Read more
This story from Catholic News Service bears the headline: Cardinal praises expanded health care but fears remain on abortion  The cardinal in question is Cardinal George of Chicago, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He gave an interview to Nancy Frazier O’Brien and said the following, which prompted the headline: We … Read more