CNA Daily News

Spanish bishops denounce TV censorship of religion ad

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:05:00 -0500

Bilboa, Spain, Feb 9, 2012 / 06:05 pm (CNA).- Catholic bishops in the Spanish dioceses of Bilbao, San Sebastian and Vitoria criticized the public television station EITB for pulling an ad that promoted religion classes in public schools.

Church leaders called the move “a violation of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and religious freedom” after the station said the the public service announcement was “incompatible” with their advertising policies.

In a statement sent to CNA on Feb. 7, the bishops said the two ads (one in Spanish and the other in Basque) were sent to the station, which were slightly edited and then aired two days later.

They were soon pulled off the air, however, and despite complaints from the bishops, the station has reaffirmed its decision.

The bishops said the ad removal reflected “a secular outlook that sees religion as something to be excluded from social life” which is “unsuitable for a public institution at the service of all.”

The ads featured two mothers discussing the importance of religious education for their children and encouraged parents to sign their children up for religious classes.

Religious instruction in public schools in Spain is optional, and parents must sign their children up in order for them to attend.

A bishop’s love can overcome his fears, Cardinal George says

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:08:00 -0500

Vatican City, Feb 9, 2012 / 02:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A bishop’s love for Jesus Christ and the Church can overcome all his fears, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago said at St. Peter's tomb on Feb. 9.

Cardinal George is visiting the Vatican along with the bishops of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, who began their “ad limina” visit today.

“In the responsorial psalm we asked the Lord to protect us, to take away our fears, which means that the psalmist and the apostles were afraid at times – as are we. There is reason to be afraid. But, nonetheless, stronger than fear is faith, and stronger than both is love,” he said.

Cardinal George was the main celebrant and homilist at the early morning Mass in the crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica. He told his brother bishops to take heart from today’s psalm, which proclaims, “I sought the Lord and he heard me and he delivered me from all my fears.”

He also reflected upon the martyrdom of St. James the Greater and the imprisonment of St. Peter.

“We bring our local churches to this most sacred spot, we bring our knowledge of a faith that is born of love and that is perfected by our love for our people and for Christ himself and his apostles,” said Cardinal George.

“And so we take from the tomb of Peter the mission that was given to him, and his successors, even as we prepare this morning to meet his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.”

Over the next nine days, the bishops will meet with the Pope and various Vatican departments to discuss the health of the Church in their respective dioceses and across the United States. The "ad limina" visit takes place every five years and also involves the bishops making a pilgrimage to the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul.

The issue of religious freedom is likely to be near the top of the agenda throughout, due to the Jan. 20 announcement by the Obama administration that it will force nearly all religious and secular institutions to pay for sterilization, contraception and abortifacients as part of their health insurance coverage.

Prior to the rule being finalized, Pope Benedict described it in January as a “grave threat” to religious liberty in the United States.

In their prayers of intercession this morning, the bishops prayed for “all Americans during the election year,” that God may “inspire voters to choose leaders who respect the freedom of their people to worship the one true God.”

Cardinal George also recalled a comment by Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York who, at the last gathering of U.S. bishops, highlighted how “the conversion of St. Paul taught the early Christians that Jesus and his Church are one.”

“We cannot separate Jesus from the Church,” said Cardinal George. “When that is done and the Church is lost, inevitably Jesus is lost. And when Jesus is lost, God is forgotten.”

After a post-Mass breakfast at the Pontifical North American College, the bishops of Indiana and Illinois had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI. Meanwhile, the bishops of Wisconsin met with officials at the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization.

Rebel group should cease violence, Colombian archbishop says

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:07:00 -0500

Bogotá, Colombia, Feb 9, 2012 / 02:07 pm (CNA).- Archbishop Ruben Salazar of Bogota, head of the Colombian bishops' conference, insisted that the local rebel group FARC put an end to the decades-long civil conflict in the country.

“Let them lay down their weapons” and “stop with the excuses,” the archbishop told reporters on Feb. 6.

In a statement issued on Feb. 7, the FARC attempted to justify its latest attack which left seven people dead on Feb. 2 by saying its members are “defenders” of the people. It blamed the killings on Colombian soldiers who it claims “use the people as their shields” and therefore “forced” the rebel group to strike back.

Archbishop Salazar voiced confidence in his remarks to the press on the measures being taken by President Juan Manuel Santos, who met with the bishops this week during their plenary assembly.

“We need to believe in President Santos and that the FARC could at some point take steps towards peace,” he said.

On the rebel group's latest statement, Bishop Juan Vicente Cordoba, secretary of the Bishops’ Conference, said Colombians should not accept another drop of blood to fall upon the country.

Bishop Cordoba said both the FARC and the Colombian army should review their military objectives to keep from harming the civilian population which opposes the violence.

EWTN sues US government over contraception mandate

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:00:00 -0500

Irondale, Ala., Feb 9, 2012 / 10:00 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Catholic media network EWTN sued the federal government Feb. 9, challenging the Obama administration's rule requiring many religious ministries to subsidize contraception and sterilization in their health plans.

“We had no other option but to take this to the courts,” EWTN President and CEO Michael Warsaw said in an announcement about the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday. “There is no question that this mandate violates our First Amendment rights.”

“Under the HHS mandate, EWTN is being forced by the government to make a choice,” Warsaw explained. “Either we provide employees coverage for contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs and violate our conscience or offer our employees and their families no health insurance coverage at all. Neither of those choices is acceptable.”

Senior attorneys at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty filed the suit on behalf of the media network, against the Department of Health and Human Services, department secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and other government agencies involved with the federal contraception mandate.

Finalized Jan. 20, 2012 as part of federal health care reform, the mandate forces all employers – except those that primarily hire and serve members of one religious faith and exist for the sake of promoting religious values – to buy insurance coverage that will offer sterilization and contraception without a co-pay.

Because EWTN serves not only Catholics but the public at large, the network would not qualify for the religious exemption offered by Secretary Sebelius.

At least one of the mandate's required drugs, the emergency contraceptive “Ella,” has the potential to cause an early-stage abortion.

The U.S. Catholic bishops have denounced the rule that “forces religious employers and schools to sponsor and subsidize coverage that violates their beliefs, and forces religious employees and students to purchase coverage that violates their beliefs.”

In his announcement of the lawsuit, Warsaw said the federal contraception mandate was “particularly hard on Catholics, because Catholic organizations, such as hospitals, schools, social service agencies, media outlets and others, serve people regardless of their religious beliefs.”

But he made it clear that the federal rule should concern people of all beliefs.

“We are taking this action to defend not only ourselves but also to protect other institutions – Catholic and non-Catholic, religious and secular – from having this mandate imposed upon them.”

Along with the public opposition from over 160 U.S. Catholic bishops, the rule has also drawn opposition from the Eastern Orthodox churches as well as Protestant and Orthodox Jewish leaders.

Meanwhile, Secretary Sebelius has given non-exempt religious institutions an extra year to comply with the “preventive services” mandate. During this time, however, these religious employers must refer their staff to providers of the same drugs and devices.

Warsaw pointed out that this alternative, proposed as a temporary accommodation, also trampled EWTN's conscience rights.

“The government is forcing EWTN, first, to inform its employees about how to get contraception, sterilization and abortifacient drugs, a concept known as forced speech.”

“To make the matter worse, the government then will force EWTN to use its donors’ funds to pay for these same morally objectionable procedures or to pay for the huge fines it will levy against us if we fail to provide health care insurance.”

If the administration's rule remains in place, the media network could eventually face fines of over $600,000 annually for refusing to underwrite policies contradicting its beliefs.

“This is a moment when EWTN, as a Catholic organization, has to step up and say that enough is enough,” the network's president and CEO declared.

Health and Human Services' rule is also facing legal challenges from Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic institution, and from the interdenominational Colorado Christian University.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is representing all three ministries in their lawsuits. Lawyers from the fund recently won a 9-0 victory against the federal government in a Supreme Court case regarding the self-governance of a Lutheran church and school.

EWTN is providing further information about the mandate and its lawsuit at www.ewtn.com/hhsmandate.

White House fails to call Catholic bishops for mandate talks

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:01:00 -0500

Washington D.C., Feb 9, 2012 / 05:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Despite rumors of a compromise on the government's controversial contraception mandate, the White House has not offered any concessions to the U.S. bishops’ conference and has not contacted them about possible negotiations.

Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn. told CNA in a Feb. 8 statement that “no one from the Administration has approached the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops for discussions on this matter of a possible ‘compromise.’”

Bishop Lori, who chairs the bishops’ committee for religious liberty, maintained that “the only acceptable solution to the HHS mandate is for the Administration to rescind completely the mandate to cover abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception.”

He stressed that no organization or employer should “be compelled to pay for, provide for, or to refer others in any way to ‘services’ which violate their consciences.”

Rumors of a possible compromise surfaced after David Axelrod, a senior adviser for President Obama’s re-election campaign, mentioned during a Feb. 7 MSNBC interview a need to find “a way to move forward that both provides women with the preventive care that they need and respects the prerogatives of religious institutions.”

On Jan. 20, the Obama administration announced a new mandate that will require virtually all employers to purchase health insurance plans that include coverage of contraception, sterilization and drugs that cause abortions.

The announcement prompted a strong outcry from religious schools, hospitals and charitable organizations, as well as Catholic individuals running secular businesses, who say that the requirement would force them to violate their religious beliefs.

However, despite the storm of protest, the Obama administration has refused to broaden the exemption to the mandate.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said at a Feb. 8 press briefing that Obama remains committed “to ensuring that women have access to contraception without paying any extra costs no matter where they work.”

He added that the administration is holding “further discussions” with those that have voiced concerns about the mandate, to discuss ways to “implement this policy” in a manner that will “allay or resolve some of those concerns.”

When he was questioned about the administration’s decision not to reach out to the bishops during these ongoing “conversations,” Carney responded, “Certain individuals may say they haven't had a call, but others have been engaged in this conversation and will be engaged.”

Bishop Lori emphasized the importance of finding a solution that respects the conscience rights of both religious organizations and private individuals.

“Narrow solutions often end up entangling church and state in needless disputes, which result in government coercion of conscience,” he said.

“Religious liberty has been granted to churches and to individuals not by the State but by the hand of God,” Bishop Lori pointed out. “It is the first of our freedoms in the Bill of Rights and at the heart of all the other freedoms.”

Bishop Lori called on the Obama administration “to rescind those parts of the mandate that violate the religious freedom of our religious institutions, and the consciences of millions of Americans.”

Vatican official: Culture of silence is deadly for handling abuse claims

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:05:00 -0500

Rome, Italy, Feb 9, 2012 / 03:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican’s sex crimes prosecutor says the Church should fight against a culture of silence as it combats the “sad phenomenon” of sexual abuse in society.

“The teaching of Blessed John Paul II that truth is at the basis of justice explains why a deadly culture of silence or 'omertà' is in itself wrong and unjust,” said Monsignor Charles J. Scicluna, Promoter of Justice at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on Feb 8.

“Omertà” is a term that describes the code of silence practiced by members of the Mafia.

The 52-year-old Maltese cleric was addressing the “Towards Healing and Renewal” symposium being hosted the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome from Feb 6-9. The gathering has brought together over 140 representatives from bishops' conferences and 30 religious orders worldwide.

All such groups have until May 2012 to submit new guidelines for preventing abuse to the Vatican for approval although many already have such guidelines in place.

He explained to delegates how the best guide on the Church’s “moral and legal duty” to seek the truth when allegations are made can found in a 1994 address given by Blessed Pope John Paul II to the Vatican’s highest appeal court, the Roman Rota. On that occasion the late Pope outlined five principles that should inform the actions of those investigating allegations of abuse.

The first was that “justice is at times called truth,” which means that a culture of silence has to be rejected. Msgr. Scicluna said this principle requires the facts to be established “with a spirit of fairness” to both the alleged victim and the accused as guided by the Church’s canon law.

“Other enemies of the truth are the deliberate denial of known facts and the misplaced concern that the good name of the institution should somehow enjoy absolute priority to the detriment of legitimate disclosure of crime,” he explained.

Pope John Paul’s second principle was that justice based on truth “evokes a response from the individual’s conscience.”

“The acknowledgment and recognition of the full truth of the matter in all its sorrowful effects and consequences,” explained Mgsr. Scicluna, “is at the source of true healing for both victim and perpetrator.”

While experts in psychology could explain how and why perpetrators develop “coping mechanisms” such as denial, there is “no substitute” for “the liberating effect on a cleric’s conscience” which comes from the “full, humble, honest and contrite acknowledgment of his sin, his crime, his responsibility for the harm he has caused to the victims, to the Church, to society.”

Similarly, there is a “radical need” for victims to be “heard attentively, to be understood and believed, to be treated with dignity as he or she plods on the tiresome journey of recovery and healing,” he said.

Pope John Paul II’s third maxim was that “truth generates confidence in the rule of law, whereas disrespect for the truth generates distrust and suspicion.”

He praised the late Pope for promulgating the 2001 Motu Proprio “Sacramentorum sanctitatis” which updated and strengthened the Church’s laws for dealing with allegations and incidents of abuse.

He explained how the document had raised clerical abuse to the level of a “delicta graviora” or “grave crime” in Church law and, in doing so, took the issue to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. These rules have since been revised and strengthened by Pope Benedict XVI, he said.

“The law is clear,” said Mgsr. Scicluna, but “the faithful need to be convinced that ecclesial society is living under the governance of law.”

It is “not good enough,” he said, for the promotion of “peace and order in the community” that the law is simply clear but also that “people need to know that the law is being applied.”

The fourth principle proposed by Pope John Paul in his 1994 address was the duty of the Church “towards the common good.” In alleged cases of abuse, said Msgr. Scicluna, the Church would include the safety of children as a “paramount concern” which is essential to any understanding of “the common good.”

He told delegates that this included a “duty to cooperate with state authorities.”

“Sexual abuse of minors is not just a canonical delict or a breach of a Code of Conduct internal to an institution, whether it be religious or other. It is also a crime prosecuted by civil law,” he said.

The fifth and final principle of Pope John Paul II was that respect for the Church’s guidelines should not be distorted by “pastoral” concerns.

Mgsr. Scicluna recalled how in 1994 Pope John Paul had warned of “the temptation to lighten the heavy demands of observing the law in the name of a mistaken idea of compassion and mercy.”

The 2011 investigation into lapses of child safety in the Irish Diocese of Cloyne found that the former Vicar General of the diocese had not upheld the Irish Church’s 1996 guidelines on mandatory reporting as, he felt, they compromised his “Christian duty of pastoral care.”

Mgsr. Scicluna again quoted Pope John Paul’s advice from 1994 that “if the rights of others are at stake, mercy cannot be shown or received without addressing the obligations that correspond to these rights.”

He concluded his address to the symposium by stating his belief that “the honest quest for truth and justice is the best response we can provide for the sad phenomenon of the sexual abuse of minors by clerics.”

Poll finds half of Americans oppose contraception mandate

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:08:00 -0500

Washington D.C., Feb 9, 2012 / 01:08 am (CNA).- A recent national poll found that 50 percent of Americans oppose the Obama administration's mandate forcing religious groups to cover contraception in health insurance plans.

The Feb. 8 Rasmussen Reports telephone poll showed that only 39 percent of Americans think the government should require Catholic institutions to pay for “birth control measures” even if Catholics are morally opposed to it. Ten percent of those who responded said they were undecided.

The analysis also indicated that 65 percent of Catholic voters oppose the mandate, along with 62 percent of Evangelical Christians and 50 percent of other Protestant denominations.

Over one third of people practicing other faiths oppose the Health and Human Services mandate.

The poll comes amid a storm of criticism over secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius' Jan. 20 announcement that virtually all employers will soon be required to purchase health insurance plans that cover contraceptives – including abortion-inducing drugs – and sterilization.

It also follows a Feb. 7 Public Religion Research Institute analysis which claimed that only 52 percent of voting Catholics oppose the mandate.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue called the Public Religion Research Institute poll “flawed” because the questions failed to mention that the government would place sanctions on non-compliant organizations and that the mandate includes the coverage of abortifacients, not just contraception.

“In short,” Donohue said, “the question was dishonest...wait until Catholics find out what's really at stake.”

Donohue criticized the Obama administration's mandate and said that it is “just an opening for mandating abortion in every healthcare plan.”

The Rasmussen poll indicated that 77 percent of those polled believe individuals should have the right to choose between different types of health insurance plans, while only nine percent disapproved of an individual's ability to choose.

The same poll indicated that the majority of Americans, 54 percent, believe the cost of health insurance will increase if insurance companies are required to cover all government-approved contraceptives. Only 21 percent believe there would be no change in cost.

World Youth Day organizers unveil Brazilian-themed logo for 2013

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:08:00 -0500

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Feb 8, 2012 / 08:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Brazil's coastline, its Sugarloaf Mountain, and the iconic “Christ the Redeemer” statue are all part of the logo World Youth Day unveiled Feb. 7 for its 2013 celebration in Rio de Janeiro.

“In the faith of the nations the heart has a major role,” World Youth Day said in a note explaining the heart-shaped logo.

It represents Brazil's welcome to the world “as a nation of generous heart and hospitable people,” while also conveying the faith of “the disciples who carry Jesus in their hearts”

Excitement surrounded the unveiling of the 2013 World Youth Day logo, which took place at an event hosted by Rio de Janeiro's Archbishop Orani João Tempesta.

Social media lit up on Tuesday with discussion of the image, as the Twitter hashtag “#logoJMJ” made the network's list of trending topics among Brazilians for several hours.

A 25-year-old Brazilian man, Gustavo Huguenin, submitted the winning logo design in a contest held by organizers of the international Catholic gathering, which will take place July 23-28, 2013.

In his design, geographical and religiously-themed elements come together to form a heart, arranged around Christ's image taken from Brazil's internationally-known statue.

Its top half incorporates the outline of Sugarloaf Mountain, the peak overlooking Rio de Janeiro on Brazil's southeastern coast. World Youth Day's traditional “pilgrim cross” is superimposed on the mountain.

Meanwhile, the lower right half of the heart shape combines with the right side of Christ's image to form the shape of Brazil's coastline. The logo shares the green, blue, and yellow color scheme of the country's flag.

Vatican has no money or space for private plane, says priest

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:04:00 -0500

Rome, Italy, Feb 8, 2012 / 06:04 pm (CNA).- Contrary to popular belief, Pope Benedict does not own a private jet but instead travels on commercial airlines since the Vatican “doesn’t have the space or the money” to maintain one, an insider said.

Mexican priest and journalist Father Gonzalo Meza told CNA on Feb. 2 that the Pope always departs Rome on Alitalia, and an airline from the country he is visiting usually brings him home.

However, he noted, the “papal jet” is outfitted with special items, including pillows and seat covers embroidered with the papal coat of arms.

During his flight to Mexico for his March 23-25 visit, nearly one hundred people, mostly journalists, will accompany the Pope.

Security for the trip is always provided by the host country, Fr. Meza said.

Fr. Meza said that during his flights, Benedict XVI “takes the opportunity to get ahead on his intellectual work or to pray. He likes to write, and he writes all of his homilies and speeches by hand, and then his translator transcribes and corrects them. He almost never uses a computer.”

Boehner, Upton announce legislative plans to fight HHS mandate

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:59:00 -0500

Washington D.C., Feb 8, 2012 / 05:59 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) vowed Feb. 8 to use legislative means to fight the Obama administration’s controversial contraception mandate.

In a rare speech on the House floor, Boehner said that the recently announced mandate “constitutes an unambiguous attack on religious freedom in our country.”

He warned that if President Obama does not reverse the mandate, “then the Congress, acting on behalf of the American people and the Constitution we are sworn to uphold and defend, must.”

On Jan. 20, Department of Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a new mandate that requires virtually all employers to purchase health insurance plans that include contraception, sterilization and drugs that cause early abortions.

Despite massive protests from Catholics and other believers, Sebelius has refused to extend a religious exemption to individuals and organizations that say the mandate forces them to purchase products and services that violate the teachings of their religion.

Boehner, who is Catholic, spoke about the mandate on the same day that Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) announced that he plans to advance legislation “to reverse the controversial decision and restore longstanding conscience protections.”

Upton, who serves as the chair of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, said that he is “deeply disappointed with the recent decision” by the Obama administration, which he called a violation of the First Amendment.

The committee held a hearing last November to examine the potential threat that the proposed health care mandate posed to conscience rights and access to health care.

Upton said that at the time, he had urged the administration “to reconsider this threat to religious freedom.”

Now, he is “preparing to move quickly” on the legislation, according to a Feb. 8 committee statement.

In addition, Sebelius is scheduled to testify on March 1 before members of the committee, who will have the opportunity to question her directly about the mandate.

Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) recently introduced a bill in the Senate that would overturn the mandate.

In his House floor speech, Boehner praised Upton for working towards an “effective and appropriate solution.”

He said that by holding a hearing when the rule was first proposed last year, Upton “began laying the groundwork for legislative action” against the mandate.

Boehner noted that “Americans of every faith and political persuasion have mobilized” in opposition to the mandate in recent days.

“In imposing this requirement, the federal government has drifted dangerously beyond its constitutional boundaries,” he said.

He warned that the regulation encroaches on religious liberty “in a manner that affects millions of Americans and harms some of our nation’s most vital institutions.”

“The House will approach this matter fairly and deliberately,” Boehner vowed, adding that the chamber would work “through regular order and the appropriate legislative channels.”

“This attack by the federal government on religious freedom in our country must not stand, and will not stand,” he said.

Pope: Jesus' prayer on cross shows God hears prayers

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:10:00 -0500

Vatican City, Feb 8, 2012 / 04:10 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The cry of Christ on the cross should remind everyone that God always hears their prayers, even when he seems distant, Pope Benedict XVI said Feb. 8.

“Let us bring to God our daily crosses, in the certainty that he is present and listens to us,” he said at the Wednesday general audience, held with several thousand people in Paul VI Hall.

Pope Benedict made his remarks as part of his ongoing series of weekly reflections on prayer. Today he focused on the prayerful cry of Jesus Christ during his final agony on the cross on Good Friday – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

“This cry comes after a three-hour period when there was darkness over the whole land,” noted the Pope, dwelling upon the accounts given in the Gospels of Sts. Mark and Matthew.

“Darkness is an ambivalent symbol in the Bible – while it is frequently a sign of the power of evil, it can also serve to express a mysterious divine presence,” he said.

“Just as Moses was covered in the dark cloud when God appeared to him on the mountain, so Jesus on Calvary is wrapped in darkness.”

So “what is the meaning of Jesus’ prayer?” asked the Pope.

He replied, “the words Jesus addresses to the Father are the beginning of Psalm 22, in which the psalmist expresses the tension between, on the one hand, being left alone and, on the other, the certain knowledge of God’s presence amongst his people.”

The psalmist, he explained, “speaks of a ‘cry’ to express all the suffering of his prayer before the apparently absent God. At moments of anguish prayer becomes a cry.”

Pope Benedict said that the same thing should also happen “in our own relationship with the Lord.” When people are faced with “difficult and painful situations, when it seems that God does not hear, we must not be afraid to entrust him with the burden we are carrying in our hearts, we must not be afraid to cry out to him in our suffering.”

The Pope pointed to Christ on the cross, who “at the moment of ultimate rejection by man, at the moment of abandonment,” is still “aware that God the Father is present even at the instant in which he is experiencing the human drama of death.”

But even if people are convinced of God’s presence, a question still remains in many hearts, the Pope said. “How is it possible that such a powerful God does not intervene to save his Son from this terrible trial?”

He replied that it is important to understand that “the prayer of Jesus is not the cry of a person who meets death with desperation, nor that of a person who knows he has been abandoned.”

Instead, by appropriating Psalm 22 to himself – the psalm of the suffering people of Israel – Jesus “takes upon himself not only the suffering of his people, but also that of all men and women oppressed by evil.”

He subsequently takes that “to the heart of God in the certainty that his cry will be heard in the resurrection,” so that “his is a suffering in communion with us and for us, it derives from love and carries within itself redemption and the victory of love.”

Therefore, just as “the people at the foot of Jesus’ cross were unable to understand” his cry, so “we likewise find ourselves, ever and anew, facing the ‘today’ of suffering, the silence of God,” the Pope said. But we also “find ourselves facing the ‘today’ of the resurrection, of the response of God who took our sufferings upon himself, to carry them with us and give us the certain hope that they will be overcome.”

Pope Benedict explained that the “prayer of the dying Jesus teaches us to pray with confidence for all our brothers and sisters who are suffering, that they too may know the love of God who never abandons them.”

US Catholic bishops reject ruling against Prop. 8

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:00:00 -0500

Washington D.C., Feb 8, 2012 / 04:00 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The U.S. bishops condemned a federal court ruling that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional, saying the move defies the will of California voters and reflects “basic confusion” about the nature of marriage.

“The people of California deserve better. Our nation deserves better. Marriage deserves better,” said Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan of New York City, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference.

In a Feb. 7 statement, he called marriage “one of the cornerstones of society” and stressed that the U.S. Constitution “does not forbid” its protection.

The cardinal-designate said that Wednesday's ruling was a “grave injustice” that ignores “the reality that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.”

Bishop Salvatore Cordileone of Oakland, who chairs the bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, added that the court ignored the “correctly-informed judgment” of California voters, who supported the 2008 ballot measure that defined marriage as between one man and one woman.

The people of California, he said, “justly upheld the truth of marriage.”

On Feb. 7, a panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s decision against Proposition 8. It said the measure “served no purpose, and had no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California.”

Supporters of the measure – which received 52 percent of the vote – plan to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bishop Cordileone said that society does not exist in “an amoral or value-less vacuum” but must be “infused with moral direction that is grounded in the truth.”

The California Catholic Conference also weighed in after the ruling, noting that marriage “between one man and one woman has been – and always will be – the most basic building block of the family and of our society.”

Conference leaders said they were “disappointed” by the most recent ruling but noted that it has “always been clear” that the U.S. Supreme Court would likely decide the issue.

“In the end, through sound legal reasoning, we believe the court will see this as well and uphold the will of the voters as expressed in Proposition 8. We continue to pray for that positive outcome.”

Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles also criticized the Ninth Circuit's opposition to the measure.

“Marriage, in every culture and every age, has been recognized as the lifelong union of a man and woman for their own well-being and for the creation and nurturing of children,” he said on Feb. 7.

The government has a “vital interest” in promoting marriage because it is the “foundation of society” and because the government has a duty towards the well-being of children, he said. Children “have the right to be born and raised in a family with both their mother and their father.”

Government officials also have “no competence and no authority” to redefine or “expand” the definition of marriage to include other kinds of relationships, he continued. To do so is “to say that marriage no longer exists” and this would have “grave consequences” for children and for the common good.

Archbishop Gomez pledged continued prayer for an outcome that “supports and strengthens the true meaning of marriage.”

Pope's visit will encourage a Cuba founded on love

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:02:00 -0500

Rome, Italy, Feb 8, 2012 / 02:02 pm (CNA).- A Cuban priest believes that Pope Benedict's upcoming trip to the country will bring profound change and show that “love is the only path possible for the present and the future of Cuba.”

“I am convinced in faith that God our Lord will bring great benefit out of the Pope’s visit and out of everything that Cuba is experiencing at this time for our people and for our Church,” Father Jorge Luis Perez Soto told CNA on Feb. 2.

The priest served as pastor of the Cathedral of Havana before relocating to Rome to study dogmatic theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

He said that Pope Benedict's March 26-28 visit will serve to strengthen the bond between Cubans and the Vatican. Catholics in the country are especially called to be “a means of reconciliation in Cuba,” in order to bring healing to the wounds of the past, he added.

They must also strive to “participate more in the social commitment to transform society, to transform the country at this time of great change in Cuba, and to participate actively in the life of the Church,” he said.

Fr. Perez Soto referred to the beginnings of the Communist regime in Cuba, saying it “certainly decimated the Church during those years.”

However, “I think it also did the Church a favor,” he observed, “because the Church stripped of all its incidentals had to seek after what was essential, what was central, and that made us a small Church, weak but united around our pastors, a Church united around the Holy Father.”

He recalled that the visit by John Paul II to Cuba in 1998 was “a new experience” for the Church on the island, and his messages formed the basis for pastoral ministry in the country during the following 14 years. The Communist regime also slowly began to allow greater freedoms in Cuba, he said.

“I think the people’s view of the Pope changed. They knew about him before, but to see him in person, to see him preaching the Gospel, from the Gospel of his suffering and his old age had a great impact on the Cuban people.”

Because of this experience, he added, “the Cuban people today likewise are preparing for the visit of His Holiness Benedict XVI,” who as successor to St. Peter, will come “to confirm the pilgrim flock of Christ in Cuba.”

Santorum wins three states, paints election as battle over rights

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:59:00 -0500

Washington D.C., Feb 8, 2012 / 12:59 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- As Republican presidential contender Rick Santorum swept three Feb. 7 contests in the GOP race for the nomination, he stated that this election is about whether rights come from God or the government.

Santorum said at a rally in Missouri on the evening of Feb. 7 that “freedom is at stake in this election,” and that he would defend religious liberty and listen to the American people as president.

“This is the most important election in your lifetime,” he said.

On Feb. 7, Santorum won the GOP caucuses in Colorado – where Mitt Romney had recently been leading in the polls – as well as the Minnesota caucuses and the non-binding Missouri primary, a symbolic contest that serves as a straw poll before the state’s official caucuses in March.

Although Romney is still ahead in the delegate count, Santorum has now surpassed Romney’s three state victories with his trio of recent wins, in addition to his late win in Iowa.

In his Missouri speech, Santorum emphasized the importance of the 2012 election in determining the future of America.

After thanking God for “the grace to be able to persevere,” he also thanked his wife, Karen, for being “a rock through these last few weeks.”

“We have had more drama than any family really needs,” he said. “And she has just been an amazing rock and a great blessing to me.”

When his three-year-old daughter, Bella, was recently admitted to the hospital with pneumonia, Santorum briefly left the campaign trail, just days before the Jan. 31 Florida primary to be with her.

Bella, who is now recovering at home, has a genetic disorder known as Trisomy-18. Because of this, illnesses can quickly turn serious and even be fatal for her.

Santorum sent his love to his youngest daughter and promised to be home soon.

“I love you, sweetie,” he said. “Thank you so much for getting healthy.”

Santorum then turned his attention to the election and said, “Americans understand that there is a great, great deal at stake.” In his assessment, this election “is about a country that believes in God-given rights, and a Constitution that is limited to protect those rights.”

But President Obama “does not believe that,” and has shown over the last three years that he thinks “the government can give you rights,” he said.

This is a problem because when the government thinks it is the source of your rights, then the government can also “tell you how to exercise those rights” and can even “take them away.”

Santorum pointed to a recent mandate issued by the Obama administration that will require virtually all employers to buy health insurance that covers sterilization and contraception for free, including the drug Ella, which can be used for early abortion.

The administration has refused to allow exemptions for most religious organizations, despite strong objections from groups that say the mandate will force them to violate their consciences and the teachings of their religion.

Santorum said that in issuing the decision, that Obama administration has told Catholics that “you have a right to health care, but you will have the health care that we tell you.” In this worldview, the government has the ultimate authority over what you “give your people, whether it is against the teachings of your church or not,” he explained.

The former Pennsylvania senator said that he is “a first-generation American, whose parents and grandparents loved freedom and came here because they didn't want the government telling them what to believe and how to believe it.”

But he never imagined that America would have a president “who would roll over that and impose his secular values on the people of this country.”

“When the majority of Americans oppose these radical ideas and they speak loudly against them, we need a president who listens to them,” Santorum said.

Over 150 congressional leaders demand repeal of HHS mandate

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:04:00 -0500

Washington D.C., Feb 8, 2012 / 09:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A letter from 154 bipartisan members of Congress is urging the Obama administration to reverse a contraception mandate that religious employers say would require them to violate their consciences.

The Feb. 6 letter to Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, condemned the recent mandate as an “unprecedented overreach by the federal government.”

Congressional leaders urged Sebelius to “reconsider the final rule” as it applies to employers and individuals who have moral or religious objections to the coverage required by the mandate.

They also asked her for “specific details on the process followed in the reading and evaluating of the public comments submitted” about the mandate.

The letter comes amid a storm of criticism over Sebelius’ recent announcement that virtually all employers will soon be required to purchase health insurance plans that cover contraceptives – including abortion-inducing drugs – and sterilization.

In their letter, the congressmen noted that Sebelius’ department had received more than 200,000 comments on the rule during its public comment period. Many of these comments objected to the “narrow scope of the religious exemption” included in the mandate.

The religious exemption applies only to those organizations that exist to instill religious values and limit their employment and services to primarily members of their own faith. While most churches are covered by the exemption, huge numbers of religious schools, hospitals and charitable organizations are not.

However, despite the massive wave of criticism, Sebelius refused to broaden the exemption in issuing the final rule on Jan. 20.

In response, Rep. Steve Scalise (R - LA) led a Congressional effort to compose a letter voicing “strong opposition” to the mandate, which he described as “radical” and an “attack on the religious freedoms guaranteed to all Americans by the Bill of Rights.”

In their joint letter, congressional leaders observed that the mandate infringes upon the conscience rights not only of those who object to contraception, but also “of those who, for moral or religious reasons, oppose abortion.”

They explained that the regulation requires coverage of certain “drugs and devices that can function as abortifacients,” such as Plan B and Ella.

They also said that the one-year extension granted to religiously-affiliated organizations that object to the mandate “only delays the inevitable violation of conscience.”

The members of Congress asked Sebelius to consider the concerns that had been raised.

They requested that she “suspend the final rule” until an arrangement has been made to “ensure that both employers and individuals are afforded their constitutionally protected conscience rights.”