Excerpted from the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici of His Holiness John Paul II: On the Vocation and the Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and in the World [Emphasis added] 37. To rediscover and make others rediscover the inviolable dignity of every human person makes up an essential task, in a certain sense,…
Editor’s note: Rueters columnist, Edward Hadas, provides a good discussion of principles of Catholic social teaching, in the context of the Pope’s new encyclical, Laudato Si. As one reads, also consider the debt we have to future children in defending their right to be born into a family with their mothers and fathers united in…
By Robert Maranto and Michael Crouch NEW YORK (WSJ) — Suppose a scientific conference on cancer prevention never addressed smoking, on the grounds that in a free society you can’t change private behavior, and anyway, maybe the statistical relationships between smoking and cancer are really caused by some other third variable. Wouldn’t some suspect that…
VATICAN (CNA/EWTN News) — Pope Francis’ appointment of new cardinals from distant and impoverished countries has helped bring the topic of pastoral care for those struggling in poverty to Vatican discussions. “I suppose looking back now, it’s not surprising that he chose cardinals from the poorest countries in the world. Nicaragua, Burkina Faso, and Haiti…
WASHINGTON — The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has urged the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) not to adopt a proposed regulation that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected categories for which discrimination in HUD programs is prohibited. In comments filed today with HUD, Anthony…
By Father John Flynn, LC ROME (zenit.org) — The U.S. Census Bureau released the latest figures on income and poverty on Sept. 16. According to the report the official U.S. poverty rate in 2009 was 14.3%, up from 13.2% in 2008. In raw numbers this adds up to 43.6 million people in poverty in 2009, compared…
CCG Defends the Parents’ Rights to Homeschool CCG Legal Team Contributes to Briefs for Calif. Appeals Court When the California Court of Appeal granted a rehearing for the case that led to a decision banning homeschooling in California, it invited several amicus parties to submit briefs. Catholics for the Common Good has decided to participate…
The Common Good of Children Takes Precedence in Debate on Family and Marriage ROME (zenit.com) — Focusing on the rights of children could resolve some of the ideological debates surrounding the family, said a professor and ex-diplomat from Norway. Janne Haaland Matlary explained her position today at the opening session of the congress focusing on…
Sgreccia Links Strong Families to Healthy Economies ROME (zenit.com) — Laws allowing de facto unions will hurt many people, and Catholics will “do everything possible” to prevent their passage, said the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Bishop Elio Sgreccia said this at the launch in Rome of Carlo Casini’s book “Unioni di fatto,…
By Dolores Meehan Note: This article was written as a response to an OpEd piece that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle. Thank you for your OpEd piece on Proposition 85. I have been following this issue very closely and appreciate your interest although I was surprised at some of the claims put forth in…
Don’t despair. Headlines like the following, which is from the Sept. 15, 2005, San Francisco Chronicle, are pure spin to mislead the public. “Massachusetts lawmakers defeat bid to halt gay marriages” “157-39 vote reflects growing acceptance of same-sex nuptials among state residents” What they didn’t tell you is that groups opposing “same-sex marriage” in the…
By Bill May California and the nation dodged a huge bullet when California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the “same-sex marriage” legislation on September 30, 2005, that the legislature had put on his desk earlier in the month. The fact that such legislation could pass any legislative chamber in the country is a shock and should…