Catholic News

• Be humble, free, and courageous in the search for truth, Pope tells journalists (Vatican Press Office)
  Addressing members of the Associazione della Stampa Estera (Italian Foreign Press Association), Pope Francis said on May 18 that “freedom of the press and of expression is an important indicator of a country’s state of health” (video).
• Vatican newspaper, French bishops speak out against euthanasia of Vincent Lambert (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian ed., p. 6))
  Vincent Lambert, described as France’s Terri Schiavo, is an accident victim who breathes on his own, but requires artificial nutrition and hydration. The Vatican newspaper article (“We cannot remain indifferent”) was written by Roberto Colombo, a member of the medical faculty of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. The French bishops also issued a statement; last year, Pope Francis prayed that Lambert’s life be respected.
• Vatican insiders criticize Italian premier for invoking Catholic faith (AP)
  Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Salvini flourished a rosary, and invoked the protection of the Virgin Mary on Italy, at a rally of nationalist leaders in Milan on May 18. His statements drew a caution from Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, who said that invoking God for political causes “is always very dangerous.” Father Antonio Spadaro, a close adviser to Pope Francis, was less subtle, saying: “The exploitation of religion seems to know no decency.”
• New York archdiocese again appeals ruling on Archbishop Sheen's remains (Journal-Star)
  The Archdiocese of New York has again appealed a court ruling that the body of Archbishop Fulton Sheen should be transferred to the Diocese of Peoria. The appeal is the sixth legal effort by the New York archdiocese to block the transfer, and will further delay the cause for Archbishop Sheen’s beatification.
• Pope reflects on Jesus' new commandment of love (Zenit)
  Pope Francis devoted his May 19 Regina Coeli address (video) to John 13:31-35, the Gospel reading of the day.
• Pope scolds Italian bishops for delay on annulment reforms (Crux)
  Speaking on May 20 to the Italian bishops’ conference, Pope Francis lamented that reform to the annulment procedure, which he instituted four years ago, “remains far from being applied in the great majority of Italian dioceses.” He called for “full and immediate application” of the new norms.
• Pope laments food waste, calls for solidarity with needy (Vatican Press Office)
  Pope Francis warned members of the European Food Banks Federation that “at times, good initiatives guided by the best intentions can get frustrated by extended bureaucracy, excessive administrative costs, or become forms of welfare that do not lead to authentic development.”
• Cardinal Hummes outlines vision for Amazon synod, calls for a 'truly indigenous Church' (La Civiltà Cattolica)
  “Amazonia: new pathways for the Church and for an integral ecology” is the theme of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, which takes place October 6-27. Pope Francis has named Brazilian Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, 84, as the synod’s relator general.
• Cardinal Sarah praises former Pope's letter on Church crisis, raps Benedict's critics (L'Espresso)
  At an event in Rome, anticipated as a launch for his new book The Day is Now Far Spent, Cardinal Robert Sarah instead spoke at length about the letter of Pope-emeritus Benedict on the sex-abuse crisis, saying that the letter “demonstrated brilliantly” his argument about the crisis of the Catholic faith. Cardinal Sarah regretted that the former Pope’s letter “has prompted reactions that at times have bordered on intellectual hysteria.”
• Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage in historic first for Asia (CNN)
  The nation of 23.6 million (map) is 35% Buddhist, 33% Taoist, and 4% Christian, with 10% practicing Chinese folk religions.
• Missouri legislature passes ban on abortion after 8 weeks (AP)
  The Missouri Catholic Conference, which represents the state’s bishops, praised lawmakers for passing the Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act.
• Dutch cardinal: gender ideology prompts hostility toward Christians (National Catholic Register)
  Cardinal Willem Eijk of Utrecht said that contemporary movements like gender ideology have prompted a mounting hostility “against the Christian faith.” However, in an interview with the National Catholic Register, the Dutch cardinal said that the conflict may force Christians to deepen their faith and their resolve. “The Holy Spirit is working in this confusion, too,” he said.
• Pope lends support to Anglican prayer initiative (@JustinWelby)
  In a meeting with Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, Pope Francis offered a video message of support for Thy Kingdom Come, an Anglican “prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray for more people to come to know Jesus.”
• US bishops 'gravely disappointed' by House passage of Equality Act (USCCB)
  The House of Representatives passed the Equality Act (H.R.5) in a 236-173 vote. Five bishops who chair USCCB committees warned that “the Act’s unsound definitions of ‘sex’ and ’gender identity’ would ... end women’s shelters and many single-sex schools, ...close faith-based foster care and adoption agencies that honor children’s rights to a mother and father ... [and] even act as an abortion mandate.” The USCCB explained its opposition to the Act in greater detail in a March 20 letter.
• 'With renewed enthusiasm and dynamism,' persevere in evangelizing Africa, Pope tells missionary community (Vatican Press Office)
  Pope Francis addressed participants in the general chapter of the Society of African Missions. Participants are meeting in Rome to discuss the following theme: “a family faithful to its missionary charism in today’s complex and changing context.”
• Early Opus Dei member beatified in Madrid (Vatican Press Office)
  Blessed Guadalupe Ortiz de Landázuri (1916-1975), a chemistry professor, was one of the first women to join Opus Dei and helped start Opus Dei in Mexico. The Mass of beatification (video) took place in the Palacio Vistalegre, an arena in Madrid.
• El Salvador criminal gang murders priest (Vatican News)
  Father Cecilio Perez Cruz, who reportedly refused to pay “protection fees” to the gang, was a parish priest in the Diocese of Sonsonate (map).
• Vatican diplomat sees new Palestinian government as 'glimmer of hope' in Middle East (Holy See Mission)
  Archbishop Bernardito Auza, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, made his remarks at a recent UN Security Council debate on the Palestinian question. The new Palestinian government is loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and opposed by the Islamist Hamas organization.
• Pope Francis praises St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle as 'genius and creative innovator' in education (Zenit)
  Honoring the 300th anniversary of the death of St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle (1651-1719), Pope Francis discussed three themes: “he was a genius and creative innovator in the vision of the school, in the conception of the teacher, and in the methods of teaching.”
• Vast majority of couples who carry a terminally ill baby to term do not regret it (Iona Institute)
  When women carry a pregnancy to term even after learning that the baby will not survive after birth, the vast majority have no regrets, according to a study of 400 cases by the Duke University Medical Center. The study, finding that 97% of the parents had no regrets, suggested “a psychological benefit to women to continue th pregnancy following prenatal diagnosis of a lethal fetal defect.”
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