CATHOLIC NEWSLINK: “Just Wages and Human Flourishing” – Bishop Frank J. Dewane/USCCB

File Photo of Hardhat and Gloves, adapted from image at ustr.gov

“The plight of our brothers and sisters who work hard but struggle to make ends meet calls us all to reflect in a special way this Labor Day. Today, we read in St. Luke’s Gospel how Jesus, upon returning home to Nazareth, read from the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue declaring, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has Anointed Me to bring glad tidings to the poor.”1 Sadly, in our times too many people are excluded, marginalized, and politically and economically disenfranchised. The struggle of working people, of the poor, as Pope Francis reminds us, is not first a “social or political question. No! It is the Gospel, pure and simple.”2 There has been some notable progress in our economy in recent years, but it is also apparent that it is not where it should be for many, and we can all play a productive role in making sure it is a system that upholds the dignity of all people. …”

CATHOLIC NEWSWATCH: “Letter to U.S. Senators From Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, President, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops [Re: Roe v. Wade, Catholic Faith and Supreme Court Nominations]” – USCCB

Supreme Court Facade with Parkland and Blossoming Trees, adapted from image at supremecourt.gov

“… we have grave concerns about the confirmation process which is being grossly distorted by efforts to subject judicial nominees to a litmus test of support for Roe [v. Wade], as though nominees who oppose the purposeful taking of innocent human life are somehow unfit for judicial office in the United States. By any measure, support for Roe is an impoverished standard for assessing judicial ability. For forty-five years, Roe has sparked more informed criticism and public resistance than any other court decision of the late 20th century …. * * * There is no doubt that the Catholic Church stands out for its commitment to the right to life from conception until natural death. … [with] profound consequences not only for abortion, but for many other areas of life, including the death penalty, the application of scientific research to human subjects, the right to adequate health care, and the role of the state in promoting the common good. Our civil society will be all the poorer if Senators, as a matter of practice, reject well-qualified judicial nominees whose consciences have been formed in this ethic. …”

Click here for [PDF] “Letter to U.S. Senators From Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, President, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops [Re: Roe v. Wade, Catholic Faith and Supreme Court Nominations]” – USCCB

CATHOLIC NEWSLINK: “In Ireland, pro-lifers rally by the thousands against legalizing abortion” – CNA

Ireland Satellite Image, adapted from .gov image

“Some 100,000 Irish pro-life advocates took to the streets across the country on Saturday to oppose legalizing abortion in the Republic of Ireland. …”

CATHOLIC NEWSLINK: “China’s president seeks more control over religion” – CNA/EWTN

China Map

“President Xi Jinping of #China announced this week that he wants to tighten Beijing’s strict government controls on religion in the communist country. In a speech this week during the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Xi said that religions not sufficiently conformed to Communist ideals pose a threat to the country’s government, and therefore must become more ‘Chinese-oriented.’ …”

CATHOLIC NEWSLINK: “An Exorcist and a Journalist Explore Eastern Meditation and Mindfulness” – Catholic Exchange

Statue of Saint Michael the Archangel With Sword Raised, Stomping on the Devil

“Eastern meditation techniques are a growing fad to relax and alleviate stress and anxiety. …. But according to an exorcist and an author on A Catholic Guide to Mindfulness, such meditations are contrary to the Catholic faith and neither healthy nor even harmless. …”

CATHOLIC NEWSLINK: “Pro-Marriage Student Group Facing ‘Hate’ Charges at Georgetown University”

File Photo of Georgetown University's Heal Hall, adapted from image at nasa.gov

“At the nation’s oldest Catholic university, a student organization is on trial for promoting Church doctrine on sexuality. Georgetown University student group Love Saxa is battling accusations of “hate” — charges levied against it for its fidelity to Catholic teaching. …”

CATHOLIC NEWS: “Pope Francis issues new directives on revision, translation of liturgical texts” – CNA

Pope Francis file photo, adapted from image (c) VIS

“… with Francis’ motu proprio, the text has been changed to read: ‘It is for the Apostolic See to order the sacred liturgy of the universal Church, publish liturgical books, recognize adaptations approved by the Episcopal Conference according to the norm of law, and exercise vigilance that liturgical regulations are observed faithfully everywhere.’ …”

NEWSLINK: “Palm Sunday attacks: 44 dead, more than 100 injured in church bombings carried out by ISIL in Egypt” – Fox News

Egypt Map, adapted from image at export.gov

“… at least 44 people were killed and more than 100 more were injured in two Palm Sunday suicide attacks at Coptic Christian churches, each carried out by the ISIS terror group. Sunday’s first blast happened at St. George Church in the Nile Delta town of Tanta, where at least 27 people were killed and 78 others wounded, officials said.
Television footage showed the inside of the church, where a large number of people gathered around what appeared to be lifeless, bloody bodies covered with papers. A second explosion – which Egypt’s Interior Ministry says was caused by a suicide bomber who tried to storm St. Mark’s Cathedral in the coastal city of Alexandria — left at least 17 dead, and 48 injured. The attack came just after Pope Tawadros II — leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria — finished services, but aides told local media that he was unharmed. …”

#CATHOLIC FAITHLINK: “#Love and #mercy in #politics”

U.S. Capitol File Photo

“… As Pope Francis has reminded us, another name for love is mercy. The saying “hate the sin but love the sinner,” from a letter by St. Augustine, is at the core of how Jesus transformed sinners by loving them. …”

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