More recent news highlights...
* Pope Benedict has reportedly been "put on the shortlist for Classical Brit Awards" for the recently released album featuring his voice
* The plane crash which killed "much of [Poland's] political and military elite", including the country's president, also claimed the life of Bishop Tadeusz Ploski
* The Diocese of Sacramento has announced that it will stop publishing its diocesan newspaper due to financial reasons. The paper had been in operation for 102 years. The diocese plans to start publishing a bimonthly magazine and will "step up its online presence"
* Cardinal Bertone recently stated that "many psychologists and psychiatrists have demonstrated that there is no relation between celibacy and pedophilia" but says "there is a relation between homosexuality and pedophilia" [Related: Why Priestly Celibacy?]
* Heartbreaking: According to a new report commissioned by the Church in Germany, children were "sadistically tormented" and abused for decades at a Catholic monastery in Bavaria
* Pope Benedict is willing to meet more abuse victims, according to a Vatican spokesman. The Holy Father has previously met with abuse victims both at the Vatican and on trips
* Ridiculous: Notre Dame has issued a new "institutional pro-life statement" despite the fact that they refuse to drop the charges against the pro-lifers arrested for peacefully demonstrating last year on the Catholic campus. The pro-lifers still face jail time and financial penalties
* In a recent interview, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco said that "Proven cases of mismanagement, underestimation of the facts, if not outright cover-up [of abuse cases], will have to be rigorously prosecuted within and outside the Church and, as has already happened in some cases, will have to result in the removal and dismissal of the people involved."
* European hotlines are apparently being "deluged" with calls reporting abuse by priests. The hotline set up by bishops in Germany reportedly received 2,700 calls in the first three days. Many, but not all, calls involve new abuse allegations. One psychotherapist who takes calls reports that victims "often" report feeling "relieved" after utilizing the church-sponsored hotline service
* Double standard: Although a woman has the supposed "legal right" to kill her unborn child via abortion, a California court has sentenced a man to 50 years in prison for killing his unborn child. Pro-lifers note that the mother could have "legally" paid an abortionist to kill the child and neither she nor the abortionist would suffer a penalty - yet the father (justly) must spend most of his life in prison for killing the same child [Related: Threats to Life: Abortion]
* Not good: Despite the many encouraging facts about the recently named future Archbishop of Los Angeles, Archbishop Jose Gomez, TIA reports that the future leader has (regrettably) previously assisted in a Jewish ceremony inside the Catholic Cathedral of San Fernando in commemoration of the Jewish feast of Hanukkah
* A letter written by a Canadian bishop demonstrates that a Canadian priest who was accused of abuse was promoted to secretary-general of the Vatican's Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith in the early 1990's. The letter also discusses "how to keep the scandal from becoming public." The accused priest - who is in prison & has since been defrocked - was a friend of Pope John Paul II. He was reportedly promoted even though Canadian Church officials already had knowledge of at least one abuse allegation
* Way to go: Bishop Tobin told the head of the CHA, Sr. Carol Keehan, that he was "very disappointed that the Catholic Health Association, under your leadership, publicly endorsed the recent health care legislation that was passed and signed into law" and said that the CHA leader's "enthusiastic support of the legislation, in contradiction to the position of the Bishops of the United States, provided an excuse for members of Congress, misled the public and cause serious scandal for many members of the Church." He further requested that "St. Joseph Health Services of Rhode Island, sponsored by the Diocese of Providence, be removed from the membership list and mailing list of the Catholic Health Association." Sister Carol Keehan was recently "awarded" one of the 21 pens used by President Obama to sign the abortion-expanding healthcare bill for her 'key role' in the legislation
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