More recent news highlights...
* The Diocese of Springfield (MA) will reportedly lay off more than a third of its workforce due to budget deficits
* As previously noted, a Mass of Reception for Archbishop José Horacio Gómez, the recently named Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles, is scheduled for Wednesday, 5/26/10
* Heartbreaking: Police are classifying vandalism at Maywood, CA parish as a hate crime, calling it "of a heinous nature." Included in the damage was a knifing of a painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary
* An agreement between the Vatican and the city of Hamburg, Germany has been signed that permits the creation of a new "formation center for Catholic theology and methods of teaching religion" at Hamburg University
* The Justice Department has sided with the Vatican in a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court. The brief, which calls for reversal of a court ruling allowing the Vatican to be listed as a defendant in an abuse case, argues that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act was misapplied by the lower court
* The body of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus - founder of the heliocentric theory - was recently reburied in a Polish cathedral after DNA tests verified ("with a high probability") that remains in an unmarked grave beneath the cathedral floor were his
* The bishops of Malta have issued a statement reiterating that cohabiting couples may not receive Holy Communion, noting that cohabitating couples' "life-style is not consistent with the Church’s teaching regarding the Eucharist and their situation does not manifest the moral disposition which is proper in order to receive the Eucharist" [Or, in plain English, fornication is a grave sin]
* An alleged abuse victim & "leader" of alleged abuse survivors in Ireland previously denied that he was ever abused, according to a tape that recently "surfaced". The tape contains a 1999 radio interview in which the alleged victim said, "But I must say, and I have to say it here and now, because I had to meet my family when this came out. And say it never happened to me, I never seen it happening, I never heard of it happening in my seven years in Ferryhouse. I never seen or heard of it." The alleged victim now claims he omitted mention of being abused because he didn't want anyone to know about it. A reported $1 billion has been set aside for victims' compensation, but the alleged victim claims he does not want any money.
* Despite media claims that a Sicilian female recently became the "first Catholic woman to be ordained" in Italy, the woman did not receive ordination as it is impossible to confer holy orders on women. Even if the "Old Catholics" (not really Catholic) maintained apostolic succession, it would be impossible for them to successfully ordain a woman (click here for more information). In a similar vein, the lesbian "priest" who was recently denied a Catholic funeral in Chicago was no priest at all, but merely a woman who participated a pretend "ordination" ceremony and thereby excommunicated herself from the Church [Note: Click Here for 'Top Reasons Why Women Can't Be Priests']
* The U.K. Catholic school teacher who "cracked after provocation" and attacked a teenager with a weight will reportedly not serve further jail time. The teacher who was described as "previously a man of 'impeccable character'", although he had recently suffered from stress-related problems & was reportedly "in a fragile state of health" at the time of the incident, now warns that "lots" of his colleagues may be "ticking time bombs." Since the incident, some teachers have spoken out against students' bad behavior at school - which they say has "become worse" over recent years - claiming that situations may be "incredibly damaging" for staff and can "easily spiral out of control"
* Reports indicate that the Vatican has given a "cautious" response to recent news concerning the "first synthetic cell", noting that God is the origin of life and reminding that scientific discoveries need to be used properly. Observers note that the scientists did not actually create life or build a cell "from scratch", but rather "replaced one of its motors". As Bishop Domenico Mogavero stated, scientists "should never forget that there is only one creator: God." He also warned that "Pretending to be God and parroting his power of creation is an enormous risk that can plunge men into a barbarity" and that "In the wrong hands, today's development can lead tomorrow to a devastating leap in the dark"
[5/25]
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