Separation of Church and State: U.S. Constitutional Policy in Conflict

Unformatted Document Text: Separation of Church and State: Constitutional Policy in Conflict 29

The Opus Dei formula for success is not based upon the quantity of its converts, but the quality of its converts, e.g. “they must primarily be influential [college students and others] from very elite backgrounds” (Cocozelli 2006). Some of Opus Dei converts include CNBC economic pundit Lawrence Kudlow, Senator Sam Brownback, former Senator Santorum of Pennsylvania, Supreme Court Justices Alioto, Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia; and Justice Scalia’s son is an Opus Dei priest. Further supporters of Opus Die are Chief Justice John Roberts, attorney Mary Ann Glendon, Mary Ellen Bork, wife of Judge Bork; also the former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson who argued for the Bush side in Bush v. Gore 31 in 2000 before the Supreme Court, receiving a 5-4 vote, thereby giving the 25 electoral votes from Florida and the Presidency to George W. Bush. In addition, Tom Monaghan [Domino’s Pizza boss at http://www.usdreams.com/Monaghan7677.html ], and Robert Novak well known conservative Chicago journalist often seen on Meet the Press, are cooperators, including conservative Catholics like Tim Russert of NBC news, Chris Matthews of NBC news and MSNBC, just to name a few of the important government, economic, and media personalities tied to or supporters of Opus Dei (Cocozzelli 2006; http://www.mond.at/opus.dei/ ; http://supreme.justia.com/scripts/search ). Further, a number of Opus Dei cooperators are also connected to the Neo-conservative think-tank Project for the New American Century, and the Institute on Religion and Democracy (Cocozzelli 2006-2007). Opus Dei seeks out the elite and wealthy for leadership, with the goal of infusing the U.S. [and the world] with a pre-Vatican II morality. Opus Dei elite and supporters are Republican and staunch supporters of President George W. Bush. The Society did not find much support, however, from either Pope John XXIII nor from Paul VI, but has found enormous support and stature under Pope John Paul II and the present Pope Benedict XVI. 31 531 U.S. 98 (2000)



Authors: Oberbauer, Angela.

Source

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on her Catholic faith and the urgency of a criminal justice reform

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

June 27, 2018

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, May 26, 2018. (Corey Torpie / Courtesy of the Ocasio-Cortez Campaign)

Christ came to me emblazoned on the upper arm of my beloved cousin Marc. The blue-black ink danced between the bullet scars and stretch marks that graced my cousin’s upper body. Atop this crown-of-thorns depiction was a tattooed banner with the phrase “Only God Can Judge Me.”

I have never known Marc as a criminal. I have only known him as the largest and funniest member of my family. As a child, I saw this tattooed arm over and over again. It appeared at family cookouts turning a lechón (roasted pig) in its fifth hour, it held me steady on Marc’s broad lap, and it was revealed during the wintertime, when our pipes would hiss until the relentless heat would force us all to roll our sleeves as far up as they would go.

I remember reading his tattoo each time I saw it, trying to understand what it meant: Only God Can Judge Me. Innocence, in its mercy, partly excuses us from having to fully reckon with the spiritual gifts of forgiveness, grace and redemption at the heart of the Catechism: I believe in the forgiveness of sins.

Marc—like several men in my family—had been caught in the webbed threads of poverty, geography and lack of opportunity during the fever pitch of 1990s mass incarceration. Baggy-pant boys like him fit the descriptions of “super-predators” and “thugs” that dominated our national discourse at the time. Marc served his time, and has been out of the system ever since—a miraculous feat, given that over 75 percent of released state prisoners in the United States are rearrested within five years. Today he is a union worker and a happily married father of three successful children.

Innocence, in its mercy, partly excuses us from having to fully reckon with the spiritual gifts of forgiveness, grace and redemption at the heart of the Catechism: I believe in the forgiveness of sins.

Tweet this

Pelosi: ‘We Are, In Our View, the Eucharist, the Body of Christ’

https://www.mrctv.org/videos/pelosi-we-are-eucharist


Read more

Pennsylvania Attorney General Asks Pope Francis to Help Release Grand Jury Report

Pennsylvania Capitol Building (Shutterstock.com) 

Jul. 26, 2018

The publication of the 800-page report detailing the handling sexual abuse by the five Pennsylvania dioceses has been blocked by legal challenges. 

Catholic News Agency/EWTN News


HARRISBURG, Pa— The Pennsylvania Attorney General has appealed to Pope Francis for help in publishing a report on clerical sexual abuse in that state.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro requested the pope’s help in a July 25 letter published Thursday by the Philadelphia Enquirer.

The 800-page report is the result of a two-year grand jury investigation, led by Shapiro, into the handling of sexual abuse cases by five Pennsylvania dioceses – Altoona-Johnstown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh. It was originally scheduled for public release at the end of June this year, but legal challenges by individuals named in the report, including some priests, have delayed publication.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered that the report’s release be delayed while it considered arguments that some named in the report had not been granted due process by the investigation and would have their reputations unfairly damaged.

In a letter to Pope Francis, dated 25 July, Shapiro recalled meeting the pope at an event during the 2015 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

“I am a great admirer of you and your work – especially your commitment to fighting for the defenseless,” Shapiro writes, saying that they met at a reception at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, after which Francis went on to meet with victims of sexual abuse, to whom he expressed his sadness and apologies.

“You went on to express remorse that the Church failed to hear and believe [victims] for so long but that now you, the Holy Father, ‘hears and believes [them].’ You pledged to follow the path of truth wherever it my lead.”

Shapiro wrote that he has reason to believe “at least two leaders of the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania” are behind the legal challenges delaying the grand jury report’s release.


While conceding that these unnamed “leaders” are not acting directly to block the report, Shapiro suggested that they are encouraging those who are.

The letter concluded with a “respectful request” that Pope Francis instruct Church leaders in the state – presumably the bishops – to abandon their “destructive efforts to silence the survivors [of abuse].”

Earlier this week, Bishop Lawrence Persico, of the Diocese of Erie, told local media that he had seen the report and that its contents were “graphic,” “detailed,” and “sobering.” He also said that accounts of how abuse allegations were handled in previous decades would be unacceptable today.

Bishop Persico also addressed the legal challenges delaying the release of the report, saying he did not know who was behind them but that he was in favor of publication.

“I know I did not [block publication],” he said. “I’ve been calling from the very beginning that the grand jury report be released so it can be a voice for the victims. I’m not sure who all is behind this.”

Pope Francis has underscored the need for victims to be heard. In a letter to the Chilean bishops, following the national sexual abuse crisis in that country, he wrote “one of our main faults and omissions [is] not knowing how to listen to victims.”

In that instance, the pope included himself among those who had not listened, and promised to do better.

CORRECTION: This story initially included Philadelphia among the dioceses involved in the grand jury report. Philadelphia is not a subject of this investigation.

Source

Callista Gingrich formally begins service as U.S. ambassador to Holy See

by Cindy Wooden

posted Friday, 22 Dec 2017

Callista Gingrich (Getty images)


Mrs Gingrich presented her credentials to Pope Francis Friday morning

Callista Gingrich presented her letters of credential to Pope Francis, formally assuming her duties as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.

Gingrich met privately with the Pope on December 22 after introducing her husband, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and members of her staff.

Neither the Vatican nor the U.S. embassy provided details about their private discussion.

In a statement, the embassy said, “Ambassador Gingrich looks forward to working with the Holy See to defend human rights, advance religious freedom, combat human trafficking and to seek peaceful solutions to crises around the world.”

But in the weeks before her papal audience, Pope Francis and U.S. President Donald Trump had very public disagreements on other issues. Pope Francis had asked Trump to respect the “status quo” of Jerusalem by not recognizing it as the capital of Israel until the city’s status was determined by a peace process.

Also, the Vatican expressed disappointment that the Trump administration pulled out of the U.N. process for drafting global compacts on migration and on refugees and that the administration withdrew U.S. support for the Paris Accord on reducing climate change.

Meeting Pope Francis, Gingrich gave him a collection of sacred music recorded by the choir she was a longtime member of at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, the embassy said. She also gave him a donation for the charity of his choice.

After meeting the Pope and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, the new ambassador was accompanied to St Peter’s Basilica by Mgr Francis Kelly, a priest of the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts, and a canon of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Source

San Diego bishop says gun control is a social justice issue

Inés San Martín

November 13, 2017

VATICAN CORRESPONDENT

Bishop Robert W. McElroy of San Diego passes a banner showing Pope Francis before the start of a conference on building a world free from nuclear weapons, at the Vatican Nov. 10. The conference brought together 11 Nobel laureates, top officials from the United Nations and NATO, diplomats from around the world, experts in nuclear weapons and the disarmament process, scholars, activists and representatives of bishops' conferences. (Credit: CNS photo/Paul Haring.)

Bishop Robert McElroy says gun control is a social justice issue of interest to the US Catholic bishops, and criticized the gun lobby for its "organized opposition to gun control, taking the position that any limitation against guns is a limitation on the core rights of individuals." He also said American military action cannot have any positive role in resolving the current crisis around North Korea.


ROME- Gun control is a social justice issue of concern to America’s Catholic bishops, according to Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, who was recently at a Vatican conference to talk about the contributions the Catholic Church can make regarding nuclear disarmament.

“One of the problems is the organized opposition to gun control, taking the position that any limitation against guns is a limitation on the core rights of individuals,” McElroy told Crux on Friday.

65th Annual Red Mass 2017

OCTOBER 1, 2017

65th Annual Red Mass Supreme Court Justices attend the annual Red Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, DC.

Five justices attend Red Mass with homily addressing immigration, religious freedom

Five justices attend Red Mass with homily addressing immigration, religious freedom

Posted Sun, October 1st, 2017 7:15 pm by Andrew Hamm


This morning Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer and Samuel Alito attended the Red Mass, a Roman Catholic liturgy held annually the Sunday before the Supreme Court’s new term to invoke God’s blessing on those responsible for the administration of justice. The justices sat – by seniority, as always – in the first two pews at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington. Noel Francisco, the newly confirmed solicitor general, and Jeffrey Wall, the former acting solicitor general, also attended the mass.

The homilist for the mass, Jose Gomez, archbishop of Los Angeles, indirectly referred to two issues before the justices this term – immigration and religious freedom.

In introducing himself at the start of his homily, Gomez noted that Los Angeles has the largest Roman Catholic congregation in the United States, which he described as an “immigrant church” with masses in over 40 languages. Although “the American dream is still a work in progress,” Gomez argued, “America is still a beacon of hope for refugees and all who long for freedom and equality under God.” “God doesn’t see color, the country we come from, or the language we speak,” Gomez preached.

Gomez also argued that “religious freedom is essential to America” because believers have led movements for justice and social change through America’s history – including movements for abolition, women’s suffrage, civil rights, farm workers, peace and the right to life.

Gomez is vice president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has taken positions on Supreme Court cases pertaining to both issues Gomez addressed. The USCCB filed an amicus brief in support of the challengers to the Trump administration’s entry ban in Trump v. International Refugee Assistance Project, which Wall argued in the lower courts and which was recently removed from the justices’ October calendar. The USCCB filed an amicus brief in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. V. Colorado Civil Rights Commission supporting a devout Christian baker who claims that Colorado’s requirement that he create a wedding cake for a same-sex couple violates the free speech and free exercise clauses of the First Amendment. Last term the USCCB also filed an amicus brief for the church in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer. In an opinion written by Roberts, the court in that case held that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ policy of denying grants to applicants controlled by religious entities violated the free exercise clause of the First Amendment.

Gomez was not the only priest at the altar with involvement in recent Supreme Court cases. Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, was the plaintiff in Roman Catholic Archbishop of Washington v. Burwell, one of the cases consolidated as Zubik v. Burwell, a recent challenge to the Affordable Care Act’s birth-control mandate. When he was still an attorney at Jones Day, Francisco was the counsel of record for the archbishop and the other challengers in that case.

The Supreme Court’s October 2017 term begins Monday at 10 a.m., with oral argument in Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis.

Source

America needs ‘a new sense of our common humanity,’ @ 65th annual Red Mass homilist says

Kelly Sankowski


Sunday, October 01, 2017 6:27 PM




CS PHOTOS BY JACLYN LIPPELMANN

Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez delivers the homily at the 65th annual Red Mass Oct. 1 at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in northwest Washington.

CS PHOTO BY JACLYN LIPPELMANN

Cardinal Donald Wuerl talks with John G. Roberts Jr., the Chief Justice of the United States and one of five members of the Supreme Court to attend the Red Mass, as they leave the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington.


During the 65th annual Red Mass in the nation’s capital, Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez asked the Supreme Court justices, government officials, lawyers and other members of the judiciary gathered at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington to renew a commitment to a government that “serves the human person.”

The annual Mass, which is held the Sunday before the opening of the Supreme Court’s term, invokes the Holy Spirit upon those who are responsible for the administration of justice. The Mass is sponsored by the John Carroll Society, a network that aims to enhance fellowship among Catholic leaders in the Washington area and serve the archbishop of Washington.

Cardinal Donald Wuerl was the main celebrant at the Oct. 1 Mass, and the concelebrants included Washington Auxiliary Bishops Barry Knestout, Mario Dorsonville and Roy Campbell Jr.; Archbishop Gómez; Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge; Bishop Richard Higgins, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services USA; and Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria.

The distinguished guests at the Mass included five members of the Supreme Court: John G. Roberts Jr., the Chief Justice of the United States; and Associate Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Stephen G. Breyer, and Samuel A. Alito Jr.; and also U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco.

In his homily, Archbishop Gomez spoke about St. Junípero Serra, the newest American saint who was one of the founding missionaries of Los Angeles and was canonized by Pope Francis during the pontiff’s 2015 visit to Washington. By doing so, Archbishop Gomez said Pope Francis was making a point that “we should honor St. Junípero Serra as one of the founding fathers of the United States,” since the missionaries came here before the pilgrims and began their outreach before the nation’s first president was inaugurated.

Vice President at Catholic Prayer Breakfast: ‘Continue to Be Hands, Feet of Our Savior’

Vice President Mike Pence addresses the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington June 6. (@VP Twitter) 

Nation | Jun. 6, 2017

Mike Pence spoke of Catholic legacy in America, said Trump administration is committed to protecting life and liberty June 6.

Matt Hadro and Adelaide Mena


WASHINGTON — U.S. Vice President Mike Pence exhorted those in attendance at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday to continue to be a “voice for the voiceless,” after proclaiming that “life is winning” in the nation.

“Life is winning in America. Life is winning through the steady advance of science that continues to illuminate more and more when life begins,” Pence told the audience in Washington, D.C., June 6.

He added that the pro-life cause is advancing also “through the generosity of millions of adoptive families” and “through the compassion of caregivers and volunteers at crisis-pregnancy centers and faith-based organizations.”

Pence addressed an estimated crowd of 1,300 at the 13th annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast attended by many Catholic leaders, including Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, U.S.A., and Bishop Mario Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of Washington.

The vice president stated: “I believe we’ve come to a pivotal moment in the life of our nation, and, indeed, the life of the world. The Catholic community in America has made an enormous difference in the life of this nation.” 

Trump Is Expected to Relax Tax Rules on Churches Taking Part in Politics

By MICHAEL D. SHEAR, LAURIE GOODSTEIN and MAGGIE HABERMAN

 MAY 3, 2017



President Trump speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington in February. Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Trump plans to mark National Day of Prayer on Thursday by issuing an executive order that makes it easier for churches and other religious groups to actively participate in politics without risking their tax-exempt status, several administration officials said.

Taking action as he hosts conservative religious leaders Thursday morning, Mr. Trump’s executive order would attempt to overcome a provision in the federal tax code that prohibits religious organizations like churches from directly opposing or supporting political candidates.

The move is likely to be hailed by some faith leaders, who have long complained that the law stifles their freedom of expression. But the order falls short of a more sweeping effort to protect religious liberties that has been pushed by conservative religious leaders since Mr. Trump’s election.

Many clergy members say they do not want to endorse political candidates from the pulpit because it could split their congregations and distract from their religious messages. This appears to be the case even among evangelicals, although it is Mr. Trump’s conservative evangelical advisers who encouraged him to address the issue.

It was unclear Wednesday whether Mr. Trump also planned to issue a separate order that would exempt some religious organizations like churches from Obama-era regulations requiring protections for gay men, lesbians and others.

A coalition of evangelicals, Roman Catholics, Mormons and Orthodox Jews has been eagerly awaiting a so-called religious liberty order, which they also hope will exempt religious entities from providing their employees with coverage for contraception in their health care plans.

COMECE Secretary general met with Mairead McGuinness

RSS-Feed
latest press releases
Content:
back
Webnews 17/03/2017




COMECE Secretary general met with Mairead McGuinness

Fr Olivier Poquillon OP met with Mairead McGuinness, for the first time after her election as the new Vice President of the European Parliament in charge of the dialogue with Religions. They exchanged views on their main points of interest and discussed the best way to allow a positive contribution of the Church to on-going debates in accordance with Article 17 TFEU.

Source

A closer look at the Johnson Amendment

Heather Greene — March 12, 2017 




WASHINGTON – On Feb. 2, President Donald Trump returned for a brief moment to a recurring issue facing his administration: the Johnson Amendment. At the National Prayer Breakfast, he told the attendees,“Among those freedoms is the right to worship according to our own beliefs. That is why I will get rid of, and totally destroy, the Johnson Amendment and allow our representatives of faith to speak freely and without fear of retribution. I will do that — remember.”




[Public domain.]Repealing the Johnson Amendment has been one of the main focuses of Trump’s campaign, and it continues to find its way into current political discourse with regard to religious freedom. Trump began speaking out against the tax code early in his bid for the presidency. Then, during his acceptance speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention, he said:




At this moment, I would like to thank the evangelical and religious community in general who have been so good to me and so supportive.You have much to contribute to our politics, yet our laws prevent you from speaking your minds from your own pulpits. An amendment, pushed by Lyndon Johnson many years ago, threatens religious institutions with a loss of their tax-exempt status if they openly advocate their political views. I am going to work very hard to repeal that language and protect free speech for all Americans.

What is this Johnson Amendment, and what is its relationship to religious freedom? How does it affect the greater Pagan, Heathen, and polytheist communities in the U.S.?
History of the Johnson Amendment

The now-famous tax code change was implemented in 1954, after being passed by a Republican congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It’s name is taken from Lyndon B. Johnson who, at the time, was a senator from Texas. As the story goes, in 1954, Johnson was running for reelection against 30-year-old Dudley Dougherty. While Johnson had only won the previous election in 1948 by 87 votes, he was reportedly expected to easily to beat Dougherty in the primary race.

However, during the campaign process, Johnson vocally opposed the ongoing McCarthy trials and its related fear-mongering. Contrary to that, Dougherty was running on platform that supported the trials and the government’s aggressive attempts to stop the spread of communism in the U.S.

During the campaign, several large nonprofit organizations stepped in to back Dougherty, including Fact Forum and the Committee for Constitutional Government. These wealthy secular groups avidly supported the government’s anti-communist efforts and, as result, they publicly engaged in electioneering on behalf of Dougherty.

501c3 Facts

Most churches in America have organized as "501c3 tax-exempt religious organizations." This is a fairly recent trend that has only been going on for about fifty years. Churches were only added to section 501c3 of the tax code in 1954. We can thank Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson for that. Johnson was no ally of the church. As part of his political agenda, Johnson had it in mind to silence the church and eliminate the significant influence the church had always had on shaping "public policy."

Although Johnson proffered this as a "favor" to churches, the favor also came with strings attached (more like shackles). One need not look far to see the devastating effects 501c3 acceptance has had to the church, and the consequent restrictions placed upon any 501c3 church. 501c3 churches are prohibited from addressing, in any tangible way, the vital issues of the day.

For a 501c3 church to openly speak out, or organize in opposition to, anything that the government declares "legal," even if it is immoral (e.g. abortion, homosexuality, etc.), that church will jeopardize its tax exempt status. The 501c3 has had a "chilling effect" upon the free speech rights of the church. LBJ was a shrewd and cunning politician who seemed to well-appreciate how easily many of the clergy would sell out.

Did the church ever need to seek permission from the government to be exempt from taxes? Were churches prior to 1954 taxable? No, churches have never been taxable. To be taxable a church would first need to be under the jurisdiction, and therefore under the taxing authority, of the government. The First Amendment clearly places the church outside the jurisdiction of the civil government: "Congress shall make NO LAW respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

Religion cannot be free if you have to pay the government, through taxation, to exercise it. Since churches aren't taxable in the first place, why do so many of them go to the IRS and seek permission to be tax-exempt? It occurs out of:

• Ignorance ("We didn't know any better")
• Bandwagon logic ("Everyone else is doing it")
• Professional advice (many attorneys and CPAs recommend it)

Does the law require, or even encourage, a church to organize as a 501c3? To answer that question let's turn to what the IRS itself has to say.

Churches Need Not Apply

In order to be considered for tax-exempt status by the IRS an organization must fill out and submit IRS Form 1023 and 1024. However, note what the IRS says regarding churches and church ministries, in Publication 557:Some organizations are not required to file Form 1023. These include: Churches, interchurch organizations of local units of a church, conventions or associations of churches, or integrated auxiliaries of a church, such as a men’s or women’s organization, religious school, mission society, or youth group. These organizations are exempt automatically if they meet the requirements of section 501(c)(3).

Churches Are “Automatically Tax-Exempt”

According to IRS Code § 508(c)(1)(A):Special rules with respect to section 501(c)(3) organizations. (a) New organizations must notify secretary that they are applying for recognition of section 501(c)(3) status. (c) Exceptions. (1) Mandatory exceptions. Subsections (a) and (b) shall not apply to— (A) churches, their integrated auxiliaries, and conventions or associations of churches.

This is referred to as the "mandatory exception" rule. Thus, we see from the IRS’ own publications, and the tax code, that it is completely unnecessary for any church to apply for tax-exempt status. In the IRS’ own words a church “is automatically tax-exempt.”

Churches Are “Automatically Tax-Deductible”

And what about tax-deductibility? Doesn’t a church still need to become a 501c3 so that contributions to it can be taken as a tax deduction? The answer is no! According to IRS Publication 526:Organizations That Qualify To Receive Deductible Contributions You can deduct your contributions only if you make them to a qualified organization. To become a qualified organization, most organizations other than churches and governments, as described below, must apply to the IRS.

In the IRS’ own words a church “is automatically tax-deductible.”

Churches Have a Mandatory Exception To Filing Tax Returns

Not only is it completely unnecessary for any church to seek 501c3 status, to do so becomes a grant of jurisdiction to the IRS by any church that obtains that State favor. In the words of Steve Nestor, IRS Sr. Revenue Officer (ret.):"I am not the only IRS employee who’s wondered why churches go to the government and seek permission to be exempted from a tax they didn’t owe to begin with, and to seek a tax deductible status that they’ve always had anyway. Many of us have marveled at how church leaders want to be regulated and controlled by an agency of government that most Americans have prayed would just get out of their lives. Churches are in an amazingly unique position, but they don’t seem to know or appreciate the implications of what it would mean to be free of government control."

from the Forward of In Caesar's Grip, by Peter Kershaw

Source

A Who’s Who Of Chicago Is Going To Rome For Cupich Elevation « CBS Chicago

A Who’s Who Of Chicago Is Going To Rome For Cupich Elevation

November 15, 2016 5:15 PM






Archbishop Blaise Cupich (CBS)




(CBS) – A Who’s Who of Chicago public leaders, business executives and personalities will travel to Rome later this week as Archbishop Blase Cupich is formally elevated to the rank of Cardinal.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he and his wife, First Lady Amy Rule, will lead a delegation of more than 80 “civic, faith, elected and business leaders.” Among the delegation members will be Gov. Bruce Rauner, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson and Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago and former NBA star Isiah Thomas, who is from Chicago.

Students from two Chicago high schools are also traveling to Rome.


“For more than two years, Archbishop Cupich has supported Chicago through his service, and Chicago will be there to support him as he is elevated to Cardinal,” Emanuel said in a prepared statement Tuesday. “Whether you are a part of the Catholic Church or not, all Chicagoans have come to know Archbishop Cupich as a man of principle, someone who believes in the power of inclusion, and a voice for the voiceless – in the Church and throughout our city.”

Pope Francis will elevate Cupich to Cardinal on Saturday.

The mayor’s office released this partial list of attendees:

Father Tom Hurley of Old St. Patrick’s Church; Reverend Stan Davis, co-Executive Director of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago; Bishop Wayne Miller, President of the Council of Religious Leaders; Jo Ann Rooney, President of Loyola University; Dennis Holtschneider, President of DePaul University; Governor Bruce Rauner; Senator Dick Durbin; State Senate President John Cullerton; State Comptroller-elect and current City Clerk Susana Mendoza; Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke; Congressman Mike Quigley; Aldermen Ed Burke, Pat O’Connor, Danny Solis, Michelle Harris and Marge Laurino; Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer; Anne Pramaggiore, President and CEO of ComEd; Stefano Pessina, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Walgreen Boots Alliance; Don Edwards, CEO of Flexpoint Ford; Daniel McCaffrey, CEO and Chairman, McCaffery Interests, Inc.; Margaret Houlihan Smith of United Airlines; Wynona Redmond, of Wyn-Win Communications; Cherryl Thomas of Ardmore Associates; Senator Renato Turano of Turano Bakery; former NBA star Isiah Thomas; Desiree Rogers of Choose Chicago; Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson; Chicago Fire Commissioner Jose Santiago; Rocco Claps, Director of the Illinois Department of Human Rights; a Cristo Rey Jesuit High School student and a Christ the King High School student.

Source

A Great Political Idea Can Only Be Sustained By a Great Religious Idea | Catholic World Report - Global Church news and views

A Great Political Idea Can Only Be Sustained By a Great Religious Idea | Catholic World Report - Global Church news and views


Could the Catholic Church save the great idea that was America? Nothing else can. Nothing else is big enough.

Justice, mercy are twin virtues for the law, Red Mass homilist says

Sunday, October 02, 2016 7:22 PM

Speaking at the annual Red Mass in Washington held just before the Supreme Court opens its session in October, Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis encouraged those involved in the administration of law to seek justice and mercy in their work.

“Those two virtues must intersect in our lives and actions,” said Archbishop Hebda, the homilist at the 64th annual Red Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington. The Mass seeks God’s blessing and guidance on those who work in the law, including judges, diplomats, government officials and attorneys. The Mass was also attended by university officials and law professors and students.

Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, was the main celebrant of the Oct. 2 Mass, which was attended by five Supreme Court justices: John G. Roberts Jr., Chief Justice of the United States; and Supreme Court Associate Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Stephen G. Breyer, and Samuel A. Alito Jr.

Other government officials at the Mass included U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch; U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr.; and Denis McDonough, President Obama’s chief of staff.

Archbishop Hebda noted that those present at the Red Mass felt the absence of Antonin Scalia, a Catholic who faithfully attended the Mass during his nearly three decades as a Supreme Court associate justice. Justice Scalia died Feb. 13 at the age of 79.

“He (Scalia) was someone who seemed to understand the necessity of exploring the connection between justice and mercy,” the Minnesota archbishop said. “In addressing law students at the University of St. Thomas in my archdiocese just last year, shortly before he passed away, he stressed the importance of their moral formation, stating that ‘the rule of law is always second to the law of love.’”

With that statement, Scalia was not showing a lack of appreciation for the rule of law, but he was demonstrating “a heightened appreciation for the importance of the law of love – and for the mercy that flows from it – in the practice of law and in the administration of justice,” Archbishop Hebda said.

Noting that Pope Francis has declared a Jubilee Year of Mercy in the Church to reflect on God’s infinite mercy and the call for believers to be instruments of mercy, the Red Mass homilist said the pope “has noted that mercy ‘does not approach “cases,” but persons and their pain.’” The pope, he added, has said, “Mercy gets its hands dirty. It touches, it gets involved, it gets caught up with others.”

Archbishop Hebda said this personal approach to sharing mercy is especially important for the work of law. “We need to remember that real people are at the heart of what we do and are affected by the decisions we make,” he said.

The Minnesota archbishop said the Church respects the important work for the common good carried out by government leaders and those who administer justice.

“Men and women of good will throughout this nation depend on you to protect their liberties,” Archbishop Hebda said, noting how Pope Francis during his visit to the White House last year encouraged public servants to build a tolerant and inclusive society that safeguards people’s rights and rejects unjust discrimination.

Gathering together to pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in the administration of justice is an appropriate response to facing difficult challenges, the Red Mass homilist said, noting that this year’s liturgy was being held “at this critical moment in our nation’s history, at this time when America seems to be almost paralyzed by a political polarization that impedes our ability to address effectively a whole host of pressing needs.”

Archbishop Hebda noted several contemporary problems “in a society in which shopping malls and discos and schools have all too often become places of unthinkable horror, at a time when old hatreds and prejudices seem to be rearing their ugly heads, or when our first freedoms are so readily put at risk…”

But he said that through prayer and action, people can take on the “privilege role as the hands of God’s mercy” to bring healing to the world, a work that people are called to do together, and then “we can – by God’s grace and the work of the Holy Spirit – do amazing things.”

Noting the importance of common prayer and mutual support, Archbishop Hebda said that can foster “faith capable of moving the mountains of despair and division, faith capable of pursuing justice while manifesting mercy, (and) faith capable of making a difference in our lives and in our communities.”

The Red Mass in Washington is sponsored by the John Carroll Society, an organization that provides spiritual, intellectual, charitable and social opportunities for Catholic professionals and business men and women in service to the archbishop of Washington.

The concelebrants included Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States; Archbishop Hebda; Bishop Paul S. Loverde of Arlington, Virginia; Auxiliary Bishop Richard B. Higgins of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA; and Washington Auxiliary Bishops Barry C. Knestout and Mario E. Dorsonville. Twenty-one priests also concelebrated the Mass. After the Mass, the John Carroll Society presented Pro Bono Legal Awards to a law professor, two attorneys and a law firm who serve the poor through Catholic Charities Legal Network. This past year, the network provided $2.7 million in legal services to 4,100 clients through its 723 attorney volunteers and 65 participating law firms and solo practices.


Mark Zimmermann





CS PHOTO BY JACLYN LIPPELMANN Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl talks with John G. Roberts Jr., Chief Justice of the United States, as they leave the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle after the annual Red Mass Oct. 2. The Mass traditionally marks the start of the court year, including the opening of the Supreme Court term.





CS PHOTO BY JACLYN LIPPELMANN Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, talks with Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy as they leave the Cathedral of St. Matthew the ApostlE after the annual Red Mass Oct. 2. Also pictured is U.S. Justice Clarence Thomas at left.

Source

=================================

P.S.

• John G. Roberts Jr., Chief Justice of the United States; 

Supreme Court Associate Justices

• Anthony M. Kennedy, 
• Clarence Thomas, 
• Stephen G. Breyer, 
• Samuel A. Alito Jr.

Note: 

Roberts, Kennedy, Thomas, and Alito, all four are Roman Catholics; Justice Stephen G. Breyer, is Jewish, yet attends this annual Wahington D.C. MASS.   

The other Roman Catholic on the U.S. Supreme Court, not present at the Catholic event is Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

The U.S. Supreme Court currently has Eight (8) Justices.  

It consists of Five (5) Roman Catholics, and Three (3) Jews;  

[Whether the Jewish Justices are praticing their Jewish Faith? 

I frankly, don't know].

Until earlier in 2016, there were Six (6) Roman Catholics on the nation's top court, until Justice Antonin Scalia's mysterious death during a Hunting Trip in TEXAS...

Arsenio

'Study, pray, vote,' Pope tells Americans ahead of elections

October 2, 2016



Pope Francis gestures as he speaks to journalists on his flight back to Rome following a visit in Georgia and Azerbaijan, October 2, 2016. REUTERS/Luca Zennaro/Pool



By Philip Pullella

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday advised U.S. Catholics who feel they are torn between two imperfect candidates for president to study and pray before they vote and to make sure to follow their conscience.


During his traditional, freewheeling in-flight news conference with reporters on the plane returning from Azerbaijan, Francis was asked how he would counsel American faithful and what wisdom they should keep in mind.

"You have asked me a question that describes a difficult choice because, according to you, there are difficulties with one and difficulties with the other," the pope said, without naming Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump.

In posing the question, the reporter made allusions to Clinton's support of abortion and Trump's statements vilifying migrants and religious minorities.

"During political campaigns, I never say a word," the pope said. "The people are sovereign. I would only say, study the proposals well, pray and choose with your conscience."

But in the rest of his response, while stressing that he wanted to talk about a "fictional situation," Francis appeared to be saying that the United States was among the countries that had become so politicized that it had effectively lost what he called a culture of politics.

"When in any country there are two, three or four candidates who don't satisfy everyone, it means that perhaps the political life of that country has become too politicized and that it does not have much political culture," he said.

"People say 'I'm from this party' or 'I'm from that party,' but effectively, they don't have clear thoughts about the basics, about proposals," he said.

Last February, while returning from Mexico, the pope was asked if U.S. Catholics could vote for someone with Trump's views on immigration, particularly on the candidate's promise to build a wall at the border with Mexico.

He said a person with such views was "not Christian."

Trump struck back, calling the pope's comments "disgraceful."

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn).

Source

Trump, Clinton to trade jokes instead of barbs at Al Smith dinner

FAITH 2016

Trump, Clinton to trade jokes instead of barbs at Al Smith dinner

By David Gibson | 24 hours ago

Republican U.S. presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Hillary Clinton shake hands at the end of their first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, on September 26, 2016. Photo courtesy of Reuters/Mike Segar *Editors: This photo may only be republished with RNS-ALSMITH-DINNER, originally transmitted on September 27, 2016.

NEW YORK (RNS) This has been an unconventional election by almost any measure, with both candidates garnering record high negatives from the voters and political newcomer Donald Trump — a real estate and casino mogul — lowering the bar on almost every previous standard of acceptable campaign rhetoric.

But the Catholic Church likes nothing better than to stick with tradition, and so Trump, the Republican nominee, and his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, will be headlining the glitzy Al Smith Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan next month to trade jokes (hopefully) rather than barbs in a custom that goes back more than 70 years.

“The presidential nominees will share the dais with Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, and they will deliver the evening’s speeches in the spirit of collegiality and good-humor that has become a hallmark of the gala,” said a statement issued Tuesday (Sept. 27) by the New York Archdiocese and the foundation that runs the event.

The Oct. 20 dinner “honors a cause that transcends the polarizing political rhetoric of the day and exemplifies the vision of Gov. Alfred E. Smith, known as ‘The Happy Warrior’ for his ability to maintain his positive outlook even as he tackled the pressing social issues of his day,” the statement said.

The dinner’s namesake was the New York governor who in 1928 became the first Catholic nominee for president. Smith was known as a reformer and “man for the people,” but anti-Catholicism was still so virulent at the time and the pre-Depression economy of the 1920s roaring so fiercely that the Democrat was trounced by Republican Herbert Hoover.

A charitable foundation that takes his name was launched in 1946, two years after Smith’s death, and over the years its annual dinner has become “a ritual of American politics,” as historian Theodore H. White put it, where candidates of opposing parties would come together for a few hours of comic relief at the height of an intense campaign battle.

But the white-tie dinner itself has not been free of controversy, especially for its host. Dolan, for example, was excoriated by conservative Catholics in 2012 when he continued the tradition by inviting President Obama, whose stance in support of abortion rights and other issues outraged some.

READ: Cardinal Timothy Dolan defends Obama invitation to Al Smith Dinner

There was some precedent for Dolan to punt on an invitation to Obama: In 1996, then-Cardinal John O’Connor did not invite either of that year’s candidates because he did not want to give President Bill Clinton, an abortion rights supporter who was running for re-election, a church-sponsored platform that tends to show the candidates in a flattering light.

And in 2004, then-Cardinal Edward Egan did not invite either candidate, President George W. Bush or his challenger Democratic nominee, John Kerry, a Catholic who supports abortion rights.

But Dolan is an outgoing personality who tends to prefer engagement to picking fights, and he also enjoys an evening that can showcase his own deft talent for quips.

Four years ago, Dolan defended himself from the critics, saying the dinner is a time for civility, engagement and dialogue — and raises money for needy children.

“Those who started the dinner 67 years ago believed that you can accomplish a lot more by inviting folks of different political loyalties to an uplifting evening, rather than in closing the door to them,” Dolan wrote at the time.

He added that he believed he was also following the example of Jesus, “who was blistered by his critics for dining with those some considered sinners; and by the recognition that, if I only sat down with people who agreed with me, and I with them, or with those who were saints, I’d be taking all my meals alone.”

Whether Dolan will be criticized again this year, or in the same way, remains to be seen. The real interest may be on how the candidates comport themselves.

Trump has upended conventional Republican politics, especially its family values agenda: He is a thrice-married businessman with a legacy as a playboy and someone who has supported abortion rights and gay rights. He has made headlines by insulting ethnic and religious minorities, women and the handicapped, among others.

While Trump has said he will oppose abortion as president, many remain dubious, and some of his other statements have upset Catholic leaders.

Trump has also shown himself to be relatively thin-skinned when it comes to criticism or teasing, which is unusual for a candidate for such a high office, where calumny and comedy are daily fare.

And if Clinton is not quite the tummler that other candidates have been, she has shown an ability to tweak Trump, as she did in the first of three presidential debates on Monday night.


ABOUT DAVID GIBSON

David Gibson is a national reporter for RNS and an award-winning religion journalist, author and filmmaker. He has written several books on Catholic topics. His latest book is on biblical artifacts: "Finding Jesus: Faith. Fact. Forgery," which was also the basis of a popular CNN series.


Source

Pope Francis paid for US-Cuba deal at secret Vatican meetings with Obama