Schismatics discuss Vatican demands, but future unclear - The Washington Post

Schismatics discuss Vatican demands, but future unclear - The Washington Post: VATICAN CITY — Leaders of an ultra-traditionalist group that’s in schism with the Roman Catholic Church met to consider the Vatican’s conditions for reconciliation, but failed to announce a decision or say when they would do so.

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As numbers shrink, Roman Catholic church in India urges flock to have more children - The Washington Post

As numbers shrink, Roman Catholic church in India urges flock to have more children - The Washington Post: NEW DELHI — Worried about its dwindling numbers, the Roman Catholic church in southern India is exhorting its flock to have more children, with some parishes offering free schooling, medical care and even cash bonuses for large families, church officials said Tuesday.

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Catholic Advocate says New Introductory Note to 'Faithful Citizenship' Should Inspire Catholics in 2012 - Christian Newswire

Catholic Advocate says New Introductory Note to 'Faithful Citizenship' Should Inspire Catholics in 2012 - Christian Newswire: MEDIA ADVISORY, Oct. 11, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Below are excerpts from a statement released today by Deal Hudson and Matt Smith, the leadership of Catholic Advocate, in response to the recent Introductory Note added to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" document.

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Ireland Ramps Up Battle with Vatican over Child Abuse

CNN reports that Ireland stepped up its battle with the Roman Catholic Church over child abuse Sunday. Justice Minister Alan Shatter vowed to pass a law requiring priests to report suspicions of child abuse, even if they learn about them in confession. Information learned in confession has always been treated confidentially, but if such a law is passed, priests could be prosecuted for failing to tell the police about crimes disclosed in the confession box. Shatter believes the culture of private confession "has led sexual predators into believing that they have impunity and facilitated pedophiles preying on children and destroying their lives." Meanwhile, the Vatican recently rejected Irish accusations that Church leaders sought to cover up sexual abuse of children by priests in Ireland. The rift opening between the Vatican and Ireland is being called "unprecedented."

Young Blogger Rallies Influential Catholics Around New Media Revolution

HUNTINGTON, Ind., Aug. 25, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- A 25-year-old part-time blogger and full-time mechanical engineer is convinced that the Catholic Church needs to embrace new media as it did print, radio, and television. If she wants to connect with her flock, Brandon Vogt says, the Church needs to engage the digital revolution.

And some of the Church's most influential shepherds agree. With endorsements from three cardinals, two archbishops, and a Vatican communications official, Vogt has produced a groundbreaking book on technology and faith, which also includes contributions from dozens of other Catholic new media experts.

The Church and New Media: Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops Who Tweet, by Brandon Vogt (Our Sunday Visitor, August 2011, 224 pp), has attracted the enthusiasm of Boston archbishop Cardinal Seán O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap., for instance, who penned the book's Foreword. The cardinal not only endorses the book, but was particularly inspired by one of the contributors, Jennifer Fulwiler, who was led from atheism to Catholicism through friendships and contacts she developed online.

Since young people today are absorbed in new media, O'Malley acknowledges, "the Church doesn't have to change its teachings to reach them -- it simply must deliver the faith to them in a different way." O'Malley began his own blog in 2006 (CardinalSeansBlog.org), and says "young Catholics at the 2008 World Youth Day told me personally they regularly read my blog," while mentioning individual blog posts that made a particular impact. "This confirmed my belief in the immense reach of new media vehicles ... particularly to young Catholics who have grown up with these technologies."

"Though the Church is very comfortable with the broadcast-style of old media, which pushed content outward," says Vogt, "effective new media welcomes response, critique, and conversation. This is what people are drawn to right now - two-way tools, not one-way megaphones."

When Christ commissioned his apostles to "go forth and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28: 19)," there was a reasonable expectation that they'd use the most modern communication tools to do it.

"Today this means using phones, fiber-optic cables, and wireless lines in place of town criers and courier-camels," says Vogt. The Church and New Media details precisely how new media can reach the ends of the earth like no other evangelistic tool in world history.

The book's 12 contributors are a veritable who's who of Catholic new media experts, including Fr. Robert Barron, Jennifer Fulwiler, and Mark Shea. They explore a range of new media tactics:

• reaching the unchurched
   
• sharing spiritual journeys 
   
• connecting with young adults 
   
• reading -- and writing -- blogs
   
• understanding ancient Church tradition 
  podcasting
   
• digitally defending the teachings of the Church
   
• new media strategies for dioceses and parishes 
   
• the Vatican's digital model
   
• new media activism
   
• building digital movements.
• 
  

"I knew this book would better serve the Church if it came from multiple perspectives," Vogt explains. "So I gathered a dozen of the best new media innovators to explain their areas of expertise. This helped the book play more like a symphony than a solo. It made the song much more alluring," he says.

Other prominent endorsers of the book include Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington; Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., archbishop of Denver (who was recently re-assigned to lead the Philadelphia Archdiocese beginning September, 2011); and Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York, who wrote the book's Afterword.

Dolan relays an idea that surprises even the most tech-savvy:

"Decades before the dawn of the internet, blogs, YouTube, and social networking (what we now call new media), the Catholic Church was calling for their invention," says Dolan.

It makes one wonder ... How? When?

Dolan reveals that in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (2005), the Church says that one of the great moral principles to which society should aspire is to give a voice to as many people as possible. "Gone are the days," Dolan explains, "when an elite group of news anchors, in a space of 30 minutes, are the principle conduit of information to an entire nation or world."

"My friends and family know that I am not a 'techie' by any stretch of the imagination," says Dolan, "and our brave new world of technology and communication can be overwhelming in its complexity. Faced with a technological evolution beyond our personal capacities or preferences, we can opt for old and comfortable patterns of communication, even if they limit our ability to connect in meaningful and effective ways, or ...use new technology for the good, and learn to use it well."

Download and view the entire press kit (PDF and Word). 
 
About Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.
The world's largest English-language Catholic publisher, Our Sunday Visitor serves millions of Catholics globally through its publishing, offertory, and communication services. Established in 1912, Our Sunday Visitor has grown into the largest supplier of offering envelopes, parish and diocesan mailings, books, periodicals, curriculum, address management, and stewardship services. Our Sunday Visitor is a not-for-profit organization, returning a portion of net earnings back to the Catholic community through the Our Sunday Visitor Institute.  For more information, visit www.osv.com. 

World Youth Day, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—July 2013

The Holy Father announced Sunday that Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is the 2013 site for World Youth Day. The Catholic Pilgrim Office has finalized its arrangements for all its pilgrimages for this blessed event. To view, go to http://wyd.catholicpilgrimoffice.com

Catholic Physician's Organization Launches Online Petition to Stop Birth Control Mandate

SAN DIEGO, August 22, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- St. Gianna Physician's Guild today launched an online petition (www.StopTheBirthControlMandate.com) requesting the Obama Administration and Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, to immediately withdraw all references to contraception and contraception counseling from the "Guidelines for Women's Preventive Services" under The Affordable Care Act, and to provide a conscience clause to protect the religious freedom and beliefs of Catholics.

 

On August 1, 2011 the Department of Health and Human Services directed by Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic, adopted new guidelines for women's health that stipulates mandatory coverage be provided for surgical sterilization, all prescription contraceptives approved by the FDA -- including drugs like Ella that can cause abortions in the early weeks of pregnancy – as well as counseling to promote them.

 

"We are going to send a message to the Obama Administration that this contraception mandate is wrong, discriminatory and violates the religious rights of Catholics all across America," stated the Guild's president, Thomas McKenna.

 

The Obama administration is taking heat from many Catholic leaders including the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said: "Those who sponsor, purchase and issue health plans should not be forced to violate their deeply held moral and religious convictions in order to take part in the health care system or provide for the needs of their families or their employees." "To force such an unacceptable choice would be as much a threat to universal access to health care as it is to freedom of conscience."

 

St Gianna Physician's Guild was founded to unite and encourage Catholic physicians, as well as others in the health care profession, to promote and defend Catholic principles in a public way and to inspire sanctification in their lives.

 

The petition can be signed at:www.StopTheBirthControlMandate.org

WCC will participate in World Youth Day in Madrid

By staff writers

12 Aug 2011

The World Council of Churches is to participate in the World Youth Day (WYD) in Madrid, Spain, 16-21 August 2011, in the presence of Pope Benedict XVI.

The theme of the 2011 WYD is “Rooted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith” (Colossians 2.7, New Testament).

The WCC says its move is "consistent with our commitment to strengthen long-standing relations with the Roman Catholic Church and to foster youth involvement in the one ecumenical movement."

Three members of the Echos Commission on Youth in the Ecumenical Movement, the WCC youth body, were graciously invited by the International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) to join their official delegation. A IYCS delegate represents Roman Catholic youth on the Echos Commission.

Diana Fernandes Dos Santos (Brazil), moderator of the Echos Commission, Mikael Giødesen (Denmark) and Nikos Kosmidis (Greece) will participate in a panel discussion on “Youth and the Search for Christian Unity”.

The event is a joint initiative of the International Young Catholic Students (IYCS), the International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) Pax Romana, the Juventud Estudiante Catolica (JEC), and the Echos Commission.

Echos member Kosmidis will be part of a group of 50 young people who will accompany Benedict XVI throughout a solemn vigil on Saturday 20 June. The vigil, which will take place at the Cuatro Vientos aerodrome, is expected to bring together hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. An address to the participants is planned by Pope Benedict.

World Youth Day is the largest youth-oriented event within the Roman Catholic Church. It was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985 and since that time has gathered millions of young people from all over the world, regardless of their religious convictions.

Previous cities that hosted a WYD include Toronto in 2002 (800,000 participants), Cologne in 2005 (1,200,000 participants) and Sydney in 2008 (400,000 participants).