N.Y. Archbishop Dolan Vows to Stay at Catholic Relief Services, Clean Up AIDS Prevention

By PAUL A. BARRA
REGISTER CORRESPONDENT

NEW YORK — Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan becomes archbishop of New York April 15. But he is vowing not to leave behind his job as chairman of Catholic Relief Services for his new job.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic Church in the United States. A scandal over condoms promotion led to an important teaching moment about the Church’s stand on AIDS and condom use, he said. The agency has fully addressed the scandal.

“The genius of Catholic Relief Services is that we work with local...READ MORE

Vatican orders apostolic visitation of Legionaries of Christ

By John Thavis Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican has ordered an apostolic visitation of the institutions of the Legionaries of Christ following disclosures of sexual impropriety by the order’s late founder, Father Marcial Maciel Degollado.

The announcement of the unusual investigation was posted on the Web site of the Legionaries of Christ March 31, along with the text of a letter informing the Legionaries of the pope’s decision.

The letter, written by the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, said the Pope wanted to help the Legionaries of Christ deal with its present problems with...READ MORE

Father Benedict Groeschel, whose whole life has been spent preaching the Gospel, suffered a minor stroke in mid-March, leaving him with some speech difficulties.

Father Benedict made the news public on his regular Sunday evening talk show March 29 on the Eternal Word Television Network, “Sunday Night Live With Father Benedict Groeschel.”

Appearing before a live audience, the 75-year-old Franciscan Friar of the Renewal noted that he had missed the show the previous Sunday because he had suffered a stroke overnight March 20-21. Another member of his community, Father Andrew Apostoli, also well-known to EWTN viewers, substituted for him.

Father Benedict’s speech was obviously...READ MORE

From an upcoming issue of the Register ...

To Whom Does Notre Dame Belong?

By Kathryn Jean Lopez

“[T]o whom do I belong?” This is a fundamental “identity” question for Catholic educational institutions, according to Pope Benedict XVI. He explained this during his speech to Catholic university professors at my alma mater, The Catholic University of America, last April.

One school in South Bend, Ind., has given a disappointing answer to the question.

The University of Notre Dame has invited Barack Obama — the most pro-abortion president in U.S. history — to speak and be honored at the school’s commencement.

These words, ironically, come from Father John Jenkins, president of...READ MORE

Here’s Stephen Vincent’s article about a bad idea getting new momentum in New York.

Suspending Fairness?

New York Catholics Worried About Statute of Limitations Bill

By STEPHEN VINCENT

REGISTER CORRESPONDENT

ALBANY, N.Y. — A bill in the New York state Legislature suspending the statute of limitations for sex-abuse claims could “bankrupt” the Church, says a spokesman for the state’s bishops.

The bill had been voted down the past three years, but now has a chance of passing in a Democratic-dominated Legislature.

Dennis Poust, director of communications for the New York State Catholic Conference, said the bill is unfair in its application to private and public institutions and would...READ MORE

The North Dakota personhood bill is set to receive a hearing today at Bismarck’s Capitol building. The state’s Catholic conference says it will support the bill if it is amended.

The Dickinson Press reports that the state’s bishops, through the Catholic Conference, planned to bring a “hoghouse amendment,” to the Monday hearing. “That’s legislative parlance for replacing all of a bill’s language after its opening phrase, ‘A bill…’”

Rep. Dan Ruby, R-Minot, told the paper he considers his House Bill 1572 to be fine the way it is.

But, says the article: “The bishops and many other people wonder how such a law could affect existing statutes on legislative apportionment, taxes,...READ MORE

“ALS victim opposes stem cell research,” reads today’s PhillyBurbs.com headline.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29702445/

It tells the story of Jim McKevitt who uses what few abilities he has left — he can still move his fingers — to track the opposition: ” individuals and interest groups who beat the drum to try to force Washington to approve federal funds to finance the use of embryos to harvest stem cells for research.”

The 71-year-old, says the story, is “appalled by the groundswell of support for what he calls an immoral and ‘pointless’ approach to pursuing cures when so many other routes such as adult stem cell research already have shown promise.”

It quotes him saying: “If...READ MORE

Here follows a column from a future issue of the Register:

An Archbishop for the Third Millennium

By Kathryn Jean Lopez

“The time has come to repropose wholeheartedly to everyone [a] high standard of ordinary Christian living: the whole life of the Christian community and of Christian families must lead in this direction.”

So wrote Pope John Paul II at the close of the millennial jubilee year, in his apostolic letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, a guide to the universal call to holiness. It is a blueprint for the Church — and each one of her members — “in order to take up her evangelizing mission with fresh enthusiasm.”

“Holiness, a message that convinces without the need for...READ MORE