The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign decided today that Kenneth Howell will be allowed to teach Catholicism courses again.

According to the Alliance Defense Fund, which has been representing Howell in the matter, “the University of Illinois Office of University Counsel admits no wrongdoing on the part of the university but states, ‘The School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics will be contacting Dr. Howell to offer him the opportunity to teach Religion 127, Introduction to Catholicism, on a visiting instructional appointment at the University of Illinois, for the fall 2010 semester. Dr. Howell will be appointed and paid by the university for this adjunct teaching...READ MORE

As we reported in “Register Exclusives” and in our Aug. 1 print edition, Priests for Life has hit the road for Freedom Rides for the Unborn.

And just like the first Freedom Rides for civil rights, this new effort is meeting obstacles, as this CNN iReport indicates.

As Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham, Ala., said, “It’s important to do all humanly possible to underline the moral gravity of abortion and help women in distress to find alternatives. The Freedom Ride for life is a visible, peaceful expression of concern for the right to life for the unborn. It is in the tradition of Freedom Rides for civil rights in the past.”

Godspeed.

On Wednesday, Bishop Richard Malone of the Diocese of Portland, Maine, celebrated Mass at Portland’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in honor of the state’s first Catholic radio station, reported the diocese’s website.

Broadcasting at 106.7 FM in the Portland area, The Presence Radio Network is “a true example of the laity in action,” according to Bishop Malone.

“Today we celebrate the birth of ‘The Presence,’ a historic moment in launching Catholic radio in Maine, and our prayer, of course, is that God’s presence, the presence of his word, will come to more and more people in our wonderful state through this beautiful lay apostolate,” he said at the Mass.

Local programming will...READ MORE

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo

One day after the Register published Rich Daly’s story “Panel Okays Military Abortions,” Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, speaking on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called the move “misguided,” and asked that the amendment be removed from the National Defense Authorization Act.

The release from the U.S. bishops follows in full:

WASHINGTON—A Senate committee amendment that would authorize the performance of elective abortions at military hospitals in this country and around the world is “misguided” and should be removed from the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 3454), said the Chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. In a June 29...READ MORE

After Pope Benedict XVI’s general audience today, he received 20,000 text messages.

The inspirational message influx was part of an initiative by “In His Image,” a television program on Italy’s RAI television network. The initiative was begun on May 16 to show support for the Pope.

The texts were printed for the Holy Father — 2,300 pages! — along with a reflection written by the president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco.

That’s a lot of support 4 BXVI!

Update: The number to send messages has been listed as (+39) 335-18-63-091.

A worldwide Rosary relay will be held on June 19, starting in Australia and finishing in Los Angeles. Involving 24 shrines dedicated to Our Lady, the Rosary prayer event is being held to mark the closing of the Year for Priests.

The Shrine of Our Lady Help of Christians in Brisbane, Australia, will begin the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary with “The Annunciation.”

The prayer will continue at other shrines across the globe to total 24 hours of continuous prayer. The two U.S. locations are the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in L.A., where “The Nativity” and “The Presentation” decades will be...READ MORE

Catholic.net launched its Catholic Bible search engine yesterday. It’s the first complete Catholic Bible available online for keyword search. The translations, in both English and Spanish, have been approved by the Vatican.

The Bible search is social-media friendly. It lets users share Bible passages on popular social media websites. Chapters of the Bible can also be downloaded, and a Bible search widget can be added to users’ own websites or blogs (information is available here).

“This tool aims to help the faithful in their biblical studies and to facilitate Scripture sharing,” said Rosalia Tenorio, Catholic.net’s director.

The project was funded in part by the U.S. Conference of...READ MORE

POPE ADDRESSES CATHOLIC EDUCATORS. Pope Benedict XVI addresses Catholic educators gathered at The Catholic University of America in Washington during his 2008 visit. Vincentian Father David O’Connell, president of CUA, is at right.

More than 40 professors and intellectuals signed a statement (available at the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars’ website) supporting Pope Benedict XVI’s efforts to deal with the sexual abuse of minors within the Catholic Church and decrying “inaccurate and unjust” media reports that portray the sexual abuse of minors as a problem particular to the Catholic Church or link it exclusively to priestly celibacy.

The statement was sent to Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the apostolic nuncio to the United States, requesting that he forward it on to the Pope.

Statement: Sex Abuse, the Catholic Church and Pope Benedict XVI: An Appeal for Perspective and Fairness

In light of recent events and...READ MORE