WASHINGTON (EWTN News) — Local government funding of 300 abortions in the District of Columbia made taxpayers complicit in a moral wrong that ended lives, pro-life critics said.

When a congressional ban on abortion funding was lifted from 2009 to 2011, the District of Columbia paid for at least 300 abortions at a cost of $185,000 using local taxpayers’ money, The Associated Press reports.

In 2009, President Barack Obama’s administration put forward an altered version of the ban which declared that its prohibition on funding applied only to federal tax money, not funds raised locally. It also expanded the health exemptions under which abortion could be funded.

Mary Harned, staff counsel...READ MORE

No Homophobia - George Weigel

Abp. Nichols: Reflect on How to Receive the Lord in Holy Communion - Dylan Parry, A Reluctant Sinner

Cardinal Policarpo Backpedals On Female Ordination - Mundabor’s Blog

Reversal by Cardinal Policarpo: “Ordination of Women is Impossible” - La Stampa/Vatican Insider

No More Hymns? A New Translation of G.I.R.M. 48 - Jake Tawney, Roma locuta est

Church of England Faces Being Wiped Out, Report Warns - Tim Ross, The Telegraph

. . .Fr. Longenecker comments here. . .

Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria - Catholic Lane

For the latest round-up on the best punditry in the Catholic blogosphere go to ThePulp.it.

PORTSMOUTH, R.I. — When the archbishop of Canterbury recently broke his church’s long silence and acknowledged that William Shakespeare was probably a Catholic, it was a moment of quiet satisfaction for Father Peter Milward, the author who began researching this subject a half century ago.

“I think the archbishop of Canterbury got his ideas from my book,” suggested Father Milward, a soft-spoken, seemingly ageless Jesuit academic who taught English literature at Sophia University in Tokyo and used his off hours to investigate the subject from every angle, producing several key works.

Father Milward is best known for several books: Shakespeare’s Religious Background (1973) and two volumes...READ MORE

MUNDELEIN, Ill.(CNA) — Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo, N.D., in a recent lecture, examined the sacrament of confirmation and explained his reasons for believing children should receive it before first Eucharist.

“One can speak of the many effects of confirmation and the impact it makes upon one’s life, but it is always important to remember that the divine Person of the Holy Spirit is received in confirmation,” he said in July 6 remarks at the Liturgical Institute at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois. “We need the gifts of the Holy Spirit every day, every hour, every minute and every second to live a life that gives
glory to the Father as Jesus glorified the Father.”

The bishop explained...READ MORE

NEW YORK (CNA/EWTN News) — After marriage was redefined to include same-sex couples in New York, Archbishop Timothy Dolan is warning that this step could lead to a further redefinition that accepts multiple partners and infidelity.

The New York City archbishop said that in recent decades the Church has been a prophetic voice warning that no-fault divorce, contraception, cohabitation and promiscuity would lead to “a cheapening of the marriage bond and harm our kids.” 

“And now we ring the steeple bell again at this latest dilution of the authentic understanding of marriage, worried that the next step will be another redefinition to justify multiple partners and infidelity,” he said.

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (EWTN News/CNA) — God always respects human freedom and never compels anybody into a relationship with him. That was the message of Pope Benedict XVI in his midday Angelus address July 10.

“God does not force us to believe in him, but draws us to himself through the truth and goodness of his incarnate Son. Love, in fact, always respects freedom,” Pope Benedict said from the balcony of his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, 15 miles southeast of Rome.

The Pope based his conclusion upon the story told by Jesus in the Gospel reading: the parable of the sower who plants seed with different degrees of success.

He said that, for Jesus, the parable was...READ MORE

Colonizing Space & Catholicism; Peter Died in Rome; ‘Unbroken’ Line of Popes - Jimmy Akin

Moral Revolutions in America - George Weigel, First Things/On the Square

Warning: Dating the Previously Married - Anthony Buono, 6 Stone Jars

The Pope’s Army - Andrea Tornielli, La Stampa/Vatican Insider

ChurchandNewMedia.com and Book Video Trailer! - Brandon Vogt, The Thin Veil

. . .First Review. . .

Does Mary “Magnify” or Just “Praise” the Lord? - Taylor Marshall, Canterbury Tales

Saint Peter of Luxemburg - Catholic Lane

For the latest round-up on the best punditry in the Catholic blogosphere go to ThePulp.it.

SAN FRANCISCO — Catholic youth have a new tool they can use to help explain their faith. A group of European bishops released YouCat — short for “Youth Catechism” — a local catechism published primarily for youth. Unlike previous catechisms, this one has a unique delivery system and a television program based around it.

Whereas previous catechisms have had to rely on bookstores to move them, YouCat will benefit from World Youth Day in Madrid. Organizers will include a copy of YouCat in each backpack received by the WYD pilgrims.

At this point, more than 440,000 young people are preregistered to attend the Aug. 16-21 event.

“YouCat combines sound catechesis and faith formation, based on...READ MORE