Eighth American to Be Canonized?

WASHINGTON TIMES, June 24 — A 19th-century Indiana nun may become America’s eighth saint, according to the Times.

Pope Benedict XVI on July 1 was expected to set a date for the canonization of Blessed Mother Theodore Guerin, founder of the Sisters of Providence of St. Mary-of-the-Woods in Terre Haute, Ind.

She was born in France and came to the United States in 1840. She started Catholic schools in Indiana, including St. Mary-of-the-Woods College. She died in 1856. Two miracles have been attributed to her.

End of an Era in Boston

BOSTON GLOBE, June 25 — After 103 years of providing adoption services, Catholic Charities of Boston ended that service on June 30, reported the Globe.

The state forced Catholic Charities to abandon its adoptive services by insisting that the agency place children in the homes of homosexual couples. Over the years, the agency had placed 13 children with adoptive homosexual couples.

In a 2003 statement, “Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons,” the Vatican describes homosexual adoptions as “gravely immoral.”

The state’s four Catholic bishops studied the issue, concluded that the practice could not continue, and sought an exemption from the state’s antidiscrimination statute. In the end, the agency made the decision to discontinue adoptions altogether.

“The overwhelming majority of the time we reconciled the differences between our roots in the Catholic Church and our mission to serve the larger society,” said Father J. Bryan Hehir, president of Catholic Charities of Boston. “But this time, it was irreconcilable.”

More Resistance to Abortifacient Contraceptives

ASSOCIATED PRESS, June 25 — In spite of pharmacists having their arms twisted, and states passing laws to force them to fill prescriptions for medications they consider immoral, store owners and professionals are still resisting the so-called “morning-after pill.”

The latest spat is erupting in Olympia, Wash., the Associated Press reported, where two popular stores are facing boycotts because they refuse to carry the drug.

The boycott has the backing of the local chapter of the National Organization for Women.

State law requires pharmacies to maintain a representative assortment of drugs in order to meet the pharmaceutical needs of its clients, Associated Press said. But the only drug pharmacies are required to stock is ipecac syrup, to treat accidental poisoning. Even Steve Saxe, director of the Pharmacy Board, admitted that “no pharmacy will carry every drug.”

Meanwhile, the state Board of Pharmacy is considering a rule that would allow pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions based on conscientious objection. The state’s governor, Christine Gregoire, opposes the move, which will be voted on at the end of August. She warned board members that they could be overruled or replaced if they do not change course.

The “emergency contraceptive” that Kevin Stormans, co-owner of Thriftway Stores, refuses to stock prevents fertilization of an ovum if taken within 72 hours of relations. It can also work as an abortifacient.

“People have to choose when they believe life begins,” Stormans said. “There are questions about this drug on that issue. ... It’s not a negotiable issue.”