Catholic Culture Trusted Commentary
Catholic Culture Trusted Commentary

Stories for January 2012

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Tuesday, Jan. 31

 Bishops plan fight against alcohol abuse in India's Kerela state
 Washington Post ombudsman defends coverage of March for Life
 Coptic leader's health deteriorating
 Archbishop opposes deportation of illegal immigrants convicted of crime
 Komen foundation drops affiliations with Planned Parenthood
 Irish Labor party proposal would screen Catholic candidates for public office
 Vatican rebuts new charge of financial mismanagement
 Sudan: kidnapped priests released
 US bishops continue to speak out against contraceptive mandate
 New Patriarch of Venice appointed
 Hindu mob attacks Jesuit school in Karnataka
 Beatification of Hildegard Burjan
 Saudis arrest, plan to deport Ethiopian Christians
 Will Catholic subculture become Catholic ghetto?
 Gay adoptions: ‘Catholic Social Services’ becomes ‘Christian Social Services’
 France: diocese appeals order to remove name from baptismal record
 UN leader demands African nations respect ‘gay rights’
 Indian bishops to discuss ‘population explosion,’ persecution of Christians
 Poland: Catholic station denied space on digital TV

Released Monday, Jan. 30

 Why the state should not re-define marriage
 Relations with Vatican improved, but no 'summit' meeting likely: Russian Patriarch
 Bishop Bruskewitz reflects on controversy, support, in 20 years in Nebraska
 Separate thefts of $2 million from New York, Philadelphia archdioceses charged
 Pope praises Italy's former President Scalfaro, dead at 93
 Cardinal Bevilacqua ruled competent to testify in Philadelphia case
 Vatican, PLO closer to diplomatic accord
 Pope contrasts divine, human approaches to authority
 Iraqi Christians in worse position since US intervention, says US military archbishop
 Pope meets with curial leaders: to discuss internal conflicts and leaks?
 Irish bishop faces 'hate speech' complaint for homily
 Catholic youth pray for peace in Holy Land
 Bishop discusses missionary work in Uganda
 Indonesia: Christians demand president protect religious freedom
 Bishops speak out against HHS mandate
 Thousands attack Christian homes, shops in Egyptian village

Released Friday, Jan. 27

 Philadelphia archdiocese ordered: prepare for trial in sex-abuse case
 African famine kills 100-200 children a day
 Nigeria: Christians flee Boko Haram threat; archbishop wants government action
 Preserve memories of the Holocaust, says Vatican spokesman
 More progress toward Vatican-Israel accord
 Vatican 'corruption' story reveals much about new nuncio in US
 Vatican message for World Leprosy Day
 Defend Tradition in ecumenical work, Pope says
 Sri Lanka's bishops oppose bid to legalize abortion
 Obama rule likely to be overturned by court, says legal scholar
 Trial date set for Bishop Finn
 Bishop blasts secularist intolerance, calls for ‘assertive action’ to defend Church
 Pakistan: missionary priest detained
 Bishops rip HHS mandate; Bishop Zubik: ‘to hell with you’
 Ethnic violence flares in South Sudan
 Vatican cardinal calls for tax on financial transactions

Released Thursday, Jan. 26

 New Jersey governor wants statewide referendum on same-sex marriage
 Austrian bishops consult with Vatican on priests' rebellion
 Spanish government will revive restrictions on abortion
 Peruvian bishops' conference chooses non-confrontational leadership
 Charismatic priest competes with Pentecostal sects in Brazil
 Egypt's Copts have delicate dealings with military, Islamic leaders
 Accused priest's lawyer charges Philadelphia archdiocese making him a scapegoat
 Young Americans lean pro-life, but may accept same-sex marriage
 Vatican responds to corruption charges
 Vatican ratifies international treaties on crime, terrorism
 Prayer is central to priest's effectiveness, Pope says
 Church unity will come 'in God's time, not ours,' Pope says
 CRS, Catholic Charities, Washington Post object to HHS mandate
 Bishop compares public schools to Nazi, fascist education systems
 Leader of US ordinariate discusses challenges
 Archbishop Dolan ‘terribly let down’ by Obama’s HHS decision
 Mexico: police, military desecrate prison chapel
 New church attacks in northern Nigeria; thousands of Christians flee

Released Wednesday, Jan. 25

 Apostolic nuncio reported corruption in Vatican contracts
 Acquittal would not end danger for Pakistani woman condemned for blasphemy
 Russian Orthodox Church backs crackdown on illegal immigration
 Israeli security wall causing problems for Bethlehem's Catholic university
 Show the evangelical zeal of the early Church, Pope urges faithful
 Pope explains Christ's priestly prayer
 USCCB spokeswoman contrasts HHS treatment of Amish, Catholics
 Maryland governor renews push for same-sex marriage
 Pakistan: Catholic woman, kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam, escapes
 Survey: half of Americans would ban most abortions
 Increased discrimination against Bosnian nuns
 ‘There is no hatred in our hearts,’ says Orissa nun who suffered rape

Released Tuesday, Jan. 24

 Silence is key to communication, Pope writes
 Accused priest was carrying out Philadelphia archdiocesan policy, lawyers argue
 Australian euthanasia advocate faces medical investigation
 Has Obama finally lost liberal Catholics' sympathies?
 Vatican: no news on papal visit to Lebanon
 Leaving Georgetown, professor cites absence of Catholic identity
 Father Pavone joins in March for Life with bishop's approval
 Vatican news site boasts rising traffic
 Abortion safer than childbirth? Study's results do not support claim
 Another abortion for the 'religious right'
 Vatican newspaper critiques new book by Italian historian
 Cardinal Mahony blasts HHS contraception mandate
 Indonesia: radical Muslim groups surround house church
 March for Life: homilies of Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop Dolan
 Mexico: gunmen storm chapel, kill 7
 Nigeria: bishop describes Islamist terrorist attack

Released Monday, Jan. 23

 Church unity requires conversion for all, Pope says
 Lambs blessed on feast of St. Agnes
 Church tribunals must 'think with the Church,' Pope says
 Politicians, bishops rally tens of thousands at March for Life
 Approval for Neocatechumenal Way does not include changes in Mass
 Liberal Catholic scholars rap Gingrich, Santorum
 OSCE makes religious freedom a high priority
 SNAP worked with plaintiffs' lawyers against Church, court documents show
 Most Bulgarian Orthodox bishops had ties with Communist regime
 Egypt's Christians rattled by Islamists' election victories
 Welsh Christian leaders join in opposition to 'presumed consent' for organ donation
 Dissident Austrian priests plan to take 'Call to Disobedience' international
 Catholic Healthcare West drops ties with Church
 Vatican newspaper argues against opera funding cuts, praises J. Edgar
 Vatican spokesman discusses relation between ecumenism, evangelization
 Cardinal Wuerl laments push toward ‘monolithic’ secularism
 Sudan: abductors demand large ransom for priests’ release
 Archbishop Dolan urges Catholics: lobby on behalf of religious liberty
 Bishops concerned about religious freedom in Ecuador
 Obama affirms commitment to ‘fundamental constitutional right’ to abortion

Released Friday, Jan. 20

 Vatican gives approval to celebrations of Neocatechumenal Way
 SNAP continues to fight disclosure
 Pope to visit Lebanon in September?
 Pope tells Roman seminarians: thirst for sanctity
 Obama administration denies 'conscience clause' exemption on contraceptive coverage
 Asian bishops discuss response to abuse
 Egyptian Church spokesman argues against death penalty for Mubarak
 Jewish-Catholic dialogue examines religion textbooks
 Columnist analyzes celebration of abortion
 South African prelate warns against bill on state secrets
 US bishops welcome Pope’s remarks on religious liberty
 43.8 million abortions worldwide; rate highest in eastern Europe
 ‘Constant fear and repression’ for Egypt’s Christians

Released Thursday, Jan. 19

 Irish politician sees no place for religious schools
 Irish group rallies support to reopen embassy at Vatican
 Finnish ecumenical delegates meet with Pontiff
 Italian politicians eye church properties for tax revenues
 Nigerian archbishop fears new attacks on Christians in north
 Suspended Orthodox archbishop faces abuse trial in Canada
 The lucrative business of abortion
 Sudan: kidnapped priests are alive; negotiations begin for their release
 Pope sees religious freedom eroding in US
 Philippines: police investigate priest's mysterious death
  New York: newly ordained priest suspended for fathering child
 Bishop: ‘we must continue to fight’ for federal immigration reform
 Catechetical texts translated into Hebrew
 Colorado bishops urge opposition to civil unions
 Tunisia: prelate fears new protests
 New Italian prime minister pays tribute to Pope, Europe’s Christian roots

Released Wednesday, Jan. 18

 Swedish politician wants crackdown on home schooling
 Minnesota: archbishop battles clergy dissent on marriage amendment
 Esolen on judicial activism and corruption of a democratic society
 Pope tells lawyers: be guided by truth
 Christian unity would spur New Evangelization, Pope notes
 Are England's Catholic bishops stalling the Anglican ordinariate?
 Chaplain on doomed liner protected the Eucharist, helped other passengers
 Sudan: priests kidnapped, tensions grow
 Croatian bishops encourage 'Yes' vote on EU membership
 Background: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
 Prelate takes stock of Pope’s ecumenical thought
 English ordinariate commemorates 1st year
 Pakistan: 2,000 protest government’s demolition of Church buildings
 Massachusetts court overturns decision ordering abortion, sterilization
 Nigeria: Christmas church bombing suspect arrested, escapes

Released Tuesday, Jan. 17

 The case against Girl Scout Cookies
 Does Texas 'informed consent' law signal a successful new strategy against abortion?
 NPR headline takes 'cheap shot' at Catholic Church
 Italian Catholic, Jewish officials discuss respect for human life
 Catholic Charities honors DC mayor who favored abortion, same-sex marriage
 Catholic bishop pleads for peace in northern Nigeria
 Vatican official says Beijing should release imprisoned clerics to improve its own image
 First Things editor raps Wall Street Journal editorial on child tax credits
 Scottish midwives demand conscience-clause exemption from abortion duty
 Did a Kuwaiti prince embrace Christianity? Video prompts dispute
 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins Wednesday
 Canadian acts quickly on gay divorce, slowly on religious persecution
 SSPX offers 2nd response to Vatican on 'Doctrinal Preamble'
 Kansas City: former chancery employee alleges homosexual harassment
 Pro-life victory: judge dismisses federal prosecution of sidewalk counselor
 Pakistan: bishops call for greater legal protection for Christians, Hindus
 Iran: imprisoned Protestant pastor again refuses to revert to Islam
 India: 2011 the worst year for persecution of Christians

Released Monday, Jan. 16

 Irish public opposes decision to close Vatican embassy
 Irish government sets up expert panel to consider change in abortion law
 Pope Benedict to meet Fidel Castro during March visit?
 Top Vatican journalist sees 3 likely contenders to head CDF
 Murders, forced conversions, lynchings: Pakistan's sorry religious-freedom record
 L'Osservatore rips Standard and Poor's on downgrading European debt
 Former diplomat weighs US stand on religious freedom
 Pope speaks on migrants' hopes, priests' role in helping young men discern vocations
 Belgian police raid 3 dioceses, take documents on abuse complaints
 Homosexual Anglican cleric, denied post as bishop, may sue Church of England
 Texas bishop sues priest, charges financial mismanagement
 Vatican city-state tribunal opens judicial year
 Police thwart 'Occupy' protest in St. Peter's Square
 New Italian prime minister visits Pontiff
 Pope’s 2013 prayer intentions announced
 Ecumenical group presents Latin audio New Testament to Pope
 Agnostic assesses Vatican dialogue at Assisi
 Venezuelan bishops call for year of national reconciliation
 Vatican spokesman laments religious persecution, cites ‘Islamic extremism’
 India: sharia court convicts priest, Protestant pastor on forced-conversion charges

Released Friday, Jan. 13

 Activists decry Israeli court decision extending bar to Palestinian citizenship
 Russian Orthodox prelate suggests Christians organize political parties
 Bishop rebukes Jesuit university for inviting pro-abortion speaker
 Italian bishop suggests registration of civil unions, not same-sex marriage
 Vatican acceptance coming for Neocatechumenal liturgy?
 Tulsa's Bishop Slattery sees 'prophetic' (non-governmental) role for Catholic Charities
 Italian foreign minister promises vigorous defense of Christian religious rights
 Livestock show coming to St. Peter's Square
 Pope explains the meaning of 'justice' and 'peace'
 Appreciation for Norman Rockwell's vision
 Catholic organizer explains work with Muslims at UN
 Congo: bishops say November presidential vote was unfair
 German priest pleads guilty to 280 abuse charges
 L'Osservatore highlights soaring food prices of 2011
 Times profile of school associated with Opus Dei
 Background: Pope’s message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees
 Proposed football stadium could damage basilica, warns pastor
 Bishops call for peace in Holy Land
 Judge: Methodist ministry violated law in refusing same-sex ceremony
 Pakistan: government demolishes Catholic buildings

Released Thursday, Jan. 12

 New apostolic nuncio reflects on challenges in Ireland
 US religious leaders issue warning on impact of same-sex marriage
 Sharp increase in use of US canon-law tribunals
 Venezuelan bishops ready to de-escalate conflict with Chavez?
 Haitians still suffering from aftermath of 2010 earthquake
 Support families, encourage youth, Pope urges Italian government officials
 Belgian bishops will require abusive priests to pay victims
 Philadelphia archdiocese will hear appeals on school closings
 Hundreds of Miami Catholics to attend Pope’s Masses in Cuba
 Caritas: 250,000 Somalis at risk of famine
 Pakistani Catholic welcomes Pope’s tribute to Bhatti as crisis deepens
 US bishops welcome Supreme Court decision on ministerial exception
 Gunmen kill 4 Nigerian Christians
 Christian Egyptian business leader to face trial for defaming Islam

Released Wednesday, Jan. 11

 German bishop a likely choice to head CDF?
 Supreme Court upholds 'ministerial exception' in landmark victory for religious freedom
 Commentator: Did Cardinal Mahony cover up evidence of bishop's paternity?
 Crocodile makes an appearance at papal audience
 Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople rebukes Moscow on interference in Greece
 Italian archbishop to take #2 post at Congregation for Bishops
 Larger plot involved in death of missionary in Philippines?
 Irish seminary to separate students from university community
 Czech Republic to offer compensation for Church property seized by Communist government
 Pope speaks on Christ's prayer at the Last Supper
 Gun battle outside Iraqi archbishop's residence
 Federal court upholds law requiring ultrasound before abortion
 Thriving young religious community in Ukraine
 Bishops’ conference resettles 27% of refugees to US
 National K-12 sex-ed standards proposed
 2 Christian leaders arrested in Orissa
 Egyptian diplomat urges Christians not to fear election of Islamist parties

Released Tuesday, Jan. 10

 Former Episcopalian Bishop Pope, twice a convert, dead at 81
 Monk's arrest in Greece exposes contest for world's Orthodox leadership
 Mass migration creates new chances to evangelize, writes Vatican official
 Vatican Museums set new high for visitors in 2011
 Sex-selection abortion tilts population figures against females worldwide
 Vatican receives report on investigation of US women's religious orders
 February consistory will follow newly revised ritual
 Illinois bishops call for immigration reform, urge support for families
 Pope Pius XII: ‘Be proud to be a Jew’
 Vatican newspaper defends papal diplomacy
 Recent persecution of Christians in Laos
 Israeli, Palestinian reactions to Pope’s ‘State of the World’ address
 Prelate: Nigeria sitting on powder keg

Released Monday, Jan. 9

 Cleveland diocese reports $19 million saved by parish closings
 Pope Benedict's 'State of the World' address [Summary/Analysis]
 6th former Anglican bishop joins English ordinariate
 Another Vatican PR blunder: cardinals' bios from Wikipedia
 Columnist rips Santorum's critics for breach of decency
 Five former US envoys to Holy See endorse Romney candidacy
 Nigerian cardinal vows: Christians will not flee
 Bishop Lahey seeks laicization after child-porn sentencing
 Cardinal George apologizes for comparing gay activists to Ku Klux Klan
 Pakistan: death threats for defenders of Christian woman jailed for blasphemy
 Pope baptizes children, speaks of parents' duties as educators
 Honduras: priest claims torture by police
 New biblical translation a bestseller in Norway
 Vatican spokesman explains why Pope will visit Mexico
 Gaza Christians trapped between Israeli blockade, Muslim society
 Philippines: 3 million Catholics in procession despite terrorist threats
 Nigeria: war of words between Protestant, Muslim leaders

Released Friday, Jan. 6

 Philadelphia archdiocese will close 48 Catholic schools
 Experts reflect on the Pope's choice of new cardinals
 Cardinal O'Malley continues reflections on sex-abuse scandal
 New York Times column on St. Joan of Arc
 American priest attributes healing to intercession of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos
 A bishop needs a 'restless heart,' Pope says in ordaining two prelates
 Pope names 22 new cardinals
 Abuse victim recounts meeting with Pope
 Author reports high rate of falsely accused priests
 Archdiocese criticized for implementing Courage
 Caritas urges humanitarian aid for North Korea
 Bishop: why maintain schools that are ‘Catholic in name only’?
 Nigeria: gunmen storm church, kill 6

Released Thursday, Jan. 5

 Vatican unveils plans for Year of Faith
 New head for top Vatican tribunal
 Hot topics for US bishops on ad limina visits
 Tulsa Catholic Charities declines government funds
 Dioceses recovering from bankruptcy
 Judge fines attorneys for anti-Catholic slurs, orders arrest of one
 Settlement between Pennsylvania diocese, Muslim ex-employee
 Cardinal urges Vietnamese to testify to late prelate’s holiness
 El Salvador prelate recalls 20th anniversary of peace agreement
 Prelate emphasizes: ‘Nigeria cannot be divided according to religion’

Released Wednesday, Jan. 4

 Boko Haram orders Christians to leave northern Nigeria
 Detroit archdiocese has clear authority on 'RealCatholic' label , canonist notes
 Canadian bishop sentenced to 15 months on child-porn charge
 Spread joy of Christmas through the world, Pope urges faithful
 Los Angeles auxiliary bishop resigns, admits fathering children
 Priest discusses missionary work in Algeria
 Cardinal rues drug abuse, crimes of passion
 Poll: Catholic Republicans no more likely to support Catholic candidates
 Bishop D’Arcy examines Boston scandal
 Taiwan’s bishops urge faithful to pray Liturgy of the Hours, study Catechism
 Hungary’s constitution: pro-life, but no recognition for Islam, ‘smaller Catholic orders’

Released Tuesday, Jan. 3

 Catholic university circulates ad for work with pro-abortion group
 Italian Catholic newspaper endangered as government cuts subsidies
 Over 2.5 million saw Pope Benedict in 2011
 Boston Globe interviews Cardinal O'Malley, 10 years after breaking scandal story
 US troops face severe shortage of Catholic military chaplains
 Dutch politicians press bishops on abuse report
 Las Vegas priest claims gambling addiction prompted thefts
 Pope calls for greater attention to last rites
 Irish cardinal laments increase in suicide
 Cardinal assesses strengths, weaknesses of Africa
 Anti-Christian vandalism, attack in Karnataka
 Egypt: Christians’ homes burned over Facebook Muhammad images
 Nigerian prelate urges Christians: ignore terrorist ultimatum to leave area
 Itinerary announced for Pope’s apostolic journey to Mexico, Cuba

Released Monday, Jan. 2

 Jerzy Kluger, Jewish boyhood friend of John Paul II, dead at 90
 Christian groups lose bid for restraining order on Hawaii's civil-union law
 Irish archbishop cautions against 'caricature' of religious influence
 Welsh archbishop opposes 'presumed consent' policy for organ donation
 Corporate interests, paramilitaries suspected in priest's slaying in Philippines
 China confirms arrest of Christian dissident--after 20 months
 Showdown looms between Vatican, Peru's Catholic university
 Philadelphia's Archbishop Chaput will sell expensive residence
 On 10th anniversary of Boston scandal, Cardinal O'Malley speaks of recovery
 Jesus was born into family life, Pope reminds Spanish faithful
 Trust God, have confidence in new year, Pope says
 Pope delivers World Day of Peace message
 SNAP fights court-ordered disclosure of its own internal documents
 Anglican Catholic ordinariate for US formally established
 India: 7-year-old girl sacrificed to gods
 Vatican spokesman: educate toward justice and peace, not relativism
 Planned Parenthood received $487M in federal funding; assets top $1B

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