Recent Catholic News

WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (LSN) – Yesterday, the US Supreme Court let stand a ruling widening the boundaries of campaign advertising not subject to control by the Federal Election Commission. In 1995 the commission restricted pro-lifers from using ads saying “vote pro-life’‘, along with a list of candidates supporting life and those not. The regulation was challenged by the Maine Right to Life Committee, and a U.S. appeals court struck it down for violating First Amendment free-speech guarantees under the Constitution. The Federal Election Commission tried to appeal the case but the justices denied the government’s appeal Monday without any comment […]

FLORIDA, Oct 6 (LSN) – On Monday, the Supreme Court rejected the appeal of Paul Hill, who had received the death sentence for his shooting of an abortionist and his escort in July of 1994. Hill, a former minister claimed the judge at his trial had violated his constitutional rights by allowing him to represent himself and by barring him from using justifiable homicide as a defense.

QUEEN’S PARK, Oct 7 (LSN) – Two members of Ontario’s provincial parliament presented petitions in the legislature yesterday requesting the Harris government to refrain from enacting legislation to fingerprint all Ontario residents. MPPs Frank Miclash and Pat Hoy both presented petitions from their constituents which say that the proposed fingerprinting is a gross invasion of privacy, the members also affixed their names to the petitions. Premier Mike Harris revealed plans in 1995 to create a new Ontario ID card which would include the holders fingerprint. The ID cards are set to be used for getting health care, a driver’s licence […]

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich., Oct 7 (LSN) – Macomb County Prosecutor Carl Marlinga met with the infamous Dr. Death, Jack Kevorkian, to discuss “dignified’’ ways of dumping the bodies of Kevorkian’s victims. The Associated Press reported that the forty minute interview was held at Kevorkian’s request. Marlinga has said he won’t prosecute Kevorkian. The county is considering assisting the ‘doctor’ but must first check into legal complications related to conspiracy to assist in suicide.

Catholic World News WASHINGTON, DC (CWN) Hundreds of thousands of Christian men gathered on the National Mall in Washington on Saturday for a six-hour rally in which they pledged to become better husbands, fathers, and neighbors and asked forgiveness of God and their families for the past sins of omission and commission. In a moving display, speakers touched on issues from abortion to workaholism to racism, not from an abstract viewpoint, but mainly from personal experience. Time after time, the enormous crowd went down to its collective knees to confess personal sinfulness, rose to its feet to cheer and sing, […]

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Oct 6 (LSN) – Cambodia’s parliament passed a law today legalizing abortions during a woman’s first three months of pregnancy. The law maintains that a women under 18 years old must have parental consent before killing the child in her womb. Until now, Cambodia had no laws governing abortion.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 6 (LSN) – According to the London Times at least two million people crammed on to a three-mile-long beach in Rio de Janeiro yesterday to attend Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II. The Pontiff is in Brazil for the World Meeting with Families where he promoted a greater sense of involvement in the protection of authentic family life. In his message the Pope condemned abortion in very explicit terms. He called on families to, “Take care of your children with responsible love. Defend them as a gift of God, from the moment they are conceived.’’ […]

TORONTO, Oct 3 (LSN) – The Catholic Register, thought to be Canada’s premiere Catholic newspaper, has published an article praising the controversial show ‘Nothing Sacred’. In its Sept 29th edition, the Register, a publication of the Archdiocese of Toronto, lauded the show saying, “In a world of ‘dumb,’ tabloid put-down and exploitation, it glows with the glimmer of the momentary presence of the divine.’‘ A number of readers are expressing dismay that the Register would take a favourable stand on this program which delivers a serious attack on the Church. The Catholic Register’s position on the matter stands in stark […]

Vatican Update from Catholic World News for October 2, 1997 VATICAN (CWN)—As the world encounter with families opened in Rio de Janeiro, and awaited the arrival of Pope John Paul II, one Vatican official spoke of a “conspiracy” against family life, while a leading Latin American prelate accused the United States of engaging in a crusade to promote abortion. Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, spoke at the opening of the Rio congress. He told an audience of 2,500 official delegates from all across the world that families play the crucial role in the […]

NEW YORK, Oct 3 (LSN) — The Associated Press reported yesterday that the Ted Turner owned Cable News Network (CNN) ordered two ads objecting to a potential global warming treaty off the air Thursday. Reacting to the biased censorship, Richard Pollock, a spokesman for the group which paid for the ad, said: “This is Ted Turner pulling views that he personally doesn’t like. He has decided to act as an information czar.’‘ CNN spokesman Steve Haworth said he couldn’t “confirm or deny’’ the involvement of Turner. The ads, paid for by the chemical, automobile and oil industries, warn that proposed […]