U.S. Bishops Relieved as Senate Rejects Bill Aimed at Preserving Nationwide Access to Abortion

By Currents News Staff and John Lavenburg

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — In a reminder to New York Catholics that abortion access will likely go unfettered in the state regardless of federal rulings, the state’s bishops are calling on the faithful to advocate with charity, sensitivity, and clarity, and to reaffirm the Church’s commitment to walking with pregnant mothers.

The call comes in a new statement, “Toward a Pro-Life Future in the Empire State” issued by the Catholic Bishops of New York State on May 12, where they assess the current situation and envision a path forward for a state, which is considered the abortion capital of the world.

In the statement, the bishops argue that the pro-abortion movement’s framing of abortion as an issue of “choice” and “reproductive freedom” ignores “the biological reality of what abortion is: The intentional killing of an innocent child in the womb.”

“Millions of our fellow Americans — even, it must be said, many of our fellow Catholics — have succumbed to this false notion, and we must respond to it in charity and with sensitivity, but with clarity,” they said.

The bishops also used the statement to reject notions that Church leaders are more concerned with the baby in the womb than with the mother and child after the baby is born. To do so, they reaffirmed a pledge made by the late Cardinal John O’Connor of New York, who was a staunch and outspoken leader of the pro-life movement.

“Any woman — regardless of age, religious belief or affiliation, marital status or immigration status — who is pregnant and in need, can come to the Catholic Church and we will give you the services and supports you need to carry your baby to term,” the New York bishops said.

“Furthermore, we will not abandon you and your baby after delivery, but, rather, we will see to it that you have the resources that you and your child both need and deserve,” they continued. “No one will be turned away from this life-affirming care.”

The statement was signed by New York’s eight ordinary bishops: Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, Bishop Edward Scharfenberger of Albany, Bishop Michael Fisher of Buffalo, Bishop Terry LaValley of Ogdensburg, Bishop Salvatore Matano of Rochester, Bishop John Barres of Rockville Centre, and Bishop Douglas Lucia of Syracuse.

It comes at a time of growing national tensions after a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade — the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide — and put abortion law solely in the hands of the states.

“As we await a decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the recently argued Supreme Court case that could potentially overturn Roe, we pray for a positive outcome even as we acknowledge that abortion in New York would continue unfettered, and even be actively promoted as a social good by many elected officials,” the New York bishops said.

Abortion is legal in New York through nine months of pregnancy, and it’s one of the few states to require taxpayers to fund abortion through Medicaid. On Tuesday, May 10, Gov. Kathy Hochul reaffirmed that New York will be a haven for anyone seeking an abortion nationwide, and announced a new $35 million investment to support abortion providers in the Empire State in anticipation that the Supreme Court will overturn Roe.

In the statement, the New York bishops lament the stream of pro-abortion legislation and funding the state has seen in recent years, as well as the lack of funding and promotion of programs to support women who choose to keep their babies.

The bishops also question why they can’t work together with New York lawmakers to reduce the rate of abortions given the reality that the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe won’t affect abortion laws in New York.

“There is common ground to be found, even in a state like New York,” they said, citing the recent state budget provision that expands postpartum Medicaid eligibility.

The bishops also presented a list of 12 aspirational statements of what they hope can be achieved. They envision a New York where:

a woman is never pressured into an abortion
there’s equal access to prenatal care
employers and educational institutions fully accommodate the needs of pregnant women
public policies promote adoption through tax credits and other incentives
tax policies reduce poverty
there’s quality healthcare for all
childcare is affordable and accessible for all
the responsibilities of fatherhood are promoted
post-abortive women have the services they need to heal
“religious organizations can provide needed services to pregnant women and moms while remaining true to the tenets of their faith.”

“All of these goals can come to pass, even in a state like New York, “ the statement added. “Let us not put out trust in mere judges, legislators, governors, or presidents. Rather, let us put our faith in God, for whom nothing is impossible. Politicians can change policies and laws, but only God can convert hearts and minds.”

“So, in this month of Mary, mother of Jesus and mother of us all, let us pray through her intercession for an end to abortion in our lifetime and let us work toward making New York a state where even if abortion is not illegal, it will one day be unthinkable.”

Senate Rejects Bill Preserving Abortion Access Nationwide

Currents News

In a 49 to 51 vote, a bill aimed at preserving access to abortion nationwide has been shot down in the Senate.

“The motion is not agreed to,” said Vice President Kamala Harris.

It was a bill put forward by Democrats to codify the right to access abortion established when Roe v. Wade became federal law. The bill failed to make it through the senate amid widespread Republican opposition to the measure.

“The Democrats radical bill is as extreme as extreme gets,” said Sen. Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader. “It ignores modern science, it is tone deaf to public opinion. Nothing about their bill merely codifies the case law on this issue.”

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin also said he’s not on board with the bill.

“It is not Roe v. Wade codification,” said Senator Machin, “it’s an expansion. It wipes 500 state laws off the books. It expands abortion.”

The GOP’s block on the bill was met with statements from both the president and vice president.

“Sadly the Senate failed to stand in defense of a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body,” said Vice President Harris.

“We will continue to defend women’s constitutional rights to make private reproductive choices as recognized in Roe v. Wade nearly half a century ago,” said President Biden. “And my Administration will continue to explore the measures and tools at our disposal to do just that.”

Homilies in Your Home: John 13:16-20

Most Reverend Bishop Robert J. Brennan’s Homily from Thursday’s Mass on 5/12/22

Making Hard Choices: Americans Are Coping With High Prices for Essential Items

Currents News Staff

At a grocery store in Northeast D.C. and across the country, shoppers are more than a little fed-up with food prices.

“You know it’s hard,” one shopper said. “You know it’s hard trying to balance what you need and what you want.”

According to new government figures, annual inflation did ease-off a bit last month, but is still near a 40-year high. Prices are rising 8.3-percent for the year ending in April, slightly lower than the 8.5-percent rise in March.

Food was one of the biggest factors, along with shelter. In just a month, meat, poultry, fish and eggs went up 1.4-percent – with eggs, by themselves, spiking 10.3-percent.

“Yeah it would be the eggs,” one shopper said. “Because a while ago they were very cheap.”

And housing costs for renters and owners went up .5-percent for the third month in a row. Consumers are taking a big hit – each month.

“The typical American household is spending $450 more now than a year ago to buy the same goods and services,” said Mark Zandi, Chief Economist with Moody’s Analytics. “And that’s because of the higher inflation. So this is incredibly painful.”

Gas prices dipped last month, but are now back to setting records: the national average for regular at $4.40 a gallon. That’s up $1.40 since a year ago.

“Every day you walk by- I mean drive by, it’s one price,” said one driver. “And within a matter of hours, it’ll jump up again.”

But on the bright side, one economist says there could be relief in sight.

“Inflation is peaking,” Mark said. “I think the high inflation, the painfully high inflation is due to the pandemic and to the Russian invasion. If those things don’t go off the rails then I think we will see inflation lower by the end of the year and certainly by this time next year.”

Catholic News Headlines for Wednesday, 05/11/22

The Archbishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, Cardinal Joseph Zen, is facing charges of colluding with foreign forces. The 90-year-old cardinal was arrested Wednesday by Hong Kong’s national security police.

Hong Kong Police Detain and Release 90-year-old Cardinal Zen

By Catholic News Service

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, retired bishop of Hong Kong, arrives at West Kowloon Courts Oct. 15, 2020, to support pro-democracy activists who are facing charges related to an illegal vigil assembly commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Cardinal Zen, a trustee of a relief fund paying protesters’ legal bills, was detained by National Security Police May 11, 2022. (Photo: CNS/Tyrone Siu, Reuters)

HONG KONG (CNS) — Hong Kong’s national security police released Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, retired archbishop of Hong Kong, May 11 after detaining him for allegedly colluding with foreign forces.

The cardinal, 90, has been a very public supporter of pro-democracy and independence protests that have roiled the city for much of the past decade and came to a head in 2019 with unprecedented street marches and six months of spasmodic street battles with authorities.

He was detained along with along with former opposition lawmaker Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee and singer Denise Ho Wan-sze.

The independent Hong Kong Free Press tweeted a photo of a masked Cardinal Zen and said: “Cardinal Joseph Zen was released on bail from Chai Wan Police Station at around 11 p.m. on Wednesday. He did not speak. He then entered a private car parked outside the police station. The 90-year-old was accompanied by five people when he left the police station.”

Ned Price, U.S. Department of State Spokesperson said he “condemned” the arrest of Cardinal Zen, Margaret Ng, Hui Po-keung and Denise Ho during a May 11 press briefing.

“Hong Kong authorities have again demonstrated that they will pursue all means necessary to stifle dissent and undercut protected rights and freedoms,” Price said. “We call for the immediate release of all of those who remain in custody and of course we continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong.”

The cardinal, Ng and Ho were among five trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which was set up to offer financial assistance to those involved in anti-government protests in 2019 and which came under scrutiny of authorities over the past year.

A fourth trustee, former adjunct associate professor Hui Po Keung, was arrested by national security police May 10 as he was about to catch a flight to Germany, a source said. The South China Morning Post reported May 11 that Hui had been put on the list of people who would be stopped by law enforcers if they tried to leave the city via the airport or other control points.

Hong Kong Free Press also reported the release of Ng and Po.

Under Hong Kong’s 2020 security law, people arrested for colluding with foreign forces could be sent to China for trial if arrested and charged. The law made participating in or supporting the pro-democracy movement crimes of subversion and collusion with foreign organizations and allowed for those remanded to be extradited to mainland China. Punishment ranges between a minimum of three years and a maximum of life imprisonment.

At the Vatican, Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said May 11, “The Holy See has learned with concern the news of Cardinal Zen’s arrest and is following the development of the situation with extreme attention.”

Cardinal Zen has publicly delivered detailed critiques of Beijing. He has been close to other high-profile dissidents and has gone as far as sleeping on the streets with students protesters.

Beijing’s ire has also been raised by the cardinal’s ongoing critique of the Vatican’s controversial 2018 deal with China regarding the appointment of bishops, an attempt to end a fractious relationship that stretched back to the time of dictator Mao Zedong. Cardinal Zen said he was concerned the deal would “kill” the unofficial or underground church in China, whose leaders refuse to register with the state-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

The cardinal’s detention came months after a series of articles in state-run media attacking his activism. It also comes amid rising fears that Beijing would begin instituting closer control over the church in Hong Kong, in line with its central management of the church on the mainland.

Beijing has a history of arresting and jailing priests and bishops, with a number still unaccounted for in recent decades.

Shortly after the new security law was implemented, Cardinal Zen said that while he would remain prudent, he was prepared to suffer arrest and trials under the new law.

“If right and proper words were considered against their law, I will endure all the suing, trials and arrests. Numerous predecessors have endured similarly,” he said in a video posted on his Facebook page.

Inside the Vatican-China Agreement: Explaining the Diplomatic Relations Between the Two States

This story originally aired in October 2020

Currents News Staff

The Holy See and China renewed for another two years, and experimentally, their agreement on the procedure for naming new bishops.

Long before becoming Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin was in Beijing twice. He can be considered a key contributor to this agreement.

“I’ve compared this agreement with a seed,” said Cardinal Parolin, “a seed sown on challenging land, where the Church still faces many difficulties. However, we hope that it will slowly produce fruit, with a lot of patience and without expecting to see sudden changes. I don’t think there will be immediate changes, but that’s the way the Holy See does politics. It’s a politics of small steps.”

The content of the agreement has not been made public, and in two years, it has only allowed for the appointment of two new Chinese bishops in communion with Rome, despite the fact that there are 50 vacant dioceses in China.

This agreement represents yet another important step, as the Vatican and China have not had diplomatic relations since Mao rose to power in 1950 and began repressing all religions.

In a press release, the Vatican praised Beijing’s decision to renew the agreement and expressed a desire to “pursue an open and constructive dialogue for the benefit of the life of the Catholic Church and the good of Chinese people.”

“We’re going to start working together, with the Chinese people, on this matter,” said Cardinal Parolin. “I really hope progress and more improvements develop each day.”

In the middle of negotiations, Washington had pressured the Vatican to not renew the agreement, to which the Holy See responded that it wasn’t a political agreement but one of “ecclesiastical and pastoral value.

The Effect Cardinal Zen’s Arrest Will Have on China’s Underground Church

Currents News Staff

The 90-year-old cardinal of Hong Kong is facing charges of colluding with foreign forces and was arrested Wednesday by national security police.

With an estimated 300 million “underground Christians” and as many as 100 million “underground Catholics” living in China, Ed Clancy from Aid to the Church in Need joined Currents News to discuss the rippling effects of this arrest.

Catholic News Headlines for Tuesday, 05/10/22

Republicans are saying a nationwide ban on abortion is possible as democrats scramble to codify Roe v. Wade.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is pledging an additional thirty-five million dollars in abortion funding.

President Biden unveils new plans to battle skyrocketing prices and supply chain issues.

Ukrainian Refugees Receive Warm Welcome as Irish Castle Opens Doors From Those Fleeing War

Currents News Staff

This 15th century castle on Ireland’s West Coast is about as far from Ukraine as you can get in Europe. But for a group of Ukrainian families fleeing the war, it’s now home.

Maria Nazarchuk fled from Ukraine with her family.

“It’s very amazing living in the castle,” Maria said. “I’m never dream about what I can live in a castle in the future. But I live, it is my two boys with my family.”

The owner Barry Haughian didn’t have to think long about traveling to Poland to offer up his castle to refugees.

“We decided that we had to do something and with no real plan and we were very nervous and thinking, okay, how do we do this?” Barry said. “And it’s pretty simple. You get your credit card out, you book a flight and you fly to Poland.”

Per capita, the country of five million people has taken in more Ukrainian refugees than many of its neighbors in western Europe. The government says more than 27,000 have arrived so far.

Meanwhile, Ireland’s closest neighbor, the United Kingdom has had roughly the same number of refugees arrive, despite having a population more than 13 times the size.

But not all refugees in Ireland have received the royal treatment. The government has warned that resources are stretched.

“Look, it’s not all ideal,” said Roderic O’Gorman the Irish Minister of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. “It’s not all the kind of the gold standard accommodation that we’d like. But you know, this is a crisis situation. Most people are in hotels, some people are in more basic accommodation. And yes, it is getting more difficult, particularly as it’s clear now that this war isn’t going to end anytime soon.”

Authorities have set up emergency camp beds in an arena in Cork. They also plan to repurpose student halls, holiday homes and former convents. Former asylum seeker Lucky Khambule, originally from South Africa ,shared a room in a government run facility for years living in limbo until his papers were processed.

He now campaigns for better conditions for all asylum seekers.

“It shows that all along,” Lucky said, “we were right to say that the government is capable of treating us better.”

Unlike other asylum seekers, Ukrainian refugees were immediately granted the right to work and receive welfare payments in Ireland. A lack of red tape also enabled thousands of Ukrainian children to be enrolled quickly in Irish schools.

“They had everything sorted for these guys inside two hours,” Barry said. “It was really the way I’ve described…It was quite incredible. It makes you really proud to be Irish.”