Msgr. Michael Hardiman fondly looks back with Ed Wilkinson over his 40 joyous years of being a priest.
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Catholic Leaders And Elected Officials Team Up To Protect Infant Survivors Of Abortion
By Tim Harfmann
Elected officials and Catholic leaders are pushing for a Congressional vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. It would provide any child who survives an abortion the same medical care given to other newborns.
Brooklyn’s Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio offered strong backing of the measure in a statement: “I join in supporting the members of Congress who, despite opposition from the Democratic leadership, have committed themselves to bring the Born-Alive Act to a vote. It is grossly inconceivable that there are elected officials inhibiting the right of infants who survive an abortion. There are many people mobilized in the name of the unborn and I encourage the Brooklyn and Queens faithful to contact their Congressional representative on this critical issue. In the name of the life of all babies who will survive an abortion, I pray that this bill will be brought for a vote and adopted.”
Congress needs 218 House members to sign a petition and force a vote. “How is it legal in America to kill a baby after its been born outside the womb? It’s shocking!” said Congressman Steve Scalise, Republican House Whip.
Missouri Congresswoman Ann Wagner introduced the Born-Alive legislation; “We stand on your shoulders in protecting the most vulnerable in our society. I came to Congress to be a voiceless for the voiceless.” Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming urged Democrats to reach across the aisle; “If you are for the people, that has to start with being for the most vulnerable among us, for the babies!”
U.S. bishops gave several reasons why protection is necessary: Babies are born alive during abortions; the bishops cited evidence that babies born alive are killed or neglected; Church leaders argued current laws are insufficient; and they pointed to New York’s abortion law, which removed existing protections for babies born alive.
The Knights of Columbus, at the forefront of the pro-life movement, is fully behind the bill. “It really is incomprehensible how a baby could be born, whether it be through a botched abortion or whatever, and they just leave it on the table. It’s mind-boggling that someone would even consider that humane,” said Kenneth Latham, New York State’s Deputy Knight. Carl Anderson, National Supreme Knight, called on America’s one-million knights to act. “They must write their congressman. they must reach out to them, call them, flood them. you know, flood their phone banks, make their phones ring off the hook,” said Latham.
Currents News for Wednesday, April 3, 2019
Brooklyn’s Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, the Knights of Columbus and others are pushing to pass protections for abortion survivors; Pope Francis said the many religions in the world is something that God wants; We’ll have a special preview of a play about a heroic bishop who saved disabled children from Nazi extermination; And it’s all adding up for Catholic students in Brooklyn and Queens.
Today’s top news from the Catholic perspective anchored by Liz Faublas. Currents News airs Monday through Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET on NET-TV (netny.tv)
Bishop’s Fight to Save the Disabled from Nazis Profiled in Play
By Emily Drooby
Courageous, that’s how Tony Award winner, John Glover describes Bishop Clemens Von Galen, the character he portrays in the play, ‘All Our Children.’
Glover explained, “He’s just a guy, who’s got his beliefs, and he stands up for them.”
After a popular run in London’s West End, the play is coming to the Sheen Center in New York City.
It’s about a German doctor who’s forced by the Nazi’s to euthanize people with disabilities, including children. As playwright, Stephen Unwin, explained, the atrocities were committed for financial reasons, “It was about money, it was about that these people were very expensive to keep alive…and so they were attributing economic value to human beings and that seems to me a terrible, terrible, error.”
There wasn’t a lot of public opposition to the horrific program, but one voice spoke out loudly against it. That of the Bishop of Münster, Clemens Von Galen. The play shows how he helped stop the madness.
Unwin said, “He stood up and opposed the murder of disabled children, disabled people…amazingly, astonishingly he said the right thing at the right time and Hitler stopped the program.”
The play, deeply personal for Unwin. His mother was born Jewish in Nazi Germany, he was brought up Catholic and he has a disabled son.
The play’s director, Ethan McSweeny believes that ‘All Our Children’ will make people think.
McSweeny said, “I do think it’s a play you’ll want to talk about after you see it and, in that way, I find it really rewarding, it doesn’t answer the questions, it raises the questions.”
The American premier of ‘All Our Children’ is being presented by the Sheen Center. Previews begin on April 6.
Pope Francis: God Wants Fraternity Between Muslims And Catholics
Currents News Staff
Pope Francis took on provocative topics about Muslims and other religions this morning during his audience with pilgrims, his first since his mission to Morocco last weekend.
The Holy Father said having many religions in the world is the will of God. And he explained why he visits Muslims and not just Catholics.
“However, some may wonder why the pope is visiting Muslims and not just Catholics. What God wants is for there to be fraternity among us. This is why, in a special way, I made this trip to be with our Muslim brothers and sisters, children of Abraham, like us,” he said.
Francis recalled that Catholics are not the only believers in the world, and that the variety of faiths should not divide us.
“Why does God allow there to be many religions? God wanted to allow it. Scholastic theologians say: God’s permissive will. He wanted to allow this reality. There are many religions that are born from culture, but they always look to Heaven, they look to God. We should not be afraid of difference, God has allowed it. However, we should be afraid if we do not work together with our brothers and sisters because we live together,” he added.
The Holy Father said that during his time in Morocco, he wanted to talk about the issue of migration, as Morocco is the last stage for many migrants who are trying to reach Europe.
This is why he asked that the dignity of migrants not be damaged, because being a migrant is not an adjective: migrants are people.
“I don’t like to say ‘migrants.’ I like more to say ‘migrant person.’ Do you know why? This is because ‘migrant’ is an adjective. On the other hand, ‘person’ is a noun. We have fallen into the culture of adjectives. We use many adjectives and often forget the nouns, that is, the substance. The adjective is together with a substantive. This is ‘person.’ This is to say not ‘migrant’ but a ‘migrant person.’ This shows respect,” he said.
Msgr. Michael Hardiman
Msgr. Michael Hardiman fondly looks back with Ed Wilkinson over his 40 joyous years of being a priest.
April is National Autism Awareness Month
Currents News Staff
The month of April has long been observed as National Autism Awareness Month and April 2 was World Autism Awareness Day. Both are meant to spread awareness and acceptance of the disorder.
According to the World Health Organization, one in one-hundred-and-sixty children are on the spectrum.
Janice Aris is the Executive Director of Brooklyn’s Mercy Home for Children and she joins Currents News to help educate us on what we need to know about autism.
Jury Gives Justice for Catholic Jogger
By Tim Harfmann
It was the verdict Karina Vetrano’s family had been waiting for. During an emotional scene inside a Queens courtroom on Monday, April 1st, Chanel Lewis was found guilty on all counts in the killing of Vetrano.
The 30-year-old was brutally murdered in August 2016 while jogging near her Howard Beach home. “This is the end of a long journey for the Vetrano family and for Howard Beach,” said Father Francis Colamaria. He is the pastor of Saint Helen’s Church — the Vetrano family’s parish. Father Colamaria said now starts a healing process; “It caused an emotional state for this family that has really brought them to their knees. Who could imagine their daughter being brutally murder?”
Outside the Vetrano home were angel wings attached to the second floor. A white bow and purple flowers were tied to a nearby telephone pole. The family declined our request for an interview. Augustus Agate, a retired New York State supreme court justice, is a friend of the family. The former judge had left the Vetrano home moments before our interview. “Obviously, there is closure to this. It’s not a full closure. They still don’t have their daughter, but I could see a difference. They seem calmer,” said Agate.
Vetrano was raised Catholic and graduated from Archbishop Molloy High School and Saint John’s University. DNA linked the killer to the Howard Beach jogger. As for Lewis, the 22-year-old was escorted out of the courtroom in handcuffs.
“The case is over upon sentence, but there’s always the appeals process,” said Agate.
“We say in our faith, ‘the truth makes us free;’ but in his case, it doesn’t,” said Father Colamaria.
Lewis is scheduled to be sentenced on April 17th and could face life without parole.
Currents News for Tuesday, April 2, 2019
On the newscast: The Pope is telling the young people of the world that ‘Christ Is Alive.’ And he’s tackling the major issues facing the Church today; The pro-life movie ‘Unplanned’ is winning over moviegoers despite a campaign being waged against the film; Today is World Autism Awareness Day. We’ll speak with an expert on how to encounter people with the condition; The health care fight in Washington could drag on for a long time.
Today’s top news from the Catholic perspective anchored by Liz Faublas. Currents News airs Monday through Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET on NET-TV (netny.tv)
‘Unplanned’ Beats Adversity with Strong Opening Weekend
By Emily Drooby
As Nancy Davies heads to watch the pro-life movie unplanned in the theater, she’s thrilled to know many other people are too.
Davies said, “I’m very happy that it’s doing so well I think so many women who really haven’t known what abortion is are wanting to see it.”
The film, is based on the true-life story of Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic director, who became a champion for the pro-life movement after witnessing an abortion.
The film is receiving positive reaction from viewers. It brought in an impressive 6.1 million dollars during opening weekend, despite only being shown in about a thousand theaters across the country. The high number is impressive considering the amount of adversity the film has faced.
First the flick received an R rating, which producers unsuccessfully tried to change. Then the films twitter account was briefly suspended during opening weekend. Further, the producers claim tens of thousands of their twitter followers disappeared for no known reason. And many TV networks also refused to televise advertisements for the film.
Even inside the Kips Bay AMC where the movie is being shown, there was a lack of advertising for the film, including in the portal where customers buy their tickets.
Still, the movie is receiving rave reviews from moviegoers. While leaving the theater, Fran Collins suggested everyone should go see it.
Collins, said, “It made me feel sad in one way and I’m very happy for Abby Johnson. No matter what I feel, and agree, but I’m happy for her and I’m glad I saw it.”
So does Cathy Black, who works for The Bridge To Life, a Catholic pregnancy support center in Queens.
Black, who is the executive director, said, I think if people see it no matter what the age, especially the younger the better, that they will actually find out what the truth really is about abortion.”
Black and other members of The Bridge To Life, including Catherine Donohoe who is the president of the board of directors, said they were touched by the film.
Donohoe, explained, “The one scene that really was very moving was when the six women were in the waiting room after their abortions. And the looks on their faces and how they were treated like cattle, the women at planned parenthood didn’t even look at their faces which is wrong.”
Unplanned in showing throughout the day at both the AMC’s in Kips Bay and Times Square.