Newspaper looks at report alleging Catholic hospitals' ethical lapsesBy Catholic News ServiceA national Catholic newspaper said a report alleging that thousands of sterilizations, and possibly some abortions, took place in 23 Texas Catholic hospitals from 2000 to 2003 has prompted Catholic hospital officials in the state to scrutinize their records and stirred intense discussions among hospital officials, directors of the facilities' parent health systems and local bishops.
Published in Nation - World :
Jul 6, 2008
Growing in faith while saving gasBy Father Peter J. Daly (Catholic News Service)With gas at $4 per gallon, I'm not driving anywhere this summer. Not if I can help it. Maybe that is a good thing.
There is one positive result of the high energy prices: They remind us to be better stewards of God's earth.
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Jun 20, 2008
WALL-EBy Harry Forbes (Catholic News Service)The combination of Pixar Animation Studios and Disney continues its winning streak with this latest feature, "WALL-E," a beautifully imaginative and touching tale set 800 years in the future.
Published in Movies :
Jun 27, 2008
Churches, charities assist working class impacted by foreclosuresBy Brandy Wilson (Catholic News Service)"We get anywhere from 100 to 150 calls a day from people on the verge of losing their homes or renters who are being displaced," said Karen Wallensak, director of Catholic Charities Housing Resource Center in St. Louis.
Published in Around the Diocese :
Jul 3, 2008
Vatican urges tourists to have eco-friendly vacationsBy Carol Glatz (Catholic News Service)In time for the summer holidays, the Vatican urged tourists to pack less luggage, leave the car at home and have a greener vacation.
Published in Nation - World :
Jul 2, 2008
Minor's abortion with Catholic Charities' help may have legal effectsBy Nancy Frazier O'Brien (Catholic News Service)After employees of a Catholic Charities office in Richmond, Va., helped a refugee minor obtain an abortion, the U.S. bishops' Migration and Refugee Services has revised its agreements with Catholic Charities agencies nationwide to explicitly ban "any services or actions contrary to Catholic teachings and beliefs."
Published in Nation - World :
Jul 1, 2008
News Briefs :
Jul 6, 2008
Catholic leaders pray accord will improve conditions for farmworkers
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Catholic and U.S. Senate leaders applauded an agreement between Burger King Corp. and a farmworkers' organization signed May 23 to raise the price paid to laborers, which they hope will lead to an industrywide revolution in social responsibility. Following a week at the negotiating table with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Burger King officials agreed to pay an additional penny per pound to the Florida farmworkers who harvest their tomatoes. The company also will pay incremental payroll taxes and administrative costs the growers will incur as a result of the increased wages for the farmworkers, making the total boost 1.5 cents per pound, said Amy E. Wagner, a senior vice president for Burger King Corp., based in Miami. This increase will translate collectively to about $250,000 in the paychecks of tomato farm laborers, Wagner said. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had urged Burger King officials to join companies like McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell, which signed similar agreements with the Florida farmworkers coalition, and hopes more corporations in the food industry will follow suit, said John L. Carr, executive director for the USCCB's Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development.
California court's decision on same-sex marriage draws condemnation
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The May 15 California Supreme Court decision that struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage continued to draw condemnation from Catholic leaders across the country as an act that destroys God's plan for humanity. Bishops in particular on both coasts were joined by the Maryland Catholic Conference in expressing grave concerns that the 4-3 decision undermines the legal status of marriage and threatens to destroy the moral framework of American culture. The court held that domestic partnerships currently recognized by the state are an inadequate substitute for marriage. The ruling makes California the second state after Massachusetts to allow same-sex couples to wed. The California decision was to go into effect 30 days after it was handed down, but its opponents vowed to fight it.
