Catholic News Agency

Washington D.C., May 16, 2012 / 07:00 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A hearing before a U.S. House subcommittee on human rights discussed the current status of blind pro-life activist Chen Guangcheng, as well as his family, friends and the women he sought to protect from China’s brutal one-child policy.

Chen testified at the May 15 hearing from his hospital room in China. Speaking via phone through a translator, he said that he is “not a hero” but is simply following his conscience.

He also said that he is fearful for the well-being of his extended family members.

The hearing was chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who leads the House congressional panel that oversees international human rights. It focused on the plight of Chen’s family and friends, as well as the brutalities under China’s one-child policy that he had worked to expose.

After documenting cases of forced abortion and sterilization throughout China, Chen was imprisoned for more than four years. He also spent more than a year and a half under illegal house arrest, where he says that he and his family members were beaten and refused medical treatment.

Chen escaped from house arrest and was transported by friends to Beijing, where he reached the U.S. Embassy on April 26. He was moved to the hospital on May 2, amid announcements of an agreement between American and Chinese officials for his humane treatment.

While the Chinese government has stated that Chen is free to apply for travel documents to leave the country, the blind activist has said that he is worried about the well-being of his extended family and friends, who may be the target of government retribution.

At the May 15 hearing, Bob Fu, founder and president of the Texas-based ChinaAid Association, voiced concerns over whether the Chinese government will follow through on its promise.

He explained that in the past two weeks, “there has been no substantive progress by the Chinese government toward allowing Chen to come to the United States.”

“The Chinese government has yet to issue him a passport, which means Chen Guangcheng has not been able to leave China,” he said.

Fu also drew attention to the plight of Chen’s brother and sister-in-law, who were both reportedly beaten by a mob that broke into their house shortly after Chen’s escape. Their son, Chen Kegui, was violently attacked and defended himself with a kitchen knife, injuring several of his attackers. He has been arrested and could face execution, despite the fact that he acted out of self-defense, Fu said.

“Almost all of the lawyers who were willing to handle Chen Kegui’s knifing case have lost their freedom of movement, or had their lawyer’s license revoked, or simply been kidnapped,” he reported.

Concerns over the plight of Chen’s supporters were also voiced by Reggie Littlejohn, founder and president of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, an organization that works to oppose forced abortions in China.

She explained that Jiang Tianyong, a member of Chen’s legal team, attempted to visit Chen at the hospital and “was beaten so severely in the head that he may have lost hearing in one ear.”

Littlejohn also recounted the story of He Peirong, known as Pearl, who was detained and kept in custody after helping Chen escape. She was eventually released as international attention on her story increased.

Chinese mother Mei Shunping also testified at the hearing, describing the physical and emotional terror of undergoing five forced abortions due to the one-child policy.

Mei described herself as one of the women “that Chen Guangcheng tried to help so courageously.” She said that her life was “destroyed by the policy,” before she was able to escape and come to the United States in 1999.

“We had no dignity as potential child-bearers,” she said.
 
After her fifth forced abortion, Mei said that the authorities acted without her knowledge or consent to implant an IUD in her uterus, despite the fact that she had a kidney disease, and the device therefore caused her great pain and physical suffering.

In addition, her husband was arrested and sentenced to criminal detention for protesting the policy.

Mei said that the strain caused by the enforcement of the one-child policy led to her divorce, depression and attempted suicide, before she found consolation and healing in the Christian faith. 
 
Rep. Smith called on the U.S. government to continue working on behalf of Chen, as well as his supporters and all the women who suffer under China’s one-child policy.

“The story, unfortunately, is far from over,” he said.

Madrid, Spain, May 16, 2012 / 04:04 pm (CNA).- A Spanish diocese has rejected a request by the city government to have Bishop Juan Antonio Reig Pla transferred due to a controversial Good Friday sermon that critics have labeled as “homophobic.”

“Our father and pastor, Juan Antonio Reig Pla, the Bishop of Alcala de Henares, has always taught Catholic doctrine with charity and truth, and he will continue to do so with the grace of God,” the diocese said in a statement.

The motion to transfer the bishop was presented by the group Union, Progress and Democracy and was backed by other left-leaning organizations as well as the Spanish Socialist Party. The ruling People’s Party, however, has opposed the motion, which demands that the bishop be transferred to another diocese and that he not be invited to any official event in the city.

Bishop Reig Pla has faced intense criticism after remarks given in a Good Friday sermon in which he condemned sexual practices he believes to be harmful.

As part of a larger cultural critique of sexual behavior in modern society, he lamented how some with same-sex attraction “corrupt and prostitute themselves or go to gay night clubs” in order to “validate” their struggle.

“I assure you what they encounter is pure hell,” he said on April 6.

In response to the bishop, Socialist Party spokesman Javier Rodriguez said his comments have put him as well as the diocese “on the homophobic map.”

In its statement, however, the Diocese of Alcala de Henares underscored its respect for all persons, regardless of their condition, and for legitimately constituted authorities. 

But it also stressed the need for the right to religious freedom and that “no human institution has the authority to judge, and much less, prevent the teaching of Catholic doctrine.”

When such an effort is made formally by a political institution, the diocese said, “The result is a sad and intolerable violation of human rights and of the principle of the separation of Church and state.”

Bishop Reig Pla has gained the support of the Bishops’ Conference of Spain, whose secretary general, Auxiliary Bishop Juan Antonio Martinez Camino of Madrid called the controversy caused by his sermon “unjust.”

The International Federation of Associations of Catholic Doctors has also voiced support for Bishop Reig Pla as well as more than 20 locals struggling with same-sex attraction who personally wrote the bishop to thank him for his remarks. 

Vatican City, May 16, 2012 / 03:58 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI says Christians should avail themselves to the Holy Spirit in prayer – particularly when they cannot find the words or inspiration to pray.  

“St. Paul teaches us that in our prayer we must open ourselves to the presence and action of the Holy Spirit, who prays in us with inexpressible groanings, to bring us to adhere to God with our whole heart and with all our being,” the Pope said May 16. 

“The Spirit of Christ becomes the strength of our ‘weak’ prayer, the light of our ‘dimmed’ prayer, the focus of our ‘dry’ prayer, giving us true inner freedom, teaching us to live by facing our trials, in the certainty we are not alone.”

Continuing his weekly catechesis on Christian prayer, Pope Benedict XVI used this week’s General Audience to explore the theme of prayer in the Letters of St. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, in the New Testament.

He told over 11,000 pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square to take on board the advice of St. Paul to turn to the Holy Spirit when “we want to pray, but God is far away, we do not have the words, the language to talk with God, not even the thought.”

It is then, said the Pope, that “we can only open ourselves up, make time available for God” knowing that this mere desire to get in touch with God “is prayer that the Holy Spirit not only understands, but it brings, interprets before God.”

“In prayer we experience, more than in other dimensions of existence, our weakness, our poverty, our being creatures, because we are faced with the omnipotence and transcendence of God,” said Pope Benedict.

It is therefore the Holy Spirit “who helps our inability, enlightens our minds and warms our hearts, guiding our turning to God.”

The Pope concluded his observations by highlighting three consequences of allowing “the Spirit of Christ as an inner principle of all our actions.”

First of all “we are enabled to abandon and overcome every form of fear or slavery, experiencing the
true freedom of the children of God.”

This freedom is not identified by St. Paul as the possibility of choosing evil which, said the Pope, leads to “alienation of human beings” and “the destruction of our freedom.” Instead the freedom espoused by the Apostle is a “true freedom” that allows us “to really follow our desire for good” and “not be overwhelmed by the circumstances that lead us in other directions.”

This freedom manifests itself in the “fruits of the Spirit” which are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

A second consequence is that “our relationship with God becomes so deep that it is not be impacted by any reality or situation.” Therefore we are not freed from trial or suffering in our prayer but “we can live them in union with Christ, his sufferings, with a view to participating in his glory.”

This should encourage us whenever we have the impression of “not being listened to and then we risk losing heart and perseverance,” as in reality “there is no human cry that is not heard by God.”

The third and final outcome of reliance on the Holy Spirit is that “the prayer of the believer is also open to the dimensions of humanity and all of creation.” This sees prayer “open to the sharing the sufferings of our time, of others.”

The Pope then concluded his audience with the recitation of the Eastertide Marian anthem, the Regina Coeli, before imparting his Apostolic Blessing.

Washington D.C., May 16, 2012 / 03:06 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Arguing that a promised “accommodation” to the Obama administration’s contraception mandate fails to address religious freedom concerns, attorneys for the U.S. bishops suggest a possible lawsuit if the mandate is not rescinded.

“Absent prompt congressional attention to this infringement on fundamental civil liberties, we believe the only remaining recourse, in light of the approaching regulatory deadlines, is in the courts,” said lawyers representing the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The mandate and its extremely narrow religious exemption are currently being challenged in at least 11 lawsuits by states, colleges, private employers and organizations across the country. 

On May 15, Anthony R. Picarello and Michael F. Moses, who serve as general counsel and associate general counsel, respectively, for the bishops’ conference, submitted formal comments on the most recent suggestions regarding the administration’s contraception mandate.

The controversial mandate will require employers to offer health insurance plans that cover contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, even if doing so violates their consciences.

While the mandate includes a religious exemption, few groups would qualify for it because it applies only to nonprofit organizations that exist for the purpose of inculcating religious values and both serve and employ primarily members of their own faiths.

The bishops’ attorneys reiterated their previous argument that this exemption is “unprecedented in federal law, improperly narrow, and unlawful.”

Widespread criticism of the mandate led the Obama administration to publish a new “advance notice of proposed rulemaking” in March. The notice outlines various suggestions for different ways to implement the mandate as it will apply to religious organizations that oppose the required coverage but do not qualify for the exemption.

The administration has invited public comment on the advance notice until June 19. Afterwards, it will move forward with the process of issuing further regulations on the implementation of the mandate.

In their comment, the bishops’ lawyers repeated arguments that in addition to being poor health policy, “the mandate itself is unjust and unlawful,” in violation of numerous federal statutes and the First Amendment’s protections of religious liberty. 

The attorneys observed that the mandate is already finalized and has not been changed by the advance notice, which promises a future “accommodation” but does not affect the rule as it is written.

Furthermore, they said, the promised accommodation will not extend to secular stakeholders that object to the mandate. Rather, the Obama administration has made it clear that the accommodation will apply only to religious organizations.

In addition, the attorneys said, the accommodation does not provide adequate relief, “even for those few stakeholders that qualify for it.”

They argued that the suggested options regarding coverage through a third-party administrator are all insufficient because the plan itself continues to fund or serve “as a gateway” to facilitate earmarked funding for objectionable products and procedures. 

Either by paying for the coverage through their premiums or allowing access to such coverage through the plan itself, objecting organizations will be facilitating something that they consider gravely immoral, they said.

The bishops’ lawyers also pointed out that by having insurers or third-party administrators automatically provide the controversial coverage, women are denied the freedom to decline the coverage or to prevent their minor children from being offered “free” and “private” contraceptives and related “education” without parental consent.

They further noted that the religious rights of third-party administrators and insurance issuers have not been adequately addressed.

The attorneys also voiced concern over the fact that numerous individuals, employers and insurers who object to the mandate are not eligible for the “temporary enforcement safe harbor,” which would delay the implementation of the mandate for one year.

These stakeholders will be subject to the mandate for plan or policy years starting as soon as August 1, 2012, the attorneys warned. In the next few months, they will face the choice of violating their deeply-held beliefs or dropping out of the health insurance marketplace, with the possibility of facing crippling penalties that could put them out of business. 

Furthermore, the lawyers said, the advance notice of proposed rulemaking raises new questions, as some of its statements are ambiguous or hypothetical and require clarification.

They observed that the administration has not yet determined how to treat religious organizations that object to some but not all of the coverage, such as Christian groups that oppose abortion-causing drugs but allow for contraceptive use.

In such cases, the government should recognize the conscience rights “of all stakeholders,” whether they object to part or all of the mandated coverage, they said.

The bishops’ attorneys also argued that an organization’s past inclusion of contraception and related coverage should not prevent it from qualifying for an accommodation in the future. The Obama administration has already made previous coverage of such products a disqualification for the “temporary enforcement safe harbor” that is being offered to some groups.

However, the lawyers noted, some employers and organizations may have included such coverage “mistakenly or unknowingly,” and now wish to correct that error in accordance with their conscience. 

The bishops’ attorneys emphasized that “the only complete solution to this set of problems is to rescind the mandate.”

Short of that, they said, the administration should at least “adopt an exemption that protects the consciences of all stakeholders with a religious or moral objection to the mandate.”

Baltimore, Md., May 16, 2012 / 01:20 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- At his May 16 installation in the “Premier See” of the U.S. Church, new Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori urged believers to proclaim their faith to the nation while standing up for the Church's freedom.

“Let us not shrink from entering the public square to proclaim the person of Christ, to teach the values that flow from reason and faith, to uphold our right to go about our daily work in accord with our teachings and values,” he told the 2,000-strong congregation at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen.

“By its nature, the profession of faith is a public matter,”  said the archbishop, who also leads the U.S. bishops' religious freedom committee.

He indicated that the Catholic faith cannot be confined solely to privately-held beliefs and acts of worship, since it is “meant to be spread far and wide and acted upon, in and through Church institutions and in the witness of individual believers.”

“Let us never imagine that the faith we profess with such personal conviction is merely a private matter,” he said to the congregation.

Instead, he told them, “we must be loyal Americans by being bold and courageous Catholics.”

Known for his religious freedom advocacy during his past appointment as the Bishop of Bridgeport, Conn., Archbishop Lori was installed amid ongoing controversy over the federal government's contraception mandate and other moves seen as hostile to religion by Catholics and other believers.

Over 300 priests and bishops, joined by representatives of 150 parishes and 70 Catholic schools, heard Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano proclaim the decree establishing the new archbishop, a 61-year-old Kentucky native, as the leader of the archdiocese's 500,000 Catholics.

Archbishop Lori's installation homily drew inspiration from the public witness of Saint Paul, as well as the missionary journeys of Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. He recalled Bl. John Paul II's own words, delivered at Baltimore's cathedral during a 1995 visit to the city.

In words delivered on that occasion, and quoted by Archbishop Lori, the late Pope spoke of America's “precious legacy of religious freedom,” telling Catholics “to defend that freedom against those who would take religion out of the public domain and establish secularism as America’s official faith.”

The archbishop also paid tribute to those who led the nation's first Catholic diocese before him –  including Archbishop John Carroll, the United States' first Catholic bishop; and Cardinal James Gibbons, who led the Church in Baltimore during a period of anti-Catholic suspicion.

Archbishop Carroll, he said, led a “generation of believers and patriots,” whose legacy “has enabled the Church to worship in freedom, to bear witness to Christ publicly, and to do massive and amazing works of pastoral love, education, and charity in ways that are true to the faith that inspired them.”

Archbishop Lori also recalled how Cardinal Gibbons, Baltimore's archbishop from 1877 to 1921, opposed “those who said it wasn’t possible to be a practicing Catholic and a loyal American.”

He recalled Cardinal Gibbons' description of the U.S. as a country “where the civil government holds over us the aegis of its protection, without interfering with us in the legitimate exercise of our sublime mission as ministers of the Gospel of Christ.”

As he reaffirmed the Second Vatican Council's teaching on the human right to religious liberty, Archbishop Lori made it clear that the U.S. bishops “do not seek to defend religious liberty for partisan or political purposes, as some have suggested.”

Rather, the religious freedom committee chairman said, “we do this because we are lovers of a human dignity that was fashioned and imparted not by the government but by the Creator.”

“We defend religious liberty because we are lovers of every human person, seeing in the face of every man and woman also the face of Christ,” he explained. “We uphold religious liberty because we seek to continue serving those in need while contributing to the common good.”

As he reflected on a variety of public and internal challenges, Archbishop Lori urged the faithful to pray for his leadership and the good of the Church.

He asked the congregation to pray “that, as the Year of Faith announced by Pope Benedict XVI, unfolds, I shall not only teach the faith but bear witness to it in a manner that helps to heal the breach between faith and culture.”

“Pray that, in God’s grace, I might foster that unity of faith which makes the Gospel credible,” he urged, “ so that together, we may always warmly invite those who have left the Church … and together may we continue to invite and welcome those sincerely searching for the truth.”

Bogotá, Colombia, May 16, 2012 / 12:04 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The bishops of Colombia condemned the terrorist attack that took place in the capital city Bogota on May 14 that left five people dead and nineteen wounded.

The attack took place on 74th Street and Caracas Avenue on a public bus, moments after another car bomb was deactivated in the Eduardo Santos district in downtown Bogota. Two other explosive devices on the bus failed to detonate.

Bishop Juan Vicente Cordoba, secretary general of the bishops' conference, told CNA that the local Church “deplores and rejects these terrorist acts that are an attack on the peace that should reign in our society.” 

“We are disturbed by these acts of violence that have just taken place,” the bishops said. “It is a shame that we are returning to this terrorist escalation that only leaves behind death and sorrow.”

According to the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, those wounded in the attack included former interior minister Fernando Londono, who was sitting in a gray van that was parked nearby.  His driver was killed by the blast.

Colombia’s president, Juan Manuel Santos, also condemned the attack “in the strongest terms.” 

“We don’t understand what the purpose was behind this, but be assured that the Government will not be derailed by these terrorist acts,” he said.

The bishops’ conference released a statement expressing solidarity with the victims, the wounded and their families, as well as with former minister Londono.

Bogota Police Chief Luis Eduardo Martinez said all the evidence suggests that the Marxist rebel group FARC was responsible for the attack.

Vatican City, May 16, 2012 / 10:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has announced it will hold separate talks with the superior general of the breakaway traditionalist Society of St. Pius X and each of its three other bishops to try and acheive reconciliation.

“The text of the response of Bishop Bernard Fellay, received on 17 April, 2012, was examined and some observations, which will be considered in further discussions between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X, were formulated,” said a communique issued May 16.

The statement was published after a quarterly meeting of the Ordinary Session of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The 16-person committee – known as Feria Quarta – met this morning to discuss the modifications made by the Superior of the Society of St. Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay, to a “doctrinal preamble” prepared last year by the Vatican. The document establishes a framework for agreement on some key issues of Church doctrine, including acceptance of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.

In contrast to Bishop Fellay, the Society’s three other bishops seem hostile to the idea of reconciliation with Rome.

Today’s Vatican communiqué said the situations of the three other bishops “will have to be dealt with separately and singularly.”

Earlier this month, Bishops Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Alfonso de Galarreta and Richard Williamson sent a letter to Bishop Fellay warning that an agreement with the Vatican would see the Society “cease to oppose the universal apostasy of our time.”

They also argued that the Second Vatican Council “did not just include particular errors but represented a total perversion of the mind, a new philosophy founded on subjectivism.”

Pope Benedict XVI was dismissed by the three Pius X Society bishops as a “subjectivist.”

Prior to today’s statement, many observers thought it was possible that the committee would announce an agreement with the Society that could be presented to Pope Benedict XVI for his judgment.
 
Feria Quarta consists of some of the Vatican’s senior curial figures, such as Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and several bishops from key dioceses, including Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna and Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard of Bordeaux. It is chaired by the Prefect of the Congregation, the American Cardinal William Levada.

The Society of St. Pius X was founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebrve in 1970 as a response to what he described as errors that had crept into the Catholic Church following the Second Vatican Council. Its relations with the Vatican became strained in 1988 when Archbishop Lefebrve consecrated four bishops against the orders of Pope John Paul II.


Modified on May 16, 2012 at 11:30 a.m. MST. Headline and lede changed to reflect decision to split negotiations.

Steubenville, Ohio, May 16, 2012 / 08:36 am (CNA).- The Franciscan University of Steubenville has appointed author and professor Dr. Scott Hahn to an endowed chair named for the priest who pioneered the school's Catholic revival.

Hahn's reception of the “Father Michael Scanlan Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization” was announced May 12 during the school's 64th commencement ceremony by Father Terence Henry, TOR, who succeeded Fr. Scanlan as the school's president.

“Through his work at Franciscan University, his scholarly research and publications, his popular writing and countless speaking engagements, Dr. Scott Hahn has done the very thing the Fathers of Vatican II called upon Catholic scholars to do,” Fr. Henry said in his announcement.

“This new appointment will aid him in his ongoing work in teaching sacred Scripture and the New Evangelization, which is so close to his heart.”

A well-known convert from Protestantism to the Catholic Church, Hahn has taught classes on theology and Scripture at Franciscan University since 1990. He is the author of over 40 scholarly and popular books, and the founder and director of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.

Hahn said he was “deeply grateful” and “humbled by the honor of holding an endowed chair named after Father Michael Scanlan, one of my personal heroes in the faith, as well as a spiritual father and dear friend for over 20 years.”

He praised the work of the priest, who revitalized the school formerly known as the College of Steubenville after taking over leadership during a troubled period in the 1970s. Fr. Scanlan, who retired in 2011, maintains the title of “President Emeritus” at the university.

“For over a generation,” Hahn said, “Father Mike has shown us how to combine academic study and spiritual fervor in a way that changes lives – our own and others – and thus how to advance the New Evangelization, which is at the heart of the Church’s mission.”

The endowment-supported position will allow Hahn to increase his teaching and mentoring activities on campus, and to develop online graduate courses, while continuing his schedule of speaking engagements and media appearances.

Rome, Italy, May 16, 2012 / 04:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- FOCUS campus ministry is considering taking their successful brand of youth apostolate to Europe in order to meet the challenge of evangelizing formerly Christian societies. 

Founder and president Curtis Martin called the potential task “unique” in that “you are proclaiming the Gospel to people who already know parts of the Gospel.”

“I think there is tremendous opportunity, especially in the Americas, but also in Western Europe because we have such a deep, Catholic Christian culture, but people are drifting away,” he told CNA in Rome May 9.

Launched only 14 years ago, FOCUS – the Fellowship of Catholic University Students – has grown from four missionaries serving one campus in Kansas to over 260 missionaries serving nearly 60 campuses in 28 states across the U.S.

Martin identifies the “FOCUS effect” as the infectious enthusiasm of young people after they have their “lives changed by Jesus Christ” and recognize that “the Catholic Church is the home that all Christians are called to.”

“When they go on to college campuses and they’re living a life of joy and friendship, it radiates,” he said.

“Everybody desires to have joy and friendship but our world offers very little of that, so when they go on campus they stand out like a star in the middle of a dark night.”

Speaking beneath the shadow of the dome of St. Peter’s basilica, Martin said he recognizes that most young people in Europe “typically know that Jesus Christ is a historical figure” and are even aware that “he died on a cross and even that he rose from the dead.”

“But they don't know how to make those realities, the reality of what Christ did, have any impact on their lives.” 

Because of this, he believes that the young people of the old world are now ripe for “a bold, energetic, zealous and joyful proclamation of the Gospel that invites them to think again what their life is all about.”

The organization is no stranger to the European continent. Last year Martin and his team hosted an evangelization summit in the Spain prior to World Youth Day in Madrid. Next month they will be present at the 50th Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, Ireland. They’ve also had missionaries serve temporarily at the European campuses of American universities.

“We’re just begging God that when the time is right, if it’s something that the Church calls for, that we'll be ready to respond. We’re eager to go wherever the Holy Spirit leads us,” said Martin.

The FOCUS team will be back in Rome this October for the Synod of Bishops when up to 100 campus leaders will pray and fast “begging God to send grace upon the Church.” In the evenings they also hope to meet with many of the participating bishops to discuss Blessed John Paul II's vision of the New Evangelization and, perhaps, the expansion of FOCUS into Europe. 

“Right now, there's plenty of work to do in the United States but if the Holy Spirit calls us to go elsewhere, we'll do everything we can to meet that call.”

Denver, Colo., May 16, 2012 / 02:28 am (CNA).- On the heels of its widely-popular “The Journey of Moses” Facebook game, Lightside Games is venturing into historic territory by creating the first-ever video game based on the life of Jesus.

“There's stories that need to be told in games,” Brent Dusing told CNA May 9, “and there's not a lot of games where you can do really good, positive things from a Christian stand point,” 

Dusing, the founder and CEO of the Mountain View, Calif.-based Lightside Games, said that the new game, “The Journey of Jesus: The Calling,” will give people an opportunity to experience the life of Jesus firsthand.

The company’s first game on the life of Moses has had great success, registering over 2 million players.

“The feedback has really been phenomenal. I just think there's a lot of people who are really hungry for this, that's what our players tell us,” Dusing said.

And he hopes that the new game on the life of Jesus will bring the Gospel to those who might not otherwise be exposed to it.

“For a lot of our players, this is the only chance they'll have to hear this message,” Dusing said. “We know for some of them, it'll be the only chance they have to see this story.”

The game follows the life of Christ during his public ministry from the point of view of a character whose name is pulled from the user's Facebook profile. Players collect items and trade them with their Facebook friends to progress through Christ's mission.

While his original game allowed the user to play as Moses, the “Journey of Jesus” allows the player to “connect with the real human emotional elements” by playing and interacting with Jesus as themselves.

Although the game is meant to be entertaining, Dusing said he drew the storyline from the Bible to make sure the message is accurate.

By completing a series of tasks and challenges while interacting with the Apostles, other players and Christ, the user is able to witness Christ's public ministry and participate in his mission.

While the game can be played for free, there is an option to purchase materials to complete the game more quickly. Funds from some specially designated items will be donated to Compassion International, a Christian non-profit group dedicated to providing aid for underprivileged children worldwide.

The game is expected to become as popular as the Moses original, which is currently played by users on every continent except Antarctica, and is available in English, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese.

Steubenville, Ohio, May 16, 2012 / 12:01 am (CNA).- Rather than compromise its Catholic values by complying with the federal contraception mandate, Franciscan University has decided to drop its student health insurance.

According to the school's website, Franciscan University of Steubenville chose to cut student health insurance altogether instead of participating “in a plan that requires us to violate the consistent teachings of the Catholic Church on the sacredness of human life.”

The small Catholic university in Ohio currently excludes contraception, sterilization and abortifacients from its student and employee health insurance plans. If enacted into law, however, the federal contraception mandate would change that.

The mandate, originally introduced in an Aug. 2011 interim rule, requires health insurance plans to cover contraception – including drugs that cause abortion – and sterilization free of charge.

As part of the “accommodation” for organizations morally opposed to these services, Franciscan University would have until August 2013 to comply.

But with a new coverage year beginning in August, the university decided to drop student health insurance rather than risk violating its “passionately Catholic” identity.

Other colleges and private businesses have brought law suits against the Obama administration, but Franciscan is the first to drop student health insurance completely.

While the student health center will still serve students for just 5 U.S. dollars per visit, students will be responsible to decide how “to provide for accidents or illnesses requiring visits to physicians, health clinics, or the hospital emergency room” during their time as a student.

Franciscan's announcement comes less than one week after Legatus, a national organization of leading Catholic business CEOs and professional leaders, announced its lawsuit against the HHS mandate on the grounds of religious freedom.

Ave Maria University, EWTN, Catholic Social Services, St. Pius X Catholic School of Nebraska and seven states, are among those who have filed lawsuits against the Obama administration over the contraception mandate.

Vatican City, May 15, 2012 / 05:38 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- An Italian fashion company has settled a legal conflict with the Vatican, which arose in 2011 after an ad campaign that featured digitally manipulated images of the Pope kissing a Muslim cleric.

In the wake of the legal challenge to its ads, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the Benetton Group now recognizes “that the Pope's image must be respected.”

A recent declaration by the fashion company, acknowledged by the Holy See Press Office on May 15, reaffirmed its “regret for having offended His Holiness Benedict XVI and believers” with its “UNHATE” advertisements, which portrayed kisses between religious and political leaders.

One of these doctored images, featuring Pope Benedict and Egyptian imam Ahmed el Tayyeb, was displayed in print and other media – including a large banner near the Vatican – in November 2011. It was withdrawn from publications after an initial apology by Benetton the same month.

Tuesday's announcement from the Holy See marks the resolution of the legal conflict that continued after the withdrawal, as the Vatican sought to prevent further distribution of the image and ensure Benetton's respect for the Pope's reputation in the future.

In its communique, the Benetton Group assured the Vatican that “all photographic images of the Holy Father have been retracted from commercial distribution.”

The company also promised not to use the Pope's image without permission, and to invest resources in stopping any “further use of the image by third parties on internet sites and in other places.”

While the Vatican did not seek any financial compensation for damages, Fr. Lombardi noted that a form of “moral compensation” was requested. The Benetton Group has made an “an act of generosity, (which is) effective even if limited, toward one of the Church's charitable activities.”

Valencia, Spain, May 15, 2012 / 04:05 pm (CNA).- A top Vatican official called the Virgin Mary the “greatest source of hope” during the economic crisis now facing Spain and most of the countries of Europe.

Cardinal Antonio Canizares, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, made his remarks during the traditional “Missa d’Infants” (Children’s Mass) in Valencia.

The outdoor Mass at Virgin Mary Square is the largest celebration in honor of the Blessed Mother under the patronage of “Our Lady of Abandoned Children.” Dozens of children’s choirs participate in the Mass each year.

During his homily, the cardinal said devotion to Mary is especially important “during the difficult times of our life, amidst the great difficulties we are experiencing” and as society faces a “critical hour” in history.

He went on to say that at the root of the massive crisis facing the country, and the real problem facing mankind, “is the breakdown of humanity, the lack of a true vision of man, who is inseparable from God.”

Citing the words of Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Canizares stressed that when God disappears, “man is unable to achieve greatness.” 

“He loses his dignity and becomes the mere product of blind evolution, to be used and abused.” Only in God and with God, who loves man unconditionally, “as we feel in Mary, will the change that the earth needs come to pass,” he said.

The cardinal’s homily was met with a standing ovation by the thousands of people gathered for the Mass.

At the conclusion of the Mass, Archbishop Carlos Osoro of Valencia thanked the cardinal for his words and asked him to convey to Pope Benedict XVI “our sincere affection and communion and the prayer of all the Christians of the pilgrim Church of Valencia.”

Denver, Colo., May 15, 2012 / 02:12 pm (CNA).- Though a Colorado House committee voted to kill a civil unions bill Monday night, the measure’s opponents have called for continued vigilance until the end of the legislature’s special session.

“The special session is not over, so we have to be vigilant and court our legislators to defend marriage,” Colorado Catholic Conference executive director Jennifer Kraska told CNA May 15.

She said the bill is still technically alive and cautioned that much can happen while the special session remains underway.

Kraska’s concerns were echoed by Carrie Gordon Earll, spokeswoman for the Focus on the Family policy organization Citizenlink, another bill opponent.

“As long as the legislature is in special session, defenders of marriage need to stay vigilant on this,” she said. “Procedural maneuvers and parliamentary tests to bring this bill up will no doubt be tried by supporters of civil unions.”

Earll encouraged voters to continue to communicate with legislators and “tell them it’s not too late to voice their support for marriage.”

The House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee voted against the bill by a 5-4 vote along party lines. If the bill had gone to the Republican-majority House floor, enough Republicans could have joined Democratic bill supporters for civil unions to pass into law.

The bill would grant the legal benefits, protections and responsibilities of spouses to any two unrelated people who contract a union. Though the bill is being promoted as a gay rights measure, opposite-sex couples who are not closely related can also contract a union.

The 2010 U.S. Census reported that households with same-sex partners make up between 0.6 and 0.8 percent of all households in Colorado.

Opponents of the civil unions bill gathered outside the state capitol building at noon on May 15 for a non-partisan rally sponsored by the Colorado Catholic Conference, Colorado Family Action and Citizenlink.

“When we heard there was going to be a special session to include civil unions, we wanted to have the opportunity for people to come to the capital to encourage their legislators to defend and protect marriage,” Citizenlink spokeswoman Earll told CNA before the May 15 rally.

“The civil unions bill is a vehicle by which gay activists who support same-sex marriage can file suit in federal court against Colorado’s marriage amendment, which was passed by 56 percent of voters in 2006.”

Although Colorado voters have affirmed the legal definition of marriage as a union of one man and one woman, Earll said that in the last six years there has been an “incremental legal strategy” to undermine that decision.

Same-sex unions or similar laws that recognize these relationships are taken to courts which rule that same-sex couples already have marriage rights and therefore “same-sex marriage” must be recognized.

“In California we saw a federal judge in 2010 strike down California’s marriage amendment, very similar to Colorado’s, and usher in same-sex marriage,” Earll said. “We don’t want to see that happen here.”

While some contend that civil unions will not affect anyone else, Earll disagreed.

Once these unions are legally recognized they are used in combination with non-discrimination law to “try to silence and coerce photographers and caterers and churches who own private property into having to participate in same-sex ceremonies,” she said.

“Those people are not protected in this bill, and we are very concerned about religious freedom being protected,” Earll stated.

The rally included several pastors and attendees from throughout the state. Some legislators are expected to greet the rally.

Earll said the rally organizers intend “to pray for God to move on the hearts of people to protect his design for sexuality and for family, and that is through the marriage of one man and one woman.”

She voiced some concern that the House committee vote may suppress turnout.

During the House’s regular session, the civil unions bill unexpectedly passed out of the House Judiciary Committee. Republicans filibustered the bill on May 8, leading House Speaker Frank McNulty to announce an impasse.

The civil unions bill and more than 30 other proposals died in committee.

On May 9, Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper called for a special session to pass the civil unions bill and other proposed legislation. He characterized civil unions as a “civil rights issue.”

While Speaker McNulty has faced criticism for the controversy surrounding the end of the House’s regular session, he charged that the governor and his allies caused gridlock by “pushing a last-minute, divisive attack on our traditional views on marriage for short term political gain.”

“They can’t defend their record of failed policies, so they have chosen instead to push and promote same-sex marriage. And that’s unfortunate. Because the hardworking families of this state don’t have the time, the inclination or the patience to pay for these election year political stunts,” he said in a statement.

Rome, Italy, May 15, 2012 / 12:58 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Father Thomas Williams, one of the most high-profile American members of the Legion of Christ, is leaving public ministry after admitting he fathered a child.

“A number of years ago I had a relationship with a woman and fathered her child. I am deeply sorry for this grave transgression and have tried to make amends,” Fr. Williams said in a May 15 statement.

“My superiors and I have decided it would be best for me to take a year without active public ministry to reflect on the wrong I have done and my commitments as a priest. I am truly sorry to everyone who is hurt by this revelation, and I ask for your prayers as I seek guidance on how to make up for my errors.”

He also apologized to members of the Legion and the Church, “since this scandalous news will damage them as well, at the worst possible moment.”
 
The identities of the mother and child have not been revealed.

Fr. Williams also said that he is with his family in Michigan and is being treated for a form of cancer.
 
Fr. Williams was ordained a priest with the Legion of Christ priest in 1994. Now based in Rome, he is a professor of theology and ethics at the Legion’s Regina Apostolorum University. He is also a prolific Catholic author.

But Fr. Williams earned most of his renown for his work in broadcast television. In recent years he has served as a faith and religion analyst for CBS News, as well as a Vatican analyst for NBC News and Sky News. He was also the theological advisor for Mel Gibson’s 2004 film, “The Passion of the Christ.”

Today’s news is yet another blow to the morale of the Legion of Christ. The movement is currently being overhauled by senior Vatican officials, following revelations that its late founder, Fr. Marcial Maciel, had lived a double life that included affairs with women and fathering children.

Meanwhile, the Vatican announced last week that it is also investigating seven allegations of sexual abuse made against Legion members, with all but one of the cases being “from decades ago.”
 
In a May 15 letter to all Legion members, Father Luis Garza, Territorial Director for North America, said that Fr. Williams’ announcement “will be shocking news to you,” especially “in the wake of all that we have been through as a Movement in the past several years.” He added that he would not be surprised if members were “disappointed, angry or feel your trust shaken once again.”
 
“Father Williams has enriched the faith of so many through his teaching, public speaking and writing, and has been a spiritual guide for many in the Movement,” he stated.
 
“That is what makes this failing such a painful reminder that we are all frail humans, in desperate need of God’s mercy.”
 
Fr. Garza concluded by asking for prayers for all who have been affected by Fr. Williams’ actions and also for himself “during his time of prayer, penance and renewal of his priestly ministry.”

Ottawa, Canada, May 15, 2012 / 11:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Canada's 15th annual National March for Life has broken attendance records by a dramatic margin, due in part to rising youth participation in the country's pro-life movement.

“It's been growing every year by thousands. Last year we had 15,000, and this year we had 19,500,” Campaign Life Coalition National Coordinator Mary Ellen Douglas told CNA on May 14. 

“It is a significant increase,” she said, noting that the pro-life movement was “constantly growing” in Canada. The May 10 march to Parliament Hill was part of a three-day event in Ottawa, which also included a candlelight vigil, prayer services and Masses, banquets and a youth conference.

Local marches also took place in at least four other provinces, protesting the 1969 legislative act that made abortion legal in Canada as well as the 1988 decision that left the country with no abortion restrictions.

“Over 60 percent of the people who attended the march were under 30,” Douglas said. “It was alive with young people, with lots of enthusiasm, and with other people who are long-term veterans.”

In addition to the remarks delivered by pro-life and religious leaders, 17 members of Parliament also addressed the crowd. Population Research Institute President Steve Mosher, a prominent opponent of China's one-child policy, gave an address at the Rose Dinner on Thursday evening.

On that same evening, an 800-strong crowd attended the youth banquet with an address by Reformed Presbyterian minister Reverend Patrick J. Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition. A day-long youth conference followed on Friday.

“It's getting the attention of the media, who are shocked by the numbers,” Douglas observed. “Even though they try to diminish them all the time, they notice. They know that we're there in force.”

Douglas, a 40-year veteran of the movement, said the timing of this year's march was “providential,” coinciding with a motion in Parliament by Conservative MP Steven Woodworth.

“This motion is calling on Parliament to bring together science and the law – because the law of Canada says you're not a human being until you're fully emerged from the womb.”

Woodworth's motion calls for a science-based examination of the legal question of life's beginning. Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper is said to oppose the motion, in keeping with his past statements that the abortion question should not be reopened in Canada.

Douglas noted that life's beginning at conception “cannot be decided by a committee. It's a scientific fact … and it can't be deviated from by a committee who decides that it might be better to have a law protecting babies after 20 weeks, or after 12 weeks.”

“If it ever gets to the committee, that will be our next battle: to ensure that all unborn children are protected, from the time of conception.”

At a press conference kicking off the March on May 9, Campaign Life Coalition Youth Coordinator Alissa Golob declared: “Whether you like it or not, the abortion debate is on.”

The group's national coordinator agrees, and says she is hopeful for the next generation of activists and their determination to shape attitudes and public policy.

“I think there's a sense of the terrible injustice going on here,” Douglas observed. “In general, we may see more bills going forward – as more MPs find the courage to stand up, in different ways, until we have all the unborn children protected.”

“We hope next year the numbers will keep increasing, until we have so many people on Parliament Hill that they have to respond. And we'll be there as long as we have to be.”

Ottawa, Canada, May 15, 2012 / 08:39 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Freedom of religion and conscience are in danger of disappearing from Canadian society, the country's bishops warned on May 14.

“In the past decade in Canada there have been several situations that raise the question whether our right to freedom of conscience and religion is everywhere respected,” the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops observed in Monday's pastoral letter.

“At times,” the bishops observed, “believers are being legally compelled to exercise their profession without reference to their religious or moral convictions, and even in opposition to them.” They pointed to the dangers of “radical secularism” and an “aggressive” relativism that opposes all claims of truth.

The Canadian bishops also highlighted the anti-religious nature of some “anti-discrimination” laws, as well as the tendency of advocacy groups to use provincial Human Rights Tribunals to promote a radical agenda and block believers from speaking and acting freely.

These “acrimonious procedures,” they said, “would be better replaced by a civilized and respectful debate” that offers “a voice in the public forum to religious believers.”

“If that voice is suppressed in any way, believers should view this as a restriction on their right to freedom of religion, one which should be forcefully challenged,” the bishops stated.

Billed as a “pressing appeal” to people of all religions and outlooks, the Canadian bishops' “Pastoral Letter on Freedom of Conscience and Religion” cites the country's Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which numbers “freedom of conscience and religion” among the fundamental Canadian liberties.

However, the bishops' message also makes it clear that religious freedom is not a right given by the government. Rather, it is a human right that the state “acknowledges and respects” but “does not grant.”

The Canadian bishops cited the Second Vatican Council's document on religious liberty, “Dignitatis Humanae,” which declared that a person should not be “forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others, within due limits.”

As they called attention to national and global threats to this right, the bishops also offered four points for reflection and action. In an introduction to the letter, conference president Archbishop Richard W. Smith of Edmonton summed up its advice to Catholics and “everyone of good will.”

The archbishop explained that Catholics, non-Catholics, and even non-believers have a shared interest in “the right of religion to be active in the public square.” Both groups should also seek “healthy Church-State relations” that distinguish between the two without pushing the Church out of public life.

Canadians were also urged to form their consciences “according to objective truth” – rather than personal preference or the will of the majority – and to safeguard the right of conscientious objection, especially in areas “linked to the dignity of human life and the family.”

In some Canadian provinces, the bishops warned, these rights have already been compromised or lost.

“For example, some colleges of physicians require that members who refuse to perform abortions refer patients to another physician willing to do so,” they noted.

“Elsewhere pharmacists are being threatened by being forced to have to fill prescriptions for contraceptives or the 'morning after' pill; and marriage commissioners in British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Saskatchewan must now perform same-sex marriages or resign.”

Under these circumstances, they said, Christians have both a right and a duty to stand against laws that violate the moral order.

The bishops also affirmed parents' right “to educate their children in their religious convictions and to choose the schools which provide that formation.” The state, meanwhile, “has the obligation to protect this right … and to create a suitable environment where it can be enjoyed.”

In the course of upholding their principles, believers may also be forced to suffer for them. The Canadian bishops cited the example of Saint Thomas More, an English patron saint of Catholics in political life, who chose martyrdom when asked to put his country above his faith.

Believers who defy an unjust state decree, they warned, “must be prepared to suffer the consequences that result from fidelity to Christ.” If they are not given an accommodation or reprieve, they should receive “the effective solidarity and prayerful support of their religious communities.”

“The Church’s vitality has often been nourished by persecution,” the bishops noted. “Our era is no exception.”

Washington D.C., May 15, 2012 / 04:31 am (CNA).- Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, encouraged new college graduates to follow in Jesus’ footsteps by living out “the Law of the Gift.”

Carried out through “selfless, sacrificial love and service” for others, this way of living can be seen in the lives of the saints and should be “part of the DNA of any Catholic school,” he explained.

Cardinal Dolan delivered the May 12 commencement address at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

He recalled the words of Pope Benedict XVI, meeting just days earlier with bishops from the United States, about the urgent need for American Catholic colleges to renew their identity and fidelity to Christ.

Catholic universities should be “both Catholic and American,” based in truth, goodness and beauty, the cardinal said.

Their mission must be rooted in both truth and love, he added, striving to educate students in “the Law of the Gift.”

In describing the Law of the Gift, he quoted Blessed Pope John Paul II, who said, “For we are at our best, we are most fully alive and human, when we give away freely and sacrificially our very selves in love for another.”

True education, he said, imparts knowledge of this law and “the importance of faith to sustain it.”

Cardinal Dolan explained that religion promotes “a culture built on the Law of the Gift.”

Allowing for the free flourishing of religion is therefore “an essential ingredient in American wisdom and the genius of the American republic,” he said.

Even critics of religion acknowledge that faith and the Church make “a particularly pointed contribution” to society through their dedication to following and fostering the Law of the Gift, he added.

The contribution of religion to society has been a heavily discussed topic in recent months, as a federal mandate issued by the Obama administration threatens to shut down many religious schools, hospitals and charitable agencies or have them compromise their religious beliefs.

Cardinal Dolan has led efforts to defend religious freedom against the mandate, which will require employers to offer health insurance plans that cover contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs.

In his address, he called on the class of 2012 to vigorously defend religious freedom “as part of both our American and creedal legacy.”

Cardinal Dolan then touched on how children usually first learn about the Law of the Gift in their family.

In a reference to attempts to redefine marriage and family, he noted that the law “is most poetically exemplified in the lifelong, life-giving, faithful, intimate union of a man and woman in marriage, which then leads to the procreation of new life.”

This union is so critical to the order of the common good, that “its very definition is ingrained into our interior dictionary,” he said.

Cardinal Dolan challenged the new graduates to live out the Law of the Gift in a world that “prefers getting to giving” and “considers every drive, desire or urge as a right.”

University president John Garvey also spoke at the commencement ceremony, discussing the virtue of patience, which he described as “persistence in knocking on God’s door.”

Patience is “not the disposition to wait for what you want,” but rather “the disposition to await God’s grace,” he explained.

Garvey encouraged the graduates to imitate St. Monica’s patient years of praying for the conversion of her son, Augustine, who later became a great saint in the Church.

“Patience is the ground that virtue grows in,” he said.

The university awarded approximately 1,500 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees during the May 12 ceremony.

Lynchburg, Va., May 15, 2012 / 02:19 am (CNA).- Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said that the morals and values held by a culture are important because of the role they play in a nation’s ultimate success or failure.

“Culture matters,” said Romney, who delivered the May 12 commencement address at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., the largest Christian university in the world.

He referenced the work of Harvard historian David Landes, who studied why some civilizations rise and others fail to do so. 

“Culture makes all the difference,” Romney said. “Not natural resources, not geography, but what people believe and value.”

“Central to America’s rise to global leadership is our Judeo-Christian tradition, with its vision of the goodness and possibilities of every life,” he stated.

Romney explained that the American culture supports personal responsibility and the dignity of work, as well as service, education and the foundational role of the family.

He pointed to a Brookings Institution study brought to his attention by former competitor Rick Santorum, which found that individuals who graduate from high school, get a full-time job and wait to have children until marriage have only a two percent chance of living in poverty.

If those elements are absent, however, 76 percent will be poor.

This shows that a culture’s values determine the future of the nation, and they must be strengthened, Romney said.

In the same vein, the presidential contender also discussed the importance of defending marriage, reiterating his belief that marriage “is a relationship between one man and one woman.”

The position puts him squarely at odds with President Barack Obama, who recently announced his unprecedented support for redefining marriage to include homosexual couples.

Romney emphasized the importance of family in his own life, saying that he has “never once regretted missing a business opportunity so that I could be with my children and grandchildren.”

He also commented on the importance of protecting religious liberty, the “first freedom in our Constitution.”

“It strikes me as odd that the free exercise of religious faith is sometimes treated as a problem, something America is stuck with instead of blessed with,” he said.

He observed that from its very beginning America has “trusted in God, not man,” and added that “there is no greater force for good in the nation than Christian conscience in action.”

Freedom of conscience has become a key issue in the election year, as the Obama administration has come under fire for issuing a federal mandate that will require employers to offer health insurance plans that cover contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, even if doing so violates their religious beliefs.

The mandate has elicited criticism from religious leaders and communities across the country, giving religion a prominent voice in the debates surrounding the election.

Romney’s Mormon religion has also been a topic of discussion throughout the primary season.

In his Liberty University address, the former Massachusetts governor touched on common ground between Mormonism and other faiths, such as Evangelical Christianity.

Despite “differences in creed and theology,” members of different faiths can “meet in service, in shared moral convictions about our nation stemming from a common worldview,” he explained. 

“The call to service is one of the fundamental elements of our national character,” he said. “It has motivated every great movement of conscience that this hopeful, fair-minded country of ours has ever seen.” 

Romney warned the graduates gathered before him that living out their values will often lead to “the censure of the world” rather than “public admiration.”

“Christianity is not the faith of the complacent, the comfortable or of the timid,” he said.

However, he added, it is worth the spiritual effort to keep our focus on “something far greater than ourselves.”

“Moral certainty, clear standards, and a commitment to spiritual ideals will set you apart in a world that searches for meaning,” he explained.

Liberty University graduated its largest class in history this year, with 14,012 graduates.

Washington D.C., May 15, 2012 / 12:32 am (CNA).- The Archdiocese of Washington’s newspaper has said that HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ appearance as a featured speaker at a Georgetown University awards ceremony is a sign that the prestigious Jesuit school is not standing with the Catholic bishops in defense of religious freedom.

“One can only wonder how the selection of Secretary Sebelius for such a prominent role as a featured speaker can be reconciled with the stated Catholic mission and identity of Georgetown University,” The Catholic Standard editorialized May 10. “Secretary Sebelius' vision on what constitutes faith-based institutions presents the most direct challenge to religious freedom in recent history.”

In light of the struggle of many Catholics, the U.S. bishops and others to “preserve freedom of religion,” choosing Sebelius for special recognition “can only be seen as a statement of where the university stands – certainly not with the Catholic bishops,” the editorial says.

The Department of Health and Human Services has issued a new rule mandating that employers provide insurance coverage for sterilization, contraception and abortion-causing drugs. Its narrow religious exemption would not cover most Catholic institutions like health systems, charitable organizations and colleges and universities.

Non-compliance is punished by heavy fines.

The Obama administration has proposed a compromise, but many Catholic leaders have said it is insufficient to preserve the freedoms of those who object to providing such procedures and drugs.

The Catholic Standard described Sebelius as the “architect” of the HHS mandate’s “radical challenge” to freedom of religion.

Sebelius will address a May 18 awards ceremony for Georgetown’s Public Policy Institute. The event is part of the university’s commencement weekend activities.

“Georgetown University's response to the commencement speaker decision is disappointing, but not surprising,” the archdiocesan paper said. “When the vision guiding university choices does not clearly reflect the light of the Gospel and authentic Catholic teaching, there are, of course, disappointing results.”

The editorial noted that Pope Benedict XVI recently stressed the need for Catholic higher education in the U.S. to commit to “building a society ever more solidly grounded in an authentic humanism inspired by the Gospel and faithful to the highest values of America's civic and cultural heritage.”

The Catholic Standard lamented that Georgetown has undergone secularization, blaming this on the fact that its leadership and faculty “find their inspiration in sources other than the Gospel and Catholic teaching.”