This past week, Pope Francis took three dicasteries at the Vatican and merged them into one: The Pontifical Council for the Family, the Pontifical Council for laity, and the Pontifical Academy for Life (which deals with pro-life activities) will be as of Sept. 1, one Pontifical Council for Laity, Family, and Life.
Editorials
Gift of Priesthood
We are blessed in the Diocese of Brooklyn with the gift of 10 newly ordained priests. They come from different backgrounds and different cultures, but all share in common their Catholic faith, their zeal and earnestness to preach the Gospel, and a desire to preach that Gospel here in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
‘And With Your Spirit’
John L. Allen, Jr., in his article, “‘Liturgy wars’ have gone quiet, but they’ve hardly gone away,” on the website Crux, examines an issue about which seemingly every Catholic has an opinion – the Liturgy!
Female Deacons?
The International Union of Superiors General met with Pope Francis as part of its plenary assembly. During that meeting, a religious sister asked the Holy Father why the Church doesn’t include women in the permanent diaconate, since they already participate in the works of charity, as well as in the case of administration, following the example of the first deacons as detailed in Acts of the Apostles.
Signs of the Times
In the past week, a statue was stolen from a Catholic church in Williamsburg, a Catholic priest was wounded in a drive-by shooting in South Ozone Park and a school bus used by a Jewish school was torched in Crown Heights.
Listen to Pentecost
Just a few days ago in the Gospel we were proclaiming from the Evangelist John, we were told something that, if we were among the Apostles, would have driven us up the wall. “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear to hear it now,” Our Lord says.
Not the Way to Die
The State Legislature returns to Albany this week for two final months of the 2016 Session. We urge lawmakers to defeat legislation that would legalize doctor-assisted suicide. Proponents of assisted suicide have targeted our state and hope to have lawmakers voting on this before the end of June.
The Role of Mother
May traditionally is considered the month of mothers, when we pray for all our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, all who have loved us in our lives with a motherly love, both living and deceased. We pray for a greater appreciation of all mothers and a greater respect for the gift of motherhood. These women are for their children the very face of God and they, along with their husbands, are their children’s introduction to what it means to be a human being.
Aid to Ecuador
Catholic agencies are beginning to build temporary shelters for thousands of families in Ecuador made homeless by the recent earthquake there.
Matter of Conscience
This past week, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops joined 25 other groups in supporting “The Conscience Protection Act of 2016” (H.R. 4828). This proposal was introduced on March 22 by Reps. John Fleming, M.D. (R-LA) and Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) and seeks to respect the conscience rights of health care professionals and facilities.