Se valora en encuestas el efecto del aborto en el debate sobre reforma del sistema de salud

Por Nancy Frazier O’Brien

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Mientras el Senado se prepara para empezar las discusiones sobre su versión sobre legislación de la reforma del sistema de salud, se valoraban en dos encuestas nacionales los efectos del tema del aborto dentro del debate.

En una encuesta de CNN/Opinion Research Corp. dada a conocer el 18 de noviembre se encontró que el 61 por ciento de estadounidenses se oponían “al uso de fondos públicos para la práctica de abortos en casos en que la mujer en cuestión no pueda pagar”, mientras que solamente el 37 por ciento lo apoyaba.

En respuesta a otra pregunta, un 51 por ciento dijo que “las mujeres que cuentan con seguro dentro de plan privado de seguro de salud que son pagados por las personas individuales o por los patrones”, sin que se usen fondos federales, deberían “pagar los gastos completos de tal aborto de su propia bolsa”, mientras que un 45 por ciento dijo que dentro del plan privado de seguro de salud “se deberían hacer cargo de parte o de todos los gastos incurridos por un aborto”.

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Vatican announces new round of Catholic-Anglican talks

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The formal theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion will continue and will focus on the relationship between the local church and the universal church, the Vatican announced.

This third phase of work by the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission “will deal with fundamental questions regarding the church as communion local and universal, and how in communion the local and universal church comes to discern right ethical teaching,” said a Vatican announcement published Nov. 28.

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Keep track of your blessings during Advent, pope suggests

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd from his apartment window during his Angelus address on the first Sunday of Advent in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Nov. 29. (CNS photo/Tony Gentile, Reuters)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Advent should be a time when Christians keep track of the little blessings they receive each day, blessings that are signs of God’s love, Pope Benedict XVI suggested.

“To keep a kind of ‘inner diary’ of this love would be a beautiful and healthy task,” the pope said Nov. 28 as he celebrated evening prayer to mark the beginning of Advent.

God enters the life of each and every person, Pope Benedict said.

But in daily life, most people seem “to have little time for the Lord and little time even for ourselves. One ends up being absorbed in doing things,” he said.

Taking a little time each day to recognize signs of God’s love reminds people that “God is here; he has not withdrawn from the world; he has not left us alone,” the pope said.

Pope Benedict said that if people live each day with their eyes open to the signs of God’s presence, they will be filled with joy as they await the final coming of the Lord.

The pope spoke about waiting and about Advent hope during his noon Angelus address Nov. 29.

“The contemporary world needs hope above all; people living in developing countries need it, but those in economically advanced countries do, too,” he said.

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Communities of women religious continue to respond to questionnaire

By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) — U.S. communities of women religious Nov. 24 continued to send in their responses to a multifaceted questionnaire meant to gather information as part of the Vatican’s apostolic visitation of U.S. institutes of women religious.

Although the official deadline was Nov. 20, Sister Kieran Foley, the recently appointed assistant for communications for the visitation, told Catholic News Service that some congregations have said “they’ll be late.”

She also said that since the questionnaires were first distributed to communities in September, three questions, including one about property and another about finances, have been dropped at the suggestion of several superiors who said they were not comfortable answering them.

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Pope, Anglican leader pledge to continue dialogue for unity

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While some pundits have sounded the death knell for ecumenical relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, Pope Benedict XVI and Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, the Anglican spiritual leader, pledged to move forward.

The pope and archbishop met privately at the Vatican for about 20 minutes Nov. 21.

A Vatican statement said the two leaders reiterated “the shared will to continue and to consolidate the ecumenical relationship between Catholics and Anglicans.”

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Honors from Pope presented to 12 Southeast Texans

St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica, Beaumont, was packed as Bishop Curtis Guillory, SVD, presented honors from Pope Benedict XVI to 12 Southeast Texas priests and women religious during a Pontifical Mass for Papal Honors at St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica, Beaumont, Nov. 23.

The message of the night was service.

“You have used your gifts well for the common good. In loving service you have empowered people to use their talents,” Bishop Guillory said to the honorees.

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USCCB calls Senate health reform bill ‘an enormous disappointment’

By Nancy Frazier O’Brien Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The health reform legislation now before the Senate is “an enormous disappointment, creating new and completely unacceptable federal policy that endangers human life and rights of conscience,” the chairmen of three committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Nov. 20.

A letter from the three chairmen outlining the USCCB’s problems with the Senate bill’s provisions on abortion and conscience protections, coverage of immigrants and affordability for low-income Americans went out about 24 hours before the Senate voted, 60-39, to begin debate on the legislation.

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Diocese remembers Sister Bartz

Southeast Texans honored Sister Marguerite Bartz, SBS, during a memorial Mass Nov. 21 at Infant Jesus, Lumberton, celebrated by Bishop Curtis Guillory, SVD.

After Sister Bartz failed to show up for Mass Nov. 1, a colleague found the Blessed Sacrament Sister murdered in her St. Berard Convent in Navajo, N.M.,.

“Sister Bartz dedicated her life to making Christ present here in her life and the life of others,” Bishop Guillory said during his homily.

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Se valora en encuestas el efecto del aborto en el debate sobre reforma del sistema de salud

Por Nancy Frazier O’Brien

Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Mientras el Senado se prepara para empezar las discusiones sobre su versión sobre legislación de la reforma del sistema de salud, se valoraban en dos encuestas nacionales los efectos del tema del aborto dentro del debate.

En una encuesta de CNN/Opinion Research Corp. dada a conocer el 18 de noviembre se encontró que el 61 por ciento de estadounidenses se oponían “al uso de fondos públicos para la práctica de abortos en casos en que la mujer en cuestión no pueda pagar”, mientras que solamente el 37 por ciento lo apoyaba.

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Pope, Anglican leader pledge to continue dialogue for unity

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

Pope Benedict XVI poses with Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, England, head of the Anglican Communion, during a private meeting at the Vatican Nov. 21. A Vatican statement said the two leaders reiterated "the shared will to continue and to consol idate the ecumenical relationship between Catholics and Anglicans." (CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano via Reuters)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While some pundits have sounded the death knell for ecumenical relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, Pope Benedict XVI and Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury, the Anglican spiritual leader, pledged to move forward.

The pope and archbishop met privately at the Vatican for about 20 minutes Nov. 21.

A Vatican statement said the two leaders reiterated “the shared will to continue and to consolidate the ecumenical relationship between Catholics and Anglicans.”

Read Full Post »