Italy: 'Family Day' rally draws hundreds of thousands
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&view=post&articleid=122895&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
By Junno Arocho EstevesROME (CNS) -- Hundreds of thousands of people gathered inRome's Circus Maximus to protest against a proposed bill that would grant legalrecognition to nonmarriedheterosexual and homosexual couples and give them the right to adopt children.Althoughnot officially sponsored by the Catholic Church or any other religious group,the rally Jan. 30 did include men and women religious and at least one Italianbishop. Most of the participants were families, many carrying signs defendingthe rights of children to be raised by both a mother and a father. The legislation, known in Italy as the "Cirinna" bill, includes a proposedclause that would allow for a nonbiological parent in a homosexual union toadopt a child conceived by his or her partner, either through artificialinsemination or with a surrogate mother. The event's organizer, Massimo Gandolfini, told the crowdthat the rally's aim was not "to make war against anyone" and thattraditional families are the backbone of s...
By Junno Arocho Esteves
ROME (CNS) -- Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in
Rome's Circus Maximus to protest against a proposed bill that would grant legal
recognition to nonmarried
heterosexual and homosexual couples and give them the right to adopt children.
Although
not officially sponsored by the Catholic Church or any other religious group,
the rally Jan. 30 did include men and women religious and at least one Italian
bishop. Most of the participants were families, many carrying signs defending
the rights of children to be raised by both a mother and a father.
The legislation, known in Italy as the "Cirinna" bill, includes a proposed
clause that would allow for a nonbiological parent in a homosexual union to
adopt a child conceived by his or her partner, either through artificial
insemination or with a surrogate mother.
The event's organizer, Massimo Gandolfini, told the crowd
that the rally's aim was not "to make war against anyone" and that
traditional families are the backbone of society.
"The family cannot become a neglected institution; it is
precisely the family that keeps our society standing," he told the crowd.
The "Family
Day" rally,
which is credited with
leading to the defeat of a similar civil union bill in 2007, received endorsements
from Catholic leaders and politicians in the country.
According to the Italian newspaper La Stampa, Cardinal
Angelo Bagnasco of Genoa, the head of the Italian bishop's conference, said Jan. 17 the rally
was "absolutely necessary." Days before the legislation was to be
debated on the Senate floor, Cardinal Bagnasco also addressed concerns over the
proposed bill, saying that the Italian constitution must be "appreciated
and cherished."
"Children have a right to be raised by a mother and a
father. The family is an anthropological fact, not ideological," he said.
- - -
Copyright © 2016 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.
Full Article
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=274755&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
The Oregon State Capitol in Salem. / Credit: Zack Frank/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 28, 2024 / 15:00 pm (CNA).The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is reporting a significant rise in assisted suicide prescriptions and deaths in the state, a move that comes after authorities in 2022 began allowing out-of-state residents to access the lethal services.Since the state's passage of the "Death with Dignity Act" in 1997, assisted suicide numbers have been generally rising there, with a markedly sharp uptick since 2013. OHA on March 20 released its 2023 assisted suicide data summary that reported a considerable increase in suicide prescriptions in 2023. The study found that assisted suicide prescriptions in the state rose from 433 in 2022 to 560 last year.Of those 560 prescriptions, 367 people are known to have died from ingesting the suicide "medications." This is up from the 304 who died from assisted suicide drugs in Oregon in 2022.Over half, or 56%, of the assisted ...
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=274752&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
The state capitol building of New Hampshire in Concord, New Hampshire. / Credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesCNA Newsroom, Mar 28, 2024 / 11:30 am (CNA).The New Hampshire House of Representatives is poised to reconsider its narrow passage of a bill that would legalize assisted suicide in the "Live Free or Die" state.Last week, New Hampshire state representatives passed HB 1273 by a margin of just three votes, 179-176. Twenty-four representatives abstained during the vote. However, the bill has not been advanced to the New Hampshire Senate, as one member of the slim majority, Rep. Mike Ouellet, filed a motion to reconsider. The Republican politician had initially voted in favor of the proposed law. However, the following day, Ouellet revealed that he wanted to change his vote due to his faith."I've been a practicing Catholic my whole life," the lawmaker told the New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism. The Republican politician felt "torn because the bill w...
http://www.myspiritfm.com/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=274747&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
Adoration. / Thoom / Shutterstock.CNA Staff, Mar 28, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).Did you know that it is possible to sing a special song of adoration on Holy Thursday and have your soul purified?It's true, and the song is "Tantum Ergo."First, some background...A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ to remove all temporal punishment due to sin.What does this mean?"An indulgence does not confer grace. An indulgence is not a remission of the guilt due to sin. The guilt due to sin is ordinarily taken away by the sacraments of baptism and penance (confession), in which we receive forgiveness for sins through Jesus Christ," the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) explains in this helpful Q&A."Although guilt is taken away, and with it the eternal penalty that is due to sin, namely, damnation, the eternal loss of the presence of God, there remain consequences for sins that those who have committed them ...