(Vatican Radio) Bishop Robert Muench of Baton Rouge, the Louisiana state capital where three policemen were shot dead by an African American former Marine, says the mood in the city is somber and he describes how the Catholic Church and community leaders are attempting to calm racial tensions. Tensions had been running high in Baton Rouge since July 5th when a black man was shot dead by police there, prompting days of angry protests by the African American community. Bishop Muench spoke to Susy Hodges about the challenges facing the city and what the Church is doing to promote dialogue and healing.Listen to the interview with Bishop Robert Muench of Baton Rouge: Bishop Muench said prayer vigils and fasting were taking place throughout this week and his diocese was planning to hold a special Sunday Mass at the city’s cathedral. He described the mood in Baton Rouge as somber, reflective and prayerful and noted that the man accused of killing the th...
(Vatican Radio) Bishop Robert Muench of Baton Rouge, the Louisiana state capital where three policemen were shot dead by an African American former Marine, says the mood in the city is somber and he describes how the Catholic Church and community leaders are attempting to calm racial tensions.
Tensions had been running high in Baton Rouge since July 5th when a black man was shot dead by police there, prompting days of angry protests by the African American community. Bishop Muench spoke to Susy Hodges about the challenges facing the city and what the Church is doing to promote dialogue and healing.
Listen to the interview with Bishop Robert Muench of Baton Rouge:
Bishop Muench said prayer vigils and fasting were taking place throughout this week and his diocese was planning to hold a special Sunday Mass at the city’s cathedral. He described the mood in Baton Rouge as somber, reflective and prayerful and noted that the man accused of killing the three police officers was not from Louisiana.
Asked about race relations, Bishop Muench stressed that the people of the Catholic Church in Baton Rouge “have no hostility towards people of different races” and the different Christian denominations “are very united” and often cooperate together on a range of projects. He also denied suggestions that the inhabitants of Baton Rouge have an especially “hostile” relationship between the different races but conceded that “we need to address” the tensions that exist and foster more dialogue so that “we have a better understanding of how everybody feels.”
null / Orhan Cam/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 26, 2024 / 12:30 pm (CNA).The addition of "gender identity" in the Biden administration's interpretation of anti-discrimination rules could jeopardize state laws that restrict women's sports and women's locker rooms to only women, according to legal scholars.Late last week, President Joe Biden's Department of Education redefined the prohibition on sex discrimination in education, enshrined in the 1972 Title IX provisions, to include discrimination based on a person's "gender identity." The new guidelines prohibit any policy and practice that "prevents a person from participating in an education program or activity consistent with their gender identity."Although the new guidelines do not clearly explain how the mandate would be enforced, experts at the legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and the conservative Heritage Foundation told CNA that it could force educational institutions to allow men who...
Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne attends a German Synodal Way assembly on March 9, 2023. / Credit: Synodaler Weg/Maximilian von LachnerCNA Newsroom, Apr 26, 2024 / 13:57 pm (CNA).Four German bishops on Wednesday distanced themselves from the controversial Synodal Way's plans for a permanent body to oversee the Church in Germany, instead appealing for unity with the universal Church. The four bishops are the same who have previously blocked funding for this body: Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne and three prelates from Bavaria: Gregor Maria Hanke, OSB, of Eichstätt; Stefan Oster, SDB, of Passau; and Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg.In a joint statement, the prelates confirmed on April 24 that they would not be parties to a committee charged with setting up a German "Synodal Council, as this would conflict with the sacramental constitution of the Church."The four bishops also rejected the view that the German Bishops' Conference could legally establish a "synod...
Families, donors, and others gather with Bishop Erik Pohlmeier for the dedication of the "Precious Ones Baby Mausoleum" at the San Lorenzo Cemetery in St. Augustine, Florida, on April 23, 2024. / Credit: Fran Ruchalski/courtesy of the Archdiocese of St. AugustineCNA Staff, Apr 26, 2024 / 09:51 am (CNA).Families gathered with St. Augustine Bishop Erik Pohlmeier on a sunny Tuesday this week for the dedication of the "Precious Ones Baby Mausoleum" at the city's San Lorenzo Cemetery.Six years in the making, the 44,000-pound granite mausoleum is designed for babies lost at a young age through miscarriage, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), or stillborn births. A brick walkway marked by a charcoal cross leads up to the brilliant white mausoleum, which is full of burial spaces that are ready to honor little ones. Miscarriages are common events, and women often suffer through them quietly, one 2018 study found. About 10% to 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, usually be...