Louisiana voters will decide whether to amend constitution to exclude ‘right to abortion’ (CNA)Voters in Louisiana will decide Nov. 3 on a constitutional amendment, authored by a pro-life Democrat, which would prevent Louisiana’s courts finding a “right to abortion,” or to public abortion funding, in the state’s constitution. Under Amendment 1, also known as the “Love Life Amendment,” the Louisiana constitution would be updated to state that “nothing in this constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion…”
Why a new abortion ban in Poland is causing a furor (The New York Times) Tens of thousands of Poles have defied Covid-19 restrictions to protest against a new high court ruling that imposes a near-total ban on abortion, blocking major roads and bridges and chanting anti-government slogans. The demonstrators, some dressed as characters from “The Handmaid’s Tale,” have even disrupted masses and vandalized churches — a rare case of lashing out at the government’s ally, the Catholic Church, in the staunchly Catholic country…
Transcript shows pope’s distinction between gay marriage, civil unions (CNS) When Pope Francis said gay people have a right to be in a family and that gay couples needed some form of civil law to protect their rights, he was not saying that gay couples should have a right to adopt children. In his documentary “Francesco,” director Evgeny Afineevsky presented the statements as if Pope Francis had said them one right after the other; the director used the quotes immediately following a story about a gay couple with children…
New cardinal from Brunei runs a diocese with just three priests (UCANews) The new cardinal from Brunei administers arguably the world’s smallest diocese in terms of its priests — just three. The three priests and Bishop Cornelius Sim, the apostolic vicar of Brunei, take care of Catholics in one of the few absolute Muslim monarchies left in the world. “We are one of the smallest dioceses in Asia,” said Bishop Sim days before Pope Francis named him one of 13 new cardinals on Oct. 25…
As COVID cases spike, renewed support for ‘spiritual communion’ (CNS) The global disruption to Mass attendance caused by COVID-19 — which for a time included the complete shutdown of churches in many areas — has renewed interest in the idea of “spiritual Communion,” a custom dating back centuries that has been encouraged by popes and saints throughout the church’s history…
