US Bishops Express Solidarity with Japan

WASHINGTON—In letter to Archbishop Leo Jun Ikenaga, SJ, of Osaka, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan, Archbishop Dolan Dolan of New York, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), assured the Church in Japan of the prayers and solidarity of the faithful in the United States at this difficult moment. Read the full text. 

Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the humanitarian agency of the U.S. bishops, is responding to the tragedy and receiving donations, said Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona, chairman of the CRS board.

“These will be used for the immediate humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable and support the local Catholic Church in its on-going mission,” said Bishop Kicanas. Catholics interested in supporting the work of CRS can visit: www.crs.org 


Human Rights Court to Rule on Crucifixes in Italian Schools

ROME—Tomorrow, March 18, the European Human Rights Court will decide whether crucifixes should be allowed on the walls of public schools of Italy.

Previous ruling on the issue, in November 2009, banned the crucifixes at request of a parent who argued that the crucifixes clashed with how their children should be educated.

In its reasoning the court stated that, crucifixes could be “emotionally disturbing” for pupils of other religious beliefs.

An appeal against the decision was filed in June 2010.


Australians Gain New Cathedral 

BUNBURY—Five years after a tornado swept through Bunbury claiming the city’s cathedral, a new cathedral opens its doors.

The building, designed by Perth architect Marcus Collins, is located on the Boulters Hill, and cost $17 million.


Pope Honors Former Anglican Bishops with Title of Monsignor

LONDON—Benedict XVI has conferred the title of monsignor to three former Anglican bishops, the first members of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Fr Keith Newton, Fr John Broadhurst, and Fr Andrew Burnham became the first clergy of the world’s first personal ordinariate set up for groups of former Anglicans as a result of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus in January.

900 former Anglicans are expected to be received into the Church in the coming Holy Week, 61 of them being clergymen who should be ordained around Pentecost.


Bishop Salvatore: ‘Government’s Refusal to Defend Marriage Undermines Democracy’

OAKLAND— Bishop Salvatore J. Cordileon of Oakland, California, pointed out the failure of the Obama administration to support the Defense of Marriage Act and similar actions in California and the District of Columbia as violations of the constitution and undermines democracy.

On his column the Bishop goes on to call President Obama’s order that the Department of Justice not defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) “an egregious violation” of the federal government’s separation of powers, because it is not the role of the executive branch to decide which laws are unconstitutional. Read the full text.