Free Republic

Thousands of Catholics from throughout the greater Los Angeles area gathered in East Los Angeles Dec. 2 to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe as the mother of all peoples -- from every language, race and culture. A mile-long procession, the oldest religious procession in the city honoring Mary, led participants to East Los Angeles College Stadium, where Cardinal Roger M. Mahony and the auxiliary bishops of Los Angeles, numerous priests and more than 15,000 of the faithful gathered for Mass. The theme this year was "Mother Without Borders: Bringing Down the Walls of Injustice." The event was part of a...

From State funding which would have included lethal embryonic research to vouchers, to defending Marriage, referendums across the country should concern Catholic voters. Voters in New Jersey defeated a proposal that would have authorized $450 million in bonds for stem-cell research projects, but an effort in Utah to repeal a schools voucher program was successful. The ballot questions were among 34 initiatives or referendums held in six states Nov. 6 during off-year elections. Another nine questions had been decided in elections earlier in the year. The Catholic bishops in five New Jersey dioceses had urged rejection of Public Question 2...

Catholic group to campaign for study of adult stem cells

The Missouri Catholic Conference is urging candidates for state offices to return contributions from a nonprofit organization that advocates for stem cell research and other medical analysis and testing.  The move has inspired a complaint to the Internal Revenue Service, arguing that the request violates prohibitions on political activity by nonprofit organizations.  “It constitutes illegal political interference,” said Marcus S. Owens, a tax lawyer, who filed the complaint on behalf of a client he declined to identify.The Missouri conference sent the request to more than 50 candidates for state offices who received donations from the organization, Supporters of Health Research...

I received this e-mail from NYSCatholicConference.org: Stop Cloning and Embryo Research Contact Your Assembly Representative Now On Tuesday, May 3, 2005 the New York State Assembly Health Committee voted in favor of releasing dangerous legislation (A.6300)that would promote human cloning for the purpose of conducting medical experiments on living human embryos. This means that the full Assembly can vote on this issue in the very near future. Please urge your Assembly representative to oppose this bill. Embryonic stem cell research depends on human cloning and is a radical assault on human life! Take action now.

Douglas R. Scott, president of Life Decisions International (LDI), today blasted the Florida Catholic Conference (FCC) for "a cold and feeble response to the plight of Terri Schindler Schiavo and those like her." " The FCC issued a statement that addressed Presumption for Nutrition and Hydration: "The Catholic community begins discussions regarding the withdrawal and withholding of artificial nutrition and hydration with a presumption in favor of their provision. However, when the burdens exceed the benefits of providing them, they may be withdrawn or withheld. We note that what is too burdensome for one person may not be too burdensome...