Month: June 2020

CNA Staff, Jun 26, 2020 / 06:01 pm (CNA).- Federal coronavirus aid to private schools is now enforceable by law, the U.S. Department of Education has said, following concerns that Catholic and other non-public schools were being excluded from sufficien… […]

Denver Newsroom, Jun 26, 2020 / 03:55 pm (CNA).-  

Gloria Purvis, host of a Catholic morning radio show produced by EWTN, said she will keep speaking out for racial justice, amid news that her show will not be broadcast by a large radio network which carries EWTN’s syndicated radio content.

News that the Guadalupe Radio Network would no longer air Purvis’ “Morning Glory” radio show broke on social media Thursday night. Purvis confirmed to CNA that she has been informed the Guadalupe network would no longer carry the show and is “not happy with the direction of the show right now,” but that Guadalupe Radio has not reached out to her directly.

The EWTN radio network will continue to produce and broadcast “Morning Glory” , which is available on terrestrial and satellite radio, as well as online.

“EWTN is still carrying the show,” Purvis said, adding that EWTN executives told her “that nothing has changed, that they are going to continue to broadcast Morning Glory, and they have no plans to change the show.”

Michael Warsaw, EWTN’s CEO and board chairman, told CNA that “EWTN is the producer and distributor of the ‘Morning Glory’ radio program. There have been no changes to the show and none are planned. EWTN does not speak for its local radio affiliates, who make their own programming decisions and have the right to carry or not carry specific EWTN radio shows. ‘Morning Glory’ remains part of the EWTN lineup and is still going strong!”  

Purvis, who is black, has in recent weeks been a frequent speaker in Catholic media on topics related to racial justice and police brutality. She told CNA she has faced considerable backlash from listeners and readers for expressing her views on the subject, even though, she says, her views do not conflict with Catholic teaching.

“If you look at what the Holy Fathers have talked about in terms of use of force, they’re saying that we need to approach each person as made in the image and likeness of God. And who are we as Catholics not to have a position on police brutality, in light of that teaching?” Purvis asked.

“This is a huge moment in our country, where now we have people’s attention, and shame on us if we as Catholics shy away from preaching the Gospel, shy away from those difficult discussions. No one should expect to encounter the Gospel and remain unchanged.”

Purvis said her show might be misunderstood, because she aims to emphasize an approach that tries to give a fair hearing to all voices on the issues, and “then talk from there about what the faith says, or how the faith impacts the topic. Sometimes people miss that because their focus is on how to ‘win’ and not about how we have to serve.”

Despite backlash, she said, she is not going to think twice about offering her views on racial justice. “All of this has not made me second guess. I am going to persevere.”

“Every time a citizen’s life is taken, we need to question that vigorously, not because of who is taking the life, but because of who we are as Catholics.”

Adding that she has an opinion “informed by Church teaching,” Purvis told CNA that “anytime there could be an injustice against someone else— whether it’s in the womb or in the street — we have to speak out, to help try to build a culture of life.”

In a statement released June 26, Purvis said that she “will continue to speak the truth about the human person and that includes discussing racism and other evils.”

“I do not fear the hard work of bringing the light of the Gospel to bear on these issues. Not everyone will receive the message joyfully and there will be opposition but because I love Jesus and believe in the beauty and truth of His message, I will persevere.”

“I will use whatever means the Lord gives me to spread His truth about the dignity of the human person from the womb to the tomb, from the immigrant to the citizen, from the powerful to the vulnerable. There are no throw-away people.”

Purvis has said that she feels it is her Christian obligation to speak out against racism and injustice- on “Morning Glory,” and to other media and in other platforms.

Earlier this month, she told a panel at Georgetown University that she watched the video of George Floyd’s arrest and death in horror, wanting to yell at the police officer kneeling on his neck, “Stop in the name of God! Stop!”

“I just thought the image of God is being abused right here in front of me,” she said.

She has faced backlash for her use of the popular racial justice slogan “Black Lives Matter,” although she told CNA this month that her use of the phrase does not constitute support for national Black Lives Matter organizations, whose platforms are at odds with Catholic teaching.

“For me, as a Catholic, a devout Catholic, as a loyal daughter of the Church, I have no problem saying ‘Black Lives Matter,’” she said.

“I know it doesn’t make me a member of the organization.”

Some Catholics hesitate to attend protests or other events because they say that not only “black lives matter,” but that “all lives matter,” she noted.

Purvis explained that the phrase “Black Lives Matter” is not meant to devalue the lives of others, and while all lives do matter, she has observed that “in practice” in the U.S., “what we’ve seen is that black lives don’t.”

As a pro-life Catholic, Purvis said she recognizes the eugenist roots of abortion, but said fighting racism in America shouldn’t be limited to opposing abortion. She said racism is manifested through police misconduct, housing policies, and other aspects of American public life.

Purvis converted to Catholicism when she was 12 years old, after an experience at Eucharistic adoration in her Catholic school. She later called it a “mystical experience with the Eucharist…just coming to know it was real, that it was alive, and feeling like I was consumed with a fire all over my body, but it didn’t burn.”

The host is a frequent speaker on pro-life and catechetical issues; she and her husband have been active in pro-life ministry and other parish ministry in the Archdiocese of Washington.

Purvis has served on the archdiocesan pastoral council in the Archdiocese of Washington, is a board member for the Northwest Pregnancy Center and Maternity Home in Washington, D.C. and an advisory board member on the Maryland Catholic Conference’s Respect for Life Office. She is a member of the National Black Catholic Congress’ Leadership Commission on Social Justice, and is the chairperson for Black Catholics United for Life, which seeks to increase the size and strength of active Black Catholics participating in the pro-life movement.

Catholic News Agency is a service of EWTN News.

The Guadalupe Radio Network could not be reached for comment, despite numerous telephone calls from CNA.

On Friday afternoon, the radio network released a statement online, saying it had “temporarily suspended airing the show on the GRN.” (Ed. note: emphasis original.)

“We are not bothered in the least that ‘Morning Glory’ took on the difficult, but needed, topic of the evil of racism. In fact, we feel our audience is looking for a clear Catholic response to all they are seeing in our society right now. It is our hope and prayer that the issues we have raised with EWTN, in regards to “Morning Glory” will be addressed properly so that we can once again proudly air this program across the GRN.”

“During these last couple of weeks we have heard a ‘spirit of contention’ growing among the Hosts live on-air,” the statement continued. “We feel it is clear that there is a real disconnect among the team, becoming more and more obvious, and we feel that should be addressed. We do not feel that this type of exchange is edifying, nor is it clarifying for anyone, especially a Catholic radio listener who wants clarity.”

“Never before have we received as many complaints about any EWTN show as we have about Morning Glory as of late. Our efforts to try and correct the situation before were not successful. So, we felt we had no other option other than to temporarily suspend airing this program.”

“The unfounded and uncharitable accusations hurled at GRN, without the facts, have been terrible. As you well know, Satan is the father of lies. Unfortunately, that is what is happening here in this situation – lies are being told, and spread around, on the internet about us. We hope you will help in sharing the true story!” the statement said.

The Guadalupe network, which both distributes content syndicated by EWTN and other Catholic media apostolates and produces its own content, is based in Midland, Texas, but operates more than 30 radio stations in Texas, Florida, Alabama, New Mexico, and Washington, D.C.

Purvis told CNA that she is grateful for the support she has received from listeners, but admitted that her work can be draining.

“I am tired, because, honestly, this is a lot of spiritual battle. But I am still very determined— I can’t stop bringing the light of the Gospel to today’s most pressing issues.”

“I hope you all will join me in making our culture one that is truly a culture of life. We have much work to do — together. Thank you for your ongoing support and prayers and be assured of my prayers for our human family,” Purvis said in her June 26 statement.

“Our Lady of Prompt Succor, pray for us.”

Gloria Purvis is featured in this episode of CNA Newsroom, and this bonus episode of CNA Editor’s Desk.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 26, 2020 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- A federal judge on Friday ruled that New York must allow indoor and outdoor religious services in the same way it would allow mass outdoor protests, or indoor shopping malls.

Judge Gary Sharpe of the Northern District of New York said that the state cannot limit outdoor religious services during the pandemic, provided that attendees follow social distancing requirements. For indoor services, he said, the state has to make the same allowances for churches as it does for other businesses.

The judgement follows a lawsuit filed on behalf of several different religious groups by the Thomas More Society. No Catholic diocese or parish was party to the suit.

The New York State Catholic Conference, which represents the bishops of the state, told CNA on Friday that churches would probably continue to follow state health guidelines for reopening, even though they are no longer bound by law to do so.

“Bishops must weigh many factors in reopening, the most important being the safety and well being of our congregations, clergy and parish staffs,” a spokesman for the conference told CNA. “We believe the guidance offered by the state is important to achieving that goal.”

The state had already allowed some churches in the state to hold services at 33% indoor capacity, where that particular jurisdiction had reached phase IV of reopening. Churches in other areas have been allowed to offer Mass at 25% capacity.

New York City, currently in the second reopening phase, had allowed some indoor offices, retail stores, and salons to operate at 50% capacity while churches were restricted to 25% capacity.

Judge Sharpe on Friday said that those businesses are “not justifiably different than houses of worship” in the risk they pose to the spread of the virus.

Furthermore, state officials showed preferential treatment by allowing or even encouraging mass outdoor protests and 150-person outdoor graduation ceremonies, while subjecting religious gatherings to ten or 25-person outdoor gathering limits, he said.

Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have both appeared to condone or even encourage mass outdoor anti-racism protests attended by hundreds and thousands of people in recent weeks, despite strict state limits on the size of outdoor gatherings to 10 or 25 people.

On June 2, de Blasio defended his selective enforcement of gathering restrictions, saying that “[w]hen you see a nation, an entire nation simultaneously grappling with an extraordinary crisis seeded in 400 years of American racism, I’m sorry, that is not the same question as the understandably aggrieved store owner or the devout religious person who wants to go back to services.”

By their words, Cuomo and de Blasio endorsed “what they knew was a flagrant disregard of the outdoor limits and social distancing rules,” the judge said, thus sending “a clear message that mass protests are deserving of preferential treatment.”

They could have verbally discouraged or remained silent on the protests while suspending any enforcement of outdoor gathering restrictions, Judge Sharpe said, and thus could have remained within the law.

Christopher Ferrara, special counsel for the Thomas More Society, stated that Judge Sharpe “was able to see through the sham of Governor Cuomo’s ‘Social Distancing Protocol’ which went right out the window as soon as he and Mayor de Blasio saw a mass protest movement they favored taking to the streets by the thousands.”

Lawyers from the Thomas More Society originally brought the lawsuit on June 10, on behalf of three Orthodox Jewish congregants from Brooklyn and two priests of the Society of St. Pius X, a group in irregular communion with the Catholic Church, which operates independently of the dioceses of the state, and does not recognize the local bishops’ authority.

The lawsuit charged that Cuomo, state attorney general Letitia James, and de Blasio all violated religious freedom, free speech, and due process in their public health restrictions during the pandemic.

The state and city put more burdensome restrictions on churches than they did on some businesses and mass protests, the lawsuit alleged, creating “a veritable dictatorship” where they “selectively enforced ‘social distancing’ under a ‘lockdown’” in the state, while carving out “numerous exceptions” in line with “their value judgments.” 

De Blasio has on multiple occasions during the pandemic threatened houses of worship with fines, permanent closure, and mass arrests if they would not comply with public health orders.

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CNA Staff, Jun 26, 2020 / 12:09 pm (CNA).- The Missouri health department issued a license to the state’s only abortion clinic Thursday. Its license had been revoked a year ago over regulators’ concerns about health and safety problems at the clinic.

The state’s Administrative Hearing Commission had ruled last month that the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services was wrong not to renew Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region’s license to perform abortions.

The health department inspected the clinic in St. Louis before granting the license June 25. If it should want to appeal the ruling from the Administrative Hearing Commission, the health department must do so by June 29.

The license had been revoked in June 2019, but the administrative commission and a state judge both granted a temporary stay of the health department’s decision, allowing the clinic to remain open while the case was reviewed.

The health department has cited an “unprecedented lack of cooperation” on the part of the St. Louis clinic, as well as a “failure to meet basic standards of patient care,” identifying four instances of failed abortion procedures at the clinic; among these, one of the mothers developed sepsis, and another was hospitalized with life threatening complications.

According to the health department, Planned Parenthood went back on its agreement to perform pelvic examinations as a “preoperative health requirement.” Several doctors at the clinic refused requests to provide interviews with the health department, and the clinic would not have been prepared for a case of a woman who suffered “severe hemorrhaging” at a hospital before being referred to Planned Parenthood.

A 2016 report on an inspection of the clinic by the health department shows that the clinic at that time was in violation of multiple state standards involving the sterilization and storing of equipment, and the proper documentation of medication and procedures.

Planned Parenthood has accused the state of weaponizing the regulatory process and claimed the state has admitted the pelvic exams are “medically unnecessary.”

In October 2019 Planned Parenthood opened a new clinic in Fairview Heights, Ill., just 15 miles east of St. Louis.

Yamelsie Rodriguez, CEO of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, said that women are seeking abortions in Illinois due to more permissive abortion laws. Missouri also has a 72-hour waiting period for abortion.

Earlier this month a federal appellate court dismissed a lawsuit filed by a member of the Satanic Temple against Missouri’s informed consent abortion law, rejecting the argument that the law established Catholic religious belief by stating that life begins at conception.

“Any theory of when life begins necessarily aligns with some religious beliefs and not others,” said U.S. Circuit Judge David R. Stras in a June 9 decision from the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. Under the plaintiff’s theory, the decision said, “Missouri’s only option would be to avoid legislating in this area altogether.”

State law requires abortion providers to distribute a booklet from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services which includes the statement: “The life of each human being begins at conception. Abortion will terminate the life of a separate, unique, living human being.”

Missouri enacted a comprehensive abortion ban in 2019, which Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed into law. The legislation was supported by Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis.

Missouri’s law set up a multi-tier ban on abortions after eight weeks, 14 weeks, 18 weeks and 20 weeks, as well as bans on abortions conducted solely because of the baby’s race, sex, or Down syndrome diagnosis. In August 2019 a federal judge struck down all of the bans related to the stages of pregnancy, but left intact the disability, race, and sex-selective abortion bans.

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