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Denver Newsroom, Apr 23, 2020 / 07:00 pm (CNA).- Franciscan University of Steubenville will be covering tuition costs for all incoming freshmen and transfer students in fall 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. 

President Father Dave Pivonka announced April 21 that the university would cover the remainder of incoming full-time undergraduates’ tuition costs, after scholarships and grants.

“We’ve heard from many students whose concerns over the pandemic are making the decision to leave home for college more difficult. Also, many families and students have seen their ability to pay for college evaporate due to the economic impact of the coronavirus,” Pivonka told CNA.

“We hope this unique response will help them to overcome these obstacles and uncertainties and step out in faith with us.”

Joel Recznik, Franciscan’s vice president for enrollment, told CNA that barring unforeseen circumstances, such as a second wave of the pandemic, the university is anticipating full enrollment and normal university operations in the fall.

The Ohio university uses a rolling admissions process throughout the year, and thus numbers may change as more students apply or enroll throughout the summer, he said.

“The idea was to really provide an opportunity for these new students— who are uncertain and their lives have been turned upside down— that they wouldn’t miss out because of the negative impact of this virus,” Recznik told CNA.

“We’ve talked to families who the parents have lost their jobs, and talked to people who have had the virus, and we don’t want that to be a barrier…So for every new student, we’re making sure that we cover 100% of tuition after scholarships and grants for the fall semester.”

The funds to cover the tuition costs will come from the university’s reserves. The university will be providing an additional $1,000 for returning undergraduates and $500 for graduating seniors.

Father Pivonka noted that although the additional financial assistance will be provided to all students regardless of their ability to pay, he encouraged those who are able to donate to the Step in Faith Fund to help to finance the aid.

“Our patron, St. Francis of Assisi, had a deep concern for those in need, and as a Franciscan university, we seek to follow his example in caring for those entrusted to us. While we always strive to keep our tuition affordable, we decided we needed to do more in light of the severe difficulties so many are facing this year,” he said.

Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. are two Catholic universities that have extended their application deadlines to June 1. Representatives for both schools told CNA that they, like Franciscan, are not anticipating a major drop in enrollment at this time.

Steve Johnson, a spokesman for Benedictine College, told CNA that before the pandemic, the university was expecting a record freshman class and record enrollment.

“Benedictine College was having the best recruiting year in history heading into March and our numbers have remained strong to this point,” Johnson told CNA in an email.

“So far we’re not seeing anyone falling off and we are anticipating opening in August with face-to-face classes as close to normal as possible…We are not expecting any major drop in enrollment.”

Christopher Lydon, who oversees enrollment at the Catholic University of America, told CNA that student registration for the fall semester has progressed in line with what he would normally expect to see.

“That’s obviously a good sign, that we’re not seeing the beginning of an exodus,” Lydon said.

Lydon did see that graduating high school seniors do seem to be deferring college decisions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are behind on deposits, but we’ve also given families an additional month to make an enrollment decision,” Lydon told CNA.

“I’m appropriately worried, but it is a little soon to know for certain.”

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Denver Newsroom, Apr 23, 2020 / 06:01 pm (CNA).- California’s aid packages to undocumented and low-wage residents has not gone far enough, the state’s Catholic bishops have said, emphasizing the necessity of more aid for these Californians … […]

CNA Staff, Apr 23, 2020 / 09:00 am (CNA).- Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles is inviting all U.S. bishops to join him on May 1 in reconsecrating the U.S. to the Blessed Virgin Mary in response to the pandemic. The reconsecration is timed to coincide… […]

Denver Newsroom, Apr 23, 2020 / 12:24 am (CNA).- While a New Jersey state senator has launched a petition seeking the “thoughtful” resumption of religious services with “reasonable precautions,” the Archdiocese of Newark has stressed the wisdom of statewide restrictions on gatherings given the prevalence of the novel coronavirus in the region.

“As the New Jersey region unfortunately has the highest number of reported Covid-19 cases in the nation, with increasing reported deaths, it is prudent to continue compliance with statewide mandates for social distancing protocols at this time,” Maria Margiotta, director of communications and public relations for the archdiocese, told CNA April 22.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s executive orders ban gatherings of any size as the state battles the novel coronavirus. Businesses deemed non-essential have shut down in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. While symptoms of infection are nonexistent, mild or moderate for most people, a significant minority require hospitalization. Infection can be fatal in a small percentage of cases, especially where the person is elderly or otherwise has health vulnerabilities.

In New Jersey, the executive order’s limits drew objection from State Sen. Mike Doherty, a Republican from the state’s rural northwest.

“We’re asking Governor Murphy to allow religious services to resume in New Jersey in a thoughtful fashion. It’s the right thing to do, both constitutionally and morally,” Doherty said April 19. In his view, “it’s possible for religious services to resume if reasonable precautions are put in place.”

New Jersey has suffered over 5,000 coronavirus-related deaths as of Wednesday, with over 95,000 known cases statewide. It neighbors New York state, where 250,000 confirmed coronavirus cases include over 15,000 deaths, with New York City the worst-hit urban area in the United States.

Doherty emphasized the benefits of religious gatherings in a time of crisis.

“When many of us could be at Sunday services today replenishing a much needed sense of hope in these uncertain times, we instead remain separated in our homes from the communities of faith that sustain us in good times and bad,” he said.

Doherty has launched an online petition for New Jersey residents who wish to share with the governor “their belief that religion is an essential service and constitutionally protected right that should be allowed to resume immediately.” By 7 p.m. local time Wednesday, the petition had more than 1,700 signatures.

Margiotta, the Newark archdiocese spokeswoman, did not address the petition directly. However, she said Catholic churches would reopen only with the decision of the local bishop.

“The process of how and when to reopen churches will be determined by the ordinary and his diocesan staff,” she said. “The well-being and safety of our clergy, staff, and parishioners remain a priority, and the archdiocese will continue to review guidance from federal and state officials as plans to reopen are considered. Although church buildings remain closed, our prayers and celebration of Mass continue via livestream so that we may remain united as one Church and one people amid this ongoing pandemic.”

Last week, Gov. Murphy cited a Harvard University study published in the journal Science as saying social distancing measures might need to last through 2022. Any sports or entertainment gatherings, and possibly high school and college graduations, might need to be held virtually without anyone in the audience.

“I don’t see a normal, even if it were to take place, a normal gathering in the foreseeable future. I just don’t see it,” he said April 15, according to New Jersey 101.5. “I’ll be the happiest guy on the planet if I’m wrong.”

“This is a war. It is the fight of our lives. Wars are not won by one person or one small group. They’re won when millions of people come together in a common cause,” he said. “Our cause right now is totally flattening the curve and then seeing it drop down the other side. Then we can begin the process responsibly along with our neighbors of reopening our state and beginning to live life in our new normal.”

“This is no time to let up. We have got to keep at it,” he said, stressing the need for cases of coronavirus to fall to “a manageable reality” where experts can reconsider social distancing measures. Murphy emphasized “a responsible re-opening” with health care infrastructure and protocols that “frankly, we don’t have at the moment.”

Such protocols include fast and accurate coronavirus testing and the ability to trace the contacts of infected people to prevent contagion from spreading. Citing discussions with experts, Murphy said he thought a vaccine for the COVID-19 virus was unlikely earlier than a year or a year and a half from now.

Doherty’s petition, hosted at the website of the New Jersey Senate Republicans, said people have been denied the opportunity to attend religious services that “could provide hope, solace, and a sense of community during this time of social distancing and isolation due to the coronavirus.”

According to the petition, “it is possible for churches, temples, mosques, and synagogues to operate safely through reasonable precautions, including outdoor services, social distancing, and limitations on the size of gatherings.”

The petition cited the constitutional right to practice religion that “should not be impeded through overly restrictive executive orders.”

“Governor Murphy should recognize that religious services are no less essential to people’s needs than retail services, such as lottery and liquor sales, that have been allowed to continue,” it said.

CNA sought comment from Senator Doherty but did not receive a response by deadline.

The senator is a strong advocate of lifting New Jersey limitations on small businesses, saying “the state needs to reopen sooner rather than later.”

“The cure is becoming much worse than the disease. The idea that churches will be shut down until July is unacceptable,” he said April 15, according to Insider NJ.

He objected to the governor’s refusal to allow churches to conduct “outdoor, open air services with proper spacing” while “allowing the essential service of selling more booze to desperate citizens, and allowing customers to pull up to fast food take out windows where the spacing between the customer and the server is zero inches.”

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 22, 2020 / 04:30 pm (CNA).- Two Catholic dioceses have filed suit against the Small Business Administration (SBA), claiming they were wrongfully denied access to emergency loans during the pandemic because of their bankru… […]

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 22, 2020 / 03:30 pm (CNA).- A federal appeals court on Wednesday allowed a state order halting elective surgical abortions in Arkansas to go into effect. The measure was put in place to conserve medical resources during the coronavirus pandemic.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit decided 2-1 in favor of Arkansas on Wednesday, which had appealed a lower court’s decision to halt the order. On April 14, a federal district court put a temporary restraining order on the state’s act to stop non-medically necessary surgical abortions during the public health emergency caused by COVID-19.

The state’s health department on April 3 had declared a halt to non-essential surgeries during the pandemic, and surgical abortions not deemed medically necessary by a doctor were included under the order. The Arkansas health department has reported 2,276 cases of COVID-19, as of Wednesday afternoon.

On April 9, health department inspectors arrived at Little Rock Family Planning Services (LRFP) unannounced, and found that the clinic was still providing surgical abortions. The next day, the health department sent the clinic a cease-and-desist letter ordering a stop to surgical abortions “except where immediately necessary to protect the life or health of the patient.”

The Diocese of Little Rock’s Respect Life Office told CNA on April 16 of a “particularly troubling” increase in abortions at the clinic, especially by women traveling from neighboring Texas and Louisiana, states which have halted elective abortions.

However, U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker on April 14 ruled that evidence sided with the abortion providers in their claim that the state’s order would “inflict serious physical, emotional, and psychological injuries on (the abortion provider’s) patients by forcing them to delay, or altogether forgo, access to abortion care.” Baker put a temporary restraining order on the state’s directive.

On Wednesday, the Eighth Circuit appeals court sided with Arkansas, granting it mandamus relief from the lower court’s entry temporary restraining order. The state’s directive “is facially neutral,” the judges said, as its ban on non-essential medical procedures “applies to all types of surgical procedures” and not just abortions.

Judges Bobby Shepherd and Ralph Erickson said that the state “has satisfied its burden in demonstrating that it has no other means to obtain the relief that it seeks, that it is clearly and indisputably entitled to the writ, and that entry of the writ is appropriate under the circumstances.” Judge James Loken dissented from the ruling.

After the appeals court decision, the American Civil Liberties Union tweeted “This isn’t the end.”

Eight states that have issued temporary bans on elective surgical abortions as non-essential medical procedures during the pandemic are fighting in court to keep the bans, many of which have been partially or completely stopped by federal courts.

Some elective abortions in Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio, Iowa, Louisiana, and Tennessee have been allowed to continue.

Abortion supporters in Iowa reached an agreement with a state order outside of court. In Alaska, state officials delayed abortions until June and the action has not been legally challenged, as well as a state order banning non-essential abortions in Mississippi. Louisiana’s order halting elective abortions has not yet been blocked in court.

The Fifth Circuit sided with Texas on April 7, but did temporarily allow for chemical abortions in the state to continue. Then on Wednesday it said the state’s ban on chemical abortions could continue. The Sixth Circuit, meanwhile, allowed chemical abortions and some surgical abortions to continue in Ohio, on a case-by-case basis.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 22, 2020 / 02:30 pm (CNA).- The New York State Catholic Conference expressed relief Wednesday, April 22, after the state health department rescinded a statewide do-not-resuscitate order for all patients found without a pu… […]

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 22, 2020 / 01:30 pm (CNA).- The Supreme Court of the Netherlands ruled on Tuesday, April 21, that it is lawful for doctors to euthanize patients with severe dementia, provided that the patient had expressed a desire to be… […]

CNA Staff, Apr 22, 2020 / 10:37 am (CNA).- In his column on Tuesday, Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles said that in God’s providence, the pandemic is calling us to remember our need for God and to deepen our solidarity.

“The deepest questions raised by this pandemic are about God and his designs,” the president of the US bishops’ conference wrote April 21 at Angelus News. “Where is he and what is he saying to us in this moment — what is he saying to his Church, to the nations of the world, to each of us in our own personal circumstances?”

“I see God calling us, in a most dramatic way, to realize how much we need him, how we cannot live without him,” he answered. “But I also see God calling us to a deeper sense of solidarity, to realize that we are responsible for one another, that we depend on one another and we have to take care of one another.”

The archbishop recalled that in the early years of Christianity, amid epidemics, non-Christians “marveled at the charity and compassion of Christians” as they cared for the sick.

That service continues today, he said, noting online Catholic education, meals provided for poor children, food pantries, and financial assistance given to those in need of food, clothing, and shelter.

“It is inspiring and beautiful. Through the witness of your love, our neighbors can see the presence of the risen Lord, even in this time of affliction and adversity,” Archbishop Gomez wrote.

“God is asking us to share in the insecurities and deprivations that define ordinary life for millions of people in nations around the world. We are being forced to do without what most of our brothers and sisters never had to begin with.”

He said the struggle caused by the inaccessibility of the sacraments “is a hard cross to bear,” but added that “maybe God is asking us to share in the sufferings of the millions of Catholics who live under regimes that repress or persecute the faith. These brothers and sisters of ours hunger and thirst for the sacraments and cannot receive them. This is their daily reality.”

The archbishop acknowledged that while he is grateful to be connected to the people of his local Church through, for example, livestreamed Masses, “a ‘virtual Mass’ is still virtual … it is not the same as seeing one another face-to-face, drawn together in the fellowship of Christ.”

Archbishop Gomez urged the people of Los Angeles to “intensify our prayers and sacrifices” for those who live in areas where the Church is repressed or persecuted.

“Let us join our sufferings to Our Lord’s passion in his living Body, his Church. Let us offer our sufferings for every person who is bearing greater burdens than we are.”

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Denver Newsroom, Apr 22, 2020 / 12:40 am (CNA).- In the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Courage International has announced that it will host online its annual conference to support Catholics who minister to people with same-sex attraction.

Courage International is a Catholic group for those who experience same-sex attraction and are seeking to live chaste and faithful lives. Its Truth and Love Conference seeks to provide practical and spiritual guidance on the topics of homosexuality and sexual identity to pastoral ministers and lay professionals.

While it was originally scheduled to take place in the Diocese of Arlington, the conference will instead take place for its several hundred participants on the online platform Zoom on April 27-29.

Ann Schneible, communications director for Courage, told CNA that when people register for the conference, they will be given a secure code and detailed instructions on how to participate.

During each talk, she said, participants will be able to type questions directly into Zoom. These questions will then be answered by the speakers during the Q&A period at the end of each presentation.

All of the participants will be invited to Monday’s keynote address and the following plenary sessions on Monday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, registrants will be able to choose talks from one of three tracks – pastoral care, mental health, and sexual identity.

The theme of this year’s conference is called “Be not afraid: Affirming the truth about sex and identity.” It will mark the 100th birthday of Pope John Paul II and declare him the official patron of the Truth & Love initiative, the section of the Courage ministry focusing on providing resources to those who minister to people with same-sex attraction.

Schneible said the title is inspired by the beginning words of his 1978 inaugural homily: “Do not be afraid. Christ knows ‘what is in man.’ He alone knows it.”

Schneible explained, “This theme is relevant to our work because whenever we are ministering to someone who experiences same-sex attractions or questions about their gender identity, the compassion we show cannot be separated from the truth about human dignity and authentic happiness. With Pope Saint John Paul II as our patron, we pray for his intercession as we continue to speak the truth fearlessly and with love.”

Father Philip Bochanski, executive director of Courage International, told CNA that the writings and messages of John Paul II are important to the Church’s understanding of human dignity, sexuality, and the human body. He said the pope also had a way of sharing the truth with an essence of love.

“He was able to perceive the trends in the way that the culture looks, and how to answer those kinds of cultural misunderstandings with the perennial truth that comes from the gospel through the Church,” he said.

“He did it with such compassion. That’s [why] he’s going to be our model. Not just what to say, but how to say it. How to speak the truth in love.”

The list of speakers at the virtual conference will include experts in pastoral care, theology, and mental health. Speakers include Bishop John Keenan of Paisley, a Courage chaplain in Scotland; Helen Alvaré, a professor of law at Antonin Scalia Law School of George Mason University; and Suzanne Baars, a licensed professional counselor and marriage and family therapist.

[Bishop Keenan will] talk about his experience over the last few years as a chaplain and how that has affected his understanding of pastoral ministry. We’re going to have Helen Alvare… talk about some of the legal implications of the legislation that’s being passed … about sexual orientation and gender identity and how that might affect parishes and schools and other institutions,” he said.

Bochanski also highlighted some of Tuesday’s talks, which will be divided into three separate categories: pastoral care, health care, and gender identity discordance.

He said the first track, pastoral care, will look at conveying Church teaching and creating a welcoming environment in parishes and schools. It will also examine how those in pastoral ministry can come to understand the experience of those with same-sex attraction.

The second track, on mental health care, will be directed toward health professionals. He said it will review a psychological experience, involving family dynamics, relationships, and self-identity, of those with same-sex attraction.

The third track will analyze gender discordance – when people view themselves as a different gender than their biological sex. The talks will include insight from healthcare professionals on genetics and body chemistry, as well as a philosophical perspective, Bochanski added.

“I think it reflects the reality that people, in general, are multifaceted and need to be supported and nourished on different levels simultaneously. We tried to keep in mind all those different aspects of pastoral care and family life and just the different ways that we’re going to encounter people so that the folks who participate are going to be equipped for all of those,” he said.

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