NEWS STORY
RNS-USFS-OakFlat: US Forest Service temporarily halts transfer of Native American sacred site Oak Flat
(RNS) The United States Forest Service has withdrawn a final environmental impact statement that would allow Arizona land considered sacred by the Apache and other Native Americans to be transferred to a mining company in the next few weeks. The move temporarily halts the transfer of Chi’chil Biłdagoteel, known widely as Oak Flat, to Australian mining company Resolution Copper, according to the Forest Service. By Emily McFarlan Miller. 660 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-NewOrleans-Vaccine: New Orleans archdiocese urges Catholics to avoid new Johnson & Johnson vaccine
(RNS) — The Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans has declared the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson “morally compromised” and asked Catholics to avoid it if given the choice, citing concerns about the use of cells with distant ties to abortion “in development and production.” By Jack Jenkins. 709 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Pressler-Suit: Appeals Court rules in favor of Pressler accuser, says abuse lawsuit can go forward
(RNS) — A Texas appeals court ruled that an abuse lawsuit against Paul Pressler, an architect of the Southern Baptist conservative revolt in the 1980s and 1990s, can go forward. By Bob Smietana. 300 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Bethany-LGBTQ: Bethany Christian Services to allow LGBTQ couples to adopt, foster children
(RNS)— Bethany Christian Services, the country’s largest Protestant adoption and foster care agency, will begin serving LGBTQ couples, a significant change for the evangelical outfit and a sign of the growing cultural shift. By Yonat Shimron. 600 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Benedict-Interview: Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI shuts down ‘fanatics’ by saying ‘the pope is only one’ in recent interview
VATICAN CITY (RNS) – In an interview with na Italian daily on Monday (March 1), The Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI once again debunked “conspiracy theories” about his resignation, underlined the unity of the pontificate and addressed the recent election in the United States that resulted in the first Catholic president in almost half a century. By Claire Giangravè. 700 words. (category: i)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Salkin-Oped: President Biden just made a serious human rights blunder
(RNS) — On Purim, the day that Jews celebrate the downfall of an attempted murderer in the ancient Middle East, the Biden administration basically said that they would give Saudi Arabia’s crown prince — a real murderer — a “get out of jail free” card. By Jeffrey Salkin. 988 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Silk-Oped: Being pro-choice doesn’t necessarily make Biden a bad Catholic
(RNS) — Prudential judgment, the process of determining the best means to achieve the common good, is an idea with magisterial authority in Catholic moral teaching. Catholic politicians from Mario Cuomo to Sen. Tim Kaine have applied it to abortion rights and capital punishment, and it’s a path open to President Joe Biden as well. By Mark Silk. 973 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Goudeau-Oped: How (un)compassionate conservatism failed Texas
(RNS) — As Texas conducts a post-mortem on the Deep Freeze, they should examine the disconnect between the political and moral framework of limited government known as compassionate conservatism and the faith we Texans talk about easily and often. By Jessica Goudeau. 980 words. (category: k)