Updates

Court takes case on clinic protests

The court on April 22 agreed to consider the claim of the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League and Operation Rescue that activists’ First Amendment rights were violated by the 16-year-old injunction, based on the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations act, known as RICO.

“We are cautiously elated that the court finds this case worthy of review,” said Joseph M. Scheidler, national director of the Pro-Life Action League.

In the abortion clinic protest case, NOW vs. Scheidler, the court will consider only whether the RICO statute and federal extortion law should be applied to clinic protesters.



New welfare rules called ‘unfair’

Proposals to increase work requirements for welfare recipients are “inflexible, impractical and unfair,” said the director of a Catholic Social Services program in testimony to Congress.

Arlene McNamee, executive director of Catholic Social Services in Fall River, Mass., told the Senate Finance Committee April 10 that some of the proposed changes to the federal welfare program would ask more of poor people just entering the work force than is standard business practice. Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, known as TANF, the program that replaced the previous welfare system in 1996, is due to be reauthorized by Congress this year.

News

Cardinals say meeting could cover many topics

U.S. cardinals and bishops’ conference officials said they would seek Vatican support for a stronger and mandatory national policy for handling abuse accusations as they prepared for the April 23-24 summit.

A central issue at the meeting—bringing together eight top Vatican officials, two officers of the bishops’ conference and all but one of the 13 U.S. cardinals—would be how bishops could swiftly and adequately respond to abuse allegations while still respecting the rights of an accused priest, they said.



Death penalty panel recommends 85 changes

After more than two years of hearings and study, Gov. George Ryan’s Commission on Capital Punishment offered 85 recommendations on ways to improve the administration of the death penalty in Illinois.

While the 14-member commission did not call for the abolition of the death penalty, anti-death penalty advocates said the report makes clear just how flawed the system is.



Pope: Holy Land images cry out for peace efforts

Pope John Paul II said the images of destruction in the Holy Land cry out for new efforts at peacemaking by Israelis, Palestinians and the international community.

In an appeal April 21, the pope also urged an end to the armed standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank, and its restoration as a place of prayer.



Welcoming the Holy Family home
Parish asks Mexican artist to create mural for new church

A vivid, symbolic mural depicting the Holy Family by Mexican artist Arnaldo Hernandez makes a statement about the new era into which Holy Family Parish is stepping. Formed from two small ethnic parishes in 1991, the parish was scheduled to close its two former churches and move into a remodeled Protestant church on April 27.



Waukegan pastor gives gift of liver to ailing parishioner
The good news is that the Good News lives.

That’s not just a play on words. Father Gary Graf, pastor of Holy Family Church in Waukegan, is an example of the Good News. Last week, when parishioner Miguel Zavala needed a life-or-death liver transplant, Graf became a “living donor,” giving half of his liver in a risky surgery.



Critics deride Supreme Court ruling on child porn

Church leaders and family advocates criticized the Supreme Court’s decision April 16 to overturn parts of a federal law meant to restrict the computer-generated appearance of minors in sexually explicit situations in films.

“I’m deeply disappointed the high court sided with pedophiles over children,” said an April 16 statement by Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., co-chairman of the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children’s Caucus.



Postal increase to hit periodicals harder than others

When the cost of a first-class postage stamp goes up to 37 cents this summer, the publishers of nonprofit periodicals, including diocesan newspapers, will have to swallow increases of as much as 15 percent to 20 percent.

“This is as big an increase as periodicals have seen in five years,” said Neal Denton, executive director of the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers.



Life becomes a ‘Family Circus’
Bil Keane draws picture of nun, finds success

Not all kids who draw pictures of their teachers get in trouble.

Take Bil Keane, for example.

For more than 40 years, he’s been drawing the cartoon panel, “The Family Circus.” But before he became famous drawing Billy, Dolly, Jeffy, P.J. and their parents, grandparents and household pets, he drew his sixth-grade teacher, Sister Ann, at St. William’s School in Philadelphia.

Statue moves to North Side
The statue of Our Lady of the New Millennium will move to St. Margaret Mary Church, 2324 W. Chase Ave., on April 28 and remain there until early on the morning of May 12.

During the two-week stay, parish organizations and prayer groups will hold special devotions and student groups from the parish school will offer prayers.

An 8 p.m. Mass will be offered each weekday evening, with the exception of May 10. On that night, the Mass will be at 9 p.m. and will be followed by an all-night prayer vigil.

On May 12, the 33-foot stainless steel statue will be moved to St. Lambert Church, 8148 Karlov Ave., Skokie.

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