Court Denies Archdiocese’s Request For Relief From HHS Mandate

BY MATTHEW GAMBINO UPDATE – The Archdiocese of Philadelphia lost its bid to block regulations of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) June 26, but a new ruling will prevent the church from paying fines of $160,000 a day for noncompliance. Judge Ronald Buckwalter of the United States Eastern District Court refused to grant the injunction that the archdiocese and its Catholic Charities agencies had sought earlier this month against the so-called HHS mandate, a set of regulations by the Department of Health and Human Services that would force some religious employers to provide employees with access to contraceptives, abortifacients and other services that violate Catholic beliefs.

Breaking: Supreme Court unanimously strikes down Massachusetts abortion buffer zone law

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Supreme Court has unanimously struck down a Massachusetts law establishing a buffer zone around abortion facilities. The justices’ 9-0 ruling in McCullen v. Coakley reverses the First Circuit Court of Appeals decision upholding the law, which barred sidewalk counselors from setting foot within 35 feet of abortion facilities statewide. SCOTUSblog reports, “The opinion appears to be mainly focused on the fact that the buffer zone includes public ways and sidewalks.” “In a brazen affront to the First Amendment, Massachusetts government officials had sought to use the threat of arrest and criminal conviction to silence those offering women life-affirming alternatives to abortion,” said Dr. Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life. “The Supreme Court…Continue Reading

An estimated 5,000 gather for March for Marriage in Washington

Rita Alderete is single, but she values the idea of marriage being a relationship between one man and one woman. That’s why the young, diminutive pastor of the Kingdom Tabernacle of Worship church in Paterson, New Jersey, stood under overcast skies in hot, humid weather Thursday, preparing to “March for Marriage,” a now-annual rally sponsored by the National Organization for Marriage and other groups. “We’re proclaiming Jesus and offering a choice of changing your life and experiencing what God can do,” she said. The estimated 5,000 people present was small compared to the hundreds of thousands who braved the bitter cold of January earlier this year to participate in the annual anti-abortion March for Life.

Catholic Parents Clash Over Common Core

Jun. 18, 2014 9:00pm Fred Lucas Parents of Catholic children in the Milwaukee are at a face off with the Milwaukee archbishop over implementing Common Core standards in Catholic schools, a sign that the controversial standards are not limited to public schools. In this Jan. 4, 2011 file photo Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki answers questions in St. Francis, Wis., after announcing the archdiocese would file for bankruptcy. Listecki said Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014, that the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has proposed setting aside $4 million to compensate the victims of clergy sexual abuse in its bankruptcy reorganization plan. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File) A letter, from Milwaukee Catholic Parents Against Common Core, this week demonstrated the parents are not backing away to…Continue Reading

His School Wouldn’t Let Him Speak About Christianity. He Did It Anyway.