AFRICAN BISHOPS ISSUE UNIFIED RESPONSE TO VATICAN;‘DEI’ DIRECTOR LOSES POSITION AT CATHOLIC SCHOOL;MASSIVE RISE IN ‘GENDER DYSPHORIA’;ADMIN TRAINED TEACHERS TO CENSOR CONSERVATIVE MEDIA

 

FRIDAY, JANUARY 12 AFRICAN BISHOPS ISSUE UNIFIED RESPONSE TO VATICAN  In a unified statement, the Catholic bishops throughout Africa responded to the Vatican document that opened the door to blessings for “same-sex couples” by stating there will be no such blessings under their leadership. They “believe that the extra-liturgical blessings proposed in the Declaration Fiducia supplicans cannot be carried out in Africa without exposing themselves to scandals,” the bishops wrote.  READ ‘DEI’ DIRECTOR LOSES POSITION AT CATHOLIC SCHOOL  A local Democratic Party activist has been dismissed as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) director at a Catholic high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Tim Marroquín “led a ‘DEI’ work group at Catholic Central High School that included 14 school teachers.”  READ MASSIVE RISE IN ‘GENDER DYSPHORIA’  Diagnoses of “gender dysphoria” rose in every state except one over the last several years, according to new data. Virginia saw the steepest rise in gender dysphoria diagnoses at 274%. Indiana was next with a 247% rise, and Utah was third at 193%.  READ ADMIN TRAINED TEACHERS TO CENSOR CONSERVATIVE MEDIA  The Biden administration reportedly worked with a German government agency to train hundreds of American school teachers to turn their students against conservative media. “One would think that the United States Embassy to Germany would be focused on advancing the interests of the United States in Germany,” wrote Tim Kilcullen. “Under the Biden administration, though, it was the reverse.”  READ ADMIN TARGETS FAITH-BASED FOSTER CARE PROVIDERS  Six Republican senators penned a Thursday letter to the Biden Health and Human Services Department against a proposed rule that seeks to force potential foster parents to comply with the LGBTQ movement. “This is not just an attack on Christians, but on the children themselves,” CatholicVote Director of Governmental Affairs Tom McClusky wrote of the pending rule.  READ SENATOR WHO ACCUSED JUSTICE THOMAS USED OFFICE TO BENEFIT WIFE Sen. Tim Kaine, D-VA, reportedly used his office to benefit his wife’s career on multiple occasions. The revelation comes after Kaine accused Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of doing the same. READ MILITARY SEEING DRASTICALLY FEWER WHITE RECRUITS  Steve Beynon of Military.com on Wednesday reported that a “total of 44,042 new Army recruits were categorized by the service as white in 2018, but that number has fallen consistently each year to a low of 25,070 in 2023.” Beynon pointed out that the percentage of white recruits fell by 6% from 2022 to 2023 alone, “the most significant drop” in the last five years.  READ WHAT IS A MAN?  We’ve all heard of the “feminine genius,” but what about the “masculine genius?” Catholic psychologist Dr. Greg Bottaro shares the fascinating neuroscience behind male and female complementarity.  LISTEN BISHOP BARRON CONDEMNS SURROGACY  Days after Pope Francis called for a universal ban on surrogacy, Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota supported the pope’s condemnation of the practice, emphasizing that “surrogacy always does grave injustice” to all involved.  READ IRISH MEDICAL AUTHORITY DELETES BAN ON KILLING  The Irish Medical Council has stripped a prohibition against the “deliberate killing” of patients from the most recent update to its national medical guide. The Council’s conduct guide previously directed that doctors may “not participate in the deliberate killing of a patient by active means.”  READ NEW YEAR, NEW YOU?  Partway through January, you may be successfully implementing your resolutions, failing at them, or still having trouble deciding what resolutions to adopt. Once the “Happy New Year” high is over, it becomes easy to lose motivation and ultimately “let this year go.” But if we re-root our goals with sainthood in mind rather than “Year 2024,” a much stronger motivation opens itself to us.  READ CATHOLIC 101  The Galileo affair is still one of the most cited historical incidents critics use to "prove" that the Catholic Church is anti-science. Know your facts and fight the lie! Dinesh D'Souza debunks eight false claims about Galileo and his times.  READ SAINT OF THE DAY  St. Marguerite Bourgeoys was born one of 13 children in the province of Champagne in France. She felt called to religious life but was rejected by religious communities. Eventually, she moved to Canada and started a school in what would eventually become the city of Montreal. She began her mission in a stable, teaching children. Eventually, the small group of women she gathered around her became known as the “Congregation of Notre Dame de Montreal.”  READ DAILY PSALM  “For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.” (Psalm 89:2)  READ DAILY READINGS  Today's Mass readings  READ TRUTH  Here are ten magnificent historical libraries that you can still visit today.  WATCH Paid for by CatholicVote Civic Action, a 501(c)(4) organization. CATHOLICVOTE  |  PO Box 3310  |  Carmel, IN 46082  |  (317) 669-6127