U.S.

FDA approves first over-the-counter birth control pill

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on July 13 announced it approved the sale of a birth control pill without a prescription for the first time in the United States, a move that will increase the availability of oral contraception and impact ongoing debates about abortion policy post-Roe. While some have called for expanded access to contraception in the wake of the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade last year, others have argued that their misuse without medical supervision could cause more unintended pregnancies. In a guide about the Church’s teaching on issues including contraception, the National Catholic Bioethics Center describes contraception as “any action that is specifically intended, whether as an end or as a means, to prevent procreation either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse.” Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, said in a statement that the oral contraceptive announcement “flies in the face of responsible medical practice and concerns for women’s health.” (OSV News)

Allegations Chicago police sexually abused migrants ‘disturb’ advocates

CHICAGO — A Catholic immigration advocate group told OSV News it is “disturbed by allegations of migrant abuse by law enforcement in Chicago.” The Chicago Police Department acknowledged July 6 that an internal investigation is underway regarding claims one or more officers from the city’s 10th District (Ogden) had sexual relations with migrants temporarily being housed in the station. The admission followed a complaint received earlier that day by the city’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability. No details about the migrants — including their ages and genders — or the police officers allegedly involved in the matter have yet been released. For several weeks, migrants bused to Chicago from the U.S.-Mexico border have sought shelter in police stations, as the city has struggled to find housing for them. Anna Marie Gallagher, executive director of CLINIC (the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.) based in Silver Spring, Maryland, said that “sadly, we know all too well the dangers that vulnerable individuals face when seeking refuge in the United States.” Gallagher added, “Catholic social teaching reminds us that every life is deserving of dignity and respec.t” (OSV News)

Diocese of Ogdensburg, N.Y., files for bankruptcy

OGDENSBURG, N.Y. — The Diocese of Ogdensburg filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy July 17, making it the sixth of the state’s eight dioceses to do so in response to a wave of sexual abuse lawsuits. The “difficult and painful” decision — taken after “extensive prayer and consultation” — was necessary to satisfy a new wave of lawsuits permitted by New York’s Child Victims Act, said Bishop Terry R. LaValley in a video message posted to the diocesan website. With the CVA opening a two-year window to permit hundreds of previously time-barred claims, the diocese has faced 138 lawsuits, with only 14 settled or dismissed to date, said the bishop. Litigation costs for the remainder were projected to exceed several million dollars, said the diocese, which assured faithful that schools, ministries, staff and pensions would remain intact. However, parishes and schools — though separately incorporated — will likely be asked to contribute funds to settle claims, as several have been named in the lawsuits, said the diocese. “I again apologize for the suffering caused by child sexual abuse by priests and other church personnel. I am sorry for the suffering endured by survivors and their families,” said Bishop LaValley in a July 17 letter to diocesan faithful, reiterating the Church’s commitment to “a safe environment in our Church for all, especially our children and young people.” (OSV News)

Pope names four new auxiliary bishops for Los Angeles Archdiocese

WASHINGTON — Pope Francis has named four priests in the Los Angeles Archdiocese as auxiliary bishops of the archdiocese: Msgr. Albert M. Bahhuth, Capuchin Franciscan Father Matthew Elshoff, Father Brian Nunes and Father Slawomir S. Szkredka. Bishop-designate Bahhuth, a priest of the archdiocese, is currently pastor of Holy Family Church in Pasadena, California. Bishop-designate Elshoff, a member of his religious order’s Our Lady of Angels Province, is currently pastor of St. Lawrence of Brindisi Church in the Watts area of South Los Angeles. Bishop-designate Nunes, a priest of the archdiocese, is currently vicar general and moderator of the curia for the archdiocese. Bishop-designate Szkredka, also an LA archdiocesan priest, is currently a professor of biblical studies and coordinator of human formation at St. John Seminary in Camarillo, California. Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez will ordain the newly named bishops Sept. 26 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. The appointments were publicized in Washington July 18 by Cardinal-designate Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States. (OSV News)

WORLD

Pope rectifies irregular transfer in China; cardinal calls for more dialogue

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has rectified an irregularly appointed bishop in China for the “greater good of the diocese,” said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state. “The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Joseph Shen Bin as bishop of Shanghai transferring him from the Diocese of Haimen,” the Vatican announced July 15. Bishop Shen, 53, had been appointed to the Diocese of Haimen in 2010 “with the consent of the two parties,” that is, China and the Holy See, the announcement said. However, he had been transferred to the Diocese of Shanghai by Chinese authorities in April without Vatican agreement and in disregard for a joint agreement between the Vatican and government of China. Cardinal Parolin told Vatican Media July 15 that Pope Francis “decided nevertheless to rectify the canonical irregularity created in Shanghai, in view of the greater good of the diocese and the fruitful exercise of the bishop’s pastoral ministry.” (CNS)

Iraq president revokes decree that formally recognized Cardinal Sako as country’s Chaldean patriarch

AMMAN, Jordan — Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic Cardinal Louis Sako has left his patriarchal residence in the capital, Baghdad, relocating to a monastery in the northern Kurdistan region after the president of Iraq recently revoked a decree that formally recognized him as Chaldean patriarch in the country. The move by Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid July 3 is seen as a usurpation of the clergyman’s position as the officially recognized head of Iraq’s Catholic Chaldean Church and his position and powers to administer the Chaldean religious endowment. The action has revoked a special presidential decree of 2013 by Rashid’s predecessor that granted this authority to Cardinal Sako. Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda explained in a statement made available to OSV News that the rationale behind the move may have resulted from requests for a similar decree from the patriarch of the Assyrian Church and the patriarch of the Old Assyrian Church, which the president denied. (OSV News)