U.S.

Catholic groups applaud enhanced Child Tax Credit in framework tax deal

WASHINGTON — The chief congressional tax writers announced Jan. 16 a framework for a bipartisan, bicameral deal that would enhance the Child Tax Credit, a provision some Catholic organizations have long sought as a pro-family and anti-poverty effort. The framework for an agreement between House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., and Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., also includes provisions to increase the low-income housing tax credit, another effort sought by Catholic groups. Wyden said in a statement that 15 million children “from low-income families will be better off as a result of this plan, and given today’s miserable political climate, it’s a big deal to have this opportunity to pass pro-family policy that helps so many kids get ahead.” It was not immediately clear what the legislative vehicle for the tax deal may be, or if it could earn enough support from both chambers to reach the president’s desk. But Catholic advocates of the Child Tax Credit applauded the inclusion of an enhanced credit in the deal. (OSV News)

New US bishops’ report identifies 5 top areas of religious liberty concerns

WASHINGTON — The first U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ annual report, “State of Religious Liberty in the United States,” published Jan. 16 said potential threats to religious liberty in the United States largely come in the form of federal regulations or cultural trends. Five top areas of concern, the 48-page report said, include attacks against houses of worship, especially in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas conflict; the Section 1557 regulation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which the report said “will likely impose a mandate on doctors to perform gender transition procedures and possibly abortions”; threats to religious charities serving migrants and refugees, “which will likely increase as the issue of immigration gains prominence in the election”; suppression of religious speech “on marriage and sexual difference”; and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Pregnant Workers Fairness Act regulations, which the report said “aim to require religious employers to be complicit in abortion in an unprecedented way.” The report’s introduction said that due to a divided federal government, “most introduced bills that threatened religious liberty languished,” resulting in threats in the form of “proposed regulations by federal agencies,” or cultural trends like growing partisanship over migration. (OSV News)

Advocates: McCarrick trial dead-end a double blow to clergy abuse victims

MILWAUKEE — With a Wisconsin judge suspending his last remaining criminal trial for sexual abuse, former cardinal Theodore McCarrick has been granted a legal reprieve — but clergy abuse survivors said the decision is a kind of “re-sentencing” for them and many fellow victims. The Jan. 10 order in Wisconsin, made in response to claims of mental competence, follows a dismissal of all criminal charges against McCarrick in Massachusetts in August 2023, when the former cleric also was deemed no longer mentally competent. Victim responses to the news can range from simply feeling “let down” to “a kick in the guts,” said Stephen de Weger, a researcher on clerical sexual misconduct who is on the faculty of Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. Peter Isely, a survivor and founder of Ending Clergy Abuse, described the decision as a double blow, but said “survivors cannot give up on justice.” Sara Larson, executive director of the independent nonprofit Awake Milwaukee, which works to raise awareness of and heal sexual abuse in both the Milwaukee Archdiocese and the Catholic Church, said the decision was “a painful reminder of the long delay in accountability for a man whose crimes were known for decades.” (OSV News)

WORLD

Bishop Rolando Álvarez released, exiled from Nicaragua

MEXICO CITY — Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa has been released from prison and sent into exile along with 18 imprisoned Churchmen as the Nicaraguan government expelled its most prominent critic, whose presence behind bars bore witness to the Sandinista regime descent into totalitarianism, along with its unrelenting persecution of the Catholic Church. Vatican News confirmed Jan. 14 at 10:41 p.m. Rome time that with the exception of one priest who remained in Venezuela, all released priests, including Bishop Álvarez and Bishop Isidoro Mora of Siuna, have arrived in Rome “in the last few hours” and are “guests of the Holy See.” Nicaraguan independent media 100% Noticias posted a photograph on X, formerly Twitter, of the two freed bishops concelebrating Mass in Rome. Independent Nicaraguan media reported Jan. 14 that the Churchmen had departed Nicaragua on a flight for Rome after the government reached an agreement with the Vatican for their release and exile. Auxiliary Bishop Silvio José Báez of Managua — who left the country in 2019 — also confirmed the news at his weekly Mass in Miami. (OSV News)

Canopy over main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica to undergo restoration

VATICAN CITY — The nearly 400-year-old sculpted canopy towering over the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica will be surrounded by scaffolding for most of 2024 as it is washed, repaired and restored. Standing over 30 feet tall, the baldachin, designed by Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini, has stood over the tomb of St. Peter since 1634. And for all that time it has gathered dust, cracks and rust despite regular cleanings. As a result, “we can’t not intervene” to restore the structure, said Alberto Capitanucci, the head engineer of the Fabbrica di San Pietro — the office responsible for upkeep of the basilica. Speaking at a news conference announcing the Vatican’s restoration plans Jan. 11, Capitanucci said the procedure will follow that of the baldachin’s last recorded restoration in 1758, only using an independent scaffolding structure that was not previously possible to build. The restoration process will begin after Feb. 12 and the scaffolding, which will allow for direct restoration work, will be installed around the baldachin before Holy Week, Capitanucci said. The entire restoration process is expected to last about 10 months and papal liturgical ceremonies will continue to take place at the altar. (CNS)

Carpenters hail end of Notre Dame roof reconstruction

PARIS — In a historic year for Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, which the French capital and the whole world will see reopen Dec. 8, milestones will be reported on regularly, but this one made Parisians drop a tear or two — the reconstruction of the roof structure is now completed. On Jan. 12, in the freezing cold, a traditional bouquet of flowers was placed on top of the wooden structure of the cathedral apse. The last rafter had been placed under the snow, three days earlier. Notre Dame Cathedral was ravaged by a devastating fire in 2019 that sent its spire crumbling down, and restoration works continue. Julien Mulvet, was in charge of the rooftop project at the cathedral. He is the one who placed the yellow mimosas bouquet at the top, along with his young apprentice, 19-year-old Leonard Laforest. (OSV News)