The leaders of the world's nations are scheduled to begin meeting on Sunday in Glasgow, Scotland for the 26th "Conference of the Parties" (COP26) to address climate change and to discuss commitments they made during the 2015 Paris meeting that resulted in the now familiar "Paris Accord." Organizers are hoping during the two week meeting that the participating countries will make renewed commitments to reducing their reliance on fossil fuels for energy generation in order to reduce CO2 emissions and prevent further global temperature increases. Experts have warned that burning fossil fuels has increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which has led to higher global temperatures, heat waves, more intense storms with increased humidity and rainfall, wildfires, and sea level rise from melting ice packs. Pope Francis joined other faith leaders in offering prayers for efforts to care for the earth, stating that "[t]his is a crucial moment. Our children's future and the future of our common home depend upon it." For more information about the conference, click here.
This week, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt joined 11 other attorneys general in filing suit against the Biden administration, seeking to restore a ban on abortion referrals by family planning clinics participating in the Title X program. The rules, passed during the Trump administration, required federally funded family planning clinics to be physically and financially separated from abortion facilities and prohibited such clinics from referring patients for abortions. Stating that his office had "vehemently defended" Missouri's law that prevents abortions based solely on a Down syndrome diagnosis, Attorney General Schmitt stated that his office would "continue to fight to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not spent on abortions and to defend the sanctity of life." Groups representing the family planning clinics said they hoped the reversal could lead to the return of 1,300 facilities to the Title X program. The other states joining the legal challenge are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and West Virginia.
The U.S. Supreme Court last week declined for the second time to block the Texas heartbeat bill, but agreed to hear arguments on the Texas law on November 1st. The court will not decide the merits of the law, but will consider whether the federal government has the right to sue Texas to block the law. Last month, the Department of Justice brought suit, seeking to block state officials and private individuals from implementing or enforcing the law. The Texas law requires doctors to check for a fetal heartbeat before performing an abortion and prohibits most abortions if a heartbeat is found, which usually occurs around six weeks.
Last week, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee released the text of several spending bills which exclude longstanding and bipartisan provisions, such as the Hyde and Weldon Amendments, that prohibit taxpayer funding of abortion. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee for Religious Liberty, and Archbishop Joseph Naumann, chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued a statement criticizing the move, calling it a "radical departure from the will of the American people and the principle of justice for all." While the bishops recognized that the spending bills included many provisions to help the vulnerable, they stated that such support "must also extend to our vulnerable brothers and sisters in the womb."
The full statement, along with the bishops' past statements on pro-life protections in appropriations bills, can be found on the USCCB website.
All Saints' Day is a solemn holy day of the Catholic Church celebrated annually on November 1. The day is dedicated to the saints of the Church, that is, all those who have attained heaven. These saints, though not necessarily canonized, offer us models of abiding faith and love of God and neighbor. Generally, All Saints' Day is a Catholic Holy Day of Obligation, meaning all Catholics are required to attend mass on that day, However, if November 1 falls on a Monday or a Saturday, the obligation to attend Mass is not required.
The Church teaches that by imitating the virtues lived by the saints, the saints bring us closer to Christ. When we ask the saints to pray for us, we ask them to join their wills with the will of God and intercede for us here on earth. This is the Communion of Saints which we profess every Sunday in the Creed.
Did you know there is a saint buried in Missouri? St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, who was canonized in 1988 by Pope John Paul II, is buried in St. Charles. She founded the first free school for girls west of the Mississippi and taught and served Native Americans. For more information about visiting her shrine, click here. To hear more about her story and the history of the Church in Missouri, click here to listen to the MCC from the Capitol podcast: 300-Year-Old Church in a 200-Year-Old State.
As part of MCC's 2021 Virtual Annual Assembly, a new episode of MCC from the Capitol highlights the history of the Church in Missouri. Catholics and the Catholic Church have been present in the Midwest since before Missouri was officially recognized as a state. History records that the Church in Europe sent priests and religious to the New World as missionaries to bring the faith to native peoples and to establish schools and parishes for Catholic settlers. Monsignor Robert Kurwicki of the Diocese of Jefferson City, who currently serves as Chaplain to the Missouri House of Representatives in Jefferson City, joins the podcast to discuss the rich and interesting history of the Catholic Church in Missouri. Click here to listen to this episode!
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