Al Kresta's Blog, page 351

Vatican says iPhone confession app is 'no substitute' for a priest

House Dems Say They Oppose Hyde Amendment, Support Taxpayer Funding of Abortion

A group of House Democrats -- asked directly if they support the use of federal (taxpayer) funds to pay for abortion -- said yes, they do.

Cartoon of the Day

Today on Kresta in the Afternoon - February 10, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Feb. 10

4:00 – Egypt army poised to take charge, Mubarak to address nation
Egypt's military announced on national television it had stepped in to secure the country and promised protesters calling for President Hosni Mubarak's ouster that all their demands would soon be met. The CIA director James Clapper said Mubarak appeared poised to hand over his powers to his vice president, Omar Suleiman. Meanwhile Director of US National Intelligence James Clapper said this afternoon said the Muslim Brotherhood is a "very heterogeneous group, largely secular, which has eschewed violence and has decried Al Qaeda as a perversion of Islam." Tens of thousands of protesters packed in central Tahrir broke into chants of "We're almost there, we're almost there" and waved V-for-victory signs as thousands more flowed in to join them well after nightfall. Former CIA officer Michael Scheuer joins us.

4:20 – Sarah Palin Supports the Inclusion of GOProud, A Conservative Gay Rights Group, at CPAC – Other Conservative Groups Boycott
Some conservatives who are already upset that this week's Conservative Political Action Conference (C-PAC) will include a right-leaning organization that promotes gay rights grew even more concerned this weekend when Sarah Palin said that she, too, supports the group. Meanwhile organizations like the Family Research Council, American Principals Project, and Liberty Council have pulled out of the CPAC conference over the inclusion of GOProud. Stephen Mansfield , author of The Faith and Values of Sarah Palin joins us to analyze.

5:00 – Ave Maria University Names New President and CEO
Ave Maria University announced today that Jim Towey will be the new President and CEO. His duties will begin July 1, 2011. Current President Nick Healy will serve as President Emeritus. Current CEO and Chancellor Thomas Monaghan will retain his role as Chancellor. Jim Towey served as Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and as Assistant to President George W. Bush from 2002 to May 2006. He served as president of Saint Vincent College, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania from 2006 until stepping down on June 30, 2010. Thomas Monaghan and Michael Timmis join us in their exclusive first interview.

5:20 – The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II -- The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy
"As March gave way to April in the spring of 2005 and the world kept vigil outside the apostolic palace in Rome, the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, then drawing to a poignant end, was already being described as one of the most consequential in two millennia of Christian history." With these words, world-renowned author George Weigel begins his long-awaited sequel to the international bestseller Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II. More than ten years in the making, The End and the Beginning: Pope John Paul II—The Victory of Freedom, the Last Years, the Legacy tells the dramatic story of the Pope's battle with communism in light of new and recently disclosed information and brings to a close Weigel's landmark portrait of a man who not only left an indelible mark on the Catholic Church, but also changed the course of world history. With the recent news of the beatification of John Paul II, George is here to discuss the book again and talk about a pilgrimage he will be participating in for the beatification.

5:40 – Pilgrimage for the Beatification of Pope John Paul the Great
More than two million pilgrims are expected to throng the streets of Rome for the beatification ceremony of John Paul II on May 1, leaving travel agencies desperate for accommodation and hotel prices soaring. Hotels and city authorities are bracing themselves for crowds as big as the ones that descended on the Vatican when John Paul II died on April 2, 2005, after a pontificate that spanned a quarter century. You can't buy a hotel room anywhere near Rome and airfares have gone through the roof. But Steve Ray is here to tell you about a pilgrimage that was set up before the hotels booked up and before the airfares went skyward.

BREAKING NEWS: Ave Maria University Names New President and CEO

Ave Maria University is announcing today that Jim Towey will be the new President and CEO. His duties will begin July 1, 2011. The press conference will be held at 10:30 a.m.

Current President Nick Healy will serve as President Emeritus.

Current CEO and Chancellor Thomas Monaghan will retain his role as Chancellor.

Jim Towey Jim Towey served as Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and as Assistant to President George W. Bush from 2002 to May 2006. He served as president of Saint Vincent College, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania from 2006 until stepping down on June 30, 2010.

Major accomplishments during the years of his presidency at St. Vincent College include record levels of applications, enrollment as well as new pledge commitments; three consecutive budget surpluses; and the initiation of the most expensive construction and renovation project in the college's history. Towey has made a priority of recruiting minority and international students. He also created a new Office of Service Learning to provide opportunities for hundreds of Saint Vincent students to experience serving those in need. Towey also presided over as somewhat controversial reaccreditation of the college by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in 2007.

In his role of Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, he was recognized by President George W. Bush for his work to improve the lives of those in need. Because of his work with the poor and infirm, consistent with his conscience and the dictates of his faith in the face of legal and public challenges, the Cuban Association of the Order of Malta has awarded Towey the 2009 Tuitio Fidei Award.

At the White House, Towey served as a member of President George W. Bush's senior staff and reported directly to him on church-state and religious liberty issues, policies promoting tax incentives for enhanced charitable giving, and the implementation of individual choice in drug treatment, mentoring, housing and other federal programs.

Statements from Towey, Monaghan, and Healy will be forthcoming.

"Kresta in the Afternoon" will have the first exclusive interview with Thomas Monaghan and Michael Timmis, President of the Board of Trustees this afternoon at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

UPDATE:

Jim Towey:
"It is a new day at Ave Maria and I am excited about its future. The start up phase is over, a strong foundation is now in place, and now we must go about the difficult work of building the best Catholic liberal arts university in America.  We will attract more of the best students available, continue to recruit and retain the very finest professors, and secure the financial resources necessary to fulfill the University's potential.    Tom Monaghan has devoted all of his wealth and energy to get us to this point and now it is time for the rest of us to ask what we can do to help Ave Maria transition to self-sufficiency and new excellence."
Thomas Monaghan:"This decision was a result of ongoing discussions that I've had with the board throughout the last couple of years in terms of developing and implementing a succession plan. This new structure will enable me to spend more time working with university supporters both locally and nationally. It will also free me up to do more public speaking to promote awareness of AMU among high school students and potential benefactors. I'll also be able to work on some special projects and a book I have wanted to write for some time.
"I have known Jim for more than 10 years and am very excited about the new stage of growth and development that AMU has to look forward to under his leadership. He is a man of high moral character and professional competence."
Michael Timmis:"This is a huge win for Ave Maria University. We retain the vision and experience of our pioneers, while seamlessly handing over the reins to the next generation of leadership.  It is the belief of the Trustees that Jim Towey is the most desirable Catholic university president in America today.  And I am thrilled to announce that he is going to be our President."
Nicholas Healy:
"It has been a singular honor to be the first president of Ave Maria University, and to work closely with a man of Tom Monaghan's extraordinary integrity and commitment to Catholic higher education.  The honor is enhanced by being succeeded by someone of Jim Towey's stature, experience and devotion to the Blessed Mother."

Permanent Ban on Abortion Funding Long Overdue, Says USCCB in House Testimony

A permanent ban on abortion funding is long overdue, which is why the U.S. bishops support the No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act (H.R. 3), said a representative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in February 8 testimony to the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the House Judiciary Committee.

"H.R. 3 will write into permanent law a policy on which there has been strong popular and congressional agreement for over 35 years: The federal government should not use tax dollars to support or promote elective abortion," said Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). "Since 1976 this principle has been embodied in the Hyde amendment to annual appropriations bills funding the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and in numerous similar provisions governing a wide range of domestic and foreign programs. It has consistently had the support of the American people."

Doerflinger noted that support for the Hyde amendment is so broad that many have assumed it is already a permanent part of federal law when it is actually a rider on the annual Labor/HHS appropriations bill, applying only to funds under that act.

Doerflinger also highlighted the need for more secure protection for the conscience rights of health care providers who do not participate in abortion, citing the substantial role of Catholic hospitals in providing health care in the United States.

"If Congress wants to expand rather than eliminate access to life-saving health care, particularly for the poor and underserved, it should be concerned about any effort to attack the rights of these providers and undermine their continued ability to serve the common good," said Doerflinger.

The full testimony can be found here.

Pope urges priests to be consistent with what they preach

Planned Parenthood Video Investigation Featured on CBS Evening News

This is an AMAZINGLY accurate, unvarnished, honest, possibly even sympathetic piece that CBS Evening News did on Lila Rose and Live Action Films' undercover investigations.