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Don’t repeat yourself

15 Mar 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday's reading from the Book of Exodus admonishes the people of Israel not to make images for themselves of "anything in the sky above or on the earth below." Monday, before signing an order to lift restrictions on federal funding for research on existing lines of embryonic stem cells, President Obama promised that he would ensure the government never "opens the door" to human cloning. Obama said he was ending what he believed was "a false choice between sound science and moral values," adding that the research shows great potential and that "with proper guidelines and strict oversight, the perils can be avoided." The U.S. Catholic Bishops' Conference criticized the move and the Vatican's L'Osservatore Romano newspaper ran an article on Tuesday reiterating the Catholic Church's position, which holds that embryos must be considered human beings. The article did not directly mention Obama's decision but said that protecting embryos should be "the basis of a real democracy, capable of recognizing the equality of all men and of avoiding any unjust discrimination based on their development or health." The president's support of embryonic stem cell research comes at a time when advances have been made with other sorts of stem cells that may soon overshadow embryonic stem cell research. The Japanese biologist Shinya Yamanaka found in 2007 that adult cells could be reprogrammed to an embryonic state with surprising ease. This technology "may eventually eclipse the embryonic stem cell lines for therapeutic as well as diagnostic applications," a commentator said. For researchers, reprogramming an adult cell can be much more convenient, and there have never been any restrictions on working with adult stem cells. Source: Articles by Nicholas Wade for the New York Times and the Associated Press

barack obama federal funding embryonic stem cells research us catholic bishops' conference l'osservatore romano shinya yamanaka
President works religiously for better constituent relations

15 Jan 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“I come to do your will,” says the psalmist this Sunday in offering to serve the Lord. President Barack Obama this week named an immigration expert with longstanding ties to the Catholic Church as his top domestic advisor and an Orthodox Jew as his new chief of staff. The two will serve in key posts and perhaps be able to improve Obama’s sometimes tense relations with Catholics and Jews, constituencies that are key to his reelection hopes. New top domestic advisor Cecilia Muñoz has for years worked closely with Catholic groups, including the U.S. bishops, on immigration and other issues. She began her career working on immigration policy for the Archdiocese of Chicago. New White House Chief of Staff Jacob Lew is an Orthodox Jew with extensive connections to the American Jewish community and is expected to help Obama build a more friendly rapport with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The administration’s relations with Catholic bishops have been tense at times, principally over abortion rights and conscience protections. Church officials were encouraged by the appointment of Muñoz, who is the daughter of immigrants from Bolivia. In her new post she will supervise the implementation of domestic policy. Before joining the administration she worked at the National Council of La Raza, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights organization. Political observers say that like Catholic voters, who make up nearly one quarter of the electorate, Hispanics will be crucial to Obama’s reelection chances this fall. Source: An article by David Gibson for Religion News Service

united states white house chief of staff jacob lew us catholic bishops conference cecilia muñoz domestic policy barac
No end runs from Congress on Iran nuclear deal, bishops urge

19 Apr 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday’s second reading warns members of the early church to avoid blundering into sin. The top spokesman on international affairs of the U.S. Catholic bishops warned Congress against blundering into delicate negotiations going on between world powers and Iran over that nation’s nuclear ambitions. The bishops support the framework for a final agreement recently announced and “oppose efforts that seek to undermine the negotiation process or make a responsible multi-party agreement more difficult to achieve and implement,” Bishop Oscar Cantu, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace Committee, wrote to House and Senate lawmakers on Monday.Homily hint: Bishops’ statements on anything sexual make the headlines, but when the bishops speak out forcefully for peace and diplomacy, as they have in the case of the Iran negotiations, it is barely noted. Let’s make sure the bishops are heard on this crucial matter affecting world peace. For more on U.S. Catholic bishops’ support of Iran agreement, see: U.S. Catholic bishops back Obama on Iran, warn Congress against meddling

nuclear power iran us catholic bishops bishops on war and peace