Denver, Colo., Oct 1, 2015 / 04:46 pm (CNA).- A new billboard linking dating apps with an increase in sexually transmitted disease rates spurred one app – Tinder – to issue a cease and desist order against the group behind it. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which posted the billboard in Los Angeles, said they hoped to raise awareness about increasing STD rates, which have been linked to an increase in dating app use. The billboard featured four silhouettes of men and women with the words “Tinder, Chlamydia; Grindr, Gonorrhea,” and encourages people to get tested. “Mobile dating apps are rapidly altering the sexual landscape by making casual sex as easily available as ordering a pizza,” Whitney Engeran-Cordova, a senior director at the foundation, said in a statement. “In many ways, location-based mobile dating apps are becoming a digital bathhouse for millennials wherein the next sexual encounter can literally just be a few feet away – as well as the next STD,” Engeran-Cordova said. While it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly how many people use Tinder – the company claims 8 billion connections – in the past few years, the app has become one of the most widely-used dating apps. What sets Tinder apart in the online or mobile dating experience is speed and brevity. Based on a photo, first name, and age alone, users decide whether to swipe left (to pass) or right (to like). With GPS tracking, the app also tells users exactly how far away potential matches may be, making life even easier for those just looking for a quick hook-up.   However, Tinder contests that the new billboard unfairly smears the app. “These unprovoked and wholly unsubstantiated accusations are made to irreparably damage Tinder’s reputation in an attempt to encourage others to take an HIV test by your organization,” Tinder attorney Jonathan Reichman said in the letter, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times. But the problem of increased STDs with strong correlations to dating app use isn’t limited to California, and is not wholly unsubstantiated. Throughout the country, health departments are reporting an uptick in sexually transmitted diseases in patients, who are also increasingly reporting that they met their partners through location-based online or mobile dating services. In July 2015, the Rhode Island Department of Health found that rates of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia were at a 10-year high in the state. While health officials did not have firm numbers as to how many of these cases came about because of a dating app, they said they were alarmed at the rate with which infected patients said they met their partners through apps like Tinder. “We do not know how much social media has contributed to the rise in STDs, but we believe it is a contributing factor,” the Rhode Island health department said in a statement to the Globe. A September 2015 report from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment found a 56 percent increase in the number of early syphilis cases during January 1 to July 31 when compared to the same period in 2014. Nearly half of all reported cases – 47 percent – reported that they had used dating apps to find sexual partners. “So the state investigates each new case of syphilis and they ask people, 'who do you think you got this from and where did you meet him or her?' This particular syphilis outbreak, if you want to call it that, or trend, is mostly affecting men,” Dr. Sarah Rowan, Interim Director of HIV and Viral Hepatitis Prevention with Denver Public Health, said in an interview with Colorado Public Radio. “Ninety-eight percent of the cases have occurred in men. So they ask men, 'where do you think that you met your partner?' and about 50 percent say they met them through an internet app – Grindr, SCRUFF, Craigslist – so those may be associated. In some ways, internet apps make it harder to do some contact tracing – so to say, 'well, let me find this person and ask them to get tested and ask their partners as well." New York, Utah and Texas are also among the states reporting increased instances of syphilis and other STDs, with several health experts also linking these increases to dating apps.   Read more

Washington D.C., Oct 1, 2015 / 04:20 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Citing Pope Francis, the U.S. bishops are urging lawmakers act quickly to pass a bill that would reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, whose mandate expired yesterd... Read more

Phoenix, Ariz., Oct 1, 2015 / 03:14 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Calling on all Christian men to take a stand in the Church’s spiritual battle, Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix asked men in his diocese to courageously pursue their vocations as friends, fathers, and spouses. “Men, do not hesitate to engage in the battle that is raging around you,” the Phoenix bishop said in a Sept. 29 exhortation, saying that “this battle is occurring in the Church herself, and the devastation is all too evident.” “Catholic men have not been willing to 'step into the breach' - to fill this gap that lies open and vulnerable to further attack,” he continued. Bishop Olmsted spoke of the ways in which this spiritual battle is developing and how the Church is being attacked. Over the past 15 years, millions have left the faith, baptisms have decreased in both infants and adults, parochial religious education is declining, and fewer sacramental marriages have occurred. In addition, he continued, the parents who promised to raise their children in the faith at baptism have devastatingly fallen short on their pledges, while the Catholics who do remain faithful to the Church's teachings are often timid, practicing their religion in the shadows. “I offer this Exhortation as an encouragement, a challenge, and a calling forth to mission for every willing man,” Bishop Olmsted asserted, saying that this call applies to all men – whether young or old, priests, married or single.   “I urge you to heed Jesus' call and to let him form your mind and heart with the light of the Gospel for the purpose of being sent...I am hereby exhorting you to step into the breach - to do the work of Christ's soldiers in the world today,” he said. Modern complexities have threatened the authentic role of men in today’s world, the bishop said. He pointed to gender ideology as one of the breaches between the natural complementarity of men and women, creating unnecessary division and confusion while blurring the identity of genuine masculinity. “Looking to what the secular world holds up as 'manly' is in fact to look at shadows - or even at outright counterfeits - of masculinity.” In contrast, the bishop pointed to Jesus as the “fullness of masculinity,” saying that Christ displays genuine masculine virtue and strength. Instead of looking at possessions, success, and worldly goods as the definition of manhood, Bishop Olmsted said, men should secure their identities in their Christian beliefs. “Simply put, our identity is caught up in the identity of the eternal Son of God.” The bishop also proposed that every Catholic man invoke the intercession of a patron saint, who can guide their journey through life. He offered examples including St. Joseph, Pope St. John Paul II, Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, and St. Michael the Archangel. To practically live out this Christian manhood, he suggested daily prayer and examination of conscience, Mass as often as possible, scriptural reading, honoring Sundays for rest, frequent confession, and nurturing Catholic brotherhood in friendship. Bishop Olmsted went on to explain how Catholic men should love, saying that “the true love of Christ is centered on willing the good of the other, on pouring oneself out in charity for others.” “Each man is called to commit and give of himself completely,” Bishop Olmsted said, whether through marriage, priesthood, or service towards God. If a man's call is to marriage, then it must emulate Christ's spousal love for the Church - a love so united that it “achieves the infinite and eternal character to which every love aspires.” However, the bishop also noted that marriage holds the epicenter of the modern-day masculine battle, because it requires the virtue of chastity. “Chastity allows us to master and properly live out this calling to be men of authentic communion,” he said, and a man must nurture chastity within the call to marriage by loving his wife as Christ loves the Church. In addition to this definition of masculine love, he described three other outlets for men to love: as a friend, a husband, and a father. The bishop advised every man to evaluate how he loves in each of these relationships. Are his friendships healthy and holy? Does he love his wife with dignity and fullness? Is his fatherhood responsible and faithful? Furthermore, Bishop Olmsted stressed the importance of fatherhood, while cautioning against the modern-day notion of freedom from the commitment of a family.   “To fully live, all men must be fathers and live out their fatherhood” in some way, he said. “If you do not embrace the spousal and fatherly vocation God has planned for you, you will be stuck in the impotence of the 'seed' that refuses to die and refuses to give life. Don't settle for this half-life!” Bishop Olmsted concluded his exhortation in hope all that all men “will take what is helpful in my message, bring it to the Lord in prayer, and go forward confidently in your vocation as men.” “Our life in Christ is not one of 'do's' and 'don'ts' but an adventure of authentic freedom,” he continued, urging Catholic men to “embrace that freedom in order to place your life at the service of Christ, beginning in your home and radiating into the world.” The full text of Bishop Olmsted's letter can be read here.   Read more

Washington D.C., Sep 30, 2015 / 05:13 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The House on Tuesday passed a bill allowing states to withhold Medicaid funds from health care providers that perform abortions. The Women’s Public Health and Safety Act, introduced by... Read more

Philadelphia, Pa., Sep 30, 2015 / 05:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In response to Pope Francis’ ongoing encouragement of marriage, an Ecuadorian lay woman has penned a simple thank you letter that has now gained over 1,500 signatures in the Hispanic co... Read more

New York City, N.Y., Sep 30, 2015 / 03:05 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Students and community members in East Harlem were moved, sometimes to tears, by Pope Francis’ words and example during his visit to the New York neighborhood. “It was mindblowing and at the same time very shocking,”  Aaron Diaz, a third grader from Our Lady, Queen of the Angels School told CNA, “because not many people are able to meet him.” Negueubou Kamwa, a fourth grader at Our Lady, Queen of the Angels, added that the meeting “amazing and it was like a big opportunity and a blessing,” and that the experience was so overwhelming “I started crying all over the place.” “It was just incredible, and I cried.” Pope Francis visited Our Lady, Queen of the Angels on Sept. 25, during the second day of his visit to New York City. While at the school, the Pope met with students from four schools in the neighborhood, as well as with migrants and refugees chosen by Catholic Charities of New York. Diaz explained that out of over 7,000 students in the neighborhood, there were “only six of us and I was chosen.” While the students didn’t have time to talk to Pope Francis, Pope Francis spoke to them – and was very funny, Diaz said. “When we were singing he said ‘are you asleep!? Make it louder!’” Diaz was also excited to receive a picture, and pulled out a his rosary. “He actually blessed it,” he explained, responding when asked if he would pray with it, “yes, I will.”   This 8 y/o had a "mind-blowing" and "shocking" meeting w/ Pope Francis. #PopeinNYC via @AddieDMena pic.twitter.com/WcRrKSjXMS — Matthew Hadro (@matthadro) September 26, 2015 Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, executive director of Catholic Charities of New York, explained to CNA that when planning the event “we wanted to make sure that he reached out and touched the communities of people in the United States,” and could not think of a better community or neighborhood for that goal than East Harlem. The neighborhood, he elaborated “is a community that has welcomed immigrants for many many years.” “The way we planned the event was just to try to get representatives with as many immigrant groups that Catholic Charities is working together so that the Pope could see the breadth of what is going on in New York, the breadth of how Catholic Charities is helping immigrants and refugees.” The meeting also touched Msgr. Sullivan on a personal level as well.  “For me, I just kept looking around the room and seeing it filled with so many different people from so many different countries,” he recalled. “You know, in that room, there were immigrants and refugees from every single continent except Antarctica, because the penguins wouldn’t come,” the monsignor joked.   “It was just the diversity of New York was there, and it was just a magnificent experience.” During the meeting the Pope addressed following one’s dreams, a message which resounded with the experiences of many of the immigrants who came. Odette Manzano, an immigrant herself, was touched by the experience. She was invited by Catholic Charities to come to the event as well as write a letter to Pope Francis, which was compiled into a book that was given to the Pope during the visit. “It was one of a kind and it was one of the best experiences of my life and just hearing himself pronounce himself in Spanish, my native language, it was just amazing.” She also found the Pope’s example even more inspiring in person. “He’s a leader, one of the greatest leaders, and he’s just showing what a leader should do, which is to be humble.”     Read more

Washington D.C., Sep 30, 2015 / 08:47 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Embattled county clerk Kim Davis met with Pope Francis in Washington, D.C. last Thursday, her lawyer has told multiple media outlets. When asked about the meeting, the head of the Holy See press office, Fr Federico Lombardi, said, “I don't deny that the meeting may have taken place but I don't have comments to add.” Robert Moynihan, editor of the publication “Inside the Vatican,” first broke the story about the alleged meeting. According to his account, Pope Francis and Davis met at the Vatican Embassy in D.C. on Thursday afternoon after the Pope’s address to the U.S. Congress. He offered her words of support – “Thank you for your courage” – and told her to “stay strong,” offering rosaries to Davis and her husband. Davis, a clerk for Rowan County, Kentucky, made headlines this past summer for refusing out of conscience to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, after the U.S. Supreme Court in June legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states in its decision, Obergefell v. Hodges. The district court judge ordered that Davis serve jail time for refusing to obey the law, stating that her conscientious objection was not enough for her to lawfully recuse herself from issuing licenses. Davis served five days in jail. According to Moynihan, Vatican sources confirmed the details of the meeting. Davis’ attorney Mathew Staver confirmed to multiple outlets that the meeting occurred and told CBS News that the two promised to pray for each other, and that Pope Francis offered Davis and her husband rosaries. “I can confirm the meeting took place Thursday afternoon in DC,” the Twitter account for Mathew Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel and attorney for Davis, said on Tuesday night. Liberty Counsel released a statement Tuesday evening linking to Moynihan’s report. The rosaries that Pope Francis reportedly presented to Davis and her husband were blessed by the Pope and would be given to Kim’s parents, both of whom are Catholic, the group said. According to the Liberty Counsel statement, Davis responded that she was “humbled” to meet the Pope. “Pope Francis was kind, genuinely caring, and very personable. He even asked me to pray for him. Pope Francis thanked me for my courage and told me to 'stay strong,’” she said, according to the statement. Last Wednesday, Sept. 23, Pope Francis made an unscheduled stop to visit with the Little Sisters of the Poor in Washington, D.C., at their Jeanne Jugan Residence to support the sisters as they await word on whether or not the Supreme Court will hear their case against the federal contraception mandate. The sisters sued the Obama administration over its mandate that employers cover sterilizations, contraceptives, and drugs that can cause abortions in employee health plans. Although revised rules were offered in the manner of an “accommodation,” the sisters still charge that the updated rules would force them to violate their consciences, or endure crippling fines. On the flight back to Rome from the U.S., Pope Francis was asked by ABC’s Terry Moran about his visit to the sisters, along with whether he supported the appeal to religious liberty made by those, including government clerks, who could not obey a law in good conscience. Moran gave the example of “issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.” Pope Francis answered that “I can't have in mind all cases that can exist about conscientious objection. But, yes, I can say conscientious objection is a right that is a part of every human right.” When asked if government officials possessed this right he answered, “It is a human right and if a government official is a human person, he has that right. It is a human right.”   Read more