New Haven, Conn., Jul 27, 2015 / 08:04 pm (CNA).- As Christians continue to face unprecedented persecution – especially in the Middle East – the Knights of Columbus have announced a new campaign to send humanitarian aid and raise awareness ... Read more

Washington D.C., Jul 27, 2015 / 05:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Boy Scouts of America is moving to change its leadership standards in order to allow openly homosexual adult leaders and volunteers. While the organization promises that individual church-affiliated councils can choose their own leaders, at least one critic warns the move will expose churches to further pressure. “This change allows Scouting’s members and parents to select local units, chartered to organizations with similar beliefs, that best meet the needs of their families,” the Boy Scouts of America said July 13. “This change would also respect the right of religious chartered organizations to continue to choose adult leaders whose beliefs are consistent with their own.” The proposal drew criticism from Richard John Matthews, former general counsel for the Boy Scouts of America, who now serves as general counsel for Trail Life USA, an alternative scouting organization formed after previous policy changes. In a July 22 memorandum, Matthews said the policy change means it is “only a matter of time” until the Boy Scouts of America incorporate LGBT teachings into its programs and merit badge instructional material that deal with family life, relationships, and sex education. The change also creates “numerous legal ramifications” for the Boy Scouts of America and religious organizations that charter local troops, he said. “The church-chartered troop will likely be sued the moment it tries to revoke the membership of the homosexual member who wears his uniform to the Gay Pride Parade, revokes or denies membership to an adult who publicly gets married to someone of the same sex, or denies membership to the girl who believes she is actually a male,” said Matthews. According to the text of the Boy Scouts of America's July 13 executive committee resolution, no adult employee applicants or non-unit-serving volunteer who otherwise meets the organization’s requirements “may be denied registration on the basis of sexual orientation.” The resolution says sexual relations between adults should be “moral, honorable, committed and respectful.” It says it recognizes the right for each chartering organization to select its leaders, and bars local councils from denying a charter to a unit that is following its religious beliefs. The scouting group’s National Executive Board met July 27 and was expected to ratify the resolution. In a July 8 memo, the Boy Scouts of America said its policy barring adult homosexuals from leadership is “no longer legally defensible.” It warned of staggering costs of litigation, the threat of overly-broad court decisions, an increase in anti-discrimination laws and policies, and the federal government’s “use of executive power to deter private action.” The U.S. Supreme Court’s gay marriage decision will accelerate these trends, the memo said. “Several conservative states have retreated from religious freedom legislation – most recently Indiana  and Arkansas – due to the business community wanting to avoid appearing anti-gay,” the Boy Scouts' memo noted. The scouting organization no longer holds the position that homosexuality is “immoral and unclean,” a position the organization successfully defended before the Supreme Court in a 2000 lawsuit that sought to force the organization to change its moral standards. Many local councils, leaders, and supporters now openly disagree with the leadership standard barring active homosexuals from leadership, the Boy Scouts of America noted. The organization promised to “steadfastly defend the right of religious chartered organizations to select leaders whose beliefs are consistent with those of the religious organization.” It advocated moving towards a policy that “accepts and respects different perspectives and beliefs.” The Boy Scouts of America referred to a memo from the Hughes, Hubbard & Reed law firm that said Boy Scout units which are not chartered by religious organizations could not exclude homosexuals from leadership. The memo said religious-sponsored Boy Scout groups could face the risk of a lawsuit from a homosexual activist seeking admission, but that any lawsuit challenging a religiously-chartered scouting unit would be “unlikely to succeed or even make much progress” due to existing religious freedom protections, such as a 2012 Supreme Court decision which recognized constitutional protections for religious organizations to choose their own leaders. The memo also predicted a low likelihood of success for a lawsuit seeking to force the Boy Scouts of America to end a relationship with a religiously-chartered organization because it does not include homosexual adults. The memo said the Boy Scouts of America would “not seek to exert pressure on any religious chartered organization” but would “help safeguard the religious chartered organizations by defending their protected expression and religious liberties.” Matthews, however, predicted the policy change will cause problems for churches that do not condone homosexual acts. “Even if you believe the BSA’s statement that it will bear the costs of defense, the disruption of having to deal with the litigation process, the adverse publicity and the likely intimidation of donors and church members will likely be detrimental to the overall mission of churches and religious organizations,” he said. Religious-chartered organizations will be vulnerable to legal challenges under state laws governing public accommodations, he added.   “Granting the use of facilities to the BSA – with its acceptance of homosexuality – by religious organizations could result in the loss of their legal protection to deny facility use to other ‘gay-friendly’ or homosexual advocacy groups.” A church-chartered council will still be under the guidance of local, state, and national Boy Scout groups that now allow homosexuals in leadership positions, Matthews said. “It is difficult to see how a court will uphold a religious organization’s claim that allowing homosexual adult leaders violates its religious beliefs, when that same religious organization is sending its unit to activities, events and facilities under the leadership of homosexuals,” he said. Matthews argued the Hughes, Hubbard & Reed memo was incorrect to hold that Supreme Court decision that allows religious schools to set moral and religious standards for teachers will apply to scout leaders. Scout leaders are “rarely involved in ministerial activities or religious instruction.” They teach camping and other outdoor skills, not religion, he said. The Boy Scouts of America has faced significant corporate and political pressure to change its moral teachings and its membership policies. The organization announced it would allow openly homosexual members, but not leaders, in May 2013. CNA contacted the National Catholic Committee on Scouting for comment, but did not receive a response by deadline. Read more

Washington D.C., Jul 26, 2015 / 04:03 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Women from a poor demographic have become an increasing interest in the multi-billion dollar surrogate industry, with most mothers being forced or coerced into volunteering as a surrogate. &nb... Read more

Washington D.C., Jul 25, 2015 / 11:25 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal William W. Baum, a past Archbishop of Washington and the longest-serving American cardinal, died on Thursday at the age of 88. His death prompted outpourings of thanksgiving for his li... Read more

Washington D.C., Jul 25, 2015 / 06:37 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Human trafficking. It’s been called “modern-day slavery” and a “silent epidemic.” It affects tens of millions every year and yet remains largely in the shadows – even within the United States. Much remains to be done in fighting the scourge of human trafficking, say experts and survivors. And that starts with a better understanding of what trafficking really looks like. But while initiatives based on awareness, prevention and recovery are taking place at different levels throughout the country, a key part of efforts to combat the practice may be at risk. “The way you’re thinking about trafficking isn’t the reality,” said Tina Frundt, a survivor of human trafficking and founder of Courtney’s House, a survivor-run program offering help and support to survivors in the Washington D.C. area.   Frundt spoke at a July 9 conference on human trafficking. Held at The Catholic University of America the event was entitled, “Answering Pope Francis's Call: An American Catholic Response to Modern-Day Slavery.” Human trafficking takes various forms: Victims are recruited, transported, or harbored under coercion, threats or use of force. They are exploited through forced labor, sexual coercion or removal of organs. Globally, the International Labor Organization estimates that over 20 million people – men, women, and children – are currently victims of human trafficking: trapped in jobs or services they were deceived or forced into joining and which they cannot leave freely. According to the U.S. Department of State, between 600,000 and 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year, while the Department of Justice estimates that more than 17,000 people are trafficked into the United States itself. The Department of Justice also has identified 83 percent of victims in confirmed sex trafficking incidents as U.S. citizens. Meanwhile, 67 percent of labor trafficking victims, the department says, are undocumented immigrants, with an additional 28 percent consisting of documented immigrants. Frundt explained that many U.S. victims of sex trafficking do not fit the stereotypes many associate with vulnerable populations, but instead come from a wide variety of racial and economic backgrounds. “We think this only affects the people who are poor,” she said, but in reality, the wealthy are also targeted. And it is not just girls who are victims of trafficking, but boys as well, she said, adding that members of all ethnicities are targeted for exploitation. Victims do tend to have one trait in common: youth. “It’s easy to manipulate kids,” Frundt said, pointing to the average age of entry into sex trafficking between 11 and 14. “Trafficking sounds like this: ‘I just met him in my neighborhood’,” she said. Many times, parents are not even aware that their child has met a trafficker, because “kids only tell you things when it gets real bad.” “You have to think of pimps as marketers,” Frundt stressed. “They’re so smart they convinced the world they didn’t exist.” Oftentimes, they access to young people by gaining their trust, embedding fears into their target, and generally staying away from initiating sexual advances, in order to avoid suspicion from adults. The strategic actions of pimps and handlers are a key reason for the misunderstandings about who the victims of trafficking are, she said. Many expectations in popular culture are so different from the reality of trafficking, that “when a survivor comes to you and says this happened to them, you don’t believe them.” These misconceptions about human trafficking also exist when it comes to labor trafficking, said Gerardo Reyes Chavez, leader and organizer for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, an organization representing tomato farmers in south Florida. “There’s many connections that we forget exist.” One observation that may surprise people: for many victims of labor trafficking, exploitation initially resembles common working practices for wage laborers, such as wage retention. “Slavery is nothing more than the continuation of the poor working conditions that we allow to continue,” Reyes Chaves said. These poor working conditions “devalue our humanity” for all workers who are mistreated, he said, but also make recognizing more grievous practices – such as the chaining and imprisonment of workers, or violence against them – much more difficult to detect. “Slavery doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Many times we live in denial.” Today, many common food items, like lettuce and tomatoes, are harvested by trafficked workers, Reyes Chaves said, because companies are allowed to disregard whether all their workers are there of their own free will. The market, in this case, is a two-edged sword, that “is helping to create these problems” but can also be used as part of the solution. The key to achieving that solution? Companies and consumers who are willing to stand up and put pressure on the processes in place. “We need to recognize that we are connected,” he said. “We’re not talking about someone who’s that far away from us.” Amy O’Neill Richard, senior advisor to the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, explained that the federal government and non-profits also have a role to play in stopping human trafficking both at home and abroad. Federal government officials work to not only prosecute violators of human trafficking laws, but also protect victims and prevent trafficking from happening in the first place, through a variety of government initiatives and partnerships – including with Catholic charities and organizations. Catholic Relief Services and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are two of the prominent Catholic groups that have partnered with the State Department in its anti-trafficking work. With their broad reach and large number of people on the ground in various areas, the religious groups have been hailed as an important partner in the fight against trafficking. Such partnerships could soon be at risk, though. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last month announced that groups seeking anti-trafficking partnership grants must offer abortion counseling or else ensure that such counseling is provided by a third party. The policy shift quietly expands on an earlier policy change from 2011. That change said that “strong preference” for grants would be given to organizations offering referrals for the “full range of legally permissible gynecological and obstetric care.” That year, the U.S. bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services failed to win a grant renewal, after years of being a grant recipient to provide food, housing, medical services and other aid to trafficking victims in more than 44 states. Consistently given excellent ratings, the U.S. bishops’ group even met criteria to be given special preference, based on its experience and ability to serve underserved populations in a variety of locations, including those with high incidences of trafficking. However, the group does not offer abortions or contraception. After the change in instructions, it did not win the grant renewal, which was instead given to two other groups that “scored so low they did not make the cutoff when evaluated by an independent review board,” according to a U.S. bishops’ spokesperson.   Read more

South Bend, Ind., Jul 24, 2015 / 04:57 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Most Americans have a favorable view of Pope Francis, but an apparent decline in their numbers may be due to his implicit challenge to American culture, one observer has said. “Americans never react well when an international leader criticizes their culture,” Dr. Kathleen Cummings, a University of Notre Dame professor of American Studies, told CNA July 24. “Given that Pope Francis has done so implicitly in his recent remarks and writings, it is not surprising to see that his approval ratings have declined in the United States.” A Gallup survey of U.S. adults in early July found that 59 percent had a favorable view of Pope Francis. This is a 17 percent decline from February 2014, when 76 percent of Gallup respondents said they had a favorable view of the Pope. The latest figure resembles poll results in April 2013, a month after the Pope’s election, when 58 percent of Gallup respondents said they had a favorable opinion of Francis. The favorability of Catholics in the U.S. toward the Pope has also declined. In February 2014, about 89 percent of self-identified Catholics told Gallup they had a favorable view of Pope Francis. In July 2015, this figure dropped to 71 percent, a drop of 18 percent. About half of non-Catholic Christians now say they have a favorable view of Francis, compared to 73 percent in 2014. The percentage of self-identified conservatives who reported favorable views of Pope Francis dropped from 72 percent in 2014 to 45 percent in 2015. The percentage of liberals reporting favorable views dropped from 82 percent to 68 percent, while moderates dropped from 79 to 71 percent. The Pope’s overall unfavorable rating is only about 16 percent, a slight rise from nine percent in 2014, and 10 percent in 2013. About 25 percent of all July 2015 respondents said they had never heard of Pope Francis or had no opinion of him, compared to 16 percent in 2014. The July Gallup poll came soon after the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical on care for our common home, Laudato Si'. The lengthy work spoke of the need to care for God’s creation. It also backed several remedies for what the Pope characterized as an environmental crisis. He said there was a “very solid” consensus on climactic warming. “Humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle, production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or at least the human causes which produce or aggravate it,” the Pope wrote. Cummings, who directs the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism, said Pope Francis is like previous Popes in “calling upon U.S. Catholics … to live their faith in ways that run counter to the national culture.” “The difference is that he has highlighted issues that tend to challenge those who identify as conservatives, which explains the steeper decline among their approval ratings,” she said. The Gallup telephone survey of 1,009 U.S. adults took place July 8-12. It claims a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points. Benedict XVI’s favorability peaked in 2008 at 63 percent, but had dropped to 40 percent in 2010, according to Gallup’s surveys. Pope John Paul II’s favorability peaked at 86 percent in 1998, and never dropped lower than 61 percent. Read more