Saint Joseph Catholic Church

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For the fifth time, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy has overturned a decree issued by Bishop Michael Fisher of Buffalo, New York, that would have closed a church.

“Everyone feels completely revitalized and overjoyed that this happened,” said Anthony Solina, who helped lead the effort to keep open the parish church in East Arcade, New York.

3,442 people are preparing to the Church in the Archdiocese of Atlanta this Easter, an increase of 472, or 16%, from the 2,970 converts who entered the Church there last year.

1,004 of the 3,442 converts are unbaptized catechumens; the rest are baptized Christians from other churches and ecclesial communities.

Scotland’s bishops called upon members of the Scottish Parliament to reject assisted-suicide legislation.

“The bill being proposed, if it becomes law, will lead to Scottish citizens, especially the elderly, sick, and disabled, living in deep and profound fear,” said Bishop John Keenan of Paisley, president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland. “Under the proposal, people would not be precluded from applying for an assisted suicide if they have an intellectual disability or eating disorder or are being influenced to apply because of poverty or inadequate housing.”

Meeting in Maynooth, the Irish bishops said that “yet again, the people of the Middle East are experiencing an unjust war with the loss of innocent lives.”

“In an era of change and readjustment of geopolitical balances and cultural paradigms, war is not the answer,” the bishops said in their March 3 statement. “No political leader has the authority to unleash war at will.” are experiencing an unjust war with the loss of innocent lives.”

“At this moment of great tension and volatility for the people of the Middle East, and for the world, we ask for prayers for peace and healing; that the voices of hatred will be replaced by a politics dedicated to upholding the God-given dignity of every human person, the common good and solidarity with those in need,” the bishops concluded.

The Pillar obtained a copy of a memo from the general counsel of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to the nation’s bishops on the USCCB’s Supreme Court brief on birthright citizenship (CWN article).

The brief did not assert that “that every democratic polity must adopt” a birthright citizenship policy, nor did it “urge the Court to decide the case on the basis of Catholic doctrine,” wrote Quinn, according to The Pillar. The brief, he added, intended to “show the harmony between our constitutional tradition and a moral vision of civic belonging.”

In a departure from custom, the USCCB’s general counsel did not sign the brief in the case; instead, the brief was prepared by three attorneys from the multinational law firm WilmerHale.

The Diocese of El Paso, Texas, filed for bankruptcy amid a growing number of lawsuits alleging that its priests sexually abused minors between 1956 and 1982.

“Suddenly the number of claims ballooned up to 18 claims, 12 separate lawsuits, and doing the math it just became obvious that there was no other option for us to pay the claimants,” Bishop Mark Seitz said on March 6. “Chapter 11 reorganization was the most prudent course of action because there are now financial claims pending against the diocese that exceed our means.”

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