Issue #97

by Art Kelly

1. Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C. has warned that Catholics are now facing “the presumption that you do not have a right to express your religious convictions and you do not have a right to live out those convictions in those institutions which are a part of our Catholic faith tradition.”

In an interview with the Catholic News Agency, Wuerl referred to the passage of a law by the city council in Washington providing for the recognition of same-sex “marriage” without allowing voters to weigh in on the issue. The measure resulted in Catholic Charities being forced to close their adoption program and stop offering benefits to the spouses of employees.

The Archbishop said “there’s a growing concern” about “our very ability to carry on our activities.”

He said that the current problems are just the “tip of the iceberg” and that “we are going to find ourselves in a situation we’ve never faced before in the United States.”

2. The Los Angeles Times found that President Obama’s first appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, “is proving herself to be a reliable liberal vote on the Supreme Court.”

M. Edward Whelan III, President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, which describes itself as “Washington, D.C.'s premier institute dedicated to applying the Judeo-Christian moral tradition to critical issues of public policy,” said the he was not surprised by Sotomayor’s record.

“Sotomayor masqueraded as a judicial conservative at her confirmation hearings, but her record indicates she will be a doctrinaire liberal,” Whelan said.

3. The confirmation hearings for President Obama’s second nominee to the high court, Elena Kagan, will begin on June 28.

Some observers believe Kagan may be more moderate than the justice she would be replacing, ultra-liberal John Paul Stevens. However, while Kagan’s views on some matters are not clear, she does have a track record indicating that she is anti-military and pro-homosexual.

The most recent Rasmussen Reports found that only 35% of the people support Kagan’s confirmation to the Supreme Court. 42% are opposed to her confirmation and 23% are undecided.

The Washington Post reported that, in a conference call sponsored by Americans United for Life, former Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork opposed Kagan. Post reporter David Weigel asked Bork if he thought the case against Kagan warranted a filibuster against her. "I'm not prepared to decide that, but the judicial filibuster is ordinarily to be avoided," he replied.

4. At a White House reception to celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, President Obama once again reiterated his support for homosexual marriage. He stated in part:

“I believe that committed gay and lesbian couples deserve the same rights and responsibilities afforded to any married couple in this country, I have called for Congress to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act.”