"I am, and will remain, pro-life."

Catholics, however, have called on Trump to step down following his lewd comments about women in a leaked audio recording from 2005.

Despite this, Trump is continuing with his campaign to win the Catholic vote.

Trump - who is the presidential Republican candidate - promises to defend religious liberties.

He described these in the scope of the ongoing contraceptive mandate included in a court case (the Affordable Care Act and the U.S. Supreme Court case Zubik v. Burwell).

The case involves several plaintiffs, including the Little Sisters of the Poor.

Trump said he opposes abortion except for cases of rape, incest or where the mother's life is at risk.

Democrat candidate, Hillary Clinton, says she supports "safe, legal abortion" as part of women's access to critical health services.

She opposes government involvement in those decisions.

Trump says Clinton supports having the Little Sisters pay for contraceptives in their employees' health plans.

If this becomes law, they and other religiously objecting employers could be fined if they don't comply.

"That is a hostility to religious liberty you will never see in a Trump Administration," he said.

In a May decision the Supreme Court sent Zubik case back to the appeals level in search of a final compromise.

The Supreme Court said petitioners' legal objections satisfied the federal government's requirement of providing notice of their religious objections.

As a result, the petitioners were not susceptible to fines or penalties.

Trump's description of Clinton's hostility extended to the issues and policies "of greatest concern to Catholics".

He listed these as "life, religious liberty, Supreme Court nominations, affordable and quality healthcare, educational choice and home schooling."

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: www.nationalreview.com

Earlier this month, the 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Little Sisters and other religious entities seeking relief from having to facilitate contraceptive coverage in employee health insurance.

Churches and other institutions that primarily employ and serve members of the churches are exempt, but the Little Sisters didn't fall within this category, the court ruled.

The Little Sisters objected to having to file a form with federal authorities, under an "accommodation", that triggered a requirement for insurance companies to pay for the contraceptive coverage.

Sister Loraine Marie Maguire, mother provincial of the order, said the Little Sisters were being asked to choose between adhering to their Catholic faith and continuing to pursue their religious mission of serving the elderly poor.

The order faces heavy fines if it doesn't comply with the mandate.

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The Tenth Circuit Court ruled that the Little Sisters are not an exempt religious institution because they are not directly affiliated with any particular house of worship.

The court said that the Obama administration has provided sufficient accommodation for non-profit organisations—such as the Little Sisters—that have moral objections to providing contraceptive coverage in employee health insurance plans.

Under the latest plan, the Little Sisters would be required to provide the federal government with a formal declaration that they object to the contraceptive mandate.

By filing that form, they would trigger government action requiring their insurer to pay for contraceptive coverage.

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She celebrated her birthday yesterday with more than 70 family and friends.

Religious Superior Sr Bridget Donnelly said Sr Marie assisted hospital residents at mealtimes, and sometimes set the staff members' dining table for meals. continue reading

Police said 26-year-old Sosefina Amoa gave birth to the baby boy in her room at the sisters' elderly care facility on October 10 — just five days after she arrived from Samoa.

Afraid the nuns would hear the newborn's cries and discover she lied about sexual activity, Amoa told investigators she smothered him with a wool garment.

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Last week, members of Samoa Returnees Charitable Trust Fund, all deported former prisoners, returned from overseas, launched its community project at Vailele to help the Little Sisters of the Poor.

"The initiative is part and parcel to allowing our members an opportunity to give back to the community and in turn restore a good reputation and standing after they have been disgraced or neglected", says the Trust Fund's Executive Director Vernon Jamie McKenzine

The project is funded by NZAid which allowed the Trust to purchase of garden tools, paint, painting brushes, tool boxes, ladders, wheel barrows, trash bins, weed eaters and lawn mowers

Source

• Savali
• Image: Savali

Cardinal Dolan presided at the Mass of Religious Profession at St. Ann's Novitiate, Queens Village, New York.

He was keeping a promise he had made to one of them - Sister Elizabeth Mary de la Croix - when he met her in St. Patrick's Cathedral shortly before her entrance into the Congregation. When he learned that she was originally from his home parish in Baldwin, MO, and had gone to Holy Infant Grade School, just as he did, he vowed to be present if and when she made first vows.

Sister Mary Richard Morris, who is responsible for formation at St. Ann's, reported that the Little Sisters believe this was the first time that the Archbishop of New York has presided at one of their professions "since 1901," when it was Archbishop Michael A. Corrigan.

The Pontifical Year Book, published May 13 and contains data from 2011, reveals a 21 percent drop in the number of religious sisters in Oceania over the last 10 years.

While the number of religious sisters rose in Africa and Asia over the past decade, Europe registering a 22 percent decline, and the Americas were down 17 percent.

World-wide the number of nuns has fallen from a million in 1973 to 710,000 today.

In the picture Sister Cecilia is standing at the far left and sister Makalita at the far right.

Source

• littlesistersofthepoorindianapolis.org
• aleteia.org
• Washington Post
• Image: littlesistersofthepoorindianapolis.org