Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City
Photo: CNA 
Bishops applaud research which highlights risks of euthanasia among disabled
Leaders in the US Conference of Catholic Bishops applauded the National Council on Disability for its recent research on the risks of assisted suicide for people with disabilities.
“Every suicide is a human tragedy, regardless of the age, incapacity, or social/economic status of the individual,” said Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City and Bishop Frank Dewane of Venice, Florida.
“The legalisation of doctor-assisted suicide separates people into two groups: those whose lives we want to protect and those whose deaths we encourage,” the bishops said. “This is completely unjust and seriously undermines equal protection under the law.”
The National Council on Disability said it found “that the most prevalent reasons offered by someone requesting assisted suicide are directly related to unmet service and support needs”.
New Polish bill could criminalise certain sex education in schools
The governing party in the Polish parliament has introduced a bill that could criminalise some forms of sex education in schools.
The Law and Justice Party (PiS), which won a majority in the country’s recent elections, is supporting a ‘stop paedophilia’ law in the Sejm, the lower house of the country’s parliament. The law would criminalise the “promotion of underage sexual activity” by folding it under existing treatment of other crimes against minors.
Currently, Polish schools do not offer formal sex education but, according to Reuters, are charged with providing courses aimed at helping students “prepare for family life”. How the courses are organised and administered differs between local authorities.
Bishops accuse politicians of collusion in narcotics trafficking
The Honduran bishops’ conference has said narcotics trafficking has permeated the Central American country’s institutions and accused politicians of colluding with organised crime. “With deep pain we confirm how ‘the scourge of narcotics trafficking’, as Pope Francis has called it…is a reality, which has permeated our country’s institutions and, as a consequence, has caused an accelerated deterioration of our nation’s image,” the statement said.
“Nothing of what narcotics trafficking has gained in our country could have been done without the collusion of government bodies, which, by reason of being, are called to defend life and provide security to everyone,” the statement continued.
Angola’s Church urges government to declare state of emergency
As a severe drought continues to devastate regions of Angola, the Catholic Church in the country is asking the government to declare a state of emergency, according to Portuguese news agency Lusa.
Last week, the Angolan government acknowledged a “severe water and grazing crisis” which has affected over 800,000 people in one southern province alone, AP reports.
Celibacy is a gift from God, priest says at Amazon synod
While indigenous cultures may have difficulty accepting the concept of celibacy, indigenous candidates for the priesthood are more than capable of understanding that it is a gift from God, said an indigenous priest from Brazil.
“Celibacy is not something that is born in a human person; it is something that is established some time during one’s life,” Salesian Fr Justino Sarmento Rezende told journalists during a press briefing on the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon.
“People from any culture that exists in the world can live celibate lives from the moment that he or she freely – not forcibly – says, ‘I want to live that lifestyle,’” he said.
