Marriage Unique for a Reason (USCCB, Aug 2018)

August 2018 Continuing the U.S. Bishops' work of promoting and defending marriage. Visit our Website Inclusion Act: Victory in the House Appropriations Committee! We need your help! The Inclusion Act Amendment was approved 29-23 by the House Appropriations Committee on July 11, 2018. We are asking the faithful to contact their representatives during the August recess, urging them to support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act. (CNS/ Bob Roller) Here's a message from Archbishop Kurtz: Dear sisters and brothers, May God bless you! I am grateful for your efforts on behalf of religious freedom, whether you are a seasoned veteran in these issues, or are just beginning to get involved. Catholic adoption and foster care ministries are in a precarious position. Pennsylvania, where I was born and raised, may join Illinois, Massachusetts, California, and the District of Columbia on the list of places that exclude child welfare service providers who believe that children do best with a married mother and father. The Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act aims to protect these faith-based ministries. I urge you to contact your Representatives and urge them to support the Inclusion Act. You can send an email, make a phone call, and even write a letter to the editor of your local news source. Thank you for your service to the Church! With prayerful best wishes, I am                                                               Sincerely yours in the Lord,                                                               Most Reverend Joseph Kurtz                                                              Archbishop of Louisville                                                               Chair, Committee for Religious Liberty This amendment would ensure that faith-based adoption and/or foster care agencies will not be discriminated against based on their conviction that children ought to be placed in homes with a married mother and a father. The Chairmen of the USCCB's Committees on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Religious Liberty, and the Promotion and Defense of Marriage urged legislation on this issue in a letter with ecumenical and interfaith partners, then issued a joint statement on the passage of state bills. Made for Love Podcast In July, "Made for Love" featured episodes on the anniversary of Humanae Vitae (Part One and Part Two) and Natural Family Planning: Part One and Part Two) There are extra features to the show notes on the blog. In August, we will hear stories about cross-cultural marriage. If you listen through iTunes (USCCB Clips), it would help a lot if you would leave a review! And we are on Soundcloud and podbean Call to Prayer August 3 - September 28 Join the Call to Prayer from August 3- September 28 in praying for the legal protection of human life. This novena is meant to correspond with the hearings for the Supreme Court appointment. Pray with us! 50th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae We continue to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae (On Human Life) in 2018 The USCCB has published a 50th Anniversary edition of the encyclical by soon-to-be-Saint Pope Paul VI. And the Natural Family Planning Office has a website dedicated to the anniversary and the various celebrations and conferences surrounding it. There will be a two-part podcast on the anniversary as well. In addition, bishops in the U.S. are preaching on the anniversary and/or sharing little snippets about them at our #HV50 YouTube page. Humanae Vitae was also the theme for this year's observation of Natural Family Planning Awareness Week (July 22- 28). Gender Ideology Resource The USCCB has a helpful teaching resource about gender-- it's a compilation of quotes from popes and Church documents. Read and share! Legal Updates U.S. federal district courts have continued to advance “gender identity” politics this summer. Wisconsin In a decision that is part of a national trend, a federal judge in Wisconsin ruled on July 25, 2018 that the state’s Medicaid program must provide "sex reassignment" surgeries to residents. Florida In a Florida school bathroom case, Adams v. The School Bd. of St. John’s County, a court on July 26, 2018 required admission of a biological female, who asserts a male identity, to boys’ restrooms. Puerto Rico Meanwhile, on July 16, 2018 in Puerto Rico, the island government implemented an earlier court ruling in Arroyo v. Rosselló, requiring the editing of gender on birth certificates on demand.