Latest news with #CatholicArchdiocese
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US Supreme Court blocks public funding for religious charter school
The state of Oklahoma may not direct public state funding to what was set to be the nation's first religious charter school after the US Supreme Court deadlocked over the case. The justices were evenly split, voting 4-4 in a ruling on Thursday. The tie affirms a lower ruling from the Oklahoma State Supreme Court, which found the effort to establish the school violates the US Constitution. An Oklahoma school board had approved the founding of a charter school run by the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa that would have received roughly $23.3m (£18.7m) in state funding over five years. A charter school is funded by taxpayers but independently managed. The US Supreme Court's ruling is not considered a country-wide precedent and the justices could accept future cases related to the issue. The court does not reveal how the justices voted, though they appeared split along ideological lines during an April hearing. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who was appointed by US President Donald Trump as one of the court's conservative justices, recused herself from the case. She did not provide a reason. The announcement also did not come with a formal opinion - only a single page that read: "The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court." Court watchers viewed the case as a test of the US Constitution's religious boundaries. The 1st Amendment prohibits the government from taking any action to establish a dominant religion. Taxpayer funds, such as those earmarked for public schools, have long been considered off limits to religious institutions. The two sides of the case presented dueling views of religious freedom. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, had sued the board to force it to rescind the school's charter. He welcomed the court's decision in a statement on Thursday. He had long criticised the school as illegal and said it opened the state to having to fund other kinds of religious schools. "The Supreme Court's decision represents a resounding victory for religious liberty and for the foundational principles that have guided our nation since its founding," he said. "This ruling ensures that Oklahoma taxpayers will not be forced to fund radical Islamic schools, while protecting the religious rights of families to choose any school they wish for their children." The school, however, had argued that denying it charter funding as a Christian institution amounted to discrimination on basis of religion. In a statement, officials said they were disappointed in the ruling. "We stand committed to parental choice in education, providing equal opportunity to all who seek options when deciding what is best for their children," the statement read. "In light of this ruling, we are exploring other options for offering a virtual Catholic education to all persons in the state," it added. St Isidore of Seville Virtual Catholic Charter School aimed to provide online instruction that incorporated religious teachings for about 500 students from kindergarten through high school. The Oklahoma State Virtual Charter School Board's 2023 decision to approve the school's application for charter status was met with almost immediate controversy. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican, welcomed the approval, but Mr Drummond, the attorney general, condemned it and ultimately filed a lawsuit. Charter schools make up a small fraction of the US school system. They have gained prominence in recent years as rallying point for some conservatives, who advocate for expanding charter schools as a means of giving parents more control over their children's education. Trump's pick for education secretary, Linda McMahon, has sought to reduce federal support for public schools and expand support for charter and private ones. First US taxpayer-funded religious school approved
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
US Supreme Court blocks public funding for Oklahoma religious charter schools
The state of Oklahoma may not direct public state funding to what was set to be the nation's first religious charter school after the US Supreme Court deadlocked over the case. The justices were evenly split, voting 4-4 in a ruling on Thursday. The tie affirms a lower ruling from the Oklahoma State Supreme Court, which found the effort to establish the school violates the US Oklahoma school board had approved the founding of a charter school run by the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa that would have received roughly $23.3m (£18.7m) in state funding over five years.A charter school is funded by taxpayers but independently managed. The US Supreme Court's ruling is not considered a country-wide precedent and the justices could accept future cases related to the court does not reveal how the justices voted, though they appeared split along ideological lines during an April hearing. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who was appointed by US President Donald Trump as one of the court's conservative justices, recused herself from the case. She did not provide a reason. The announcement also did not come with a formal opinion - only a single page that read: "The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court."Court watchers viewed the case as a test of the US Constitution's religious 1st Amendment prohibits the government from taking any action to establish a dominant religion. Taxpayer funds, such as those earmarked for public schools, have long been considered off limits to religious two sides of the case presented dueling views of religious Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, had sued the board to force it to rescind the school's charter. He welcomed the court's decision in a statement on Thursday. He had long criticised the school as illegal and said it opened the state to having to fund other kinds of religious schools. "The Supreme Court's decision represents a resounding victory for religious liberty and for the foundational principles that have guided our nation since its founding," he said. "This ruling ensures that Oklahoma taxpayers will not be forced to fund radical Islamic schools, while protecting the religious rights of families to choose any school they wish for their children."The school, however, had argued that denying it charter funding as a Christian institution amounted to discrimination on basis of religion. The BBC has contacted the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City for comment. St Isidore of Seville Virtual Catholic Charter School aimed to provide online instruction that incorporated religious teachings for about 500 students from kindergarten through high school. The Oklahoma State Virtual Charter School Board's 2023 decision to approve the school's application for charter status was met with almost immediate Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican, welcomed the approval, but Mr Drummond, the attorney general, condemned it and ultimately filed a lawsuit. Charter schools make up a small fraction of the US school system. They have gained prominence in recent years as rallying point for some conservatives, who advocate for expanding charter schools as a means of giving parents more control over their children's pick for education secretary, Linda McMahon, has sought to reduce federal support for public schools and expand support for charter and private ones.
Daily Telegraph
12-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Telegraph
Nurses and midwives allowed to prescribe abortion drugs under a bill set to pass parliament
The Catholic Archdiocese says amendments to contentious abortion reform legislation are a 'helpful development', with a watered-down bill set to pass parliament this week. Experienced nurses and midwives will be allowed to prescribe abortion drugs to women in the first nine weeks of their pregnancy under the legislation, which is expected to go to a vote on Wednesday. The legislation will expand women's access to medical abortions, but will not force medical professionals to facilitate terminations if they object to the practice. Upper House Greens MP Amanda Cohn sparked a series of protests outside parliament when she introduced her bill to expand access to abortions, with speakers including former prime minister Tony Abbott labelling the legislation as an attack on religion. Protesters attend an anti-abortion rally outside NSW parliament last week. Picture: Supplied Mr Abbott and others were campaigning against changes which would have forced doctors who object to providing abortions to refer patients elsewhere. However, the aspects of the bill which created the most controversy were removed before the legislation passed the upper house. 'While it is a helpful development that the intended attacks on conscience have been removed from the bill, we still hope the bill will be rejected in its entirety,' a Catholic Archdiocese spokeswoman said. Former prime minister Tony Abbott speaks at an anti-abortion rally outside NSW parliament last week. Picture: Facebook Protesters attend anti-abortion rally outside NSW parliament on Wednesday May 7, 2025. Picture: Supplied The legislation which is expected to pass into law will allow endorsed midwives and nurse practitioners to prescribe the abortion drug MS-2 Step to medically terminate a pregnancy in the first nine weeks of gestation. Nurse practitioners and midwives will only be allowed to prescribe the drug if it is within their scope of practice. Allowing nurse practitioners and midwives to administer abortion drugs was recommended by a NSW Health inquiry into abortion laws, which found there were difficulty accessing the service in some areas of the state. Mr Minns originally opposed the legislation, but on Monday confirmed he would vote for the amended bill, now the provisions on conscientious objection have been removed. Liberal and Labor politicians will vote according to their conscience, and not be bound to party lines. Opposition health spokeswoman Kellie Sloane will also vote in favour of the legislation. 'I could not have supported the original version of this bill – it went beyond what I considered reasonable or workable, but I support the amended version,' she said. NSW Greens MLC Amanda Cohn. Picture: Facebook '(The amended bill) aligns with TGA guidelines, reflects the number one recommendation from the NSW Health statutory review, and brings NSW into line with every other state except Tasmania. 'It's a sensible, tightly scoped reform that improves access while preserving safeguards and respecting professional conscience.' Dr Cohn confirmed the Greens would support the bill 'as it currently stands'. The legislation will also make no changes to a requirement for two doctors to approve abortion after 22 weeks gestation. It will also make no change to the 'duty owed' by healthcare workers to provide medical care to a baby born due to a failed termination. She blamed anti-abortion campaigners for spreading 'disinformation' over her bill, which had 'caused unnecessary distress in the community'.
CTV News
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
CTV National News: 'It's a divine, inspired choice in selection'
Watch The Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto's Neil MacCarthy describes the surprise felt upon discovering the new pope is an American.
IOL News
25-04-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Vatican braces for huge crowds ahead of Pope's funeral
Following the death of Pope Francis, a requiem mass is held in his memory lead by the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Johannesburg Cardinal Stephen Brislin. The Vatican will make final preparations Friday for Pope Francis's funeral as the last of the huge crowds of mourners file through St Peter's Basilica to view his open coffin. Image: Timothy Bernard/Independent Media The Vatican will make final preparations Friday for Pope Francis's funeral as the last of the huge crowds of mourners file through St Peter's Basilica to view his open coffin. Many of the 50 heads of state and 10 monarchs attending Saturday's ceremony in St Peter's Square, who include US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, are expected to arrive on Friday in Rome. Italian and Vatican authorities have placed the area around St Peter's under tight security ahead of the funeral, with drones blocked, snipers on roofs and fighter jets on standby. Further check-points will be activated Friday night, police said. Tens of thousands of people have already queued for hours to pay their last respects to Francis, whose coffin will be closed at 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) in a ceremony attended by senior cardinals. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo who is running the Vatican's day-to-day affairs until a new pope is elected, will preside over the so-called "Rite of the Sealing of the Coffin". The Catholic Church's first Latin American pope died on Monday aged 88, less than a month after spending weeks in hospital with severe pneumonia. Veronique Montes-Coulomb, a tourist from Toulouse in France, who attended the lying-in-state Thursday at St Peter's, said she had been at the mass on Easter Sunday -- the pontiff's last public outing. "We saw the pope passing by in the 'popemobile'; he seemed relatively healthy, and we were surprised to learn that he had died on Monday morning," she told AFP. The Argentine pontiff, who had long suffered failing health, defied doctors' orders by appearing at Easter, the most important moment in the Catholic calendar. Condolences have flooded in from around the world for the Jesuit, an energetic reformer who championed those on the fringes of society in his 12 years as head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. He used his last speech to rail against those who stir up "contempt... towards the vulnerable, the marginalised, and migrants". At least 130 foreign delegations are expected at his funeral, including Argentina's President Javier Milei and Britain's Prince William, and a no-fly zone will be in force. 'Brief but intense' The pope's coffin was set before St Peter's altar for his three days of lying-in-state, with Francis dressed in his papal vestments -- a red chasuble, white mitre and black shoes. "It was a brief but intense moment next to his body," Italian Massimo Palo, 63, told AFP after his visit. "He was a pope amongst his flock, amongst his people, and I hope the next papacies will be a bit like his," he added. Italy's civil protection agency estimates that "several hundred thousand" people will descend on Rome on what was already set to be a busy weekend due to a public holiday on Friday. After the funeral, Francis's coffin will be driven at a walking pace to be buried at his favourite church, Rome's papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. The body of the late Pope Francis has been transferred to St. Peter's Basilica to lie in state until his funeral on Saturday morning. Image: Vatican News
