Trump Indicted for Payment to Silence Prostitute; Is First Former President Charged with a Crime

Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, a historic reckoning after years of investigation into his personal , political, and business dealings, the Yahoo News website reports today (March 31, 2023). 

The exact charges were unclear today because the indictment  -- the first against a former U.S. president -- remained under seal, but they stem from payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital  sexual encounter with a prostitute. 

Prosecutors did not say whether they intended to seek prison time in the event of a conviction, a development that would not prevent Trump from seeking the presidency.  

Pope Francis Hospitalized with Lung Infection; Experienced Dificulty Breathing in Recent Days

 Pope Francis was hospitalized with a lung infection yesterday (March 29, 2023) after experiencing difficulty breathing in recent days, and will remain in the hospital for several days of treatment, the Los Angeles Times website reports. 

The 86-year-old pope doesn't have COVID-19, spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement yesterday.

The hospitalization was the first since Francis spent 10 days at the Gemelli in July 2021 to have 13 inches of his colon removed. 

US Retaliate Airstrikes Kill 19 People in Syria; After an Iranian Drone Killed a US Contractor

 American airstrikes killed a total  of 19 people in Syria this week , in retaliation for an Iranian drone attack that killed a U.S. contractor and wounded five American troops, the New American website reports today (Mar29, 2023). 

The Defense Department claims that the targets were affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). A human rights watch organization reports that the Pentagon's air attack in Syria killed three Syrian troops, 11 members of a pro-Syrian regime militia, and five non-Syrian soldiers. 

American F-15s reportedly carried out the "precision airstrikes," which in turn were answered by the Iranians, who fired 10 missiles aimed at a U.S. base in northeast Syria, but missed their intended target and hit a civilian house, injuring two women and two children, according to information issued by U. S. Central Command. 

Former Speaker Pelosi Blasts Her Calif. Bishop; Told Her Backing Abortion Violates Cath. Doctrine

 Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a rare public rebuke of her home bishop on March 23, voicing choice words for Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and other prelates during an interview about politics and her Catholic faith, the Religion News website reports today (March 29, 2023).

Her remarks came during an event at Georgetown University's Center on Faith and Justice as part of a "Higher Calling" series focused on the faith of politicians. 

Pelosi referenced  tensions  between herself and members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as a result of her public advocacy for abortion, which the Catholic Church condemns. 

Tenn. Police Respond to Shooting at Rel. School; At Least 3 Killed, Several Wounded, Shooter Killed

Authorities in Tennessee said today (March 27, 2023) that they were  responding to a shooting at a private religious school in Nashville, according to the NPR website. 

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said an "active shooter event" had occurred at the Covenant School, a private school associated with the Presbyterian church serving students from preschool through grade six. 

The shooter was confronted by officers and was killed, officials said. 

Pope Updates Rules to Investigate Abuse Claims; Leaders of Cath. Lay Assoc. Now Responsible Like Bishops

Pope Francis has updated the procedures for investigating sexual abuse allegations, specifying that leaders of international Catholic lay associations and movements have the same responsibilities over their members that bishops have over diocesan priests, the Catholic News website reports today (March 26, 2023). 

The updated version of Vos Ests Lux Mundi (You are the light of the world, published yesterday, also expanded the categories of victims covered by the  regulations to include vulnerable adults. 

The original text spoke of the crime of "sexual acts with a minor or a vulnerable person." The updated text reads "a crime against the Sixth Commandment of the Decalogue committed with a minor, or with a person who habitually has an imperfect use of reason or with a vulnerable adult."  

Cath. Bishops Blast Mutilating Bodies of People; Prohibit Mutilating Human Body to Change Sex

It sets out clearly the prohibition on "manipulating" or mutilating  the bodies of people with the aim of changing sex, stating: "Catholic health  care services must not perform interventions , whether surgical or chemical, that aim to transform the sexual characteristics of a human body into those of the opposite sex or take part in the development of such procedures." the Catholic Herald website reports today (March 25, 2023). 

This is a welcome statement from bishops which should put to rest any suggestions that the Catholic church could support any such surgeries which are always harmful to the patient, the natural order, and the created order of God. 

The bishops explain that , "A  fundamental tenet of the Christian faith is that there is  an order in the natural world that was designed by the Creation and this created order is good."