It's a beautiful day in Chicago. How's the weather where you are?
This is your weekly roundup.
Britain's future king, Prince George was baptized on Wednesday.
A group of exonerated death row inmates is touring Ohio advocating for the abolition of the death penalty. They are traveling with Catholic priest Neil Kookoothe. See some updates from death penalty news here.
In the ongoing debate about gay marriage, there have been some developments lately. In New Jersey, where the legislature passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage and Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the bill, same-sex couples can now get married. The state Supreme Court ruled last week that "same-sex couples who cannot marry are not treated equally under the law," and Christie decided against pursuing any more appeals in the case. The Star-Ledger reports that Mary Jacobson, the judge who declared same-sex marriage legal in the state, comes from deep Catholic roots.
Meanwhile, in Tennessee, four couples (legally married in other states) filed a federal lawsuit against the state. If the couples win the suit, then Tennessee will be forced to recognize their marriages.
Speaking of the Supreme Court, a recent decision not to hear the appeal from the Louisiana State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors means that a group of monks at St. Joseph Woodworks will be allowed to make and sell their hand-made simple wooden caskets.
We are in the midst of the World Series between the Boston Redsox and the St. Louis Cardinals. Here at U.S. Catholic, we have been following who gets what depending on who wins.
The Vatican, meanwhile, has challenged the Church of England to a cricket match. How civilized?
In Fargo, North Dakota, the Department of Health is warning people about a possible outbreak of Hepatitis A, coming from the bishop who consumed contaminated food in Rome.
In the Twin Cities, the archdiocese faces a growing scandal regarding the handling of sex abuse.
It's also a problem in Poland. And in Latin America.
Georgetown University is taking a surprising position in response to a student group that will be distributing condoms on campus. The surprising stance? They will be allowing it. Their director of media relations said, "H*yas for Choice is not an organization with access to university benefits and does not use university resources. We respect the rights of our students to join outside groups as individuals and believe this activity falls within that context." This development came after similar student groups at Boston College were shut down.
By the way, did you know that Alfred Hitchcock was a Catholic? I didn't.
A great piece over at CNN religion blogs about having Asperger's and going to church. Well worth the read.
In Vatican news, record crowds are expected in April at the canonization of former popes John Paul II and John XXIII.
And now the Papa Francesco rapid-fire:
He talks kind of like Cardinal Bernardin.
He was planning on watching the film 'Habemus Papum' after the conclave—where he was elected pope.
Some folks on the religious right say that he needs to "read his bible."
He suspended Germany's "bishop of bling."
He described "ideological Christians" as in "illness" within the church.
And that's it for now. Have a great weekend!
