So close and yet so far as Senate lets God down once again by failing to muster enough votes to overturn veto on partial birth abortion ban.

     Three measley votes! That's how close it came in the United States Senate to overturn the President's veto of the partial birth abortion ban. If anything the blame can be placed on the Republicans for it was four GOP senators who voted against overturning the ban despite the pleas of Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum to "let the babies live." Many think, with the Clinton fallout that when it is voted upon the next time after elections there will be enough Republicans to garner the necessary two-thirds majority. For more, click on abortion

      WASHINGTON, DC (CWNews.com) - The US Senate on Friday failed to muster enough votes to override President Bill Clinton's veto of a ban on partial-birth abortions.

      The Senate voted 64-36 in favor of the override, but needed three more to reach the required two-thirds majority. Four Republicans voted with 32 Democrats to sustain the veto, while 13 Democrats and 51 Republicans voted for the override. The House had previously approved the veto override.

      The sponsor of the override in the Senate, Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pennsylvania, pleaded with his colleagues, "Let the baby live." Santorum rebuffed pro-abortion arguments for the procedure which takes the lives of babies near full term, asking "Why is it healthier for the mother to insert a pair of scissors into the baby's skull, fracturing and shattering that skull inside the mother, causing potential harm to that mother by doing so?" he asked. "There can be no rationale for destroying this little baby by executing this little baby at that point in time when it is almost born," Santorum said.

A gift of love for the homeless from one of Brazil's Archdioceses




     How many times have we heard people say of those who have: "Why not give it to the homeless?" For once someone has: the Archdiocese of Uberaba has donated land and, in concert with the city government in southern Brazil who will make low interest loans, the Church is giving people a chance in the spirit of the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy. For more, click on Helping the homeless.

      UBERABA, Brazil (CWNews.com) - The Archdiocese of Uberaba in southern Brazil decided this week to donate a large urban property to help sixty homeless families.

      Archbishop Aloisio Roque Oppermann signed an agreement with a Brazilian construction company, the homeless families, and representatives from the local government, according to which the archdiocese will provide the land while the city council will help the families with low-rate loans to pay for the construction of the new neighborhood.

      The archdiocese has donated an urban property of 260,000 square feet, located in the a densely populated area, which is valued at "several hundred thousand dollars," according to a city council spokesman. Archbishop Oppermann said the families have agreed to build a "model community" with several common facilities, including a chapel, a health care center, a soccer field, a community hall, and offices for the neighborhood council.

      One of the new owners said to the press that "we are very happy with this gift and we really appreciate what our Catholic Church is doing for us. Our pastors understand our sufferings and try to help us spiritually and materially too." Officials in Uberaba said the Church's decision "has helped defuse a social problem," since the families were recently displaced from public property where they tried to build a shantytown.

Guatamala government wagging the dog now that dog bites don't show up on slain bishop

     Government authorities were pinning their hopes on finding dog bites on the interred body of auxiliary Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera who had been killed back in April days after speaking out strongly against the government in favor of human rights. Had they found the canine teeth marks they might have had a case against Father Mario Orantes Najera who they charged with the murder, much to the Church and people's chagrin. Most believe it is a "witchhunt" - merely a coverup to protect the government operatives who had the activist bishop silenced. For more, click on Dogging it in Guatamala.

      GUATEMALA CITY (CWNews.com) - A re-examination of the body of a slain Guatemalan bishop on Thursday found no signs of dog bites as investigators had surmised.

      Nine experts took part in a five-hour autopsy on the late Bishop Juan Gerardi Conedera looking for evidence of dog bites to connect the chief suspect, Father Mario Orantes Najera, to the murder. Father Orantes owns a dog which reportedly responds only to his commands, and Spanish experts had told prosecutors that they had seen evidence of dog bites while examining photographs of Bishop Gerardi's body.

      The bishop was bludgeoned to death on April 26, two days after releasing a report critical of the military for its role in the 36-year civil war. While human rights groups claim Bishop Gerardi was murdered because of his human rights work, prosecutors have charged Father Orantes, who lived with the bishop, with the crime.

UN lobbying for abortion again despite pleas from Holy Father to uphold life

     Just a week after the Holy Father made an impassioned plea delivered by Cardinal John O'Connor to the Secretary General and all major principals of the UN General Assembly, the abortionists are up to their old tricks in trying to con the world that less is better. The pro-aborts are demanding freedom from restrictions regulating sexual and reproductive health, citing religions, especially the Roman Catholic Church as obstacles in the way of denying women their freedom. Never mind the child. All this jabberwocky is an euphenism for culture of death - abortion and lowering the moral standards. They got shut down in Cairo but, like their master satan, are not giving up easily. For more, click on UN smokescreen.

      NEW YORK (CWNews.com) - The head of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), addressing the annual non-governmental organization (NGO) conference this week, called for a new emphasis on "reproductive freedom."

      The conference, which was focused on the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, gathered more than 2,000 representatives from 600 NGOs. Dr. Nafis Sadik, director of the UNFPA said that "fundamental to freedom of choice are decisions concerning reproductive and sexual health ... A number of issues still limit women's freedom to exercise their right to reproductive health." One of those limiting factors has been identified as organized religion by population control proponents in UN-connected groups. UN documents and initiatives often use the term reproductive health as a euphemism for birth control and abortion.

      Sadik also called for freedom from "sexual and reproductive health" restrictions and said UNFPA was proud to have supported initiatives that called for extending the "right to reproductive health" to youth.

For more headlines and articles, we suggest you go to the Catholic World News site. CWN is not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provides this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.

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September 21, 1998 volume 9, no. 184   DAILY CATHOLIC