U.S. bishops' official wants human cloning banned
U.S. bishops' Pro-Life Activities Director, Richard Doerflinger, has asked the Senate to follow the majority recommendation of the President's Council on Bioethics by favoring at least a temporary legal ban on all human cloning. Without federal legislation, "the most irresponsible of researchers will create our national policy by default," said Doerflinger. A majority of the bioethics council recommended in a July 11 report outlawing human cloning for reproduction and favored a four-year moratorium on human cloning for biomedical research.

Feast day for Padre Pio is Sept. 23
In one of the largest liturgies in the Vatican's history, Pope John Paul II canonized Padre Pio da Pietralcina and said the Capuchin friar's spirituality of suffering was a valuable model for modern times. Underscoring his message, the pope announced at the end of the June 16 Mass that he was making Padre Pio's Sept. 23 feast day an "obligatory memorial" on the church's general liturgical calendar, a rank shared by only one other 20th-century saint. More than 300,000 people, according to police, filled St. Peter's Square and surrounding streets for the ceremony. In his homily, the pope said the holiness of Padre Pio – who was well-known for bearing the stigmata, or bleeding wounds of Christ – could not be understood without the friar's attachment to asceticism and the crucified Christ's suffering.

Juan Diego sainthood cause implies he did exist
While the sainthood cause of Blessed Juan Diego faced several votes at the Vatican, no one was so blunt as to ask: Did he exist or was he a legend?
However, officials familiar with the cause said each state of the process leading to his July 31 canonization in Mexico City, as well as the 18th-century investigation into the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, were supported by evidence that he once lived.
In a separate report last December, Father Fidel Gonzalez Fernandez said the Congregation for Saints' Causes approved the work he and the other priest historians presented, "noting and confirming the truth of the Guadalupe event and the mission of the humble Indian Juan Diego, a model of holiness, who from 1531 spread the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe through his work and the exemplary witness of his life."

Catholic Equity Fund seeks to match S&P 500
Catholic Financial Services Corp. has launched a restructured Catholic Equity Fund that seeks to match the S&P 500 Index in total return from dividends and capital gains, while avoiding stocks judged to violate Catholic values. Daniel Steininger, chairman of The Catholic Funds Inc. family of funds, said the new Catholic Equity fund will allow Catholic investors to work together "to persuade corporate management to act consistent with values that we as Catholics hold dear."

Participation in campus ministry leads to stronger faith life after college
Male college students who participate in campus ministry are more likely to consider a vocation to the priesthood, according to a new study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. And students, overall, are more likely to attend Mass more frequently and become more involved in church life and other religious activities after college.

Pope says prayers of millions give him strength
As many speculate that the pope may one day resign, Pope John Paul II said, "Every day I experience that my ministry is sustained by the unceasing prayer of the people of God, of many people who are unknown to me, but very close to my heart, who offer the Lord their prayers and sacrifices for the intentions of the pope." In his June 30 Angelus address, the pope, 82, also said, "At the moments of greater difficulty and suffering, this spiritual force is a valid help and an intimate comfort."

Source: Catholic News Service