GOP 2016-BUSH-FAITH
Jeb Bush vows to protect religious rights
MIAMI (AP) β Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has launched his Republican presidential campaign with a pledge to defend the conscience rights of religious charities.
Bush cited the Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of nuns fighting the Obama administration over the health care law’s birth control mandate. He said the nuns need a president who understands that they “need no federal instruction in doing the right thing.”
Bush said Democratic candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has made it clear that she thinks religious beliefs should be changed if they conflict with the liberal agenda.
He faulted President Barack Obama for bringing up the Crusades at this year’s National Prayer Breakfast. Bush said, “Americans don’t need lectures on the Middle Ages when we’re dealing abroad with modern horrors committed by fanatics.”
Jeb Bush’s son, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, said faith is what gives his father’s life purpose.
Sound:
243-a-12-(Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, in campaign launch speech)-“the right thing (applause fades)”-Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush says nuns shouldn’t have to go to court to fight the health care law’s birth control mandate. (15 Jun 2015)
< 245-a-13-(Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, in campaign launch speech)-“committed by fanatics”-Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush says President Barack Obama has a skewed focus when it comes to religious violence. (15 Jun 2015) < 242-a-10-(Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, in campaign launch speech)-“to be changed”-Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush says Hillary Rodham Clinton doesn’t respect the conscience rights of religious charities. ((longer version of cut used in wrap)) (15 Jun 2015) < 241-w-34-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush)–Jeb Bush has launched his Republican presidential campaign with a pledge to defend the conscience rights of religious charities. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (15 Jun 2015) < 244-a-10-(Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, in campaign launch speech)-“with the sisters”-Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush says the Little Sisters of the Poor need a president who’ll protect their conscience rights. ((cut used in wrap)) (15 Jun 2015) < PRUITT-MARINE CASE Oklahoma AG weighs in on US Marine’s court-martial OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) β Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is weighing in on the case of a U.S. Marine in North Carolina who was court-martialed after posting Bible verses in her government work space and refusing orders to remove them. Pruitt’s office has filed an Amicus Curia, or friend of the court, brief in the case of Lance Cpl. Monifa Sterling, who is appealing her court-martial to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. Sterling is being represented by the Liberty Institute, a not-for-profit group dedicated to advancing freedom of religion. Pruitt claims the military court erred by refusing to afford Sterling protections of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and contends the case could impact the religious freedoms of military citizens living in Oklahoma. VATICAN-CHURCH ABUSE US archbishop quits after archdiocese charged with cover-up VATICAN CITY (AP) β The embattled archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis and his deputy have resigned after years of pressure, an indication that Pope Francis is making good on his promise that no one is above the law when it comes to covering up for clergy who sexually abuse children. Archbishop John Nienstedt (NYN’-steht) and Auxiliary Bishop Lee Anthony Piche (pih-SHAY’) stepped down after Minnesota prosecutors charged their archdiocese with having failed to protect children from unspeakable harm by a pedophile priest who was later convicted of molesting two boys. Separately, the Vatican indicted Jozef Wesolowski, its own former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, on charges of sexually abusing minors in the Caribbean country and possessing child pornography. He will be the highest-ranking Vatican official ever to stand trial for a sex crime. The developments came days after Francis approved the creation of a new tribunal inside the Vatican to hear cases of bishops accused of failing to protect minors. Sound: 226-w-32-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with papal biographer Marco Politi)–The embattled archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis and his deputy have resigned after Minnesota prosecutors charged their archdiocese with failing to protect children from a pedophile priest. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (15 Jun 2015) < 227-a-05-(Marco Politi, papal biographer, in AP interview)-“to child abuse”-Papal biographer Marco Politi says Pope Francis is showing that he won’t tolerate covering up for abusive clergy. ((cut used in wrap)) (15 Jun 2015) < 228-a-11-(Marco Politi, papal biographer, in AP interview)-“send their complaints”-Papal biographer Marco Politi says Pope Francis has approved creation of a Vatican tribunal to hear cases of bishops accused of failing to protect minors. (15 Jun 2015) < 192-a-15-(Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens (CUH’-zihns), Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, at news conference)-“to move forward”-Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis says Archbishop John Nienstedt and Bishop Lee Anthony Piche have resigned in the wake of allegations of a church sex abuse cover-up. ((Nienstedt is pronounced NYN’-steht, Piche is pronounced PEE’-shay)) (15 Jun 2015) < 193-a-13-(Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens (CUH’-zihns), Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, at news conference)-“clergy sexual abuse”-Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis says the church is asking for parishioners’ support as they try to deal appropriately with the issues that led to the archbishop’s resignation. (15 Jun 2015) < 194-a-13-(Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens (CUH’-zihns), Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, at news conference)-“against the archdiocese”-Auxiliary Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis says they hope to open a new chapter. (15 Jun 2015) < VATICAN-ENCYCLICAL Draft of pope’s eagerly awaited environment encyclical leaks VATICAN CITY (AP) β An Italian newsweekly has published a draft copy of Pope Francis’ eagerly awaited encyclical on the environment. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Monday that the document published by L’Espresso was not the final version and that the official encyclical would still be released as scheduled on Thursday. Francis has said that climate change is “mostly” man-made and that humankind has a moral imperative to radically change its behavior to protect the planet for future generations β as well as to prevent the poor from suffering due to the sins of the rich. In the draft, Francis lays out the moral reasons for protecting God’s creation, and backs up his comments with science showing the impact on the planet of the continual loss of biodiversity in Amazonian rainforests, the melting of Arctic glaciers, the overfishing of the seas and the pollution of the world’s water supply. FAST FOOD WAGES Fast-food workers demand wage increase in NYC to $15 hourly NEW YORK (AP) β Fast-food workers have rallied at a New York church and testified before Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s wage board, demanding a pay increase to $15 an hour that restaurant industry representatives deemed a potential jobs-killer. Many fast-food employees said Monday that they work fewer than 30 hours a week and in some cases work on call. Several said some weeks they didn’t work any hours at all, and others testified they live in overcrowded apartments and struggle to support their families. Seattle-based venture capitalist Nick Hanauer joined the rally at Judson Memorial church and testified before the board, citing his native city and San Francisco as examples where a wage increase actually resulted in employment numbers going up. But the head of the New York State Restaurant Association said those cities were phasing in wage increases and haven’t hit $15 an hour yet. New York’s minimum wage is now $8.75 and is set to rise to $9 at year’s end. BOYS TOWN FOUNDER-SAINTHOOD Review completed of Boys Town founder in sainthood effort OMAHA, Neb. (AP) β The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha says it has completed its investigation into the life and virtue of the Rev. Edward Flanagan, another step in efforts to have sainthood declared for the founder of Boys Town. Flanagan, who was depicted in the Academy Award-winning 1938 movie “Boys Town,” was named a “servant of God” more than three years ago by Omaha Archbishop George Lucas. A diocesan tribunal then began what was required to be a neutral examination of Flanagan. That review will officially end Thursday with a Mass of celebration. Archbishop Lucas’s assistant says, “the fact that we are having a celebration suggests that we didn’t find anything to bar him” from sainthood. A Vatican department will now investigate whether Flanagan can be credited with two miracles, which is normally required for canonization as a saint. Flanagan founded the Boys Town orphanage in Omaha in 1917. He died of a heart attack in 1948 at age 61 while visiting Germany. SIKH STUDENT-ARMY LAWSUIT Sikh college student wins battle with Army over hair, turban MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) β A Sikh college student from New York says he’s excited about a federal court decision that will permit him to enroll in the U.S. Army’s Reserve Officer Training Corps without shaving his beard, cutting his hair, or removing his turban. Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled Friday that 20-year-old Iknoor Singh’s adherence to his religious beliefs would not diminish his ability to serve in the military. Singh, who will be a junior next fall studying finance and business analytics at Hofstra University on Long Island, said he has had a lifelong interest in public service. He speaks four languages β English, Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu β and he said he wants to work in military intelligence. Sikhism, a 500-year-old religion founded in India, requires its male followers to wear a turban and beard and keep their hair uncut. Under a policy announced last year, troops can seek waivers on a case-by-case basis to wear religious clothing, seek prayer time or engage in religious practices. FRANCE-BASILICA FIRE Fire torches historic basilica rooftop in western France PARIS (AP) β Fire has ravaged a 19th-century basilica in France, starting at the close of morning Mass and leaving just a charred shell of the rooftop. Everyone inside was quickly evacuated without injury, the Rev. Benoit Bertrand of the Nantes diocese told BFM television. Hours later, with 90 firefighters and aircraft on the scene, the blaze was brought under control, according to the Nantes fire department. The fire was apparently sparked accidentally by workers on the roof, according to the local newspaper, Presse Ocean, which reported a similar fire in 1972 β also started during construction. Images of the historic basilica showed a blackened roof, with smoke and open flames across the structure. OBIT-ANNE GAYLOR Freedom From Religion Foundation founder Anne Gaylor dies MADISON, Wis. (AP) β The outspoken founder of the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation has died. The foundation says on its website that 88-year-old Anne Nicol Gaylor died just before midnight Sunday following complications from a May 30 fall in her apartment. Gaylor co-founded the atheist and agnostic awareness group in 1976 along with her daughter Annie Laurie Gaylor. The elder Gaylor served as president until 2004. The group has grown to be the largest of its kind in the country, frequently filing lawsuits against religious displays in government institutions. The group also puts up a display each holiday season in the Wisconsin state Capitol celebrating atheism. Gaylor also co-founded the Women’s Medical Fund, an abortion rights charity that has served more than 20,000 Wisconsin women.
