Gloria.TV News - September 5, 2013

Bankruptcy: The diocese of Gallup, New Mexico is poised to file for bankruptcy protection. Over the weekend, at Masses throughout the diocese, parishioners were read a letter from bishop James Wall that said in the face of insurmountable lawsuits, the diocese intends to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Seven other U.S. dioceses have filed for bankruptcy protection in the aftermath of sexual abuse lawsuits. The lawsuits in America has resulted in more than $3.3 billion of settlements over the past 15 years, $1.3 billion of that in California.

Anti-Christian Bigotry: Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, in an interview with the Washington Times, has warned that anti-Christian bigotry in the U.S. is on the rise and that the media is to blame. Paprocki compared today’s situation in the U.S. to Christians being persecuted under Communist regimes and even in ancient times – quote: “We are moving in a direction that – not only is it more than secular – it’s a rejection. It’s an outright rejection of Christian values. It’s a pagan kind of a culture.”

Decree to Demolish: Saint Ann’s Church and Shrine, an unparalleled Buffalo and Western New York treasure that equals or even tops Paris’ Notre Dame and New York City’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral, has been decreed profane and now faces an unforgiving wrecking ball by order of newly arrived Bishop Richard Malone. St Ann's was built in the 1880’s by German immigrants from Bavaria, Austria and Bohemia. The decree to demolish this treasure was issued by Bishop Malone without accepting one of the many invitations of Saint Ann’s parishioners to visit the church.

Successful Amish: A growing number of women and young adults are exploring Amish, Mennonite, and similar communities because of their simple, family-centered lifestyle and modesty, David Briggs of the Association of Religion Data Archives recently noted according to catholicculture.org. Around 1,200 of the 500,000 members of such communities in the US are converts. This number has been growing in recent years.