Gloria.TV News - September 30, 2013

They left some statues: The majestic Catholic Elite Girls’ Academy of St. Joseph in Long Island, New York shut down five years ago because of declining enrollment. Today it is an Islamic school for 265 students and the number is growing. The classrooms are on two floors of the structure which is part of a complex on the grassy 211-acre property that includes the headquarters of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Brentwood. The Islamic school left statues of Mary, Joseph and Jesus in some of the school's hallways as a way to honor its past and expose the students to – obviously dying - Catholicism.

Not enough gender equality: Sister of St. Joseph Christine Schenk is the retiring co-founder of the dissenting group FutureChurch. According to Cleveland.com she sees – quote – “a springtime in the church” since the election of Pope Francis. For her the Pope fully embodies the values of Vatican II. Only one thing puzzles her about him – quote - given his intellect, he seemed unfamiliar with the gender equality we take for granted.” Next Friday the group will get a new director. Dissenting Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton who will conduct a transition ceremony.

Pope Francis’ words that the Church should not be obsessed with abortion and gay marriage arrived a few weeks too late in North Carolina – according to Ned Barnett in newsobserver.com. The reason: The bishops of the state’s two dioceses, Charlotte and Raleigh, are withdrawing from the local Council of Churches. The council is quote “neutral” on abortion and objects to using the state constitution to ban gay marriage. The severance appears to Barnett antithetical to the Pope’s interview – quote: “But like an ancient war in which the news spreads slowly to its distant corners, some Christian soldiers battle onward even after their leader has called for peace.”

The Catholic Middle Shrinks: The Public Religion Research Institute has found that only fifty-three percent of American Hispanics are currently Catholic, a loss of five percent since 2008. Not Catholic but Evangelical Hispanics are the most opposed to abortion and gay marriage. Four in five Hispanic evangelicals oppose same-sex marriage, while four in five unaffiliated Hispanics are in favor of it. That’s a sign that these two growing groups — evangelicals and the unaffiliated — are leading to growing “polarization” among Hispanics, with the Catholic middle shrinking, according to the Institute.