LOS ANGELES --- The Los Angeles law firm of Hennigan, Bennett and Dorman LLP has established a website, www.la-clergycases.com, to provide comprehensive information and analysis about the resolution of clergy sexual abuse as a legal issue.

The website contains white papers and other background on the positions taken by the Archdiocese, and also features an electronic library with various legal and other documents. Another feature of the site is a section that reviews news coverage of the issues involved, pointing out "what the local media get wrong," said J. Michael Hennigan of Hennigan, Bennett & Dorman, which represents the Archdiocese.

Hennigan said legal issues stemming from the clergy sexual abuse scandal are complicated and often misunderstood.

"I think everyone, from Cardinal Mahony on down, has felt some frustration that the local media just hasn't been explaining these issues completely," he said. "And that's a shame because the issues before the courts involve matters fundamental to the way Catholics practice their religion. We hope this website will clear up some of the misinformation and help people to understand better the positions staked out by the Archdiocese."

Chinese bishop who studied in U.S. ordained

SHANGHAI, China (CNS) --- Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Xing Wenzhi was ordained in Shanghai, China, June 28. The 42-year-old bishop, who studied in the United States, will serve as auxiliary bishop of Shanghai with the approval of the Vatican and the Chinese government. Bishop Xing is in line to succeed Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian, the government-approved bishop of Shanghai, and Bishop Joseph Fan Zhongliang, head of Shanghai's underground Catholic community.

Pope says Christians must believe,
proclaim Catholic faith, doctrine

VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- The Christian witness in the world will be strong only if Christians believe and proclaim the same truths, Pope Benedict XVI said. "At the beginning of this third millennium, it is necessary for the entire Christian community to proclaim, teach and witness completely to the truths of Catholic faith, doctrine and morals unanimously and with one mind," the pope said July 3. Pope Benedict spoke about unity in faith during his Sunday Angelus address, urging Catholics to study and teach the faith as it is presented in the new "Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church." The pope expressed his hope that with the help of the compendium "all Christians --- children, youth and adults, families and communities --- docile to the action of the Holy Spirit, will become catechists and evangelizers in every environment, helping others encounter Christ."

Judge blocks South Dakota 'informed consent' abortion law

RAPID CITY, S.D. (CNS) --- A federal judge June 30 temporarily barred South Dakota from enforcing a new "informed consent" law that would require doctors to tell women seeking an abortion that abortion ends the life of a human being. U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier of Rapid City said the law forces "unconstitutional compelled speech" on doctors who may disagree with the state's view. She ruled in favor of a request by Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, which sought a temporary injunction against the law. A full hearing on Planned Parenthood's request for a permanent injunction against it is slated for October. A Planned Parenthood facility in Sioux Falls performs nearly all the abortions that are done in South Dakota.

Official delegation from Vietnam visits
Vatican to discuss relations

VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- An official delegation of the government of Vietnam visited the Vatican for the first time since 1992 to discuss church-state relations. Ngo Yen Thi, director of Vietnam's government commission for religious affairs, led the delegation during its June 27-July 2 trip to Rome. The Vatican and Vietnamese representatives looked at "the question of relations between Vietnam and the Holy See with the hope that they would advance rapidly in the direction of normalization," according to a Vatican statement. Meanwhile, a Vietnamese news agency reported the government as saying an agreement had been reached aimed at "increasing contacts to promote mutual understanding, to regulate problems of common interest and to improve bilateral relations." In addition to meeting officials of the Vatican Secretariat of State, the government delegation attended a June 29 Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope praises Zimbabwe's bishops for pre-election letter

VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- Pope Benedict XVI praised Zimbabwe's bishops for reminding the nation's politicians of the importance of working together for the common good and for their recent pastoral letter. The pope said the bishops made a "significant contribution to the electoral process" before the country's parliamentary elections in March. In a joint statement in 2004, the bishops "rightly noted" that the "responsibility for the common good demands that all members of the body politic work together in laying firm moral and spiritual foundations for the future of the nation," the pope said. He spoke July 2 at the end of the bishops' "ad limina" visits to the Vatican. Heads of dioceses are required to make such visits every five years.

German cardinal says pope's decision to visit
synagogue is important

VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- Pope Benedict XVI's decision to visit a synagogue in Cologne, Germany, during his visit for World Youth Day is an important gesture for a German-born pope to make, said Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne. During a July 5 press conference at Vatican Radio, the cardinal confirmed that Pope Benedict would visit the Cologne synagogue during his Aug. 18-21 stay in Germany. "With a German pope visiting his homeland for the first time and during the year marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, which has left its traces," the pope's decision to accept the Cologne Jewish community's invitation was important, the cardinal said. "The Holocaust is still a bleeding wound in Germany. This is a very important gesture," Cardinal Meisner said.

Catholic lawyers' group honors late Gov. Casey
for his pro-life stand

HARRISBURG, Pa. (CNS) --- This year the St. Thomas More Society of central Pennsylvania, made up of about 125 Catholics who are canon or civil lawyers, gave its annual Fidelis Award to the late Gov. Robert P. Casey of Pennsylvania. The award is presented to a lawmaker or public official in memory of St. Thomas More, the vice chancellor of England who in 1535 was executed by King Henry VIII for standing firm in his Catholic beliefs. Former first lady Ellen Casey said her late husband "never wavered" in his Catholic convictions about serving the common good, such as assisting the needy and protecting the unborn. For his stand against abortion and for the right to life, the Democratic Party, his party, denied his request to address the 1992 Democratic convention because of the issue. Although he died five years ago, the governor's life of public service rooted in Catholic teachings continues to have influence in the public square, Ellen Casey said.

---CNS