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Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun is scheduled to appear in court May 24, according to a report by the British daily The Guardian. Cardinal Zen, the archbishop emeritus of Hong Kong, was arrested May 11 under China’s national security law with at least four others for his role as a trustee of a pro-democracy fund. He was released on bail later that day. Cardinal Zen, who was Bishop of Hong Kong from 2002 to 2009, has long advocated for underground Catholics in mainland China.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251274/cardinal-zen-may-be-in-hong-kong-court-next-week
A Michigan state judge said Tuesday that Michigan’s longstanding law against abortion cannot be enforced if the US Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade. Michigan had in 1931 adopted a law criminalizing abortion as a felony, except when necessary to save the life of the mother. The law has not been enforced since the US Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v Wade decision, but the Michigan Court of Appeals found in 1997 that there is no right to abortion in the state constitution. Planned Parenthood of Michigan, represented by the ACLU of Michigan, had filed a lawsuit against Michigan’s attorney general seeking an injunction against the law. Right to Life Michigan and the Michigan Catholic Conference are considering what llegal options they can pursue.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251276/in-michigan-rogue-decision-blocks-longtime-state-abortion-law
A senior German priest has announced that he is no longer Catholic, citing his disappointment over a lack of “reforms” in the Church and admitting to having broken his promise of celibacy. Andreas Sturm, the former vicar general of the Diocese of Speyer in southwestern Germany, made the announcement on May 13. The former vicar general described the ordination of women to the priesthood, as well as issues surrounding celibacy, sexual morality, and LGBT issues as the most important topics that he believed were not being addressed.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/251262/senior-german-priest-quits-catholic-church
Today, the Church celebrates Saint John the first, a martyr for the faith, imprisoned and starved to death by a heretical Germanic king during the sixth century. He was a friend of the renowned Christian philosopher Boethius, who died in a similar manner.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-john-i-pope-241