Late cardinal was ‘a gift’ to church
NEW YORK — Cardinal Timothy Dolan says the life of his predecessor, Cardinal Edward Egan, was “a gift” to the church.
Dolan addressed a packed St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Tuesday at the beginning of Egan’s funeral Mass. He said a Latin phrase summarized Egan’s life: “ Dilexit Ecclesiam — He loved the church.”
The ceremony got off to a noisy start with drummers and bagpipers from New York’s police and fire departments accompanying a funeral procession along the streets of midtown Manhattan.
In the packed cathedral, amid construction scaffolding, solemn church music took over. Several hundred Catholic clergy walked slowly down the center aisle toward Egan’s draped casket at the foot of the altar. They joined nearly 2,500 mourners packing the venerable cathedral.
Egan led the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York for almost a decade. He died March 5 after a heart attack.
— The Associated Press
Maine legislator: Post was ‘error’
AUGUSTA, Maine — A Maine state senator has apologized for a Facebook post that suggests that President Barack Obama’s family members are part of the Islamic State group.
Republican Sen. Michael Willette shared a photo of Obama that pretended to use the president’s words, saying of the Islamic State group, “I’ll deal with them at the family reunion.”
Willette apologized and called it an “error in judgment.” He said in a statement that he “fell into the trap” of posting something before thinking about it.
Maine Democratic Party Chairman Phil Bartlett said the offensive post reflects poorly on the Maine Republican Party.
— The Associated Press
Advocacy group supports chaplain
CHARLESTON, S.C. — A Christian legal advocacy group is defending a Navy chaplain it says faces punishment for expressing faith-based views during private counseling sessions with sailors.
The Liberty Institute says Chaplain Wes Modder, an ordained Assemblies of God minister, has received decorations and was called “the best of the best” by the commander now seeking to administer discipline. Modder is based at South Carolina’s U.S. Navy Joint Base Charleston and Goose Creek.
Liberty Institute attorney Mike Berry says the Navy has requested that Modder be barred from promotion, fired from his job as chaplain and brought before a military board of inquiry, where he could be forced out of the Navy.
Berry says a “handful” of complaints were filed in connection with private, confidential counseling sessions.
— The Associated Press
Christmas scenes in schools studied
INDIANAPOLIS — School Christmas celebrations could be legally protected under a proposal that Indiana lawmakers are considering, but some question whether the measure would be enough to fend off legal threats.
The Legislature’s House Government and Regulatory Reform Committee discussed the measure that would legally allow schools to display Nativity scenes or other Yuletide decorations, as long as another religious or secular holiday is recognized.
It would also permit history lessons about winter holidays and traditional holiday greetings, including “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Hanukkah.”
The Indiana Senate voted 48-2 in February to advance the proposal, which also would allow religious displays on municipal properties, as long as other religions are recognized.