Pope supports pharmacists' consciences

Newsday

Pharmacist Lutful Chowdhury thinks Catholicism's leader is dispensing sound advice when he told pharmacists in Rome on Tuesday to exercise their right to refuse to fill prescriptions of medications that could end a pregnancy, assist in euthanasia or contraception. "These are moral issues," said Chowdhury, who is Muslim and the owner of a pharmacy in Baldwin, N.Y. "This is for the betterment of mankind, so I agree with the policy." Pope Benedict XVI told a gathering of Catholic pharmacists that conscientious objection was a right that must be recognized by the pharmaceutical profession. "Pharmacists must seek to raise people's awareness so that all human beings are protected from conception to natural death, and so that medicines truly play a therapeutic role," the pope said.  More info>

Catholic leaders affirm 'Humanae Vitae'

InsideCatholic.com

More than 80 national Catholic leaders adopted a statement celebrating the upcoming 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae and predicted the "Church will regain Her voice . . . and will once again boldly proclaim to all mankind that children are the solution, not the problem." At its 10th annual meeting in Charleston, S.C., the Catholic Leadership Conference unanimously adopted, "Humanae Vitae at 40: Why the Church Lost the Battle; How She Will Win the War." The statement calls the July 28, 2008, anniversary of the papal encyclical on human life "an extraordinary teaching moment for the universal Church."  More info>

Spears' photos outrage Catholic League leader

 New York Daily News

Kinky photos of a half-naked Britney Spears perched on a priest's lap and leaning seductively against a church confessional sparked outrage among Catholic leaders. Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, said the saucy snapshots, which grace the singer's thumping new dance album, "Blackout," are a "bottom of the barrel" stunt. More info>