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NOGALES, Ariz. — Their short pilgrimage across desert sands stopped where it had to stop, at the 20-foot high security fence that separates Nogales from Mexico. And there Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley and eight other American Catholic bishops did what priests and bishops always do — they said Mass. But this was different. Their uncommon congregation had gathered on both sides of the fence, about 500 on the United States, 100 or so south of the border. They came together at the emotional crest of the service, with communion wafers passed through the fence to the eager hands reaching north...

Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston will celebrate Mass at the border fence in Nogales on April 1 as part of a three-day visit to the border by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Migration and several bishops from border dioceses. The delegation will pray at the fence on West International Street on behalf of the close to 6,000 migrants who have died in the U.S. desert since 1998, said the Diocese of Tucson, which is hosting the event. The Mass begins at 9 a.m. on West International Street and will be followed by a news conference at 10:30...

Local religious leaders have given their blessing for an increase to the state's minimum wage. The Massachusetts Catholic Conference this week released a statement supporting the increase. Lawmakers are considering raising the minimum wage from $8 an hour to $10.50. "Insufficient compensation for labor violates the dignity of the worker and that worker’s family," the statement reads. "A just wage supports the individual, families, and society as a whole." The statement was signed by Archbishop Sean O'Malley, Fall River Bishop George Coleman, Worcester Bishop Robert McManus, and Springfield Bishop Timothy McDonnell.

The Talk Shows February 23rd, 2014 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H.; Govs. Scott Walker, R-Wis., and Peter Shumlin, D-Vt.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): National Security Adviser Susan Rice.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Govs. Bobby Jindal, R-La., and Martin O'Malley, D-Md.THIS WEEK (ABC): Former President George W. Bush.STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): Govs. Rick Perry, R-Texas, Mike Pence, R-Ind., Dannel Malloy, D-Conn., Jay Nixon D-Mo.

WASHINGTON — — Gov. Martin O'Malley on Tuesday demanded that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security explain why federal officials are deporting a higher share of noncriminals from Maryland than from most other states under a controversial immigration program called Secure Communities. In a sharply worded letter to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, the governor called on the federal agency to document why the program has led to the deportation of undocumented immigrants with either no criminal record or only misdemeanor convictions, when its long-stated intent is to target dangerous criminals.O'Malley, a Democrat, wrote to Johnson days after The Baltimore...

Elisabeth Smith is not a navigator hired by the Maryland's health exchange. She can't help anyone sign up for health insurance. Please stop emailing her. Smith isn't sure who is handing out her personal email address, a Gmail account, and she asked exchange officials to stop months ago. But the messages kept coming, peaking in December at up to a dozen a day. Similar pleas for help have finally stopped at the pottery supply business run by Sue Lunz in Seattle. She also was pressed into serving frustrated insurance shoppers in Maryland when her phone number was inadvertently listed on...

Recent moves inside the Holy See to sideline conservative cardinals have solidified Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s status as a Vatican insider who has the ear of Pope Francis, experts on the Catholic Church say. “It cements his role as a trusted advisor,” said the Rev. James Bretzke, professor of moral theology at Boston College. “I wouldn’t use the term ‘power broker,’ because I think that’s the wrong nuance. In terms of trying to develop a pastoral vision, as well as a strategic plan, O’Malley is clearly in the inner circle, and the single American cardinal that is in the inner circle.”

Our view: The O'Malley administration has made progress on its Obamacare website, but the question of whether to scrap it remains unanswered. Since Gov. Martin O'Malley declared that the state's health insurance exchange website was functional for most users, anecdotal reports have been mixed. Some people report continued problems with frozen screens and other glitches that have bedeviled the site; others say they were finally able to enroll with relative ease. (clip) That said, the pace of enrollments is still far too low. If the exchange is able to replicate its best weekday and weekend performance during every one of...

Gov. Martin O'Malley's political action committee sounded the call Friday for Congress to renew efforts to pass gun control. His O'Say Can You See political action committee urged supporters to sign on to O'Malley's petition to Congress. In a message to supporters, the governor wrote that "in the coming months, I'm going to continue to fight for those who stand with us on legislation to reduce gun violence." O'Malley spokeswoman Lis Smith said that meant "elected like-minded Democrats," a task to which O'Malley has devoted a travel-heavy itinerary this fall.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has a running campaign going to attract companies and jobs to his state’s low-tax, pro-growth business environment, and he turned his attention to Maryland last week with radio and television ads suggesting to Maryland residents that, “when you grow tired of Maryland taxes squeezing every dime out of your business, think Texas, where we’ve created more jobs than all the other states combined.” Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley was neither pleased nor impressed by this display of Texas gumption, insisting that “the gentleman is all hat and no cattle” in defense of his own economic track record.CNN...

Gov. Martin O’Malley’s office has announced the appointment of a diverse group of four new judges to the Baltimore City District Court on Aug. 13. Kevin Wilson and Martin Dominic are African American; Mark Franklin Scurti and Nicole Pastore Klein are White. “I am pleased to appoint such an accomplished and diverse group of candidates to serve on the Baltimore City District Court,” said O’Malley, in a statement released the same day. “These appointees will bring to the bench a broad range of legal expertise and a true commitment to public service.” Wilson took the former position of just-retired District...

For instance: Maryland would really very much appreciate it if the insurance companies operating in their state could offer rates that the state arbitrarily deems to be affordable and attractive offers, the better to lure potential participants into the state’s ObamaCare exchanges. Insurance companies, meanwhile, would really like it if they could avoid operating at a loss. It’s selfish, really. Aetna Inc pulled out of Maryland’s health insurance exchange being created under President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law after the state pressed it to lower its proposed rates by up to 29 percent. … In an August 1 letter sent...

The O'Malley administration's aggressive new plan to fight climate change calls for Maryland residents to further cut their energy use or face higher monthly utility bills. The plan, to be released Thursday by Gov. Martin O'Malley, also requires that more of the state's electricity come from renewable sources by 2020. Maryland's goals for reducing greenhouse gases are among the most ambitious in the nation.

For eight decades, leaders of a community of Catholic priests and brothers spanning 10 U.S. states acted inadequately in responding to sex abuse allegations and prioritized protecting accused abusers over their victims, concludes an audit released by the group Tuesday. The report, released by a province of Franciscan priests known as Capuchins, could raise questions of how communities of religious, which are not under direct control of bishops, are handling abuse allegations. It also addresses themes many critics of the U.S. church's response to sex abuse have raised since the issue made national headlines in 2002. The report says that...

Published on May 22, 2013, Vid at link

Maryland citizens had their Second Amendments rights infringed on Thursday when Gov. Martin O’Malley signed more gun control into law. Mr. O’Malley became the third liberal governor this year — after New York and Connecticut — to ram through pointless laws that will do nothing to reduce crime by exploiting the Newtown tragedy. However, Mr. O’Malley’s scheme was secretly watered down a little before it became law. The governor was fixated on banning “assault weapons,” even though only two people were murdered by rifles of any type in Maryland in 2011. However, O’Malley’s “assault weapons” is less stringent than the...

Cardinal O’Malley to boycott Boston College commencement over honoring of pro-abortion Irish PM May 10, 2013 (CNS) - Archdiocese of Boston's Cardinal Sean O'Malley said today that he plans to boycott Boston College's commencement ceremony May 20 because it will feature Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny as its commencement speaker. The College is scheduled to award Kenny an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Kenny supports loosening the country's legislation against abortion. “Since the university has not withdrawn the invitation and because the Taoiseach (prime minister) has not seen fit to decline, I shall not attend the graduation,’’ O’Malley said in...

Archdiocese of Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley will boycott the commencement at Boston College because the Catholic educational institution is hosting the Prime Minister of Ireland at a time when the nation faces a government bill that would okay some abortions. The College is scheduled to award Edna Kenny an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Pro-life advocates, led by Students for Life of America, are galvanizing pro-lifers against Ireland’s first pro-abortion Prime Minister Enda Kenny’s planned address to Boston College graduates. It has launched a web site, NotAtBC.com, to gather supporters to protest the speech. “Since the university has not withdrawn...

BOSTON, May 6, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - While Ireland’s Catholic bishops and the pro-life movement are fighting desperately to keep the government from enacting legislation to permit abortion, Boston College, a Catholic institution in Massachusetts, is honoring the head of the same government. Irish pro-life leaders say they are incredulous at the news. Niamh Uí Bhriain of Ireland's Life Institute told LifeSiteNews that the Jesuit college should withdraw its invitation. The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts also condemned the college for selecting Republic of Ireland Taoiseach (Prime Minisster) Enda Kenny as its 2013 Commencement Speaker. The university will also confer an...

Three Democratic governors who successfully pushed their state legislatures to toughen gun laws are asking Congress to do the same. “We need the federal government to take the lead and enact reasonable laws to reduce gun violence by, at a minimum, ensuring that more gun purchasers pass a federal background check,” Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York, Martin O’Malley of Maryland and Dan Malloy of Connecticut wrote in a letter to Senators on Wednesday. “The American people are clear on this issue – more than 90% support background checks prior to gun purchases. They understand that if you can’t pass...