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Why is Bush getting the bishop's blessing? Thursday, October 14, 2004 NEWARK'S ARCHBISHOP John Myers wrote an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal last month on why Catholics cannot in good conscience vote for a pro-choice candidate. It was titled "A Voter's Guide."Myers wrote that abortion and research that destroys human embryos are evil and that no other issue outweighs that evil in this presidential race: not the death penalty, poverty, or the war in Iraq.The archbishop did not name names, but his message is clear: Catholics can't vote for John Kerry. Since Catholics make up one-quarter of the...

Today the Archdiocese of Newark released To Whom Shall We Go?, a new pastoral by Archbishop John J. Myers reflecting on the spiritual nature of the human person and the role of God’s grace in guiding us to live in today’s world according to His plan.From the Scriptural accounts of Jesus preaching to the disciples at Capernaum (John 6) and St. Paul preaching to the people of Athens (Acts 17), to reactions of everyday people following the sudden and massive experience of terror in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, to the exhortation of St. John...

Even as Pope Francis and Catholic leaders from around the world debate ways to make the Catholic Church more inclusive, Newark Archbishop John Myers has given his priests strict guidelines on refusing Communion to Catholics who, for example, support gay marriage or join an organization that rejects Church teaching.In the two-page memo, Myers also orders parishes and Catholic institutions not to host people or organizations that disagree with the Church.He says Catholics, “especially ministers and others who represent the Church, should not participate in or be present at religious events or events intended to endorse or support those who reject or...

The reform group and the archbishop: A rising tide runs into a wall Sunday, November 24, 2002 BY DAVID GIBSON Star-Ledger Staff [Newark, NJ] -- The ban that Newark Archbishop John J. Myers directed last month at the New Jersey chapter of a burgeoning national Catholic reform group was about as cut and dried as an edict can get. To Myers, the group Voice of the Faithful was "anti- Church and, ultimately, anti-Catholic," and in no uncertain terms he said its members could not meet on church property anywhere in the four counties of the Newark archdiocese. But Voice of...

NEWARK, N.J. (RNS) Amid calls for a Vatican investigation, Newark Archbishop John J. Myers is facing fierce criticism for his handling of a priest who attended youth retreats and heard confessions from minors in defiance of a court-ordered lifetime ban on ministry to children. At St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Colts Neck, where the Rev. Michael Fugee had been spending time with a youth group, angry parishioners said they were never told about Fugee’s background, and they questioned Myers’ defense of the priest, the subject of a lengthy story in The Star-Ledger.“It’s complete craziness that the church can let this...

Bill Donohue comments as follows: Left-wing Catholics, and ex-Catholics, tried in vain to get Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph to step down, and now they have their sights set on Newark Archbishop John Myers. Their goal is to bring down a bishop—any bishop.Leading the charge against Archbishop Myers is the Newark Star-Ledger, which on Sunday said he should resign. The newspaper is guilty of journalistic malfeasance, and for this reason the entire editorial board should resign immediately. To be specific, the newspaper has violated the tenets of the Society of Professional Journalists by failing to accurately report on...

In a sweeping pastoral statement to be made public today, the leader of more than 1 million North Jersey Catholics urges them to vote “in defense of marriage and life,” and warns that the passage of same-sex marriage laws might lead to a government crackdown on their religious freedoms. Newark Archbishop John J. Myers said the statement on gay marriage was not timed to coincide with the November election, now little more than a month away, and that he was not calling on Catholics to vote for a particular candidate. But he said they should examine the “full spectrum” of...

Newark's Roman Catholic archbishop is upset part of Bill Maher's movie was filmed at Bergen County parish. Maher set part of his documentary "Religulous," which mocks organized religion, in Our Lady of Mercy in Park Ridge. A spokesman for Archbishop John Myers said the parish priest was aware of a policy that prohibits any commercial filming in churches. But Jim Goodness said filmmakers told the Very Rev. Charles Grandstrand that Maher wanted to film his Jewish mother there because the church was such a big part of her life. Hi father was Catholic. Maher grew up in nearby River Vale....

<p>With a sharply worded rebuke, Newark Archbishop John J. Myers has barred from church property the New Jersey chapter of a national lay reform group that started in Boston following the clergy sexual abuse scandals and now includes members across the country.</p>

Gloria Latherow strolled the aisle of St. Mark Church in Rahway, nudging wooden kneelers into place with her right foot, while expressing hope for the future of the parish, her spiritual home since Harry Truman was president. "I don't think they'll close us," Latherow, 78, said just before Sunday's 10 a.m. Mass. "They just took up a collection for $30,000 for the parking lot. Why would they take up that money if they're going to close it?" Three years ago, it seemed a certainty that St. Mark, a church founded in 1871 for German-speaking Catholics, would be closed. The Newark...

NORTH CALDWELL-A new church at 103 Gould Ave., calling itself "St. Anthony of Padua Church," is not recog­nized by the Archdiocese of Newark, archdiocesan officials announced Sept. 6. Citing the sign at the front of the church that reads "St. Anthony of Padua Church, Roman Catholic Traditional Latin Mass," Rev. Msgr. Robert E. Emery, J.C.L., vicar general and moderator of the Curia, stressed the church "is not connected or affiliated with Saint Anthony of Padua Chapel in West Orange." The West Orange chapel, earlier this month, celebrated the sacrament of Confirmation in the archdiocese accord­ing to the traditional pre-Vatican II...

N.J. politicians: Church is seeking too big a roleBy Tom TurcolInquirer Staff WriterRoman Catholic politicians in New Jersey, including one who left the church yesterday, are expressing anger at what they say is an attempt by church leaders to force them to decide between their government oaths and their religion.Elected officials said that escalating demands by the church hierarchy in New Jersey that Gov. McGreevey and others vote in accordance with Catholic doctrine on public issues runs counter to the principle of the separation of church and state.State Senate Majority Leader Bernard Kenny said he told his pastor yesterday...

NEWARK, Oct. 9 — In a ceremony marked by solemn ritual and somber reflection on terrorism, John Joseph Myers, a native of Illinois farm country and now a 60- year-old theological conservative, was installed today as the fifth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Newark. Archbishop Myers, named by the Vatican to the post in July, devoted his first homily here to a recital of the orthodox views that have won him some national attention and prompted a few jitters among moderates in the archdiocese. He mentioned Roman Catholic teaching on marriage, abortion and euthanasia, and made oblique references to science, ...

Bishop John J. Myers -- who is about to become archbishop of Newark -- leaves behind a deeply divided diocese in Peoria, Ill., largely because of his strong conservative views and management style. Many praise his leadership and say he champions authentic Catholic doctrine at a time when many feel Catholics are drifting from strict observance. But his critics describe a domineering bishop who places undue emphasis on the letter of the law at the expense of compassion. In recent weeks, controversies over Myers' 10 years in Peoria have resurfaced in light of his appointment to the much larger archdiocese ...

Archbishop among supporters of experimental stem-cell technique By Agostino BonoCatholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark, N.J., and several Catholic bioethicists were among 35 experts in medicine and ethics who recently announced their support for research into an experimental laboratory technique that could produce embryolike stem cells without creating or destroying human embryos. Supporters of this research said the laboratory technique, if successful, would avoid moral objections by people opposed to extracting pluripotent stem cells from human embryos because the process destroys the embryos. Pluripotent stem cells can develop into any cell in the human...

Once Pope Benedict returns to Vatican City from a trip to his native Germany next month, he faces important decisions that will affect millions of Catholics: how to fill archbishop vacancies in Detroit and Baltimore, where archbishops traditionally become cardinals. New Jersey's Catholics have good reason to follow his decisions: Newark Archbishop John J. Myers, the highest-ranked Catholic clergyman in the state since 2001, is rumored to be the favorite for Detroit's opening. The Vatican tries to keep its appointments under wraps, though expected vacancies always fuel speculation among priests and within the Catholic community. Adding to the uncertainty is...

Who knows whether Cardinal Edward Egan is sleeping soundly these days. But as head of the New York archdiocese—as the top Roman Catholic prelate in the state—he'd have every reason to be restless after the recent advent of a little-noticed lawsuit. The suit, now pending in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, was filed on December 13 by Bob Hoatson—a 53-year-old New Jersey priest considered a stalwart ally among survivors of sexual abuse by clergy. Hoatson, the now-suspended chaplain for Catholic Charities in Newark, is suing Egan and nine other Catholic officials and institutions, claiming a pattern of "retaliation and harassment"...

On an oddly shaped lot at the intersection of Westminster Place and Passaic Street in Garfield, the steel frame of the Rev. Calvin McKinney's new church rises to meet the clear, February sky. McKinney has dreamed of building this church for 33 years, since he took over as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, where the modest stucco building belies McKinney's status as one of the most influential blackministers in New Jersey. It was a dream deferred, until Democratic Sen. Jon Corzine gave McKinney $1.8 million from his charitable foundation. The foundation, with Corzine as its only trustee, has showered charities...

A Bergen County, NJ, priest will be delivering a sermon on compassion three days in a row next week, but he won't be speaking from a pulpit. Believing actions often speak louder than words, the Rev. Peter Wehrle will be cycling from Perryville, Md., to New York City from Friday, Sept. 10, through Sunday, Sept. 12, to raise funds for people suffering from HIV/AIDS.Also taking part in the 265-mile fundraiser, Braking the Cycle will be a Montclair cyclist who manages a brewery in New York and a former Cliftonite who serves as a corporate tax accountant.Proceeds of the event will...

From 1999 to 2003, government money flowed to Mount Carmel Guild Hospital like never before, a total of $40 million extra the Newark hospital used to help poor people with mental-health issues.But officials in the state Attorney General's Office say Mount Carmel's windfall was crooked, the result of a fraudulent Medicaid reimbursement scheme that boosted the finances of the hospital, which is affiliated with Catholic Charities, the social services arm of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.Not only did the agency's former chief financial officer plead guilty last month to fraud, but Catholic Charities now needs to repay the government...