• Pope Accepts Bishop Rodimer's Resignation, Appoints Bishop Arthur Serratelli Bishop of Paterson (04-100)
  June 1, 2004
  Pope John Paul II accepted the resignation of Bishop Frank J. Rodimer of Paterson, New Jersey, and appointed Newark Auxiliary Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli as his successor.
• Bishops' Official Criticizes Court Ruling Against Partial-Birth Abortion Ban (04-101)
  June 1, 2004
  Today a federal judge in the Northern District of California declared the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act in violation of Roe v. Wade in a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Challenges against the Act are also pending in federal courts in New York and Nebraska.
• Delegation of Prominent Jewish, Christian and Muslim Leaders Delivers Urgent Appeal to Secretary of State Powell for Immediate U.S. Reengagement on the Road Map to Peace (04-102)
  June 2, 2004
  A delegation of prominent national Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious leaders, members of an unprecedented united, interreligious effort for peace among Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab states, met with Secretary of State Powell Tuesday to present an urgent appeal for immediate U.S. action to pursue the Road Map to Peace.
• Actress, Singer, and TV Journalist Speak Candidly about Their Faith on NBC-TV Special (04-103)
  June 2, 2004
  Actress Margaret Colin; singer Aaron Neville; and managing editor and moderator of "Meet the Press," Tim Russert, talk about the impact of faith in their lives in a one-hour special that will be distributed to NBC-TV affiliates on Wednesday, June 9th.
• Bishops' June Meeting To Be 'Special Assembly' (04-104)
  June 3, 2004
  The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will gather in a special assembly June 14-19, 2004, in Englewood, Colorado.
• Church Leaders Commend President Bush For Remarks At Faith-Based Conference (04-105)
  June 3, 2004
  Representatives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops commended President Bush for his remarks in support of refugees made at the 1st annual White House conference on Faith-Based and Community initiatives held earlier this week.
• Pope Appoints Auxiliary Bishops For Philadelphia Archdiocese (04-106)
  June 8, 2004
  Pope John Paul II appointed two Philadelphia archdiocesan priests as Auxiliary Bishops of Philadelphia.
• Bishop Expresses Solidarity With Carribean Flood Victims, Urges Assistance For Survivors (04-107)
  June 8, 2004
  The floods and landslides that erased entire villages in Haiti and the Dominican Republic two weeks ago should be met with an outpouring of solidarity and charity, according to the chairman of the bishops' Committee on the Church in Latin America.
• Text Of Message from Bishop Gregory to Mrs. Ronald Reagan (04-108)
  June 9, 2004
  This is the text of a message sent today (June 9) by the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Most Reverend Wilton D. Gregory, to Nancy Reagan, widow of President Ronald Reagan.
• Department Of Education Announces Scholarship Honoring Father Berard Marthaler, Long-Time Editor Of The Living Light (04-110)
  June 10, 2004
  The Department of Education of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced the creation of the Berard L. Marthaler Scholarship for Educational and Catechetical Leadership.
• Harry Forbes, PBS Executive, New York Drama Critic, Named To Head Bishops' Office For Film And Broadcasting (04-109)
  June 14, 2004
  Harry Forbes, a New York drama critic and former PBS national press relations executive, has been named director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Office for Film and Broadcasting, effective June 14.
• Bishops' Platform Committee Testimony Calls For Focus On Pursuit Of The Common Good, Not Demands Of Special Interests (04-111)
  June 14, 2004
  In testimony submitted to the Democratic and Republican party platform committees, the nation's Catholic Bishops have called for "a new kind of politics—focused on moral principles not on the latest polls, on the needs of the poor and vulnerable not the contributions of the rich and powerful, and on the pursuit of the common good not the demands of special interests."
• North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation Evaluates Reactions To Agreed Statement On Filioque; Plans Focus Of Next Stage Of Reflection (04-113)
  June 15, 2004
  The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation evaluated reactions to its Agreed Statement on the Filioque and decided to focus the next stage of its reflection on conciliarity/synodality and primacies in their churches when it met at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, from June 1-3, 2004. The meeting was co-chaired by Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh and Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk of Cincinnati.
• Bishops Approve On-Site Audit for 2004 (04-114)
  June 15, 2004
  The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved an on-site audit of all dioceses and eparchies (diocese of the Eastern Catholic Churches) to be completed by December 31, 2004.
• Review By Bishops' Film And Broadcasting Office Says HBO Documentary On Celibacy Stacks The Deck Against The Church (04-112)
  June 15, 2004
  A review of an upcoming HBO program on celibacy says the show "uses a stacked-deck approach to investigate the socio-religious roots of abstinence among various faith traditions, with a focused emphasis on Roman Catholicism, and its alleged link to the Church's sexual abuse scandal."
• Evangelization Was Main Topic Of This Year's Session Of Oriental Orthodox-Roman Catholic Theological Consultation (04-115)
  June 16, 2004
  Evangelization was the main topic of this year's session of the Oriental Orthodox-Roman Catholic Theological Consultation. The meeting took place on June 7 and 8 at the Passionist Spiritual Center in Bronx, New York, under the co-chairmanship of Bishop Howard Hubbard of Albany and Very Rev. Chorbishop John Meno of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch.
• Bishops Issue Statement on 'Catholics in Political Life' (04-116)
  June 18, 2004
  Saying that "those who formulate law" are obliged in conscience "to work toward correcting morally defective laws," the United States of Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called on Catholics in public life to protect the unborn and oppose legal abortion "lest they be guilty of cooperating in evil and in sinning against the common good."
• Pope Accepts Resignation Of Bishop Elya Of Newton Eparchy, Appoints Archbishop Bustros Of Lebanon To That Same See (04-117)
  June 22, 2004
  Pope John Paul II accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend John A. Elya, BSO, of the Melkite Catholic Eparchy (diocese) of Newton and appointed Archbishop Cyrille Salim Bustros of Baalbeck, Lebanon to the same see.
• Bishops' Official Says Women Should Be Told That Abortion At 20 Weeks Or Beyond Causes Pain To The Child (04-118)
  June 22, 2004
  Cathy Cleaver Ruse, Esq., spokesperson for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, made the following statement today.
• Bishop Gregory Cites 'Grave Moral Responsibilities' Of United States In Iraq (04-119)
  June 22, 2004
  The United States faces daunting challenges in Iraq as it fulfills its "grave moral responsibilities" in helping to rebuild that nation, according to the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, who said the war and occupation have raised "fundamental questions about the U.S. role in the world."
• Bishops' Official Hails Adult Stem Cell Success Stories At Press Conference (04-120)
  June 24, 2004
  A press conference conducted today by Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) featured women with severe spinal cord injuries who have been treated with adult stem cells. Laura Dominguez was a quadriplegic at 16 after a car accident severely damaged her spinal cord, but after treatment using her own olfactory sinus stem cells Laura can now walk with the aid of braces. A car accident also left Susan Fajt paralyzed, but she, too, can walk with braces today because of experimental new adult stem cell treatment.
• Bishop Gregory Urges Support For The Federal Marriage Amendment (04-121)
  June 25, 2004
  Bishop Wilton D. Gregory, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), has written to all Catholic bishops asking them to personally urge their Senators to support an amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage as exclusively between one man and one woman.
• Number Of Women Leaders In Church Compares Favorably To U.S. Work Force (04-122)
  June 25, 2004
  The percentage of women in diocesan leadership positions compares favorably with the U.S. workforce, according to a church study released June 6, and called for by the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Women in Society and in the Church.
• Pope Appoints Auxilary Bishops for New York Archdiocese (04-123)
  June 28, 2004
  Pope John Paul II appointed two New York archdiocesan priests as auxiliary bishops of New York. Msgr. Gerald T. Walsh, 62, pastor of St. Elizabeth Parish, New York City, was appointed to the titular see of Altiburo. Msgr. Dennis J. Sullivan, 59, pastor of Sts. John and Paul Parish, Larchmont, N.Y., was appointed to the titular see of Enera.

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