News Updates, 5/18

Phoenix nun excommunicated for abortion link
Decision draws sharp rebuke from Bishop Thomas Olmsted

Thousands flock to Vatican to back Pope over abuse
Benedict comforted by 'spontaneous show of faith'

Scientists: couples increasingly rely on IVF
Natural human reproduction is 'fairly inefficient'?

Vatican to claim bishops are not 'employees'
Says Holy See not liable for actions of US prelates

Legion leaders absolve themselves before they sink
Claim they never knew a thing about Maciel's issues

Colombian priest: Church is 'closet of gays'
Writes book on homosexual scandals in the priesthood

Bishop pushed to clarify 'strong forces' claim
Says Church in Ireland wants to hide sex abuse scandals

Cardinal Pell urges new action on pedophiles
Says such priests should be permanently removed

Vatican rejects appeals by closed Boston churches
Three parishes had sit-ins for past five years

==== Other Issues ====

Woman battles county for husband's life Another Terri Schiavo? Hospital refuses...
In a complex case that has drawn the attention of the family of Terri Schiavo, a Vietnam veteran's wife claims a Catholic hospital has tried to end her husband's life by starving him to death, placing him under a "do-not-resuscitate" order and refusing to allow him to return home. Gary Harvey, 60, a Vietnam veteran in Horseheads, N.Y., fell down a flight of stairs on Jan. 21, 2006 and suffered a traumatic brain injury that put him in a vegetative state. Gary, an only child who is estranged from his two adult children, did not have a living will....

Texas doctors opting out of Medicare at alarming rate
Texas doctors are opting out of Medicare at alarming rates, frustrated by reimbursement cuts they say make participation in government-funded care of seniors unaffordable. Two years after a survey found nearly half of Texas doctors weren't taking some new Medicare patients, new data shows 100 to 200 a year are now ending all involvement with the program. Before 2007, the number of doctors opting out averaged less than a handful a year...

Pfizer to cut 6,000 jobs, close plants
BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- Pfizer Inc. said early Tuesday that it plans to either close or reduce operations at several of its facilities worldwide by the end of 2015, a move that could result in the elimination of about 6,000 jobs over the next several years. Pfizer said the initiative was part of its on-going restructuring in the wake of its $68 billion takeover of rival Wyeth. In particular, Pfizer is considering closing eight manufacturing sites in Ireland, the U.S., and Puerto Rico. It is also eyeing cutting back operations at six other plants in Ireland, Germany, Puerto Rico, the U.K., and the U.S. Pfizer currently operates 78 plants worldwide. At the end of the first quarter 2010, Pfizer had approximately 113,800 employees...

Muslims Threaten to Kill Participants in "Draw Mohammed Day"
“Draw Muhammad Day” is in two days. Check out the spate of profanity-laced death threats against the organizer on Facebook from Internet jihadists....