Sr Keehan, DC, is the former head of the Catholic Health Association. Her crusading work in US health care led her to defy the US bishops' conference to support President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act in 2010.

Keehan was recognised with the Spirit of Francis Award from Catholic Extension, a Chicago-based nonprofit organisation that assists ministries in poor dioceses.

Archbishop Christoph Pierre, the Vatican's nuncio to the United States, read a message from Pope Francis at an awards banquet on May 25 at the Library of Congress.

"His Holiness willingly associates himself with this recognition of her many years of dedicated leadership in continuing the healing ministry of Jesus Christ through the provision of quality health care for all, especially those most in need," the message read, referring to Sister Keehan.

"He appreciates as well her generous service to the Holy See and her fidelity to the charism of Saint Vincent de Paul, carrying out the apostolate of charity in ‘the consciousness that we are responsible for the fragility of others as we strive to build a common future' ("Fratelli Tutti," 115)."

It continued, "To Sister Carol, and to all who gathered for this happy occasion, the Holy Father cordially sends his blessing as a pledge of peace and joy in the Lord".

Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, and Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago also attended the dinner.

"Sister Carol stands in a long line of consecrated religious women who have led the way in providing quality health care that leaves no one behind," said Cardinal Cupich, who serves as the chancellor of Catholic Extension.

"To this day, she continues to show great leadership, advising the Holy See on health care issues and, most recently, cooperating with Pope Francis' initiatives to educate the world about Covid-19 vaccination."

Sister Keehan entered the contentious debate over the Affordable Care Act at a pivotal time, lending Catholic support to a bill that had been criticised by US bishops.

While supportive of expanding access to health care, Catholic bishops had come out against the bill because of concerns that it would expand access to abortion. Sister Keehan reviewed the legislation and said she did not share those concerns.

The Washington Post called Sister Keehan's sign-off of the legislation "a critical endorsement." Later, then-President Barack Obama credited her with helping provide the necessary support to help pass the bill.

"We would not have gotten the Affordable Care Act done if it weren't for her," Mr Obama said at a Catholic Health Association gathering in 2015.

Sources

• America Magazine
• National Catholic Reporter

On his Facebook page Mr Obama said the boy, only know as Alex from New York, was "moved by the heartbreaking images of Omran Daqneesh."

Omran is the five-year-old in Aleppo who was photographed sitting in an ambulance covered in dust and blood and sitting in shock following an air strike. Read more

Sr Jeannine Gramick was one of the signatories to an open letter to the US president from various faith-based organisations.

The letter claimed women and girls who face sexual violence and rape deserve meaningful access to "the full range of reproductive healthcare options including safe abortion".

Sr Gramick, who heads the National Coalition of American Nuns, was the sole Catholic among the signatories.

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Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City said this after an attempt to execute convicted killer Clayton Lockett by lethal injection on April 29.

A combination of three lethal drugs was being used in the state for the first time.

Lockett eventually died of a massive heart attack after the execution was halted.

He was seen writhing, breathing heavily, grinding his teeth and attempting to lift his head off a pillow as the second and third drugs were administered.

Prison officials later said an intravenous line became dislodged.

Archbishop Coakley said "how we treat criminals says a lot about us as a society".

Justice must be administered with consideration for the victims of crime, but this must be done in a way that doesn't contribute to "the culture of death", he said.

Given the fact that human lives are a gift from God, there should be very strict limits to the use of the death penalty, the archbishop said.

It should be used neither as a deterrent, nor as vengeance, he said.

"In general there are other ways to administer just punishment, without having to resort to lethal measures," he continued.

"The execution of Clayton Lockett really highlights the brutality of the death penalty, and I hope it leads us to consider whether we should adopt a moratorium on the death penalty, or even abolish it altogether," the archbishop wrote.

He prayed for Lockett and his family, prison officials and for Lockett's victim teenager Stephanie Neiman and her family.

In 1999, Lockett and accomplices kidnapped Neiman and three others; he shot her twice and watched as she was buried alive.

US President Barack Obama called the attempt to execute Lockett "deeply troubling".

He will ask the attorney general to analyse problems surrounding the application of the death penalty in the US.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin has stayed an upcoming execution as prison officials investigate, but she reaffirmed her support for capital punishment.

In total, 18 US states have abolished capital punishment.

Sources

• Archbishop Coakley statement
• National Catholic Reporter
• Catholic News Agency
• ABC
• CBC News
• Image: NBC

Although negotiators have agreed to the broad outlines of the TPP agreement, a new trade issue has created a snag in the process: the inclusion of investor-state dispute settlement provisions. Australia has refused to accept the investor-state dispute settlement, and U.S. industry associations are urging President Barack Obama to overcome these objections. These investor-state dispute settlement provisions have been included in U.S. investment treaties and trade agreements with more than 50 countries, and there are over 2,500 of these accords currently on record. These provisions, however, give advantages to large economies and can cripple small island states like Pacific Island nations.

Obama describes the TPPA as a "a trade agreement for the 21st century" that improves on and rectifies past problems in U.S. trade and investment treaties. Nine countries are currently negotiating the TPPA: the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore. Japan is in preliminary talks, and Canada and Mexico are looking to join. Although the negotiations are being held in secret, leaked documents confirm that the TPPA is a "NAFTA on steroids." Contrary to democratic practice, the documents connected to the negotiations will remain secret for four years after being signed or dismissed.

The United States is leading the negotiations and has a great deal of influence over the outcome of the agreement, which covers a vast range of subject matters, including tariffs on goods, trade in services, labor and the environment, telecommunications, and intellectual property. For Pacific Islands, however, the investor rights chapters may offer the greatest challenge to Pacific Island environmental resources.

Continue reading Vacuuming up the Pacific's resources

Image source: Celsias NZ