Carol Zimmermann - Catholic News Service

Even with a victory, there still will be a need for “Congress to step up” and enact immigration legislation.

The phrase “undue burden” was the expression du jour March 2 and essentially the heart of the argument in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, the challenge by Texas abortion clinics to a 2013 state law requiring them to comply with standards of ambulatory surgical centers.

The 90 minutes of oral arguments March 2 was before a court left with eight members following the Feb. 13 death of Justice Antonin Scalia, who regularly voted to uphold abortion limitations and was expected to have provided the fifth vote in this case to uphold the requirements.

Although President Barack Obama's final State of the Union address on Jan. 12 hit a fair amount of key Catholic issues, it did not go into detail on them. The speech focused more on general themes than specific policies, which was not surprising since this is his last term.He emphasized change a

“This is an early Christmas present. After more than 10 years, members of Congress from both parties have come together to revise our national education law.” The other part of the miracle might be that the legislation–which aims to do away with excessive school testing and give states and local governments more control of schools by freeing them from federal mandates–also provides something for Catholic school students.

CRS’ Sean Callahan urged Congress to consider additional funding relief along with the Middle East Refugee Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act that will make $1 billion available to refugee aid and resettlement.

Francesco Cesareo, chair of the National Review Board, told bishops even though progress has been made, there is no room for complacency on abuse of minors.

A week before the anticipated release of Pope Francis’ encyclical on human ecology and the environment, the U.S. bishops were urged to help Catholics hear and understand it.

Speaking quietly and deliberately, Dominican Sister Diana Momeka from Iraq urged a congressional committee hearing May 13 to help the displaced Christian refugees in Iraq to "go back home.""We want nothing more than to go back to our lives; we want nothing more than to go home,"

Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas Feb. 11 urged Congress to work for immigration reform but not through the path it is currently seeking with increased border enforcement, tougher criteria for immigrant families seeking asylum and a quicker return of immigrant children to their homelands."These bills wo