Editorials

While losing weight enjoys a perennial place on many lists of New Year’s resolutions, health and wellness issues, in particular obesity, are a year-round struggle for many. Whether battling the bulge, quitting smoking or eating healthier foods, a lot of us know we should be taking better care of our bodies.

The new year is as good as a time as any to set realistic goals and chart a healthier 2013.

Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to resign the papacy has forever changed the way the world views the man who holds the keys of St. Peter. That may not be a bad thing since the man who will replace Benedict faces real-world issues that demand quick and decisive action.

Berlin Archbishop Rainer Woelki was on the mark when he called Benedict’s decision to step down, the first pope to do so in six centuries, “a demystification of the papal office.”

Earlier this month, a group of students in a central Florida school district were met with opposition from their school board as they attempted to form an extracurricular group. The middle-schoolers attempted to form a gay-straight alliance group during the 2011-12 school year, but according to reports on Huffington Post, they were turned town.

A cardinal was relieved of his public duties last week in another sign the American Catholic Church is more willing to confront decades of abuse of children by priests and the sins of those who tried to hide the truth and protected pedophiles.

In a never-before-seen move, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez relieved his predecessor, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, of all public duties over his failure to handle reports of clergy sex abuse.

Mahoney served as Los Angeles archbishop from 1985 until his retirement in 2011.