Bogotá, Colombia, Nov 29, 2011 / 02:14 pm (CNA).- Sergeant Luis Alberto Erazo Mayo, the sole survivor of the recent massacre of four hostages by a Colombian rebel group, said he prayed for his kidnappers during his captivity.
"God exists," Erazo told reporters, adding that the only hope that sustained him during his ordeal was prayer. Among the few items he brought home in the backpack he made in the jungle was a daily missal.
"I prayed even for the rebels," he said.
Colombian newspaper El Tiempo reported that Erazo had been kidnapped for more than eleven years by the rebel group FARC, who injured him as he escaped on Nov. 26 during an attempted military rescue.
"I heard a lot of shots about 15 meters away and then I was hit in the face and neck. Then I knew they were firing at me. I looked back and realized that the guard was going the other way and the field was clear for me to escape. So I took off running towards the jungle and I saw the guy who was following me chasing after me until I lost him," Erazo said.
"The rebels told me that if there was any combat that we should run alongside of them because they were going to hand us over," he added. "I forgot that and I ran towards the jungle. My companions went towards them however, and that is when they killed them at point blank."
Despite his wounds, Erazo kept running as fast as he could and eventually hid in a tree trunk where he stayed for almost eight hours—until he was convinced that the voices he heard were those of Colombian soldiers.
"In a large field I saw some men in uniforms riding motorbikes. When I saw one guy with a helmet and night-vision goggles, I knew they were soldiers and I walked out. They hugged me and wouldn't let go, they welcomed me back," Erazo said in tears.
Erazo has been able to see his two daughters in his hometown of Narino and learned that he is now a grandfather. His mother told him the parrot and geese he left behind are still alive and are waiting for him.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Mail bomb prompts Mexican archdiocese to call for increased security
Mexico City, Mexico, Nov 29, 2011 / 06:10 pm (CNA).- The Archdiocese of Mexico is calling on local officials to improve security after a package containing explosives was mailed to the archdiocesan chancery.
"We will take basic security measures," Father Hugo Valdemar, spokesman for the archdiocese, said. "This can't be taken lightly as this is a threatening situation."
On Nov. 25, Mexico City police investigated and removed the package, which appears to have been sent by local anarchist group Liberacion Total. The same group was responsible for setting an armored car on fire in the Mexican capital on Nov. 5.
Fr. Valdemar reported that the archdiocese's Cardinal Norberto Rivera is unshaken by the incident.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"We will take basic security measures," Father Hugo Valdemar, spokesman for the archdiocese, said. "This can't be taken lightly as this is a threatening situation."
On Nov. 25, Mexico City police investigated and removed the package, which appears to have been sent by local anarchist group Liberacion Total. The same group was responsible for setting an armored car on fire in the Mexican capital on Nov. 5.
Fr. Valdemar reported that the archdiocese's Cardinal Norberto Rivera is unshaken by the incident.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Planned Chinese ordination has Vatican approval, with conditions
Vatican City, Nov 29, 2011 / 06:31 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Nov. 30 ordination of a new Chinese bishop has approval from the Vatican, though there are concerns about how the ceremony might be publicized and who will participate.
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi confirmed on Nov. 29 that Father Peter Luo Xuegang was "a candidate approved by the Holy See" to be consecrated as an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Yibin.
"I hope of course," he told Fides news agency, "that if the ordination takes place the norms of the Catholic Church will be respected, namely that the faithful are informed about the approval of the candidate by the Holy See, and that no illegitimate bishop participates in the liturgical ceremony."
Under those conditions, Fr. Lombardi said, the event "would be an encouragement for the Catholic community" in China.
At a Nov. 29 news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei said Beijing's Communist government has "always been sincere about improving relations with the Vatican."
However, the country has made several provocative moves in relation to the Church over the past twelve months—including a series of unapproved bishop ordinations that began in November 2010, and the reported coercion of clerics to force their participation in state functions.
China's state-administered Catholic Patriotic Association includes a large number of bishops accepted as legitimate by the Holy See. But the Vatican informed them in July 2011 that they would face excommunication if they willingly helped to ordain other bishops not approved by Rome.
The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman claimed on Tuesday that recent ordinations in his country have promoted "the healthy development of Chinese Catholicism," according to the Associated Press.
Yet in a July 2011 response to one of the illicit ordinations, the Vatican said that Pope Benedict XVI "deplores the manner in which the Church in China is being treated" by authorities who challenge his right to confirm or reject proposed bishops.
One rejected candidate, who was nonetheless ordained in June 2011 and consequently excommunicated, is Paul Lei Shiyin. There is speculation that he may attend Wednesday's planned ordination, though it is unclear whether he would take a role in the liturgy as forbidden by the Vatican.
While China's foreign ministry claims to want better relations with the Holy See, the government reaction to Shiyin's excommunication showed no willingness to concede on the issue of ordinations.
"The majority of priests and believers will more resolutely choose the path of independently selecting and ordaining its bishops, and the government will continue to support and encourage such practice," China's State Administration for Religious Affairs said in a July 25 response to the excommunication.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi confirmed on Nov. 29 that Father Peter Luo Xuegang was "a candidate approved by the Holy See" to be consecrated as an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Yibin.
"I hope of course," he told Fides news agency, "that if the ordination takes place the norms of the Catholic Church will be respected, namely that the faithful are informed about the approval of the candidate by the Holy See, and that no illegitimate bishop participates in the liturgical ceremony."
Under those conditions, Fr. Lombardi said, the event "would be an encouragement for the Catholic community" in China.
At a Nov. 29 news briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei said Beijing's Communist government has "always been sincere about improving relations with the Vatican."
However, the country has made several provocative moves in relation to the Church over the past twelve months—including a series of unapproved bishop ordinations that began in November 2010, and the reported coercion of clerics to force their participation in state functions.
China's state-administered Catholic Patriotic Association includes a large number of bishops accepted as legitimate by the Holy See. But the Vatican informed them in July 2011 that they would face excommunication if they willingly helped to ordain other bishops not approved by Rome.
The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman claimed on Tuesday that recent ordinations in his country have promoted "the healthy development of Chinese Catholicism," according to the Associated Press.
Yet in a July 2011 response to one of the illicit ordinations, the Vatican said that Pope Benedict XVI "deplores the manner in which the Church in China is being treated" by authorities who challenge his right to confirm or reject proposed bishops.
One rejected candidate, who was nonetheless ordained in June 2011 and consequently excommunicated, is Paul Lei Shiyin. There is speculation that he may attend Wednesday's planned ordination, though it is unclear whether he would take a role in the liturgy as forbidden by the Vatican.
While China's foreign ministry claims to want better relations with the Holy See, the government reaction to Shiyin's excommunication showed no willingness to concede on the issue of ordinations.
"The majority of priests and believers will more resolutely choose the path of independently selecting and ordaining its bishops, and the government will continue to support and encourage such practice," China's State Administration for Religious Affairs said in a July 25 response to the excommunication.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Vatican paper refutes critics of divorce and remarriage teaching
Vatican City, Nov 29, 2011 / 07:28 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- After a leading German bishop questioned the Church's teaching on divorce and remarriage, the Vatican's newspaper today published an essay by Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, that called the teaching compassionate and pastoral because it is true to the teaching of Christ.
"Assuredly, the word of truth can be painful and uncomfortable. But it is the way to holiness, to peace, and to inner freedom," said Pope Benedict in 1998.
"A pastoral approach which truly wants to help the people concerned must always be grounded in the truth," because "in the end, only the truth can be pastoral," he wrote, quoting the Gospel promise of Christ that "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
The article was republished as some senior clerics in Germany are calling for the Church to review its understanding of marriage, along with its prohibition on remarried Catholics receiving communion.
Throughout his 1998 work, Pope Benedict—who was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the time—explained that the recent documents of the Church on such matters "bring together the demands of truth with those of love in a very balanced way."
So while at times in the past "love shone forth too little in the explanation of the truth," so today, there is a great danger that "in the name of love, truth is either to be silenced ! or compromised."
Today's republication was carried in six different languages under the explanatory subheading of "concerning some objections to the Church's teaching on the reception of Holy Communion by divorced and remarried members of the faithful."
It comes two months after the president of the German Bishops' Conference publicly raised questions over the Church's teachings on marriage in a newspaper interview.
"We are all faced with the problem of how we can help people in whose lives certain things have gone wrong and that includes a wrecked marriage," Archbishop Robert Zollitsch said on Sept. 5, only weeks before the Pope arrived for a four-day state visit.
"This is a question of mercy and we will be discussing this problem intensively in the near future," the archbishop told the German newspaper Die Zeit.
Archbishop Zollitsch was specifically asked about the situation of the country's President Christian Wulff, who is a remarried Catholic and refrains from receiving communion.
When he was asked about Berlin's Mayor Klaus Wowereit, who is also a Catholic but in a homosexual relationship, Archbishop Zollitsch replied, "We must see how we can find theologically based answers to questions of lifestyles."
In today's article, which was published as part of a Vatican discussion paper in 1998, Pope Benedict explains why the Church's teaching is rooted in Scripture, tradition and reason.
From Scripture, he outlines in detail how "the teaching of the Church on the indissolubility of marriage is faithful to the words of Jesus."
Drawing on tradition, he explains that there was a "clear consensus," among the Fathers of the early Church "regarding the indissolubility of marriage," something that set Christianity apart from Roman society.
At that time, he states, "divorced and remarried members of the faithful were never officially admitted to Holy Communion after a time of penance."
He added that the increasingly liberal practice which developed in the Eastern churches that separated from Rome became "more and more removed from the words of the Lord" for various historical reasons and was never accepted by the Catholic Church.
"The Church cannot sanction pastoral practices—for example, sacramental pastoral practices—which contradict the clear instruction of the Lord," said Pope Benedict.
"In other words, if the prior marriage of two divorced and remarried members of the faithful was valid, under no circumstances can their new union be considered lawful and therefore reception of the sacraments is intrinsically impossible."
Pope Benedict also addressed the suggestion that the Pope could "potentially dissolve a consummated sacramental marriage, which has been irrevocably broken." He replied that "if the Church were to accept the theory that a marriage is dead when the two spouses no longer love one another, then she would thereby sanction divorce and would uphold the indissolubility of marriage only in word, and no longer in fact."
Finally, he answered those who argue that the Catholic Church is "overly legalistic and not pastoral" on such matters.
"They claim that the human person of today is no longer able to understand such language, that Jesus would have had an open ear for the needs of people, particularly for those on the margins of society," he wrote.
"They say that the Church, on the other hand, presents herself like a judge who excludes wounded people from the sacraments and from certain public responsibilities."
In response, he said that the Church's "manner of expression does not seem very easy to understand at times," and so "needs to be translated by preachers and catechists into a language which relates to people and to their respective cultural environments."
"The essential content of the Church's teaching," he stated, "must be upheld in this process. It must not be watered down on allegedly pastoral grounds, because it communicates the revealed truth."
The Pope's full text can be read at http://www.osservatoreromano.va
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"Assuredly, the word of truth can be painful and uncomfortable. But it is the way to holiness, to peace, and to inner freedom," said Pope Benedict in 1998.
"A pastoral approach which truly wants to help the people concerned must always be grounded in the truth," because "in the end, only the truth can be pastoral," he wrote, quoting the Gospel promise of Christ that "you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
The article was republished as some senior clerics in Germany are calling for the Church to review its understanding of marriage, along with its prohibition on remarried Catholics receiving communion.
Throughout his 1998 work, Pope Benedict—who was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the time—explained that the recent documents of the Church on such matters "bring together the demands of truth with those of love in a very balanced way."
So while at times in the past "love shone forth too little in the explanation of the truth," so today, there is a great danger that "in the name of love, truth is either to be silenced ! or compromised."
Today's republication was carried in six different languages under the explanatory subheading of "concerning some objections to the Church's teaching on the reception of Holy Communion by divorced and remarried members of the faithful."
It comes two months after the president of the German Bishops' Conference publicly raised questions over the Church's teachings on marriage in a newspaper interview.
"We are all faced with the problem of how we can help people in whose lives certain things have gone wrong and that includes a wrecked marriage," Archbishop Robert Zollitsch said on Sept. 5, only weeks before the Pope arrived for a four-day state visit.
"This is a question of mercy and we will be discussing this problem intensively in the near future," the archbishop told the German newspaper Die Zeit.
Archbishop Zollitsch was specifically asked about the situation of the country's President Christian Wulff, who is a remarried Catholic and refrains from receiving communion.
When he was asked about Berlin's Mayor Klaus Wowereit, who is also a Catholic but in a homosexual relationship, Archbishop Zollitsch replied, "We must see how we can find theologically based answers to questions of lifestyles."
In today's article, which was published as part of a Vatican discussion paper in 1998, Pope Benedict explains why the Church's teaching is rooted in Scripture, tradition and reason.
From Scripture, he outlines in detail how "the teaching of the Church on the indissolubility of marriage is faithful to the words of Jesus."
Drawing on tradition, he explains that there was a "clear consensus," among the Fathers of the early Church "regarding the indissolubility of marriage," something that set Christianity apart from Roman society.
At that time, he states, "divorced and remarried members of the faithful were never officially admitted to Holy Communion after a time of penance."
He added that the increasingly liberal practice which developed in the Eastern churches that separated from Rome became "more and more removed from the words of the Lord" for various historical reasons and was never accepted by the Catholic Church.
"The Church cannot sanction pastoral practices—for example, sacramental pastoral practices—which contradict the clear instruction of the Lord," said Pope Benedict.
"In other words, if the prior marriage of two divorced and remarried members of the faithful was valid, under no circumstances can their new union be considered lawful and therefore reception of the sacraments is intrinsically impossible."
Pope Benedict also addressed the suggestion that the Pope could "potentially dissolve a consummated sacramental marriage, which has been irrevocably broken." He replied that "if the Church were to accept the theory that a marriage is dead when the two spouses no longer love one another, then she would thereby sanction divorce and would uphold the indissolubility of marriage only in word, and no longer in fact."
Finally, he answered those who argue that the Catholic Church is "overly legalistic and not pastoral" on such matters.
"They claim that the human person of today is no longer able to understand such language, that Jesus would have had an open ear for the needs of people, particularly for those on the margins of society," he wrote.
"They say that the Church, on the other hand, presents herself like a judge who excludes wounded people from the sacraments and from certain public responsibilities."
In response, he said that the Church's "manner of expression does not seem very easy to understand at times," and so "needs to be translated by preachers and catechists into a language which relates to people and to their respective cultural environments."
"The essential content of the Church's teaching," he stated, "must be upheld in this process. It must not be watered down on allegedly pastoral grounds, because it communicates the revealed truth."
The Pope's full text can be read at http://www.osservatoreromano.va
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Pontifical anthropology magazine now available in English
Rome, Italy, Nov 29, 2011 / 08:07 pm (CNA).- The Pontifical Commission for Latin America announced in Rome on Nov. 29 that the Catholic anthropology magazine "Humanitas" will now be available in English.
The magazine, founded in 1995, explores themes related to Christian culture from Catholic intellectuals worldwide and is issued by the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
Guzman Carriquiry, secretary of the commission, made the announcement on Tuesday along with university rector Ignacio Sanchez and "Humanitas" director Jaime Antunez.
The first edition of the English-language version is over 250 pages and includes a number of essays from the 63rd edition (July-September 2011) in Spanish which was devoted to the life and work of the late Pope John Paul II.
Authors in the first English edition include Cardinals Angelo Scola, Angelo Amato, Stanislaw Dziwisz, Mauro Piacenza and Avery Robert Dulles, who died in 2008. The publication also contains essays by Livio Melina, Stanislav Grygiel, Pedro Morande and Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl Anderson.
The English version of the Humanitas will be published twice a year both in print and online at the website http://www.humanitas.cl./web/.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
The magazine, founded in 1995, explores themes related to Christian culture from Catholic intellectuals worldwide and is issued by the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.
Guzman Carriquiry, secretary of the commission, made the announcement on Tuesday along with university rector Ignacio Sanchez and "Humanitas" director Jaime Antunez.
The first edition of the English-language version is over 250 pages and includes a number of essays from the 63rd edition (July-September 2011) in Spanish which was devoted to the life and work of the late Pope John Paul II.
Authors in the first English edition include Cardinals Angelo Scola, Angelo Amato, Stanislaw Dziwisz, Mauro Piacenza and Avery Robert Dulles, who died in 2008. The publication also contains essays by Livio Melina, Stanislav Grygiel, Pedro Morande and Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Carl Anderson.
The English version of the Humanitas will be published twice a year both in print and online at the website http://www.humanitas.cl./web/.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Illinois abortion clinic remains closed after health violations
Rockford, Ill., Nov 30, 2011 / 02:30 am (CNA).- An Illinois abortion clinic which set up blasphemous and obscene window displays directed at pro-life demonstrators will remain closed after a judge ruled that its license suspension for health violations will continue until a Jan. 4 hearing.
The Illinois Department of Health brought a series of charges against the Northern Illinois Women's Center of Rockford, Illinois, the Chicago-based Thomas More Law Society reports. All three of the clinic's operating rooms failed to ensure a sanitary environment, the clinic failed to prevent contamination of surgical equipment, including surgical gloves. Sterilization equipment also failed tests at least twice.
The abortion facility also did not meet the legal requirement for a qualified registered nurse to be present in the operating room during procedures, and failed to keep records properly, suggesting that! women were left to care for themselves after surgery.
Doctors also lacked admitting privileges at local hospitals, possibly putting patients at risk of serious injury or death.
A prosecuting attorney from the health department on Nov. 28 told an administrative law judge that "two to three issues" remained unresolved. The department cited the clinic in June and September. It ordered an emergency suspension of the clinic's license on Sept. 30 and fined it $15,000.
The clinic believes that the suspension was not warranted and violated the constitutional rights of the clinic and its patients. The Jan. 4 hearing will determine whether the clinic can reopen or if its closure will be extended.
The Thomas More Law Society is representing concerned Rockford area citizens, including the Rockford Pro-Life Initiative and a nurse who helped persuade public health authorities to investigate the facility after 14 years in which no inspections took place.!
Society president and chief counsel Tom Brejcha said t! he group will continue to monitor the proceedings "as closely as possible" and to do "all we can" to ensure that the clinic is "held fully accountable for compliance with Illinois law before it is permitted, if ever, to reopen and continue its grisly business of the mass slaughter of human beings."
"We pray that this Christmas season may mark NIWC's permanent closure."
Staffers at the abortion clinic have a history of trying to provoke and insult pro-life demonstrators. They placed anti-Christian symbols in the facility's window, including images of Jesus making an obscene gesture. Other items included a nun doll in a miniature casket and hand-drawn signs attacking priests and other demonstrators as HIV-positive child molesters.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
The Illinois Department of Health brought a series of charges against the Northern Illinois Women's Center of Rockford, Illinois, the Chicago-based Thomas More Law Society reports. All three of the clinic's operating rooms failed to ensure a sanitary environment, the clinic failed to prevent contamination of surgical equipment, including surgical gloves. Sterilization equipment also failed tests at least twice.
The abortion facility also did not meet the legal requirement for a qualified registered nurse to be present in the operating room during procedures, and failed to keep records properly, suggesting that! women were left to care for themselves after surgery.
Doctors also lacked admitting privileges at local hospitals, possibly putting patients at risk of serious injury or death.
A prosecuting attorney from the health department on Nov. 28 told an administrative law judge that "two to three issues" remained unresolved. The department cited the clinic in June and September. It ordered an emergency suspension of the clinic's license on Sept. 30 and fined it $15,000.
The clinic believes that the suspension was not warranted and violated the constitutional rights of the clinic and its patients. The Jan. 4 hearing will determine whether the clinic can reopen or if its closure will be extended.
The Thomas More Law Society is representing concerned Rockford area citizens, including the Rockford Pro-Life Initiative and a nurse who helped persuade public health authorities to investigate the facility after 14 years in which no inspections took place.!
Society president and chief counsel Tom Brejcha said t! he group will continue to monitor the proceedings "as closely as possible" and to do "all we can" to ensure that the clinic is "held fully accountable for compliance with Illinois law before it is permitted, if ever, to reopen and continue its grisly business of the mass slaughter of human beings."
"We pray that this Christmas season may mark NIWC's permanent closure."
Staffers at the abortion clinic have a history of trying to provoke and insult pro-life demonstrators. They placed anti-Christian symbols in the facility's window, including images of Jesus making an obscene gesture. Other items included a nun doll in a miniature casket and hand-drawn signs attacking priests and other demonstrators as HIV-positive child molesters.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Knights of Columbus to launch series on New Evangelization
New Haven, Conn., Nov 30, 2011 / 03:34 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Knights of Columbus' Catholic Information Service will launch a series of booklets and online materials on the task of re-evangelizing formerly Christian societies.
"Pope Benedict XVI has made the New Evangelization a priority," said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson on Nov. 29.
"It is our hope," he added, that the new series "will help Catholics to learn about their faith in a way that allows them to participate first hand in the Church's mission of the New Evangelization."
The New Evangelization Series will feature online content and booklets focused on issues related to evangelizing modern culture and will draw from the writings of Popes Benedict XVI and Blessed John Paul II.
Catholic Information Service has printed and distributed millions of booklets over the last 60 years. The group's previous two series on the Catechism and faith topics contain more than 75 booklets with many available in podcast and PDF format.
Michelle Borras, Ph.D., the newly appointed director of Catholic Information Service, will serve as general editor of the new series.
In their Nov. 29 announcement, the Knights of Columbus noted that the term "New Evangelization" was first used by Blessed Pope John Paul II early in his pontificate in Poland in 1979. The late pontiff often returned to this theme in his speeches and writing much like his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.
Pope Benedict has organized a synod in October of 2012 which will gather bishops from around the world in Rome to discuss efforts on the New Evangelization.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"Pope Benedict XVI has made the New Evangelization a priority," said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson on Nov. 29.
"It is our hope," he added, that the new series "will help Catholics to learn about their faith in a way that allows them to participate first hand in the Church's mission of the New Evangelization."
The New Evangelization Series will feature online content and booklets focused on issues related to evangelizing modern culture and will draw from the writings of Popes Benedict XVI and Blessed John Paul II.
Catholic Information Service has printed and distributed millions of booklets over the last 60 years. The group's previous two series on the Catechism and faith topics contain more than 75 booklets with many available in podcast and PDF format.
Michelle Borras, Ph.D., the newly appointed director of Catholic Information Service, will serve as general editor of the new series.
In their Nov. 29 announcement, the Knights of Columbus noted that the term "New Evangelization" was first used by Blessed Pope John Paul II early in his pontificate in Poland in 1979. The late pontiff often returned to this theme in his speeches and writing much like his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.
Pope Benedict has organized a synod in October of 2012 which will gather bishops from around the world in Rome to discuss efforts on the New Evangelization.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Cloistered nun and former actress to tell story of Hollywood and faith
Paso Robles, Calif., Nov 30, 2011 / 06:03 am (CNA).- The Central California Marian Eucharistic Conference this January will feature a rare speaker: Mother Dolores Hart, OSB, a former award-winning actress who performed in two Elvis Presley movies and still votes for the Academy Awards.
"We feel really blessed that she is coming," conference organizer Pat Borba told CNA on Nov. 29. "That in itself is a miracle that we got her. We thought that since she's cloistered that that would never happen."
The conference, the 15th annual event of its kind, will take place at the Paso Robles Event Center at a Mid-State Fairgrounds auditorium in Paso Robles, Calif. from Jan. 14-15. Its theme is "Faith That Moves Mountains!"
Mother Dolores' scheduled speeches are titled "How a Career in Hollywood Led Me to Faith" and "The Ear of the Heart: When the Master Speaks the Disciple will Liste! n."
Before Mother Dolores became a nun, she acted for the stage and screen. She starred in the 1960 teen classic "Where the Boys Are" and played St. Clare in the 1961 film "Francis of Assisi." She also played the lead role in the movie "The Inspector."
She won a 1959 Theatre World Award and a Tony Award nomination for her role in the Broadway production of "The Pleasure of His Company." She has remained a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is presently the only nun to vote for the Oscar awards.
Conference organizer Gertrude McMasters explained that it is "highly unusual" for the cloistered Benedictine nun to address a conference.
When Mother Dolores received the request, she thought it would not be possible for her to go. She asked her prioress anyway.
"Her superior just looked at her and said 'Are you ready to go?' She was really surprised too, that she was able to come," Borba said! . "That's why we feel there's really a reason that she�! �s going to be here."
The conference focuses on the Eucharist, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Catholic teaching.
Other conference speakers include Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR, who is known for his retreats, conferences and television appearances; Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, a school safety expert; Fr. Patrick Martin, a legally blind priest and author; California vocations director and youth minister Fr. Joshua West.
Irish vocalist David Parkes will emcee the event and offer a Saturday afternoon concert.
Bishop Richard J. Garcia of Monterey will celebrate Mass at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Borba said that the organizers considered ending the conference until they reflected on how much fruit it has borne.
"We've talked to many people who have come. We were approached by so many people on how it had affected their lives and changed their lives, that we decided that we really needed to continue. Even the youth approached us and said 'please don�! �t stop it.'"
"We've gotten many wonderful letters on conversions and how people have come back to the sacraments through the speakers that we have. That's why we have actually continued," she explained.
Attendance has varied from 400 to 2,000 people, and usually averages from 600 to 800.
For more information on the 2012 conference, visit http://www.ccmec.org.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"We feel really blessed that she is coming," conference organizer Pat Borba told CNA on Nov. 29. "That in itself is a miracle that we got her. We thought that since she's cloistered that that would never happen."
The conference, the 15th annual event of its kind, will take place at the Paso Robles Event Center at a Mid-State Fairgrounds auditorium in Paso Robles, Calif. from Jan. 14-15. Its theme is "Faith That Moves Mountains!"
Mother Dolores' scheduled speeches are titled "How a Career in Hollywood Led Me to Faith" and "The Ear of the Heart: When the Master Speaks the Disciple will Liste! n."
Before Mother Dolores became a nun, she acted for the stage and screen. She starred in the 1960 teen classic "Where the Boys Are" and played St. Clare in the 1961 film "Francis of Assisi." She also played the lead role in the movie "The Inspector."
She won a 1959 Theatre World Award and a Tony Award nomination for her role in the Broadway production of "The Pleasure of His Company." She has remained a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is presently the only nun to vote for the Oscar awards.
Conference organizer Gertrude McMasters explained that it is "highly unusual" for the cloistered Benedictine nun to address a conference.
When Mother Dolores received the request, she thought it would not be possible for her to go. She asked her prioress anyway.
"Her superior just looked at her and said 'Are you ready to go?' She was really surprised too, that she was able to come," Borba said! . "That's why we feel there's really a reason that she�! �s going to be here."
The conference focuses on the Eucharist, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Catholic teaching.
Other conference speakers include Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR, who is known for his retreats, conferences and television appearances; Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, a school safety expert; Fr. Patrick Martin, a legally blind priest and author; California vocations director and youth minister Fr. Joshua West.
Irish vocalist David Parkes will emcee the event and offer a Saturday afternoon concert.
Bishop Richard J. Garcia of Monterey will celebrate Mass at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Borba said that the organizers considered ending the conference until they reflected on how much fruit it has borne.
"We've talked to many people who have come. We were approached by so many people on how it had affected their lives and changed their lives, that we decided that we really needed to continue. Even the youth approached us and said 'please don�! �t stop it.'"
"We've gotten many wonderful letters on conversions and how people have come back to the sacraments through the speakers that we have. That's why we have actually continued," she explained.
Attendance has varied from 400 to 2,000 people, and usually averages from 600 to 800.
For more information on the 2012 conference, visit http://www.ccmec.org.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Pope appoints New York priest as Irish nuncio
Vatican City, Nov 28, 2011 / 01:56 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict has named New York priest Msgr. Charles Brown to serve as his new official representative to Ireland.
The news of the 52-year-old priest's appointment on Nov. 26 was welcomed among Church leaders as relations between the country and the Vatican have reached their lowest point since the two states established diplomatic relations in 1929.
Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York praised Msgr. Brown in comments to CNA on Nov. 24, calling him a "young, vibrant, very theologically savvy but pastorally sensitive guy."
Archbishop Dolan noted that Msgr. Brown is "loved in New York" and has "a wonderful pastoral side to him" due to his work in university apostolates.
A native of New York, Msgr. Brown earned h! is bachelor's in degree history at the University of Notre Dame before obtaining advanced degrees in theology at Oxford and medieval studies at the University of Toronto. He was ordained a priest at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City in 1989 and earned a doctorate in sacramental theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Anselm in Rome.
Since 1994 he has been an official at the Congregation for the Doctrine for the Faith where he worked closely with Cardinal Ratzinger—now Pope Benedict—up until 2005. The congregation is also the Vatican body that deals most closely with issue of clerical abuse.
Those who have worked with Msgr. Brown say he is well-loved in the Roman Curia and is a "good and holy" man. Over many years, Msgr. Brown has given up much of his spare time—including holidays—to work with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in some of the poorest parts of the world.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
The news of the 52-year-old priest's appointment on Nov. 26 was welcomed among Church leaders as relations between the country and the Vatican have reached their lowest point since the two states established diplomatic relations in 1929.
Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York praised Msgr. Brown in comments to CNA on Nov. 24, calling him a "young, vibrant, very theologically savvy but pastorally sensitive guy."
Archbishop Dolan noted that Msgr. Brown is "loved in New York" and has "a wonderful pastoral side to him" due to his work in university apostolates.
A native of New York, Msgr. Brown earned h! is bachelor's in degree history at the University of Notre Dame before obtaining advanced degrees in theology at Oxford and medieval studies at the University of Toronto. He was ordained a priest at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City in 1989 and earned a doctorate in sacramental theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Anselm in Rome.
Since 1994 he has been an official at the Congregation for the Doctrine for the Faith where he worked closely with Cardinal Ratzinger—now Pope Benedict—up until 2005. The congregation is also the Vatican body that deals most closely with issue of clerical abuse.
Those who have worked with Msgr. Brown say he is well-loved in the Roman Curia and is a "good and holy" man. Over many years, Msgr. Brown has given up much of his spare time—including holidays—to work with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in some of the poorest parts of the world.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Salesians outraged at conviction of Mexican priest
Rome, Italy, Nov 28, 2011 / 02:18 pm (CNA).- Leaders of the Salesian Congregation in Rome condemned the sentencing of a Mexican Salesian priest to 33 years in prison for allegedly raping and killing a 16 year-old girl.
Salesian leaders say Father Jose Carlos Contreras Rodriguez was accused of "crimes he did not commit" after he was sentenced by Judge Juana Maria Castillo in San Luis Potosi on Nov. 22.
Fr. Contreras was charged with killing 16-year-old Itzachel Shantal in October of 2007 after a security guard testified two years later that she saw Shantal at the front door of the Salesian house in San Luis de Potosi on the day of her murder.
Lawyers for the priest argue that there was no evidence for his conviction, which was based solely on the testimony of the security guard. The College of Catholic Lawyers in Mexico has agreed to assist in appealing the verdict.
In a statement issued on Nov. 23, the order said that the Salesian congregation worldwide has "heard the sentence with astonishment and indignation, because they are convinced of his innocence."
"The defense lawyers, having proved his innocence scientifically and legally, are making an appeal to the Federal Court, where, without political pressure, they are seeking justice on the basis of the law and of the truth," they added.
"Members of his family, the Province and the Congregation continue to be close to Fr. José Carlos and committed to the pursuit of justice, also on behalf of the victim Itzachel Shantal González López and the Salesian Institute."
Father Salvador Murguia Villalobos, superior of the Salesian Province of Mexico Guadalajara, said that Fr. Contreras "displayed great fortitude after learning of the sentence" and expressed his desire "to intensify his pastoral work among those around him, to continue celebrating the sacraments and to continue helping so many young people who like him are unjustly imprisoned."
He said Fr. Contreras remains a priest in good standing and asked for prayers, "that he may endure his imprisonment with strength and serenity."
He also asked for prayers for all those who are helping the Salesians "during this difficult trial, that we will continue to stand by him and support him, upholding his innocence and fighting for him."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Salesian leaders say Father Jose Carlos Contreras Rodriguez was accused of "crimes he did not commit" after he was sentenced by Judge Juana Maria Castillo in San Luis Potosi on Nov. 22.
Fr. Contreras was charged with killing 16-year-old Itzachel Shantal in October of 2007 after a security guard testified two years later that she saw Shantal at the front door of the Salesian house in San Luis de Potosi on the day of her murder.
Lawyers for the priest argue that there was no evidence for his conviction, which was based solely on the testimony of the security guard. The College of Catholic Lawyers in Mexico has agreed to assist in appealing the verdict.
In a statement issued on Nov. 23, the order said that the Salesian congregation worldwide has "heard the sentence with astonishment and indignation, because they are convinced of his innocence."
"The defense lawyers, having proved his innocence scientifically and legally, are making an appeal to the Federal Court, where, without political pressure, they are seeking justice on the basis of the law and of the truth," they added.
"Members of his family, the Province and the Congregation continue to be close to Fr. José Carlos and committed to the pursuit of justice, also on behalf of the victim Itzachel Shantal González López and the Salesian Institute."
Father Salvador Murguia Villalobos, superior of the Salesian Province of Mexico Guadalajara, said that Fr. Contreras "displayed great fortitude after learning of the sentence" and expressed his desire "to intensify his pastoral work among those around him, to continue celebrating the sacraments and to continue helping so many young people who like him are unjustly imprisoned."
He said Fr. Contreras remains a priest in good standing and asked for prayers, "that he may endure his imprisonment with strength and serenity."
He also asked for prayers for all those who are helping the Salesians "during this difficult trial, that we will continue to stand by him and support him, upholding his innocence and fighting for him."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Vatican office stresses need to review papal documents before release
Vatican City, Nov 28, 2011 / 06:25 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The release of all documents bearing the Pope's signature must follow certain procedures to defend the integrity of papal teaching, says a new memo from the Vatican Secretariat of State to the cardinals and archbishops who head the Roman curia's congregations, tribunals, pontifical councils and offices.
Archbishop Angelo Maria Becciu, the present head of the secretariat's First Section, said in the Nov. 4 memo that the circulation of unrevised or improperly released texts could harm the integrity of papal teaching.
When a document signed by the Pope is published, the document must be sent in printed form and with an electronic backup to the Secretariat of State with a reasonable estimate of the expected publication date. After "careful review" of its contents, the secretariat will distribute it to the Holy See's various media outlet! s.
Veteran Vatican reporter Sandro Magister published the memo on the Italian newspaper L'Espresso's religious affairs website Chiesa.
He noted that the memo applies only to texts that bear the Pope's signature. It cannot, "strictly speaking," refer to the Oct. 24 document from the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace on global financial reform, which drew much attention and controversy but was not a papal document.
Citing Catholic News Service, Magister said the memo is a likely response to the treatment of Pope Benedict XVI's message for the 98th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which was presented on Oct. 25. Large sections of the document had been released by the Vatican Information Service five days before its publication date.
However, a Nov. 4 summit at the Secretariat of State to address such incidents also discussed the Justice and Peace document. At the summit, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said he did not know about the ! document until the last minute and only after the media had be! en informed about its launch.
Vatican insiders told CNA that the Justice and Peace document seemed to lack the expected degree of consultation and approval with the Secretariat of State and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the two main curial departments.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Archbishop Angelo Maria Becciu, the present head of the secretariat's First Section, said in the Nov. 4 memo that the circulation of unrevised or improperly released texts could harm the integrity of papal teaching.
When a document signed by the Pope is published, the document must be sent in printed form and with an electronic backup to the Secretariat of State with a reasonable estimate of the expected publication date. After "careful review" of its contents, the secretariat will distribute it to the Holy See's various media outlet! s.
Veteran Vatican reporter Sandro Magister published the memo on the Italian newspaper L'Espresso's religious affairs website Chiesa.
He noted that the memo applies only to texts that bear the Pope's signature. It cannot, "strictly speaking," refer to the Oct. 24 document from the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace on global financial reform, which drew much attention and controversy but was not a papal document.
Citing Catholic News Service, Magister said the memo is a likely response to the treatment of Pope Benedict XVI's message for the 98th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which was presented on Oct. 25. Large sections of the document had been released by the Vatican Information Service five days before its publication date.
However, a Nov. 4 summit at the Secretariat of State to address such incidents also discussed the Justice and Peace document. At the summit, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said he did not know about the ! document until the last minute and only after the media had be! en informed about its launch.
Vatican insiders told CNA that the Justice and Peace document seemed to lack the expected degree of consultation and approval with the Secretariat of State and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the two main curial departments.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Catholic Cubans urge change from communist leaders
Havana, Cuba, Nov 28, 2011 / 06:25 pm (CNA).- The Communist Party of Cuba should abandon "failed dogmas" and focus on economic progress and freedom of expression in the media, urged a leading Catholic magazine.
Editors from the local Espacio Laical said on Nov. 14 that the country's leaders should address the true needs of the Cuban people during their upcoming convention in January of 2012.
Espacio Laical said the most important reform for Cubans is the opportunity to exercise more control in their lives and that the government must include a "re-founding of the citizenry" in its future decisions.
Government leaders should allow for the creation of small businesses as well as increased freedom for career professionals, doctors and lawyers, who are currently only able to work in government-run companies, editors noted.
The magazine said that leaders must also ensure greater liberties for private organizations and for openness in the media to "the diversity of opinions in the country."
Although the editors acknowledged several economic reforms carried out by Raul Castro's government, they said that citizens largely feel "that nothing significant is happening to renew life."
With most of the Cuban revolutionary leaders in their 80s, Espacio Laical called the upcoming convention "the last chance for the so-called historic generation" to implement serious reforms. "Don't miss this opportunity," editors stressed.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Editors from the local Espacio Laical said on Nov. 14 that the country's leaders should address the true needs of the Cuban people during their upcoming convention in January of 2012.
Espacio Laical said the most important reform for Cubans is the opportunity to exercise more control in their lives and that the government must include a "re-founding of the citizenry" in its future decisions.
Government leaders should allow for the creation of small businesses as well as increased freedom for career professionals, doctors and lawyers, who are currently only able to work in government-run companies, editors noted.
The magazine said that leaders must also ensure greater liberties for private organizations and for openness in the media to "the diversity of opinions in the country."
Although the editors acknowledged several economic reforms carried out by Raul Castro's government, they said that citizens largely feel "that nothing significant is happening to renew life."
With most of the Cuban revolutionary leaders in their 80s, Espacio Laical called the upcoming convention "the last chance for the so-called historic generation" to implement serious reforms. "Don't miss this opportunity," editors stressed.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Crystal Cathedral win was miraculous, legal firm says
Orange, Calif., Nov 28, 2011 / 07:25 pm (CNA).- The Diocese of Orange beat all odds in their winning bid for the Crystal Cathedral because their final offer was less than their competitor, says the Busch Firm, which represented the diocese in court.
"A true miracle!" said founder Tim Busch in reaction to the news.
The firm was shocked that the Crystal Cathedral Ministries board chose the diocese's $57.5 million offer for the bankrupt cathedral after Chapman University upped its bid to $59 million on Nov. 17.
Although bankruptcy Judge Robert N. Kwan allowed the board to choose from either offer, the majority of its members sided with the diocese since it would "protect the campus as a place of praise and worship and would provide a smoother transition," the firm said.
The Crystal Cathedral purchase will close on Dec. 30, 2011 and is slated to meet the needs of the 1.2 mil! lion Catholics in Orange County—the 10th largest diocese in the nation.
Bishop Tod D. Brown vowed on Nov. 17 that the diocese will "protect this wonderful structure as a place of worship and will soon provide our Catholic community with a new cathedral, pastoral center, parish school and more."
The bishop also offered his sympathy to the cathedral's founding pastor Robert H. Schuller who filed for bankruptcy last October after creditors sued for payment.
Purchasing the Crystal Cathedral was an attractive option since it provides an instant solution to the diocese's building needs and will cost roughly half the $100 million needed to build the cathedral planned for Santa Ana.
The liturgist for the Orange diocese, Monsignor Arthur Holquin, said on July 26 that several changes will need to take place in order for the Crystal Cathedral to become a Catholic worship space.
Along with a central altar, a tabernacle and a baptismal ! font, the building would need a "cathedra" or bishop's c! hair. While renovations are needed to the building, "not much deconstruction would be required and the iconic personality of the original architecture and design would, for the most part, be retained," he said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"A true miracle!" said founder Tim Busch in reaction to the news.
The firm was shocked that the Crystal Cathedral Ministries board chose the diocese's $57.5 million offer for the bankrupt cathedral after Chapman University upped its bid to $59 million on Nov. 17.
Although bankruptcy Judge Robert N. Kwan allowed the board to choose from either offer, the majority of its members sided with the diocese since it would "protect the campus as a place of praise and worship and would provide a smoother transition," the firm said.
The Crystal Cathedral purchase will close on Dec. 30, 2011 and is slated to meet the needs of the 1.2 mil! lion Catholics in Orange County—the 10th largest diocese in the nation.
Bishop Tod D. Brown vowed on Nov. 17 that the diocese will "protect this wonderful structure as a place of worship and will soon provide our Catholic community with a new cathedral, pastoral center, parish school and more."
The bishop also offered his sympathy to the cathedral's founding pastor Robert H. Schuller who filed for bankruptcy last October after creditors sued for payment.
Purchasing the Crystal Cathedral was an attractive option since it provides an instant solution to the diocese's building needs and will cost roughly half the $100 million needed to build the cathedral planned for Santa Ana.
The liturgist for the Orange diocese, Monsignor Arthur Holquin, said on July 26 that several changes will need to take place in order for the Crystal Cathedral to become a Catholic worship space.
Along with a central altar, a tabernacle and a baptismal ! font, the building would need a "cathedra" or bishop's c! hair. While renovations are needed to the building, "not much deconstruction would be required and the iconic personality of the original architecture and design would, for the most part, be retained," he said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
College of St. Mary Magdalen consecrated to Sacred Heart
Warner, N.H., Nov 29, 2011 / 12:49 am (CNA).- The College of St. Mary Magdalen's faculty, students, administrators and staff consecrated the school to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Nov. 20, the Feast of Christ the King.
During the consecration, members of the Warner, N.H.-based college community asked Jesus that the college may "play her role in the academy and in the Church with honor, with humility, and with an unfailing love of learning and the desire for God."
"The Sacred Heart of Jesus remains a powerful symbol of the love of God made manifest in the Person of Jesus Christ, who assumed our human nature without loss of his divinity," said college chaplain Fr. Neil J. Roy, who led the consecration at Our Lady Queen of Apostles Chapel after solemn sung vespers.
The consecration "marks a deepening of awareness on the part of students, administrators, and faculty, that as a part of! the Church at study we who belong to the college of St. Mary Magdalen have a duty to pursue the Truth in the person of Jesus Christ and to base our habits and behavior on him who can neither deceive nor be deceived."
The prayer of consecration asked for "a desire to unite knowledge with wisdom and to live together in loving unity," the college reports.
Other petitions asked for "honesty in our studies, sincerity of heart, and zeal for thy Kingdom."
Students and faculty prepared for the consecration by praying a novena in honor of the Sacred Heart, beginning nine days before the feast.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
During the consecration, members of the Warner, N.H.-based college community asked Jesus that the college may "play her role in the academy and in the Church with honor, with humility, and with an unfailing love of learning and the desire for God."
"The Sacred Heart of Jesus remains a powerful symbol of the love of God made manifest in the Person of Jesus Christ, who assumed our human nature without loss of his divinity," said college chaplain Fr. Neil J. Roy, who led the consecration at Our Lady Queen of Apostles Chapel after solemn sung vespers.
The consecration "marks a deepening of awareness on the part of students, administrators, and faculty, that as a part of! the Church at study we who belong to the college of St. Mary Magdalen have a duty to pursue the Truth in the person of Jesus Christ and to base our habits and behavior on him who can neither deceive nor be deceived."
The prayer of consecration asked for "a desire to unite knowledge with wisdom and to live together in loving unity," the college reports.
Other petitions asked for "honesty in our studies, sincerity of heart, and zeal for thy Kingdom."
Students and faculty prepared for the consecration by praying a novena in honor of the Sacred Heart, beginning nine days before the feast.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Vatican's Cardinal Piacenza points priests to Mary for Advent
Vatican City, Nov 29, 2011 / 03:14 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Catholic priests should ask the Virgin Mary for a heart able to "relive Christ's coming" during Advent this year, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza said.
The cardinal, who serves as prefect for the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy, said in his Nov. 27 Advent message to priests that Mary lived "constantly in prayerful vigilance."
"In vigilance, she received the announcement that changed the history of humanity. In vigilance, she kept and contemplated, more than any other, the Almighty who became her Son," he said.
Cardinal Piacenza noted that Mary was also prayerfully vigilant as she became "filled with loving and grateful wonder" while giving birth "to the Light Himself and, together with St. Joseph, became a disciple of Him to whom she had given birth."
"In the vigilance of her maternal heart, Mary followed Christ right up to the foot of the cross where, in the immense sorrow of a pierced heart, she accepted us as her new sons," he added. "In vigilance, she waited with certainty for the Resurrection and was assumed into Heaven."
The cardinal emphasized that Christ constantly watches over his Church as well as every priest, who are each called to live the same vigilance as the Blessed Mother.
He added that priests should contemplate how Jesus has "radically and definitely" changed them through their ordination.
Cardinal Piacenza also recalled how the Virgin Mary faithfully lived "the duty of being the Mother of the Almighty." Her Immaculate Heart was open to the "possible" and to the manifestation of God's will in all circumstances, both the daily and the unexpected, he said.
Mary's assent at the Annunciation encourages priests to be faithful to their assent to their own ordination, the cardinal noted. Her example in the Visitation to St. Elizabeth encourages priests to live in "divine intimacy" so that they can bring Christ's presence to others.
From heaven, Mary keeps priests in Christ's memory and she "continually opens the possibility of Divine Mercy to us."
Cardinal Piacenza assured priests of his "special remembrance" for them in the celebration of Mass. He also asked for prayerful support for his own ministry.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
The cardinal, who serves as prefect for the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy, said in his Nov. 27 Advent message to priests that Mary lived "constantly in prayerful vigilance."
"In vigilance, she received the announcement that changed the history of humanity. In vigilance, she kept and contemplated, more than any other, the Almighty who became her Son," he said.
Cardinal Piacenza noted that Mary was also prayerfully vigilant as she became "filled with loving and grateful wonder" while giving birth "to the Light Himself and, together with St. Joseph, became a disciple of Him to whom she had given birth."
"In the vigilance of her maternal heart, Mary followed Christ right up to the foot of the cross where, in the immense sorrow of a pierced heart, she accepted us as her new sons," he added. "In vigilance, she waited with certainty for the Resurrection and was assumed into Heaven."
The cardinal emphasized that Christ constantly watches over his Church as well as every priest, who are each called to live the same vigilance as the Blessed Mother.
He added that priests should contemplate how Jesus has "radically and definitely" changed them through their ordination.
Cardinal Piacenza also recalled how the Virgin Mary faithfully lived "the duty of being the Mother of the Almighty." Her Immaculate Heart was open to the "possible" and to the manifestation of God's will in all circumstances, both the daily and the unexpected, he said.
Mary's assent at the Annunciation encourages priests to be faithful to their assent to their own ordination, the cardinal noted. Her example in the Visitation to St. Elizabeth encourages priests to live in "divine intimacy" so that they can bring Christ's presence to others.
From heaven, Mary keeps priests in Christ's memory and she "continually opens the possibility of Divine Mercy to us."
Cardinal Piacenza assured priests of his "special remembrance" for them in the celebration of Mass. He also asked for prayerful support for his own ministry.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Patience with new translation expected to pay dividens
Washington D.C., Nov 29, 2011 / 06:07 am (CNA/EWTN News).- November 27 was a historic Sunday for English-speaking Roman Catholics, who began using a long-awaited and more accurate Mass translation. The change, however, involved its share of awkward moments.
"I think everybody experienced some awkwardness or stumbling," said Father Daniel Merz, associate director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Divine Worship, noting a common thread in the reactions he received from across the country.
But those who "had either received some catechesis" in advance, "or had catechized themselves and were prepared for it, seem to have had a fairly positive reaction to the changes," he told CNA on Nov. 28.
Many priests, he said, were trying to take the learning process "with a good sense of humor," while encouraging parishioners to deepen their understanding and appreciation of worship throu! gh the newly-rendered prayers.
"We're all going to be learning our way and stumbling for a little bit here, and that's okay," Fr. Merz said.
He expects the learning process will take "a couple of months" for those who attend Mass only on Sundays. Meanwhile, priests and daily Mass attendees may learn new habits – like giving the response "and with your spirit," or confessing their "most grievous fault" in the penitential rite – more quickly.
"After Christmas, or by Lent hopefully, we'll be in very good shape," Fr. Merz predicted.
During the run-up to the translation's debut, the U.S. bishops' conference hailed it as a chance for Catholics "to deepen, nurture, and celebrate our faith through the renewal of our worship and the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy."
But even Chicago's Cardinal Archbishop Francis E. George, past president of the conference, admitted that he "tripped up a couple of times," due to th! e persistence of old liturgical habits.
"I found myse! lf reverting back, and therefore I was a little bit upset at myself," Cardinal George said in a Nov. 27 homily, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Many in the pews had a similar experience, even with the assistance of handouts spelling out the changes. Even Fr. Merz acknowledged being caught off guard by one major change.
"The most noticeable and common change is from 'And also with you,' to 'And with your spirit,'" said the liturgical director, who has been "gearing up for this (new translation) for a long time."
"When I participated in Sunday Mass as a concelebrant, I gave that response back. But it's a whole different feel. So it's going to take a little getting used to."
"I'm happy with that change – but nevertheless, it's a change. It'll take some adjustment."
Many companies and publishers, he noted, have produced materials explaining the changes that bring the English-language Mass more closely into line with the! original Latin text.
Fr. Merz also welcomes feedback on the translation, even from those who might be feeling surprise or confusion.
"The response I've been giving is, if there are specific things that you didn't understand or that disappointed you, let us know," said the associate director for worship. "We can work together to try and come to a better understanding."
While it is not yet familiar, the new translation offers much to appreciate.
"People have said that they really appreciate the greater fidelity that the new prayers embody, and they like the more formal or 'higher' tone that it carries across. There is a sense of reverence and poetry there."
Fr. Merz indicated that the learning process itself can be an opportunity to find out more about the faith, and grow closer to God.
"Whenever I've given workshops, it's not just been 'Here are the changes,' but 'Here are the reasons behind the changes, and here'! s some additional information about the meaning of this place in the Ma! ss.'"
Several priests have told him that they intend to spent more time preaching about the meaning of Catholic worship, as a participation in Christ's death and resurrection.
"It's an incredible opportunity to do that," he pointed out. "And I think that will make a big difference for people."
Fr. Merz said the new translation also shows the continuity of Catholic tradition before and after the Second Vatican Council.
"Chuch historians have often said that it takes close to a century to fully implement an ecumenical council," he noted. "As time goes on, we're starting to understand the Second Vatican Council more fully."
The norms guiding the translation were spelled out in the 2001 Vatican document "Liturgiam Authenticam," which was itself inspired by the council's decree on the liturgy, "Sacrosanctum Concilium."
"The real vision of Vatican II, for us today, is a deepening and 'interiorizing' of our e! xperience of liturgy," Fr. Merz reflected.
He described the new translation as one part of the larger effort to "really deepen our interior engagement in the liturgy, and our interior participation," in keeping with the council's intentions.
The improved translation, he expects, will draw some estranged Catholics back to the Church.
"If there are people who were disappointed, or felt discouraged, that the translation before was less faithful, I think they have been encouraged to come back with this new translation," he said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"I think everybody experienced some awkwardness or stumbling," said Father Daniel Merz, associate director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Divine Worship, noting a common thread in the reactions he received from across the country.
But those who "had either received some catechesis" in advance, "or had catechized themselves and were prepared for it, seem to have had a fairly positive reaction to the changes," he told CNA on Nov. 28.
Many priests, he said, were trying to take the learning process "with a good sense of humor," while encouraging parishioners to deepen their understanding and appreciation of worship throu! gh the newly-rendered prayers.
"We're all going to be learning our way and stumbling for a little bit here, and that's okay," Fr. Merz said.
He expects the learning process will take "a couple of months" for those who attend Mass only on Sundays. Meanwhile, priests and daily Mass attendees may learn new habits – like giving the response "and with your spirit," or confessing their "most grievous fault" in the penitential rite – more quickly.
"After Christmas, or by Lent hopefully, we'll be in very good shape," Fr. Merz predicted.
During the run-up to the translation's debut, the U.S. bishops' conference hailed it as a chance for Catholics "to deepen, nurture, and celebrate our faith through the renewal of our worship and the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy."
But even Chicago's Cardinal Archbishop Francis E. George, past president of the conference, admitted that he "tripped up a couple of times," due to th! e persistence of old liturgical habits.
"I found myse! lf reverting back, and therefore I was a little bit upset at myself," Cardinal George said in a Nov. 27 homily, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Many in the pews had a similar experience, even with the assistance of handouts spelling out the changes. Even Fr. Merz acknowledged being caught off guard by one major change.
"The most noticeable and common change is from 'And also with you,' to 'And with your spirit,'" said the liturgical director, who has been "gearing up for this (new translation) for a long time."
"When I participated in Sunday Mass as a concelebrant, I gave that response back. But it's a whole different feel. So it's going to take a little getting used to."
"I'm happy with that change – but nevertheless, it's a change. It'll take some adjustment."
Many companies and publishers, he noted, have produced materials explaining the changes that bring the English-language Mass more closely into line with the! original Latin text.
Fr. Merz also welcomes feedback on the translation, even from those who might be feeling surprise or confusion.
"The response I've been giving is, if there are specific things that you didn't understand or that disappointed you, let us know," said the associate director for worship. "We can work together to try and come to a better understanding."
While it is not yet familiar, the new translation offers much to appreciate.
"People have said that they really appreciate the greater fidelity that the new prayers embody, and they like the more formal or 'higher' tone that it carries across. There is a sense of reverence and poetry there."
Fr. Merz indicated that the learning process itself can be an opportunity to find out more about the faith, and grow closer to God.
"Whenever I've given workshops, it's not just been 'Here are the changes,' but 'Here are the reasons behind the changes, and here'! s some additional information about the meaning of this place in the Ma! ss.'"
Several priests have told him that they intend to spent more time preaching about the meaning of Catholic worship, as a participation in Christ's death and resurrection.
"It's an incredible opportunity to do that," he pointed out. "And I think that will make a big difference for people."
Fr. Merz said the new translation also shows the continuity of Catholic tradition before and after the Second Vatican Council.
"Chuch historians have often said that it takes close to a century to fully implement an ecumenical council," he noted. "As time goes on, we're starting to understand the Second Vatican Council more fully."
The norms guiding the translation were spelled out in the 2001 Vatican document "Liturgiam Authenticam," which was itself inspired by the council's decree on the liturgy, "Sacrosanctum Concilium."
"The real vision of Vatican II, for us today, is a deepening and 'interiorizing' of our e! xperience of liturgy," Fr. Merz reflected.
He described the new translation as one part of the larger effort to "really deepen our interior engagement in the liturgy, and our interior participation," in keeping with the council's intentions.
The improved translation, he expects, will draw some estranged Catholics back to the Church.
"If there are people who were disappointed, or felt discouraged, that the translation before was less faithful, I think they have been encouraged to come back with this new translation," he said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Monday, November 28, 2011
For old Mass books, tradition decrees burial or 'cremation'
Denver, Colo., Nov 27, 2011 / 07:29 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- After the switch to a new Mass translation, old liturgical books should be respectfully buried, either intact or after being burned, according to the U.S. bishops.
"Whether or not the Sacramentary has been blessed by an official rite, it is appropriate to treat it with care," the bishops' Secretariat for Divine Worship said in a recent response to several queries from U.S. Catholics. "Its disposal should be handled with respect."
The bishops' liturgy office recommends "burying the Sacramentary in an appropriate location on church grounds, or perhaps in a parish cemetery," after the switch to a new liturgical translation on Nov. 27.
"Some have even suggested following a custom used in various Eastern churches," they noted, "whereby liturgical books or Bibles are placed in the coffin of the deceased as a sign of devoti! on and love for the liturgy."
Some Catholics may be surprised to learn that it is appropriate – and even customary – to burn or bury old liturgical books and other religious items.
According to the U.S. bishops' secretariat, the ashes of liturgical books should be collected and "placed in the ground in an appropriate location on church grounds."
Catholic tradition offers these means of disposal in order to ensure that objects used in worship are not casually discarded or mistreated, even when they are no longer needed for use or reference.
The liturgy office advised parishes to keep a copy of the old liturgical translations in their archives or libraries, after the switch to the Third Edition of the Roman Missal.
Hymnals and hand missals are also among the types of items that would traditionally be blessed, and should therefore be replaced respectfully after the changeover.
But the secretariat acknowledged it "might ! be difficult to appropriately dispose of a large number of cop! ies of such books."
If burning and burial are impractical, non-archived hymnals and hand missals "could be stored for use by prayer or study groups in the parish, offered to parishioners for their own private devotional use, or donated to other small communities that could effectively make use of them."
The secretariat also noted that the new liturgical books ought to be blessed, using the rite provided in the Church's official "Book of Blessings," before their first use on 2011's first Sunday of Advent – possibly at a weekday Mass the preceding Saturday, or outside Mass at a separate parish gathering.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"Whether or not the Sacramentary has been blessed by an official rite, it is appropriate to treat it with care," the bishops' Secretariat for Divine Worship said in a recent response to several queries from U.S. Catholics. "Its disposal should be handled with respect."
The bishops' liturgy office recommends "burying the Sacramentary in an appropriate location on church grounds, or perhaps in a parish cemetery," after the switch to a new liturgical translation on Nov. 27.
"Some have even suggested following a custom used in various Eastern churches," they noted, "whereby liturgical books or Bibles are placed in the coffin of the deceased as a sign of devoti! on and love for the liturgy."
Some Catholics may be surprised to learn that it is appropriate – and even customary – to burn or bury old liturgical books and other religious items.
According to the U.S. bishops' secretariat, the ashes of liturgical books should be collected and "placed in the ground in an appropriate location on church grounds."
Catholic tradition offers these means of disposal in order to ensure that objects used in worship are not casually discarded or mistreated, even when they are no longer needed for use or reference.
The liturgy office advised parishes to keep a copy of the old liturgical translations in their archives or libraries, after the switch to the Third Edition of the Roman Missal.
Hymnals and hand missals are also among the types of items that would traditionally be blessed, and should therefore be replaced respectfully after the changeover.
But the secretariat acknowledged it "might ! be difficult to appropriately dispose of a large number of cop! ies of such books."
If burning and burial are impractical, non-archived hymnals and hand missals "could be stored for use by prayer or study groups in the parish, offered to parishioners for their own private devotional use, or donated to other small communities that could effectively make use of them."
The secretariat also noted that the new liturgical books ought to be blessed, using the rite provided in the Church's official "Book of Blessings," before their first use on 2011's first Sunday of Advent – possibly at a weekday Mass the preceding Saturday, or outside Mass at a separate parish gathering.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Cardinal Burke reflects on his first year in the Sacred College
Rome, Italy, Nov 28, 2011 / 06:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, one of the Catholic Church's top U.S.-born clerics, is marking the first anniversary of his November 2010 elevation to the Sacred College of Cardinals.
"Well, it's been a very fast-moving year," Cardinal Burke told CNA in his Roman apartment just yards from the Vatican, where he serves as head of the Church's highest court.
"But, it's been a very good year I'd have to say, and I've certainly come to understand more fully what it is to give this service to the Holy Father and hope that I am doing it better."
The College of Cardinals consists of the men considered the Pope's closest aides, giving counsel and assistance to the pontiff when needed. It currently has under 200 members, with only 115 - those under age 80 - eligible to elect a future Pope.
Cardinal Burke, 63, has had a remarkable journey! from America's rural Midwest - where he grew up as the youngest of six children - to his current post as Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.
"I never dreamed of it, to be honest with you," he said, reflecting on God's guidance of his path to the Vatican.
"I grew up, thanks be to God, in a very good Catholic home," he recalled. "We were small dairy farmers in Wisconsin, which was a very common situation in that part of the world. But I see how God has been at work all along, and I marvel at it."
While much has changed since those days, his life as a cardinal is "not unrelated to what my parents were trying to teach me from the time I was little."
"And, the truth of the matter is that the older I get, the more I appreciate those first lessons that were taught to me, that early formation in the faith."
After 14 years leading dioceses in Wisconsin and Missouri, Cardinal Burke was chosen in 2008 to head the Supreme Trib! unal of the Apostolic Signatura, often called the "Supreme Cou! rt" of the Catholic Church.
"Whenever I've done whatever's been asked of me," he said, "I've always found a happiness in my work as a priest, and I continue to find that today."
A patriot with an obvious love for the United States, the Rome-based cardinal remains invested in the struggle for his country's culture.
"It is a war," he stated, describing the battle lines between "a culture of secularization which is quite strong in our nation," and "the Christian culture which has marked the life of the United States strongly during the first 200 years of its history."
He says it is "critical at this time that Christians stand up for the natural moral law," especially in defense of life and the family.
"If Christians do not stand strong, give a strong witness and insist on what is right and good for us both as and individuals and society," he warned, "this secularization will in fact predominate and it will destroy us."
Cardina! l Burke favors realism over pessimism, and believes "things are getting better" in America, particularly among the young.
"I think that sometime the young people understand much better the bankruptcy of a totally secularized culture because they've grown up with it," he observed.
Many youth "have seen their families broken" and "have been exposed to all the evils of pornography," leading them to conclude that the secularization project "is going nowhere and that it will destroy them" if left unchecked.
But the cardinal also thinks persecution may be looming for the U.S. Church.
"Yes, I think we're well on the way to it," he said, pointing to areas of social outreach - such as adoption and foster care - where the Church has had to withdraw rather than compromise its principles.
This trend could reach a point where the Church, "even by announcing her own teaching," is accused of "engaging in illegal activity, for instance, in its teachin! g on human sexuality."
Asked if he could envision U.S. Catholics! ever being arrested for preaching their faith, he replied: "I can see it happening, yes."
The Vatican's top judge takes a dim view of self-professed Catholic politicians who oppose the Church on key moral issues.
Among them is U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, currently seeking to force most of the country's employers - including Catholic institutions - to cover contraception and sterilization in employee health plans.
"To the degree to which (Sebelius) proclaims herself to be a practicing Catholic, she is very wrong," said Cardinal Burke. He sees it as "simply incomprehensible" for a Catholic to "support the kind of measures that she is supporting."
The cardinal says his native country's 2012 election will be "very significant."
Catholics, he said, "have a serious duty to vote and to try and find the best candidate to elect." And some "good and solid, right-thinking individuals" may even be called to run for pub! lic office themselves.
Above all, the cardinal hopes for a "new evangelization" of the United States - starting with faithful families, strong religious education, and reverent liturgical worship.
The family, he noted, is where a child "first learns the truths of the faith, first prayers, first practices his or her life in Christ." But the Mass itself is the "source of our solid teaching, of our solid witness," and also "the most beautiful and fullest expression we give to that teaching."
The tribunal prefect also exercises care for the Church's liturgy as a member of the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship.
He is grateful to Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI for giving the Church "a font of solid direction" regarding worship, based on the Second Vatican Council's vision of a "God-centred liturgy and not a man-centred liturgy."
That intention was not always realized, he said, since the council's call for liturgical reform c! oincided with a "cultural revolution."
Many congregations lost t! heir "fundamental sense that the liturgy is Jesus Christ himself acting, God himself acting in our midst to sanctify us."
Cardinal Burke said greater access to the traditional Latin Mass, now know as the "extraordinary form" of the Roman rite, had helped to correct the problem.
"The celebration of the Mass in the extraordinary form is now less and less contested," he noted, "and people are seeing the great beauty of the rite as it was celebrated practically since the time if Pope Gregory the Great" in the sixth century.
Many Catholics now see that the Church's "ordinary form" of Mass, celebrated in modern languages, "could be enriched by elements of that long tradition."
In time, Cardinal Burke expects the Western Church's ancient and modern forms of Mass to be combined in one normative rite, a move he suggests the Pope also favors.
"It seems to me that is what he has in mind is that this mutual enrichment would seem to naturally produce a! new form of the Roman rite – the 'reform of the reform,' if we may – all of which I would welcome and look forward to its advent."
Cardinal Burke's main role, however, is to uphold the Church's legal system. He describes canon law as "the fundamental discipline which makes possible our life in the Church," since it is "not a society of angels" but a communion of men and women who require norms for living.
He acknowledges that canon law fell out of fashion beginning in the late 1960s, during a period where many Catholics bristled at the notion of such rules.
"The whole euphoria that set in within society – and in the Church itself – was that this was the age of freedom, the age of love, and so, in those years nobody talked anymore about 'sin', this was considered to be negative talk."
But since "human nature didn't actually change," the "lack of attention to discipline and to law" produced a great deal of "bad fruit."
One con! sequence, the cardinal believes, was the mishandling of clerical abuse ! accusations.
"Absolutely, there's no question in my mind about that," said Cardinal Burke. He pointed out that both the 1917 and 1983 canon law codes put "a discipline in place" to confront an "evil" the Church had faced before.
"All of that was in place," the Vatican judge reflected, "but, first of all, it wasn't known in the sense that people were not studying the law, were not paying attention to it, and so, if it wasn't known or studied then it wasn't being applied."
Historically, he believes, it was an "unfortunate coincidence" that a cultural upheaval accompanied Blessed Pope John XXIII's call for a reform of canon law.
"This added to the notion that we didn't really have a law anymore – then the attitude developed that we don't need it."
Bl. John Paul II resolved the situation after his election in 1978, implementing a new code of law by 1983. Cardinal Burke remains "deeply grateful" for the late Pope's action.
Having been raised to the rank of cardinal, the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura could someday cast his vote for a future Pope.
But could divine providence ever call the son of a Midwestern farming family to the papacy himself?
"Oh, I don't believe so," Cardinal Burke laughed.
"I hope that the present Holy Father lives a long time. He's a tremendous gift to the Church and that's my great prayer – that the Lord gives him many more years."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"Well, it's been a very fast-moving year," Cardinal Burke told CNA in his Roman apartment just yards from the Vatican, where he serves as head of the Church's highest court.
"But, it's been a very good year I'd have to say, and I've certainly come to understand more fully what it is to give this service to the Holy Father and hope that I am doing it better."
The College of Cardinals consists of the men considered the Pope's closest aides, giving counsel and assistance to the pontiff when needed. It currently has under 200 members, with only 115 - those under age 80 - eligible to elect a future Pope.
Cardinal Burke, 63, has had a remarkable journey! from America's rural Midwest - where he grew up as the youngest of six children - to his current post as Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.
"I never dreamed of it, to be honest with you," he said, reflecting on God's guidance of his path to the Vatican.
"I grew up, thanks be to God, in a very good Catholic home," he recalled. "We were small dairy farmers in Wisconsin, which was a very common situation in that part of the world. But I see how God has been at work all along, and I marvel at it."
While much has changed since those days, his life as a cardinal is "not unrelated to what my parents were trying to teach me from the time I was little."
"And, the truth of the matter is that the older I get, the more I appreciate those first lessons that were taught to me, that early formation in the faith."
After 14 years leading dioceses in Wisconsin and Missouri, Cardinal Burke was chosen in 2008 to head the Supreme Trib! unal of the Apostolic Signatura, often called the "Supreme Cou! rt" of the Catholic Church.
"Whenever I've done whatever's been asked of me," he said, "I've always found a happiness in my work as a priest, and I continue to find that today."
A patriot with an obvious love for the United States, the Rome-based cardinal remains invested in the struggle for his country's culture.
"It is a war," he stated, describing the battle lines between "a culture of secularization which is quite strong in our nation," and "the Christian culture which has marked the life of the United States strongly during the first 200 years of its history."
He says it is "critical at this time that Christians stand up for the natural moral law," especially in defense of life and the family.
"If Christians do not stand strong, give a strong witness and insist on what is right and good for us both as and individuals and society," he warned, "this secularization will in fact predominate and it will destroy us."
Cardina! l Burke favors realism over pessimism, and believes "things are getting better" in America, particularly among the young.
"I think that sometime the young people understand much better the bankruptcy of a totally secularized culture because they've grown up with it," he observed.
Many youth "have seen their families broken" and "have been exposed to all the evils of pornography," leading them to conclude that the secularization project "is going nowhere and that it will destroy them" if left unchecked.
But the cardinal also thinks persecution may be looming for the U.S. Church.
"Yes, I think we're well on the way to it," he said, pointing to areas of social outreach - such as adoption and foster care - where the Church has had to withdraw rather than compromise its principles.
This trend could reach a point where the Church, "even by announcing her own teaching," is accused of "engaging in illegal activity, for instance, in its teachin! g on human sexuality."
Asked if he could envision U.S. Catholics! ever being arrested for preaching their faith, he replied: "I can see it happening, yes."
The Vatican's top judge takes a dim view of self-professed Catholic politicians who oppose the Church on key moral issues.
Among them is U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, currently seeking to force most of the country's employers - including Catholic institutions - to cover contraception and sterilization in employee health plans.
"To the degree to which (Sebelius) proclaims herself to be a practicing Catholic, she is very wrong," said Cardinal Burke. He sees it as "simply incomprehensible" for a Catholic to "support the kind of measures that she is supporting."
The cardinal says his native country's 2012 election will be "very significant."
Catholics, he said, "have a serious duty to vote and to try and find the best candidate to elect." And some "good and solid, right-thinking individuals" may even be called to run for pub! lic office themselves.
Above all, the cardinal hopes for a "new evangelization" of the United States - starting with faithful families, strong religious education, and reverent liturgical worship.
The family, he noted, is where a child "first learns the truths of the faith, first prayers, first practices his or her life in Christ." But the Mass itself is the "source of our solid teaching, of our solid witness," and also "the most beautiful and fullest expression we give to that teaching."
The tribunal prefect also exercises care for the Church's liturgy as a member of the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship.
He is grateful to Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI for giving the Church "a font of solid direction" regarding worship, based on the Second Vatican Council's vision of a "God-centred liturgy and not a man-centred liturgy."
That intention was not always realized, he said, since the council's call for liturgical reform c! oincided with a "cultural revolution."
Many congregations lost t! heir "fundamental sense that the liturgy is Jesus Christ himself acting, God himself acting in our midst to sanctify us."
Cardinal Burke said greater access to the traditional Latin Mass, now know as the "extraordinary form" of the Roman rite, had helped to correct the problem.
"The celebration of the Mass in the extraordinary form is now less and less contested," he noted, "and people are seeing the great beauty of the rite as it was celebrated practically since the time if Pope Gregory the Great" in the sixth century.
Many Catholics now see that the Church's "ordinary form" of Mass, celebrated in modern languages, "could be enriched by elements of that long tradition."
In time, Cardinal Burke expects the Western Church's ancient and modern forms of Mass to be combined in one normative rite, a move he suggests the Pope also favors.
"It seems to me that is what he has in mind is that this mutual enrichment would seem to naturally produce a! new form of the Roman rite – the 'reform of the reform,' if we may – all of which I would welcome and look forward to its advent."
Cardinal Burke's main role, however, is to uphold the Church's legal system. He describes canon law as "the fundamental discipline which makes possible our life in the Church," since it is "not a society of angels" but a communion of men and women who require norms for living.
He acknowledges that canon law fell out of fashion beginning in the late 1960s, during a period where many Catholics bristled at the notion of such rules.
"The whole euphoria that set in within society – and in the Church itself – was that this was the age of freedom, the age of love, and so, in those years nobody talked anymore about 'sin', this was considered to be negative talk."
But since "human nature didn't actually change," the "lack of attention to discipline and to law" produced a great deal of "bad fruit."
One con! sequence, the cardinal believes, was the mishandling of clerical abuse ! accusations.
"Absolutely, there's no question in my mind about that," said Cardinal Burke. He pointed out that both the 1917 and 1983 canon law codes put "a discipline in place" to confront an "evil" the Church had faced before.
"All of that was in place," the Vatican judge reflected, "but, first of all, it wasn't known in the sense that people were not studying the law, were not paying attention to it, and so, if it wasn't known or studied then it wasn't being applied."
Historically, he believes, it was an "unfortunate coincidence" that a cultural upheaval accompanied Blessed Pope John XXIII's call for a reform of canon law.
"This added to the notion that we didn't really have a law anymore – then the attitude developed that we don't need it."
Bl. John Paul II resolved the situation after his election in 1978, implementing a new code of law by 1983. Cardinal Burke remains "deeply grateful" for the late Pope's action.
But could divine providence ever call the son of a Midwestern farming family to the papacy himself?
"Oh, I don't believe so," Cardinal Burke laughed.
"I hope that the present Holy Father lives a long time. He's a tremendous gift to the Church and that's my great prayer – that the Lord gives him many more years."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Friday, November 25, 2011
American Catholics celebrate Thanksgiving in Rome
Rome, Italy, Nov 24, 2011 / 02:58 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Over 500 students, staff and guests gathered at the Pontifical North American College in Rome today to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.
"For an American in Rome this is the place to be on Thanksgiving," said seminarian John Connaughton of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn. to CNA.
"And to be here with my brother seminarians, well, there's actually no place I'd rather be on Thanksgiving – besides with my family."
Over 300 students and staff were joined by 30 bishops from New York who are in Rome for their "ad limina" visit to the Vatican.
"Well, we can celebrate Thanksgiving any place," said Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio of Brooklyn, when asked how it feels to mark the American holiday in Italy.
"It's a national day when we remember all the blessing we've received as a people – the origins, the pilgrims, the Indians – and go back to that love-fest at our beginnings as I think it formed the idea of our nation, that we should be a people at peace with everyone."
Today's festivities began with the celebration of Mass in the college chapel where the main celebrant was Cardinal Francis George of Chicago. The homily meanwhile was delivered by Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York, a former student and rector of the North American College.
"A blessed Thanksgiving to all of you," he wished to all present before reminding them of St. Augustine of Hippo's contention that "gratitude is the first step to holiness," as from gratitude, said St. Augustine, comes humility.
Thus we recognize that without Christ, "nothing is possible but with Him nothing is impossible," said Archbishop Dolan, adding that "His grace and mercy are lavished upon us through absolutely no merits of our own," so that we should "gratefully and humbly accept his gifts," in the knowledge that "even the ability to do that is itself His gift."
Speaking to CNA, Archbishop Dolan recalled his student years at the college between 1972 and 1976 and how he had never celebrated Thanksgiving "with more fervor and more gusto than I did when I was here in Rome."
He said that marking Thanksgiving abroad always reminds him of "how uniquely American it is," and that "giving thanks and praise to God for his abundant blessings is such a part of the American psyche."
"I was homesick, I sure missed my family," he said of his student days, "but to be here, I felt it home, I was so grateful to be an American and we just banged out 'America the Beautiful' and 'The Star Spangled Banner.' It was a great feast day."
Those musical traditions were continued today by the class of 2011 as they gathered after Mass for a grand banquet with the traditional turkey and cranberry sauce on the menu. The seating plan was arranged on a state by state basis including tables for the Australian and Canadian students studying at the North American College.
"Well it is tough to be away from home on Thanksgiving," said Deacon Gino Pattugalan of the Diocese of Brooklyn, "it's such a part of home – but it feels like home is being brought to the college today."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"For an American in Rome this is the place to be on Thanksgiving," said seminarian John Connaughton of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn. to CNA.
"And to be here with my brother seminarians, well, there's actually no place I'd rather be on Thanksgiving – besides with my family."
Over 300 students and staff were joined by 30 bishops from New York who are in Rome for their "ad limina" visit to the Vatican.
"Well, we can celebrate Thanksgiving any place," said Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio of Brooklyn, when asked how it feels to mark the American holiday in Italy.
"It's a national day when we remember all the blessing we've received as a people – the origins, the pilgrims, the Indians – and go back to that love-fest at our beginnings as I think it formed the idea of our nation, that we should be a people at peace with everyone."
Today's festivities began with the celebration of Mass in the college chapel where the main celebrant was Cardinal Francis George of Chicago. The homily meanwhile was delivered by Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York, a former student and rector of the North American College.
"A blessed Thanksgiving to all of you," he wished to all present before reminding them of St. Augustine of Hippo's contention that "gratitude is the first step to holiness," as from gratitude, said St. Augustine, comes humility.
Thus we recognize that without Christ, "nothing is possible but with Him nothing is impossible," said Archbishop Dolan, adding that "His grace and mercy are lavished upon us through absolutely no merits of our own," so that we should "gratefully and humbly accept his gifts," in the knowledge that "even the ability to do that is itself His gift."
Speaking to CNA, Archbishop Dolan recalled his student years at the college between 1972 and 1976 and how he had never celebrated Thanksgiving "with more fervor and more gusto than I did when I was here in Rome."
He said that marking Thanksgiving abroad always reminds him of "how uniquely American it is," and that "giving thanks and praise to God for his abundant blessings is such a part of the American psyche."
"I was homesick, I sure missed my family," he said of his student days, "but to be here, I felt it home, I was so grateful to be an American and we just banged out 'America the Beautiful' and 'The Star Spangled Banner.' It was a great feast day."
Those musical traditions were continued today by the class of 2011 as they gathered after Mass for a grand banquet with the traditional turkey and cranberry sauce on the menu. The seating plan was arranged on a state by state basis including tables for the Australian and Canadian students studying at the North American College.
"Well it is tough to be away from home on Thanksgiving," said Deacon Gino Pattugalan of the Diocese of Brooklyn, "it's such a part of home – but it feels like home is being brought to the college today."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Every bishop must defend the faith, Vatican official says
Vatican City, Nov 24, 2011 / 03:20 pm (CNA).- Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect for the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, said that every bishop is required to proclaim the Church's teachings to modern society.
Bishops should be "capable of publicly defending the faith," Cardinal Ouellet underscored. "In addition to the virtues that are normally demanded of a bishop, this capacity is particularly necessary today."
In an interview with the Italian daily L'Avvenire on Nov. 18, Cardinal Ouellet described the involved process of selecting a new bishop which requires taking the opinions of numerous people into account.
"This research provides important elements for ruling out certain candidates and accepting and proposing others," he said. "In some cases, additional inquiries need to be carried out. Altogether, it is a serious process that is normally done well."
Some priests actually aspire to become bishops, he noted, saying that there can also be "movements or pressure to suggest or insist a certain priest be elevated."
"For this reason, it is important to evaluate not only the human and emotional maturity, but also the spiritual maturity of the candidates for bishop," he said.
Cardinal Ouellet noted he has also had some candidates turn down their appointments.
"There have been quite a few more than I expected," he said. One of the main reasons for this trend is that "in recent years, the role of the bishop, and of authorities in general, both religious and political, is not at all easy."
"Likewise because of the scandals, the media campaigns and the accusations of sexual abuse by priests and religious. It is understandable that not everyone wants to confront these situations."
Ultimately, all bishops must realize that their mission is to serve Christ and the Church and not themselves, he stressed.
"Bishops should know who they are working for, that is, for the Lord and for the Church," Cardinal Ouellet said. "Not for themselves. When this happens, it becomes apparent in the way in which their personality is expressed. The ladder-climber's self-interest prevails or tends to prevail."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Bishops should be "capable of publicly defending the faith," Cardinal Ouellet underscored. "In addition to the virtues that are normally demanded of a bishop, this capacity is particularly necessary today."
In an interview with the Italian daily L'Avvenire on Nov. 18, Cardinal Ouellet described the involved process of selecting a new bishop which requires taking the opinions of numerous people into account.
"This research provides important elements for ruling out certain candidates and accepting and proposing others," he said. "In some cases, additional inquiries need to be carried out. Altogether, it is a serious process that is normally done well."
Some priests actually aspire to become bishops, he noted, saying that there can also be "movements or pressure to suggest or insist a certain priest be elevated."
"For this reason, it is important to evaluate not only the human and emotional maturity, but also the spiritual maturity of the candidates for bishop," he said.
Cardinal Ouellet noted he has also had some candidates turn down their appointments.
"There have been quite a few more than I expected," he said. One of the main reasons for this trend is that "in recent years, the role of the bishop, and of authorities in general, both religious and political, is not at all easy."
"Likewise because of the scandals, the media campaigns and the accusations of sexual abuse by priests and religious. It is understandable that not everyone wants to confront these situations."
Ultimately, all bishops must realize that their mission is to serve Christ and the Church and not themselves, he stressed.
"Bishops should know who they are working for, that is, for the Lord and for the Church," Cardinal Ouellet said. "Not for themselves. When this happens, it becomes apparent in the way in which their personality is expressed. The ladder-climber's self-interest prevails or tends to prevail."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Vatican conference examines Bl. John Paul’s suffering
Vatican City, Nov 22, 2011 / 01:49 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The life, death and legacy of Blessed Pope John Paul II will take center stage at an international conference for health care workers that begins Nov. 24 in Rome.
"We really hope this great Pope – great in life, great in suffering, great in death – will, even after his death, live on in our hearts," said Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, in remarks to CNA.
"Because there is a new generation who only know him through books and through pictures," Archbishop Zimowski explained, "we have to give testimony to his life and suffering so that people can know the good that John Paul II did for sick people."
The conference has the theme "Health Pastoral Care, Serving Life in the Light of the Magisterium of Blessed John Paul II," and will run from Nov. 24 to 26. The deta! ils of the agenda were officially presented this morning at the Vatican press office. The three-day event is being organized by the pontifical council for health care workers.
As well as giving their personal witness, the organizers also pointed out that Bl. John Paul established the World Day of the Sick and the Good Samaritan Foundation, which he created in 2004 to provide financial support for poor people who are sick, particularly those suffering from HIV and AIDS.
Archbishop Zimowski recalled how at the beatification ceremony for Bl. John Paul, Pope Benedict described his predecessor as "'a rock' because he was close to Jesus, but he was also 'a rock' in his illness and his sickness."
A Pole himself, Archbishop Zimowski got to know Pope John Paul over many years, beginning with an encounter while he was still at the seminary in 1967. After that, he regularly met the future Pope – then Cardinal Wojtyla – every fortnight at th! e University of Lublin. He and other students had breakfast wi! th him, or dinner, Archbishop Zimowski said, calling it a "very great privilege and pleasure to meet him."
Bl. John Paul made such an impact on the archbishop that he now keeps a reliquary containing a fragment of cloth stained with the late Pope's blood in the chapel of the pontifical council. It was given to the council by Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, private secretary to Pope John Paul.
This week's conference will hear various lectures and testimonies on the life and teaching of Pope John Paul II, with a special emphasis on the Christian value of suffering and his encyclical "Evangelium Vitae" (Gospel of Life).
Contributions will come from a range of speakers, including Cardinal Dziwisz and Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini, president emeritus of the health care council.
The conference will be attended by nearly 700 participants from 70 countries, among whom will be six ambassadors to the Holy See.
On Friday, Nov. 25, attendees! will hear a classical concert in the presence of Pope Benedict, entitled "The Cross, Mercy and Glory."
"These three categories, presenting the cross, the mercy of God, and His glory, is actually the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because suffering is not an end in itself but it is elevated when it is united with the suffering of Christ on the cross," Monsignor Charles Namugera from the health care council told CNA.
"And the suffering of Christ, what it shows to the world, is the love of God, the mercy of God. And it eventually elevates the suffering people to the glory of the risen Lord," he said.
The proceeds of the concert will be given to the Good Samaritan Foundation.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"We really hope this great Pope – great in life, great in suffering, great in death – will, even after his death, live on in our hearts," said Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers, in remarks to CNA.
"Because there is a new generation who only know him through books and through pictures," Archbishop Zimowski explained, "we have to give testimony to his life and suffering so that people can know the good that John Paul II did for sick people."
The conference has the theme "Health Pastoral Care, Serving Life in the Light of the Magisterium of Blessed John Paul II," and will run from Nov. 24 to 26. The deta! ils of the agenda were officially presented this morning at the Vatican press office. The three-day event is being organized by the pontifical council for health care workers.
As well as giving their personal witness, the organizers also pointed out that Bl. John Paul established the World Day of the Sick and the Good Samaritan Foundation, which he created in 2004 to provide financial support for poor people who are sick, particularly those suffering from HIV and AIDS.
Archbishop Zimowski recalled how at the beatification ceremony for Bl. John Paul, Pope Benedict described his predecessor as "'a rock' because he was close to Jesus, but he was also 'a rock' in his illness and his sickness."
A Pole himself, Archbishop Zimowski got to know Pope John Paul over many years, beginning with an encounter while he was still at the seminary in 1967. After that, he regularly met the future Pope – then Cardinal Wojtyla – every fortnight at th! e University of Lublin. He and other students had breakfast wi! th him, or dinner, Archbishop Zimowski said, calling it a "very great privilege and pleasure to meet him."
Bl. John Paul made such an impact on the archbishop that he now keeps a reliquary containing a fragment of cloth stained with the late Pope's blood in the chapel of the pontifical council. It was given to the council by Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, private secretary to Pope John Paul.
This week's conference will hear various lectures and testimonies on the life and teaching of Pope John Paul II, with a special emphasis on the Christian value of suffering and his encyclical "Evangelium Vitae" (Gospel of Life).
Contributions will come from a range of speakers, including Cardinal Dziwisz and Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini, president emeritus of the health care council.
The conference will be attended by nearly 700 participants from 70 countries, among whom will be six ambassadors to the Holy See.
On Friday, Nov. 25, attendees! will hear a classical concert in the presence of Pope Benedict, entitled "The Cross, Mercy and Glory."
"These three categories, presenting the cross, the mercy of God, and His glory, is actually the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because suffering is not an end in itself but it is elevated when it is united with the suffering of Christ on the cross," Monsignor Charles Namugera from the health care council told CNA.
"And the suffering of Christ, what it shows to the world, is the love of God, the mercy of God. And it eventually elevates the suffering people to the glory of the risen Lord," he said.
The proceeds of the concert will be given to the Good Samaritan Foundation.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Civil rights groups urge Spain's new president to axe abortion law
Madrid, Spain, Nov 22, 2011 / 02:35 pm (CNA/Europa Press).- Spanish civil rights groups urged president-elect Mariano Rajoy to end the country's support for abortion and endorse legislation that protects the family.
Benigno Blanco, president of the Forum on Family, urged Rajoy to repeal Spain's abortion law as well as "enact real policies" that offer help to pregnant woman.
Mariano Rajoy, leader of the People's Party, was elected president in a landslide victory on Nov. 20. It was the biggest loss ever for the Socialist party, which has led the country over the last eight years under outgoing President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
According to Europa Press, Blanco said the election results show that the Spanish voters have completely rejected the Zapatero administration's pro-abortion stance.
He also called on Rajoy to reestablish marriage "as an institution between one man and one woman" and to strengthen it by revising laws that favor easy divorce and same-sex unions.
Blanco added that the new administration should also work to "reinforce education" and "return to parents their rightful role."
Ignacio Arsuaga, president of the civil rights website HazteOir.org, said his organization offered Rajoy its best wishes "in the difficult task that lies ahead." He also encouraged the new president to not only repeal the law on abortion but "promote policies that favor the family and marriage."
Arsuaga added that Zapatero's leadership over the past eight years has been destructive to Spanish society.
"The electoral misfortunes of the Socialist Party are a symptom of the feelings of a large part of Spanish society that they have been under permanent attack since 2004," he said.
The board of directors of the organization thanked supporters for working hard to ensure the campaign was focused on "numerous issues of vital importance that would have otherwise been overshadowed by the economic crisis."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Benigno Blanco, president of the Forum on Family, urged Rajoy to repeal Spain's abortion law as well as "enact real policies" that offer help to pregnant woman.
Mariano Rajoy, leader of the People's Party, was elected president in a landslide victory on Nov. 20. It was the biggest loss ever for the Socialist party, which has led the country over the last eight years under outgoing President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
According to Europa Press, Blanco said the election results show that the Spanish voters have completely rejected the Zapatero administration's pro-abortion stance.
He also called on Rajoy to reestablish marriage "as an institution between one man and one woman" and to strengthen it by revising laws that favor easy divorce and same-sex unions.
Blanco added that the new administration should also work to "reinforce education" and "return to parents their rightful role."
Ignacio Arsuaga, president of the civil rights website HazteOir.org, said his organization offered Rajoy its best wishes "in the difficult task that lies ahead." He also encouraged the new president to not only repeal the law on abortion but "promote policies that favor the family and marriage."
Arsuaga added that Zapatero's leadership over the past eight years has been destructive to Spanish society.
"The electoral misfortunes of the Socialist Party are a symptom of the feelings of a large part of Spanish society that they have been under permanent attack since 2004," he said.
The board of directors of the organization thanked supporters for working hard to ensure the campaign was focused on "numerous issues of vital importance that would have otherwise been overshadowed by the economic crisis."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
German bishops to quickly sell shares in porn publisher
Berlin, Germany, Nov 22, 2011 / 04:14 pm (CNA).- The Catholic Church in Germany says it will act "without delay" to sell its stake in a publishing company that offers pornography among its products.
"We cannot earn money during the week with what we preach against on Sundays," Cardinal Joachim Meisner told Germany's Welt am Sonntag newspaper Nov. 22.
The Weltbild Publishing Group is one of Germany's largest publishers, with an annual income of $2.2 billion dollars, nearly 6,500 staff and book stores on the main street of many German towns and cities. However, it also publishes and distributes nearly 2,500 pornographic titles, largely through their Internet sites.
At present, 12 of Germany's 27 dioceses own just over 24 percent of the shares in the publishing firm. Some dioceses have already divested themselves of their stock in recent years, including! the Archdiocese of Cologne which is led by Cardinal Meisner.
Today's announcement comes only weeks after Pope Benedict XVI criticized the German bishops for their investments.
"The time has come to take an energetic stance against prostitution and the widespread availability of erotic and pornographic material, also on the Internet," he told the new German ambassador to the Holy See on Nov. 7.
"The Holy See will ensure that the Catholic Church in Germany takes clear and decisive initiatives against this form of abuse," promised the Pope.
The news of the Church's involvement in the pornography business broke just days before the Pope's intervention. Initially, the German bishops issued a statement that said a "filtering system failure" at the publishing house had allowed the pornographic books to stray onto the market.
However, Berhard Müller, the editor of the German Catholic magazine PUR told t! he media Nov. 6 that a group of concerned Catholics sent 70-pa! ge document to the bishops in 2008 that he said contained evidence Weltbild was publishing pornography as well as books on Satanism and magic. They requested that such publications be stopped right away. "Believers have been complaining to their bishops about this for years," said Müller.
In a Nov. 22 statement, Weltbild said it welcomed the decision of the bishops as it had been impossible to "adequately restrict the internet-supported dissemination and production of media that contradicted the ideals of the shareholders."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"We cannot earn money during the week with what we preach against on Sundays," Cardinal Joachim Meisner told Germany's Welt am Sonntag newspaper Nov. 22.
The Weltbild Publishing Group is one of Germany's largest publishers, with an annual income of $2.2 billion dollars, nearly 6,500 staff and book stores on the main street of many German towns and cities. However, it also publishes and distributes nearly 2,500 pornographic titles, largely through their Internet sites.
At present, 12 of Germany's 27 dioceses own just over 24 percent of the shares in the publishing firm. Some dioceses have already divested themselves of their stock in recent years, including! the Archdiocese of Cologne which is led by Cardinal Meisner.
Today's announcement comes only weeks after Pope Benedict XVI criticized the German bishops for their investments.
"The time has come to take an energetic stance against prostitution and the widespread availability of erotic and pornographic material, also on the Internet," he told the new German ambassador to the Holy See on Nov. 7.
"The Holy See will ensure that the Catholic Church in Germany takes clear and decisive initiatives against this form of abuse," promised the Pope.
The news of the Church's involvement in the pornography business broke just days before the Pope's intervention. Initially, the German bishops issued a statement that said a "filtering system failure" at the publishing house had allowed the pornographic books to stray onto the market.
However, Berhard Müller, the editor of the German Catholic magazine PUR told t! he media Nov. 6 that a group of concerned Catholics sent 70-pa! ge document to the bishops in 2008 that he said contained evidence Weltbild was publishing pornography as well as books on Satanism and magic. They requested that such publications be stopped right away. "Believers have been complaining to their bishops about this for years," said Müller.
In a Nov. 22 statement, Weltbild said it welcomed the decision of the bishops as it had been impossible to "adequately restrict the internet-supported dissemination and production of media that contradicted the ideals of the shareholders."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Peruvian doctors warn against lowering age of consent
Lima, Peru, Nov 22, 2011 / 06:17 pm (CNA).- Medical experts in Peru warned that lowering the age of consent for sex to the age 14 would lead to abuse and sexual exploitation of minors.
The government has the duty to "protect the physical, psychiatric, moral and social integrity of children and adolescents," Maita Garcia, president of the National Association of Catholic Doctors in Peru, told CNA on Nov. 21.
Children at the age of 14 are developing and "generally are not sufficiently capable of calculating the consequences of their actions," she underscored.
"For this reason the principal of parental authority exists, by which the parents answer for them until they are legally adults."
Garcia made her comments in reference to a lawsuit filed on Nov. 18 by the Medical College of Peru and the Peruvian Institute for Responsible Parenthood challenging the constitutionality of a law that prohibits sexual relations between adolescents in Peru.
"To make it legally possible for them to have sexual relations without having matured enough to exercise their sexuality in a responsible way, will not protect adolescents and could lead to abuse and sexual exploitation," Garcia stated.
"Would the law also allow prostitution for minors if they consented?" she asked.
Garcia noted that "consent" could "easily be obtained by unscrupulous persons who would curry the favor of these girls by meeting many of their material and emotional needs, which would obviously be an abuse of power."
"This same consent," she said, "is often used as a defense argument in accusations of rape."
Garcia stressed that government leaders should "safeguard the comprehensive health of all persons, particularly those who are weakest and still developing, to protect their dignity, self-esteem and chances for a better future."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
The government has the duty to "protect the physical, psychiatric, moral and social integrity of children and adolescents," Maita Garcia, president of the National Association of Catholic Doctors in Peru, told CNA on Nov. 21.
Children at the age of 14 are developing and "generally are not sufficiently capable of calculating the consequences of their actions," she underscored.
"For this reason the principal of parental authority exists, by which the parents answer for them until they are legally adults."
Garcia made her comments in reference to a lawsuit filed on Nov. 18 by the Medical College of Peru and the Peruvian Institute for Responsible Parenthood challenging the constitutionality of a law that prohibits sexual relations between adolescents in Peru.
"To make it legally possible for them to have sexual relations without having matured enough to exercise their sexuality in a responsible way, will not protect adolescents and could lead to abuse and sexual exploitation," Garcia stated.
"Would the law also allow prostitution for minors if they consented?" she asked.
Garcia noted that "consent" could "easily be obtained by unscrupulous persons who would curry the favor of these girls by meeting many of their material and emotional needs, which would obviously be an abuse of power."
"This same consent," she said, "is often used as a defense argument in accusations of rape."
Garcia stressed that government leaders should "safeguard the comprehensive health of all persons, particularly those who are weakest and still developing, to protect their dignity, self-esteem and chances for a better future."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Philadelphia seminary creates Cardinal Foley chair in homiletics
Philadelphia, Pa., Nov 23, 2011 / 01:46 am (CNA).- Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania has established the John Cardinal Foley Chair of Homiletics and Social Communication to honor Cardinal Foley for his lifetime of distinguished service as a professional communicator and for his "outstanding priestly service."
"In establishing this chair, the seminary expresses esteem for Cardinal Foley, one of its most distinguished alumni, and seeks to perpetuate his high standards of communicating the gospel message in the life and ministry of future generations of priests," the Archdiocese of Philadelphia said Nov. 21.
The seminary chair will train seminarians in homiletics, the art of rhetoric in public preaching. The chair will also teach them to cultivate a practical knowledge and mastery of modern communications media.
Cardinal Foley, a Pennsylvania native, was ordained! for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1962 and edited the archdiocesan paper, the Catholic Standard & Times. He served as editor of Rome's archdiocesan newspaper from 1970 to 1984 and was president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications from 1984 to 2007.
For 21 years, he provided the English-language commentary for the global TV broadcasts of Christmas and Easter Masses.
In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher and elevated him to the level of cardinal.
On his 76th birthday Nov. 11, Cardinal Foley said he was grateful to God for a wonderful life.
"As Andy Rooney said, 'I certainly have nothing to complain about.' It's been marvelous and I pray that I may have the strength needed for the rest of my time here on Earth to try to continue to do some good for others," the cardinal said, according to the Delaware County Daily Times.
The cardinal returned to Philad! elphia for retirement after being diagnosed with leukemia and ! other health ailments. He presently lives in Darby, Pennsylvania.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"In establishing this chair, the seminary expresses esteem for Cardinal Foley, one of its most distinguished alumni, and seeks to perpetuate his high standards of communicating the gospel message in the life and ministry of future generations of priests," the Archdiocese of Philadelphia said Nov. 21.
The seminary chair will train seminarians in homiletics, the art of rhetoric in public preaching. The chair will also teach them to cultivate a practical knowledge and mastery of modern communications media.
Cardinal Foley, a Pennsylvania native, was ordained! for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1962 and edited the archdiocesan paper, the Catholic Standard & Times. He served as editor of Rome's archdiocesan newspaper from 1970 to 1984 and was president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications from 1984 to 2007.
For 21 years, he provided the English-language commentary for the global TV broadcasts of Christmas and Easter Masses.
In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Grand Master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher and elevated him to the level of cardinal.
On his 76th birthday Nov. 11, Cardinal Foley said he was grateful to God for a wonderful life.
"As Andy Rooney said, 'I certainly have nothing to complain about.' It's been marvelous and I pray that I may have the strength needed for the rest of my time here on Earth to try to continue to do some good for others," the cardinal said, according to the Delaware County Daily Times.
The cardinal returned to Philad! elphia for retirement after being diagnosed with leukemia and ! other health ailments. He presently lives in Darby, Pennsylvania.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
San Francisco archdiocese wins tax battle in court
San Francisco, Calif., Nov 23, 2011 / 03:11 am (CNA).- The Archdiocese of San Francisco won a three-year legal fight Nov. 18, after a Superior Court judge moved to throw out charges against the archdiocese for a multimillion-dollar "delinquent" tax bill.
"The Archdiocese of San Francisco is delighted that the Superior Court has vindicated the position the archdiocese has taken all along," George Wesolek, director of communications, said in a Nov. 18 statement.
Judge Richard A. Kramer issued a 43-page "Tentative Statement of Decision" in favor of the archdiocese after a grueling legal battle with San Francisco assessor-recorder Phil Ting.
Ting attempted to impose a transfer tax of $14.4 million on more than 200 parish and school properties when San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer initiated a corporate restructuring of the archdiocese in 2007.
Ting arg! ued that the tax was fair and equitable and said his office examined various exemptions that could have applied to the archdiocese but found that none did.
Taxes in the state are typically collected when properties are sold or transferred to a separate and distinct legal entity.
"The land and buildings involved are all used to serve the nearly half-million families and children in the archdiocese's parishes and schools and countless others," Wesolek said, adding that the tax would have had "had a crippling effect" on the parishes and schools.
In court arguments, the archdiocese maintained that the city's transfer tax ordinance applies only to property "sold" in San Francisco and specifically exempts internal reorganizations of this kind.
The Church also argued that state and federal law have long recognized that internal reorganizations such as what took place in the archdiocese are not transfers and are not subject to such taxes! .
Wesolek said that Ting "underestimated the resolve ! of the church," in this situation, but also lamented how the ongoing case drained time and resources.
"It is unfortunate that the miscalculation forced the archdiocese to spend more than three years and hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorneys' fees to defeat this illegal action," he said, "but the archdiocese is hopeful that the Assessor/Recorder's office will now be dissuaded from taking similar measures in the future."
Judge Kramer has scheduled a case management conference for Jan. 9, 2012.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"The Archdiocese of San Francisco is delighted that the Superior Court has vindicated the position the archdiocese has taken all along," George Wesolek, director of communications, said in a Nov. 18 statement.
Judge Richard A. Kramer issued a 43-page "Tentative Statement of Decision" in favor of the archdiocese after a grueling legal battle with San Francisco assessor-recorder Phil Ting.
Ting attempted to impose a transfer tax of $14.4 million on more than 200 parish and school properties when San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer initiated a corporate restructuring of the archdiocese in 2007.
Ting arg! ued that the tax was fair and equitable and said his office examined various exemptions that could have applied to the archdiocese but found that none did.
Taxes in the state are typically collected when properties are sold or transferred to a separate and distinct legal entity.
"The land and buildings involved are all used to serve the nearly half-million families and children in the archdiocese's parishes and schools and countless others," Wesolek said, adding that the tax would have had "had a crippling effect" on the parishes and schools.
In court arguments, the archdiocese maintained that the city's transfer tax ordinance applies only to property "sold" in San Francisco and specifically exempts internal reorganizations of this kind.
The Church also argued that state and federal law have long recognized that internal reorganizations such as what took place in the archdiocese are not transfers and are not subject to such taxes! .
Wesolek said that Ting "underestimated the resolve ! of the church," in this situation, but also lamented how the ongoing case drained time and resources.
"It is unfortunate that the miscalculation forced the archdiocese to spend more than three years and hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorneys' fees to defeat this illegal action," he said, "but the archdiocese is hopeful that the Assessor/Recorder's office will now be dissuaded from taking similar measures in the future."
Judge Kramer has scheduled a case management conference for Jan. 9, 2012.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Egyptian bishop condemns military's crackdown on protests
Cairo, Egypt, Nov 23, 2011 / 06:04 am (CNA).- Egyptian police have "no right" to threaten the lives of those protesting peacefully in Tahrir square, Giza Bishop Antonios A. Mina says.
"Using violence against peaceful people is not acceptable," the senior Coptic Catholic Bishop told the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need on Nov. 22. "The authorities must explain their actions."
Bishop Mina spoke from Egypt as the country's military government faced protests comparable to those that drove out former president Hosni Mubarak in February.
The latest protests in Cairo began Nov. 18 and have drawn tens of thousands of people into the streets. But at least 26 people have been killed, and hundreds wounded, during a government response that Bishop Mina said was needlessly violent.
"The authorities have no right to shoot peaceful people," declared the bishop, who said th! e army had "not learned the lesson that if you shoot people they will react."
Troops have used teargas and rubber bullets – and, by some accounts, live ammunition – against protesters, some of whom have thrown rocks and firebombs at police, according to the Associated Press.
Protesters want an end to the military rule that began after Mubarak stepped down. As of Nov. 22, the army said it had accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and his cabinet, and would form a new administration with the intention of moving to civilian rule by July of 2012.
But many Egyptians do not want to wait 18 months to elect a new president and end military rule.
With parliamentary elections set to begin Nov. 28, some protesters want an immediate end to the military government as well. One possibility that the military's governing council is considering is a popular referendum on the question.
Bishop Mina said public trust in Egyp! t's army was fading.
"The young people, who began th! e revolution (against Mubarak), no longer trust people in authority, especially the military. They were full of hope when the revolution began but now no longer."
He said Christians and Muslims were "together in Tahrir Square now," voicing "the same desire for a new future."
Egypt's Coptic Christians have seen little improvement in their second-class status since the February revolution. A Coptic rights march in October ended in violence that left 25 people dead and 300 injured, with police being accused of running over protesters and collaborating with Islamist mobs.
Meanwhile, the government has done little to address Coptic concerns over church-building rights and religious discrimination. In September 2011, the European Union of Human Rights Organizations said nearly 100,000 of Egypt's Christians had emigrated since February.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"Using violence against peaceful people is not acceptable," the senior Coptic Catholic Bishop told the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need on Nov. 22. "The authorities must explain their actions."
Bishop Mina spoke from Egypt as the country's military government faced protests comparable to those that drove out former president Hosni Mubarak in February.
The latest protests in Cairo began Nov. 18 and have drawn tens of thousands of people into the streets. But at least 26 people have been killed, and hundreds wounded, during a government response that Bishop Mina said was needlessly violent.
"The authorities have no right to shoot peaceful people," declared the bishop, who said th! e army had "not learned the lesson that if you shoot people they will react."
Troops have used teargas and rubber bullets – and, by some accounts, live ammunition – against protesters, some of whom have thrown rocks and firebombs at police, according to the Associated Press.
Protesters want an end to the military rule that began after Mubarak stepped down. As of Nov. 22, the army said it had accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and his cabinet, and would form a new administration with the intention of moving to civilian rule by July of 2012.
But many Egyptians do not want to wait 18 months to elect a new president and end military rule.
With parliamentary elections set to begin Nov. 28, some protesters want an immediate end to the military government as well. One possibility that the military's governing council is considering is a popular referendum on the question.
Bishop Mina said public trust in Egyp! t's army was fading.
"The young people, who began th! e revolution (against Mubarak), no longer trust people in authority, especially the military. They were full of hope when the revolution began but now no longer."
He said Christians and Muslims were "together in Tahrir Square now," voicing "the same desire for a new future."
Egypt's Coptic Christians have seen little improvement in their second-class status since the February revolution. A Coptic rights march in October ended in violence that left 25 people dead and 300 injured, with police being accused of running over protesters and collaborating with Islamist mobs.
Meanwhile, the government has done little to address Coptic concerns over church-building rights and religious discrimination. In September 2011, the European Union of Human Rights Organizations said nearly 100,000 of Egypt's Christians had emigrated since February.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Police blame Maoists, villagers for Indian sister's murder
Jharkhand, India, Nov 22, 2011 / 02:42 am (CNA).- Police claim that villagers and Maoist activists killed Sister Valsha John, an Indian religious sister whose death has been linked to her work with native tribes in opposition to coal mining interests.
"We have arrested seven people in the murder of Valsha John," said Arun Oraon, inspector general of police in Jharkhand's Santhal Pargana division, who told reporters that "villagers in connivance with the Maoists killed her."
"Around 45 people raided the house of (Sr.) John," Oraon announced Nov. 20, according to the Times of India. He claimed that "nearly 30 were Maoists," while "the rest were villagers."
As of Sunday, the police had arrested seven of the villagers they accused of invading Sr. John's house and participating in her Nov. 15 beating and murder. But they had not managed to apprehend any of the purported Maoists, even as The Hindu newspaper reported they had been traced to a specific squadron.
Jesuit Father Nirmal Raj, provincial superior of his order in the district of Dumka, said he was "confident in the work of the investigators" and would "wait and see" how the case proceeded.
"We know that the nun had played a decisive role in the agreement between the tribal people and the Panem mining company, in order for the parties to agree, even if some did not like the agreement," Fr. Raj told Fides news agency after Sunday's announcement from the police.
Oraon told BBC News that the Communist revolutionaries resented Sr. John's influence, which he described as a "major block in their way."
The investigator said the Maoists went on to provoke villagers who favored the work of the Panem corporation. Sr. John, a 53-year-old member of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary, had protested Panem's plans, while negotiating an agreement that apparently displeased some locals.
"Over the past few years, there has been marked improvement in the lives of people engaged in direct business with Panem," the Times of India quote Oraon as saying.
"On the other hand, those who worked with Valsha and got their share of development work allotted by the company to displaced people were not able to make much money. Since they saw Valsha as a hindrance, some villagers joined hands with Maoists and killed her."
"They thought that once Valsha was out, they would get her share of the (mining) work," the investigator stated.
According to Oraon, the mob violence also involved an attempt to to keep Sr. John from taking a rape victim to the police.
The investigator described the police account of events as "complex."
The elaborate theory differs from some suspicions voiced shortly after Sr. John's death, when one of her brothers attested that she had been threatened by a mining "mafia." BBC News reported on Nov. 17 that police had found Maoist literature near the crime scene, but suspected it was planted as a diversion.
But local sources had also told Fides, prior to Sunday's arrests, that some native supporters of the mining interests might have resented Sr. John's presence and sought to eliminate her.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"We have arrested seven people in the murder of Valsha John," said Arun Oraon, inspector general of police in Jharkhand's Santhal Pargana division, who told reporters that "villagers in connivance with the Maoists killed her."
"Around 45 people raided the house of (Sr.) John," Oraon announced Nov. 20, according to the Times of India. He claimed that "nearly 30 were Maoists," while "the rest were villagers."
As of Sunday, the police had arrested seven of the villagers they accused of invading Sr. John's house and participating in her Nov. 15 beating and murder. But they had not managed to apprehend any of the purported Maoists, even as The Hindu newspaper reported they had been traced to a specific squadron.
Jesuit Father Nirmal Raj, provincial superior of his order in the district of Dumka, said he was "confident in the work of the investigators" and would "wait and see" how the case proceeded.
"We know that the nun had played a decisive role in the agreement between the tribal people and the Panem mining company, in order for the parties to agree, even if some did not like the agreement," Fr. Raj told Fides news agency after Sunday's announcement from the police.
Oraon told BBC News that the Communist revolutionaries resented Sr. John's influence, which he described as a "major block in their way."
The investigator said the Maoists went on to provoke villagers who favored the work of the Panem corporation. Sr. John, a 53-year-old member of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary, had protested Panem's plans, while negotiating an agreement that apparently displeased some locals.
"Over the past few years, there has been marked improvement in the lives of people engaged in direct business with Panem," the Times of India quote Oraon as saying.
"On the other hand, those who worked with Valsha and got their share of development work allotted by the company to displaced people were not able to make much money. Since they saw Valsha as a hindrance, some villagers joined hands with Maoists and killed her."
"They thought that once Valsha was out, they would get her share of the (mining) work," the investigator stated.
According to Oraon, the mob violence also involved an attempt to to keep Sr. John from taking a rape victim to the police.
The investigator described the police account of events as "complex."
The elaborate theory differs from some suspicions voiced shortly after Sr. John's death, when one of her brothers attested that she had been threatened by a mining "mafia." BBC News reported on Nov. 17 that police had found Maoist literature near the crime scene, but suspected it was planted as a diversion.
But local sources had also told Fides, prior to Sunday's arrests, that some native supporters of the mining interests might have resented Sr. John's presence and sought to eliminate her.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Nicaraguan bishops warn of fraud in presidential elections
Managua, Nicaragua, Nov 21, 2011 / 02:18 pm (CNA).- Bishops in Nicaragua questioned the legitimacy of the Nov. 6 presidential elections after accusations of fraud and dishonesty were leveled against election officials.
In a joint statement issued Nov. 16, the bishops said Nicaragua's Supreme Electoral Council was "incapable of carrying out its job responsibly and honestly" and could not ensure a transparent count of the votes that "would leave no doubt as to the will of the people in these elections."
"As believers, it is our firm conviction that any dishonest action that threatens the sovereignty of the people is not only ethically wrong but also reproachable in the eyes of God," they underscored.
Although the Organization of American States issued a report declaring that President Daniel Ortega had won re-election by a 62 percent vote, opponents are protesting the results. Clashes throughout the country since Nov. 6 have left at least four people dead and dozens injured, according to police.
The bishops said voters have the right to peacefully protest and "to demand that our institutions fulfill their duty and that State officials carry out their obligations."
"It is urgent that the rule of law be recovered and that those in power be subject to the law. If this is not achieved, democracy will not advance in Nicaragua and the errors of the past will continue to be repeated, which could lead to greater division in the country," they stated.
Politicians and government officials must "urgently find the best legal and civic solution to overcoming the country's present-day crisis," the bishops said. "Nicaragua needs all of her sons and daughters to encounter one another and live together in a society based on truth, tolerance and justice."
The Church leaders also encouraged Nicaraguans to avoid falling into pessimism and to have hope for a swift political resolution.
"To hope is to have the ability to see, even when we cannot see with our eyes. To hope is to regain our ability to keep dreaming of a better society for all and to strive to make that possible."
Last week the U.S. government urged the Organization of American States "to seriously consider the state of democracy in Nicaragua" given the questionable tactics that gave President Ortega a second term.
EU election observers said the irregularities "signify a serious step backwards in the democratic quality of the elections in Nicaragua" and need to be corrected in the future.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
In a joint statement issued Nov. 16, the bishops said Nicaragua's Supreme Electoral Council was "incapable of carrying out its job responsibly and honestly" and could not ensure a transparent count of the votes that "would leave no doubt as to the will of the people in these elections."
"As believers, it is our firm conviction that any dishonest action that threatens the sovereignty of the people is not only ethically wrong but also reproachable in the eyes of God," they underscored.
Although the Organization of American States issued a report declaring that President Daniel Ortega had won re-election by a 62 percent vote, opponents are protesting the results. Clashes throughout the country since Nov. 6 have left at least four people dead and dozens injured, according to police.
The bishops said voters have the right to peacefully protest and "to demand that our institutions fulfill their duty and that State officials carry out their obligations."
"It is urgent that the rule of law be recovered and that those in power be subject to the law. If this is not achieved, democracy will not advance in Nicaragua and the errors of the past will continue to be repeated, which could lead to greater division in the country," they stated.
Politicians and government officials must "urgently find the best legal and civic solution to overcoming the country's present-day crisis," the bishops said. "Nicaragua needs all of her sons and daughters to encounter one another and live together in a society based on truth, tolerance and justice."
The Church leaders also encouraged Nicaraguans to avoid falling into pessimism and to have hope for a swift political resolution.
"To hope is to have the ability to see, even when we cannot see with our eyes. To hope is to regain our ability to keep dreaming of a better society for all and to strive to make that possible."
Last week the U.S. government urged the Organization of American States "to seriously consider the state of democracy in Nicaragua" given the questionable tactics that gave President Ortega a second term.
EU election observers said the irregularities "signify a serious step backwards in the democratic quality of the elections in Nicaragua" and need to be corrected in the future.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Pro-life Democrats predict broad religious exemption from contraception mandate
Washington D.C., Nov 21, 2011 / 02:42 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Though Catholics fear their institutions' religious freedom is at risk, pro-life Democrats are predicting that the federal government will create a broader religious exemption to federal mandates requiring contraception coverage in all new health care plans.
"I would have never voted for the final version of the bill if I expected the Obama administration to force Catholic hospitals and Catholic colleges and universities to pay for contraception," former Pennsylvania Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper said Nov. 21.
"We worked hard to prevent abortion funding in health care and to include clear conscience protections for those with moral objections to abortion and contraceptive devices that cause abortion. I trust that the President will honor the commitment he made to those of us who supported final passage."
Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life, also expressed confidence that the Obama administration will provide a sufficient exemption.
"The administration has no intention of forcing Catholic institutions to provide insurance coverage for services that are directly in opposition to their moral beliefs. It does not make any sense from a public policy perspective and it certainly is not smart politically to alienate Catholic voters," she said.
Day charged that the Obama administration is "unfairly under attack by Catholic conservatives who are using the proposed final rule to spread anti-Obama sentiment to lay Catholics."
On Aug. 1 the Department of Health and Human Services announced regulations for preventive care as required by the 2010 health care legislation. The rules mandate that new health care plans cover all FDA-approved sterilizations and contraception, including contraceptives with abortion-causing effects.
The regulations accompanied a proposed exemption only for religious employers whose primary purpose is the inculcation of religious values and who primarily employ and serve those who share their religious tenets. Catholic bishops and scholars have said the exemption would not include most Catholic health care systems, charitable agencies and institutions of higher education.
Democrats for Life said that the health care legislation itself proposed to continue to allow employers an exemption to mandatory contraception coverage if the employer objected on moral or religious grounds.
"This was part of the agreement reached by pro-life Democrats," the organization said Nov. 19. "The issue for pro-life Democrats is that certain types of birth control cause abortions of new embryos."
Other commentators have said that Health and Human Services' narrow proposed exemption uses language originally intended to target Catholics.
The exemption originated in a California debate about a state-level contraception mandate, William J. Cox, president and CEO of the California-based Alliance of Catholic Health Care, told a Nov. 2 hearing of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health.
Cox said the American Civil Liberties Union "painstakingly crafted" the definition to "specifically exclude religious institutional missions like health care providers, universities and social service agencies."
During the debate, the then-head of Planned Parenthood in California said the wording was designed to close the "Catholic gap" in contraceptive coverage, Cox reported.
Pro-abortion rights groups like Emily's List and NARAL are seeking to preserve the present language of the exemption.
Democrats for Life charged that these groups are "attempting to push the mandate beyond its hard won legislative intent" and are using "scare tactics" to convince supporters they risk losing birth control coverage.
Organization board member Stephen Schneck of the Institute for Policy Research & Catholics Studies at Catholic University of America invoked a previous controversy over the effects of the health care legislation.
He said the Emily's List campaign is "as dishonest as the Republican campaign" to convince voters that the health care legislation funds abortion.
"The PPACA does not fund abortion and not one woman will lose access to birth control under the new law. In fact, millions of women will now receive free birth control under that law," he said.
Democrats for Life said that the campaign to preserve the narrow exemption could mean that "millions of Americans" will lose access to employer-sponsored health care. The organization cited the remarks of University of Notre Dame president Fr. John I. Jenkins, who said the rules would force the university either to violate Catholic moral teaching by paying for contraception and sterilization, or to violate Catholic social teaching by discontinuing employee and student health care plans.
"Common sense would say health insurance, even if it does not include contraception coverage, is better than no insurance at all," Dahlkemper said. "If common sense prevails, the final rule will allow fair conscience protections that will not force religious institutions (to) choose between social teaching and moral teaching."
In his testimony before the House subcommittee, Cox recommended that Health and Human Services use the broader definition of religious employer provided in the Internal Revenue Code. It should also amend the rule to ensure that individuals and non-religious employers are similarly protected, he said.
The proposed rules are set to take effect in August 2012.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"I would have never voted for the final version of the bill if I expected the Obama administration to force Catholic hospitals and Catholic colleges and universities to pay for contraception," former Pennsylvania Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper said Nov. 21.
"We worked hard to prevent abortion funding in health care and to include clear conscience protections for those with moral objections to abortion and contraceptive devices that cause abortion. I trust that the President will honor the commitment he made to those of us who supported final passage."
Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life, also expressed confidence that the Obama administration will provide a sufficient exemption.
"The administration has no intention of forcing Catholic institutions to provide insurance coverage for services that are directly in opposition to their moral beliefs. It does not make any sense from a public policy perspective and it certainly is not smart politically to alienate Catholic voters," she said.
Day charged that the Obama administration is "unfairly under attack by Catholic conservatives who are using the proposed final rule to spread anti-Obama sentiment to lay Catholics."
On Aug. 1 the Department of Health and Human Services announced regulations for preventive care as required by the 2010 health care legislation. The rules mandate that new health care plans cover all FDA-approved sterilizations and contraception, including contraceptives with abortion-causing effects.
The regulations accompanied a proposed exemption only for religious employers whose primary purpose is the inculcation of religious values and who primarily employ and serve those who share their religious tenets. Catholic bishops and scholars have said the exemption would not include most Catholic health care systems, charitable agencies and institutions of higher education.
Democrats for Life said that the health care legislation itself proposed to continue to allow employers an exemption to mandatory contraception coverage if the employer objected on moral or religious grounds.
"This was part of the agreement reached by pro-life Democrats," the organization said Nov. 19. "The issue for pro-life Democrats is that certain types of birth control cause abortions of new embryos."
Other commentators have said that Health and Human Services' narrow proposed exemption uses language originally intended to target Catholics.
The exemption originated in a California debate about a state-level contraception mandate, William J. Cox, president and CEO of the California-based Alliance of Catholic Health Care, told a Nov. 2 hearing of the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health.
Cox said the American Civil Liberties Union "painstakingly crafted" the definition to "specifically exclude religious institutional missions like health care providers, universities and social service agencies."
During the debate, the then-head of Planned Parenthood in California said the wording was designed to close the "Catholic gap" in contraceptive coverage, Cox reported.
Pro-abortion rights groups like Emily's List and NARAL are seeking to preserve the present language of the exemption.
Democrats for Life charged that these groups are "attempting to push the mandate beyond its hard won legislative intent" and are using "scare tactics" to convince supporters they risk losing birth control coverage.
Organization board member Stephen Schneck of the Institute for Policy Research & Catholics Studies at Catholic University of America invoked a previous controversy over the effects of the health care legislation.
He said the Emily's List campaign is "as dishonest as the Republican campaign" to convince voters that the health care legislation funds abortion.
"The PPACA does not fund abortion and not one woman will lose access to birth control under the new law. In fact, millions of women will now receive free birth control under that law," he said.
Democrats for Life said that the campaign to preserve the narrow exemption could mean that "millions of Americans" will lose access to employer-sponsored health care. The organization cited the remarks of University of Notre Dame president Fr. John I. Jenkins, who said the rules would force the university either to violate Catholic moral teaching by paying for contraception and sterilization, or to violate Catholic social teaching by discontinuing employee and student health care plans.
"Common sense would say health insurance, even if it does not include contraception coverage, is better than no insurance at all," Dahlkemper said. "If common sense prevails, the final rule will allow fair conscience protections that will not force religious institutions (to) choose between social teaching and moral teaching."
In his testimony before the House subcommittee, Cox recommended that Health and Human Services use the broader definition of religious employer provided in the Internal Revenue Code. It should also amend the rule to ensure that individuals and non-religious employers are similarly protected, he said.
The proposed rules are set to take effect in August 2012.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Pope accepts resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law from Vatican post
Vatican City, Nov 21, 2011 / 05:55 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict accepted the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law, former Archbishop of Boston, and appointed Spanish Archbishop Santos Abril y Castelló as the new archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
Cardinal Law, who resigned in 2002 as Archbishop of Boston in the wake of the sex abuse scandal, turned 80 on Nov. 4.
A Vatican official explained to CNA on Nov. 21 that although the official retirement age for a post such as archpriest is 80, it is customary for cardinals to hold their positions for a longer period of time.
Cardinal Law's predecessor, Cardinal Carlo Furno, remained in his post until he turned 82, and the former archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, retired only a month from turning 84.
The same source explained, however, that it was Cardinal Law himself who requested a rapid replacement at the basilica.
At the age of 80, Cardinal Law will no longer have a vote in the papal conclave and will also cease to be an active member of several Vatican dicasteries.
The American cardinal was a member of the Congregation for Bishops as well as the Vatican congregations for Divine Worship, Evangelization of Peoples, Clergy, Consecrated Life and Catholic Education.
Cardinal Law was appointed by Pope John Paul II as archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in May of 2004 and has no plans to leave Rome in the near future.
His successor, 76-year-old Archbishop Castelló, has spent most of his life serving as an apostolic nuncio in countries such as Bolivia, Argentina, the former Yugoslavia and, most recently, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
As vice chamberlain of Holy Roman Church—a position he will maintain—the archbishop will be second in command in taking care of the papal funeral and the organization of a conclave after a pontiff dies.
Archbishop Abril will likely be created a cardinal in the next consistory, which Vatican sources believe will take place during the spring of 2012.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Cardinal Law, who resigned in 2002 as Archbishop of Boston in the wake of the sex abuse scandal, turned 80 on Nov. 4.
A Vatican official explained to CNA on Nov. 21 that although the official retirement age for a post such as archpriest is 80, it is customary for cardinals to hold their positions for a longer period of time.
Cardinal Law's predecessor, Cardinal Carlo Furno, remained in his post until he turned 82, and the former archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo, retired only a month from turning 84.
The same source explained, however, that it was Cardinal Law himself who requested a rapid replacement at the basilica.
At the age of 80, Cardinal Law will no longer have a vote in the papal conclave and will also cease to be an active member of several Vatican dicasteries.
The American cardinal was a member of the Congregation for Bishops as well as the Vatican congregations for Divine Worship, Evangelization of Peoples, Clergy, Consecrated Life and Catholic Education.
Cardinal Law was appointed by Pope John Paul II as archpriest of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in May of 2004 and has no plans to leave Rome in the near future.
His successor, 76-year-old Archbishop Castelló, has spent most of his life serving as an apostolic nuncio in countries such as Bolivia, Argentina, the former Yugoslavia and, most recently, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
As vice chamberlain of Holy Roman Church—a position he will maintain—the archbishop will be second in command in taking care of the papal funeral and the organization of a conclave after a pontiff dies.
Archbishop Abril will likely be created a cardinal in the next consistory, which Vatican sources believe will take place during the spring of 2012.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Spanish government accused of corrupting minors with explicit website
Madrid, Spain, Nov 21, 2011 / 07:04 pm (CNA).- An ethics group filed a lawsuit against outgoing president Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero over content on the Ministry of Education's website that promotes homosexuality and sexual activity at a young age.
Jaime Urcelay, president of Professionals for Ethics, said on Nov. 17 that the complaint is based on a resource posted online titled "Sexpresan" (which translates to "Sexpress Yourself") and is recommended to students aged 12 to 16.
The lawsuit, which is aimed at the president as well as the Minister of Education, Angel Gabilondo, has garnered support from over 200 parents who have strongly criticized the "games" included in the website material.
Activities such as "My pleasure map" and "My first time" show children how to use a condom and how to "define your own way of being a man or a woman, overcoming the traditional models that have been imposed on us."
Professionals for Ethics also condemned the website for proposing abortion as the only solution for unwanted pregnancies and took issue with the site being listed as a resource for the government sponsored course "Education for the Citizenry."
The organization based its lawsuit on an article of the Spanish Penal Code, charging that the content promoted by the government endangers the development of children "with ideological positions that do not enjoy a social or scientific consensus and that are incompatible with the State's obligation to remain neutral."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Jaime Urcelay, president of Professionals for Ethics, said on Nov. 17 that the complaint is based on a resource posted online titled "Sexpresan" (which translates to "Sexpress Yourself") and is recommended to students aged 12 to 16.
The lawsuit, which is aimed at the president as well as the Minister of Education, Angel Gabilondo, has garnered support from over 200 parents who have strongly criticized the "games" included in the website material.
Activities such as "My pleasure map" and "My first time" show children how to use a condom and how to "define your own way of being a man or a woman, overcoming the traditional models that have been imposed on us."
Professionals for Ethics also condemned the website for proposing abortion as the only solution for unwanted pregnancies and took issue with the site being listed as a resource for the government sponsored course "Education for the Citizenry."
The organization based its lawsuit on an article of the Spanish Penal Code, charging that the content promoted by the government endangers the development of children "with ideological positions that do not enjoy a social or scientific consensus and that are incompatible with the State's obligation to remain neutral."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
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