Vatican City, Dec 22, 2011 / 02:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- A renewal of the faith is the only basis for true Church reform, Pope Benedict XVI told members of the Roman Curia in his pre-Christmas "State of the Church" address on Dec. 22.
Along with his Christmas greetings, the Pope offered the Curia his thoughts on the year's events and the demands of the future.
In this year's speech, the Pope said that the proclamation of the Gospel to the modern world would be the "key theme" of the coming years. The full text of the speech follows:
Brother Bishops and Priests,
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The occasion that brings us together today is always particularly moving. The holy feast of Christmas is almost upon us and it prompts the great family of the Roman Curia to come together for a gracious exchange of greetings, as we wish one another a joyful and spiritually fruitful celebration of this feast of the God who became flesh and established his dwelling in our midst (cf. Jn 1:14). For me, this is an occasion not only to offer you my personal good wishes, but also to express my gratitude and that of the Church to each one of you for your generous service; I ask you to convey this to all the co-workers of our extended family. I offer particular thanks to the Dean of the College, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who has given voice to the sentiments of all present and of all who work in the various offices of the Curia and the Governorate, including those whose apostolate is carried out in the Pontifical Representations throughout the world. All of us are committed to spreadin! g throughout the world the resounding message that the angels proclaimed that night in Bethlehem, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of good will" (Lk 2:14), so as to bring joy and hope to our world.
As this year draws to a close, Europe is undergoing an economic and financial crisis, which is ultimately based on the ethical crisis looming over the Old Continent. Even if such values as solidarity, commitment to one's neighbour and responsibility towards the poor and suffering are largely uncontroversial, still the motivation is often lacking for individuals and large sectors of society to practise renunciation and make sacrifices. Perception and will do not necessarily go hand in hand. In defending personal interests, the will obscures perception, and perception thus weakened is unable to stiffen the will. In this sense, some quite fundamental questions emerge from this crisis: where is the light that is capable of illuminating our perception not merely with general ideas, but with concrete imperatives? Where is the force that draws the will upwards? These are questions that must be answered by our proclamation of the Gospel, by the new evangelization, so that message ! may become event, so that proclamation may lead to life.
The key theme of this year, and of the years ahead, is this: how do we proclaim the Gospel today? How can faith as a living force become a reality today? The ecclesial events of the outgoing year were all ultimately related to this theme. There were the journeys to Croatia, to the World Youth Day in Spain, to my home country of Germany, and finally to Africa – Benin – for the consignment of the Post-Synodal document on justice, peace and reconciliation, which should now lead to concrete results in the various local churches. Equally memorable were the journeys to Venice, to San Marino, to the Eucharistic Congress in Ancona, and to Calabria. And finally there was the important day of encounter in Assisi for religions and for people who in whatever way are searching for truth and peace, representing a new step forward in the pilgrimage towards truth and peace. The establishment of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization is at the same time a pointer towards next ! year's Synod on the same theme. The Year of Faith, commemorating the beginning of the Council fifty years ago, also belongs in this context. Each of these events had its own particular characteristics. In Germany, where the Reformation began, the ecumenical question, with all its trials and hopes, naturally assumed particular importance. Intimately linked to this, at the focal point of the debate, the question that arises repeatedly is this: what is reform of the Church? How does it take place? What are its paths and its goals? Not only faithful believers but also outside observers are noticing with concern that regular churchgoers are growing older all the time and that their number is constantly diminishing; that recruitment of priests is stagnating; that scepticism and unbelief are growing. What, then, are we to do? There are endless debates over what must be done in order to reverse the trend. There is no doubt that a variety of things need to be done. But action alon! e fails to resolve the matter. The essence of the crisis of th! e Church in Europe is the crisis of faith. If we find no answer to this, if faith does not take on new life, deep conviction and real strength from the encounter with Jesus Christ, then all other reforms will remain ineffective.
On this point, the encounter with Africa's joyful passion for faith brought great encouragement. None of the faith fatigue that is so prevalent here, none of the oft-encountered sense of having had enough of Christianity was detectable there. Amid all the problems, sufferings and trials that Africa clearly experiences, one could still sense the people's joy in being Christian, buoyed up by inner happiness at knowing Christ and belonging to his Church. From this joy comes also the strength to serve Christ in hard-pressed situations of human suffering, the strength to put oneself at his disposal, without looking round for one's own advantage. Encountering this faith that is so ready to sacrifice and so full of happiness is a powerful remedy against fatigue with Christianity such as we are experiencing in Europe today.
A further remedy against faith fatigue was the wonderful experience of World Youth Day in Madrid. This was new evangelization put into practice. Again and again at World Youth Days, a new, more youthful form of Christianity can be seen, something I would describe under five headings.
1. Firstly, there is a new experience of catholicity, of the Church's universality. This is what struck the young people and all the participants quite directly: we come from every continent, but although we have never met one another, we know one another. We speak different languages, we have different ways of life and different cultural backgrounds, yet we are immediately united as one great family. Outward separation and difference is relativized. We are all moved by the one Lord Jesus Christ, in whom true humanity and at the same time the face of God himself is revealed to us. We pray in the same way. The same inner encounter with Jesus Christ has stamped us deep within with the same structure of intellect, will and heart. And finally, our common liturgy speaks to our hearts and unites us in a vast family. In this setting, to say that all humanity are brothers and sisters is not merely an idea: it becomes a real shared experience, generating joy. And so we have also un! derstood quite concretely: despite all trials and times of darkness, it is a wonderful thing to belong to the worldwide Church, to the Catholic Church, that the Lord has given to us.
2. From this derives a new way of living our humanity, our Christianity. For me, one of the most important experiences of those days was the meeting with the World Youth Day volunteers: about 20,000 young people, all of whom devoted weeks or months of their lives to working on the technical, organizational and material preparations for World Youth Day, and thus made it possible for the whole event to run smoothly. Those who give their time always give a part of their lives. At the end of the day, these young people were visibly and tangibly filled with a great sense of happiness: the time that they gave up had meaning; in giving of their time and labour, they had found time, they had found life. And here something fundamental became clear to me: these young people had given a part of their lives in faith, not because it was asked of them, not in order to attain Heaven, nor in order to escape the danger of Hell. They did not do it in order to find fulfilment. They were not lo! oking round for themselves. There came into my mind the image of Lot's wife, who by looking round was turned into a pillar of salt. How often the life of Christians is determined by the fact that first and foremost they look out for themselves, they do good, so to speak, for themselves. And how great is the temptation of all people to be concerned primarily for themselves; to look round for themselves and in the process to become inwardly empty, to become "pillars of salt". But here it was not a matter of seeking fulfilment or wanting to live one's life for oneself. These young people did good, even at a cost, even if it demanded sacrifice, simply because it is a wonderful thing to do good, to be there for others. All it needs is the courage to make the leap. Prior to all of this is the encounter with Jesus Christ, inflaming us with love for God and for others, and freeing us from seeking our own ego. In the words of a prayer attributed to Saint Francis Xavier: I do goo! d, not that I may come to Heaven thereby and not because other! wise you could cast me into Hell. I do it because of you, my King and my Lord. I came across this same attitude in Africa too, for example among the Sisters of Mother Teresa, who devote themselves to abandoned, sick, poor and suffering children, without asking anything for themselves, thus becoming inwardly rich and free. This is the genuinely Christian attitude. Equally unforgettable for me was the encounter with handicapped young people in the Saint Joseph Centre in Madrid, where I encountered the same readiness to put oneself at the disposal of others – a readiness to give oneself that is ultimately derived from encounter with Christ, who gave himself for us.
3. A third element, that has an increasingly natural and central place in World Youth Days and in the spirituality that arises from them, is adoration. I still look back to that unforgettable moment during my visit to the United Kingdom, when tens of thousands of predominantly young people in Hyde Park responded in eloquent silence to the Lord's sacramental presence, in adoration. The same thing happened again on a smaller scale in Zagreb and then again in Madrid, after the thunderstorm which almost ruined the whole night vigil through the failure of the microphones. God is indeed ever-present. But again, the physical presence of the risen Christ is something different, something new. The risen Lord enters into our midst. And then we can do no other than say, with Saint Thomas: my Lord and my God! Adoration is primarily an act of faith – the act of faith as such. God is not just some possible or impossible hypothesis concerning the origin of all things. He is present. An! d if he is present, then I bow down before him. Then my intellect and will and heart open up towards him and from him. In the risen Christ, the incarnate God is present, who suffered for us because he loves us. We enter this certainty of God's tangible love for us with love in our own hearts. This is adoration, and this then determines my life. Only thus can I celebrate the Eucharist correctly and receive the body of the Lord rightly.
4. A further important element of the World Youth Days is the sacrament of Confession, which is increasingly coming to be seen as an integral part of the experience. Here we recognize that we need forgiveness over and over again, and that forgiveness brings responsibility. Openness to love is present in man, implanted in him by the Creator, together with the capacity to respond to God in faith. But also present, in consequence of man's sinful history (Church teaching speaks of original sin) is the tendency that is opposed to love – the tendency towards selfishness, towards becoming closed in on oneself, in fact towards evil. Again and again my soul is tarnished by this downward gravitational pull that is present within me. Therefore we need the humility that constantly asks God for forgiveness, that seeks purification and awakens in us the counterforce, the positive force of the Creator, to draw us upwards.
5. Finally, I would like to speak of one last feature, not to be overlooked, of the spirituality of World Youth Days, namely joy. Where does it come from? How is it to be explained? Certainly, there are many factors at work here. But in my view, the crucial one is this certainty, based on faith: I am wanted; I have a task in history; I am accepted, I am loved. Josef Pieper, in his book on love, has shown that man can only accept himself if he is accepted by another. He needs the other's presence, saying to him, with more than words: it is good that you exist. Only from the You can the I come into itself. Only if it is accepted, can it accept itself. Those who are unloved cannot even love themselves. This sense of being accepted comes in the first instance from other human beings. But all human acceptance is fragile. Ultimately we need a sense of being accepted unconditionally. Only if God accepts me, and I become convinced of this, do I know definitively: it is good that I! exist. It is good to be a human being. If ever man's sense of being accepted and loved by God is lost, then there is no longer any answer to the question whether to be a human being is good at all. Doubt concerning human existence becomes more and more insurmountable. Where doubt over God becomes prevalent, then doubt over humanity follows inevitably. We see today how widely this doubt is spreading. We see it in the joylessness, in the inner sadness, that can be read on so many human faces today. Only faith gives me the conviction: it is good that I exist. It is good to be a human being, even in hard times. Faith makes one happy from deep within. That is one of the wonderful experiences of World Youth Days.
It would take too long now to go into detail concerning the encounter in Assisi, as the significance of the event would warrant. Let us simply thank God, that as representatives of the world's religions and as representatives of thinking in search of truth, we were able to meet that day in a climate of friendship and mutual respect, in love for the truth and in shared responsibility for peace. So let us hope that, from this encounter, a new willingness to serve peace, reconciliation and justice has emerged.
As I conclude, I would like to thank all of you from my heart for shouldering the common mission that the Lord has given us as witnesses to his truth, and I wish all of you the joy that God wanted to bestow upon us through the incarnation of his Son. A blessed Christmas to you all! Thank you.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Friday, December 23, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Catholic leaders hope Kim Jong Il’s death opens way to reunification
Seoul, South Korea, Dec 19, 2011 / 04:55 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il may be the beginning of a turning point for the path of reunification of the Koreas, Catholic leaders said after his passing.
"We hope that the Lord gives light and strength to the North Korean brothers so that there is a return (to) a policy focused on dialogue, peace, reconciliation," Bishop Peter Jeng of Cheju, president of the South Korean bishops' conference, told Fides news agency.
Kim Jong Il, 69, died of a reported heart attack during a train trip. He had led the isolated communist state since 1994. His third son, Kim Jong Un, is his expected successor.
His death caused much grief among North Koreans who lamented the "great leader's" death. State television urged North Koreans to unite behind his successor.
The South Korean military went on high alert in case of any military provocation.
Bishop Kang said the bishops did not expect Kim's death.
"We hope that this will become a reason to develop a path of reunification. We do not know in detail the current political situation in North Korea."
He suggested that a "settling time" was possible. Korea's new leader, the 30-year-old Kim Jong Un, is "very young," has "no political experience" and does not seem to have the Korean people's confidence.
"No one knows him. He is a leader who has suddenly appeared. Our hopes are always towards the beginning of a journey of peace and reconciliation, the bishop said.
"This event could be a sign that the Lord wants a fundamental transformation in the country."
Fr. Baptist John Kim Hun-il, executive secretary of the Catholic bishops' Subcommittee for Aid to North Korea, hoped that Kim's death would not plunge North Korea into more chaos, UCA News reports.
He expressed hope that his committee's aid program might continue and that North Korea will show more progress in reconciliation efforts.
Rev. Kim Kea Sun, the deputy general of the Korean Conference of Religion for Peace, said North Korea's future is "a very delicate issue."
Kim Jong Il's death "could leave a void and create very serious problems at a social and political level."
"We hope that in the North there is no conflict, which would bring further suffering to the people."
Rev. Kim hopes to continue his organization's relationship of exchange and dialogue between religious leaders of the North and South Koreas.
The organization has scheduled a potential Dec. 22 meeting in North Korea to plan for a religious leaders' delegation to visit to the South. In September 2011 a delegation of South Korean religious leaders visited Pyongyang.
"Our hope is that this exchange process continues, even with the new political leadership in the North, to reinforce a climate of cordiality and friendship between North and South Korea," Rev. Kim said.
North Korea has only one Catholic church in Pyongyang and about 3,000 Catholics, UCA News says. There are no resident priests or nuns.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"We hope that the Lord gives light and strength to the North Korean brothers so that there is a return (to) a policy focused on dialogue, peace, reconciliation," Bishop Peter Jeng of Cheju, president of the South Korean bishops' conference, told Fides news agency.
Kim Jong Il, 69, died of a reported heart attack during a train trip. He had led the isolated communist state since 1994. His third son, Kim Jong Un, is his expected successor.
His death caused much grief among North Koreans who lamented the "great leader's" death. State television urged North Koreans to unite behind his successor.
The South Korean military went on high alert in case of any military provocation.
Bishop Kang said the bishops did not expect Kim's death.
"We hope that this will become a reason to develop a path of reunification. We do not know in detail the current political situation in North Korea."
He suggested that a "settling time" was possible. Korea's new leader, the 30-year-old Kim Jong Un, is "very young," has "no political experience" and does not seem to have the Korean people's confidence.
"No one knows him. He is a leader who has suddenly appeared. Our hopes are always towards the beginning of a journey of peace and reconciliation, the bishop said.
"This event could be a sign that the Lord wants a fundamental transformation in the country."
Fr. Baptist John Kim Hun-il, executive secretary of the Catholic bishops' Subcommittee for Aid to North Korea, hoped that Kim's death would not plunge North Korea into more chaos, UCA News reports.
He expressed hope that his committee's aid program might continue and that North Korea will show more progress in reconciliation efforts.
Rev. Kim Kea Sun, the deputy general of the Korean Conference of Religion for Peace, said North Korea's future is "a very delicate issue."
Kim Jong Il's death "could leave a void and create very serious problems at a social and political level."
"We hope that in the North there is no conflict, which would bring further suffering to the people."
Rev. Kim hopes to continue his organization's relationship of exchange and dialogue between religious leaders of the North and South Koreas.
The organization has scheduled a potential Dec. 22 meeting in North Korea to plan for a religious leaders' delegation to visit to the South. In September 2011 a delegation of South Korean religious leaders visited Pyongyang.
"Our hope is that this exchange process continues, even with the new political leadership in the North, to reinforce a climate of cordiality and friendship between North and South Korea," Rev. Kim said.
North Korea has only one Catholic church in Pyongyang and about 3,000 Catholics, UCA News says. There are no resident priests or nuns.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Malaysian Christians reject permit to sing Christmas carols
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Dec 19, 2011 / 06:06 pm (CNA).- Christians from two churches in Malaysia rejected a requirement that they will need a police permit to sing Christmas carols in their parishes or their homes.
Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing, head of the Malaysian bishops' conference, told Vatican-based Fides news that the country will soon be in "a police state" if authorities continue demanding such "bureaucratic requirements."
Two churches in Klang outside the city of Kuala Lumpur recently received notices from police asking for the names and addresses of people who were singing Christmas carols and claiming that a government mandated permit was required for those wishing to sing carols in their homes or churches.
Father Andrew Lawrence, head of the diocesan "Herald" newspaper, called the police action "a strict interpretation" of current regulations on "worship and freedom of religion" in the country.
He noted, however, that after protests by local Christians, "government representatives have denied the need for such authorizations."
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had promised voters in 2011 that he would overturn unpopular laws which stifle the press and allow for detentions without trial.
Instead, the Malaysian Congress sparked widespread protest after passing a new measure titled the "Law on Peaceful Assembly" which enables more government control.
According to Teresa Mok, the national secretary of the Democratic Action Party, the new norm is "an abuse of power by officials" and "an attempt to violate religious freedom."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing, head of the Malaysian bishops' conference, told Vatican-based Fides news that the country will soon be in "a police state" if authorities continue demanding such "bureaucratic requirements."
Two churches in Klang outside the city of Kuala Lumpur recently received notices from police asking for the names and addresses of people who were singing Christmas carols and claiming that a government mandated permit was required for those wishing to sing carols in their homes or churches.
Father Andrew Lawrence, head of the diocesan "Herald" newspaper, called the police action "a strict interpretation" of current regulations on "worship and freedom of religion" in the country.
He noted, however, that after protests by local Christians, "government representatives have denied the need for such authorizations."
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had promised voters in 2011 that he would overturn unpopular laws which stifle the press and allow for detentions without trial.
Instead, the Malaysian Congress sparked widespread protest after passing a new measure titled the "Law on Peaceful Assembly" which enables more government control.
According to Teresa Mok, the national secretary of the Democratic Action Party, the new norm is "an abuse of power by officials" and "an attempt to violate religious freedom."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Deadly floods in Philippines trigger Catholic response
Manila, Philippines, Dec 20, 2011 / 12:46 am (CNA).- Catholic organizations are helping organize aid for the victims of Typhoon Sendong in the Philippines after it caused flash floods that have killed hundreds of people and left thousands homeless.
"Thousands are in the evacuation centers, many are women and children—hungry, chilling, crying," the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines of the Northern Mindanao Region said on its website.
Tropical Storm Washi, known locally as Typhoon Sendong, made landfall on Friday Dec. 16, striking several provinces of Northern Mindanao on the second-largest island of the Philippines.
At least 927 were killed by the storm and floods, while at least 800 are still missing. About 143,000 people were affected and 45,000 fled to evacuation centers, the Associated Press reports.
Most of the victims were asleep when the floodwaters came from the mountains, which were inundated with 12 hours of rainfall.
"Some people don't even have shoes – their sandals were pulled off their feet in the flood," said Joe Curry, Catholic Relief Services' country representative for the Philippines, who said some people had lost everything.
The disaster is without precedent in the area.
The Catholic Relief Services office in Davao has sent a needs assessment team to Cagayan de Oro City, the site of some of the most severe devastation. The organization is working with its partners, Caritas Philippines, the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro and Xavier University, as well as with the Philippine government.
"We've seen that people in the flood's path need basic household goods like water jugs, cooking utensils and soap. Water is most important over the next few days. The government has distributed food to some people, but they don't have water or pots to cook a meal," Curry reported.
About 80 percent of Cagayan de Oro City's 600,000 people are without running water. The floods washed out the city's water main and the pumping stations along the river. Government officials say it could be up to 30 days before water is restored to most of the city.
"I'm hopeful that we will be able to reach people quickly and help them meet their most urgent needs," Curry said. "We're seeing people in the community pull together and share what little they have."
Archbishop Tony Ledesma of Cagayan de Oro is playing an important role in facilitating cooperation between non-profits and the government in the flood response, Catholic Relief Services says.
Catholic Relief Services Philippines is the organization's oldest continuously operating program. It launched in 1945 to provide war relief.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"Thousands are in the evacuation centers, many are women and children—hungry, chilling, crying," the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines of the Northern Mindanao Region said on its website.
Tropical Storm Washi, known locally as Typhoon Sendong, made landfall on Friday Dec. 16, striking several provinces of Northern Mindanao on the second-largest island of the Philippines.
At least 927 were killed by the storm and floods, while at least 800 are still missing. About 143,000 people were affected and 45,000 fled to evacuation centers, the Associated Press reports.
Most of the victims were asleep when the floodwaters came from the mountains, which were inundated with 12 hours of rainfall.
"Some people don't even have shoes – their sandals were pulled off their feet in the flood," said Joe Curry, Catholic Relief Services' country representative for the Philippines, who said some people had lost everything.
The disaster is without precedent in the area.
The Catholic Relief Services office in Davao has sent a needs assessment team to Cagayan de Oro City, the site of some of the most severe devastation. The organization is working with its partners, Caritas Philippines, the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro and Xavier University, as well as with the Philippine government.
"We've seen that people in the flood's path need basic household goods like water jugs, cooking utensils and soap. Water is most important over the next few days. The government has distributed food to some people, but they don't have water or pots to cook a meal," Curry reported.
About 80 percent of Cagayan de Oro City's 600,000 people are without running water. The floods washed out the city's water main and the pumping stations along the river. Government officials say it could be up to 30 days before water is restored to most of the city.
"I'm hopeful that we will be able to reach people quickly and help them meet their most urgent needs," Curry said. "We're seeing people in the community pull together and share what little they have."
Archbishop Tony Ledesma of Cagayan de Oro is playing an important role in facilitating cooperation between non-profits and the government in the flood response, Catholic Relief Services says.
Catholic Relief Services Philippines is the organization's oldest continuously operating program. It launched in 1945 to provide war relief.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Cardinal entrusts Latin America to Our Lady of Guadalupe
Vatican City, Dec 19, 2011 / 02:06 pm (CNA).- After a recent papal Mass commemorating Latin America, Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno Assis of Aparecida, Brazil entrusted the future of the continent to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
"We pray that Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of America, will guide our countries always down the path of democracy, truth, justice and peace," Cardinal Damasceno, head of the Brazilian bishops' conference, told CNA on Dec. 12.
The cardinal made his remarks after joining Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City at a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe marking the bicentennials of countries in Latin America.
"I was very honored by the invitation to concelebrate with the Holy Father at a time like this," he said. "It was a very moving celebration."
Cardinal Damasceno also noted his excitement about about World Youth Day 2013, which will take place in Rio de Janeiro.
"The cross and the icon of the Virgin Mary are currently on pilgrimage in all of the 276 dioceses and are being warmly received," he said of local celebrations preceding the global youth event.
"We hope the event will be a great success for Brazil, for the world and especially for young people," he added.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"We pray that Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of America, will guide our countries always down the path of democracy, truth, justice and peace," Cardinal Damasceno, head of the Brazilian bishops' conference, told CNA on Dec. 12.
The cardinal made his remarks after joining Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City at a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe marking the bicentennials of countries in Latin America.
"I was very honored by the invitation to concelebrate with the Holy Father at a time like this," he said. "It was a very moving celebration."
Cardinal Damasceno also noted his excitement about about World Youth Day 2013, which will take place in Rio de Janeiro.
"The cross and the icon of the Virgin Mary are currently on pilgrimage in all of the 276 dioceses and are being warmly received," he said of local celebrations preceding the global youth event.
"We hope the event will be a great success for Brazil, for the world and especially for young people," he added.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Catholic leaders hope Kim Jong Il’s death opens way to reunification
Seoul, South Korea, Dec 19, 2011 / 04:55 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il may be the beginning of a turning point for the path of reunification of the Koreas, Catholic leaders said after his passing.
"We hope that the Lord gives light and strength to the North Korean brothers so that there is a return (to) a policy focused on dialogue, peace, reconciliation," Bishop Peter Jeng of Cheju, president of the South Korean bishops' conference, told Fides news agency.
Kim Jong Il, 69, died of a reported heart attack during a train trip. He had led the isolated communist state since 1994. His third son, Kim Jong Un, is his expected successor.
His death caused much grief among North Koreans who lamented the "great leader's" death. State television urged North Koreans to unite behind his successor.
The South Korean military went on high alert in case of any military provocation.
Bishop Kang said the bishops did not expect Kim's death.
"We hope that this will become a reason to develop a path of reunification. We do not know in detail the current political situation in North Korea."
He suggested that a "settling time" was possible. Korea's new leader, the 30-year-old Kim Jong Un, is "very young," has "no political experience" and does not seem to have the Korean people's confidence.
"No one knows him. He is a leader who has suddenly appeared. Our hopes are always towards the beginning of a journey of peace and reconciliation, the bishop said.
"This event could be a sign that the Lord wants a fundamental transformation in the country."
Fr. Baptist John Kim Hun-il, executive secretary of the Catholic bishops' Subcommittee for Aid to North Korea, hoped that Kim's death would not plunge North Korea into more chaos, UCA News reports.
He expressed hope that his committee's aid program might continue and that North Korea will show more progress in reconciliation efforts.
Rev. Kim Kea Sun, the deputy general of the Korean Conference of Religion for Peace, said North Korea's future is "a very delicate issue."
Kim Jong Il's death "could leave a void and create very serious problems at a social and political level."
"We hope that in the North there is no conflict, which would bring further suffering to the people."
Rev. Kim hopes to continue his organization's relationship of exchange and dialogue between religious leaders of the North and South Koreas.
The organization has scheduled a potential Dec. 22 meeting in North Korea to plan for a religious leaders' delegation to visit to the South. In September 2011 a delegation of South Korean religious leaders visited Pyongyang.
"Our hope is that this exchange process continues, even with the new political leadership in the North, to reinforce a climate of cordiality and friendship between North and South Korea," Rev. Kim said.
North Korea has only one Catholic church in Pyongyang and about 3,000 Catholics, UCA News says. There are no resident priests or nuns.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"We hope that the Lord gives light and strength to the North Korean brothers so that there is a return (to) a policy focused on dialogue, peace, reconciliation," Bishop Peter Jeng of Cheju, president of the South Korean bishops' conference, told Fides news agency.
Kim Jong Il, 69, died of a reported heart attack during a train trip. He had led the isolated communist state since 1994. His third son, Kim Jong Un, is his expected successor.
His death caused much grief among North Koreans who lamented the "great leader's" death. State television urged North Koreans to unite behind his successor.
The South Korean military went on high alert in case of any military provocation.
Bishop Kang said the bishops did not expect Kim's death.
"We hope that this will become a reason to develop a path of reunification. We do not know in detail the current political situation in North Korea."
He suggested that a "settling time" was possible. Korea's new leader, the 30-year-old Kim Jong Un, is "very young," has "no political experience" and does not seem to have the Korean people's confidence.
"No one knows him. He is a leader who has suddenly appeared. Our hopes are always towards the beginning of a journey of peace and reconciliation, the bishop said.
"This event could be a sign that the Lord wants a fundamental transformation in the country."
Fr. Baptist John Kim Hun-il, executive secretary of the Catholic bishops' Subcommittee for Aid to North Korea, hoped that Kim's death would not plunge North Korea into more chaos, UCA News reports.
He expressed hope that his committee's aid program might continue and that North Korea will show more progress in reconciliation efforts.
Rev. Kim Kea Sun, the deputy general of the Korean Conference of Religion for Peace, said North Korea's future is "a very delicate issue."
Kim Jong Il's death "could leave a void and create very serious problems at a social and political level."
"We hope that in the North there is no conflict, which would bring further suffering to the people."
Rev. Kim hopes to continue his organization's relationship of exchange and dialogue between religious leaders of the North and South Koreas.
The organization has scheduled a potential Dec. 22 meeting in North Korea to plan for a religious leaders' delegation to visit to the South. In September 2011 a delegation of South Korean religious leaders visited Pyongyang.
"Our hope is that this exchange process continues, even with the new political leadership in the North, to reinforce a climate of cordiality and friendship between North and South Korea," Rev. Kim said.
North Korea has only one Catholic church in Pyongyang and about 3,000 Catholics, UCA News says. There are no resident priests or nuns.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
CNA to resume services in 2012
Denver, Colo., Dec 19, 2011 / 05:01 pm (CNA).- Catholic News Agency will suspend its daily news service beginning Dec. 20, in celebration of Christmas and the New Year. It will resume Jan. 2, 2012.
Members of our staff will be working during this time to improve services for the upcoming year. We will also provide coverage of the Pope's Christmas homily and his New Year's address.
We ask that you keep our agency in your prayers this Christmas season as the Church celebrates Christ's birth. We would like to take this time to thank all of our donors, who have made our work possible.
Considering the present economic situation, coupled with the demands of the season, we understand the challenges that come in making financial contributions. However, we ask you to prayerfully consider supporting CNA in the coming year.
To contribute, please visit: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/donation.php
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year,
Catholic News Agency
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Members of our staff will be working during this time to improve services for the upcoming year. We will also provide coverage of the Pope's Christmas homily and his New Year's address.
We ask that you keep our agency in your prayers this Christmas season as the Church celebrates Christ's birth. We would like to take this time to thank all of our donors, who have made our work possible.
Considering the present economic situation, coupled with the demands of the season, we understand the challenges that come in making financial contributions. However, we ask you to prayerfully consider supporting CNA in the coming year.
To contribute, please visit: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/donation.php
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year,
Catholic News Agency
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Denver school creates action figures of saints for kids
Denver, Colo., Dec 19, 2011 / 05:26 pm (CNA).- St. Michael the Archangel is the model for a saint-based action figure, part of a new "Action Saints" series from the Denver-based Kolbe Film School. The series is intended to engage children in their faith and help them get acquainted with the saints.
The poseable, four-inch-tall figures "provide children the ability to put the heroes of our faith in action," Kolbe Film School said.
"St. Michael leads the holy angels, saints, and the Church militant over the evil powers against the Church today -- a true hero for our times."
The figures' creators said that figures of saints tend to be "dangerous and breakable ceramic, metal and glass statues," not something that children can play with. They contended that these statues convey to children the message "Do not touch!"
The creators saw the need for child-friendly figures after hearing parents' stories about their son who loves to play with a St. Michael statuette, even though he has broken off its wings and punctured himself with its spear.
Other saints' figures in development include St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Therese of Lisieux. The school also sells trading cards of saints to help children learn more about them.
Kolbe Film School provides online training for students around the world. Its mission is to train artists to create media to inspire "a culture of life."
More information about the saints action figures is available at the website http://www.ActionSaints.com.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
The poseable, four-inch-tall figures "provide children the ability to put the heroes of our faith in action," Kolbe Film School said.
"St. Michael leads the holy angels, saints, and the Church militant over the evil powers against the Church today -- a true hero for our times."
The figures' creators said that figures of saints tend to be "dangerous and breakable ceramic, metal and glass statues," not something that children can play with. They contended that these statues convey to children the message "Do not touch!"
The creators saw the need for child-friendly figures after hearing parents' stories about their son who loves to play with a St. Michael statuette, even though he has broken off its wings and punctured himself with its spear.
Other saints' figures in development include St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Therese of Lisieux. The school also sells trading cards of saints to help children learn more about them.
Kolbe Film School provides online training for students around the world. Its mission is to train artists to create media to inspire "a culture of life."
More information about the saints action figures is available at the website http://www.ActionSaints.com.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Malaysian Christians reject permit to sing Christmas carols
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Dec 19, 2011 / 06:06 pm (CNA).- Christians from two churches in Malaysia rejected a requirement that they will need a police permit to sing Christmas carols in their parishes or their homes.
Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing, head of the Malaysian bishops' conference, told Vatican-based Fides news that the country will soon be in "a police state" if authorities continue demanding such "bureaucratic requirements."
Two churches in Klang outside the city of Kuala Lumpur recently received notices from police asking for the names and addresses of people who were singing Christmas carols and claiming that a government mandated permit was required for those wishing to sing carols in their homes or churches.
Father Andrew Lawrence, head of the diocesan "Herald" newspaper, called the police action "a strict interpretation" of current regulations on "worship and freedom of religion" in the country.
He noted, however, that after protests by local Christians, "government representatives have denied the need for such authorizations."
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had promised voters in 2011 that he would overturn unpopular laws which stifle the press and allow for detentions without trial.
Instead, the Malaysian Congress sparked widespread protest after passing a new measure titled the "Law on Peaceful Assembly" which enables more government control.
According to Teresa Mok, the national secretary of the Democratic Action Party, the new norm is "an abuse of power by officials" and "an attempt to violate religious freedom."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing, head of the Malaysian bishops' conference, told Vatican-based Fides news that the country will soon be in "a police state" if authorities continue demanding such "bureaucratic requirements."
Two churches in Klang outside the city of Kuala Lumpur recently received notices from police asking for the names and addresses of people who were singing Christmas carols and claiming that a government mandated permit was required for those wishing to sing carols in their homes or churches.
Father Andrew Lawrence, head of the diocesan "Herald" newspaper, called the police action "a strict interpretation" of current regulations on "worship and freedom of religion" in the country.
He noted, however, that after protests by local Christians, "government representatives have denied the need for such authorizations."
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had promised voters in 2011 that he would overturn unpopular laws which stifle the press and allow for detentions without trial.
Instead, the Malaysian Congress sparked widespread protest after passing a new measure titled the "Law on Peaceful Assembly" which enables more government control.
According to Teresa Mok, the national secretary of the Democratic Action Party, the new norm is "an abuse of power by officials" and "an attempt to violate religious freedom."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Pope approves miracles of Blesseds Marianne Cope and Kateri Tekakwitha
Vatican City, Dec 19, 2011 / 07:32 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI formally recognized miracles attributed to Bl. Marianne Cope and Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha on Dec. 19, clearing the way for both women to be canonized.
The two women, who both lived in the United States, were among numerous individuals whose sainthood causes were advanced by decrees authorized by Pope Benedict XVI on Monday.
Sister Grace Anne Dillenschneider, vice postulator for the Cause for the Diocese of Syracuse, told CNA on Dec. 19 that the date for Bl. Cope's canonization has not yet been confirmed.
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints had already approved Bl. Cope's second official miracle, which involved the medical recovery of a woman in Syracuse who was cured of a fatal and irreversible health condition.
Born in western Germany in 1838, Bl. Marianne Cope entered religious life in Syracuse, N.Y., where she served as a teacher and principal and established two hospitals before traveling to Hawaii, where she spent several years caring for lepers.
She died in 1918 and was beatified in 2005.
Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha, known as "the Lily of the Mohawks," was born in 1656 in upstate New York.
Her father was a Mohawk chief and her mother was an Algonquin who was raised Catholic.
A smallpox epidemic killed both of her parents and left her with poor eyesight and a badly disfigured face at a young age.
Despite objections from her relatives, she was baptized at age 20, after meeting several Catholic priests.
An outcast from her community, Bl. Tekakwitha lived a life of deep prayer, with a strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.
She died in 1680 at the age of 24. Witnesses said that the scars on her face disappeared after her death.
Bl. Tekakwitha was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980, the first Native American to be declared blessed.
On Dec. 19, Pope Benedict also authorized promulgations recognizing miracles attributed to the intercession of 10 other individuals, allowing them to move forward towards beatification or canonization.
In addition, he recognized the martyrdom of more than 60 individuals, including priests, religious and laymen, who can now move forward in the process towards beatification.
The Pope also approved decrees recognizing seven individuals as having lived out heroic virtue and being venerable. These individuals will each need a miracle attributed to their intercession before they can be beatified.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
The two women, who both lived in the United States, were among numerous individuals whose sainthood causes were advanced by decrees authorized by Pope Benedict XVI on Monday.
Sister Grace Anne Dillenschneider, vice postulator for the Cause for the Diocese of Syracuse, told CNA on Dec. 19 that the date for Bl. Cope's canonization has not yet been confirmed.
The Congregation for the Causes of Saints had already approved Bl. Cope's second official miracle, which involved the medical recovery of a woman in Syracuse who was cured of a fatal and irreversible health condition.
Born in western Germany in 1838, Bl. Marianne Cope entered religious life in Syracuse, N.Y., where she served as a teacher and principal and established two hospitals before traveling to Hawaii, where she spent several years caring for lepers.
She died in 1918 and was beatified in 2005.
Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha, known as "the Lily of the Mohawks," was born in 1656 in upstate New York.
Her father was a Mohawk chief and her mother was an Algonquin who was raised Catholic.
A smallpox epidemic killed both of her parents and left her with poor eyesight and a badly disfigured face at a young age.
Despite objections from her relatives, she was baptized at age 20, after meeting several Catholic priests.
An outcast from her community, Bl. Tekakwitha lived a life of deep prayer, with a strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.
She died in 1680 at the age of 24. Witnesses said that the scars on her face disappeared after her death.
Bl. Tekakwitha was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980, the first Native American to be declared blessed.
On Dec. 19, Pope Benedict also authorized promulgations recognizing miracles attributed to the intercession of 10 other individuals, allowing them to move forward towards beatification or canonization.
In addition, he recognized the martyrdom of more than 60 individuals, including priests, religious and laymen, who can now move forward in the process towards beatification.
The Pope also approved decrees recognizing seven individuals as having lived out heroic virtue and being venerable. These individuals will each need a miracle attributed to their intercession before they can be beatified.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Deadly floods in Philippines trigger Catholic response
Manila, Philippines, Dec 20, 2011 / 12:46 am (CNA).- Catholic organizations are helping organize aid for the victims of Typhoon Sendong in the Philippines after it caused flash floods that have killed hundreds of people and left thousands homeless.
"Thousands are in the evacuation centers, many are women and children—hungry, chilling, crying," the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines of the Northern Mindanao Region said on its website.
Tropical Storm Washi, known locally as Typhoon Sendong, made landfall on Friday Dec. 16, striking several provinces of Northern Mindanao on the second-largest island of the Philippines.
At least 927 were killed by the storm and floods, while at least 800 are still missing. About 143,000 people were affected and 45,000 fled to evacuation centers, the Associated Press reports.
Most of the victims were asleep when the floodwaters came from the mountains, which were inundated with 12 hours of rainfall.
"Some people don't even have shoes – their sandals were pulled off their feet in the flood," said Joe Curry, Catholic Relief Services' country representative for the Philippines, who said some people had lost everything.
The disaster is without precedent in the area.
The Catholic Relief Services office in Davao has sent a needs assessment team to Cagayan de Oro City, the site of some of the most severe devastation. The organization is working with its partners, Caritas Philippines, the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro and Xavier University, as well as with the Philippine government.
"We've seen that people in the flood's path need basic household goods like water jugs, cooking utensils and soap. Water is most important over the next few days. The government has distributed food to some people, but they don't have water or pots to cook a meal," Curry reported.
About 80 percent of Cagayan de Oro City's 600,000 people are without running water. The floods washed out the city's water main and the pumping stations along the river. Government officials say it could be up to 30 days before water is restored to most of the city.
"I'm hopeful that we will be able to reach people quickly and help them meet their most urgent needs," Curry said. "We're seeing people in the community pull together and share what little they have."
Archbishop Tony Ledesma of Cagayan de Oro is playing an important role in facilitating cooperation between non-profits and the government in the flood response, Catholic Relief Services says.
Catholic Relief Services Philippines is the organization's oldest continuously operating program. It launched in 1945 to provide war relief.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"Thousands are in the evacuation centers, many are women and children—hungry, chilling, crying," the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines of the Northern Mindanao Region said on its website.
Tropical Storm Washi, known locally as Typhoon Sendong, made landfall on Friday Dec. 16, striking several provinces of Northern Mindanao on the second-largest island of the Philippines.
At least 927 were killed by the storm and floods, while at least 800 are still missing. About 143,000 people were affected and 45,000 fled to evacuation centers, the Associated Press reports.
Most of the victims were asleep when the floodwaters came from the mountains, which were inundated with 12 hours of rainfall.
"Some people don't even have shoes – their sandals were pulled off their feet in the flood," said Joe Curry, Catholic Relief Services' country representative for the Philippines, who said some people had lost everything.
The disaster is without precedent in the area.
The Catholic Relief Services office in Davao has sent a needs assessment team to Cagayan de Oro City, the site of some of the most severe devastation. The organization is working with its partners, Caritas Philippines, the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro and Xavier University, as well as with the Philippine government.
"We've seen that people in the flood's path need basic household goods like water jugs, cooking utensils and soap. Water is most important over the next few days. The government has distributed food to some people, but they don't have water or pots to cook a meal," Curry reported.
About 80 percent of Cagayan de Oro City's 600,000 people are without running water. The floods washed out the city's water main and the pumping stations along the river. Government officials say it could be up to 30 days before water is restored to most of the city.
"I'm hopeful that we will be able to reach people quickly and help them meet their most urgent needs," Curry said. "We're seeing people in the community pull together and share what little they have."
Archbishop Tony Ledesma of Cagayan de Oro is playing an important role in facilitating cooperation between non-profits and the government in the flood response, Catholic Relief Services says.
Catholic Relief Services Philippines is the organization's oldest continuously operating program. It launched in 1945 to provide war relief.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Students defend Christian Life Movement program from professor's attack
Ontario, Canada, Dec 20, 2011 / 03:12 am (CNA).- Alumni of a study abroad program at Brock University in Ontario, Canada are criticizing a professor's attempt to sever the program's ties with the school because of its connections with the Christian Life Movement.
"These trips have been a wonderful experience for thousands of students with unique opportunities for personal and professional development," said former student Layla S. Mofid, a current doctoral candidate at McGill University in Quebec.
"Instead of denouncing" the program, "Brock University should be embracing their ability to provide an international program that contributes to cross-cultural learning and global awareness," she said.
Over 200 letters of support have flooded the school in recent days after Ana Isla – a Peruvian-Canadian Brock University assistant professor in Sociology and Women's Studies – urged the Sociology Department to ask the university to end the program and remove "all ties" to local partners of the trips.
In a three-page letter to the department, she criticized the placement of Brock students in Christian Life Movement facilities and projects while abroad.
Isla cited one Brock student's feelings that the Christian Life Movement "portrayed their community as good and everything outside of it as evil." She also claimed that the program allowed untrained students to provide medical care at charity clinics in Lima, Peru.
Most of Isla's letter repeated various charges against the Christian Life Movement unrelated to the program. She ultimately contended that the movement's agreement with the university gives it the "right to disseminate and practice homophobia, anti-choice, and racism/imperialism under the guise of 'culture,' and their right to University resources through shared projects and budgets."
Among the dozens of alumni who countered Isla's claims, Mofid she never felt harassed or unsafe in any way during her experience with the program. She added that she is now conducting a study in rural Peru as part of her doctoral thesis and credits the program for inspiring her, and countless others, in their career pursuits.
The Solidarity Experiences Abroad program was started in 2004 by the university's Catholic campus ministry but has no religious affiliation. Nearly 1,000 students from Brock University and 16 other universities have helped support education and health care work while developing their own careers.
The program offers experiences in Ecuador, South Africa, Namibia, Costa Rica and Brazil through trips organized by chaplains from various denominations.
Other students and graduates of the Solidarity Experiences Abroad program who have asked the university to continue supporting it include Daryl Kayton, a doctoral student in political science at the University of Carleton.
"The trips are an excellent introduction to the culture, the values and the politics of South America, as well as an important starting point for those who deal with issues of social justice, the environment and distribution," Kayton said.
In his letter, Kayton said the program promoted social justice "without any form of imperialism or harassment."
"I personally experienced these trips alongside Protestants, Jews, Hindus, deists, agnostics, atheists and others. I find it hard to believe that an Inuit leading a trip the Arctic that partakes in religious practices and spiritual traditions of their own would be criticized half as much as the SEA trips have been, and that is truly a shame."
Br. Raoul Masseur, a consecrated layman and Catholic chaplain at the University of Brock, oversees the trips to Peru, where students primarily work in Lima and Cuzco. They have also rebuilt a school destroyed in the 2007 earthquake in the southern Peruvian town of Chincha.
"On each trip we develop projects in health care, education, care of the environment and construction. The purpose is for young people to develop their university careers in service to those most in need," said Br. Masseur, who is a member of the Christian Life Movement.
He credits the program with helping more than 100,000 Peruvians through preschool centers, schools, medical outposts, health and educational campaigns, libraries for children and other projects.
Rachelle Demetriades, a registered nurse and a non-Catholic who went through the program, rejected accusations of religious pressure. She said that the topic of spirituality is "often addressed and discussed throughout the trips."
Br. Raoul and members of his community dialogue on topics ranging from poverty to their own spiritual journeys and provided a forum for discussions that allowed all participants – regardless of their religious views – to share their own experiences and beliefs, Demetriades said.
Participants who declined to participate in religious experiences faced no judgment or stigma, she reported.
CNA contacted Isla for comment but did not receive a response by deadline.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"These trips have been a wonderful experience for thousands of students with unique opportunities for personal and professional development," said former student Layla S. Mofid, a current doctoral candidate at McGill University in Quebec.
"Instead of denouncing" the program, "Brock University should be embracing their ability to provide an international program that contributes to cross-cultural learning and global awareness," she said.
Over 200 letters of support have flooded the school in recent days after Ana Isla – a Peruvian-Canadian Brock University assistant professor in Sociology and Women's Studies – urged the Sociology Department to ask the university to end the program and remove "all ties" to local partners of the trips.
In a three-page letter to the department, she criticized the placement of Brock students in Christian Life Movement facilities and projects while abroad.
Isla cited one Brock student's feelings that the Christian Life Movement "portrayed their community as good and everything outside of it as evil." She also claimed that the program allowed untrained students to provide medical care at charity clinics in Lima, Peru.
Most of Isla's letter repeated various charges against the Christian Life Movement unrelated to the program. She ultimately contended that the movement's agreement with the university gives it the "right to disseminate and practice homophobia, anti-choice, and racism/imperialism under the guise of 'culture,' and their right to University resources through shared projects and budgets."
Among the dozens of alumni who countered Isla's claims, Mofid she never felt harassed or unsafe in any way during her experience with the program. She added that she is now conducting a study in rural Peru as part of her doctoral thesis and credits the program for inspiring her, and countless others, in their career pursuits.
The Solidarity Experiences Abroad program was started in 2004 by the university's Catholic campus ministry but has no religious affiliation. Nearly 1,000 students from Brock University and 16 other universities have helped support education and health care work while developing their own careers.
The program offers experiences in Ecuador, South Africa, Namibia, Costa Rica and Brazil through trips organized by chaplains from various denominations.
Other students and graduates of the Solidarity Experiences Abroad program who have asked the university to continue supporting it include Daryl Kayton, a doctoral student in political science at the University of Carleton.
"The trips are an excellent introduction to the culture, the values and the politics of South America, as well as an important starting point for those who deal with issues of social justice, the environment and distribution," Kayton said.
In his letter, Kayton said the program promoted social justice "without any form of imperialism or harassment."
"I personally experienced these trips alongside Protestants, Jews, Hindus, deists, agnostics, atheists and others. I find it hard to believe that an Inuit leading a trip the Arctic that partakes in religious practices and spiritual traditions of their own would be criticized half as much as the SEA trips have been, and that is truly a shame."
Br. Raoul Masseur, a consecrated layman and Catholic chaplain at the University of Brock, oversees the trips to Peru, where students primarily work in Lima and Cuzco. They have also rebuilt a school destroyed in the 2007 earthquake in the southern Peruvian town of Chincha.
"On each trip we develop projects in health care, education, care of the environment and construction. The purpose is for young people to develop their university careers in service to those most in need," said Br. Masseur, who is a member of the Christian Life Movement.
He credits the program with helping more than 100,000 Peruvians through preschool centers, schools, medical outposts, health and educational campaigns, libraries for children and other projects.
Rachelle Demetriades, a registered nurse and a non-Catholic who went through the program, rejected accusations of religious pressure. She said that the topic of spirituality is "often addressed and discussed throughout the trips."
Br. Raoul and members of his community dialogue on topics ranging from poverty to their own spiritual journeys and provided a forum for discussions that allowed all participants – regardless of their religious views – to share their own experiences and beliefs, Demetriades said.
Participants who declined to participate in religious experiences faced no judgment or stigma, she reported.
CNA contacted Isla for comment but did not receive a response by deadline.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
KC Star risks credibility with bias against accused priest
Kansas City, Mo., Dec 20, 2011 / 06:07 am (CNA).- The Kansas City Star stands accused of violating journalistic standards, by presenting a priest as guilty of abuse on the basis of one man's uncorroborated account.
"When I first read this, I assumed he'd been convicted," Marquette University Professor Dr. William Thorn told CNA, offering his reaction on Dec. 19 to Judy L. Thomas' recent three-part series about an allegation and lawsuit against 85-year-old Missouri priest Monsignor Thomas O'Brien.
"That's how it reads: as a post-conviction story, not as a story about suits that have been filed. It's prejudicial," said Thorn, a professor or journalism at Marquette's Diederich College of Communications.
He said Thomas' series of features was "all focused on the accuser, and designed to generate enormous emotional support for him," while downplaying the conflicting account offered by others.
Thomas, whose past work includes the 14-part "AIDS in the Priesthood" series, based three December 2011 articles on the allegations of 41-year-old Jon David Couzens. The Kansas City-area plumber says Msgr. O'Brien sexually abused him and three other altar servers, two of whom have since died, in 1981.
But Thomas could not corroborate Couzens' account for her article. His charges are denied both by the priest in question, and by the unidentified "fourth altar boy" Couzens says was abused along with him.
In the series' final part, Thomas devotes five sentences to the response of the "fourth altar boy" in Couzens' account, whose disagreement she also mentions briefly in the series' first installment.
That man, who was a close friend of one of the two deceased boys, said he did not "remember anything like" the story about Msgr. O'Brien.
"That just doesn't sound right … I have no memories of that," the man told Thomas.
Msgr. O'Brien, who retired in 2002, also told Thomas there was "just no truth to any of these things."
Thomas, however, presented Couzens as an abuse survivor. He was portrayed as making the "wrenching" decision to reveal "the altar boys' secret" to surviving family members of one boy in the group who committed suicide.
Professor Thorn, a member of the Catholic Press Association who has worked with the U.S. bishops' communications committee, said Thomas sacrificed fairness and balance in her handling of the case.
"There's literal adherence to avoiding libel," Thorn observed, "but the overall cast of the story implies
guilt."
He said Thomas framed the story in a way that "implies that 'what the priest did' caused Brian to commit suicide, 'what the priest did' caused this and that."
"While 'allegedly is in there, and so it's not technically libelous, the overall cast of the story is prejudicial."
Thorn noted that the story's title – "The altar boys' secret" – assumes or implies that abuse took place, despite the denial by Couzens' fellow surviving altar server.
Catholic League President Bill Donohue blasted Thomas' reporting in a Dec. 6 statement, saying "responsible newspapers never run stories about alleged wrongdoing unless they can be corroborated."
Donohue also called attention to an allegation against Couzens himself – which Thomas failed to mention, while detailing various claims about Msgr. O'Brien.
"Thomas never told readers that on the night Mark Trader was murdered about a dozen years ago, Couzens got into a fight with him over a botched drug deal," Donohue stated.
"Although another man was convicted, on appeal it was alleged that Couzens and two other men had 'motive to commit the murder and the opportunity to do so.' This is public record, so why the cover up?"
Donohue also criticized the Star's editorial board for its praise of Couzens in a Dec. 8 column.
"Why is Couzens' story deemed believable, and the one who says it never happened is ignored?" he asked. "Why hasn't the Star released the name of the person who says the whole story is bogus?"
The Star, Donohue said, "needs to explain why it thinks that it is possible for a person who was allegedly abused several times to have no recollection of it."
Thorn warned that media outlets risk their own credibility by giving accusers the benefit of the doubt, particularly in a climate where accusations can be taken as proof of guilt.
That risk is vividly illustrated by the case of Irish missionary priest Father Kevin Reynolds, who was accused of rape before a television and radio audience of over 800,000 and later exonerated by DNA testing.
On Dec. 2 – one day before the Star published Thomas' first installment of "The altar boys' secret" – National Catholic Reporter correspondent John L. Allen wrote a column about Fr. Reynolds' case, which has prompted a government investigation of the Irish national television network RTE.
Allen called Fr. Reynolds "a new symbol" of "the way all Catholic priests have been tarred with the same brush" and "presumed guilty until proven innocent."
Thorn told CNA that the Star should learn from RTE's mistake, and the damage done to its reputation as a result.
The Kansas City paper, he said, "could get a black eye, especially if in one or more cases (Msgr. O'Brien) is exonerated."
Neither Thomas, nor Kansas City Star Editor Mike Fannin, responded to requests for comment on the "altar boys' secret" series.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"When I first read this, I assumed he'd been convicted," Marquette University Professor Dr. William Thorn told CNA, offering his reaction on Dec. 19 to Judy L. Thomas' recent three-part series about an allegation and lawsuit against 85-year-old Missouri priest Monsignor Thomas O'Brien.
"That's how it reads: as a post-conviction story, not as a story about suits that have been filed. It's prejudicial," said Thorn, a professor or journalism at Marquette's Diederich College of Communications.
He said Thomas' series of features was "all focused on the accuser, and designed to generate enormous emotional support for him," while downplaying the conflicting account offered by others.
Thomas, whose past work includes the 14-part "AIDS in the Priesthood" series, based three December 2011 articles on the allegations of 41-year-old Jon David Couzens. The Kansas City-area plumber says Msgr. O'Brien sexually abused him and three other altar servers, two of whom have since died, in 1981.
But Thomas could not corroborate Couzens' account for her article. His charges are denied both by the priest in question, and by the unidentified "fourth altar boy" Couzens says was abused along with him.
In the series' final part, Thomas devotes five sentences to the response of the "fourth altar boy" in Couzens' account, whose disagreement she also mentions briefly in the series' first installment.
That man, who was a close friend of one of the two deceased boys, said he did not "remember anything like" the story about Msgr. O'Brien.
"That just doesn't sound right … I have no memories of that," the man told Thomas.
Msgr. O'Brien, who retired in 2002, also told Thomas there was "just no truth to any of these things."
Thomas, however, presented Couzens as an abuse survivor. He was portrayed as making the "wrenching" decision to reveal "the altar boys' secret" to surviving family members of one boy in the group who committed suicide.
Professor Thorn, a member of the Catholic Press Association who has worked with the U.S. bishops' communications committee, said Thomas sacrificed fairness and balance in her handling of the case.
"There's literal adherence to avoiding libel," Thorn observed, "but the overall cast of the story implies
guilt."
He said Thomas framed the story in a way that "implies that 'what the priest did' caused Brian to commit suicide, 'what the priest did' caused this and that."
"While 'allegedly is in there, and so it's not technically libelous, the overall cast of the story is prejudicial."
Thorn noted that the story's title – "The altar boys' secret" – assumes or implies that abuse took place, despite the denial by Couzens' fellow surviving altar server.
Catholic League President Bill Donohue blasted Thomas' reporting in a Dec. 6 statement, saying "responsible newspapers never run stories about alleged wrongdoing unless they can be corroborated."
Donohue also called attention to an allegation against Couzens himself – which Thomas failed to mention, while detailing various claims about Msgr. O'Brien.
"Thomas never told readers that on the night Mark Trader was murdered about a dozen years ago, Couzens got into a fight with him over a botched drug deal," Donohue stated.
"Although another man was convicted, on appeal it was alleged that Couzens and two other men had 'motive to commit the murder and the opportunity to do so.' This is public record, so why the cover up?"
Donohue also criticized the Star's editorial board for its praise of Couzens in a Dec. 8 column.
"Why is Couzens' story deemed believable, and the one who says it never happened is ignored?" he asked. "Why hasn't the Star released the name of the person who says the whole story is bogus?"
The Star, Donohue said, "needs to explain why it thinks that it is possible for a person who was allegedly abused several times to have no recollection of it."
Thorn warned that media outlets risk their own credibility by giving accusers the benefit of the doubt, particularly in a climate where accusations can be taken as proof of guilt.
That risk is vividly illustrated by the case of Irish missionary priest Father Kevin Reynolds, who was accused of rape before a television and radio audience of over 800,000 and later exonerated by DNA testing.
On Dec. 2 – one day before the Star published Thomas' first installment of "The altar boys' secret" – National Catholic Reporter correspondent John L. Allen wrote a column about Fr. Reynolds' case, which has prompted a government investigation of the Irish national television network RTE.
Allen called Fr. Reynolds "a new symbol" of "the way all Catholic priests have been tarred with the same brush" and "presumed guilty until proven innocent."
Thorn told CNA that the Star should learn from RTE's mistake, and the damage done to its reputation as a result.
The Kansas City paper, he said, "could get a black eye, especially if in one or more cases (Msgr. O'Brien) is exonerated."
Neither Thomas, nor Kansas City Star Editor Mike Fannin, responded to requests for comment on the "altar boys' secret" series.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Monday, December 19, 2011
Mary’s virginity guarantees Christ’s divinity, Pope teaches
Vatican City, Dec 18, 2011 / 02:17 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI said today that the virginity of Mary guarantees Jesus' divinity because it proves the Incarnation is solely the work of God.
"The human being that begins to live in her womb takes the flesh from Mary, but his existence is derived entirely from God," the Pope said Dec. 18 in his final Sunday Angelus address before Christmas.
"The fact that Mary conceived while remaining a virgin is, therefore, essential to the understanding of Jesus and our faith, because it witnesses that it was God's initiative and above all it reveals who is conceived."
So while Jesus is "fully human" and "made of earth," he "comes from above, from heaven" and is truly "the Son of God."
Thus, said the Pope, "the virginity of Mary and the divinity of Jesus reciprocally guarantee one another."
Pope Benedict made his remarks to several thousand visitors gathered in St. Peter's Square. He drew upon today's Gospel reading, in which the Angel Gabriel told Mary "behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus."
The Pope noted that this fulfilled the "age-old promise" of Isaiah, who prophesied seven to eight centuries before that "a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and call him Immanuel."
Pope Benedict then explained the importance of the fact that Mary was "very upset" at the Angel Gabriel's news and asked "how can this be, since I have no relations with a man?"
"In her simplicity, Mary is wise," said the Pope, "she does not doubt the power of God, but wants to better understand his will, to fully comply with this will."
While Mary is "infinitely surpassed" by the mystery of the Incarnation, the Pope reflected, she also "perfectly occupies the place t! hat, at the very heart of it, she was assigned."
Her! "heart and mind are fully humble," and because of this "singular humility, God expects the 'yes' of this young girl to achieve His purpose" while still fully respecting "her dignity and freedom," he said.
"Mary's 'yes' means both motherhood and virginity," Pope Benedict observed.
He finished his reflection on Mary's virginity and Jesus' conception by highlighting the spiritual significance of her faith. Mary's willingness to trust deeply in God and his plan, despite being a virgin, allowed her to "welcome Jesus and his divine life within."
"This is the mystery of Christmas."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"The human being that begins to live in her womb takes the flesh from Mary, but his existence is derived entirely from God," the Pope said Dec. 18 in his final Sunday Angelus address before Christmas.
"The fact that Mary conceived while remaining a virgin is, therefore, essential to the understanding of Jesus and our faith, because it witnesses that it was God's initiative and above all it reveals who is conceived."
So while Jesus is "fully human" and "made of earth," he "comes from above, from heaven" and is truly "the Son of God."
Thus, said the Pope, "the virginity of Mary and the divinity of Jesus reciprocally guarantee one another."
The Pope noted that this fulfilled the "age-old promise" of Isaiah, who prophesied seven to eight centuries before that "a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and call him Immanuel."
Pope Benedict then explained the importance of the fact that Mary was "very upset" at the Angel Gabriel's news and asked "how can this be, since I have no relations with a man?"
"In her simplicity, Mary is wise," said the Pope, "she does not doubt the power of God, but wants to better understand his will, to fully comply with this will."
While Mary is "infinitely surpassed" by the mystery of the Incarnation, the Pope reflected, she also "perfectly occupies the place t! hat, at the very heart of it, she was assigned."
Her! "heart and mind are fully humble," and because of this "singular humility, God expects the 'yes' of this young girl to achieve His purpose" while still fully respecting "her dignity and freedom," he said.
"Mary's 'yes' means both motherhood and virginity," Pope Benedict observed.
He finished his reflection on Mary's virginity and Jesus' conception by highlighting the spiritual significance of her faith. Mary's willingness to trust deeply in God and his plan, despite being a virgin, allowed her to "welcome Jesus and his divine life within."
"This is the mystery of Christmas."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Pope says Christianity trumps secularism in building good societies
Vatican City, Dec 18, 2011 / 03:18 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI told the bishops of New Zealand and the South Pacific on Dec. 17 that the Christian faith provides the best foundation for society, and that promoting the New Evangelization is the best way to build a Christian culture.
"We know that, ultimately, Christian faith provides a surer basis for life than the secular vision; for it is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of humanity truly becomes clear," he told the bishops, who were gathered in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace on the final day of their "ad limina" visit to Rome. The visit lasted from Dec. 12-17.
The Pope noted that throughout their visit the bishops of the South Pacific raised the challenge secularism presents to each of their countries – "a reality that has a significant impact on the understanding and practice! of the Catholic faith."
The progress of secularism is particularly seen in "a weakened appreciation for the sacred nature of Christian marriage and the stability of the family," he said.
The answer to this onslaught, Pope Benedict said, is to bring the New Evangelization to their shores. He explained that he established the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization last year for precisely this reason.
Pope Benedict and his predecessor have both emphasized the need for the New Evangelization – an effort to re-evangelize countries that were once Christian but have become secularized.
"Since the Christian faith is founded on the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, the new evangelization is not an abstract concept but a renewal of authentic Christian living based on the teachings of the Church," he said.
The bishops and pastors of the Church are called to be the primary leaders in "formulating this response accordin! g to local needs and circumstances" so that all Catholics be! come "ambassadors of Christ both in the Church and in the civil arena," said Pope Benedict.
He then spoke to the bishops about the need to care for their priests, urging them to work for "their sanctification, especially those who are experiencing difficulties and those who have little contact with their brother priests."
If bishops are able to support their priests so that they are good, wise and holy, then these same priests will be "the best promoters of vocations to the priesthood," he said.
Those young men who do come forward for the priesthood must also "receive a well-rounded formation that will prepare them to serve the Lord and his flock according to the heart of the Good Shepherd," the Pope told the bishops.
The New Zealand and South Pacific bishops must also help religious brothers and sisters "remain faithful to the charisms of their founders," so that "their witness to God will continue to be a beacon that poi! nts towards a life of faith, love and right living."
Over the past week, the bishops said in meetings with Vatican officials that they often rely on the assistance of lay missionaries and catechists. The Pope told them to ensure that those catechists receive "a sound and ongoing formation" so that their zeal for the faith will bear much fruit.
Pope Benedict concluded by looking ahead to the Year of Faith, which will begin next October and is intended to give "a fresh impetus to the mission of the whole Church to lead human beings out of the wilderness in which they find themselves."
The Pope prayed that although "you are spread among many islands and we are separated by great distances," that one day all of the islands will profess "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all," through the intercession of "Our Lady, Star of the Sea."
In total, there are six dioceses in New Zealand. Meanwhile, the Episcop! al Conference of the Pacific is made up of the bishops of Cook Islands,! Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, New Caledonia, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, and three U.S. dependencies – the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa and Guam.
As well as celebrating Mass at the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul, the bishops of New Zealand had a meeting on Dec. 13 with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to discuss the cause of beatification of Sr. Suzanne Albert. She was a French-born nun who arrived in New Zealand as a young woman in 1860. Albert undertook great works of charity among the sick and orphaned. She died in 1926 in Wellington.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"We know that, ultimately, Christian faith provides a surer basis for life than the secular vision; for it is only in the mystery of the Word made flesh that the mystery of humanity truly becomes clear," he told the bishops, who were gathered in the Vatican's Apostolic Palace on the final day of their "ad limina" visit to Rome. The visit lasted from Dec. 12-17.
The Pope noted that throughout their visit the bishops of the South Pacific raised the challenge secularism presents to each of their countries – "a reality that has a significant impact on the understanding and practice! of the Catholic faith."
The progress of secularism is particularly seen in "a weakened appreciation for the sacred nature of Christian marriage and the stability of the family," he said.
The answer to this onslaught, Pope Benedict said, is to bring the New Evangelization to their shores. He explained that he established the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization last year for precisely this reason.
Pope Benedict and his predecessor have both emphasized the need for the New Evangelization – an effort to re-evangelize countries that were once Christian but have become secularized.
"Since the Christian faith is founded on the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, the new evangelization is not an abstract concept but a renewal of authentic Christian living based on the teachings of the Church," he said.
The bishops and pastors of the Church are called to be the primary leaders in "formulating this response accordin! g to local needs and circumstances" so that all Catholics be! come "ambassadors of Christ both in the Church and in the civil arena," said Pope Benedict.
He then spoke to the bishops about the need to care for their priests, urging them to work for "their sanctification, especially those who are experiencing difficulties and those who have little contact with their brother priests."
If bishops are able to support their priests so that they are good, wise and holy, then these same priests will be "the best promoters of vocations to the priesthood," he said.
Those young men who do come forward for the priesthood must also "receive a well-rounded formation that will prepare them to serve the Lord and his flock according to the heart of the Good Shepherd," the Pope told the bishops.
The New Zealand and South Pacific bishops must also help religious brothers and sisters "remain faithful to the charisms of their founders," so that "their witness to God will continue to be a beacon that poi! nts towards a life of faith, love and right living."
Over the past week, the bishops said in meetings with Vatican officials that they often rely on the assistance of lay missionaries and catechists. The Pope told them to ensure that those catechists receive "a sound and ongoing formation" so that their zeal for the faith will bear much fruit.
Pope Benedict concluded by looking ahead to the Year of Faith, which will begin next October and is intended to give "a fresh impetus to the mission of the whole Church to lead human beings out of the wilderness in which they find themselves."
The Pope prayed that although "you are spread among many islands and we are separated by great distances," that one day all of the islands will profess "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all," through the intercession of "Our Lady, Star of the Sea."
In total, there are six dioceses in New Zealand. Meanwhile, the Episcop! al Conference of the Pacific is made up of the bishops of Cook Islands,! Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, New Caledonia, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, and three U.S. dependencies – the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa and Guam.
As well as celebrating Mass at the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul, the bishops of New Zealand had a meeting on Dec. 13 with the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to discuss the cause of beatification of Sr. Suzanne Albert. She was a French-born nun who arrived in New Zealand as a young woman in 1860. Albert undertook great works of charity among the sick and orphaned. She died in 1926 in Wellington.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Church opposes NY bill that opens indefinite lawsuit window
Albany, N.Y., Dec 18, 2011 / 06:44 pm (CNA).- New York's Catholic Conference has criticized the fairness of a bill allowing sex abuse accusers to sue for damages on claims stretching back half a century or more.
"What we object to in the bill is not the extension of statutes of limitations going forward," said Communications Director Dennis Poust, explaining the problems with Assemblywoman Margaret Markey's proposal to change how the law handles abuse claims.
"Our main objection is to the so-called 'window' portion of the bill, which would open up an opportunity to bring lawsuits for claims that were previously time-barred, where the statute of limitations has run out long ago," Poust told CNA on Dec. 16.
"Someone could come forward and say they were abused by a priest, or Boy Scout counselor, in 1960. That priest or counselor is long-dead, and there's no record of any abuse. But th! e person could claim abuse and bring a lawsuit, under that bill. We think that's fundamentally unjust."
Markey's February 2011 bill is drawing renewed attention due to the sex abuse scandals in the Syracuse and Penn State college sports programs.
Along with its one-year "window" for claims to be filed stretching back indefinitely in the past, it would also extend the statute of limitations in child sex abuse prosecutions, and the corresponding time limit on civil lawsuits.
The New York Catholic Conference, which represents the state's bishops, maintains that the indefinite retroactive lawsuit window – reviving, for one year, any claim previously considered too old to act on – should not be applied to any institution, religious or otherwise.
But it would support the changes in how newer cases are handled, if they applied equally to public and private institutions.
At present, New York state law imposes a five-year statute of li! mitations for civil claims, and many criminal prosecutions, in! volving child sex abuse. The time period begins either when the alleged victim turns 18, or when authorities receive a report of the incident, depending on which occurs first.
If Markey's bill passes, many lawsuits and prosecutions could be initiated up to five years later than that, a standard Poust says is fair in itself.
But a different, much more limited rule would still apply to lawsuits against public institutions.
"The state gives itself a bit of a 'pass,' and makes it tougher to sue itself. In New York, within 90 days of the offense you have to file something called a 'notice of claims' with the court, saying you intend to sue."
"If you don't file that in a timely manner – within three months – then you can never bring a lawsuit against a state institution."
A previous version of Markey's bill would have changed this, extending the time period for child sex abuse allegations to be brought against both public and ! private institutions. The present version, however, does not do so.
"The current bill would not impact public institutions, like public schools or juvenile justice facilities," Poust pointed out. "It creates two classes of victims, depending on where the abuse occurred. That's just not good public policy."
"Most non-familial abuse occurs in public schools, yet this bill by Assemblywoman Markey does nothing to help those victims," he said.
"For her to say that this somehow addresses what happened at Penn State is a fallacy," Poust pointed out. "That's a public institution. If Penn State were in New York, her bill would have no impact on it."
This double standard was not always Markey's intention, Poust recalled.
"Back in 2009, she did amend the bill to include public institutions," Poust recalled. "That's the way the language of the bill read through 2010. And she has now explicitly gone back to the original bill, ! which excludes 'publics.'"
Poust said Markey made the reversal! after pressure from public sector groups.
"The state association of school superintendents, the school board association, the conference of mayors, the association of counties – all these public associations came out against the bill, and it became toxic. It didn't have a chance."
"She has no credibility to say that this bill is in any way fair. She acknowledged in 2009 that by including the public sector it was a better bill. And now, without explanation, she has gone back to the old bill."
But even if Markey changed this portion of her bill, the New York Catholic Conference would maintain its objection to the one-year suspension of the statute of limitations.
When California passed a similar bill in 2002, the Church paid out nearly a billion dollars in settlements.
In part, Poust observed, this is because "it's impossible for an institution to defend itself" against claims stretching back half a century or more.
�! �That's the reason statutes of limitations exist – because defense becomes impossible when evidence is lost or old and any witnesses, or the alleged abusers, may be long-dead. It leads to having to go into settlements for things that may or may not be true."
"In California, one case went back 70 years," he recalled. "It doesn't have to be a claim that was previously reported or known in any way, shape or form."
"It really is an invitation for individuals to make false claims. We know the identities, at this point, of many individuals who were sex abusers. So all you have to do is say, 'Oh, he abused me too, 60 years ago.'"
The reality of past abuse, Poust said, does not eliminate the legal presumption of innocence – which loses its effectiveness against a flood of lawsuits potentially involving the distant past.
"Justice works two ways," the Catholic conference spokesman observed. "Individuals and institutions have to hav! e a right to defend themselves. The question is, at what point does it ! become impossible to defend against a claim like that?"
"It really is impossible to defend against 60-year-old claims. It's the equivalent of someone knocking on your door and saying, 'In 1962 I slipped and fell outside your house – which at the time was owned by your grandfather – and now I'm going to sue you for damages.'"
"Statutes of limitations exist everywhere, in civil and criminal law – because of the common understanding that evidence gets stale or lost, and memories fade," Poust said.
"You have to strike a balance between giving justice to the accuser, but also to the accused."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"What we object to in the bill is not the extension of statutes of limitations going forward," said Communications Director Dennis Poust, explaining the problems with Assemblywoman Margaret Markey's proposal to change how the law handles abuse claims.
"Our main objection is to the so-called 'window' portion of the bill, which would open up an opportunity to bring lawsuits for claims that were previously time-barred, where the statute of limitations has run out long ago," Poust told CNA on Dec. 16.
"Someone could come forward and say they were abused by a priest, or Boy Scout counselor, in 1960. That priest or counselor is long-dead, and there's no record of any abuse. But th! e person could claim abuse and bring a lawsuit, under that bill. We think that's fundamentally unjust."
Markey's February 2011 bill is drawing renewed attention due to the sex abuse scandals in the Syracuse and Penn State college sports programs.
Along with its one-year "window" for claims to be filed stretching back indefinitely in the past, it would also extend the statute of limitations in child sex abuse prosecutions, and the corresponding time limit on civil lawsuits.
The New York Catholic Conference, which represents the state's bishops, maintains that the indefinite retroactive lawsuit window – reviving, for one year, any claim previously considered too old to act on – should not be applied to any institution, religious or otherwise.
But it would support the changes in how newer cases are handled, if they applied equally to public and private institutions.
At present, New York state law imposes a five-year statute of li! mitations for civil claims, and many criminal prosecutions, in! volving child sex abuse. The time period begins either when the alleged victim turns 18, or when authorities receive a report of the incident, depending on which occurs first.
If Markey's bill passes, many lawsuits and prosecutions could be initiated up to five years later than that, a standard Poust says is fair in itself.
But a different, much more limited rule would still apply to lawsuits against public institutions.
"The state gives itself a bit of a 'pass,' and makes it tougher to sue itself. In New York, within 90 days of the offense you have to file something called a 'notice of claims' with the court, saying you intend to sue."
"If you don't file that in a timely manner – within three months – then you can never bring a lawsuit against a state institution."
A previous version of Markey's bill would have changed this, extending the time period for child sex abuse allegations to be brought against both public and ! private institutions. The present version, however, does not do so.
"The current bill would not impact public institutions, like public schools or juvenile justice facilities," Poust pointed out. "It creates two classes of victims, depending on where the abuse occurred. That's just not good public policy."
"Most non-familial abuse occurs in public schools, yet this bill by Assemblywoman Markey does nothing to help those victims," he said.
"For her to say that this somehow addresses what happened at Penn State is a fallacy," Poust pointed out. "That's a public institution. If Penn State were in New York, her bill would have no impact on it."
This double standard was not always Markey's intention, Poust recalled.
"Back in 2009, she did amend the bill to include public institutions," Poust recalled. "That's the way the language of the bill read through 2010. And she has now explicitly gone back to the original bill, ! which excludes 'publics.'"
Poust said Markey made the reversal! after pressure from public sector groups.
"The state association of school superintendents, the school board association, the conference of mayors, the association of counties – all these public associations came out against the bill, and it became toxic. It didn't have a chance."
"She has no credibility to say that this bill is in any way fair. She acknowledged in 2009 that by including the public sector it was a better bill. And now, without explanation, she has gone back to the old bill."
But even if Markey changed this portion of her bill, the New York Catholic Conference would maintain its objection to the one-year suspension of the statute of limitations.
When California passed a similar bill in 2002, the Church paid out nearly a billion dollars in settlements.
In part, Poust observed, this is because "it's impossible for an institution to defend itself" against claims stretching back half a century or more.
�! �That's the reason statutes of limitations exist – because defense becomes impossible when evidence is lost or old and any witnesses, or the alleged abusers, may be long-dead. It leads to having to go into settlements for things that may or may not be true."
"In California, one case went back 70 years," he recalled. "It doesn't have to be a claim that was previously reported or known in any way, shape or form."
"It really is an invitation for individuals to make false claims. We know the identities, at this point, of many individuals who were sex abusers. So all you have to do is say, 'Oh, he abused me too, 60 years ago.'"
The reality of past abuse, Poust said, does not eliminate the legal presumption of innocence – which loses its effectiveness against a flood of lawsuits potentially involving the distant past.
"Justice works two ways," the Catholic conference spokesman observed. "Individuals and institutions have to hav! e a right to defend themselves. The question is, at what point does it ! become impossible to defend against a claim like that?"
"It really is impossible to defend against 60-year-old claims. It's the equivalent of someone knocking on your door and saying, 'In 1962 I slipped and fell outside your house – which at the time was owned by your grandfather – and now I'm going to sue you for damages.'"
"Statutes of limitations exist everywhere, in civil and criminal law – because of the common understanding that evidence gets stale or lost, and memories fade," Poust said.
"You have to strike a balance between giving justice to the accuser, but also to the accused."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Friday, December 16, 2011
Cardinal says Pope's visit to Cuba will be a special grace
Vatican City, Dec 15, 2011 / 02:04 pm (CNA).- Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino of Havana voiced anticipation over Pope Benedict XVI's planned visit to Cuba in March of 2012.
"The Pope's visit is always a special grace like John Paul II's was. I am sure Benedict XVI's visit will be also," he told CNA after a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Dec. 12.
During the Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pope Benedict announced his intention to visit Cuba and Mexico before Easter of 2012. He said he would travel to both countries "to proclaim the Word of Christ there and to and convince people that this is the time to evangelize with strong faith, living hope and burning charity."
Pope Benedict will be the second pontiff to visit Cuba after the historic visit by Blessed Pope John Paul II in 1998.
The Pope will arrive in Cuba during improving relations between the Castro government and the Church through the mediation of the Spanish government. More than 100 political prisoners were released in 2010 and 2011 and allowed to travel to Spain.
Relations are also improved thanks to a visit in June of 2010 by the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti.
While the process for releasing the political prisoners was met with some criticism by Cuban dissidents, many analysts consider the move to be a positive signal.
"I am very happy that the Pope is coming to Cuba, and we are waiting for him," Cardinal Ortega told CNA. Vatican sources say the Pope will tentatively travel to Cuba March 26-28 and then return to Rome.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"The Pope's visit is always a special grace like John Paul II's was. I am sure Benedict XVI's visit will be also," he told CNA after a Mass at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Dec. 12.
During the Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pope Benedict announced his intention to visit Cuba and Mexico before Easter of 2012. He said he would travel to both countries "to proclaim the Word of Christ there and to and convince people that this is the time to evangelize with strong faith, living hope and burning charity."
Pope Benedict will be the second pontiff to visit Cuba after the historic visit by Blessed Pope John Paul II in 1998.
The Pope will arrive in Cuba during improving relations between the Castro government and the Church through the mediation of the Spanish government. More than 100 political prisoners were released in 2010 and 2011 and allowed to travel to Spain.
Relations are also improved thanks to a visit in June of 2010 by the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti.
While the process for releasing the political prisoners was met with some criticism by Cuban dissidents, many analysts consider the move to be a positive signal.
"I am very happy that the Pope is coming to Cuba, and we are waiting for him," Cardinal Ortega told CNA. Vatican sources say the Pope will tentatively travel to Cuba March 26-28 and then return to Rome.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Pope’s preacher sees job as simply delivering the Gospel
Vatican City, Dec 15, 2011 / 02:50 pm (CNA).- Although he is the only person in the world to have the job of preaching to the Pope, Father Raniero Cantalamessa sees his work as simply delivering the message of the Gospel.
"It is actually a very simple ministry because the Pope at that moment is just a listener among other listeners," the Italian Capuchin Franciscan priest told CNA.
"In fact, it's really the Pope who gives the sermon to the rest of the Church by listening to the meditation of a very simple priest of the Catholic Church."
Fr. Cantalamessa, 77, has been the official preacher to the Papal Household since 1980. His job consists of giving a meditation every Friday of Lent and Advent to the senior members of the Roman Curia, which includes the Pope.
All told, Fr. Cantalamessa has been preaching to Pope Benedict – who was previously Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – for 31 years.
"He was always in the first row. And preaching while the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is right in front of you is quite challenging, I assure you," he said.
Fr. Cantalamessa said that the weight of preaching for the Pope is lightened by the fact that he knows he is "not supposed to give my philosophical system, but the message of the Gospel."
As each liturgical season for preaching approaches, Fr. Cantalamessa selects a theme for his sermons.
This Advent he is focusing on the four different historical stages of Christian evangelization. He sees the first phase as occurring in the earliest centuries of the Church, the second when the Roman Empire fell, and the third coinciding with the discovery of the New World. The fourth stage is "the present one, where the target is more the secularized Western world than the usual mission countries."
"In the past, the role for evangelization was more entrusted to bishops, pastors, monks, religious people," he explained. Since the Second Vatican Council, "the laity have taken their role as part of the evangelization."
"They really do the new evangelization in the field, going into the streets and preaching to people on a person-to-person basis," Fr. Cantalamessa said, likening the situation to the early Church when there "were no specialized official missionaries" and "every Christian was a missionary."
While lay people "usually cannot do what I do – preach to crowds, to clergy," they can meet people in everyday life "whom we cannot reach and invite them and transmit to them with gentleness our reasons for hope," the papal preacher said.
As part of his Advent reflections this year, he plans to remind the Papal Household that "lay people were the only people present at the birth of Jesus," such as the shepherds and wise men.
"So this was symbolic that the first who came and spread the news about the birth of Jesus were lay people."
Fr. Cantalamessa likes to conclude his Advent sermons by directing people "toward Christmas, mentioning sometimes the role of Mary," whom he describes as "the star of evangelization."
The "miracle of Christmas," he reflected, "is that in Jesus, God achieves great goals through very small means – a baby," contrary to the expectation and demands of humanity.
"Only faith in Jesus can change every defeat into a victory. I am fully convinced of that."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"It is actually a very simple ministry because the Pope at that moment is just a listener among other listeners," the Italian Capuchin Franciscan priest told CNA.
"In fact, it's really the Pope who gives the sermon to the rest of the Church by listening to the meditation of a very simple priest of the Catholic Church."
Fr. Cantalamessa, 77, has been the official preacher to the Papal Household since 1980. His job consists of giving a meditation every Friday of Lent and Advent to the senior members of the Roman Curia, which includes the Pope.
All told, Fr. Cantalamessa has been preaching to Pope Benedict – who was previously Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – for 31 years.
"He was always in the first row. And preaching while the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is right in front of you is quite challenging, I assure you," he said.
Fr. Cantalamessa said that the weight of preaching for the Pope is lightened by the fact that he knows he is "not supposed to give my philosophical system, but the message of the Gospel."
As each liturgical season for preaching approaches, Fr. Cantalamessa selects a theme for his sermons.
This Advent he is focusing on the four different historical stages of Christian evangelization. He sees the first phase as occurring in the earliest centuries of the Church, the second when the Roman Empire fell, and the third coinciding with the discovery of the New World. The fourth stage is "the present one, where the target is more the secularized Western world than the usual mission countries."
"In the past, the role for evangelization was more entrusted to bishops, pastors, monks, religious people," he explained. Since the Second Vatican Council, "the laity have taken their role as part of the evangelization."
"They really do the new evangelization in the field, going into the streets and preaching to people on a person-to-person basis," Fr. Cantalamessa said, likening the situation to the early Church when there "were no specialized official missionaries" and "every Christian was a missionary."
While lay people "usually cannot do what I do – preach to crowds, to clergy," they can meet people in everyday life "whom we cannot reach and invite them and transmit to them with gentleness our reasons for hope," the papal preacher said.
As part of his Advent reflections this year, he plans to remind the Papal Household that "lay people were the only people present at the birth of Jesus," such as the shepherds and wise men.
"So this was symbolic that the first who came and spread the news about the birth of Jesus were lay people."
Fr. Cantalamessa likes to conclude his Advent sermons by directing people "toward Christmas, mentioning sometimes the role of Mary," whom he describes as "the star of evangelization."
The "miracle of Christmas," he reflected, "is that in Jesus, God achieves great goals through very small means – a baby," contrary to the expectation and demands of humanity.
"Only faith in Jesus can change every defeat into a victory. I am fully convinced of that."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Pope ends individual speeches to new Vatican ambassadors
Vatican City, Dec 15, 2011 / 03:53 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Benedict XVI will no longer give a speech to new foreign ambassadors to the Holy See as has been is custom up until now, but he will continue to meet them personally when they are appointed.
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., explained the changes to the media Dec. 15. He said the move was being made for "reasons of simplicity and consistency with current diplomatic practice," and that it should not be seen as a reflection of the 84-year-old Pope's health.
It is diplomatic protocol for new ambassadors to submit a formal "letter of credence" to the head of state asking for diplomatic accreditation. It is at these ceremonies that speeches are sometimes exchanged.
Fr. Lombardi explained that the practice of the Pope addressing new ambassadors is a recent innovation that "did not exist as such, apart from a ! few exceptional occasions, such as during Second World War," until the pontificate of Pope Paul VI 1965-78.
Prior to Pope Paul VI, said Fr. Lombardi, these speeches "were written texts that were exchanged and then published, but were not actually pronounced." This is still the custom in many countries, he said, describing the Vatican practice as "a peculiarity of the Holy See in recent years."
He also observed that under Pope Paul VI there were "about 90" ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, whereas "today there are about 180, almost twice that."
What is essential, he said, is for the new ambassador to meet the Pope in person and present his letters of credence, so that the two are known to each other.
Papal speeches to ambassadors often give the pontiff an opportunity to address the people of a particular nation. Fr. Lombardi said that will still be done in the future "with specific messages for certain occasions or in c! ircumstances of particular importance," such as national hol! idays or major anniversaries.
In fact, Pope Benedict met with 11 new non-resident ambassadors to the Holy See today. He addressed them collectively, which Fr. Lombardi said would be less likely to happen if they were maintaining a mission in Rome. For resident ambassadors, the Pope would most likely meet with them one-on-one, the Vatican spokesman explained.
In his remarks to the new diplomats, the Pope stressed the need for international solidarity.
"We are all responsible for one another," he told the group gathered in the Apostolic Palace, "therefore it is important to maintain a positive vision of solidarity because it is the driving force of integral human development." This solidarity, he said, was also "inter-generational," having its roots in the family.
Today's changes to ambassadorial audiences with the Pope come at the end of a year in which Pope Benedict also replaced one-on-one meetings with individual bishops on "! ad limina" visits to Rome with more prolonged group discussions.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, S.J., explained the changes to the media Dec. 15. He said the move was being made for "reasons of simplicity and consistency with current diplomatic practice," and that it should not be seen as a reflection of the 84-year-old Pope's health.
It is diplomatic protocol for new ambassadors to submit a formal "letter of credence" to the head of state asking for diplomatic accreditation. It is at these ceremonies that speeches are sometimes exchanged.
Fr. Lombardi explained that the practice of the Pope addressing new ambassadors is a recent innovation that "did not exist as such, apart from a ! few exceptional occasions, such as during Second World War," until the pontificate of Pope Paul VI 1965-78.
Prior to Pope Paul VI, said Fr. Lombardi, these speeches "were written texts that were exchanged and then published, but were not actually pronounced." This is still the custom in many countries, he said, describing the Vatican practice as "a peculiarity of the Holy See in recent years."
He also observed that under Pope Paul VI there were "about 90" ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, whereas "today there are about 180, almost twice that."
What is essential, he said, is for the new ambassador to meet the Pope in person and present his letters of credence, so that the two are known to each other.
Papal speeches to ambassadors often give the pontiff an opportunity to address the people of a particular nation. Fr. Lombardi said that will still be done in the future "with specific messages for certain occasions or in c! ircumstances of particular importance," such as national hol! idays or major anniversaries.
In fact, Pope Benedict met with 11 new non-resident ambassadors to the Holy See today. He addressed them collectively, which Fr. Lombardi said would be less likely to happen if they were maintaining a mission in Rome. For resident ambassadors, the Pope would most likely meet with them one-on-one, the Vatican spokesman explained.
In his remarks to the new diplomats, the Pope stressed the need for international solidarity.
"We are all responsible for one another," he told the group gathered in the Apostolic Palace, "therefore it is important to maintain a positive vision of solidarity because it is the driving force of integral human development." This solidarity, he said, was also "inter-generational," having its roots in the family.
Today's changes to ambassadorial audiences with the Pope come at the end of a year in which Pope Benedict also replaced one-on-one meetings with individual bishops on "! ad limina" visits to Rome with more prolonged group discussions.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Hopes for 2012 papal visit to Ireland rekindled
Dublin, Ireland, Dec 15, 2011 / 07:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Irish government signaled on Wednesday that it would accept a visit next June by Pope Benedict for the Dublin International Eucharistic Congress, giving hope to organizers who feared a papal visit would not be allowed.
Irish Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore told an Irish parliamentary committee Dec. 14 that "(i)n order to remove any misunderstandings, I would like to make it clear that should the government be informed by the Holy See that Pope Benedict wishes to visit Ireland at a time of mutual convenience – for instance at the occasion of next year's Eucharistic Congress – I have no doubt that the government will respond positively."
In October, when asked a similar question, Gilmore told the parliament that "an invitation has not issued nor is one currently under active consideration."
The organizers of the Eucharist Congress saw his statement as a rebuff to the idea of a papal visit. A month later, Gilmore also closed the Irish embassy to the Holy See in Rome, after 82 years in existence.
Gilmore asserted on Dec. 14 that the decision to close the Vatican embassy was purely a financial one based on "diminishing resources" for his department.
He also sought to clear up any "misunderstandings" about his government's attitude toward a possible visit by the Pope, explaining that "according to normal diplomatic practice, invitations to heads of state to visit another country are neither sought nor issued in public."
Instead, he said that "a formal invitation is issued only after notification that the head of state wishes to visit and dates have been agreed."
The 50th International Eucharistic Congress will take place in Dublin from the June 10 to 17, 2012. Held every four years, the congress brings together Catholics from across the globe to pray and study the meaning of the Eucharist.
The Dublin event is expected to attract about 25,000 visitors per day, with 80,000 attending the final Mass at the city's Croke Park Stadium. The organizers have issued an invitation to Pope Benedict and are still waiting for a response from the Vatican.
"The primary focus of the Congress is people's encounter with Jesus Christ, but if the Pope also came that would be a real bonus. So I obviously welcome Mr. Gilmore's comments," congress organizer Fr. Kevin Doran told CNA Dec. 15.
Fr. Doran said that over the past six months he has received nothing both "generous support" from Ireland's diplomatic staff across the world as he has worked to organize the congress.
In contrast, relations between the Dublin and Rome have been strained since Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny launched a blistering attack on the Catholic Church in July.
He accused the Vatican of attempting to "frustrate an inquiry" into clerical abuse in the Diocese of Cloyne, County Cork. The Vatican rejected his accusation and a spokesperson for the Prime Minister later stated that he was not referring to any specific incident. However, Kenny has refused to withdraw his remarks or apologize for them.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Irish Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore told an Irish parliamentary committee Dec. 14 that "(i)n order to remove any misunderstandings, I would like to make it clear that should the government be informed by the Holy See that Pope Benedict wishes to visit Ireland at a time of mutual convenience – for instance at the occasion of next year's Eucharistic Congress – I have no doubt that the government will respond positively."
In October, when asked a similar question, Gilmore told the parliament that "an invitation has not issued nor is one currently under active consideration."
The organizers of the Eucharist Congress saw his statement as a rebuff to the idea of a papal visit. A month later, Gilmore also closed the Irish embassy to the Holy See in Rome, after 82 years in existence.
Gilmore asserted on Dec. 14 that the decision to close the Vatican embassy was purely a financial one based on "diminishing resources" for his department.
He also sought to clear up any "misunderstandings" about his government's attitude toward a possible visit by the Pope, explaining that "according to normal diplomatic practice, invitations to heads of state to visit another country are neither sought nor issued in public."
Instead, he said that "a formal invitation is issued only after notification that the head of state wishes to visit and dates have been agreed."
The 50th International Eucharistic Congress will take place in Dublin from the June 10 to 17, 2012. Held every four years, the congress brings together Catholics from across the globe to pray and study the meaning of the Eucharist.
The Dublin event is expected to attract about 25,000 visitors per day, with 80,000 attending the final Mass at the city's Croke Park Stadium. The organizers have issued an invitation to Pope Benedict and are still waiting for a response from the Vatican.
"The primary focus of the Congress is people's encounter with Jesus Christ, but if the Pope also came that would be a real bonus. So I obviously welcome Mr. Gilmore's comments," congress organizer Fr. Kevin Doran told CNA Dec. 15.
Fr. Doran said that over the past six months he has received nothing both "generous support" from Ireland's diplomatic staff across the world as he has worked to organize the congress.
In contrast, relations between the Dublin and Rome have been strained since Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny launched a blistering attack on the Catholic Church in July.
He accused the Vatican of attempting to "frustrate an inquiry" into clerical abuse in the Diocese of Cloyne, County Cork. The Vatican rejected his accusation and a spokesperson for the Prime Minister later stated that he was not referring to any specific incident. However, Kenny has refused to withdraw his remarks or apologize for them.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
US bishops' campaign draws attention to domestic poverty
Washington D.C., Dec 16, 2011 / 01:13 am (CNA).- The U.S. bishops announced the launch of a renewed media effort to promote a better understanding of poverty in America.
The new initiative unveiled by the bishops' Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development will include a refurbished website, a new social media presence and daily events for Poverty Awareness Month in January.
Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, who leads the bishops' efforts to fight poverty through the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, explained that the culture of life must start with a love "that binds us to the hopes and joys, the struggles and the sorrows" of the poor and afflicted in society.
According to the U.S. bishops' conference, 15 percent of total Americans and nearly 25 percent of children live in poverty.
The Poverty USA campaign will feature updated statistics in a special section on the bishops' conference website. A new Facebook page has also been launched for the campaign, providing resources for families, individuals and parishes.
Visitors to the page can also participate in Poverty Awareness Month by joining the Facebook event and taking part in daily activities during the month of January to increase their understanding of domestic poverty.
Noting the widespread scourge of poverty in America, Bishop Soto spoke of the importance of solidarity with those who struggle in any capacity.
"We march with immigrant families toward a society made stronger and safer by their inclusion," he said. "We embrace the mother and her unborn child, giving to both of them hope and opportunity."
"We measure our own health by the quality of care we give to those most vulnerable," he added. "We labor with those whose work is burdensome."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
The new initiative unveiled by the bishops' Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development will include a refurbished website, a new social media presence and daily events for Poverty Awareness Month in January.
Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, who leads the bishops' efforts to fight poverty through the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, explained that the culture of life must start with a love "that binds us to the hopes and joys, the struggles and the sorrows" of the poor and afflicted in society.
According to the U.S. bishops' conference, 15 percent of total Americans and nearly 25 percent of children live in poverty.
The Poverty USA campaign will feature updated statistics in a special section on the bishops' conference website. A new Facebook page has also been launched for the campaign, providing resources for families, individuals and parishes.
Visitors to the page can also participate in Poverty Awareness Month by joining the Facebook event and taking part in daily activities during the month of January to increase their understanding of domestic poverty.
Noting the widespread scourge of poverty in America, Bishop Soto spoke of the importance of solidarity with those who struggle in any capacity.
"We march with immigrant families toward a society made stronger and safer by their inclusion," he said. "We embrace the mother and her unborn child, giving to both of them hope and opportunity."
"We measure our own health by the quality of care we give to those most vulnerable," he added. "We labor with those whose work is burdensome."
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Knights of Columbus urge millions to 'Keep Christ in Christmas'
New Haven, Conn., Dec 16, 2011 / 03:03 am (CNA).- The Knights of Columbus' annual campaign reminding millions of Americans to "Keep Christ in Christmas" is in full swing with radio ads, signs, billboards, Nativity scenes and Christmas cards.
"In a society where Christmas has often become shorthand for shopping, many who celebrate Christmas can lose sight of its true meaning," Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said Dec. 15.
"Those who celebrate Christmas give gifts to each other because it is the day on which we celebrate the greatest gift: God's gift of his son to the world," he explained.
"Christmas is about 'peace on earth toward people of good will' and we think that's a message worth remembering."
The campaign's list of initiatives this year include English and Spanish-language radio spots encouraging people to remember Christmas in various ways, such as helping those less fortunate. The Knights of Columbus have also sent a public service announcement to television networks and hundreds of local broadcast stations and cable systems.
The global Catholic fraternal order has led the "Keep Christ in Christmas" program since the early 1960s. It was originally organized by the Christian Mothers of Milwaukee, which later became the Council of Catholic Women.
Last year, the public service announcements reached more than 38 million television viewers and 34 million radio listeners.
Locally, Knights of Columbus councils have been busy placing billboards and signs, sponsoring Nativity displays or selling religious Christmas cards.
The national organization also encouraged the councils to hold a Christmas tree or Nativity scene lighting ceremony on the first Tuesday of December. The Supreme Council has erected a nativity scene on the Green in New Haven, Conn., near the organization's headquarters and is organizing a "Posada" Christmas procession on Dec. 20.
In New Jersey, however, a "Keep Christ in Christmas" banner sponsored by a local council in the town of Pitman garnered opposition from the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation.
A local man complained that the banner hangs from two town-owned light posts over a street and was posted by members of the town's fire department.
The town mayor Michael Batten told Fox News that a similar banner has hung over the street during the holiday season for the last half century. He says the present banner hangs on private property above a county road and will remain posted until he hears otherwise from the town's attorney.
Supreme Knight Carl Anderson told Fox News that the controversy is "politically correct nonsense."
"We're trying to remind Christians that Christmas is a religious holiday," he said. "It's not about shopping. By keeping Christ in Christmas, we're just underlining the first six letters in the word Christmas. That's the message we're trying to remind people."
In 1995, the Knights of Columbus won a U.S. Supreme Court case that secured the right to display a crèche on the Town Green of Trumbull, Connecticut.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"In a society where Christmas has often become shorthand for shopping, many who celebrate Christmas can lose sight of its true meaning," Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said Dec. 15.
"Those who celebrate Christmas give gifts to each other because it is the day on which we celebrate the greatest gift: God's gift of his son to the world," he explained.
"Christmas is about 'peace on earth toward people of good will' and we think that's a message worth remembering."
The campaign's list of initiatives this year include English and Spanish-language radio spots encouraging people to remember Christmas in various ways, such as helping those less fortunate. The Knights of Columbus have also sent a public service announcement to television networks and hundreds of local broadcast stations and cable systems.
The global Catholic fraternal order has led the "Keep Christ in Christmas" program since the early 1960s. It was originally organized by the Christian Mothers of Milwaukee, which later became the Council of Catholic Women.
Last year, the public service announcements reached more than 38 million television viewers and 34 million radio listeners.
Locally, Knights of Columbus councils have been busy placing billboards and signs, sponsoring Nativity displays or selling religious Christmas cards.
The national organization also encouraged the councils to hold a Christmas tree or Nativity scene lighting ceremony on the first Tuesday of December. The Supreme Council has erected a nativity scene on the Green in New Haven, Conn., near the organization's headquarters and is organizing a "Posada" Christmas procession on Dec. 20.
In New Jersey, however, a "Keep Christ in Christmas" banner sponsored by a local council in the town of Pitman garnered opposition from the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation.
A local man complained that the banner hangs from two town-owned light posts over a street and was posted by members of the town's fire department.
The town mayor Michael Batten told Fox News that a similar banner has hung over the street during the holiday season for the last half century. He says the present banner hangs on private property above a county road and will remain posted until he hears otherwise from the town's attorney.
Supreme Knight Carl Anderson told Fox News that the controversy is "politically correct nonsense."
"We're trying to remind Christians that Christmas is a religious holiday," he said. "It's not about shopping. By keeping Christ in Christmas, we're just underlining the first six letters in the word Christmas. That's the message we're trying to remind people."
In 1995, the Knights of Columbus won a U.S. Supreme Court case that secured the right to display a crèche on the Town Green of Trumbull, Connecticut.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Record drop in US marriages caused by social changes
Washington D.C., Dec 16, 2011 / 06:17 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The fact that the number of Americans getting married is at a record low is due to changes in society's values, public policy decisions and economic factors, says sociologist Dr. W. Bradford Wilcox.
He was responding to a Dec. 14 Pew Research analysis that indicates marriage rates in the U.S. are at a record low, as young couples are delaying marriage longer than ever before.
According to Pew Research Center's analysis of U.S. Census data, only 51 percent of adults in the U.S. are currently married, compared to 72 percent in 1960. In addition, new marriages in America dropped by five percent between 2009 and 2010.
While the decline in marriage is taking place among all age groups, it is most drastic among young adults. The analysis observed that only 20 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 are married, a drop from 59 percent in 1960.
Part of the decrease in currently married individuals may be tied to young adults delaying marriage, the report said. Both men and women are about six years older when they enter into their first marriage than couples 50 years ago were.
The analysis suggested that divorce is a factor in the decreasing percentage of adults who are currently married. However it noted that divorce rates have leveled off in the last 20 years after climbing in previous decades.
A similar decline in marriage has been observed in most other "advanced post-industrial societies" and in some less developed nations as well, said the report, noting the trend has continued in both good and bad economies.
Wilcox attributed the decline in marriage to multiple social changes in recent decades.
Difficulties in finding stable work may lead couples to cohabit or delay marriage, he told CNA.
In addition, the culture has shifted, becoming more individualistic and accepting of alternatives to marriage, including premarital sex and cohabitation.
Wilcox also pointed to how marriage is no longer privileged in many public policies and is sometimes even financially penalized by law, creating an incentive for couples to remain unmarried.
Religion also makes a difference, he said, pointing to a 2010 report on marriage in America that the National Marriage Project coauthored.
The report found that non-religious people are "much more likely to divorce than are the religiously committed" and that cohabitation is more common among non-religious people.
Americans have become increasingly disengaged with institutions, including churches, which have reported declining membership over recent decades, Wilcox observed.
The decrease in couples who marry could harm American society, he said.
Married couples are statistically happier and children do better when they are raised by married parents, exhibiting a lower likelihood of being depressed or using drugs.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
He was responding to a Dec. 14 Pew Research analysis that indicates marriage rates in the U.S. are at a record low, as young couples are delaying marriage longer than ever before.
According to Pew Research Center's analysis of U.S. Census data, only 51 percent of adults in the U.S. are currently married, compared to 72 percent in 1960. In addition, new marriages in America dropped by five percent between 2009 and 2010.
While the decline in marriage is taking place among all age groups, it is most drastic among young adults. The analysis observed that only 20 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 are married, a drop from 59 percent in 1960.
Part of the decrease in currently married individuals may be tied to young adults delaying marriage, the report said. Both men and women are about six years older when they enter into their first marriage than couples 50 years ago were.
The analysis suggested that divorce is a factor in the decreasing percentage of adults who are currently married. However it noted that divorce rates have leveled off in the last 20 years after climbing in previous decades.
A similar decline in marriage has been observed in most other "advanced post-industrial societies" and in some less developed nations as well, said the report, noting the trend has continued in both good and bad economies.
Wilcox attributed the decline in marriage to multiple social changes in recent decades.
Difficulties in finding stable work may lead couples to cohabit or delay marriage, he told CNA.
In addition, the culture has shifted, becoming more individualistic and accepting of alternatives to marriage, including premarital sex and cohabitation.
Wilcox also pointed to how marriage is no longer privileged in many public policies and is sometimes even financially penalized by law, creating an incentive for couples to remain unmarried.
Religion also makes a difference, he said, pointing to a 2010 report on marriage in America that the National Marriage Project coauthored.
The report found that non-religious people are "much more likely to divorce than are the religiously committed" and that cohabitation is more common among non-religious people.
Americans have become increasingly disengaged with institutions, including churches, which have reported declining membership over recent decades, Wilcox observed.
The decrease in couples who marry could harm American society, he said.
Married couples are statistically happier and children do better when they are raised by married parents, exhibiting a lower likelihood of being depressed or using drugs.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Freed Colombian girl thanks Pope for her release
Rome, Italy, Dec 14, 2011 / 01:50 pm (CNA).- Nhora Valentina Munoz, the 10-year-old girl who was kidnapped by a Colombian rebel group last October, said she is now free thanks to the prayers of Pope Benedict XVI.
Munoz told CNA that seeing the Pope "means a lot to me, because Pope Benedict XVI prayed for me when I was kidnapped, and thanks to him I am free."
The girl was in Rome with her family to participate in a Mass for Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12.
After hearing of the girl's capture, the Pope began offering prayers for her immediate release and "for all those kidnapped in Colombia."
Munoz said she was "very happy" to represent Colombia at the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Monday. She was among dozens of young people who each carried the flag of their respective country.
Juan Sebastian Lozada, 25, who was kidnapped for three years by Colomb! ian rebels together with his mother and brother, also attended the Mass. He said the experience was "very exciting" and that "to see first-hand what the Holy Father conveys is always a reason for admiration and pride."
Lozada's mother, Gloria Polanco, is a former congresswoman and the widow of the former governor of the province of Huila, Jaime Lozada. She was kidnapped by the Marxist rebel group FARC, along with her husband and two sons on July 26, 2001.
While they were held hostage, Jaime Lozada was assassinated by FARC for not paying the ransom money the rebels demanded for his family.
Sebastian Lozada said their faith sustained them during their captivity. "I think that in the most difficult and darkest moments, when everything seems lost, only the faith and the hand of God can help someone endure," he said.
He added that his devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe helped him to with! stand the suffering. "I am very devoted to Our Lady an! d to God, to my entire Catholic faith, and this has enabled me to bear everything we have had to suffer in the last few years with greater incentive," he said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Munoz told CNA that seeing the Pope "means a lot to me, because Pope Benedict XVI prayed for me when I was kidnapped, and thanks to him I am free."
The girl was in Rome with her family to participate in a Mass for Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12.
After hearing of the girl's capture, the Pope began offering prayers for her immediate release and "for all those kidnapped in Colombia."
Munoz said she was "very happy" to represent Colombia at the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on Monday. She was among dozens of young people who each carried the flag of their respective country.
Juan Sebastian Lozada, 25, who was kidnapped for three years by Colomb! ian rebels together with his mother and brother, also attended the Mass. He said the experience was "very exciting" and that "to see first-hand what the Holy Father conveys is always a reason for admiration and pride."
Lozada's mother, Gloria Polanco, is a former congresswoman and the widow of the former governor of the province of Huila, Jaime Lozada. She was kidnapped by the Marxist rebel group FARC, along with her husband and two sons on July 26, 2001.
While they were held hostage, Jaime Lozada was assassinated by FARC for not paying the ransom money the rebels demanded for his family.
Sebastian Lozada said their faith sustained them during their captivity. "I think that in the most difficult and darkest moments, when everything seems lost, only the faith and the hand of God can help someone endure," he said.
He added that his devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe helped him to with! stand the suffering. "I am very devoted to Our Lady an! d to God, to my entire Catholic faith, and this has enabled me to bear everything we have had to suffer in the last few years with greater incentive," he said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Mexican Church leaders overjoyed at news of papal visit
Mexico City, Mexico, Dec 14, 2011 / 06:10 pm (CNA).- Cardinal Norberto Rivera of Mexico City said that he and other Church leaders in the country are thrilled over Pope Benedict's plans to travel to Mexico and Cuba in 2012.
"We are very happy that the Pope is coming to Mexico, and we are going to welcome him with great affection, because we all know what the Holy Father means to us," he told CNA.
During a Mass for Latin America on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pope Benedict said he would travel to the two countries before Easter of 2012 in order to "proclaim the Word of Christ there and to and convince people that this is the time to evangelize with strong faith, living hope and burning charity."
Cardinal Rivera said the bishops of Mexico are also happy that the Pope is traveling to the city of Leon in the state of Guanajuato, "a region that is very symbolic in Mexico."
Outside the city, a 65-foot statue of "Christ the King of Peace" sits atop Cubilete Hill, where young people gather on pilgrimage each year.
The statue has a long history going back to the Mexican Revolution. It was originally built in 1920, but the government blocked access to the hill in 1923. After Mexicans continued to defy the government and visit the shrine, it was destroyed by dynamite in 1928. Pieces of the original statue, including the head and the Sacred Heart, are preserved in a museum located at the shrine today.
In December of 1944, construction began on the statue that currently sits atop the hill. Pope Pius XII personally sent his blessing for the project.
Bishop Rodrigo Aguilar Martinez of Tehuacan told CNA the decision of which city Benedict XVI would visit was made after ruling out "high-altitude places and places that were already visited by Pope John Paul II."
The "exact location of his visit has not yet been determined," he added.
Vatican sources told CNA the Pope is tentatively planning to visit Leon in the state of Guanajuato March 23-26. From there he will travel to Havana, Cuba, on March 26 and return to Rome on March 28.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"We are very happy that the Pope is coming to Mexico, and we are going to welcome him with great affection, because we all know what the Holy Father means to us," he told CNA.
During a Mass for Latin America on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pope Benedict said he would travel to the two countries before Easter of 2012 in order to "proclaim the Word of Christ there and to and convince people that this is the time to evangelize with strong faith, living hope and burning charity."
Cardinal Rivera said the bishops of Mexico are also happy that the Pope is traveling to the city of Leon in the state of Guanajuato, "a region that is very symbolic in Mexico."
Outside the city, a 65-foot statue of "Christ the King of Peace" sits atop Cubilete Hill, where young people gather on pilgrimage each year.
The statue has a long history going back to the Mexican Revolution. It was originally built in 1920, but the government blocked access to the hill in 1923. After Mexicans continued to defy the government and visit the shrine, it was destroyed by dynamite in 1928. Pieces of the original statue, including the head and the Sacred Heart, are preserved in a museum located at the shrine today.
In December of 1944, construction began on the statue that currently sits atop the hill. Pope Pius XII personally sent his blessing for the project.
Bishop Rodrigo Aguilar Martinez of Tehuacan told CNA the decision of which city Benedict XVI would visit was made after ruling out "high-altitude places and places that were already visited by Pope John Paul II."
The "exact location of his visit has not yet been determined," he added.
Vatican sources told CNA the Pope is tentatively planning to visit Leon in the state of Guanajuato March 23-26. From there he will travel to Havana, Cuba, on March 26 and return to Rome on March 28.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Vatican confirms dates for World Youth Day 2013 in Rio
Vatican City, Dec 14, 2011 / 04:04 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Pontifical Council for the Laity has confirmed that World Youth Day 2013 will take place in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro from July 23-28.
The announcement was made on the official website for the event, www.rio2013.com, and by Archbishop Orani Joao Tempesta of Rio de Janeiro via Twitter, after organizers met with members of the council Rome on Dec. 12.
Archbishop Tempesta is currently meeting with officials from the council together with Bishop Joel Portella Amado, the general coordinator of World Youth Day 2013, Father Marcio Queiroz, communications director, and Father Renato Martines, director of the main events.
The official logo for World Youth Day Rio 2013 will also be selected during the meetings from a group of proposals drawn from an international contest. Upon returning to Rio later this week, organizers will be meeting will local leaders to report on preparations for the event.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
The announcement was made on the official website for the event, www.rio2013.com, and by Archbishop Orani Joao Tempesta of Rio de Janeiro via Twitter, after organizers met with members of the council Rome on Dec. 12.
Archbishop Tempesta is currently meeting with officials from the council together with Bishop Joel Portella Amado, the general coordinator of World Youth Day 2013, Father Marcio Queiroz, communications director, and Father Renato Martines, director of the main events.
The official logo for World Youth Day Rio 2013 will also be selected during the meetings from a group of proposals drawn from an international contest. Upon returning to Rio later this week, organizers will be meeting will local leaders to report on preparations for the event.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Rabbi Sacks worries Europe is losing its Judeo-Christian 'soul'
Rome, Italy, Dec 14, 2011 / 06:15 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Lord Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth, told Pope Benedict XVI that he fears Europe is losing its Judeo-Christian heritage.
"We are very concerned obviously with the soul of Europe, I mean Europe was built on Judeo-Christian foundations, even the market was built on Judeo-Christian foundations," he told Vatican Radio in an interview following his private audience with the Pope Dec. 12.
The 63-year-old Englishman, who was elevated to the British House of Lords in 2009, stated that Judeo-Christian roots best historically explain why the West has outstripped other cultures both politically and economically.
He also believes that while religious leaders have "no power" in the modern world, they still "have a great deal of influence." Rabbi Sacks said the Pope's influence was why he ! came to visit him, "because I think if Jewish and Christian voices are heard, along parallel lines, then they should not underestimate the influence they have."
Rabbi Sacks said he saw this influence in action last year during Pope Benedict's four-day visit to Scotland and England when "everyone was amazed that the interest was so acute and so widespread."
Religious leaders "should not aspire to political power," he said, but they are engaged in "talking to people, especially when they're thinking, 'what kind of answer do I want to give to the meaning of life and what kind of value system do I want for my children?'"
It is Rabbi Sack's belief that Europe is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the answers offered by secularism and materialism – two factors he has blamed in the past for a rise in selfishness and the decline in the birthrate.
Many people, he said, are now wondering if "there is something lacking! in the wider secular culture where all that matters is 'wha! t I am, what I spend, what I buy, what I earn,' instead of 'what I am.'" One practical outcome in the Jewish community has been an increase in the number of parents choosing to send their children to Jewish schools.
He also wants to foster a united Judeo-Christian front against both anti-Jewish and anti-Christian persecution around the world. In fact, just last week he spoke during a debate in the British House of Lords in which he condemned Christian persecution in the Middle East.
"It is important that Jews, the British Jews, the European Jewish community stand in solidarity with Christians where they face persecution," he said to Vatican Radio.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
"We are very concerned obviously with the soul of Europe, I mean Europe was built on Judeo-Christian foundations, even the market was built on Judeo-Christian foundations," he told Vatican Radio in an interview following his private audience with the Pope Dec. 12.
The 63-year-old Englishman, who was elevated to the British House of Lords in 2009, stated that Judeo-Christian roots best historically explain why the West has outstripped other cultures both politically and economically.
He also believes that while religious leaders have "no power" in the modern world, they still "have a great deal of influence." Rabbi Sacks said the Pope's influence was why he ! came to visit him, "because I think if Jewish and Christian voices are heard, along parallel lines, then they should not underestimate the influence they have."
Rabbi Sacks said he saw this influence in action last year during Pope Benedict's four-day visit to Scotland and England when "everyone was amazed that the interest was so acute and so widespread."
Religious leaders "should not aspire to political power," he said, but they are engaged in "talking to people, especially when they're thinking, 'what kind of answer do I want to give to the meaning of life and what kind of value system do I want for my children?'"
It is Rabbi Sack's belief that Europe is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the answers offered by secularism and materialism – two factors he has blamed in the past for a rise in selfishness and the decline in the birthrate.
Many people, he said, are now wondering if "there is something lacking! in the wider secular culture where all that matters is 'wha! t I am, what I spend, what I buy, what I earn,' instead of 'what I am.'" One practical outcome in the Jewish community has been an increase in the number of parents choosing to send their children to Jewish schools.
He also wants to foster a united Judeo-Christian front against both anti-Jewish and anti-Christian persecution around the world. In fact, just last week he spoke during a debate in the British House of Lords in which he condemned Christian persecution in the Middle East.
"It is important that Jews, the British Jews, the European Jewish community stand in solidarity with Christians where they face persecution," he said to Vatican Radio.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
Uruguay bishops defend pro-life couple
Montevideo, Uruguay, Dec 14, 2011 / 08:01 pm (CNA).- The bishops of Uruguay have voiced support for a married couple who testified that the country is under pressure from international organizations to legalize abortion.
The couple's testimony was criticized by the country's media outlets.
In its bi-monthly bulletin, the Archdiocese of Montevideo published the entire testimony given by Victor Guerrero and Gabriela Lopez of the bishops' Committee on Family and Human Life "so that our readers can draw their own conclusions."
The bulletin, distributed in all the parishes of Montevideo, reaffirmed the Church's position on a proposal that would legalize abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy.
Guerreo and Lopez gave their testimony on Nov. 29 and denounced the measure as a ploy by international organizations to pressure Uruguay to accept abortion. "Unfortunately these kinds of measures do not stem from the initiative of local legislators but rather from strategies internationally promoted by institutions that seek to deceive the people and their legislators," they said.
"Behind this pressure are international foundations like! the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and many others … that see world population growth as a security issue," Lopez said.
The bishops of Uruguay were dissatisfied by the media coverage of the couple's testimony and therefore decided to publish their remarks in their entirety.
Senator Monica Xavier, who sponsored the bill together with Congressman Alvaro Vega, called the couple's testimony "completely out of place" and said that while some organizations might consider abortion to be a "sin," the State cannot classify it is a "crime."
Vega said their testimony did not deserve a response because the Church "is outside the world."
"The Church is not happy about this because not only do abortions have to be outlawed but in vitro fertilization as well. You can't use condoms, pills, and so on," he said.
In addition to the Archdiocese of Montevideo's bulletin, the Bishops' Conference of Uruguay issued a letter on Dec. 5 to the president of the Senate Committee on Health Care saying, "The position of the entire body of bishops that make up the Episcopal Conference of Uruguay is in tune with the magisterium of the Catholic Church throughout the world."
The president of the Population Research Institute's office for Latin America, Carlos Polo, told CNA on Dec. 13, "I praise the Uruguayan bishops for their courage. The promoters of the culture of death believed that the Church in Uruguay was weak and was not going to resist the abortion measure."
"I think that the abortion supporters of the ruling party proposing this anti-life measure a! re in for a huge surprise. I am sure that Uruguay will have great news for all of us who defend life in Latin America," Polo said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
The couple's testimony was criticized by the country's media outlets.
In its bi-monthly bulletin, the Archdiocese of Montevideo published the entire testimony given by Victor Guerrero and Gabriela Lopez of the bishops' Committee on Family and Human Life "so that our readers can draw their own conclusions."
The bulletin, distributed in all the parishes of Montevideo, reaffirmed the Church's position on a proposal that would legalize abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy.
Guerreo and Lopez gave their testimony on Nov. 29 and denounced the measure as a ploy by international organizations to pressure Uruguay to accept abortion. "Unfortunately these kinds of measures do not stem from the initiative of local legislators but rather from strategies internationally promoted by institutions that seek to deceive the people and their legislators," they said.
"Behind this pressure are international foundations like! the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation and many others … that see world population growth as a security issue," Lopez said.
The bishops of Uruguay were dissatisfied by the media coverage of the couple's testimony and therefore decided to publish their remarks in their entirety.
Senator Monica Xavier, who sponsored the bill together with Congressman Alvaro Vega, called the couple's testimony "completely out of place" and said that while some organizations might consider abortion to be a "sin," the State cannot classify it is a "crime."
Vega said their testimony did not deserve a response because the Church "is outside the world."
"The Church is not happy about this because not only do abortions have to be outlawed but in vitro fertilization as well. You can't use condoms, pills, and so on," he said.
In addition to the Archdiocese of Montevideo's bulletin, the Bishops' Conference of Uruguay issued a letter on Dec. 5 to the president of the Senate Committee on Health Care saying, "The position of the entire body of bishops that make up the Episcopal Conference of Uruguay is in tune with the magisterium of the Catholic Church throughout the world."
The president of the Population Research Institute's office for Latin America, Carlos Polo, told CNA on Dec. 13, "I praise the Uruguayan bishops for their courage. The promoters of the culture of death believed that the Church in Uruguay was weak and was not going to resist the abortion measure."
"I think that the abortion supporters of the ruling party proposing this anti-life measure a! re in for a huge surprise. I am sure that Uruguay will have great news for all of us who defend life in Latin America," Polo said.
Courtesy: CNA Oringinal Post
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