Clerical Whispers

Atheist teen stands behind her position after school prayer banner taken down

2012-01-31T00:31:00.016Z

A prayer banner at Cranston High School West in Rhode Island, part of the school since 1963, has been covered after a teenage student there complained that it violated the separation of church and state.

Student Jessica Ahlquist is standing her ground, since 2010, she's been receiving online threats and has been targeted by bullies for her convictions.

The school board at Cranston High School West is deciding its next move.

Jessica Ahlquist had been urging school officials to remove the banner from the auditorium for some time now.

The 8-foot banner features a student-written prayer.

On Jan. 11, federal judge Ronald R. Lagueux ruled it was unconstitutional for the banner to hang at the public school. The fight to remove the banner has come with consequences for the teen.

The 16-year-old Ahlquist says she plans on graduating from the school next year.

The prayer, covered by a tarp, has residents and school board members riled. They say they aren't ready to take the banner down without a fight.

The controversial ruling was a heated topic at a Jan. 25 budget meeting, and police even had to be called suppress the crowd.

A meeting has been scheduled for Feb. 16 during which school officials will hear public comment on the issue.

The board will then decide whether or not to challenge the judge's decision.

Ahlquist, an atheist who was raised as a Roman Catholic but has obviously rejected the faith, was not the first to take issue with the presence of the 49-year-old banner.

According to The New York Times, a family filed a complaint with the American Civil Liberties Union in 2010, though Ahlquist eventually became the spokesperson for the plea and a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

At least one religious leader says Ahlquist should be able to stand up for what she believes.

"...We are proud to stand with others in Cranston who desire that Jessica and every young person be encouraged to learn to talk about their differences in peace," Rev. Leigh McCaffrey told television reporters.

When the school committee addressed an initial complaint from the ACLU at meeting in August 2010, two religious leaders, a reverend and a rabbi, agreed the banner should be "altered or removed."

In March of 2011, the committee met again to hear public comments on the issue.

Twenty-six adults spoke at the meeting, 24 of whom were in favor of keeping banner.

The prayer reads as follows:

    Our Heavenly Father,

    Grant us each day the desire to do our best,
    To grow mentally and morally as well as physically,
    To be kind and helpful to our classmates and teachers,
    To be honest with ourselves as well as with others,
    Help us to be good sports and smile when we lose as well as when we win,
    Teach us the value of true friendship,
    Help us always to conduct ourselves so as to bring credit to Cranston High School West.

    Amen

Russian Church vows to raise funds for crisis-hit Greece

2012-01-31T00:30:00.006Z

All Orthodox churches in Russia will raise funds to help Greece mitigate the social impact of the euro zone crisis, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia announced on Thursday last.

"We are currently establishing relations between our church charitable organizations and the Church of Ellada so that the Russian Church can take part in this good work of helping the needy in Greece," the Patriarch said at a meeting with the leader of the New Democracy party of Greece, Antonis Samaras, in Moscow on Thursday.

Greece's current problems are "taken to heart" in Russia, the patriarch said. The Russians think highly of help being given by the Greek Church to those hit hardest by the crisis, he said.

He credited relations between the Russian and Greek Churches with being traditionally warm and "some of the strongest ties between our countries."

"Political situations come and go and change, but those ties, which span centuries, always survive. Orthodoxy is an important factor of national self-identification both for Russians and for Greeks," he said.

He mentioned that recently a relic of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki and the Cincture of Our Lady were brought to Russia for veneration by Orthodox believers.

"The Russian people are very responsive to relics being brought over, and millions of people, in spite of frost or cold, queue for hours to be able to touch those relics," he said.

"No political rally or sporting event brings as many people together as the relics that are brought here do. While this remains the case we will have hopes for the future," Kirill said.

Russian Church to help Kosovo monasteries

2012-01-31T00:29:00.007Z

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has expressed concerns about the situation of residents of Kosovo and Metohija.

"Serbs living in Kosovo and Metohija have found themselves pawns of a big geopolitical game. Many countries are indifferent to them and they have to live in closed enclaves in daily fear of their hostile environment, which realizes its impunity," the Patriarch said in an interview with the Serb newspaper Vecherniye Novosti, whose translation was published on the website of the Moscow patriarchate.

"Our brothers in faith have great courage not to leave their long-suffering land and their holy places. They live like prisoners of a concentration camp, who have been denied even their basic right to life," he said.

Patriarch Kirill accused politicians of "glaring injustice, double standards and lies, and declaration of their adherence of ideals of humanism and human rights while turning a blind eye to the hell created by extremists with support from their foreign sponsors."

"Brothers, the Russian Church, the Orthodox Russian people will never abandon you," the Patriarch said.

Patriarch Kirill said the Moscow Patriarchate has always supported the Serbian Church on the status of Kosovo.

The Patriarch also said the Russian Church plans to take specific measures to support Kosovo monasteries.

Patriarch Kirill says his meeting with Pope is not possible yet

2012-01-31T00:28:00.006Z

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia again said there are no preconditions for his meeting with the Pope.

"I still believe conflicts need to be resolved more energetically, if not fully, in order for this meeting to be successful," the Patriarch said in an interview with the Serb newspaper Vecherniye Novosti (a translation of that interview has been posted on the Moscow Patriarchate website).

Patriarch Kirill said the media reiterated "only the sensational aspect of a possible meeting," saying he "would not like its effect to be reduced to sensation."

"In order for such a meeting to be really useful for further development of relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, we need to work together to radically improve the atmosphere of these relations by resolving the problems that exist between us," the Patriarch said.

Speaking about the seizure of Orthodox churches in Ukraine by Greek Catholics, the Patriarch pointed out that the Russian Church has recently suggested reviving the four-party commission comprising the Vatican, the Moscow Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

"However, the Catholic Church was not very enthusiastic about our offer," he said.

The issue of the situation with Orthodox churches in Western Ukraine has been regularly raised during meetings with representatives of the Catholic Church in the Moscow Patriarchate, the Patriarch said.

"The Pope and the heads of the Vatican congregations are expressing an understanding about our concerns, but the problem remains unresolved," Patriarch Kirill said.

At the same time, the Patriarch said the relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church "have improved considerably" over the past 10 years

"The issue of proselytism is no longer as acute as it was in the 1990s, when Catholic missionaries came to Russia to work actively here. The Mixed Group on Issues between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church in Russia, which was created in 2004, played its positive role," he said.

The Patriarch has called for development of cooperation between Orthodox and Catholic Christians, "who keep Christian traditions and have close views on personal and social ethics, technological progress, bioethics, and other issues of our time," including the protection of the rights of Christians.

Catholic Churches Distribute Letter Opposing Obama Healthcare Rule

2012-01-31T00:27:00.007Z

Catholic parishioners around the country were read letters this past Sunday morning written by church leadership railing against an Obama administration ruling that requires employers to provide health insurance plans that include contraceptive coverage.

Churches and other houses of worship are exempt from the guidelines but Catholic hospitals, colleges, and social services fall under the umbrella of institutions covered by the decision.

Originally introduced last summer, the decision was lauded by abortion rights supporters.

But Catholicism considers some forms of contraception termination of life and religious leaders say adherence would fly in the face of the tenets of their faith.

Critics also charge it would be a violation of the Constitutional right to freedom of religion.

The letters were penned by individual clergy, so variations exist in what was read at each Sunday Mass, but the overall theme is unified.

One letter from the Archdiocese of Washington says, “Catholic moral teachings will be placed in the untenable position of having to choose between violating the law and violating their conscience.”

In another from the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona, a bishop calls on Catholics to stand united against the rule.

“We cannot — we will not — comply with this unjust law,” it reads. “People of faith cannot be made second class citizens.”

Nearly all letters found by ABC News called on parishioners to pray for a reversal.

On Jan. 19, Pope Benedict XVI told the American Roman Catholic Church they needed to understand “grave threats” posed by what he called radical secularism in politics and culture.

The pontiff specifically mentioned the U.S. church struggling to be permitted conscientious objection to “intrinsically evil practices.”

Earlier this month religious institutions were given a year extension to comply with the decision.

During the 2008 presidential election, then-candidate Barack Obama carried 54 percent of Catholic voters.

Running mate Joseph Biden was Catholic himself.

However, this campaign season has seen two strong Catholics come out of the Republican party as well: Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich.

The National Association of Evangelicals also stands against the decision.

Church of England bishops back shrink's 'cure for gays'

2012-01-31T00:26:00.006Z

Senior figures in the Church of England have backed a Christian counsellor after she treated a gay man who said he wanted to be cured of his homosexuality.

Former archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, Bishop of Chester the Rt Rev Peter Forster, and Bishop of Lewes the Rt Rev Wallace Benn were among signatories to a letter giving support to 60-year-old psychotherapist Lesley Pilkington.

The counsellor is due to mount an appeal this week following a British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) ruling that she was guilty of professional misconduct over a therapy session with gay journalist Patrick Strudwick.

Writing in The Guardian last year, Mr Strudwick, who was working undercover, said he approached Ms Pilkington and asked her to "make me straight" after meeting her at a conference for therapists and psychiatrists who wanted to learn how to convert their patients to heterosexuality.

"I am an out, happily gay man. I was undercover, investigating therapists who practise this so-called conversion therapy - also known as reparative therapy - who try to 'pray away the gay'," he wrote.

"I asked her to make me straight. Her attempts to do so flout the advice of every major mental-health body in Britain."

In their letter, the clerics said Ms Pilkington distinguishes "very carefully" between her "non-directive" counselling and the biblical and pastoral counselling she also offers as a Christian.

"We believe that people who seek, freely, to resolve unwanted same-sex attractions hold the moral right to receive professional assistance," they said.

"Whether motivated by Christian conscience or other values, clients, not practitioners, have the prerogative to choose the yardstick by which to define themselves.

"Not everyone stakes their identity on sexual feelings."

Mrs Pilkington has claimed the BACP hearing against her was unfair and discriminated against her Christian faith.

Yasmin Church celebrates Sunday Mass in front of presidential palace in Jakarta

2012-01-31T00:25:00.006Z

Hundreds of members of the Yasmin Church (GKI) in Bogor staged a demonstration Sunday in front of the presidential palace in Jakarta, calling on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to stop the acts of discrimination and intimidation against them.

GKI members also held their Sunday service in front of the palace.

“We came here so that the top leader of the country may help solve this problem, for love of the rule of law and the defence of diversity in Indonesia,” Yasmin Church spokesperson Bona Sigalingging said. Yasmin Church members continue to endure intimidation, he added.

In the past month, Islamic radicals and public officials tried twice to prevent Sunday service. “The mayor of Bogor informed us that we could not conduct celebrations on our Church’s land or near it. This is a form of intimidation,” he explained.

Bogor mayor Diani Budiarto has blocked construction work of the Yasmin Church despite the fact that the GKI has a permit to build. He has also refused to accept a ruling by the Supreme Court issued in 2010, which authorised construction.

Meanwhile, the Yasmin Church spokesperson said that Java launched an investigation against a church member, Jayadi Damanik, for resisting a public official. The charge is based on an incident in October when an officer, Bambang Budyanto, head of the Civil Service Police Unit (Satpol PP) in Bogor, was knocked out during a clash with Church members.

Church spokesperson Bona Sigalingging said that that the GKI filed charges against Bambang for using violence in trying to interrupt a religious ceremony and against the mayor of Bogor for trying to do the same.

For Sigalingging, the victim of aggression was treated as a criminal. “This is what happened to the Ahmadiyah,” he explained, referring to a Muslim minority sect opposed by radical Muslims and public officials,

Since 2008, the GKI has been forced to celebrate Sunday services on the sidewalk of its church building or in private homes because of protests and intimidations by radical Muslims.

By allowing “intolerant radical groups to intimidate the congregation repeatedly,” Sigalingging said, the mayor has shown to be their supporter.

French Protestants put spotlight on chaplaincy, amid tensions

2012-01-31T00:24:00.011Z

In a bid to reduce tensions with other religious groups and to highlight challenges, the Protestant Federation of France has turned the spotlight on chaplaincy this year.

At the group's General Assembly on 21 and 22 January in Paris, members examined the issues chaplains face in hospitals, prisons and the military and urged member churches to take steps to support chaplains' work.

Pastor Claude Baty, president of the federation, told ENInews that a key concern was the tensions in some sectors between Protestant chaplains and those from the Catholic Church.

He said that as the number of practising Catholics decline in France, the Catholic Church was "worried" about losing its traditionally dominant position, including in the area of chaplaincy.

"Catholics come from a position of total dominance, and they are afraid as they see this changing," he said in an interview. "There must now be place for everyone."

According to polls, some 64 percent of French people identify themselves as Catholics, down from 81 percent in the 1960s, but less that 10 percent say that they practice their religion.

About three percent identify as Protestant.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, Protestants were persecuted in France, causing thousands to flee, and lingering feelings of resentment are still in evidence.

The Protestant Federation said there are about 100 of their chaplains working in hospitals in France: visiting patients, working with medical staff, counseling people with terminal illnesses and contributing to ethics policy.

They work alongside representatives of the Catholic, Jewish and Muslim faiths and hope for greater cooperation, according to Pastor Isabelle Meykuchel, head of the chaplaincy service for health and socio-medical issues.

"Spirituality is a great part of health care, and it's very important to take into account the role of chaplaincy in hospitals," she told ENInews. "We want to put in place meetings between the national chaplaincy services."

She said that in Lyon, where she was previously based, the chaplains from different religions worked well together and had drawn up a charter to reinforce this cooperation. "We hope we can achieve the same level of cooperation in Paris and elsewhere," she said.

The federation is also seeking to draw attention to chaplains' work in the military, particularly with French soldiers who serve in Afghanistan.

Some of these soldiers have returned home with life-altering injuries but the problems they face are not publicly discussed, the federation said.

"Why is there this media silence concerning the wounded soldiers that return?" asked Pastor Brice Deymié, head of the chaplaincy service for justice and prisons.

Deymié said the federation would like to promote more discussion about "restorative justice," which should involve victims and perpetrators and be an essential component of all "punitive justice."

As the presidential elections draw near in France (April and May), restorative justice has become an issue among some politicians.

Meanwhile, in one sign of working together, Protestant and Catholic chaplains along with their Muslim, Jewish and Orthodox counterparts have expressed concern about a decree by the French Justice Ministry that wants religious groups to identify salaried chaplains and volunteers working in prisons, and to give more information about their affiliation, remuneration and the services they provide.

Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg draws anger with Hitler comment

2012-01-31T00:23:00.008Z

The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg is being criticized for saying Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini would love the country’s public school system because it teaches all children one set of beliefs.

Bishop Joseph P. McFadden made the remark while advocating for school vouchers during an interview last week with Dennis Owens, an anchor with WHTM-TV (ABC27).

The Patriot NewsBishop of the Harrisburg Diocese, Bishop Joseph P. McFadden, sparked outrage after making a remark referencing Hitler and Mussolini while advocating for school vouchers during an interview last week with Dennis Owens, an anchor with WHTM-TV (ABC72).

“In totalitarian governments, they would love our system,” McFadden said to during the interview.

“This is what Hitler and Mussolini and all those tried to establish a monolith so all the children would be educated in one set of beliefs and one way of doing things.”

McFadden’s words sparked outrage from the area chapter of the Anti-Defamation League and a rebuke from the legislative director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania.

In an email sent to The Patriot-News on Wednesday, McFadden said he didn’t mean to cause offense and that he was not trying to trivialize the Holocaust.

The Catholic church recognizes the Holocaust as an atrocity against humanity, he said.

“The reference to dictators and totalitarian governments of the 20th century, which I made in an interview on the topic of school choice, was to make a dramatic illustration of how these unchecked monolithic governments of the past used schools to curtail the primary responsibility of the parent in the education of their children,” McFadden said.

“Today many parents in our state experience the same lack of freedom in choosing an education that bests suits their child as those parents oppressed by dictators of the past. I intentionally did not make reference to the holocaust in my remarks,” he said.

“Our support of a school voucher program has the goal of giving parents something that dictators never would, a choice in which school their children attend by being able to control the portion of the tax dollars that is designated for the education of each child,” he said.

The diocese had not been aware the ADL had criticized McFadden’s remarks until a reporter called on Wednesday, spokesman Joe Aponick said.

ADL regional director Barry Morrison said McFadden’s remarks are offensive to people who suffered through the Holocaust or fought fascism.

“It is surprising coming from a bishop and the Catholic church, which has enjoyed good, strong ties with the Jewish community,” Morrison said.

The Catholic church and Jewish community work together on Holocaust education and interfaith dialogue.

Morrison said the ADL respects the bishop and his position in the church.

“We appreciate his commitment to the education of children and the viability of Catholic schools,” Morrison said. “However, he should not be making his point at the expense of the memory of six million Jews and millions of others who perished in the Holocaust.”

Andy Hoover, legislative director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said that while everyone makes mistakes, McFadden’s remarks were “completely inappropriate.”

Besides, public schools are diverse, not monolithic, Hoover said.

“Sure, there are standards that are set by the state, but everything is done in an open, public process and is checked by the political system,” he said.

“School boards are elected, the people from the Department of Education work for the governor. So, our public school system is actually very democratic and very open.”

Spanish conservatives too liberal for Church

2012-01-31T00:22:00.008Z

When conservative Mariano Rajoy was sworn in as Spanish prime minister in late December, the country's Catholic Church was no doubt satisfied.

The Spanish political party closest to the Vatican had put an end to eight years of Socialist rule, during which premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero horrified priests with his reforms, such as homosexual marriage, speedier divorce and easier access to abortion.

During his rule, bishops and conservative politicians attended massive rallies against policies which the Catholic Church saw as destroying the very foundations of society.

But though Rajoy's People's Party (PP) is now firmly at the helm with an absolute majority in parliament, its relations with Spain's Catholic hierarchy have been less smooth than its most conservative voters had expected.

The new government has only been in power for about a month, but tensions have already arisen over the 2005 marriage of Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, Rajoy's deputy and the country's most powerful woman.

The fact that she had married in a civil rather than religious ceremony made her unfit to open Easter celebrations in the cathedral of her native city of Valladolid, as had been suggested by the mayor, Valladolid archbishop Ricardo Blazquez told journalists this week.

He made the comments off the record, but they were nevertheless leaked out and sparked a storm in a country where more than 60 per cent of couples tie the knot in civil ceremonies.

Earlier on, church representatives had also criticized another powerful PP politician, the party's Secretary General Dolores de Cospedal, for having become a single mother through artificial insemination.

And church leaders have not refrained from giving citizens more general advice, saying homosexuality is not 'adequate behaviour' and that Catholics should shun 'fornication.'

The Santamaria case divided opinions. Former Socialist defence minister Carme Chacon, who is candidate to become the party's new leader, said she did not accept nor understand Blazquez' 'attack' on the deputy prime minister.

The archbishop's opinions 'are based on the Gospel' and needed to be respected, a commentator countered in the conservative daily ABC.

Blazquez' comments revealed a widening gulf between church teachings and citizens in the traditionally Catholic country, where papal visits draw millions of people, but where hardly anyone lives as the Vatican tells them to live, other observers said.

About 75 per cent of Spaniards regard themselves as Catholics, down from nearly 85 per cent a decade ago, according to the Centre of Sociological Investigations (CIS).

Spain's Catholic Church was a pillar of the 1939-75 'national-Catholic' dictatorship of Francisco Franco, when divorce was almost impossible to attain, homosexuals were persecuted and pornography was banned.

Blazquez' comments coincided with the trial of Baltasar Garzon, Spain's most famous judge, who is being sued by two Francoist-minded groups over his attempt to launch the country's first judicial investigation into the dictator's crimes.

The ongoing trial shocked human rights activists who see Spain as still being reluctant to shed Franco's legacy.

The church's alleged interference in people's private lives is now seen as yet another sign that Franco's ghost still hovers over the country.

It sparked echoes of a time when 'the altar and the dictator' laid down the rules on how people should behave, as the daily El Pais put it.

However, the PP does not want to alienate more staunchly Catholic voters, and the new government has already started working towards cancelling some aspects of Zapatero's social reforms.

The government will change at least one part of Zapatero's liberal abortion law, cancelling a rule that allows under-age girls to interrupt their pregnancies without their parents' knowledge in cases of serious family conflicts, Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon announced this week.

Earlier on, the PP also lodged a complaint at the Constitutional Court against a 2005 law introduced by Zapatero allowing homosexuals to marry with equal rights as heterosexuals.

More than 25,000 gay couples have wed since then, according to the homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals association FELGTB.

Many same-sex couples rushed to marry before the November 20 parliamentary elections, fearing that a future PP government would deprive them of that right.

Will Rajoy cancel the law which placed Spain - a former Catholic stronghold - among the world's most liberal countries?

The prime minister has so far refused to clarify his position.

Father Bob Maguire fears church will close the door on him

2012-01-31T00:21:00.006Z

FATHER Bob Maguire fears he won't be welcomed back at the church he served for almost 50 years after he holds his final Mass on Sunday.

Despite a public battle to keep the popular clergyman at South Melbourne's St Peter and Paul's Church, the Catholic Church isn't reversing its decision to force Father Bob to retire because of his age.

At 77, Father Bob is unsure what he will do now but a priority is to keep his foundation that helps the needy running and possibly buy a campervan to go travelling around Australia.

"I suppose that's why they send people to nursing homes so they can have rules and structure," he said.

The maverick priest said incoming parish priest Father Julian Messina might want a fresh start without him lingering in the background.

"They might think I'm a distraction and restrict people from moving on," he said.

"He (Fr Messina) shouldn't expect hugs and kisses straight away you have to earn that respect. That's the only way I lasted so long, we fell in love (with his church-goers)."

Fr Bob said his last service would be like any other one and he was "worn out with sadness".

"I don't care if Lady Gaga is there. I'm going to do what I've done for 48 years. I'd rather be Bob, Parish Priest of St Peter and Pauls, rather than any other title given to me," he said, referring to him being called a celebrity.

"We are really hurting but we are not fatally injured. But I don't want to be bitter Bob."

Fr Bob will move into an old real estate office with his dog Franklin where he will live and run the Fr Bob Maguire Foundation until a home is found.

Despite the church's ruling, Fr Bob still wants to have his own parish.

Fr Bob, arguably Victoria's most outspoken priest who now has a cult following, was named Victorian of the Year in July last year.

Church rebels worry the Vatican

2012-01-31T00:20:00.012Z

The highest representatives of the Austrian Catholic Church gathered with Vatican officials to speak about a group of priests who declared themselves "disobedient", it has emerged.

The Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper revealed last Wednesday that Viennese Archbishop Christoph Cardinal Schönborn and two other members of the Conference of Austrian Bishops, went to Rome on Monday to meet with clergymen in the Vatican.

The paper claimed that the gathering was organised to discuss how to react to the increasing acclaim among Austrians for the demands of Helmut Schüller’s Preachers’ Initiative.

Schüller – who was president of Caritas Austria for some years before withdrawing to Probstdorf in Lower Austria to head the local parish – presented the guidelines of his movement half a year ago.

He said the Preachers’ Initiative wanted the Vatican to allow Austrian priests to give Holy Communion to divorced people. The rebellious group also want female priests in the Catholic Church and an abolition of celibacy.

A spokesman for the Austrian Roman Catholic Church confirmed today (Thurs) that the meeting took place on Monday.

He claimed that it was a regular gathering at which various topics were raised. Schönborn said already some weeks ago that he planned to raise the controversial issue when speaking with Vatican officials.

Schönborn said in several interviews that he was not denying the urgent need for reforms of the Church.

However, the archbishop also spoke out against Schüller's suggestions which conservative representatives of the Church consider as radical propaganda. They also accuse Schüller of trying to split the Church. Schüller said the Church was on the brink of breaking up indeed – because of its leaders’ unwillingness to react to significant developments in today’s society.

Austrian Church officials did not confirm that the Preachers’ Initiative was spoken about in the Vatican on Monday. Newspapers report that the movement’s appeals were discussed indeed.

Schüller said he was not afraid of consequences over his actions. The ex-Caritas Austria president announced: "I appreciate that the Worldwide Church starts thinking about our ideals. Maybe this was the start of something."

Schüller said last week he planned to cooperate with priests abroad who shared his opinions. "We receive a lot of approval from Catholic reform movements all over the world," he said.

The Probstdorf parish priest also criticised the Vatican for its conservative attitude.

Schüller claimed it bore resemblance to an "absolutist monarchy".

He added: "The Catholic Church must finally start taking its members seriously."

Around 400 Austrian priests have joined Schüller’s initiative over the past months. Schüller pointed out that the decision to be "disobedient" towards the Vatican found all-round acclaim. Schönborn harshly criticised the group of priests for choosing this term.

Newspapers report that Schüller and Schönborn have no plans to meet in the foreseeable future to speak about a possible agreement.

Polls show that a vast majority of Austrians generally support the points of view shared in the Preachers’ Initiative.

The development of the feud between the group around Schüller and conservative circles of the Church could be crucial to how things go for reform movements elsewhere since Austria is still one of the Catholic Church’s strongholds in Europe.

More than five million Austrians – 65 per cent of the country’s citizens – are part of the Church.

The number of people quitting their membership dropped by 32 per cent from 2010 to 2011 when 58,603 cancellations were registered.

Vienna archdiocese apologizes for published list of people who left the Catholic church

2012-01-31T00:19:00.005Z

The Vienna archdiocese has apologized for the publication of a list of people who have formally left the Roman Catholic church.

A statement says those affected have been asked “for forgiveness,” noting making the names public “is not allowed by state or church rules.”

The statement was issued Thursday after a priest in a village north of Vienna listed local church-leavers in the diocese newspaper.

The archdiocese says the priest has since “apologized in the form of a Mass and has written those affected a letter” of apology.

The rash of sex abuse scandals hitting the Catholic church has led to an increased number of people formally renouncing their affiliation.

That also frees them from paying a mandatory church tax.

Vicar jailed over sham marriages

2012-01-31T00:18:00.007Z

A Church of England vicar has been jailed for two and a half years after carrying out dozens of sham marriages allowing illegal immigrants to live in the UK.

The Rev Canon Dr John Magumba was taking so many weddings involving foreign nationals his diocese put him in charge of a special working party on how to handle marriages for foreigners - and how to spot sham weddings.

In fact father-of-six Magumba, originally from Uganda, "asked no questions" when marrying a stream of Nigerian men and eastern European women who began flocking to his parish in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, from across the UK to celebrate their "happy day".

The 58-year-old even told local church-goers that African worshippers did not feel comfortable around so many white parishioners so he set up separate "African services".

Churches saw the number of weddings rocket after Magumba became the team vicar for St Mary's in Rochdale, St Peter's in Newbold and St Luke's in Deeplish.

Magumba showed no emotion as sentence was passed at Bolton Crown Court after he admitted carrying out 28 sham weddings.

Passing sentence Judge William Morris told the defendant: "What you did repeatedly amounted to very serious breaches of the immigration laws of this country properly designed to prevent those with no entitlement to reside in the UK from doing so."

"Such legal restrictions are essential for the proper functioning of the state to ensure that taxpayers' money is only allocated to the needs of fellow citizens. Whatever your motive for facilitating the fraudulent entry into this country of these individuals, neither you or anyone else in your place, can place your conscience above the laws of this country. Your offences have brought scandal to the church and let down your family and parishioners."

Police are not sure Magumba even conducted any actual services - but instead simply filled in the marriage certificates, described as the "Golden Ticket" to illegal immigrants.

Magumba later admitted to police Nigerians "would do anything in their power to come to the UK" and were "crying out" for marriage certificates, the court heard.

Garda watchdog ready to launch Cloyne probe

2012-01-31T00:17:00.010Z

The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) has moved a step closer towards launching an investigation into the Garda handling of cases criticised in the Cloyne report.

Following six months of discussions with the Murphy Commission, the GSOC has recently received the full, unredacted, or unedited, version of their report into the Catholic diocese.

A spokesman for the GSOC said yesterday: "We have now received the full unredacted version of the report and the commission is now examining its contents."

He declined to make any further comment until this process was completed.

The Cloyne report investigated how the hierarchy and statutory authorities, including the gardaí, handled complaints into alleged sexual abuse committed by clergy in the Cork diocese.

The Murphy Commission said it was "very concerned" at the role of gardaí in three cases, including one where no investigation was carried out and another where a statement from a victim was left forgotten in a drawer.

The commission also expressed its shock over "vanishing" interview notes of a complainant and a failure to keep proper records.

Overall, the commission said "most" gardaí carried out their tasks "well" and treated the complainants with "compassion and dignity".

The report was published last July, but sections, including the names of priests and gardaí criticised, were blacked out for legal reasons.

After the publication, Justice Minister Alan Shatter referred the report to the GSOC and asked it to take whatever action it deemed necessary.

The Garda watchdog quickly realised there were problematic "procedural issues" that had to be dealt with.

This centred on whether or not it could get access to information provided to the commission in confidence.

Without the full report, the GSOC would not be able to identify the gardaí criticised and could not conduct an investigation.

Investigators within GSOC are examining the full report and will submit their report to the three-person commission which heads GSOC for a decision.

The indications last year were that once GSOC had got the full report that an investigation would be set up.

But two of the three people leading the commission changed at the end of last year, so it is not clear if that position has changed.

It was thought that any investigation would be a "public interest" inquiry under Section 102.4 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005.

This allows the commission to set up an inquiry without having received a complaint.

Under this section, GSOC can investigate "any matter that appears to it to indicate that a member of the Garda Síochána may have committed an offence or behaved in a manner that would justify disciplinary proceedings".

Any gardaí criticised in the report who have retired can not be disciplined.

Bosnian Catholics face increasing Islamic fundamentalism

2012-01-31T00:16:00.011Z

In Bosnia-Herzegovina,nuns now only leave the convent in pairs out of fear of abuse.

Nuns wearing habits are subjected to verbal abuse in public more and more frequently.

Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Ivanka Mihaljevic (pictured), Bosnian Provincial Superior of the Franciscan Sisters of Christ the King said that everyday life is becoming increasingly difficult as more and more Muslim extremists are immigrating from Saudi Arabia and opening businesses.

The nuns often have no other choice but to buy from them, but in doing so are also subjected to discrimination and humiliations.

For example, once when bread loaves were in plain sight in a shop, the proprietor told Catholic nuns that he was out of bread, rather than sell to them.

“Again and again, we are made to feel unwelcome, even though this is our home,” said Sister Ivanka emphasised, who explained that native Bosnian Muslims are peaceable, and are often ashamed of the behaviour of their more extreme colleagues who migrate to the country.

The Franciscan Sisters of Christ the King in Sarajevo are particularly committed to promoting the peaceful coexistence of all religions. They have launched a three-year program entitled, I extend to you my hand for peaceful coexistence.

In this initiative, Catholics, Muslims and Serbian Orthodox Christians are jointly working to promote tolerance, non-violence and mutual respect.

This year the joint effort against verbal abuse tops the agenda.

The Bosnian Province of the Franciscan Sisters of Christ the King comprises 260 nuns, of whom 15 live in Sarajevo.

Cardinal Vinko Puljic, the Archbishop of Sarajevo, has also highlighted the growth of extremism in the country and said that the growing process of Islamisation in Bosnia-Herzegovina is being funded by radicals in the Middle East.

During an ACN interview, he said that there are already 3,000 to 5,000 Wahhabis (members of a radical Islamic reform movement), in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the group is seeking to gain influence in society.

“Muslim centres and mosques have been built in many places with oil-dollars from Saudi Arabia,” he said.

“Nobody in the government has the courage to do anything to prevent this development. In recent years, at least 70 new mosques have been built in Sarajevo alone.”

While mosques are being built or repaired, Cardinal Puljic pointed out that building approval for churches can be delayed for years, adding that Church property confiscated under communism has still not been returned.

The Archbishop of Sarajevo went on to say, “Catholics are systematically disadvantaged” and demanded equal treatment for Catholics in employment, education and other spheres of life.

Despite these problems, the cardinal said the Catholic Church is seeking greater cooperation between different ethnic and religious groups.

“We are a minority, but we are a constructive force that wishes to make a contribution to the success of society.”

The country is close to 40 per cent Muslim and 31 per cent are Serbian Orthodox. Catholics are 10 per cent.

Of the 820,000 Catholics who lived in Bosnia-Herzegovina before the 1992- 1995 war, only 460,000 remain and emigration is ongoing.

French in bid to lower divorce rate

2012-01-31T00:15:00.009Z

The French Government is to introduce longer civil ceremonies and a, “marriage preparation kit” that will remind soon-to-be husbands and wives what they are signing up for, in a bid to reduce the country's high divorce levels.

Currently, the French divorce rate is 50 per cent.

Announcing the new plans, minister of state for family affairs Claude Greff said that, currently, civil ceremonies were too impersonal, too short (some take as little as five minutes) and failed to give couples a sense of their rights and responsibilities, The Irish Times reports.

“Many citizens discover much later what the civil code involves, but by then it’s too late. I want to make the risks clear,” she said.

France’s divorce rate in 2010 was 50 per cent, according to the national statistics office, and rose to 66 per cent in the Paris region.

The “preparation kit” was suggested by an official working group charged with finding ways of reducing the marriage breakdown numbers.

The group was told many married couples knew little about their commitments to their in-laws or their financial obligations after divorce.

“We have to make sure people know what they’re getting into,” said the national federation of Catholic family associations.

Not everyone has endorsed the initiative, however.

François de Singly, a sociology professor at Paris Descartes University, dismissed as naive the idea that a better grasp of the law would strengthen marriages.

“It’s not the marriage that produces the divorce. It’s ultimately the absence of love or the waning of love,” he said.

“Why is the state getting involved in this? It would be a total intrusion into private life. If the government imposes preparation or a sort of entrance exam for civil marriage, it will not reinforce marriage. I fear it could destabilise it further.”

French voters go to the polls in four months to elect a President and some see the timing of the move as a bid to attract family values voters to Mr Sarkozy's cause.

Mr Sarkozy, who has been divorced twice, dismissed reports last week that he might include same-sex marriage in his election manifesto.

Children "uncertain" about gender to be given puberty-delaying injections

2012-01-31T00:14:00.008Z

Six children in Britain are to be given hormone injections to delay the onset of puberty because they and their parents believe they suffer from gender-identity-disorder.

The monthly injections will postpone the physical changes of adolescence, giving the children more time to make decisions about their identity. It will also make any sex-change operation easier if they decide to permanently change to their preferred gender.

Meanwhile the parents of another child in Britain have decided to reveal the sex of their five-year-old boy. They had previously hidden it so that the child could decide his preferred gender and not have it ‘imposed’ upon him by society.

In the case of the six children, the injections will be carried out at a gender identity issues clinic in North London run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust as part of an NHS trial. It will be the first time children aged between 12 and 15 have ever been given this treatment in the UK.

Amy, 11, who renamed herself Charlie, is one of the children who has been accepted on the ground-breaking trial. According to her parents Kathy and Jamie from Torbay, Amy was a tomboy from birth. She insisted on wearing boy's clothes, would cry if placed in a dress, and would only play with toy cards and Spiderman figures.

Her mother was not overly worried but at the age of five, Amy asked her, "When is my willy going to grow?"

Last September, on Charlie's insistence, Kathy allowed her daughter to start secondary school as a boy.

"I feel braver," Charlie told The Sunday Times Magazine. "Boys can be a bit braver than girls."

Now with puberty looming, his mother agreed to pause the process using drugs.

"He cannot relate to his female body at all," Kathy said. "He's in denial."

Until now, the jabs have only been prescribed to those over 16.

However, supporters point out that nearly a quarter of sufferers aged 11 to 15 harm themselves or attempt suicide.

The injections contain drugs called hypothalamic blockers that suppress their sex hormones delaying the onset of puberty.

In the past 10 years they have been increasingly used in countries such as the US and the Netherlands to give children time to think about their identity.

Dr Polly Carmichael, director of Tavistock's Gender Identity Development Service, told The Sunday Times Magazine that social conditioning in childhood may play some part.

“If there weren't pejoratives attached, for example, to boys who prefer more stereotypical girl-type activities and clothes, then it would be so much easier for these children to explore different ways of being without feeling they have to be physically one thing or the other."

Meanwhile, the English couple who have finally revealed the sex of their five-year-old boy explained their reasons for hiding it until now. Beck Laxton, 46, and partner Kieran Cooper, 44, decided not to reveal baby Sasha's gender in the hope it would let his 'real' personality shine through.

They referred to Sasha as, “the infant" and only allowed their child to play with 'gender-neutral toys' in their television-free home.

During the first five years of his life, Sasha has alternated between girls' and boys' outfits, leaving friends, playmates and relatives guessing.

But Beck and Kieran have finally revealed his masculinity to the world after it became harder to conceal when Sasha started primary school.

Beck, a web editor, told Cambridge News: "I wanted to avoid all that stereotyping. Stereotypes seem fundamentally stupid. Why would you want to slot people into boxes?”

Beck and Kieran, from Sawston, Cambidgeshire, were so desperate not to ‘prejudice’ Sasha's life with ‘gender stereotypes’ they didn't ask midwives his sex until 30 minutes after he was born. Only a handful of immediate family members were told of the baby's sex.

"I don't think I'd do it if I thought it was going to make him unhappy, but at the moment he's not really bothered either way. We haven't had any difficult scenarios yet. Nobody's ever mentioned it and I would hope that if they actually said something to Sasha, he'd be confident enough to make a good response."

In May 2011, parents Kathy Witterick and David Stocker, from Canada, vowed to raise their baby Storm as a gender-neutral child sparking worldwide discussion.

Dr Daragh Mc Dermott, a psychology lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University, said the psychological effect of raising a gender-neutral child is not yet known.

He said, "It's hard to say whether being raised gender-neutral will have any immediate or long-term psychological consequences for a child, purely because to date there is little empirical research examining this topic.

"That being said, the family setting is only one source of gender-specific information and as children grow, their self-identity as male, female or gender-neutral will be influenced by school, socialisation with other children and adults, as well as mass media. As a child grows they develop their own independent sense of self that will include their own individual gender identification."

Vatican newspaper critiques new book by Italian historian

2012-01-31T00:13:00.008Z

L’Osservatore Romano has published a strongly negative review of La Chiesa Contro [The Church Against], a new book by Sergio and Beda Romano that blames the Church for hindering Italy from attaining the “peaks of progressivism” found in other European countries.

Sergio Romano, an 82-year-old former ambassador to NATO, is a journalist and historian; Beda, his son, is also a journalist.

“Is it really so difficult to believe that the applications of technoscience or the juridical acceptance of homosexual unions do not constitute a test of modernity, but rather give rise to anthropological problems because they transform our culture, and thus that it is good that they are the object of reflection and debate, and even of a prudent suspension of judgment?” writes reviewer Lucetta Scaraffia.

“The Catholic Church is of course the one global institution that dares to express a critical judgment on a deliberately superficial ‘progressivist’ trend,” Scaraffia adds.

“She is the only one that dares to denounce the possible negative consequences of these innovations, that essentially dares to stimulate a discussion to make people think and to ask for true reasons.”

Christians offer 'beacon of hope' in recession

2012-01-31T00:12:00.006Z

Parishes of all denominations in the Mullingar area united as one Christian community last weekend in order to face the challenge of how Christians can offer practical support to those struggling to cope in the current financial climate.

Christian Voices Together, an initiative launched in Christian Unity Week last year by local Christian churches, hosted a conference attended by 120 people from all denominations who wanted to work together to help their community through financial austerity.

''The conference is a significant beacon of hope for our community,'' said Rev. Alastair Graham, chairperson of the group.

''Christianity in practice makes a difference to peoples' lives. We hope to clearly identify what needs to be done in the Mullingar area.''

''We need confidence in ourselves and confidence in the Good News,'' said Fr John Nally of Ballynacargy parish.

''If one Church was doing it, people would say fair enough, but when all Christian communities come together, society says that's different, that's something we need. It's a powerful sign that something new is there.''

When asked if this initiative could become a national Christian movement, Fr Nally said it was a very locally based project, ''but there is no reason why people can't do the same thing in their own area, if they have the heart for it and are prepared to work together''.

A local woman, Rosemary Horan shared her personal story with the conference on the devastating effects of the recession on her family and her own mental health.

Rev. Graham addressed the conference on the ''toxin of individualism'' saying that the promotion of self-discovery, ''confused people by saying all they need and require they have within themselves, if they only recognise it''.

''Christians have a much richer appreciation of dependence on community life. We all brothers and sisters in a spiritual way, united in Christ. Can we reclaim, promote and support community life?'' he asked.

Following prayers and reflections, the conference then broke into working groups to propose positive ideas for the community to action.

The three main proposals which are being brought forward to steering groups next week is to establish a central point where Christians can meet, share ideas and offer support to those in need, to create opportunities to communicate Christian values locally, and to host a youth forum to get young people involved in the initiative.

New DVD to save couples' blushes

2012-01-31T00:11:00.007Z

A pre-marriage agency is issuing a DVD for intending couples to assist those reluctant to talk about sexual issues in a group setting.

In an attempt to deal with those couples who are embarrassed at the notion of sharing intimate details while taking a pre-marriage course, the Avalon agency has formulated its DVD to offer the full content of a course for couples to study in their own home.

This way, Avalon director David Kavanagh told The Irish Catholic this week, ''people don't have to face invasive questions in front of a group of strangers''.

''I have heard horror stories about what people have been asked to reveal about their relationship,'' Kavanagh explained, ''such as how often they would have sex once married or if they intended to have kids.''

It was having witnessed for himself the awkwardness of some participants during courses that he came up with his DVD idea.

The new DVD offers a range of topics of relevance to soon-to-be married couples, such as chores, in-laws, finances and diet. It includes input from professional therapists.

Kavanagh stresses that the DVD is not designed to replace a pre-marriage course, and only by engaging with a follow-on questionnaire linked with the DVD content can a couple gain their course certificate.

He also acknowledged that a group dynamic is what some people want in signing up for a pre-marriage course.

''But others look at the floor and wish it would open up and swallow them'' when asked certain questions.

Of Avalon's approach to certain issues on a course with the agency, Kavanagh said: ''We don't ask people individually to speak. We invite people to talk, and that way they only answer if they wish.''

Avalon also offers a free downloadable booklet on sex and marriage from its website www.avalonrc.com

Irish nun named in top ten list

2012-01-31T00:10:00.006Z

An Irish nun has been named as one of the top ten people of the year by Inside the Vatican, a monthly Catholic news magazine.

Sr Patricia Murray IBVM was honoured for her work through the Solidarity With South Sudan (SSS) project.

Established by religious from 170 Catholic congregations and led by Sr Murray, SSS has ensured that thousands in South Sudan have been able to live with dignity despite their country's poverty.

The people of 2011 list includes people from all walks of life who are marked by a common characteristic of humility according to the magazine.

''We feel the people we have chosen all fittingly represent that courage, that nobility of spirit, that gentleness of heart, which bears witness to the presence of faith, of the Holy Spirit, in our midst.''

Other people honoured on the list include Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiung, for defending religious freedom in China, and Marino Restrepo from Colombia who became a Catholic lay missionary after his release from kidnappers.

10 Years Later: Clergy Response to the Sex Abuse Scandal (Comment)

2012-01-31T00:09:00.008Z

This January marked the 10th anniversary of the clergy sex abuse scandal that rocked the foundations of the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian denominations.

What began as a series of news reports in the Boston Globe about six Roman Catholic priests and the cover-up arranged by Cardinal Law led to accusations against Christian leaders across the United States and internationally.

Ten years after the scandal erupted, clergy sexual abuse has been reported everywhere from Austria to Australia, and while it remains the case that only a small percentage of Christian clergy perpetrate sexual abuse, the effects of this small number of individuals is felt, at some level, by every Christian and by clergy trying to understand what the scandal means for them as leaders.

While they don't make news headlines, the majority of priests and pastors across denominations do not commit abuse, and this group of individuals take their vocation very seriously. They dedicate their lives to bringing Christianity's hope to their communities, to allowing God's light to permeate the darkness.

What effect, then, has the sexual abuse scandal in the Church had on them?

Clergy realize that one of the most prominent ramifications of the scandal is the way in which the safety of the Church is no longer assumed.

Ten years ago, many people, including clergy, assumed the church was a safe place for all people, including children, just as prior to Sept. 11, a certain amount of airport security was assumed in the United States that we no longer take for granted, as we remove our shoes at security checkpoints, stand in full-body scanners and submit to questioning by TSA officials.

Likewise, clergy ordained prior to the sex abuse scandal remember a time when the Church was an assumed safe place.

Today, that assumption is not made in the same way.

As a result, many clergy have felt disempowered, disheartened and spiritually bereft during the past decade.

Discovering a colleague abused another person raises basic questions for them about who to trust and how to balance punishment with rehabilitation when dealing with the offender.

They also wonder how best to assist victims and whether victims will ever be able to trust them and the Church given their previous experiences.

Clergy also face the ramifications of false accusations.

Though most people who accuse another of misconduct tell the truth, when a pastor hears about colleagues falsely accused many feel afraid for their own futures:

What if I am accused of something I did not do?

What if I become the person who engages in misconduct?

What if my bishop or superior protects an abuser?

As a result, many clergy worry in a way they never did 20 years ago about whether or not it's okay to have a conversation with a parishioner and close the door to their office; they worry about whether or not to hug a young child; they worry about the trustworthiness of their colleagues, superiors and the church at large.

The past 10 years have allowed clergy to witness the truth about sexual misconduct, but, contrary to what the biblical text says, that truth hasn't always set them free.

As Susan Brison, a survivor of a sexual assault and attempted murder, has written, "It has been hard for me, as a philosopher, to learn the lesson that knowledge isn't always desirable, that the truth doesn't always set you free. Sometimes, it fills you with incapacitating terror and, then, uncontrollable rage."

While this truth has a deep and abiding effect on many clergy, one of the things I have noticed about my colleagues is that they refuse to let terror and rage have the last word.

Seeking, as their vocation calls them to do, to bring light to even the darkest places, many clergy sought to restore confidence in the Church through facing the reality of sexual misconduct and educating themselves.

Today, many engage in a variety of training sessions designed for themselves, lay leaders and congregants.

Across denominations, they attend programs like Safe Church that train them about appropriate interactions with the people entrusted to their care.

These programs allow clergy to recognize the signs of misconduct, so that they can prevent sexual abuse in themselves or their peers before harm occurs to another human being.

And hopefully, that knowledge becomes power.

It becomes the light that shines in the darkness. Because while clergy can't return to a time when sexual misconduct was not part of the Christian vocabulary or ignore the reality that leaders have harmed many in the Church, sometimes in ways so deep that healing is never fully experienced in this life, they want to assist survivors and prevent further abuse however they can.

In that conviction, I believe, lies the hope, and the future, of the Church.

Pope names interfaith-dialogue promoter as Karachi archbishop

2012-01-31T00:08:00.008Z

Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday appointed Joseph Coutts as archbishop of Karachi, the Pakistani sprawling southern port city where Christians have been the target of religious violence, the Vatican announced.

He succeeds Evarist Pinto, who resigned after reaching the age limit of 75 years old.

The late Pope John Paul II in 1998 appointed Coutts Bishop of Faisalabad, an industrial city in the centre of Pakistan.

The Catholic University of Eichstatt-Ingolstadt in Germany awarded Coutts the 2007 Shalom Prize for his commitment to interfaith dialogue in Pakistan. Coutts says he has received death threats from Muslim extremists his work.

As Karachi's archbishop, Coutts, 66, will oversee the 150,000 Catholics and 40 priests in Pakistan's largest city where almost all of the metropolis' 15 million people are Muslim.

The Vatican has spoken out against persecution of Pakistan's religious minorities, with particular emphasis on Christians who have been raped and murdered, and some say jailed for their beliefs.

In 2009, an 11-year-old boy in Karachi died after being shot in the head and others were killed and injured at the hands of armed gangs who demanded them to convert to Islam.

Pakistan's blasphemy laws have criticised for being used as a tool to persecute non-Muslims by jailing them for allegedly defaming Islam.

Ninety-five percent of Pakistanis are Muslim, mainly Sunnis.

Christians and Hindus make up approximately 5 percent of Pakistan's 177 million people.

Cardinal-Designate O’Brien Speaks About What’s Next For Baltimore Parishes

2012-01-31T00:07:00.013Z

The leader of Baltimore’s Archdiocese is now weeks away from becoming cardinal.

Wednesday marked the first public appearance of Edwin O’Brien in Baltimore since the announcement from the Pope.

Fresh in from Rome, cardinal-designate Edwin O’Brien held a news conference in Baltimore.

He was surrounded by portraits of Baltimore archbishops who have risen to the position of cardinal like he is about to.

“It’s just nice to be in a hall of fame like this,” O’Brien said.

On Jan. 6, he was in Rome when the Pope made the announcement.

“He went through a list of 22 names and my name was No. 8. It was exciting,” he said.

O’Brien’s short tenure in Baltimore was sometimes controversial. He closed Catholic schools with loss enrollment, and Wednesday, he addressed another controversial issue– same-sex marriage.

“Thirty states where legislatures have passed this, the people’s vote has voided it, has knocked it down,” he said. “And we have every reason to believe that we have a strong grassroots coalition here that will uphold the sanctity of marriage.”

O’Brien’s successor should be named in the next two to three weeks. He says the next leader of the Baltimore Archdiocese must focus on increasing the number of local priests and nuns, and to continue the difficult task of consolidating parishes with dwindling populations.

“If we are going to keep strong parish life, vibrant parish life, we have to make sure that we aren’t struggling along with churches half-filled and wondering what’s going to happen tomorrow,” he said.

O’Brien left Baltimore Wednesday night for a special mission to Haiti.

He then goes to Rome for the ceremony on Feb. 18 where he will officially become a cardinal and get his red hat.

He will return to Baltimore in March to lead his first mass as cardinal at the Cathedral of

Mary Our Queen.

O’Brien is the 15th archbishop of Baltimore.

Pope Benedict XVI appointed him grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in August.

He has served in the caretaker role of apostolic administrator in Baltimore since then.

Pope to Donate Golden Rose to Cuba's Patron Saint

2012-01-31T00:06:00.011Z

Pope Benedict XVI will donate a golden rose to the statue of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, the patroness of Cuba, during his March 26-28 visit to the island, Cuban officials told Efe on Tuesday.

The same sources said that the pontiff will likely meet with Fidel Castro during his stay in Havana.

The meeting could take place during the traditional visit the pope usually makes to the head of state - in this case, Fidel's younger brother Raúl - and to his family.

Though Fidel, 85, left power in 2006 due to a serious illness, he continues to be a dignitary of the highest importance, and for that reason, the officials said, the meeting is likely to take place, in the same way that Benedict XVI met with former Chancellor Helmut Kohl on his trip to Germany last September.

Fidel Castro considers Benedict XVI "a good person" and several years ago told a top Vatican official, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who was visiting the island at the time, that the pope has "the face of an angel."

On that occasion, Fidel asked Bertone to convey his invitation to the pope to visit Cuba.

The same sources also told Efe on Tuesday that it is highly probable that President Raul Castro will attend the Mass that the pontiff will officiate in the Plaza de la Revolucion in Havana, just as Fidel Castro did when Pope John Paul II visited the island in 1998.

What does not seem probable is Fidel Castro's attendance at the Mass, since, officials said, everybody would be looking at him because it would be his first public appearance in months.

In addition, the exhaustion from staying several hours in the sun would not be good for his health, they said.

Benedict XVI will arrive March 26 at the airport in Santiago de Cuba, the first stop on his visit to the island, and will be received by Raul Castro and other officials.

In the city's main square he will officiate a Mass and afterwards will travel to El Cobre, where he will stay near the sanctuary of Our Lady of Charity at a priests' residence.

The golden rose will presumably be bestowed during the pope's visit to the patroness of Cuba at her sanctuary in El Cobre on the southwestern part of the island, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the finding of her statue.

John Paul II crowned Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre as patroness of Cuba on Jan. 24, 1998, during a Mass attended by 200,000 faithful.

Top archbishop 'denounces Vatican corruption'

2012-01-31T00:05:00.008Z

A top Vatican official who is now the envoy to Washington denounced corruption and waste in the management of the Holy See in letters to Pope Benedict XVI, Italian media reported on Wednesday.

Carlo Maria Vigano was secretary general of the governorate of the Vatican -- the person in charge of the administration -- until October, when he was named ambassador to the United States in what was seen as a demotion.

In extracts from the letters published in Corriere della Sera and Libero, Vigano said he had faced a "disastrous" situation when he became head of the governorate in 2009 and said his transfer to Washington was "punishment".

"My transfer is causing disarray and discouragement among those who believed it was possible to resolve the numerous situations of corruption and waste" in the Vatican, he reportedly said in one letter to the pope in March 2011.

Much of his criticism was focused on a Vatican financial committee that includes the head of the Vatican bank, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi. He said the bankers were favouring "their interests" more than the Vatican's.

In one financial operation by the bankers that went wrong, the Vatican made a net loss of 2.5 million euros ($3.2 million), the archbishops said.

He was also highly critical of the cost of basic technical services and said construction contracts for Vatican buildings were always going to the same companies for tariffs that were more than twice as high as in Italy.

He said other cardinals in the Vatican "knew the situation well".

The reports said that Vigano's reforms helped bring the governorate, which includes the Vatican Museums, from a deficit of eight-million euros ($10.4 million) in 2009 to a profit of 34.4 million euros the following year.

Vigano enforced drastic budget cuts, for example for the tending of the Vatican's gardens or for the traditional Nativity scene on Saint Peter's square whose budget went down from 550,000 euros in 2009 to 200,000 euros.

Corriere della Sera said that Vigano encountered hostility and had decided to turn to Benedict because of the pope's stated desire for more transparency.

But the report said that Vigano's move -- as well as a demand by the prelate to meet with his detractors face to face -- had backfired badly.

Bishop urges recognition of journalists' contribution

2012-01-31T00:04:00.007Z

Society must recognise the, “valuable work that journalists undertake and their contribution to the common good,” Bishop Denis Brennan of Ferns said in a statement issued to mark the Feast of St Francis de Sales, the Patron Saint of journalists.

Bishop Brennan made his comments in a statement he issued with Bishop John McAreavey of Dromore as co-chairs of the Council for Communications of the Irish Bishops' Conference to welcome the release of Pope Benedict’s 2012 message for World Day of Social Communications.

The theme for this year’s Communications Day message is, Silence and Word: Path of Evangelisation.

The 45th World Day of Social Communications will be celebrated on Sunday May 20, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord and the Sunday before the Solemnity of Pentecost.

The text of Pope Benedict’s message is issued annually to coincide with the Feast of St Francis de Sales.

Commenting on the newly released papal message, Bishop McAreavey said, “For Catholics the human person is at the core of all our communications each day.”

He said the theme chosen by Pope Benedict reminded us that behind all of the technology surrounding us on a daily basis are human beings who are constantly searching for answers to life’s questions.

“The Holy Father reminds us of the importance and value of silence and says, ‘if we are to recognise and focus upon the truly important questions, then silence is a precious commodity that enables us to exercise proper discernment in the face of the surcharge of stimuli and data that we receive’.”

Welcoming the Pope's message, Bishop Denis Brennan noted that World Communications Day is the only worldwide celebration called for by the Second Vatican Council.

In his message, Pope Benedict shares a number of reflections on aspects of the human process of communication, which he suggests, are often overlooked, namely the relationship between silence and word.

These two aspects of communication need to be kept in balance, to alternate and to be integrated with one another, the Pontiff suggests, if authentic dialogue and deep closeness between people are to be achieved.

“When word and silence become mutually exclusive, communication breaks down, either because it gives rise to confusion or because, on the contrary, it creates an atmosphere of coldness; when they complement one another, however, communication acquires value and meaning”, the Pope comments in his message.

Learning to communicate is learning to listen and contemplate as well as to speak the Pope underlines.

This, he says, is especially important for those engaged in the task of evangelisation: both silence and word are essential elements, integral to the Church’s work of communication for the sake of a renewed proclamation of Christ in today’s world.

He suggests that attention should be paid to the various types of websites, applications and social networks that can help people to find time for reflection and authentic questioning, as well as making space for silence and occasions for prayer, meditation or sharing of the word of God.

Drawing from a private prayer at the Holy House in Loreto (September 1 2007) the Pontiff urges the faithful to look to Mary whose silence "listens to the Word and causes it to blossom.”

Previous themes addressed by Pope Benedict in his messages for World Communications Day have been, The Media: A Network for Communication, Communion and Cooperation (2006); Children and the Media: a Challenge for Education (2007); The Media: At the Crossroads between Self-Promotion and Service. Searching for the Truth in order to Share it with Others (2008); New Technologies, New Relationships. Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship (2009); The priest and pastoral ministry in a digital world: new media at the service of the Word (2010), and; Truth, proclamation and authenticity of life in the digital age (2011).

Archbishop Carey attacks bishops over benefit cap

2012-01-31T00:03:00.007Z

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has criticised Church of England bishops for opposing the government’s £26,000-a-year cap on benefits.

Writing in the Daily Mail, he says the scale of the UK’s debt is the “greatest moral scandal” facing the country.

He says the welfare system is “fuelling vices and impoverishing us all’, and accuses the bishops of ignoring popular opinion by opposing the cap.

The government has insisted it will press ahead with the policy.

It wants to cap benefits at £500 a week for working-age families – equivalent to the average wage of £26,000 earned by working households – and £350 a week for single adults without children.

But five bishops, led by the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Rt Rev John Packer, tabled an amendment to the Welfare Reform Bill, arguing that the cap discriminated against families with several children.

They called for child benefit to be excluded from it – and were backed by Lib Dem, Labour and crossbench peers in the House of Lords on Monday, meaning the amendment was carried by 252 votes to 237.

But writing in the Daily Mail, Lord Carey – who was Archbishop of Canterbury between 1991 and 2002 – said the bishops “cannot lay claim to the moral high-ground”.

“Considering that the system they are defending can mean some families are be able to claim a total £50,000 a year in welfare benefits, the bishops must have known that popular opinion was against them, including that of many hard-working, hard-pressed churchgoers,” he wrote.

“The sheer scale of our public debt – which hit £1tn yesterday – is the greatest moral scandal facing Britain today. If we can’t get the deficit under control and begin paying back this debt, we will be mortgaging the future of our children and grandchildren.”

Lord Carey praised the efforts of Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith – whom he called a “committed Christian” – to overhaul a benefits system which, at its worst, “rewards fecklessness and irresponsibility”.

Welsh stained glass windows go online

2012-01-31T00:02:00.006Z

More than 2,000 images of stained glass windows in churches across Wales have been made available for viewing online for the first time.

The database showcases windows from the medieval to the modern, and are an ideal resource for people interested in church history.

The windows have been photographed and catalogued online as part of a project by the University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies.

The archive includes imported continental glass, work by the large Victorian firms and artists of the arts and crafts movement, and more recent windows by artists trained and based in Wales from the second half of the twentieth century up to the present day.

Visitors to the website can search for windows thematically by date, artist or location.

Funding for the project ended before a full survey of all stained glass in Welsh churches could be completed, but the centre hopes that the catalogue will be expanded in the future.

The project was initiated by the artist and photographer Martin Crampin.

He said: “Stained glass is part of the visual vocabulary of many of our churches, and a pictorial manifestation of the church’s faith and tradition. Yet often little is known of the artists or studios that made them, and sometimes the meaning of the windows is unclear to those that worship in their midst today.”

On the web: stainedglass.llgc.org.uk

Robert Carlyle to 'give it up' for Lent campaign

2012-01-31T00:01:00.009Z

Iconic Scottish actor Robert Carlyle is doing his bit for impoverished communities this Lent by giving up coffee.

The Trainspotting star will be donating the money he would have normally spent on his daily cuppa to SCIAF's 2012 Wee Box, Big Change campaign.

The campaign is Scotland's largest annual international development campaign and runs through Lent.

Singing sensation Susan Boyle will launch the campaign for a second year running on Ash Wednesday, on 22 February.

The campaign invites people to give up some of their favourites, like chocolate, coffee or cakes over the 40 days of Lent and donate the money they save to SCIAF's work in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Carlyle called on fellow Scots to join the campaign and make a real difference in reducing global poverty.

He said: “SCIAF helps some of the poorest people in the world to work their way out of poverty. They give a hand up, not a hand out, providing practical help such as seeds, tools and training so that people can feed themselves and their families, not just today but in the future.

“This Lent, I’m giving up coffee and putting the money I save into my WEE BOX. Please join me. Give up something for Lent and put what you would have spent into your SCIAF Wee Box. Together we will change the lives of some of the poorest people in the world.”

Other stars backing the campaign are Kaye Adams, the Proclaimers, Darren Fletcher, Ally McCoist and Michelle Mone.

SCIAF’s Head of Education and Communications Philippa Bonella said: “SCIAF is totally star-struck by the fabulous support the Wee Box, Big Change campaign is receiving from superstars like Robert and Susan."

"We are extremely grateful to them and the many other famous Scots for their support and we sincerely hope it will encourage more and more people to back the campaign. Every penny raised will be spent wisely to maximise the practical support we can provide to people living in extreme poverty overseas.”

Last year the campaign raised over £900,000 to help SCIAF provide vulnerable people affected by conflict, hunger, poverty, and disease with practical support including seeds, tools and livestock to poor farmers, skills training and small loans to help people generate an income, and healthcare and trauma counselling to those affected by war.

Eucharistic Congress 2012 - Prayer

2012-01-31T00:00:00.000Z

Lord Jesus,
You were sent by the Father
to gather together those who are scattered.

You came among us, doing good and bringing healing,
announcing the Word of salvation
and giving the Bread which lasts forever.

Be our companion on life’s pilgrim way.

May your Holy Spirit inflame our hearts,
enliven our hope and open our minds,
so that together with our sisters and brothers in faith
we may recognise you in the Scriptures
and in the breaking of bread.

May your Holy Spirit transform us into one body
and lead us to walk humbly on the earth,
in justice and love,
as witnesses of your resurrection.

In communion with Mary,
whom you gave to us as our Mother
at the foot of the cross,
through you
may all praise, honour and blessing be to the Father
in the Holy Spirit and in the Church,
Now and forever.

Amen

Former priest jailed for three years for possession of illegal images of children

2012-01-30T00:27:00.006Z

A former priest has been jailed for three years today after gardaí found evidence of 65,000 graphic images of children on his laptop.

Oliver O’Grady, who used to live at Charlemont House in Dublin 2, admitted three counts of possession of child pornography, after leaving his computer on a flight from Amsterdam.

He was sentenced at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Oliver O'Grady was a priest in the US for 30 years before being convicted of abusing two children in California.

After serving a seven-year sentence, he was laicised by the church and deported from America.

The 66-year-old returned to live in Ireland and was flying from Amsterdam to Dublin in 2010 when he left a laptop on his flight containing graphic images of children.

Gardaí traced him to a hostel in Dublin, where they found thousands more photos, videos and audio of child porn, stored on hard drives and usb keys.

The judge at Dublin Circuit Court jailed O'Grady for three years, saying the former priest, described as socially isolated, seemed to have a serious problem, and his time in American prison had not rehabilitated him.

Glenstal Abbey to take day pupils

2012-01-30T00:26:00.005Z

ONE OF the country’s most prestigious boarding schools is to take day pupils for the first time.

Glenstal Abbey in Murroe, Co Limerick, has confirmed that day students are to be accepted in the school from this September.

At the moment the Benedictine -run school is one of the last three full-time boarding schools for boys remaining in the country, along with Roscrea and Clongowes.

Br Martin Browne, principal of the school run by Benedictine monks, said the cost for a day pupil would be a bit below €10,000.

“They will stay for games, study and supper after school and go home about 7pm in the evening so they would have most of the same experiences as the regular seven-day boarders. That’s why we are calling it day boarders and not day students,” said Br Browne.

However, he said that “the move is not in response to falling numbers due to the recession”.

By making the decision to accept day boarders they hope to make it possible for a wider group of people to attend than previously.

Glenstal was second in last year’s Sunday Times list of the top 400 schools in the country and its fees for a boarder are €15,100 per annum.

It was also one of the top feeder schools to high points courses and to UCD and TCD last year.

The secondary school for boys opened in Barrington castle in September 1932 with just seven pupils. It now caters for 200.

The castle was built for the Barrington family in the 1830s, who sold the property during the War of Independence.

As the school grew, it expanded beyond Barrington castle and now has modern dormitories and refectories, a large sports hall and computing facilities.

It is on an estate of about 500 acres which contains farmland, forestry, games fields, lakes and gardens as well as the school and monastery buildings.

Winning people’s trust back after scandals is key – newly-ordained US cleric

2012-01-30T00:25:00.005Z

For years this country sent priests overseas to save souls -- now one American has come here to take his vows and return the favour.

But despite being born and raised in the US Midwest, Shane Sullivan (28) is just one generation removed, the son of an Irish emigrant who speaks the native tongue fluently.

Yesterday he was ordained a deacon in St Patrick's College Maynooth, Co Meath.

After arriving here four years ago, Shane has taken the final step to becoming a priest, ahead of his full ordination in June.

His US accent is also peppered with the local vocabulary of Tuam, Co Galway, where he studies, not far from his father's home village of Kilkieran, Connemara.

"I only came once before, when I was 16. I fell in love with the country and the people especially," Rev O'Sullivan told the Irish Independent immediately after his ordination ceremony yesterday.

He decided he wanted to be a priest while still in his early 20s and spent a number of years studying in a seminary in Minnesota where he grew up, before deciding to cross the Atlantic.

"I remember reading a couple of articles when I was studying in the States about the troubles that the Irish Church is having and it really moved me and inspired me to come and help out, even the little bit that I am able to contribute to the renewal of the church in this country," he explained.

Watching on yesterday were Rev O'Sullivan's father Bart and mother Kathleen, who is originally from Chicago.

Once ordained, the young priest will be assigned to a parish in Galway or Mayo and admits that he faces a challenging time amid the much-changed position of the Catholic Church in Irish society.

"There's plenty of other challenges to being a priest in Ireland right now in winning people's trust back after the scandals and re-establishing a bit of integrity."

Damien Lynch, from Coolea in Co Cork, was also ordained a deacon for the Diocese of Cloyne in yesterday's ceremony.

And at a separate ceremony, a former welder swapped his tools for a prayer book when he was ordained into the priesthood by Cardinal Sean Brady yesterday.

The Cistercian Community in Mellifont in Co Louth formally welcomed Brother Joe (Larry) Ryan (55) into their community.

Br Joseph, who has worked at Mellifont Abbey for a number of years, is originally from the village of Littleton near Thurles in Co Tipperary.

Before deciding to take his vows, he worked at John J Dwyers Steel Plant in Dundrum, Co Tipperary, for some years.

His mother Margaret Ryan attended yesterdays ordination, along with eight of his siblings.

Student union attempts to restrict pro-life talks

2012-01-30T00:24:00.010Z

Students at University College London will vote on a motion this month which would force Catholic chaplaincies to invite pro-abortion speakers to pro-life discussions.

The motion says: “Any future open events focusing on the issue of termination invite an anti-choice speaker and a pro-choice speaker as well as an independent chair, to ensure there is a balance to the argument.”

Students will vote on a pro-abortion motion which could mean the student union adopting an official pro-abortion stance and formally affiliating itself to the organisation Abortion Rights.

The motion notes: “On October 31 2011, UCLU Catholic Society advertised a ‘discussion’ around the issue of abortion which consisted of one pro-life speaker. It is also noted that people who held opposing views were invited to attend.”

The motion continues: “An official pro-choice policy would not prevent students who disagree with termination on ethical or religious grounds from exercising their right not to seek a termination. Pro-choice policy encourages students to make well-informed decisions regarding their bodies and their futures. When clubs and societies invite pro-life speakers they should also invite a pro-choice speaker to balance the debate and vice versa.”

Liam O’Hara, a PhD student at University College London, said she was “disturbed” by the resolution.

She said: “Not only did it propose that the UCL union adopts an official pro-choice stance and affiliates with the Abortion Rights UK organisation, but that it requires any student society to inform the Union when it proposes to hold events on the topic of abortion. The draconian measures continue, requiring that the societies must provide an independent chair and a pro-abortion speaker against the pro-life speaker."

“These measures will allow the union to curtail the freedom of speech and freedom of association of any pro-life or Catholic society at UCL wishing to discuss the topic of abortion. In order to continue to act according to their consciences, such student societies will have to disaffiliate with the union and meet off-campus. The spirit of the resolutions are completely hostile to any contradictory point of view: to be pro-life is a form of secular heresy in the Union’s view. Furthermore, they are patronising bright UCL students who come to university in order to be challenged."

“If the union is successful, I would encourage students who object to opt-out of Union membership and boycott the union’s facilities.”

Chaplain says Mexican officials committed sacrilege at prison chapel

2012-01-30T00:23:00.008Z

A prison chaplain in northern Mexico accused soldiers and police of committing sacrilege as they tore apart his chapel during an early morning raid meant to uncover drugs and weapons.

Father Robert Coogan, an American priest based in Saltillo, Mexico, 190 miles southwest of the Texas border at Laredo, said soldiers and police burst into the Christ the Prisoner Chapel, "broke open the tabernacle and threw the hosts to the ground and walked on them."

"The prison has been searched before, but the soldiers or police never committed sacrilege," Father Coogan said in an email to Catholic News Service.

Bishop Raul Vera Lopez of Saltillo expressed his displeasure with the Jan. 24 raid and sacrilege, saying in a statement issued the same day, "No possible explanation exists that justifies what happened."

"We're deeply outraged by these acts because, in addition to attacking the faith of the majority of the Mexican people, they violate the rights of religious freedom," said the statement distributed by the Diocese of Saltillo.

Bishop Vera has promised to celebrate Mass Jan. 27 outside the prison for those wishing to protest the sacrilege.

For the past decade, Father Coogan has ministered to inmates in the Saltillo lockup, where conditions have deteriorated to the point that Los Zetas, the cartel of soldiers-turned-enforcers, wield authority over the prison population.

The National Human Rights Commission said last year in its most recent prison survey that "self-rule" was present in the facility. The warden was murdered in a hit outside of the prison in December.

Coahuila state officials told reporters the raid was carried out at the request of the administration of Gov. Ruben Moreira Valdez. The governor, along with his brother, former Gov. Humberto Moreira Valdez, have been at odds with Bishop Vera and the Diocese of Saltillo.

The diocese said the more than 450 soldiers and police found "150 grams" (5.25 ounces) of synthetic drugs, cans of beer, hard liquor and more than 100 knives, along with refrigerators, TVs, video game consoles, microwave ovens and approximately $400 in cash.

Father Coogan said prisoners always have had appliances, which are permitted and used to keep and prepare food brought by family members -- who, in Mexico, often end up feeding their imprisoned loved ones.

"The poor families who sacrifice to make the life of their imprisoned members a little easier are the most affected" by the raid, he said.

Rep. Smith: HHS mandate is attempt to end Catholic health care

2012-01-30T00:22:00.006Z

Representative Chris Smith thinks that the Obama administration’s decision to force religious organizations to purchase health insurance plans in violation of their consciences is an attempt to force “Catholic health care to cease to be.”

“That’s the end goal here. I think we have to be very blunt about it,” he said in a Jan. 23 interview with CNA.

The Republican congressman from New Jersey also responded to President Barack Obama’s Jan. 22 statement on the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion in the United States.

President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to abortion, which he called a “fundamental constitutional right.”

He added that the 1973 decision “also affirms a broader principle: that government should not intrude on private family matters.”

Rep. Smith said that President Obama’s statement reveals his “bigotry and prejudice against the unborn child,” whom he fails to include as a family member.

He also observed that the president’s professed commitment to avoid interfering with the private matters of citizens is inconsistent with his administration’s Jan. 20 decision to require virtually all health care plans to cover sterilization and contraception – including abortion-causing drugs – at no cost.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also announced that its finalized “preventative services” mandate would not contain an expanded religious exemption for employers who object to its requirements on religious grounds.

Since it was first proposed, the religious exemption policy has been harshly criticized as being too narrow.

The overwhelming majority of religious organizations will not qualify for the exemption, which applies only to organizations that exist for the purpose of inculcating religious values and that primarily serve and employ members of their own faith.

Rep. Smith said that the mandate violates the conscience rights not only of those who object to contraception, but also those who object to abortion.

The early abortion drugs Plan B and Ella are included in the “preventative services” that insurance companies are required to cover.

The congressman warned that the “misguided” policy might be a foreshadowing of further coercive abortion policies in the future.

He explained that during the heath care overhaul debate, Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) offered the preventive health care amendment, upon which the HHS mandate is based.

Sen. Mikulski was asked during the debate if she would exclude abortion as a “preventative service” and she said no.

Rep. Smith said this illustrates a move toward saying that “preventive health care equals abortion, because you’ve got to get rid of that unwanted pregnancy.”

A pro-abortion mindset sees an unwanted child as a “disease” or “a tumor to be excised,” he explained.

Rep. Smith also stated that “coercion is embedded” in the legal abortion movement, and that he believes more attempts to force compliance can be expected under the current administration.

He illustrated his point by noting that “coercion begins in the first place against the baby,” who has “no say in the violence that’s coming his or her way.”

Congressman Smith said that Americans must realize the significance of the threats being posed by the Obama administration’s attacks on conscience rights.

“The mask is off,” he said. “It’s about time we woke up.”

Lay movements answer problems of today’s world, Vatican official says

2012-01-30T00:21:00.005Z

Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, said that lay ecclesial movements are a gift to the Church and an answer to the difficulties modern society presents.

“The ecclesial movements and new communities are a timely response of the Holy Spirit to the challenges the world poses to the Church in our times,” he said.

Cardinal Rylko made his remarks during a Mass on Jan. 22 in Cordoba celebrating the one thousandth retreat lead by the movement Cursillo – a Spanish lay community founded in 1944.

The “Church looks to you with great hope and counts on you,” the cardinal told the 2,000 Cursillo members gathered at the Cathedral of Cordoba.

Cardinal Rylko listed what he called the three tasks for lay associations and ecclesial movements today, and that is to be “schools of holiness, mission and communion.”

“The world needs truly holy Christians, and for this reason the lay movements and associations should be missionary and evangelistic, and true schools of communion,” he said.

Later during the Mass, Bishop Demetrio Fernandez of Cordoba noted that through the Cursillo movement, “thousands and thousands of people have encountered Jesus in his Holy Church.”

He told the group members the Church embraces them and encourages them to evangelize modern society.

Washington archbishop testifies against state's 'gay marriage' bill

2012-01-30T00:20:00.009Z

A Washington state bill that would recognize same-sex “marriage” poses a “grave challenge” to the common good, Archbishop of Seattle J. Peter Sartain warned.

The principles of marriage are “built into human life itself,” he told the state Senate’s Government Operations, Tribal Relations & Elections Committee on Jan. 23.

Washington state's Senate may have enough votes to soon pass legislation recognizing “gay marriage,” the Associated Press reported.

The bill is also believed to have enough support in the House and Gov. Chris Gregoire, a Catholic Democrat, has said she will sign it into law.

In his remarks, however, Archbishop Sartain said that because “only the union of a man and woman can generate new life,” no “other human relationship is its equivalent.”

The attempt to redefine marriage, then, “ignores the origin, purpose and value of marriage to individuals, families, and society,” he underscored.

Changing the definition of marriage would also mean there would be “no special laws to support and recognize the irreplaceable contribution that these married couples make to society and to the common good by bringing to life the next generation.”

“Marriage makes a contribution to the common good of society unlike any other relationship, through the procreation, rearing and education of children,” he said. “I urge you to uphold the definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”

Six other U.S. states and the District of Columbia recognize same-sex unions as marriages.

The legislation, S.B. 6239, may require religious organization to provide accommodations, facilities, and services for the solemnization or celebration of same-sex “marriages,” if the organizations offer marriage services to the public for a fee.

The provision could have a financial impact upon churches which rent out facilities for marriages but have religious and moral objections to same-sex unions.

In a statement earlier this month, the Catholic bishops of Washington state said that the proposed legislation would add to “the forces already undermining family life today.”

LA archbishop calls on Catholics to oppose HHS mandate

2012-01-30T00:19:00.006Z

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles urged lay Catholics to defend the faith after the Department of Health and Human Services refused to reverse a contraception mandate set to take effect in Aug. 2013.

“In this case, the government is imposing a narrow, radically individualistic idea of religion,” Archbishop Gomez said in a column published this week in his archdiocesan newspaper, the Tidings.

On Jan. 20, Department of Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the administration would not expand a religious exemption for employers who object to its “preventative services” mandate.

The policy, originally introduced in an Aug. 2011 interim rule, requires health insurance plans to cover contraception – including drugs that cause abortion – and sterilization free of charge.

To qualify for a religious exemption under the policy, religious organizations must employ and serve primarily members of their own faith and must exist for the purpose of teaching religious values.

Many religious organizations objected to the rule, however, saying that they would not qualify because they provide education, health care and other services to people of all religions. But the Obama administration dismissed their requests, saying that the religious exemption would not be expanded.

“As many have noted,” Archbishop Gomez said, the exemption for religious groups is so narrow that “much of what Jesus Christ did would not qualify as a 'religious' ministry.”

Everything the Church does, including healthcare, education and ministry to the poor, is “religious,” he emphasized.

“All of our ministries and institutions are motivated by our love for God and our mission to spread the Gospel.”

“We don't do these things,” he added, “because we are social workers or philanthropists. We do them because we are disciples.”

Archbishop Gomez said that what he finds most disturbing about the recent announcement is the government's attempt to redefine Catholic charities, hospitals and colleges as non-religious institutions.

The administration is “presuming to have to competence and authority” to define what “religious faith is and how believers should express their faith commitments,” he warned.

“These are powers our government has never before assumed itself to have.”

He called on all Catholics, especially the laity, to “step up to their responsibilities for the Church's mission” and “to be leaders in helping to shape the values and moral foundations of America's future.”

The archbishop also noted the “prophetic advice” that Pope Benedict gave in his Jan. 19 address to U.S. bishops.

The Pope told the bishops of “the need for an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity” that has the “courage to counter a reductive secularism” which is determining “the future of American society.”

Archbishop Gomez encouraged Catholics to pray for the nation's leaders and entrusted his intentions to Mary Immaculate, Patroness of America.

Bethlehem university takes concerns to Vatican

2012-01-30T00:18:00.010Z

The Israeli-built wall between Jerusalem and the West Bank is deterring staff and students from attending Bethlehem Catholic University, officials from the school say.

“We lose students but we also lose faculty who have been teaching at the University and who come from Jerusalem but don´t want to go through that humiliation every day,” Brother Jack Curran, the university’s Vice President for Development, told CNA on Jan. 18 during a two-day visit to Rome.

“The young people are very resilient and are willing to put up with a lot but it does concern us for the future,” he said.

The barrier is a 26 foot wall erected by Israel to separate itself from the Palestinian-controlled West Bank.

Israel says the wall protects them from Palestinian terrorism.

Opponents of the wall say it breaks international law and illegally annexes parts of Palestinian territory.

Bethlehem Catholic University sits close to the wall on the Palestinian side, but many of its students come from East Jerusalem, which lies on the Israeli side.

“There are students, now about 20 percent of students, who go through the checkpoints of the wall every day, twice a day, coming and going,” explained Br. Curran, an American from upstate New York, who has been in Bethlehem for nine years.

“Bethlehem is the only Catholic university in the Holy Land, so any Christian or Catholic students in Jerusalem who want to go to a Catholic university have to do that,” he explained.

Br. Curran said that many of the students find the routine of checkpoints and searches “wearing and tearing on their spirits.”

“They tell us the hardest part is not going through the wall but the thoughts about what happens when you’re on your way to the wall: ‘Will I be strip searched or taken off the bus and forced to sit in the sun for an hour or two, or will it be that I’m waved through?’”

Bethlehem Catholic University was founded in 1973 as a joint venture between the Vatican and the De La Salle Christian Brothers.

Initially the school only had 112 students enrolled, but this year it has over 3,000 attending classes.

Br. Curran finds his students are remarkably resilient in the face of adversity.

“Amazingly, their spirits are still very positive and upbeat and they come every day,” he said. “They have a choice to come or not. But they do come and we’re grateful that they do.”

Br. Curran is more concerned about losing staff members who find the extra difficulties created by teaching in Bethlehem simply “too much for their spirits to bear.”

He offered the example of Palestinian academics who are not allowed to fly out of Tel Aviv Airport in Israel to attend international conferences but, instead, have to travel to Amman, Jordan.

The trip to Amman involves an overnight stay on both the outgoing and return journey.

“It practically doubles the expense of any travel that has to happen, and so when a faculty member has to think about going to a conference they have to think about the extra burden,” he explained.

“Meanwhile, the staff who live in Jerusalem have to go through that wall twice a day. And after a few years of doing that many decide to look for a job elsewhere, regrettably so.”

Br. Curran said Pope Benedict XVI’s visit in 2009 was extremely helpful to the university because he said “tough things” to the leaders in Israel and Palestine.

In his meetings with Vatican officials in recent days, Br. Curran has been urging the Holy See to continue speaking out, because “their words do have an impact.”

“We look forward to the rest of the international community to be likewise critical of the injustices wherever they occur, whether they are on the Israeli side or the Palestinian side,” he stated.

“In many ways, it seems to me that it boils down to issues of human rights – justice – and then when these are addressed, we will see peace and prosperity being possible.”

Nothing has changed with papal approval, explains Neocatechumenal priest

2012-01-30T00:17:00.005Z

Father Ricardo Reyes Castillo, a member of the Neocatechumenal Way, said Pope Benedict XVI’s approval of the movement’s non-liturgical celebrations “has changed absolutely nothing.”

The Panamanian priest told CNA on Jan. 23 that the papal approval of the celebrations contained in the Neocatechumenal Catechetical Directory means “simply that the Church has confirmed that the rites used in the different stages of formation in the Neocatechumenal

Way are in accord with the tradition of the Church.”

“This is just another step in the process through which the Church lovingly follows the faithful who belong to this experience of faith,” he added.

The Pontifical Council for the Laity approved the ceremonies outlined in the Catechetical Directory of the Neocatechumenal Way, specifying that this approval applied to those celebrations “which are not, by their nature, already regulated by the liturgical books of the Church.”

Fr. Reyes said the members of the movement “are grateful because they feel guided and protected under the wings of the Church, which has always shown herself to be a mother.”

On Jan. 20, Pope Benedict XVI met with more than 7,000 members of the Neocatechumenal Way and thanked them for their valuable service to the Church.

He encouraged them to proclaim Christ and reminded them of the public nature of the Eucharist, saying their communities should be integrated into the local parishes where they are present.

Descendant of Drogheda to become a cardinal

2012-01-30T00:16:00.007Z

A DESCENDANT of an immigrant family from Drogheda will be declared a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in February.

Archbishop Thomas Collins (65) of Toronto, home to Canada's biggest Catholic population, will be among the 22 new cardinals to be appointed on February 18.

'To be a member of the College of Cardinals, really, is a great honour and I'm very grateful for it,' he told the Canadian media last week.

Appointed an archbishop in 2007, he becomes the 16th Canadian cardinal in the history of the church.

A native of Guelph, Ontario, he revealed to the Drogheda Independent that his relatives left Drogheda in 1827 but he isn't sure what part of the town they come from.

'The Collins family who owned the hardware store is the same family,' he added.

The Archbishop's mother and sister visited Maurice and Monica Collins many years ago and recalled their son, Declan, who was a priest and was killed in Africa.

Although he doesn't have any connections with his Drogheda relations these days, he visited the town in 2008 on a brief visit while passing through Ireland.

Archbishop Collins was tipped to become a cardinal in 2010 but was passed over on that occasion, with many feeling that, at 63, he was too young!

He is highly regarded in Canada as an 'earthy, clear and charitable' individual, with the Pope always showing great faith and confidence in him.

He drew much comment and respect when speaking about abuse scandals in recent years, quoted in one homily as stating 'We cannot escape the horror of this by pointing out that almost all priests serve faithfully — though that fact is a grace that gives joy to the Catholic people. But even one priest gone wrong causes immense harm, and throughout the world priests have done unspeakable evil.'

He was also one of the nine bishops who visited this country to help investigate the Church's response to the sexual abuse crisis.

Thieves seeking silver, brass and lead prey on churches

2012-01-30T00:15:00.015Z

With its cottages of honey-coloured stone and 12th-century church, Ashton Keynes in Wiltshire could be the archetypal unspoilt English village.

Here the Thames is barely a stream, and the pace of life runs as slowly as the river's waters.

So parishioners at Holy Cross church thought nothing of hauling their 19th-century brass lectern out of storage to give it a bit of a show.

No matter that the church was unlocked and unsupervised during the day.

But one Sunday morning last September, they had a nasty surprise.

"Somebody said, 'Where's the lectern?' and it had gone," says Peter Tuck, lay minister.

News this month that the item had been spotted in Romania, at an antiques fair, was an even greater shock.

Gaye Horrell, treasurer at the church, expressed amazement that it had not been melted down, and Wiltshire police initially thought the email informing them of the find – from a

curious local who had noticed the inscription referred to Ashton Keynes – was a spoof.

The local force is now confident of getting it back, but Tuck is cautious. "The local police have been speaking to Interpol but we've no idea if they still know where it is, whether they've got hold of it or whether it's been sold."

The lectern, an exuberant, gothic-revival imitation of a type common in medieval churches, takes the shape of an eagle standing on a golden orb.

The eagle refers to Saint John the Evangelist and is said to symbolise the heights to which he rises in the first chapter of his gospel.

Experts suggest it could make up to £3,000 if sold as an antique, though it might take many months to find a buyer.

While this bit of church kit appears to have escaped the scrapyard, the high price of metals is the main factor in the flurry of recent thefts.

Artefacts used in services or to adorn altars can be just as tempting as lead roofs and gutters.

The Ecclesiastical insurance company has seen the number of metal theft claims by churches increase from 1,700 in 2010 to more than 2,600 last year.

Manchester Cathedral's busy urban setting couldn't be more different from that of Holy Cross, but it faces a similar threat.

On 13 January, someone walked into the medieval building on Victoria Street in the city centre and took a silver altar cross.

Elegantly designed in 1957 and donated to the cathedral by the Mothers' Union, it had adorned its lady chapel for decades.

"The cathedral is open to the public every day," says the dean, Rogers Govender. "We do not charge an entry fee, and of course the place is vulnerable."

For Govender and his congregation, the value of such objects goes far beyond what they might fetch for scrap.

"I feel really saddened that a house of God is not respected, that somebody could steal from it – and especially steal a cross which is the central symbol of our faith."

Anne Sloman, chair of the Church Buildings Council, said stolen silver was likely to be melted down.

"That would be the worry – that the value of the solid silver is worth more than the artefact."

She and her colleagues have been lobbying for better regulation of scrap merchants, particularly when it comes to cash payments for metal, which many see as the root of the problem.

The recent spate of thefts, brazen in more ways than one, has left churchwardens everywhere facing a dilemma.

"A lot of country churches do lock – but we feel it's very important the church is kept open," says Tuck in Ashton Keynes. "There's a churchyard that's still used and families come up to visit the graves. The church is there if they want to pop in for 10 minutes."

St Mary's Church, Bishopsbourne, nestled in the gently rolling Kent countryside, looks even

less likely than Holy Cross to make the news for anything other than its well-kept hedgerows.

"Even though it's a country church it's a bit grand," says the priest-in-charge, Stephen Hardy.

"In Victorian times it had quite a makeover, including tiles by William Morris and an Edward Burne-Jones window. That's when the pieces came."

He is talking about two large candlesticks covered in semi-precious stones, a 60cm (2ft) high altar cross, a church plate, a bookrest, five small vases and a small candlestick, all made of brass.

They all disappeared just after Christmas.

Churchwarden Gill Applin made the discovery while tidying up in the church.

Hardy believes that by climbing up on to the organ, thieves were able to make their way over a screen into the vestry, where the brasses were kept.

"It was quite a shock," says Hardy. "As a young girl guide, Gill used to clean these things and now she's in her sixties. They're very much part of the family, you know."

Three people were arrested in connection with the case, but the items have not been recovered.

Such stories are repeated up and down the country.

St Michael with St Bartholomew Church in Great Lever, Bolton, lost brass crosses and silver chalices in a raid last year.

More recently at the Catholic church of St Joseph in Sheringham, Norfolk, thieves took the bronze "corpus" of Christ from a crucifix above a grave.

In Lewisham, south London, a bronze memorial to soldiers who died in the first world war was taken from the porch of St Mary the Virgin.

A couple were caught on CCTV wheeling it in a shopping trolley and convicted of theft but the memorial is still missing.

"We've got no intention of locking the church here in Bishopsbourne," says a defiant Hardy.

"We don't want to go down that sort of route. Churches are spaces that people do like to go into whether or not they're of great Christian faith. People like the quiet of a church, as a place to pray and reflect. Obviously we'd want to take measures to make access to the vestry even harder. But we'll manage. The other week a parishioner brought in two candlesticks she had at home to use on the altar and we put up a wooden cross."

Tireless worker behind first saint

2012-01-30T00:14:00.010Z

DETERMINATION to see Mary MacKillop become Australia's first saint and tireless work for the Catholic Church have earned Father Paul Gardiner an OAM.

Father Gardiner, 88, of Penola, started researching Mary MacKillop's life in 1983.

He served as Postulator for the Cause of the Canonisation of Mary MacKillop from 1985 to 2008.

"I sometimes wondered in Rome, working on this day after day, year after year, whether anyone else was interested in this, but we got there eventually," he said.

He researched and wrote Positio for the Cause of Mary MacKillop, a three-volume, 1500-page book on the life and miracles of Mary MacKillop.

This work led to her earning the title Venerable, her beatification and eventual canonisation.

Father Gardiner celebrated Australia Day with family and friends in country Victoria and said he considered being awarded the Order of Australia Medal more a recognition of the work of St Mary MacKillop than of his efforts to have her canonised.

"She was, from a human point of view, a very admirable person and if people imitated her behaviour - apart from her religious depth and her faith in God - if people imitated her ordinary way of dealing with her fellow humans, I think it would be a much better Australia," he said.

Sr Maria Casey, from NSW, who assisted Father Gardiner, also has been awarded an OAM.

Wakefield crash priest in the clear

2012-01-30T00:13:00.011Z

A Catholic priest who bumped into a woman’s car outside a church hall in Wakefield has been cleared of drink driving.

Charges against Canon Peter Maguire were dismissed after prosecutors failed to prove he had been drink driving in a public place.

Wakefield Magistrate’s Court heard last Tuesday that Canon Maguire appeared “unsteady on his feet” and “vacant” when he was challenged by Scarlett Hindle, who had been at a puppy owners’ club at the church hall at St John The Baptist Catholic church, Newland Lane, Normanton.

But Canon Maguire, 73, pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence - with his solicitor arguing that the incident took place on private land belonging to the church.

The court heard Miss Hindle had been attending a puppy club in the church hall on the evening of Aug 30 last year.

Giving evidence at the trial, Miss Hindle said: “After the club had finished, someone who ran it came in and asked who owned the blue Astra and I said ‘me’.”

“She said I think the priest has just hit your car.”

Miss Hindle then went into the car park and challenged Canon Maguire, who by that time was making his way into his home at the church presbytery.

She told the court he was “unsteady on his feet and seemed a little bit vacant.”

Miss Hindle said he suggested that they could sort out the superficial damage to her rear bumper between them.

But Miss Hindle called the police, who visited Canon Macguire’s home a short time later.

A statement from PC Matthew Grayson said that the priest admitted having “a couple of social drinks” and provided a positive breath test.

He was taken to Pontefract Police Station shortly before 10pm where further tests were taken and charged with one offence of drink driving and two other charges relating to his driving documents.

Although the facts of the charges were not disputed, Father Maguire’s solicitor Dennis Lofthouse told the court that they had occurred on private land belonging to the church and used by people on church business.

He said: “Only people with specific reason to go there should go there and because of that I would say it is a private, not a public place.”

Dismissing all charges, bench chairwoman Hazel Chowcar said the prosecution had not satisfied the court that the car park was open for general public use a the time of the incident.

She told Canon Maguire: “We therefore find the case not proved and dismiss all charges against you.”

Outside court, Mr Lofthouse said: “There was no evidence that he had or intended to drive on any public road. He regrets what happened. He would apologise to his congregation as he did apologise to the young lady.”

Catholic League: Jewish Rabbis Even Greater Abusers Than Catholic Priests

2012-01-30T00:12:00.016Z

Bill Donohue, the head of the pedophile priests supporting Catholic League, in an attempt to deflect attention from the regular, serious, and unresolved sexual transgressions, sexual assault, and child rape within the Catholic Church, pointed the finger at Orthodox Jewish Rabbis, saying, “[t]he most serious cases of the sexual abuse of minors currently taking place are among Orthodox Jewish rabbis in Brooklyn.”

Donohue, proving the ludicrousness of the existence and purpose of his entire organization, lambasted Jay Leno for a joke he made about an L.A. Bishop who recently resigned after revealing he had fathered two children.

Donohue claims also that Leno has “a long track record of bashing Catholicism.”

So, rather than work to fix the root causes of systemic and felonious issues within the Church, Donohue chooses instead to attacks its critics, hoping, praying that no one will notice the Catholic Church’s role and reputation in America is rapidly diminishing, even among America’s Catholics.

Jay Leno, according to the Catholic League, Thursday said, “I thought bishops could only move diagonally. I didn’t know they could move up and down.”

Donohue’s group added,

When making these remarks, Leno gestured with his hands, waving them side to side, and then up and down.

Leno went on to say, “Isn’t it amazing the bishop of L.A. confessed to fathering two children? But, hey, he didn’t use birth control, so at least he followed the church rules. Ya gotta give him credit for that.”

“The most serious cases of the sexual abuse of minors currently taking place are among Orthodox Jewish rabbis in Brooklyn, yet Leno would never tell a joke at their expense,” Donohue said in a statement.

“The rate of HIV/AIDS among homosexuals is 50 times higher than in the rest of the population, yet Leno would never tell a joke at their expense. [Note: making such jokes would be equally offensive.] But if there is one wayward Catholic clergyman, it’s not only acceptable to ridicule him, it’s okay to mock the teachings of the Catholic Church.”

(The disclaimer above is Donohue’s, not ours.)

Donohue offered no proof of his allegations, nor did he offer any compassion, help, or hope for any victims, regardless of religious affiliation.

Donohue, who earlier this month claimed that rape victims of the Catholic Church’s pedophile priests are “professional victims,” and “a pitiful bunch of malcontents” unable to move on, apparently is learning that we’re watching his every word. In the past, Donohue would not have inserted the HIV/AIDS disclaimer.

In fact, just two months ago, Donohue called AIDS a “self-inflicted wound,” claiming that if “homosexuals” followed the teachings of the Church they would not “self-destruct.”

But Donohue’s default position of trying to point the finger elsewhere is offensive and misguided.

No doubt there are child abuse problems in the Jewish community also, but Donohue neither works for the Jewish community, nor the Islamic community, nor any other community.

If Donohue spent his time working to prevent abuse, working to help victims of child rape by the Catholic Church — rather than, say, assist Archbishop Dolan to bash 16-year old abuse victims — then perhaps he would be qualified to point fingers and call his organization the “Catholic League.”

Because right now, it’s merely a league of one extraordinary bigot.

Vandalized, decapitated Jesus statue deemed a total loss

2012-01-30T00:11:00.006Z

A statue of Jesus was decapitated this weekend outside a Columbia Road church named after Mother Teresa.

The Reverend Jack Ahern, of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta at St. Margaret’s church, said that when he arrived at the church early Sunday morning, he found the statue without its head and knocked partially off its stand.

“The head was to its side in multiple pieces. It’s almost like he whacked the head first, and then pushed it off its base,” Ahern said.

Ahern said the statue was originally at St. William’s church in Savin Hill, but was moved to Blessed Mother Teresa several years ago.

Ahern said the statue touched, and was touched by, many.

“The statue was right by the sidewalk,” he said. “Kids and adults would walk by and touch the hand of Jesus.”

The statue is beyond repair, Ahern said.

He added that the parish has not yet discussed replacing it.

Boston police said they received a call for vandalism Sunday morning and will further investigate the incident.

"Sooner or later someone will have to talk to the Boko Haram" - Archbishop of Abuja

2012-01-30T00:10:00.004Z

Up to 35,000 people have fled their homes in northern Nigeria after attacks from the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.

They include a large number of Catholics who say churches have been destroyed.

"There is panic. Many just leave everything behind, and run for safety, because they do not know when violence might flare up again," a source told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) on January 24.

“It is the stated goal of Boko Haram to make the whole of the north free of Christians,” ACN was also told.

At the beginning of January, group spokesman Abul Qaqa gave Christians living in the north a three-day ultimatum to leave.

Boko Haram, which means, ‘western education is sinful’ in Nigeria’s Hausa language, has killed at least 935 people since it launched an uprising in 2009, according to Human Rights Watch.

Archbishop John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja, federal capital of Nigeria stated in an interview with Fides, "Sooner or later someone will have to talk to the Boko Haram and I think those who can talk to them are those who share their own expectations, but not their methods. I realise that it is difficult to find common ground because neither the government nor the majority of Nigerians want an Islamic State. But we need to involve all political parties in a national dialogue to get out of this crisis in Nigeria."

The Archbishop explained that the political solution is necessary because it is impossible to guarantee everyone's safety in such a vast country. For example, local police can be very isolated and easily attacked.

The reach of Boko Harem also goes beyond the Nigerian borders and neighbouring Governments must be involved in any solution.

The Archbishop also cautioned against thinking that Nigeria will be divided between a Muslim north and a Christian south as this is not the reality of the country and it would be impossible to decide where the border is between North and South Nigeria.

“We have always said that talking about the north and south is not the same as talking about division between Islam and Christianity. There is a large number of Muslims in the south, in particular in the state of Yoruba, and a number much higher than what is being said, of Christians of the north, many of whom are indigenous. These latter, where should they go in case of division of the country,” asks the Archbishop.

Catholic church gets strict on money matters

2012-01-30T00:09:00.008Z

Ottawa's Catholic Archdiocese has changed its financial rules in the wake of a gambling scandal involving a former priest.

The archdiocese said a recent incident involving a Glebe neighbourhood church did not spark the changes.

But it did say changes were needed at its Catholic churches and now there are 12 new requirements detailed in a 15-page document.

The new changes to parish financial policy include having two signatures, including the pastor's, on all cheques; that bags for collections be tamper-proof; two unrelated people be involved in the handling and counting of cash and that council and committee members will not be paid for their service.

An audit of the Blessed Sacrament Parish, a church at 194 Fourth Avenue, discovered the church collected $3 million over five years of its former pastor's tenure, but had a net deficit of $40,000.

Rev. Joe LeClair, who is originally from Prince Edward Island, left the church in May after his problems with gambling and depression went public.

He entered rehab soon after and attended for a short time.

Ottawa police also investigated financial irregularities at the church because the archdiocese said it was beyond its investigative resources.

120101 Parish Finance Protocol Package

Liam Neeson 'considers converting to Islam'

2012-01-30T00:08:00.008Z

Liam Neeson is considering converting to Islam, according to newspaper reports.

The desire to convert has sprung from spending time filming in Turkey, according to The Sun.

The Northern Ireland actor, who comes from a Catholic background, told the newspaper that the call to prayer in Istanbul drove him to distraction for the first week of filming but he then began to find it "the most beautiful, beautiful thing".

Neeson, a former altar boy in Ballymena, said: "There are 4,000 mosques in the city. Some are just stunning and it really makes me think about becoming a Muslim."

The actor has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards during his career.

He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List and Michael Collins.

Neeson was married to actress Natasha Richardson for 15 years before her death on 2009, when she suffered a severe head injury in a skiing accident at the Mont Tremblant Resort, in Quebec.

It’s not the first time Neeson has spoken about religion.

The 59-year-old faced criticism in 2010 after refuting claims by author C.S. Lewis that Narnia lion Aslan is based on Christ.

Neeson – who voiced the character in the film adaptation – instead claimed Aslan was based on other spiritual leaders including Mohammed and Buddha.

“Aslan symbolises a Christ-like figure but he also symbolises for me Mohammed, Buddha and all the great spiritual leaders and prophets over the centuries,” he said at the time.

“That’s who Aslan stands for as well as a mentor figure for kids – that’s what he means for me.”

Underground Protestant pastor unexpectedly released

2012-01-30T00:07:00.010Z

The Chinese government unexpectedly released a Christian religious leader.

After his arrest last year, Rev Shi Enhao was sentenced to two years of forced labour.

According to the ChinaAid Association, which had launched a campaign for his release, he was scheduled to spend one more year behind bars. He had been convicted for "holding illegal meetings and organising illegal venues for religious meetings."

Shi is the vice president of the Chinese House Church Alliance, a network of Protestant churches that is outside of the Three Self-Patriotic Movement, an organisation set up by Mao Zedong to control the country’s Protestant communities.

Like the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, the movement operates as a de facto official Church on behalf of the regime. However, freedom of religion and pastoral activities within its ranks are limited.

In order not to submit to the government, many Protestants have set up ‘house churches’, small private places of worship run by clergymen who do not belong to the Three Self-Patriotic Movement.

As in the case of the underground Catholic Church, the government has come down hard on Protestant house churches.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide has welcomed Rev Shi’s unexpected release. At the same time, it c calls on Chinese authorities to free other Christian clergy unjustly jailed, people like Alimujiang Yimiti, who was given a 15-year sentence in 2011, Gao Zhisheng, a Christian human rights lawyer whose whereabouts were unknown until recently when he “reappeared” in a prison in northern China, and Fan Yafeng, head of the Shengshan House Church.

ChinaAid’s campaign is similar to one recently launched by AsiaNews on behalf of three underground bishops and six priests, who have disappeared or are known to be held by police.

The year 2011 was terrible for human rights and religious freedom in China. The government has in fact intensified its crackdown against Catholics and other Christians as well as Tibetan Buddhists and Muslim Uyghurs.

What is more, as a way to resist international pressures, China's State Administration of Religious Affairs last month appointed nine spokespersons to brief the media, answer queries online and "enhance understanding of religious matters."

Orthodox Church in support of Putin: yes to crack down on immigration

2012-01-30T00:06:00.011Z

The Russian Orthodox Church has expressed its support for the proposal of the Prime Minister and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin for a crackdown on immigration in Russia.

This according to spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchate, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, who is increasingly under the spotlight since the Church has emerged as a possible moderator between the opposition calling for a "Russia without Putin" and the central power, that wants to perpetuate the status quo.

"It is positive that the issue has been raised and that is to say that illegal immigration must be curbed with more stringent rules," said Chaplin, head of the Patriarchate Department for Relations with society.

"I think most people will support these measures, which will become proposed laws in the near future," he said in an interview with Interfax.

If elected president on March 4, Putin has proposed examinations in Russian language, history and law for immigrants to get a residence permit. Leveraging on "national and religious identity", the premier has also proposed stricter rules on immigration and internal trials for those who violate criminal laws.

It is a sensitive issue in Russia. Putin and President Dmitri Medvedev, have addressed it several times in the last year, after tensions between football fans in December 2010 transformed itself into a real urban warfare involving nationalists and Caucasian immigrants.

According to experts, the prime minister is trying to rally support among nationalists who support the protest movement against electoral fraud in the law of 4 December.

Putin has distanced himself from the nationalists, however, warning that the attempt to build a mono-ethnic nation is "the shortest route to the destruction of the Russian State and people."

Chaplin agrees with the head of the government that there must be no room for hatred or hostility based on ethnicity.

"Representatives of different countries are already suffering today and this hostility is an issue that should be treated with utmost care, because it can lead to conflicts threatening the future of Russia," warns the representative of the Patriarchate.

Even though immigration is the lifeblood for the Federation which for decades is languishing in "demographic coma”, it has become a source of strong tensions.

Thanks to immigration, experts believe in 2011 Russia reversed the demographic trend from negative to positive, for first time in over 20 years.

Change in the seminary - David Quinn

2012-01-30T00:05:00.010Z

Are reforms at Maynooth for the better or a return to the sort ofrigidseminary life of yesteryear, asks David Quinn.

Last week, this newspaper reported changes that are being undertaken at St Patrick's College, Maynooth, in the wake of the Apostolic Visitation conducted on behalf of the Pope by Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York.

One of the changes is a clearer separation between the seminarians and the lay student population of NUI Maynooth.

A lot of people probably don't realise the extent to which the seminary at Maynooth has been overwhelmed by the secular university.

The number of seminarians undergoing priestly formation at St Patrick's -- running into dozens -- is now only a small fraction of the much bigger lay student population which runs into thousands.

The days when clerical students dominated student life overall in Maynooth town are long gone.

What is more, the drastic shrinking of the clerical student population, and the huge expansion in the lay student population has coincided with a deliberate collapsing of the wall which once separated the clerical students from the rest of the world.

Cardinal-designate Dolan believes there should be a clearer separation between the two student bodies once again and this is what the president of St Patrick's, Msgr Hugh Connolly, has undertaken to do.

Changes

One change, as reported by The Irish Catholic last week, is the installation of doors to ''partition the seminarians' living quarters from the rest of the campus to which only members of the seminary community now have keys''.

Another recommended change, not yet undertaken, is that the two student bodies have separate dining facilities.

The big question of course is whether this is a change for the better or a return to the sort of rigid seminary life of yesteryear.

Back in the 1980s, Blessed John Paul II ordered an inspection, or Apostolic Visitation, of America's seminaries.

In the wake of the Second Vatican Council, sweeping and radical changes were made to seminary life right across the United States, as elsewhere. Some of the reforms were needed and others were of far more dubious value.

The visitation was undertaken by Cardinal William Baum, then Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education.

Among the problem areas it found in the seminaries were the following: A ''blurring of the concept of priesthood'' and an ''undifferentiated notion of ministry''; inconsistencies in spiritual direction; under-achieving, unchallenging courses in theology; ambiguity and confusion about the nature and content of the Magisterium of the Church; overemphasis on practical field work experience to the detriment of theological study and reflection; failure to state clearly the seminary's expectations of students.

As an outsider, it is extremely difficult to tell which, if any, of the above difficulties are or were to be found at Maynooth.

This was the purpose of Dr Dolan's visitation.

Msgr Connolly told The Irish Catholic last week that he could not speak about the visitation for reasons of confidentiality.

Tradition

The main reason we know about the efforts to better separate the clerical students from the lay students at Maynooth is because it is visible and undeniable.

Is it a change for the better or a retrograde step? That probably depends.

Those who would argue strongly against this move are most likely those who have unhappy memories of their own formation which was often very rigid and authoritarian and unworldly, even anti-world.

If this change augurs a return to those days, then it is change for the worse.

However, in reaction against the way in which clerical students were once formed, it is possible to let the pendulum swing in completely the opposite direction and to have, for example, almost no separation at all between the seminary and the life of the rest of the students.

In fact, it would be an almost complete repudiation of the Christian spiritual tradition, indeed of almost any spiritual tradition, to believe there is nothing to be gained by withdrawing from the world for a period of time in order to better find God.

This is the very meaning of the word 'retreat' for example, to retreat from the world and spiritual retreats are still offered all over the country.

Contemplatives withdraw from the world entirely of course, and most priests and religious are not contemplatives.

It is not their calling to withdraw from the world in prayer.

They are meant to be witnesses to the Gospel of Christ in the world.

But this is not to say there is nothing to be gained spiritually by withdrawing from the world, either partially or completely, for a given period of time.

It should also be remembered that while Christians are called to be in the world, they are not supposed to be 'of the world'.

The changes flagged in this newspaper last week are very obviously an attempt to create a better distinction between life in the seminary, and the wider world.

If this produces overly pious, unworldly priests, then it will prove over time to be a bad change.

But if it produces more prayerful priests, priests who are holier, and not holier-than-thou, priests who have deeper spiritual lives, then it can only be a change for the better.

Above all, what the Church needs right now are holy men and women to lead it.

We should bear in mind also that Cardinal-designate Dolan has experience of reforming seminaries.

He was head of the North American College (NAC) in Rome, the US Church's version of the Irish College and helped to implement sweeping changes to the life of the seminarians while there.

Those changes have led to the NAC becoming one of the most vibrant seminaries in the whole American system.

With proper leadership, something of the same kind can happen in Maynooth.

Back to the cloister (Comment)

2012-01-30T00:04:00.016Z

You may remember that last year a number of Cardinals and Archbishops visited Ireland to investigate the Irish Catholic Church.

They were asked to report to the Pope on what reforms were needed in the Irish Church in the wake of the child abuse scandals and how they were handled.

The word now is that their first report – on Irish seminaries – has beenreceived, though it has not been published officially.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York investigated Irish seminaries and from developments in Maynooth it would seem that his wish is that a distinctive community be created whereby seminarians can be differentiated from other students on the Maynooth university campus.

Already, it seems, the Maynooth authorities have taken steps in implementing this approach.

Doors have been installed to partition the seminarians’ quarters from the rest of the campus; a separate entrance has been constructed at the rear of the seminary building; and there are proposals to build a separate dining hall.

Back to the cloister?

Sometimes with the best will in the world experts can get things exactly wrong.

And I fear that this is what has happened. It doesn't bode well for the other awaited reports. On the face of it closing down the shutters to cocoon student-priests seems not just like a failed strategy but a rejection of reason and common sense.

It seems more like sorting out the Irish Catholic Church along the new (old) lines rather than having anything to do with the reasons for the investigation in the first place.

Who believes that creating a hothouse atmosphere along the pre-Vatican Two seminary lines will contribute to the protection of children?

If history is to teach us anything, surely it’s quite the opposite.

Keeping out the tide is a failed strategy.

Better to teach people how to swim.

Exactly the opposite happened when I was in Maynooth over forty years ago.

Then the approach, inspired by the wisdom of the Second Vatican Council, was to open up the windows and let the air blow through the dusty corridors.

When I entered Maynooth in 1966, the seminary hadn¹t changed in a century and a half. It was, effectively, a kind of voluntary prison-camp.

You couldn’t get out of the place unless you needed treatment for a medical complaint and even then you almost had to apply for a visa.

We all dressed in Roman collars and soutanes, all of our waking time.

(We even wore soutanes over our football togs as we made our way to a match).

There were no televisions; you couldn¹t have a bottle of Mi-Wadi in your room and the Western People (like other local papers) was banned. It was a weird existence, that effort to keep the world at bay and God only knows the effect it had on us – or the damage it did to us.

We were being trained as monks – with a formation and spirituality to go with it – even though everyone knew that we¹d never see the inside of a monastery for the rest of our working lives.

Eventually reason prevailed and much of the old seminary structure was dismantled as seminarians were encouraged to take responsibility for their lives, to make adult choices, to understand the world in which we would seek to minister, to realise that pre-packaged answers (no matter how convincing they sounded in the hothouse atmosphere of the seminary) would butter very little toast after we were ordained.

Now, it seems, we¹re going back to the old wisdom – that seminaries need to be different.

Student-priests will be taught how to say Mass in Latin. Holy Communion will be received on the tongue.

Soutanes are back with a vengence and once ordained (or you become a black monsignor) you can wear a cummerbund (that’s a belly-band to the rest of us) over your soutane and under your surplice.

There are unprintable comments for such patent nonsense.

You know it's becoming hard to blame a priest-friend of mine who surveys the restoration policies emanating from Rome and who wearily concludes that there’s a fate worse than retirement or even death and that’s coping with the new wisdom in our Church that isn’t so much out of touch as completely out to lunch.

Craggy island rules.

God help us all.

Some years ago when the Patten Commission in the North sought to reform the problematic RUC in order to usher in a new policing dispensation, Maurice Hayes, a shrewd observer, argued forcibly against training policemen and women in a hothouse atmosphere, away from the general community in which they would work.

The worst thing, he argued, would be to create a separate educational institution, especially a separate residential educational institution, because such a strategy for the key formative years would lead to a detachment from the community.

This, in so far as we can judge, is exactly what’s going to happen (is already happening) in our seminaries.

In my time we were encouraged to integrate with the general student body – few in numbers though they were then.

We were encouraged to participate in inter-university debates. We were told to listen to the questions our contemporaries had, to suss out ‘the signs of the times', to measure our wisdom against the wisdom of the world so that we might minister effectively to the needs of our people.

Now there’s an almost Gadarene rush back to the safety of the cloister as if in some way this will serve the needs of our Church in the future.

We know that part of the problem with the Church’s failure to deal with the abuse scandals was that debilitating institutionally protective mind-set that the seminary did so much to form.

We know that if we want to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ – which is what the Church is for – we need to immerse ourselves more and integrate more in the culture in which we minister.

We know that we need open-minded and astute priests who will respect and be comfortable with the complexities of life today.

And we know that priests trained as hothouse flowers and who parrot a received wisdom will be ineffective agents of the Good News in today¹s world.

It isn’t as if we didn’t know all that.

So how come, time and again, a small cadre of well-meaning but injudicious churchmen try to convince us about the wisdom of putting the tooth-paste back into the tube?

Or does nothing matter anymore, apart from dismantling the vision of the Second Vatican Council and the memory of Blessed John XXIII?

Belfast bishop defends faith-based education

2012-01-30T00:03:00.007Z

A Belfast-based Catholic bishop has criticised opponents of faith-based education for portraying its supporters as social "luddites" and divisive bigots.

Dr Donal McKeown also said that media descriptions of recent criminal attacks as ''sectarian'' reinforce those who want to banish religion from education.

He speculated that most of the attacks were based on perceived political rather than theological differences.

Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor, Dr McKeown made his remarks last night in Belfast's Church of Ireland Cathedral.

He was speaking at a ceremony marking the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

He urged the churches to continue to prioritise working together to ensure access to explicitly faith-based education in Northern Ireland.

He said that some had accused faith-based schooling of dividing Christians and turning them into violent bigots.

He also accepted the right of people of no religious convictions to a secular education.

Nuns mark 150 years in Ireland

2012-01-30T00:02:00.008Z

The Bon Secours nuns marked 150 years in Ireland with the launch of an exhibition last Tuesday night which highlights their contribution to Irish society.

The exhibition, entitled Benediction, was commissioned by the order with help from Cork City Council.

Sr Marie Ryan, who leads the Bon Secours Sisters in Ireland, said while they are widely known for their hospitals, they also carry out important work in communities across the country.

"I hope that this exhibition goes some way to highlighting the breadth of work the Bon Secours Sisters have been part of since first arriving in Ireland 150 years ago."

The exhibition was launched at the Cork Public Museum by congregation leader, Sr Patricia Eck, who travelled from US.

"Since the foundation of the Sisters of Bon Secours, our mission has been to reveal God’s healing love to all we meet," she said.

"Our Sisters in Ireland have been doing so to great effect for 150 years and I’m delighted to be here to recognise and thank the Sisters for their important work."

Among the guests were Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Terry Shannon, and Bishop of Cork and Ross John Buckley.

Mr Shannon said the Sisters have a long-standing tradition in Ireland, while the group’s history in Cork stretches back to 1867.

"This exhibition is a wonderful way to acknowledge the contribution the Sisters have made to Irish society," he said.

The exhibition is open to the public Monday to Friday from 11am-1pm and 2.15pm- 5pm,and on Saturdays from 11am-1pm and 2.15pm-4pm.

Admission is free.

Archbishop Aymond focuses on St. Peter's character

2012-01-30T00:01:00.007Z

St. Peter should be the model for all bishops because he allowed God to use his strengths and weaknesses, Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans has said.

“My brothers, as we come to this tomb, as we have the privilege to stand before the remains of Peter, this great man, we certainly pray for ourselves as shepherds of the Church, that we can have the mind and heart of Christ to follow the example of Peter,” he said in his Jan. 23 homily.

The Mass in the Crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica marked the start of an official visit to the Vatican by the bishops of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Archbishop Aymond focused his reflections on the Gospel passage in which St. Peter declares Jesus is “the Christ.”

He said the passage displays the apostle’s “profession of faith, his leap of faith, the courage, the boldness to step out into the deep and to say ‘You are indeed the messiah, you are the one who was promised.’”

But Archbishop Aymond also contrasted the strengths of St. Peter’s character with other times in his life when he failed to follow Jesus, even to the point of betraying him.

“It is important for all of us in ministry, in particularly for those of us in the episcopal ministry, that we look at the entire profile of Peter’s personality – his gifts as well as his weaknesses,” Archbishop Aymond told his fellow bishops.

“Peter’s weakness do not minimize his holiness ... because we see that Jesus uses both Peter’s strength as well as his weaknesses,” he observed.

Through this experience, the archbishop explained, St. Peter “learns humility and learns obedience,” giving an example for all bishops.

Archbishop Aymond is making the “ad limina” visit to Rome with 21 other bishops between Jan. 23 and 31.

The trips take place every five years and involve a meeting in which the bishops brief the Pope on the Church in their individual dioceses, visit with various Vatican departments, and make a pilgrimage to the tombs of Sts. Peter and Paul.

The group is the fifth delegation of U.S. bishops to make their way to Rome in recent months, leaving 10 more groups on the American roster.

After this morning’s Mass, the bishops met with officials at the Congregation for Bishops and the Congregation for Clergy. Six of the bishops also had an audience with Pope Benedict.

In the evening they attended at reception at the United States Embassy to the Holy See, hosted by Ambassador Miguel H. Diaz.

Eucharistic Congress 2012 - Prayer

2012-01-30T00:00:00.000Z

Lord Jesus,
You were sent by the Father
to gather together those who are scattered.

You came among us, doing good and bringing healing,
announcing the Word of salvation
and giving the Bread which lasts forever.

Be our companion on life’s pilgrim way.

May your Holy Spirit transform us into one body
and lead us to walk humbly on the earth,
in justice and love,
as witnesses of your resurrection.

Amen

India: The young, missionary Church challenges intolerance

2012-01-29T00:19:00.018Z

India has been for a long time (and perhaps still is) the ‘Country of Missions’ par excellence and has become the focus of an intense effort of Christianization made by the traditional Christian Churches and also by the recently formed Evangelical Churches.

And yet, India sends abroad one of the highest number of priests, missionaries and nuns in the world.

People in some areas of India have been reported to live in a state of persecution on all levels, at the hands of Hindu Radicals, supported by local and state authorities.

Recently in Bangalore there was a congress organized jointly by the Catholic Conference of Bishops of India and the Conference of Major Superiors.

This was the first congress on the theme of ‘Missions Overseas’. Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai hosted the event.

The secretary general of the CBI (Catholic Bishops' Conference of India) has invited the organizers to arrange another national conference like this one as soon as possible.

The conference was called “Imac 2012” and it took place at the Institute of Theology of the Conference of Major Superiors in the Kernataka state, which as we are about to show is also one of the most affected by the drama of anti-Christian persecution.

The conference was attended by about forty dignitaries including the representatives of 25 missionary organizations, of religious congregations and dioceses.

Bishops of Catholic dioceses, Major Superiors of congregations, experts on missions and Indian missionaries with a great deal of experience in the field exchanged stories and ideas for four days.

According to Fr. Balthazar Castellino of the Missions Etrangères in Paris (Mep) currently in Madagascar, missionaries from India nowadays are present in 166 different countries. According to the information provided by Fr. Castellino, there are 6543 nuns, 940 priests, 226 diocesan priests and 159 Indian monks working in missions today.

Fr. Castellino warns that these figures fluctuate because the information is fragmented at best. The missionary, who is also the secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Madagascar said that the number of Indian missionaries currently in the field is about 15,000.

This is not an exaggerated figure, far from it, this number is bound to increase in the near future. More than 214 religious congregations today send Indian missionaries abroad.

The conference helped disprove the stereotype by which Indian missionaries are presumed to be mostly in Europe and North America. The testimonies of those present and the statistics presented at the Imac 2012 showed how the great majority of these missionaries actually work in Africa, South America and in the Pacific area.

Following this first conference the attendees released a statement highlighting the need to rapidly create an official structure in the Indian Church to educate and prepare future missionaries, but also to give support in terms of supplies and money to the Christianization effort, as well as the need to create a website and information centre.

There is another side to the Church in India, a sad one. It seems absurd that Karnataka, the very state where the conference took place, should also be the state where Christians (and other religions too) are most severely and widely persecuted.

During the recent Christmas festivities Karnataka was found to be, for the third year in a row, the most dangerous place in India for religious minorities. According to the Protestants who are the more frequent but not the only victims of Hindu violence, in the last year there have been 49 cases of violence and hostility against Christians.

The Evangelical Fellowship of India every year publishes a study on this phenomenon that for social, economic and political reasons is not likely to subside.

The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), also based in Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, has documented at least six cases of aggression against Christians between Christmas eve and new year’s eve last year.

For example near Mangalore, at Christmas, twenty assailants burst into a house where people were celebrating Christmas. These men were members of a society called Hindu Jagran Vedike. They attacked defenceless men, women and children with sticks and stones.

“These attacks are scandalous and are a stain on the image of a democratic and secular India,” declared Sajan K. George, President of the GCIC. But the real and essential problem is the impunity the Hindu radicals enjoy, in this instance for example five people were arrested but also quickly released by the authorities.

It is hardly surprising that the assaults have multiplied after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a radical Hindu party, came to power in the State of Karnataka in 2008.

That year there were at least 28 cases of aggression against Christians, which became 48 the following year and 56 in 2010.

Benedict XVI meets with heads of all dicasteries

2012-01-29T00:18:00.011Z

Vatican sources have stated that the plenary assembly dealt with problems relating to internal communication and the phrasing and checking of documents.

These types of meeting, where all Vatican “ministers” are called together, are scheduled haphazardly.

In recent times they have tended to take place twice a year so as to allow a broad discussion of topics on the agenda.

The meeting in question was held in the Vatican’s Bologna Hall.

The last meeting of its kind took place on 13 June 2011 and was defined as a meeting to coordinate the Curia.

The last meeting of this breadth and with the same levels of participation, was held on 12 November 2010.

One of the issues discussed, was the dicastery for the New evangelisation, led by Mgr. Rino Fisichella, which at the time was still in the process of being established.

Glasgow priest appointed to Vatican's UN office

2012-01-29T00:17:00.006Z

The Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Glasgow, Monsignor Peter Smith, has been appointed to the Vatican's United Nations Embassy.

Mgr Smith will become Attache at the New York office where the Holy See has UN Permanent Observer Status.

The appointment becomes effective on 1 March.

Fr Tom White will succeed Monsignor Smith as Chancellor and as Parish Priest of St Mary's Calton and as Archdiocesan Master of Ceremonies.

Commenting on the appointments, Archbishop Conti said: "Mgr Smith has served with great dedication as Vice Chancellor and then Chancellor of the Archdiocese for almost 25 years. I have benefited greatly from his support. We cannot do better than to agree to the appointment of Mgr Peter as Attache, even if it means losing him for a while from the active service of the Archdiocese."

Mgr Smith said: "I am very much looking forward to taking up the new role, though it will be a wrench to leave the Parish of St Mary's and my friends and colleagues at the Archdiocese. I am delighted that Fr Tom has been appointed to succeed me in the various roles I vacate and am grateful to the Archbishop for releasing me from the Archdiocese for a while to take up this new post."

Astronomer for the Vatican says U.K. a star

2012-01-29T00:16:00.017Z

Brother Guy Consolmagno, a staff astronomer and the curator of meteorites at the Vatican Observatory, travels about 100,000 miles each year, splitting his time between Tucson, Ariz., and Rome.

The planetary scientist also gives 40 to 50 talks annually at universities, schools and parishes around the world.

"Virtually all the cost of my travel is covered by the people inviting me to talk," said Guy, 59.

"And whenever possible I stay in local Jesuit communities, at one of our schools or parishes, which also certainly cuts down the cost of travel. Because I am a brother, people sometimes mistakenly call me a monk, but that is not technically correct. A monk takes a vow to stay within a monastery, but Jesuits live 'in the world.' Indeed our founder, St. Ignatius, once said that our vocation is to travel. Certainly, I do!"

The author of several books, including "The Heavens Proclaim: Astronomy and the Vatican" and "God's Mechanics: How Scientists and Engineers Make Sense of Religion," Consolmagno has an asteroid named for him: 4597 Consolmagno.

Q: For those making a trip to the Vatican, what would you advise them to visit?

A: Well, everyone knows to see St. Peter's and the Vatican Museum. But most people, when they go to the museum, rush ahead to see the Sistine Chapel and miss out on some wonderful artwork on the way. In particular, I recommend that when you first get into the museum, where the signs all point to the left, turn right instead. This gets you to the coffee shop and the Pinacoteca, the small but wonderful collection of paintings. I find the series of musical angels by Melozzo da Forli are particularly charming. But the best part is a series of eight astronomical paintings by Donato Creti, made in the early 1700s, which show the planets as seen through a telescope. They include the first color depiction of the great red spot on Jupiter. Another wonderful sight, which requires advance reservations, is to explore the Scavi, the excavations underneath St. Peter's. (http://www.vatican.va)

Q: I understand you served in Kenya with the Peace Corps. What are some of your memories of that time?

A: That was 30 years ago, and I know that Kenya has changed a lot since then. What I remember most was how wonderful the people were and how much the countryside reminded me of a Tolkien painting — odd volcanic mountains and glorious but very strange vistas.

Q: What are your five favorite cities?

A. I am quite partial to the United Kingdom, so I would have to start with London, Liverpool and Glasgow. Tokyo is fascinating and continually surprising. I lived many years in Boston and I still love to visit there because it's full of history, great museums and great food — and you can walk to nearly all of it. But lately my heart has been stolen by New York. As a Jesuit, I get to stay in parishes built to serve immigrants of the 19th century that are now in neighborhoods that are just wonderful to wander around. And, yes, I know that's six cities.

Q: When you go away, what are some of your must-have items?

A: One trick I have never heard anyone else describe is that for long overnight flights, I put myself to sleep by listening to favorite audio books. Because I know the book well, it doesn't keep me awake. And when I realize that I have skipped a few chapters, it relaxes me by letting me realize I really have gotten some sleep.

Pope Benedict praises Twitter-like forms of communication

2012-01-29T00:15:00.012Z

He may be a traditionalist in terms of doctrine, but Pope Benedict XVI has again proved he is au fait with the latest developments online in an address praising the potential of social networks as well as warning of their limitations.

In what will be seen as a discreet reference to Twitter, he said: "In concise phrases, often no longer than a verse from the Bible, profound thoughts can be communicated, as long as those taking part in the conversation do not neglect to cultivate their own inner lives."

Reflecting on new forms of interaction in advance of the church's World Communications Day, the leader of more than a billion Catholics worldwide said: "The process of communication nowadays is largely fuelled by questions in search of answers."

He called for the relentless chatter of the internet to be balanced by silence and contemplation.

"Search engines and social networks have become the starting point of communication for many people who are seeking advice, ideas, information and answers," he said.

"In our time, the internet is becoming ever more a forum for questions and answers – indeed, people today are frequently bombarded with answers to questions they have never asked and to needs of which they were unaware."

"Ultimately, this constant flow of questions demonstrates the restlessness of human beings, ceaselessly searching for truths, of greater or lesser import, that can offer meaning and hope to their lives."

Benedict held out the possibility that some sites might foster better communication than others, and urged the faithful to take note of them.

"Attention should be paid to the various types of websites, applications and social networks which can help people today to find time for reflection and authentic questioning, as well as making space for silence and occasions for prayer, meditation or sharing of the word of God."

The Catholic church has made significant efforts to keep up with the digital revolution.

Last June Benedict tweeted using an iPad to announce the inauguration of a Vatican news service, and the hierarchy gave its blessing to an iPhone app that lets believers keep track of their sins.

The official Vatican twitter feed is at twitter.com/news_va_en and daily bulletins, including papal encyclicals and addresses, are posted on the Holy See's website.

Survey finds American majority in favor of abortion restrictions

2012-01-29T00:14:00.006Z

A supermajority of Americans supports significant restrictions on abortion, in contradiction to the Supreme Court decisions which require permissive laws nationwide, a new survey sponsored by the Knights of Columbus says.

“Almost four decades after the Supreme Court’s decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, which resulted in the almost totally unrestricted abortion regime of today, these decisions continue to be out of step with the vast majority of Americans,” said Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus.

The Knights of Columbus-Marist Poll survey found that 79 percent of Americans say they would not allow abortion after the first three months of pregnancy.

Another 51 percent said they would only allow abortion, at most, in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother or they would not allow it at all, the Knights reported Jan. 23.

Eighty-four percent of survey respondents said that laws can protect both the life of the unborn and the health and well-being of the mother, an increase of three percent since a survey two years ago.

“Far from being settled law, the inadequacy of the Court’s reasoning on abortion in Roe and Doe is readily apparent to most Americans. Once a survey moves beyond the labels of pro-life and pro-choice, we see a fundamental unity among Americans in favor of significant abortion restrictions,” Anderson said.

The survey questions on abortion were part of a broader survey that will be released in February.

The survey polled 1,053 adults in the continental U.S. from Dec. 15 through Dec. 27, 2011.

It claims a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Catholic Healthcare West adopts non-Catholic governing structure

2012-01-29T00:13:00.006Z

Catholic Healthcare West, one of the largest health systems in the U.S., is changing its name to Dignity Health while adopting a non-denominational governing board in an effort to expand.

The new structure and name will help the organization to “grow nationally while preserving the identity and integrity of both its Catholic and non-Catholic hospitals,” Dignity Health said Jan. 23.

The system’s Catholic hospitals will continue to be Catholic under the direct sponsorship of their founding religious congregations and will adhere to the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services produced by the U.S. bishops.

The non-Catholic hospitals will continue to be non-Catholic and will adhere to the “Statement of Common Values.”

Those rules prohibit abortion and in-vitro fertilization but not sterilization procedures like tubal ligations, the Sacramento Bee reports.

Sr. Judy Carle, S.M., vice chair of the Dignity Health Board of Directors, said the organization’s new name reflects its identity.

“The value of dignity is embedded in our culture. Our mission, vision and values were all formed out of the recognition of the inherent dignity of each person.”

Sr. Carle also cited a declining number of religious sisters as a reason for the structural changes.

The changes follow “several years of discussions” between the system’s sponsoring congregations, board of directors and management team about its future.

Archbishop George Niederauer of San Francisco, where Dignity Health is headquartered, consulted with other bishops and determined that the changes are consistent with Catholic morals and may proceed.

The system came under major scrutiny because of a 2009 incident at Catholic Healthcare West’s St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix.

The hospital’s ethics board decided that a direct abortion could be performed on a woman who was suffering severe medical complications.

On Dec. 21, 2010, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix revoked the Catholic status of the hospital.

The bishop’s investigation found that the hospital and its parent company were involved in a pattern of behavior that violated Catholic health care ethics, including the creation and management of a government program that offers birth control, sterilization procedures and abortion.

Lloyd Dean, the president and CEO of Catholic Healthcare West, said concerns about the system’s Catholic affiliation have hindered potential agreements with other hospitals.

“I have been contacted over the last couple of years by many, many different constituencies who have an interest in Catholic Healthcare West and what we have accomplished,” he told the Sacramento Bee.

Potential partners have asked about their future as a non-Catholic entity within the system, whether they will have to become Catholic hospitals themselves, and what the Catholic influence over them will be, he said.

The hospital system operates in California, Arizona and Nevada. There are 25 Catholic and 15 secular hospitals in the system. It is the fifth-largest in the country with about $11 billion in revenue and 6.2 million patients treated in 2011.

The system is also seeking to triple in size.

Dignity Health, in a Frequently Asked Questions bulletin, said the system’s long-term plans call for a “more integrated care” to enhance quality and reduce costs. The new structure and name “enable us to grow into a national system, welcoming both Catholic and non-Catholic care centers into the system, while respecting the identity and integrity of each.”

The change was necessary, the system said, because “inclusiveness has always been a priority for our sister sponsors” and because they wanted to ensure continued partnership with “others who share our values.”

The change “preserves our ministry in the Catholic tradition.”

The system’s governing structure is also changing.

Catholic Healthcare West’s original governing board was headed by the Corporate Members body, which was composed of representatives from each of the system’s six sponsoring religious congregations.

The board of directors was the second level of governance and was appointed by the Corporate Members.

In the new Dignity Health structure, the Board of Directors is the top level of governance and is non-denominational.

Spanish bishop urges Christians to remain hopeful in despair

2012-01-29T00:12:00.006Z

Archbishop Carlos Osoro of Valencia in Spain called on Christians in Europe to remain hopeful in the Lord, despite difficult circumstances in life.

Catholics must “keep alive the hope that comes from God, especially in this time of despair and disappointment, ” he said during a Mass at the Cathedral of Valencia on Jan. 22, the feast of the archdiocese's patron St. Vincent the Martyr.

“We live in a time in which we must not allow ourselves to be disturbed by the human situations that happen to us,” the archbishop remarked. “What comes from God is much more important than what comes from man, because what comes from God is hope and God gives man a way out.”

“It is precisely in a culture of despair and of disappointment where Christians must be present,” he underscored, “because God is hope, He is love, and God’s embracing of my life is what I also must share with others.”

For this reason, he added, Christians must never react to the present-day circumstances with “hatred, separation or rupture, nor consider others to be a bother or a permanent inconvenience.”