Here
is the declaration published by the Holy See
upon releasing the Letter that Benedict XVI
has written to the Catholics in China. 'Declaration:
Letter of the Holy Father Benedict XVI to the
Bishops, priests, consecrated men and women,
and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the
People's Republic of China. By means of his
Letter, which is made public today, Pope Benedict
XVI wishes to express his love for the Catholic
community in China and his closeness to it.
From the text of the Papal document two basic
attitudes are clear: on the one hand, deep spiritual
affection for all Catholics in China and cordial
esteem for the Chinese people, and, on the other,
an earnest appeal to the perennial principles
of the Catholic tradition and the Second Vatican
Council in the ecclesiological sphere. It is,
therefore, a pressing invitation to charity,
unity and truth.
The
Letter is directed to the Church in China and
deals with eminently religious questions, responding
to precise queries which have been addressed
for some time to the Holy See by Chinese Bishops
and priests. It is not, therefore, a political
document, nor, much less, an indictment of the
government authorities, although it does not
ignore the well-known difficulties which the
Church in China must daily tackle. The Holy
Father recalls the 'original plan' which Christ
had for his Church and which he entrusted to
the Apostles and their successors, the Bishops.
In this light, he takes into consideration various
problems of the Church in China which emerged
during the past fifty years. From this 'plan'
he also draws inspiration and formulates guidelines
to tackle and resolve, in a spirit of communion
and truth, the said problems. In the Letter,
Benedict XVI declares himself fully available
and open to a serene and constructive dialogue
with the civic authorities in order to find
a solution to the various problems concerning
the Catholic community, and to reach the desired
normalization of relations between the Holy
See and the Government of the People's Republic
of China, in the certainty that Catholics, by
freely professing their faith and by giving
generous witness of life, contribute also, as
good citizens, to the good of the Chinese people.
Saturday, 30 June 2007. [Original text: Italian;
Translation issued by the Holy See] [Zenit]
To see the full official text of the letter,
click
here 1366.3
Letter
to Catholics in China, II
In
his open letter directed to Chinese Catholics
and released yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged
the suffering experienced by Catholics under Communist
rule but also concluded that it was time to forgive
past wrongdoings and for the underground and state-sponsored
Catholic churches in China to reconcile. Openly
hoping for a renewal of relations between China
and the Vatican which were suspended in the late
1950s, Pope Benedict reassured the Chinese government
that the Vatican offered no political challenge
to its authority, while urging the state-sponsored
Catholic Church to acknowledge the Vatican's control
on religious matters. 'The misunderstanding and
incomprehension weighs heavily, serving neither
the Chinese authorities nor the Catholic Church
in China,' the letter said. It was the pope's
long-awaited first official and explicit statement
on China's estimated 12 million Catholics, the
majority of whom worship in underground churches
to avoid having to register with the government
and swear loyalty to it.
Months
in preparation, and dated May 27, the 28-page
letter was issued in multiple languages, including
Chinese, along with an unusual accompanying 'Explanatory
Note' highlighting main points. The pope praised
China for 'the splendour of its ancient civilization'
and noted with approval that it had greater religious
freedoms and decisive movement toward socio-economic
progress. He underlined that the Roman Catholic
Church 'does not have a mission to change the
structure or administration of the State.' Gerolamo
Fazzini, editor of 'Mondo e Missione', a
magazine for the Pontifical Institute for Foreign
Missions, said: 'This is a step forward because
it states the Vatican position clearly and holds
out a hand to civil authorities. It says the church
and authorities can be allied in dialogue. That
you can be good Chinese citizens and Catholics
at the same time. That the church is not looking
for political legitimacy.' But the pope's message
to the Patriotic Church Association, the central
government body that oversees the state churches,
was that no Catholic Church should operate independently
of the Vatican, and he said Catholics should seek
to worship with priests who accepted the guidance
of Rome. He criticized 'grave limitations' in
religious practice that 'touch the heart of faith.'
Still,
he said, sacraments administered in state churches
were holy. He officially revoked a set of 1988
directives, promulgated by the previous pope,
John Paul II, that gave bishops and priests in
China special powers that allowed them to operate
without the mandate of the Vatican. The directives
were intended to allow underground clerics to
operate secretly and independently to avoid persecution;
the Vatican says it sees that as no longer necessary.
The letter included a reaffirmation of the Vatican's
right to appoint bishops, a point of deep contention
between Rome and the Chinese Patriotic Church.
In 2006, the Chinese church enraged the Vatican
by appointing three new bishops without consultation.
Cardinal Joseph Zen Zi-kiun, the bishop of Hong
Kong and a passionate advocate for the underground
church on the mainland, issued a written statement
late last evening. 'The voice of our bishops and
priests in China is often prevented from reaching
our leaders; now that the letter of the pope is
in the hands of our leaders, our bishops and priests
can thus refer to it directly as a common starting
point for dialogue,' he said.
Beginning
in the 1950s, China expelled missionaries, closed
churches, confiscated church property and imprisoned
almost all clerics. Tremendous persecution continued
until the 1980s when Deng Xiaping, then the Chinese
leader, allowed worship to resume slowly- though
within limits set by government. Underground churches
held fast in their loyalty to the pope, but their
secret meetings have been violently dispersed
by the police, and practitioners arrested. Still,
over the last 10 years, the practices of the official
states churches and underground churches have
converged to some extent, depending in part upon
the tolerance of local authorities. And in the
countryside, it is not unusual to find official
state 'patriotic' churches where the pope is openly
revered and that hang pictures of him near the
altar. An increasing number also get money from
Catholic charities abroad to pay for church-building,
schools and hospitals. 'The first and by far most
important aspect is that for the pope, the church
in China is one - definitely one,' Bernardo Cervellera,
editor of Asia News, a Catholic missionary news
service based in Rome, said of the letter.
'He stresses it is time to consider the church
one church. To reconcile the bishops from the
two churches and the faithful as well.' Others
remained sceptical that the overture would improve
relations between the Vatican and the Chinese.
'I doubt that this will help overcome the impasse
with the Chinese authorities, because the letter
says that it's up to China to recognize the church
should operate in China as it does in 173 countries,
even places like Cuba, which is Communist, or
Japan, which has strong nationalism - in all of
which the pope nominates bishops,' said a priest
from Hong Kong, who asked not to be named. He
and others noted that the reaction to the papal
letter could be complex among Catholics in China,
and some could even feel betrayed by the pope's
message. 'I think that this will have strong repercussions,
within the church,' Mr. Fazzini, the magazine
editor, said. 'Imagine a priest who spent 30 years
in jail and now you are told that you have to
dialogue with people that have been nominated
by authorities.
Asking
them to reread history with charitable eyes, that
won't be easy.' The pope's letter said firmly
that cooperating with Chinese Communist state
requirements did not constitute a betrayal of
Catholicism. The practice of Catholicism and the
'safeguarding of the faith,' he said, is 'not
itself opposed to dialogue with authorities.'
Still, he noted that Catholics in China walked
a delicate line between faith and political expedience,
and he urged the bishops and priests in Catholic
dioceses in China to make the decision about whether
to register their churches with Chinese authorities,
based on 'local conditions and circumstances.'
The pope acknowledged the suffering of Chinese
clerics - their persecution and 'shedding of blood'
- but urged them to show charity toward those
'who think different from us in social, political
and religious matters. The purification of memory,
the pardoning of wrongdoers, the forgetting of
injustices suffered and the loving restoration
to serenity of troubled hearts, all to be accomplished
in the name of Jesus crucified and risen, can
require moving beyond personal positions or viewpoints,
born of painful or difficult experiences,' he
wrote. 'These are urgent steps that must be taken.'
[New York Times]. 1366.4
China's
official rebuff
China
has rebuffed the appeal by Pope Benedict XVI for
greater religious freedoms and urged the Vatican
to refrain from creating new barriers to the improvement
of relations. China 'hopes the Vatican can take
a realistic attitude and not create new obstacles',
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.
The statement reiterated China's long-standing
conditions for the normalisation of relations
- the Vatican must break off ties with Taiwan,
which China claims as part of its territory, and
surrender the authority to appoint members of
the clergy. The Vatican 'should not interfere
in the affairs of China in the name of Catholicism',
the spokesman said. The statement was released
on the ministry's website several hours after
the publication of the Pope's strongly-worded
appeal to the estimated 10 million Chinese Catholics
loyal to Rome. The Pontiff called on the communist
regime in Beijing to respect their 'authentic
religious freedom' and warned that China's official
church is 'incompatible with Catholic doctrine'.
Benedict also insisted on the freedom to appoint
bishops loyal only to Rome, adding that bishops
of the rival state-sponsored church 'cannot be
recognised' by the Holy See. [AFP] 1366.5
Motu
proprio on use of the 1962 Missal
Given below is the text of a communique released
on Thursday by the Holy See Press Office concerning
Benedict XVI's forthcoming motu proprio
on the use of the Missal promulgated by Blessed
John XXIII in 1962. 'Yesterday afternoon in the
Vatican, a meeting was held under the presidency
of the Cardinal Secretary of State in which the
content and spirit of the Holy Father's forthcoming
'Motu Proprio' on the use of the Missal promulgated
by John XXIII in 1962 was explained to representatives
from various episcopal conferences. The Holy Father
also arrived to greet those present, spending
nearly an hour in deep conversation with them.
The publication of the document - which will be
accompanied by an extensive personal letter from
the Holy Father to individual bishops - is expected
within a few days, once the document itself has
been sent to all the bishops with an indication
of when it will come into effect.' [Vatican Information
Service] 1366.6
Assembly
for Africa of the Synod of Bishops
The
Holy Father Benedict XVI has called the Second
Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops.
The event, which is due to be held in the Vatican
from October 4 to 25, 2009, has as its theme:
'The Church in Africa at the Service of Reconciliation,
Justice and Peace. 'You are the salt of the earth.
... You are the light of the world'.' [Vatican
Information Service] 1366.7
The
Family
US
media campaign
The
US bishops launched a national media campaign
to promote healthy marriages and to convey the
meaning and value of married life for the Church
and society. The campaign, directed at all couples,
not just Catholics, was launched on Wednesday
in Denver, reported the 'Rocky Mountain News'.
'Marriage is the foundation of the family; the
family in turn is the bedrock of society,' Archbishop
Charles Chaput of Denver told about 250 people
at the Adams Mark Hotel for a meeting of the Marriage
and Family Life Committee. 'Both are necessary
for the good of society. When either institution
weakens, all of us suffer the consequences. The
church seeks to do all it can to encourage what
goes into a solid marriage: prayer, fidelity,
commitment, and the little things that count,'
said Archbishop-elect Joseph Kurtz of Louisville,
chairman of the Marriage and Family Life Committee,
in a separate statement.
The
campaign includes 30- and 60-second television
and radio clips in which married couples on the
street spontaneously answer the question, 'What
have you done for your marriage today?' The clips
have been offered as public service announcements
to 2,500 broadcast, cable and radio outlets nationwide.
The campaign was organized as part of the US bishops'
national pastoral initiative for marriage. It
is coordinated by the US bishops' committees on
communications and on marriage and family life.
'It's not a particularly religiously focused campaign,'
said Archbishop Chaput. 'What we are really trying
to do is encourage all people to be reflective
about their marriage.' The conclusions from a
series of focus groups, held in preparation for
the campaign, were the importance of commitment
and the need to do something every day to nurture
one's marriage. [CNA] 1366.8
Economic
pressures on family life
Irish census figures show the damaging results
of economic pressures of family life, the Iona
Institute notes. The 2006 census statistics show
a major drop in the number of stay-at-home mothers,
the Iona Institute notes. In 2002 there were 320,467
married couples in which one spouse remained at
home; in 2006 that figure had fallen to 275,122--
a drop of 14%. The census figures also show a
sharp rise in commuting times for Irish workers,
the institute noted. There were over 56,000 people
travelling more than 90 minutes to their jobs,
and another 130,000 travelling at least an hour.
'This has obvious and detrimental effects on family
life,' the Iona Institute noted, 'as it means
that couples have less time to spend with one
another and with their children.' [CWNews] 1366.9
United
Nations
UNFPA
targets poor families for fertility reduction
The Catholic Family Institute (C-Fam) reports
from New York on the UN Population Fund -- the
UN agency in charge of population control and
the promotion of abortion. Most of its programs
are aimed at the poor black and brown global south.
However, according to its own report released
last week, most of its money comes from the rich,
white, European countries that are in steep fertility
decline. Hmmmmm, go figure that. Samantha Singson
writes : 'A report just issued by UNFPA to its
executive board shows that the top ten donor nations
to the organization are largely white, have fertility
rates well below replacement level, have some
of the highest contraceptive prevalence rates
in the world and also have the most liberal abortion
laws in the world.
The
combined donations from these countries, including
the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, United Kingdom,
Japan, Denmark, Germany, Finland, Canada and Switzerland,
make up 85.6% of UNFPA's total $389 million revenue
from contributions.
With
the exception of Japan, each of the top UNFPA
donor countries has contraceptive prevalence rates
well above 70%. The average fertility rate for
the top ten donor countries is 1.59. None of the
top UNFPA donor countries comes close to achieving
a replacement-level fertility rate.
While
UNFPA refuses to release detailed reports on its
program contributions, development experts point
out that UNFPA spends most of its donors' money
in the largely non-white countries in the global
south. 'The fact is that UNFPA and its white donor
countries are targeting poor black and brown countries
for fertility reduction,' one UN-development expert
told the Friday Fax.
In
a 2005 survey of the world's population policies,
a closer look at the top UNFPA donor countries
reveals that all of them are currently experiencing
a demographic decline. Netherlands, Sweden, United
Kingdom, Finland and Canada all cited the growing
aging population and dwindling size of the working
population as a 'major concern'. Japan, Finland,
Canada and Switzerland acknowledged that fertility
was 'too low' in their countries and were in the
process of pursuing policies to raise the fertility
level.
The
demographic decline of the top UNFPA donor countries
is becoming a subject of increasing importance
as global fertility rates continue to drop. According
to demographic and population experts, approximately
half of the world's population already live in
sub-replacement countries. Population experts,
such as Phillip Longman, cite the close connection
between economic growth and population. Longman's
recent book, 'The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birthrates
Threaten World Prosperity and What to Do About
It' details the dangers of population decline
for global prosperity.
UNFPA
funding continues to be a hot-button issue for
the US government. Since 2002, the Bush administration
has withheld its annual $34 million contribution
from UNFPA because of the organization's involvement
in China's oppressive one-child policy. Known
as the Kemp-Kasten amendment, US law prohibits
taxpayer dollars from supporting international
organizations which support coercive abortion
practices or involuntary sterilization.
In
May, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D - NY) and Rep. Michael
Honda (D - Calif.) co-sponsored a bill which would
reinstate the $34 million contribution to UNFPA,
but with funds earmarked for the UNFPA's 'Ending
Fistula' campaign.
UNFPA
encourages countries to submit multi-year pledges
to assure a steady flow of funds. As of June 1,
2007, $417 million had been pledged, but only
$45 million for 2008. Few countries have committed
funds beyond next year. [C-Fam] 1366.10
Europe
Poland
rejects same-sex union ruling
The Polish government will not accept the portion
of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European
Union that covers issues of discrimination on
the basis of sexual preference. Prime Minister
Jaroslaw Kaczynski has announced that Poland will
not grant legal recognition to same-sex unions,
saying that the step would violate the country's
cultural heritage. He pointed out that Poland
had joined the European Union with the understanding
that the sovereignty of the nation would be respected
on matters of culture. The recognition of marriage,
he said, falls into that category. The Polish
government has been in conflict with leaders of
the European Union over issues involving the treatment
of homosexuality. The announcement by Kaczynski
appears likely to bring that conflict to a head.
[CWNews] 1366.11
The
attack on morality
Gynaecology
degrees and abortion
Only
four countries in Europe offer gynaecology degrees
without requiring abortion. The president of the
International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations,
Dr. Jose Maria Simon, said this week medical students
can obtain gynaecology degrees without having
to perform abortions in four countries in Europe
- Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece. While participating
last week in a conference for Catholic gynaecologists
in Zagreb, Simon told Europa Press that in Spain,
'although it is difficult, it is still possible
to find a place that accepts residents who don't
practice abortions.' That is not the case in France,
Switzerland, Germany or Austria, where the 'normal'
thing is for students to be required to practice
abortions. 'Things are very bad in Europe,' he
insisted. On the other hand, Simon said participants
at the conference concluded that one of the most
important priorities for gynaecologists should
be the care for pregnant women in poor countries,
as well as promoting 'state assistance' in the
developed countries to encourage women not to
have abortions.
'Pregnant women in Spain receive practically no
financial help. If a pregnant immigrant who is
alone shows up at a clinic she gets asked practically
nothing and she is given a pass to have an abortion.
This happens and happens often,' he said. On the
other hand, Simon noted that there are more and
more women who want to be seen by a doctor who
follows the Magisterium of the Church, 'even if
they do not agree with it 100%.' He pointed to
a study that shows that in the United States,
there are 10 times more women who would go to
such a gynaecologist but who can't because they
are hard to find. He added that the same thing
happens with people looking for doctors in other
fields, such as psychiatry or care for the terminally
ill. 'Between the doctor and the patient there
may be a verbal or a non-verbal contract but people
want to know what the doctor will do in that case,
what kind of ethics he will apply,' Simon said.
[CNAA] 1366.12
Cuba
plans same-sex union 'rights'
The
Communist Party of Cuba has welcomed a plan to
reform the country's family laws to grant 'full
rights' to homosexual couples, including the adoption
of children, allowing sex and identity changes
for transsexuals and in the long term legalizing
homosexual unions. The announcement was made by
the director of the National Center for Sexual
Education, Mariela Castro, during the 5th International
Culture and Development Congress which was held
in Havana. Castro, who is the daughter of interim
president Raul Castro, said, 'We think we should
come to an agreement that there be an article
in the Family Code on gender identity and sexual
orientation for the right to free sexual orientation
and gender identity.' Castro said the plan must
first be approved by the Communist party bureau
and later by the National Assembly. However, she
said a request has already been filed with the
Ministry of Public Health to allow three homosexual
couples to receive reproduction assistance, in
anticipation of the change in Cuban law. While
she noted that there has been some resistance
to the plan, she said, 'Laws by themselves are
not sufficient for achieving real change,' but
they are essential to advancing policies. Regarding
the legalization of homosexual unions, Castro
said they could not yet be called 'marriages'
because that requires a change in Cuba's Constitution.
'That proposal will be made at an opportune moment.
Right now changing the Family Code will be enough,'
she added. 'We have inherited a patriarchal family
model,' she claimed. 'We are not capable of breaking
with it and we must do so,' Castro stated. [CNA]
1366.13
Archdiocese
severs links with Jesuit university's 'Center
for Marriage and Family'
The
Archdiocese of Omaha has severed ties with Creighton
University's Center for Marriage and Family after
two university researchers said the Catholic Church
should allow engaged couples to live together
and have sex before marriage. The two researchers,
Michael Lawler and Gail Risch, made their position
known in the June issue of US Catholic
magazine. Lawler is the director of the Creighton
Center for Marriage and Family and professor emeritus
of Catholic theology at Creighton. Risch is an
instructor of ethics. In the article, Lawler and
Risch proposed a 'modern-day betrothal' situation
which they claim reflects Catholic tradition.
They noted that in the 13th and 14th centuries
couples were often first betrothed - a mutual
consent to spend the rest of their lives together
- before they were actually married. 'The first
sexual intercourse between the spouses usually
followed the betrothal - a fact of the Catholic
tradition that has been obscured by the now-taken-for-granted
sequence of wedding, marriage, sexual intercourse,'
Lawler and Risch wrote.
'Such
a process would meet the legitimate Catholic and
social requirement that the sex act must take
place only within a stable relationship,' they
wrote. Archbishop Elden F. Curtiss of Omaha responded
to the proposal by vehemently opposing it. He
denounced the article as contrary to Catholic
doctrine and said neither Lawler nor Risch is
a reliable theologian. The archbishop asserted
that the establishment of this sort of relationship
would not respect marriage or the family. The
issue is crystal clear, he said: 'Couples who
live together without marriage do in fact live
in sin objectively.' The new position of the centre
led the archbishop to sever ties with the institute.
'Because the position of the authors is contrary
to church teaching about the intrinsic evil of
fornication, I have disassociated the Omaha Archdiocese
from the Center for Marriage and Family at Creighton
University,' Archbishop Curtiss wrote. The separation
of the Omaha Archdiocese and the Center for Marriage
and Family is a particularly sharp one because
the archdiocese is considered a national leader
in premarital counseling. FOCCUS, a marriage preparation
inventory developed by the archdiocese's Family
Life Office, is widely used by Catholics and Protestants.[CNA]
1366.14
International
news
GERMANY
Correction
The originator of the source of our story on Thursday
about the jailing in Germany of Pastor Johannes
Lerle has said that he was not, in fact, convicted
of holocaust denial because he had compared abortion
with the holocaust, but was convicted of holocaust
denial alone. [LifeSite, SPUC] 1366.15
NETHERLANDS
Aid
to Nicaragua and abortion
The
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation
for the Netherlands has said that the European
Union may only give future aid to Nicaragua if
the country changes its ban on abortion. Speaking
at the Dutch Platform of Millennium Goals, Mr
Bert Koenders said: 'Even if an abortion is medically
necessary, it still remains illegal in Nicaragua,
which results in the death of women. We should
emphasize that this is completely unacceptable.
I do not want to immediately cancel our aid to
Nicaragua, but we certainly will weigh the matter.'
Last year Nicaragua implemented a law limiting
abortion which aims to protect unborn children.
[Catholic News Agency, SPUC] 1366.16
TURKEY
Religious freedom and the forthcoming elections
Turkey
is due to hold parliamentary elections on 22 July,
which will have a crucial impact on the presidential
election due in autumn. Both elections will strongly
influence the chances of greater freedom of thought,
conscience and belief, Otmar Oehring of the German
Catholic charity Missio notes. Turkish religious
minorities Forum 18 News Service has spoken to
are highly concerned about the outcome of the
elections. For, as Dr Oehring observes in a personal
commentary for Forum 18, Turks who want to see
genuine freedom of thought, conscience and religion
have little expectation that either the parliamentary
or presidential election will bring any improvement.
No political party with any chance of gaining
real power wants either to tackle the dangerous
media intolerance of religious minorities or to
take the dramatic changes necessary to usher in
genuine religious freedom. [Forum 18 News Service]
1366.17
UK
BMA's vote on nurses and the abortion drug
One
day after they voted to promote changing England's
abortion law to allow just one physician to sign
off on an abortion, the British Medical Association
has voted to promote allowing nurses to distribute
the abortion drug. They want nurses to hand out
RU 486 even though it has killed two women in
England. In addition to the British deaths, several
women have died in the United States from the
abortion drug and in Canada, Sweden and France
as well. More than 1200 women in the United States
alone have reported medical problems following
the use of the drug, with hundreds needed medical
treatment and some requiring surgeries or blood
transfusions. But that didn't stop the BMA from
voting to promote allowing nurses to give out
the abortion drug to women who are less than nine
weeks pregnant [LifeNews] 1366.18
UK
Responses to disability in children
Sorrow
and pity are natural responses to disability in
children - but they are misplaced, researchers
say. There is no need to feel sad about youngsters
with cerebral palsy because they experience life
much as other children do - with all its joys
and sadnesses, successes and failures. Able-bodied
adults tend to view such children in terms of
the struggle they face and their lost potential
for a full and active life. But that is not how
the children see themselves, according to researchers
from Newcastle University. A study of 500 children
with cerebral palsy in seven European countries
has found that across a range of measures, including
psychological wellbeing, self-perception and social
support, their levels of satisfaction are as high
as in other children. Though disadvantaged, in
some cases seriously, their impairment is incorporated
into their sense of themselves from birth and
they embrace life and all it has to offer with
the same excitement as other children. Professor
Allan Colver of Newcastle University, who led
the study, published in The Lancet, said
it contained an important message for parents.
'Parents
can be upset when their child is diagnosed with
cerebral palsy but they can now be reassured that
most children with the condition who are capable
of providing information at the age of eight to
12 have a similar quality of life to other children.'
In earlier research, he had shown that disabled
children participated less in activities than
other children, because of the restrictions imposed
by their disability. But they were no less happy.
The new study showed their quality of life, as
reported by themselves, was no different. 'A father
came up to me after we reported the results and
said, 'You have already made me think differently
about my child',' Professor Colver said. The findings
reinforced the need for disabled children to be
integrated into society, he added. 'The change
now needed concerns attitudes. Pity and sorrow
should not be directed to disabled children because
our findings indicate that they experience life
as do non-disabled children. Maximum effort is
needed to ensure their rights as citizens, rather
than as disabled children, to participate in society
as fully as other children.' Julie Johnson of
Gateshead whose 10-year-old son, Nathan, was diagnosed
with cerebral palsy at four months, said: 'I treat
Nathan and his brother the same and I have found
that both of them rise to their own challenges.
Nathan has problems with his left hand but quite
simple steps have enabled him to attend a mainstream
school. He is an active, happy child.' Nathan
said: 'I like all my teachers and I have a big
group of friends at school. I have a special board
which helps me to write neater. At playtime we
play tag and football.' [The Independent] 1366.19
