Humanae
Vitae
Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged on Saturday that
the Church's teaching against birth control was
difficult as he praised the 1968 Church document
Humanae Vitae. He expressed his concern
that human life risks losing its value in today's
culture. In a speech marking the 40th anniversary
of the document, Benedict reiterated the Church's
ban against artificial birth control as well as
teaching against using artificial procreation
methods. 'The teaching laid out in the Humanae
vitae encyclical isn't easy,' Benedict said.
'What
was true yesterday remains true even today. The
truth expressed in Humanae vitae doesn't
change; on the contrary, in the light of new scientific
discoveries, it is ever more up to date,' the
pope added. 'No mechanical technique can substitute
the act of love that two married people exchange
as a sign of a greater mystery,' Benedict said.
Benedict expressed concern that human life risks
losing its value in today's culture and worried
that sex could 'transform itself into a drug'
that one partner had to have even against the
will of the other.
'What
must be defended is not only the true concept
of life but above all the dignity of the very
person,' the pope added. Paul VI was said to have
agonized over whether to allow artificial conception
in preparing the encyclical. Benedict described
Paul's decision as the fruit of much suffering
and the document as 'a significant gesture of
courage. Forty years after its publication, that
teaching not only shows itself to be unchanged
in its truth, but it reveals the farsightedness
with which the problem was tackled,' the pope
said. [CNN] 1447.1
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www.catholic-family.org
Call
for bishops' good-will
Cardinal
Dario Castrillon-Hoyos has told an Italian magazine
that diocesan bishops should show good will in
granting requests for the celebration of the traditional
Latin Mass under the terms of the motu proprio
authorizing wider use of the extraordinary
form. In an interview with Jesus magazine,
the president of the Ecclesia Dei commission declined
to comment on reports that his office will soon
issue a new document clarifying the motu proprio.
Any decision on the release of such a document
will be made by Pope Benedict XVI, the cardinal
said.
However,
the Colombian cardinal-- whose office supervises
implementation of Summorum Pontificum --
did comment on some inaccurate interpretations
of the papal document. He spoke, for instance,
about the frequent claim that the extraordinary
form of the Mass should be used in parishes only
when a 'stable and consistent group' of the faithful
request the older liturgy. That phrase is not
intended to restrict the use of the traditional
liturgy, the cardinal said.
'It is a matter of common sense,' Cardinal Castrillon
told Jesus; 'Why make an issue if the people
who ask for the rite come from different parishes?
If they come together and request a Mass, they
become a stable group.'
In
response to other questions from the magazine,
Cardinal Castrillon said: 'There is 'an uninterrupted
dialogue' between his office and the Society of
St. Pius X, aimed to end the breach between the
traditionalist group and the Holy See.
'The traditional Good Friday prayer for the Jewish
people, recently revised by Pope Benedict, should
not be interpreted as unfriendly toward Jews.
'Is it not a good thing to pray for our brothers,
the sons of Abraham?' the cardinal asked. 'I am
not contesting the prayer of the Novus Ordo, but
I consider perfect the present one of the extraordinary
rite.' [CWNews] 1447.2
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Philharmonic
Orchestra of China
Here
is the address Benedict XVI gave at a concert
in Paul VI Hall, offered in his honour by the
Philharmonic Orchestra of China and the Choir
of the Shanghai Opera House, Pope Benedict XVI
gave the following address. 'Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends! Another high-quality musical performance
sees us gathered once again in the Paul VI Audience
Hall. For me and for all of us here, it takes
on a particular value and meaning. Since it is
offered and performed by the China Philharmonic
Orchestra and the Shanghai Opera House Chorus,
it puts us in touch, as it were, with the living
reality of the world of China. I thank the choir
and orchestra for this generous tribute and I
congratulate the organizers and the artists for
their skilful, refined and elegant performance
of a musical work that forms part of the artistic
heritage of all humanity.
'
In a group of such accomplished artists, we see
represented the great cultural and musical tradition
of China, and this performance helps us to understand
better the history of the Chinese people, their
values and their noble aspirations. Heartfelt
thanks for this gift! Thanks also for the music
that is about to be performed! I extend sincere
thanks not only to the promoters and the artists,
but to all those who, in different ways, took
part in arranging this truly unique event. It
is worth emphasizing that this performance by
Chinese artists of one of Mozart's greatest works
brings together their own musical talent and Western
music. Conductor Long Yu, with his orchestra,
the soloists and the Shanghai Opera House Chorus
have comfortably risen to the challenge.
'
Music, and art in general, can serve as a privileged
instrument for encounter and reciprocal knowledge
and esteem between different populations and cultures;
a means attainable by all for valuing the universal
language of art. There is another aspect that
I wish to emphasize. I note with pleasure the
interest shown by your orchestra and choir in
European religious music. This shows that it is
possible, in different cultural settings, to enjoy
and appreciate sublime manifestations of the spirit
such as Mozart's Requiem which we have just heard,
precisely because music expresses universal human
sentiments, including the religious sentiment,
which transcends the boundaries of every individual
culture. I should also like to say a word regarding
this place where we have come together this evening.
It is the great hall in which the Pope receives
his guests and meets those who come to visit him.
It is like a window opening onto the world, a
place where people from all over the world often
meet, with their own personal stories and their
own culture, all of them welcomed with esteem
and affection.
'In
greeting you this evening, dear Chinese artists,
the Pope intends to reach out to your entire people,
with a special thought for those of your fellow
citizens who share faith in Jesus and are united
through a particular spiritual bond with the Successor
of Peter. The Requiem came into being through
this faith as a prayer to God, the just and merciful
judge, and that is why it touches the hearts of
all people, as an expression of humanity's universal
aspirations. Finally, as I thank you once again
for this most welcome tribute, I send my greetings,
through you, to all the people of China as they
prepare for the Olympic Games, an event of great
importance for the entire human family. [Zenit]
1447.3
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United Nations
Pro-abortion
conference, pro-family initiative
The
Catholic Family Institute (C-Fam) reports from
New York on the World Health Organization which
is poised to endorse the outcome of an openly
pro-abortion conference that was sponsored last
year by among others International Planned Parenthood
Federation and UNICEF. We also report on the UN
launch of a valuable new pro-family initiative
called the Doha Institute on Family Studies and
Development sponsored by the government of Qatar.
World
Health Assembly to Endorse Pro-Abortion Conference
Samantha
Singson writes : The General Assembly of the
World Health Organization (WHO) will meet in Geneva
later this month and is expected to promote the
outcome of a controversial pro-abortion conference
that took place in London last year. The 61st
annual World Health Assembly (WHA) will discuss
'mobilizing political will' in the area of 'sexual
and reproductive health.' In a document prepared
for the meeting, there is a reference to the Women
Deliver Conference which was sponsored by various
UN agencies and pro-abortion non-governmental
organizations.
The Women Deliver reference is included in the
WHA document as part of a progress report that
lists activities that have been undertaken to
achieve the WHO's reproductive health strategy
that member states first agreed to in 2004. It
is thought that the World Health Assembly may
try to elevate the Women Deliver conference on
par with an official governmental meeting which
it was not.
Though Women Deliver was attended by government
officials and sponsored by UN agencies such as
the WHO, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the conference
was primarily organized by non-governmental organizations
like the International Planned Parenthood Federation,
the Alan Guttmacher Institute, the Center for
Reproductive Rights, Ipas, and the International
Women's Health Coalition.
As reported last year by the Friday Fax, Women
Deliver was billed as a conference focused on
maternal, child and newborn health and reducing
maternal mortality but participants were overwhelmed
by the conference's abortion focus. Out of 98
scheduled sessions at Women Deliver, 35 focused
on abortion while only 2 dealt with newborn health.
The agenda was organized by Frances Kissling,
former president of Catholics for a Free Choice,
and the majority of discussions focused on securing
funding and harnessing political will for 'reproductive
rights,' a term that has been interpreted by UN
committees to include abortion on demand. One
organizer bluntly told C-FAM's Susan Yoshihara
that the Women Deliver conference was a 'pro-choice
conference.'
A report on Women Deliver prepared by Yoshihara
details six major problems with the conference
and the false consensus reached by the conference's
organizers that 'reproductive health services'
is the primary way to reduce maternal mortality.
According to Yoshihara, the problems include:
contradiction with longstanding medical consensus,
diversion of funds from HIV/AIDS and other pressing
global health issues, use of poor data, undermining
sovereignty and the rule of law through the abuse
of UN human rights treaties to pressure countries
to remove legal protection from the unborn, undermining
health systems and medical regulations to promote
risky abortion techniques by lower level health
care providers, and attacking religion, culture
and the family because they are the strongest
barriers to the abortion agenda.
Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for
America who attended the London meeting, said,
'Considering the conference's obsession with abortion,
policymakers should not rely on advice from Women
Deliver.'
Pro-Family
Institute Launched by Quatar at UN Conference
Piero
A. Tozzi writes : 'A pro-family research institute
that promises to be active in United Nations (UN)
policy debates announced its presence this week.
The Permanent Mission of Qatar hosted the UN launch
of the Doha Institute for Family Studies and Development
(Doha Institute), a think tank patronized by the
Qatari royal family.
Addressing the contentious issue of what constitutes
'family' - a word which promoters of radical social
policies at the UN and elsewhere have sought to
redefine to include same-sex households - Dr.
Richard G. Wilkins, the Doha Institute's Managing
Director and a former Brigham Young University
law professor, identified it with the natural
marital unit formed by man and woman ordered to
the raising of children.
Wilkins emphasized the need to promote policies
that advance the best interests of children while
avoiding intolerance toward those whose familial
structures depart from the general norm, including
single-parent households. Noting how elsewhere
at the UN there is an emphasis on 'natural ecology'
and environmental concerns, Wilkins stated that
the family too must be considered as it exists
in nature, and how it is designed to promote human
flourishing across languages, religions and cultures.
Charles D. Johnson, the director of the Public
Policy Research Institute at Texas A&M University,
spoke of his organization's collaboration with
the Doha Institute in developing a web-accessible
database compiling pro-family resources searchable
in both English and Arabic.
Recalling the strong affirmation contained in
Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (1948) that the family is the 'natural
and fundamental group unit of society,' organizers
say the Doha Institute's mission is to work with
UN agencies, governments, academics and non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) in promoting policies, sponsoring
research and holding conferences and workshops
supportive of the traditional family-centric social
model.
Since its founding in 2005 following the Doha
International Conference for the Family held in
the Qatari capital the prior year [co-sponsored
by Friday Fax publisher C-FAM], the Doha Institute
has hosted a number of academic conferences in
the Middle East, Kenya, Sweden and Mexico. It
has also published a three-volume collection of
studies on the place of family in human society,
marriage and human dignity, and strengthening
the family unit. Future symposia will address
the importance of fathers and the threat posed
by pornography. Governed by a cross-cultural board
comprised of members from the Middle East, Europe,
Africa and Latin America representing diverse
religious traditions, the focus of the Doha Institute
is global and extends beyond the Islamic world.
Attendance at the May 6 presentation was sizeable
for an event of its kind, with representatives
of over dozen member state delegations. Attending
were representatives of the Holy See, Malta, Mauritania,
Mexico, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, the United
Arab Emirates, the United States, and Venezuela.
The Doha Institute plans follow-up events on May
15 in recognition of the International Day of
the Family, which will also be marked at the UN
by a conference on fatherhood. [C-FAM] 1447.4
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www.catholic-family.org
International
news
Brazil
Victory for pro-life movement
In
a stunning victory for the pro-life movement in
Latin America, the Social Security and Family
Committee of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (the
lower legislative house) unanimously rejected
an abortion decriminalization law that pro-abortion
forces have fought for since 1991. The two pro-abortion
deputies on the committee left in protest without
voting, leaving the remaining deputies to reject
the legislation 33-0. The committee members embraced
each other in tears while pro-abortion forces
in the audience yelled epithets at them and against
the Catholic Church, which this year initiated
an intense campaign to protect the right to life.
The campaign, along with major efforts by Evangelical
Protestants, has resulted in a dramatic increase
in pro-life sentiment in Brazil.
A
recent poll found that 68% of Brazilians now oppose
further decriminalization of abortion, up from
63% last year. The legislation, which is known
as Bill 1135/91, will next be considered by the
Chamber of Deputies' Constitution and Justice
Committee, which is also expected to reject it.
The text eliminates criminal penalties for abortion.
Other bills to decriminalize abortion are also
making their way through the National Congress.
The vote represented a smashing defeat for pro-abortion
forces in Brazil, and in particular for President
Luiz Lula's Minister of Health, José Gomes
Temporão. Temporão has sought to
divert attention from the issue of the human rights
of the fetus by recasting the debate as an issue
of 'public health' due to the dangers he alleges
are associated with illegal abortions. Apparently
sensing his inevitable defeat, Temporão
did not testify before the committee and instead
sent representatives. He used diplomatic language
to denounce the ruling, claiming that the current
legal approach to abortion was unrealistic and
would result in 'failure'. [LifeSiteNews] 1447.5
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China
Relations with the Holy See
China's foreign-ministry spokesman Qin Gang has
said that Beijing hopes is prepared to take the
next steps in improving relations with the Holy
See. The Chinese government spokesman made his
comment after a concert by the Chinese Philharmonic
Orchestra in the Vatican auditorium on May 7.
At the conclusion of the concert-- which had been
organized as a friendly gesture to improve relations
between Rome and Beijing-- Pope Benedict XVI remarked
that the musical performance had helped 'to understand
better the history of the Chinese people, their
values, and their noble aspirations.' (And
see item 1447.3 above). [CWNews]
1447.6
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Germany
Bishop blocks university appointment
The
Bishop of Eichstatt, Germany, has exercised his
right to block the appointment of a theologian
as president of a local Catholic university. Senior
faculty members at Eichstatt University had chosen
Ulrich Hemel, a theologian, as the institution's
new president. But Bishop Gregor Maria Hanke refused
to confirm their choice. The bishop holds veto
power over the appointment under the terms of
the concordat between Germany and the Holy See,
which gives Church leaders some control over universities
in exchange for diocesan contributions to the
schools' administrative costs.
A
spokesman for the diocese said that Bishop Hanke
did not have confidence in Hemel, explaining that
the would-be university president had violated
the bishop's trust by repeating confidential remarks
to the media. The diocesan spokesman emphasized
that the bishop's decision 'has nothing to do
with a lack of approval from Rome or with Professor
Hemel's private life.' Journalists in Bavaria
had speculated that Pope Benedict might have blocked
the appointment because of disagreements with
Hemel's theological views, or that Church leaders
were concerned because Hemel has been divorced
twice, and now lives with a third partner in a
marriage not approved by the Church. [CWNews]
1447.7
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Italy
Leftist protests in Genoa
Cardinal
Angelo Bagnasco has promised that Pope Benedict
XVI will receive a warm welcome in Genoa when
he visits that city on May 17, despite the prospect
of leftist protests. 'We will make our affection
known to the Pope,' said Cardinal Bagnasco, the
president of the Italian bishops' conference.
The Pontiff spend a Sunday in Genoa, with a series
of public meetings including a Mass to be celebrated
in the Piazza della Vittoria. Local Communist
leaders have been distributing pamphlets in Genoa
complaining about the costs of the papal visit,
and some groups are planning protest demonstrations.
Anti-clerical protests in Genoa have sometimes
turned ugly in recent months. Last summer leftist
protestors spray-painted slogans on the walls
of the city's cathedral, and Cardinal Bagnasco
received death threats, prompting police to assign
him a 24-hour protective detail. [CWNews] 1447.8
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Spain
Religious freedom
The Spanish bishops' conference is withholding
comment on reports that the government plans to
put forward amendments to the country's law on
religious freedom, the ABC newspaper reports.
Earlier this week ABC disclosed that the
Socialist Workers' Party, which controls the government
headed by Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, is
planning an effort to change the religion laws,
bringing Spain a more secular approach to government.
But the country's Catholic bishops are awaiting
details of the proposed legislation before offering
any comment. During this year's electoral campaign,
leaders of the Socialist Workers' Party vowed
that they would eliminate privileges enjoyed by
the Catholic Church. These campaign promises came
after the bishops released a public statement
on the electoral responsibilities of Catholic
voters-- a statement that the leftist leaders
saw as hostile to their campaign. [CWNews] 1447.9
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UK
Traditionalist group seeks reconciliation
A
traditionalist community in Scotland has signalled
that it is willing to engage in talks with Rome
as a result of the motu proprio. The Transalpine
Redemptorist Congregation on the remote Orkney
island of Papa Stronsay have had informal talks
with a Redemptorist bishop at the Vatican and
will start speaking to the Ecclesia Dei Commission.
Fr Anthony Mary, one of the monks, said the order
wanted to 'see what the commission has to offer
and whether it's perfectly acceptable to us and
what we stand for. We are traditional Catholics.
We hold on to the old rite and we don't want to
lose any of that.'
After
false rumours circulated on the internet which
suggested the community had already returned to
Rome the monks issued a lengthy statement explaining
their position. The document said Pope Benedict
XVI's liberalisation of the 1962 form of the Roman
Rite with last year's motu proprio Summorum
Pontificum put the order, which is affiliated
with the Society of St Pius X, in a position where
it must at least consider talks with Rome. It
said: 'All these serious considerations, dear
friends, move us to go and see what Rome has to
say. Let not our contacts with Rome be understood
as meaning that we will break off our friendship
with the Society of St Pius X and other traditionalist
organisations around the world. On the contrary,
we positively want with all our hearts to remain
in contact sharing all that we may learn with
Bishop Fellay and the other heads of traditional
orders for the good of tradition as a whole. 'Only
time will tell if the moment has come for an agreement
with Rome. Prudence requires of us to proceed
slowly and cautiously, reflecting well at each
step of the discussions.'
The Transalpines have come under pressure from
certain members of the SSPX, which last month
rejected the possibility of a reunion with Rome.
The order recalled three Brothers who were in
training at an SSPX seminary after the rector
of the seminary took the seminarians aside and
suggested they form a break-away community in
order to stop an agreement with Rome. According
to the Papa Stronsay blog, the superior, Fr Michael
Mary, received an email from the Society which
said that Transalpines would no longer be welcome
in SSPX seminaries if the order reached an agreement
with the Ecclesia Dei commission. 'We have no
desire to sling mud at people or give a bad name
to people but sometimes in order to defend yourself
you have to state exactly what happened two or
three weeks ago,' said Fr Anthony Mary. [Catholic
Herald] 1447.10
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UK
Cardinal warns of 'God-free zone'
Cardinal
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor has warned against pressure
to make the nation's public life a 'God-free zone.'
In a lecture delivered at Westminster Cathedral,
as part of a series of talks on religion and public
life, the Cardinal said that he saw an odd situation
in Great Britain, in which widespread interest
in religious affairs contrasts with a 'considerable
spiritual homelessness. Many people have a sense
of being in a sort of exile from faith-guided
experience,' the cardinal said.
'They think that even if they wanted to believe,
faith is no longer an option for them.' The problem,
Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor suggested, can be traced
to 'the privatization of religion today.' He explained
that too frequently, 'religion comes to be treated
as a matter of personal need rather than as a
truth that makes an unavoidable claim on us.'
The problem is aggravated, he said, by 'various
attempts to eliminate the Christian voice from
the public forum.' To counteract this unhealthy
trend, the cardinal said, believers should be
forthright in proclaiming their faith. Public
discussion of religious beliefs is always difficult,
he said, and he urged the faithful to be respectful
toward those with other perspectives.
Yet
Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor suggested that critics
of religion should gain a more accurate understanding
of the faith they have rejected. 'Have you ever
met anyone who believes what Richard Dawkins does
not believe in?' he asked the audience. 'The God
that is being rejected by such people is a God
I don't believe in either.' The cardinal's lecture
concluded the Westminster series, which has previously
heard from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan
Williams; and the former prime minister, Tony
Blair. [CWNews] 1447.11
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UK
Art & Reconciliation Trust
Plans
have been unveiled for a statue of the Blessed
Virgin Mary to stand in London in reparation for
the destruction of the medieval Catholic shrines
during the Reformation. The work will be called
'Mary Most Holy' and will stand on land alongside
the River Thames at Chelsea's Embankment Gardens
that was once owned by St Thomas More, the Lord
Chancellor who was beheaded in 1535. It has been
commissioned by the Art and Reconciliation Trust,
a charity set up to promote awareness of the negative
affects iconoclasm can have on culture. It will
cost in the region of £1.25 million.
The
sculptor is Paul Day, who at unveiling a model
for the sculpture at the Charterhouse in London
last week, that its purpose would be 'to recall
events in Chelsea's local history that were of
national importance and whose effects can still
be powerfully felt in present day Britain. The
destruction of England's medieval shrines and
devotional images, conducted by Thomas Cromwell,
was part of Henry VIII's programme for reform,'
he said. 'In the summer of 1538 Cromwell was ensconced
at Chelsea Manor to conduct his affairs because
of an outbreak of the plague in central London.
From there, he ordered the most important Marian
shrines in England be brought to Chelsea so that
he could witness their destruction. The dissolution
of the monasteries and destruction of popular
pilgrimage sites heralded an end to the traditional
expression of Christianity as passed down through
the Middle Ages in England and Wales. 'It is therefore
hoped that this sculpture may be sited on or near
to the location where the foremost Marian shrines
were burnt.' [Catholic Herald] 1447.12
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USA
Archbishop warns pro-abortion politician
The
following is an excerpt from a column by Kansas
City Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann in this week's
archdiocesan newspaper, The Leaven.
Since
becoming archbishop, I have met with Governor
[Kathleen] Sebelius several times over many months
to discuss with her the grave spiritual and moral
consequences of her public actions by which she
has cooperated in the procurement of abortions
performed in Kansas. My concern has been, as a
pastor, both for the spiritual well-being of the
governor but also for those who have been misled
(scandalized) by her very public support for legalized
abortion.
It
has been my hope that through this dialogue the
governor would come to understand her obligation:
1) to take the difficult political step, but necessary
moral step, of repudiating her past actions in
support of legalized abortion; and 2) in the future
would use her exceptional leadership abilities
to develop public policies extending the maximum
legal protection possible to the unborn children
of Kansas.
Having
made every effort to inform and to persuade Governor
Sebelius and after consultation with Bishop Ron
Gilmore (Dodge City), Bishop Paul Coakley (Salina)
and Bishop Michael Jackels (Wichita), I wrote
the governor last August requesting that she refrain
from presenting herself for reception of the Eucharist
until she had acknowledged the error of her past
positions, made a worthy sacramental confession
and taken the necessary steps for amendment of
her life which would include a public repudiation
of her previous efforts and actions in support
of laws and policies sanctioning abortion.
Recently,
it came to my attention that the governor had
received holy Communion at one of our parishes.
I have written to her again, asking her to respect
my previous request and not require from me any
additional pastoral actions.
The
governor has spoken to me on more than one occasion
about her obligation to uphold state and federal
laws and court decisions. I have asked her to
show a similar sense of obligation to honor divine
law and the laws, teaching and legitimate authority
within the church.
I
have not made lightly this request of Governor
Sebelius, but only after much prayer and reflection.
The spiritually lethal message, communicated by
our governor, as well as many other high profile
Catholics in public life, has been in effect:
"The church's teaching on abortion is optional!"
I
reissue my request of the faithful of the archdiocese
to pray for Governor Sebelius. I hope that my
request of the governor, not to present herself
for holy Communion, will provoke her to reconsider
the serious spiritual and moral consequences of
her past and present actions. At the same time,
I pray this pastoral action on my part will help
alert other Catholics to the moral gravity of
participating in and/or cooperating with the performance
of abortions. [CalCatholic] 1447.13
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USA
Harvard researchers support abstinence
Efforts
to curb the AIDS epidemic in Africa should concentrate
on promoting sexual restraint, a team of Harvard
researchers has concluded, after finding that
condom-distribution campaigns have not significantly
reduced the spread of the disease. 'We need a
fairly dramatic shift in priorities, not just
a minor tweaking,' said Dr. Daniel Halperin, who
led the research team from the Harvard School
of Public Health. The group's report in Science
magazine found that male circumcision had
a dramatic effect in curtailing the transfer of
the HIV virus. But efforts to promote condom use
did not affect the spread of AIDS in Africa.
The
Harvard study focused on 9 African countries where
the AIDS epidemic has been most devastating; in
these countries more than 12% of the adult population
is HIV-positive. The researchers found that programs
designed to discourage sexual promiscuity had
a strong positive impact in several countries.
The most successful program was in Uganda, where
a government-backed campaign produced a reported
50% drop in the number of people reporting multiple
sexual partners. Similar programs led to a reduction
in the rate of HIV infection in Kenya, Zimbabwe,
Ethiopia, Malawi, and Ivory Coast as well. [CWNews]
1447.14
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USA
'Catholic' support for Obama
A
leading pro-life Catholic is feuding with supporters
of Barack Obama who claim to be Catholic but join
the candidate in violating the Church's teachings
by strongly supporting abortion and embryonic
stem cell research. Catholic League President
Bill Donahue says true Catholics would oppose
Obama. Donahue began the exchange last week by
issuing a press release calling on Obama to dissolve
his National Advisory Council because the members
of the panel are pro-abortion. Donahue provided
evidence showing the majority of the members of
the council had received 100 percent voting marks
from extreme pro-abortion group NARAL. Yesterday,
the members of the Obama council responded with
a joint letter that LifeNews.com received. 'Senator
Obama recognizes that abortion presents a profound
moral challenge, tied in part to a loss of the
sense of the sacredness of sex and lack of parental
involvement,' they claimed, even though Obama
opposes parental involvement laws. Donahue responded
to the council members in a statement of his own
released late on Thursday emailed to LifeNews.com.
'It is more than embarrassing -- it is shocking
-- to read how these Catholics view abortion,'
he said. 'The Catholic Church regards abortion,
as well as embryonic stem cell research, as 'intrinsically
evil.' But not these folks. For them, abortion
is merely 'a profound moral issue.'' [LifeNews]
1447.15
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USA
Poll findings after papal visit
A
new poll conducted by the Marist College Institute
for Public Opinion finds that Pope Benedict XVI
motivated Catholics to take a stronger stand on
pro-life and moral issues. The survey found half
of respondents revealed a desire to lead a more
moral life as a result of the pope's visit. Marist
conducted the survey with 1,015 adults eighteen
and an oversample of 613 American Catholics to
compare the two groups. The results showed 64
percent of Catholics say they better understand
the Church's position on issues now and 40 percent
said they are more likely to vote as a result
of the pontiff's visit. The survey showed 66 percent
of Catholics are more likely to appreciate their
membership in the Catholic Church, and 50 percent
are more likely to be interested in family issues.
Carl Anderson, the head of the pro-life Knights
of Columbus, told WorldNetDaily he's excited the
pope inspired Catholics on pro-life issues. 'It's
very difficult to see an issue that trumps the
pro-life issue when you understand that after
35 years, we're talking about 40 million abortions,
the deaths of 40 million children,' he said. 'What
pressing evil tops that?' [LifeNews] 1447.16
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Event
HFE
Bill prayer vigil
The Lawyers Christian Fellowship (LCF) email :
'In order to mark this Second Reading of the Human
Fertilisation and Embryology Bill in the House
of Commons on Monday 12th May we will be holding
a prayer vigil together with other groups. We
are expecting a counter demonstration from supporters
of the Bill so it would be good to have as many
people present as possible.
PLEASE
COME to our prayer vigil outside Parliament, invite
members of your church, Christian groups, family
and friends. We will gather at 2pm on 12th May
in Old Palace Yard, opposite St Stephen's Entrance
to the House of Lords, Westminster.
At
Second Reading, MPs vote on the 'principle' of
the whole Bill. This is usually a formality and
then the Bill goes through to its Committee Stages,
Report and Third Reading where MPs can vote on
specific amendments.
With
faith and humility we must come together to pray
for a great miracle. Monday, 12th May is the day
after Pentecost and exactly 2 years since the
miraculous defeat at Second Reading of the Joffe
Bill which would have legalised euthanasia in
this country. We would like Christians everywhere
to come in their hundreds and stand outside Parliament
and pray for this miracle; pray that MPs will
vote against the principle of the Bill. If such
a vote is won then the Bill will be defeated right
from the outset.
It
is vital that MPs continue to be lobbied at this
time. We must continue our campaign, contacting
our MPs to secure their vote against the Bill
at Second Reading and beyond if necessary.
A
key point to make at this time, is that there
appears to be insufficient Parliamentary time
to debate properly the huge issues at stake. Make
it clear that their vote on this matter will affect
how we will vote at the next General Election.
Please
read our information pack on the issues in this
Bill here
A miracle is needed to stop this Bill. We believe
in the God of miracles-please pray that the Lord
will intervene, delivering us from this Bill.
[LCF] 1447.17
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Media
Viewers'
response
In the past twelve months there have been 16,573,372
abortions. Here, Father Frank Pavone responds
to viewers of his recent abortion-videos on YouTube.
www.catholic-family.org
The
Catholic World Report
The
May 2008 edition of The Catholic World Report
is largely devoted to Pope Benedict XVI's
visit to the United States and includes the text
of his addresses to the US bishops, Catholic educators,
the General Assembly of the United Nations, and
to youth in New York. In
his editorial on the papal visit, 'A New Pentecost',
George Neumayr writes : 'Burdened by the yoke
of an ideology that treats God as irrelevant to
the ordering of society-an ideology which has
at once destabilized public life, eroded the foundations
of culture, and corrupted US Catholicism-Americans
were ready for the Holy Father's theme of 'Christ
Our Hope,' open to his arguments about the harmony
of reason and revelation, and moved by his humility
and piety. 'Media
pundits, stunned by this reaction, speculated
on the papacy's enduring significance. They offered
various superficial reasons for it without arriving
at the real one: it remains Christ's way of staying
present throughout history. 'Into
the darkness of godless voids- whether comforting
the victims of priestly abuse near the beginning
of the trip or kneeling in prayer at the pit of
Ground Zero near the end of it-Christ's vicar
brought forth his light. In a false age, Pope
Benedict offers truth; to the weary and enslaved,
he represents grace. As the eye naturally turns
to light, so people of good will turn toward holiness.
. . '
'Reporters
and commentators, of course, focused little on
the import of the Holy Father's speeches, directing
most of their attention to his reaction to the
abuse scandal, even as they showed no interest
in the skeptical, secularized Catholicism that
advanced it. Doubts about the seriousness of sin-doubts
stimulated by uncertainty about the existence
of God and the natural moral law--created the
deepest conditions for it. Hence, the Pope's speech
to Catholic educators, in which he exhorted them
to recover the Catholic intellectual tradition
in its integrity; was not separate from his call
for a 'holier' episcopate and priesthood in light
of the scandal, but was very much connected to
it.
As
Pope Benedict departed from America, he left many
riches behind: he leaves American Catholics with
sermons and speeches to ponder and an example
of holiness to follow . . .'
The
magazine also includes a special report by Brian
O'Neel, the 'Judicial Farce', in which he examines
the fallout from California Justice Walter Croskey's
ruling to criminalize homeschooling; Philip Lawler
reports on the decision by the board of the University
of St Thomas not to replace as chairman the retiring
Archbishop Flynn with the incoming Archbishop
Nienstedt. (He quotes Star-Tribune columnist
Katherine Kersten, who stated boldly 'During Flynn's
12 year as chair, little has been done to resist
the slide into secularization. He will be succeeded
in 2008 by Coadjutor Archbishop Nienstedt, who
has a reputation for orthodoxy').
Of
particular interest to British readers is Stephen
Page Smith's 'Guide to the Anglican Crisis' ('Most
Catholics know little about it. They should start
to learn). He describes the current Anglican 'situation':
'An Episcopal Church bureaucracy controlled by
quasi-apostates; laity held as virtual ecclesiastical
prisonerss; the orthodox fumbling uncertainly
towards an effective response; a worldwide Anglican
Communion overwhelmingly comprising orthodox in
the 'Global South', but financed by etiolated
Western liberals; a welter of 'Continuing Church'
bodies ranging from serious to risible; an increase
in individual conversions (including several bishops)
to Catholicism and the Orthodox churches; and
many heart-stricken Christians longing for the
unity of the Church - the whole Church, one, only,
Catholic, and Apostolic'.
Anthony
Esolen reviews Philip F Lawler's new book 'The
Faithful Departed', a devastating account of how
the Boston archdiocese suffered from a worldliness
that long predated its surge of abuse.
[The
Catholic World Report, WORDS Ink, 147 Brunel
Crescent, Swindon SN2 1FE. Email: kevin@words-ink.fsnet.co.uk
] 1447.19
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Book
review
'Military
history at its best'
Retribution:
the Battle for Japan, 1944-45. By Max Hastings.
Alfred A Knopf. $35.
Francis
Phillips writes : Max Hastings is a military
historian. This book follows his study of Germany
between 1944 and 1945, entitled Armageddon.
It is a natural sequel to the earlier volume although,
as Hastings points out, the war in the Far East
had second-class status compared to the European
scene and Hitler himself 'had no wish for Asians
to meddle in his Aryan war'. The title, 'Retribution',
might suggest that the author has a (natural)
bias in favour of the Allies, but in his account
he tries to be scrupulously fair; there are disasters
and failures on both sides and the price exacted
by the Allies against Japan is shown to be a result
both of Japan's refusal to accept that they were
