Saint
Columbanus
In yesterday's general audience, which was held
in St. Peter's Square, the Pope turned his attention
to the figure of St. Columbanus, a famous Irish
monk who lived in the sixth century and 'who with
good reason may be called a 'European' saint'.
Columbanus
was born about the year 543, in the province of
Leinster in south-western Ireland. 'At the age
of around 20 he entered the monastery of Bangor
in the north-west of the island, where the abbot
was Comgall', said the Holy Father. 'Life at Bangor
and the example of the abbot influenced Columbanus'
view of monasticism' a view which he 'formed over
time and then spread during the course of his
life'.
Benedict
XVI recalled how at the age of 50 Columbanus left
Ireland 'with 12 companions to begin missionary
work on the European continent, where the migration
of peoples from the north and the east had caused
entire Christian regions to lapse back into paganism'.
He
explained how this 're-evangelisation' began,
'in the first place, through the witness of the
missionaries' own lives. ... Many young men asked
to be accepted into the monastic community and
to live like them, and it soon became necessary
to found a second monastery', which was built
in Luxeuil. That monastery 'became the centre
for the expansion of monastic and missionary life
of the Irish tradition on mainland Europe'. Subsequently,
'a third monastery was erected at Fontaine'.
St.
Columbanus lived at Luxeuil for some 20 years.
There he wrote his ''Regula monachorum'
which describes the image of the ideal monk. It
is the only ancient Irish monastic rule we possess
today'. The saint also introduced into mainland
Europe 'private confession and penance, ... proportioned
to the gravity of the sin committed'.
'Intransigent as he was on moral matters, Columbanus
came into conflict with the royal house because
he severely criticised King Theodoric for his
adulterous relationships'. As a result, in 610
he and all the Irish monks were expelled from
Luxeuil and 'condemned to definitive exile'.
They
took ship for Ireland but the vessel ran aground
nor far from the beach and the monks returned
to dry land. Instead of going back to Luxeuil,
'they decided to begin a new work of evangelisation',
first in Tuggen in Switzerland then in the area
around Lake Constance'.
Continuing
his account of Columbanus life, Benedict XVI explained
how when the saint arrived in Italy, he still
had to face 'considerable difficulties. Church
life was rent by the Arian heresy which was still
prevalent among the Lombards, and by a schism
which had divided most of the Churches of northern
Italy from communion with the Bishop of Rome'.
In this situation, the Irish saint 'wrote a treatise
against Arianism and a letter to Pope Boniface
IV to convince him to make certain decisive steps
towards re-establishing unity'.
In
the Italian town of Bobbio, Columbanus 'founded
a new monastery that would subsequently become
a cultural centre comparable with the famous Montecassino.
It was in Bobbio that he spent his last days,
dying on 23 November 615, the day on which he
is commemorated in the Roman rite down to our
own time'.
'St. Columbanus' message focuses on a powerful
call to conversion and detachment from worldly
goods, with a view to the eternal reward. With
his ascetic life and his uncompromising attitude
to the corruption of the powerful, he evokes the
severe figure of John the Baptist. Yet his austerity
... was only a means to open himself freely to
the love of God and to respond with his entire
being to the gifts received from Him, reconstructing
the image of God in himself, and at the same time
ploughing the earth and renewing human society'.
'A man of great culture and rich in gifts of grace,
both as a tireless builder of monasteries and
as an uncompromising penitential preacher', the
Pope concluded, Columbanus 'spent all his energies
to nourish the Christian roots of the nascent
Europe. With his spiritual strength, with his
faith, with his love of God and neighbour, he
became one of the Fathers of Europe, showing us
today the way to those roots from which our continent
may be reborn'. [Vatican Information Service]
1455.4
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'Love not sacrifice'
At
midday on Sunday, Benedict XVI appeared at the
window of his study overlooking St. Peter's Square,
in order to pray the Angelus with faithful gathered
there. Quoting a phrase of the Prophet Hosea -
'I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the
knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings'
- the Pope said 'this is a keyword, one of the
words that introduces us into the heart of Holy
Scripture. The context in which Jesus makes this
phrase His own', the Pope continued, 'is the calling
of Matthew, who by profession was a publican,
in other words a tax collector for the Roman imperial
authorities and for that reason considered by
the Jews as a public sinner'. When Jesus, accompanied
by His disciples, went to sit at dinner with Matthew,
the Pharisees were scandalised but He told them:
'Those who are well have no need of a physician,
but those who are sick. . . . I have come to call
not the righteous but sinners'. At this point,
Matthew the Evangelist, ever attentive to the
link between the Old and New Testaments, puts
Hosea's prophecy on Jesus' lips: 'Go and learn
what this means, I desire mercy not sacrifice'.
The
importance of this expression of the prophet is
such that the Lord later uses it again in a different
context, concerning the observation of the Sabbath.
On this occasion too He takes it upon Himself
to interpret the precept, revealing Himself as
the 'Lord' of legal institutions. Turning to the
Pharisees, He adds: 'If you had known what this
means - I desire mercy not sacrifice - you would
not have condemned the guiltless'. Thus', the
Holy Father added, 'Jesus, the Word made flesh,
has, so to say, 'identified' Himself in this oracle
of Hosea. He made it His own with all His heart
and carried it out with His actions, even at the
cost of upsetting the sensibilities of the leaders
of His people. This word of God has come to us,
through the Gospels, as one of the summaries of
the entire Christian message: true religion consists
in loving God and neighbour.
This
is what gives value to worship and to the practice
of precepts'. After praying the Angelus, the Pope
recalled the Polish miners who lost their lives
in a recent accident at a mine in Borynia. 'I
pray for the grace of eternal rest for them',
he said, 'spiritual comfort for their families,
and a speedy recovery for the injured. May merciful
God protect us from sudden death!' [Vatican Information
Service] 1455.5
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Prospects
for philosophy
On
Saturday morning in the Vatican, the Holy Father
received participants in the sixth European Symposium
of University Professors, which is being held
in Rome from 4 to 7 June on the theme: 'Broadening
the Horizons of Reason. Prospects for Philosophy'.
The symposium has been promoted by university
professors in Rome and organised by the Office
for Pastoral Care in Universities of the Vicariate
of Rome, in collaboration with regional and provincial
institutions and the local city authorities.
In opening his address to them the Pope mentioned
the fact that this year marks the tenth anniversary
of John Paul II's Encyclical 'Fides et ratio',
and he recalled how when that document was published
'fifty professors of philosophy in Roman universities
. . . expressed their gratitude to the Pope with
a declaration underlining the importance of re-launching
the study of philosophy in universities and schools.
The events of the years that have passed since
the publication of the Encyclical have', said
the Holy Father, 'delineated more clearly the
historical and cultural stage onto which philosophical
research is called to enter. Indeed,
the crisis of modernity is not a symptom of the
decline of philosophy; on the contrary, philosophy
must embark upon new lines of research in order
to understand the true nature of that crisis.
Modernity is not simply a historically-datable
cultural phenomenon; in reality it requires a
new focus, a more exact understanding of the nature
of man'.
Benedict XVI indicated that since the beginning
of his pontificate he had received various suggestions
'from men and women of our time', and that 'in
the light of these I have decided to offer a research
proposal which I feel may arouse interest in a
relaunch of philosophy and of its unique role
within the modern academic and cultural world'.
Quoting his own book, 'Introduction to Christianity',
he said: 'The Christian faith has made a clear
choice: against the gods of religion for the God
of the philosophers, in other words against the
myth of custom and for the truth of being'. And
he went on: 'This affirmation . . . is still fully
relevant in the historical-cultural context in
which we now live. Indeed, only on the basis of
this premise - which is historical and theological
at one and the same time - is it possible to respond
to the new expectations of philosophy.
The
risk that religion, even the Christian religion,
be surreptitiously manipulated, is very real even
today. The proposal to 'Broaden the Horizons of
Reason' should' he proceeded, 'be understood as
a request for a new openness towards the reality
to which human beings in their uni-totality are
called, overcoming old prejudices and reductive
viewpoints in order to open the way to a new understanding
of modernity. The new dialogue between faith and
reason which is needed today cannot come about
in the terms and the ways it did in the past',
said the Pope.
'If it does not want to see itself reduced to
the status of sterile intellectual exercise, it
must start from the current real situation of
mankind, and upon that build a reflection that
embraces man's ontological and metaphysical truth'.
In closing, Benedict XVI referred to the need
to 'promote high-profile academic centres in which
philosophy can enter into dialogue with other
disciplines, in particular with theology, to favour
new cultural syntheses capable of guiding society'.
In this context, he expressed the hope that 'Catholic
academic institutions may be ready to create true
cultural laboratories' and he invited the professors
to encourage young people 'to commit themselves
to philosophical studies by facilitating appropriate
initiatives' to guide them in that direction.
[Vatican Information Service] 1455.6
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'Take
God out of the parentheses'
If
people want to have hope and find meaning in their
lives, they need to take God out of the 'parentheses,'
says Benedict XVI. The Pope affirmed this on Monday
in the Basilica of St. John Lateran when he inaugurated
the ecclesial congress of the Diocese of Rome.
The event is under way through Thursday, focused
on the theme: 'Jesus Has Risen: Educating for
Hope in Prayer, Action and Suffering. 'The Holy
Father referred to the subject of Christian hope,
explaining that, 'in a certain way, it concerns
each of us personally, [. . . ] but it is also
a community hope, a hope for the Church and for
the entire human family. ''In today's society
and culture, and hence also in this our beloved
city of Rome, it is not easy to live in an atmosphere
of Christian hope,' he said.
'There is a widespread feeling that, for both
Italy and Europe, the best years have passed and
that a future of instability and uncertainty awaits
the new generations. Moreover,' the Pontiff added,
'hopes for great novelties and improvements are
concentrated on science and technology. ' Yet,
'it is not science and technology that can give
meaning to our lives and teach us to distinguish
good from evil. Indeed, as I wrote in my encyclical
'Spe Salvi,' it is not science that redeems man:
Man is redeemed by love, and this applies even
in terms of the present world. 'Benedict XVI lamented
how 'our civilization and our culture [. . . ]
too often tend to place God in parentheses, to
organize personal and social life without him,
to maintain that nothing can be known of God,
even to deny his existence. But when God is laid
aside, [. . . ] all our hopes, great and small,
rest on nothing. 'In order, then, to 'educate
for hope' -- as we propose in this congress and
during the coming pastoral year -- it is necessary,
in the first place, to open our hearts, our intellects
and all our lives to God, in order to be his credible
witnesses among our fellow man. 'CommitmentThe
Bishop of Rome mentioned some concrete areas in
which the Church will work to better the Eternal
City. 'An acute and widespread awareness of the
evils and problems afflicting the heart of Rome
is reawakening the desire for [. . . ] joint commitment,'
he said.
'It is our task to make our own specific contribution,
beginning with the decisive question of the education
and formation of the person, but also facing with
a constructive spirit the many other real problems
that often make the lives of those who live in
this city wearisome. 'In particular we will seek
to promote a form of culture and social organization
more favorable to the family and to welcoming
life, as well to valuing the elderly who are so
numerous among the population of Rome. 'We will
work to respond to the crucial needs of work and
housing, especially for the young. We will share
the commitment to make our city safer and more
'liveable,' but we will work to ensure it is so
for everyone, especially the poorest, and to ensure
that immigrants who come among us to find a living
space in respect for our laws are not excluded.
'Benedict XVI concluded his address by encouraging
young people to make 'the gift of Christian hope'
their own, using it 'in freedom and responsibility
[. . . ] to enliven the future of our beloved
city. ' {Zenit] 1455.7
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Polish
Youth Day
Benedict
XVI is encouraging Polish youth to form a friendship
with Christ, though he acknowledges that friendship
is a bond that requires effort. The Pope made
this invitation in a video message delivered Saturday
to 70,000 young people gathered in Lednica for
Poland's 12th Youth Day. This year, the theme
of the meeting was friendship. The founder or
the youth meeting, Dominican Father Jan Gora,
said the theme of friendship is like a medicine:
'It is 'a medicine' for the void of the contemporary
world and for relationships lacking commitment.
'Friendship is the most beautiful gift that we
can be given in life; therefore, it must be nurtured
with care: at home, in school, at work, in marriage,
but above all friendship with Christ must grow.
'
The
vigil was attended by young people from all over
Poland, but also from Ukraine, Byelorussia, Germany
and England. Coadjutor Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki
of Lviv, former personal secretary of Pope Paul
II, was also present. He carried to Lednica's
esplanade the cross that the late Pontiff used
during his last public Way of the Cross. The youth
participated in a Mass celebrated by Archbishop
Kazimierz Nycz of Warsaw. Then, they listened
to the words of the Holy Father, who -- as in
previous years -- delivered his address in Polish:
'Dearest young friends, Jesus says to us: 'No
longer do I call you servants (. . . ) but I have
called you friends' and added: 'for all that I
have heard from my Father I have made known to
you. ''Yes, friendship is an exacting bond: It
is based on sincerity and testimony. If you wish
to become friends of Christ and of men, go before
him and before them in truth and give witness
of your faith, hope and love. I greet you cordially
and bless you, in the name of the Father, of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit. ' The next meeting
in Lednica will be held in June 2009. [Zenit]
1455.8
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Interreligious
dialogue
Interreligious dialogue is nourished by an adequate
formation in the faith and by a profound knowledge
of the beliefs of others, says Benedict XVI. The
Pope said this Saturday upon receiving in audience
participants in the plenary meeting of the Pontifical
Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Cardinal
Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Vatican dicastery,
greeted the Pope and explained to him the issues
that were discussed during the dicastery's meeting,
which focused on the theme 'Dialogue in Truth
and Charity: Pastoral Orientations. '
The
sessions took into consideration some practical
issues regarding interreligious relationships:
identity of the dialogue partner, religious education
in schools, conversions, proselytism, reciprocity,
religious freedom and the role of religious leaders
in society. 'As Christians,' Cardinal Tauran said,
'we are convinced that God alone is the absolute
truth and that he has opened the human heart to
the desire for truth,' and that 'that all men
and women are called to know and live such truth.
' Nevertheless, he added, 'it is necessary to
reach a delicate balance between the proclamation
of the truth and the respect of the spiritual
journey and freedom of conscience of persons.
' 'Charity presupposes the welcoming of the other
in his diversity,' said the cardinal, 'but it
also implies the duty of sharing our religious
patrimony with him. ' He noted that 'truth, diversity
and dialogue are inseparable. ' Cardinal Tauran
informed the Pope that his dicastery is preparing
a document containing some 'guidelines' for dialogue
directed at pastors and faithful who live in multiethnic,
multireligious and multicultural societies.
Benedict
XVI observed in his address that 'all the Church's
activities must be permeated with love,' because
it is love 'that invites every believer to listen
to others and to seek areas of collaboration'
without impositions. Nevertheless, the Pope added,
the 'great proliferation of interreligious meetings
in the world today requires discernment. ' Indeed,
he explained, to 'be authentic such dialogue must
be a journey of faith,' and at the same time 'it
is necessary that the promoters be well-formed
in their faith and well-informed about the beliefs
of others. ' In light of these necessities and
of the challenges posed by an ever more pluralistic
society, the Pontiff said that he 'had encouraged
the efforts of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious
Dialogue in organizing formation courses and programs
for interreligious dialogue on behalf of different
groups, especially for young seminarians and people
who run institutes of tertiary education. '
'Religious
collaboration offers the opportunity of expressing
the highest ideals of every religious tradition,'
said the Holy Father. 'Helping the sick, giving
succor to victims of natural disasters and violence,
care of the elderly and the poor: These are some
of the sectors in which persons of different religions
can work together. ' [Zenit] 1455.9
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The
Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy
On
Monday morning in the Vatican, the Pope received
students from the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy,
the institution which trains candidates for the
Holy See diplomatic service. They were accompanied
by Archbishop Beniamino Stella, president of the
academy. 'Apart from the necessary juridical,
theological and diplomatic training', the Pope
told them, 'what is most important is that your
lives and activities should reflect a faithful
love for Christ and for the Church which arouses
in you a friendly pastoral concern towards everyone.
Unity with Christ is the secret of authentic success
for the ministry of each priest. Whatever work
you undertake in the Church, ensure that you always
remain His true friends, faithful friends who
have met Him and have learned to love Him above
all else. Communion with Him, the divine Master
of our souls, will ensure you serenity and peace
even in the most complex and difficult moments'.
Faced with the danger 'of losing the meaning of
life', and of 'a certain contemporary culture
that casts doubt upon any kind of absolute value,
even the possibility of recognising truth and
goodness', said Pope Benedict, 'we must bear witness
to the presence of God, a God Who understands
man and knows how to speak to his heart.
You
must proclaim - with your lives even before than
with your words - the joyful and consoling announcement
of the Gospel of love, in places sometimes very
far removed from the Christian experience', the
Holy Father told his audience. 'Announce the Truth
that is Christ! May prayer, meditation and listening
to the Word of God be your daily bread'. He went
on: 'May the celebration of the Eucharist be the
core and the focus of your every day and of your
entire ministry. . . . It is not possible to approach
the Lord every day, to pronounce these tremendous
moving words, 'this is my Body, this is my Blood',
. . . to take the Body and Blood of the Lord in
our hands, without allowing ourselves to be seized
by Him, . . . without allowing His infinite love
to change us within. May the Eucharist become
a school of life for you, in which Jesus' sacrifice
on the Cross teaches you to give yourselves totally
to your fellow man. 'In undertaking their mission,
pontifical representatives are called to offer
to others this testimony of welcome, fruit of
their constant union with Christ', he concluded.
[Vatican Information Service] 1455.10
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The adoption furore
MOTHER
CABRINI
Mother
Cabrini turning in her grave?
The
following comment has been posted on the Carpe
Canum blog
- 'the blog of a German Shepherd English Catholic
Mother
Cabrini must be turning in her grave! This is
the response of priests and parishioners across
southern England as they discover that the former
Catholic Children's Society, at Purley, in Surrey,
has changed its name to the Cabrini Children's
Society on giving up its Catholic principles in
order to comply with the government's Sexual Orientation
Regulations (SOR) and give children into adoption
by homosexual couples, thus condoning same-sex
unions. The Church teaches that putting children
into the care of an invalid union is a gravely
moral matter.
This
is nothing less than the misappropriation of the
good name of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini, and
the linking of her name to something with which
she would profoundly disagree - a complete perversion
of her principles! Mother Cabrini spent her life
caring for children, rather than seeing them abandoned
or given up into dangerous or sinful situations,
founding orphanages to protect and care for the
vulnerable.
Has
the Charity Commissioners been satisfied by agreement
of just one Cabrini orphanage (owned by the CCS),
and have there been consultations with the world-wide
Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, the Order
founded by Mother Cabrini to continue her work?
Was
the Southwark CCS given all the options before
making this disastrous decision? The property
and millions of pounds of assets, much given by
Catholics for bona fide Catholic purposes, have
been taken out of the Church. Catholic lawyers
want the chance to fight in the European Court
of Human Rights (via regulation 18) that equal
opportunities legislation is contrary to the freedom
of expression of religion. It may be too late
to rescue the Children's Society, but is this
just the first stage of battle for our other institutions,
including Catholic schools?
The
former Catholic Children's Society's action has
abandoned its 'catholic' title and (like Quest
and other organisations which do not uphold Catholic
teaching) must now be removed from the national
Catholic Directory.
The
new CCS is still expecting faithful Catholics
in southern dioceses to continue funding this
non-catholic agency, partly by the ploy of annexing
the distinctly Catholic name of Cabrini, and by
subtle continuation of the initials CCS. Crib
offerings at Christmas, collections in Lent and
on Good Shepherd Sunday, are just a few of their
many means of funding. Former supporters are now
asking themselves whether, with a clear conscious,
they can continue giving, or whether they must
abandon an organisation which has itself abandoned
the Church's teaching to sell-out to political
demands and creeping secularism. Bishops elsewhere
in the country are refusing to yield to such secular
pressure.
Mother
Cabrini is not in a grave, but in a beautiful
shrine at one of her US orphanages. While her
name has been misappropriated, the link has been
made, and she has proved to be a powerful intercessor
for causes near to her heart, and to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus.
A
Prayer for the Intercession of St Frances Xavier
Cabrini:
Almighty
and eternal Father,
at the intercession of Mother Frances Cabrini,
hear the cry of your children,
and the prayers of all those who seek to remain
faithful
to the teachings of Your Church.
Inspire the Bishops of our land with wisdom and
courage
to uphold the Truth, and lead the faithful in
holiness of life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
O
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
St John Fisher, pray for us.
St Thomas More, pray for us.
St Frances Cabrini, pray for us.
Mother
Cabrini's Prayer for Peace of Mind:
Fortify
me with the grace of Your Holy Spirit and give
Your peace to my soul that I may be free from
all needless anxiety, solicitude and worry. Help
me to desire always that which is pleasing and
acceptable to You so that Your will may be my
will.
A
Reflection from: Travels, by Mother Francesca
Cabrini, June 1895.
What
have we to fear if the Heart of Jesus protects
us? Let us keep our gaze fixed on the wound of
the Heart of Jesus. There we shall read in characters
of blood the depth and width of the love He bears
us.It will encourage us, always and everywhere,
to hope for everything from His infinite goodness.
Our prayers are often so imperfect that they deserve
to be rejected, but the loving Heart of Jesus
corrects them and turns them to noble ends. He
Himself asks for what is for our greater good,
mercifully covering our unworthiness with His
merits.
At
her canonization on 7th July 1946, Pope Pius XII
said: 'Although her constitution was very frail,
her spirit was endowed with such singular strength
that, knowing the will of God in her regard, she
permitted nothing to impede her from accomplishing
what seemed beyond the strength of a woman.' [Carpe
Carnum] 1455.11
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The SORs juggernaut
Nicholas Romer emails : I don't think people
appreciate how serious the crisis in Catholic
adoption has become. Without putting up any legal
fight, diocese after diocese (with the exception
of Lancaster under the courageous leadership of
Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue) is capitulating in
the face of the Government's Sexual Orientation
Regulations. Bishops are abandoning their responsibilities
to protect the approximately two hundred and fifty
Catholic children who come into their care each
year. All previous generations would have thought
that imposing two mothers or two fathers on a
child in this manner was gravely sinful and as
such deeply offensive to God.
I
just happened, this week, to be reading Hilaire
Belloc on Saint Thomas More. This quotation seems
pertinent to the present situation. 'The average
Englishman had little concern with the quarrel
between the Crown and Rome. It did not touch his
life . . . Most of the great bodies - all the
bishops except Fisher - had yielded. They had
not yielded with great reluctance, but as a matter
of course. Here and there had been protests …
But that was exceptional. To the ordinary man
of that day, anyone, especially a highly placed
official, who stood out against the King's policy
was a crank'.
Perhaps
dioceses should be reminded of Codex Iuris
Canonici 1366. 'Parents, and those taking
the place of parents, who hand over their children
to be baptised or brought up in a non-catholic
religion, are to be punished with a censure or
other just penalty'. 1455.12
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But now at last!
The
Westminster Catholic Children's Society is defying
rules compelling adoption organisations to place
children with homosexual couples. New Labour's
war on common sense has at last come up against
a determined opponent. A Catholic adoption society
is defying rules compelling such bodies to place
children with homosexual couples. It believes
it can do this within the law - a belief almost
certain to be tested in the courts, given the
zeal of homosexual rights organisations. But why
should such battles be necessary? These rules,
like so many others, were forced on this country
by the EU Commission - in this case, the Employment
Framework Directive of 2000. But as so often,
Britain went further than Brussels required. Other
EU countries did not extend the rules to cover
adoption agencies. Clearly, the legislation was
brought in to please the radical lobbies to which
New Labour owes so much.
In
the same way, the Government passed its anti-hunting
laws to satisfy its class-warrior wing, giving
little thought to the impossibility of enforcing
such legislation. It cared more about placating
its supporters than it did about the practical
effects of its actions. And so it brought Parliament
and the law into disrepute. Can a law obliging
nuns and priests to go against their deepest beliefs
be upheld in the courts? Is it any business of
the law to intervene in matters of conscience?
Charities
are entitled to abide by their own precepts, just
as much as homosexuals are entitled to have private
lives free from harassment. It is not as if the
churches either have or seek a monopoly of adoption
services. Until now, the only result of this new
law has been to drive dedicated religious organisations
out of the adoption system. The fate of so many
children, who above all need good homes, is too
important to be treated in this frivolous, dogma-driven
way. The Westminster Catholic Children's Society
deserves the support of all genuinely tolerant
people for taking a serious issue seriously. [Daily
Mail] 1455.13
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Meanwhile,
in the USA . . .
The
increasing challenges to freedom of conscience
on health care and pro-life issues in the United
States were addressed in a pastoral statement
released last month by the bishops of the Arizona
Catholic Conference (ACC). 'The right to follow
one's religious beliefs and moral convictions
is being compromised, undermined and increasingly
disregarded today by those who insist that actions
be taken that violate the moral convictions a
person holds dear or that underlie the very mission
of an institution,' said the statement signed
by Phoenix Bishop Thomas Olmsted and Tucson Bishop
Gerald Kicanas.
'We believe our state and nation need to consider
the implications of legislation that imposes requirements
contrary to a person's religious beliefs and moral
convictions,' said the pastoral statement. Efforts
to force health-care workers and institutions
to violate their pro-life principles have increased
across the nation. They include the attempt by
now-disgraced Eliot Spitzer, when he was Democratic
governor of New York, to force health-care personnel
and Catholic hospitals to provide abortions, and
vetoes by Arizona's own radical feminist Democratic
Gov. Janet Napolitano of two bills recognizing
rights of conscience. Ron Johnson, ACC executive
director told The Wanderer that he wants the statement
to he distributed in pamphlets as widely as possible,
starting with an initial press run of 10,000 copies.
'It's a good document to have in people's hands,'
Johnson said. He noted that the Catholic newspapers
of the three member dioceses are printing the
statement, meaning another 160,000 copies are
in circulation that way. Johnson told The Wanderer
the bishops are concerned 'over mounting pressures
facing professionals and institutions' in health
care, including legislative attempts to force
health providers 'to either participate in the
provision of abortifacients and the subsequent
taking of innocent human life or leave the profession.
The Catholic Church has been a leader in defending
the civil rights of those involved with this struggle,
and the bishops took this opportunity to issue
a statement of solidarity and support for these
modern-day heroes,' he added. [The Wanderer] 1455.14
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United
Nations
Over-blown statistics
An
official with the World Health Organisation (WHO)
is finally admitting what many AIDS experts have
been saying for years - there is no threat of
a world AIDS pandemic among heterosexuals.
According
to a report by The Independent, Epidemiologist
Kevin de Cock, the head of the WHO's department
of HIV/AIDS, admitted to The Independent that
AIDS is seen no longer as a risk to heterosexual
populations outside sub-Saharan Africa, but rather
is restricted to high-risk groups such as homosexual
men, injecting drug users, prostitutes and their
solicitors.
'It
is very unlikely there will be a heterosexual
epidemic in other countries,' said de Cock. 'Ten
years ago a lot of people were saying there would
be a generalised epidemic in Asia - China was
the big worry with its huge population. That doesn't
look likely. But we have to be careful. As an
epidemiologist it is better to describe what we
can measure. There could be small outbreaks in
some areas.'
The
HIV/AIDS director confirmed that male homosexuals
are most at risk for AIDS, and that in many places
rates of infection amongst male homosexuals are
increasing, not declining.
'We
face a bit of a crisis [in this area]. In the
industrialised world transmission of HIV among
men who have sex with men is not declining and
in some places has increased,' stated de Cock.
'In
the developing world, it has been neglected. We
have only recently started looking for it and
when we look, we find it. And when we examine
HIV rates we find they are high.
'It
is astonishing how badly we have done with men
who have sex with men. It is something that is
going to have to be discussed much more rigorously.'
The
Independent described de Cock's statements as
'the first official admission that the universal
prevention strategy promoted by the major AIDS
organisations may have been misdirected.'
However,
promoting the strategy of universal prevention
is also recognized as having been one of the most
successful ways that homosexual activists capitalised
on the impending AIDS pandemic to make the general
public sympathetic to their cause and to launch
them from political obscurity to their current
elevated status. Although the AIDS 'pandemic'
among heterosexuals may now have disappeared,
its political usefulness has also since disappeared,
with homosexual activists now aggressively changing
marriage laws worldwide.
The
WHO admission follows the UN's own admission in
November 2007 that its statistics for calculating
the worldwide extent of the AIDS 'pandemic' were
also overblown. The change was motivated in large
part due to the evidence made public by Dr. James
Chin, former head of a WHO Global Programme on
AIDS unit from 1987-1992, and others, that indicated
numbers were being inflated by AIDS policymakers
to perpetuate the myth of a looming pandemic in
the general population. [LifeSiteNews] 1455.15
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The
radical onslaught
'Positive
representations of queer lives'
The
Gay-Straight Alliance Network has announced that
it is partnering with an organization called Frameline
in a new project called Youth in Motion 'that
will provide schools in California with free LGBTQ
movies that can be shown in classrooms or as part
of your GSA's activities,' according to the June
4 GSA Network News.
The
GSA Network helps students on high school and
middle school campuses form Gay-Straight Alliance
Clubs to provide, in their words, 'a safe place
for students to meet, support each other, talk
about issues related to sexual orientation, and
work to end homophobia.' Frameline, on the other
hand, has a broader mission, according to its
web site: 'To strengthen the diverse lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender community and further
its visibility by supporting and promoting a broad
array of cultural representations and artistic
expression in film, video and other media arts.'
A
non-profit organization, Frameline is behind the
San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival,
which, Frameline says, draws 60,000-80,000 attendees
each year. The organization also offers free monthly
screenings of 'socially relevant works' at San
Francisco's LGBT Community Center.
Frameline
offers film distribution, including 'educational
films' for youth. Listed among these on the Frameline
web site is The Vicious and Delicious, a soap
opera parody featuring 'nail-scratching catfights,
countless illicit affairs, double identities,
mistrustful motives, dubious dealings, fabulous
fashion statements, and bizarre story twists.'
There is also the 10-minute film 'Afterschool
Delight,' in which 'twelve-year-old Scout and
her best friend Angie spend an afternoon getting
into and avoiding trouble and end up discovering
some of life's delights.' What delights the Frameline
blurb does not say. In the 30-minute film Educate
Your Attitude, men and women, ages 15-24, 'speak
from a wide range of experiences about love and
fantasies, gay identity, interracial relationships,
masturbation, peer pressure, media images, pornography,
sexism, sexual abuse, STD's, living with AIDS,
condoms, safer sex, and more.'
What
films Youth in Motion (slated to commence in the
fall) will feature is uncertain. Using an online
survey, Frameline and GSA are asking teachers
and students to send in the names of their favorite
movies. The sort of movies Frameline and GSA want
are those with 'positive representations of queer
lives' and 'realistic representations of diverse
LGBTQ people.' The partnering organizations ask
their 'membership, festival audiences, and other
concerned individuals to support youth by donating
films to GSAs.'
Youth
in Motion says it has received the 'generous support'
of the James Irvine Foundation and the Bob Ross
Foundation. [CalCatholic] 1455.16
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Pastor
silenced
The
Canadian government has ordered a Christian pastor
to renounce his faith and never again express
moral opposition to homosexuality, according to
a new report.
In
a decision handed down just days ago in the penalty
phase of the quasi-judicial proceedings run by
the Alberta Human Rights Tribunal, evangelical
pastor Stephen Boisson was banned from expressing
his biblical perspective of homosexuality and
ordered to pay $5,000 for 'damages for pain and
suffering' as well as apologize to the activist
who complained of being hurt.
According
to a report from Pete Vere at the Catholic
Exchange, the penalty could foreshadow the
possible fate of Father Alphonse de Valk, who
also has cited the biblical perspective on homosexuality
in the nation's debate over same-sex 'marriage'
and now faces HRC charges.
Boisson
had written a letter to the editor of his local
Red Deer newspaper in 2002 denouncing the
advance of homosexual activism as 'wicked' and
stating: 'Children as young as five and six years
of age are being subjected to psychologically
and physiologically damaging pro-homosexual literature
and guidance in the public school system; all
under the fraudulent guise of equal rights.'
The
activist, local teacher Darren Lund, filed a complaint
and the guilty verdict from Lori G. Andreachuk,
a lawyer, was handed down some weeks ago. The
latest decision involved the penalty phase of
the trial.
While
agreeing that Boisson's letter was not a criminal
act, the government tribunal nevertheless ordered
the Christian pastor to stop expressing his opinion,
Vere reported. Andreachuk noted that Lund, who
brought the complaint, wasn't, in fact, injured.
'In
this case there is no specific individual who
can be compensated as there is no direct victim
who has come forward…,' she wrote.
However,
that did not stop her from ordering the payment
anyway.
And
as for the future, she wrote: 'Mr. Boissoin and
The Concerned Christian Coalition Inc. shall cease
publishing in newspapers, by e-mail, on the radio,
in public speeches, or on the Internet, in future,
disparaging remarks about gays and homosexuals.
Further, they shall not and are prohibited from
making disparaging remarks in the future about
… Lund or … Lund's witnesses relating
to their involvement in this complaint. Further,
all disparaging remarks versus homosexuals are
directed to be removed from current Web sites
and publications of Mr. Boissoin and The Concerned
Christian Coalition Inc,' the lawyer opined.
Andreachuk
also ordered Boissoin to apologize for the original
letter in the Red Deer Advocate and told
the two 'offenders' to pay $5,000.
The
apology letter, Vere said, 'threatens civil liberties
in Canada, according to Ezra Levant, an author
and lawyer who himself was targeted by an HRC
attack.'
'[The]
government now believes that if it can't convince
a Christian pastor that he's wrong, it will just
order him to condemn himself?' Levant wrote on
his blog. 'Other than tribunals in Stalin's Soviet
Union and Mao's China, where is this Orwellian
'order' considered to be justice?'
'This
is like a Third World jail-house confession -
where accused criminals are forced to sign false
statements of guilt,' Levant wrote. 'We don't
even 'order' murderers to apologize to their victims'
families. Because we know that a forced apology
is meaningless. But not if your point is to degrade
Christian pastors. In essence, the Alberta Human
Rights Tribunal is ordering to the minister to
renounce his Christian faith, since his opposition
to homosexuality is based upon the Judeo-Christian
Bible,' Vere wrote.
WND
reported recently about de Valk, the target of
a Human Rights Commission case over his biblical
references regarding homosexuality.
'Father
[de Valk] defended the [Catholic] Church's teaching
on marriage during Canada's same-sex 'marriage'
