President
Bush at the Vatican
President
George Bush was given such a splendid welcome
by Pope Benedict XVI on Friday that rumours started
flying that the President, like Tony Blair before
him, was on the verge of converting to Catholicism.
It was a Vatican visit such as no other head of
state has ever enjoyed. Instead of greeting him,
like all previous high-ranking visitors, in the
papal library of the Apostolic Palace, the Pope
took Mr Bush round the medieval St John's Tower
then gave him a tour of the Vatican gardens, culminating
in a brief open-air concert by the Sistine Chapel
Choir. The Pope waited for the President at the
entrance of the tower.
As he arrived, the President was overheard gushing
'What an honour' as the two men disappeared for
a half-hour tête-à-tête,
details of which have not been made public. The
special reception was seen as a return of favours
for the magnificent party thrown for the Pope
two months ago when he turned 81 during his US
tour, attended by up to 9,000 guests. But yesterday
the Vatican was seething at rumours that there
was much more to it than protocol: George Bush,
lifelong Methodist, was about to convert. The
notion was given extra mileage by the fact that
the President's brother Jeb, the former governor
of Florida, converted to Catholicism on marrying
his wife Columba, a Mexican.
The
Vatican differs from the White House on immigration
and the death penalty but on other issues including
stem cell research, gay marriage and abortion
there has been, as the Catholic daily L'Avvenire
put it, 'total harmony.' Cardinal Pio Laghi,
the papal envoy to the White House, said: 'Bush
believes in the values of the Church and his brother
is a convert.' [The Independent] 1456.2
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Curia
appointments
Benedict XVI has made a series of appointments
to the Roman Curia, asking several prelates to
serve in various areas. The Pope made appointments
for seven Vatican congregations. He named Cardinal
Angelo Bagnasco, archbishop of Genoa, Italy, to
three congregations, firstly to the Congregation
for Eastern Churches. The Italian prelate was
also named, along with three other cardinals,
to the Congregation for Divine Worship and the
Sacraments. Cardinals Agustín García-Gasco
y Vicente, archbishop of Valencia, Spain; Théodore-Adrien
Sarr, archbishop of Dakar, Senegal, and John Foley,
grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Knights
of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, were also
placed on that congregation. Cardinal Bagnasco
was further appointed to the Congregation for
Bishops, as were Cardinals André Vingt-Trois,
archbishop of Paris; Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo,
president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican
City State and of the Governorate of Vatican City
State, and Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president
of the Pontifical Council for the Laity.
Cardinal
Foley was named to the Congregation for the Evangelization
of Peoples, along with Cardinal Sarr; Cardinals
John Njue, archbishop of Nairobi, Kenya; Leonardo
Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern
Churches; and Paul Cordes, president of the Pontifical
Council Cor Unum. Cardinal Cordes was also named
to the Congregation for Saints' Causes, along
with Cardinal Rylko and Cardinals Angelo Comastri,
archpriest of the papal basilica of St. Peter's
in the Vatican, the Pope's vicar for Rome, and
president of the Fabric of St. Peter's; and Raffaele
Farina, archivist and librarian of Holy Roman
Church. Cardinal Cordes was further named to the
Congregation for the Clergy, along with Cardinals
Odilo Scherer, archbishop of São Paulo,
Brazil; and Cardinal Njue. Cardinal Farina was
made a member of the Congregation for Catholic
Education.
Other
appointments were: Cardinal Lluís Martínez
Sistach of Barcelona, Spain, as a member of the
Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura and
as a member of the Pontifical Council for the
Laity. As members of the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity, Cardinal Sean Baptist
Brady, archbishop of Armagh, Ireland, and Cardinal
Sandri. As members of the presidential committee
of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Cardinal
García-Gasco y Vicente and Cardinal Vingt-Trois.
Cardinal Cordes was named a member of the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace. Cardinal Daniel
DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston, was
appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for
the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Travelers. Cardinal
Sandri was made a member of the Pontifical Council
for Interreligious Dialogue. Cardinal Lajolo was
appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for
Culture and the Administration of the Patrimony
of the Apostolic See. As members of the Pontifical
Commission for Latin America, the Pope appointed
Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega, archbishop of
Monterrey, Mexico, and Cardinal Rylko. As members
of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural
Patrimony of the Church, Cardinal Brady and Cardinal
Farina were named. [Zenit] 1456.3
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Neo-Catechumenal
Statutes
On Friday morning, the President of the Pontifical
Council for the Laity, Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko,
delivered the decree of approval and a final draft
of the statues to initiators of the Neo-Catechumenal
Way. Upon receiving the decree, founders Kiko
Arguello and Carmen Hernandez, as well as Italian
priest, Fr. Mario Pezzi, expressed their gratitude
to Pope Benedict 'who with great love has followed
and approved the conclusion of this work.' They
continued in a statement: 'Following the approval
of the statutes, and faced with the great challenges
the Church must confront, we are happy to be able
to offer ourselves to the Holy Father and the
bishops for the new evangelization and the transmission
of the faith to the new generations.'
Since
its founding, the Neo-Catechumenal Way has been
supported by all Popes from Paul VI to Benedict
XVI. In 1990, John Paul II recognized the Way
as 'valid for modern society and times,' and expressed
the hope that bishops and priests 'appreciate
and assist this work for the new evangelization,
so that it may achieve its ends, following the
guidelines suggested by the founders, in a spirit
of service towards the local ordinary and in communion
with him, and in a context of unity with the particular
Church and with the Universal Church.' The Neo-Catechumenal
Way, which began in Spain in 1964 has now spread
to more than 100 countries world-wide, including
some mission territories. In the wake of the renewal
brought about by Vatican Council II, the Way places
itself at the service of diocesan bishops and
parish priests as a means of rediscovering the
sacrament of Baptism and of a permanent education
in the faith, offered to those faithful who wish
to revive in their lives the richness of Christian
initiation, by following this itinerary of catechesis
and conversion. [CNA] 1456.4
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Synod
of Bishops : instrumentum laboris
The
Synod of Bishops, meeting in Rome in October 2008,
will discuss ways to promote the prayerful reading,
understanding, and proclamation of the Word of
God. At a Vatican press conference on June 12,
Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, the secretary-general
of the Synod of Bishops, introduced the instrumentum
laboris, the working document, for the October
Synod meeting, which is dedicated to a discussion
of the Word of God. The archbishop explained that
the Synod discussions will have 'a pastoral and
missionary character,' with a focus on use of
Scripture to spur Christian evangelization.
The
Church should combat widespread 'Biblical illiteracy'
among the Catholic faithful, Archbishop Eterovic
said. At the same time, the Synod will discuss
the challenge posed by fundamental sects that
promote misleading interpretations of the Scriptures.
The instrumentum laboris focuses on a balanced
approach to the Scriptures, reading the Bible
carefully and relying on the authoritative guidance
of the Church magisterium. The Bible, the instrumentum
laboris emphasizes, must be understood as
the work of the Holy Spirit, a gift to Christ's
Church. Reading the Scriptures in that light,
observes the Preface of the working document,
'leads from the the letter to the spirit and from
the words to the Word of God.'
This
prayerful approach is essential to avoid misinterpretations,
the document continues, explaining: 'Indeed, the
words often conceal their true meaning, especially
when considered from the literary and cultural
point of view of the inspired authors and their
way of understanding the world and its laws.'
Archbishop Eterovic noted that this year's meeting,
the 12th ordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops,
will convene after the inauguration of a special
year dedicated to the memory of St. Paul. That
Pauline year 'will not fail to arouse a renewed
missionary drive in the Church,' he predicted.
The instrumentum laboris for the Synod
meeting bears, as its title, the theme chosen
for this year's meeting: 'The Word of God in the
life and Mission of the Church'.
The
document was been released in English, French,
Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, and Polish;
the full text of the instrumentum laborisis
available on the Vatican web site.
The working document is divided into three major
sections. The first examines the meaning of the
term the 'Word of God,' and the relationships
among Scripture, tradition, and the magisterium.
The second explores the understanding and interpretation
of the Bible, and the proper approach to reading
the Word of God and using the Scripture in the
liturgy and daily prayer. The third discusses
the role of the Word of God in the life of the
Church, considering the mission of evangelization,
formation of clergy and laity, ecumenical outreach,
and inter-religious dialogue.
'An attentive listening to the Word is fundamental
to a personal encounter with God,' a concluding
passage of the instrumentum laboris says.
'No one can fathom the depths of the Word of God.
However, only in the previously mentioned manner
can the Word take hold of and convert a person,
making him discover its riches and secrets, widening
his horizons and promising freedom and full human
development.' [CWNews] 1456.5
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Bangladesh
bishops' ad limina
Bishops
are called to be patient, mild, and gentle in
the spirit of the Beatitudes,' Pope Benedict XVI
reminded a group of visiting prelates from Bangladesh
at an audience on June 12. The Holy Father told
the visiting bishops, who were completing their
ad limina trips, that their personal witness should
inspire the confidence of the faithful. He explained:
'Many of your people suffer from poverty, isolation
or discrimination, and they look to you for spiritual
guidance that will lead them to recognize in faith,
and to experience in anticipation, that they are
truly blessed by God.'
The
Pope asked the Bangladeshi bishops to devote careful
attention to the formation of priests and the
promotion of healthy family life. In each of these
tasks, he said, they must counteract 'the difficulty
modern men and women have in making a lifelong
commitment.' Church leaders also have an important
role to play in public affairs, the Pontiff said,
encouraging the bishops to work with other faiths
for the sake of the common good. He argued that
inter-religious dialogue, 'based on mutual respect
and truth, cannot fail to have a positive influence
on the social climate of your country.' Reminding
the visiting bishops of the Pauline year that
begins on June 28, the Pope said that the Church
in Bangladesh resembles in many ways the young
Church built up by the missionary journeys of
St. Paul. 'Like the first Christians, you live
as a small community among a large non-Christian
population,' the Pope said. 'Your presence is
a sign that the preaching of the Gospel, which
began in Jerusalem and Judea, continues to spread
to the ends of the earth.' [CWNews] 1456.6
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Europe
Ireland
says 'No'
Irish
voters have voted 'No', by 53.4 per cent to 46.6
per cent, to their country ratifying the European
Union's Lisbon Treaty, the document that was to
replace the European Constitution defeated by
French and Dutch referenda in 2005. Ireland was
the only one of the 27 EU member states obliged
by law to hold a referendum on the Treaty.
The
European commission president, José Manuel
Barroso, said he believed the Treaty was still
'alive,' despite the resounding defeat in Ireland.
This, however, was immediately contradicted by
Luxembourg's Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker
- the longest serving leader in the EU - who said
the Irish vote meant the Treaty could not enter
into force in January 2009 as planned. Under the
EU rules, the Treaty required unanimous consent
of all member states. Barroso said EU leaders
would consider their response at a summit in Luxembourg
next week.
The
French Prime Minister, Francois Fillon, said,
'If the Irish people decide to reject the treaty
of Lisbon, naturally, there will be no treaty
of Lisbon.'
The
head of the European Union's current presidency
is now demanding an explanation for the Irish
people's democratically obtained rejection of
the Treaty. 'I will invite the Irish Prime Minister
to explain the reasons for the rejection of the
treaty by the Irish people,' said Slovenian Prime
Minister Janez Jansa.
EU
leaders have vowed that, despite the vote, the
concept of a reformed European Union constitution
will go forward. Barroso said today that the Treaty
must go forward with the ratification process.
France's Europe Minister Jean-Pierre Jouyet said
the EU must discuss a 'legal arrangement' with
Ireland.
The
Treaty's defenders said the 300 page document
was merely a way of streamlining 'EU governance'
and re-working the system of national votes to
more closely reflect the various positions of
the member states.
Pro-democracy
groups in Ireland warned, however, that the same
dangers to democracy and national sovereignty
exist with this revised version of the rejected
EU Constitution as were in the original. Ratification
of the Treaty, they maintained, would threaten
the democratic principles upon which the Irish
polity rests, including citizenship.
Anthony
Coughlan of the National Platform EU Research
and Information Centre, wrote that the Lisbon
Treaty ratification would create a new super-state
'in the constitutional form of a supranational
European federation' making citizens of ratifying
countries primarily into citizens of that super-state,
'owing obedience to its laws and loyalty to its
authority,' in contrast to their current honorary
EU 'citizenship'.
Pro-life
advocates argued that this would threaten the
Irish constitutional protection for the unborn,
given the almost universal acceptance and promotion
of abortion at the EU level. Certain EU bodies
have also lobbied hard for pressure to be put
on countries that retain their legal protections
for natural marriage.
Coughlan
wrote that the reforms of the Lisbon Treaty would
grant the EU a 'legal personality' and corporate
existence fundamentally different from its current
make-up. It would, he said, 'for the first time,
[be] separate from and superior to its member
states'. It would reduce sovereign nations like
Ireland, Britain and Germany, to the status of
subordinate states comparable to the relationship
between the state of Texas and the US Federal
government.
'Politically
and legally, this is the core element of an EU
constitution,' which, Coughlan said, is the least-discussed
aspect of the Treaty. Coughlan is a Senior Lecturer
Emeritus in Social Policy at Trinity College Dublin
and Secretary of the National Platform.
Party
leaders in Ireland are re-thinking their positions
on the Treaty after the vote. All three major
parties had supported a Yes vote for ratification.
Party leaders in Dublin are said to be stunned
at the size of the margin against their position.
In the two constituencies of county Donegal, two
thirds of voters said no to Lisbon. The biggest
no vote was in Dublin South West, which saw a
65.1% majority.
In
Britain, Tory opposition leader, David Cameron,
whose party supported a referendum in Britain,
said it is time to abandon the ratification of
the Treaty. The Labour party, which pushed the
ratification of the Treaty through Parliament
without a public vote, contrary to their 2005
campaign promise, is now facing plummeting opinion
polls. Prime Minister Gordon Brown refused to
allow a vote, claiming that the Lisbon Treaty
was substantially different from the previous
document. This, however was widely refuted by
legal experts, and even some prominent EU politicians,
who said the differences between the two documents
were negligible.
The
Treaty would give the EU more law-making powers,
Coughlan added, and would transfer more powers
to the EU from national states, national parliaments
and citizens. The non-elected Commissions have
a monopoly on proposing EU laws. Laws would be
made primarily by an irremovable 'oligarchy,'
of 27 legislating politicians who constitute the
Council of Ministers, who would make laws for
450 million Europeans.
Weight
would be given to nations by population, which
would reduce the relative voting weight and influence
of small and middle-sized states, such as Ireland,
Poland and Malta, the three EU countries maintaining
legal protections for the unborn. [LifeSiteNews]
1456.7
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The
radical onslaught
Freedom
of conscience blocked
1456.8
~ The American Medical Association (AMA) is asking
its membership to adopt a policy that would see
the organization officially support the removal
of the freedom of conscience of pharmacists.
The
recommendation that will be considered at this
week's (June 11-14, 2008) AMA Board of Trustees
annual meeting states, 'A pharmacist's deliberate
refusal to dispense a drug on religious, moral,
or ethical grounds, i.e., pharmacist conscientious
objection, has been most often associated with
Plan B, the emergency contraceptive, and has received
considerable attention in both the lay media and
in medical journal commentaries. Of all of the
reasons why a pharmacist might not dispense a
legally valid prescription, conscientious objection
is the only one that places a pharmacist's personal
views in potential conflict with the best interests
of the patient.'
The
recommendation then goes on to state that the
AMA, 'supports responsibility to the patient as
paramount in all situations. Thus, our AMA supports
legislation that would require individual pharmacists
and pharmacy chains to fill legally valid prescriptions
or to provide immediate referral to an appropriate
alternative dispensing pharmacy without interference.'
The
Pharmacist Conscience Coalition of Pharmacists
For Life International responded to the news,
accusing the AMA of attempting to deny fundamental
freedoms of conscience and of being guilty of
hypocrisy.
'This
is just the latest in a well-orchestrated series
of attacks on the freedom of conscience of medical
professionals,' said a press release from Pharmacists
for Life. 'Such attacks have become commonplace
over the past few years…and are most frequently
encouraged by abortion advocates and their allies.
However, this may be the most hypocritical. While
purportedly supporting freedom of conscience protections
for physicians, the AMA is arguing that similar
protections should be denied pharmacists.'
The
AMA, which is an organization for physician's
only, refers its members to the World Medical
Association's 1970 Declaration on Therapeutic
Abortion, which provides in article 6 that: 'If
the physician considers that his convictions do
not allow him to advise or perform an abortion,
he may withdraw while ensuring the continuity
of medical care by a qualified colleague. The
organization, however, sanctimoniously dismisses
the interests of pharmacists when they are confronted
with a request for a prescription that offends
their moral or religious beliefs.
The
'Pharmacist Conscience Clause' of the American
Pharmacists Association (APhA) Principles of Practice
for Pharmaceutical Care states: 'APhA recognizes
the individual pharmacist's right to exercise
conscientious refusal and supports the establishment
of systems to ensure patient's access to legally
prescribed therapy without compromising the pharmacist's
right of conscientious refusal.' [LifeSiteNews]
1456.8
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'Gender
identity rights'
The Organization of American States has reportedly
approved a resolution that expresses 'concern'
for the 'violations of related human rights committed
against individuals based on their sexual orientation.'
The
resolution, introduced by the government of Brazil
and passed quietly on June 3 by acclamation, further
directs that the Committee on Political and Juridical
Affairs add the topic 'Human Rights, Sexual Orientation,
and Gender Identity' to its agenda in the coming
months. The resolution further requires the Permanent
Council of the OAS to give a report about the
proceedings.
'Gender
identity' refers to the gender an individual claims
to have, rather than his actual gender. Homosexual
activists urge that such people be given 'rights'
allowing them to identify with whatever gender
they wish.
The document, which reportedly carries the number
AG/RES-2435 (XXXVIII-O/08), and is titled 'Resolution
on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation, and Gender
Identity', cannot be found in any language on
the OAS website, which also contains no mention
of its having been passed. Its passage was also
virtually unmentioned in the mainstream media.
The
pro-abortion organization PROMSEX published the
resolution along with a longer statement made
at the OAS meeting in Medellin, Columbia, by the
'Coalition of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transvestites,
Transexuals, Transgenders, and Intersex of the
Americas,' which demands official recognition
of 'diverse sexual orientations, identities, and
gender expressions,' including 'the right to change
one's name and sex in documents without requiring
genital mutilation.' The groups also demand the
abolition of anti-sodomy laws, and protection
from 'discrimination'.
The pro-abortion and pro-homosexual organization
'Human Rights Watch' lauded the passage of the
resolution. The organization has long claimed
that homosexuals have a right to engage in and
promote sodomy, as well as to 'marry', and often
reprimands governments that refuse to capitulate
to the homosexual ideology.
'This
resolution is a bold first step toward ending
violence and discrimination,' said Scott Long
of Human Rights Watch in a press release. 'For
the resolution to have an impact, concrete changes
in law and policy must follow.'
Brazilian pro-family activist Julio Severo, who
has monitored the homosexual movement in Brazil
for decades, told LifeSiteNews that the OAS resolution
is the result of committed pro-homosexual activism
on the part of the administration of President
Luiz Lula.
'The
Lula administration is showing a solid determination
to promote the homosexual agenda in a world scale,'
said Severo. 'Its first attempt to introduce it
in the UN was frustrated by a strong Muslim opposition.
Yet, it did not give up. It is directing now its
efforts through the Organization of the American
States without the same strong opposition. Muslims
have shown more courage than Christians.'
The
Organization of American States, which includes
all of the nations of North and South America,
provides a forum to 'strengthen cooperation on
democratic values, defend common interests and
debate the major issues facing the region and
the world,' according to its website. [LifeSiteNews]
1456.9
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International
news
Argentina
Mandatory sex-education programme
The
Argentine Federal Education Council, which has
authority over the nation's schools, has voted
to impose a sex-ed program nationwide on all schools,
public and private, at every grade level. Although
the contents of the program have not been revealed,
it is mandated by laws that promote contraception
and 'sexual and reproductive health', a euphemism
used by the pro-abortion movement, and thus is
raising the suspicions of pro-family advocates.
The Council, which consists of 24 members from
accross the country, has reportedly decided that
the topics taught will include 'respect for diversity'
and 'discrimination', terms used by the homosexual
movement to identify homosexuals as an oppressed
minority in need of legal protection. However,
there is no indication that homosexuality is mentioned
explicitly by the program.
The
program was designed in accordance with the National
Program of Integral Sexual Education (26.150),
passed in 2006 under the regime of Nestor Kirchner.
The law contains vague language about 'responsible
attitudes towards sexuality' and 'sexual and reproductive
health', and 'integral sexual education,' terms
that are associated with the pro-abortion and
anti-family movement. However, it does not mention
abstinence. The Program incorporates another,
broader law (26.673) that states that 'it has
been demonstrated statistically that, among others,
at the most vulnerable levels of the society,
certain groups of women and men are ignorant of
how to use the most effective and appropriate
contraceptive methods' and concludes that 'in
consequence, it is necessary to offer the whole
population access to: information and advice regarding
sexuality and the use of contraceptive methods.'
The
National Program of Sexual Education also declares
that 'integral sexual education' is a 'right'
of all students, language that could be used to
override the wishes of parents. ACI Prensa reports
that Senator Lilian Negre de Alonso is warning
that the Council's new policy 'violates fundamental
parental rights' in the words of the agency. The
program, says Negre de Alonso, violates 'the constitutional
right of the parents to participate in the education
of their children in conformity with their intimate
principles and convictions, violating the privacy
of the family and along with it the guarantees
conferred by the National Consitution and international
conventions.' The program becomes obligatory in
2009. [LifeSiteNews] 1456.10
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Spain
Parents' rights
A
Spanish cardinal has called upon Catholic parents
to "use all legitimate means in your power
to defend your right to determine the moral education
of your children."
Cardinal
Antonio Cañizares Llovera spoke out in
response to the obligatory "Education for
Citizenship" classes that will be introduced
in some Spanish public schools in the next academic
year. He warned that the courses offer "a
moral formation that is not determined by parents"
and sometimes contradicts the moral teachings
of the Church.
In
a pastoral letter issued for the close of this
academic year, Cardinal Cañizares argued
that "public authority cannot impose any
certain moral code on all people, whether it be
supposedly a majority choice, or Catholic, or
any other kind." That authority is reserved
for parents, he insisted.
Addressing
himself specifically to administrators of Catholic
schools, the cardinal said that they should not
accept the "Education for Citizenship"
curriculum because it "would go against your
mission." Even public schools should not
promote the course, he continued, because it would
violate "the ideological neutrality they
should have."
Cardinal
Cañizares strongly encouraged citizens
to use every means to stop the imposition of the
moral-education program, assuring them that "there
is still time remaining to change the course of
events." Political activism is amply warranted
in this case, he added, because parents "are
not asking for anything more than they should
have." [CWNews] 1456.9a
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UK
Homosexual Anglican priests 'wedding'
An
Anglican church has held a homosexual "wedding"
for the first time in a move that will deepen
the rift between liberals and traditionalists,
according to today's Sunday Telegraph can disclose.
Two male priests exchanged vows and rings in a
ceremony that was conducted using one of the church's
most traditional wedding rites - a decision seen
as blasphemous by conservatives.
The
ceremony broke Church of England guidelines and
was carried out last month in defiance of the
Bishop of London, in whose diocese it took place.
News of the "wedding" emerged days before
a crucial summit of the Anglican Church's conservative
bishops and archbishops, who are threatening to
split the worldwide Church over the issue of homosexual
clergy.
Although
some liberal clergy have carried out "blessing
ceremonies" for homosexual couples in the
past, this is the first time a vicar has performed
a "wedding ceremony", using a traditional
marriage liturgy, with readings, hymns and a Eucharist.
Both
the conservative and liberal wings of the Anglican
communion expressed shock last night.
The
Most Rev Henry Orombi, the Archbishop of Uganda,
said that the ceremony was "blasphemous."
He called on Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop
of Canterbury, to take decisive action if the
Anglican Church were not to "disintegrate".
Archbishop Orombi added: "What really shocks
me is that this is happening in the Church of
England that first brought the Gospel to us.
"The
leadership tried to deny that this would happen,
but now the truth is out. Our respect for the
Church of England will erode unless we see a return
to traditional teaching."
The
Rt Rev Michael Scott-Joynt, the Bishop of Winchester
- a powerful conservative figure - said that the
service represented a wedding "in all but
name". He said: "Strictly speaking it
is not a marriage, but the language is clearly
modelled on the marriage service and the occasion
is modelled on the marriage service. This clearly
flouts Church guidelines and will exacerbate divisions
within the Anglican Communion."
The
bishop said that it was up to the Rt Rev Richard
Chartres, the Bishop of London, to act, adding
that it would become a high-profile test case
of Church authority.
"Can
we stand for the clear teaching of the Church
of England or are we powerless in the face of
these actions, which I regret enormously have
taken place," he said.
The
service was held at St Bartholomew the Great in
London - one of England's oldest churches, which
featured in Four Weddings and a Funeral - and
was conducted by the parish rector, the Rev Martin
Dudley.
The
couple, the Rev Peter Cowell, who is a cleric
at one of the Queen's churches, and the Rev Dr
David Lord, had registered their civil partnership
before the ceremony.
Mr
Dudley opened the service by saying: "Dearly
beloved, we are gathered together here in the
sight of God to join these men in a holy covenant
of love and fidelity. Such a covenant shows us
the mystery of the union between God and God's
people and between Christ and the Church."
In the vows, Mr Cowell and Dr Lord pledged to
"hold from this day forward, for better for
worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and
in health, to love and to cherish, till death
us do part".
Mr
Dudley blessed the union with the words: "As
David and Jonathan's souls were knit together,
so these men may surely perform and keep the vow
and covenant betwixt them made."
Leading
church figures expressed astonishment at the language
and grandeur of the service, claiming that it
was a highly provocative act. Although, the use
of such a traditional ceremony does not constitute
a marriage in the eyes of the law, Church figures
on all sides said the event went further than
any gay blessing ceremonies that had gone before.
The
"marriage" will revive the war over
homosexual clergy that has engulfed the Church
since 2003 when Gene Robinson was made Bishop
of New Hampshire and Jeffrey John, another gay
cleric, who was about to become Bishop of Reading,
was made to step down.
It
is likely to embolden liberal clergy who have
been reluctant to offer a full "wedding service"
and will open the floodgates to other homosexuals
who want a traditional ceremony.
Mr
Dudley agreed to conduct the service despite Bishop
Chartres warning that Church guidelines - drawn
up when the Civil Partnerships Act was introduced
- do not allow formal blessings of gay relationships.
He argued that it was not a wedding but a blessing
and that he was not "offering" blessing
services, but responding to personal requests
from friends. "I believe that marriage is
a union between a man and a woman, but I see nothing
wrong with blessing a couple who want to make
a life-long commitment to one another."
A
Church of England spokesman said: "Where
clergy are approached by people asking for prayer
in relation to entering into a civil partnership
they should respond pastorally and sensitively
in the light of the circumstances. But the House
of Bishops affirmed that clergy should not provide
services of blessing for those who register a
civil partnership." [SundayTelegraph] 1456.9b
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UK
Gregorian rite : 'Not many parishes, all
parishes' ***
The
traditional Latin Mass - effectively banned by
Rome for 40 years - is to be reintroduced into
every Catholic parish in England and Wales, the
senior Vatican cardinal in charge of Latin liturgy
said at a press conference in London yesterday.
In
addition, all English seminaries must teach trainee
priests how to say the old Mass so that they can
celebrate it in all parishes. Catholic congregations
throughout the world will receive special instruction
on how to appreciate the Tridentine Rite.
The
announcement by Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos,
speaking on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI, will
dismay Catholic liberals, including many bishops
of England and Wales, who were opposed to the
Pope's decree last year removing their power to
block the celebration of the old Mass.
Pope
Benedict now clearly intendeds to go much further
in promoting the ancient liturgy. Asked whether
the Latin Mass would be celebrated in many ordinary
parishes in future, Cardinal Castrillon said:
"Not many parishes - all parishes. The Holy
Father is offering this not only for the few groups
who demand it, but so that everybody knows this
way of celebrating the Eucharist."
In
the traditional rite, the priest faces in the
same direction as the people and reads the main
prayer of the Mass in a voice so low as to be
virtually silent. Cardinal Castrillon said that
this reverent silence was one of the "treasures"
that Catholics would rediscover, and young worshippers
would encounter for the first time.
Pope
Benedict will reintroduce the old rite - which
the Cardinal said should be known as the "Gregorian
Rite" - even where the congregation has not
asked for it. "People don't know about it,
and therefore they don't ask for it," he
explained. The revised Mass, adopted in 1970 after
the Second Vatican Council, had given rise to
"many, many, many abuses," added the
Cardinal.
However,
the new rite - in which the priest faces the people
and speaks in the vernacular - will definitely
not be phased out. The Pope wishes to see the
two forms of Mass existing happily side by side.
In
practice, these sweeping liturgical changes will
cause intense controversy. At the press conference,
a journalist from The Tablet, which is
close to the English bishops, told the Cardinal
that the new liturgical changes amounted to "going
backwards".
Liberal
bishops in England and America have so far attempted
to limit celebration of the Pope's 2007 decree
by saying that the 2007 rules require a "stable
group" of the faithful to request the old
Mass. But Cardinal Castrillon said that a stable
group could consist of as few as three people,
and they need not come from the same parish.
The
Cardinal, head of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia
Dei, made his comments as he was preparing to
celebrate a traditional Latin Mass at Westminster
Cathedral, the first time a cardinal has done
so there for 40 years. [Telegraph] 1456.10a
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UK
Abortionist honoured with knighthood
Professor
Nicholas Wald has been honoured with a knighthood
in the Birthday Honours for his work of identifying
disabled people before they are born in order
to kill them. Alison Davis, who has spina bifida,
and who leads No Less Human, a division of SPUC,
comments: "Prof. Wald's award for developing
pre-natal tests whose sole aim is to identify
disabled babies in the womb, so that they can
be aborted is hardly an achievement in the eyes
of disabled people. This is not "prevention"
of disability, as he maintains, and as his job
title suggests, but direct and deliberate eugenic
killing. He obviously sees it as an achievement
that his work has led to the deaths, by abortion,
of so many babies with spina bifida or Down's
syndrome throughout the world.
'Those
of us living with these conditions would beg to
differ. It is ironic that simultaneously Prof.
Wald has developed the use of folic acid in pregnancy
which can reduce the chance of the baby having
spina bifida by 72%. He seems to see no distinction
between preventing a baby from having a disability,
and killing a baby because s/he has a disability.
He clearly has no understanding at all of the
value and dignity of people with disabilities.
This award is highly offensive to all who live
with disabling conditions, but particularly those
like me, who have conditions which he has spent
his life eradicating by abortion. That he is to
get an award for work that directly led to killing
so many who would otherwise have grown up to be
like me is adding insult to injury." [SPUC]
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UK
Another RU486 death
Another
RU 486 death. A new report indicates a teenager
died just one week after having a legal abortion
-- providing more evidence that legal abortions
are not safe for women. Manon Jones, an 18-year-old
student from Caernarfon, Gwynedd experienced heavy
bleeding after the abortion and eventually died.
After the abortion, Jones felt light-headed over
subsequent days and began experiencing abnormal
bleeding. She then became what is believed to
be the fourteenth woman to have died after using
the dangerous abortion drug. She admitted herself
to Southmead Hospital in Bristol in June 2005
following the abortion but doctors were unable
to save her. Four days later, Jones was dead.
Jones
reportedly had the abortion to avoid a conflict
with her boyfriend's family as she is a Christian
and her boyfriend's family is Muslim. Jones' mother
Llywela, from Bangor, in North Wales, responded
to questions about her daughter's death in a court
hearing this week. She said her daughter was a
member of the church's youth group and sang in
the choir. 'Manon found it very hard to make a
decision to terminate the pregnancy,' she said,
according to Welsh newspapers. 'she wanted to
keep the child but there were difficult circumstances
which she had to consider with her boyfriend's
family and their Muslim religion.' Jones said
she traveled to Bristol to be with her daughter
after she took the mifepristone (RU 486) abortion
drug that has already killed 13 other women worldwide,
including two in England. [LifeNews] 1456.11
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UK
Pro-abortion amendments to HFE Bill
Pro-abortion
amendments have been tabled to the HFE bill by
Dr Evan Harris and colleagues. The amendments
would de-restrict abortions by removing the need
for any medical indication prior to 24 weeks.
Only one doctor's authorisation would be needed
at any stage. Nurses and midwives would be authorised
to provide abortions. [UK parliament, SPUC] 1456.12
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UK
Schools infiltrated by Kabbalah movement
The
controversial Kabbalah movement is infiltrating
state schools by running 'spirituality' classes
for pupils as young as seven, it was claimed this
week. Five primaries and a secondary school have
introduced the sect's Spirituality for Kids programme
- some without parental consent. The schools include
St Vincent de Paul Catholic Primary in Westminster.
Devotees of the trendy movement visit the schools
and teach youngsters to find 'the light' and reject
an inner voice called 'the opponent'. The Spirituality
for Kids group, or SFK, insists the classes are
non-religious but one head said he had scrapped
the programme after volunteers began preaching
to children about Kabbalah.
Originally
a mystical form of Judaism, Kabbalah was turned
into a global movement in the 1970s. Jewish leaders
believe the modern Kabbalah craze - whose celebrity
followers include Madonna and Demi Moore - is
distorting the tradition's true teachings. They
voiced deep concern about schools using SFK, which
was founded by the Los Angeles-based Kabbalah
Centre. Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet, of the Mill Hill
synagogue in North London, said: 'I heard it was
their intent, but I hadn't realised that they
had infiltrated British schools. I believe they
work using mind manipulation.' Critics claim the
recent branch of Kabbalah has made money out of
the credulous.
A 2005 BBC documentary found that red string bracelets
worn by followers cost £18.50. Burdett Coutts
Church of England Primary School in Westminster
ran one SFK programme lasting 26 weeks and was
part-way through its second when staff dropped
it. Headmaster John Hicks, who is also a parish
priest, said: 'They were working in our school
but not any more, after a school investigation
found them not to have been wholly upfron
