Communion
in the hand
In
interview published in the Wednesday edition of
L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict's new
Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations,
Monsignor Guido Marini, says he believes that
people receiving Communion kneeling and on the
tongue will become common practice at the Vatican.
Msgr. Marini's comments were made during an interview
with Gianluca Biccini on some of Pope Benedict
XVI's recent liturgical decisions and their meaning.
Biccini noted in the exchange that Pope Benedict
distributed Holy Communion to people who knelt
and received the host on their tongues during
his visit to Brindisi (Southern Italy) last week.
When he was asked if this would become a common
practice at the Vatican, Marini responded, 'I
believe so.' 'In this regard it is necessary not
to forget the fact that the distribution of Communion
on the hand remains, up to now, from the juridical
standpoint, an exception (indult) to the universal
law, conceded by the Holy See to those bishops'
conferences who requested it,' the liturgical
master of ceremonies reminded.
Canada,
Mexico, the Philippines and the United States
are all countries that have been granted an exception
from the universal practice of receiving Communion
on the tongue. It seems though that the Pope wants
to provide an example for the Church, according
to Msgr. Marini, 'The form adopted by Benedict
XVI is meant to highlight the force of this valid
norm for the whole Church.' 'It could also be
noted that the (Pope's) preference for such form
of distribution which, without taking anything
away from the other one, better highlights the
truth of the real presence in the Eucharist, helps
the devotion of the faithful, and introduces more
easily to the sense of mystery. Aspects which,
in our times, pastorally speaking, it is urgent
to highlight and recover.' [CNA] 1460.1
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SSPX
rejects terms
Bishop
Bernard Fellay, the leader of the Society of St.
Pius X, has rejected the terms offered by the
Vatican for rejoining the Catholic Church. During
a homily at one of his society's seminaries on
June 20, the schismatic bishop said that the five
conditions for return were a message to 'shut
up.' The reaction from Fellay came after Cardinal
Dario Castrillon Hoyos, the head of the commission
which oversees the reintroduction of the Latin
Mass, sent a letter to the schismatic bishop outlining
five conditions for the breakaway society to enter
back into communion with Rome. The Society of
St. Pius X claims to be the true Catholic Church
and says that the Catholic Church broke from the
true faith with the reforms launched by Vatican
II.
In
1988 Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrated four
traditionalist bishops ignoring a warning from
Pope John Paul II. The five prelates were subsequently
excommunicated, and among them was Bishop Fellay.
'Rome is telling us, okay, we are ready to lift
the excommunications, but you cannot continue
this way,' Bishop Fellay said in a sermon last
Friday at an SSPX seminary in Winona, Minnesota.
'So we have no choice... we are continuing what
we've done,' the Bishop Fellay said in English.
'They just say 'shut up' ... we are not going
... to shut up.' While Fellay sees the recent
permission to celebrate the Latin Mass as 'very
good,' he still sees the reforms of the Second
Vatican Council (1962-1965) as unacceptable. 'The
new Mass is the tip of the iceberg of Vatican
II and of these modern ideas.' Adding the old
Mass to the 'iceberg of Vatican II' did not change
the reforms hidden below, he said. Among the five
terms set out by the Vatican was the condition
of avoiding 'the premise of a Magisterium superior
to that of the Holy Father and not to propose
to the fraternity (St. Pius X) in opposition to
the Church.'
However, this condition cannot be met if the Society
refuses to accept the teachings of Vatican II.
Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi French
journalists that, 'The recognition of Vatican
Council II as the true ecumenical Council of the
Church and the recognition of the validity of
the Mass according to the liturgy revised after
the Council are beyond discussion. The five points
quoted by Tornielli are referred to the minimum
conditions for a relationship based on respect
and availability regarding the Holy Father and
a constructive ecclesial spirit.' Speaking about
the conditions that Cardinal Hoyos gave to Bishop
Fellay, Lombardi said, 'The Pope wants to extend
his hand so they can return, but for that to happen,
this offer must be received in an attitude and
spirit of charity and communion.' The deadline
for Bishop Fellay to respond to Cardinal Hoyos
is June 30, which is also the 20th anniversary
of the bishops' ordinations that created the schism.
[CNA] 1460.2
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Archbishop
Raymond Leo Burke
On
Friday, Today the Holy Father appointed Archbishop
Raymond Leo Burke as prefect of the Supreme Tribunal
of the Apostolic Signatura. The archbishop, one
of the leading experts of Canon law in the United
States will leave the Archdiocese of St. Louis,
Missouri to take up his new post in Rome. The
appointment came on the same day that Pope Benedict
named Cardinal Agostino Vallini, current prefect
of the Supreme Tribunal, as the vicar general
for the Diocese of Rome - the highest diocesan
administrator. The position was previously held
by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, whose resignation was
accepted by Benedict XVI upon reaching the age
of 75.
In
his new position, Archbishop Burke will serve
as the head of the Church's supreme tribunal,
which ensures that justice is correctly administered.
Also known as the Church's Supreme Court, the
Tribunal also oversees the administration of justice
within the Church, examining administrative matters
referred to it by the Congregations of the Roman
Curia, as well as questions committed to it by
the Holy Father. Archbishop Burke is known as
an accomplished Canon Lawyer. Born in 1948 in
Wisconsin and ordained in 1975, the archbishop
completed his graduate studies at the Pontifical
Gregorian University in Rome. Burke was later
named Moderator of the Curia and Vice Chancellor
of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Prior to being named Bishop of La Crosse in 1994,
Burke served as Defender of the Bond of the Supreme
Tribunal for five years - the first American to
hold the position. In 2004, Burke became the eighth
archbishop of St. Louis and has been one of the
strongest voices in the American Church, speaking
boldly against pro-abortion politicians who profess
the Faith and assert that they are able to receive
Communion. The successor for Archbishop Burke
has not yet been announced. When the Archdiocese
of St. Louis was contacted by CNA for comment,
no one was available to give a statement. [CNA]
1460.3
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Honduras bishops' ad limina
On Thursday morning in the Vatican, the Holy Father
received prelates from the Episcopal Conference
of Honduras, who have just completed their 'ad
limina' visit. 'The Honduran people', the Pope
told the prelates, 'is characterised by a profound
religious spirit which finds expression, among
other things, in the numerous and deep-rooted
practices of popular devotion. These practices,
duly purified of elements alien to the faith,
must become a practical instrument for announcing
the Gospel. On the other hand, as happens elsewhere,
the spread of secularism and the proselytism of
sects represent a source of confusion for many
faithful, also provoking the loss of a sense of
belonging to the Church'.
'An
awareness of the enormous difficulties hindering
your pastoral mission, far from discouraging you,
should serve as a stimulus for a bold and far-reaching
effort of evangelisation, founded - rather than
on the effectiveness of material means and human
plans - on the power of the Word of God, faithfully
accepted, humbly experienced and trustingly announced',
said Benedict XVI to the bishops He then went
on to highlight the 'priceless' help of priests
in the 'vital task of announcing the Good News'.
And he invited the prelates to ensure their seminaries
always have 'the best formators and the most appropriate
material resources, so that future priests may
garner that human and spiritual ... maturity which
the faithful need and have the right to expect
from their pastors'. He also recalled how, 'despite
the recent increase in vocations, the shortage
of priests' is 'rightly one of your chief concerns'.
'One field deserving of particular attention',
the Pope continued, 'is that of marriage and the
family, the solidity and stability of which is
such a benefit to the Church and society. In this
respect, it is right to recognise the important
step taken by including an explicit recognition
of marriage in your country's Constitution, although
you well know it is not enough to possess good
legislation if then we do not undertake the necessary
cultural and catechetical labours that highlight
'the truth and beauty of marriage, a perpetual
alliance of life and love between a man and a
woman'. 'Alongside the announcement of the Word
and the celebration of the Sacraments, the service
of charity forms an essential part of the Church's
mission', said Pope Benedict. Hence 'bishops,
as successors of the Apostles', must be 'the foremost
leaders of this service of charity in the particular
Churches'.
'I well know how you are affected by the poverty
in which so many of your fellow citizens live,
and by the increase in violence, emigration, environmental
destruction, corruption and shortcomings in education,
alongside other serious problems. As ministers
of the Good Shepherd you have - through word and
deed - worked intensely to assist the needy. I
exhort you', the Holy Father concluded, 'to continue
through your ministry to show the merciful face
of God, strengthening the network of charity in
your diocesan and parish communities with particular
concern for the sick, the elderly and the imprisoned'.
[Vatican Information Service] 1460.4
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Hong
Kong and Macao bishops' ad limina
On Friday, the Holy Father received the bishops
of the Chinese dioceses of Hong Kong and Macao,
on the occasion of their 'ad limina' visit. These
two particular Churches, said the Holy Father,
are 'called to be witnesses to Christ, to look
forward in hope and to announce the Gospel facing
up to the new challenges that the people of Hong
Kong and Macao must embrace'. He pointed out the
need for 'an adequate ongoing formation of the
clergy' highlighting how this 'is an intrinsic
requirement of the gift and sacramental ministry
received; and it proves necessary in every age.
It is particularly urgent today, not only because
of rapid changes in the social and cultural conditions
of individuals and peoples among whom the priestly
ministry is exercised, but also because of that
'new evangelisation' which constitutes the essential
and pressing task of the Church'.
'Catholic
schools offer an important contribution to the
intellectual, spiritual and moral formation of
the new generations. This crucial aspect of personal
growth is what motivates Catholic parents, and
those from other religious traditions, to seek
out Catholic schools'. 'The Catholic schools of
your two dioceses have given significant impulse
to the social development and cultural growth
of your people. Today these educational centres
face new difficulties; be assured that I am with
you, and I encourage you to ensure that this important
service will never fall by the wayside'.
The
Holy Father thanked the bishops 'for the affection
and devotion you have shown to the Holy See in
different ways. As I congratulate you on the many
achievements of your well-organised diocesan communities,
I encourage you to even greater commitment in
the search for adequate means of presenting the
Christian message of love in a more comprehensible
way to the world in which you live', he said.
'I also encourage your dioceses to continue your
contribution to the life of the Church in mainland
China, both by offering personnel for formation
purposes and by supporting initiatives in the
field of human promotion and assistance'.
In
this context the Pope expressed his recognition
for 'the invaluable service' of 'the charitable
organisation Caritas of both dioceses'. Benedict
XVI concluded by saying: 'I hope and pray to the
Lord that the day will soon come when your brother
bishops from mainland China come to Rome on pilgrimage
to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, as
a sign of communion with the Successor of Peter
and the Universal Church'. [Vatican Information
Service] 1460.5
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Message
to Gabon ambassador
On Thursday morning in the Vatican, the Pope received
the Letters of Credence of Firmin Mboutsou, the
new ambassador of Gabon to the Holy See. In his
address to the diplomat the Pontiff highlighted
the good relations that have existed between the
Holy See and that African State for 40 years.
'The Church contributes', said the Holy Father,
'and wishes to contribute ever more to educating
men, women and children, without distinction,
respecting people and their cultures, and transmitting
to each the spiritual and moral values indispensable
for human development. In the same way, over her
long history, she participates in healthcare education'.
In this context, the Pope expressed the hope that,
through agreement, Gabon 'may fully recognise
and support this charitable service' which 'will
have beneficial effects on religious presence
and on the dynamism of structures in the fields
of social work and healthcare'.
Benedict
XVI then went on to refer to agreements concerning
education signed in 2001, expressing his hope
that they 'become established at the diocesan
level, as concerns education at all levels, especially
that of higher education. The Church', he said,
'wishes to maintain and develop quality teaching',
and this 'requires the support of the authorities
and of the various services of the State'. Speaking
of the 'organisation of pastoral care in the armed
forces' in Gabon, the Pope stressed the importance
of the military 'being able to form Christian
communities under the guidance of a pastor capable
of recognising and respecting the special status
of the military world'. The Holy Father invited
the 'authorities and men and women of good will,
especially on the beloved continent of Africa,
to commit themselves ever more intensely to building
a peaceful, fraternal and united world'.
'Without justice', he said, 'without fighting
all forms of corruption, without respecting the
rules of law, true peace is impossible and citizens
will clearly find it difficult to put faith in
their leaders. Indeed, without respect for the
freedom of each individual, it is not possible
to speak of peace'. In this context, the Pope
indicated that the Church is ready to provide
collaboration and support for 'all those people
whose primary concern is to build a society respectful
of the most elemental rights of human beings'.
Benedict XI concluded by highlighting how 'the
future is often seen in relation to purely economic
questions, which lie at the origin of numerous
conflicts. The inhabitants of the country must
be the primary beneficiaries of the nation's natural
wealth, and do everything possible to protect
the planet, leaving future generations a truly
inhabitable world capable of feeding all its people'.
[Vatican Information Service] 1460.6
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United Nations
Refugees
Archbishop
Silvano M. Tomasi, the apostolic nuncio leading
the Holy See's permanent observer mission to the
United Nations at Geneva, in a Tuesday speech
to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, urged
further action to protect refugees. The archbishop
said close to 40 million people have presently
been uprooted by violence and persecution.
The
treatment of refugees displaced by ongoing conflicts
in the Middle East, Archbishop Tomasi said, has
brought attention to the 'inadequate action' taken
to protect refugees and has revealed a 'growing
insensitivity to asylum seekers.'
Many
countries' responses to refugees, he said, are
often paradoxical. As more people seek protection
in other countries, political action presses for
greater restrictions on their entry. 'In the process,
genuine victims from abuses of basic human rights
and of specific hostility are confusedly catalogued
with other people on the move,' the archbishop
observed.
Archbishop
Tomasi said international agreements such as the
1951 Convention on Refugees and regional agreements
such as the 1969 Convention of the Organization
of African Unity and the Cartagena Declaration
on Refugees, have variously protected people fleeing
from external aggression, occupation, foreign
domination, serious disturbances in public order
or massive violations of human rights. These protections,
he said, have been extended to stateless peoples,
returnees, and certain peoples who have been internally
displaced.
However,
the situation of displaced persons is still precarious,
as most refugees are found in unstable regions.
Only five percent of refugees are accepted into
wealthy countries, but some six million people
are trapped in such situations, he asserted.
The
archbishop endorsed several proposals to help
refugees. He said refugees should have the right
to food within refugee camps so they are not forced
to seek external employment in which they risk
arrest and deportation. He said more countries
should be made accessible to asylum seekers, fulfilling
a responsibility that 'should be shared according
to the possibilities of each country or region
for the sake of the common good.'
However,
countries also should have adequate channels for
the legal entry of refugees so that asylum seekers
are not forced to take the same routes as irregular
migrants, risking the 'extortions and abuses'
within such groups.
Finally,
Archbishop Tomasi said detention of refugees should
only be considered as a last resort and avoided
in the case of minors, who are particularly traumatized
by forced detention. [CNA] 1460.7
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'Homophobia,
Transphobia'
The Catholic Family Institute (C-Fam) has an exclusive
report from New York on a meeting that happened
at the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe where much to the chagrin of the Member
States, the staff presented a document for consideration
that speaks out against 'homophobia' and something
silly called 'transphobia. Transphobia' is a new
term meant to marginalize those who question sex
change operations. Their second story is also
very important. An influential national security
think-tank in Washington DC has issued a paper
on global population implosion and the negative
consequences for national and international security.
International Hate Crimes Meeting Puts Emphasis
on 'Homophobia' and 'Transphobia'
Samantha
Singson writes : 'Member States of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
were caught off guard in a meeting in Helsinki,
Finland last week. They were expecting to discuss
crimes motivated by racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism
and religious intolerance. Instead the OSCE staff
presented them with a draft of a soon-to-be-published
document that includes repeated references to
'homophobia' and 'transphobia.'
Sources
inside the meeting told the Friday Fax that while
the public portion of the meetings stayed on the
agreed topics of racism, xenophobia and religious
intolerance, working group sessions revealed serious
concerns on the part of participating States over
the draft document's overwhelming focus on homosexual
rights. Member States reminded the OSCE that it
has no mandate to discuss 'homophobia' or 'transphobia'
and that the OSCE ministerial council had previously
rejected these issues as part of the organization's
hate crimes mandate. ['Transphobia is a new term
that the cultural left uses to refer to discrimination
against those who have undergone sex change operations
or are otherwise confused about their sex.]
Thirty-eight
states participated in the two-day expert-level
meeting, which was organized by the OSCE's Office
for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to
facilitate hate crimes data collection between
member countries and the OSCE.
One
of the primary objectives of the Helsinki meeting
was to finalize the 2007 annual report 'Hate Crimes
in the OSCE Region: Incidents and Responses.'
The organizers of the meeting did not allow for
a substantial discussion of the 250-page draft,
which contained numerous references to 'homophobia'
and 'transphobia.' Despite the lack of negotiations
or consultations, at the close of the meeting
the chairman declared that the report had been
accepted through consensus.
Observers
expressed concern that the OSCE is becoming more
advocacy-driven in regards to homosexual rights
and the organization has introduced terms like
'transphobia' that have not been agreed to nor
defined by Member States, rather than simply focusing
on reporting and data collection.
As
the largest regional security organization in
the world with 56 participating states from Europe,
Central Asia and North America, the OSCE addresses
concerns ranging from policing strategies, counter-terrorism,
economic and environmental activities to human
rights. Tolerance and non-discrimination are included
as part of the OSCE mandate as 'violations of
human rights and fundamental freedoms, including
the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or
belief, and manifestations of hate and intolerance
continue to endanger stability and threaten security
in the OSCE region.' OSCE Member States enjoy
equal status, and decisions are taken by consensus
on a politically but non-legally-binding basis.
The
increasing OSCE focus on homosexual issues echoes
an increasingly vocal campaign at the United Nations
(UN). Gay rights groups have lobbied the UN to
include 'sexual orientation' on the list of other
established non-discrimination categories such
as sex, race and religion. To this day, the term
has never been included in any binding, negotiated
UN document. In the last year, UN officials and
special rapporteurs have tried to get the UN to
re-interpret existing human rights to include
homosexual issues, such as same-sex adoption and
legal recognition of same-sex unions, under the
guise of non-discrimination.
Recommendations from OSCE member states on the
draft 2007 annual report are due this week. The
final report is expected to be distributed at
the OCSE's meeting in October.
Fertility Decline Could Cause Global Security
Crisis, New Study Says
Susan
Yoshihara, Ph.D., writes : 'A recent study
by a prestigious national security think tank
warns that 'rapid and extreme' demographic change
due to falling birth rates in the industrialized
world may increase security risks in the coming
decades. The study also warns that such demographic
changes could undermine the 'ability of the U.S.
and its allies to maintain global and national
security.' The report says the world is irreversibly
headed for 'demographic transformation of historic
and unprecedented dimensions' that will not be
corrected 'in our lifetime.'
Meant by its authors as a 'wake up call, 'The
Graying of the Great Powers: Demography and Geopolitics
in the 21st Century' was published by the Washington
DC-based Center for Strategic & International
Studies. The report argues that the influence
of the developed world as a whole will contract
as its workforces and economies shrink. Among
developed states, however, the influence of the
United States will increase because of relatively
robust fertility. At the same time, the role of
'global governance' through the United Nations
and other international institutions may decline
as the crisis promotes the role of the sovereign
state in addressing the consequences of demographic
collapse.
Two miscalculations by demographers are uncovered
in the report: that mortality and aging would
plateau, and that fertility rates would stabilize
at replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.
Neither happened, and the result is what the authors
call a 'low fertility trap.' According to the
report, no country that sinks to a 1.5 fertility
rate for more than a few years has ever recovered.
Pro-natal policies such as child care and baby
bonuses adopted by some European countries are
likely too little and too late. While immigration
may help mitigate the drop in working-age population,
fertility decline also tends to cause public opposition
to it. Furthermore, a 'culture of low fertility'
has taken hold in Europe that will make a return
to larger families unlikely.
The report also challenges conventional wisdom
about the developing world's prospects espoused
by organizations like Population Action International
(PAI), a research group founded to help promote
population control. PAI asserts that fertility
decline has led to a 'security demographic' and
a more peaceful world. In fact, the authors of
the new report claim that large and ongoing 'youth
bulges' in sub-Saharan Africa and several Muslim
countries could cause chronic instability until
the 2030s. This is because a previous large generation
of women is having a 'bulge' of many children,
even if at lower rates.
The authors also believe that alternate waves
of small- and large-sized generations, called
'echo booms,' will create shocks to social systems
and stall economic development. And while demographers
have credited fertility decline for East Asia's
economic 'miracle,' the report finds that this
'demographic dividend' was the exception to the
rule. Forced demographic transitions can even
squander the dividend and cause destabilization,
it says.
Among its recommendations, the report called for
raising fertility by increasing prenatal benefits,
improving the economic prospects of young families,
and helping women balance jobs and children. It
also offers diplomatic and military steps the
United States can take to prepare for its inevitable
leadership role as Europe's indigenous population
wanes in the tumultuous decades ahead. [C-FAM]
1460.8
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Europe
Pro-abortion
resolution
The Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly
has approved a resolution which contains pro-abortion
language. The resolution and its accompanying
report on abandonment at birth promotes 'legal
and easier access to sexual rights and reproductive
health services' such as 'contraception and abortion'.
John Smeaton, SPUC national director, said: 'What
kind of world do politicians live in where they
call for the abortion of children in order to
avoid their abandonment at birth? Quite apart
from the cruel fate of the children aborted, this
policy will result in the abandonment of the mothers
who are being aborted, and the continuation of
the social problems which the report claims to
address. The resolution's title describes abandonment
as the first form of violence yet this is untrue.
The first form of violence is abortion. The UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child defines
children as every human being under the age of
18. It calls for protection before as well as
after birth.' [SPUC] 1460.9
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The
radical onslaught
BMA
pro-abortion ruling
A motion before the British Medical Association's
annual meeting would effectively bar doctors with
a conscientious objection to abortion from seeing
patients with unplanned pregnancies. The move
comes from Dr Evan Harris, Liberal Democrat MP
and member of the association's medical ethics
committee. The Christian Medical Fellowship has
published an analysis of the motion and Dr Harris's
parliamentary agenda for more abortion. SPUC supports
medics who object to abortion and has produced
a flyer and a briefing for doctors. [SPUC director's
blog] 1460.10
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'Strongly, strongly pro-choice'
In officiating at the June 17 'marriage' of the
same lesbian couple he had joined in dubious wedlock
four years ago, San Francisco's 'Catholic' Mayor
Gavin Newsom beat Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
to the punch. But Villaraigosa, like Newsom a
potential contender for the Democratic nomination
for governor, was not to be bested. On June 23,
Villaraigosa united Hollywood producer Bruce Cohen
with his five-year-long male companion, art consultant
Gabriel Catone. And, the previous week, the Los
Angeles mayor voiced his warm support for legalized
same-sex marriage.
'The
California electorate is coming into a new age
realizing that [gay] marriage is an institution
that supports family values, and it's certainly
one I support,' Villaraigosa said, according to
the June 24 Los Angeles Times. 'I certainly
respect people of faith who disagree. I also respect
the law, and I'm sworn to uphold the law.'
Villaraigosa
calls himself a person of faith - the Catholic
faith. But that his respect for the law includes
support for something as contrary to his faith
as same-sex marriage is, perhaps, not surprising.
Villaraigosa also supports legalized abortion
and, last year, was given Planned Parenthood's
'Hero Award' for his role in the defeat of Proposition
85, the Parents' Right to Know and Child Protection
Initiative. In October 2002, Villaraigosa spoke
at the grand opening of a Planned Parenthood clinic
in Boyle Heights.
In
a 2001 interview with the Los Angeles Times,
Villaraigosa said he attended Mass only about
a dozen times a year (at Holy Family in Pasadena)
and that his religion was 'more about my spirituality
and faith than adherence to rigid theological
concepts.' Indeed, he said, 'I'm strongly, strongly
pro-choice,' and noted that he is troubled by
'some of the church's teachings on sexuality with
respect to gays and lesbians.'
But
if he ignores some of his Church's 'rigid theological
concepts,' Villaraigosa has not been shunned by
Church leaders - at least, in Los Angeles. In
2005, Cardinal Roger Mahony led an 'interfaith
service' at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
in honor of Villaraigosa's inauguration as L.A.
mayor. The cardinal joined a procession from the
cathedral to City Hall on inauguration day, and
gave the invocation at the inaugural. Last December,
Mahony and Villaraigosa marched together in an
Our Lady of Guadalupe Day procession that began
at the corner of Cesar Chavez Avenue and Ford
Boulevard and ended at East Los Angeles City College
Stadium, where the cardinal and his auxiliary
bishops celebrated Mass.
Villaraigosa
also spoke at commencement ceremonies at Loyola
Marymount University in Los Angeles in 2006, a
college that calls itself 'a Catholic university
rooted in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions.'
Villaraigosa
was not the only Los Angeles-area politician to
display his support for same-sex marriage. Last
week, LA city council president Eric Garcetti
'wheeled an upright piano onto the south lawn
of City Hall so he could preside over a wedding
between two of his former staffers,' reported
the Times. [CalCatholic] 1460.11
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Prison for critics of same-sex 'marriage'
Michigan's
largest homosexual activist group says once marriage
is legally redefined to include homosexual couples,
business owners and even news media outlets who
refuse to recognize such marriages should be jailed
or sued and 'publicly slapped,' an openly bisexual
columnist for The Los Angeles Daily News reported
May 19.
Statements
attributed in the column to homosexual lobbyist
Sean Kosofsky, director of policy for the Detroit-based
Triangle Foundation, were denounced by American
Family Association of Michigan president Gary
Glenn. Glenn was the coauthor of the Marriage
Protection Amendment approved by voters in 2004
to constitutionally reaffirm the legal definition
of marriage in Michigan as only between one man
and one woman.
'The
Triangle Foundation openly admits homosexual activists'
intentions, once they gain sufficient political
power, to impose their radical social agenda on
America by brute force, trampling cherished American
values such as religious freedom, freedom of speech,
academic freedom, and even freedom of the press
if it stands in their way.' Glenn said.
Glenn pointed to comments by Kosofsky reported
May 19 by David Benkof. author of Gay Essentials:
Facts for Your Queer Brain and founder of the
Q Syndicate, a 'gay' press syndicate that provides
columns and other material to 100 homosexual newspapers.
Benkof,
who strays from 'gay' political orthodoxy by opposing
the redefinition of marriage, wrote in a column
published May 19 by The Los Angeles Daily News
that he had interviewed homosexual activists
nationally about the legal implications of a California
Supreme Court ruling declaring a constitutional
'right' to homosexual 'marriage.'
Benkof
wrote: 'What happens if a traditionally religious
business owner wants to extend his 'marriage discount'
only to couples married in his eyes? Sean Kosofsky
of Michigan's largest gay-rights group, the Triangle
Foundation, says, 'If you are a public accommodation
and you are open to anyone on Main Street, that
means you must be open to everyone on Main Street.
If they don't do it, that's contempt and they
will go to jail'.'
Benkof
continued: 'Michael Taylor-Judd, the president
of the Legal Marriage Alliance of Washington state,
said if a newspaper writes that a given same-
sex marriage wasn't really a marriage, 'it is
certainly in the realm of possibility for someone
to bring a [libel] suit, and quite possibly to
be successful.' Kosofsky agreed: 'I would be sympathetic
to sonic damages. They need to be slapped publicly'.'
Glenn
said the Triangle Foundation routinely justifies
its hostility toward individuals and organizations
who disagree with homosexual activists' political
agenda, as well as Triangle's admitted plans to
suppress their opponents' free speech rights,
by demonizing those who support traditional one-man,
one-woman marriage as promoters of 'hate' and
violence.
The
Triangle Foundation's web site features a news
release charging that support for Michigan's Marriage
Protection Amendment by Gary Glenn and Adam Cardinal
Maida of the Detroit Archdiocese was a motivating
factor in the alleged beating death of a homosexual
senior citizen last year in Detroit.
Triangle's
claims were proven false when police reported
they found no evidence of assault and the Wayne
County medical examiner's office concluded the
man had died from natural causes after a fall
resulting from arthritic paralysis.
And
Kosofsky in a published column in 2005 called
Cardinal Maida 'recklessly wicked,' accused him
of 'arrogance, bigotry, and hypocrisy,' and said
the Catholic Church's position in support of one-man,
one-woman marriage 'should be tossed in the trash.'
Violations
of religious freedom, free speech rights, academic
freedom, and freedom of the press have become
routine in countries and states that have already
adopted homosexual 'marriage' or 'hate crime'
laws based on homosexual behavior, Glenn said,
and offered several illustrations:
*
Swedish Pastor Ake Green in 2004 was sentenced
to 30 days in jail for preaching a sermon in which
he defined homosexual behavior as sinful and harmful
to society.
*
In 2005, Canadian Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary
was investigated by the Alberta Human Rights Commission
for comments he made about homosexuality in both
a letter to parishioners and a Calgary Sun newspaper
column, after two homosexual activists filed a
complaint with the local human rights board.
*
The Irish Times reported in 2003: 'Clergy
and bishops who distribute the Vatican's latest
publication describing homosexual activity as
'evil' could face prosecution under incitement
to hatred legislation.... Those convicted under
the act can face jail terms of up to six months.'
*
The Daily Telegraph reported in 2006: 'New
government proposals on equality could require
clergy to bless homosexual 'weddings' or face
prosecution, the Church of England said.... It
said the proposed regulations could undermine
official teaching and require Christians to act
against their religious convictions.'
*
Catholic Charities in Boston was forced by a state
'sexual orientation' law to either process the
adoption of children to homosexual couples, a
direct violation of Vatican policy, or abandon
their century-old adoption referral services altogether.
They chose the latter.
*The
Daily Telegraph reported last month: 'A Christian
couple who have taken in 28
children have been forced to give up being foster
parents after they refused to promote homosexuality.
Vincent Matherick, 65, and his 61year-old wife
Pauline were told by social services that they
had to comply with legislation requiring them
to treat homosexuality as equal to heterosexuality.'
[The Wanderer] 1460.12
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International
news
China
Bibles may be distributed at Olympic Games
The
Chinese government has said it will permit booklets
of the Gospels, New Testaments, and full Bibles
to be distributed during the Olympic Games, even
though it normally controls publication of the
Bible. The Bible Society, a British-based Christian
charity, has confirmed that 50,000 bilingual booklets
containing the four Gospels will made available
in the Athletes' Village in Beijing and five other
Olympic Cities. Additionally, 10,000 New Testaments
and 30,000 Bibles will be printed, the Times Online
says. The nearly $400,000 cost of printing the
Olympic Bibles will be met by the Bible Society.
The
Bibles themselves will be printed by Amity Printing
Press at a new multimillion dollar facility which
opened in Nanjing last month. Amity produces one
Bible every second. It produced its 50 millionth
in September. For the first time, Bibles will
be distributed outside of registered shops and
with the approval of the Communist party. The
Beijing Olympics organizing committee is allowing
the free use of its logo on the Scriptures. During
China's Cultural Revolution Bibles were banned
and confiscated. Bible printing in China resumed
in the 1980s with the assistance of Bible Societies
from around the world. Christians in China can
own Bibles, but they still face persecution if
they practice Christianity outside of registered
churches. According to the Times Online, a June
report from Christian Solidarity Worldwide and
the China Aid Association said there has been
a recent crackdown on 'house churches' and claimed
foreign Christians are being expelled at a rate
'not seen since the 1950s.'
Olympic athletes and visitors will be allowed
to take religious materials into the Olympic Village
for their own use. On the other hand, The Times
Online reports that Beijing officials are
unlikely to permit the mass distribution of religious
literature deemed to be propaganda material, such
as the writings of the Dalai Lama. [CNA] 1460.13
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Cuba
Government promotion of sodomy
The
Archdiocese of Havana's magazine, Palabra Nueva,
has published an article questioning the Cuban
government's promotion of homosexuality through
norms that allow the changing of one's identity,
sex-change operations and the eventual legalization
of homosexual unions. The latest addition of the
magazine features a column by Cardinal Jaime Ortega
of Havana in which he applauds 'the efforts to
humanize social life' in Cuba by condemning homophobia.
At the same time, however, he questions the campaigns
influenced by the 'liberal ideologies' of 'first
world countries' that go 'beyond combating the
rejection or ill-treatment of homosexual persons'
and exalt individual freedom to 'unacceptable
levels' thus promoting the mentality that 'anything
goes.'
'I know it is difficult to limit the influence
of these centres of power. Cuba has done so and
is doing so in other areas, but in this area many
of the faithful of our communities have been surprised
and displeased, and they asked the Church to make
a statement about the likely legal recognition
of homosexual unions, the eventual adoption of
children by these couples or the guidance given
to parents and even to pre-teens and teens about
sexual preference freely chosen by each girl or
boy,' the cardinal warned.
In
the same edition, Palabra Nueva editor
Orlando Marquez wrote in his column about the
uproar caused by two recent state-sanctioned events
that promote homosexuality: the broadcast of the
film Brokeback Mountain on state-run television
and the promulgation of a norm by the Ministry
of Public Health that authorizes sex-change operations
for individuals diagnosed as transsexuals. Various
reports indicate the campaign in support of homosexuality
is being led by sexologist Mariela Castro, daughter
of President Raul Castro and director of the National
Center of Sexual Education. [CNA] 1460.14
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Holy
Land
New Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
The
new Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Fouad
Twal, who was named to the post a few days ago
by Pope Benedict XVI to replace retiring Patriarch
Michel Sabbah, said this week, 'Our people of
the Holy Land, like all the peoples of the Middle
East, continue to weep and suffer awaiting the
hour of their liberation, the hour of their resurrection,
because their way of the cross continues.' In
an article written for L'Osservatore Romano, reporter
Sara Fornari quoted the new Patriarch who said,
'Just as the distance between Golgotha and the
empty tomb is short, so also we know that the
distance between death and resurrection is short.
Therefore there is no reason to be afraid. My
faith is nourished by all of the spiritual, human
and ecclesial treasures of this diocese,' he said.
During
the traditional procession to the Holy Sepulcher
on June 21, Patriarch Twal told the faithful,
'After almost three years of waiting and preparation,
I receive from the Holy Church the assignment
of guiding our beloved Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem,
'Mother of all Churches.' I thus inherit the challenges
and pick up the different internal and external
problems that have accumulated. I am filled with
faith because I know I am not alone, I lean on
the grace of God that has not been in vain in
me and on the power of the Savior that is made
manifest in my weakness.' On Monday the new Patriarch
celebrated Mass at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher
and encouraged the faithful to remember that 'Christ
is head of our Diocese of Jerusalem. We are children
of this land, we are children of the way of the
Cross and of Golgotha, but at the same time we
are children of the light, of joy and the resurrection.'
'We will be the voice that proclaims the coming
happiness and peace, the voice that denounces
and combats injustice, hatred and deception,'
he said. [CNA] 1460.15
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Holy
Land
Global Anglican Future Conference
