Yesterday
morning Benedict XVI travelled from
Castelgandolfo to the Vatican for
his weekly general audience, which
was held in the Paul VI Hall. Continuing
the series of catechesis on St.
Paul, he today focused on the conversion
of the Apostle of the Gentiles.
The Holy Father recalled how 'the
decisive moment of Paul's life came
on the road to Damascus in the early
30s of the first century, following
a period in which he persecuted
the Church'.
In order to understand what happened
to the Apostle as he travelled to
Damascus 'we have two sources' the
Pope explained. 'The first and most
popular are the accounts written
by Luke, who narrates the event
three times in the Acts of the Apostles'.
The details the Evangelist chooses
to highlight - the light from the
sky, Paul's fall to the earth, his
blindness - 'relate to the core
of what happened', said the Holy
Father, 'the Risen Christ appears
as a splendid light that speaks
to Saul, transforming his mind and
his life. ... This meeting with
Christ, which is the focus of St.
Luke's account, profoundly changed
Paul's life, and in this sense we
can and must speak of a true conversion'.
Benedict XVI then went on to explain
that 'the second source are the
Letters of St. Paul himself'. The
Apostle 'never spoke of the particulars
of the event, perhaps because he
believed that everyone knew its
essential details: everyone knew
that from being a persecutor he
had been transformed into a fervent
apostle of Christ, the result not
of his own reflections but of a
tremendous event, a meeting with
the Risen One'.
In certain of his writings the Apostle
of the Gentiles 'highlights how
the apparition of the Risen Christ
- of which he himself was a true
witness - is the foundation of his
apostolate, ... the foundation of
his new life', said the Pope.
Yet, Pope Benedict went on, 'St.
Paul did not consider the event
as a conversion. And the reason',
he explained, 'is very clear: this
transformation of his life was not
the result of a psychological process,
of an intellectual or moral evolution,
... but the fruit of his meeting
with Christ Jesus. ... St. Paul's
renewal cannot be explained in any
other way. Psychological analyses
cannot clarify and resolve the problem;
only an event, the forceful encounter
with Christ, is the key to understanding
what happened'.
For us, the Holy Father concluded,
Christianity 'is not a new philosophy
or a new form of morality. We are
only Christians if we encounter
Christ, even if He does not reveal
Himself to us as clearly and irresistibly
as he did to Paul in making him
the Apostle of the Gentiles. We
can also encounter Christ in reading
Holy Scripture, in prayer, and in
the liturgical life of the Church
- touch Christ's heart and feel
that Christ touches ours. And it
is only in this personal relationship
with Christ, in this meeting with
the Risen One, that we are truly
Christian'. [Vatican Information
Service] 1479.1
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Taking
up one's cross is not an option
Taking
up one's cross isn't an option,
it's a mission all Christians are
called to, says Benedict XVI.
The
Pope said this on Sunday before
reciting the midday Angelus with
several thousand people gathered
in the courtyard of the papal summer
residence at Castel Gandolfo, south
of Rome. Referring to the Gospel
reading for the day's Mass, the
Holy Father reflected on the faith
of Peter, which is shown to be 'still
immature and too much influenced
by the 'mentality of this world.''
He
explained that when Christ spoke
openly about how he was to 'suffer
much, be killed and rise again,
Peter protests, saying: 'God forbid,
Lord! No such thing shall ever happen
to you.''
'It
is evident that the Master and the
disciple follow two opposed ways
of thinking,' continued the Pontiff.
'Peter, according to a human logic,
is convinced that God would never
allow his Son to end his mission
dying on the cross.
'Jesus,
on the contrary, knows that the
Father, in his great love for men,
sent him to give his life for them,
and if this means the passion and
the cross, it is right that such
should happen.'
Christ
also knew that 'the resurrection
would be the last word,' Benedict
XVI added.
Serious
illness
The
Pope continued, 'If to save us the
Son of God had to suffer and die
crucified, it certainly was not
because of a cruel design of the
heavenly Father.
'The
cause of it is the gravity of the
sickness of which he must cure us:
an evil so serious and deadly that
it will require all of his blood.
'In
fact, it is with his death and resurrection
that Jesus defeated sin and death,
re-establishing the lordship of
God.'
'But
the battle is not over,' he added,
'Evil exists and resists in every
generation, even in our own. What
are the horrors of war, violence
visited on the innocent, the misery
and injustice that persecutes the
weak, if not the opposition of evil
to the Kingdom of God?
'And
how does one respond to such evil
if not with the unarmed love that
defeats hatred, life that does not
fear death? This is the mysterious
power that Jesus used at the cost
of not being understood and of being
abandoned by many of his followers.'
'Dear
brothers and sisters,' the Holy
Father continued, 'to complete the
work of salvation, the Redeemer
continues to draw to himself and
his mission men and women who are
ready to take up the cross and follow
him.
'Just
as with Christ, it is not 'optional'
for Christians to take up the cross;
it is rather a mission to be embraced
out of love.'
'In
our present world,' he added, 'where
the forces that divide and destroy
seem to prevail, Christ does not
cease to propose his clear invitation
to all: Whosoever wants to be my
disciple, he must renounce his selfishness
and carry the cross with me.' [Zenit]
1479.2
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Ratzinger
Schülerkreis
Benedict
XVI is meeting with his former students
to discuss the historical Christ
and the Gospel account of the Passion,
reports L'Osservatore Romano.
The
Vatican newspaper reported that
the meeting is taking place through
Monday at Castel Gandolfo, where
the Pope is spending the summer.
The
meeting is an annual one that the
Holy Father has had with 38 former
students and doctoral candidates
for more than 25 years.
The
group is called 'Ratzinger Schülerkreis'
(Ratzinger's Circle of Students).
The
colloquium is treating the figure
of Jesus both in light of 'Jesus
of Nazareth,' published by Benedict
XVI in 2007, and in view of the
second volume that the Pope is currently
writing.
Two
Protestant biblical scholars were
invited to this year's colloquium:
Martin Hengel and Peter Stuhlmacher.
The two presented papers, and then
a discussion was held.
Martin
Hengel's paper dealt with the historicity
of the figure of Jesus, and Peter
Stuhlmacher reflected of the passion
and death of Jesus.
The
two exegetes - both professors at
the University of Tübingen,
where Ratzinger taught in the 1960s
- offered suggestive themes for
discussion, but will not enter into
an exploration of the Pontiff's
work.
Hengel,
an historian and exegete, is not
new to this gathering. In the 1990s
he participated in a meeting and
spoke on the figure of Peter in
the Gospel of Mark.
Cardinal
Christoph Schönborn, the archbishop
of Vienna, and Auxiliary Bishop
Hans-Jochen Jaschke of Hamburg,
are also participating in the meeting.
Father
Stephan Horn, 72, a German priest
of the Society of the Divine Savior,
heads the 'Schülerkreis' and
organized the meeting. [Zenit] 1479.3
Top
Brain
death
Only a few weeks after a prominent
article appeared in the New England
Journal of Medicine noting that
'brain death' does not constitute
true death, the Vatican newspaper
L'Osservatore Romano has carried
a front-page article noting that
a declaration of 'brain death' cannot
be considered the end of life in
light of new scientific research.
Such
a determination would prohibit single
vital organ donation, such as heart
transplants, for Catholics or Catholic
institutions, since Catholic teaching
requires such organ donors to be
truly dead. If potential donors
cannot be said with certainty to
be dead, vital organ removal would
in effect constitute killing the
donor.
The
L'Osservatore Romano editorial,
published September 2, was written
by Professor Lucetta Scaraffia,
vice-president of the Italian Association
for Science and Life and a member
of the Italian National Committee
on Bio-Ethics. She notes that the
Vatican accepted the 'brain death'
criteria 40 years ago when it was
put forward by the Harvard Medical
School. She notes that in 1985,
1989, and 2006, the Pontifical Academy
of Sciences still maintained that
brain death was 'the true criterion
for death.'
However,
Scaraffia added that the Church
accepted the new definition of death
'with many reservations,' noting
that 'in Vatican City State the
certification of brain death is
not used.'
Commenting
on the L'Osservatore Romano article,
Vatican spokesman Father Federico
Lombardi said that it was 'interesting
and authoritative' but 'cannot be
considered a position of the Magisterium
(teaching authority) of the church.'
The
Catechism of the Catholic Church
says on the subject of organ
donation: 'Organ donation after
death is a noble and meritorious
act and is to be encouraged as a
expression of generous solidarity.'
The statement hinges on the establishment
of true death of the donors. If
not, complete removal of any vital
organ would kill the 'donor.' Or,
as Pope John Paul II put it in 2000,
'Vital organs which occur singly
in the body can be removed only
after death, that is from the body
of someone who is certainly dead
. . . This requirement is self-evident,
since to act otherwise would mean
intentionally to cause the death
of the donor in disposing of his
organs.'
For
the general public, organ donation
is becoming ever more controversial
as accounts of patients declared
'brain dead' and living to tell
about it are reported more and more
frequently. Scaraffia points, however,
to new scientific findings as raising
questions for scientists. One of
the new findings she points out
is the case of a woman declared
brain dead who could still bring
an unborn child to birth while on
life support.
The
issue is sure to come to a head
in the Vatican in the coming weeks
as a Vatican conference promoting
organ donation is set to take place
in Rome in November. [LifeSiteNews]
1479.4
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Ingrid
Betancourt
During a press conference after
her audience with Pope Benedict
XVI on Monday at Castel Gandolfo,
former Colombian presidential candidate
Ingrid Betancourt revealed that
during her captivity deep in the
Amazon jungle, 'amidst my desperation
and sadness I heard the Pope's voice
on the radio pronouncing my name.'
His voice, she said, 'was like a
light.'
Before
some 200 journalists, diplomats
and Italian officials, Betancourt
said that after telling her story
of captivity, the Holy Father told
her, 'You learned to pray to God
because you asked that his will
be done.'
'After
a very long and harsh march over
difficult terrain, and under the
weight of all the equipment, at
six in the afternoon I was able
to rest, and amidst my desperation
and sadness I heard the Pope's voice
on the radio pronouncing my name.
It's difficult to describe the psychological
effect of that on a prisoner,' Betancourt
said according to AFP.
'When
we were in the jungle and we thought
we no longer existed, the voice
of the Pope was like a light. Therefore
when I was freed I wanted to come
to see him and embrace him. Today,
that dream was fulfilled,' she said.
Betancourt
explained that she slowly began
drawing close to God again through
the Bible. 'On June 1, while I was
listening to Radio Catolica Mundial'
- EWTN's Spanish language radio
broadcast - 'someone was talking
about a saint to whom Jesus had
made some promises on the condition
that she surrendered herself to
the Sacred Heart of Jesus,' Betancourt
said overwhelmed by tears and drawing
the applause of those gathered.
'The
three conditions he asked [of the
saint] were the same for me. I said
to myself, Jesus I ask you for the
miracle not of my release, but of
knowing when I will be released
because that gives the strength
to go on. If the miracle happens,
I will be yours,' she said.
'I
told the Pope I didn't know what
it meant to be Christ's, and he
answered that He will show me the
way,' Betancourt continued. 'If
you all understand how to talk to
him, that will help you as well,'
she said to the crowd.
'The
Bible has all the answers and all
the solutions,' she said after promising
that she would not stop fighting
to get all the hostages in Colombia
and throughout the world released.
Call
for peace in Colombia
Ingrid
Betancourt also took the opportunity
to 'send a message to Alfonso Cano,
Jorge Briceno, Ivan Marquez, and
Joaquin Gomez (the leaders of the
FARC). I would like to say to you
that the whole world is watching
and wants to see room in your hearts
for love and forgiveness, just as
there is my heart, where there is
love and forgiveness.'
'The
vicious circle of hatred and violence
must be broken. You held me captive
for seven years, I know you, your
organization, your way of thinking
and your objectives very well, and
today I want to tell you that the
world is hoping for peace in Colombia,
that you leave your rifles and death
behind,' she added.
'If
you want things to change in Colombia,
you should work through the democratic
means under the protection of the
law and the Constitution, respecting
the rights all Colombians, of those
who think like you and those of
us who don't think like you,' Betancourt
said.
She
ended by saying that after seven
years in captivity as 'a victim
of uncertainty and war,' she feels
her mission now is 'to speak for
those who have no voice.' [CNA]
1479.5
Top
Migration
Migration
has become an emergency in our times,
and one that demands solidarity
and effective political solutions,
says Benedict XVI.
The
Pope said this on Sunday as he commented
on the deaths this week of some
70 would-be immigrants off the coast
of Malta, said to be one of the
worst such incidents recorded in
the country.
According
to news reports, 78 would-be illegal
African immigrants set sail from
Libya on Aug. 21. The small boat
found itself in the middle of a
storm and capsized. Maltese fishermen
rescued eight survivors on Tuesday.
Authorities
have found only three bodies, but
according to the survivors, four
women are among the dead, including
three who were pregnant.
After
reciting the midday Angelus with
several thousand people gathered
in the courtyard of the papal summer
residence at Castel Gandolfo, the
Holy Father said the tragedy 'seemed
to surpass previous incidents in
terms of the number of victims.'
Emergency
'Migration
is a phenomenon that has been present
from the dawn of human history,
and it has always, for this reason,
characterized the relations between
peoples and nations,' he said. 'The
emergency that migration has become
in our times, nevertheless, calls
out to us and, while it solicits
our solidarity, demands, at the
same time, effective political answers.'
The
Pontiff applauded the humanitarian
work of various regional, national
and international institutions that
are addressing the problem of irregular
migration.
He
also called on the countries of
original to 'show a sense of responsibility'
and to work to 'remove the causes
of irregular migration and cut off
at the root all of the forms of
criminality that are linked to these
causes.'
Benedict
XVI continued: 'For their part,
European countries, and all other
countries that are the destination
of immigration, are called to, among
other things, develop through consensus
initiatives and structures that
continue to adapt themselves to
the needs of irregular migrants.
'The
latter must be made aware, on the
one hand, of the value of their
own lives, which are a singular
good, always precious, that should
be safeguarded in the face of the
grave risks that the pursuit of
better situations exposes them to
and, on the other hand, the duty
of legality that is imposed on all.'
'As
the [Pope],' he added, 'I feel a
profound obligation to recall everyone's
attention to this problem and to
ask for the generous cooperation
of individuals and institutions
to deal with it and to find solutions.'
[Zenit] 1479.6
Top
Archbishop
of Kirkuk's Ramadan message
The
Archbishop of Kirkuk, Iraq, Louis
Sako, addressed the city's Islamic
leaders this week on the occasion
of the beginning Ramadan. During
his speech, the prelate prayed for
goodness, brotherhood and peace
between Christians and Muslims around
the world.
According
to the Italian Bishops' news agency,
Servizio Informazione Religiosa,
the archbishop opened his address
by sending, 'my beloved Muslim brothers
and sisters, my most heart-felt
congratulations and best wishes
for the beginning of the blessed
month of Ramadan.'
He
continued, 'As you know, Ramadan
is an extended time of prayers,
fasting and charity. It is a month
of sacrifices and good deeds. As
the holy Koran says, 'Then shall
anyone who has done an ounce of
good see it! And anyone who has
done an ounce of evil, shall see
it' (99:7-8).'
The
prelate encouraged the leaders to
'invoke God the Almighty that He
may accept your devout obedience
and ensure for the Iraqi nation
the peace that is the foundation
of goodness and brotherhood between
us, and that He may remove violence,
hostility and conflict from us.'
He also called on Christians to
'join their Muslim brothers, so
that God will ensure peace and stability
to all of us.'
The
archbishop finished his statement
by asking Christians to respect
the Muslim devotions of fasting
during this time by 'not eating
in public and dressing properly.'
'May
God the Almighty bless us all, each
other's brothers and sisters,' the
archbishop said. [CNA] 1479.7
Top
The
Family
Costa
Rica pro-life march
Archbishop
Hugo Barrantes of San Jose in Costa
Rica exhorted the more than 100,000
Catholics gathered for a pro-life
march to care for the family, 'the
primary and fundamental cell of
society' and 'the first school of
virtues,' against certain anti-family
and anti-marriage laws in the country.
On
Sunday at the Cathedral of San Jose,
where he celebrated a Mass at the
conclusion of the pro-family march,
the archbishop underscored that
'the family is one of the most precious
gifts God has given humanity. We
are convinced that there is no alternative
to the family. The family is the
first school of virtues that all
societies need.'
In
pointing out that there are some
'who think they can be happy without
God, that they can change and improve
the world without God,' Archbishop
Barrantes stressed that 'without
God, the family falls apart and
society crumbles.'
The
archbishop also touched on marriage,
saying that it is not 'the tale
of Alice in Wonderland. Those who
get married should remember that
there is no success going downhill,
nor true happiness at a cheap price.
Spouses should pray frequently before
the cross. They should pray for
the grace and strength that come
from the cross, they should put
themselves under the protection
of the cross and they should follow
Christ on the way of the cross.'
Archbishop
Barrantes then turned to the five
new bills that threaten the family,
which attack the definition of marriage
being between one man and one woman,
and threaten the freedom of parents
to choose the kind of education
they want for their children. Catholic
legislators must reject these measures,
he said.
He
urged that discussions about the
measures be conducted to ensure
that 'the voice of Catholics is
heard, within the context of the
rule of law.'
After
encouraging spouses to renew their
promises of love and fidelity, Archbishop
Barrantes said 'the great revolution
in favor of the family' should begin
with 'living matrimonial holiness.'
[CNA] 1479.8
Top
International news
Bolivia
Call for dialogue
The Secretary General of the Bolivian
Bishops' Conference, Bishop Jesus
Juarez, called on both the government
of Evo Morales and opposition leaders
to seek sincere dialogue rather
than confrontation to solve the
country's problems.
'We
said we have to always look for
ways of understanding and not confrontation,
and understanding comes through
honest, sincere and responsible
dialogue with a desire to solve
the problem,' the bishop said.
He
stressed that everyone involved
should put forth their best effort
to bring peace to the country. Entrenched
positions prevent agreements from
being reached, he added, and each
side 'must see what good things
exist in order to find the solution
together.'
Opposition
leaders and the government should
'sit down with an open heart and
attentive ears to listen: what good
things does the government bring
to this dialogue, what good things
does the opposition bring to this
dialogue, in order to find a true
solution together,' the bishop said.
[CNA] 1479.9
Top
Bosnia-Herzegovina
CDF statement on FatherVlašic
From
the Bishop of Mostar-Duvno's official
website.
'The
Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith with its letter prot.
144/1985-27164 of 30 May 2008, has
authorized me as the local Bishop
of the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno to
inform the diocesan community of
the canonical status of Fr. Tomislav
Vlašic, the founder of the
association 'Kraljice mira potpuno
Tvoji - po Mariji k Isusu' - (Queen
of Peace, totally Yours - Through
Mary to Jesus).
The
letter signed by the Secretary of
the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith, Archbishop Angelo
Amato, states the following:
'Within
the context of the phenomenon Medjugorje,
this Dicastery is studying the case
of
Father
Tomislav VLASIC OFM, originally
from that region and the founder
of the association 'Kraljice mira
potpuno Tvoji - po Mariji k Isusu'.
On
25 January 2008, through a properly
issued Decree, this Dicastery imposed
severe cautionary and disciplinary
measures on Fr. Vlasic.
The non-groundless news that reached
this Congregation reveals that the
religious priest in question did
not respond, even partially, to
the demands of ecclesiastical obedience
required by the very delicate situation
he finds himself in, justifying
himself by citing his zealous activity
in the Diocese of Mostar-Duvno and
surrounding territories, in initiating
religious activities, buildings,
etc.
Since
Fr. Vlasic has fallen into a censure
of interdict latae sententiae reserved
to this Dicastery, I kindly ask
Your Excellency, for the good of
the faithful, to inform the community
of the canonical status of Fr. Vlasic
and at the same time to report on
the situation in question…'.
This
regards the fact that the same Congregation
of the Holy See applied ecclesiastical
sanctions against Rev. Father Tomislav
Vlašic, through a Decree of
the Congregation (prot. 144/1985)
of 25 January 2008, signed by Cardinal
William Levada, Prefect, and by
Archbishop Angelo Amato, Secretary
of the Congregation along with the
'Concordat cum originali' of 30
January 2008, verified by Msgr.
John Kennedy, Official of the Congregation.
The
Decree was handed over to Rev. Fr.
Tomislav Vlašic in the General
Curia of the OFM in Rome on 16 February
2008 and the notification was co-signed
by the Minister General of the Franciscan
Minor Order, Father José
R. Carballo, the Ordinary of Fr.
Vlašic.
The
Decree of the Congregation mentions
that Rev. Fr. Tomislav Vlašic,
a cleric of the Franciscan Minor
Order - the founder of the association
'Kraljice mira potpuno Tvoji - po
Mariji k Isusu' and who is involved
in the 'phenomenon Medjugorje' -
has been reported to the Congregation
'for the diffusion of dubious doctrine,
manipulation of consciences, suspected
mysticism, disobedience towards
legitimately issued orders and charges
contra sextum.'
Having
studied the case, the Congregation
during its special Congress decreed
the following sanctions against
Rev. Fr. Tomislav Vlasic:
1.
Mandatory residence in one of the
houses of the Order in the region
of Lombardy (Italy) to be determined
by the Minister General of the Order
and to be realized within thirty
days from the time of the legitimate
notification of this decree;
2.
All contacts with the 'Kraljice
Mira…' community and with its
members are prohibited;
3.
Any actions involving juridical
contracts and administrative organizations,
whether canonical or civil, effected
without the written permission ad
actum of the Minister General of
the Order and under his responsibility
are prohibited;
4.
A mandatory course of theological-spiritual
formation, with a final evaluation
along with a prior recognitio of
this Congregation, and a solemn
professio fidei;
5.
The following are also prohibited:
activities involving the 'care of
souls', preaching, public appearances,
while the faculty to hear confessions
is also revoked up until the conclusion
of the terms described in the previous
number, barring an evaluation of
the case.
An
additional sanction of a latae sententiae
interdict (can. 1332) reserved to
the Apostolic See is adjoined in
the case of the violation of the
mandatory residence (n. 1) and the
other prohibited acts mentioned
in n. 3 and n. 5.
Fr.
Vlasic is forewarned that in the
case of stubbornness a juridical
penal process will begin with the
aim of still harsher sanctions,
not excluding dismissal, having
in mind the suspicion of heresy
and schism, as well as scandalous
acts contra sextum, aggravated by
mystical motivations.
Fr.
Vlasic remains under the direct
jurisdiction of the Minister General
of the Order of Minor Franciscans,
who shall see to his vigilance through
the local Superior or another Delegate'.
All
the priests, religious and faithful
in the Dioceses of Mostar-Duvno
and Trebnje-Mrkan, as well as all
those concerned 'in the pertinent
territories', are hereby informed
on the current canonical status
of Rev. Father Tomislav Vlašic.
With
the sentiments of my highest consideration,
+
Ratko Peric, Bishop
Fr.
Ante Luburic, Chancellor 1479.10
Top
Brazil
Homeschooling victory
In
a surprise victory against government
officials who sought to prosecute
a homeschooling family for refusing
to participate in the public school
system, David and Jonatas Nunes
have passed tests proving a high
level of knowledge in a variety
of subjects, including history,
the natural sciences, the arts,
sports, computing, and mathematics.
The
tests given to the Nunes children
were so difficult that public school
teachers admitted that they could
not pass them. The two boys, aged
14 and 15, had only one week to
study for several of the tests,
which were announced only a week
in advance.
The
exams were ordered by a local court
in an attempt to determine if the
Nunes had committed the crime of
'intellectual abandonment', which
could have resulted in a heavy fine,
and possibly jail time for the two
parents, as well as loss of custody
of their three children.
While
the boys were told well in advance
they would be tested on mathematics,
geography, science, and history,
they were informed only one week
before the test date that they would
also be tested on Portuguese, English,
arts, and physical education, including
questions about the history of handball,
basketball, soccer, and other sports.
Despite
the short time they were given within
which to study, both children passed
their tests, David scoring 68% and
Jonatas 65%, according to Cleber
Nunes, the children's father. Although
the government has not yet rendered
a verdict on the scores, the minimum
passing grade in Brazilian schools
is 60%.
'The
tests were very difficult,' Nunes
told LifeSiteNews. 'There were questions
that are given in entrance exams
in the big universities. In addition,
we were surprised with the addition
of four subjects, one week away
from the exams. They studied a lot
in order to assimilate all of the
material.'
'For
me, the process by which they passed
was very strong evidence that they
are, in fact, learning to learn,'
said Nunes.
'They
studied a majority of the subjects
alone. We had the help of a mathematics
teacher. They studied the rest of
their subjects on their own. I gave
them very little guidance. That's
the principle of the method that
we use.'
Nunes
says that he now wants public school
students to take the same tests
his children did. He says he is
certain that they would not come
close to passing, and points out
that on international tests Brazilian
students produce extremely low scores.
The
2007 Program for International Student
Assessment (PISA), which compares
student performance in 57 countries,
gave Brazil well below-average scores
in mathematics, reading, and science.
On its own Index of Basic Education
Development (IDEB), Brazil's public
schools score between 3.5 and 4.2,
depending on the grade level.
'It's
interesting that if these same tests
were given to public school students,
the vast majority would not pass
them,' said Nunes, who noted that
if failing such tests is to be regarded
as a crime, 'then the government
itself would be condemned since
their agencies admit the total failure
of the educational system that they
are requiring our children to attend.'
The
Nunes' victory comes after a year
and a half of struggles with Brazilian
government authorities, who interpret
existing laws to mean that people
cannot educate their children at
home. The Nunes say they removed
their children from the public school
system because of the low standards
and immorality that pervades the
system.
Although
David and Jonatas Nunes had already
passed law school entrance exams
at the age of 13 and 14, the results
were insufficient for local government
authorities, who threatened to deprive
their parents of custody and attempted
to levy a steep fine. The Nunes
say they have been fighting the
case with the help of pro-bono attorneys.
[LifeSiteNews] 1479.11
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