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Christ implores the gift of unity for all those who will believe in him

SPEAKING yesterday to the thousands of pilgrims present in the Paul VI Audience Hall for his weekly General Audience, Pope Benedict spoke about Christian prayer.

'In our continuing catechesis on Christian prayer, we now turn to the priestly prayer which Jesus offered at the Last Supper (cf. Jn 17:1-26). Against the backdrop of the Jewish feast of expiation Yom Kippur, Jesus, priest and victim, prays that the Father will glorify him in this, the hour of his sacrifice of reconciliation. He asks the Father to consecrate his disciples, setting them apart and sending them forth to continue his mission in the world. Christ also implores the gift of unity for all those who will believe in him through the preaching of the apostles. His priestly prayer can thus be seen as instituting the Church, the community of the disciples who, through faith in him, are made one and share in his saving mission. In meditating upon the Lord's priestly prayer, let us ask the Father for the grace to grow in our baptismal consecration and to open our own prayers to the needs of our neighbours and the whole world. Let us also pray, as we have just done in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, for the gift of the visible unity of all Christ's followers, so that the world may believe in the Son and in the Father who sent him. . . I offer a warm welcome to the students of the Bossey Graduate School of Ecumenical Studies in Switzerland, and I offer prayerful good wishes for their work. Upon all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today's Audience I cordially invoke God's blessings of joy and peace! [Vatican Radio] 1798.1

 

 

Approval for Neo-Catechumenal Way only applies to non-liturgical catechesis

THE VATICAN'S approval of the Neo-Catechumenal Way's forms of 'celebration' only applies to non-liturgical prayers within their catechesis and not to the Mass or other liturgies of the Church.

'With respect to the celebrations of the Holy Mass and the other liturgies of the Church,' communities of the Neo-Catechumenal Way must 'follow the norms of the Church as indicated in the liturgical books - to do otherwise must be understood to be a liturgical abuse,' a Vatican official told CNA on Jan. 21.

Pope Benedict XVI met with around 7000 members of the movement in the Vatican's Paul VI Audience Hall on Jan. 20 for an annual event to send families on mission destinations worldwide.

The invitation issued by the movement to bishops for yesterday's event stated that 'the purpose of this meeting is that His Holiness will sign a Decree from the Congregation of Divine Worship recognizing the full approval of the liturgies of the Neo-Catechumenal Way.'

However, the approval for non-liturgical practices of the group came by way of another source. It was Pontifical Council for the Laity that issued a decree of approval - after having consulted the Congregation for Divine Worship - for those 'celebrations' present in their Catechetical Directory.

In this process, 'the Neocatechumenal Way obtained no new permissions whatsoever,' said the official, who is familiar with the approval process for prayers and liturgies.

'Essentially, the Pontifical Council is only approving these things that are found in the Catechetical Directory of the Neocatechumenal Way, and in no way touches those things contained in the liturgical books.'

He said that the decree served merely as an assurance that 'there is nothing erroneous to the prayers that they use in the context of their catechetical sessions.'

The Neo-Catechumenal Way was founded in 1964 in Spain by Francisco 'Kiko' Argüello and Carmen Hernández. It draws its inspiration from the practices of the early Catholic Church, providing 'post-baptismal' Christian formation in small, parish-based communities. The movement is present all over the world, and has an estimated membership of more than 1 million people.

Since its foundation, however, the group has been cautioned by the Vatican for inserting various novel practices into Masses organized by the movement. These include lay preaching, standing during Eucharistic Prayer, the reception of Holy Communion while sitting down as well as the passing of the Most Precious Blood from person to person.

'The Neo-Catechumenal Way has no such permission for any of these kinds of things,' said the Vatican official. He claimed that the Vatican still receives complaints about the group's 'non-compliance with the universal norms of liturgy.'

He added that it should be clear that 'yesterday's decree has nothing to do with the widely seen liturgical innovations of the Neo-Catechumenal Way,' which 'should be stopped immediately because they don't correspond to the law about the way the Mass and the sacraments are to be celebrated.'

The only exceptions are two permissions granted which allow the group to move the sign of peace to before the presentation of the gifts and also to have communion under both kinds. Even these changes, though, still require the permission of the local bishop.

'The Church's liturgy is narrowly defined as the public worship of the Church' such as Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, the official clarified to CNA. Church norms for the liturgy, he said, are 'found in the approved liturgical books and the Neo-Catechumenal Way is bound to observe these no differently than any other group within the Catholic Church.'

What yesterday's decree approved are 'those things in the Directory not included in liturgical books,' which is 'the equivalent of approving the prayers of, for example, the meetings of the Knights of Columbus or of a confraternity or perhaps of the prayers that a group like the Missionaries of Charity pray after Mass.'

During Pope Benedict's meeting with the movement on Jan. 20, he praised them for helping 'those who have already been baptized to rediscover the beauty of the life of faith, the joy of being Christian.'

He also cited their statutes as he gave them guidelines for the celebration of the liturgy, saying that for members of the Neocatechumenal Way, 'the progressive growth in faith of the individual and of the small community should promote their integration into the life of the greater ecclesial community, which finds its ordinary form in the liturgical celebration of the parish, in which and for which the Neocatechumenate is implemented.

'But also during the way, it is important not to separate oneself from the parish community, and particularly in the celebration of the Eucharist which is the true place of universal unity, where the Lord embraces us in our various states of spiritual maturity and unites us in the one bread that makes us one body.'

The Statutes of the Neo-Catechumenal Way were given approval by the Vatican in 2008, while its Catechetical Directory was approved two years later, after consultation with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. [CNA] 1798.2

Christian unity comes from God, but requires our daily commitment

'THE VISIBLE unity of all Christians is always the work of above, of God, a work that requires the humility to recognize our weakness and to welcome the gift. However, to use an expression frequently expressed by Blessed Pope John Paul II, every gift becomes commitment. The unity that comes from God requires, therefore, our daily commitment to be open to one another in love' is the message of Benedict XVI in his reflection before the Sunday Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square.

The pope wanted to devote his own short address to unity, as this Sunday falls during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18-25), inviting everyone to participate in 'large numbers' in the vespers that will be held on the 25th in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, where representatives of other Christian Churches will also be present.

Benedict XVI also briefly commented on this year's theme: 'All shall be changed by the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Cor 15.51-58). 'We are called - he said - to contemplate Christ's victory over sin and death, his resurrection as an event that transforms those who believe in Him and opens them up to an incorruptible and immortal life. Recognizing and accepting the transforming power of faith in Jesus Christ, sustains Christians in their search for full unity. '

This year, the theme and reflection for the week was chosen and prepared by a Polish group. 'The words of the aforementioned theme - explained the pope - have a particular resonance and relevance for Poland. Over the centuries, Polish Christians have spontaneously understood a spiritual dimension in their desire for freedom and have realized that the true victory can only come if accompanied by a profound inner transformation. They remind us that our search for unity can be conducted in a realistic way if the change takes place primarily in ourselves if we allow God to act, if we allow ourselves to be transformed to the image of Christ, if we enter into new life in Christ, which is the real victory . The visible unity of all Christians is always the work that comes from above, from God, which requires humility to recognize our weakness and to accept the gift'.

'For many decades - he added - the Week of Prayer for Christian unity is a central element in the ecumenical activity of the Church. The time we devote to prayer for the full communion of the disciples of Christ will enable us to understand more deeply how we can be transformed by his victory, the power of his resurrection. '

Recalling the appointment of January 25 in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, Benedict XVI concluded: 'I invite you in great numbers to this encounter so that together we can renew our liturgical prayer to the Lord, source of unity. We entrust this from the outset, with filial confidence, to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. '

After the Marian prayer, the pontiff expressed his best wishes to the peoples of the Far East who tomorrow will celebrate the Lunar New Year, which this year is under the sign of the Dragon. 'In these days - he said - various countries of the Far East will celebrate the Lunar New Year with joy. In the present world situation of economic and social crisis, for all those people I hope that the new year is marked by justice and peace, bringing relief to those who suffer, and that especially young people, with their enthusiasm, ideals and drive, can offer new hope to the world. ' [Asia News] 1798.3

'Radical secularism' threatening Christianity in US, charges Pope

POPE BENEDICT XVI has urged bishops in the United States to galvanise Catholics in their country to fight against 'powerful new cultural currents' that are threatening the Church's freedoms and are even 'increasingly hostile to Christianity as such'. The Pope's words came on 19 January in an address to a group of bishops making their five-yearly 'ad limina' visits to Rome.

'It is imperative that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realise the grave threats to the Church's public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which increasingly finds expression in the political and cultural spheres,' he noted. [The Tablet] 1798.4

The need for silence

POPE BENEDICT XVI believes that in a noisy world of constant communication people need silence more than ever.

He outlined his thoughts in his message for World Communications Day 2012, which is entitled 'Silence and Word: Path of Evangelization.' The Pope's letter was released Jan. 24 at the Vatican press office by Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, head of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

'When messages and information are plentiful, silence becomes essential if we are to distinguish what is important from what is insignificant or secondary,' the Pope says in a statement that will be read in Catholic churches around the world on May 20, 2012.

'This makes it possible to share thoughtful and relevant opinions, giving rise to an authentic body of shared knowledge,' he writes.

Pope Benedict recommends making this interchange possible by developing 'an appropriate environment, a kind of 'eco-system' that maintains a just equilibrium between silence, words, images and sounds.'

He suggests that silence is required to make sense of the constant stream of information that people now receive via television, radio, the Internet and various forms of social media.

'In silence, we are better able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth; we understand with greater clarity what it is we want to say and what we expect from others; and we choose how to express ourselves,' he says.

He also observes that silence can allow other people to express their thoughts. In this way 'we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested,' and therefore, 'space is created for mutual listening, and deeper human relationships become possible.'

Pope Benedict believes that this use of silence is 'often more eloquent than a hasty answer,' because it 'permits seekers to reach into the depths of their being and open themselves to the path towards knowledge that God has inscribed in human hearts.'

The Pope sees this need for silence as a part of Christian life from the earliest times. He points to the 'eloquence of God's love, lived to the point of the supreme gift,' which is seen 'in the silence of the Cross,' when, after Christ's death 'there is a great silence over the earth.'

Silent contemplation also 'immerses us in the source of that Love who directs us towards our neighbors so that we may feel their suffering and offer them the light of Christ, his message of life and his saving gift of the fullness of love,' he writes.

Archbishop Celli summed up the Pope's message as reminding everyone that real communication involves pairing 'words and silence' so that people are not 'overwhelmed by the sheer volume of communication itself.'

Monsignor Paul Tighe, Secretary of the social communications council, explained to EWTN News that the Pope's message 'reminds us that the relevance of silence is equally important within the context of a digital environment.'

'Especially when we now find ourselves continually bombarded by messages, by ideas, by opinions, by news.

'And so the Pope is saying we need silence if we're going to judge that, integrate it, make it our own and not simply be caught up in a flow of information' [EWTN News] 1798.5

True law is inseparable from justice

 

 

[CTV] 1798.6

 

 

US nuncio reported corruption in Vatican contracts

THE HOLY SEE'S diplomatic representative in the US was forced out of the Vatican after complaining of 'corruption' in Vatican contracts, according to Italian news reports.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who was appointed in October 2011 as apostolic nuncio to the US, had encountered hostility within the Vatican bureaucracy because of his complaints about business affairs. He resisted the assignment to Washington, and wrote to Pope Benedict XVI in March 2011 saying that his transfer would be disheartening to those who seek reform of the Vatican's financial affairs.

Archbishop Vigano had worked from 2009 until last year as secretary of the Vatican city-state governorate. In that post, working under Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo (who has since retired), he said that he found a 'disastrous' pattern of insider deals and favoritism. The archbishop claimed responsibility for reforms that brought major savings in the operations of the Vatican government.

In a letter to Pope Benedict dated March 27, Archbishop Vigano said that if he were transferred out of the Vatican, the move would 'cause confusion and dismay among those who believed it was possible to correct the many problems of corruption and waste' at the Vatican. [CWN] 1798.7

Vatican newspaper critiques new book by Italian historian

L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO has published a strongly negative review of La Chiesa Contro [The Church Against], a new book by Sergio and Beda Romano that blames the Church for hindering Italy from attaining the 'peaks of progressivism' found in other European countries. Sergio Romano, an 82-year-old former ambassador to NATO, is a journalist and historian; Beda, his son, is also a journalist.

'Is it really so difficult to believe that the applications of technoscience or the juridical acceptance of homosexual unions do not constitute a test of modernity, but rather give rise to anthropological problems because they transform our culture, and thus that it is good that they are the object of reflection and debate, and even of a prudent suspension of judgment?' writes reviewer Lucetta Scaraffia.

'The Catholic Church is of course the one global institution that dares to express a critical judgment on a deliberately superficial 'progressivist' trend,' Scaraffia adds. 'She is the only one that dares to denounce the possible negative consequences of these innovations, that essentially dares to stimulate a discussion to make people think and to ask for true reasons.' [CWN] 1798.8

Blessing the lambs

 

 

[CTV] 1798.9

 

 

Parents as primary
educators, protectors

 

 

Parents could face jail for spanking under proposed Mississippi law

IF SENATE BILL 2180 passes the Mississippi Legislature, a parent would be in jeopardy of being jailed for years or even life for spanking a child, the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) reports.

The bill, titled 'An Act To Amend Section 97-5-39, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Revise The Offense Of Felonious Abuse Or Battery Of A Child; And For Related Purposes' was sponsored by Senator Brice Wiggins (District 52-Jackson).

The legislation would make it a felony to 'whip, strike or otherwise abuse any child,' thereby causing 'bodily harm' to the child. 'Reasonable discipline' would be an exception to this offense.

The minimum penalty upon conviction of this crime would be 10 years in prison. The maximum penalty would be life in prison.

However, the HSLDA says it is concerned that the terms 'bodily harm' and 'reasonable discipline' are not defined in the proposed law. This means that 'it would be up to judges to determine whether parents had crossed the line and committed a crime worthy of imprisonment,' the organization said.

Current Mississippi law requires that a physician must determine if abuse has occurred from a parent's discipline of a child: 'Physical discipline (not to include any form of sexual abuse) performed on a child by a parent, guardian or custodian shall only be deemed to be abuse under this paragraph when a licensed physician has determined that physical injury has occurred. § 97-5-39(2(m)). [Criminal Code].'

'Would bodily harm include inflicting pain or leaving red marks or bruises on a child? Is it reasonable discipline to use a switch, a paddle, or other object in spanking a child?' asks HSLDA.

'Obviously there are differing opinions on this subject, and because of this, any child abuse legislation must precisely define terms to ensure that parents maintain the right to administer reasonable corporal discipline without fear of being imprisoned.'

The HSLDA states that it will continue to track the progress of SB 2180 and work with the homeschoolers of Mississippi to bring about a defeat of the bill. [LSN] 1798.10

The radical onslaught

 

 

US national standards for sex education

PAUL LIKOUDIS writes in The Wanderer: 'With the United States still leading the industrial world in teenage pregnancy, illegitimate births, and venereal disease after more than 50 years of sex education in elementary and high schools, a coalition of education groups has proposed new national standards for sex education, K-12. The standards include helping students learn their sexual identity.

Spearheaded by the National Education Association's Health Information Network, with the assistance of staff from the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network ( GLSEN), the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the ' National Sexuality Education Standards: Core Content and Skills, Grades K-12,' is intended to 'provide clear, consistent, and straightforward guidance on the essential minimum, core content for sexuality education.'

According to a January 9 Associated Press report, the standards say that 'young elementary school students should use the proper names for body parts and, by the end of fifth grade, know that sexual orientation is 'the romantic attraction of an individual to someone of the same gender or a different gender. By presenting minimum standards that schools can use to formulate school curriculums for each age level, the groups hope that schools can build a sequential foundation that in the long term will better help teens as they grow into adults.

'Experts say schools across America are inconsistent in how they address such sensitive topics,' the AP report continued.

'Despite awareness of bullying, for example, Debra Hauser, president of Advocates for Youth, one of the groups involved with creating the standards, said some schools don't address it - or at least not in relation to sexual orientation or gender identity, which is where she said a lot of the bullying occurs.

'' They should tackle it head on,' Hauser said. . . .

' By the end of second grade, the guidelines say students should use the correct body part names for the male and female anatomy, and also understand that all living things reproduce and that all people have the right to not be touched if they don't want to be. They also say young elementary school kids should be able to identity different kinds of family structures and explain why bullying and teasing are wrong.

'Beyond lessons about puberty by the end of fifth grade, the guidelines say students should be able to define sexual harassment and abuse. When they leave middle school, they should be able to differentiate between gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, according to the guidelines. And they say they should be able to explain why a rape victim is not at fault, know about bullying and dating violence and describe the signs and impacts of sexually transmitted diseases.'

This latest advocacy for national standards in sex education, with an emphasis on 'gender identity' issues, however, is not new.

Indeed, such calls are now more than 30 years old, with predictable - and easily verifiable - results, as a December 7, 1980 New York Times Sunday Magazine testifies.

In ' Is The New Sex Education Going Too Far?,' freelance reporter Constance Horner wrote that the U. S. Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control had funded a $ 1.6 million sex education research and development program to create 'an exemplary' program which 'should include 'nonjudgmental' treatment of ' alternative sexual lifestyles' and discussion of the 'advantages and disadvantages' of premarital sexual activity.

''For some adolescents,' the study says, ' a more positive sexuality may result from reduced sexual activity, while for other adolescents, it may result from increased sexual activity without guilt'.'

The project cited by Horner was conducted by the Bethesda, Md.­based Mathtech corporation, but was only one of many such sex education projects funded by the U. S. government.

The 'new sex education,' continued Horner, was a 'response to rising teenage pregnancy and venereal disease rates and in the interest of promoting change in sexual attitudes and behavior. . . . Re­flecting the mores of the sexual revolution, with its injunction to be 'open' to varieties of sexual experience and uninhibited in self­expression, many sex educators have developed a curriculum designed not only to warn of the dangers of sex, but also, unprecedentedly, to promote its pleasures.'

The 'new sex education' had two goals, Horner continued, sexual adjustment and population control, 'with an emphasis on the so-called 'hot topics' - masturbation and mutual masturbation, homosexuality, contraception, and abortion. A major national conference of sex educators convened in 1979 by Syracuse University's Institute for Family Research reported its consensus that sex and family life educators should promote 'an appreciation for the wide range of sexuality . . . not limited to heterosexual, genital intercourse. Convinced that an understanding of 'sexual alternatives' is crucial to the development of a ' wholesome sexuality,' sex educators have introduced these controversial subjects in many areas of the United States. . . .

' Clearly the old sex education has failed to prevent an epidemic of teenage pregnancy and venereal disease.'

Already, back in 1980, Horner reported, there was a growing film industry devoted to promoting the homosexual lifestyle to high school students, which featured attractive professionals discussing why they preferred their homosexual lifestyle.

Horner quoted the Rev. Patrick Powers, co-chairman of Sex Media Fair 1980, explaining that '' most sex educators believe homosexuality is a congenital condition' for which a climate of tolerance must be developed, not a sexual preference open to choice. . . .

' These views of homosexuality are in accord with those of the homosexual rights movement in America.'

Vulnerable to propaganda

But Horner also quoted a critic of Powers, Dr. Joseph Adelson, co­director of the University of Michigan's Psychological Clinic.

'What he says,' Adelson told Horner, ' is not only ridiculous and incorrect, it's reprehensible. The evidence that homosexuality is congenital is not very strong. Kids will be very much influenced by the climate developed by such a film. For strongly established heterosexuals it would be just a piece of exotica. But a large number of kids are uncertain, ambivalent. Between 12 and 25, there's an awful lot of propaganda to which they're extremely vulnerable.

' A climate which says homosexual and bisexuality are okay may easily - and tragically - influence a large number, maybe 25%. I'm not speaking hypothetically. I've seen them.'

'Films like Who Happen to Be Gay,' Horner continued, 'are not only intended to promote a point of view. They are also calculated to 'trigger' discussion among pupils in order to make them less susceptible to myths, confusion, and peer pressure, and, according to the theory that underlies the exercise, to aid them in ' clarifying' their values.'

Critics of such programs, Horner informed readers, 'accuse them of a hidden agenda - the eradication of traditional religious norms and the encouragement of self-centered reactions to moral decisions.'

Horner continued: ' If anything disturbs sex education opponents more than the new curriculum, it is what they see as the excessive power of the 'sex education lobby' - state federal health agencies, foundations, university research institutes, and professional associations like the Sexuality Information and Education Council of American and Planned Parenthood. Opponents believe that members of this ' network,' which includes upward of 20 federal agencies dealing with teenage sexuality, are using federal funds to promote a sexual ideology that runs counter to traditional values. 'It is virtually impossible to keep track of the many sources of federal funds available for sex-related programs. It is safe to say, however, that millions of dollars allocated for teenage health and pregnancy planning, population studies and venereal-disease prevention reach children in schools.'

For more than 30 years now, Americans have seen that Washington simply cannot stop funding losing wars - from the war on terror, to the war on poverty, to the war on drugs, and to the wars on teenage pregnancy and venereal diseases - all of which have one thing in common: They are all wars, in one way or another, on the family.

[The Wanderer] 1798.11

 

 

News from around the world

 

 

CANADA / Newfoundland promotes gay-straight alliances

AFTER MAJOR EFFORTS in British Columbia and Ontario, the push for gay-straight alliances in schools is moving east.

The Newfoundland government announced Monday that they have allocated $90,000 for a new initiative to promote the controversial clubs in the province's schools.

The government is teaming up with the national activist group Egale to develop a new teacher resource for grades 7-12 called MyGSA that will help schools establish the clubs. Under the partnership, Egale will deliver teacher-training workshops on 'LGBT' inclusivity and will produce an Equity and Inclusive Education Resource Kit tailored to the province.

The program, set to be delivered in the spring of 2012, is modeled after a similar one in Ontario, though it appears Kathy Dunderdale's Progressive Conservative government is taking a less authoritarian tack than Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty's Liberals.

A press release from Newfoundland and Labrador's Department of Education indicates that Education Minister Clyde Jackman has asked school districts to 're-examine' their codes of conduct and adopt specific language about 'protecting and respecting' students with 'differing sexual orientations.'

McGuinty's equity and inclusive education strategy, on the other hand, mandated that all publicly-funded school boards overhaul their policies to ensure inclusivity of homosexuality.

Jackman told CBC that the province has no plans to 'mandate' gay-straight alliances in the schools, as McGuinty's government hopes to do in an anti-bullying bill currently before the Ontario legislature.

'While we are not mandating that schools establish gay-straight alliances, we are certainly encouraging it,' said Jackman. 'This resource will assist schools to do so, if they wish. That said, I want to be clear that the protection and support of students of different sexual orientations is not negotiable.'

Helen Kennedy, Egale's executive director, said the province is the first in Canada to make Egale's MyGSA resource available to all junior and senior high schools.

'We are delighted to be working with Newfoundland and Labrador on this initiative,' she said. 'We are very proud of Newfoundland and Labrador's commitment to safe and caring schools for everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.'

GSA-advocates argue that the groups aim to provide safe environments in schools for homosexual students, but pro-family activists have charged that the groups encourage the normalization of the homosexual lifestyle, tying youth into a cross-continent network of homosexual activists who encourage them to self-identify as homosexual and then get them engaged in activism.

Egale's MyGSA.ca website recommends homosexual activist organizations like Outrage!, Stonewall, and PFLAG, as well as pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood. The website's recommended resources includes a book for teens called Coming Out: A Handbook for Men by Orland Outland that includes sex advice involving grotesque sexual acts such as 'rimming' and 'fisting'.

The government's initiative, funded by the province's Violence Prevention Initiative and the Department of Education, is already facing criticism from at least one homosexual activist in the province who says the government needs to go further.

'I think it needs to be mandated, needs to be there. The resources are there now but if you're too scared to use those resources, it doesn't matter,' said Noah Davis-Power, an 18-year-old who ran unsuccessfully for the NDP in the fall provincial election.

'We need to go from saying 'It's all right to be gay, but you're still over there.' That's what tolerance is, it's the worst word ever. 'You have a problem but you can stay.' You have to work from that to acceptance,' Davis-Power told CBC.m [LSN] 1798.12

CUBA / Under Obama pressure, consideration being given to same-sex unions

AS THE ADMINISTRATION of President Barack Obama budgets hundreds of thousands of dollars to homosexual dissident groups in Cuba, the island's communist government is looking at pass legislation normalizing gay unions.

Mariela Castro, the daughter of Cuban president Raul Castro, told Cuba's state-run press this week that homosexual unions are now 'included in the legislative plan for 2012.'

'At this time, the proposal of a bill for the modification of the Family Code is being analyzed by specialists from the Ministry of Justice and by professionals affiliated with the National Union of Cuban Jurists,' Castro told Cuba Sí.

During the interview, Castro referred specifically to the $300,000 budgeted by the U.S. State Department in 2011 to, 'strengthen the inclusion of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community' on the island.

Castro accused the U.S. government of promoting 'media campaigns to discredit the spirituality of the revolutionary project' and said that Cuba was 'exposing the resources of the North American taxpayer allocated to lie, defame, demonize, and collapse' the Cuban regime.

The U.S. State Department said that the funds were to be used 'to strengthen grassroots organizations to create the conditions that allow meaningful and unhindered participation by members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in all aspects of Cuban society,' according to a post on its website dated June 16, 2011 and now in Google Cache.

Goals listed for the program include 'providing management and organizational skills training; facilitating networking among LGBT associations, student groups, and other organizations; and capacity building for public events, publications.' Other goals include 'promoting advocacy activities' and 'awareness-raising activities to affect negative societal attitudes against LGBT persons and better inform members of the LGBT community about their rights, especially outside of Havana; for example, working with local groups to organize Pride parades and festivals, HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns, etc.'

Marliela Castro, a trained 'sexologist' who speaks in favor of special rights for homosexuals and 'transgender people,' has attempted to head off U.S. attempts to foment homosexualist dissent within Cuba by organizing state-approved 'gay' groups, which engage in limited public demonstrations in favor of the homosexual agenda. Castro reportedly uses the events to promote other political causes dear to the heart of the communist regime, causing discomfort among some homosexuals.

Until recently, the Cuban government's policy has been to reject the demands of homosexualism. Fidel Castro publicly denounced homosexual behavior as a 'bourgeois perversion' in the 1960s and made homosexual acts illegal. Although the law was eliminated in 1998, public manifestations of homosexuality are still punishable under public decency statutes, which are increasingly ignored as the government accedes to the gay agenda. [LSN] 1798.13

 

 

HOLY LAND / Security wall causing problems for Bethlehem's Catholic university

BETHLEHEM UNIVERSITY, the only Catholic university in the Holy Land, is losing both students and faculty members because of the Israeli 'security wall' that divides the West Bank from Israeli territory.

Brother Jack Curran, a vice-president of Bethlehem University, said that up to 20% of the school's students must cross through Israeli security checkpoints every day-sometimes two or more times each day--in order to attend classes. The process is tense and sometimes degrading, he reported. 'We lose students but we also lose faculty who have been teaching at the University and who come from Jerusalem but don´t want to go through that humiliation every day.'

Officials of Bethlehem University are hoping that Vatican diplomatic influence might ease the problem for their students.

Nazareth museum

A museum about the life and significance of the Virgin Mary opened in Nazareth this week. The International Centre Mary of Nazareth is situated between the two major churches dedicated to Mary and Joseph respectively - the Basilica of the Annunciation and St Joseph's church. The centre is also built around the remains of a first-century home that was discovered during the centre's construction.

The centre aims to foster ecumenical and interfaith dialogue and hopes to attract pilgrims, students and locals, both Christian and non-Christian. It runs a number of multimedia shows and videos that explore Mary's place in the Eastern Churches, in ecumenism, in Judaism and Islam.

The centre is run by the French lay Chemin Neuf Community, and includes a chapel and gardens for reflection and meditation. Its website is here

[CWN / Tablet] 1798.14

HUNGARY / New pro-family legislation

NACF PRESIDENT Pat Buckley writes : 'The Hungarian Parliament on 23 December 2011passed an Act on the Protection of the Family by a huge majority.

The new Hungarian law now in force since the beginning of January (2012) calls for the adoption of a cardinal act on the protection of families. Whilst this act is in preparation guiding principle were laid down as the foundation of a stable, and long-term family policy.

Protection of the family, marriage and childbearing are basic conditions for the sustainability of Hungarian society and since they constitute immeasurable value, and worth to the nation are all reflected in the new law.

The Act not only serves as a legal basis for the protection of families, but conveys important messages on the role of family in the society as well. The Act improves the reconciliation of family and work commitments and ensures long-term security and predictability for parents: in the event of any proposed alteration in family support regulations, a 1 year transition period must be guaranteed to bridge the time span until any new regulations enter into force - unless the change is a positive one, a change for the better.

One of the principles of the Act now the Fundamental Law of Hungary is intergenerational solidarity and the Act therefore pays attention on the elderly members of the family.

The Hungarian Government has stressed the importance of protection and support of the family and has therefore proposed that the European Union should devote 2014 as the European Year of Families during the Hungarian EU Presidency.

The Hungarian Government however have been under pressure from the EU because of the new Act

[European Life Network] 1798.15

 

 

INDONESIA / Muslim students attack Catholic schools in Yogyakarta

A MESSAGE posted on Facebook by a self-styled 'anti-Islamic' user provoked a negative reaction among extremist students who attacked two Catholic schools in Yogyakarta, Central Java. The attacks occurred on 19 January, at 4.15 pm, but only now were the motives made public. The two targeted schools are the Pangudi Luhur 1 Catholic Junior High School in Jalan Timoho and the Stela Duce 2 Catholic School in Jalan Suryodiningratan.

According to local sources, 25 extremists forced their way into Pangudi Luhur 1 Junior High School Thursday of last week where they vandalised the school's property. At the time, a group of students was involved in extracurricular activities. The school, which is run by the Brothers of Christian Instruction of Ploërm (FIC), suffered damages, including eight broken windows.

On the same day, the Stela Duce 2 Catholic School, which is run by the nuns of Saint Charles Borromeo, was also attacked by young fundamentalists. This was followed by another attack, against the St John Bosco Catholic High School, also in Yogyakarta.

Following an investigation by the authorities, the motive for such attacks is clear. Someone by the name of Rudi Yohanes, claiming to be a student at the Pangudi Luhur 1 school, said he was 'anti-Islamic' on Facebook without further details. After an inquiry, both police and school administrators determined that no such person attends the school.

At present, the real identity of the person who posted the guilty phrase on the social network under a false profile remains unknown.

The attack against Catholic schools in Yogyakarta caused panic among students and parents across the province. Many schools temporarily closed their doors the next day. Although lessons have resumed, tensions remain high over possible new incidents.

In the past, fringe groups of Muslim students targeted the Piri Islamic School in Jalan Kemuning, also in Yogyakarta, forcing school administrators to suspend all educational activities.

The apparent motive for this violence is the decision to grant its Ahmadi students the right to organise prayers in the school.

For mainstream Muslims, Ahmadis are a heretical and deviant sect because they do not view Muhammad as the last prophet. For this reason, they have been the victim of persecution and targeted killings. [AsiaNews] 1798.16

 

 

IRELAND / Supreme Court 'X' case ruling not good basis for abortion law

NACF PRESIDENT Pat Buckley writes : 'Professor William Binchy, regius professor of laws at Trinity College Dublin last week wrote an opinion which was published in the Irish Times setting out his views as to why the Irish Supreme Court ruling in the 'X' case is not a good basis for abortion law.

Because of the importance of the issue the full article is set out below but the original article can be found here

OPINION: The Government's appointment of the expert group to address the implications of the European Court of Human Rights decision in A, B C v Ireland gives us all the opportunity to reflect on the