Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Catholic News & Current Events-9/20/2006



Extra security measures for papal audience
Security has been tightened at the Vatican. Read further by clicking here.
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Condemned Indonesian Catholics ask for public execution
Three Indonesian Catholics condemned to death want to be executed in public. Read further by clicking here.
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Sorry Benedict reiterates "deep respect" for Islam
Vatican diplomats are scrambling to organise a possible interfaith summit. Read further by clicking here.
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Bendigo Bishop backs English test for migrants
Bishop Joe Grech said he has no problems with Prime Minister John Howard's new proposal for immigrants. Prime Minister John Howard frequently single out Muslims for criticism, saying last month that they must subscribe to Australian values. Read further by clicking here.
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Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Catholic News & Current Events-9/19/2006



Indonesian Christians now face execution
Indonesian authorities have set a new date for the execution of three Catholic men. Read further by clicking here.
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Pope saddened by Islamic protests
Pope Benedict XVI has expressed his sorrow over the misinterpretaion of his speech. Read further by clicking here.
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British archbishop backs Pope's speech
Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham, England, has praised Pope Benedict's speech. Read further by clicking here.
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Pope encourages adult stem-cell therapy
The Pope is fully behind adult stem cell research. Read further by clicking here.
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Iranian Leader Urges More Papal Protests
Iran's supreme leader called for more protests over the pontiff's remarks on Islam. Read further by clicking here.
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World leaders bid to hose down flames of Benedict controversy
As the Holy See seeks to soothe tensions with a stepped up diplomatic effort, Australian and world political and religious leaders have called for calm. Read further by clicking here.
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Cardinal Pell Criticizes Islamic Violence
Cardinal George Pell has hit out at Muslims protesting over comments by the Pope. Read further by clicking here.
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Hollywood renews faith in films
Rupert Murdoch's Fox film division is announcing plans to make up to a dozen major films a year under the FoxFaith banner. Read further by clicking here.
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Monday, September 18, 2006

Catholic News & Current Events-9/17/2006



Churches Under Attack In West Bank

Two Christian Churches were hit by firebombs. Read further by clicking here.

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Egypt's Coptic Church rejects Pope's Islam remarks
Egypt's Coptic Church has rejected Pope Benedict XVI's remarks implicitly linking Islam and violence. Read further by clicking here.

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Benedict "deeply sorry" for Muslim outrage but violence continues
Pope Benedict told pilgrims yesterday that he is "deeply sorry" for the reaction to his quoted remarks. Read further by clicking here.

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Pope's appeal for dialogue backfires

Pope Benedict XVI major mistake was to believe that an open dialouge can happen between Islam and Christianity. Read further by clicking here.

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RIP Leonella Sgorbati

Fellow Italian nuns of slain Catholic sister Leonella Sgorbati line up to board the plane carrying her body as all the nuns working at the SOS hospital were evacuated from Mogadishu September 17, 2006.


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Saturday, September 16, 2006

Islam and Pope Benedict XVI -The Real Story



I have placed these two sites here because they both bring clarity to Pope Benedict XVI comments in his speech and his obvious intent which has been lost amidst the hysteria of many Muslims who have now begun burning down Churches. The first piece is by Asia News which explains in length what the Holy Father was trying to convey. Please click here.

The other site is the Popes speech in full please click here.


Some elements of the Western media with a liberal bias have caused great damage with their malicious reporting on the Popes comments, which they took out of context.

I am deeply disturbed to see many Muslims ranting hatred and death to the Pope and the West and then in the next breath these same Muslims will then say that they are a religion of 'peace'. How can this be so when with their every word and every action the opposite is occuring?

There have been many occasions when the Catholic Church has also undergone times of controversy and attack yet there have been NO reports that Catholics have begun burning down houses of worship nor have any deaths occured to any one person. Can Islam say the same?

Once again we also see the total SILENCE of the Islamic Clerics and Mullahs when it comes to cautioning the radicals within Islam itself. If anything the opposite is occuring here is a quote from Sheikh Hassan Malin, "We urge you Muslims wherever you are to hunt down the Pope for his barbaric statements as you have pursued Salman Rushdie, the enemy of Allah who offended our religion....Whoever offends our Prophet Mohammed should be killed on the spot by the nearest Muslim." Is that a 'peaceful' statement?

The Islamic extremists continually bring forth historic instances where the Catholic Church behaved less than admiral the difference is that the Catholic Church has learnt from its past errors and has grown in maturity and enlightenment. Whereas Islam has never progressed from the sword and its barbaric attitudes towards all those who have a different philosophy when it comes to matters of faith. They even murder their own who feel called to leave the religion of Islam. We need only remember the outcry concerning Abdul Rahman fortunately the West intervened and so Mr Rahman was spared the sword.

Not all European countries have remained coward by the fear of Islamic extremists here the German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended the Popes speech with these words, "Whoever criticizes the Pope misunderstood the aim of his speech. It was an invitation to dialogue between religions and the Pope [expressly] spoke in favor of this dialogue, which is something I also support and consider urgent and necessary...What Benedict XVI emphasized was a decisive and uncompromising renunciation of all forms of violence in the name of religion."

I hope that Pope Benedict XVI will NOT apologise for simply speaking the truth, for only in Islam has the truth become a intolerable.

Let us remember one of the late Pope John Paul II favourite words from Scripture, 'Be not afraid'.