Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Catholic News & Current Events-10/31/2006



Vatican delegate addresses UN on religious freedom
The Vatican's permanent observer at the UN made a plea for recognition of religious freedom. Read further by clicking here.
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Nicaraguan lawmakers approve abortion ban
Nicaragua's parliament has approved legislation banning nearly all abortions. Read further by clicking here.
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Brazilian cardinal to head Congregation for Clergy?
Cardinal Claudio Hummes of Sao Paulo, Brazil, may soon be named by Pope Benedict XVI as the new prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy. Read further by clicking here.
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Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Catholic News & Current Events-10/17/2006



Counter-terrorism measures need to protect human rights: Holy See
Effective counter-terrorism measures should serve not sacrifice the protection of human rights, the Holy See representative told the United Nations this week. Read further by clicking here.
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Spanish court strips diocese of $40 million inheritance
A Spanish court has ordered an archdiocese in northern Spain to hand over a $A40 million inheritance from two rich, childless widows. Read further by clicking here.
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The scientific case for Catholic sexual ethics
The Catholic Church has taken more heat over its teachings about sex than any other topic. You may be surprised then to learn that modern science is on the Church’s side. Read further by clicking here.
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Challenges of Christian Converts From Islam
Converts from Islam to Christianity pose a challenge for governments to ensure freedom of religion -- and their witness is also a challenge to the Church itself. Read further by clicking here.
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New York priests back Cardinal Egan
The Priest's Council of the Archdiocese of New York met for two hours yesterday with Cardinal Edward Egan to discuss with him a highly critical, anonymous letter. Read further by clicking here.
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Faith Schools Required to Admit Pupils from Wider Community

Under legislation being put forward by the Government on Tuesday, new faith schools in England will be required to admit at least 25 per cent of pupils from the wider community. Read further by clicking here.
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Worldwide Christian Community Shocked as Priest Beheaded in Iraq

The Christian community has been dismayed to learn that the beheaded and dismembered body of Father Boulos Iskander, 59, a Syrian Orthodox priest, was found in a suburb of Mosul, Iraq, last week. Read further by clicking here.
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Sunday, October 15, 2006

Catholic News & Current Events-10/15/2006



Indian Dalits in mass conversion to Buddhism and Christianity
In a protest against anti-conversion laws introduced by several Indian states, over 9,000 Indigenous Dalits were received into the Buddhist and Catholic faiths in mass ceremonies in the central city of Nagpur over the weekend. Read further by clicking here.
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Stay faithful, Nicole Kidman hints at husband
In Rome at the weekend for the world premiere of her latest movie, Catholic film star Nicole Kidman told reporters that she has "pretty strict ideas about sexual fidelity". Read further by clicking here.
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Muslim scholars engage Benedict in dialogue
Thirty-eight Muslim scholars from around the world have delivered an unprecedented open letter to Pope Benedict pointing out errors in his Regensburg speech. Read further by clicking here.
Point of View
I am tired of the Muslim Clerics and their demands that the Pope apologise for merely speaking the Truth! If the Islamic Clerics find the truth so abhorrent no wonder there are so many be-headings. I have yet to see Pope Benedict or my fellow Catholics become violent.
Islam cannot say that their religion is a 'religion of peace' when they be-head anyone who has a different point of view!
As for Aljazeera they should win the Joseph Goebells award for the best propoganda which bears NO semblence of the truth! When will these Mulsim Clerics actually have the backbone to stand for the truth and condemn acts of terrorism? I wont hold my breath!
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Spring of the Latin rite
The freeing up of the old rite is likely to have a powerful impact on Australian Catholicism and on the broader culture, although it's unlikely to be noticeable immediately. Read further by clicking here.
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Friday, October 13, 2006

Catholic News and Current Events 10/13/2006


Pope Benedict XVI is set to revive the Latin version of the Roman Catholic Mass, issuing a papal decree that could restore traditional forms of worship that fell out of favor 40 years ago, according to an Italian news report.

Read more by clicking here.


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Thousands of people, many of them expectant mothers, are expected to descend this weekend on St. Lucy's Roman Catholic Church for the Feast of St. Gerard, a colorful, spiritual 107-year-old tradition that starts tonight.

St. Gerard is widely revered by Catholics as a protector of aspiring and expectant mothers.

Read more by clicking here.

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Pope Benedict reminded Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi that the Vatican strongly defends the traditional family and ethics in scientific research when they held their first official talks on Friday.

Read more by clicking here.


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The Catholic Church and the Church of England have found themselves on opposite sides of the fence on the debate over Government proposals to offer cohabiting couples the same rights as married ones.

Read more by clicking here.


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Cardinal Peter Erdo, president of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences in Europe (CCEE), pointed to some cardinal changes in religious life in Russia.

In his interview to Svet Evangelia, a Catholic newspaper in Russia, he said that along with a discussion (at the recent CCEE assembly in St. Petersburg - IF) on problems very important for all Europe, some Western bishops discovered a new reality. It is the rapidly developing Catholic Church in Russia, overcrowded churches, a living faith and sincere devotion.

Read more by clicking here.

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Thirty-eight Muslim scholars and chief muftis from numerous countries have accepted Pope Benedict XVI’s apology for his remarks on Islam, the editor of a Muslim journal said today.

Read more by clicking here.


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Pope Benedict XVI held talks with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in a strictly private meeting here Friday.

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Pope Benedict XVI has said that he would “be a strong, constant voice against anti-Semitism,” during a private audience with Jewish American leaders on Thursday in Rome.

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The Vatican is preparing to publish Pope Benedict XVI's biggest book to date: "Complete Teachings, Vol. I."

But the pope's writings are also finding their way into more bite-sized volumes that are enjoying unusual popular success, according to the Vatican publishing house, Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

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The (Missouri) bishops clarified the Church’s teachings: Opposition to Amendment 2 does not mean opposition to moral methods of scientific research and therapies. "We support the aggressive pursuit of stem-cell research which respects the moral law and has genuine promise," they wrote.

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Mexican Bishop Rafael Guízar y Valencia was known as "the bishop of the poor," selling his bishop's cross and ring and ministering to the needy during a time of persecution around the Mexican Revolution.

Now, nearly 70 years after his death, Guízar y Valencia is set to receive the highest honor in the Catholic Church: He's to be canonized Sunday into sainthood by Pope Benedict XVI. He'll become the first official Catholic saint ever to have visited San Antonio.

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An Indiana nun once banished from her congregation by a bishop will be proclaimed a saint tomorrow, providing a model of virtuous life to America's Roman Catholics.

Read more by clicking here.