Gertrude Morris, 83, RIP
Pope Benedict XVI said the late German
artist Martin Kippenberger's sculpture of a frog nailed to the cross with
an egg in one hand and a mug of beer in the other on display at the Museum
of Modern and Contemporary Art (Museion) in Bolzano, Italy, ''has injured
the religious feeling of many people who see in the cross the symbol of
the love of God and of our salvation which deserves recognition and
religious devotion."
France's High Audiovisual Council has
banned French television programs aimed at children under three years old
in order to "protect children under 3 from the effects of
television." Additionally, foreign cable channels that carry
programs for children under 3 must carry the warning, "Watching
television can slow the development of children under 3 even when it
involves channels aimed specifically at them."
What does Pope Benedict XVI do in the
evenings at Castel Gandolfo? He plays the piano. Pope John
XXIII visited surrounding towns in the evening and Pope John Paul II
played hide-and-seek with the employees' children.
19th century Austrian composer
Franz Schubert
Pope Benedict XVI praised a Franz
Schubert concert at Castel Gandolfo: "Comforted interiorly by
the splendid musical experience of tonight, we renew our gratitude to
those who have promoted this concert and those who have magnificently
performed it. When Schubert brings a poetic text into his universe
of sound, he performs it through a melodic link that penetrates the soul
with sweetness, bringing the listener to feel his same nostalgic
consummation, the same call of that truth of the heart that goes beyond
all rationality. In this way a picture is born that speaks of
genuine everyday life, of nostalgia, of introspection and of the
future."
Syrians who lived in Golan Heights still hope to return
home
Update: Father
Rungi has decided not to go forward with his plan for a nuns' beauty
contest because the idea "caused too much commotion."
Father Rungi said some people had "deliberately misinterpreted an
innocent initiative. One of them told me I would end up in
hell." Backstory:
Miss Sister 2008 - Father Antonio Rungi, a priest in Naples, Italy, is
organizing for September an online beauty contest for nuns.
"Nuns are a bit excluded, they are a bit marginalized in
ecclesiastical life. This will be an occasion to make their
contribution more visible. We are not going to parade nuns in
bathing suits. But being ugly is not a requirement for becoming a
nun. External beauty is a gift from God, and we mustn't hide
it," said Father Rungi.
Update: In his Wednesday, August 27, general audience, Pope Benedict XVI
expressed "profound sadness...violence against the Christian
communities of the Indian state of Orissa. I express spiritual
closeness to the brothers and sisters so harshly tested, and I implore the
Lord to accompany and support them in this time of suffering and give them
the strength to continue in the service of love on behalf of
all." Pope Benedict XVI also lamented the
"deplorable assassination of the Hindu leader Swami Lakshmananda
Saraswati." Backstory below:
“Kill the Christians; destroy their
institutions.” One nun killed, another raped in India by Hindus.
Full story
Hindu nationalism is a cancer on India,
says Orissa bishop
Father Giulio Jia Zhiguo, under house
arrest for months in China, has been taken to an unknown location on the
final day of the Olympics after being ordered to celebrate Mass at Wuqiu
Cathedral. “After the Olympics, everything is back to the
way it was before in China," said one priest. This is the
twelfth time Father Jia, 73, has been arrested. He has spent 15
years in Chinese prisons.
In his Sunday, August 24, general
audience, Pope Benedict XVI said of the ministry of the pope:
"His ministry is indispensable for making sure it never is identified
with just one nation, with just one culture, but that it is the Church of
all peoples."
Pope Benedict XVI has donated
$120,000 to Caritas Georgia for humanitarian relief. "In a
country of primarily Orthodox religion, the head of the Catholic Church
should be concerned in such a determined way about the ongoing conflict,
and that he keeps the Georgian people in his heart and prays for them, has
caused a great impression," said Bishop Giuseppe Pasotto, Apostolic
Administrator of Caucaso. Bishop Pasotto said Georgians were
impressed that Pope Benedict XVI acknowledged their suffering in two
different general audience addresses.
Darren Staples/Reuters 
Birmingham, England
In his Sunday, August 24, general
audience, Pope Benedict XVI lamented: “Recent events have
undermined in many people the expectation that such experiences would be a
thing of the past.”
Spanair, the airline whose plane crashed
last week in Madrid, made an unscheduled stop in Malaga on Sunday, August
24, due to technical problems.
M. Spencer Green/AP
Catholic Senator Joseph Biden (right), a
Democrat from Delaware, has been selected as Democratic Presidential
Presumptive Nominee Senator Barak Obama's Vice Presidential running
mate. Senator Biden would be the first Catholic Vice President
of the United States.
Catholic Senator Joe Biden on his
Catholic faith:
"The animating principle of my
faith, as taught to me by Church and home, was that the cardinal sin was
abuse of power. It was not only required as a good Catholic to
abhor and avoid abuse of power but to do something to end that
abuse."
"I get comfort from carrying my
rosary, going to Mass every Sunday."
"I'm very proud to be Catholic.
It's part of my spirituality, part of my identity. When John Kennedy ran
for president, I remember being so proud that he was Catholic. But he
had to prove that he wasn't ruled by his beliefs. I'm with John Kennedy
on the role religion ought to play in politics."
On August 21, Pope Benedict XVI's
brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, was made an honorary citizen of Castel
Gandolfo, the pope's summer residence, for his 84th
birthday. "From the beginning of my life, my brother was always
not just a companion, but also a trustworthy guide. We have arrived
at the last stage of our lives, old age. The days left to live
progressively decrease, but in this stage as well, my brother helps me to
accept with serenity, humility, and courage the weight of each day. I
thank him." Monsignor Ratzinger lives in Regensburg, Germany, and
spends summers with the pope.
Breaking the Gaza Blockade
Parishioners protest the Vietnamese
government's confiscation of Thai Hai Redemptorist Parish Full
story
In his Wednesday, August 20, general
audience, Pope Benedict XVI said, "Holiness is not a luxury, a
privilege of the few, something impossible for ordinary people but is
instead the normal vocation of all those who are baptized.”
11 nationalities were represented by the
153 passengers who perished in the Spanair MD82 jet crash in Madrid's
Barajas Airport on August 21: 19 victims were from Bulgaria, Sweden,
Italy, Germany, France, Brazil, Mauritania, Turkey, Gambia, and
Indonesia. Crown Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia visited six of
the 19 survivors of the crash.
Princess Letizia of Spain, a former
television anchorwoman before her marriage to Crown Prince Felipe, was
talking to reporters at the Olympics in Beijing when she was asked,
"So, what medium do you work for?" She responded,
"I am a princess!" and walked away.
Chant - Music
For Paradise
Cistercian Monks of Stift
Heiligenkreuz
Capuchin Brother Cesare Bonizzi in
Milan, Italy, is the lead singer for a heavy-metal band called Brother
Metal. "I was overwhelmed and amazed by the sheer energy of it.
I do it to convert people to life, to undersand life, to grab hold of
life."
The Sound of Music's second
oldest daughter, Maria von Trapp, 93, flew from Vermont in the U. S. to
Aigen, Austria, to the newly-reopened house-turned-museum-and-hotel her
family fled during World War II. The 9,450 square foot house was
confiscated by the Nazis then purchased in 1947 by the Missionaries of the
Precious Blood who restored the house. "Our whole life is in here, in
this house. I'm sleeping in the room where my brother slept.
Its very nice to be here. I feel like home again." Full story
Sister Mary Paul McCaughey has been
named Superintendent of Chicago’s 256 Catholic schools: 96,200
students and 5,300 teachers. “Sister Mary Paul has both the
professional experience and leadership qualities that are necessary to
take responsibility for the future of our Catholic elementary and high
schools,” said Chicago Archbishop Francis Cardinal George. “I am both
honored and humbled by Cardinal George’s confidence in appointing me as
Superintendent of Catholic schools. I also want to express my
gratitude to…my religious order, the Dominican Sisters of Springfield,
for their encouragement and blessing on my new ministry,” said Sister
Mary Paul.
What did Catholic ex-Beatle Sir Paul
McCartney do for his 66th birthday? He got his kicks on
Route 66 - something he'd always wanted to do. Sir Paul drove a 1989
green Ford Bronco along the fabled 2,448 mile Route 66 from Illinois to
California camping most of the way. Route 66 was the road taken from
Illinois to California before the interstate highway system was
built. Along Route 66, Sir Paul stopped in local shops and
talked to people he met just as any tourist would as long as no pictures
were taken, (He did ask locals to take pictures of him with his camera),
and it was universally agreed that Sir Paul was a gentleman without
hubris. When Paul McCartney stopped into Record Rack in Amarillo, Texas,
owner Don Dunavin told Sir Paul that he named his son Jude after the
Beatles song Hey Jude, whereupon Sir Paul played his harmonica for
Jude. "Jude was smiling. It was such an incredible
moment," said his proud dad. It seems a favorite of Sir Paul's
along Route 66 was a souvenir shop named Things in Tucumcari, New
Mexico, which had zany items. By advance request, John Burros of
Nonna's Restaurant in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, prepared a meatless quiche
Lorraine for the vegetarian Sir Paul, saying, "I guess now the
only person bigger to cook for is the pope!" Grandpa Paul then
flew home to meet his sixth grandchild.
Pakistani Catholic Church:
"President Musharraf’s resignation is a welcome change in Pakistan,
and everybody is happy about it. Now the country is less uncertain because
President Musharraf’s resignation is a step forward, and the country’s
overall situation can improve. Now a discussion will be
possible. Sacked judges will be restored, and the coalition
government will be able to better tackle the country’s problems. But the
government will bear greater responsibilities since it now has all the
power.”
Joel Murray, 18, suffered a fractured
skull after he fell from the roof of Sacred Heart Catholic High School in
Crosby, England, during a school-sponsored party to celebrate the end of
exams. (The party was not on the roof. Several students
climbed up onto the roof, and Joel fell twelve feet through the roof's
dome.)
Pope Benedict XVI while in Bressanone,
Italy. The pope has returned to Castel Gandolfo, his summer home.
In his general audience on Sunday,
August 17, at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Benedict XVI said he was
following "the situation in Georgia with attention and
preoccupation. Without further delay... humanitarian corridors
between the region of South Ossetia and the rest of Georgia, in such a way
that the dead still abandoned may receive worthy burial, the wounded may
receive adequate care, and those who wish to may find their loved
ones....As I raise a special prayer of intercession for the deceased, and
express sincere condolences to all those who are in mourning, I appeal
that the grave difficulties of the refugees be alleviated with generosity,
especially for the women and children, who lack even what they need to
survive."
While on a trip from a Polish church in
The Bronx, New York, 12-year-old Magdalena Lubowski strayed off the hiking
path at the Niagara River, which borders the U. S. and Canada, and slipped
into the river from a moss-covered 45 degree angled rock. The
Renaissance Inn, which caters to the Polish, was not licensed to conduct
the tours. Magdalena has not been found.
Vatican on traffic accidents: "The
most important thing to keep in mind is that the Church is committed to
raising awareness and regaining a sense of responsibility in those who use
the road. To decrease traffic accidents, the contribution of the Christian
community is necessary. But in addition to the Church, schools,
families, and institutions must also work to further this cause and work
to create respect for applicable laws."
Four boys and three girls were born to
27-year-old Egyptian mother Ghazala Khamis. The septuplets, between
3 and 6 pounds, are doing well. The babies have three sisters, and
Egypt has promised to supply the septuplets with milk and diapers for two
years.
Rodrigo Abd/AP
Feast of the Assumption, Guatemala City,
Guatemala
Need a prescription, laboratory test,
x-ray or ultrasound at the Vatican? That'll be 75 cents,
please. Full story
The Vatican Library closed for
renovation in 2007 and is expected to reopen in 2010. The library
will have a fireproof bunker for manuscripts and a climate-controlled room
for papyrus fragments.
ITAR-TASS New Agency, quoting Caritas of
Russia, reported aid to South Ossetia: "It is planned that the
Rome Catholic Church will send a plane with a cargo to the sum of 50,000
euros to Vladikavkaz. The cargo will include medicines, medical
instruments recommended by the World Health Organization and necessary for
liquidating emergency situations.”
Syrian monastery gives visitors taste of ancient
spiritual life
AP
Double Dutch at Saint Peter Claver
in Brooklyn, New York
University of Notre Dame student Mariel
Zagunis won the Olympic gold medal in fencing for the United States in
Beijing: She also won the Olympic gold medal in fencing in Athens in
2004. “Hard work pays off, and that’s the moral of the story,”
alum Mariel told the assembly at Valley Catholic in Beaverton, Oregon,
after her Athens' win.
On the 61st anniversary of
India's independence from Great Britain, Indian Catholic Bishops'
Conference Cardinal Oswald Gracias said, "The Church in India on
Independence Day affirms our commitment to working for the common good,
our solidarity with the poor who are often without the resources. It
is unfortunate that there exists a divide between the rich and poor in our
country, and the Indian Church on the 61st anniversary of our
independence continues working selflessly in the remotest rural areas
without any discrimination of caste and creed to help the poorest of the
poor and the marginalized in society, the needy, the homeless, those
without medical care, and those without hope."
Pope Benedict XVI sent a thank you
letter to Governor-General Michael Jeffery for World Youth Day 2008:
I hasten to express to you once more
my deep gratitude for the affectionate reception which I received from
you and all your fellow citizens.
I was honoured by the official
welcoming ceremony at Government House and most appreciative of the
personal welcome which you extended to me at your residence, Admiralty
House.
Please also accept my heartfelt thanks
for the many courtesies afforded me throughout my visit.
I am grateful to the various civil and
military authorities of Australia as well as the residents and business
people of Sydney whose spirit of collaboration helped to ensure the warm
welcome of the pilgrims and the smooth progress of my visit.
May the Lord bless all of you
abundantly for your kindness and hospitality.
Update:
"Aren't there more important battles to be fought? It's fine to
defend the ermine, but there are human beings whose wellbeing warrants
priority and yet no one seems to care," commented Apostolic Nuncio
Emeritus to Italy Cardinal Andrea Cordero Lanza di Montezemolo. Backstory: Pope
Benedict XVI likes to wear traditional garments from previous
papacies. The hat Pope Benedict XVI is wearing in this winter
picture is trimmed in ermine. The pope also wears a winter cape
which is fur trimmed. Lorenzo Croce, Chair of the Italian
Association for the Defense of Animals and the Environment (AIDAA), is
petitioning Pope Benedict XVI not to wear fur. "We just
want to ask him in a message of love and peace to give a strong signal
towards the protection of animals and the environment through a small but
very significant personal sacrifice."
Alberto Pellaschiar/AP
Children in local costumes greet Pope
Benedict XVI in Bressanone, Italy
Bishop Kevin Farrell of the Diocese of
Dallas is warning the faithful about Martin Davila Gandara who is
pretending to be a Roman Catholic bishop and is baptizing and performing
other Catholic services in a motel room for $100 - $200. The
Archbishop of Acapulco in Mexico notified Bishop Farrell.
20 Catholic pilgrims to World Youth Day
2008 are seeking asylum in Australia. "We are seeing utter
destitution, we see malnutrition, we are seeing depression, we see
homelessness. People are coming to us from a place of crisis,"
said the Asylum Seeker Centre in Sydney. Most of the pilgrims were
from Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Burundi, Pakistan, and Kenya.
Father Benny Susetyo, Secretary of the
Interreligious Commission of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference, is
recovering at Pondok Indah Hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia. Father
Susetyo was kidnapped from his home in Bintaro by at least three men,
beaten, and his cell phone confiscated. The police responded by
stating, "We have not conducted any investigation as there has not
been any crime reported to us." Father Sysetyo is also a member
of Alliance for Nation and Religious Freedom. Indonesia is
predominantly Muslim.
Update: "Our troops have virtually liberated these
areas. We're sending our bomb disposal teams to make sure all the
villages are safe from booby traps and landmines that were left behind by
the retreating rebels." said
Major-General Armando Cunanan. 15,000 Catholic farmers are being
escorted back to their farms by the Army. Moro Islamic Liberation
Front has fled. Backstory:
Catholic farmers in the Philippines are arming themselves to prevent their
lands being torched and looted by Muslim rebels, the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front. The Philippine government has already granted land
to the separatist-movement Moro Islamic Liberation Front displacing 6,500
mostly-Catholic Filipinos in an effort to stop the 40-year fighting which
has killed 120,000. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front is trying to take
more land but the Philippine government is sending troops to North
Cotabato.
Tony Gutierrez/AP
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration said "grossly deficient maintenance" on a tour
bus contributed to the cause of the accident in Sherman, Texas, which
killed 17 Vietnamese-American Catholic pilgrims when the bus'
illegally-retread right-front tire blew out on a pilgrimage to a Marian
site causing the bus to skid off the highway. The pilgrims were from
Vietnamese Catholic churches in Houston, Texas, and were on their way to a
Marian shrine in Carthage, Missouri. The Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration shut down the carrier, Iguala BusMex Inc. The
bus which had the accident had temporary plates which expired the day
after the accident. Iguala BusMex Inc. was operating illegally
awaiting federal approval of its application. Additionally, the
driver, Barrett Wayne Broussard, had a commercial license, but his medical
certification had expired in May. In 2001 Mr. Broussard was
convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Pope Benedict XVI said while vacationing
in the Italian Alps of the fighting in Georgia and South Ossetia, "It
is my fervent wish that military actions cease immediately."
New book, The Quest for Shakespeare:
The Bard of Avon and the Church of Rome by Joseph Pearce makes
the case that William Shakespeare was Catholic. Full
story
Pope Benedict XVI said that during his
vacation in the Alps, he reflected on World Youth Day in Sydney,
Australia:
In the great metropolis of the young
Australian nation, those young people were a sign of authentic joy,
sometimes noisy, but always peaceful and positive.
Despite their large number, they did
not cause disorder or any damage. To have fun, they did not need to
engage in raucous or violent acts nor rely on alcohol and drugs.
How can one not contrast them to their
peers who, searching for false escapism, consume degrading experiences
that sometimes result in tragedy.
In speaking to a gathering of 400
priests, Pope Benedict XVI said, "I used to be stricter."
The pope said he now gravitates more to Christ's mercy.
Dr. Abraham Terian discovered a
manuscript at Saint James Armenian Monastery in the Old City of Jerusalem
suggesting that Jesus played cricket as a boy in Tiberias,
Palestine. "The most amazing part of the story of the nine year
old Jesus playing a form of cricket with the boys at the sea shore is that
he would go on playing the game on water, over the sea waves.''
Reuters
Catholic Lopez Lomong, 23, a 2007
naturalized United States citizen who was taken from his parents at
gunpoint while attending Mass in the village of Kimotong in Darfur when he
was six, escaped from his captors and ran for three days to flee Sudan and
lived in a refugee camp in Kenya for ten years, carries the U. S. flag at
the 2008 Olympics by a vote of his peers. Mr. Lomong is competing in
the 1500 meter track and field. "It's more than a dream.
I keep saying, I'm not sure if this is true or not true. I'm making
the team, and now I'm the first guy coming to the stadium, and the whole
world will be watching me carry the flag. There are no words to describe
it."
Catholic physician Dr. David Higgins
from the Maryland Sports Medicine Center in Olney, Maryland, is traveling
with the U. S. women's field hockey, fencing, and archery teams to help
them acclimate to a different climate. Dr. Higgins brought a couple
of hundred pounds of supplies including Gatorade, medical supplies and
snacks.
After losing a constitutional
referendum, Catholic Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has decreed 26 new
laws. "We said in a referendum that we didn't want that, and
now he has put it in decrees," said Josefina Bravo, one of about
1,000 protesters. Her baseball cap read, "No means
no." The decrees concentrate more power in the presidency.
3,500 Christians demonstrated in
Jayapura, Indonesian Papua, against a federal proposal in Jakarta,
Indonesia, to adopt Sharia as the legal system. The Provincial
Governor of Papua, Barnabas Suebu, is Catholic and was on official
business in Mexico at the time.
Turkmenistan: Everyday religious
repression
L'Osservatore Romano
Pope Benedict XVI and his brother,
Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, vacation in the Italian Alps
Papal General Intention for
August: "That the human family may know how to respect God's
design for the world and thus become ever more aware of the great gift of
God which Creation represents for us."
Papal Missionary Intention for
August: "That the answer of the entire people of God to the
common vocation to sanctity and mission may be promoted and fostered with
careful discernment of the charisms and a constant commitment to spiritual
and cultural formation."
"There are no alternatives to
democracy," said Bishop Luigi Padovese who is President of the
Turkish Episcopal Conference. "The appeal we can launch is of
little value as we are not such a representative reality.
Nevertheless, the appeal is made to enable democracy to prevail in this
country."
Andreas Solaro/Pool
Pope Benedict XVI and Bishop Wilhem
Egger at the Duomo Cathedral in the mountain resort of the Dolomites in
Bressanone, Italy
"Many years ago I was fishing, and
as I was reeling in the poor fish I realized, 'I am killing him all for
the passing pleasure it brings me,' and something inside me clicked.
I realized as I watched him fight for breath that his life was as
important to him as mine was to me," said Sir Paul McCartney as he
explained why he became a vegetarian.
Responding to a 500-page Rwandan report
that France helped plan and carry out the Rwandan genocide in 1994, French
Defence Minister Herve Morin said, "These accusations are absolutely
intolerable for the memory of the French soldiers who took part in this
operation. The French military did nothing wrong. I still
remember what the military did to save hundreds and thousands of human
lives in abominable conditions."
L'Osservatore Romano
Upon visiting the hamlet of Oies in the
Alps, the birthplace of Saint Joseph Freinademetz who was a missionary to
China, Pope Benedict XVI said of China, "It is important for this
great country to open itself to the Gospel."
Update:
Due to his illness, Robert Novak has decided to retire. Backstory: Catholic conservative
columnist Bob Novak fell ill while visiting his daughter on Cape Cod in
Massachusetts and was diagnosed with a brain tumor at Brigham and Women's
Hospital in Boston. Recently Mr. Novak hit a pedestrian while
driving in Washington, D. C. and told police he wasn't aware he had hit a
pedestrian. Neuro-oncologist Dr. Lynne Taylor said, “People get
spatial and visual neglect of a certain part of their bodies, and they don’t
realize they’ve done what they’ve done." Mr. Novak is
undergoing testing at Brigham and Women's Hospital to determine the extent
of the tumor.
L'Osservatore Romano
Pope Benedict XVI greeting the faithful
while on vacation in Bressanone, Italy, in the Alpine Mountains
Caritas
Jerusalem appeals to the public for help for two teenage girls removed
from their homes by the Israeli Army under Administrative
Detention/without cause
Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust reported
an increase in violence against Christians in Nigeria and an abduction of
youth with the intention of converting them to Islam. Saint Mary
Roman Catholic Church in Ningi, Bauchi State, Nigeria, and Christ The King
Catholic Church in the Naibawa District of Kano City, Nigeria, were
destroyed.
Byzantine Catholic Central in
Youngstown, Ohio, is lowering tuition. “We want to make a Catholic
education affordable to parents who want a Catholic education for their
children,” said Bernie Kosar Sr., school administrator.
L'Osservatore Romano
Pope Benedict XVI is vacationing in
Bressanone, a German speaking Alpine village in northern Italy that once
belonged to Austria. Seated to the pope's right is his brother
Father Georg Ratzinger and seated to the pope's left is his secretary,
Father Georg Gaenswein. The pope is on vacation in Bressanone from
July 28 to August 11.
Pope Benedict XVI, while vacationing in
Bressanone, Italy, spends his time reading and writing a book on Jesus.
Pope Benedict XVI sent a message from
his vacation spot in Bressanone, Italy, to the Olympics in Beijing, China:
"I am following this great sporting event, the most important and
anticipated on the world level, with great fondness. I hope they
offer the international community a valid example of coexistence among
people of different backgrounds and the respect of mutual dignity.
May sport once again be a symbol of fraternity and peace among
peoples."
Catholics in New York 1808 - 1946 exhibits
at the Museum of the City of New York through the end of the year.
Luke Russert, NBC Newsman Tim Russert's
son, a 2008 graduate of the Jesuit's Boston College, will be a
correspondent-at-large reporting on the youth vote in the U. S. 2008
presidential election. "I am extremely humbled and grateful
that NBC News is giving me this opportunity," said Luke who will
continue his current co-hosting of 60/20 Sports with James Carville
on XM Radio. Tim Russert was also a BC alum.
"Who has the right to decide the
number of children?" asked Cardinal Varkery Vithayathil, President of
the Indian Catholic Bishops' Conference, in response to the Kerala
government's proposed sanctions against a third child. The Indian
Catholic Church will oppose the proposed legislation.
Bishop Peter Fang Jianping carried the
Olympic relay torch on July 31 when the Olympic torch passed through
Tangshan, China. "Because of the Church's contribution to the
society, I was named a torchbearer," said Bishop Peter Fang Jianping.
Palestinians express frustration over lack of water
in summer heat
In the Syrian desert, the language of Jesus lives
on
Update: AsiaNews
reports, "Kirkuk’s top religious and political authorities visited
survivors who were injured in the 28 July suicide bomb attack in which
scores of others were killed. Kirkuk’s archbishop, Mgr. Louis Sako,
along with Muslim religious leaders, both Sunni and Shia, as well as Arab,
Kurdish and Turkmen tribal leaders, went to the city’s hospital to visit
the wounded and offer them some comfort. The gesture was
significant because it saw the city’s political and religious leaders
show 'solidarity towards the victims of the massacre,' irrespective of
creed or ethnicity, and reaffirm their 'condemnation of every form of
violence’, whatever its source." Backstory:
Archbishop Louis Sako of the Archdiocese of Kirkuk in Iraq was
"saddened and ashamed" of the suicide bombs which killed 28 in
Kirkuk near Sacred Heart Cathedral. "The only way to resolve
problems and divisions is dialogue. Nothing is resolved with the logic of
violence. For this reason, I have asked everyone, from the
institutions to the government to religious leaders, to take on serious
responsibility to save the city from disaster," and to consider
"the severe concerns of the people over the future of the city."
Per his request, the Vatican has granted
incoming Paraguay President Fernando Lugo a special dispensation from
being a bishop: He is now a layman. According to Archbishop Orlando
Antonini, the Papal Nuncio/Vatican's ambassador to Paraguay, "It's
the first time this is granted. It was accepted because the people
have chosen him and...because his clerical status is incompatible with
serving as president." President Fernando Lugo's sister,
Mercedes, will serve as First Lady.
3,000 blank British passports were
hijacked from a transporting van near Manchester, England. The
passports have a street value of $10MM.
The United States House of
Representatives apologized to African Americans for slavery and allowing
Jim Crow laws/de facto segregation after the 13th amendment to
the U. S. Constitution freed slaves. The Resolution was put
forth by Tennessee Democrat Steve Cohen and passed by a voice vote. Full Resolution
Update:
Seven youths were charged in the meat cleaver attack. Background: Two Year-10 students at Saint
Laurence College in South Brisbane, Australia, were attacked with knives
by a local gang and taken to Mater Hospital with serious injuries.
"Guys who saw it were shaking. No one expected it. Even the teachers
on duty thought the guys in bandanas were drama students," said a
student witness. Ian McDonald, Principal of Saint Laurence College
said, "At lunchtime a number of intruders came on to the campus and
attacked two students at random. We know nothing of the motivation
for this assault."
Carlos Sastre has become the third
Spaniard in a row to win the Tour de France following Óscar Pereiro and
Alberto Contador. Carlos, who was born in 1975, started cycling at
age eight at his father's cycling school.
Regina Coeli Primary School in Sydney,
Australia, was set on fire by arsonists using bath tissue. Police
hope DNA will solve the case.
Because of the housing slump, sales of
Saint Joseph's statues are booming. It is said that if you bury a
statue of Saint Joseph upside down in your yard, a sale will follow.
"I decided to give it a try, and it worked," said Washington
D. C. homeowner Bobby Coffey. REALTOR® Gregg
Edwards said it's important to have a real estate agent.
Barry Crayford
Alaska, the bald eagle, visits
7-year-old Beverly and her schoolmates at Saint Michael Roman Catholic
Primary School, in Chatham, England. Alaska was brought to the
school by Alan Ames of the Eagle Heights Bird of Prey Centre in Eynsford,
England, for Animal Week.
In his Sunday, July 27, general audience
from his summer home in Castel Gandolfo in Albano, Italy, Pope Benedict
XVI remarked of World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney, Australia, as "An
extraordinary experience...the multicolored mosaic created by the boys and
girls from every part of the earth all reunited by one faith in Jesus
Christ. I still have in my eyes and in my heart this extraordinary
experience in which I was able to meet the youthful face of the
Church."
Ingrid Betancourt, former FARC captive
in the jungles of Colombia, said her Catholic faith sustained her during
her years of captivity. Ms. Betancourt prayed every day on a rosary
she made during captivity. Ms. Betancourt plans to travel to Our
Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes, France, to meet with Pope Benedict XVI on the
pope's visit to the shrine in September.
Cardinal John Foley, Grand Master of the
Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, cites the
difficulties of being Christian in the Holy Land: "We should be aware
of the situation that Christians in the Holy Land -- who are the
successors of the original followers of Christ -- live lives of
oppression, we might say. They're a twofold minority. They're a minority
in Israel within the Jewish population. They're a minority in Israel even
within the Palestinian population that lives there which is overwhelmingly
Muslim...the difficulty, of course, with the erection of the wall around
Bethlehem, the difficulty of movement between the West Bank and Israel and
Jerusalem, the difficulties of earning a living and having access to
education: All of these press very hard upon the Christian
community."
Pope Benedict XVI sent a message to the
World Conference on Dialogue, sponsored by the Muslim World League,
"that dialogue between believers, based on love and truth, is the
best way to contribute to the harmony, happiness, and peace of the peoples
of the earth." The conference was organized by King Abdullah of
Saudi Arabia and was held in Spain and attended by King Juan Carlos of
Spain and members of virtually all religions. Cardinal Jean-Louis
Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,
called King Abdullah courageous for having the conference focus on
"our common denominators; namely, in profound faith in God and in the
noble principles and lofty moral values that constitute the essence of
religion."
Father Eric Woodhead of Our Lady Star of
the Sea Church, Lowestoft, Suffolk, England, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years
in prison for stealing £90,000 left to Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in
a will. Father Woodhead's accomplice, Christopher Myhill, of Queens
Road, Great Yarmouth, England, received a two-year sentence. Bishop
Michael Evans responded, "The office of Parish Priest is founded upon
trust, and it is clear that this trust has been seriously abused.
The last year has been a difficult time for parishioners at Lowestoft, and
I apologise profoundly to them for the betrayal of trust
involved." The two defendants deposited the largess into a
separate, newly-opened bank account.
China will allow foreign priests to
conduct Mass at the Olympic Games in French, Italian and German.
Catholic Ajantha Mendis was the star of
Sri Lanka's win over India in the final match of the Asia Cricket Cup
2008. "Ajantha has put this little Catholic village on the map
of our country, and we believe that his unprecedented feat with record
bowling was a special gift from God to our parish," said Father
Prasad Perera of Saint Anthony Parish in Kadalana, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka,
who, along with 5,000 villagers, welcomed Ajantha when he returned home
from the match in Karachi, Pakistan.
Trabzon, Turkey, is in an uproar over the design of a new replica
lighthouse in a commercial center which looks like a cross.
Architect Levent Eyüboğlu calls the uproar a misunderstnding as the
extensions are observation platforms. Trabzon is where Father Andrea
Santoro was murdered in 2006.
Thieves on Postiguet Beach in Alicante,
Spain, are burying stolen wallets, credit cards, passports, etc. in
plastic bags in the sand instead of running away after the theft.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans has
tallied $288MM in damages caused by Hurricane Katrina to its schools,
churches, rental houses, and nursing homes.
24-hour K-Immaculate Heart Humboldt
Radio, KIHH, began programming after five years of planning on 1400 AM in
Humboldt County, California. The programming will be catechetical,
devotional, and inspirational. The catechetical programming will be
teachings from Catholic saints, devotional programming of Mass and
the rosary, and inspirational programming of people and faith.
Father Lu Zhi Zong of Donglu, a Catholic
enclave south of Beijing, was interviewed by Canadian documentary
filmmaker Diana Xiaoping Dai on religious freedom in China while being
monitored by three local officials. "When I did the interview,
I noticed that Father Lu was very nervous. He answered my questions,
but I could tell he was nervous. Honestly, if I knew they were
filming him, I would probably have asked less touch questions." said
the filmmaker. The film was entitled Leap of Faith and was
aired on Canada's Vision TV. Christopher Sumpton, one of the
directors, said, "In fact, the officials said they didn't want us to
use some of his answers, and that they would like to take the tape.
We refused, and we went through a number of negotiations. Eventually
we got out of there with the tape." The Shrine of Our Lady of
Sheshan is in Father Lu's diocese, and the Chinese government has cracked
down on pilgrimages to the shrine.
Philippines Bishop Martin Jumoad and other Catholics
have received a letter demanding that they convert to Islam and pay
jizya/Islamic taxes or "force, weapons or war may be
used." Bishop Jumoad did not recognize the name of the group
who authored the letter. Bishop Jumoad was given 15 days to respond
via two mobile telephone numbers.
U. S. Presidential hopeful Senator Barak Obama's vision
of the Holy Land
Mathieu Belanger/Reuters
Catholic Sir Paul McCartney gave a free
outdoor concert on Sunday, July 20, on the Plains of Abraham in Catholic
Quebec City, Canada, to celebrate Quebec City's 400th
anniversary. Beatles music played throughout the day in Old Quebec
City. Also performing were The Stills and Pascale Picard.
Mathieu Belanger/Reuters
Paul McCartney celebrates Quebec City 400th
anniversary
Mathieu Belanger/Reuters
200,000 fans gather on the Plains of
Abraham in Quebec City, Canada, for a free Paul McCartney concert
Mathieu Belanger/Reuters
Paul McCartney, Plains of Abraham,
Quebec City, Canada
Under Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican has
become carbon neutral. Pope Benedict XVI restored 37 acres of
Hungarian forest at the Vatican - destroyed during the Middle Ages - which
gives off enough oxygen to compensate for the carbon dioxide the Vatican
puts into the air.
"Side Effects," a movie
produced by Catholic Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau, exposes the marketing
techniques of the U. S. pharmaceutical industry: "For 10 years
as a drug rep almost daily I experienced the comical marketing tactics of
the industry as well as their dangerous pursuit of profits that can, and
have, come at the expense of patients' lives. It was very difficult
because the money and perks are so seductive, but eventually I couldn't
look in the mirror any longer."
Pope Benedict XVI, an animal lover,
petted a koala bear and scratched behind its ears. The pope also saw
a wallaby, a baby crocodile and a spiky echidna, all animals native to
Australia brought to the pope from the Taronga Zoo.
Parishioners are worried about Father
Zhangli and a layman, Zhang Jianli, who were arrested as they were
organizing a trip to the Shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan on May 24, which
was prohibited by China this year, and the two have not been heard from
since.
Chase Hilgenbrinck, a 26-year-old New
England Revolution left-back, retired from soccer to enter the
priesthood. "After years of discernment, I feel strongly that
the Lord has called me to become a priest in the Catholic Church.
Though I will miss the game of soccer, I know that I am moving on to
something much greater."
Chinese Bishop John Huo Cheng of Fenyang
and two laypersons were beaten when they went to the construction site of
confiscated Catholic Church property where a Buddist temple is being
built. One of the laypersons was a woman, Li Meiyu. The group
was threatened with death.
Following up on a campaign promise,
French President Nicolas Sarkozy convened a gathering of 43 countries
including European nations, Arab nations, and Israel, at the Grand Palais
near the Seine River in the newly-formed Union for the
Mediterranean. President Sarkozy said Arab nations had made a
"gesture of peace" by attending this inaugural and that leaders
must "learn to love each other in the Mediterranean instead of
continuing to hate and wage war." Cooperative proposals agreed
upon at this first meeting were cleaning up pollution in the Mediterranean
Sea, improving shipping lanes, and developing solar energy.
Ancillary talks were held on Middle Eastern peace but outcome of the U. S.
election in November was the unknown part of the equation.
Vatican City State has the highest per
capita crime rate in the world: 472 criminal trials for 492
residents in 2006. However, 18 million pilgrims visit
the Vatican each year and most crimes are pickpocketing. The
criminal justice system in the Vatican is based on Canon Law, but the
Vatican has the option of turning defendants over to the Italian courts.
Webmaster Father Jeffrey Mickler states,
"StPaulsTube
is a video, audio and image sharing site that allows users to have their
own blogs and blog addresses. It is a site that prohibits vulgarity,
violence, and bigotry. It has a relaxed and family friendly feel. It
was established by the Society of St. Paul, a religious congregation in
the Catholic Church dedicated to the use of media. The site will encourage
an ecumenical and inter-religious perspective and attacks on other
people's religions will be banned."
The Holy See, which includes the Vatican
Secretariat of State, Vatican congregations and pontifical councils,
investment portfolio (earnings of $2.2MM in 2007 vs. $21.5MM in 2006),
real estate, newspaper, radio, publishing, and television, reported a
$14MM deficit for 2007 due to the falling U. S. dollar and lower stock
market performance. Vatican City State, which includes the
Vatican Museums and Post Office, reported a surplus of $10.5MM.
Bishop Jose Munilla Aguirre of the
Diocese of Palencia [Spain] is against pending Spanish legislation that
would recognize the animal rights of monkeys and apes: "Spain
has become the first nation in the world to recognize for monkeys three
fundamental rights of man: The right to life, right to liberty, and the
right to not be tortured physically or psychologically."
Foreign diplomats owe New York City
$1.9MM in unpaid parking tickets. The top five scofflaws are:
Egypt, Kuwait, Nigeria, Indonesia and Brazil. Additionally, the
diplomats are behind in property tax payments to New York City to the tune
of $57.6MM. The top three owing property taxes to New York City are
India, Mongolia and the Philippines. Councilman Eric Gioia, a
Democrat from Queens, wants the federal government to withhold aid from
countries owing taxes and wants to tow cars if the owner of the car owes
more than $5,000 in parking fines. [Editor's note: Diplomats
have legal immunity, so political pressure is sometimes needed to
encourage diplomats to comply with local laws. Illegal parking is a
particular problem in New York City because of the limited space, and
often diplomats are from royal families in their home countries and are de
facto exempt from laws at home and therefore ignore laws in New York
City.]
The happiest people, out of 97 countries
surveyed by the University of Michigan, live in Denmark, Puerto Rico,
Colombia, Iceland, and Northern Ireland. Canada is ninth, New
Zealand is fifteenth, U. S. is sixteenth, Great Britain is
twenty-first. The unhappiest people, in descending order, live in
Zimbabwe, Armenia, Moldova, Belarus and Ukraine.
Update 5:
President Mugabe said of his presidential opponent:
"Tsvangiral and his group must disabuse themselves of their claim to
power." Update 4: George
Charamba, President Mugabe's spokesperson, said about Western countries'
criticism of the recent Zimbabwean election: "They can go
hang. They can go and hang a thousand times." Update 3: We should question Mugabe's Catholic morals Update 2:
President Mugabe won the Zimbabwean unopposed election. "The people of Zimbabwe have the right to choose their
president in fair and free elections. The Southern African Catholic
Bishops' Conference passionately supports this legitimate aspiration of
the Zimbabwean people" said SACBC spokesperson, Cardinal Wilfrid
Napier, Archbishop of Durban in South Africa. Update 1: To
prevent supporters from being harmed, the opposition party has withdrawn
from the June 27 election. "No life should be lost just for an
election." Catholic President Mugabe said he will never step down. Backstory: The Catholic Church
and those who voted against Catholic Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe
are being persecuted. Priests are in hiding, food deliveries are
withheld, and opposition voters are being kidnapped, tortured, maimed and
raped by soldiers and militia groups. President Mugabe lost the
election, but the opposition party agreed to a runoff on June 27.
The Edmonton Catholic School Board in
Canada has instituted a new no-idling of automobiles rule in an effort to
protect the environment.
Alwaleed Bin Talal Humanitarian
Foundation received The Pontifical Medal from Pope Benedict XVI for its
humanitarian work in Lebanon by promoting the welfare and well being of
the Lebanese without regard to religion.
Syria is officially celebrating the
Pauline Year, the 2,000 anniversary of the birth of Saint Paul who was
converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus in Syria. "Syria is
an example of brotherhood between Christians and Muslims. This is
due to its location at the crossroads between Asia, Europe and
Africa," said Syrian Tourism Minister Saadallah Agha Qalaa.
Vatican is concerned about Italian
President Berlusconi's plan to fingerprint all 140,000 Roma and Sinti
(Gypsies) including children, half of whom are Italian citizens, in
fulfillment of his campaign promise to crack down on illegal
immigration. President Berlusconi said fingerprinting children was a
way to ensure that the children were enrolling and attending school
instead of being sent out onto the street to beg.
Filippo Monteforte/Vatican
Pope Benedict XVI and two Piaggio Ape
donated by Piaggio. Ape (pronounced ah-pay) means bees
in Italian. Piaggio also assembles the Vespa scooter popular on
Roman streets.
Update 2:
Father Gallagher has received a July 1 letter from U. S. Immigration to
report to the Immigration office on July 14 for fingerprinting and
photographing. Full Story Update: Father Gallagher holds a baby
after his last Mass at Saint Thomas Aquinas as Bishop Paul Swain of the
Diocese of Sioux Falls has replaced Father Gallagher who is hoping the
South Dakotan congressional delegation will help him get a Green Card.
KSFY
Father Cathal Gallagher
Backstory:
Irish Father Cathal Gallagher has been assigned to Saint Thomas Aquinas in
DeSmet, Iowa, and two other churches, for ten years. The U. S.
State Department has notified Father Gallagher that there was a technical
error when his permanent residency was approved in 2003, and he must now
leave the United States by July. "I have no right to live in
this country. It's your country. I depend on your graciousness
and the goodness of your government to allow me to live in this
country," said Father Gallagher. Parishioners are petitioning
the U. S. government to reopen Father Gallagher's case. Patti Ward
said, "We just don't understand what happened, and he's too important
to lose." The Diocese of Sioux Falls has said it has done all
that it can do.
Thieves stole a box containing the
relics of three bishops from an altar in a German cathedral. The
ivory box was encrusted with 50 topaz and amethysts jewels and contained
the relics of Bishops Maternus, Liborius and Liudger from the dioceses of
Cologne, Paderborn, and Muenster.
Australian Catholic University will
begin accepting students based on their community service as well as their
ENTER scores. "We need to get away from the idea in selecting
people that intellect is divorced from character. They are two sides of
the one coin," said Greg Craven, Vice Chancellor of ACU.
Adriano Stefanelli,
an Italian cobbler in Novara, Italy, makes Pope Benedict XVI's red shoes
from calf or kid leather for the winter and from nappa leather for the
summer. Antonio Arellano, a Peruvian shoemaker in Borgo, the
medieval quarter next to Saint Peter's Square, repairs Pope Benedict XVI's
shoes.
The Valencian Health Centers in
Valencia, Spain, are monitoring 100 children whose fingernails and
toenails have fallen off due to a virus which can be contracted from the
air and from playing with contaminated toys.
The Vatican has announced that at papal
liturgies the Eucharist will be received by the communicant on the tongue
while kneeling as this is Pope Benedict XVI's preference.
Catholic California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger stressed the importance of health-care reform, "Even
if it takes praying 20 rosaries a day every day, I will be on my knees
praying the 20 rosaries, and we are going to get the job done."
Ahn Young-joon/AP
Nuns in Seoul, South Korea, protest U.
S. beef imports because of fear of mad cow disease. Signs read,
"Renegotiation."
Three copies of the 1455 Guttenberg
Bible will be on display at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City
through September 28.
The most popular names for babies born
in New York State during 2007 were: Isabella , Sophia, Emily, Olivia
and Ava for girls; Michael, Matthew, Anthony, Joseph and Daniel for boys.
Brazilian soccer legend Pelé was mugged near Santos, Brazil, by
ten youths with knives and guns who stole his gold necklace, watch, and
cellphone.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, upon
visiting Bethlehem in the Holy Land, said the concrete wall surrounding
Bethlehem will not bring peace. President Sarkozy said of Jerusalem,
"It's a holy city for three faiths, Jews, Christians and
Muslims. Can Jerusalem be for one side and not the other? I don't
think so."
Upon the official opening of the Pauline
Jubilee Year, Bishop Luigi Padovese told Vatican Radio, "The Catholic
Church 'does not exist' in Turkey, parishes 'don't exist,' an episcopal
conference 'doesn't exist,' with all the consequences that derive from
this lack of juridical recognition." Bishop Padovese asked
Catholics to make a pilgrimage to Turkey, not just as tourists, but as
pilgrims, during the Pauline Jubilee Year. "It is necessary to
give this witness showing that in the Christian world there are those who
have faith, who have religious values as opposed to the opinion that
exists at times that Christianity and the West are the same thing - a
corrupt West and a corrupt religion, Christianity. It must be
demonstrated that it isn't like this."
Daniel R. Patmore/AP
Saint Stephen Church in Land Between the
Lakes Recreation Area in Golden Pond, Kentucky
The approved planned bullet train
linking Barcelona, Madrid and France is being criticized because
construction would be seven feet from Antoni Gaudi's Sagrada Familia/Holy
Family Cathedral. Opponents believe the cathedral's foundation could
be compromised similar to a subway extension three years ago in the Carmel
neighborhood of Barcelona which caused nearby homes and businesses to
collapse.
Reuters
Mass in Buon Ma Thuot, Vietnam
German Catholic Church and The Catholic
University of Eichstaett in Bavaria spar over academic freedom. More
Vatican's Islamic-Catholic Liaison
Committee ended its 14th meeting with five conclusions:
![Bishop Christopher Saunders of the Diocese of Broome [Australia] tries to play the traditional didgeridoo, an Gadigal indiginous instrument. Bishop Saunders said playing the didgeridoo is harder than it looks.](TempBishopSaundersAustralia.jpg)
