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No
girls or clapping at Communion
Rome, October 6th, 2003 (ACPress.net).
Girls holding the wafers
or clapping in the sanctuary? Please! The answer from the Vatican
to these and other issues is a rotund 'No!'
The Vatican is preparing a document to try and bring some uniformity
to the celebration of Communion in Catholic churches, as reports
reach them of applause in some places, and of girls helping
the priests officiate in others. A total of 37 "liturgical
abuses" are to be outlawed. "Priests are in no way
to feel obliged to call on girls to officiate", says the
document. In future, such a move will have to be approved by
the Bishop.
Other practices Rome wishes to eliminate include applause, dancing
and the participation of clergy from non-Catholic churches.
The document itself is not due out until the end of the year,
but 'Jesus' magazine (close to the powers-that-be) has published
a 'trailer' of what is to come. The document will exhort "every
Catholic, priest, deacon or lay member" to denounce any
infringement of the new rules to their superiors. Some will
say the Inquisition is back, but at least they know what they
want.
Source: Efe. Editing: ACPress.net
European Parliament tries
to hide from God
Strasbourg, October 6th, 2003 (ACPress.net).
The European Parliament
has rejected a request to include references to the Christian
roots of the European Union or "an express recognition
of the legacy of Christianity in the history and cultural identity
of Europe" in the preamble to the European Constitution.
Despite pressure from the Vatican, Euro MPs voted against the
inclusion of any reference to Christianity. In a report, they
say the issue is superficial and that Christian values are already
sufficiently covered in the Charter of Human Rights and the
Constitution as a whole. The vote was close nonetheless: 211
in favour and 283 against the inclusion. Certain tensions can
be detected, with those in favour accusing opponents of trying
to eradicate Christianity completely from the public sphere,
while the other side believe some want to use God to open a
debate about other issues.
The Italian representative appointed for the forthcoming Inter-Governmental
Conference, Roberto Antonione, warned of an impasse if European
leaders did not reach agreement soon. The Italian presidency
is desirous of reaching a consensus on the Constitution by December,
so that the issue may be ready in time for European elections
next June.
Source: E. Press. Editing: ACPress.net
Vatican still going round
the Earth after Galileo
Rome, October 6th, 2003 (ACPress.net).
It took the Roman Catholic
authorities almost 500 years to admit Luther wasn't completely
heretical, so really it is early days in the case of astronomer
Galileo, whose last visit to Rome was in 1633, because the debate
about him has resurfaced.
Apparently, Galileo never said eppur si muove ('nevertheless
it moves') but historians agree he would have affirmed the Moon
to be made of green cheese in order to save himself from the
terrors of the Inquisition and go home. Even the Pope apologised
for the rough treatment the Catholic Church dished out to Galileo
so that he would deny that the Earth went round the Sun.
That apology, in 1992, came - hard though it might be to believe
- after a papal committee studied the case for 14 years! What
they did for all that time can only be guessed at, but it obviously
wasn't enough because just 11 years on, the case is being re-opened
and the apology seems likely to be modified and any ideas of
contrition and repentance retracted. Is their startling new
evidence? Does the Earth perhaps not go round the Sun after
all?
Not quite that dramatic but it is more than a touch ironic that
the process is being revived by the 'Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith', the successor to the Inquisition. It says the
Catholic Church has never been scared of science and that what
historians have hitherto said about the process against Galileo
is all lies and an attempt to accuse the Vatican of obscurantism
and cruelty. What really happened, says Rome, is that Galileo
retracted his views for fear of hell, not the Inquisition. Galileo
was never tortured, according to Archbishop Amato, and there
was never any thought of taking delight in his suffering. Indeed,
the then Pope, Urban VIII, asked for the process to be speeded
up due to Galileo's poor health.
This latest twist comes from the sudden discovery in the Inquisition
archives of a letter written by comissary Vicenzo Maculano de
Firenzuola on April 22nd, 1633 to Cardinal Francesco Barberini,
the Pope's nephew, expressing the Pope's concern for Galileo
- who was 69 years old at the time and very fragile. Unfortunately
for this latest Vatican publicity campaign, its offensive coincides
with the release of new research about Galileo which shows quite
clearly his fear of the Inquisition, and his suffering at their
hands.
One of these books, 'Galileo in Rome: chronicle of 500 days',
shows how, by the time he reached Rome in 1633, he was depressed
at all the trouble his discoveries had got him into. The Inquisition
was in full cry. No matter how famous the heretic, the situation
was dangerous. After all, Giordano Bruno had been tortured over
7 years for similar theories before being burnt alive in 1600.
Galileo was 36 at the time and the horror of it stayed with
him. After all, Descartes - silenced through fright - had gone
to Sweden and the protection of Queen Christine, while the books
of friar Nicholas Copernicus had been on the banned list for
years.
Source: El País. Editing: ACPress.net
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Theologian
warns of threat posed by globalisation
Mexico City, October 3rd,
2003 (ACPress.net).
René Padilla,
Baptist theologian and leader of the Latin American Theological
Fraternity, says Christians must resist the consumer society
and the negative effects of globalisation, for it is a system
constructed on false premises and distorted values.
This was the conclusion presented by Padilla in a talk given
in the Mexican town of Querétaro, attended by around
200 people from 50 countries. The occasion was the II World
Consultation on the impact of globalisation on the poor, organised
by Padilla's 'Micah Network', which is made up of around 50
individuals and 200 evangelical organisations.
In his talk, Padilla refuted the idea that capitalist globalisation
is a new stage of modernisation. The fact is that the ideology
of consumerism has its roots in modern times, coming out of
the Enlightenment in Europe. "In Latin America we have
learnt, sadly, that whether we like it or not, we are part of
world economic system over which our governments have little
or no control."
Padilla added the most dramatic effect of this world market
economy was the emergence of a new division in society polarising
the rich and poor, which is especially visible in the Third
World. "The problem (for Christians) which global capitalism
poses is not merely or even mainly economic...but moral and
spiritual. "Behind the materialism which characterises
the consumerist society are the powers of destruction."
Padilla said the first thing we have to do is trust in the power
of God and put on His armour. In other words, the answer to
dehumanising globalisation "is to recognise with absolute
rigour that our life and mission are rooted in the Gospel."
This is a public message which must be proclaimed in the context
of a global economy which threatens life itself, said Padilla.
"If Christians have been saved to serve, there is no place
for the division which we often make between personal and social
evangelism, between evangelism and social responsibility. In
a world profoundly affected by poverty, exploitation, institutional
violence and injustice, the Church is called to live out the
love and justice of God."
Source: ALC. Editing: ACPress.net
Moves to unite Bible Day
in Nicaragua
Managua, October 5th, 2003 (ACPress.net).
The celebration of National
Bible Day should be more ecumenical and educational, says Church
of God pastor, William González Campos, who believes
the churches should get more involved than hitherto.
Campos regrets the fact that evangelicals celebrate the day
separately. By law, Nicaragua commemorates on September 28th
each year, the publication in Switzerland of the first translation
of the Holy Scriptures into Spanish by Casiodoro de la Reina.
In San Rafael Sur, a little village about 40 miles south of
the capital, pastors from various churches announced that on
September 27th they would carry torches in a march for reconciliation
and peace. The torches would be carried by young people for
more than 60 miles.
Then on September 28th, Bible Day itself, the evangelicals were
due to march through the capital before ending up in a park
to pray, asking God to help the nation's judges. González
proposed the creation of an ecumenical Bible forum with leaders
from evangelical and Catholic churches, and the major cults,
without any group losing its identity.
Other churches, members of the Nicaraguan Evangelical Alliance,
together with the Bible Society, will march through the streets
of the capital with floats and Christian school bands. The march
will end in John Paul II Square, near the shore of Lake Managua.
Source: ALC. Editing: ACPress.net
Sexuality programme for
Brazilian churches
Londrina, Brazil. October
4th, 2003 (ACPress.net).
The Latin American Council
of Churches (CLAI) has organised a programme of sexual education,
specifically directed at evangelical churches in Brazil.
Three seminars have been held recently in different parts of
Brazil, imparting information from a biblical and medical perspective.
One of the leaders of the programme, Dr. Campaña from
Ecuador, says "Sexuality is a human attribute 'invented'
by God, but humans have distorted it over the years until reaching
the state of degradation we see today. It's time the Church
rediscovered the purposes of sexuality in God's creation and
rescued this marvellous element with which we were made."
The programme has been used in 20 countries in Latin America
with an excellent response from churches. The seminars are designed
to help people think more deeply about the subject. Each participant
receives a pack including theological and scientific aspects
of the topic, as well as a proposed methodology for putting
the lesson learnt into practice in the context of Brazilian
evangelicalism.
Seminars on other subjects are under consideration, including
Youth and Affection, Sexuality and Ethics, Women and Self-Esteem,
and Sexually-transmitted diseases. Campaña says "there
is a great desire to know about subjects such as homosexuality,
but first people should understand their own sexuality, so that
they can then understand or consider difficult issues. If people
are not fully aware of what sexuality is, then they will hardly
understand other subjects."
Source: CLAI. Editing: ACPress.net
Christian book on indigenous
children presented to U.N.
Santiago, October 8th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
A book telling the story
of 16 indigenous Chilean boys and girls from eight different
ethnic groups, written by Patricio Cuevas and including testimonies
and photos of the children, has been presented to the United
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.
The occasion was a special session discussing the rights of
indigenous children around the world, especially issues to do
with discrimination and the need to respect cultural identity.
Next year sees the end of a 10-year period set by the United
Nations to help indigenous peoples, and Cuevas - who works for
the Christian organisation, 'World Vision' - visited the remotest
parts of Chile to interview children aged between 4 and 12,
in an effort to enrich the U.N. debate.
Cuevas said the aim was to find policies which helped the children
but there were no children present at the meeting. Therefore
he took this book which contains the views of some of these
children. The book was financed by World Vision International
through their office for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Source: ALC. Editing: ACPress.net
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Syrian
Christians choose Prayer Week 2004 topic
Aleppo, October 6th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
Christians in Syria have
prepared the topics for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
2004, which will be held in Brazil from May 23rd to 30th. The
motto will be 'My peace I give to you.'
The subject was chosen by an ecumenical group in the Syrian
city of Aleppo, who say the concept of peace is "global
and includes the vertical relationship with God and the horizontal
one between men and women." The Bible text chosen for the
Week of Prayer 2004 is John 14:23-31, in which Jesus explains
that the peace He gives is completely different from the kind
of peace which most people are striving after today.
The group in Aleppo is made up of Protestants, Catholics and
different Orthodox denominations. Each year the Prayer Week
is organised jointly by the Papal Council for the Promotion
of Christian Unity and the World Council of Churches' Faith
and Constitution Commission. Aleppo, in northern Syria and east
of the site of the ancient city of Antioch, has a population
of 1.5 million, of whom 10% are Christians.
Source: ALC. Editing: ACPress.net
Nigerian stoning sentence
revoked
Lagos, October 6th, 2003 (ACPress.net).
An Islamic appeal court
has overturned the death sentence by stoning against Amina Lawal,
a Nigerian woman who had a child outside wedlock, due to 'technical
faults'.
Human rights campaigners welcomed the decision by a court in
the town of Katsina, and the Nigerian goverment will presumably
be relieved too as the case had damaged its reputation internationally.
The case was brought under Islamic 'sharia' law which has been
introduced in a number of northern states. Lawal had been due
to be executed in January, after her child reached the age of
2 and the mother stopped breast-feeding.
The case has been subject to various postponements and has caused
concern abroad, not least because the child's father was let
off. Even the Muslim population of Nigeria has been divided
on the issue, and the case has been deeply embarrassing for
President Olusegun Obasanjo. At a press conference on an overseas
trip, he insisted that his goverment would not allow anyone
to be stoned to death in Nigeria. Lawal could yet have appealed
on constitutional grounds to the Nigerian Supreme Court. It
is hoped she will now not have to do so.
Source C. SER. Editing: ACPress.net
Indian missionary murderer
sentenced to death
New Delhi, October 8th, 2003 (ACPress.net).
The National Church Council
of India has announced that the murderer of Australian missionary
Graham Staines and his two sons, aged 8 and 10, has been sentenced
to death. They were burnt to death in their jeep in 1999.
Dara Singh, a Hindu radical, was sentenced along with 12 other
male accomplices. The murderers, who would not let the two boys
out of the burning jeep despite pleas from their father, also
ignored the fact that Staines, then 58, had founded and run
a leprosy treatment centre in the region for 24 years. His 'crime'
was being a Christian and trying to bring others to the Lord.
Staines worked in Baripada, in Orissa State, and Singh claimed
he had 'converted' many Indians to Christianity. The sentence
sends a strong message to the numerous groups of religious fanatics
in India that violence against Christians or other minority
groups will not be tolerated.
Source. ENI. Editing: ACPress.net
Johnny Cash dies aged 71
Nashville, USA. October 8th,
2003 (ACPress.net).
One of the best-known
country and gospel singers of his generation, Johnny Cash, has
died at the age of 71.
Cash died on September 19th just four days after being sent
home from Nashville Baptist Hospital. Cash's distinctive baritone
voice and cowboy look swept the country music scene, and led
to several Grammy prizes. Cash was a committed Christian and
sang many gospel songs. However, he did not easily fit into
the mould of Christian music. In one of his last interviews
he was asked if he considered himself a 'Christian artist'.
He replied: "I am an artist who is a Christian. I am not
a 'Christian artist'.
Source: Ramón Pujol/Art&cel.
Editing: ACPress.net
New Catholic political group
created in USA
Boston, USA. October 8th,
2003 (ACPress.net).
'Your Catholic Voice'
is a new political movement just created in the USA by lay members
of the Catholic Church. It is not affiliated to any political
party, unless you count the Vatican as one, and its aim is to
encourage Catholics to participate in the social and political
life of America.
The Chairman of the new group is Raymond Flynn, ex-American
Ambassador to - you guessed it - the Vatican, and one-time Democrat
Mayor of Boston, who says the movement is an answer to the call
of the Church to get involved in social and political action.
The aim is to "help Catholic cultivate their faith through
a better understanding of the social teachings of the Roman
Catholic Church and encourage them to participate in politics."
American Catholic Bishops once said that every political candidate
ought to be measured according to how they treated people, if
they protected or despised human life, their attitude to human
rights and how much they do for the good of others. Flynn describes
his own politics as "pro-life, pro-family and pro-the poor."
'Your Catholic Voice' (YCV) will only concentrate on issues
on which the teachings of the Catholic Church are not sufficiently
clear already. For instance, the absolute sanctity of human
life from conception till natural death. YCV believes in the
primacy of the family "as the basic unit of society, the
first church, the first government, the first school, the first
hospital, the first economy and the first mediatory institution
in society." YCV is also committed to the principle of
religious freedom.
On the Press, Flynn says that most are in disagreement with
Catholic teaching so that he does not expect a fair or balanced
coverage of issues relevant to the Catholic Church. "Catholics
should boycott the (sections) of the Press which are disrespectful
to the Catholic Church and its moral principles."
Source: PE, Zenit. Editing:
ACPress.net
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