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Evangelical
Alliance defends RETO against attacks in Greece
Barcelona, October 3rd, 2003
(ACPress.net).
The Spanish Evangelical
Alliance (AEE) is lending its support to its Greek counterpart
in efforts to defend 'RETO', an evangelical drug-rehabilitation
operation, from attacks in the Greek media.
Juame Llenas, General Secretary of the AEE, has written to the
Greek Alliance saying that RETO enjoys a good reputation in
Spain, after his Greek colleague had asked him for his opinion.
"They have grown into a large outfit and become an international
mission organisation. In Spain,as in Greece, they have specialised
in social work especially with drug addicts."
The AEE letter continues: "They have a good relationship
with charismatic and non-charismatic churches, and also with
Pastors' fraternals. We believe there are reasons to support
them. If the problem had occurred in Spain, we would have come
out in their defence." In Greece, the power of the Greek
Orthodox Church and the general ignorance of Protestantism often
leads to the Press labelling as a 'cult', any minority group,
rather as happens with non-Catholic groups in Spain.
RETO leaders in Madrid have expressed their gratitude at the
AEE's mediation, and have explained that the leaders of RETO
in Greece are Spanish missionaries who have gone out from RETO-Spain
and with whom they maintain close links. They also say that
the Greek press calls them a cult from time to time, "which
is painful, but something we have become used to."
This is not the first time a European Evangelical Alliance (EEA)
has been called on to inform or give its view about issues which
affect Spanish evangelicals, as in some countries their Alliances
wield considerable influence, and the EEA is officially represented
in the European Parliament in Brussels.
Source & Editing: ACPress.net
ACPress.net
reaches 9,000 subscribers
Madrid, October 3rd, 2003
(ACPress.net).
A month old and ACPress.net
has reached the figure of 9,000 subscribers, while its sister
magazine on the web, 'ProtestanteDigital.com' has registered
8,500 hits in its first four weeks.
ACPress.net offers a series of weekly news bulletins in Spanish
and English, covering national and international news from an
evangelical perspective, while the digital magazine is updated
twice weekly, and as well as including all the news bulletins,
offers a series of articles and other features. ACPress.net
and ProtestanteDigital.com are part of a project under the auspices
of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance.
Source & Editing: ACPress.net
Education Minister fails
Religion
Madrid, October 3rd, 2003
(ACPress.net).
If Pilar del Castillo's
performance over the imposition of R.E. classes in state schools
had been marked as an exam, the Education Minister would have
failed and be repeating in September. According to a radio survey,
60% believe her governing Popular Party are more interested
in private education and that the opposition Socialist Party
would make a better fist of sorting out state education.
A majority of parents oppose the government's decision to make
R.E. obligatory and part of the School Certificate curriculum
from next academic year. Other changes, such as repeating the
year if a pupil fails his exams, September resits and the grading
system, are more easily accepted. Half of all parents do not
spend an hour a day helping their children with their homework.
Source: C. SER. Editing: ACPress.net
Parents
to take new Catholic school owners to court over changes
Madrid, October 3rd, 2003
(ACPress.net).
Parents at the private
school in northern Madrid which was taken over by an ultra-conservative
Catholic group - 'Christ's Legionnaires' - say they are going
to form an Association to take legal action against the new
owners, because of the radical change of orientation the school
is undergoing after term has started. They are to hold conversations
with political parties and the education authorities.
Sixty pupils have already left the school, despite the difficulty
of finding places at this time of year. Many parents allege
that although the new Headmaster, Manuel Galiot, said he would
not change the school's ideology this academic year, he has
already sent round a letter in which he sets out his plan to
impart "his rich pedagogical experience" gained "over
many years devoted to teaching."
When General Franco first named a member of Opus Dei as a Minister
in his goverment, the movement's founder exclaimed in an outburst
of euphoria: "They've made us Ministers!" That was
in the 1960s but even then Christ's Legionnaires were on the
march, competing with Opus for members and influence. Today,
there are more Ministers in the government who are Legionnaires
than are members of the Opus Dei, even though there is no indication
that the Legionnaire's founder, the Mexican Marcial Degollado,
was ever as enthusiastic about politics as the founder of Opus
Dei, Escrivá de Balaguer.
The Legionnaires were founded in Mexico in 1941 and grew rapidly
in Franco's Spain, isolated from the criticism of their founder
in countries with freedom of expression. Today they have a university,
two training colleges, conference centres in different parts
of the country, and many famous names among their supporters.
The Legionnaires currently have 500 ordained priests (or those
in the process of becoming so) in Spain, and around 3,000 worldwide.
What most enthuses the Pope about the organisation is their
capacity to inspire the conservative youth, despite the fact
that the founder, Marciel, has been accused by eight different
people of child abuse.
Sources: La Razón,
El País, ESD. Editing: ACPress.net
Lumen Dei opens Press Department
Madrid, October 4th, 2003 (ACPress.net).
The Catholic group 'Lumen
Dei' inaugurated its Press Department recently, with the longer-term
aim of having its own TV channel, linked to other Catholic stations,
"so that the message of salvation might reach everyone",
in the words of its founders.
The group considers itself the heir of Ignacio Loyola, the 'father'
of the Counter-Reformation and founder of the Jesuits. Indeed,
the founder of Lumen Dei was a Jesuit priest, and placed special
emphasis on the Ignatian spirit of spiritual exercises including
penitence, mortification and sacrifice.
Sources: El País, ESD.
Editing: ACPress.net
Archbishop of Madrid reminds
voters of church criteria
Madrid, October 3rd, 2003 (ACPress.net).
The Catholic Cardinal
and six Bishops who oversee their church's affairs in Madrid
province kept silence during the May local elections, but have
now spoken out in attempts to influence the Catholic vote in
new elections later this month which have been caused by the
crisis of Councillors who have crossed the chamber.
The religious leaders have published a communiqué intended
"to illumine the conscience when it comes to casting a
vote...in an exhortation to Catholics and anyone else who will
listen." The clerics list subjects which are beyond the
remit of the Madrid Assembly such as divorce, abortion, euthanasia
and terrorism. They urge the faithful not to vote for "political
proposals" which ignore ecclesiastical criteria.
The episcopal 'note', signed firstly by the Archbishop of Madrid,
Cardinal Antonio Rouco, says "in fulfilment of our mission
as pastors, we have the duty to remind people of some basic
elements of political morality." In a clear reference to
political ideas which go against the teachings of the Catholic
Church, the note calls on Catholic voters not to put politics
above the church.
Source: El País. Editing:
ACPress.net
Happily married women are
healthier
Madrid, October 3rd, 2003
(ACPress.net).
Getting married is not
enough - one must be happy about it too. At least, this is the
conclusion of some American scientists who have shown that happily
married women enjoy better health than single ladies or women
who are not completely happy in their marriages.
Research studied 439 women aged between 42 and 50 over a period
of 13 years. Happily married women had fewer cardiovascular
problems than their less satisfied counterparts of the same
age. Their risk profile was less than that of single women,
widows or divorcees. Unfortunately for Christian advocates of
marriage, the same was true of those who were happily living
together.
Source: ABC. Editing: ACPress.net
When I consider the works
of your hands
Madrid, October 3rd, 2003
(ACPress.net).
The Director of the Astro-physics
Institute in the Canary Islands, Rafael Rebolo, says that between
10% and 15% of known stars could have planets similar to Earth.
More than 100 planets have been discovered near non-solar stars
since the first was located in 1995, though all of them are
'Jupiter-style', that is, huge, gaseous planets. Six or seven
per cent of known solar stars have planets, though Rebolo says
what is really important is not that they exist, but how many
of them could be similar to Earth. To date the question remains
unanswered, as the means to detect them do not exist.
Yet the means may be on the way. Gigantic 50 metre telescopes
which can pick up enough light and yet separate the planet's
light from the star's light, one of the problems which exists
at present. Rebolo adds that if planets the size of Earth were
detected in stars near the Sun, and at a similar distance from
their stars to that of the Earth from the Sun, and there were
also seas on the planets, then there could be simple forms of
life there. Sounds like a lot of ifs, but it's the best the
evolutionists can come up with. On the other hand, when the
Christian considers the works of God and the fact that He has
placed the Earth just in the right place...
Source: E. Press. Editing:
ACPress.net
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