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School parents want Legionnaires funding investigation
Villaviciosa de Odón, November
21st, 2003 (ACPress.net).
Parents at the school
sold to the Catholic group 'Christ's Legionnaires' have called
for an investigation into whether local education authorities
gave the group preferential treatment regarding help and grants.
So far, 87 pupils out of a total of 650 have left since the
school was taken over three days into the new school year. Parents
unhappy at the change, and especially the clandestine way in
which it was made, have held meetings with the main political
parties except the ruling Popular Party, who cancelled an appointment
they had made with the parents three days before recent elections.
There are members of the Legionnaires high up in the government,
and parents suspect the group have received more than 4 million
euros since 2000 in grants from Madrid Council and the regional
assembly. At least some of that money may have been invested
in stocks and shares. The parents recognise that there has been
no change in the teaching at the school since the sale to the
Legionnaires, but put that down to the pressure they have put
on the school, given that the new Headmaster said notable changes
would take place.
The parents want to know if public money has been used to help
the group, be it through direct grants, or indirect means such
as tax exemptions or land given to a group which "is far
from constitutional values such as non-discrimination or tolerance."
Source: E. PRESS. Editing:
ACPress.net
Every
good Spaniard is Catholic
Madrid, November 21st, 2003
(ACPress.net).
Relations between the
Spanish government and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church
go from strength to strength. After the success of the papal
visit for the relationship (the Pope did not mention the government's
support for the war against Iraq), it was now time to congratulate
Prime Minister José María Aznar on the wonderful
relations enjoyed by one and all during his tenure.
Well, by 'one and all', let the reader understand those with
whom he has a relationship. While he bade farewell to the Catholic
authorities - he is not standing at the next election as party
leader - he has not even deigned to meet any representatives
of Spanish Protestantism whilst he has been in office. Meanwhile
the King, on the proposal of the Council of Ministers, awarded
the Great Cross of Isabel I to Cardinal Antonio María
Rouco, Chairman of the Spanish Catholic Episcopate, the Vatican's
nuncio in Spain, and the current Bishop of Córdoba who
organised the papal trip.
Government ministers lined up to pin the awards on these Catholic
notables, while the Archbishop of Madrid recalled the woman
in whose honour the Cross is named: "an eminent Queen who
left an indelible mark on the history and soul of Spain, not
only politically and culturally, but also deeply spiritual."
She certainly left an indelible mark on anyone who disagreed
with her prototype of national Catholicism: the Jews were expelled,
the Moors ejected or forcibly converted, Protestants tortured
and burned by an invention of her reign - the Inquisition -,
and so on.
However, these small blots on her copybook were not to put Sr.
Rouco off; Isabel had confirmed the historic link between Spain
and Catholicism, whose ancestors believed in the Gospel "unanimously,
faithfully and with great fervour, from Roman times to the present
day." Of course, the rack and other toys in the torture
chamber helped maintain the status quo in centuries past.
Prime Minister Aznar thanked the Pope for his condemnation of
terrorism, but omitted to mention his condemnation of the war
against Iraq. He then expressed the view that relations between
the Catholic Church and the state were perfectly normal, with
each institution occupying its rightful place. "I believe
I have contributed to that normality. I think there are fewer
areas of controversy than there were eight years ago, and I
am especially satisfied with that." So, never mind the
rest.
Source: ESD. Editing: ACPress.net
Now she's
married, now she's not
Madrid, November 24th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
Experts in canon law
consider that the church wedding between Prince Felipe and Letizia
Ortiz is not open to question, and that the dissolved registry-office
marriage of the bride is no impediment to heading down the aisle
in a Catholic church. However, one expert in ecclesiastical
law, Daniel Tirapu, says Ortiz will have to be asked her opinion
on the indissoluble nature of marriage before the wedding, and
whether she realises that for a Catholic, marriage is a sacrament.
Tirapu, Head of Canon Law at Jaén University, does not
believe Ortiz will have to make any public declaration prior
to the wedding, given that she will do so in the marriage vows.
But what will happen if her answers to the above questions are
not satisfactory? Could she fail the Catholic exam? Tirapu says
it would not be an obstacle to the wedding, though he underlines
the importance of marriage classes for any prospective couple,
royalty included.
Catholic rules say that when one partner is not Catholic or
is out of step with the Catholic Church (as in Ortiz's case),
the other half must promise not to abandon the faith, to christen
any children they will have as Catholics and to bring them up
as such. There is little room for ecumenism when a child's upbringing
is at stake. The Catholic Church has no time for secular law
either, when it comes to marriage. It admits, reluctantly, that
someone like Ortiz was, technically, married, at least in civil
terms.
However, as the Catholic Church did not have anything to do
with the union, it does not recognise it, thus conveniently
leaving the path clear for Ortiz to get married in church -
for the first time, in Catholic eyes. Another canon law expert,
Santiago Panizo, says the other marriage is utterly irrelevant
as far as the Catholic Church is concerned. Shame that God does
not see things the same way.
Some legal experts say the church should evaluate the first
marriage to see if it has any validity in ecclesiastical terms,
but others say there is no reason why Ortiz and her prince cannot
hear nuptial Mass just like any other Catholic couple.
Source: LA RAZÓN. Editing:
ACPress.net
Let Satan
play with the pots
Madrid, November 26th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
"Ouija boards are
not a trivial game. Superstition offends Jesus Christ because
it means one does not trust sufficiently in Him." So says
Italian exorcist, Francesco Bamonte, the author of a book on
Satanic occult activity and supposed communication with the
'other world'.
The book is entitled 'The damage of spiritualism' and Bamonte
- whose work involves pastoral care for people who have fallen
under the influence of mediums - says "spiritualist sessions
are usually no more than tricks which in some cases allow people
to enter into contact with their own subconscious. However,
sometimes they come into contact with demonic spirits who pretend
to be the souls of people who have died."
Bamonte says dabbling in the occult can lead to physical illness
and mental disturbance among participants. Ailments such as
anxiety, depression, the inability to digest food and aches
are common. Then there is sleeplessness, the inability to study
or work, general agitation, fear of dark places and unpleasant
situations such as feeling somebody hitting you. As for the
influence of the occult on locations, such as houses, Bamonte
says objects can move around for no apparent reason, and a variety
of noises can be heard, including bells ringing, banging on
the roof or walls, shouts or footsteps.
One is reminded of Luther's advice to a minister tormented by
poltergeists in his house. 'Let Satan play with the pots. Meanwhile
pray to God with your wife and children and say, 'Be off, Satan!
I'm lord in this house not you. By divine authority I'm head
of this household, and I have a call from heaven to be pastor
of this church.'
Source: LA RAZÓN. Editing:
ACPress.net
When giving
up is so hard to do
Madrid, November 26th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
According to Karl Fagerström,
a Swedish expert on the issue, there are no magic formulae for
giving up smoking. The most effective methods currently available
against the addiction are therapy with nicotine substitutes,
and an anti-depressive drug, Bupropion, but none of them guarantee
success.
Why is it so hard to give it up? Fagerström has been studying
the subject and created a test which bears his name. He says
that when people try to give up smoking and fail, they put it
down to a lack of willpower, when in reality it is a physical
addiction. The body adapts to tobacco, as can be seen when a
person who tries it for the first time often feels sick, and
if they smoked 30 cigarettes a day they would end up in hospital.
Significantly, smokers consider the first cigarette of the day,
not the one which tastes best, but the most necessary as their
body requests the accustomed level of nicotine. Substitutes
work in two ways; they permit the person to function normally,
and then later begin to reduce the dosage. Warnings on cigarette
packets might not be a bad thing, but they do not solve the
problem. When all is said and done, not everyone feels the same
predisposition to smoke, and Fagerström believes there
is a genetic factor involved.
Source: ABC. Editing: ACPress.net
Burger
TV
Madrid, November 26th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
Child obesity has increased
in the last decade as has the consumption of junk food by children
who are constantly bombarded with adverts for chocolate bars,
crisps, hamburgers, pizzas and so forth.
Can anything be done? Some experts say that healthier food should
be given as much advertising space as its junk counterpart,
and that legislation should be used to prevent abuse. An editorial
in 'The Lancet' talks about the concern of the British Food
Standards Authority at what children are eating, and at the
advertising of junk products. A clear relationship is drawn
between the eating habits of children and the advertisements
they watch, though it is not easy to evaluate to what degree
preferences are formed this way.
Research shows that there are four main areas of TV food advertising:
breakfasts with sugar-coated cereals, fizzy drinks, sweets and
savoury aperitifs. Fast-food shops could be considered the fifth
element (or column?). 'The Lancet' offers the following suggestions
to help with the problem: ban adverts of junk food involving
famous people, increase the number of schools which offer healthy
dinners, one supermarket in the UK is considering reducing the
salt content in its processed food, and another idea is the
removal of sweet counters from next to check-outs. Chemists
should sell none at all.
Most of all, producers of healthy food should learn advertising
techniques from their junk food counterparts: cauliflowers,
broccoli and cabbages are hardly ever advertised. Junk food
producers should be obliged by law to state the nutritional
content of their products.
Source: EL MUNDO. Editing: ACPress.net
Euthanasia
fading from view in Spain
Madrid, November 26th, 2003
(ACPress.net).
The Spanish Geriatrics
Society believes the elderly need to be given more autonomy,
that more needs to be done in palliative care for the terminally
ill, but moral doubts remain about euthanasia.
In the USA, a court has ruled that Terri Schiavo, a woman in
a vegetative coma, must be kept alive. In France, noone knows
how to respond to the case of Vincent Humbert, a 23-year-old
tetraplegic, also blind and dumb, who wrote a book about his
experiences, and a letter to the President asking as a favour
for the right to die. France is still debating whether his mother
or his doctor is responsible for his death.
In Spain, despite the publicity given to the death of Ramón
Sampedro, a tetraplegic, a few years ago, euthanasia has lost
ground and more efforts are being made in improving the care
received by the terminally ill. Diego Gracia, Head of Medical
History at Madrid University, comments "when someone says
they want to die, often they mean that they want to live differently."
He says doctors are not well-trained in offering palliative
care, and more needs to be done, rather than seeking to legalise
euthanasia, which he terms 'cynical'.
Gracia believes there are three basic components of palliative
care: "The control of symptoms, openness between doctor
and patient about their real state, and the support of an inter-disciplinary
team." He continued that the fact that euthanasia had lost
importance was a good sign, as it "probably means that
society is changing its concept of a 'decent death', which historically
has been identified as natural, slow, caused by illness and
with enough time for the person to sort out his affairs and
say goodbye to their families."
Source: ABC. Editing: ACPress.net
New addictions
include mobile phones and chat rooms
Barcelona, November 26th, 2003 (ACPress.net).
Tobacco is not the only
addiction, perhaps not even the most common. Josep Jansà,
medical coordinator at the Addictions Treatment and Investigation
Centre, said "the most notable addictions currently are
chat room, mobile phones and shopping."
Jansà also said that television remains very popular
and there are also people who structure their lives around roleplay
games. Addictions to work or sex are socially more acceptable
so not so many problems surface in these areas. Jaime Almenara,
a psychologist, defined an addiction as when a person focuses
so much on one thing that they are unable to do other things,
and to the extent that it makes it hard for them to have normal
personal relationships. In young people it may have to do with
a lack of a sense of personal identity, or of dissatisfaction
in someone who is older.
"To prevent addiction, we have to explain the use of these
gadgets as well as their dangers. We need to promote a more
rational use of them, and how to use them without overdoing
it."
Source: E. PRESS. Editing: ACPress.net
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