Colombian bishops threaten civil disobedience, excommunication for creators of new abortion law
Bogotá, Colombia, May 12, 2006 (CNA) -
In
response to a ruling by Colombia’s Constitutional Court making the
country the first in Latin America to legalize abortion, the country’s
bishops said Thursday that civil disobedience may be necessary to
resist the new immoral law. Likewise, Bogotá’s Archbishop, Cardinal
Pedro Rubiano Saenz is threatening excommunication against the
responsible lawmakers.
The president of
the Bishops’ Conference of Colombia, Archbishop Luis Augusto Castro,
rejected the Court’s decision to legalize abortion in certain cases and
said it was a crime against human life. “A door is being opened
toward the elimination of the innocent lives of so many children who
will not be allowed to live, we have always said this is wrong,” the
archbishop said.
“We continue to say that this is an act against the life of the unborn and it is immoral.”
Likewise,
Cardinal Rubiano told Columbia’s El Tiempo newspaper that “all those
who commit the crime, the sin of abortion, will be excommunicated
immediately."
“This applies as
well to those who foster or assist abortion,” he added, insinuating
that the justices who passed the ruling to allow abortion in some
cases, might be included in this excommunication, without mentioning
them explicitly.
Cardinal Rubiano
lamented that the justices did “open the door” for a broader
legalization of abortion. “Draw your own conclusions,” he added,
stressing that abortion is “a deliberate murder in the womb of the
mother.”
For his part,
Archbishop Castro said that “We must have a two-fold perspective, that
is, to see the situation of the mother and help her in every way, but
also look after the child, because nobody does it…Nobody looks after
the baby, there is no consideration for a child that has been
conceived, who tries to move forward in this world but has his
possibilities cut off.”
The archbishop
noted that in the conception through rape, “the child is innocent…the
criminal should be punished and put in jail for a longtime, but the
child should not have to pay for the sins of another. He is an
innocent baby. In this sense we defend the life of the baby as well.”
While Archbishop
Castro underscored that a child conceived through rape is “the result
of a deplorable action,” he emphasized that what exists in the mother’s
womb is a child who committed no crime. Many women who have
conceived through rape, he noted, “accept their babies because they
understand that the child is one thing, and the person responsible for
the rape is another.”
The bishops of
Tunja and Engativa decried the Justices for taking the easy way out and
they noted that “not everything that is legal is moral.” They
said Colombians should question the legitimacy of the ruling.
“It is sad that
the Justices have chosen the easy way, which is the path to crime,”
said Bishop Hector Gutierrez Pabon of Engativa. “In the Catholic
Church, there is no such thing as a first, second or third class
citizen and it should be this way also in society.”
“Many people will think that because it is legal it is okay. No! What is legal is not always morally licit,” he added.
When religion’s true nature is understood, it can help counter terrorism, Vatican representative tells U.N.
, May 12, 2006 (CNA) - The
Holy See’s Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer to the
United Nations, was in New York yesterday to take part in a General
Assembly meeting gathered to explore counter terrorism strategies. The
prelate stressed the need not only for political solutions, but also
cultural and religious ones.
Archbishop
Migliore began his address to the world body by first recalling the
words of Pope Benedict XVI who, earlier this year, called on men and
women of good will to unite in order to overcome the phenomenon of
terrorism and build a just and peaceful society.
The Vatican
representative said that the Pope feels “consideration should be given”
not only to the political and social causes of terrorism, “but also to
its deeper cultural, religious and ideological motivations."
For this reason,
he said that the Holy See "is pleased to note that" the United Nations
report on the subject "incorporates a cultural and religious component
in its global strategy."
He stressed that
"The Holy See is willing to support initiatives that encourage
believers to be agents of peace. ... Moreover, when religion's true
nature is rightly understood and lived out, it can become part of the
solution rather than the problem."
He went on,
saying that the United Nations should "encourage religions to make this
important contribution on their own terms: that is, religions are
called to create, support and promote the precondition of every
encounter, every dialogue, and of every understanding of pluralism and
cultural difference. That precondition ... is the dignity of the human
person.”
This fact, the
archbishop said, is of particular importance because "Our common human
dignity is a true precondition because it comes before every other
consideration or methodological principle, even those of international
law. We see it in the 'Golden Rule,' found throughout the religions of
the world."
In this light,
he said that "Encouraging awareness and experience of this common
heritage ... will surely help in the translation of this positive
vision into political and social categories which will, in their turn,
inform the juridical categories linked to national and international
relations."
Stealing the wind from terrorists
Likewise, the
U.N. observer pointed out that "the political, social and economic
exclusion of immigrant communities stokes the frustration of young
people and has led to breakdowns in order in some places; but the
demand for a just solution to these questions remains a legitimate one.
"By resolving
such questions swiftly and justly,” he said, “nations can rob
terrorists of the oxygen of hatred and of grievances, real or imagined,
by which they attempt to legitimize their evil deeds and recruit the
impressionable."
“Counter-terrorism”,
Archbishop Migliore said in closing, “must be characterized by denying
the moral high ground to terrorists. This is just one reason why the
treatment of terrorists and suspects should be according to
international humanitarian norms."
Hong Kong cardinal chides: Chinese government has no right to ordain bishops
Vatican City, May 12, 2006 (CNA) - The
Bishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Joseph Zen, reminded the Chinese
government his week that it has no real authority to ordain bishops and
said he would not mediate talks with the Holy See aimed at getting the
Church to accept China’s conditions for establishing diplomatic ties.
“If the position
of Beijing is that of appropriating authority to ordain bishops and to
maintain a Patriotic Association that is above everything, it will
bring no good to the country and will not be accepted by the majority
of clergy and faithful,” he said in press release published by the
South China Morning Post.
Beijing has
insisted on two points for re-establishing ties with the Vatican:
First, that the Vatican recognize China’s authority to appoint bishops,
and second, that the Vatican break its ties with Taiwan. China
broke of ties with the Vatican in 1953, when the Holy See’s
representative was expelled by Mao Zedong.
Vatican prepares for anniversaries of first Fatima appearance, JPII assassination attempt on Saturday
Vatican City, May 12, 2006 (CNA) - Officials
at the Vatican are preparing to recognize two major anniversaries
tomorrow. May 13th marks both the 89th anniversary of the first
appearance of the Virgin Mary to 3 children in Fatima, Portugal and the
25th anniversary of the failed assassination attempt on Pope John Paul
II in St. Peter‘s Square.
For the
occasion, a reproduction of the statue which resides at the shrine of
Fatima will travel by helicopter to the Vatican before being part of a
procession--led by Cardinal Ivan Dias, archbishop of Bombay,
India--along the Via della Conciliazione and into St. Peter’s Basilica.
As the statue
and procession cross St. Peter’s Square, all will stop for a moment at
the spot where John Paul II was shot by Mehmet Ali Agca in 1981.
Some 20,000
pilgrims are expected to gather in Rome for the celebration of the 2nd
annual World Day of Pilgrims, sponsored by the “Opera Romana
Pellegrinaggi.”
Following the
procession, Cardinal Camillo Ruini, vicar general for the Diocese of
Rome will celebrate Mass in the basilica, before attending a
celebration and fireworks show in St. Peter’s Square in memory of the
late Pope.
In honor of the
occasion, the Vatican has also placed a white, marble memorial, bearing
John Paul’s coat of arms and the date of the attempt at the exact
location where the shooting occurred.
Tom Hanks defends Da Vinci Code as ‘fun, scavenger hunt nonsense’ not attack on faith
Los Angeles, Calif., May 12, 2006 (CNA) - As
the controversial Da Vinci Code movie is set to be released next
Friday, actors and production officials continued trying to answer the
film’s critics. Star Tom Hanks offered his own comments trying to
dissuade critics by saying that the “story we tell is loaded with all
sorts of hooey and fun kind of scavenger-hunt-type nonsense.”
In comments to
the British ‘Evening Standard, Hanks tried to convince people to see
the movie more as an entertainment, and to put into perspective the
serious implications of the movies content against faith.
"If you are
going to take any sort of movie at face value, particularly a
huge-budget motion picture like this, you'd be making a very big
mistake,” he added.
"It's a damn good story and a lot of fun.... That never hurts,” he concluded.
The Da Vinci Code will make its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next Wednesday.
Cardinal Angelo
Amato on the other hand, recently described the novel as "stridently
anti-Christian" and called for believers to "reject the lies and
gratuitous defamation" in the book.
He added: "If
such lies and errors had been directed at the Koran and Holocaust they
would have justly provoked a world uprising. Instead, if they are
directed against the church and Christians, they remain unpunished. I
hope you will boycott the film."
U.S. House rejects military abortion bill
Washington D.C., May 12, 2006 (CNA) - The
House of Representatives Wednesday rejected a measure which would have
allowed military women to obtain surgical abortions at U.S. military
hospitals using private funds.
This is the
tenth year that the House has rejected such an amendment to the defense
authorization bill, reported United Press International. In 1996,
Congress banned abortions — even if paid with an individual’s personal
funds — at federally funded facilities, including military hospitals.
The amendment,
tabled by New Jersey Democrat Robert Andrews, was defeated 237 to 191;
30 Democrats joined House Republicans to defeat the amendment.
Military women
who are overseas and want abortions, have to take personal leave or
vacation time to fly to the U.S. or another country where abortion is
legal. However, military hospitals may provide the abortifacient RU-486
in cases of rape or when the woman's life is in danger.
Fr. Frank
Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, was pleased with the
House vote. “The military shouldn’t be deployed against unborn babies,”
he said in a press release.
There are nearly 200,000 women in the U.S. military; 12,000 are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Vatican officials decry religious ignorance of ‘Da Vinci Code’
Rome, Italy, May 12, 2006 (CNA) - Three
top Vatican officials have expressed dismay at what they see as a clear
religious ignorance evident in book “The Da Vinci Code,” which will
make its film debut on May 18th.
During a
conference on religion and literature in Rome, the President of the
Pontifical Council for Culture, Cardinal Paul Poupard, said the Dan
Brown book seriously distorts the history of the Church and takes
advantage of the ignorance of many Catholics about their faith in order
to confuse reality with fiction.
“The lack of
basic knowledge makes it difficult to distinguish between fables,
fantasies and attacks on the history and values of the Church,” he
noted.
Commenting on
one scene that focused on the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Julian
Herranz, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts,
said it seemed “like something from a movie about the mafia, a kind of
gangster meeting in Chicago.”
He said the Church had "to urge people to do some reading (so they can) confront lies with the truth of the Christian faith."
Cardinal Jose
Saraiva Martins, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints,
said he had no doubt that both the novel and the film show a great
ignorance about the true history of Christ and of the Church.
Anti-pornography advocates pleased as .XXX domain proposal crumbles
Washington D.C., May 12, 2006 (CNA) - The
five-year battle over whether the Internet Corporation for Assigned
Names and Numbers (ICANN) should implement a .xxx domain for porn sites
finally ended after the private agency rejected the proposal this week
in a 9-5 vote.
The .xxx domain
proposal had been floating around since 2001, but the decision on it
was delayed several times. Proponents argued that the domain would make
it easier to keep track of porn sites. Opponents argued that the domain
would legitimize pornography and lead to greater state control over the
creation of pornographic content, reported TG Daily News.
Last June, ICANN
voted to give the project preliminary approval. But this was delayed in
August 2005 at the request of the U.S. Department of Commerce, which
said that it had "concerns" over the proposal.
Concerned Women
of America (CWA) applauded ICANN’s decision. Jan LaRue, CWA’s chief
counsel said she met with officials at the U.S. Department of Commerce
last year to express vigorous opposition to the porn domain. According
to LaRue, after thousands of e-mails were sent to the Department of
Commerce, the Bush administration announced its own opposition to the
domain. Letters of opposition were also sent to Paul Twomey, CEO of
ICANN.
“We objected for
many reasons but the most obvious was that porn sites would be free to
keep all of their current domains, such as .com, and add the .xxx
domain,” LaRue said in a press release.
“This vote
proves the power of regular folks when they raise their voices against
the power-brokers who think they can run the universe without
opposition. This is a win against a multi-million dollar, six-year
effort on behalf of the porn industry,” she said.
Twomey told
journalists that the ICANN board’s decision “was not driven by a
political consideration.” But that didn’t stop EU Information Society
and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding of accusing the U.S. Department
of Commerce of "political interference in ICANN,” reported TG Daily
News.
Some proponents
have accused the U.S. of wanting to maintain control over the Internet.
In order to make a change to the domain name structure ICANN would need
the approval of the US Department of Commerce.
According to the
TG Daily News report, some people accuse the U.S. of espousing a "hands
off" policy in public, but of being responsible behind the scenes for
delaying and then killing the .xxx domain.
Group says Democratic support was key passage of South Dakota anti-abortion bill
Washington D.C., May 12, 2006 (CNA) - Democrats
For Life of America commended the South Dakota legislature for recently
approving a bill that will prohibit abortion in the state, noting that
the vote from pro-life Democrats was critical to the ultimate passage
of the bill.
“Pro-life
Democrats in South Dakota saved the day on this bill,” said Kristen
Day, executive director of Democrats For Life, in a May 11 press
release. “There were just as many Democrats who voted for this
legislation as there were Republicans voting against it. So when it
comes to protecting the unborn, pro-life Democrats stepped in and gave
the voiceless, a voice in South Dakota.”
The
groundbreaking legislation passed both chambers of the South Dakota
legislature. Pro-life Democratic Senator Julie Bartling introduced the
legislation in the Senate. One-third of House Democrats, including
three women, sponsored the House version.
This bill builds
on successive laws that discouraged abortion. Most recently, in 2005,
the South Dakota legislature passed a law requiring doctors to provide
accurate information about the possible emotional and physical side
effects of abortion, including statistics that show there are higher
suicide rates among post-abortive women, as well as the legal and
financial responsibilities of the father.
Democrats For
Life of America was founded in 1999 to elect pro-life Democrats,
support pro-life elected officials, promote a pro-life plank in the
Democratic Party platform and achieve legislation that fosters respect
for human life.
For more information, go to www.DemocratsForLife.Org
U.K. bishops call on government to take urgent action against human trafficking
London, England, May 12, 2006 (CNA) - Stating
that current measures to protect victims of human trafficking in the
United Kingdom are inadequate, the bishops of England and Wales are
urging the British government to sign and implement the Council of
Europe’s Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings.
In a press
release issued May 10, the bishops welcomed the government’s public
consultation on its national action plan against trafficking. They also
reminded policymakers that, “the dignity and human rights of the person
and maintaining the integrity of the family have always to be central
to the formulation of anti-trafficking policies.”
But they
insisted that the convention be signed in the meantime, as it is
currently “the only international law that provides minimum standards
of victim protection, support and redress.”
Trafficking for
sexual and labor exploitation is a criminal offence in the UK, but the
bishops sadly noted that “trafficked people are often treated as
illegal immigrants, rather than victims of an evil trade in human
suffering.”
The bishops
stated that thousands are trafficked to the United Kingdom each year
from Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and the former Soviet Republics and
coerced through threats of violence into sexual exploitation and forced
labor.
The bishops
expressed particular concern for the welfare of children and women
trafficked for sexual exploitation. “These crimes are an offence to the
dignity and integrity of human beings,” they stressed.
Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor, British religious authorities urge Parliament against euthanasia bill.
London, England, May 12, 2006 (CNA) - Cardinal
Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster has signed a joint
letter with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and
Britain’s Chief Rabbi, Sir Jonathan Sacks, urging opposition to the
controversial Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill that would
allow terminally ill patients to request euthanasia from their doctors.
The Bill is currently being debated in the House of Lords.
The Anglican
Archbishop of Canterbury and nine of his Episcopal colleagues joined an
impassioned debate in the House of Lords today to oppose a
controversial Bill that would give terminally ill patients the right to
an assisted death.
“We believe that
all human life is sacred and God-given with a value that is inherent,
not conditional,” the joint statement, published in the London Times
begins.
The three men
said they feared that a right to die would soon become a "duty to die,"
adding, "Were such a law enacted, the elderly, lonely, sick or
distressed would find themselves under pressure, real or imagined, to
ask for an early death. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that
economic pressures might not come to play a significant part in
determining whether to treat or recommend assisted death."
Finally, they
wished to stress the “acute implications for others — relatives,
friends, colleagues, medical professionals and the wider community.”
“As such, any
change in the law would irrevocably change the delicate relationship of
trust between patient and doctor and between citizen and society,” the
letter concludes.
Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor also teamed up with Dr Rowan Williams for a rare joint interview on the BBC today.
To read full statement:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,59-2175950,00.html
Spanish Minister of Justice says government will not seek legalization of euthanasia…for now
Madrid, Spain, May 12, 2006 (CNA) - The
Socialist government in Spain has decided not to use an upcoming reform
of the country’s Penal Code to legalize euthanasia, according to
Minister of Justice, Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar. The
announcement came as left-wing lawmakers restarted debate on the issue
in the wake of an apparent assisted suicide by a severely handicapped
man.
According to the
ABC newspaper, before the announcement, the country’s Health Minister,
Elena Salgado, had indicated there was not a consensus in Spain on the
legalization of euthanasia. “This is a debate that should not
take place at this time,” she said.
Writer Lopez
Aguilar emphasized that the government considers “sufficient” the
consensus achieved in 1995, when Spain’s laws on health care were
relaxed to allow for the omission of treatments that are “beyond what
is humanly possible to bear.”
The Justice
Minister said that while the government will move ahead with its plan
to reform the Penal Code, it will not seek any changes in the laws
referring to euthanasia. It will, however, seek to bolster “the
will and autonomy” of patients in other areas, such as palliative care,
cases of terminal illness or informed consent in order to receive
certain treatments.
Left-wing lawmakers said they intended to present a bill that would regulate euthanasia and the “right” to death with dignity.
