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July 2007

July 3

Keeping faith alive through studying the dead

July 3, 2007

TORONTO - Intrigued by a candlelit basement chapel filled with Gregorian chant and burning incense, 11 teens gathered at St. Francis de Sales Church in Newark, Ohio, for what would become the first Dead Theologians Society meeting.

Catholic School of Evangelization passes on Catholic heritage

July 3, 2007

ST. MALO, Man. - Talitha Lemoine was an average 12-year-old Catholic, becoming disinterested in Mass, when she first heard about the Catholic School of Evangelization (CSE) in St. Malo. She attended several summer and winter camps there, before eventually becoming a counsellor.

Mingled minorities

July 3, 2007

When I was three years old, I was unable to organize my thoughts and speak either French or English. My dad spoke to my brother and me only in French. My mom spoke to us in English.

Superman: man of faith

July 3, 2007

Superman has returned to earth and he looks more like Christ than ever before. The 2006 release of Superman Returns is directed by Bryan Singer and opened in Canadian theatres on June 28. The film's introduction explains that Superman ascended from earth five years earlier to find out who survived on the planet Kryptonite.

Papal letter seeks uniting of Chinese communities

July 3, 2007

In a groundbreaking letter to Chinese Catholics, Pope Benedict XVI established new guidelines to favour co-operation between clandestine Catholic communities and those officially registered with the government.

July 4

No charges laid in Nova Scotia assisted suicide

July 4, 2007

euthanasia.jpg [images/stories/misc/euthanasia.jpg]OTTAWA - The RCMP investigation into a complaint laid by the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition concerning the death of a Nova Scotia woman who sought assisted suicide in Switzerland will not lead to any charges being laid.

July 5

Abolish abortion tops CBC wish list

July 5, 2007

OTTAWA - The wish to abolish abortion in Canada topped the CBC’s Great Canadian Wish List on Facebook with 9,543 votes.

July 9

Courts, 'pro-death' lobby thwarted care for Terry Schiavo

July 9, 2007

HAMILTON, Ont. - Bobby Schindler, brother to Terri Schiavo, said his family had no idea how powerful and aggressive the pro-euthanasia movement is in the United States until they were faced with its full force in the legal battle over his sister's life. "The underlying issue is money," the 41-year-old Schindler told The Catholic Register April 21 at the annual conference of Ontario Alliance for Life.

Churches examine a greener way

July 9, 2007

TORONTO - How many Christians does it take to change a standard incandescent light bulb to an environmentally friendly one? Though this sounds like a comic riddle, for Christian faith communities who came to Toronto from across Canada for the National Consultation on Energy Efficiency for Religious Buildings Nov. 17-18, the issue of energy consumption was a deeply spiritual matter.

Three faiths face death with meaning

July 9, 2007

TORONTO - Friendly volunteers checked bags. Police hovered discreetly at the back of the room. After weeks of spray-painted swastikas and arson, everybody expected the security and nobody talked about it. Recent hate crimes wouldn't stop about 300 Muslims, Jews and Catholics from gathering at Beth Tikvah Synagogue to listen to ethicists and doctors speak about how to care for their dying parents.

COLF raises concerns about morning-after pill's abortive potential

July 9, 2007

OTTAWA - The Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF) says the media and the Canadian Pharmacists Association (CPA) have 'glossed over' the abortive potential of the so-called morning-after pill. The federal government announced in May that it plans to make the morning-after pill available without a prescription across Canada. Currently, the pill is only available without prescription in British Columbia, Quebec and Saskatchewan.

Church's duty is to respect life, Fabbro says

July 9, 2007

TORONTO - The battle over using human embryos in stem-cell research is not just about creating cures for dreaded diseases. It is more importantly about treating human life as raw material that is expendable in the pursuit of scientific research, says Bishop Ron Fabbro of London, Ont.

EU euthanasia report flawed

July 9, 2007

TORONTO - All the favourite arguments for euthanasia are on display in the latest attempt in Europe to jettison bans on allowing doctors to legally put someone to death, says one of North America's top bioethicists. And they can all be countered by solid reasoning.

Canadian implications in Schiavo debate

July 9, 2007

OTTAWA - Terri Schiavo's slow death by dehydration and starvation after the March 18 removal of her feeding tube has pro-life activists and experts in medical ethics concerned about the implications for euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide in Canada. The mainstream news media have framed Schiavo's story as a 'right to die' issue, because her husband's decision to have the feeding tube removed was based on his claims that Terri had told him she would not want to live should she be stricken with a disability like the persistent vegetative state doctors say was brought on by heart failure 15 years ago.

Power of attorney document available

July 9, 2007

In response to the death of 41-year-old Terri Schiavo, Canada's Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is reminding the public of its power of attorney document aimed at preserving life.

Eco-Sabbath: in tune with magnificence of nature

July 9, 2007

It's the first Sunday of the month. Gathered in the chapel of the old monastery wing of St. Gabriel's parish in North York, a Noah's Ark of Christians and environmental soul-searchers, young and old, from all walks of life and places, welcome the awesome grandeur and wisdom of God's creation. They are searching for inspiration. The intensity and frequency of ecological destruction that we carry out daily on Earth's ecosystems - its waters, air, soil, vegetation, animals and humans - cry out for reflection in community.

God still in the evolution process

July 9, 2007

An Austrian cardinal's attempt to clarify the church's position with regard to evolution presents no challenges or surprises, Catholic educators say. Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna published an opinion piece in the July 7 edition of the New York Times to balance the view that the church has acquiesced to evolutionary theory. Schonborn, who co-edited the Catechism of the Catholic Church, is also a member of the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education.

Pope expands use of Latin Mass

July 9, 2007

VATICAN CITY — In a long-awaited overture to disaffected Catholic traditionalists, Pope Benedict XVI relaxed restrictions on the use of the Tridentine Mass, the Latin-language liturgy that predates the Second Vatican Council.

Eco-friendly Harry Potter

July 9, 2007

Slytherin-type publishers beware. Harry Potter's back and this time with an eco-friendly spell that has muggles by the millions buying only ancient forest-friendly versions of J.K. Rowling's latest book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Scholastic, the world's largest Potter publisher with its 11 million print-run of the Harry Potter book (a record in the publishing industry), has earned its Slytherin reputation (Slytherin having a sinister connotation in Harry Potter's world) and become the target of a coalition of environmental groups for not openly committing to printing with 100-per-cent ancient forest-friendly paper.

Earth issues 101

July 9, 2007

September is upon us and with it the important responsibility of getting our young brood back to school to learn their ABCs. But what about our own responsibility for continued learning?