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January 29, 2014
ROME - After two doves released by Pope Francis and two young children were attacked by aggressive predator birds, a leading animal rights group called on the pontiff to stop what they called “outdated traditions.”
TORONTO - A promotional video produced by the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association (OCSTA) has been voluntarily removed from the association's YouTube channel after objections were raised from within the public school system.
BANGALORE, India - The head of the Catholic Church in India has reiterated its opposition to "criminalization" of homosexuality.
January 30, 2014
WASHINGTON - Passage of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act in the United States"will help save lives and will reduce abortions," U.S. Rep. Chris Smith said.
In a spat between the federal government and several provinces over health-care coverage for refugees, we have no hesitation in picking sides. We choose the side of compassion, the side that embraces what Pope Francis calls a “generous openness” to always comfort society’s most vulnerable members.
“You just want to sell newspapers!” is one of the most interesting insults that every reporter and editor hears at some point. There aren’t many professions liable to quite that sort of calumny.
Late last week, the Catholic girls school at the top of my street announced it would close its doors permanently at the end of this school year. In its 126th year, Queen of Angels Academy simply cannot afford to continue.
The visit of Stephen Harper to Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan has been judged a success. Israel’s government was ecstatic for Harper’s steadfast support, the Palestinians overlooked that and were grateful for tens of millions in Canadian aid for schools and security. There were good media reviews at home, and favourable contrasts were drawn with the last visit of a Canadian prime minister to Israel, Jean Chretien’s bumbling and error-strewn tour in 2000.
The recent incident at Toronto’s York University, in which a student sought exemption from group work due to religious beliefs that forbid contact with women, attracted much media attention but perhaps did not shine as much attention as it could have on how the Ontario Human Rights Code interprets religion and gender as grounds for discrimination. On at least one level the York situation was a conflict between competing rights.
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Feb. 9 (Isaiah 58:6-10; Psalm 112; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16) Religion can be a risky business. The prophets of Israel and Jesus of Nazareth recognized the care and spiritual awareness required in the exercise of faith and worship. Without this care, religion — any religion — can become many things, none of them divine: opiate of the masses, maintainer of the status quo, superstition and even a tool of oppression.
Given the speed and change in our world today, the oceans of information being given us by the new technologies, the speed with which knowledge now passes through our lives, the increasing specialization and fragmentation inside higher education and the ever-increasing complexity of our lives, you occasionally hear someone say, usually just after offering an opinion on something: But what do I know anyway? Good question: What do we know anyway?
OTTAWA - Canada’s Catholic bishops have assured their Ukrainian counterparts of their prayers and solidarity as demonstrations continue to rock the country.
VATICAN CITY - Less than a week after a relic of Blessed John Paul II disappeared from a country chapel east of Rome, Italian police arrested two men for the theft, but the venerated piece of fabric stained with the late pope's blood was still missing.
JERUSALEM - On the eve of an Israeli Supreme Court decision concerning the construction of a contested segment of the security barrier in the West Bank town of Beit Jalla, U.S. and Canadian bishops sent letters to their governmental representatives urging them to push Israel to stop building along the proposed route.
The struggle against corruption and for democracy in Ukraine has become the Church’s struggle for dignity, honesty and peace, says a Canadian Jesuit in Ukraine.
African Church leaders are urging parties in the South Sudanese conflict to respect places of worship after rebels attacked and looted church compounds in the town of Malakal.
January 31, 2014
LAGOS, Nigeria - A bishop in northeastern Nigeria said the country's president must give the newly appointed military service chiefs the constitutional support for them to be able to flush out the Boko Haram militants.
Editor’s note: this is the second place entry in the annual essay contest for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity sponsored by The Catholic Register and the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement- Graymoor. Kelly Cheung, 15, a student at Thornhill, Ont.’s St. Robert Catholic High School, took second prize. According to the Bible, the basic definition of a Christian is a person who acknowledges their faith to Jesus Christ and His teachings. Although all Christians share similar beliefs and values, they are not all the same. Their differences have resulted in three main branches of Christianity: Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant. These sectors were created because of different interpretations of the Bible but not the division of Christ. There is only one God, one Christ whom all Christians believe in.
There are two pieces of advice in regards to a healthy spiritual life which my confessor loves to give before bestowing absolution — pray regularly and take a little time each day to read from a piece of spiritual literature. He suggests the Bible. After hearing this, I return home with renewed zeal, eager to put this w h o l e s o m e advice into practice.
Angels and demons have fascinated the public since biblical times, but are still portrayed inaccurately in film and on television. In January, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones hit theatres and the ninth season of Supernatural, after a short break, re-started on TV, each with accurate and inaccurate depictions of these creatures.