Catholic News 2
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's top intelligence official said Thursday that Russia undoubtedly interfered in America's 2016 presidential election but stopped short of using the explosive description "an act of war," telling lawmakers such a call isn't within the purview of the U.S. intelligence community....
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Thursday with participants in a Conference organized by the national Office for Pastoral Care for Vocations of the Italian Episcopal Conference. The theme of the conference is “Arise, go forth, and fear not. Vocations and sanctity: I am on a mission.” During the encounter, Pope Francis spoke off-the-cuff; his extemporaneous remarks will be published when they become available.Listen to Christopher Wells' report: In prepared remarks, which were consigned to participants, the Pope said, “The complete and generous ‘yes’ of a life that is given is like a spring of water, hidden for a time deep within the earth, that is waiting to gush forth in a stream of purity and freshness.” Young people, he continued, “have a need to quench their thirst and then continue on their journey of discovery.”The duty of calling for and accompanying vocations requires “passion and a sense of gratitude&rdquo...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Thursday with participants in a Conference organized by the national Office for Pastoral Care for Vocations of the Italian Episcopal Conference. The theme of the conference is “Arise, go forth, and fear not. Vocations and sanctity: I am on a mission.” During the encounter, Pope Francis spoke off-the-cuff; his extemporaneous remarks will be published when they become available.
Listen to Christopher Wells' report:
In prepared remarks, which were consigned to participants, the Pope said, “The complete and generous ‘yes’ of a life that is given is like a spring of water, hidden for a time deep within the earth, that is waiting to gush forth in a stream of purity and freshness.” Young people, he continued, “have a need to quench their thirst and then continue on their journey of discovery.”
The duty of calling for and accompanying vocations requires “passion and a sense of gratitude”, the Pope said: the passion of personal involvement and care for those who are called; and gratitude “of service in the Church that involves great respect” for those who are called to be “companions on the journey.”
“In order to be credible and to be in harmony with young people,” the Pope continued, it is necessary to be particularly devoted to listening, to be able to “waste time” in order to hear and understand the questions and desires of young people.
Recalling the theme of the conference, Pope Francis said it is important to be convinced that “I am on a mission,” and not simply that “I have a mission.” “To be continually on a mission requires courage, daring, imagination, and a desire to go beyond, to go further,” again recalling the theme, “Arise, go forth, and fear not.”
The Holy Father concluded his written remarks with the plea, “May we feel ourselves pushed by the Holy Spirit to identify new ways in the proclamation of the Gospel of vocation, to be men and women who, as sentinels, know how to welcome the rays of light of a new dawn, in a renewed experience of faith and of passion for the Church and for the Kingdom of God.”
(Vatican Radio) Human rights groups have accused Burma’s government of trying to cover up abuses against civilians in a Muslim-majority part of the country’s Rakhine State.The accusation comes after an investigation panel appointed by the government dismissed claims a crackdown by security forces there amounts to "genocide".Troops have flooded into northern Rakhine since insurgents, believed to be from the mostly stateless Rohingya minority, attacked border posts on October 9, killing nine police officers.Rohingya residents and refugees accuse security forces of summary executions, arbitrary arrest, rape and burning down homes as part of what the government has termed its "clearance operations" in search of attackers.Listen: Speaking to Lydia O’Kane, the Executive Director of the Burma Campaign UK, Anna Roberts said, “the fact that this commission has no independence or credibility just underlines the need for an independent invest...
(Vatican Radio) Human rights groups have accused Burma’s government of trying to cover up abuses against civilians in a Muslim-majority part of the country’s Rakhine State.
The accusation comes after an investigation panel appointed by the government dismissed claims a crackdown by security forces there amounts to "genocide".
Troops have flooded into northern Rakhine since insurgents, believed to be from the mostly stateless Rohingya minority, attacked border posts on October 9, killing nine police officers.
Rohingya residents and refugees accuse security forces of summary executions, arbitrary arrest, rape and burning down homes as part of what the government has termed its "clearance operations" in search of attackers.
Listen:
Speaking to Lydia O’Kane, the Executive Director of the Burma Campaign UK, Anna Roberts said, “the fact that this commission has no independence or credibility just underlines the need for an independent investigation, one that should be led by the UN.”
She also went on to say that they have been receiving reports of people being force to flee, houses being burned, beatings, killings of civilians, rape of women too. Journalists have not been allowed free access; humanitarian aid has also been blocked or restricted”.
The government of Burma, also known as Myanmar, has flatly denied allegations that abuses have been committed, but has prevented journalists and aid workers from accessing parts of northern Rakhine.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Thursday with hundreds of Italians from the archdiocese of Spoleto-Norcia, devastated by a series of powerful earthquakes over the past six months. The central Italian town of Amatrice and surrounding areas were hit by a 6.3 magnitude quake in August which killed nearly 300 people. Other powerful quakes caused major damage in the same region on October 26th and 30th, with the latest tremors reported in Spoleto last Monday, January 2nd.Philippa Hitchen reports:Around 800 people, led by their Bishop Renato Boccardo and local civic authoraties, travelled to Rome for the audience in the Paul VI hall. Many of them had lost their houses, livelihoods and friends or family members in the largest earthquakes which reduced parts of many towns and villages to piles of rubble. Pope Francis sat and listened as a survivor and a local parish priest described the immense suffering of people, now seeking to rebuild their shattered communities. In his off-t...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis met on Thursday with hundreds of Italians from the archdiocese of Spoleto-Norcia, devastated by a series of powerful earthquakes over the past six months. The central Italian town of Amatrice and surrounding areas were hit by a 6.3 magnitude quake in August which killed nearly 300 people. Other powerful quakes caused major damage in the same region on October 26th and 30th, with the latest tremors reported in Spoleto last Monday, January 2nd.
Philippa Hitchen reports:
Around 800 people, led by their Bishop Renato Boccardo and local civic authoraties, travelled to Rome for the audience in the Paul VI hall. Many of them had lost their houses, livelihoods and friends or family members in the largest earthquakes which reduced parts of many towns and villages to piles of rubble.
Pope Francis sat and listened as a survivor and a local parish priest described the immense suffering of people, now seeking to rebuild their shattered communities. In his off-the-cuff response, the Pope said the worst thing to do in such circumstances was to offer a prepared sermon, but instead he reflected on the work of physical, mental and spiritual reconstruction that has been taking place throughout the region.
Pope Francis spoke of the wounds which have affected those who’ve lost their loved ones and the importance of crying together as they seek to heal the pain. He spoke too of the healing hands of doctors, nurses, firemen and all those who worked together to pull survivors from the rubble or offer help to those most in need.
Finally the Pope spoke of the spirit of solidarity and nearness of which is vital for the reconstruction process. While everyone affected by the earthquakes will continue to bear scars, he said it’s important to find the courage to dream again. Sharing and remaining close together, he said, makes us more courageous and more human as we face this daunting task.
The Pope’s words come three months after he made a surprise visit to Amatrice and two neighbouring towns to meet with survivors and relatives of victims. During the visit, he said he had not come to make speeches, but simply to be close to those suffering and to pray with all those affected by the earthquakes.
Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan 5, 2017 / 03:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A lawmaker in Utah says the damage internet pornography can cause means people should be able to sue pornography companies.“To pretend that this is not having any impact on our youth, on children’s minds as they’re developing, as their attitudes towards sex and the opposite sex are being formed, I think is foolish,” Utah State Sen. Todd Weiler said, according to the Utah news site KSL.com.Weiler has proposed to allow lawsuits against companies that put pornography on the internet. He especially aims to aid underage children and teens who become addicted to pornography.He compared the proposal to the 70 years of legal action taken against tobacco companies.“I’m concerned that the average age of first exposure to hardcore sex videos on the Internet is now the age of 11,” he said.“It’s not government coming in and saying what you can and can't watch. It’s just ...
Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan 5, 2017 / 03:04 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A lawmaker in Utah says the damage internet pornography can cause means people should be able to sue pornography companies.
“To pretend that this is not having any impact on our youth, on children’s minds as they’re developing, as their attitudes towards sex and the opposite sex are being formed, I think is foolish,” Utah State Sen. Todd Weiler said, according to the Utah news site KSL.com.
Weiler has proposed to allow lawsuits against companies that put pornography on the internet. He especially aims to aid underage children and teens who become addicted to pornography.
He compared the proposal to the 70 years of legal action taken against tobacco companies.
“I’m concerned that the average age of first exposure to hardcore sex videos on the Internet is now the age of 11,” he said.
“It’s not government coming in and saying what you can and can't watch. It’s just basically a message to the pornography industry that if someone in Utah can prove damages from the product, that they may be held liable financially.”
The legislator said the first 30 cases brought under the proposal would likely not win. He thought lawsuits would eventually succeed.
He is also authoring a bill to help public libraries filter pornography on Wi-Fi connections.
Weiler sponsored a resolution the Utah legislature passed in March 2016 that recognized pornography as “a public health hazard leading to a broad spectrum of individual and public health impacts and societal harms.”
The resolution charged that pornography perpetuates “a sexually toxic environment” and contributes to the “hyper-sexualization” of young children and teens. It cited pornography’s potential impact on brain development and functioning, its potential to harm users’ ability to form intimate relationships, and its potential to lead to “problematic or harmful sexual behaviors and addiction.” The resolution charged that pornography “treats women and children as objects.”
The legislature said that pornography has a detrimental effect on the family linked to “lessening desire in young men to marry, dissatisfaction in marriage, and infidelity.”
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The zookeepers at the Milwaukee County Zoo are hand-raising a lone Amur tiger cub - an unusual undertaking only done in order to save the cub's life....
ISTANBUL (AP) -- Turkish police are closing in on the gunman who killed 39 people at an Istanbul nightclub, a senior official said Thursday, insisting his possible whereabouts and contacts had been established....
GRAY, France (AP) -- Gray is a dying town, its residents lament. Big businesses have moved away, taking jobs with them. Though it still lives up to its nickname "Gray la jolie," or "Gray the pretty," many stores now lie vacant, with fading "to rent" signs in their windows....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Most babies should start eating peanut-containing foods well before their first birthday, say guidelines released Thursday that aim to protect high-risk tots and other youngsters, too, from developing the dangerous food allergy....
CHICAGO (AP) -- Charges are expected against four people who police say beat a man in an assault that was broadcast live on Facebook, Chicago police said....
