Catholic News 2

(Vatican Radio)  Ukraine’s president has warned of “a full-scale Russian invasion” and says Kiev may have to impose martial law. Petro Poroshenko made the remarks amid reports of ongoing fighting between government forces and Russia-backed seperatists in eastern Ukraine that killed several Ukrainian soldiers in recent days.

Listen to Stefan Bos' report:

Speaking in the Lviv region, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the likelihood of an escalation of the conflict with Russia and Russia-back separatists in eastern Ukraine “remains significant”.

He warned that if the situation in eastern Ukraine and the region of Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, continues to deteriorate Kiev will in his words "impose martial law and order mobilization.”

Poroshenko accused what he called “the enemy” of trying to undermine the Minsk peace process aimed at settling the conflict and of making “absolutely irresponsible statements” about possibly withdrawing from the so-called Normandy format of talks.

Soldiers killed

It was a clear reference to Russia, which has also been accused by Kiev of placing more than 40,000 troops in Crimea and other areas as well as along its borders with Ukraine.

Earlier, the military said three Ukrainian soldiers were killed in fighting against the Russia-backed separatists.

The Organization for Sexurity and Cooperation in Europe have expressed concern about the situation.

Alexander Hug, is the First Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, or SMM. "Approximately 40 percent of all reported ceasefire violations happened between eight in the evening and eight in the morning. The percentage of artillery explosions recorded by the SMM  during night hours was even higher ,83 percent," he said.

Many weapons

"Violence does not materialize out of thin air. It requires weapons, and believe me weapons are everywhere along the conflict line, despite the sides telling us they have withdrawn them," the official added.

Ukraine's Military says separatists have fired more than 500 mortar shells and over 300 artillery shells in the last 24 hours in what a spokesman called “a similar level of intensity of fire” to what the country experienced a year ago.

The United Nations says more than 9,500 people have been killed in the conflict since it began in early 2014.

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(Vatican Radio)  With thousands of people across Louisiana displaced by catastrophic flooding, the Catholic Church is among those mobilizing to help those who urgently require shelter and other assistance. More than 40,000 thousand homes were damaged by the flood waters in Louisiana that have claimed at least 13 lives and experts say the U.S. state could be looking at its biggest housing emergency since the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina a decade ago. 

One of the worst-hit areas was in and around the state capital, Baton Rouge. Susy Hodges spoke to Bishop Robert Muench of Baton Rouge to find out more details.

Listen to the interview with Bishop Robert Muench of Baton Rouge: 

Describing the flooding as “a life-changing event”, Bishop Muench said despite this “enormous” disaster, the spirit of the local people is “resilient” and “amazingly good – even those who have lost everything.”

He described how all the different Christian denominations are working together to help the displaced by providing shelter and distributing other essentials and also praised the work of volunteers in boats who “went out and saved a lot of lives.” He said people are rallying around and “coming together” in the wake of this disaster to help those in need and called it “very inspiring.”

Bishop Muench has seen with his own eyes some of the worst damage, saying in many cases the flood waters reached the roofs of houses causing enormous damage inside and will have a long-term impact on peoples’ lives.

“It turns your life upside down and it’s extremely disruptive," he said.

Bishop Muench has spent most of his life in Lousiana and seen other floods there but in his view, these latest floods were “of historic proportions, both in terms of how many people are affected and the damage they have done.”

“The extent and the scope (of the floods) is enormous and the effect is massive,” he said, noting that most of the 5,500 square miles (14,200  square kilometres) of his diocese was affected by the floodwaters. 

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a message to the XXXVII Rimini Meeting for the Friendship of Peoples. Each year in the Italian city of Rimini, thousands of people gather for an encounter among persons of different faiths and cultures, with hundreds of speakers from all over the world and from all walks of life.

The Pope’s message for this year’s Meeting was conveyed in a letter signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Listen to Christopher Wells' report: 

In the letter, Cardinal Parolin describes the theme of this year’s Meeting —“You are good for me” — as “courageous”. Too often in the modern world, he says, a certain individualism tempts us to look only at our own concerns, or even to see other people as a burden or a hindrance. But, he continued, in the face of the changing age we are living in, “who can imagine he can save himself by himself, and by his own power?” Rather, “following the example of the Lord Jesus, the Christian always cultivates a thought open to the other, whoever he might be, because he does not consider any person to be definitively lost.

With this attitude, the Cardinal said, Christians can understand their unique contribution to dialogue and communion: in the words of Pope Francis, “the proclamation of the Gospel, which today more than ever finds expression in going forth to bind the wounds of humanity with the powerful yet simple presence of Jesus, and his mercy that consoles and encourages.”

This, Cardinal Parolin said, is the hope of the Holy Father, “who encourages the participants in the Meeting to be especially mindful of the creative personal testimony,” with the understanding that what attracts others is not the strength of the instruments, but the tenacious meekness of the merciful love of the Father, that each person can attain from the outpouring of the grace that God offers in the Sacraments, especially in the Eucharist and in Penance, to then give to the brothers.”

The Rimini Meeting takes place this year from 19-25 August.

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(Vatican Radio) Firefighters were gaining ground on Friday against a wildfire burning in a Southern California mountain pass that has forced some 80,000 residents to flee their homes and has consumed dozens of structures.

Listen: 

It’s a race against time to bring a massive wildfire in Southern California under control. What’s being called the Blue Cut fire, because of its location, continues to threaten homes and structures.

California Fire Public Safety Officer Henry Herrera says the Blue Cut wildfire is  "unusually fierce."

Despite the dangers wreaked by the blaze many people have defied evacuation orders and have opted to stay put in their homes for the time being.

San Bernardino County resident Nico Santucci says he is waiting until the last minute to leave. “I’m already packed, I got both my vans…and we’re ready to go, so we’re going to stay ‘til the last minute and hope for the best.”

The Blue Cut fire is one of nearly 30 major blazes reported to have charred around 530 square miles in eight Western states this week.

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Baltimore, Md., Aug 19, 2016 / 12:17 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A monument of the Ten Commandments outside a Maryland courthouse is safe, after a lawsuit against it was dropped this week.

The monument was donated in 1957 by the Fraternal Order of Eagles. It stands on the courthouse grounds in Allegany County, near a monument to George Washington.

Jeffrey Davis, a man living in the neighboring county but owning property in Allegany County, had filed a lawsuit saying that he was offended by the monument. He dropped that lawsuit Tuesday, without offering his reason for doing so.

The monument in question was similar to one, also donated by the Fraternal Order of Eagles, on the grounds of the Texas Capitol. That monument was upheld by the Supreme Court, which ruled in 2005 that it did not violate the Establishment Clause.

Attorneys defending the Maryland monument applauded the dropping of the lawsuit.

“The emotional response of an offended passerby doesn’t automatically amount to a violation of the Establishment Clause,” said Brett Harvey, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing the Allegany County commissioners alongside Jones Day attorneys.

The attorneys had previously filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

“Mr. Davis was right to end his quest to uproot this monument, which is virtually identical to a monument in Texas that the U.S. Supreme Court already upheld,” Harvey said. “Because the county’s monument would survive constitutional scrutiny, we are pleased that it will be able to stay.”

The Supreme Court has questioned such “offended observer” claims. In 2014, the court said in Town of Greece v. Galloway that adults “often encounter speech they find disagreeable; and an Establishment Clause violation is not made out any time a person experiences a sense of affront from the expression of contrary religious views.”

 

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