Catholic News 2
VIENNA (AP) -- The giant panda that gave birth at Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo last week was hiding a tiny little secret - an extra cub....
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Joao Havelange, who as president of FIFA for two decades transformed soccer's governing body into a multibillion-dollar business and a hotbed for subsequent corruption that damaged its reputation, has died. He was 100....
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Amber Heard is withdrawing allegations that Johnny Depp physically abused her and has settled her divorce case with the Oscar-nominated actor....
LOWER LAKE, Calif. (AP) -- Fire crews gained ground on a massive Northern California wildfire that has destroyed 175 homes, businesses and other structures and charred nearly 7 square miles, fire officials said Tuesday....
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- As waters receded in parts of Louisiana's capital city, some residents returned to their flood-damaged homes Tuesday for the first time and found a soggy mess....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Donald Trump says that as president he would end "our current strategy of nation-building and regime change" because they don't work. His dislike for nation-building is shared by many, including none other than the target of his criticism, President Barack Obama....
(Vatican Radio) Venezuela is being criticised by Washington due to the decision by the Venezuelan Court of Appeals to uphold the 14 year jail sentence of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez.Listen to James Blears' report: The US State Department isn't mincing words or using diplomatic tact. It's calling the ruling a miscarriage of justice. On learning he was being sought, Leopoldo Lopez gave himself up to police at a protest rally in February 2014. Held in a military prison, he was tried and convicted in 2015, after a brief behind closed doors trial. Jailed for 14 years, Lopez denies inciting violence leading to deaths. He insists it was the economic policies of the government of President Nicolas Maduro, which caused the crisis leading to nationwide protests which killed 43 people.The United Nations, the European Union, and the United States condemned the judicial process which led to the jailing of Leopoldo Lopez.The opp...
(Vatican Radio) Venezuela is being criticised by Washington due to the decision by the Venezuelan Court of Appeals to uphold the 14 year jail sentence of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez.
Listen to James Blears' report:
The US State Department isn't mincing words or using diplomatic tact. It's calling the ruling a miscarriage of justice.
On learning he was being sought, Leopoldo Lopez gave himself up to police at a protest rally in February 2014.
Held in a military prison, he was tried and convicted in 2015, after a brief behind closed doors trial.
Jailed for 14 years, Lopez denies inciting violence leading to deaths. He insists it was the economic policies of the government of President Nicolas Maduro, which caused the crisis leading to nationwide protests which killed 43 people.
The United Nations, the European Union, and the United States condemned the judicial process which led to the jailing of Leopoldo Lopez.
The oppostion is trying to gather sufficient votes for a National Referendum on the presidency of Nicolas Maduro.
But Venezuela's electoral authorities say such a vote could not take place until after January 10th.
At that juncture, if the vote went against President Maduro, his Vice President would take charge until the mandate ran out.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis sent a letter on Monday to express his sorrow over the loss of life and property in Portugal, where wildfires have killed at least 4 people and caused hundreds to evacuate their homes.Listen to Devin Watkins' report: The letter – addressed to the bishop of Funchal, Antonio Carrilho, and signed by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin – was read out during the celebration of Holy Mass for Our Lady of the Mount, Patroness of Funchal.In the message, Pope Francis said he is “appalled by the sad news of the terrible fires raging on the island of Madeira” and expressed his “condolences and participation in the pain” of all those affected.The Holy Father also conveyed “solidarity and spiritual closeness” for those displaced by the wildfires and prayed for the quick healing of the wounded and “courage and consolation in Christian hope” for all involved.Finally, Pope Francis...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis sent a letter on Monday to express his sorrow over the loss of life and property in Portugal, where wildfires have killed at least 4 people and caused hundreds to evacuate their homes.
Listen to Devin Watkins' report:
The letter – addressed to the bishop of Funchal, Antonio Carrilho, and signed by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin – was read out during the celebration of Holy Mass for Our Lady of the Mount, Patroness of Funchal.
In the message, Pope Francis said he is “appalled by the sad news of the terrible fires raging on the island of Madeira” and expressed his “condolences and participation in the pain” of all those affected.
The Holy Father also conveyed “solidarity and spiritual closeness” for those displaced by the wildfires and prayed for the quick healing of the wounded and “courage and consolation in Christian hope” for all involved.
Finally, Pope Francis expressed his gratitude for the more than 2,000 firefighters battling the flames which have killed 5 people: 4 on the Portugese island of Madeira and 1 in neighboring Spain.
During his homily for the celebration of Our Lady of the Mount in which the message was read, Bishop Carrilho repeated the Pope’s message of sorrow.
“We cannot but remember those who have died and express our deepest solidarity to all who have experienced angst and suffering, in particular those who have lost their homes and belongings.”
Bishop Carrilho then praised the many “acts of solidarity” performed in the face of danger and the “strength and courage” of the Portugese people.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis over the weekend sent his support to an event taking place in the Italian Diocese of Ugento-S. Maria di Leuca called “Mediterranean: A Sea of Bridges,” which brought together young people from Europe and the countries bordering the Mediterranean to create a Charter which would help stop the Mediterranean from being a “sea of death.”In a message sent through the Secretary of State, Pope Francis express his wish that the event “enkindle a renewed commitment to promoting a culture of hospitality and solidarity, and thus promote peace and fraternity among peoples.”The message went on to say the Holy Father encouraged the participants at the meeting to “consider the presence of so many brothers and sisters who are migrants to be an opportunity of human growth, of meeting and dialogue among cultures and religions, and also even an occasion to witness to the Gospel of Charity.”The meeting, which concluded on Sun...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis over the weekend sent his support to an event taking place in the Italian Diocese of Ugento-S. Maria di Leuca called “Mediterranean: A Sea of Bridges,” which brought together young people from Europe and the countries bordering the Mediterranean to create a Charter which would help stop the Mediterranean from being a “sea of death.”
In a message sent through the Secretary of State, Pope Francis express his wish that the event “enkindle a renewed commitment to promoting a culture of hospitality and solidarity, and thus promote peace and fraternity among peoples.”
The message went on to say the Holy Father encouraged the participants at the meeting to “consider the presence of so many brothers and sisters who are migrants to be an opportunity of human growth, of meeting and dialogue among cultures and religions, and also even an occasion to witness to the Gospel of Charity.”
The meeting, which concluded on Sunday, issued the Charter of Leuca, which pledged the participants’ willingness “to preserve, to reconstruct, and to bring together the bridges linking the countries of the Mediterranean.”
Washington D.C., Aug 16, 2016 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Religious freedom advocates praised the State Department’s annual International Religious Freedom report published last week, but insisted that words must be followed by action.“We at USCIRF applaud the State Department for the excellent work that went into this report and its efforts to encourage countries around the world to adopt policies that respect this fundamental right,” stated Fr. Thomas Reese, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which advises the State Department.However, he added, the U.S. must “not miss this opportunity to strengthen our commitments with effective actions.”“The Administration must do more than occasionally raise issues of concern,” stated Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who chairs the House subcommittee on global human rights.He added that “they must use targeted sanctions, visa denials, and other measures to address a global...
Washington D.C., Aug 16, 2016 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Religious freedom advocates praised the State Department’s annual International Religious Freedom report published last week, but insisted that words must be followed by action.
“We at USCIRF applaud the State Department for the excellent work that went into this report and its efforts to encourage countries around the world to adopt policies that respect this fundamental right,” stated Fr. Thomas Reese, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which advises the State Department.
However, he added, the U.S. must “not miss this opportunity to strengthen our commitments with effective actions.”
“The Administration must do more than occasionally raise issues of concern,” stated Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who chairs the House subcommittee on global human rights.
He added that “they must use targeted sanctions, visa denials, and other measures to address a global crisis and hold responsible individuals accountable for religious persecution.”
Last Wednesday’s religious freedom report, which documented abuses in 200 countries and territories as well as steps taken to protect the freedoms of various religions, marked anti-blasphemy laws as one of the top concerns for religious freedom.
Around one-fourth of the world’s countries have anti-blasphemy laws, the Ambassador at-Large for International Religious Freedom David Saperstein noted, citing Pew Research numbers. Such laws have a “chilling, sometimes deadly effect,” he added.
This is because such laws are routinely abused by governments or sectarian mobs to persecute religious minorities who are not members of the official or majority state religion.
“In many other Islamic societies, societal passions associated with blasphemy – deadly enough in and of themselves – are abetted by a legal code that harshly penalizes blasphemy and apostasy,” the report stated.
“False accusations, often lodged in pursuit of personal vendettas or for the personal gain of the accuser, are not uncommon. Mob violence as a result of such accusations is disturbingly common,” it added. In Pakistan, for instance, there is no punishment for making a false accusation of blasphemy, and no evidence is required to bring an accusation to court.
Also, governments use the harsh consequences of such laws to crack down on minority religions.
Pakistan currently has the highest number of people on death row because of blasphemy convictions, including Asia Bibi, a mother of five who allegedly insulting the prophet Muhammad. She was accused by her neighbor of the crime in 2009 and convicted in 2010.
USCIRF praised the State Department for bringing “additional attention to the pernicious consequences of blasphemy laws.”
It also commended the State Department for placing 10 countries on its “countries of particular concern” list, the worst violators of religious freedom where governments are either actively persecuting religious minorities or are powerless to stop religiously-motivated sectarian violence and terrorism.
Those countries are China, Burma, Eritrea, North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Seven more countries should be added to the CPC list, the commission maintained: Central African Republic, Nigeria, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Egypt, and Vietnam.
The U.S. has authority to take action against the countries on the CPC list to hold them accountable for their violations of religious freedom. However, the agency is also permitted to waive action against CPC designees in certain cases, and they have done so for four countries, USCIRF noted.
This has undermined the very purpose of the list, they added, and gives “little incentive for CPC-designated countries to make improvements,” so the waivers should be time-restricted.
One of the actions the U.S. can take is to “negotiate a binding agreement” with one of these countries to pressure them to improve their human rights situation. The U.S. should do so with Burma and Vietnam, USCIRF added.
Ultimately, the report “shows that the world is experiencing a religious freedom crisis that directly challenges U.S. interests around the world,” Smith stated.
However, he added, “the decision to downplay attacks on religious believers in Vietnam, Pakistan, India, and Cuba while expanding diplomatic, economic or military ties with these countries is tragic for those who suffer abuses every day.”
Vietnam and Pakistan are both countries that should be on the CPC list but aren’t, he said.
In Pakistan, Christians and other religious minorities are not sufficiently protected from religiously-motivated violence, the report said.
And in Vietnam, the government meddles too much in religion out of “national security and social unity” concerns, the report added, forcing all religions to register and harassing the religious groups that do not.
Meanwhile in Cuba, “religious freedom conditions and human rights conditions overall deteriorated” there after the U.S. re-opened formal diplomatic ties with Cuba, Smith added, and the State Department should have been harder on them in the report.
While the U.S. continues to dialogue with India, religious freedom must be a vital part of the conversation, Smith said, because “the Administration cannot shy away from the fact that in India religious minorities face ongoing violence, forced conversations, and discrimination with little serious governmental efforts made to stop it.”
