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WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama will keep his focus on reducing tensions between police departments and the communities they serve as he moves from an extraordinary closed-door meeting at the White House's executive offices to a nationally televised town hall airing Thursday....
CHICAGO (AP) -- Police in Dallas were the first in the nation to use a robot to deliver and detonate a bomb to kill a suspect, but other law enforcement agencies are willing and able to follow suit, including some that even have trained for the day when they'd have to do so....
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NEW YORK (AP) -- On an unusually cool night for summer, Mike Perry and his crew thread the sidewalks running through the Stapleton Houses, tracked by police cameras bolted to the apartment blocks and positioned atop poles....
Brussels, Belgium, Jul 13, 2016 / 02:52 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Religion classes in Belgium’s French-speaking primary and secondary schools will be cut in half starting in October 2016 and replaced with a weekly hour of citizenship classes.Critics worry that the new classes will promote abortion and homosexuality, and that the change could end up pushing teachers with a religious education or background out of the schools.The decision was announced by the Belgian government in a July 7 decree, despite the fact that 97 percent of students had said they wanted the religion classes to be maintained.Last month, amid debate over the measure, the Belgian Bishops Conference released a statement emphasizing the importance of religious study in schools.“Indeed, removing the Catholic religion classes would mean relegating religious belief to the private sphere, which, for a democratic state, would be an impoverishment,” they said.The Belgian state curriculum includes religion c...
Brussels, Belgium, Jul 13, 2016 / 02:52 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Religion classes in Belgium’s French-speaking primary and secondary schools will be cut in half starting in October 2016 and replaced with a weekly hour of citizenship classes.
Critics worry that the new classes will promote abortion and homosexuality, and that the change could end up pushing teachers with a religious education or background out of the schools.
The decision was announced by the Belgian government in a July 7 decree, despite the fact that 97 percent of students had said they wanted the religion classes to be maintained.
Last month, amid debate over the measure, the Belgian Bishops Conference released a statement emphasizing the importance of religious study in schools.
“Indeed, removing the Catholic religion classes would mean relegating religious belief to the private sphere, which, for a democratic state, would be an impoverishment,” they said.
The Belgian state curriculum includes religion classes, with students having the choice of Catholic, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish, Protestant or “a-confessional morality.”
The classes normally consist of two weekly hours of teaching.
Last year, the government started a procedure to cut in half the weekly hours of religion in the curriculum. The new citizenship classes – entitled “Education of philosophy and citizenship” (EPC) – will go into effect in October 2016 in primary schools and October 2017 in secondary schools.
The government decision will apply only to the French-speaking schools in Belgium. Each of the country’s three main language communities – French, Flemish and German – have authority over their respective educational programs.
Announcement of the new policy has prompted concern from some in the academic system.
One religion teacher, who requested anonymity, told CNA that “these citizenship classes are part of a real ideological indoctrination.”
Instead of simply being neutral, the teacher charged, “these classes are filled with ideological topics: gender theory, homosexuality, euthanasia and abortion are not presented in a neutral way.”
Segments of the Belgian press have also criticized the content of the new classes, labeling them cours de rien, or “classes of nothing.”
The change is controversial for other reasons as well, particularly because it could result in religion teachers being forced out of the educational system altogether.
The new citizenship classes must be taught by “neutral teachers” – those without any religious education in their background, including a degree from a Catholic university.
Since many of the religion teachers have graduated from Catholic colleges or other religious institutions, they are considered “non-neutral,” and are therefore ineligible to teach the citizenship class.
And since teachers are required to maintain a certain number of hours to keep their jobs, those with religious backgrounds could find their jobs at risk once their religion classes are reduced to half their current hours to accommodate the new citizenship courses.
The government maintains that no teachers are at risk of losing their jobs.
However, critics charge that part-time teachers – often members of a religious minority – will be slowly eradicated from the schools, since they will be unable to maintain the necessary number of hours to continue teaching.
The Collectif des Enseignants de Religion dans l’Enseignement Officiel – better known by the French acronym of Cereo – is a group of religion teachers in Belgium’s state schools. The group has argued against the removal of religion from the state curriculum.
Citing the hatred and fanaticism of the modern world, the group argued that it is more important than ever to “cultivate in each student an intelligent relationship to religion.”
In a June 30 letter, the members of Cereo defending the teaching of religion, saying, “We are confident that our courses help combat indifference, fanaticism, dogmatism, intolerance, and violence in times of crisis.”
“The courses of morality and religion are places of education that respect all particular beliefs, and promote integration in a pluralistic society,” the teachers said. “They are a place of freedom, exchange and debate, respecting the full person of the student.”
Cereo is appealing to the Belgian Constitutional Court, with the claim that the religion and morality classes already cover the topic of citizenship.
“We believe that a critical but benevolent religious instruction, taught by masters and teachers combining a journey of faith and a serious training, is in the current circumstances the safest way to develop civic virtue and moderation of our students search for meaning and identity,” they said.
IMAGE: CNS photo/Rick Musacchio,Tennessee RegisterBy Andy TelliNASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -? Throughout his life, Msgr. Owen Campion hashad a fascination with words.That fascination led him into the Catholic media as a reporter, writerand editor, a mentor to Catholic journalists, and as a liaison between theVatican and Catholic media around the world."It's been the ministry of my priesthood," said Msgr. Campion, a native of Nashville and a priestof the Diocese of Nashville for 50 years.That ministry wound to a close June 30, when his retirement as associatepublisher of Our Sunday Visitor, based in Huntington, Indiana, and as editor ofThe Priest magazine, where he has worked since 1988, became official. He calledhis work at Our Sunday Visitor, and the view of the Catholic Church in Americait has provided him, "very fascinating."Msgr. Campion's path to journalism began as a youth. The DominicanSisters of St. Cecilia who were his elementary school teachers "taught me howto use the English ...
IMAGE: CNS photo/Rick Musacchio,Tennessee Register
By Andy Telli
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -? Throughout his life, Msgr. Owen Campion has had a fascination with words.
That fascination led him into the Catholic media as a reporter, writer and editor, a mentor to Catholic journalists, and as a liaison between the Vatican and Catholic media around the world.
"It's been the ministry of my priesthood," said Msgr. Campion, a native of Nashville and a priest of the Diocese of Nashville for 50 years.
That ministry wound to a close June 30, when his retirement as associate publisher of Our Sunday Visitor, based in Huntington, Indiana, and as editor of The Priest magazine, where he has worked since 1988, became official. He called his work at Our Sunday Visitor, and the view of the Catholic Church in America it has provided him, "very fascinating."
Msgr. Campion's path to journalism began as a youth. The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia who were his elementary school teachers "taught me how to use the English language. ' That's where I learned to love words," he told the Tennessee Register, Nashville's diocesan newspaper.
His interest continued at Father Ryan High School in Nashville where he was editor of the school newspaper and yearbook, and in college as a seminarian.
He was ordained on May 21, 1966, and as a young priest serving in east Tennessee first began working for the Tennessee Register.
At the time, the Nashville Diocese covered the entire state, and the Register had a representative in each division -- east, middle and west Tennessee -- to collect news and write stories. (The Memphis and Knoxville dioceses were created in 1971 and 1988, respectively.)
The Catholic Church and American society were undergoing huge changes. The Register's editor, Joe Sweat, asked Msgr. Campion to write stories and analyses about the changes happening in the church in the wake of the Second Vatican Council.
Nashville's bishop at the time, Bishop Joseph A. Durick, wanted his diocesan newspaper to approach the news in the fashion of a secular newspaper, Msgr. Campion said. "Bishop Durick saw the mission (of the paper) ' not as his mouthpiece but he saw it as a mirror of life in the diocese and life in the modern church," he said. "He wanted to give (readers) an idea ' of what was going on that was important."
That included not only developments in the church, but also the civil rights movement. Bishop Durick was among the most prominent Catholic leaders in the civil rights movement nationally, and his vocal support for the movement was often met with opposition from his own flock.
Sometimes the paper's "whole op-ed page would be letters," Msgr. Campion recalled. "Some of the letters would be quite critical of him."
Bishop Durick believed Catholics had a right to express themselves in the diocesan newspaper, even if they were critical of him, the priest said. "That was the general philosophy of the Catholic press nationally at that time."
During the Vietnam War, he said, Bishop Durick "wanted editorials to be very strong and to the point and illuminating and advocating for these positions the American church was taking," Msgr. Campion said. "He was never out of step with the other bishops or the Holy See."
Another of Bishop Durick's interests was ecumenism, and Msgr. Campion, who succeeded Sweat as the Register's editor in 1971, covered that issue as well.
As a young editor, he found support from friends in the secular press as well as the Catholic press. He became active in the Catholic Press Association, which he served in several roles, including as president from 1984 to 1986. In 1988, he left the Register and Nashville for Our Sunday Visitor.
In 1989 Pope John Paul II appointed him as ecclesiastical adviser to the International Catholic Union of the Press, or UCIP, which at at that time was the official, worldwide organization of Catholic publishers and journalists.
One of his first missions was helping the Catholic Church in Eastern Europe establish newspapers after the fall of communism.
"Communism had dealt a terrific blow to the church," Msgr. Campion said. Bishops in Eastern Europe wanted to revive Catholic communications but "they didn't know whom to turn to, what to do. So much time had elapsed ' since the church had been able to speak in public."
Working with the CPA and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Msgr. Campion organized teams of U.S. editors to travel abroad to lead workshops on how to operate a diocesan newspaper.
"Somebody would talk about writing feature stories. Somebody else would talk about boosting circulation. Somebody else would talk about advertising," said Msgr. Campion, who noted that during one year he was in Poland five times.
He traveled to Latin America and later Hong Kong on behalf of UCIP. From Hong Kong, he branched out to other places in Asia.
His term with UCIP ended in 1998 after nine years. In 2000, Pope John Paul designated him as a member of the Synod of Bishops for the Americas and he addressed the synod on communication issues.
During the synod, he was invited twice to be part of a group of people dining with the pope. "It was very thrilling of course, but also revealing because you could see him in another context," Msgr. Campion said. "I never knew he was so witty, for one. And I never knew how utterly aware of the world's geography he was."
The pope would always break the ice at the dinners by going around the table asking each person who they were and where they were from, Msgr. Campion said. The pope would ask detailed questions about each person demonstrating a deep familiarity with their home countries, he said.
When told Msgr. Campion was from Tennessee, the pope asked "Nashville or Memphis?"
"I said 'Nashville.' He mimed playing the guitar and said, 'You play the guitar then.' I said, 'No Holy Father, I only listen.'
"By the time dessert was served everybody was laughing and talking and he was in the middle of us," Msgr. Campion said. "You kind of felt like you were with your uncle."
From 2006 to 2012, Msgr. Campion served on the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, whose 50 members from around the world consulted with the Vatican about mass communications.
Catholic media is facing challenges related to the declining influence of the Catholic Church -- and religion in general -- in Western societies, and the fracturing of media as social media platforms continue to multiply, making it harder to reach a broad swath of the people, Msgr. Campion said.
Msgr. Campion's own vocation was inspired by the priests who were his teachers at Father Ryan. His heroes in his teenage years "were not athletes and movie stars," he said, but those priests, who "always "were there for me."
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Telli is managing editor of the Tennessee Register, newspaper of the Diocese of Nashville.
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Copyright © 2016 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Civil rights groups and activists sued Baton Rouge law enforcement agencies over their treatment of protesters rallying against the police shooting death of a black man, saying officers used excessive force and physically and verbally abused peaceful demonstrators....
Vatican City, Jul 13, 2016 / 10:35 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After a trip to the dentist Wednesday, Pope Francis made the spontaneous decision to stop by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America – a visit one official says demonstrates his close pastoral concern for those in his care.“It was a very exciting moment for everyone,” Fr. Jose Tola, an official of the department, told CNA July 13 following the Pope’s visit.Fr. Tola, who was present to welcome the unexpected guest, said it was the first time he’s met the Pope in a non-protocol situation.“He’s a person with a very special charism and has a very sincere way of approaching people,” Tola said, explaining that for him the visit was “a very edifying experience” from a personal, human, and spiritual perspective.While he’s met the Pope before in formal situations, what made this visit special was “the spontaneity,” the priest said, because protocol visits ...
Vatican City, Jul 13, 2016 / 10:35 am (CNA/EWTN News).- After a trip to the dentist Wednesday, Pope Francis made the spontaneous decision to stop by the Pontifical Commission for Latin America – a visit one official says demonstrates his close pastoral concern for those in his care.
“It was a very exciting moment for everyone,” Fr. Jose Tola, an official of the department, told CNA July 13 following the Pope’s visit.
Fr. Tola, who was present to welcome the unexpected guest, said it was the first time he’s met the Pope in a non-protocol situation.
“He’s a person with a very special charism and has a very sincere way of approaching people,” Tola said, explaining that for him the visit was “a very edifying experience” from a personal, human, and spiritual perspective.
While he’s met the Pope before in formal situations, what made this visit special was “the spontaneity,” the priest said, because protocol visits such as a plenary meeting or Masses are foreseen, so everything is arranged beforehand.
“Instead, today the Pope met us without preparation and I felt like he was not only the Supreme Pontiff, but a pastor who is close the people” Fr. Tola said.
The visit was “something done for pastoral reasons, for sincere pastoral reasons for his workers, for the people entrusted to his care,” he added.
The commission, headed by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, is located only 330 yards from the Apostolic Palace. According to an article posted to the commission’s website after the visit, work was going about as usual when Francis unexpectedly showed up at the door at exactly 9:10 a.m.
Officials had been in a meeting planning an upcoming continental celebration of the Jubilee of Mercy in Bogota when the doorbell rang, the article said, noting that the person who went to the door was “stunned” to see the Vicar of Christ standing in front of them.
Pope Francis, on the other hand, was completely natural, telling them, “Good morning! Can I come in?”
After getting a heads-up from a woman who had passed by and happened to see the Pope walk in, the other officials in the meeting jumped to their feet as Pope Francis made his way down the hall to the office where the meeting was taking place.
Guzman Carriquiry, the commission’s secretary, quickly made his way to the front of the group just in time to greet the Pope as he walked up, telling Francis, “Good morning, do you have time to speak a little bit?”
According to the article, the rest of the officials waited “impatiently” outside while the Pope and Carriquiry spoke in private, and were “noticeably surprised and excited” for the spontaneous visit.
The security officer who accompanied the Pope told the officials that as Francis was leaving the Vatican’s Department for Health and Welfare after a visit to the dentist, he said that he had the idea “to pass by the Commission for Latin America” before returning to Santa Marta.
When the security officer recalled how when he told Pope the visit would be “very complicated,” Francis simply replied by calmly saying, “I am the Pope; don’t worry, we are in God’s hands.”
The Swiss Guards standing watch at the Saint Anne’s Gate entrance to the Vatican made “a solemn and half shocked salute” as they saw the Pope drive away, the officer said, jesting with the commission that it was “the first such mischief” Pope Francis had done.
After the private conversation between Francis and Carriquiry ended, the Pope accepted the commission’s invitation for coffee, greeting each member personally.
The commission’s article recounts how although the conversation was brief, it was “pleasant and enjoyable,” and that in addition to sharing some stories and jokes, Francis demonstrated an “impressive memory” when he met officials whom he had greeted on previous occasions.
After a leisurely visit, the commission members took some photos with Pope Francis before accompanying him to the door.
The commission in their article stressed that the visit was completely casual and spontaneous, and was not part of the Pope’s scheduled visits to the different departments and entities of the Roman Curia.
Pope Francis has so far made several rounds in his visits to the curial offices, but has yet to make his official visit to the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
For that, the commission said, “we are still waiting.”
IMAGE: CNS photo/Will Oliver, EPABy LONDON (CNS) -- An Englishcardinal said he was delighted by the appointment of Theresa May as Britain'snew prime minister because of the commitment she has shown in the fight againsthuman trafficking.Cardinal Vincent Nichols ofWestminster, president of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, madehis comments in a letter of congratulations to May, who took over asleader of the ruling Conservative Party July 13 after David Cameron formallyresigned.The cardinal reminded May, who has servedas British home secretary since 2010, of her attendance at the Vatican in April2014 for the launch of the Santa Marta Group, an initiative launched by PopeFrancis to help the victims of the human trafficking."This is a clear indicationnot only of your determination to use high political office for the protectionof some of the world's most vulnerable people but also of your willingness towork with the Catholic Church at its highest levels," the cardinal said in...
IMAGE: CNS photo/Will Oliver, EPA
By
LONDON (CNS) -- An English cardinal said he was delighted by the appointment of Theresa May as Britain's new prime minister because of the commitment she has shown in the fight against human trafficking.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, president of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, made his comments in a letter of congratulations to May, who took over as leader of the ruling Conservative Party July 13 after David Cameron formally resigned.
The cardinal reminded May, who has served as British home secretary since 2010, of her attendance at the Vatican in April 2014 for the launch of the Santa Marta Group, an initiative launched by Pope Francis to help the victims of the human trafficking.
"This is a clear indication not only of your determination to use high political office for the protection of some of the world's most vulnerable people but also of your willingness to work with the Catholic Church at its highest levels," the cardinal said in the letter, released to the media July 12.
"I am personally delighted at your appointment," said Cardinal Nichols.
"I know from the work we have done together that you have so many qualities to bring to the service of our countries at this time," he wrote. "I appreciate the maturity of judgment, the steely resolve, the sense of justice and the personal integrity and warmth you have always shown."
The cardinal added: "As you take up this new and demanding office of prime minister, I assure you of my personal support, and I look forward to working with you across a wide range of issues in service of the common good."
May, 59, emerged as the favorite candidate to succeed Cameron, who announced his resignation after a June 23 referendum in which Britons voted to leave the European Union.
After Andrea Leadsom, her closest rival, withdrew from the race July 11, the Conservative Party announced May would become the first female prime minister since Margaret Thatcher, also a Conservative Party member, stepped down in 1990.
Cameron offered his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II and, according to protocol, the queen summoned May to Buckingham Palace and invited her to form a new government July 13.
May had been a supporter of the campaign to keep Britain within the European Union but has indicated that she intends to honor the wishes of the British people and to take the country out of the bloc by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
"Brexit means Brexit -- and we're going to make a success of it," she said, referring to the termed coined to refer to Britain leaving the EU.
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Copyright © 2016 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that the Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln has been transformed into "the party of Trump," declaring her GOP presidential opponent a polarizing figure who is deepening the divisions in America....
