Catholic News 2
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel imposed travel restrictions Thursday on tens of thousands of Palestinians and sent hundreds of additional troops into the West Bank in response to a deadly shooting at a popular Tel Aviv tourist spot. But as the nation's leaders vowed tough responses, they stopped short of taking wider-scale military action....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The World Health Organization says women who live in areas where Zika is spreading should consider delaying pregnancy, since there's no other sure way to avoid the virus' devastating birth defects....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a rescue package for debt-stricken Puerto Rico, clearing a major hurdle in the ongoing effort to bring relief to the U.S. territory of 3.5 million Americans....
MOSIER, Ore. (AP) -- Leaders of several Pacific Northwest tribes gathered Thursday near the site of last week's fiery oil train wreck in Oregon to condemn the shipping of fossil fuels through the Columbia River Gorge, a scenic homeland and sacred fishing ground for the Yakama Nation and others over the millennia....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- After months of debate, the U.S. is close to a decision to expand the military's authority to conduct airstrikes against the Taliban as the violence in Afghanistan escalates, a senior U.S. defense official said Thursday....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Billionaire Charles Koch, one of America's most influential conservative donors, said he is fed up with the vitriol of the presidential race and will air national TV ads that call on citizens to work together to fix a "rigged" economy that leaves behind the poor....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Testifying to Hillary Clinton's grit and experience, President Barack Obama endorsed his former secretary of state's bid to succeed him on Thursday and urged Democrats to line up behind her. It was all part of a carefully orchestrated pressure campaign aimed at easing Clinton rival Bernie Sanders toward the exit and turning fully to the fight against Republican Donald Trump....
(Vatican Radio) On Friday Pope Francis will meet with leaders of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, a group which comprises some 80 million Christians in countries right across the globe.The delegation, led by President Jerry Pillay and Secretary General Chris Ferguson will also hold talks with the Vatican’s Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Justice and Peace Council, since social justice is at the heart of the dialogue between these two global communities.Fr Avelino Gonzàlez-Ferrer heads the desk for dialogue with Reformed Churches at the Council for Christian Unity – just ahead of the papal audience, he talked to Philippa Hitchen about the meeting and about the focus of this long-standing ecumenical relationship….Listen: Fr Avelino notes that World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is a union of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC) which came together in 2010. Today the WCR...
(Vatican Radio) On Friday Pope Francis will meet with leaders of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, a group which comprises some 80 million Christians in countries right across the globe.
The delegation, led by President Jerry Pillay and Secretary General Chris Ferguson will also hold talks with the Vatican’s Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Justice and Peace Council, since social justice is at the heart of the dialogue between these two global communities.
Fr Avelino Gonzàlez-Ferrer heads the desk for dialogue with Reformed Churches at the Council for Christian Unity – just ahead of the papal audience, he talked to Philippa Hitchen about the meeting and about the focus of this long-standing ecumenical relationship….
Listen:
Fr Avelino notes that World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) is a union of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC) which came together in 2010. Today the WCRC represents over 225 member Churches in over 100 countries, including Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Dutch Reformed, United, Uniting and Waldensian communities.
4th phase of dialogue
The dialogue between Catholics and Reformed Churches began just after the Second Vatican Council and has just completed its 4th international phase. Fr Avelino says that the report on “Justification and Sacramentality: The Christian Community as an Agent for Justice” is expected to be released in the coming months and is a significant contribution to ongoing preparations for next year’s 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.
Another exciting development that Fr Avelino points to is the desire of the WCRC to associate itself with the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, a document that he describes as “an ecumenical platform which is opening up interesting prospects”.
Economic and ecological justice
Speaking of the social action focus of the Reformed Churches, Fr Avelino refers to the ‘Accra Confession’ on responding to economic and ecological injustices which was adopted at the 24th General Assembly of the Reformed Churches in Ghana in 2004. With the recent publication of Pope Francis’ encyclical ‘Laudato Si’, he notes, there seems to be “a harmony coming around this issue”.
Finally, Fr Avelino shares his hopes for the building of new relationships during this meeting in the Vatican, expressing the wish that such face-to-face encounters can help the Churches to move closer towards their goal of full visible unity and communion.
(Vatican Radio) European Union ministers are looking into ways the coming days on how to stem the ongoing flow of people fleeing war and poverty. Their gathering comes amid fresh tensions within the EU over how to deal with migration at a time when an increasing of number of people set sail for Europe from Libya and elsewhere in north Africa after a controversial deal with Turkey cut arrivals via Greece.Listen to the report by Stefan Bos: The EU's Interior Ministers are meeting at a time when the 28-nation block fears the central Mediterranean route to Italy may become the main one as calmer seas encourage more people to try the dangerous and often deadly journey. EU officials estimate that already some 45,000 people reached this year alone, roughly at the same level as in 2015.Brussels is also worried about the long-term impact of massive migration from Africa. That's why it's considering linking development aid and trade ties with poor states to them keepi...
(Vatican Radio) European Union ministers are looking into ways the coming days on how to stem the ongoing flow of people fleeing war and poverty.
Their gathering comes amid fresh tensions within the EU over how to deal with migration at a time when an increasing of number of people set sail for Europe from Libya and elsewhere in north Africa after a controversial deal with Turkey cut arrivals via Greece.
Listen to the report by Stefan Bos:
The EU's Interior Ministers are meeting at a time when the 28-nation block fears the central Mediterranean route to Italy may become the main one as calmer seas encourage more people to try the dangerous and often deadly journey. EU officials estimate that already some 45,000 people reached this year alone, roughly at the same level as in 2015.
Brussels is also worried about the long-term impact of massive migration from Africa. That's why it's considering linking development aid and trade ties with poor states to them keeping a lid on migration.
At the same time EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos has revealed proposals offering a blue card to highly qualified migrants, referring to many of the more than a million refugees who arrived in Europe last year alone. "Not everyone of the more than a million people who have arrived last year [in Europe] will receive protection or the legal status to stay," he
noted.
"But for those who already have we have to make sure they can start to take part in our labour market and our services as soon as possible. If we ever want to compete with the US Green Card we need an EU Blue Card that deserves the same merit," Avramopoulos added.
URGING COMPASSION
Catholic aid workers have also urged the EU to show more compassion towards refugees.
Yet the EU member state Hungary has already rejected the blue card system plan. Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó said the European Commission, the EU's executive, “increasingly gives the impression that it wants Europe to fail”.
He warned that the blue card system would result in further waves of what he said were migrants flooding the continent because in his words migrants and human smugglers interpreted such measures as invitations.
Szijjártó said Europe already struggles with high unemployment, though the European Commission says the EU will soon need
more workers as the aging population is expected to decline by 20 million over the next 20 years.
Hungary isn't known for welcoming refugees. It has build massive razor wire fences along its borders with Croatia and Serbia. Despite these measures the prime ministers office told Vatican Radio that at least more than 19,000 migrants arrived in Hungary this year.
Madrid, Spain, Jun 9, 2016 / 06:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Known for kneeling to pray an 'Our Father' before his races, renowned motorcyclist Luis Salom died June 3 after an accident while practicing for Spain's Grand Prix. The 24-year-old once told the press that he prayed not to win but “because I really believe and it's my aim to ask that that everything goes well, that nothing happens, and so we can all finish the race.”“I do it because I want him to protect me, so that nothing happens to me and so that I will come back home safe and sound,” he told OK daily. Salom, nick-named locally as “the Mexican,” was Catholic and did not hesitate to publicly express his faith.During a practice session Friday at the Montmeló racetrack in Barcelona, Salom could not negotiate a turn and crashed straight into the air-fence barrier at around 90 miles per hour. His mother always attended his races, and was in the stands the day he die...
Madrid, Spain, Jun 9, 2016 / 06:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Known for kneeling to pray an 'Our Father' before his races, renowned motorcyclist Luis Salom died June 3 after an accident while practicing for Spain's Grand Prix.
The 24-year-old once told the press that he prayed not to win but “because I really believe and it's my aim to ask that that everything goes well, that nothing happens, and so we can all finish the race.”
“I do it because I want him to protect me, so that nothing happens to me and so that I will come back home safe and sound,” he told OK daily. Salom, nick-named locally as “the Mexican,” was Catholic and did not hesitate to publicly express his faith.
During a practice session Friday at the Montmeló racetrack in Barcelona, Salom could not negotiate a turn and crashed straight into the air-fence barrier at around 90 miles per hour. His mother always attended his races, and was in the stands the day he died.
Salom was born on the island of Mallorca. He was close to becoming a champion in the Moto 3 class in 2012 and 2013, and rose to the Moto 2 class this season.
Besides working to help up-and-coming racers from Mallorca, Salom always had time to participate multiple charity events. In recent years, he let various cancer associations use his picture. On Epiphany of this last year, he visited the children's hospital in Mallorca.
The young motorcyclist's funeral is set for June 8 at the Mallorca cathedral.
