Catholic News 2
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama said Wednesday he will reveal his Supreme Court nominee to fill the vacancy of the late Justice Antonin Scalia, expecting to choose from a small circle of federal appeals court judges....
(Vatican Radio) The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has welcomed a decision by Malawi to reopen a former refugee camp to help cope with the rising numbers of people fleeing a conflict in Mozambique.Listen to Peter Kenny's report from the UN in Geneva The UNHCR says that close to 10,000 refugees have now been registered in southern Malawi since mid-December and there are nearly 12,000 Mozambican refugees in the whole country.Most of the new arrivals, who have been crossing to Malawi since mid-December, are in a single village, Kapise, about 100 kilometres south of Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, Leo Dobbs, UNHCR spokesperson told journalists. “Arrival rates have been rising in the past month from about 130 people a day before late February AND we are now seeing around 250 people every day in Kapise. Earlier this year the refugees we talked to said they were fleeing violence in their villages – and more recent arrivals have said they are fleeing for preventativ...
(Vatican Radio) The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has welcomed a decision by Malawi to reopen a former refugee camp to help cope with the rising numbers of people fleeing a conflict in Mozambique.
Listen to Peter Kenny's report from the UN in Geneva
The UNHCR says that close to 10,000 refugees have now been registered in southern Malawi since mid-December and there are nearly 12,000 Mozambican refugees in the whole country.
Most of the new arrivals, who have been crossing to Malawi since mid-December, are in a single village, Kapise, about 100 kilometres south of Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, Leo Dobbs, UNHCR spokesperson told journalists.
“Arrival rates have been rising in the past month from about 130 people a day before late February AND we are now seeing around 250 people every day in Kapise. Earlier this year the refugees we talked to said they were fleeing violence in their villages – and more recent arrivals have said they are fleeing for preventative reasons fearing imminent clashes between government forces and RENAMO, the main opposition group, which says it wishes to take control of six northern provinces in the north of Mozambique.”.
Renamo was in a 16-year civil war against the ruling party Frelimo which ended in 1992. It says it won control of the northern provinces in the October 2015 general elections, which the government says is not true.
Dobbs noted that Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world but it is showing an example by taking in refugees.
(Vatican Radio) Director of the Holy See press office, Fr Federico Lombardi, issued two statements to journalists Tuesday, one the regarding Vatileaks, and the other on the unrelated case of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin.Fr. Lombardi issued an update to journalists on the March 15 sessions of the Vatileaks trial at the Vatican City State tribunal.Those present were the judges, along with four of the defendants charged for their involvement in the leaking of the documents. The fifth defendant, Gianluigi Nuzzi was absent and was represented by his defense attorney.Defendants Msgr. Vallejo Balda and Emiliano Fittipaldi were questioned over the course of the day’s hearings, which concluded at 4:30 in the afternoon.Fr Lombardi said further hearings are scheduled for later this and next week, with more tentatively scheduled for after Easter.In a separate statement Fr. Lombardi addressed a letter published by the French association "La Parole libérée&rdquo...
(Vatican Radio) Director of the Holy See press office, Fr Federico Lombardi, issued two statements to journalists Tuesday, one the regarding Vatileaks, and the other on the unrelated case of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin.
Fr. Lombardi issued an update to journalists on the March 15 sessions of the Vatileaks trial at the Vatican City State tribunal.
Those present were the judges, along with four of the defendants charged for their involvement in the leaking of the documents. The fifth defendant, Gianluigi Nuzzi was absent and was represented by his defense attorney.
Defendants Msgr. Vallejo Balda and Emiliano Fittipaldi were questioned over the course of the day’s hearings, which concluded at 4:30 in the afternoon.
Fr Lombardi said further hearings are scheduled for later this and next week, with more tentatively scheduled for after Easter.
In a separate statement Fr. Lombardi addressed a letter published by the French association "La Parole libérée” regarding a case of pedophilia which took place in France years ago.
French Cardinal Philippe Barbarin is accused of covering up sex abuse by failing to remove a priest known to have abused minors decades earlier.
French authorities have recently opened investigations into the matter.
Fr Lombardi stressed the Church’s development of awareness and increasing responsibility “which must be continually renewed.”
The letter in question requests a private audience with Pope Francis, although Fr Lombardi said such requests made through a publication do not typically result in a meeting with the Pope.
He said the Pope’s meetings with abuse victims have thus far “occurred in contexts where the necessary climate of listening and spiritual dialogue has been carefully secured” in order that they might bear the most fruits.
Washington D.C., Mar 15, 2016 / 10:48 pm (CNA).- A federal court has sided with a Sikh soldier working to secure a religious exemption for his beard and headwear under U.S. Army regulations. The ruling affirms that religious groups cannot be targeted because of their faith, experts said. “This is a huge victory for Sikhs and the first time a court has said the military cannot discriminate against an active duty Sikh. Sikhs must be treated on equal terms as other groups,” Eric Baxter, senior counsel with The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, told CNA.The Becket Fund is representing Army Captain Simratpal Singh, who had requested a religious exemption to Army standards so that he could wear a beard and turban according to his religious practice.The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia sided with the Army captain, ruling that he should not be forced by the Army to undergo three days of specialized helmet and gas mask testing for requesting a religious exe...
Washington D.C., Mar 15, 2016 / 10:48 pm (CNA).- A federal court has sided with a Sikh soldier working to secure a religious exemption for his beard and headwear under U.S. Army regulations. The ruling affirms that religious groups cannot be targeted because of their faith, experts said.
“This is a huge victory for Sikhs and the first time a court has said the military cannot discriminate against an active duty Sikh. Sikhs must be treated on equal terms as other groups,” Eric Baxter, senior counsel with The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, told CNA.
The Becket Fund is representing Army Captain Simratpal Singh, who had requested a religious exemption to Army standards so that he could wear a beard and turban according to his religious practice.
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia sided with the Army captain, ruling that he should not be forced by the Army to undergo three days of specialized helmet and gas mask testing for requesting a religious exemption.
The Army bans turbans and beards on the grounds they are a safety hazard for soldiers and impede the proper fitting of helmets and gas masks. Despite the ban, the Army has allowed 100,000 military members to grow beards for medical reasons such as severe acne. Special Forces troops in Afghanistan are also allowed to grow beards.
Last December, Singh, a West Point graduate and Bronze Star recipient, was granted a temporary 30-day accommodation to serve with his turban and beard. The accommodation was extended until March 31, 2016.
But on Feb. 26, Singh was ordered to complete additional non-standard testing in order to remain in the military. The irregular testing would require special supervision and cost more than $3,200.
On Feb. 29, Singh filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense, on the grounds that the special testing constituted religious discrimination. He had already passed the standard helmet and gas mask testing required by all soldiers.
On March 4, the federal court ruled that that the required non-standard testing violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the free exercise of religion under the U.S. Constitution.
The judge explained that “singling out the plaintiff for specialized testing due only to his Sikh articles of faith is, in this context, unfair and discriminatory.”
Baxter praised the ruling.
“The court rightfully recognized that Captain Singh was being targeted for his faith and refused to allow the military to trample on his religious freedom,” he said. “The Army could not show a compelling reason why Captain Singh would have to undergo extreme testing when other soldiers have been allowed to wear beards for non-religious reasons without having to do the same.”
Singh is also represented by the Sikh Coalition. Harsimran Kaur, the coalition’s legal director, said the ruling upholds the Sikh principle to fight injustice.
“This ruling affirms a key Sikh principle to fight oppression. Sikhs believe that all people are equal in the eyes of God and should never stand for injustice or discrimination,” Kaur told CNA March 9.
“For Sikhs, it is important to remember God at all times, earn an honest living, share with the less fortunate, and fight discrimination,” he explained.
He said that the articles of the Sikh faith have a deeper meaning.
“Unshorn hair and a beard are physical and external reminders to Sikhs to uphold their spiritual obligations to God. They are symbols of their submission to God and we believe this is living in harmony with God’s will. This is an essential part of the Sikh way of life,” Kaur said.
Singh, a devout Sikh, always wore a beard and a turban in accord with his beliefs. But when he was accepted at West Point in 2006, he felt he had no choice but to comply with academy rules and shave his beard or else lose his place, the lawsuit said.
Since graduating from West Point, Singh has completed Ranger School and has received a master's degree in engineering. He also received a Bronze Star for his service clearing improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan.
Singh has always complied with the Army’s ban on long hair and turbans, despite feeling conflicted over not fulfilling the articles of his faith, according to the lawsuit.
After meeting several Sikh soldiers who maintained their religious practices, Singh realized that his faith and profession could coexist, the document said. In October 2015, Singh filed a request for a religious accommodation to allow him to wear a beard and turban.
His temporary accommodation ends March 31, by which date a final decision on his exemption request must be granted.
Travis Weber, director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the Family Research Council, said that religious freedom and military practices are not mutually exclusive.
“Military service members retain their constitutional rights when they enter the military. They should not be forced to choose between serving their country and practicing their faith,” Weber told CNA March 10.
“The Army must accommodate religious beliefs as long as they don’t conflict with important military goals and practices. In this case, there was no reason why Captain Singh couldn’t exercise his faith since no convincing military interest was in jeopardy,” Weber said.
Captain Singh is the first active-duty combat soldier to be granted an exception to the Army's grooming requirements. Since the ban was implemented in 1981, only three other Sikhs have been allowed to grow beards. They all served in non-combatant positions in the medical corps.
Baxter said the court’s ruling sets an important precedent against discriminating against military members of faith.
“If the Army can tell a Sikh they cannot practice their faith, it will be able to make other arbitrary demands on others of faith,” he said. “If the Army can say you must give up this part of your faith, what else will it demand? We are glad the court wasn’t willing to find out and chose to safeguard the constitutional freedoms of Captain Singh.”
Photo credit: Sergei Bachlakov via www.shutterstock.com
Lima, Peru, Mar 16, 2016 / 12:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Three-quarters of a million people paraded through downtown Lima on Saturday in a massive celebration of life from conception to natural death.Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne addressed the crowd March 12, urging prayers for the family and for any women who “for some reason in a moment of weakness unfortunately aborted” her child, saying that forgiveness is always necessary.However, he stressed, “we can’t just easily let them say abortion is a right. It’s not a right; it’s murder!”Cardinal Cipriani said Pope Francis sent his blessing to the Lima March for Life during their March 4 meeting in Rome with the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. The cardinal showed the Holy Father the official poster for this year’s march and the Pope gave his blessing and wished them as much success as they had last year.“We are people of peace, we're tolerant people, we wish the whole ...
Lima, Peru, Mar 16, 2016 / 12:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Three-quarters of a million people paraded through downtown Lima on Saturday in a massive celebration of life from conception to natural death.
Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne addressed the crowd March 12, urging prayers for the family and for any women who “for some reason in a moment of weakness unfortunately aborted” her child, saying that forgiveness is always necessary.
However, he stressed, “we can’t just easily let them say abortion is a right. It’s not a right; it’s murder!”
Cardinal Cipriani said Pope Francis sent his blessing to the Lima March for Life during their March 4 meeting in Rome with the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. The cardinal showed the Holy Father the official poster for this year’s march and the Pope gave his blessing and wished them as much success as they had last year.
“We are people of peace, we're tolerant people, we wish the whole world had that freedom of speech,” Cardinal Cipriani said.
“And so we've expressed ourselves that way today, really it's the youth that give us so much hope, you can really bring about change.”
The March for Life paraded down Brasil Avenue en route to the Costa Verde seaside highway to gather on the seashore.
The celebration continued with a concert focusing on the importance of defending life, the dignity of women, and the family.
Catholics, brought together by the the Archdiocese of Lima, as well as Christians of various denominations participated in the march. A multitude of young people, pregnant mothers, families with young children, elderly, and people with disabilities joined in the event chanting pro-life songs and slogans.
Several presidential and congressional politicians up for election attended the event in order to express their commitment opposing abortion.
In Peru, a person’s life is protected under the Constitution, the Civil Code, the Code for Children and Adolescents, and the American Convention on Human Rights of the Organization of American States from conception until natural death. Each year the country celebrates the life of preborn babies with the March 25 Unborn Children’s Day.
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