Catholic News 2
NEW YORK (AP) -- A blizzard with hurricane-force winds brought much of the East Coast to a standstill Saturday, dumping as much as 3 feet of snow, stranding tens of thousands of travelers and shutting down the nation's capital and its largest city....
WASHINGTON-Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York called on everyone "concerned about the tragedy of abortion" to recommit to a "vision of life and love, a vision that excludes no one" on January 14. His statement marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Cardinal Dolan chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops."Most Americans oppose a policy allowing legal abortion for virtually any reason - though many still do not realize that this is what the Supreme Court gave us," wrote Cardinal Dolan. "Most want to protect unborn children at later stages of pregnancy, to regulate or limit the practice of abortion, and to stop the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of unborn children. Yet many who support important goals of the pro-life movement do not identify as 'pro-life,' a fact which should lead us to examine how we present our pro-life vision to others.""Even as Americans rema...
WASHINGTON-Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York called on everyone "concerned about the tragedy of abortion" to recommit to a "vision of life and love, a vision that excludes no one" on January 14. His statement marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Cardinal Dolan chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"Most Americans oppose a policy allowing legal abortion for virtually any reason - though many still do not realize that this is what the Supreme Court gave us," wrote Cardinal Dolan. "Most want to protect unborn children at later stages of pregnancy, to regulate or limit the practice of abortion, and to stop the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of unborn children. Yet many who support important goals of the pro-life movement do not identify as 'pro-life,' a fact which should lead us to examine how we present our pro-life vision to others."
"Even as Americans remain troubled by abortion," wrote Cardinal Dolan, a powerful and well-funded lobby holds "that abortion must be celebrated as a positive good for women and society, and those who cannot in conscience provide it are to be condemned for practicing substandard medicine and waging a 'war on women'." He said this trend was seen recently when President Obama and other Democratic leaders prevented passage of the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act, "a modest measure to provide for effective enforcement" of conscience laws.
"While this is disturbing," said Cardinal Dolan, "it is also an opportunity." Pro-life Americans should reach out to "the great majority of Americans" who are "open to hearing a message of reverence for life." He added that "we who present the pro-life message must always strive to be better messengers. A cause that teaches the inexpressibly great value of each and every human being cannot show disdain or disrespect for any fellow human being." He encouraged Catholics to take part, through prayer and action, in the upcoming "9 Days for Life" campaign, January 16-24. More information on the campaign is available online: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxJwfcefUiU
He also cited the Year of Mercy called by Pope Francis as a time for women and men to find healing through the Church's Project Rachel post-abortion ministry.
The full text of Cardinal Dolan's message is available online.
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Keywords: Roe v. Wade, anniversary, Pro-Life, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, 9 Days for Life, USCCB, U.S. bishops, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Year of Mercy, Project Rachel, Pope Francis
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MEDIA CONTACT
Don Clemmer
O: 202-541-3206
Merrimack, N.H., Jan 23, 2016 / 04:52 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- French spiritual writer Father Jacques Philippe says there is only one thing that can end violence.“We must pray for the conversion of the jihadists. There certainly is among them some future Saint Paul,” Fr. Philippe said.He said that Islamic terrorism is “a great menace,” but he warned against “hysteria” or “aggressive reactions” or hatred towards terrorists in response.“The fragility of our societies is a call to find our security, our hope, and our peace in God,” he continued. “We must be called to a personal conversion to live and preach the life of the Gospels, which alone have the power to completely uproot violence from man’s heart. We must not forget that violence does not only exist in others but also resides in us, less visible, but still present.”Fr. Philippe is the first priest of the Community of the Beatitudes, an ecclesial family of...
Merrimack, N.H., Jan 23, 2016 / 04:52 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- French spiritual writer Father Jacques Philippe says there is only one thing that can end violence.
“We must pray for the conversion of the jihadists. There certainly is among them some future Saint Paul,” Fr. Philippe said.
He said that Islamic terrorism is “a great menace,” but he warned against “hysteria” or “aggressive reactions” or hatred towards terrorists in response.
“The fragility of our societies is a call to find our security, our hope, and our peace in God,” he continued. “We must be called to a personal conversion to live and preach the life of the Gospels, which alone have the power to completely uproot violence from man’s heart. We must not forget that violence does not only exist in others but also resides in us, less visible, but still present.”
Fr. Philippe is the first priest of the Community of the Beatitudes, an ecclesial family of consecrated life that draws from Carmelite spirituality. His comments came in an early December interview with William Fahey, president of Saint Thomas More College in New Hampshire.
In his interview, the priest also spoke of spirituality and Christian renewal.
He said the heart of Christian spiritual life is to welcome “the unbounded love of our Father manifested through Christ, and to respond to this love.”
“For our part, it firstly means to have an open attitude, built on humility and trust: to realize our smallness and place all of our trust in the goodness and mercy of God; to nurture, day after day, a relation with God built on simplicity, persevering love, and of constant search for his will.”
He said Christian life is not merely adhesion to doctrine, conformity to external ‘ideal,’ or belonging to a nice community.
“On the contrary, the Holy Spirit works in Christians who, through the living experience of God’s love and mercy, respond to a call for a personal encounter with Christ through prayer which will allow a journey of simplicity, trust, and freedom,” Fr. Philippe said.
Catholic renewal in a Catholic community is not a human work, but “a gift from God.”
“Such a community is not programed but rather is born of God's eruption into the life of one or a few people who have received a charism for founding,” the priest said. “Any Christian community must be founded on fidelity to such a gift and to God’s call, as well as on faith and prayer.”
“Belonging to a Christian community must bring us closer to God so as to be closer to men and their sufferings,” he continued. Such a Christian community must be “a place where each and every one is welcomed and loved as he is, with his strengths and weaknesses.”
A community must allow its members to live “not according to the spirit of this world but according to the Beatitudes.” The community must not be oriented towards itself. Rather, it must be “at the service of this world that God wants to meet and save.”
Fr. Philippe reflected on the Community of the Beatitudes, in which he has long been a leader.
He said its calling is “to turn the hearts of men towards the coming Kingdom of God, in a trusting and joyful hope, and to manifest that this Kingdom is already present among us.”
“Through the fervor of prayer, the beauty of the liturgy, the announcement of the Gospel, the service to the poor, its members express man’s nearness to God and they communicate the consolation of the Holy Spirit,” he explained.
The priest suggested that the main grace of the Community of the Beatitudes is to transmit a desire for prayer and an intimacy for God.
“Man is called to things far greater than the universe. Man needs to experience things that will open some horizons far greater than material reality. When life is meaningless, man seeks to fill this emptiness with strong sensations, found either in drugs, sexuality, extreme sports, sometimes even violence…”
Asked how to respond to Catholics who feel betrayed or confused by the clergy, Fr. Philippe encouraged them to look to the saints.
“The Church is still able to produce saints. It is a sign of fidelity to God, a sign that grace is beyond and above sin,” he said. “Sainthood should amaze us more than sin scandalizes us; for the former is far greater.”
“The Church is not made of some perfect elite, but rather of sinners journeying towards conversion. It is a place where we can meet both man’s wretchedness and God’s unbounded mercy.”
Photo credit: Oleg Zabielin via www.shutterstock.com
TORONTO (AP) -- Police on Saturday charged a 17-year-old boy with four counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder in a mass shooting at a school and home in a remote aboriginal community in western Canada, officials said....
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Authorities say three inmates who escaped from a maximum-security jail in Southern California cut through half-inch steel bars, got to the roof and rappelled down using a makeshift rope....
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa (AP) -- Donald Trump is so confident about the loyalty of his supporters that he predicted Saturday they would stick with him even if he shot someone....
A massive winter storm buried much of the U.S. East Coast in a foot or more of snow by Saturday, shutting down transit in major cities, stranding drivers on snowbound highways, knocking out power to tens of thousands of people. A look at some of the impacts by state:...
NEW YORK (AP) -- A blizzard with hurricane-force winds brought much of the East Coast to a standstill Saturday, dumping as much as 3 feet of snow, stranding tens of thousands of travelers and shutting down the nation's capital and its largest city....
WASHINGTON-Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York called on everyone "concerned about the tragedy of abortion" to recommit to a "vision of life and love, a vision that excludes no one" on January 14. His statement marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Cardinal Dolan chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops."Most Americans oppose a policy allowing legal abortion for virtually any reason - though many still do not realize that this is what the Supreme Court gave us," wrote Cardinal Dolan. "Most want to protect unborn children at later stages of pregnancy, to regulate or limit the practice of abortion, and to stop the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of unborn children. Yet many who support important goals of the pro-life movement do not identify as 'pro-life,' a fact which should lead us to examine how we present our pro-life vision to others.""Even as Americans rema...
WASHINGTON-Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York called on everyone "concerned about the tragedy of abortion" to recommit to a "vision of life and love, a vision that excludes no one" on January 14. His statement marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Cardinal Dolan chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"Most Americans oppose a policy allowing legal abortion for virtually any reason - though many still do not realize that this is what the Supreme Court gave us," wrote Cardinal Dolan. "Most want to protect unborn children at later stages of pregnancy, to regulate or limit the practice of abortion, and to stop the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of unborn children. Yet many who support important goals of the pro-life movement do not identify as 'pro-life,' a fact which should lead us to examine how we present our pro-life vision to others."
"Even as Americans remain troubled by abortion," wrote Cardinal Dolan, a powerful and well-funded lobby holds "that abortion must be celebrated as a positive good for women and society, and those who cannot in conscience provide it are to be condemned for practicing substandard medicine and waging a 'war on women'." He said this trend was seen recently when President Obama and other Democratic leaders prevented passage of the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act, "a modest measure to provide for effective enforcement" of conscience laws.
"While this is disturbing," said Cardinal Dolan, "it is also an opportunity." Pro-life Americans should reach out to "the great majority of Americans" who are "open to hearing a message of reverence for life." He added that "we who present the pro-life message must always strive to be better messengers. A cause that teaches the inexpressibly great value of each and every human being cannot show disdain or disrespect for any fellow human being." He encouraged Catholics to take part, through prayer and action, in the upcoming "9 Days for Life" campaign, January 16-24. More information on the campaign is available online: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxJwfcefUiU
He also cited the Year of Mercy called by Pope Francis as a time for women and men to find healing through the Church's Project Rachel post-abortion ministry.
The full text of Cardinal Dolan's message is available online.
---
Keywords: Roe v. Wade, anniversary, Pro-Life, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, 9 Days for Life, USCCB, U.S. bishops, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Year of Mercy, Project Rachel, Pope Francis
# # #
MEDIA CONTACT
Don Clemmer
O: 202-541-3206
(Vatican Radio) Ukraine and several other former Soviet nations are battling a deadly outbreak of swine flu that has killed scores of people. Schools in Ukraine have been closed since January 16 as part of to stop the swine flu virus from spreading. Kiev says least 51 people have already died of the dangerous influenza more than half of them in war-torn eastern Ukraine where hospitals are lacking adequate medicine as fighting between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces apparently impacted deliveries.Listen to Stefan Bos' report: The difficulties faced by hospitals have underscored the need for a permanent ceasefire in the region with the U.S. even pledging to lift sanctions against economically troubled Russia within the next few months if Moscow and Kiev will fully implement a peace deal.Yet for now, residents in regions of rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine are rushing to local pharmacies to buy respiratory masks and, if possible, medicine amid a n...
(Vatican Radio) Ukraine and several other former Soviet nations are battling a deadly outbreak of swine flu that has killed scores of people. Schools in Ukraine have been closed since January 16 as part of to stop the swine flu virus from spreading. Kiev says least 51 people have already died of the dangerous influenza more than half of them in war-torn eastern Ukraine where hospitals are lacking adequate medicine as fighting between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces apparently impacted deliveries.
Listen to Stefan Bos' report:
The difficulties faced by hospitals have underscored the need for a permanent ceasefire in the region with the U.S. even pledging to lift sanctions against economically troubled Russia within the next few months if Moscow and Kiev will fully implement a peace deal.
Yet for now, residents in regions of rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine are rushing to local pharmacies to buy respiratory masks and, if possible, medicine amid a new outbreak of swine flu.
Doctors say hospitals lack anti-virus medication and that patients are forced to buy medicine themselves at drugs stores.
Swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus, is a relatively new strain of an influenza virus that causes symptoms similar to the regular flu, according to experts.
TREATMENT NEEDED
It can be deadly if not treated well and in time. At least one in five people worldwide were infected with swine flu during the first year of the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic, and hundreds of thousands of people died at the time, according to international research.
Experts say the swine flu originated in pigs, but is spread primarily from person to person.
Ukraine's Health Minister Alexander Kvitashvili says the situation in what he calls occupied eastern regions is more severe than elsewhere in the country. "The situation is awful there with medicine and infrastructure. We need to understand that, unfortunately, those good high-tech centres which were built are either not functional or were blown up or robbed," he said.
While more than 50 people died in Ukraine, outbreaks of swine fly have reportedly also killed dozens of people elsewhere in what was once the Soviet Union, including in Armenia and Russia. Swine flu deaths were also reported in Georgia and Kazakhstan.
Yet as eastern Ukraine has been relatively hit hardest, pressure is mounting to fully implement a peace plan for the region.
CEASE-FIRE URGED
The terms of the deal provide for a cease-fire between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists, a pullback of heavy weapons, prisoner exchanges, local elections in rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine, and greater autonomy for these regions.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has already said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he believes Washington may be able to consider lifting sanctions it imposed on Russia over its alleged involvement in violence in Ukraine later this year, if Moscow complies with what is known as the Minsk peace deal.
Ironically, the international police organization Interpol has acknowledged that it already removed names of several suspects from the time that Ukraine's pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was in power from its public wanted list, including Yanukovych himself.
Interpol claims it was in response to a legal complaint Yanukovych has filed, prompting an angry reaction from Ukrainian authorities who say he and others linked to violence and other crimes may now freely travel to sunny holiday destinations. "Now these monsters can easily enjoy life, for example, on the Cote d'Azur in France," said Vitaliy Shabunin, head of Ukraine's Anticorruption Action Center.
