Catholic News 2
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- The latest developments after Saudi Arabia severs diplomatic ties with Tehran amid a dispute over Riyadh's execution of an opposition Shiite cleric and attacks on Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran. (All times local.)...
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Allies of Saudi Arabia followed the kingdom's lead and began scaling back diplomatic ties to Iran on Monday after the ransacking of Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic Republic, violence sparked by the Saudi execution of a prominent opposition Shiite cleric....
(Vatican Radio) Poland has defended its controversial new media law as fair, voicing surprise at the European Union's negative reaction to the legislation. The law is part of measures introduced by Poland's recently elected government that have raised eyebrows in Brussels.Listen to Stefan Bos' report: The European Commission, the EU's executive, says it will debate the rule of law in Poland at its January 13 session amid concern over Poland's media legislation.Under the law the terms end of the current heads of state-run radio and television. The new law gives the right-wing and anti-migrant government the authority to appoint new directors and chief editors.On Sunday, Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper quoted Commissioner Gunther Oettinger as saying that "many reasons exist... to activate the 'Rule of Law mechanism' and to place Warsaw under monitoring."Under that procedure the Commission can even...
(Vatican Radio) Poland has defended its controversial new media law as fair, voicing surprise at the European Union's negative reaction to the legislation. The law is part of measures introduced by Poland's recently elected government that have raised eyebrows in Brussels.
Listen to Stefan Bos' report:
The European Commission, the EU's executive, says it will debate the rule of law in Poland at its January 13 session amid concern over Poland's media legislation.
Under the law the terms end of the current heads of state-run radio and television. The new law gives the right-wing and anti-migrant government the authority to appoint new directors and chief editors.
On Sunday, Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper quoted Commissioner Gunther Oettinger as saying that "many reasons exist... to activate the 'Rule of Law mechanism' and to place Warsaw under monitoring."
Under that procedure the Commission can eventually propose invoking Article 7 of the Treaty of the European Union. That means a member can be stripped of its voting rights in EU institutions if it is deemed guilty of serious and persistent breaches of the rule of law.
Director concerned
The director of Poland radio's Channel One, Kamil Dabrowa, shares the EU's concerns. "The new media law is a real threat to the freedom of speech of Poland. I am convinced of that both as a director of Polish radio and as a journalist," he said.
Yet, President Andrzej Duda is expected to sign it into law soon, as the ruling EU-skeptic Law and Justice party is rushing to make major state and social reforms it promised in the presidential and parliamentary campaigns last year.
Duda's spokesman said the changes in the legislation were necessary, because for eight years under the previous pro-EU government, state broadcasters were in his words "deeply one-party media" with "not a penny's worth of pluralism." At that time, he added, "not a single EU commissioner or EU lawmaker expressed any concern over the fact."
Four directors of state TV channels and programs already resigned last week in protest of the new law. And state radio is airing the EU and Polish national anthems before news broadcasts to stress attachment to EU values.
International condemnation
The Association of European Journalists says the law will "effectively bring public service television and radio under the direct control of the government, involve the dismissal of respected journalists for political reasons, and lead to a systematic editorial bias in the content of... broadcasts in favour of the present government."
It comes shortly after Poland's government limited the power of the country's constitutional court, which was seen as the last institute to control the leadership.
The court, known as the Constitutional Tribunal, needs a two-thirds majority to issue a ruling, rather than by a simple majority as before, and 13 of its 15 judges must be present for the most contentious cases, up from nine.
Thousands of people have rallied against these policies, but so far that pressure has done little to change the government's course.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday erected the Syro-Malankara Eparchy of St. Mary, Queen of Peace, of the United States and Canada, nominating Bishop Thomas Mar Eusebius Naickamparambil as its first Bishop.The Eparchy consists of 11,500 faithful, especially in the US states of Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Florida, New York, and Washington, D.C., served by 19 priests in 19 parishes or missions. Three women religious Institutes also operate within the Eparchy’s territory.The Eparchy’s seat will be at St. Vincent de Paul Malankara Catholic Cathedral in Elmont, New York.Curriculum vitaeBishop Thomas Mar Eusebius Naickamparambil was born in Mylapra in the Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum on 6 June 1961 and ordained a priest on 29 December 1986.After completing his studies in Philosophy and Theology at Jnanadeepa in Poona, Bishop Mar Eusebius obtained his Doctorate in Philosophy in Rome. On 14 July 2010 Pope Benedict XVI nominated him Titular Bishop of Lar...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Monday erected the Syro-Malankara Eparchy of St. Mary, Queen of Peace, of the United States and Canada, nominating Bishop Thomas Mar Eusebius Naickamparambil as its first Bishop.
The Eparchy consists of 11,500 faithful, especially in the US states of Illinois, Texas, Michigan, Florida, New York, and Washington, D.C., served by 19 priests in 19 parishes or missions. Three women religious Institutes also operate within the Eparchy’s territory.
The Eparchy’s seat will be at St. Vincent de Paul Malankara Catholic Cathedral in Elmont, New York.
Curriculum vitae
Bishop Thomas Mar Eusebius Naickamparambil was born in Mylapra in the Major Archieparchy of Trivandrum on 6 June 1961 and ordained a priest on 29 December 1986.
After completing his studies in Philosophy and Theology at Jnanadeepa in Poona, Bishop Mar Eusebius obtained his Doctorate in Philosophy in Rome.
On 14 July 2010 Pope Benedict XVI nominated him Titular Bishop of Lares and the first Exarch of the Exarchate for the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in the USA and Apostolic Visitator to Canada and Europe.
Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, recently called the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church 'a bridge to unity'.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Darius McCollum's addiction isn't for booze and pills - it's for buses and trains....
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Chinese stocks plunged nearly 7 percent Monday, triggering an emergency trading suspension and pushing global markets sharply lower. The grim start to 2016 was caused by weak Chinese manufacturing data and tensions in the Middle East....
GAUHATI, India (AP) -- A strong earthquake hit India's remote northeast region before dawn Monday, killing at least eight people, injuring more than 100 and causing damage to several buildings....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Cpl. Aaron C. Masa became fast friends with a fellow Marine during field training in North Carolina. But behind his buddy's back, Masa was sexually abusing his friend's 3-year-old stepdaughter. He also took sexually explicit photos of the girl and the Marine's infant daughter....
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been tense since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, though there have been occasional thaws between the two rivals....
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Allies of Saudi Arabia followed the kingdom's lead and on Monday began scaling down their diplomatic ties to Iran in the wake of the ransacking of Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic Republic, violence that was sparked by the Saudis' execution of a prominent Shiite cleric....
