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About 100,000 Muslim clerics and preachers rallied in the Bangladeshi capital on Thursday denouncing the growing threat of Islamic terrorism in the country.  The rally at Dhaka’s national memorial was marking the 42nd anniversary of the Islamic Foundation, an organization associated with the Ministry of Religious Affairs.   Organizers said the April 6 rally was staged to protest a violent "power grab" in the name of Islam in Muslim majority Bangladesh, where a rise in Islamist extremism has sparked international concern. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and  senior clerics from Saudi Arabia addressed the gathering urging Muslims to fight extremism.  The rally followed recent attacks by terrorists in the northeastern city of Sylhet and near Dhaka.  Many, including last year’s attack on an upmarket cafe in Dhaka in which 22 people including 18 ‎foreign hostages were killed, have been claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.‎

Hasina urged all Islamic countries to join hands to launch a concerted campaign to eliminate terrorism, saying, “Islam has nothing to do with terrorism.” “Islam is a religion of peace and does not support the killing of people.” She reiterated her solidarity with Saudi Arabia, saying " We will work together so that no one can undermine our holy religion.”  She went on to bemoan that “Muslims are being killed by Muslims,” noting that arms manufacturers are the first to benefit from terrorism at the cost of Muslim blood.  “Bangladesh is a Muslim majority nation, but people of other religions are living here in peace and harmony, which is the true spirit of the Islam,” she said.

“The killing of innocent people is a terrible sin in Islam,” said Saudi cleric Mohammad Bin Nasser Bin Mohammad Al Khuzaim of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque. “Islam never allows a Muslim to kill another Muslim, or an innocent person of any other religion. In Islam, it is the duty of a Muslim to protect the lives and property of the people of other religion in his country,” he said.  Abdulmehsin bin Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Qasim of the Prophet’s Mosque stressed that “Islam is a religion of peace.”  “It teaches us to respect others,” he said. 

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Vatican City, Apr 7, 2017 / 05:56 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis said Friday that when it comes to solving the immigration crisis, the media need to stop perpetuating negative stereotypes and start explaining the big picture, shedding light on the causes behind migration.

“The mass media should be driven by the need to explain the different aspects of migration, also making the public aware of the causes of this phenomenon,” he said in an interview published April 7.

“The violation of human rights, the violent conflict in the social unrest, lack of basic necessities, natural disasters and those caused by man: all this must be told clearly to allow the right knowledge of the migration phenomenon and, therefore, the right approach.”

The Pope’s comments were made in a new interview with the Italian magazine, LibertàCivili, published every two months by the Italian Ministry for Internal Affairs.

In the interview, Francis slammed those in media who perpetuate negative stereotypes about migrants and refugees, especially when based on misinformation.

“How many times do you hear them speak of ‘illegal’ as a synonym for migrant. This is incorrect; it is information that starts from an incorrect basis and that pushes the public to develop a negative opinion,” he said.

This points to the media’s obsession with sensationalism and negative stories which grab the public’s attention, he said. We always hear about any bad thing that an immigrant or refugee does, but it’s a “rare piece of news” that focuses on the good stories about them.

Good information is the kind that can “break down the walls of fear and indifference,” he continued. Only when the media, through images and stories, presents the human aspect, can we move beyond the stereotypes and the fear, and really encounter and welcome other people.

For Christians, “the peaceful integration of people of different cultures” is a reflection of the Church’s catholicity, or universality, since “ethnic and cultural diversity is a dimension of the Church’s life, which in the Spirit of Pentecost is open to everyone,” he said.

If handled humanely, migration offers an opportunity for encounter and growth for everyone, Francis continued.

“We must not lose the sense of fraternal responsibility. The defense of human beings knows no barriers; we are all united in wanting to ensure a dignified life for every man, woman, child forced to abandon their land. There is no difference of belief that can stand against this will, indeed.”

Europe and other parts of the world at a “critical juncture” when it comes to migration and the management of migration policies, the Pope said. Leaders need “foresight and cohesion” as well as a “vigilant respect for fundamental human rights” to create policies that end the causes of forced migration.

Repeating what he often says about these policies, the Pope emphasized that there must be international cooperation on the issue that respects both the country welcoming and those being welcomed, and that those coming to the new country respect the laws, customs and traditions of the nation they now reside in.

Likewise, European and other countries should remember how they have also experienced both immigration and emigration “the hard way.”

“How difficult was it after the war for millions of Europeans who left often with the whole family and crossed the ocean to land in South America or the United States!” he said.

“It was not an easy experience even for them. They suffered the burden of being regarded as strangers, they came from far away and without any knowledge of the local language. It was not an easy integration process.”

On January 1st of this year, Pope Francis formed a new Migrants and Refugees Section under the new Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development. He did this, he said, because “the millions of migrants, refugees, displaced persons and victims of trafficking need special care.”

Reflecting the strong emphasis he’s placed on this issue of migration throughout his pontificate, Francis has put himself in charge of this section, “at least for a time,” he said.

“The main mission of the Section is to support the Church and pastors – locally, regionally and internationally – in accompanying people at every stage of the migration process,” he said.

The Pope said that he thinks especially of people fleeing conflict, persecution, natural or man-made disasters, as well as trafficked-persons and those in exploitative situations, particularly migrant workers, women, adolescents, and children.

As in the past, migrants are an “enrichment for our society,” he said. “We have much to learn from the past; it is important to act with awareness, without stirring up fear of foreigners.”

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Des Moines, Iowa, Apr 7, 2017 / 10:27 am (CNA/EWTN News).- With stronger abortion restrictions advancing in the state legislature, Iowa is close to becoming the 20th state to bar abortion after 20 weeks.

The Iowa House of Representatives has passed a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks into pregnancy, require a three-day waiting period for abortion, and require an ultrasound for women considering an abortion.

Last month, the Iowa Senate approved the 20-week abortion ban, but it must now review and approve provisions the House added such as the three-day waiting period and other changes.

Gov. Terry Branstad is expected to sign the bill. At a pro-life rally, he pledged to be “a strong advocate for the unborn.”

The Iowa Catholic Conference, in an action alert on the Iowa Senate’s version of the bill, said the legislation would update state law to “reflect the advances made in saving the lives of infants over the past 40 years.”

“Unborn children at 20 weeks post-fertilization, once considered too young to survive, are now doing so at an increasing rate,” the conference said. “An abortion will no longer be performed at or beyond that point (under the legislation) unless there is a serious threat to the long-term health or life of the mother.”

State Rep. Shannon Lundgren, the bill’s floor manager, also spoke in favor of the bill.

“Today we make a stand for our unborn girls and boys who will become men and women,” she said. “This is the first of many bills that I hope we pass as legislators to defend our unborn children.”

Nineteen other states have bans on abortion after 20 weeks, the Associated Press reports.

The House bill, passed by a 55-41 vote, would also require a woman seeking an abortion to be given a chance to view the ultrasound and hear the baby’s heartbeat. She would also be given information about adoption.

All Democrats and one Republican voted against the bill. Opponents said the medical community was not consulted and said that the bill was unnecessary given declines in the abortion rate.

The Iowa Catholic Conference noted that most states that neighbor Iowa have a 20-week abortion ban in place. Another neighbor, the state of Missouri, will consider a ban this legislative session.

“We are concerned Iowa might become a destination for late-term abortion providers without this legislation,” the Catholic conference said on its website in an action alert about the Senate bill.

A coalition of Republican legislators tried to pass a six-week abortion ban, the period after which a heartbeat is detected. They lacked the votes to pass it.

The Iowa House has also approved a non-binding amendment stating the legislature’s interest in protecting all unborn life.

 

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Washington D.C., Apr 7, 2017 / 11:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pro-life and religious freedom advocates cheered the Senate’s confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch on Friday to the U.S. Supreme Court, filling an almost 14 month-long vacancy.

“As Catholics, we welcome the confirmation of a judge whose record adheres to the Constitutional right to free exercise of religion without government bullying and whose scholarship affirms the inherent dignity in all people,” Ashley McGuire, senior fellow with The Catholic Association, said on Friday.  

Judge Gorsuch of the Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was tapped by President Donald Trump on February 1 to fill a vacancy left on the bench by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016.

While President Barack Obama had nominated Merrick Garland, chief judge of the D.C. circuit court, to fill Scalia’s seat, the Republican-led Senate refused to vote on his confirmation, saying they would wait until after the presidential election to confirm a nominee from the new president.

Trump had promised on the campaign trail to nominate a pro-life judge. While refusing to directly answer if he supported the repeal of Roe v. Wade, he said in the final presidential debate in October “if that [repeal] would happen, because I am pro-life and I will be appointing pro-life justices…it [the legality of abortion] will go back to the individual states.”

Pro-life leaders praised the confirmation. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, stated that “the swift fulfillment of President Trump’s commitment to appoint pro-life Supreme Court justices is a tremendous win for the pro-life movement.”

“November exit polls showed that 1 in 5 Americans prioritized the Supreme Court nomination when casting their vote, and with a majority of 57 percent of those voters casting a vote for Donald Trump, it is clear that the majority of American voters wanted a strict constructionist,” Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life, said on Friday.

The Senate voted 54-45 to confirm Judge Gorsuch on April 7 after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ditched the parliamentary rules of requiring a 60-vote majority to bring confirmations of Supreme Court judges to the floor for a vote.

Senate Democrats had initially gathered enough votes to filibuster the confirmation – which would have blocked a vote on Gorsuch from taking place – but McConnell chose the “nuclear option” of changing the rules to require only a simple majority of votes in the 100-seat chamber to end the filibuster, rather than the usual 60 votes.

His predecessor, former Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid, had broken precedent and used the “nuclear option” to confirm judges to the lower federal courts and executive branch nominees.

Advocates of religious liberty said Gorsuch will offer much-need support to freedom of religion, which is suffering from an “erosion.”

“A Supreme Court justice, like Judge Gorsuch, who understands and values our founding documents, and hews closely to their meaning will help ensure that all Americans can continue to prosper and that we, as Catholics, remain free in exercising our religious principles,” said Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie, policy advisor with The Catholic Association.

On the Supreme Court, the first religious liberty case Gorsuch will hear will be on April 19 with oral arguments in Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley. That case involves a church’s eligibility for a state reimbursement program as it looks to make safety upgrades to its playground which is used by members and nonmembers of the church.

Opponents say that according to a Missouri state law, churches cannot benefit from taxpayer funds in cases like this because doing so would be an unconstitutional establishment of religion.

However, Trinity Lutheran Church and its lawyers are arguing that the Constitution does not require religious entities to be penalized simply because they are religious. The playground in question is for the entire community, not just members of the church, they say.

Another case that the Supreme Court has not taken up yet is Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, where the state’s civil rights commission ruled that a Lakewood, Colo. cake artist could not decline to serve a same-sex wedding on the grounds of his religious beliefs. The court could take up that case now that Gorsuch is confirmed.

 

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Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Apr 7, 2017 / 01:27 pm (Aid to the Church in Need).- The killer of an American woman who had been walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route has been found guilty and could face up to 25 years in prison.

Miguel Angel Munoz, 41, ambushed and killed tourist Denise Pikka Thiem, from Phoenix, Arizona, around Easter Sunday 2015.

Prosecutors maintained that Thiem lost her way because Munoz had planted a fake marker along the route to confuse pilgrims and tourists and lure them to his property, the New York Times reports.

The 40-year-old woman had quit her job to travel the world. She made her last social media posts on April 4, 2015 near Astorga in northwest Spain, Reuters says. She was last seen on April 5, Easter Sunday, one month after her arrival in Spain.

That September, police found her body partly buried on Munoz’s property and arrested him. He initially confessed, then recanted and claimed he had only found her body. Thiem was found to have been beaten to death and her hands had been removed, The Telegraph reported.

A jury found Munoz guilty of the crime on April 5. He was also convicted of stealing her belongings, including about $1,100 in cash.

In 2016 more than 270,000 pilgrims received a certificate for completing at least one stage of the official pilgrimage routes to the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela.

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