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Commentary and links to news of the wonderful, weird, interesting and cutting edge through the lens of our Catholic faith. Updated daily by Our Sunday Visitor staff. Email us with question or comments or link suggestions: feedback@osv.com.
Time magazine
Mexican immigrants to the United States are bringing with them many religious traditions, including one not sanctioned by the Catholic Church. Statues of Santa Muerte (St. Death) — a skeleton covered in a white, black or red cape who carries a scythe or a globe — are showing up in cities with large Mexican populations, such as Chicago and Los Angeles. Mexican authorities have linked Santa Muerte’s devotees to prostitution, drugs, kidnappings and homicides. The Mexican Church has deemed Santa Muerte's followers devil-worshiping cultists. Now, devotion to Santa Muerte is presenting a challenge to U.S. Church officials, who face an increasingly multicultural society. More info>
The International Herald Tribune
Add to the many hardships in Myanmar today one more danger: being a boy. According to a report released Wednesday, the military, struggling to meet recruiting quotas, is buying, kidnapping and terrorizing boys as young as 10 to join its ranks. The report by Human Rights Watch, a New York-based rights group, says military recruiters and civilian brokers scour train stations, bus stations, markets and other public places for boys and coerce them to volunteer. The Compendium of Social Doctrine of the Church affirms that the use of children in battle is “an intolerable crime”: “The use of child soldiers in combat forces of any kind must be stopped, and, at the same time, every possible assistance must be given to the care, education and rehabilitation of those children who have been involved in combat.” Read OSV’s Nov. 11 News Analysis on the Church in Myanmar. More info>
The New Yorker
A British neuroscientist w ...
Newsday
Pharmacist Lutful Chowdhury thinks Catholicism's leader is dispensing sound advice when he told pharmacists in Rome on Tuesday to exercise their right to refuse to fill prescriptions of medications that could end a pregnancy, assist in euthanasia or contraception. "These are moral issues," said Chowdhury, who is Muslim and the owner of a pharmacy in Baldwin, N.Y. "This is for the betterment of mankind, so I agree with the policy." Pope Benedict XVI told a gathering of Catholic pharmacists that conscientious objection was a right that must be recognized by the pharmaceutical profession. "Pharmacists must seek to raise people's awareness so that all human beings are protected from conception to natural death, and so that medicines truly play a therapeutic role," the pope said. More info>
InsideCatholic.com
More than 80 national Catholic leaders adopted a statement celebrating the upcoming 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae and predicted the "Church will regain Her voice . . . and will once again boldly proclaim to all mankind that children are the solution, not the problem." At its 10th annual meeting in Charleston, S.C., the Catholic Leadership Conference unanimously adopted, "Humanae Vitae at 40: Why the Church Lost the Battle; How She Will Win the War." The statement calls the July 28, 2008, anniversary of the papal encyclical on human life "an extraordinary teaching moment for the universal Church." More info>
The Guardian
The Vatican held the largest multiple beatification ceremony in its history Sunday, elevating nearly 500 priests, nuns and other Catholics killed by left-wing militia during the Spanish civil war. Thousands of Spanish pilgrims thronged St Peter's Square to hear Pope Benedict XVI exalt the deceased clergy. The ceremony was held days before the Spanish parliament is expected to approve a law to make amends to victims on the other side of the 1936-39 war those killed by Francisco Franco's dictatorship. Tensions between the two sides briefly erupted in Rome when a brawl broke out involving Catholic worshipers and protesters. More info>
BBC News
Forty years after Britain's Abortion Act came into effect, opponents of the legislation say the scale of abortion is reason enough to introduce substantial restrictions. They gathered outside Parliament to focus attention on what they say is the toll taken by the Abortion Act. Since 1967 the yearly rate of abortion has multiplied from 22,000 in 1968 to 193,000 last year. More than a fifth of pregnancies end that way. Sadly, pro-choice groups see an opportunity to press for a relaxation of the law to give women easier access to abortion. More info>
CNN
The president of Gap North America says a subcontractor accused of using child labor to sew Gap clothes in India has been fired and the Gap will not sell clothes made in the New Delhi sweatshop. "It's deeply, deeply disturbing to all of us," Gap President Marka Hansen said after watching video of the children at work. "I feel violated, and I feel very upset and angry with our vendor and the subcontractor who made this very, very, very unwise decision." Hansen blamed the alle ...
The Chicago Tribune
First the militia fighters thought of hacking the bishop to death with an ax. In the end, they showed pity and shot him — one of hundreds of executions of Catholic clergy as civil war erupted in Spain. The bishop and 497 other people will be beatified Sunday by the Catholic Church, the last step before possible sainthood. The ceremony — the largest Mass beatification in Vatican history — comes as Spain is taking a closer look at its painful past. The martyrs’ beatification is just one of several taking place this autumn. Learn who else is being beatified and how a person becomes a saint in the Nov. 11 issue of Our Sunday Visitor. More info here»
U.S. News & World Report
In 2006, National Geographic created a stir when it released the so-called Gospel of Judas, which was portrayed as a long-lost Gnostic text that depicted Judas not as wicked villain but as the Messiah's favorite apostle. It turns out that that might not be what the Gospel of Judas was saying at all. If April De Conick, a professor of biblical studies at Rice University, is right, the English translation that was sponsored by the National Geographic was so flawed in crucial places that it reversed what the text was actually saying: that Judas was just as nasty as all the traditional orthodox Christian accounts said he was. More info here»
Catholic News Services
Parishioners from three Church of Ireland parishes have joined traditional Anglicans from 12 other countries in requesting that the Catholic Church receive them into full communion.If approved by the Vatican, the move would allow ...
The Baltimore Sun
William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, is urging Catholics not to see “The Golden Compass,” a children's fantasy based on the first book of British author Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Donohue, who has not yet seen the film, set for release Dec. 7, says it promotes an atheist agenda that is profoundly anti-Church. His Dark Materials centers on a world run by the sinister and dictatorial Magisterium, a force that suppresses free will, demands conformity and punishes anyone who deviates from the norm. More info here»
The Washington Post
Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl announced he is considering plans from three D.C. Catholic schools that want to continue operating as parochial schools instead of being converted to charter schools. Last month, Wuerl proposed that eight Catholic schools convert to charter schools -- a move that would allow them to operate with public funds. In an interview, Archbishop Wuerl repeated his desire for Catholic schools to remain open as religious schools if they can be financially viable. His proposal has touched a nerve among many Catholics, including some African Americans who say the conversions would limit academic options for minority children. More info here»
The Independent
The red hat for Cardinal-designate Sean Brady could lead to a diplomatic incident for the Irish Government. By tradition, a newly crowned cardinal gets an official “coat of arms” from t ...
It appears that dads are spending more time with children than ever before, and some claim that it is affecting their masculinity, which many of the dads don't seem too worried about. Time magazine reported on the phenomenon in its Oct. 15 issue. In the blog world, it seems there has been some backlash, calling Time's piece a hatchet job. See Time's original article here»
Mercator.net
“Bella,” an independent romantic drama that has toured the film-festival circuit and will be released Oct. 26, offers that emotional complexity of "Bella" far surpasses the formulaic plots which have lately stunted romantic drama in Hollywood, and which, light on plot, tend to rely too heavily on body heat and star power for interest, says reviewer Leticia Velasquez. The film is about an unwed pregnant waitress who gets fired from her job, only to have the restaurant's cook abandon his own duties and hang out with her throughout the day to help her face her situation. More here»
Catholic Online
As thousands of Californians have evacuated from their homes, facing the possibility they will have no place to return, Catholic Charities in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Bernardino/Riverside are coordinating disaster relief efforts with other Catholic and local agencies in order to determine the relief efforts that will be needed to meet the emergency. Such is the work of Catholic Charities throughout the United States. More here»
A Brazilian judge has sentenced a gunman to 27 years in prison after his retrial for the murder of U.S.-born nun and environmentalist Dorothy Stang. Rayfran das Neves Sales was found guilty of killing Sister Stang on the orders of two ranchers in 2005. Sister Stang campaigned for poor farmers' rights and worked to preserve the rainforest from loggers and developers. Her murder followed a dispute with ranchers over land they wanted to clear for pasture and she wanted to protect. More info here»
Yahoo News
A United Nations official said that the Catholic Church's opposition to condoms was making the spread of HIV and AIDS in Latin America worse. According the U.N., there were 410,000 new cases of HIV in 2006, up 28 percent from 2004. As in Africa, officials of international organizations have chosen to blame the spread of the disease on the Church because of its opposition to contraception and its support of abstinence. In fact, Church teaching opposes the promiscuity and other sexual behaviors that have led to the spread of HIV. That those who violate Church teaching on sexual relations still adhere to its teachings on contraception is an assumption that many Church leaders question. More info here»
The Jerusalem Post
Rudy Giuliani cited his love for Israel and the Jewish roots of Christianity in appealing to evangelical Christians. "What the community of faith understands is that Israel is one of our most faithful allies, but also that Israel is the birthplace for Jewish religion, the Christian religion, of our traditions," the former New York mayor and front-runner for the Republican presidential candidacy said in a lengthy address Sunday to the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian umbrella. Giuliani ...
The Chicago Tribune (registration site)
Four young Kansas women have become known as the "rescuers of the rescuer." What the high school students did started out simply enough: collaborate on a National History Day project to write a short play about an event from the past. What they accomplished when it was all said and done has been stunning: discover, research and introduce to the world Irena Sendler, a Polish Catholic woman who daringly saved some 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw ghetto yet remained virtually unknown to historians and the public for more than 60 years. Sendler, who resides in a Warsaw nursing home, was among the nominees for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. More info here»
Newsweek
A Missouri bill that is not an outright ban on abortion, but rather a regulation that financially squeezes practitioners who perform the procedure to the point where many will no longer be able to function, could have ramifications in bordering states. The bill reclassifies any facility that performs five or more abortions each month as a surgical outpatient center, meaning it must comply with a number of specifications for things such as hallway widths and ceiling heights. Pro-life groups hail the legislation as a way to protect women's health. More info here»
ZENIT
Violence in the name of God can never be justified, Pope Benedict XVI told a gathering of interreligious leaders in Naples, Italy, urging them to promote peace and the “spirit of Assisi.” The pope's appeal today resounded in the archdiocesan seminary of Capodimonte on the first day of the 21st International Encounter of Peoples and Religions. The meeting, organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio in Naples, has as its theme "Toward a World Without Violence: Religions and Cultures in Dialo ...
In Bolivia, a weak economy and a shortage of jobs means some parents are moving abroad to find work and earn money for their families. But, in many cases, their children are being left behind with no one to care for them. More info here»
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
In 22 seasons of triumph, despair and frustration in the Cleveland Indians' quest for a World Series title, there has been one constant: chocolate chip cookies. The team's most dedicated and prayerful fans, the Sisters of the Holy Spirit, have faithfully delivered boxes of the delectable treats whenever they felt the Tribe needed a boost. During the League Championship Series, cookies were delivered to Jacobs Field for the home games. While the cookies are a staple at the clubhouse, they have spawned a burgeoning business: Nun Better cookies. More here»
Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, a Catholic who has been a vocal advocate for the sanctity of all human life, is rumored to be dropping out of the race for the White House. The Associated Press, citing anonymous sources, reported he will withdraw his bid for the GOP presidential nomination today. More info here»
Jerusalem Post
A new Israeli television show in development plans to look at the lives of young singles. The Jerusalem Post says: "It sounds like 'Sex and the City,' [that American HBO show that was popular] just without the Cosmos, the clothing and all the premarital sex. Instead of one night stands, there will be Shabbat dinners; rather than contraceptives, dialogue will presumably focus on abstinence, the recommended sexual practice for Jerusalem's God-fearing young singles." More info here»
msnbc.com
San Francisco’s top-ranking Catholic clergyman apologized for serving Communion to two men dressed as nuns during a church service in the heart of the city’s gay community. In a letter posted on the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s website, Archbishop George Niederauer said when he offered Communion to the two members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — a group that mocks Catholic teaching and often publicly present themselves as caricatures of nuns — at the Oct. 7 Mass, he didn’t recognize either as wearing “mock religious garb.” He apologized for giving them the sacrament, calling it “a mistake.” More info here»
www.epicstoriesofthebible.com
Promenade Pictures will release "The Ten Commandments" in theatres Oct. 19th. It is the first release from the Hollywood movie company, which boasts some talented actors for the 3D CGI-animated film. Ben Kingsley voices the part of the narrator, Christian Slater is the voice of Moses, Alfred Molina plays Ramses and Elliot Gould voices the part of God. For movie listings in your area, click here»