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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.
The Los Angeles Times
In a move that could herald warmer relations between the Vatican and Beijing, the China Philharmonic Orchestra will perform for Pope Benedict XVI next week at the Vatican. The Beijing-based orchestra, along with the Shanghai Opera House Chorus, will perform Mozart's "Requiem" for the pope at Paul VI Audience Hall, people familiar with the plans said. It wasn't clear how much the concert would help the Vatican and Beijing move toward reconciliation, but Pope Benedict has made the improvement of relations with Beijing a priority of his papacy, hoping to secure greater freedom for Chinese Catholics. More info here>>
The Washington Times
The Rev. James Hagee, pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, is not known for his warm relationship with Catholics. Yet in this essay, he praises Pope Benedict XVI on his moral vision for America and the world. More info here>>
The Pakistan Dawn
World Bank chief Robert B. Zoellick said on Tuesday that 100 million people have already been pushed into poverty due to a man-made food crisis while as many as 2 billion are on the verge of disaster. “This is not a natural disaster,” he said after attending a meeting of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination in Berne, Switzerland “Make no mistake; there is nothing natural about this. But for millions of people it is a disaster.” More info here>>
Al Kresta, host of “ ...
Catholic News Agency
St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y., has received dozens of applications after Pope Benedict XVI’s visit for a youth rally earlier this month. "It's been like a tsunami, a good tsunami of interest," Father Luke Sweeney, the Archdiocese of New York's vocations director, told the New York Daily News. “I've been meeting people all week and have a lot of e-mails I haven't had the chance yet to respond to. It has been incredible.” More info here>>
The New York Times
Cardinal Edward M. Egan, archbishop of New York, said Monday that former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani should not have received holy Communion during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI because Giuliani supports abortion rights. Cardinal Egan said in a statement on the archdiocese's website that he and Mr. Giuliani had reached “an understanding” when he became archbishop in 2000 that Mr. Giuliani “was not to receive the eucharist because of his well-known support of abortion.” More info here>>
Reuters
A new study by the Catholic Biblical Federation found that Americans are among the world's most 'Bible-literate' people, and Spaniards, French and Italians are among the most ignorant about what the "Good Book" says. Asked if they had read a phrase from the Bible in the past 12 months, 75 percents of American respondents said yes, while between 20 percent and 38 percent of respondents in the other eight countries said yes. More info here>>
The Dallas Morning News
Columnist Kathryn Jean Lopez writes about the deep misunderstandings old-guard feminists have about the Catholic Church. They are not open to listening, but to dictating an unworkable agenda, she writes. If they were open to it, they would hear and see the Catholic Church's embrace and celebration of women. “Women will not be priests,” she writes, “but they will always be an essential part of the Church.” More info here>
The Washington Post
U.S. Army Spec. Jeremy Hall has filed a lawsuit alleging he's been harassed and his constitutional rights have been violated because he doesn't believe in God. He says he's been called immoral, a devil worshipper and -- just as severe to some soldiers -- gay, none of which, he says, is true. "I see a name and rank and United States flag on their shoulder. That's what I believe everyone else should see," he told The Associated Press. More info here>
The London Times
Three Roman Catholic priests signed a £1 million contract last week with the music company Sony BMG. Father Eugene O’Hagen, 48, his brother Martin, 45, and their old school friend David Delargy, 44, who all hold parishes in the Northern Ireland Diocese of Down and Connor ...
The Associated Press
Brazil's air force has suspended its search for a Catholic priest who vanished after sailing into the air under a cluster of colorful balloons. The cleric's family chartered a private plane to continue the hunt. According to a member of his parish, Father Adelir Antonio de Carli hoped his flight would help raise money for a center where truck drivers could stop "to rest and receive the Gospel." More info here>>
The Houston Chronicle
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has denied a request by a Bible-based school and research institute to offer a master's degree in science education. The issue was whether the Institute for Creation Research, whose leaders believe in creationism, or that the world was literally created as recounted in the Bible, could adequately prepare its graduates to teach science in middle schools and high schools. Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes had found — and board members agreed — that it could not. More info here>>
The Baltimore Sun
The U.S. Senate voted on a measureThursday that could ease concerns of Americans that genetic information could be used against them in employment or insurance decisions. The measure would become the first federal law dealing with the growing role of genetics in the prediction, diagnosis and individualized treatment of disease. It still must be passed by the House and signed into law by President Bush. Many patients who could benefit have refused genetic testing out of fear of discrimination, experts say. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act would prevent health insurers from using genetic information to deny coverage or raise rates. It would also bar employers from using genetic information in hiring, ...
The Telegraph
Up to 1 million Catholic pilgrims are expected to flock to San Giovanni Rotondo in Southern Italy to view the exhumed body of Padre Pio. Officials have described the display of Padre Pio's remains as a "grand event, comparable to the Olympics.” The display is part of celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of his death Nov. 4. More info here>>
CNN.com
Florida drivers can order more than 100 specialty license plates celebrating everything from manatees to the Miami Heat, but one now under consideration would be the first in the nation to explicitly promote a specific religion. The Florida Legislature is considering a specialty plate with a design that includes a Christian cross, a stained-glass window and the words "I Believe." Approval would almost certainly face a court challenge. The problem with the state manufacturing the plate is that it "sends a message that Florida is essentially a Christian state" and, second, gives the "appearance that the state is endorsing a particular religious preference," said Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida. More info here>>
Franco Nuschese, owner of Café Milano in Washington, D.C., tells readers what it was like to create an impressive meal for Pope Benedict XVI’s birthday luncheon last week. “Creating the perfect meal in a memorable moment is my craft, much like an artist creates a painting,” he writes. Nuschese reveals the menu, which included zucchini blossom truffle tagliolini, braised veal cheeks, purple mashed potatoes and strawberry sorbet. ...
GodSpy
Confession of sins is making a comeback. Catholics, other-Christians, non-Christians and even nonbelievers are reported to be embracing the practice in traditional and nontraditional ways. Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete ponders the reasons for this rise: Does the surge reflect growth in the awareness of the truth of God’s mercy or is it another example of how an emotional religiosity dilutes the truly dramatic nature of the capacity of human freedom to build and destroy? More info here>>
LifeSiteNews.com
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas vetoed a bill that would have offered women the option of viewing ultrasound images of their child, tightened up the requirements for obtaining a late-term abortion, and would have allowed a patient, spouse or family to sue an abortion provider over a suspected unlawful late-term abortion. This is not the first time that Sebelius, who is Catholic, has opposed legislation that would defend the sanctity of unborn life. More info here>>
BBC News
A top U.N. official is increasing the estimates of victims of five years of fighting in the Darfur region of Sudan. John Holmes, head of humanitarian affairs, estimates that 300,000 people may have died, which is a 50 percent increase of the previous figure of 200,000. "We continue to see the goal posts receding to the point where peace in Darfur seems further away today than ever," Holmes told reporters. More info here>>
The Sydney Morning Herald
World Youth Day organizers are seeking 3,000 volunteers and 10,000 host families for Catholic pilgrims to Sydney Australia, for the July event. The recruitment campaign will address government disquiet that the Catholic Church has not done enough to promote the gathering, which will draw 225,000 domestic and international visitors as Pope Benedict XVI makes his first visit to Australia. More info here>>
A new national veterans hot line is part of a specialized effort by the Department of Veterans Affairs to reduce suicide by enabling counselors, for the first time, to instantly check a veteran’s medical records and then combine emergency response with local follow-up services. It comes after years of criticism that the department has been neglecting tens of thousands of wounded service men and women who have returned from war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Up and running since August, it has received more than 37,200 calls and made more than 720 rescues. More info here>>
A Roman Catholic priest who floated off under hundreds of helium party balloons was missing Monday off the southern coast of Brazil. Rescuers in helicopters and small fishing boats were searching off the coast of Santa Catarina state, where pieces of balloons were found. Father Adelir Antonio de Carli lifted off from the port city of Paranagua on Sunday afternoon, wearing a helmet, thermal suit and a parachute. He was reported missing about eight hours later after losing contact with port authority officials, according to the treasurer of his Sao Cristo ...
USA Today
As Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass before a loud, jubilant crowd at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, capping a U.S. visit marked by the pope's focus on clergy sexual abuse and by his emergence as someone more than an enforcer of doctrine — a pastor. The pope’s affable, grandfatherly persona won over Catholics — and non-Catholics — of all kinds. Instead of the strict scholar Benedict was often portrayed as before becoming pope, Americans saw an avuncular priest who bestowed his blessing at every stop, arms wide open and brown eyes sparkling. “I think it's a tribute to our Church that an 81-year-old pope has the vibrancy and message to connect and communicate with so many people," Tom Strahle of Ridgewood, N.J., told USA Today. More info here>>
A former Roman Catholic bishop who championed the downtrodden and challenged the long-entrenched political elite was elected Paraguay's president Sunday, ending six decades of one-party rule in this South American nation. Fernando Lugo, 56, dubbed "the bishop of the poor," was leading by 10 percentage points with more than 90 percent of the results in, electoral officials said. Lugo, who stepped down from the priesthood to seek the presidency, is believed to be the first former Catholic bishop to be elected a chief of state. However, the Vatican contends that Lugo remains a priest and has violated Church law by seeking political office. More info here>>
MSNBC.com
If Yale University student Aliza Shvarts wanted attention for her senior art project, she gets an “A” for effort. Everyone else, apparently, gets a “D,” for duped. The Internet is still reeling from the 22-year-old’s claim Thursday that she captured a series of self-induced abortions on video as ...
After praying with the faithful at Nationals Stadium and meeting with sex abuse victims Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI turns to world issues today when he addresses the United Nations in New York. The German-born pontiff is expected to assail the notion that "might makes right" and focus mostly on general issues of peace and human rights. More info here>
Media Research Center
In this commentary, L. Brent Bozell III examines the “bipolar” coverage the pontiff is receiving in the American press during his visit. Catholic dissidents are regularly afforded the media megaphone to demand that the Holy Father become a Holy Panderer, Bozell writes, crumbling rigid orthodoxy in favor of a church that follows instead of leads.More info here>
MarketWatch
Older Americans and their family caregivers are at long last warming to the notion of using technology to achieve their respective goals. Older Americans want to age in place and caregivers want some peace of mind that their adult parents and loved ones are safe. However, one obstacle remains — the perception that technology needed is too costly. That’s not always the case, experts say. In fact, technology used in the home can be much less expensive than skilled nursing homes. More info here>
MSNBC
After spending Wednesday with the president, the nation’s bishops and other VIPS, Pope Benedict will pray with 46,000 members of his flock today at an open-air Mass at the new Washington Nationals stadium, a gold curtain and crucifix providing the backdrop for the largest stage yet on his six-day U.S. visit. "He's not the great actor and performer that John Paul II was," said the Rev. James Martin, editor of America magazine. "But he's a brilliant theologian and a sterling preacher." More info here>
The Chicago Tribune
The nation's longest-serving Supreme Court justice, John Paul Stevens, declared his formal opposition to capital punishment, writing in an opinion that the sanction no longer served a legitimate social function. His words came as some comfort to death penalty abolitionists on a day when they suffered a setback at the hands of the court, which ruled 7-2 that Kentucky's use of lethal injection to execute prisoners was constitutional. Within hours of the ruling, Virginia and Florida announced their intention to lift a moratorium on executions, and several other states were expected to follow suit. More info here>
The Boston Herald
Parents are using Pope Benedict XVI’s U.S. visit as a teaching tool, snapping up colorful kids’ books about the pontiff. For example, “Joseph from Germany,” the story of Pope Benedict’s life, is a hot seller at Pauline Books and Media in Dedham, Mass. “From my experience, parents are trying to help kids understand, ‘Who is the pope?”’ Sister Regina Dick told the Boston Herald. More info here>