Sunday, November 30, 2008

Advent Prayer 2008

Lord Jesus,

Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.

We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.

We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.

We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.

We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.

We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.

To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!"

Amen.

Advent Reflection - November 30th 2008 (1st Sunday of Advent)

Today is the feast of St Andrew the Apostle, patron of Scotland, about whom we know very little, especially in the Gospels.

What we do know is that he brought his brother Simon to meet Jesus (John 1:40); brought the loaves and fishes to Christ (John 6:8) and was approached by the Greeks and Philip to bring them to meet Jesus (John 12:20).

The bringing of the Good News of Jesus is the key definition of the term apostle, and with such, His love and compassion for all.

Andrew was an approachable apostle and perhaps serves as a reminder to all, especially clergy of all rankings, that we are to be open, tolerant and accepting of all who come to us seeking compassion and love.

Lord, help me to be always aware of your presence
as I wait for Your coming.

Year of Vocations

Prayer for Vocations

O Holy Spirit, Spirit of wisdom and divine love, impart Your knowledge, understanding, and counsel to the faithful that they may know the vocation wherein they can best serve God.

Give them courage and strength to follow God's holy will.

Guide their uncertain steps, strengthen their resolutions, shield their chastity, fashion their minds, conquer their hearts, and lead them to the vineyards where they will labour in God's holy service.

Amen.

An Focal Scóir - November 2008

November opens with All Saints Day reflection, followed by All Souls Day, Anglican Canada says cool to same sex marriages, excommunication looms for St Marys, Il Papa to go to Burma, Vatican staff back on clockcards, Armagh AD to pool resources...

...Mass via internet in Portugal, violent clergy in Italy, priest ears boxed over ringing bells, Cardinal Brady puts his foot into same sex legislation, Irish Bishop falsely claims pre-signed Mass cards are valueless, Papal Christmas ceremony list released...

...RC/Muslim forum opens in Vatican, Cardinal claims Humanae Vitae cut off many from the church, Womenpriests ordain again, between God and celibacy, CSA victims keep tabs of their abusers as Church fails to do so, 500 years of Calvinism, was Jesus a socialist?...

...Nazi issue halts Pius XII beatification, the Bishop and the Blonde, Irish RC under fire for failure to support Lisbon Treaty, Il Papa says death makes one face reality, Obama -v- Vatican, influential Popes post-death, Reformed Catholic Church in Ireland responds to Cardinal gay gaffe...

...AB Martin former judge in Vatican, joint RC/Muslim declaration, RC ready for Black Pope, Pius XII not Hitlers Pope claims Vatican, Vatican document on use of psychology in the seminary, family as foundation of society, Il Papa and euthanasia, Ugandan call for more women priests, defections in US Episcopal Church...

...Archdiocese of Dublin has 150 priests under CSA investigation, Limerick man appointed Abbot of Glenstal, tv programmes influence teen pregnancies, feast of the Lateran Basilica, Bishop says celibacy is not necessary,

...brawl at Jerusalem church, AD of Dublin in serious financial trouble as result of CSA, Il Papa 'pained' by Kristallnacht, Cardinal Brady told keep nose out of the nations bedrooms, hope for Il Papa trip to UK, Fr Iggy O'Donovan speaks against Cardinal remarks...

...Euro bishops call for Sunday to be protected as day of rest, proxy Mormons face wrath of Jews, Diocese of Kerry Pastoral Plan unveiled, laity urged to withhold church contributions, blessing for children in womb endorsed, Irish RC bishops defend religious education, rise in residential abuse bill, excommunication threat against US priest, new book on Mother Teresa...

...Obama and Il Papa talk, suicides on rise in Ireland due to recession, sham marriages taking place in Irish registry offices, new Salesian superior, churches hit by economic slump, Obama supporters urged repent before receiving Communion, The Priests launch CD, counter-reformation begins at Vatican...

...parents claim CSA of child led to suicide, Ad Limina backlog, Veritas in the *&%$£ over advert, Michelangelo's hidden agenda, on reserving priestly ordination to men, Vatican will not recognize Kosovo, half of CofE clergy will be female by 2018, last of Medical Missionaries of Mary dies, Il Papa advises RC's in politics must follow faith...

...Vatican goes blue for diabetes, Irish fertility clinic will only treat married couples, pastoral services in AD of Dublin under threat due to CSA financial crisis, call to keep religion out of politics, Cardinal Brady out of touch with reality, Irish Scientology book pulled due to legal threats by Scientologists, 'Secret Pimpernel of the Vatican' honoured in native Kerry, sidelining of Christianity in Britain...

...open letter to Il Papa re female ordinations, 'naked priest' convicted, Italian nuns demand right to 'living wills', Il Papa bookstore opens in Vatican, review of new book on Vatican, The Priests aim for No 1 for Christmas, RC bishops sow division, concern in US Episcopal Church over divisons, attempted blackmail of priest in Italy, schismatic religious order (OMA) under scrutiny, masculinity lessons for priests...

...Confirmation the sacrament of farewell, 188 Japenese martyrs beatified, Italian nun in hot water over right-to-die debate, Il Papa clarifies Luthers idea of justification, Sister Act hits the stage, Israel secures the Vatican, prelates unhappy with Vatican bureaucracy, Fr Peyton cause opens in the USA, 1st beatification of Cuban, Vatican 'forgives' the Beatles, Sr Meena gang raped by 40 men, naked jogger priest gets 5 years...

...Brazilian psychologists will not co-operate with Vatican weeding out programme of homosexuals, moral conversion needed to stem violence says Irish bishop, the (eco) greening of the Vatican, Veritas advert pulled, Jesuit Superior General endorses Liberation Theology, World AIDS Day should be remembered, info on the Liturgical Year, 4 names considered to position of AB of Westminster, Feast of Christ the King (23rd November 2008), House of Prayer returns donations...

...rise of suicides during downturn, Scottish bishop tipped to be new AB of Westminster, Germany drops ban on Scientology, Irish pilgrims get the ailment and not the cure in Lourdes, CSA claims in Orthodox Jewish Community, Irish priest involved with land corruption, Redemptorist priest tackles Irish bishops in new book, bishop says Christmas is coming, do nothing!!, parish of Bray Update, SABLE mail order funny goings on, Vatican condemns internet and mobile phones...

...Great Schism recalled, Spanish classrooms to be devoid of crucifixes, grave charges in North of Ireland criticised, 'chocolate' Jesus tasteless, warning on Irish Church finances, Vatican solar system inaugurated, WYD'08 budget overspent 6fold, ancient Irish Christian sites threatened by erosion, Winter meeting of Irish Bishops conference...

...Il Papa to visit Israel in 2009, Nepal's 1st Christmas, comment on church finances warning, rebel bishop Michael Cox illegaly weds in Ireland, Christian policeman loses appeal against gay promo in work, document on bio-ethics due in December from Vatican, OMA causing grief again, Placido Domingo unveils music to late Pope JPII, Rabbi killed selflessly in Mumbai, financial woes in Diocese of Derry, unity of Irish Bishops against Civil Partnership Bill, UK bishops pamphlets push for gay agenda.

For Advent,CW will publish a special reflection and prayer in the lead up to Christmas, and I invite you all to join us as we do so.

Gach uile beannacht,

Sotto Voce

Prayers For The Deceased


Our Father….

Hail Mary….

Glory Be….

Eternal light shine upon them, and may their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.


Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us (x3)

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us (x3)


Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel:

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -by the Divine Power of God -cast into Hell, Satan and all the Evil Spirits,who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen

Pauline Year (29th June 2008/09) Prayer


Glorious Saint Paul,
Apostle full of zeal,
Martyr by Christ's love,
obtain for us a profound faith,
a firm hope,
a burning love for the Lord
so that we can say with you:
"It is no longer I but the Christ who lives in me."

Help us to become apostles
who serve the Church with a pure conscience,
witnesses of its greatness and its beauty
amid the darkness of our time.

With you we praise God our Father,
"To Him be the glory in the Church and in Christ
from age to age forever."

Amen.

Vocations 2008 - Promo Video

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Year of Vocations

Prayer for Vocations

O Holy Spirit, Spirit of wisdom and divine love, impart Your knowledge, understanding, and counsel to the faithful that they may know the vocation wherein they can best serve God.

Give them courage and strength to follow God's holy will.

Guide their uncertain steps, strengthen their resolutions, shield their chastity, fashion their minds, conquer their hearts, and lead them to the vineyards where they will labour in God's holy service.

Amen.

Prayers For The Deceased


Our Father….

Hail Mary….

Glory Be….

Eternal light shine upon them, and may their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.


Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us (x3)

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us (x3)


Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel:

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -by the Divine Power of God -cast into Hell, Satan and all the Evil Spirits,who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen

Pauline Year (29th June 2008/09) Prayer


Glorious Saint Paul,
Apostle full of zeal,
Martyr by Christ's love,
obtain for us a profound faith,
a firm hope,
a burning love for the Lord
so that we can say with you:
"It is no longer I but the Christ who lives in me."

Help us to become apostles
who serve the Church with a pure conscience,
witnesses of its greatness and its beauty
amid the darkness of our time.

With you we praise God our Father,
"To Him be the glory in the Church and in Christ
from age to age forever."

Amen.

Vocations 2008 - Promo Video

English Catholic Bishops’ pamphlet pushes gay lobby agenda

A document from the Catholic bishops’ conference of England and Wales on the pastoral care of persons suffering from homosexual temptations omits the Church’s key teachings on sin and redemption, a British pastor claims.

Fr. Ray Blake, a parish priest and blogger living in Brighton, called the pamphlet from the Marriage and Family Life Project Office “troubling” in that it fails to mention the teaching of the Catholic Church calling homosexuals to live a life of chastity.

“As priest in Brighton,” Fr. Blake wrote, “I spend quite a bit of time trying to help people make sense of their sexual attraction, I really find this document troubling.”

The pamphlet, entitled, “What is life like if you or someone in your family is gay or lesbian in their sexual orientation? ... and what can your parish family do to make a difference?” offers a help line for “families facing difficulty in coming to terms with the sexual orientation of a spouse, parent, child or sibling.” However, it makes no mention of ministries, like the group “Courage,” that are geared to helping those who are seeking to leave the active homosexual lifestyle.

The omissions, rather than the content, are the problem says Fr. Blake. The priest says the pamphlet heavily emphasizes “acceptance” of persons suffering from homosexual inclinations, but entirely omits the fact that such persons are called to live chastely.

“We used to speak a lot about ‘meeting people where they are at,’ which is fine,” Fr. Blake wrote. “Christ does that, but he calls us break from sin and to live a new Life in him.”

The pamphlet recommends that parishes use “bidding” or intercessory prayers thanking God for the “gift of sexuality” and includes quotes complaining, “The continual message from the church is that homosexuality is so, so dreadful. Our gay son just hasn’t stood a chance.” Another asserts, “My brother is gay; the church has been very intolerant of him.”

The pamphlet, Fr. Blake wrote, “seems to lack something important. Could it be a relationship with the person of Jesus Christ?”

The pamphlet’s authors have used language and recommendations that closely reflect the work of the secularist and decidedly anti-Catholic homosexualist movement. It instructs pastors to “check the local school policies on bullying and equality” and warns them “not to assume that everyone is heterosexual” and to “reflect this in language and conversation.”

In recent documents produced by the British government, teachers and others involved in education are told to avoid “heterosexism,” which is any assumption that heterosexuality is natural or normal. Faithful Catholics have warned that, particularly in the context of schools, the language of “anti-discrimination,” “equality” and “human rights” are being used to silence any dissent from the secularist and anti-family movement’s dogmas.

With the passage of the Labour government’s Sexual Orientation Regulations, Catholics and others who adhere to traditional moral norms, are increasingly under threat. Fr. Timothy Finigan, a Catholic theology professor and founder of the Association of Priests for the Gospel of Life, told LifeSiteNews.com that with the “equality” doctrine asserting that homosexuality is the equivalent of race, any criticism of homosexual sex, such as calling it “sinful,” is by definition discriminatory against homosexuals. Fr. Finigan warned that the language of the gay lobby is being used by government to silence Christian teaching with regard to homosexual activity.

The Catholic Church in England and Wales has, since the 1960s, been regarded as one of the most left-leaning national bishops’ conferences in the Catholic world. In the country’s leading Catholic archdiocese, Westminster in London, despite a promise to shut them down after years of complaints, a parish is continuing to offer “gay Masses.” During these masses homosexuality and “gay marriage” are praised and Catholic teaching on chastity and sexuality is banned.

The international development organisation attached to the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales has been well known as a bastion of hard-left and pro-homosexual ideologies. In 2004, the news service Catholic World Report (CWR) revealed that Britain’s largest aid organization, Catholic Aid for Overseas Development (CAFOD), is controlled by an active and unrepentant cabal of homosexuals who promote the use of condoms for AIDS prevention in developing countries.
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

(Source: CN)

Cardinal of Mumbai: 'Criminal Acts Against a Courageous City'

Sorrow for the terrible attack which has devastated the city and the nation, and condemnation of the folly of this “senseless logic of violence”, fed by “brainwashing” that is provoked by ideologies: this is how Card. Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai reacts to the terrorist attack.

The prelate underlines the “shame” of an attack which also targeted tourists, in a city that has always distinguished itself for its “tolerance” and “shared respect among cultures and religion”. He invites the international community to take into account and take action to “defeat the logic of evil with good and promote peace”.

Here, below, we publish the Archbishops’ appeal given to our correspondent Nirmala Carvalho.

“Our words cannot express our shock at this incident; I am deeply saddened by this attack on our city and on our beloved nation as a whole.

"The Church in India condemns this attack in the strongest possible terms. Innocent and unconnected people have been killed. Very brave police officers have been killed. Mumbai in the target of different terrorist groups. The Church offers our deepest sympathy to the families of those who lost their dear ones, and the Church in Mumbai places all our medical services to those who have been injured.

"We must fight together as a nation and as a united people to combat the terrorists. We must never give up hope because ultimately hope will prevail. It is Christian to always hope. Good will triumph, evil will be overcome, this is our Hope.

"Regrettably, senseless violence goes on and there may be reprisals, we – all of us-must consider creating a feeling of intolerance against divisive forces, against elements that sow seeds of mistrust and suspicion in the minds of our people. We must create a climate where every citizen is alert and such incidents can immediately be reported to the intelligence agencies and enable the government and our security agencies to take steps earlier. The important thing today is to be together.

"Mumbai is our city, where mutual tolerance and understandings between cultures and religions has prevailed despite of the attempts to rip apart our city, now we will continue to build bridges of understanding between peoples, cultures and religions. We must overcome evil with good and seek peace.

"This terror attack was not an act of the people who love our country, this is not India, and this is not Mumbai. Mumbai is a very tolerant and brave city. India is a great country and very tolerant. These are all misguided people who are brain washed who probably think what they are doing is right and that every thing is ok. It’s terrible what they have done. They’re harming innocent people and disturbing the peace.”

"This tragedy snuffed out the lives of many foreign nationals and this is a matter of immense shame. India is known for her hospitality, we ask for forgiveness for this aberration done in our city…….but please- do not write Mumbai off, India is a great county, Mumbai is a great city, you are also welcome here.

"The people who carried out these deadly attacks, are misguided people, who have been deluded and brainwashed into the ideologies and propaganda of the cause, but this is madness, they bring death, fear , panic and disrupt the harmony and lives of the city and county……darkness of chaos.

But we do not despair, we do give up Hope that Goodness will prevail that God will lead us from darkness of chaos to Light Peace and Harmony.

God Bless our city Mumbai!

God Bless India!"

*Card. Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

(Source: CO)

UK Catholic Adoption Agencies Voluntarily Refuse Religious Opt-Out Clause for Homosexual Adoption

Catholic adoption agencies in the UK have refused to employ a legal opt-out built into the government’s Sexual Orientation Regulations (SOR), willingly opting for secularization instead, a British legal expert has said.

Neil Addison, an expert in religious discrimination law, said that the reason Catholic adoption agencies in Britain are closing or secularizing is because they are not interested in remaining Catholic.

Moreover, he said, the bishops have been complicit in their unwillingness to fight for the Catholic nature of their agencies.

The crisis over the adoption agencies has forced into the public eye the deterioration of the Catholic charities in Britain. The problem, said Addison, is not that the Catholic agencies have been backed into a legal corner, but that they “lack the will” to act in accordance with Church teaching.

The crisis has created a situation in which Catholic charitable agencies will have to be more overtly religious, or cease to be Catholic altogether, he said. “Until the SORs, it’s been possible to be a charity set up by Catholics without having to be overtly catholic,” he said.

“Quite frankly, a lot of these agencies have been Catholic only in name for a long time.”

Neil Addison is a lawyer and expert in religious discrimination law in Britain and the author of a textbook, “Religious Discrimination and Hatred Law.” He is also the founder of the new Thomas More Legal Centre, a Catholic charity which provides free legal advice and assistance in cases involving issues of religious freedom or religious discrimination in England and Wales.

Catholic agencies would be in a favourable legal position under the SORs, had they been operating in accordance with Catholic teaching to begin, he explained. Indeed, he observed, if the agencies were in conformity with the teaching of the Church, local government authorities in charge of adoptions who refused to work with them could be legally prosecuted for religious discrimination.

As is common in all forms of discrimination law, Addison said, under Regulation 18 of the Sexual Orientation Regulations, registered religious charities are allowed to act in accordance with their “charitable instruments” that specify their religious purpose.

Just as charities that give medical advice to men at risk of HIV are allowed to serve only homosexual men, similarly, Catholic adoption agencies must have constitutions that lay down concretely that they must act in accordance with Catholic teaching.

The teaching of the Catholic Church is clear that to allow children to be adopted into irregular situations, including by homosexual partners or by unmarried single people or unmarried “common-law” partners, constitutes an act of “violence” to their natural development. Children, the Church teaches, have a right to be raised in the context of the natural family.

This week, the Catholic Herald reported that two Christian adoption agencies were allowed by the Charity Commission to change their constitutions or “charitable objects” to allow them to restrict service to lawfully married couples: St. Margaret's Adoption and Child Care Society, a Catholic agency in Glasgow, and the evangelical Cornerstone Adoption and Fostering Service in north east England.

These two agencies, Addison said, took his advice and changed their constitutions to more strictly conform to Christian principles.

“I have told the Lancaster agency in unequivocal terms,” he said, “if they change their constitutions, they will have legal protection. But they wouldn’t do it.”

This autumn, as the deadline for Catholic agencies to comply with the law drew closer, Bishop Patrick O’Donohue in Lancaster recommended that Catholic Caring Services of Lancaster change their practices to completely conform to Catholic teaching on marriage and sexuality.

The bishop said he had received legal advice that this would exempt them from considering homosexual partners under existing provisions of the SORs.

The agency issued a statement refusing to comply, saying they intended to consider homosexual partners as prospective adoptive parents and at the same time claimed this did not create a conflict with their "Catholic" character.

Bishop O’Donohue responded that if they should act outside the teaching of the Church, they would be evicted from all diocesan properties. The Lancaster case remains unresolved.

Addison confirmed that there was no need under the law for any Catholic adoption agency in the UK to close or secularize, if they had been acting in accordance with Catholic teaching, or willing to change their practices to do so.

He said also that, with the exception of Bishop O’Donohue, the bishops of the Catholic Church of England and Wales have ignored the existence of Regulation 18, claiming in the media that the government was forcing their adoption agencies to close.

Three dioceses, including the primatial see of Westminster, had their requests to alter their charitable objects refused by the Charity commission. Addison said, however, that the bid failed because they had not specified a religious reason, asking only to restrict their services to “heterosexuals.”

The law recognises two ways of discriminating - direct and indirect. Indirect discrimination – that which occurs as a consequence of following a particular religion, for example – can be justified legally.

The attempts made by the Archdiocese of Westminster, Birmingham and Leeds were judged by the Charity Commission to be a case of direct discrimination against non-heterosexuals, having no basis in religious teaching.

To date, five Catholic adoption agencies in England and Wales have opted for secularization, rather than conform their practices to Catholic teaching. One has chosen to cease adoption services and two others are undecided.

The Catholic Herald reported today that Keith Cardinal O'Brien, the archbishop of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, resigned as the president of the St. Andrew's Children's Society, the largest Catholic adoption agency in Scotland, to allow it to sever its ties with the Catholic Church.

The inaction of the bishops over the threat against their adoption agencies will result in worse attacks on Catholic charitable institutions, Addison warned. Their willingness to fold up their adoption agencies, or to allow them to sever ties with the Church, is a bad sign for the future of religious charities in England.

“The bishops have caved in too easily,” he said. The crisis over the SORs, he warned, has been a preliminary to future attacks on Christian charities. The strategy has been to create a catch-22. “There is a desire on the part of secularists to get the Church out of charitable work. And then they say, ‘Well what good is the Church anyway?’ If the Church is involved in charity, it is accused of discrimination, but if it isn’t, it gets told it is useless.”

What the bishops should have done was vigorously fight the attack from the start. “They should have amended the constitutions of their agencies, waited to be challenged in court, and been willing to fight and see what happened.”

“As it is, they are giving in without a fight, which does nothing but encourage people to come in for the next challenge.”

What will that be? Addison pointed to Catholic schools and hospitals and the increasing pressure for doctors to participate in passive euthanasia, abortion and contraception, as well as the threat from the homosexualist “rights” lobby in the schools under the guise of “homophobic bullying” campaigns.
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

(Source: LSN)

Build bridges: Mumbai bishop responds to terror

Indian bishops and Pope Benedict have condemned Mumbai terrorist attacks that have killed over 125 people with local auxiliary Bishop Bosca Penha calling on Catholics "to go on their knees to pray and build bridges among religions."

"We condemn this dastardly act of terrorism," Auxiliary Bishop Bosco Penha of Bombay told UCA News.

He appealed to people of all religions to pray, forgive, reconcile and unite as children of God in these traumatic times. He also directed parishes to pray during every Mass for peace and religious harmony in the city.

Every Catholic, he said, should "go on their knees to pray and get involved in building bridges among people of all religions. We need to innovate ourselves to spread peace, harmony and brotherhood in the city."

Bishop Penha is currently in charge of Bombay archdiocese while its head, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, is recuperating from cancer surgery.

"The unprecedented ferocity of the terror attack" shocked local Church leaders, Bishop Penha admitted. He said he has talked to Cardinal Gracias about the Catholic Church taking more "responsibility" to do "something solid in Mumbai."

Teams of terrorists armed with assault rifles and grenades attacked 11 locations in Mumbai beginning around 9.30pm on November 26.

Most of the sites targeted were in the main tourist and business district, including the city's main commuter train station, a hospital and two luxury hotels, where gunmen held dozens of hostages. Officials said at least eight militants and 11 policemen had been killed. Media reports now put the death toll from the attacks at 125 and the number of people wounded at 314.

Several targeted buildings are near the Catholic archbishop's residence and Jesuit managed St Xavier's College.

Archdiocesan spokesperson Fr Anthony Charanghat, who lives at the archbishop's house, told UCA News he heard gunfire and grenades explode and knew "sometime terrible was happening."

He said the attacks began at a popular seafood restaurant where young gunmen moved in cars and opened fire and exploded three grenades "killing anybody in site." They then proceeded to a busy train station and a cinema house. The administration has imposed curfew in the area, Fr Charanghat reported.

The attacks have frightened people of all religions, according to Dolphy D'Souza, president of Bombay Catholic Sabha (council). "Words don't come so easily to express anything except that fear is writ large on the face of this city," he told UCA News.

Abraham Mathai, a Protestant and vice president of the local Maharashtra State Minority Commission, reported that he toured targeted sites until 4am. Young people who could easily pass as college students spread the terror and panic in the city, he said.

"The terror attacks have shaken the Church in the city," added Joseph Dias, general secretary of Mumbai based Catholic Secular Forum. The Catholic Church should take a proactive role to broker peace and harmony, Dias told UCA News, saying his group will try to reach out to the bereaved families and expose the terrorists' machinations to disturb peace in the country.

Michael Pinto, vice chairman of the National Commission for Minorities and parishioner of the Cathedral of the Holy Name in Mumbai, says the latest terrorist attacks were planned to project India as an unsafe destination and hurt its economy.
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

(Source: CTHN)

Irish Bishops Unite Against Civil Partnership Bill

Faced to a misleading report in the Irish media, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin affirmed his unity with other bishops in upholding Church teaching on the issue of civil unions.

The archbishop of Dublin said this in response to an article published Wednesday by the Irish Times, titled "Bishops differ over emphasis on civil unions."

The article featured quotes from a press conference with the prelate on the forthcoming Civil Partnership Bill, that could give cohabiting same-sex or opposite-sex couples in Ireland almost all of the legal benefits of marriage.

In a letter that appeared in the same newspaper today, the archbishop wrote, "I have received a number of calls from people who feel that my remarks [...] seem to indicate that I do not accept Catholic teaching on marriage."

He continued, "It is possible that the manner in which my different remarks appeared may have given rise to false interpretation. While saying that I might have addressed the theme differently, I did clearly say that I was supportive of the basic content of Cardinal [Sean] Brady's position on the bill and of his comments at the recent Ceifin conference."

In this conference, Cardinal Brady, archbishop of Armagh, called on the government to uphold the Constitution by guarding the institution of marriage, and pointed out the need for children to be raised within stable marriages.

The Irish Times quoted Archbishop Martin as asserting that the Catholic Church favors marriage, but is not against other forms of intimacy.

He clarified today: "While stressing, as I have consistently done, the Christian teaching on the mutuality of the sexes as fundamental to the understanding of marriage, I am fully aware of the need to protect the rights of a variety of people in caring and dependent relationships, different to marriage.

"Unfortunately, some members of the public and some public commentators seize on such comments and concern as an opportunity to say that I advocate positions in conflict with Catholic teaching.

"For my part, I regret if my comments may have appeared unclear. On the other hand, the contrived polemic of such commentators does little to promote marriage and its value to society."

Episcopal conference

The prelate echoed themes from the Irish bishops' conference, which has discussed the civil partnership bill in its last two meetings. According to a press release last September, the conference stated: "As a faithful, exclusive and lifelong union between one man and one woman, marriage is both a relationship of persons and the fundamental unit upon which society is built."

It continued by referencing the bishops' 2005 statement to the government's committee on the family: "It may, in certain circumstances, be in the public interest to provide legal protection to the social, fiscal and inheritance entitlements of persons who support caring relationships which generate dependency, provided always that these relationships are recognized as being qualitatively different from marriage and that their acceptance does not dilute the uniqueness of marriage.

"However, it would seem discriminatory to confine this protection to those in sexual relationships and thereby exclude from protection the interests of siblings and other non-sexually involved cohabitees."

They pointed out that creating an additional category of "marriage like" relationships with the same rights and protections therein would contradict the Irish Constitution's pledge to "guard with special care the institution of marriage."

The official statement of the bishops regarding the bill is forthcoming as they examine its implications for society. However, they have not held back their continued defense of marriage as the Church understands it.

Archbishop Martin reiterated this in his letter to the press: "Above all my remarks wished to stress that the Christian teaching on marriage, rather than starting out from negative criticisms, is a positive endorsement of the unique and irreplaceable contribution to society made by the family based on marriage, that is, on the mutual and exclusive love of husband and wife."
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Disclaimer

No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

(Source: Zenit)

Bishop's work to prevent illegal arms trade gains importance as conflicts flare up

The work of an English bishop in helping to regulate the trade in small arms and light weapons took on a new importance this week as the Vatican’s permanent observer to the U.N. spoke out about the need to prevent illegal arms trading.

Bishop William Kenney, an auxiliary bishop in Birmingham, is a leading figure in the Gothenburg Process, an ecumenical initiative which aims to promote dialogue between parties involved in the arms trade.

Bishop Kenney, who previously served as Bishop of Stockholm before he returned to his native Birmingham in 2006, has been involved with the Gothenburg Process since it was founded in the 1990s.

He is now the international chairman of its steering committee, and its work to promote dialogue in the industry may now take on new importance after the Vatican’s apostolic nuncio to the United Nations, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, spoke out about the arms trade in a recent address to the U.N. Security Council.

In his address, Archbishop Migliore said illicit arms trades had turned tensions into armed conflicts and had compromised peace and development. The Vatican official said the Holy See supported the U.N. General Assembly for adopting a resolution which spells out initial steps that need to be taken in order to better regulate the trade and transfer of arms.

Archbishop Migliore added that the Vatican “shares the grave concern of conflict-ridden countries” where the illicit arms trade and its production hinder the peaceful settlement of disputes and prolong conflicts.

Speaking to The Universe, Bishop Kenney said the Gothenburg Process dealt solely with the legal supply of arms but that this supply often turned into a “slippery slope.”

The organization started after he was approached by a layman, Peter Brune, who expressed concerns over the growing proliferation in the arms trade following an initial decline after the Cold War. He felt the Churches needed to speak out on the problem.

“We deal with weapons legally held by armies and police forces, hunting groups and sporting associations,” Bishop Kenney said.

“What happens in many cases is that these legal arms eventually end up getting sold on. There are perhaps slight infringements at first, but it is a slippery slope.

“You have weapons being sold from countries such as Russia and China and then there is also sheer criminality such as weapons being stolen from armies.”

Bishop Kenney said the Gothenburg Process grew after an initial first conference in 2001. “The thing took off,” he said. “What we have done is encourage a dialogue between the users and the control authorities, that is, the political powers and the producers.”

The outbreak of wars, Bishop Kenney said, always resulted in problems with small arms in the future. Instances such as the current crisis in the DR Congo were classic examples of weapons which had once been bought legally now being used illegally, he explained.

“Weapons are stolen and no one notices until it’s too late to do anything about it,” he said.

While there is much work ahead, the fact that the parties involved in producing, regulating and using small arms are talking represents progress. Bishop Kenney said the organization had succeeded in getting people to reflect on the issue, and to get the control authorities, users and producers to look at the ethical position of using the weapons.

But in a stark summary of the problem, he added: “More people have now died as a result of small arms and light weapons than have died from nuclear weapons.”

For more information visit www.gothenburgprocess.org
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(Source: CNA)

Vatican defends states' sovreignty at UN

In recent weeks, the Holy See has made a series of strong interventions at the United Nations (UN), upholding the dignity of human life while criticizing UN treaty compliance committees for overstepping their mandates by encroaching upon state sovereignty.

In advance of the debate on the Moratorium on the Use of the Death Penalty, the Holy See reminded delegates at the General Assembly (GA) that the most fundamental right is the right to life “from the moment of conception to natural death.”

While it welcomed efforts to halt the use of the death penalty, it noted the need to foster a culture “in which life is respected at all stages of development.”

Following up on this theme, the Holy See on a separate occasion noted the existence of ambiguous language concerning “sexual and reproductive health” and “maternal health services” that appeared in a resolution on obstetric fistula, clarifying that such language cannot be interpreted as endorsing abortion. Similar interventions were made by the United States and Saint Lucia.

The latter term had never before appeared in a fistula resolution, and statements such as the Holy See’s help inoculate against abortion proponents subsequently reinterpreting the phrase to include abortion.

Perhaps the Holy See’s most significant statement, however, occurred on the theme of “Rule of Law” before the GA’s Sixth Committee, which is the primary forum for the consideration of legal questions.

The Holy See’s nuncio, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, spoke of the role of international treaty making in enhancing the rule of law. He underscored, however, that UN agencies and compliance committees (also known as treaty bodies) set up under various UN human rights treaties must “respect the intent and desire of States.”

The nuncio warned against a treaty body system “which moves away from the original intent of the parties and expands its mandates beyond the power given by States.”

The Obama Administration must continue to provide vigorous support for pro-democracy efforts throughout Latin America as these movements seek constructive and principled opposition to one-party democracies

Certain compliance committees, often comprised of unelected and unaccountable representatives drawn from activist non-governmental organizations, have in many instances overstepped their mandates by seeking to pressure sovereign nations to change their laws on abortion, reading a “right to abortion” into treaties that are silent on the subject.

Such countries ratified treaties like the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) never intending that domestic legislation and – in the case of nations like El Salvador, Chile and Madagascar – their constitutional protections for unborn life could be threatened by treaties reinterpreted to include a right to abortion.

Recent examples include statements by the Human Rights Committee – the compliance committee charged with monitoring implementation of the ICCPR – pressing Nicaragua on its laws protecting unborn life and the perennial pressure members of the CEDAW committee place on representatives from pro-life nations to change their laws on abortion.

Rather than enhancing international law and respect for human rights, Archbishop Migliore stated that such actions undermine the “credibility and legitimacy” of international legal regimes and discourage “States from joining conventions.”
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Sotto Voce

(Source: Spero)

Vatican wins award for giant solar-power generator

The Vatican won the 2008 Euro Solar Prize for turning the football field-sized roof of its Paul VI audience hall into a giant solar-power generator.

A European association promoting renewable energy presented the award to Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, president of the commission governing Vatican territory, during the inauguration of the new roof on November 26.

Cardinal Lajolo said he would make sure the award, a small silver and glass globe, would go to Pope Benedict XVI, who repeatedly has called on humanity to show greater care for creation.

The association's president, Hermann Scheer, said he hoped more governments, businesses and individuals would be inspired by the Vatican's efforts and thereby promote and support renewable energy, too.

A German company, SolarWorld, donated and installed 2,400 solar panels on the top of the Vatican's audience hall after Vatican officials had made public their plans to convert the rooftop into a solar-power generator. The gift is estimated to be worth about £1 million.

Scheer said the only way to inspire more people to tap into solar power was for a well-respected, "worldwide institution, indeed, the Catholic Church with its global importance", to set the stage and show it could be done.

He said he hopes the Vatican's new solar-panel roof, which will produce some 300,000 kilowatt-hours of power each year, will help "overcome the mental block many people have toward new sources of energy".

The solar panels began generation energy for the Vatican's power grid on November 26 during the Pope's weekly general audience.

A large electronic tally board hangs in the hall to keep count of how many kilowatt hours are being produced and how much oil and carbon dioxide is being saved by using solar energy.

After just a few hours on a partly sunny day, 60 kilowatt-hours had been generated and 88lb of carbon dioxide emissions, or CO2, were avoided.

Pier Carlo Cuscianna, director of technical services for Vatican City, said another solar-panel system was being installed above the Vatican's employee cafeteria to help provide power for heating and cooling the building.

Another project still in the planning stages is to set up 1.2 acres of solar panels at Vatican Radio's Santa Maria di Galeria transmission centre in the countryside outside Rome.

The Vatican has said its aim is to use renewable energy sources for 20 per cent of its energy needs by 2020, the target date set by the European Union for its members.
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The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

(Source: TC)

Defrocked priest Shanley loses bid for new trial

A defrocked Roman Catholic priest at the center of the Boston clergy sex abuse scandal, who was assigned to St. Francis of Assisi Church in Braintree in the late 1960s, has lost his bid for a new trial.

Paul Shanley, 77, who is serving a 12-to-15 year sentence for repeatedly fondling and raping a boy at St. Jean’s Catholic Church in Newton in the early 1980s, sought another trial based on a challenge to the theory of repressed memories.

Judge Stephen Neel, who presided at Shanley’s trial in Suffolk Superior Court, rejected that argument on Nov. 26.

The victim, a member of the parish’s CCD class when Shanley was assigned there, said that Shanley carried out the assaults, starting when he was six, in the bathroom, the rectory, the pews, and the confessional, and his repressed memories of what happened surfaced in 2002 when the media began reporting about the abuse scandal.

After deliberating for 14 hours, a jury found Shanley guilty on Feb. 7, 2005 of two counts of child rape and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child.

During a May 29 hearing in Suffolk Superior Court about Shanley’s motion for a new trial, Robert Shaw, Jr., his new lawyer, argued that the theory of repressed memories was “junk science.”

Shaw said that Shanley’s attorney failed to challenge the theory vigorously during his trial.

Assistant District Attorney Loretta Lillios said that Shanley’s defense did call an expert witness during the trial who questioned the reliability of repressed memories and cross-examined the state’s expert on the theory.

Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who represented more than 100 clergy abuse victims who reached civil settlements with the Archdiocese of Boston, was flooded with calls about Shanley’s motion and said that these victims desperately wanted closure.

Robert Costello, a Norwood man who said that he was sexually abused by another priest during the late 1960s and early 1970s, attended the hearing to remind Shanley about the victims of clergy sex abuse and said that there was more evidence against the former “street priest” than just the doctors talking about repressed memories.
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The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

(Source: WL)

Diocese of Derry Deep Financial Straits

News has reached us here that Derry Diocesean authorities were in discussions this week with advisors to ascertain if they can continue to host the christmas parish savings scheme.

This scheme would involve people placing savings with the Diocese who would then invest it in high yield accounts.

The interest that would tally up from these investments would have been initially signed over to the Diocese with the principle sum being returned to those who had given it to the Diocese.

An estimated 42 million pounds is saved throughout the diocese and banks and church leaders fear an institution collapse would be catastrophic for savers and the bad investments would leave the church out of pocket.

It seems that Mammon may indeed be the real God in the Diocese of Derry, and no doubt in every other Diocese in this fair isle of ours...look towards your own and ask questions...it is your money after all!!!
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The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

(Source: PVT)

New Kazakh law ‘restricts religious freedom’

Kazakhstan's parliament has adopted a new law which human rights agency Forum 18 describes as “seriously restricting freedom of religion or belief”.

Kazakh human rights defenders and Lutheran, Hare Krishna, Baptist and Ahmadi Muslim representatives have expressed their fear if the legislation.

"We expect persecution in the future because of this very harsh Law," said Baptist Pastor Yaroslav Senyushkevich, "not just on us but on others too. It will be like under Stalin."

Archbishop Tomasz Peta, who leads the Catholic diocese in Astana, said: "We hope that the President- who will have the last word on this - won't allow Kazakhstan after 17 years to return to the path of restrictions on religious freedom.”

The new law must be passed by the upper house and signed into law by the president. Missionary activities would then be curtailed and fines for unregistered religious organizations sharply increased. The amendments also would restrict the right to publish religious literature to approved organizations.

Children would have to provide written authorization from their parents to attend religious events. Noncompliance will be punishable by a fine equivalent to 50 times the minimum monthly salary.

Ambassador Janez Lenarcic of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said: “It is disappointing that the law was adopted in such a hasty way without making full use of broad consultations with civil society and expertise from the international community.” He hopes President Nursultan Nazarbaev “will use his constitutional power to allow for a more transparent and inclusive law-making process that would lead to the adoption of legislation fully reflecting OSCE commitments and other international standards”.

In Kazakhstan Muslims and Christians each make up about 45 percent of the population, however Christians, particularly those from the ethnic German population, have complained of Government harassment.
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The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

(Source: RI)

It's Christmas so do nothing, Bishop of Reading, Dr Stephen Cottrell says

The Bishop of Reading urges everyone to ask themselves, 'what do I really want for Christmas?

The Church of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury launched a website for Advent encouraging people to think about the true meaning of the holiday and reflect on the birth of Christ.

In response to the website, Rt Rev Stephen Cottrell, the Bishop of Reading, said he thinks that rushing through Christmas without thinking about the essential meaning is a trap most Christians get caught in. Getting caught up in the traditions and festivities that come along with Christmas make it hard to focus attention on the true purpose.

"Christmas carols would be a good example," he said. "I love singing Christmas carols but it feels like we start singing them in October and a bit of ancient Christian wisdom would be the balance between the feast and the fast."

He said that by starting Christmas earlier and earlier each year, the purpose for Advent gets lost. He described the Christian year as having seasons, each telling a story.

"The gift of the season of Advent is heightening expectation and preparing, not just for welcoming Christ at Christmas but for that day when we will see Him face to face," said the bishop. "When we start rushing over that and singing the carols too quickly we miss all that and what it can bring.

"When we wait, then when Christmas does come you enjoy it all the more. It's not about enjoying Christmas less but heightening your enjoyment by going through this time of expectation."

The bishop also said he thinks that the Church would benefit from entering more deeply into the period of waiting for the coming of Christ.

"I think as a Church we would benefit from getting back in touch with some of those rhythms which are there in our history of which the church year, the Christian calendar was always seen by Christians as one of the primary ways in which you would meditate upon the whole of the life of Christ through the different seasons."

He agreed with the Archbishop's comment, that the greed that has taken the place of patience and reflection has fuelled the present credit crunch and environmental problems. He poses to reflect on 'what do you really want for Christmas?'

"Just stopping to ask 'what do I truly want?' that's something that every human being would benefit from," he said. "What do I really want for Christmas? I think what I would really like is a day of rest with those I love. That's what I really want. And so inviting people to reflect on their heart's desire and what they are really looking for in life, that's at the heart of the season of Advent."
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The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

(Source: RI)

Coptic pope bars prayers in Cairo hall after clashes

Coptic Pope Shenuda III has banned Egyptian Christians from praying in a church-owned building in Cairo after sectarian clashes there with Muslims, state news agency MENA reported on Tuesday.

Police arrested at least eight men after Muslims on Sunday night clashed with Copts in the Cairo neighbourhood of Ein Shams in protest at the building's use as a Christian prayer hall, throwing stones and burning two cars.

Pope Shenuda III "has ordered a cessation to prayers in the building belonging to the Church of Virgin Mary... after confrontations between the worshippers and some of the neighbourhood's residents in front of the building," the agency quoted him as saying.

The building was a disused factory that the church had bought.

Copts complain of an antiquated law, inherited from when Egypt was under Ottoman rule, that obliges them to secure presidential permission before building a church or expanding an existing church.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has delegated such decisions to provincial governors, but human rights groups say that sectarian problems will persist until the state passes a single law for both Muslim and Christian places of worship.

Egypt's Copts -- the largest Christian community in the Middle East -- account for an estimated six to 10 percent of the country's 80 million inhabitants.
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No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

(Source: AFP)

(Posting 11.800 since 15/12/'06)

Rabbi killed in Mumbai had gone to serve Jews

A Brooklyn-based rabbi and his wife who were killed in the siege on a Jewish center in Mumbai had gone to serve Jews living far from their roots, fearing only that he would not be able to help as many as possible.

Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka Holtzberg, were among the five hostages killed at the center and more than 120 people dead in Mumbai after the attacks by Islamist militants on luxury hotels and other sites in India's financial capital.

Their son Moshe, who turns 2 on Saturday, was rescued by a nanny and has been handed over to his mother's parents.

"After he got married he was looking to make an impact in the world, in the Jewish world, and in his case reach out to people who are really, really far away both literally and spiritually from their roots," said Rabbi Berel Wolvovsky of Maryland, a childhood friend of Gavriel Holtzberg.

"His fears were not fears of terrorism. His fears were of maybe not being able to help as many people as he'd like."

Gunmen attacked the Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish Community Center in Mumbai's Colaba district and took hostages, prompting Indian security forces to storm the center.

"The house was completely ruined from within, mainly from the explosions set off by the Indians," Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel's Channel 1 television.

"They found five bodies -- two women and three men. Some of the bodies were tied up. To judge by the accompanying signs, some of the people were killed a good number of hours previously."

Holtzberg arrived in Mumbai in 2003 to run a synagogue and Torah classes as part of Chabad-Lubavitch Movement, which has thousands of emissaries around the world as serving as rabbis and de facto consuls.

"He was a real mensch (person of honor) and we will miss him very, very dearly," Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, who was in regular contact with Holtzberg from the New York headquarters, told reporters, his voice breaking with emotion.

Holtzberg, 29, was born in Israel and moved to Brooklyn with his parents at age 9. His 28-year-old wife, born Rivka Rosenberg, was a native of Afula, Israel.

Israeli officials say the Chabad center, tucked away on a narrow street, was targeted for being Jewish.

"Our world is under attack. There are extremist Muslim elements who do not accept our values or our existence," Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said in Jerusalem.

Chabad leader Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky told a news conference in New York the movement's work would continue.

"Nothing deters us," he said.
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No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

(Source: FW)

St Patrick used cosmology in plotting his mission: book

A new book claims St Patrick used an ancient cosmological alignment in deciding the significant locations he picked on his mission across Ireland.

Island of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers posits the theory that saint was using a 300-year old 'equinox journey' to pick the sites which were to become associated with him.

Author Anton McNulty, who has researched ancient astrology in Ireland, believes that most of the major sites identified with the saint's mission in Ireland are part of an alignment stretching 135 miles from east to west across the country.

This path links the Hill of Slane in the east to Croagh Patrick in the west and passes through several other significant places in between.

When the saint first came to Ireland he landed at the Boyne Estuary and went to Slane where he lit the Paschal Fire. Mr McNulty says that in doing so, he was following an 'equinox journey' because Slane and Drogheda - where he landed - are both aligned on the equinoxes.

"The Millmount mound in Drogheda is said locally to be as old as Newgrange and overlooks the estuary where Patrick landed," he explained.

"This mound and a mound on the Hill of Slane are aligned so that a couple of days after the equinox, an observer on Millmount can see the sun set over the Hill of Slane," he continued.

The author said that in researching the book, he used 'Google Earth' to examine ancient alignments and found that the equinox line from Slane extends the whole way west as far as Croagh Patrick.

Locations on the path between them include the Tóchar Phádraig route from Ballintubber Abbey to Croagh Patrick and the Cruacháan Ai complex in Co Roscommon, one of the largest archaeological sites in Europe.

There tradition holds St Patrick baptised Ethnea and Fethlimia, the daughters of King Laoghaire.

The Slane-Croagh Patrick alignment follows an ancient road which today is known as Tóchar Phádraig , which pilgrims to this day use to go from Ballintubber Abbey to Croagh Patrick.

"In essence, Patrick seems to have followed this sacred equinox journey all the way from east to west" said Mr McNulty.

"Millmount mound, Slane motte and the peak of Croagh Patrick are all in perfect alignment, with astonishing precision".

"The alignment stretches across 135 miles from the Irish Sea to Clew Bay and is accurate to within a couple of feet".

Mr McNulty said that he was aware that someone on Millmount mound in Drogheda can see the sun set directly over Slane a few days after the Spring Equinox. "But what we didn't know until recently was that this sunset also sets over Croagh Patrick, 135 miles away in Mayo and this really is extraordinary".
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No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

(Source: CIN)

Government should show more mercy to asylum seekers, says Sentamu

The Archbishop of York hit out on Thursday at the Government’s tough stance on asylum seekers, saying it should instead show more mercy and compassion.

Speaking at the Evangelical Alliance’s annual Temple Address in London, Dr John Sentamu dismissed the recent assertion from Immigration Minister Phil Woolas that charities and lawyers supporting asylum seekers undermine the system and “do more harm than good” in launching numerous appeals to win their right to stay.

He also rejected the controversial minister’s comments, made in a recent interview with the Guardian, that one asylum seeker given permission to stay by an appeals court had “no right to be in this country”.

“For any honourable member to suggest that someone who has made out reasonable grounds, and has succeeded in their appeal under the due process of law ‘has no right to be in this country’ is a worrying development,” he told the audience, made up largely of church leaders and representatives of Christian groups.

Dr Sentamu said the crisis in Zimbabwe only heightened the need for the UK to demonstrate mercy.

“At a time when torture and inhuman treatment continues to be meted out to the people of Zimbabwe by a brutal government that treats its citizens as stepping stones to political power, the need for mercy within our country’s law is an imperative. We must show a better way,” he said.

The Archbishop further stated that asylum seekers should be allowed to work during the lengthy application process. Current law makes it illegal for asylum seekers to work whilst their applications are being considered, meaning many are destitute or forced to rely on help from churches and charities.

“It is an appalling situation that has continued for far too long for a very large number of them. The quality of our mercy in this area as a society has been shown to be lacking,” said Dr Sentamu.

He criticised the hard line approach of some politicians towards immigration, citing the example of one 39-year-old Ama Sumani, who was deported back to her native Ghana in January with a life-threatening illness despite appeals to remain in the UK on compassionate grounds. Unable to afford medical treatment in Ghana, she died two months after her return to the country.

“It is the tough talking of the unmerciful who would come down hard on criminals, immigrants and troublemakers whose voices seem to compete for votes in the public square in the belief that this is the way to win hearts and minds.”

Instead, people have a duty to act compassionately to their neighbours and choose “social fellowship”, interdependence and service over individualism, he insisted.

“For me the road to recovery is a path not to riches but to service. It is rooted in the rediscovery of a vision to rebuild community in recognition of our duties to one another. Of standing ready to help our neighbour not only because they may be a victim of the recession, but because they are created in the likeness of God, and are an individual of infinite worth for who Christ died,” he said.

Dr Sentamu said that the financial crisis offered the nation the opportunity “to create a renewed shared vision of community based on service rather than caring for number one, on covenant rather than contract, on duty rather than entitlement”.

Mr Woolas rejected the Archbishop's criticism, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme, "I don't accept the central charge that being tough is being immoral. I would argue the opposite.

"I think the morally right thing to do is to have an efficient and fair immigration and asylum system."
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No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.

The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.

Sotto Voce

(Source: CT)