Magister: "Bad News from China. A Rift Has Opened in Beijing"

Bad news abroad:

"Between obedience to the pope and to the communist party, some bishops are choosing the latter. The most stunning about-face has taken place in the capital. A secret letter from Cardinal Bertone. The alarm of Cardinal Zen." (Sandro Magister)

U.N. to receive 350k signatures calling for defense of life

Mine was one of them, and many of them were yours:

A coalition of pro-life and pro-marriage groups on Wednesday will present to the United Nations a petition containing at least 350,000 signatures asking that U.N. member states interpret the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as protecting unborn children from abortion and protecting the traditional family.

The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) was the primary organizer of the petition drive, called “U.N. Petition for the Unborn Child and the Family.” It was joined by the Pro-Life Federation of Poland, the Institute of Family Policy of Spain, United Families International of the US, and U.S.-based Concerned Women for America. (CNA)

"Muslims seek crisis management plan with Vatican"

Reuters:

Muslim scholars due to meet Pope Benedict and Roman Catholic officials this week hope the Vatican will agree to joint crisis management plan to defuse tensions that flare up between Christianity and Islam.

Violent protests in the Islamic world after a Danish newspaper printed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad might have been averted if Christians and Muslims had spoken out jointly against such unrest and the provocation behind it, they say.

Let's be awkwardly specific: what needs to be managed is the crises caused by ... muslims.

Japan's next prime minister is Catholic

BBC News: "Members of Japan's ruling party have selected a bluff conservative, Taro Aso, as their new leader, meaning he is almost certain to become the next PM."

He would be the first Catholic PM in Japan's history.

More about Taro Aso on his Wikipedia page. He also loves comics, was quickly profiled by Time, faces a tough future, is a very big departure from previous PMs, and appears to be quite the renaissance man.

Now, here's my question: presuming he wasn't born Catholic (which would surprise me), when/how did he convert? Can anyone find out?

Rowan Williams joins call to end violence in Orissa

Another voice added:

he Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, has added his voice to calls for an immediate end to the violence being waged against Christians in India’s Orissa state.

“I hope that Christians and people of faith around the world will make known their horror at this violence, their support for the rebuilding of lives and the churches, orphanages and schools destroyed, and for work towards future reconciliation,” Williams said in a letter sent to the Most Rev. Joel Dal, moderator of North India.

Rights groups estimate that around 16,000 Christians have fled the area, with many seeking shelter in makeshift government refugee camps. According to Reuters news agency, one temporary camp in Raikia village has 8,000 people crammed into two floors of a government office, where they are sleeping on the bare floor and surviving on a rice and lentil meal given twice daily. (Christian Post)

More on these ongoing attacks, from Reuters:

On a starry night last week, as Lal Mohan Digal prepared to go to bed, a mob of raging, machete-wielding Hindu zealots appeared above the hills of his mud house and swarmed over this bucolic hamlet in Orissa.

By dawn, Christian homes in the village were smoking heaps of burnt mud and concrete shells. Churches were razed, their wooden doors and windows stripped off.

"We could hear them come shouting 'Jai Shri Ram'," Digal said, referring to the rallying cry of Hindus hailing their warrior-god.

The mob poured kerosene on the thatched rooftops of the village homes, then threw matches. Church spires were hacked down.

The Hindu part of the village was untouched. For four days Digal and his stricken Christian neighbours hid in the teak forests, before being herded to a government-run relief camp.

The violence replicated itself in village after village, as the rural Kandhamal district of Orissa convulsed from some of the worst anti-Christian attacks in India.

Also: see my post from yesterday.

Sandro Magister, others, on the growing Hindu violence

Magister adds his commanding take to the story, which I covered extensively last week here.

In India, the Christians' Offense Is Fighting Against Slavery

The slavery is that of the caste system. Against this, the Christians both preach and practice equal dignity for all. Professor Parsi explains the reasons for the growing Hindu violence. And he warns about the international repercussions

This morning, the 25,000 Catholic schools in India closed their doors for the entire day. The Indian Catholic Church has called for a day of prayer and fasting for the first Sunday in September, with peaceful processions all over the country.

The reason is the new wave of violence that has struck the Christians in the state of Orissa. Every day, there is news of killing, wounding, rape, assaults against churches, convents, schools, orphanages, villages, carried out by Hindu fanatics. Thousands of people have had to abandon their homes and flee to the forests.

The spark for the latest explosion of violence was struck with the killing, on August 23, of the Hindu religious leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and five of his followers. The killing was carried out by armed Maoist groups, but the Hindus used it as a pretext for blaming the Christians and taking revenge on them. [More.]

Meanwhile, a local Indian Archbishop calls this violence a case of "Christianophobia":

The international community must demonstrate the same commitment to wiping out growing ‘Christianophobia’ as to tackling anti-Semitism or Islamophobia, the Vatican’s foreign minister said on Friday.

Archbishop Dominique Mamberti was speaking as Hindu mobs continue to go on the rampage against Christians in India’s Orissa state in retaliation for the killing of a Hindu leader, despite the Indian government saying that Maoists are most likely responsible for the murder. At least 13 people have been killed in the violence and hundreds of Christian churches and homes have been burned down.

Archbishop Mamberti said religious freedom was fundamental to upholding human dignity.

"In order to promote this dignity in an integral way, so-called 'Christianophobia' should be combated as decisively as 'Islamophobia' and anti-Semitism," he said.

More than 3,000 people, mainly Christians, have fled from their homes to government-run relief camps or surrounding forests. - Christian Today

Christians are not demanding special treatment, simpy equal.

Looking at the news feeds, I'm seeing practically no major US-media coverage of this story.

"Pope pleads for peace in South Ossetia"

Yes, he has something to say about it:

Pope Benedict XVI appealed for an immediate halt to the military clash in South Ossetia during a public audience on Sunday, August 10.

Speaking to about 9,000 who had gathered at the cathedral in Bressanone, Italy, where he is spending his summer vacation, the Holy Father spoke of his "profound anguish" over the conflict between Russian and Georgia troops.

The fighting began when Georgian soldiers sought to restore full control of South Ossetia. Russia, which has historic ties to the breakaway region, responded by shelling the Georgian forces' positions.

In his reference to the conflict, Pope Benedict remarked that the violence had already caused the deaths of innocent civilians, and forced many more to flee their homes. The fighting could escalate if it continues, the Pontiff added.

Making an appeal to the "shared Christian heritage" of Georgia and Russia-- both predominantly Orthodox nations-- the Pope promised that Catholics would pray for a quick resolution of the conflict.

He also asked international leaders to "make every effort to support and promote initiatives aimed at reaching a peaceful and lasting solution." (CWNews)

More here from CNS.

Update: Body ID'd as priest who flew on party balloons

The foreseen conclusion:

DNA tests confirmed that a body found off the coast of Brazil is that of a priest who disappeared while flying over the Atlantic buoyed by hundreds of brightly colored party balloons, authorities said Tuesday.

The Rev. Adelir Antonio de Carli set off from the Brazilian port city of Paranagua on April 20 strapped to 1,000 helium-filled balloons in an attempt to raise money to build a rest stop and worship center for truckers.

But the 41-year-old Roman Catholic priest soon lost contact with his ground team, and the cluster of yellow, orange, pink and white balloons was found in the water a day later. (CNN)

The reaction:

The brother, Moacir de Carli, said the news came as a relief.

"Now we can have a respectable burial service," he told the Agencia Estado news service.

For several days after the priest's disappearance, rescue crews in boats, planes and helicopters scoured a vast stretch of ocean and densely forested mountains.

God rest his soul. And for the rest of us - let's stick to prayer and dry land.

Report: Iran President Ahmadinejad demands meeting with pope

To wit:

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hopes to meet Pope Benedict XVI during a visit to Rome next week, according to the Italian daily La Repubblica.
The Vatican has not disclosed any plan for a meeting between the Pontiff and the controversial Iranian leader.

Citing an unidentified diplomatic source, La Repubblica said that Ahmadinejad wanted to brief the Pope on his government's position in current international disputes. The Iranian regime has made several efforts to enlist the help of the Holy See in its conflicts with the US and other Western powers.

The Italian paper said that Iran's ambassador to the Holy See has put in a request "repeatedly" for a papal meeting with Ahmadinejad. The Iranian leader will be in Rome to attend a meeting of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization.

Should the pope accept or reject such a request? It seems he is rejecting it thus far.

Disaster at Myanmar? Quick - send them condoms!

Via Curt Jester and the Anchoress, something I just can't understand:

220 000 condoms off to Myanmar

Bangkok - The United Nations will send nearly a quarter of a million condoms into cyclone-hit Myanmar to help needy survivors with no access to contraceptives, a UN official says.

So far, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said it had sent 72 800 condoms to survivors struggling to maintain their family planning after the storm hit in early May.

A total of 218 400 condoms would be delivered, UNFPA aid advisor Chaiyos Kunanusont said.

"We don't want regular use of contraception disrupted. An emergency usually damages the health system, so people don't have access to condoms and contraceptives," said Chaiyos.

"Needy survivors" who need .... condoms?! "Struggling survivors" who struggle ... to maintain their family planning?! How does this sort of decision make any sort of sense in even a secular perspective?

Oh that's right. I guess it's future disaster prevention. Because if there are less people, there are less fatalities.

Prayers requested for the disaster in Myanmar

The Pope prayed for the victims today. Deaths from the recent cyclone could top 50-60,000:

• UK Times: Aid workers fear Burma cyclone deaths will top 50,000
• BBC News: Burmese storm toll 'tops 10,000'
• Sky News: Burma Cyclone Death Toll 'Hits 22,000'
• UK Daily Mail: 10,000 killed in ONE town as massive wave is blamed for death toll set to top 60,000

Sensationalist headlines and mounting figures aside, we should be praying sincerely for the victims.

update: and thanks, Al Gore, for blaming this disaster as a consequence of global warming.

Claim: Catholic Church in India approves condoms for married couples

Of course, claims like this surface a few times a year, and with it - invariably - the corresponding claim that the Vatican is preparing to revise it's own stance on condom use in certain cases. DNAindia.com:

Faced with widespread criticism that its strident anti-condom stand has killed millions of people affected with AIDS, the Catholic church may review its policy. Church sources say the Vatican is preparing a document on allowing the use of condoms in certain cases.

Church sources said Pope Benedict XVI, who had two years ago maintained that “we have not changed our minds about the condom thing”, is moving away from the “absolutist stand of his precedessor John Paul II”.

On the eve of World AIDS Day, the Indian Catholic church sources said on Thursday that married couples could use condoms.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI), under the banner of the National Catholic Coalition for HIV & AIDS in India, is organising a pledge by one million youth across the country between November 30 and December 1.

Though the five pledges do not exhort the youth to use condoms, church sources said married couples may use condom. It is forbidden for others on the grounds that it promotes promiscuity.

I'm currently looking for some sort of confirmation regarding these claims made about the Catholic Church in India allowing condoms to infected married couples. If anyone finds one, please let me know.

Now they are calling for the death of the Teddy Bear teacher

More outrageous still (underlining mine):

Thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and knives, rallied Friday in a central square and demanded the execution of a British teacher convicted of insulting Islam for allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad."
In response to the demonstration, teacher Gillian Gibbons was moved from the women's prison near Khartoum to a secret location for her safety, her lawyer said.

The protesters streamed out of mosques after Friday sermons, as pickup trucks with loudspeakers blared messages against Gibbons, who was sentenced Thursday to 15 days in prison and deportation. She avoided the more serious punishment of 40 lashes.

They massed in central Martyrs Square outside the presidential palace, where hundreds of riot police were deployed. They did not try to stop the rally, which lasted about an hour.

Note the underlined text. I blogged this story yesterday here.

Update:

• TERRIFIED teddy bear row teacher Gillian Gibbons was being held in a secret jail last night — after a 10,000-strong armed mob took to Sudan’s streets screaming: “Kill her, kill her.”
• Teacher Hidden As Sudan Mob Urges Death
• 'I still cannot believe this is happening,' says teddy bear teacher as mob bays for her blood

Breaking: Teacher convicted to jail for naming teddy bear "Muhammad"

Unbelievable, they went and did it:

A Sudanese court convicted a British teacher Thursday of insulting Islam for letting her students name a teddy bear Muhammad and sentenced her to 15 days in prison, avoiding a heavier punishment of 40 lashes. The teacher wept in court, insisting she never meant to offend.

The sentence and quick seven-hour trial were aimed at swiftly resolving the case, which had put Sudan's government in an embarrassing position — facing the anger of Britain on one side and potential trouble from powerful Islamic hard-liners on the other.

The defense said the case was sparked by a school secretary with a grudge. But it escalated as Muslim clerics sought to drum up public outrage against what it called a Western plot to insult Islam's Prophet Muhammad and demanding Gibbons be punished.

... The teacher, Gillian Gibbons, "was in tears" when she testified in court Thursday, a member of her defense team, Abdel-Khaliq Abdallah, told The Associated Press.

... Gibbons, 54, was found guilty of "insulting the faith of Muslims" and sentenced to 15 days in jail, followed by deportation, said Ali Mohammed Ajab, a human rights lawyer on the defense team. The charge is a lesser offense in the article of the criminal code under which she was tried, which includes several possible charges.

Prosecutors had pressed for conviction on a heavier charge under the same article — inciting religious hatred, which carries a punishment of up to 40 lashes, six months in prison and a fine.

What prompted this sentence?

The case began with a classroom project on animals in September at the private school, which has 750 students from elementary to high school levels, most from wealthy Sudanese Muslim families.

Gibbons had one of her 7-year-old students bring in a teddy bear, then asked the class to name it and they chose the name Muhammad.

Each student then took the teddy bear home to write a diary entry about it, and the entries were compiled into a book with the bear's picture on the cover, titled "My Name is Muhammad," Boulos said.

I think the direct blame for this poor British schoolteacher's mistreatment rests on the shoulders of the radical Muslim clerics who are inciting hatred against her. Still, the article makes the point that "the north of Sudan bases its legal code on Islamic law", so there are also broader structures in play here that share in some of the guilt.

When the phrase "It's just a teddy bear" doesn't resolve the situation, I would say we have a serious problem.

Amnesty International digs in its heels, cites uptick in donations

The head of Amnesty International in the UK has condemned as "nonsensical" the Catholic church's attack on its decision to support abortion in the case of rape, incest or health emergencies.

In her first full interview since a senior Vatican cardinal called on Catholics worldwide to stop donating to the human rights body, Kate Allen defended the change, and revealed that only 222 of the organisation's quarter of a million British members have resigned as a result.

A further 105 have increased their donations in the wake of the claim last June by Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, that Amnesty had "betrayed its mission" on human rights by abandoning its policy of neutrality on abortion in limited circumstances. - UK Guardian

Well - *whew* - if the money is still coming in then their decision must be vindicated!

As for being "nonsensical", the Church's position is only "nonsensical" if you disagree with her claim that human life in the womb should never be intentionally destroyed (no matter how it came to be). Which is really to beg the question. Either way, the Church isn't being nonsensical, it just doesn't agree with Amnesty International's way of seeing things. And by the way, Amnesty International used to look at this question same way as the Church.

... so who's really being "nonsensical" now?

Update: Pope Benedict not pleased?

CNA: Catholic bishops oppose population control program in Philippine

CNA reports:

Facing a proposed population control program, Catholic bishops in the Philippines are defending the Catholic teaching on birth control. The Philippine parliament is considering a proposal to spend $22 million to buy condoms and birth control pills to stem the country's growing population.

Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, explained the Church's teaching on contraceptives: "they destroy the fruitfulness of human reproductive capacities given by the Creator and hence are morally wrong."

He said the money is "better spent on education and poverty alleviation projects."
The archbishop noted that the Church is not against population control if the sanctity of human life is protected. He endorsed Natural Family Planning as one such population control method. He further recommended that government funding instead be directed towards anti-poverty, anti-hunger, and educational projects.

Archbishop Paciano Aniceto blamed misgovernance and corruption for poverty, rather than overpopulation. “It is an old exploded myth that the population is the culprit of our poverty,” he said. Real development, he said, should proceed from "serious economic management and proper economic planning of our country."

There have been recent anti-life proposals in the Philippines in the past few years. A couple years ago some members of the Phil. House of Representatives tried to introduce a mandatory two-child policy, and I believe it resurfaced more recently once again.

Update: Pope 'refused meeting with Rice'

I don't think you can really make that much of it.

Update: Since the story is getting some traction (slow news day), I'll comment.

From the AFP:

Pope Benedict XVI refused to meet US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in August, saying he was on holiday, an Italian newspaper reported Wednesday.

Rice "made it known to the Vatican that she absolutely had to meet the pope" to boost her diplomatic "credit" ahead of a trip to the Middle East, the Corriere della Sera daily reported without citing its sources.

She was hoping to meet the pontiff at his summer residence of Castel Gandolfo at the beginning of August, it said.

"'The pope is on holiday' was the official response," the paper said....The newspaper said the pope had rejected all meetings with political representatives during August.

1) It was August, and the pope really does take a break from meetings during the entire month (as does most the Vatican). I do, however, seem to remember that he broke that general rule for some special situation last year, but at the moment I can't recall the details. (anyone?)

2) If Condi requested a meeting just to "boost her diplomatic credit" than it's not at all surprising the pope would decline. Asking for advice or offering support is one thing. Photoshoots are another.

The Vatican Gets Wings: Airline Routes for Pilgrims to Begin This Month

Well this headline helped me stave-off the urge to take an afternoon nap today. At least for now.

The UK Guardian has the story in English:

Vatican plans airways to heaven

The Vatican may have territorial limits, its own post office and even a football tournament, but it has hitherto lacked what all real states offer: an airline.

That will be put right this month as the Vatican launches its first charter flights for pilgrims from Rome to Lourdes, with some of the world's top religious destinations to follow, including the shrine of Fatima in Portugal and the shrine of the Madonna of Guadalupe in Mexico.

"The spirit of this new initiative is to meet the growing demand by pilgrims to visit the most important sites for the faith," Father Cesare Atuire at the Vatican pilgrimage office, the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi, told La Repubblica. He said that with 8 million visitors a year, Lourdes was an obvious first destination.

The flights come thanks to a deal with Italian charter airline Mistral, whose blue and yellow colours coincidentally match the Vatican's, noted CEO Valerio Vaglio.

Mr Vaglio said the headrests on passengers' seats would sport the logo "I'm Searching for Your Face, Lord", while religious guides would be on hand, alongside the usual stewards.

The inaugural flight will include Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the former head of the Italian Bishops Conference, La Repubblica said.

Mistral was launched by the Italian action and comedy film star Bud Spencer and today it is controlled by the Italian post office. Mr Vaglio said that at night, the aircraft flying pilgrimage routes will have their seats removed and be converted back to flying sacks of mail.

Father Atuire hinted that luxury would not be a selling point. "The cost of the packages will bear in mind that the customers will be pilgrims," he said.

"Pope Benedict sending Secretary of State to Peru" - CNA

CNA reports:

After reciting the Angelus prayer today, the Pope remembered those affected by the “devastating earthquake” in Peru and announced that he is sending the Vatican’s Secretary of State with help from the Church.

...

The Pope said that Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, will soon be travelling to the country where he will personally relay the Pope’s sympathies and “concrete help from the Holy See”.

A silver lining to the Peru earthquake disaster

In no way intending to make light of the situation, I'd like to note Rod Dreher's observation that dozens of the fatalities caused by yesterday's earthquake in Peru occurred in a Catholic Church:

ABC News reported just now that the Peru earthquake caused a Catholic church to cave in during mass, killing a hundred people. One way to look at it: if you have to die, wouldn't you want to do it while in church? Another way to look at it: at mass? Come on, God, why?

Though it may seem easy for me to say this from my situation, I've often thought that the fulfillment of the final invocation in the Hail Mary that she be with us "now and at the hour of our death" would be a to die during one one of the Sacraments (presuming I was in a state of grace, etc).

Abp. Foley, in his homily on the Feast of the Assumption this week, made a similar point. He said that whenever he goes to bed, he prays to Jesus "that he might soon see Your mother, and mine."

We should all pray that the faithful who died attending Mass in Peru yesterday will soon enjoy the beatific vision, and be with our Blessed Mother.

The Harry Potter phenomenon

Well, I'm not inoculated.

In fact, I both found myself at a local Harry Potter release party [photographic proof 1], and found myself the owner of a copy The Deathly Hallows today as a friend approvingly looked on[photographic proof 2].

I'm on page 120 right now, and I'll post my thoughts once I've finished the book.

Elsewhere around St. Blogs', Jimmy Akin, who isn't a fan, mentions some reasons why, and includes a critique of the "magic economics" of the series.

Fr. Z had a copy of the final volume reserved months ago, mostly because he knew he would be asked questions about them. He has some non-spoiler thoughts on the series, and includes a wonderful exposition of the book's (somewhat enigmatic) opening quotation from, of all things, Aeschylus' The Libation Bearers.

Meanwhile, MOJ links to this Christianity Today review that shows "the ways in which the book presents (almost always symbolically) themes that are deeply Christian, most notably the power of sacrificial love."

Finally, Amy has a good post and the comments thread is ground-zero for the user discussion on this topic. I refrained from reading too closely because I'm horrified at the possibility of spoilers.

As related, I'll refrain from further comments until I know how the series ends.

Ahmadinejad leads unprecedented anti-US rally in Dubai

The AP:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad led a raucous anti-American rally in the United Arab Emirates a day after a low-key visit by US Vice President Dick Cheney there in an attempt to counter Tehran's influence in the region.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a cheering Dubai crowd Sunday that America was to blame for creating instability and robbing the region of its wealth. ''Every time your name is mentioned, hatred builds up,'' Ahmadinejad said of the United States to a crowd of thousands, mostly Iranian expatriates. ''Go fix yourself. This is Iran's advice to you. Leave the region... The nations of the region can no longer take you forcing yourself on them.'' (AP)

I'm always interested in what's happening in Dubai (some of my past posts on the city here). Many people claim it is a working example of secular Islam and free market capitalism. However, because of its powerful economy, many extreme Arab leaders are trying to gain influence there, and this rally by Ahmadinejad seems to be a case in point of that trend.

And, just so we all sleep easily tonight, we read today that Iran's nuclear program is now in overdrive:

VIENNA, May 14 — Inspectors for the International Atomic Energy Agency have concluded that Iran appears to have solved most of its technological problems and is now beginning to enrich uranium on a far larger scale than before, according to the agency’s top officials.

The findings may change the calculus of diplomacy in Europe and in Washington, which aimed to force a suspension of Iran’s enrichment activities in large part to prevent it from learning how to produce weapons-grade material.

In a short-notice inspection of Iran’s operations in the main nuclear facility at Natanz on Sunday, conducted in advance of a report to the United Nations Security Council due early next week, the inspectors found that Iranian engineers were already using roughly 1,300 centrifuges and were producing fuel suitable for nuclear reactors, according to diplomats and nuclear experts here.

Until recently, the Iranians were having difficulty keeping the delicate centrifuges spinning at the tremendous speeds necessary to make nuclear fuel and were often running them empty or not at all.

Now, those roadblocks appear to have been surmounted. “We believe they pretty much have the knowledge about how to enrich,” said Mohammed ElBaradei, the director general of the energy agency, who clashed with the Bush administration four years ago when he declared that there was no evidence that Iraq had resumed its nuclear program. “From now on, it is simply a question of perfecting that knowledge. People will not like to hear it, but that’s a fact.” [More...]

More on Mexico and the "landmark" abortion vote

Update: Zenit provides more information regarding Pope Benedict's "intervention." Mexico City legislators did indeed legalize abortion in the capitol, by a vote of 46-19. More here. Reuters has updated its story here.

The reports are still casting this vote as a showdown between progressive Mexican lawmakers in Mexico City and the direct interventions of Pope Benedict:

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico City lawmakers will vote on Tuesday on whether to legalize abortion in the capital of the world's second-largest Roman Catholic country in direct defiance of the pope.

...

The abortion law, likely to be passed by the city's leftist-dominated assembly, would apply only to the capital and limit the termination of pregnancies to the first trimester.

Mexico City lawmakers have recently stirred up controversy by allowing gay civil unions and considering a euthanasia law.

The abortion issue has split Mexico, even inspiring a letter last week from Pope Benedict urging Mexican bishops to oppose it.

[an interesting bit at the end:]

Opponents may challenge the abortion law in the courts.

"It's very likely that this will get bogged down in the Supreme Court," said political commentator Hector Zagal.

"For me, this is more about the issue of male responsibility in a macho society where there is a large number of single mothers. What they should be debating is how to educate males."

[Full article here.]

I agree with that last part. And what about Segunda familia?

I blogged this story yesterday. (And I'm surprised not to see it more covered?)

Mexico about to legalize abortion; Catholics protest (news/commentary)

Update: CNA has more on the Pope's letter.

Reuters reports [my comments in brackets]:

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexicans marched on Sunday against plans to legalize abortion in Mexico City, a move that has split opinion in the world's second-largest Roman Catholic country and drawn fire from the Pope.

[drawn fire? Amen, as well it should. Still, Benedict doesn't spout fire, he flash-freezes with cool logic.]

The bells of Mexico City's vast cathedral welcomed some 1,000 Roman Catholics, including families dressed in white, who packed it for Mass after carrying anti-abortion placards and images of the revered Virgin of Guadalupe through the streets.

Mexico City's local legislature, controlled by the leftist opposition Party of the Democratic Revolution, or PRD, is expected to approve a bill on Tuesday allowing abortions in the capital during the first three months of pregnancy.

While the proposal is popular with many residents of liberal-minded Mexico City, it has also angered Catholics across the country, enraged clergy who helped organize Sunday's march and brought Pope Benedict himself into the dispute.

[Catholics are "angry", clergy are "engaged", Pope Benedict "himself" is called in to the fray .. who would ever guess that reason is on their side, that their position is consistent, and that pro-life advocates are some of the most mild-mannered individuals you'll ever come across in political activism?]

In a letter to Mexican bishops, the Pope said Christ's victory over death was a reason to defend everyone's right to life "from the first moment of their conception."

[I still don't see how this is direct involvement. Rather, Pope Benedict merely seems to be upholding Church teaching. NB: can anyone find and send me a link to this document? Thanks.]

"They are committing genocide, no-one has the right to take away life," said Maria Morales, a housewife who had traveled south from the state of Hidalgo to attend the rally.

Women seeking abortions in Mexico have to use clandestine clinics. The poorest rely on back-street practitioners working out of unhygienic premises. Some 2,000 die annually, the bill's supporters say.

[This statistic is challenged by the National Pro-Life Committee in Mexico, which says the actual number is 96 (source - the supporters of the bill can't decide on a claimed number, alternately citing 1600)]

While anti-abortion activists hung a banner outside the cathedral showing gory images of aborted fetuses, a small group of PRD supporters shouted slogans supporting the bill.

[I'd be extremely surprised if this is an accurate and objective one-sentence summary of the situation.]

"We want abortion legalized to stop more women dying," said PRD activist Cecilia Martinez.

The PRD, which also runs the capital's city hall, has angered religious groups by trying to swiftly pass liberal reforms. The assembly approved gay civil unions in November despite protests and is now considering a euthanasia law.

[one-by-one the pillars of a healthy Christian society fall.]

Special laws in Mexico City already permit abortion when a mother's life is threatened, but the rest of the country allows it only in case of rape.

The church has threatened to excommunicate legislators who support the abortion bill. Lawmakers have countered by accusing the church of meddling in politics, which is forbidden under Mexico's constitution.

CNA has some coverage.

CWNews adds more about attempts to stop this from happening:

Mexico City, Apr. 20, 2007 (CWNews.com) - With lawmakers in Mexico City poised to vote on a government proposal that would allow legal abortion through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, Church leaders are pressing for a popular referendum on the issue.

A vote on the bid to legalize abortion in the Mexico City district is scheduled for Tuesday, April 24. But Catholic leaders-- who have led opposition to the measure-- are now urging lawmakers to postpone action until the public can vote on the issue.

Catholic leaders report that they have already collected 32,000 signatures on a petition asking for a referendum. Their goal is to amass 36,900 signatures. If they reach that goal, lawmakers will be required by law to consider the request, but not obligated to grant it. Local government leaders say that they are committed to pressing for an April 24 vote, regardless of the petitions.

Church spokesman Armando Martinez conceded, in speaking to reporters, "In the end, the assembly is going to have the last word on this, with or without a referendum." He added, however, that "with a referendum they would be listening to the people."

I'd say from what I've briefly read that there isn't much hope of an 11th-hour stay of execution here. Mexico seems to be going the way of Portugal and several other traditionally-Catholic countries on the issue of abortion. We need to keep this whole situation in our close prayers. I'll be posting more on this topic as I find it.

Sad news: Blue Angel pilot dies during airshow

This is very sad news. Growing up in California I was able to see the Blue Angels perform many times. They would practice their formations and routines over the backyard of one of my good friends. Of course it is very dangerous and (for that reason) impressive flying. We should pray that the pilot had a provided death.

(CNN) -- A jet flying in formation with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels precision flying team crashed into a Beaufort, South Carolina, neighborhood, causing an "enormous fireball" during an air show, authorities said.

The Navy aviator was killed Beaufort County Coroner Curt Copeland said. The F/A-18's pilot is the only known fatality.

Fred Yelinek told CNN he saw the crash occur about a mile from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, which was holding the two-day show. He said the jet came down about 100 yards from him.

Yelinek said the jet struck a stand of pine trees, and pieces of the plane hit homes, but he didn't see any catch fire. The pieces were "as big as a hand but no larger," he said.

Pieces of a tree and the plane crashed into the home of a neighbor, Yelinek said, but she was uninjured. Pieces also hit other houses and smashed car windshields, he said. [More...]

Yes, today's the day!

Today is the 2nd anniversary (3rd year) of Pope Benedict's glorious ascendency to the Papacy.

Amy is ground-zero for remininscing, remembering, links to videos, and suchlike.

And here, for those of you who remember it, is the Habemus Papam Techno song in MP3 format, and a link to the video version that is hosted by Google (almost 7,000 views so far, I'm happy to add). Good times for sure.

Ad multos annos, carissime Papa!

P.S. Fr. Z. adds a fun little trivia modicum.

This pic should wet your appetite!

Magister on "why the real war is in[side] Islam"

Haven't had a chance to read this yet (exams must come first), but I want to notify interested readers in the meantime:

Why the Real War Is Inside Islam

by Sandro Mafister

Shiites against Sunnis, and Sunnis in conflict with each other: totalitarians against mystics. The enemies are not only the Christians. The analysis of a great Muslim expert: Khaled Fouad Allam

Benedict conveys condolences to victims at VT

Thanks to Rocco for the text:

DEEPLY SADDENED BY NEWS OF THE SHOOTING AT VIRGINIA TECH, HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI HAS ASKED ME TO CONVEY THE ASSURANCE OF HIS HEARTFELT PRAYERS FOR THE VICTIMS, THEIR FAMILIES AND FOR THE ENTIRE SCHOOL COMMUNITY. IN THE AFTERMATH OF THIS SENSELESS TRAGEDY HE ASKS GOD OUR FATHER TO CONSOLE ALL THOSE WHO MOURN AND TO GRANT THEM THAT SPIRITUAL STRENGTH WHICH TRIUMPHS OVER VIOLENCE BY THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS, HOPE AND RECONCILING LOVE.

CARDINAL TARCISIO BERTONESECRETARY OF STATE.

More reports:

• CNA: Pope Benedict prays that God will send consolation and spiritual strength to all involved in Virginia Tech killings
• CNS: Pope saddened by massacre at Virginia Tech

Prayers for the victims at Virginia Tech

Update, 12:30am - CNS reports on the Catholic response to the tragedy.

To get an idea about how close this event is to many St. Blog's members, Amy Welborn's own son graduated from VT, and currently works on campus. Thanks be to God he is safe. So many others this night, however, are not, and we should continue praying for them, as well as their friends and family.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy On and Keep Them!

Update, 8:42pm - reading Drudge, there's beginning to emerge the frightening probability that this was a premeditated attack. 33 people have been wounded and at least 29 more injured.
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Original post - There has been a massacre at Virginia Tech, with at least 29 students dead from a shooting attack.

More here. AP News coverage here. Ongoing coverage at Drudge Report.

We should all offer up prayers for the victims.