CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS: SAT. JULY 17, 2010: HEADLINES-
VATICAN: POPE APPOINTMENT OBSERVER TO THE HOLY SEE-
ASIA: PAKISTAN: CHRISTIANS FLEE-PROTEST LAUNCHED AND CHURCH ATTACKED-
AFRICA: UGANDA: PRAYER SERVICE FOR VICTIMS OF BOMBING IN KAMPALA-
EUROPE: SPAIN: WORLD CUP SOCCER STAR SILVA THANKS OUR LADY FOR WIN-
EUROPE: GERMANY BENEDICTINE ABBEY OF ST. OTTILIEN BEGINS BIO-GAS PLANT-
AUSTRALIA: POP SONG AND DESSERT IN HONOUR OF SAINT MACKILLOP-
AMERICA: USA: DR. ALVEDA KING CALLS FOR END TO BLACK GENOCIDE-
VATICAN
POPE APPOINTMENT OBSERVER TO THE HOLY SEE
APPOINTMENT OF THE PERMANENT OBSERVER OF THE HOLY SEE TO THE UNITED NATIONS (U.N.) Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Permanent Observer of the Holy see to the United Nations (u.n.) Mons. Francis Assisi Chullikatt, titular Archbishop of Ostra, so far, Apostolic Nuncio in Iraq and Jordan.
SOURCE http://www.vatican.va/
ASIA
PAKISTAN: CHRISTIANS FLEE AS PROTEST LAUNCHED AND CHURCH ATTACKED
Faisalabad (AsiaNews) – A large number of Christians has fled Waris Pura, on the outskirts of Faisalabad, fearing violence, after Muslims launched a protest action that started at a local mosque after Friday prayers. The risk of attacks against Christians and their property is very high, a source in Faisalabad told AsiaNews, choosing anonymity for security reasons. Yesterday, hundreds of Islamic militants joined a protest march, calling for the death of two Christian brothers accused of blasphemy. During the procession, the mob stoned a Catholic church. An alleged booklet with offensive words about Prophet Muhammad is the reason for the rising tensions.
Contacted by AsiaNews, Fr Pascal Paulus, parish priest at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, said that “today’s demonstration was peaceful” and “went off without any incident.” This was made possible by “the government’s intervention” which “helped the dialogue with Muslim leaders”. The “massive presence of police” was also key in preventing acts of violence.
Fr Pascal noted that both Christians and Muslims want “Pakistan to prosper”. He insisted that all men of faith must “work for peace and dialogue;” nevertheless, he did confirm that “a climate of fear” prevails among Christians. Still, there is hope in lasting and peaceful coexistence.
Earlier, local Muslim leaders had called on Muslims to join en masse in today’s demonstration. Local sources told AsiaNews that “flyers were handed out at the mosque and door to door” with threats against Christians.
In Waris Pura, a suburb of Faisalabad (Punjab) and a former Christian ghetto with some 100,000 residents, tensions are in fact still running high. For this reason, “a large number of Christians fled”.
Tensions went further up yesterday when a similar protest march of hundreds of Islamic militants demanded the death of the two Christian brothers accused of blasphemy. As they went by Holy Rosary Catholic Church, they threw rocks and stones at the building. In previous days, additional attacks were recorded in the predominantly Christian neighbourhood.
At the root of the crisis is a blasphemy accusation levelled at Rev Rashid Emmanuel and his brother Sajid. The two were arrested on 2 July for allegedly writing insulting words against the prophet Muhammad. They have rejected the accusation but are now facing the death penalty.
Christians living in the area have fled because of past experiences. Mobs of Muslims, whipped up by their religious and tribal leaders, invoking the so-called blasphemy law, attacked and torched Korian and Gojra, two Christian villages in Punjab.
The brutal attack, which occurred between the end of July and 1 August 2009, left seven Christian dead, including women and children, as well as hundreds of homes and a few churches destroyed.
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Christians-flee-violence-by-Islamic-extremists-in-Faisalabad-18958.html
AFRICA
UGANDA: PRAYER SERVICE FOR VICTIMS OF BOMBING IN KAMPALA
Agenzia Fides report– “ We appeal to all aggrieved parties in our society to renounce violence as a means of solving conflicts and whenever there are misunderstandings, let people embrace dialogue in the resolution of conflicts.” These words are part of a statement issued by Archbishop Cyprian Kizto Lwanga, Catholic Archbishop of Kampala, a copy of which was sent to Fides, following bomb blasts in the evening of Sunday 11 July in the capital Kampala, at the Ethiopian Village in Kabalagala and Kyadondo Rugby Club in Lugogo, where people were watching the finals of the World Football Cup event. The bomb blasts killed 73 people and wounded about the same number. The Archbishop assured his prayers for the victims, "we implore God's gifts of courage and strength for the injured and those who mourn" and announced that in all parish and sub parish churches, parish priests have been asked to organise “special prayers on Sunday 18 July for the victims of this tragic event ”.
On behalf of the Catholic Church in Uganda, the Archbishop of Kampala expressed sincere condolences to the families if the victims: “ We are all deeply saddened by this senseless act of violence and we strongly condemn the act that indiscriminately killed and injured innocent people.” Archbishop Kizto Lwanga concludes by reassuring the people of the solidarity of the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, deeply saddened by this loss of life: “ The Pope conveys his heartfelt condolences to the civil authorities and to those afflicted by the attacks. He prays for the victims, the injured and for the bereaved families.”.
http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=27099&lan=eng
EUROPE
SPAIN: WORLD CUP SOCCER STAR SILVA THANKS OUR LADY FOR WIN
CNA report: Spanish soccer star David Silva, who played on the nation's winning World Cup team is spending the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel thanking her for the victory last Sunday in South Africa.
The midfielder, who is from the Canary Islands, promised he would participate in the celebrations honoring Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patroness of his hometown of Arguineguin. Upon arriving in his home town, Silva told reporters he wanted to join the Marian festivities, as has always been his custom.
At the beginning of July, celebrations in honor of Our Lady began taking place on the islands. In Silva’s hometown of Arguineguin there is a long procession through the streets, which are covered in rugs made especially for the occasion.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/soccer-star-thanks-our-lady-of-mount-carmel-for-spains-world-cup-victory/
IMAGE SOURCE http://www.football.co.uk/manchester_city/city_told_of_silva_competition_313422.shtml
EUROPE
GERMANY BENEDICTINE ABBEY OF ST. OTTILIEN BEGINS BIO-GAS PLANT
http://www.fides.org/aree/news/newsdet.php?idnews=27084&lan=eng
image http://www.erzabtei.de/html/index.htm
AUSTRALIA
POP SONG AND DESSERT IN HONOUR OF SAINT MACKILLOP
Australia's first saint is being honoured with a pop song and a commemorative dessert.
"It was an incredible song-writing experience because the words and melody just came so easily and quickly," said Pinto. "I knew then that my prayers had been answered."
The lyrics include: "Mary is your name, the Angels rejoice through your life. You proclaimed the Name above all names. Helper of the poor, mother of the lonely. Pray for us and the Heavens sing Alleluia."
Funds raised will go to charity work of the Sisters of St Joseph. Mr Pinto said his main aim was to raise awareness of MacKillop's life and work.
"I want to come up with a commemorative dessert for Mary MacKillop: Gateaux Saint Mary MacKillop," he said.
"It will be the second dessert in Australia that has been named after someone," he said, referring to the meringue-based dessert believed to have been named after the Russian dancer Anna Pavlova.
http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=22410
AMERICA
USA: DR. ALVEDA KING CALLS FOR END TO BLACK GENOCIDE
I also have a solidarity in service connection with her through my role as the Associate Director of Deacons for life, under the leadership of that champion of the "least of these", Fr. Frank Pavone. Dr. Alveda King is a warm hearted, dedicated, sacrificial, prophetic and extremely gifted leader. She is also a tremendously orator. I believe that she is an anointed leader for the new human and civil rights movement of our age, the effort to restore the Right to Life to our youngest neighbors, children in the womb.
As we have noticed, there is a concerted effort to unjustly paint all participants in that loose coalition that has come to be called the "Tea Party Movement" as racists. Clearly, this is one more example of the growing polarization in our Nation and the horrid lack of respect for people's reputations. I was pleased to see Dr. King issue the following statement in response:
"We all need to examine and repent of our own tolerance for discrimination," said Dr. King, "but to condemn an entire group because of a few people, yet support Planned Parenthood, an organization marinated in racism, is to strain out gnats and swallow a camel."
"The most obvious practitioner of racism in the United States today is Planned Parenthood, an organization founded by the eugenicist Margaret Sanger and recently documented as ready to accept money to eliminate black babies," added Dr. King.
"The most positive step we can take to fight racism is to end the hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies given to an organization that fulfills the dreams of the Ku Klux Klan -- a group Planned Parenthood's founder once addressed."
This kind of courageous and prophetic willingness to speak the truth, no matter what the cost, must be genetic. Her uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a hero of mine. His writings inspired a young hippie (me, back then) who had wandered far from his Catholic Christian roots, to reconsider the claims of Jesus Christ. I will forever be grateful to Dr. Martin Luther King for his heroic life and martyrs death. In some respects, that wonderful Protestant minister is responsible for my return to the Catholic faith as a young man.
His prophetic "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" had a formative effect upon me as a young man, searching for truth and deeply burdened by the injustice of our age. His understanding of the Natural Law was profoundly "catholic" and is critically important for anyone who is dedicated to continuing his fight for the recognition of the dignity of every human life, including the lives of our littlest neighbors. He wrote:
"How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.
"All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. Segregation, to use the terminology of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, substitutes an "I it" relationship for an "I thou" relationship and ends up relegating persons to the status of things. Hence segregation is not only politically, economically and sociologically unsound, it is morally wrong and sinful."
So it is with the current failure to recognize the humanity and personhood of children in the womb. The science is clear, they are our neighbors. Like every one of us, they too are human beings in development, dependent on others to help them grow into the fullness of our common human vocation. Let's be honest, not even the most ardent and evil abortion advocate tries to argue any longer that they are not human beings. We regularly operate upon them in wonderful intrauterine surgeries. We prosecute people who in the commission of a felony kill them as well. We know the truth. Abortion is the killing of our innocent neighbor.
The utilitarian notion that a human person can be treated as property, used instrumentally rather than received as a gift, was at the rotted core of the evil of institutional slavery. It is the poison behind its cancerous sister, racism. It is the lie behind the evil abortion movement which refuses to recognize the Right to Life and the Rights of our youngest neighbors in the womb. Thank God, Dr. Alveda King is pointing out that truth and taking on the new slavery of abortion on demand.
Dr. Alveda King will soon lead an historic recreation of the great Freedom Rides dedicated to freedom for all, including our youngest neighbors, the "least of these", children in the first home of the whole human race, the womb. Fr. Frank Pavone described the event as follows: "The pro-life movement is all about freedom. That's why Priests for Life, with the leadership of our Pastoral Associate Dr. Alveda King, is launching "Freedom Rides" for the unborn to galvanize pro-life activity across the country.
"During the Civil Rights movement, the "Freedom Rides" constituted a distinctive moment of resolve and unity. The Supreme Court, in its 1960 decision Boynton vs. Virginia, had outlawed segregation in bus terminals and restaurants serving interstate travelers. So the following spring, thirteen people - seven African-Americans and six whites - decided to travel by bus from Washington DC to New Orleans to test the enforcement of that Supreme Court decision.
"Along the way, particularly in Alabama, they encountered opposition and violence from those who did not want desegregation. But having been brutally attacked, and some lying with wounds in hospital beds, the "Freedom Riders" vowed that the journey would continue. That's when others joined in, and the initial Freedom Ride became 60 rides across Southern states in the summer of 1961, with some 450 riders participating. And by the fall of that same year, the government issued orders for the enforcement of desegregation at the bus terminals.
"The Civil Rights movement and the Pro-Life movement have the same heart and soul: a longing for equal justice for everyone, based on the inherent dignity of every human life. That's why, when Dr. Alveda King first walked with me at the annual March for Life and I asked her, "Does this remind you of the marches in the civil rights movement?" she declared, "Fr. Frank, this is the civil rights movement!" Both movements are movements of freedom.
"It is therefore time for Freedom Rides for the unborn. The pro-life movement is more ready than ever to proclaim freedom.
Freedom from the lies and the deceit that allow abortion to continue.
Freedom from the fear of speaking up and taking action for the unborn.
Freedom from the shame and guilt of past involvement in abortion, so that those called to speak up and share their testimonies may do so as people who are "Silent No More".
Freedom from the political oppression that tramples on human rights and denies equality before the law.
Freedom from violence and death itself."
The Freedom rides begin July 23, 2010 in Birmingham, Alabama. Join with the freedom riders! We live in a pregnant moment in human history. The decisions we make and actions we take right now have implications way beyond anything we can imagine. Time truly matters. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Alveda's uncle, in his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", wrote these words:
"More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.
"Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.
"We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right. Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy and transform our pending national elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity."
SOURCE http://catholic.org/politics/story.php?id=37420
TODAY´S SAINTS
The Blessed Martyrs of Compiegne
Information: Feast Day: July 7
Beatified: 27 May 1906 by Pope Pius X
Guillotined at the Place du Trône Renversé (now called Place de la Nation), Paris, 17 July, 1794. They are the first sufferers under the French Revolution on whom the Holy See has passed judgment, and were solemnly beatified 27 May, 1906. Before their execution they knelt and chanted the "Veni Creator", as at a profession, after which they all renewed aloud their baptismal and religious vows. The novice was executed first and the prioress last. Absolute silence prevailed the whole time that the executions were proceeding. The heads and bodies of the martyrs were interred in a deep sand-pit about thirty feet square in a cemetery at Picpus. As this sand-pit was the receptacle of the bodies of 1298 victims of the Revolution, there seems to be no hope of their relics being recovered. Their names are as follows:
* Madeleine-Claudine Ledoine (Mother Teresa of St. Augustine), prioress, b. in Paris, 22 Sept., 1752, professed 16 or 17 May, 1775;
* Marie-Anne (or Antoinette) Brideau (Mother St. Louis), sub-prioress, b. at Belfort, 7 Dec., 1752, professed 3 Sept, 1771;
* Marie-Anne Piedcourt (Sister of Jesus Crucified), choir-nun, b. 1715, professed 1737; on mounting the scaffold she said "I forgive you as heartily as I wish God to forgive me";
* Anne-Marie-Madeleine Thouret (Sister Charlotte of the Resurrection), sacristan, b. at Mouy, 16 Sept., 1715, professed 19 Aug., 1740, twice sub-prioress in 1764 and 1778;
* Marie-Antoniette or Anne Hanisset (Sister Teresa of the Holy Heart of Mary), b. at Rheims in 1740 or 1742, professed in 1764;
* Marie-Françoise Gabrielle de Croissy (Mother Henriette of Jesus), b. in Paris, 18 June, 1745, professed 22 Feb., 1764, prioress from 1779 to 1785;
* Marie-Gabrielle Trézel (Sister Teresa of St. Ignatius), choir-nun, b. at Compiègne, 4 April, 1743, professed 12 Dec., 1771;
* Rose-Chrétien de la Neuville, widow, choir-nun (Sister Julia Louisa of Jesus), b. at Loreau (or Evreux), in 1741, professed probably in 1777;
* Anne Petras (Sister Mary Henrietta of Providence), choir-nun, b. at Cajarc (Lot), 17 June, 1760, professed 22 Oct., 1786.
* Concerning Sister Euphrasia of the Immaculate Conception accounts vary. Miss Willson says that her name was Marie Claude Cyprienne Brard, and that she was born 12 May, 1736; Pierre, that her name was Catherine Charlotte Brard, and that she was born 7 Sept., 1736. She was born at Bourth, and professed in 1757;
* Marie-Geneviève Meunier (Sister Constance), novice, b. 28 May, 1765, or 1766, at St. Denis, received the habit 16 Dec., 1788. She mounted the scaffold singing "Laudate Dominum". In addition to the above, three lay sisters suffered and two tourières.
The lay sisters are:
* Angélique Roussel (Sister Mary of the Holy Ghost), lay sister, b. at Fresnes, 4 August, 1742, professed 14 May, 1769;
* Marie Dufour (Sister St. Martha), lay sister, b. at Beaune, 1 or 2 Oct., 1742, entered the community in 1772;
* Julie or Juliette Vérolot (Sister St. Francis Xavier), lay sister, b. at Laignes or Lignières, 11 Jan., 1764, professed 12 Jan., 1789.
The two tourières, who were not Carmelites at all, but merely servants of the nunnery were: Catherine and Teresa Soiron, b. respectively on 2 Feb., 1742 and 23 Jan., 1748 at Compiègne, both of whom had been in the service of the community since 1772.
The miracles proved during the process of beatification were
* The cure of Sister Clare of St. Joseph, a Carmelite lay sister of New Orleans, when on the point of death from cancer, in June, 1897;
* The cure of the Abbé Roussarie, of the seminary at Brive, when at the point of death, 7 March, 1897;
* The cure of Sister St. Martha of St. Joseph, a Carmelite lay Sister of Vans, of tuberculosis and an abcess in the right leg, 1 Dec., 1897;
* The cure of Sister St. Michael, a Franciscan of Montmorillon, 9 April, 1898.
Five secondary relics are in the possession of the Benedictines of Stanbrook, Worcestershire.
SOURCE http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/B/blessedmartyrsofcompiegne.asp
TODAY´S GOSPEL
Matthew 12: 14 - 21
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14 But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him, how to destroy him.
15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all,
16 and ordered them not to make him known.
17 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
18 "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will any one hear his voice in the streets;
20 he will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick, till he brings justice to victory;
21 and in his name will the Gentiles hope."
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