VATICAN : POPE : REDISCOVER THE FAMILY WORLD MEETING AND OTHER NEWS
AMERICA : FEATURED UNIVERSITY REDEEMER PACIFIC CANADA
THE FAMILY IS MAN'S MOST IMPORTANT HERITAGE
Vatican City, 2 June 2012 (VIS) - "We must rediscover the family as human beings' most important heritage, one of the elements and signs of an authentic and stable culture in favour of man". Benedict XVI pronounced these words yesterday evening during his meeting with the citizens of Milan, having travelled today to that Italian city to participate in the seventh World Meeting of Families. The event began on 30 May and has as its theme: "The Family: Work and Celebration".
After landing in Milan the Pope travelled to Piazza del Duomo where he met with local citizens and with pilgrims from all over the world who have come to the city for the occasion. Benedict XVI began by making affectionate recollection "of those who are alone or in difficulties, the unemployed, the sick, the imprisoned, the homeless and those who do not have the means to live a dignified life. May none of these brothers and sisters of ours lack the collective and constant concern of society as a whole". In this context he praised the efforts of the archdiocese of Milan to help the families most deeply affected by the economic crisis, and the people of the Emilia Romagna region who have recently suffered a series of earthquakes.
The Pope then went on to highlight "the profound ecclesial sense and sincere and affectionate communion with Peter's Successor, which have been part of the richness and identity of the Milanese Church throughout her history, and which are well expressed in the great pastors who have guided her". In this context, he mentioned St. Ambrose, St. Charles Borromeo, Blessed Andrea Carlo Ferrari, Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster, Pope Pius XI and Pope Paul VI, both former archbishops of Milan, and St. Gianna Beretta Molla.
"Your history is rich in culture and faith", the Pope told the Milanese. "Now it is up to you, the heirs to a glorious past and to a priceless spiritual heritage, to ensure you hand on the torch of this lustrous tradition to future generations. Well you know how vital it is to introduce evangelical leaven into modern culture. Faith in Jesus Christ, Who died and rose again for us, Who is alive among us, must animate the entire fabric of individual and community life, of private and public affairs, so as to create a stable and authentic 'well being' on the basis of the family".
At the end of the meeting, the Pope travelled to the nearby archbishopric where he will be staying during his time in Milan.
WE ARE CALLED TO TRANSFORM SUFFERING INTO LOVE
Vatican City, 2 June 2012 (VIS) - At 7.30 p.m. yesterday the Pope went to the La Scala opera house in Milan, where a concert was held in his honour. The Pope is currently visiting Milan to participate in the seventh World Meeting of Families. Daniel Barenboim conducted the orchestra and choir of La Scala in Beethoven’s ninth symphony.
At the end of the concert Benedict XVI expressed his thanks to the musicians, singers and conductor. "By choosing Beethoven's ninth symphony we are sending a message in music which affirms the fundamental value of solidarity, fraternity and peace. This, I believe, is also an important message for the family, because it is in families that we first experience how human beings are not created to live closed in themselves, but in relation with others. It is in the family that we understand that self realisation does not mean being guided by selfishness and putting oneself at the centre, but giving oneself. It is in the family that the light of peace begins to burn in people's hearts, so as to illuminate our world".
The Holy Father also noted that the joy of the concert had been clouded by the recent earthquakes, "which have brought great suffering to so many inhabitants of this country. The words taken from Schiller's "Hymn to joy" sound empty to us, they seem untrue", he said. "At this time ... we have no need for inauthentic accounts of a distant God or of a fraternity without commitment. We are searching for a God Who is close. We are searching for a fraternity which, in the midst of suffering, supports others and helps us to carry on. After this concert many people will go on to adore the Eucharist, they will go to the God Who placed Himself in our sufferings and continues to do so, the God Who suffers with us and for us, and thus makes men and women capable of sharing the suffering of others and of transforming it into love. This is the message we have received from this concert".
At the end of the concert the Holy Father returned to the archbishopric where he spent the night.
LOOK TO THE FUTURE WITH CONFIDENCE, RELYING ON GOD'S FIDELITY
Vatican City, 2 June 2012 (VIS) - At 10 a.m. today the Holy Father presided at the celebration of Terce in the Duomo of Milan, in the presence of priests, deacons, seminarians and religious of the local archdiocese. Following the recitation of the Psalms Benedict XVI pronounced a mediation, extracts of which are given below:
"At this moment we are experiencing the mystery of the Church in its most exalted form, that of liturgical prayer. In ecclesial prayer our lips, our hearts and our minds, interpret the needs and longings of all humankind. ... The daily prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours is an essential task of the ordained ministry of the Church. It is also through the divine office, which prolongs the central mystery of the Eucharist throughout the day, that priests have a special bond to the Lord Jesus".
"What a precious gift the priesthood is! ... If Christ, to build His Church, delivers Himself into the hands of the priest, then the priest must in turn entrust himself to Christ without reserve. Love for the Lord Jesus is both the soul of and the reason for priestly ministry. ... There is no contrast between the good of the priest's person and his mission, Quite the contrary, pastoral charity is a unifying element which, on the basis of an increasingly intimate rapport with Christ in prayer, enables us to experience the total gift of self for our flock. ... Each of our actions, in fact, has the aim of leading the faithful to union with the Lord, and of increasing ecclesial communion for the salvation of the world.
"One luminous sign of pastoral charity and an undivided heart is priestly celibacy and consecrated chastity. ... Without doubt love for Jesus regards all Christians, but it acquires particular significance for the celibate priest and for those who have responded to the vocation to consecrated life. The source and model for repeating our daily 'yes' to God's will is only and always in Christ". In the Virgin Mary "we recognise that 'chaste and detached life, which Christ the Lord chose for Himself and which His Mother also embraced', a life full of obedience to the will of God".
"Dear consecrated brothers and sisters, ... look to the future with confidence, relying on God's fidelity and the power of His grace, which is always capable of working new miracles. ... At this time I wish to render thanks unto God for the many Ambrosian priests and religious who have spent their lives at the service of the Gospel, sometimes even unto the supreme sacrifice of their lives". Among these, the Holy Father made specific mention of the priests Luigi Talamoni, Luigi Biraghi, Luigi Monza, Carlo Gnocchi and Serafino Morazzone; the religious blesseds Giovanni Mazzucconi, Luigi Monti, Clemente Vismara, Maria Anna Sala and Enrichetta Alfieri.
"Through their joint intercession, we trustingly ask the Giver of all gifts to make the ministry of priests fruitful, and to strengthen the testimony of consecrated persons, so as to show the world the beauty of giving oneself to Christ and the Church, and to renew Christian families according to God's plan, that they may become places of grace and sanctity, a fertile terrain for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life".
TO YOUNG PEOPLE: AIM AT HIGH IDEALS! BE SAINTS!
Vatican City, 2 June 2012 (VIS) - At around midday today, following the celebration of Terce in the Duomo of Milan, Benedict XVI travelled by car to the stadium of San Siro where he was greeted by a crowd of around 80,000 made up of young people who have recently received or about to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, members of their families and catechists.
"Assisted by your itinerary (of formation), you have learned to recognise the wonderful things the Holy Spirit has done and does in your lives, and in all those who say 'yes' to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You have discovered the great value of Baptism, the first of the Sacraments, the entranceway to Christian life. You received all this thanks to your parents who ... committed themselves to educating you in the faith".
"Now you have grown and can say your own 'yes' to God, a free and conscious 'yes'. The Sacrament of Confirmation confirms Baptism and infuses you abundantly with the Holy Spirit . Now you, full of gratitude, have the chance to accept His great gifts which, on life's journey, will help you to become faithful and courageous witnesses of Jesus. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are stupendous, enabling you to be formed as Christians, to live the Gospel and to be active members of the community".
"All of Christian life is a journey. It is like following a path up a mountain, sometimes a difficult path, in company with Jesus. ... With the precious gifts (of the Holy Spirit) your friendship with Him will become more authentic and closer. It is constantly nourished by the Sacrament of the Eucharist, ... for which reason I invite you to participate joyfully and faithfully in Sunday Mass, and ... to attend Confession, which is the meeting with Jesus Who forgives our sins and helps us to do good. ... Learn to enter into dialogue with the Lord, tell Him of your joys and concerns, and ask for light to support you on your journey".
"In the family, be obedient to your parents, listen to the instructions they give you so as to grow, like Jesus, 'in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour'. Finally, do not be lazy but hard-working, particularly in your studies. That is your daily duty and a great opportunity you have to develop and to prepare your future. Be open and generous towards others, vanquishing the temptation to place yourselves at the centre, because selfishness is the enemy of authentic joy.
"If you now have a taste of the beauty of being part of the community of Jesus, then you too will be able to make your contribution to help it grow. ... Every day, including here today, the Lord is calling you to great things, Remain open to what He is suggesting and, if He calls you to follow Him on the path of the priesthood or consecrated life, do not say no! ... Jesus will fill your hearts for all your lives".
"I say with conviction: Aim at high ideals! ... Be saints! Yet, you may ask, is it possible to be saints at your age? I tell you that it is, ... as is clear from the witness of many saints who were your peers, such as Domenico Savio and Maria Goretti. Sanctity is the normal path for Christians, it is not reserved for the chosen few but open to everyone, though naturally with the light and strength of the Holy Spirit ... and the guidance of our Mother, ... Mary the Mother of Jesus. ... May the Virgin Mary, then, always watch over the beauty of your 'yes' to Jesus, her Son, the great and faithful Friend of your lives".
AMERICA : FEATURED UNIVERSITY REDEEMER PACIFIC CANADA
Redeemer Pacific College (RPC) is a Catholic liberal
arts college with a unique partnership with Trinity Western University (TWU),
providing students with a solid foundation in Catholic liberal arts as they work
towards an undergraduate degree in any one of the 40 + undergraduate majors
offered by TWU. RPC functions in fidelity to the teaching authority of the
Catholic Church as we lead our students to grow in knowledge and love of Christ
and His Church.RPC Academic Programs
Catholic Studies Minor
Catholic Teacher Education Program
RPC Certificates
RPC First Year Program
RPC Courses and Registration
RPC Liberal Arts Courses – includes course descriptions
RPC Core Courses
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Full Time, Part Time, and Course Audit
Tuition
In 1999, Redeemer Pacific College opened its doors as an Approved Teaching Center of Trinity Western University. An Associate College of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, RPC is a faithfully Catholic college in close partnership with Canada’s largest Christian liberal arts univeristy, Trinity Western University. Now entering our ninth year, RPC is already recognized as “a unique and wonderful institution” (Dr. Peter Kreeft, Boston College).
RPC Chapel
Christ can quite literally be found at the heart of Redeemer Pacific College. All students, staff, and faculty are encouraged to come to the Chapel and spend time in prayer with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament any time the College is open. Throughout the day many students come to spend some quiet moments with Christ in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, while students who live on campus are able to visit the Blessed Sacrament after regular office hours.
Through Redeemer Pacific College and Trinity Western University, RPC students receive a Catholic liberal arts education while working towards a degree in any one of the 39 majors offered by TWU. All the courses taken at RPC are taught by thoroughly orthodox Catholic professors who are faithful to the Magisterium and Tradition of the Catholic Church and who have committed themselves, with RPC staff and administration, to live authentic Christian lives. RPC’s courses are all taught from an authentic Catholic perspective, yet count towards an accredited university degree from TWU without any need to transfer credit. Our courses and professors are subject to the same rigorous academic standards as TWU courses and professors. RPC’s courses are listed in the Trinity Western Calendar, and can be taken by evangelical as well as Catholic students. Catholic students are both RPC & TWU students and take courses at both institutions to earn their TWU degree. RPC’s program is highly developed. Our mentors at the University of Steubenville have described the College’s selection of courses as “perfect” for our task of developing “dynamic Catholic leaders.” Furthermore, in fact, in the spring of 2008, TWU approved a Catholic Studies Minor in the Christianity and Culture program comprised entirely of RPC courses.
As an RPC student, the Catholic perspective is “built in” to your TWU degree
Building upon the tradition of liberal arts, TWU requires all students, regardless of their major, to take a certain number of core courses in a variety of disciplines, including philosophy, natural sciences, religious studies and fine arts. Redeemer Pacific College works alongside TWU to offer all of the Arts and Humanities core courses from the Catholic perspective. Catholic students who take their core courses at RPC gain a solid foundation in Catholic thought and teaching.
What does this mean for Catholic students? It means that they can pursue a BA in almost any undergraduate major through TWU while at the same time receiving their Catholic formation and education by taking many of their core courses at RPC. Many students, inspired by their professors and excited about their courses, continue taking upper level courses at RPC after completing their core requirements. The College offers advanced theology and philosophy courses that let you explore the life-changing world of Catholic thought, belief and practice.
Catholic Community
RPC students belong to a vibrant and close-knit Catholic community within the context of the larger university. The students of RPC grow together in knowledge and understanding of Christ and His Church as they seek to help one another respond to the universal call to holiness through time spent together participating in spiritual, social, and academic activities, including Holy Mass, retreats and community dinners. At the heart of this College community one literally finds Christ, as we have a chapel which provides students, staff, and faculty with the opportunity to spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
In addition to their RPC involvement, as students at Trinity Western University, all RPC/TWU students have access to literally hundreds of opportunities for student leadership and community involvement at TWU, including all extracurricular sports and clubs – anything from the Student Council to Pro-Life to Improv Comedy to Intramural Soccer. RPC students are encouraged to become involved in both RPC and TWU student life.
SOURCE
http://www.redeemerpacific.ca/
ASIA : INDONESIA : CONSTRUCTION OF SEMINARY HALTED
UCAN REPORT;
Muslims
objections 'have intimidated local authorities'
Construction of the first minor seminary planned for Pangkalpinang diocese in the capital of Bangka-Belitung
province has been halted due to opposition from local Muslims, Church leaders in
the area claimed today.
Following a standoff with authorities that has
already seen the proposed site of the building move to a neighboring village, a
member of the construction committee, Father Fenansius Marianus Manse, said
there was no legal basis for the delay.
“We submitted all necessary requirements to the district administration in early March but we haven’t obtained a building permit yet,” he said.
Authorities have since asked the committee for the Mario John Boen Minor Seminary to submit a recommendation from the district’s Interfaith Harmony Forum (FKUB) and an environmental review of plans for the two-hectare plot in Mangkol Village.
“That is ridiculous,” said Fr Manse, adding that an FKUB recommendation is only necessary for a place of worship, while an environmental review does not apply on a plot of less than five hectares.
Indonesian law states a building application for a seminary must meet 10 requirements including recommendations from the village head and residents, all of which are in place, said Father Manse.
The seminary building, which would be the first of its kind in Pangkalpinang diocese, has faced problems ever since a building committee was formed in March 2010.
Fr Manse said residents in Air Mesu and Cambai villages, central Bangka district, joined the district administration in rejecting their proposal, events which prompted the decision to move the site to Mangkol Village.
Muslims from other villages have also protested against the new plan since April, he said, claiming they had been influenced by Islamic organizations including the Communication Board of Mosque Teenagers-Youths in Indonesia, the Indonesian Ulema Council and the Brotherhood of Indonesian Hajj.
Theophilus Bela, secretary general of the Indonesian Committee on Religion and Peace, said the district administration had been left powerless in facing these organizations.
“We can see that the committee has completed all the requirements,” he said.
The district head Erzaldi Roesman asked for more time to resolve the problem.
SHARED FROM UCAN NEWS
“We submitted all necessary requirements to the district administration in early March but we haven’t obtained a building permit yet,” he said.
Authorities have since asked the committee for the Mario John Boen Minor Seminary to submit a recommendation from the district’s Interfaith Harmony Forum (FKUB) and an environmental review of plans for the two-hectare plot in Mangkol Village.
“That is ridiculous,” said Fr Manse, adding that an FKUB recommendation is only necessary for a place of worship, while an environmental review does not apply on a plot of less than five hectares.
Indonesian law states a building application for a seminary must meet 10 requirements including recommendations from the village head and residents, all of which are in place, said Father Manse.
The seminary building, which would be the first of its kind in Pangkalpinang diocese, has faced problems ever since a building committee was formed in March 2010.
Fr Manse said residents in Air Mesu and Cambai villages, central Bangka district, joined the district administration in rejecting their proposal, events which prompted the decision to move the site to Mangkol Village.
Muslims from other villages have also protested against the new plan since April, he said, claiming they had been influenced by Islamic organizations including the Communication Board of Mosque Teenagers-Youths in Indonesia, the Indonesian Ulema Council and the Brotherhood of Indonesian Hajj.
Theophilus Bela, secretary general of the Indonesian Committee on Religion and Peace, said the district administration had been left powerless in facing these organizations.
“We can see that the committee has completed all the requirements,” he said.
The district head Erzaldi Roesman asked for more time to resolve the problem.
SHARED FROM UCAN NEWS
EUROPE : POLAND : MISSIONARY DAY - DEDICATED TO JPII
Agenzia Fides RERPORT - There were about 1,700 children
from different Polish dioceses, gathered in Warsaw for the ninth national
Congress organized by the Pontifical Society of Missionary Childhood (PSMC) in
Poland. Theme of the meeting, which took place on May 26, was "We build the
missionary bridge with Blessed John Paul II." According to information sent to
Fides Agency from the National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies
(PMS) of Poland, Fr. Tomasz Atlas, Mrs. J. Baptistine Ralamboarison, Secretary
General of the Pontifical Society of Missionary Childhood; Fr. Gary Howley,
National Director of the PMS in Ireland; Jackie Pallas, National Secretary of
Missionary Childhood in Ireland; Berna Whiteley, secretary of Missionary
Childhood in Ireland, as well as missionaries from mission territories were
among the guests at the Congress.
This day was a big missionary party for children and catechists. Everyone could learn news and information about missions, choosing among the proposals of interesting games organized by various congregations and missionary groups. The Eucharist, presided by His Exc. Mgr. Kazimierz Romaniuk, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Warsaw-Prague, was the focus of the Congress. The National Director of the PMS in Poland in his homily encouraged the children and young people who participated at the Congress, to be even more zealous missionaries, to bring Jesus to children who are neighbors and brothers and sisters in mission lands. (MF/SL) (Agenzia Fides 01/06/2012)
This day was a big missionary party for children and catechists. Everyone could learn news and information about missions, choosing among the proposals of interesting games organized by various congregations and missionary groups. The Eucharist, presided by His Exc. Mgr. Kazimierz Romaniuk, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Warsaw-Prague, was the focus of the Congress. The National Director of the PMS in Poland in his homily encouraged the children and young people who participated at the Congress, to be even more zealous missionaries, to bring Jesus to children who are neighbors and brothers and sisters in mission lands. (MF/SL) (Agenzia Fides 01/06/2012)
AUSTRALIA : TRUE MEANING OF MARRIAGE BY BISHOP
Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
1 Jun 2012
A private member's
motion in the NSW Legislative Assembly which called for the legalisation of
same-sex marriage won by six votes last night. The motion, put by Greens MP Cate
Faehrmann passed 22 votes to 16 with both major parties allowing a conscience
vote.
Marriage is a Federal responsibility governed by the 1961 Commonwealth Marriage Act.
However the debate was not a clear cut one on party lines.
Labor's leader in the Upper House, Luke Foley, a practising Catholic, said he believed civil unions were more appropriate for gay couples than marriage.
Labor's Greg Donnelly also noted the European Court of Human Rights did not consider homosexual marriage to be an inherent right.
Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney, Bishop Julian Porteous said the NSW Upper House to pass a motion calling on the federal government to allow same sex marriage was disappointing, but I am not sure how important it will be. He said the motion expressed a sentiment in favour of changing the definition of marriage but because this is a federal issue, it is of little consequence.
"What needs to
be remembered in this debate is the depth of tradition across cultures and
religions about the specific meaning and purpose of marriage. Marriage, as Jesus
teaches us in the Gospels, is a union of a man and woman in which the two become
one. Marriage is much more than a partnership and goes much deeper than mutual
affection, because of the unique way men and women complement and complete each
other. Its profound life-giving reality, a reality which is literally embodied
in the children that only a man and a woman can have together, is revealed to us
both from human reason and from the light of Divine revelation.
"Whatever the family situation in which children grow up, we all want them to be happy. As abundant evidence shows, the best chance of achieving this is for children to be brought up by their own father and mother in marriage.
At this time, as marriage is the subject of such strong public debate, I encourage all Catholics to deepen their understanding of the plan and purpose of God for marriage and family. Our society will only benefit and grow stronger from a rediscovery of the true nature of marriage.' Bishop Julian said.
SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY
1 Jun 2012
State vote of little consequence in a Federal
matter
- Bishop Julian
Marriage is a Federal responsibility governed by the 1961 Commonwealth Marriage Act.
However the debate was not a clear cut one on party lines.
Labor's leader in the Upper House, Luke Foley, a practising Catholic, said he believed civil unions were more appropriate for gay couples than marriage.
Labor's Greg Donnelly also noted the European Court of Human Rights did not consider homosexual marriage to be an inherent right.
Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney, Bishop Julian Porteous said the NSW Upper House to pass a motion calling on the federal government to allow same sex marriage was disappointing, but I am not sure how important it will be. He said the motion expressed a sentiment in favour of changing the definition of marriage but because this is a federal issue, it is of little consequence.
Our society will only benefit and grow stronger
from a rediscovery of the true nature of
marriage
- Bishop Julian said.
"Whatever the family situation in which children grow up, we all want them to be happy. As abundant evidence shows, the best chance of achieving this is for children to be brought up by their own father and mother in marriage.
At this time, as marriage is the subject of such strong public debate, I encourage all Catholics to deepen their understanding of the plan and purpose of God for marriage and family. Our society will only benefit and grow stronger from a rediscovery of the true nature of marriage.' Bishop Julian said.
SHARED FROM ARCHDIOCESE OF SYDNEY
AFRICA : EGYPT : MUBARAK FORMER PRESIDENT SENTENCED TO LIFE
ASIA NEWS REPORT:
The court also sentenced interior minister, Habib al-Adly, to life imprisonment. The Court held that they are responsible for the deaths of 850 people killed by police during the protests in Tahrir Square in 2011. Brawl breaks out in court-room bunker after allegations of bribery for Mubarak sons is quashed.
Cairo (AsiaNews) - An Egyptian court sentenced former President Mubarak and Habib al-Adly, the Interior Minister to life imprisonment, for having ordered security forces to shoot at demonstrators during the Tahrir protests of 2011. Both are responsible for the deaths of 850 people. The court acquitted the six assistants of the Ministry of Interior. The former Rais was presented in court lying on a stretcher and in serious health conditions. After the session, he was escorted by helicopter to a prison in Cairo, where he will probably serve his sentence.
After disclosure of the judgment uproar broke out outside and inside the courtroom, set up in a bunker from which the trial was broadcast live. But the cheers turned into a brawl when the Court of Appeals in Cairo decided to quash corruption charges against Mubarak's sons Gamal and Alaa. The charges date back to over ten years ago and are outside the Court's statute of limitations. The two sons risked up to three years in prison. For the prosecutors, the trial was artfully manipulated by the judges still loyal to the regime and they have announced an appeal.
Mubarak is the first Arab leader to be tried by his own people, after the social unrest that shook the countries of North Africa and Middle East between 2010 and 2011. He resigned after 14 days of protests attended by more than 1 million people in Tahrir Square and hundreds of thousands in major cities of Egypt.
The judgment against the former president arrives a few weeks from the first ballot of the presidential elections after more than 30 years of autocratic rule. The two candidates will be running for President on June 15 and 16 are Shafiq Ahmed, former Prime Minister and supported by the army and the former regime, and Mohammed Mursi, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and Mubarak's historic enemy
SHARED FROM: http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Life-imprisonment-for-former-Egyptian-President-Mubarak,-sons-Gamal-and-Ala-acquitted-24923.html
The court also sentenced interior minister, Habib al-Adly, to life imprisonment. The Court held that they are responsible for the deaths of 850 people killed by police during the protests in Tahrir Square in 2011. Brawl breaks out in court-room bunker after allegations of bribery for Mubarak sons is quashed.
_0206_-_Mubarak.jpg)
Cairo (AsiaNews) - An Egyptian court sentenced former President Mubarak and Habib al-Adly, the Interior Minister to life imprisonment, for having ordered security forces to shoot at demonstrators during the Tahrir protests of 2011. Both are responsible for the deaths of 850 people. The court acquitted the six assistants of the Ministry of Interior. The former Rais was presented in court lying on a stretcher and in serious health conditions. After the session, he was escorted by helicopter to a prison in Cairo, where he will probably serve his sentence.
After disclosure of the judgment uproar broke out outside and inside the courtroom, set up in a bunker from which the trial was broadcast live. But the cheers turned into a brawl when the Court of Appeals in Cairo decided to quash corruption charges against Mubarak's sons Gamal and Alaa. The charges date back to over ten years ago and are outside the Court's statute of limitations. The two sons risked up to three years in prison. For the prosecutors, the trial was artfully manipulated by the judges still loyal to the regime and they have announced an appeal.
Mubarak is the first Arab leader to be tried by his own people, after the social unrest that shook the countries of North Africa and Middle East between 2010 and 2011. He resigned after 14 days of protests attended by more than 1 million people in Tahrir Square and hundreds of thousands in major cities of Egypt.
The judgment against the former president arrives a few weeks from the first ballot of the presidential elections after more than 30 years of autocratic rule. The two candidates will be running for President on June 15 and 16 are Shafiq Ahmed, former Prime Minister and supported by the army and the former regime, and Mohammed Mursi, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and Mubarak's historic enemy
SHARED FROM: http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Life-imprisonment-for-former-Egyptian-President-Mubarak,-sons-Gamal-and-Ala-acquitted-24923.html
TODAY'S MASS ONLINE : SATURDAY JUNE 2, 2012
| Mark
11: 27 - 33
| |
| 27 | And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, |
| 28 | and they said to him, "By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?" |
| 29 | Jesus said to them, "I will ask you a question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. |
| 30 | Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? Answer me." |
| 31 | And they argued with one another, "If we say, `From heaven,' he will say, `Why then did you not believe him?' |
| 32 | But shall we say, `From men'?" -- they were afraid of the people, for all held that John was a real prophet. |
| 33 | So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." |
Friday, June 1, 2012
TODAY'S SAINT : JUNE 2 : ST. MARCELLINUS AND PETER
Sts. Marcellinus & Peter
MARTYRS
Feast: June 2
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Marcellinus was a priest, and Peter an exorcist, both of the clergy of Rome, and eminent for their zeal and piety. In the persecution of Dioclesian, about the year 304, they were condemned to die for their faith: and by a secret order of the judge, the executioner led them into a forest, that the holy men being executed privately, no Christians might be acquainted with the place of their sepulchre. When he had brought them into a thicket overgrown with thorns and briers, three; miles from Rome, he declared to them his sanguinary commission. The saints cheerfully fell to work themselves, grubbed up the brambles, and cleared a spot fit for their sepulchre. After they were beheaded, their bodies were buried in the same place. Some time after, Lucilla, a pious lady, being informed by revelation, and assisted by another devout lady named Firmina, took up their bodies and honorably interred them near that of St. Tiburtius on the Lavican road in the Catacombs. Pope Damasus assures us, that, when a child, he learned all these particulars from the mouth of the executioner himself, and he has inserted them in a Latin epitaph with which he adorned their tomb. Anastasius the librarian testifies from ancient registers, that Constantine the Great built here a church in honor of these martyrs, in which he caused his mother St. Helena to be buried under a porphyry tomb, on the Lavican road, three miles from Rome, and that he gave to this church a paten, weighing thirty-five pounds, of pure gold, with many other rich presents; which is also mentioned by Bede, Ado, and Sigebert. The porphyry mausoleum of St. Helena is still shown among other antiquities near the Lateran basilica. Honorius I. and Adrian I. repaired this church and cemetery of St. Tiburtius, and SS. Marcellinus and Peter, as Anastasius mentions. Not long after, the bodies of SS. Marcellinus and Peter were translated into Germany on the following occasion. Eginhard, a German, the favorite secretary of Charlemagne, and his wife Emma, by mutual consent, made a vow of perpetual continency; and becoming a monk, was chosen abbot of Fontenelle, and, in 819, abbot of Ghent. Emma died in 836, to his great affliction, as appears from the letters of Lupus, abbot of Ferrieres, to him. This great man, in 827, sent his secretary to Rome, to procure from pope Gregory IV. some relies of martyrs to enrich the monasteries which he had founded or repaired. The pope sent him the bodies of SS. Marcellinus and Peter, which Eginhard translated to Strasburg. But soon after he deposited them first at Michlenstad; and afterwards at Malinheim, since called Selgenstad, three leagues from Frankfort, and two from Achaffenburg; where, in 829, he built to their honor a church and monastery, of which he died the first abbot. Besides the life of Charlemagne, and the annals of France, during the reigns of Pepin, Charlemagne, and Louis Debonnaire, he wrote four books in prose, and one in verse, on the translation of SS. Marcellinus and Peter. This translation is also mentioned by Sigebert, Aymoinus, Rabanus Maurus, &c. Pope Gregory the Great preached his twenty homilies on the gospels in the church of SS. Marcellinus and Peter at Rome; as appears from some of them, and from the testimony of John the Deacon.4 See their acts and the history of their translation in Papebroke, t. 1, Junij, p. 170, and Laderchius, Diss. de Basilicis, SS. Marcellini and Petri; Romae, 1705 |
SOURCE: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/M/stmarcellinus_peter.asp#ixzz1wb5Av8yV
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