November 6, 2007
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** DAILY READINGS:
First Reading:
Rom 12:5-16ab
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/reading.php?n=91
Psalm:
Ps 131:1bcde, 2, 3
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/reading.php?n=92
Gospel:
Lk 14:15-24
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/reading.php?n=93
** SAINT OF THE DAY:
St. Jean-Théophane Vénard
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint.php?n=647
** TOP STORIES:
- Pope and Saudi king deal with issues "close to the heart"
** MORE HEADLINES
- Call for solidarity with victims of flooding in Mexico
- World Youth Day Cross and Icon visit Aborigines
- U.S. Bishops to finalize document giving guidance to Catholic voters
- Lawyers say threats resume against safety of Mexican cardinal
- Church in Uruguay criticizes effort by Senate to legalize abortion
- Diocese of Pittsburgh votes to separate from Episcopal Church
- Ethical stem cell treatments advance in California
- Prominent Jesuit priest faces new sex abuse charges
- A new campus for the "New Evangelization"
- Mexico City Health Secretary falsified data to push for legalization of abortion
- Obsession with violence leading to increase in satanic cults in Colombia, exorcist warns
- Augustine Institute on the forefront of the New Evangelization
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TOP STORIES
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Pope and Saudi king deal with issues "close to the heart"
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10890)
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, November 6 (CNA) - Pope Benedict XVI welcomed King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to the Vatican today, marking the first time that a Saudi king has officially held talks with the Pope. During their encounter, the two leaders discussed religious freedom, inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue and the need to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Holy Father received King Abdullah warmly, grasping both his hands and leading him into his library where they spoke in Italian and Arabic for 30 minutes. The meeting was arranged for at the request of the king who is on a tour of Europe.
The conversation dealt with issues "close to the heart of both sides," according to the Vatican. Among the topics discussed were: "commitment to inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue aimed at peaceful and fruitful coexistence," and "the importance of collaboration between Christians, Muslims and Jews for the promotion of peace, justice and spiritual and moral values, especially in support of the family."
The Pope also raised the situation of the approximately 1 million Christians, mostly guest workers, who live in Saudi Arabia. Currently in the kingdom, these Christians are not allowed to practice their faith in public and symbols from religions other than Islam are not allowed across the border. The Holy Father pointed out "the positive and industrious presence of Christians" in Saudi Arabia.
As the meeting came to a close, the two leaders discussed ways to resolve the instability in the Middle East, especially the conflict in the Holy Land between Israel and Palestine.
Before parting ways, AKI reports that "King Abdullah presented Benedict with a traditional Middle Eastern gift — a golden sword studded with jewels — as well as a gold and silver statue of a palm tree and man riding a camel. The pope admired the statue but merely touched the sword." Pope Benedict gave the king a 16th century engraving of the Vatican in exchange.
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MORE HEADLINES
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Call for solidarity with victims of flooding in Mexico
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10900)
MEXICO CITY, November 6 (CNA) - The Mexican bishops' Committee on Social Ministry and the Caritas National Federation of Mexico have called for solidarity in Mexico and abroad for the nearly one million people affected by flooding in the state of Tabasco, especially in the city of Villahermosa.
The Bishops' Conference of Mexico, they recalled, recently issued a "national call to solidarity," asking for a collection to be taken up and prayers to be offered for those affected by the disaster.
"The best way to help is through financial donations which allow us to work with our sister Diocese of Tabasco to get assistance to those most in need," officials said.
Relief assistance is being channeled through Caritas Mexico, which is evaluating the consequences of the disaster and providing support.
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World Youth Day Cross and Icon visit Aborigines
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10899)
SYDNEY, November 6 (CNA) - Two major symbols of World Youth Day, the World Youth Day Cross and and the Sacred Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, have continued to travel across Australia in preparation for the worldwide gathering of youth in Sydney next year.
Having come to Australia in July by way of Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, the two items arrived Saturday in Wilcannia, a small aboriginal community in the New South Wales province. The local bishop Chris Toohey and members of the Journey of the Cross and the Icon national team accompanied the symbols.
In 1994 Pope John Paul II gave the cross to the 250,000 youths at the World Youth Day in Denver to take it to the whole world. The cross has since traveled to more than one hundred countries and all the continents except Antarctica. In 2003, Pope John Paul II gave pilgrims the Sacred Icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary to accompany the cross.
In Wilcannia a procession brought the symbols to a city park for a ceremony. Residents of various religious affiliations gathered. Some people touched or kissed the cross and the sacred icon after passing through a smothering fire and smoke, the aboriginal rite of welcome and protection against evil spirits.
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U.S. Bishops to finalize document giving guidance to Catholic voters
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10898)
WASHINGTON DC, November 6 (CNA) - The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is preparing to vote on guidelines for Catholic political participation, the Associated Press reports.
The bishops will decide this month upon the content of the guide, titled "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship." Though the guide will emphasize pro-life concerns and bioethical issues, it will also explain Catholic teaching on torture and conduct in war.
Spokane Bishop William Skylstad, president of the conference, spoke highly of the document. "Given the complexities of our political situation, this is a very good teaching document for the bishops and we're really very committed to it," he said.
Though past guides were finalized in committee meetings, this year the full body of around 300 bishops will publicly debate and vote on the guide.
A draft of the document calls abortion and euthanasia intrinsic evils, "pre-eminent threats to human dignity because they directly attack life itself, the most fundamental human good and the condition for all others." Torture, human cloning, racism, and the targeting of noncombatants in war are also condemned as acts that can never be justified.
"The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life is always wrong and is not just one issue among many," the draft says. At the same time, it states "a consistent ethic of life neither treats all issues as morally equivalent nor reduces Catholic teaching to one or two issues."
The draft also rejects Catholics voting for candidates because of their pro-choice stands, in which case the voter would be "guilty of formal cooperation in evil." Voting for a pro-abortion candidate is "remote material cooperation" with evil, which can only be justified if there are "proportionate reasons."
Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, who has been a vocal advocate of Catholic participation in the public square, has written in an e-mail that the draft document is not ideal, though it is "better and clearer than any version in the recent past." The archbishop also wrote that "all bricks in a building are important, but the ones in the foundation support everything else. The latter aren't just important; they're indispensable." He has stated that he plans to offer some suggestions for the document at the bishops' meeting.
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Lawyers say threats resume against safety of Mexican cardinal
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10894)
MEXICO CITY, November 6 (CNA) - The president of the College of Catholic Lawyers in Mexico, Armando Martinez, warned this week that the archbishop of Mexico City, Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, is again facing threats to his personal safety as the same protesters who sought to harm him last October are taking advantage of a decrease in the number of security guards that are protecting the Cathedral.
"For the first few days we had ten or fifteen guards at the entrance. Now we have no more than two," Martinez said, adding, "We continue to rightly fear for the cardinal's safety."
He denounced what he called the "complacency" of city officials towards posters attacking the cardinal that have been pasted to the cathedral walls. "The Cathedral is being held hostage again," Martinez stated.
He blamed secretary of communications of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD), Gerardo Fernandez Norona, for the new attacks on the cardinal. "We blame Mr. Fernandez Norona for this new campaign of hate," he said.
On October 7 a group of protesters attacked the vehicle in which Cardinal Rivera was riding as he was leaving the Cathedral after Sunday Mass. City officials responded by providing increased security for the cardinal.
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Church in Uruguay criticizes effort by Senate to legalize abortion
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10893)
MONTEVIDEO, November 6 (CNA) - Archbishop Nicolas Cotugno of Montevideo expressed regret this week at the new efforts by anti-life groups in Uruguay to legalize abortion.
Speaking on the Telenoche 4 TV network, Archbishop Cotugno said he felt "very sad that an issue of such importance depends on the decision of a few legislators." In addition, he said he was "perplexed" by the change that could take place in the Senate when pro-abortion lawmakers present a modified version of the "Defense of Sexual and Reproductive Health Act," which was already rejected last month.
Two weeks ago, the bill died on the floor as a 15-15 vote by Senators failed to ensure its passage.
Two Senators not present at the time are expected to vote in favor of the new measure, thus legalizing abortion up to the twelfth week of pregnancy.
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Diocese of Pittsburgh votes to separate from Episcopal Church
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10895)
PITTSBURGH, November 6 (CNA) - Following a widening theological rift with the national Episcopal Church, Episcopalian clergy and laity in Pittsburgh have voted 227 to 82 to "realign" their diocese with a more traditional province in the Anglican Communion.
In 2003, the Episcopal Church ordained as bishop of New Hampshire V. Gene Robinson, an openly gay man who had divorced his wife. The event has triggered intense controversy between conservative Episcopalians and more liberal Episcopalians within the church.
Episcopalian Bishop of Pittsburgh Robert W. Duncan defended the decision to split away, saying "What we're trying to do is state clearly in the United States for the authority of Scripture." He claimed that more liberal bishops "have hijacked my church, and that's how most of the people here feel."
Bishop Duncan is also moderator of the Anglican Communion Network, an alliance of conservative dioceses and parishes.
A few days before the vote, the head of the Episcopalian Church, USA, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori wrote to Bishop Duncan warning him he would face canonical discipline and civil lawsuits if he "committed canonical offenses" including overseeing the approval of the resolution to separate.
Reverend George Warner, president of the House of Deputies for the national church until last year, explained the likely consequences of this decision. "Katharine Schori is extremely clear," Reverend Werner said. "If a diocese like this chooses to claim $30 million in trust funds and 70 churches, she'd be negligent in her duty to let them leave. She can't back down."
Custody of the diocese's church properties and financial resources could be intensely disputed by both the national church and the Diocese of Pittsburgh in the event of separation.
The Diocese of Pittsburgh joins the Diocese of San Joaquin in California in making a preliminary vote to separate from the Episcopal Church. The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is also considering a similar vote.
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Ethical stem cell treatments advance in California
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10892)
SACRAMENTO, November 6 (CNA) - Two bills regarding the use of umbilical cord blood for medical treatment and research purposes were recently signed into law in California. The companion bills, supported by the California Catholic Conference, would fund the research and collection of blood from umbilical cords that are often discarded after birth.
AB-34 was introduced by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino in honor of his young neighbor who was diagnosed with leukemia several years ago. After an experimental transplant of umbilical cord blood, all traces of her leukemia disappeared.
Umbilical cord blood has been found to fight over 70 blood disorders by providing adaptable stem cells. While bone marrow is often used, it requires more genetic matching to the patient than cord blood.
California Catholic Conference spokeswoman, Carol Hogan told California Catholic Daily, "Only 200-300 cord blood tissue types need to be gathered and stored to match virtually any recipient who would need this type of therapy." "With umbilical blood you don't need a one-to-one match." Hogan said finding an umbilical blood donor is easier than finding a compatible organ donor, because fewer genetic markers are involved.
When Portantino saw that the transplant could save lives, he made two vows: first, if his wife ever gave birth again, he would donate blood from the umbilical cord, and second, if he ever had the authority, he would push to expand cord-blood storage.
The bill will require the creation of the Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Program and will create a special fund for federal money and donations to public cord blood banks.
Portantino's goal is to create a genetically diverse supply of cord blood in California to improve the prospects for thousands of Americans who die each year while waiting for a suitable blood match.
AB-34's companion bill SB-962, which supports the research of umbilical cord blood research, will also take steps to inform mothers about options for donating cord blood, California Catholic Daily reports.
The new laws have drawn praise from the California Catholic Conference. "The Catholic Conference strongly opposes harvesting stem cells from embryos, but we supported AB-34 and SB-962 because using umbilical cord cells poses no danger to human life," stated spokeswoman Carol Hogan.
The Conference is in agreement with the idea of cord blood banking because so many have been proven to benefit from it.
In contrast, not a single known human ailment has been successfully treated with stem cells derived from the destruction of human embryos.
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Prominent Jesuit priest faces new sex abuse charges
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10891)
CHICAGO, November 6 (CNA) - The Reverend Donald MacGuire, SJ, was taken into federal custody in Chicago on charges of molesting two U.S. boys, including one on a trip overseas.
Until 2006 Father MacGuire was affiliated with Mission Fides, a group that organized religious retreats including some to Mother Teresa's communities in India.
The new charges, unsealed by the U.S. Attorney's office on Friday, allege Father MacGuire traveled to Switzerland and Austria in 2000 to engage in sexual misconduct with a minor who is now 21. In a complaint filed against the priest on Thursday, an accuser identified as Victim A claims that Father MacGuire sexually abused him between 1999 to 2003 in 12 states and six countries. Victim A was living with the priest in Evanston, Illinois, where Father MacGuire had reportedly become a spiritual mentor to Victim A's family.
Victim A and another boy, Victim B, alleged a pattern of abuse beginning with discussions of sexual topics which escalated through viewing pornography to oral sex, according to the complaint.
The 77-year-old Jesuit priest, considered a flight risk by prosecutors, is being held without bond. If convicted on federal charges, he could face up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The alleged victims' lawyers released correspondence between families and Jesuit leaders showing that the order had received complaints about Father MacGuire's behavior as far back as 1969. More recent complaints were made in the years 1993, 1994, and 2000 through 2003, the lawyers said.
Federal prosecutors cited documents showing that Father MacGuire's superiors ordered him in 1991 to "not travel on any overnight trip with any person male or female under the age of 21."
Attorneys for Victims A and B have filed suit alleging the Jesuit order and other church officials had received formal, documented complaints about the priest but failed to inform authorities.
On Friday the Chicago Province of Jesuits issued a statement saying they have "cooperated extensively and proactively" with the U.S. Attorney's office in the case and expressed "apologies to anyone who was abused."
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A new campus for the "New Evangelization"
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10889)
DENVER, November 6 (CNA) - After 18 years without a Catholic presence at Loretto Heights Campus in Denver, Colorado, the Augustine Institute has succeeded in bringing Christ to the campus in the form of a Catholic graduate school in response to JPII's call for a New Evangelization.
Loretto Heights, initially founded as a primary and secondary school by the Sisters of Loretto in 1891, evolved into a nursing college and, after financial difficulties, was sold to the Teikyo Group, a Japanese university system in 1988.
This past summer, the Augustine Institute moved from its rented space at the John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization in Denver to the top floor of the Teikyo Loretto Heights administration building, the highest point in Denver.
The new location, which means new classrooms, a chapel for the school, a student lounge, and the convenience of having the professors' offices near each other, has been well-received by the current students and administration.
Director of Admissions, Sandra Chamberlin, told CNA, "Our new location at Loretto Heights is a complete blessing from the Lord. When we received permission to have the Blessed Sacrament on campus, I knew the Lord had great things in mind for our time here at Loretto Heights."
She continued, "we prayed for a new space for the school, and the Lord, in His great goodness, gave us access to an entire campus."
Having a new "space" has benefited not only the college academically, but current second-year student, Julie Reiff added, "This new location gives both students and faculty the ability to develop the Catholic community that the Augustine Institute has always envisioned."
For more information about the Augustine Institute, please visit their website at www.augustineinstitute.org.
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Mexico City Health Secretary falsified data to push for legalization of abortion
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10884)
MEXICO CITY, November 5 (CNA) - The sub-director of the international office of Fundacion Vida, Guillermo de Navascues, denounced the Health Secretary of Mexico City, Manuel Mondragon y Kalb, for falsifying data provided by pro-abortion organizations in order to convince the Legislative Assembly that abortion was necessary to diminish maternal mortality.
"The report by Mexico City Health Secretary, Dr. Manuel Mondragon y Kalb, which was presented to the Legislative Assembly the day before abortion was legalized, was based on false data" from pro-abortion organizations, Navascues said.
On the day of the debate, he continued, Mondragon y Kalb used the false data which suggested that between 1990 and 2005, of the approximately 21,000 maternal deaths, nearly 1,500 "were due to abortion and its complications."
However, Navascues noted, Mexico City's Health Department studies show that deaths from abortion are miniscule compared with other causes of death. "It is clear that abortion is not the fifth cause of maternal mortality in Mexico City, as was claimed by the Health Secretary," he warned.
Mondragon, he stressed, dared to give false information to the Assembly "because he had the clear intention of falsifying reality in order to get abortion legalized."
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Obsession with violence leading to increase in satanic cults in Colombia, exorcist warns
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10883)
BOGOTá, November 5 (CNA) - Colombian exorcist Father Jaime Velez Correa said this week the country with the most Satanism "is the United States, the second in the world is Italy and the third is Colombia," where the current "obsession with violence" has led to an increase in Satanic cults and rites.
Father Correa, who has been a priest for 50 years and an exorcist for eleven, said people are separating themselves from God, [and] Christianity, falling into empty creeds and opting for Satanism, which represents the negation of good.
In an interview with Caracol Radio, Father Velez said in Bogota and other cities of Colombia the existence of Satanic cults is known, and he said he receives "two or three cases daily," including cases of young people who have decided to leave Satanic cults. While all are not cases of possession, he said, many have suffered psychological traumas and clinical pathologies.
After warning that the exorcism procedure is very dangerous, Father Velez said, "I pray to the Lord before entering," and then you must "directly confront the devil, you enter into conversation with the devil, and you "threaten him in the name of God. In addition, you must pray the creed, some psalms and litanies and read a part of the gospel."
He said he carries with him in his briefcase "a crucifix, holy water, the Bible and the priestly stole," adding that in this fight against evil, "God's workers" obtain important triumphs but the basic task is to remove negative attitudes from the mind and heart.
Father Velez said that after an exorcism, he feels "joy for doing good, and you feel tired." However, he added that he strives to forget what he has seen and heard, "otherwise I would go crazy."
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Augustine Institute on the forefront of the New Evangelization
(http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=10882)
DENVER, November 5 (CNA) - Students of the Augustine Institute not only gain knowledge of the Catholic faith, but they also learn how to effectively communicate the Gospel message in an increasingly secular society.
In its third year of offering courses, the Augustine Institute continues to develop Catholic leaders by offering Master of Arts degrees on two different tracks: Sacred Scripture and Evangelization and Catechetics.
Professor of Scripture and Provost, Dr. Edward Sri told CNA that the institute was founded to develop leaders and educators for the New Evangelization. "Traditional orthodox theology is absolutely essential, but by itself, it is not enough for people to engage the culture that is increasingly indifferent and hostile to a Catholic way of life."
"It requires much more than solid, orthodox teaching," he continued.
The programs at the Augustine Institute are one of a kind. They have a unique, interdisciplinary program with "the best theology, scripture study as well as an understanding of where modern men and women are coming from." These courses are combined with a class that teaches the skills necessary to communicate the timeless Gospel message.
This emphasis has drawn as many as 30 students each year to study at the Augustine Institute. Each of which are hoping to use their knowledge and formation to help others grow in love for Christ and His Church in the career that God is calling them.
"We are developing future and current leaders in the Catholic Church. We have youth ministers, teachers, volunteers, lay people, and FOCUS Missionaries of all ages learning essential truths of the Church and how to bring our faith to others. No matter what walk of life the students come from, we all have a desire deepen our faith and evangelize our community through effective catechesis," current student Tom Maschka noted.
Faculty
Julie Reiff, a current second-year student was one of the many students who was drawn to the school because of the "passionate, dynamic professors."
"[They] live what they, as Catholics, believe and teach, both in and out of the walls of the classroom. Our professors care not only about our academic formation but also encourage spiritual development and guiding us in the knowledge of our individual roles within the New Evangelization." "They open their hearts and homes to the students," she continued. "Their doors are open not only for academic guidance but also for personal formation. They truly care for the students and are dedicated in their pursuit of training and forming leaders for the New Evangelization."
The list of faculty members includes: Dr. Edward Sri, the author/co-author of 10 books, including the best-selling The Da Vinci Deception and The New Rosary in Scripture, Professor Sean Innerst, the founding Provost of the Archdiocese of Denver's St. John Vianney Theological Seminary and Dr. Tim Gray, the co-author of The Great Adventure Bible Timeline program as well as the Executive Director of the largest Catholic Biblical School in the United States. Other professors include Professor Curtis Martin, the Founder and President of FOCUS, the nation's largest Catholic campus evangelization program, Dr. Joe Burns who has 20 years of leadership experience in the Air Force and in youth/adult catechesis, and Dr. Jonathan Reyes, the Founding President of the Augustine Institute.
Sandra Chamberlin, an alumna of the inaugural class of 2006, noted that not only are the professors academic teachers, but they're also living examples of how to live an authentically Catholic life.
"The Augustine Institute professors love and live the faith they teach. As Pope Paul VI said, 'Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses'. The professors are both witnesses and teachers in the truest senses of the words."
Maschka agreed, stating, "Though they each have a certain style, all of our professors come together to show the story of our great faith and prepare us for active participation in the New Evangelization."
The "coming together" of the professors is one of the strengths of the university noted by Sri. Through their friendships, the professors discuss the material they are presenting the classroom. "What we do in the classroom flows from a deep friendship and a common desire to serve in the New Evangelization."
The impact of the professors hasn't stopped at graduation. Graduate and current high school youth minister in the Diocese of Kansas City, Kansas, Stacy Cretors says that not only did the professors show her "how to be a better friend, sister, daughter, and hopefully one day a better wife and mother…but they invested themselves in me as a person...and all of them have continued to do so even after graduation."
The Augustine Institute plans on introducing a summer program beginning in 2008. The program will accommodate teachers and catechists around the US who can't make it to Denver for courses during the academic year. These courses are planned to be 4-day, intensive courses likely to be at the end of July.
For more information about the Augustine Institute, please visit their website at www.augustineinstitute.org.
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