Novena for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mary, Queen Assumed into Heaven, I rejoice that after years of heroic martyrdom on earth, you have at last been taken to the throne prepared for you in heaven by the Holy Trinity.

Lift my heart with you in the glory of your Assumption above the dreadful touch of sin and impurity. Teach me how small earth becomes when viewed from heaven. Make me realize that death is the triumphant gate through which I shall pass to your Son, and that someday my body shall rejoin my soul in the unending bliss of heaven.

From this earth, over which I tread as a pilgrim, I look to you for help. In honor of your Assumption into heaven I ask for this favor: (Mention your request).

When my hour of death has come, lead me safely to the presence of Jesus to enjoy the vision of my God for all eternity together with you.

August - Month Of The Assumption

The month of August is dedicated to The Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The entire month falls within the liturgical season of Ordinary Time, which is represented by the liturgical color green.

This symbol of hope is the color of the sprouting seed and arouses in the faithful the hope of reaping the eternal harvest of heaven, especially the hope of a glorious resurrection.

It is used in the offices and Masses of Ordinary Time.

The last portion of the liturgical year represents the time of our pilgrimage to heaven during which we hope for reward.

The Holy Father's Intentions for the Month of August 2010

General: That those who are without work or homes or who are otherwise in serious need may find understanding and welcome, as well as concrete help in overcoming their difficulties.

Missionary: That the Church may be a “home” for all people, ready to open its doors to any who are suffering from racial or religious discrimination, hunger, or wars forcing them to emigrate to other countries. (See also www.apostleshipofprayer.net)

Feasts for August

The feasts on the General Roman Calendar celebrated during the month of August are:
1. Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday
2. Eusebius of Vercelli; Peter Julian Eymard, Opt. Mem.
4. John Vianney, Memorial
5. Dedication of St. Mary Major, Opt. Mem.
6. Transfiguration, Feast
7. Sixtus II and companions; Cajetan, Opt. Mem.
8. Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday
9. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Opt. Mem.
10. Lawrence, Feast
11. Clare, Memorial
13. Pontian and Hippolytus, Opt. Mem.
14. Maximilian Kolbe, Memorial
15. Assumption, Solemnity
16. Stephen of Hungary, Opt. Mem.
19. John Eudes, Opt. Mem.
20. Bernard, Memorial
21. Pius X, Sunday
22. Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday
23. Rose of Lima, Opt. Mem.
24. Bartholomew, Feast
25. Louis of France; Joseph Calasanz, Opt. Mem.
27. Monica, Memorial
28. Augustine, Memorial
29. Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday

Focus of the Liturgy

The Gospel readings for the Sundays in August are taken from St. Luke and are from Year C, Cycle 2.

August 1st - 18th Sunday of Ordinary Time	Jesus tells the parable of the rich man.
August 8th - 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time	Jesus tells his disciples that the one who is given more, more will be demanded or him.
August 15th - Solemnity of the Assumption	This Gospel relates Mary's visit to Elizabeth.
August 22nd - 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time	Jesus talks about entering the kingdom through the narrow door.
August 29th - 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time	In today's Gospel parable about a banquet, Jesus teaches humility.

Highlights of the Month

August is often considered the transitional month in our seasonal calendar.

It is the time of the year we begin to wind-down from our summer travels and vacations and prepare for Autumn — back to school, fall festivals, harvest time, etc.

The Church in her holy wisdom has provided a cycle of events in its liturgical year which allow the faithful to celebrate the major feasts in the life of Christ and Mary.

Most notably, during August, we celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration (August 6) and the feast of the Assumption (August 15).

The other main feasts of this month are, St. John Mary Vianney (August 4), Dedication of St. Mary Major (August 5), Transfiguration of the Lord (August 6), St. Sixtus II and Companions and St. Cajetan (August 7), St. Teresa Benedicta (August 9), St. Lawrence (August 10), St. Clare (August 11), Jane Frances de Chantal (August 12), Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus (August 13), St. Maximilian Kolbe (August 14), St. Stephen of Hungary (August 16), St. John Eudes (August 19), St. Bernard (August 20), St. Pius X (August 21), St. Bartholomew (August 24), St. Louis of France (August 25), St. Monica (August 27), and St. Augustine (August 28).

The feasts of St. Alphonsus Ligouri (August 1), St. Dominic (August 8), the Queenship of Mary (August 22), and the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist (August 29) fall on a Sunday so they are suppressed this year.

SIC: CC

...and on the seventh day (t)He(y) rested

Litany Of The Most Precious Blood

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy

Christ, have mercy
Christ, have mercy

Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy

Christ, hear us
Christ, hear us

Christ, graciously hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us

God the Father of Heaven,
have mercy on us

God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
have mercy on us

God, the Holy Spirit,
have mercy on us

Holy Trinity, One God,
have mercy on us

Blood of Christ, only-begotten Son of the eternal Father,
save us
Blood of Christ, Incarnate Word or God,
save us
Blood of Christ, of the New and Eternal Testament,
save us
Blood of Christ, falling upon the earth in Agony,
save us
Blood of Christ, shed profusely in the Scourging,
save us
Blood of Christ, flowing forth in the Crowning with Thorns,
save us
Blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross,
save us
Blood of Christ, price of our salvation,
save us
Blood of Christ, without which there is no forgiveness,
save us
Blood of Christ, Eucharistic drink and refreshment of souls,
save us
Blood of Christ, stream of mercy,
save us
Blood of Christ, victor over demons,
save us
Blood of Christ, courage of Martyrs,
save us
Blood of Christ, strength of Confessors,
save us
Blood of Christ, bringing forth Virgins,
save us
Blood of Christ, help of those in peril,
save us
Blood of Christ, relief of the burdened,
save us
Blood of Christ, solace in sorrow,
save us
Blood of Christ, hope of the penitent,
save us
Blood of Christ, consolation of the dying,
save us
Blood of Christ, peace and tenderness of hearts,
save us
Blood of Christ, pledge of eternal life,
save us
Blood of Christ, freeing souls from purgatory,
save us
Blood of Christ, most worthy of all glory and honor,
save us

Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord

Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, O Lord

Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us, O Lord

V. Thou hast redeemed us, O Lord, in Thy Blood.
R. And made us, for our God, a kingdom.

Almighty and eternal God,
Thou hast appointed Thine only-begotten Son
the Redeemer of the world and willed to be appeased by his blood.

Grant, we beg of Thee,
that we may worthily adore this price of our salvation
and through its power
be safeguarded from the evils of the present life
so that we may rejoice in its fruits forever in heaven.

Through the same Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Bishop's plea to drive with care this weekend

A Donegal-born Catholic bishop has urged motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to take special care on the roads this bank holiday weekend.

Bishop Liam McDaid, who was consecrated as bishop of Clogher last Sunday, urged all road-users to take special care of themselves and their loved ones as they travel this August bank holiday weekend, the busiest weekend of the year on our roads.

In a statement last night, Bishop MacDaid said that in the wake of the most serious Irish road accident on record in Donegal on July 12, "we exercise particular vigilance in terms of our road safety responsibilities over the next three days".

He added: "As individuals we have an obligation to exercise a real duty of care to other road users by improving our driver behaviour, and at a public policy level, this improved behaviour needs to be matched with effective strategic planning and greater resourcing."

Dangerous

The bishop was speaking as gardai vowed to crack down on dangerous driving.

Officers will increase the number of mandatory drink-driving check points, as well as deploying speed detector vans around the country.

Gardai are also asking the public to encourage family and friends to slow down.

Bishop MacDaid yesterday also recommended the following dedicated prayer for motorists which they may wish to say before getting behind the wheel:

Before I take my place behind the wheel

I pray, O Sacred Heart -- Guide me on my way.

Virgin Mary, Morning Star, from every danger guide this car.

Thou dear Lord who gave it to enjoy,

Grant that its purpose be to save and not destroy.

SIC: II

Organization offers guidance to Argentinean judges who object to same-sex 'marriage'

The pro-life office of the Fundar Movement in Argentina is offering a conscientious objection guide to justices of the peace who are opposed to gay “marriage” and refuse to preside over same-sex “weddings.”

Conscientious objection is the right to exempt oneself from carrying out actions allowed by law without being subjected to discrimination or the loss of rights, the movement explained.

The guide points out that both the Argentinean constitution and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, as well as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, protect the rights to freedom of worship, thought and conscience.

“The U.N. Committee on Human Rights, which oversees the application of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, said article 18 of the covenant ‘does not explicitly mention the right to conscientious objection, but the Committee believes that this right can be derived from article 18’,” Fundar said.

The movement also noted that the Declaration of the National Academy of Medicine in Argentina addresses the issue of conscientious objection and states that no health care professional should be obliged to carry out a procedure that he or she objects to for scientific or ethical reasons.

SIC: CNA

Fired professor reinstated at University of Illinois

A professor who was recently fired for explaining the Catholic teaching on homosexuality will be reinstated, the University of Illinois reports.

Dr. Kenneth Howell's position at the school was terminated at the end of the Spring Semester this year after teaching in a class on Catholicism that the Church believes homosexual behavior violates natural law.

A Thursday letter from the University of Illinois Office of University Counsel told Howell’s lawyers at the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) that “The School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics will be contacting Dr. Howell to offer him the opportunity to teach Religion 127, Introduction to Catholicism, on a visiting instructional appointment at the University of Illinois, for the fall 2010 semester. Dr. Howell will be appointed and paid by the University for this adjunct teaching assignment.”

Howell had been teaching at the university since 2001 and consistently gained high approval ratings on student evaluations. In a class on Catholicism last spring, he followed up a classroom discussion with an e-mail contrasting the ways in which utilitarianism and natural law theory would each determine the morality of homosexual conduct.

A student complained that Howell's words were “hate speech” in an e-mail to the head of the department, Dr. Robert McKim. Howell was called into McKim's office at the end of the semester and told that he would no longer be allowed to teach for the university because his e-mail had “violate[d] university standards of inclusivity.”

In Howell's defense, the ADF declared that the First Amendment exists to keep controversial ideas from being suppressed.

“A university cannot censor professors’ speech--including classroom speech related to the topic of the class--merely because certain ideas ‘offend’ an anonymous student,” said ADF Senior Counsel David French.

“We greatly appreciate the university’s move to put Professor Howell back in the classroom,” he continued, “but we will be watching carefully to make sure that his academic freedom is protected throughout the university’s ongoing process.”

SIC: CNA

Vatican: Bishops and priests in China, be united with the pope and each other, even in persecution

A "Letter to the Bishops and Priests in mainland China" was published today by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, signed by the Prefect, Cardinal. Ivan Dias, and the Secretary, Msgr. Robert Sarah.

The letter is dated July 5 aims to encourage China's bishops and priests to continue along the path of the Year for Priests recalling famous priestly figures, such as the Cure d'Ars and Matteo Ricci, recalling celebrations for the 400th anniversary of his death.

A strong point of the letter is the stress on unity with the pope, "as a guarantee of freedom." The text recalls the courage of many believers who have remained faithful to the successor of Peter even amid persecutions. Quoting Benedict XVI, the letter states that persecution, " the suffering they cause, they do not constitute the gravest danger for the Church”, which instead is division among its members. Hence the invitation to bishops and priests to be promoters of unity in the Church in China which is still too often marked by divisions.

The letter did not forget to emphasize the spiritual ministry of the bishop and the priest and warn against the "temptation to enrich himself with material goods or seek favours for his family or ethnic group, or nurture unwholesome ambitions of making a career for himself in society or in politics". Below the full text of the Letter:

Dearest Brothers in the Episcopate and in the Priesthood of Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, peace be with you!

Inspired by celebrations during the Year for Priests, recently concluded, I send to you cordial and brotherly greetings and a word of encouragement for your arduous pastoral duties as shepherds of the flock entrusted to you by the Lord in your noble nation. I long to say these things to you personally, to hear about your joys and your woes, about the hopes you nurture and the challenges you face every day. Your testimony and your messages received here at the Missionary Congregation fill us with consolation and spur us to pray fervently that the Lord may render you ever stronger in the faith and sustain your activity to propagate the Good News of Jesus Christ in your beloved country.

With our thoughts still set on the famous figure of Saint Jean Marie Vianney, Cure d'Ars, so often recalled during the Year for Priests, we acknowledge first of all - with deep humility - that we are called by Jesus to be “not servants, but friends” (cfr Jn 15, 15) not through our own merits, but through His infinite mercy. He has conferred upon us the lofty dignity of being Alter Christus and ministers of his Word, his Body and Blood and his Forgiveness. May we always remember His words : “You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last;” (Jn 15, 16).

Precisely because the priest is Alter Christus — indeed, Ipse Christus —, he must be a Man of God and a Man for others.

Firstly, a Man of God: that is, a man who leads men and women to God and carries God to men and women. Therefore he must distinguish himself as a man of prayer and an austere style of life, profoundly in love with Christ and, like John the Baptist, proud to proclaim His presence amongst us, especially in the Most Holy Eucharist.

Secondly a priest must be a Man for others: a man entirely dedicated to the faithful, youth and adults, entrusted to his pastoral care and to all those with whom the Lord Jesus chose to identify himself or those towards whom He showed special kindness: sinners first of all, the poor, the sick and the excluded, widows, children, but also sheep who do not yet belong to His fold (cfr Jn 10, 16). An ecclesiastic will therefore resist any temptation to enrich himself with material goods or seek favours for his family or ethnic group, or nurture unwholesome ambitions of making a career for himself in society or in politics. These things are entirely foreign to the priestly vocation and would be a serious distraction from his mission to lead the faithful like the good shepherd on the path of holiness, justice and peace.

Allow me, my dearest Confreres, to dwell on the important role of a bishop or priest as an operator of unity within the Church. This task has a twofold dimension and entails communion with the Pope, the "rock" upon which Jesus chose to build his Church, and secondly union with all the members of the Church.

Firstly: communion with the Holy Father. We are all too aware of how some of you suffered in the recent past because of loyalty to the Holy See. We pay homage to each and all, certain that, as Pope Benedict XVI affirms, “ Communion with Peter and with his Successors is in fact a guarantee of freedom for the Church's Pastors and for the Communities entrusted to them… the Petrine ministry is a guarantee of freedom in the sense of full adherence to the truth, to the authentic tradition, so that the People of God may be preserved from errors concerning faith and morals” (Homily during Mass on the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, 29 June 2010). The exemplary and courageous loyalty towards the See of Peter demonstrated by Catholics in China, is a precious gift of the Lord.

The other dimension of unity among Christians is union among individual members of the ecclesial community. This important challenge you are already tackling , as you seek to strengthen unity within the Church herself. It would be helpful to enter, in spirit, the Upper Room where, after celebrating the Last Supper with his Apostles and ordaining them priests of the New and Eternal Covenant, the Lord Jesus prayed to the Father with these words “ May they all be one, just as, Father, you are in me and I am in you, so that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me. ” (Jn 17, 21). Three times Jesus insists on the unity of his followers as a sign of credibility that he has been sent by the Father into the world. My dearest confreres, let us heed this eloquent call for the unity of Christians coming from the Heart of the One who loved them, called them and sent them to work in His Vineyard.

In the above mentioned homily the Holy Father affirms:« Indeed if we think of the two millenniums of the Church's history, we may note as the Lord Jesus had foretold (cf. Mt 10:16-33) that trials for Christians have never been lacking and in certain periods and places have assumed the character of true and proper persecution. Yet, despite the suffering they cause, they do not constitute the gravest danger for the Church. Indeed she is subjected to the greatest danger by what pollutes the faith and Christian life of her members and communities, corroding the integrity of the Mystical Body, weakening her capacity for prophecy and witness, and marring the beauty of her face.». The Pope goes on to indicate the instigator of this evil situation and says: «one of the typical effects of the action of the Evil One is, precisely, the internal division of the ecclesial Community. Ruptures are in fact symptoms of the power of sin that continues to act in members of the Church even after the redemption. However, Christ's word is clear: "Non praevalebunt they shall not prevail" (Mt 16:18). The unity of the Church is rooted in her union with Christ and the cause of full Christian unity that must ever be sought and renewed, from generation to generation is also sustained by his prayer and his promise.».

Let us praise the Lord for your efforts, accomplished and ongoing, for unity within the Church, in faithful response to the indications given by the Holy Father in the Letter he addressed to you on 27 May, 2007, and for the results already obtained. May God bless your initiatives so that unity of ministers among themselves and between them and their flock may be ever stronger in Christ and in his Church “ad maiorem Dei gloriam”.

On this happy circumstance, I have the honour of assuring you of the closeness of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI; with paternal affection he blesses you and all those entrusted to your pastoral care and urges you to continue without fear on the path of holiness, unity and communion, as did the generations which have gone before you.

May Most Holy Mary, Help of Christians, venerated with tender, filial devotion by the Church in China at Sheshan, protect you and intercede that your resolutions to spread the sweet fragrance of the Gospel of her Son Jesus to every corner of your beloved homeland may bear fruit. In this important and demanding task may you be assisted by the luminous example of the unforgettable missionary to China, Fr Matteo Ricci S.J., of whom we recall with gratitude and affection the 400th anniversary of his departure for the Kingdom of the “Lord of Heaven ”.

Once again I assure you of our prayers,

with brotherly greetings In Corde Mariae.

from the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, 5 July 2010.

Cardinal Ivan Dias

Prefect

+ Robert Sarah

Secretary

SIC: AN

Homosexuality is a disorder, former Vatican prefect emphasizes

The gay community in Chile is reacting with indignation to recent comments by 83-year-old Cardinal Jorge Medina Estévez, who led the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 1996 to 2002.

Reacting to Argentina’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage, the cardinal said that “the Church distinguishes the homosexual tendency and homosexual practice. If a person has a homosexual tendency it is a defect, as if one lacked an eye, a hand, a foot.” On the other hand, homosexual activity, he noted, is immoral.

“In my life as a priest, I have had [pastoral] care of many people with this problem,” he added. Some, like alcoholics, have overcome this tendency by “discipline, education, or reeducation,” he said, while others have heroically resisted this tendency for their entire lives.

Same-sex marriage, he added, “is something in opposition to the law of God, and no human law can go against the law of God. If a human law goes against the law of God, that human law does not exist.”

In a 2002 letter, Cardinal Medina Estévez, in his capacity as a Vatican prefect, had reiterated the Church’s discipline against ordaining men with homosexual inclinations.

“Ordination to the diaconate and the priesthood of homosexual men or men with homosexual tendencies is absolutely inadvisable and imprudent and, from the pastoral point of view, very risky,” he wrote.

“A homosexual person, or one with a homosexual tendency is not, therefore, fit to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders.”

SIC: CC

Italian artist sparks controversy with Hitler and Spiderman pictures

Giuseppe Veneziano's show entitled 'The Zeitgeist' opened this month in Pietrasanta, Tuscany, Italy, featuring among others a work featuring Hitler as a child cuddling up to the Virgin Mary.

The picture titled 'The Virgin of the Third Reich' is just one of many paintings featuring famous figures including Jesus Christ and Pope Benedict XVI.

Veneziano's art has stoked controversy in the Catholic and Jewish world with many calling them offensive.

Pietrasanta father Stefano D'Atri has demanded the mayor cancel the exhibition.

He said: "That painting offends us as faithful and as people who lived during the terrible period of Nazism. We don't hide behind art."

Lord Mayor Domenico Lombardi said: "I take full responsibility for this problem. I'd never seen it before I approved it otherwise I would have chose another painter for this exhibition slot.

But the artist defended his work, he said: "If art cannot provoke, what can it do?"

SIC: TCUK

Pope’s Scottish visit to benefit poorest children

A Glasgow-based charity which provides school meals for hundreds of thousands of the world’s poorest children will reap the benefits of the Pope’s visit to Glasgow.

Mary’s Meals, based in Springburn, and Marie Curie Cancer Care have been chosen as the official charities of Pope Benedict XVI’s state visit to Scotland on September 16.

More than 100,000 pilgrims from Scotland, the north of England and Ireland are expected to descend on Bellahouston Park for the open-air mass.

The visit is expected to net Glasgow’s economy around £4.5 million and at least as much again in publicity because of the global audience watching on television and the internet.

Mary’s Meals has grown from its first feeding operation of 200 children in Malawi to a worldwide campaign, providing free daily school meals to about 400,000 children in countries including Albania, Romania and Uganda.

Teams of volunteers from Mary’s Meals and Marie Curie Cancer Care will be collecting donations before the parade to mark the feast of St Ninian on Edinburgh’s Princes Street, prior to the Pope’s motorcade through the city centre.

Pope Benedict will meet the Queen at Holyrood Palace before being driven through the centre of Edinburgh and then to Glasgow for the mass at Bellahouston Park.

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder of Mary’s Meals, said: “The St Ninian’s Day parade promises to be a wonderful event, bringing together people across Scotland to welcome the Pope on his visit.

“Mary’s Meals is thrilled to have been chosen as one of the charities to benefit from the celebration, and our staff and volunteers are looking forward to being involved on the day.

“Any monies raised by Mary’s Meals will help provide school meals for hungry children in some of the world’s poorest countries, enabling them to access education that will help them to escape poverty in the long term.”

Paul Thompson is head of community fundraising in Scotland and Northern Ireland, for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

He said: “With tens of thousands of people expected to turn out for the parade and the Pope’s journey through Edinburgh, it’s a fantastic opportunity to raise substantial funds for the services we provide to people with cancer and other terminal illnesses here in Scotland.”

SIC: GET

Pope has authority to talk about economics (Contribution)

Pope Benedict has criticised scientism and the awful influence it has on the world today. Scientism has two aspects.

The first aspect is the theoretical notion that only scientific doctrine and method can lead to truth.

The second is the practical handing of authority to scientists alone.

Pope Benedict's criticisms of both aspects has support in many circles when he challenges scientism in physics and biology but attracts incredible opposition when he wades into political and economic affairs.

Economists seem to be the only people permitted to make sensible statements about political and economic conditions. It is being assumed that the current economic methods are the only rational way to discover economic truth.

In Australia today we have an election battle where neither party has the strength of conviction to say anything that opposes received economic orthodoxy. Rudd challenged the economic orthodoxy and was abandoned by both parties.

Strangely this attitude follows on the heels of the global financial crisis, which was unpredicted by all but the acknowledged unorthodox economists. I would have thought this would damage the reputation if economic orthodoxy but it seems the opposite is the case.

Paul Krugman is an prime example of an economists having failed to predict the GFC and not losing his reputation or influence on socio-economic policy.

The 2008 Nobel prize winner and New York times columnist provided a rather simplistic analysis of where economists went wrong in 2008.

He suggested that economists had preferred mathematical beauty to real truth, they had failed to realise that markets and institutions are not perfect and that people often behave irrationally.

Krugman remains blind to the fact that the economic view of rationality is a stunted and limp view of the real nature of this divine gift.

The Popes have rightly criticised economists for their failure to come to terms with the nature of the human person.

Modern economics was conceived during a time when psychology was at a low point in history.

The mind was little understood and there was a deep suspicion of mental structures.

The Enlightenment's revolt from the middle ages had rejected the faculty view of the soul.

For economics this meant the rejection of notion of a hierarchy of goods and the development of a utilitarian calculus view of rationality.

In more recent times the structured nature of the mind has been rediscovered and the corresponding hierarchy of goods and broader notion of rationality developed. Unfortunately this has not found it's way into economic theory which suffers from sorry origin.

If Krugman is not ready to read Caritas in Veritate, at least he should cross the quad at Princeton and meet philosopher Harry Frankfurt. There he would be introduced to the distinction between first and second order desires.

First order desires such as wanting a cigarette are different from second order desires, which are desires about desires. For example does a person desire to desire cigarettes or in other words, desire to be a smoker?

From this distinction comes a hierarchy of goods. Clearly a person can want, even crave a cigarette and yet also hate cigarettes (because they want to quit).

This would place cigarettes near the bottom of the hierarchy of goods, while near the top will be the things a person cares about and the things they want to take care of those they love.

Such a hierarchy is more powerful and sophisticated than the current needs/wants analysis if modern economists.

Krugman and other economists need to acknowledge that modern economics is in need of a major overhaul.

At the same time we need to realise that the practical scientism that places intellectual authority in the hands of scientists alone is unacceptable.

In particular the Pope should not be the only voice defending the true dignity of each human person.

SIC: CTHNews

The forgotten pope who challenged Hitler (Contribution)

Earlier this year, eighteen Catholic scholars from the United States, Germany, and Australia, took the unprecedented step of writing a letter to Pope Benedict XVI, urging him to slow down the canonization process that would designate Pope Pius XII a saint of the Catholic Church, until more evidence could be found to defend the action against charges that he failed to do enough during the Nazi Holocaust.

Pope Benedict inherited the Pius XII dossier from his predecessors but angered critics, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center, when he issued a decree in December 2009, recognizing Pius's "heroic virtues," moving him one step closer to Sainthood.

Normally, it is not the business of Jews who the Catholic Church designate a saint, but Pius XII must be an exception to the rule because it would require us to teach our children and grandchildren that while history's greatest crime was being committed and 6 million Jews, 1/3 of all of world Jewry were exterminated, a saint was sitting on the throne of St. Peter.

While the Vatican continues to push the candidacy of Pius XII, the other Pope who lived during the times of Adolf Hitler, Pius XI, is never mentioned as a candidate for Sainthood.

Yet it is this Pope more than any other that many believe came closest to dramatically changing the course of WWII. Achille Ratti took the name Pius XI in 1922, when he was elected Pope, the same year Benito Mussolini marched on Rome.

But his misfortune was presiding over the church during the advent of the 'age of the dictators,' Mussolini and Hitler. In the early years, Pius XI, despite his misgivings, sought accommodation with them fearing confrontation would weaken the church.

So in 1929, he signed a Concordat with fascist Italy which protected the independence of the Vatican, but lessened his ability to confront Mussolini's aggression.

He also allowed his Secretary of State, Cardinal Pacelli (the future Pius XII), to sign a Concordat with Hitler in 1933, hoping to preserve Catholic institutions in Germany. But the moral cost was high.

He did not protest when the Germans passed the first antisemitic laws in 1933 excluding non-Aryans from public office, or when they passed the infamous Nuremberg Laws in 1935.

But Pius XI soon became very troubled by his deal with the 'devil' and the more he observed their inhumanity and deceit, the more determined he was to confront them.

In his 1937 Encyclical "Mit Brennender Sorge (With Burning Anxiety)," he lambasted those who worshiped the superiority of race.

A year later, when the Austrian Cardinal Innitzer welcomed Hitler's takeover of Austria, Pius XI summoned him to the Vatican and forced him to issue a humiliating public retraction.

But the apex of his resistance came when he ignored his own inner circle of advisors and instructed an American Jesuit priest visiting the Vatican, Father John Lafarge, to write an encyclical condemning racism and antisemitism.

The pope had read Lafarge's book on the racial injustice done to American 'Negroes' and knew instinctively that Lafarge was the right man for the job.

He told the startled priest to write the encyclical as if he were the Pope.

On September 20, 1938, Father Lafarge handed in the completed document to Wladimir Ledochowski, the Father Superior of the Jesuits in Rome.

Although the document retained elements of Catholic teachings - that the Jews' rejection of Christ caused them "to perpetually wander over the face of the Earth," it also condemned anti-Semitism in language never before uttered by a Pope and never acknowledged by the church for twenty centuries. "...Millions of persons are deprived of the most elementary rights, denied legal protection against violence and robbery, exposed to every insult and public degradation, innocent persons are treated as criminals, even those who in time of war fought bravely for their country are treated as traitors.... This flagrant denial of human rights sends many thousands of helpless persons out over the face of the earth without any resources...."

Coincidentally, on the day Lafarge handed in the Encyclical, Pius XI, speaking to a group of Christian pilgrims, said, "...Abraham is our patriarch and forefather. Anti-Semitism is incompatible with that lofty thought.... It is a movement with which we Christians can have nothing to do.... No, no, I say to you.... It is impossible for a Christian to take part in anti-Semitism. It is inadmissible.... Spiritually, we are all Semites."

Tragically, Father Lafarge's document was too shocking for some conservative prelates in Rome.

They delayed sending it on to the ailing Pope who kept asking for it but never saw it until it was too late. With Lafarge's Encyclical on his desk, Pius XI died on February 10, 1939, before he could sign it.

The new Pope, Pius XII, refused to issue it.

Mysteriously, the document soon disappeared and not another word was heard about it until the National Catholic Reporter broke the story some 43 years later.

What would have happened if the encyclical had been signed?

Many believe that it would so have divided Germany's 45 million Catholics that it would have delayed or prevented Hitler's plans of launching WWII.

SIC: TWPB

2nd volume of Pope's book on Jesus due in early 2011

The second volume of Pope Benedict’s 3-volume work on Jesus of Nazareth will be published in English by Ignatius Press early next year.

The first volume of the Pope’s work, published in 2009, covered the early public life of Jesus.

The second volume covers Christ’s death and Resurrection.

Pope Benedict has been working on the 3rd volume during his summer vacation this year.

Ignatius Press, which published many of the works of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before his election to the papacy, will produce the work in cooperation with the Vatican publisher, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, which now holds worldwide title to the Pontiff’s written work.

"We are eagerly awaiting Volume II because it will contain the Holy Father's reflections on the central mysteries of our faith: the Passion, Death, and Resurrection," said Father Joseph Fessio, SJ, the founder of Ignatius Press.

SIC: CC

Catholic Leagues Bill Donohue Defends Homophobia By Claiming Irish Are Alcoholics

Bill Donohue believes that Irish are alcoholics.

Oh wait, he believes that there is a correlation between being Irish and being an alcoholic.

This is actually rather baffling since there does not appear to be much evidence that there is a disproportionate number of Irish who are alcoholics.

There is a correlation between being poor and being alcoholic, which is where the stereotype of the alcoholic Irishman comes from as many Irish up until fairly recently lived in poverty.

Fairly recently, of course, in Historical terms. As in, sometime in the last sixty years.

In fact, Ireland’s alcohol consumption- which is not the same as alcoholism- lags behind several other nations, and is only just a little bit further ahead than the United States. Ireland’s alcohol consumption is 13.7% and the US’s is 8.6%; however, this does not mean that there are more alcoholics in Ireland than in the US because consumption is different from alcoholism.

According to Donohue: “Think of it this way. We know there is a correlation between being Irish and being an alcoholic, but that doesn’t mean all Irishmen are, or will become, alcoholics. But it does mean they have a special problem in this area. Does this now make me anti-Irish?”

In actuality, it makes him a believer in stereotypes since the image of the drunken Irish sot dates back to the era when many Irish were coming into the United States and people were busy trying to degrade and denigrate the Irish. It is as stereotypical as the lazy Mexican, the money grubbing Jew, the stupid African-American, and the snooty Frenchman. It is a stereotype just like the pedophile gay man even though the current statistics are not backing up Donohue’s beliefs.

Donohue goes on to claim “Alfred Kinsey was the first to identify the correlation between homosexuality and the sexual abuse of minors. In 1948, he found that 37 percent of all male homosexuals admitted to having sex with children under 17 years of age.”

Yes, and you could probably have found quite a higher number of straight men who had sexual relationships with children under the age of 17 back then too.

The age of consent in much of the United States prior to 1920 was ten, and after 1920, was sixteen. In some states, it was still possible to get married to a girl as young as twelve with the consent of her parents as late as this decade.

Donohue’s analogies are rather off given that information. In fact, they are based on stereotypes.

Donohue, who is the had of the Catholic League, also seems to not grasp that many of the priests who abuse young boys do so because of availability and not because of sexual preference.

These priests are not that dissimilar to the population of a prison where sexual outlet is with what is physically available, and in the case of the majority of priests, that is men.

Another problem with Donohue’s ‘evidence’ is that the majority of the children available to priests is post-pubescent boys, and not pre-pubescent.

Donohue is trying to do everything he can in order to try and put the blame on gay men for what is going on in the Catholic Church.

Unfortunately, the problem for him is that a large number of girls are molested every year, and that number has been growing every year since the early 1980’s when girls were allowed closer contact with priests.

Many of those girls are only just now coming forward to tell of their abuse. Many girls are reluctant to come forward, and there are reports of many of the girls who were molested by the priests who just shut up or who were silenced.

Catholicism is especially harsh when it comes to girls and women, and the idea of a woman especially in many traditional Catholic areas coming forward to tell of being abused by a priests has been hard to break.

Donohue’s evidence may show that there is a tendency for abusive priests to target boys, but the problem for him is that evidence is easily explained by the culture within the Catholic Church.

About the only thing that Donohue does say that is correct is that the majority of the cases in the Catholic Church are not, technically, pedophilia.

Rather they are pederasty or ebophilia.

That is, the targeting of children after puberty, but that is about the only thing that he says which is not based on stereotypes or baseless “research.”

SIC: LezGet

Priest's 32-county charity cycle

An English priest is in the process of cycling through all 32 counties of Ireland to raise money for charity.

Fr. Gerard Byrne (pictured), who is parish priest of two parishes in Corby in Northamptonshire, is spending his annual holidays in the saddle to help Bóthar.

He started his round-Ireland itinerary in Wicklow and has been cycling in an anti- clockwise around the country to finish in Dublin, in the process clocking up 1,750 kilometres.

After being introduced to the charity’s work by a friend in Newry, Fr Byrne said he thought it was “obvious that they do great work.”

“I contacted them with a view to raising sponsorship to help that work through my cycle ride around the 32 county towns.”

Over the past few years, Fr. Byrne has taken his love of cycling to many locations in Britain and the continent raising funds along the way for various causes that he admires and in 2008, completed a coast of Ireland cycle trip.

“My parents came from Dundalk and moved to England in the 1950s and I grew up in Bedfordshire and spent our summer holidays from school with relatives in Dundalk and Waterford,” he recalled.

Pat McCarrick of Bóthar thanked Fr Byrne for his support and said his feat was “a novel challenge.”

“Bóthar is so grateful for the opportunity to raise much needed funds from the event,” he remarked.

Bóthar was founded in 1991 and uses livestock in its Development Aid Projects, working with poor families and communities in developing countries to help alleviate hunger and poverty.

The organisation donates animals to families in developing countries to help them improve their income and is now working in 35 countries.

SIC: CIN

Lutherans seek justice and environmental sustainability

The highest legislative body of the Lutheran World Federation closed its eight-day meeting on Tuesday with a message to the 145 church bodies in 79 countries that make up the global Lutheran communion.

Based on the theme of the LWF 11th Assembly, “Give Us Today Our Daily Bread,” the petition reminds Christians that they should give thanks to God, give the Gospel message to others, give their knowledge and material goods to those in need, and care for the environment so that future generations “may enjoy the fruits of creation and lead wholesome lives”.

“True humanity,” the message states, is found in receiving and giving.

And the issues of today include concern for the world’s food supply, climate change, the plight of indigenous people, and the effects of HIV/AIDS, asserts the LWF message.

“The message from this Assembly, which grew out of the petition, ‘Give Us Today Our Daily Bread,’ is that we are not asking for bread alone,” LWF’s outgoing president, Bishop Mark S Hanson, explained Tuesday at the closing press conference of the 11th Assembly.

“[W]e are praying for everything that people need to sustain life each day,” said Hanson.

Since last Tuesday, LWF’s highest decision-making body, which normally convenes every six years, gathered with the alleviation of hunger as its focus. As discussions progressed, delegates started to speak of “daily bread” in terms of food, environment, illegitimate debt, climate change and gender justice.

Hanson, who completed his term as LWF President at the close of the 11th Assembly, summed up the assembly's conclusion in saying, “To have all that we collectively need does not mean only having food in our stomachs but also that there will be justice for all people and sustainability of our environment.”

Before the conclusion of their meeting, the 11th Assembly passed a number of related resolutions, including ones denouncing human trafficking, committing LWF members to people’s right to food, urging inclusion of socially disadvantaged groups, committing LWF members to actions to protect the globe, and urging global reduction in military spending, among others.

The 11th Assembly also adopted resolutions detailing “principles of inclusive representation” and urging member churches to re-commit to “genuine, practical and effective implementation” of LWF policies and decision regarding the full participation of women in the life of the church – and of the LWF communion – as well as in society.

“We anticipate a time when we no longer need to speak about such issues each day,” the assembly's message states.

With over 70 million members, LWF is the world's largest communion of Lutheran churches, spanning across some 79 countries.

Assembly participants this past week reportedly include 418 delegates from the 138 full LWF member churches around the world.

Others attending are representatives from associate member churches, observers from recognized congregations and councils, advisers from LWF national committees and related agencies, interpreters and translators, and ecumenical guests and visitors, among others.

SIC: CT

Judge rules against Christian banned from Eastern Michigan counseling program

Attorneys of the Alliance Defence Fund (ADF) are preparing to appeal a federal judge's decision that a Christian student's beliefs about homosexuality were an acceptable grounds for her dismissal from a graduate program in counseling at Eastern Michigan University.

Julea Ward enrolled in the university's counseling practicum course in January 2009, and was assigned to a client who sought assistance with a homosexual relationship.

Ward considered herself unable to assist the client under the circumstances, due to her own moral and religious beliefs, and was advised by her supervisor to reassign the client.

Eastern Michigan University, however, responded to the situation by initiating disciplinary procedures against Ward, involving a “remediation” program.

According to ADF, the “remediation” amounted to an ultimatum: Ward would either “see the error of her ways” and change her beliefs about sexual morality in order to encourage her clients in same-sex relationships, or be dismissed from the counseling program.

The university argued that she broke both school policy and the American Counseling Association code of ethics.

But Ward maintained that faculty members questioned her in an “inappropriate and intrusive” manner regarding her Christian faith before formally expelling her from the program.

She appealed to the dean of EMU's College of Education, who upheld the decision.

In April 2009, with the assistance of ADF, she brought a lawsuit against the university.

In March of this year, a district court in Michigan ruled that those professors responsible for Ward's expulsion could be held liable for discriminatory actions against her.

This week, however, the court issued a summary judgment in favor of the EMU professors.

ADF maintains that the university's policy is both personally discriminatory and legally unconstitutional.

The professors' real aim, they say, was “to make all students conform to the views promoted within their schools” on “some of the most important and controversial social and moral issues of our day.”

David French, senior counsel for the ADF's regional center in Tennessee and an attorney for Julea Ward, said that the academic freedom and constitutional rights of his client and others were at risk in the wake of Monday's decision.

“Christian students,” he said, “shouldn't be expelled for holding to and abiding by their beliefs.”

French also stressed the unprecedented nature of the court's summary judgment. “To reach its decision, the court had to do something that's never been done in federal court: uphold an extremely broad and vague university speech code.”

Additionally, he pointed out that Ms. Ward had not personally refused the client her assistance, but merely followed the advice of her supervisor as to how her dilemma should be resolved.

Declaring his intention to move forward with an appeal, Mr. French expressed his confidence on Tuesday that his client would be vindicated.

“We trust,” he said, that “the Sixth Circuit will understand the constitutional issues involved in this case.”

SIC: CNA

Citing new memo, Senators urge HHS to restrict abortion funding in high-risk pools

Responding to a new report that the 2010 health care law lacks restrictions that prohibit states from using federal funding to pay for abortions in the new high risk insurance pools, 13 Republican senators have written to the head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to urge regulatory action.

“We request your immediate assistance to ensure that federal dollars will not be used to pay for elective abortions,” the Senators’ July 28 letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius read.

They asked Sebelius to identify specific actions to be taken and to set a timeline for them by July 30.

The letter cited a July 23 memo from the Library of Congress’ Congressional Research Service (CRS). The Senators said abortion funding restrictions in the health care legislation and in President Barack Obama’s executive order “fail to address high risk pools and the $5 billion in funding provided for their operation.”

CNA spoke with Janine D’Addario of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) who confirmed the authenticity of the memo, pointing to the Senate Health Committee's website for the “authoritative version.”

According to the CRS memo, the executive order does not “specifically” address the question of high-risk pools but directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the HHS Secretary to develop guidelines segregating federal funds from abortion funds.

Additionally, the CRS memo said that the HHS request for state proposals and the HHS model contracts “neither explicitly provide the authority to cover elective abortions with federal funds, nor do they specifically prohibit the use of federal funds.”

The senators’ letter noted that, according to the memo, current HHS restrictions on federal funds for elective abortion “would also not appear to apply to the funds appropriated” for the high-risk pools.

At the same time, the Congressional Research memo also noted the July 14 HHS press release which stated that abortions will not be covered, except under the conditions cited by the Hyde Amendment. The memo added that the press release is “not a formal policy issuance” but said it was “reasonable” to conclude that the HHS intends to issue regulations formalizing its stated policy.

The senators said they were “pleased” to see the recent HHS statements on abortion funding restrictions, but added that these statements do not have the force of law and will not prohibit the use of funds for elective abortions.

“We urge you to act immediately to prohibit all states operating (high-risk pools) from covering elective abortions,” the senators’ letter read. “Absent such contractual requirements, it will be necessary for Congress to modify the current law to include restrictions to prevent federal dollars from being used to provide such coverage.”

Signatories to the letter included Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

SIC: CNA

US Catholic bishops applaud judge’s immigration decision

The chairman of the U.S. Bishops Committee on Migration, Bishop John C. Wester joined the Catholic bishops of Arizona in lauding the recent decision of a federal judge to block parts of Arizona’s new law on immigration from going into effect.

On June 28, United States District Court Judge Susan Bolton stayed sections of Arizona’s SB 1070, a law designed to crack down on illegal immigration.

Judge Bolton prevented law enforcement officers without warrants from arresting those suspected of being illegal immigrants. Her order also removed the mandate that immigrants carry their papers at all times and the requirement that law enforcement verify an immigrant’s status while enforcing other laws.

"It is the right decision,” Bishop Wester said of Bolton’s actions, adding that any law which gives legal grounds for profiling a person affects the entire community.

Saying that the current status quo on immigration is “unacceptable,” the bishop declared that “what is needed now is for Congress and the Administration to live up to their responsibilities and address this issue by passing immigration reform."

The USCCB has long advocated for immigration reform, and believes that a comprehensive reform should include a program for migrant workers and their families to earn legal permanent residency and eventual citizenship, a new worker visa program that protects the rights of American and foreign workers, a reform of the family-based immigration system and restoring due process protections for immigrants.

SIC: CNA

Chilean cathedral reopens five months after earthquake

The cathedral in Concepcion, Chile has been reopened to the faithful, five months after a devastating earthquake left it severely damaged.

Reconstruction efforts, however, are far from complete and the bishop has called for assistance, especially from the local community.

According to the archbishop's office, Archbishop of Concepcion, Ricardo Ezzati, celebrated a Mass to give thanks for the inauguration of the cathedral after repair work had reached a point where the church could once again be used.

In his homily for the occasion, he called the faithful to be active in working to make the cathedral even more beautiful than it was before.

"We truly hope that, from the sons and daughters of the Church in Concepcion, a commitment will emerge so that the cathedral might recover its the architectural beauty and also the beauty it represents," said Archbishop Ezzati.

He noted that much of the work carried out to date, like clearing the central nave of rubble, has been done with the support of benefactors from the Chilean capital of Santiago. Only 40 percent of the nearly $1 million pricetag for reconstruction is covered by insurance.

Archbishop Ezzati expected a local commission to begin a campaign soon to raise the necessary funds to finance the cathedral's full reconstruction.

Praying that the work would be done, "God willing, in time for Christmas," he acknowledged that with the seriousness of the damage to the structure and the need for a new roof, it may not be so. Archbishop Ezzati urged the local faithful to roll up their sleeves and not to expect everything to come from Santiago.

The Feb. 27 earthquake, which measured 8.8 the Richter scale and killed 521 people, is classified as among the top 10 strongest on record, according to the Chilean Ministry of the Interior.

SIC: CNA

Pope Benedict to see film reflecting on his pontificate

A film called "Five Years: Pope Benedict XVI" will be screened at Castel Gandolfo on Thursday evening in the presence of the Holy Father.

The Holy See announced the event, thus providing a brief glimpse of the Pope's activities during his vacation time.

Besides the weekly Angelus every Sunday at noon, the only other time the Pope has been seen in the media since the general audience on July 7 was through a video released last week in which he was seen writing, praying the Rosary and feeding goldfish in a garden pool.

According to the Vatican statement announcing the movie, the film focuses on the "impressions in Rome and on trips," showing important moments from Benedict's pontificate, beginning with his election in April 2005 to today.

The film was created by German public broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk and written and directed by Michael Mandlik, who won a Bavarian TV award for his coverage of Rome and the Vatican during the Jubilee Year in 2000.

It will be shown in the Swiss Hall of the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo at 5:30 p.m., according to the Vatican.

Bayerischer Rundfunk also made a film in 2006 titled "Willkommen Benedikt - Der Papst und Marktl am Inn" (Welcome Benedict-- The Pope and Marktl am Inn), which welcomed the Pope to his position and examined his origins.

The Pope plans to be in the Vatican again on the evening of Aug. 3 to meet with a group of 53,000 European altar servers on pilgrimage and will host the general audience the following day.

SIC: CNA

Former predator priest Campobello released from prison

Former Geneva priest Mark Campobello, who was convicted of molesting two girls, was released from prison Wednesday after serving about 16 months on a parole violation.

State officials said Campobello was released from Logan Correctional Center in Lincoln and put on a train to Chicago. He must list his new address on the Illinois Sex Offender registry within three days.

Campobello, 45, pleaded guilty in 2004 to molesting two girls, ages 14 and 15, at St. Peter Catholic Church in Geneva and Aurora Central Catholic High School in 1999 and 2000, respectively.

After serving about 3½ years in prison, he was released in 2008, only to return two months later - and again in April 2009 - on separate parole violations, according to public records.

On Wednesday, David Clohessy, executive director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the group is "very worried" about Campobello's return to the streets.

"He's a young, smart, charismatic man going back to essentially the same area, where hundreds of families once revered him, and likely some still do," he said. "There are almost always dozens of parents who, even after a conviction or guilty plea, still believe it was all a mistake - and will still trust their kids around this man. That scares us."

The Vatican expelled Campobello during his initial prison term, and later paid more than $2 million to settle a lawsuit that held church leaders responsible for his actions.

In 2008, Campobello was sent back to prison for making three unauthorized stops on a trip away from home in violation of his parole. He returned again in 2009 because he no longer had a permanent residence in Crystal Lake.

With the latest release, Clohessy urged others who may have been molested by Campobello to come forward and prosecute him.

"If every person who had information about Campobello's crimes would call 911, he would likely face more charges and prison time," Clohessy said. "Kids would be safer as a result."

SIC: CDH

Vatican prefect encourages Chinese clergy in commitment to unity

Catholic clergy of mainland China were encouraged in their work towards communion with Rome and greater unity in their communities this month.

In a letter from the head of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, they were urged to "continue without fear on the path of holiness, unity and communion."

The congregation's prefect, Cardinal Ivan Dias, sent the letter to Chinese Catholic bishops and priests on July 5.

The secretary of the department, Archbishop Robert Sarah, also signed the message, which was published by the congregation's news agency Fides on Thursday.

The cardinal prefect encouraged Chinese clergy in their duties "as shepherds of the flock," reminding them of Jesus' call for priests to be "not servants, but friends."

As an "alter Christus" on Earth, he explained, each has the task of being a "Man of God," distinguishing himself "as a man of prayer and an austere style of life, profoundly in love with Christ and … proud to proclaim His presence amongst us, especially in the Most Holy Eucharist."

In his duty as a "Man for others," he wrote, the priest must also be "entirely dedicated to the faithful ... entrusted to his pastoral care and to all those with whom the Lord Jesus chose to identify himself or those towards whom He showed special kindness … "

Working as an "operator of unity within the Church," the priest or bishop needs to be in communion with the Pope and united to the members of the Church, continued the cardinal.

Reminded of the suffering of some within the Church for being loyal to Rome, Cardinal Dias noted that Chinese Catholics' "exemplary and courageous loyalty towards the See of Peter ... is a precious gift of the Lord."

Encouraging the promotion of unity within the Christian community to strengthen the Church in the country, he called for them to "enter, in spirit, the Upper Room" where Jesus asked the disciples to join together to show a credible witness to the world.

"The unity of the Church is rooted in her union with Christ and the cause of full Christian unity that must ever be sought and renewed, from generation to generation it is also sustained by his prayer and his promise," he wrote, quoting Benedict XVI's homily from this year's Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Cardinal Dias closed the letter by praising God for the efforts of the Chinese Church towards unity, and communicating the Pope's blessing and wishes that they "continue without fear on the path of holiness, unity and communion."

SIC: CNA

New Academy for Life head blasts Spanish president for abortion law

The new Spanish law which could make abortions a "right" for young girls was deemed senseless by the new head of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

The man leading the government that passed the law, President Zapatero, is "incapable of understanding what a right is," he said.

In an interview with Il Consultente Re, an Italian Catholic monthly, the new Pontifical Academy for Life president Msgr. Ignacio Carrasco addressed the legislation recently passed in Spain under the administration of President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

The law, allowing girls 16 years-old and above to abort their children up to the 14th week without obtaining parental permission, was passed by the Zapatero government on July 5 of this year.

Msgr. Carrasco called the law "senseless, absolutely senseless" and added that "it corresponds to Zapatero's mentality.

"He has a fixed idea, the question of rights," the monsignor asserted. "Everything presented to him as a right, he promotes; but he's uncapable of understanding what a right is."

The head of the Academy for Life noted that the law has not yet been enacted, despite the Spanish government's vote to pass it into law. The law is now being examined as to its constitutionality by the Spanish Constitutional Court.

"The point," said Msgr. Carrasco, "is that the new law understands abortion as a right: if it is, a woman can decide to do what she wants, without consulting or explaining her choice to anyone.

"The new law, I repeat, is an expression of the incapacity to understand what a right is. The problem is serious, not only in Spain."

He explained that this decision illustrates an increasing tendency to "subtlely introduce the doctrine of absolute individual rights in the doctor-patient relationship: the doctor with his ethics and directions begins to give way to the judge ... "

It's a development, he said, that "for me is very unnerving, as it would also mean the twisting of medicine."

SIC: CNA

Canadian Anglicans to apply for incorporation as Catholic ordinariate

Traditionalist Anglicans in Canada have voted overwhelmingly in favor of union with the Roman Catholic Church.

The Anglican Catholic Church of Canada (ACCC), meeting for a provincial synod in Surrey, British Columbia, voiced strong support for union with the Holy See, under the terms of the apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus.

The Anglican delegates authorized their provincial, Bishop Peter Wilkinson, to seek canonical approval for an Anglican-Catholic ordinariate, and voted that Bishop Wilkinson should be the first bishop of that ordinariate.

The ACCC claims the allegiance of two dozens Anglican parishes.

SIC: CC

Blast at Ukraine Orthodox church kills woman of 80

An 80-year-old woman has died after an explosion at an Orthodox Christian church in southern Ukraine which injured at least eight other people, officials say.

The blast in the city of Zaporizhzhya is believed to have been caused by a homemade explosive device. It is not clear who is behind the explosion.

It came towards the end of a visit to Ukraine by the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill I which has attracted protests by right-wing nationalists.

Wednesday saw Orthodox church celebrations in the region of the anniversary of the adoption of Christianity in 988 AD.

As well as heading the Russian Orthodox church, Patriarch Kirill also leads the largest branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox church. However some clergy in Ukraine have declared themselves to be independent of Moscow.

'Parcel bomb'

Local media said the woman who died was a nun from the Holy Protection of the Virgin church - which belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

A spokesman for the regional interior ministry, Olexandre Volkodav, said a team of investigators was at the scene.

Emergency official Yulia Barysheva told Associated Press news agency that the device detonated near the entrance of the church.

Other officials were quoted by Ukrainian media as saying the device was a parcel bomb and was equivalent to 500g of TNT.

SIC: BBC

Benedict XVI to Visit Leo XIII's Birthplace

Benedict XVI is planning to visit Carpineto Romano, the birthplace of Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci, who became Pope Leo XIII.

L'Osservatore Romano reported today that the Pope will make the visit on Sept. 5 to mark the bicentenary of his predecessor's birth.

The Pontiff will arrive by helicopter at 8:45 a.m. from Castel Gandolfo, where he is spending the summer.

The Holy Father will be received by Bishop Lorenzo Loppa of Anagni-Alatri, the mayor and other authorities after he lands in the local Galeotti stadium.

Benedict XVI will then celebrate Mass in Monti Lepini Square, in the center of Carpineto Romano.

He will greet some 30 persons representing the local citizens, and then return by helicopter for lunch at Castel Gandolfo.

It will be the third visit of a contemporary Pope to this small Italian town of less than 5,000 inhabitants.

The first was Paul VI, who made the trip on Sept. 11, 1966, at the conclusion of the 75th anniversary of the publication of the encyclical "Rerum Novarum," which was authored by Leo XIII.

Later, on Sept. 1, 1991, John Paul II also visited Carpineto Romano to commemorate the centenary of the publication of that encyclical. He also celebrated Mass in the Monti Lepini Square.

Contributions

Vincenzo Pecci was born in Carpineto Romano (at that time part of the Papal States), to a family of counts.

He was ordained a priest in 1837. In 1843, he was ordained an archbishop and sent as nuncio to Belgium. Subsequently Archbishop Pecci was named bishop of Perusa and later a cardinal.

He was elected Pope after Pius IX, in 1878.

Not only is he known for the first great Christian social encyclical, "Rerum Novarum," which has significantly marked the teaching of subsequent Popes, but he also contributed to an important opening to the scientific world and a difficult endeavor of diplomatic mediation in conflicts between countries.

Leo XIII founded centers of theological and Scriptural study, and opened the Vatican Archives to Catholic and non-Catholic researchers.

He was the first Pontiff to be recorded with a film projector, as well as the first promoter of ecumenical dialogue.

Leo XIII also became the oldest Pope, reigning until age 93, when he died July 20, 1903.

Legacy

During his visit to Carpineto Romano, Paul VI explained that "two things characterized the 25 years of Leo XIII's pontificate: the first was the vigorous affirmation of personal piety, which completes liturgical worship; the other is Christian social doctrine."

The Pontiff continued, "The devotion to the Sacred Heart, recitation of the Holy Rosary, and devotion to St. Joseph are directly linked to the work and teaching of Leo XIII."

But above all, he said, what characterized the Pontiff from Carpineto Romano was the rejuvenation he gave to a Church "despoiled of her temporal supports, diminished in her prestige."

"Isolated from the world, in a climate of rupture and estrangement, of inflamed controversies, of anti-clericalism," Leo XIII gave the world "the great encyclicals on the everlasting values of liberty, of democracy and above all of the social issue," Paul VI affirmed.

He added, "The defense of the humble and the poor had never found until then such an authoritative voice."

John Paul II said, 25 years later, that "in a historical period characterized by profound cultural transformations and social tensions, sparked by the new relationship between capital and labor, Leo XIII wished to give, in such an important field, a clear formulation of the thought of the Church."

The Pontiff continued: "He did so with courage, almost defying not only the secular world, but the very conscience of the Catholic world. And with his prophetic intervention he fostered the consolidation of Christian social doctrine."

SIC: Zenit