Report: rising number of people being displaced because of religion

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From CNS: The displacement of people around the globe because of their religious beliefs in 2013 rose to levels unseen in years, the State Department reported. Millions of Christians, Muslim and Hindus as well as people of other faiths were displaced by violence or threats because of their religious practice or for not holding any religious belief, said the 2013 Report on International Religious Freedom released July 28. It cited the civil war in Syria and sectarian violence between Christians... Read more

Turkey’s prime minister: women should not laugh out loud

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: Women should not laugh out loud in public or speak of trivial matters on the phone, according to Turkish deputy prime minister, Bulent Arınc. Mr Arınc urged men and women to remember the importance of chastity during an Eid al-Fitr meeting on Monday in Bursa, west Turkey, and to have an acute awareness of shame. He attacked television programmes aimed at young people which encouraged them to become “sex addicts” to an audience which included a majority of men.... Read more

“The Vatican’s media machine is broken”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

That’s the assessment of Fr. Raymond de Souza: Whether it was the imbroglio over the Society of St Pius X and the Holocaust-denying Bishop Williamson, or the Argentine woman whom Pope Francis (allegedly) told to ignore her parish priest’s advice about not receiving Holy Communion while living in an invalid union, it is the international headlines that cause confusion and consternation that are widely considered the problems that need to be solved. The budget of Vatican Radio is irrelevant to that.... Read more

From the president: “Eid is a time of joy…this season enriches the life of our great country”

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

“Eid is a time of joy, after a season of fasting and prayer and reflection. Each year, the end of Ramadan means celebration and thanksgiving for millions of Americans. And your joy during this season enriches the life of our great country… it’s a good time for people of these great faiths, Islam, Judaism and Christianity, to remember how much we have in common: devotion to family, a commitment to care for those in need, a belief in God and His... Read more

He’s back: Albert Cutié, five years later

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Five years after he left the Catholic Church under a cloud of scandal, the Father talks about fatherhood. From Huffington Post: “Oprah: Where Are They Now?” recently caught up with Cutié to see what has happened in the years following his marriage. The priest has since taken on another new role: dad. “This is Albert, he’s 2 years old. And Camilla’s about 3-and-a-half now. And Christian is 19, going on 20. Even though he’s not my biological son, he’s my son in... Read more

Law firm completes investigation into Archbishop Nienstedt, submits report

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From The Minneapolis Star-Tribune: A Minneapolis law firm hired by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct with adults by Archbishop John Nienstedt has completed its work and submitted a report to church officials. Attorney Matthew Forsgren of the firm Greene Espel declined to discuss the findings and referred questions to the archdiocese. The archdiocese commissioned the investigation earlier this summer in an effort to address accusations received by the chancery as Nienstedt fended off mounting criticism over... Read more

On preaching: let the message be God’s, not yours

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Last weekend, I gave a talk to deacons in Cincinnati about the “7 Habits of Highly Successful Preachers,” and I’m happy to see two of them spotlighted here: prayer and preparation. From The Catholic Register: “I really am encouraging priests, deacons, liturgical preachers to take time,” said Fr. Joseph Mele, author ofThe Sacred Conversation: The Art of Catholic Preaching and the New Evangelization. “What I always try to have my students do in preparing the homily is to first of all... Read more

France offers asylum to Iraqi Christians

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Details: France said Monday it was ready to help facilitate asylum for Christians in Iraq displaced by a jihadi onslaught, saying it was “outraged” by their persecution. “We are ready, if they so desire, to help facilitate asylum on our territory,” Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in a joint statement. Thousands of Christians and other minorities have fled the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and other areas after Islamic State militants led a sweep across Iraq’s north... Read more

Lebanese TV anchor wears “N” to show solidarity with Iraqi Christians

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

Impressive: A Lebanese TV channel is using the Arabic letter N in its logo, in what appears to be a show of solidarity with Christians in Iraq. Dima Sadeq, one of the main anchors on the channel LBCI, has appeared on screen wearing a T-shirt with the letter N – pronounced Noon in Arabic. “From Mosul to Beirut, we are all Noon,” Sadeq said just before a recent edition of LBCI’s nightly news bulletin, The Daily Star newspaper reports. N appears... Read more

Abortion advocates beginning to shun “pro-choice” label

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:53 pm By Deacon Greg Kandra

From The New York Times: For all the talk about women’s issues in this year’s midterm election campaigns, something is missing. One of the most enduring labels of modern politics — pro-choice — has fallen from favor, a victim of changed times and generational preferences. That shift might seem surprising in this political season, when there has been a renewed focus on reproductive issues like access to abortion and birth control. Yet advocates say that the term pro-choice, which has... Read more