Thursday, October 13, 2005
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Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Earthworms, Cat Receive Church Blessing
Washington Post - United States
... earthworms and his cat, Arthur, were among about 20 animals taking part in the annual Blessing of Animals ceremony at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Fargo. ...
Residents join world debate about changes for church
Detroit Free Press - United States
From Detroit to Rome, a vigorous debate is bubbling up for the first time at the highest levels of the Catholic Church about the need to solve a worldwide ...
The Bunker Mentality: "The Babe" and the Catholic Church
CounterBias.com - USA
... The (Protestant) Christian Right and the Catholic Church are always harping about "moral relativism," yet they fervently practice it as they preach ...
Levy praises Catholic Church for working with govt.
Zana - Lusaka,Zambia
Kasama, Oct 10, ZANA - President Levy Mwanawasa has commended the Catholic Church for partnering with government in many aspects of development. ...
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Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Church leaders warn of damage to relationships and family life
Sydney Morning Herald (subscription) - Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
... Sydney's Anglican Archbishop, Dr Peter Jensen, the Catholic Church's key advisory body on industrial relations and the Uniting Church warned yesterday the ...
Suffolk church is vandalized, then set ablaze
Virginian Pilot - Norfolk,VA,USA
... On Sunday morning, the city's only Catholic church, with a membership of about 300 families, met at a nearby funeral home. "This ...
$11,000 stolen from Naples church
WBBH - Ft. Myers,FL,USA
The money was stolen right out of the priest's car. Ed Krzeminski began attending Saint William's Catholic Church more than twenty-years ago. ...
Catholic group convenes to change the church
San Francisco Chronicle - United States
... who gathered inside St. Matthew's Catholic Church gym in San Mateo on Sunday didn't look intimidating. But theologian Sally Vance ...
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Monday, October 10, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Church targets gays in seminaries
Miami Herald - FL,USA
The Christian faith is epiphany and inclusion. But the Catholic Church now is imposing categories of priestly vocations. Vatican ...
Suffolk church lost building to fire, but not faith
WVEC.com (subscription) - Norfolk,VA,USA
By SULA KIM / 13News. Just last week parishioners of St. Mary's Catholic Church lost a part of their church to a fire, but they have not lost their faith. ...
Chavez cites Catholic Church encyclicals to defend war on landed ...
VHeadline.com - Worth,IL,USA
... Executive Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel also used Catholic church documents yesterday during a march in Caracas against landed estates, stating that ...
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Sunday, October 09, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Catholic Church lays out political agenda
Evansville Courier & Press (subscription) - Evansville,IN,USA
... The students' anger was a measure of how the Roman Catholic Church has regained its role as a powerful force in Italy's political debate, weighing in on hot ...
Church blesses animals in annual celebration
WCAX - Burlington,VT,USA
Father Eric Harer, pastor of Saint Paul's Roman Catholic Church where the blessing was held, says the unique celebration is in remembrance of Saint Francis of ...
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Saturday, October 08, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Catholic Church to open its doors to gay priests
CBC News - Canada
... In a similar report Friday, the National Catholic Reporter said seminary ... holds that homosexual acts are "intrinsically disordered." The Church, however, says ...
Some bishops say church must reconsider role for married priests
Catholic News Service - USA
... The Maronite church, an Eastern Catholic church, allows married priests, and he said half of their diocesan priests were married. ...
South Korea Catholic Church offers $10 Million for Adult Stem Cell ...
ProLife Blogs - USA
The Catholic Church in South Korea announced that it would fund adult stem cell research with its own funds. The Archdiocese of ...
Heroes & villains: Roman Catholic Church and Cllr Maclean
Scotsman - United Kingdom
For rather a long time the Roman Catholic Church was, shall we say, a little dogmatic. But now they're going all wishy-washy and Church of England on us. ...
Group Calls On Catholic Church To Help Abuse Victims
Omaha Channel.com - Omaha,NE,USA
OMAHA, Neb. -- A national victims' advocacy group is calling for greater awareness of sex abuse within the ranks of the Catholic Church, and it called Thursday ...
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Friday, October 07, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Catholic Church Funds Adult Stem Cell Research
Chosun Ilbo - Seoul,South Korea
The Catholic Church in Korea has decided to donate money for adult stem cell research. The move comes amid strong Vatican opposition ...
Ex-Lynn church site rebuilt as housing, community center
Boston Globe - United States
By Kathy McCabe, Globe Staff | October 6, 2005. LYNN -- Once a proud French-Canadian Catholic church, the former St. Jean Baptiste ...
Mexican Church Gets Donations From Dealers
Herald News Daily - Williston,ND,USA
... For more than 300 years after the Spanish conquest of 1521, the Catholic Church was at the heart of Mexican power socially, politically and economically. ...
Former Navy officer to head Salem church
Salem News - MA, USA
... pastor at St. Thomas the Apostle, a Catholic church in Salem that has been on a roller-coaster ride for the past year. The Rev. ...
Immaculate Conception Church to be torn down
Eyewitness News - East Providence,RI,USA
Church officials say it is too expensive to repair and refurbish the 78-year-old Roman Catholic church. The demolition will get under way early next year. ...
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Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Meeting of bishops ends with Catholic Church staying firm
Taipei Times - Taiwan
A senior cardinal reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's celibacy rule for priests, which some reform groups have suggested should be relaxed as a way to ...
Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible
Times Online - UK
THE hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church has published a teaching document instructing the faithful that some parts of the Bible are not actually true. ...
Records suggest church knew of sex allegations against priest
Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription) - MN,USA
... He graduated from the St. Paul seminary in 2000, was ordained and went to work as an associate pastor at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Hudson. ...
Spotlight on darker side of the Catholic Church
IrishExaminer.com - Ireland
EVERY Wednesday I look forward to reading Rónán Mullen's latest attempt at justifying the Catholic Church. I often wonder if ...
Catholic Church allowing Montessori school to stay in Lebanon ...
Foster's Daily Democrat - Dover,NH,USA
LEBANON, NH (AP) -- The fight between a private school and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester is over, and the school will stay in a church building. ...
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Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Catholic church letter sews confusion about bankruptcy
Katu.com - Portland,OR,USA
... is the deadline for many people to decide if they want to opt out of the priest sex abuse case settlement pending against the Catholic Church's Portland chapter ...
Italy: The Church Re-enters Politics, Dividing the Left
ZNet - Woods Hole,MA,USA
... For four decades after the end of WWII, the Catholic Church wielded power in Italy through the Christian Democrats, so thorougly discredited by corruption ...
Baghdad church is bittersweet sanctuary
Oxford Press - Oxford,OH,USA
... Inside the small, simple Chaldean Catholic church, wooden pews offer serenity to anyone who wants to come in and say a prayer. Beyond ...
Déjà vu politics and the Mexican Catholic Church
Mexidata.info - San Diego,CA,USA
... This with clerics of Mexico's Roman Catholic Church once again becoming politically active, albeit hush-hush, in ways reminiscent to the involvement of ...
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Sunday, October 02, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Church mentors to stop abortion
The Age (subscription) - Melbourne,Victoria,Australia
THE Catholic Church is intensifying its opposition to abortion and the morning-after pill by encouraging believers to become mentors for women who are ...
Bishops gather to discuss problems facing church
Globe and Mail - Canada
... will gather at the Vatican this weekend to begin three weeks of discussions with Pope Benedict XVI on the problems facing the Roman Catholic Church at the ...
Relics in local church, Cullman monastery intended as inspiration
The Decatur Daily - Decatur,AL,USA
... Pope Pius X ended up at Annunciation of the Lord Catholic Church. ... Catholic churches typically install relics in their church altars. ...
Local Church Briefs
Baxter Bulletin - Baxter,AR,USA
... Peter the Fisherman Catholic Church will meet at noon Tuesday in Room 106 for refreshments and fellowship followed by a meeting. ...
Pastor apologizes to church
St. Petersburg Times - St. Petersburg,FL,USA
... DUNEDIN - The pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church has apologized to his parishioners for hiring a man accused of making a lewd proposition to a ...
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Saturday, October 01, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Critics say gay ban creates more church secrecy
Washington Blade - Washington,DC,USA
... from the Midwest told the Blade, who asked not to be identified. Women are not allowed to become priests in the Catholic Church. ...
Fight over church assets snags Oregon parishes
The Olympian - Olympia,WA,USA
... Peter Catholic Church for 40 years. ... Jude Catholic Church in south Eugene who attended an informational session this week on the issue. ...
To keep kids safe, church hiring process must change
St. Petersburg Times - St. Petersburg,FL,USA
I am a parishioner of 27 years at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Dunedin and a parent of the school for seven years. My ...
Opus Dei: secrets and power inside the Catholic Church
The Tablet (subcription) - London,England,UK
... in a chapter analysing the picture in the United States, he puts its assets at $344 million, compared with an annual revenue for the Catholic Church in the ...
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Friday, September 30, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Church gunman robs priest
Manchester Evening News - Manchester,England,UK
Father Brian Newns, 69, was confronted at St Oswald's Roman Catholic Church, in Ashton-in-Makerfield. Two men armed with a gun robbed ...
Catholic Church marks 40 years in relations with non-Christians
Sacramento Bee - CA, USA
ROME (AP) - The Roman Catholic Church began commemorations Sunday to mark the 40th anniversary of a landmark Vatican document on relations with non-Christians ...
China and the Church
Washington Examiner - Washington,DC,USA
... in that the pope recognized 28 priests who are members of the "Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association," the state-sponsored Catholic Church of China, which ...
Fight over church's assets jabs parishes
The Register-Guard - Eugene,Oregon,USA
... Kunkle, a self-described "cradle Catholic," has attended St. Peter Catholic Church in west Eugene for 40 years. ... Jude Catholic Church in south Eugene. ...
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Thursday, September 29, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Church is easily misled, despite the evidence
St. Petersburg Times - St. Petersburg,FL,USA
Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Dunedin apparently thought it was important to do background checks on people who applied for jobs at the church. ...
Catholic Church to Proclaim Mary as God. News Alert for Christian ...
I-Newswire.com (press release) - USA
The Holy Catholic Church will soon declare Mary's Divinity as Dogma of Faith. This is in line with the message of Our Lady of ...
Several Priests Celebrate Years of Service to Catholic Church
WISE 33 - Fort Wayne,IN,USA
... want to honor today.". Monsignor William Lester was ordained in 1945, and has seen the Catholic Church evolve. He says the changes ...
Catholic Church Trying To Increase Clergy
KDKA - Pittsburg,PA,USA
Pittsburgh (KDKA) The Catholic Church is faced with the ongoing problem of not having enough priests. A group of local parish priests ...
Church order calls for look at seminaries
Silverton Appeal Tribune - Silverton,OR,USA
The Roman Catholic Church has ordered an inspection of the 229 seminaries in the United States and according to a soon-to-be-released Vatican document, it may ...
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Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Catholic Church must be more conciliar, ecumenists say
Catholic News Service - USA
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- If the papacy is to be exercised in a way that serves Christian unity better, the Catholic Church must become more conciliar, with broader ...
Church leader utterly certain guns have gone
Belfast Telegraph - United Kingdom
... The statement from the Protestant and Catholic church leaders was designed to underpin the statement from the International Decommissioning body. ...
Italian Catholic Church doesn't interfere with domestic affair ...
Pravda - Moscow,Russia
Italian bishops on Tuesday rejected accusations that the Roman Catholic Church interferes with the country's domestic affairs, insisting the church should have ...
The Roman Catholic Church of Corruption
Online Journal - Silver Springs,FL,USA
... So the Catholic Church has once again gotten away with crimes against humanity while the depravity and cover-up continue at the highest level. ...
Church leaders express faith school fears
Politics.co.uk - London,UK
The head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, and Church of England bishop Reverend Tom Butler have both ...
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Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Kicanas: Catholic Church needs accountability
FOX11AZ.com (subscription) - Tucson,AZ,USA
"Ma and pa management" in the Roman Catholic Church must end, Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of the Diocese of Tucson writes in the Sept. ...
Italian Catholic Church lays out antigay agenda, sparking protests ...
The Advocate - Los Angeles,CA,USA
... The students' anger was a measure of how the Roman Catholic Church has regained its role as a powerful force in Italy's political debate, weighing in on hot ...
Catholic Church to cut jobs in New Orleans
Times Picayune - New Orleans,LA,USA
In a news release, the Catholic Church's archdiocese said it is trying to determine how to best utilize diminished resources. All ...
Catholic Church Asks for Forgiveness
WPVI - Philadelphia,PA,USA
One Chester County pastor fell to his knees and asked for his parish's forgiveness. Like the others who spoke yesterday, he is accused of nothing. ...
The Church And Gays
TheDay (subscription) - New London,CT,USA
... The best way for the Catholic Church to keep the sexual-abuse scandal from happening again is to involve the laity at every level of Church decision-making and ...
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Monday, September 26, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
The Church's gay dilemma
Times Online - UK
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC Church moves slowly, often too slowly. The Council of Trent, in the mid-16th century, reformed abuses that had ...
Religious group banned from Catholic church
Webindia123 - India
... of years, the 'Love Holy Trinity Blessed Mission' has no official approval as a lay movement or as a religious order in the Catholic Church, Cardinal Francis ...
Roman Catholic Church on the Pastoral care of Homosexual Persons
Virtue Online - West Chester,PA,USA
... Since this debate often advances arguments and makes assertions inconsistent with the teaching of the Catholic Church, it is quite rightly a cause for concern ...
Pastor: I tried to warn church
Allentown Morning Call - Allentown,PA,USA
... Riegler, pastor of St. Isidore's Roman Catholic Church in Milford Township, said archdiocese officials were well aware of the Rev. ...
Church at home under glowing dome
Dallas Morning News (subscription) - TX,USA
The copper dome on the new Chinese Catholic church in far East Plano glows when the sun strikes it just right. The recently affixed ...
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Sunday, September 25, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
The NZ Impact of Church's Gay Ban
Gay NZ - New Zealand
Since the announcement of Pope Benedict XVI's strict ban on gay men training as priests, members of the Catholic Church in New Zealand are afraid that ...
Church Happenings
Louisville Courier-Journal - Louisville,KY,USA
... St. Anthony Catholic Church, 2222 W. Market St., at 4 pm Oct. 2. St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 1960 Bardstown Road, at 7 pm Oct. 3. Mount St. ...
Cardinal bans group from meeting in church facilities
WQAD - Moline,IL,USA
... cardinal said that the group called Love Holy Trinity Blessed Mission has no official approval as a lay movement or religious order within the Catholic Church. ...
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Saturday, September 24, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Catholic Church no longer accepting Gay Priests?
RedState.org - USA
... I was under the impression that the belief of the Catholic Church (as well as many other Christian faiths) was that homosexuality is a choice. ...
Some angry at church, others at DA
Philadelphia Inquirer - Philadelphia,PA,USA
... Some said they were so disgusted that they would never enter a Catholic church again. ... Rita DiPeppe said she no longer needs the Catholic Church. ...
Pope Benedict XVI leads the Catholic Church astray
I-Newswire.com (press release) - USA
Subtly but surely, Pope Benedict XVI leads the Catholic Church astray. On the one hand, he mimics Christ and pretends to proclaim ...
Juvenile Arrested In Connection With Sisseton Church Fire
KELOLAND TV - Sioux Falls,SD,USA
Saint Peter's Catholic Church has been hit by vandals before. In May 2004, someone painted profanity on the doors before first communion services. ...
CHURCH IN ROW OVER 'PURIFIED' DRUG CASH
Star of Mysore - Mysore,India
Mexico: A Mexican bishop sparked a row with the Government on Tuesday after he admitted the Catholic Church accepted alms from drug traffickers and said the ...
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Friday, September 23, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Catholic church employee accused of soliciting sex
St. Petersburg Times - St. Petersburg,FL,USA
... DUNEDIN - A 50-year-old Dunedin man who supervised teens at a local Catholic church has been arrested on charges that he offered one boy $100 to perform a sex ...
Catholic Church speaks on poll
Standard - Nairobi,Kenya
The Catholic Church yesterday spoke against postponing the referendum adding that it had embarked on civic education on the draft constitution. ...
CROATIA: CHURCH OFFICIALS INSULT WAR CRIMES PROSECUTOR
AKI - Rome,Italy
Zagreb, 22 Sept. (AKI) - Croatian Catholic Church dignitaries have launched a bitter verbal attack on Carla del Ponte, chief prosecutor of the International ...
Mexican church in major row over drug money
Ekklesia - UK
A Mexican bishop who has admitted that the Catholic Church in Mexico receives money from drug traffickers has excited a political and religious storm in his ...
Church Fire Inspires Myths, Exposes Realities
WCCO - Minneapolis,MN,USA
... church last month. St. Mark's Catholic Church had nearly completed a major renovation when it was damaged by fire Aug. 24. Wood ...
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Thursday, September 22, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Bishop admits church has received drug money
Guardian Unlimited - UK
A Mexican bishop has admitted that the local Catholic church receives donations from drug traffickers, but claimed these are "purified" through good works. ...
Fire Guts Sisseton Church
KELOLAND TV - Sioux Falls,SD,USA
The Sisseton Fire Department arrived at Saint Peter's Catholic Church around one this morning and fought the flames until eight. ...
Church rebuilding after lightning strike
LaSalle News Tribune - LaSalle,IL,USA
... St. Valentine's Catholic Church in Peru after Monday's lightning strike, it now appears the steeple will be rebuilt as it was. ...
Spontaneous combustion blamed for Shakopee church fire
In-Forum (subscription) - Fargo,ND,USA
... church. Workers had been storing wood refinishing materials inside St. Mark's Catholic Church while renovating the church. Those ...
Plaintiff: Church's inaction hurt others
Pueblo Chieftain - Pueblo,CO,USA
... Rather, he is asking the church to stand up. "They deny any culpability, but it's time for any part of the Catholic Church - this diocese, the Marianists ...
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Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Syro-Malankara to celebrate reunion with the Catholic church
Malayala Manorama - India
... Syro-Malankara Catholic community of Kerala, will hold a special mass on October 7 to mark the platinum jubilee year of its reunion with the Catholic Church. ...
Church rejects charge of harboring war suspect
International Herald Tribune - France
ROME The Roman Catholic Church in Croatia denied Tuesday that it was sheltering a top war crimes suspect, following an allegation by a UN prosecutor that the ...
Mexico church in row over "purified" drug money
Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK
MEXICO CITY, Sept 20 (Reuters) - A Mexican bishop sparked a row with the government on Tuesday after he admitted the Catholic Church accepted alms from drug ...
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH THROWS DOWN GAUNTLET ON GAY PRIESTS
Virtue Online - West Chester,PA,USA
The Roman Catholic Church which is struggling to extricate itself from priestly pedophile scandals that has cost the church tens of millions of dollars in ...
Catholic Church flexes on unmarried couples
Billings Gazette - MT, USA
... status might be applied to offer some legal protection to unmarried heterosexual couples - offering a rare exception to the Catholic Church's condemnation of ...
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Where's The Church?
Pinoy Kasi : Ichthys
Michael Tan opinion@inquirer.com.ph
Inquirer News Service
I GOT my first copy from a Catholic sister. There was no name, just "Various Reports," a compilation of news and feature articles about the Philippines, produced by the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP).
It actually looked quite dull, page after page of text mimeographed on newsprint, without pictures or photographs. Yet I found myself looking forward to each new issue, packed with all the news that we couldn't find in the daily papers, radio or television.
It was the 1970s and we were under martial law. There was no cable TV then, or Internet, so Marcos' press censorship was fairly effective. Print and broadcast media mainly churned out press releases from government, dull but also infuriating with its fabrication and lying. We had the hallelujah press singing praises to Ferdinand Marcos' New Society, with rosy statistics showing a nation moving forward even as the public coffers were being plundered.
It was also a muzzled press, with a suppression of news that didn't fit into the image of the New Society. Among the news that couldn't quite make it into the papers, radio or television were corruption, "government" (read Marcos') expropriation of private companies, protest rallies, strikes and, of course, torture and salvaging.
Extra-legal
Media people generally toed the line, at least for the first few years of martial law. Looming over their heads was Republic Act 1700, the Anti-Subversion Law, dating back to 1957, prescribing severe penalties for suspected communists. Not satisfied with that law, Marcos issued other decrees penalizing an assortment of "crimes," including rumor-mongering. In 1976, Marcos signed Presidential Decree 885, or the Revised Anti-Subversion Law, which expanded the definitions of subversive activities, including several that could be applied to mass media practitioners.
Despite these anti-subversion laws, there was an active underground press with newspaper names like Ang Bayan and Liberation. The papers were heavy on propaganda, often with fiery rhetoric around the theme of "exposing and opposing the US-Marcos dictatorship" and calling for armed revolt.
"Various Reports" belonged to a different genre, part of what was called an "extra-legal" struggle, neither legal nor illegal. There were a few school papers like Philippine Collegian of the University of the Philippines that tried valiantly to keep people informed and critical but they were always in danger of being closed down.
The AMRSP tried to protect its weekly report, making it clear on the cover that it was intended "For Religious Use." On the inside cover page, an editorial box explained that the articles and reports were intended "for critical analysis and theological reflection of the religious and laymen we serve." That made the newsletter sort of legal, but technically, it could still be considered a subversive document.
Signs of the times
Each issue was about 30 pages long, including several reprinted news articles from banned foreign magazines, as well as dispatches from the Catholic Church's own nationwide network of contacts. To give you an example of what the newsletter carried, the July 3, 1976 issue of Signs of the Times had news on fasting political detainees, military brutality in the province of Bukidnon and an article on the Marcos regime taking over the copra industry. Other issues had articles from prominent theologians, pastoral letters, reflection papers. People knew of Signs and Ichthys, writing the AMRSP about their grievances and appeals for assistance, especially around human rights violations.
The AMRSP newsletter went through several name changes. From "Various Reports" it became Signs of the Times, the name explained in an editorial box: "The various issues regarding our society of today are to be seen in the context of God's ongoing revelation, as signs of the times."
Signs of the Times later became Ichthys, from the Greek "Iesous Christos Theou Huios Soter," or Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior. It also means "fish," a symbol of the early underground Christian Church. A Tagalog edition of Ichthys eventually came out and was called, simply, Isda.
The AMRSP publications weren't political tracts disguised as religious documents. Their approach was simple: Here is the news that you didn't get to read, here are your options as you reflect on the morality of it all. I never found out how many copies were printed but they probably ran into at least a thousand, with a large multiplier effect. There were all kinds of distribution networks and after college, when I worked with the Catholic Church's social action groups, I'd find the newsletter out in the most remote of communities. Remember photocopying wasn't cheap then, so people had to just read and pass on their copies. Perhaps it was as well; without photocopying, people remembered the news in greater detail, and discussed what they read.
Irony
This year's commemoration of martial law reminds me of AMRSP's publications, eliciting a degree of sad nostalgia. In the 1970s, the Catholic bishops were, as today, quite cautious, opting for "critical collaboration" with martial law. But many religious and lay people, especially those working with communities, were quite critical. Many practiced a local version of Latin American liberation theology with its emphasis on reading the signs of the times and responding to issues of justice.
Alas, liberation theology declined, partly because Pope John Paul II cracked the whip on its theologians and seminaries, finding them too far on the left. In fairness, John Paul II did find it appropriate to speak out from time to time against the excesses of right-wing dictatorships such as that of Marcos. The current Pope is said to be much more unwilling to get involved in anything political.
The Anti-Subversion Law was repealed in 1992, so in principle, we have a free press, some even saying it's too free. Yet the never-ending streams of breaking and live news can be deceptive. The Philippines is now the world's most dangerous place for a mass media practitioner, given the number of journalists who have been killed. Meanwhile, the hallelujah press has become more sophisticated, repackaging doctored facts and figures from the government propaganda machine while suppressing the less savory news, from the machinations of the ruling party in Congress to the continuing arrests, disappearances and salvaging of political activists.
The irony is that under martial law, there was more critical moral guidance available from our religious leaders. It was a vibrant Church with AMRSP's weekly newsletter as well as other Catholic and Protestant publications that drew on the lived Christianity of the communities. It was a Church living up to the tradition of Ichthys, followers of Christ, the fisher of men with his vision of a just and moral world.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Waveland Church Built With Faith, Not Just Bricks
WLOX - Biloxi,MS,USA
... Clare Catholic Church in Waveland. On ... strength. Most of all, the parishioners of St. Clare's Catholic church were looking for one another. ...
Church service to signal opening of court sessions
Flint Journal - Flint,MI,USA
... 20 in St. Matthew Catholic Church, 706 Beach St., with judicial officials expected to join area Catholic attorneys and the legal community in the service. ...
Honors Issues Forum highlights Catholic Church
The Sign Post - USA
Father Casimir Bernas of the Abbey of the Holy Trinity in Huntsville came to Weber State University Wednesday to discuss the role of the Catholic Church in the ...
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Catholic Shift
Catholic Church shares blame for poverty
Inquirer News Service
WHY is it that the majority of our people are poor? Why is it that the majority suffers in extreme poverty and destitution despite the fact that we are blessed abundantly with natural resources?
While I agree that the unjust economic and political system is to be blamed for our nation's present condition, I do not deny that religion is partly to blame. Let us try to take a look at the Catholic Church's teaching, specifically on holiness: "Be holy as your Heavenly Father is holy."
Our Church officials seem to consider this teaching as central and paramount. More emphasis is given to religious piety as if prayer, worship and devotion were all there is to holiness. No wonder, in our liturgical celebration, the externals (the decoration and the singing) are given more importance.
This kind of "holiness" was practiced even before Jesus' time. During the time of Moses, the Jews, in order to fulfill the call to holiness, had to see to it that the animals intended for sacrifice were absolutely clean. All these behaviors were prompted by their fear of Yahweh. It was fear that moved them to conduct such rituals. A kind of fear that unfortunately causes us to do the same today. That is why we feel contented and satisfied once we fulfill our Sunday obligation, never mind if we are corrupt and unkind to our fellowmen.
I think it's time to change the emphasis. It is no longer: "Be holy as your Heavenly Father is holy," but "Be compassionate as your Heavenly Father is compassionate." This paradigm shift was made by Jesus. Sad to say, our religious leaders are not following in His footsteps. They have the "news" but they do not have the "good."
What matters now is compassion, the new and Jesus' emphasis. Jesus abrogated the old because it promoted greed, indifference and self-centeredness, whereas the new enhances peace, brotherhood and love. And the new is near to the spirit of the Kingdom, the core of our Christian life. After all, we are called to follow Jesus, to become compassionate. If only all people were like God, meaning, compassionate, our world would become a beautiful world to dwell in.
The call to compassion is boundless, unlimited and unconditional. And compassion is what God exemplifies. He is a God full of compassion. Let us only remember his words, "Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do unto me."
This word of Jesus is telling us that salvation is not banking on our being a member of a particular church. We can only be saved if we are compassionate to our brothers and sisters, especially those in need. Regretfully, most of us prefer to show holiness rather than exercise compassion, the result of which we now see in the form of violence, war, bloodshed and senseless death.
FR. RUFINO PEPOYE CABATINGAN, St. Rita Parish, Gingoog City
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Fighting Church
Commentary : Bishop stands for morality all over
Asuncion David Maramba
Inquirer News Service
TO "CONFINE OURSELVES TO THE SACRISTY" OR TO SALLY forth and engage the world-this is the challenge over which many a priest and bishop must be agonizing. Archbishop Oscar Cruz, running priest Fr. Robert Reyes, Jaime Cardinal Sin, Bishop Julio Labayen, Fr. Ruben Villote, Bishop Antonio Fortich, Fr. Nico Bautista et al. may be prototypal of those who have courageously gone forth.
Archbishop Cruz, making headlines since July, has shown courage for at least three reasons. The most visible reason-and, perhaps, all that people see-is his boldness in exposing jueteng; in fact, he also exposed himself to political vultures who could devour him without mercy. It is belaboring the obvious to say that the attempts to indeed "devour" him have been sorely felt by the bishop. For a while I feared that he might be "abandoned" even by his co-bishops. What a relief that they stood behind him!
The second reason has to do with our truncated view of morality and of the role of priests, both of which are intertwined. The mindset has lain deep in our moral-religious culture for centuries, imbedded like an impacted tooth.
Too long have we been brought up or brainwashed to think that "morality" has to do only with sex, "private lives," indecent exposure and, lately, with birth and death issues. Because these issues are often settled in the confessional boxes inside the churches, therefore, the "guides of morality"-meaning, the priests and bishops-should also "stay in church," so the thinking goes.
The truth is, morality inheres in every human act, in itself, in its objectives and circumstances, in its relationships. All fields are awash with the moral dimension: governance, environment, war, wealth, poverty, business, gambling, property, justice, media, advertising-name it. Politics, for one, is swimming in morality issues (or, should we say, sinking in immorality).
As one young, wise priest put it, the Church has been obsessed with the beginning and end of life, and has neglected everything in between. And "everything in between" is out there; humongous, complicated and serious. How can one expect the enlightened priest or bishop to stay in the church? Morality is everywhere. Perhaps, the controversy over the matter will keep the safe players in the sacristy, but the brave will be restive and go out.
How has it come to this? This is a fruit of several related dichotomies (a long story) we have been brought up in: body and soul, Martha and Mary, God and Mammon, Church and State (yet to be fully understood), secular and spiritual. They have done ill to the character of Catholicism. They have split the whole man. Most of our public servants from the President to senators and congressmen, governors and mayors down to the barangay captains are mostly Catholics, but what a bunch of Jekyll and Hyde's.
Those who would make us moral in a cultural climate like this-like Bishop Cruz and those before him, with him and after him-display great courage in restoring the fuller role of the priest and the paradigms of morality to its entire range. "Sumosobra na," said a dear Catholic friend of the actions of Bishop Cruz. Have I been of help?
There is a third and even more subtle reason for the courage of Bishop Cruz. Right after the July 9 CBCP (Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines) statement, which was titled, "Restoring Trust: A Plea for Moral Values in Philippine Politics," news came fast that the Vatican, through the Nuncio, had cautioned and advised the bishops to keep off politics. Commentators even suggested that that advice could have changed the tenor of the statement.
The report pointed to one of the many burning questions in Church governance, set down in a number of Vatican II documents and decrees. It is "collegiality" which, in brief, deals with the interplay and/or balance of authority and autonomy in the relationship between the local Churches and the Vatican. It's a very delicate but urgent matter that must be discussed and settled by bishops of any given Conference, among themselves and with the Vatican.
The tension (not conflict, please) between the two is inevitable. On the one hand, the Vatican up till Pope John Paul II (and possibly till Benedict XVI), despite Vatican II, seems loathe to loosen an almost absolutist papal and Vatican center. How we looked up to the autocratic Pope Pius XII as fount of authority! On the other hand the local Churches have felt the need to have space for discretion, decision-making and some devolution. Cardinal Sin was said to have been cautioned to keep off politics, but we all know what he did.
Given very diverse situations in the local Churches, pastoring would have to be vastly different in the Philippines from that in Africa, Rome or the United States. Unity in diversity is attainable. "Unity, not uniformity" will not sunder the Church. "Collegiality and co-responsibility are now the order of the day."
Bishop Cruz's courage in wading right into the jueteng scandal, is in some way, testing the waters of collegiality.
It's great to see my Church in fighting form.
Asuncion David Maramba is a retired professor, book editor and occasional journalist. Comments to marda@info.com.ph; fax 8210659
Google Alert - Catholic church
Nalzaro: Church and media
Sun Star - Philippines
By Bobby Nalzaro. Pardon me but I disagree with the statement of Ricardo Cardinal Vidal that media caused the divisiveness among leaders of the Catholic Church. ...
Church program aims to bring alienated Catholics back to the fold
Lowell Sun - Lowell,MA,USA
... In 1985, while Dill was exploring other faith communities, a friend suggested she revisit the Catholic Church, saying, "the church had changed.". ...
MARY IS GOD CATHOLIC CHURCH MOVEMENT
I-Newswire.com (press release) - USA
( Excerpts from the book, Mary As The Church -- The Last Testament, yet to be published ). The MATERIAL UNIVERSALITY of The Church ...
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Saturday, September 17, 2005
Google Alert - Catholic church
Catholic Church recruits more student exorcists
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
... "I encourage you to continue your important ministry in the services of the Church," the new Pope told them, saying their work would be closely supported by ...
Church and politics: Throughout the world, variations on a theme
Catholic News Service - USA
... The initial reaction by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, the government-backed wing of the Catholic Church, was not encouraging. ...
Solons call for Catholic Church leaders' obedience to law
Philippine Information Agency - Philippines
Naval, Biliran (16 September) -- Administration legislators call on the Philippine Catholic Church leaders to respect the result of the votation in the House ...
Disturbing Message Spray-Painted On Church Sign
WFtv.com - Orlando,FL,USA
Someone spray-painted the message "I eat babies to stay young" on the sign at the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. Church members ...
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Friday, September 16, 2005
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St. John the Baptist Catholic Church sustain criminal damage
Kansas City Kansan - Kansas City,KS,USA
... to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Fourth Street and Barnett Avenue, at about 10 am Wednesday for a criminal damage report. ...
'I Eat Babies' Message Concerns Church Members
Local6.com - Orlando,FL,USA
Police in Sharpes, Fla., are investigating a case of vandalism at a Catholic church in which the message "I eat babies to stay young" and other words were ...
‘St. Patrick's Four' Speak in Church
Cornell Daily Sun - Ithaca,NY,USA
... After a brief introduction, Daniel Burns, the first of the Four to speak, said, "I am very happy to be in a Catholic church speaking about this. ...
Scottish Church and Museum in Christian Calendar Spate
ChristianToday - London,UK
The Catholic Church has criticised one of Scotland's premier museums after removing the Christian calendar from its exhibits, reported the Scottish Herald. ...
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Thursday, September 15, 2005
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Church urges probe of '04 polls
INQ7 Interactive, Inc. - Philippines
... A DAY after the Philippine Catholic Church hierarchy declared that the search for truth must go on, its polling watchdog yesterday urged the Commission on ...
Displaced by fire, church occupies new building
Uniontown Herald Standard - Uniontown,PA,USA
The Rev. Joseph Sredzinski smiled as he showed off the newly constructed St. Hubert Roman Catholic Church in Point Marion. "After ...
Philippines: Catholic Archbishop Denies Church Split over Arroyo ...
ChristianToday - London,UK
The Archbishop of Cebu in the Philippines denied yesterday that the Catholic Church had splintered over the worst political crisis to engulf President Gloria ...
KCK church damaged
Kansas City Star - MO,USA
A Denver man was arrested today on suspicion of damaging St. John the Baptist Catholic Church near Fourth Street and Barnett Avenue in Kansas City, Kan.. ...
Church to hold gala for renovation fund
Lexington Herald Leader - Lexington,KY,USA
... Peter Claver Catholic Church, the staff has to set up four rows of folding chairs along the pews for every church service to make room for worshipers. ...
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Church urges probe of '04 polls
INQ7 Interactive, Inc. - Philippines
... A DAY after the Philippine Catholic Church hierarchy declared that the search for truth must go on, its polling watchdog yesterday urged the Commission on ...
Displaced by fire, church occupies new building
Uniontown Herald Standard - Uniontown,PA,USA
The Rev. Joseph Sredzinski smiled as he showed off the newly constructed St. Hubert Roman Catholic Church in Point Marion. "After ...
Philippines: Catholic Archbishop Denies Church Split over Arroyo ...
ChristianToday - London,UK
The Archbishop of Cebu in the Philippines denied yesterday that the Catholic Church had splintered over the worst political crisis to engulf President Gloria ...
KCK church damaged
Kansas City Star - MO,USA
A Denver man was arrested today on suspicion of damaging St. John the Baptist Catholic Church near Fourth Street and Barnett Avenue in Kansas City, Kan.. ...
Church to hold gala for renovation fund
Lexington Herald Leader - Lexington,KY,USA
... Peter Claver Catholic Church, the staff has to set up four rows of folding chairs along the pews for every church service to make room for worshipers. ...
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Wednesday, September 14, 2005
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Third Secret of Fatima - Mary Is God - Pope Catholic Church ...
I-Newswire.com (press release) - USA
... ensure that they fail. (I-Newswire) - SITUATION OF CATHOLIC CHURCH CALLS FOR IMMEDIATE AND DECISIVE ACTION! Reasons why we are urging ...
Services return to Harryville church
Belfast Telegraph - United Kingdom
By Nevin Farrell. MASS-GOERS have returned to Harryville Catholic Church after clergy took advice from police that it was safe to do so. ...
Catholic judge to take leave from Chappaqua church
The Journal News.com - Westchester,NY,USA
Westchester County Judge Charles Devlin is taking a leave of absence as deacon of a Roman Catholic church in Chappaqua to comply with Cardinal Edward Egan's ...
Church wants immigrant's property, cites 'eminent domain'
renewamerica.us - Washington,D.C.,USA
... succumbed to her illness last year. She could not believe a church, a representative of the Catholic Church, could do such a thing. ...
Church priest killed in Jharkhand:-
Webindia123 - India
... Bishop of Ranchi Catholic church Vinset Barwa said: "The procession was peaceful and the priest was made a target. If tribals will ...
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Tuesday, September 13, 2005
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Vidal accuses media of dividing Church
INQ7 Interactive, Inc. - Philippines
... yesterday dismissed suggestions the worst political crisis to engulf President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had divided the Philippine Catholic Church hierarchy and ...
A Catholic church to be built on John Paul II's personal funds ...
Interfax-Religion - Moscow,Russia
... Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, who is now in Baku on a visit from the Vatican, took part in the laying of the foundation of a new Catholic church, the Catholic ...
Church on mercy mission
Asbury Park Press - Asbury Park,NJ,USA
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Cardinal to attend church's centennial
Pasadena Star-News - Pasadena,CA,USA
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Church's Chance To Shine
The Chattanoogan - Chattanooga,TN,USA
... The Catholic Church saw this as a way to convert so they got the idea of associating it with them and, of course, Jesus. Easter ...
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Monday, September 12, 2005
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Flower Mound church to host Heroes Day service
Dallas Morning News (subscription) - TX,USA
... by St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, will be held at 7 pm Saturday, Sept. 24, at the church, 1897 W. Main St., Lewisville. ...
Casey church preparing for Katrina homeless
Danville Advocate - Danville,KY,USA
By BRENDA S. EDWARDS. CLEMENTSVILLE - St. Bernard Catholic Church is making preparations to care for people left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. ...
'Celebration' defies Church
Alaska Highway News - Fort St. John,British Columbia,Canada
... LADYSMITH -- It was, in some ways, a conventional Roman Catholic Church service that drew 100 people on Saturday afternoon. There ...
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Sunday, September 11, 2005
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'Church never asked for donations' Vidal asks public: Drop Pagcor ...
Philippine Star - Manila,Philippines
Cebu archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal yesterday declared that the Catholic Church "never asked for donations of any kind" but were merely "requested to ...
Catholic church erects Ten Commandments display
Grand Junction Sentinel - Grand Junction,CO,USA
... A soon-to-be unveiled display of the Ten Commandments on the lawn of a Grand Valley Catholic church marks the latest monument erected through Project Moses. ...
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Saturday, September 10, 2005
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Church urges fair deal for workers
Sydney Morning Herald (subscription) - Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
The Catholic Church has challenged the Federal Government's planned changes to wage-fixing provisions and unfair dismissal laws, warning that the proposals ...
Church fights law on abuse suits
San Diego Union Tribune - United States
... judge in San Diego said yesterday he was skeptical that overturning a state law that allowed victims of sexual abuse to sue the Roman Catholic Church is the ...
The Church and change
The Tidings - Los Angeles,CA,USA
... A few months ago many people both inside and outside the Catholic Church speculated about whether the new pope would come from Latin America or perhaps from ...
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Friday, September 09, 2005
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Church sceptical on IR changes
NEWS.com.au - Australia
ONE of Australia's largest employers, the Catholic Church, could reject planned changes to workplace relations if they clashed with the church's social justice ...
Indian Catholic Church unveils new HIV/AIDS policy
Ekklesia - UK
The Catholic Church in India has announced a new HIV/AIDS policy whose aims include combating prejudice and promoting access to health treatment for people ...
VATICAN: CARD. KASPER, TIES WITH RUSSIAN CHURCH IMPROVE
Agenzia Giornalistica Italia - Italy
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Catholic Church Embarks on Fundraising Campaign
WLTX.com - Columbia,SC,USA
(CHARLESTON)- Bishop Robert Baker of the statewide Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston today announced the church is embarking on a 32 million dollar fund ...
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Thursday, September 08, 2005
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Catholic Church seeks new provider to run three nursing homes
Newsday - Long Island,NY,USA
... Church officials said they would insist that the nursing homes preserve their Catholic identity. State approval will be required, officials said. ...
Church obtains temporary restraining order against attorney
Newsday - Long Island,NY,USA
ALBANY, NY -- A Roman Catholic church here has obtained a temporary restraining order against an attorney who it said harassed parishioners and publicly ...
Malig: In defense of the Catholic Church
Sun Star - Philippines
... Every Filipino knows that the church, especially the Catholic Church and other religious groups under Christianity, does not have its own world. ...
Catholic Church Disaster Relief -- Everything From Doing Laundry ...
U.S. Newswire (press release) - Washington,DC,USA
7 /US Newswire/ -- Catholic Church disaster relief spans the gamut from doing laundry for people at Jackson, Miss., shelters to executing a Houston disaster ...
Read: Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, nn. 20-27
Canada Western Catholic Reporter - Edmonton,Alberta,Canada
The Catholic Church's contribution to public debate in Canada is increasingly portrayed as a morally conservative agenda opposed to same-sex marriage and ...
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Wednesday, September 07, 2005
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Rehnquist Funeral to Be in Catholic Church
Washington Post - United States
... for Chief Justice William Rehnquist, a Protestant, will be in Washington's Roman Catholic cathedral _ an unusual but not forbidden occurrence under church rules ...
Head of the Catholic Church in Britain Expresses his Worries ...
Almendhar - Iraq
... He added that despite the fact that the leaders of the Church 'do not enquire whether Iraq would be an Islamic state or oppose Islam as a source of legislation ...
Diocesan bankruptcies raise church ownership issues
National Catholic Reporter - USA
... Fr. Thomas Reese, author of Archbishop: Inside the Power Structure of the American Catholic Church. The conclusion? "American ...
The Roman imposition
National Catholic Reporter - USA
... hemisphere. In Poland, Peter Hebblethwaite drafted a history that showed, in the Catholic church versus Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski ...
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Tuesday, September 06, 2005
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Chinese police detain two clergymen in underground Catholic Church ...
Boston Globe - United States
... Amid signs of improving ties between the Vatican and Beijing, police in northern China have detained a priest in the unofficial Catholic church along with his ...
Relations with Russian Orthodox Church are rather good ...
Interfax-Religion - Moscow,Russia
... It is a good sign that representatives of the Orthodox religion attended the blessing of a Catholic church in Petrozavodsk," he told Interfax on Monday. ...
El Paso Church's Pray For Katrina Victims
KFOXtv.com - El Paso,TX,USA
... scheme where people are being asked to give money. Catholic Church officials say they are not making any donation requests by phone.
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