Will the Pope be swayed by bus ads?

In the run up to Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Britain, scheduled to take place later this month, a group called Catholic Women's Ordination (CWO) has unveiled a London bus ad campaign that features signs on the exterior of buses saying "Pope Benedict -- Ordain Women Now!"

The campaign cost the CWO ₤15,000 (Can. $24,332 / € 18,003) for a month's worth of ads. Pat Brown, a spokeswoman for the group, said, "We do not want to be disruptive, but I think the church has got to change or it will not survive."

Meanwhile, the Vatican has asked people planning to attend the Pope's public events in Britain not to bring alcohol or musical instruments. On the other hand, flags and folding chairs are encouraged.

Armstrong on American Muslims

According to Karen Armstrong,

...it was the [Catholic] bishops of the United States who were largely instrumental in pushing forward the reforms of the Second Vatican Council.... American Muslims could exert a similar influence on the Islamic world and prove that it is indeed possible to live according to the ideals of the Quran in the United States. But they cannot do that if they are shunned as potential terrorists and feel constantly on the defensive. It is vital that Western people realize that Islam is not an alien creed but that this tradition is deeply in tune with their own ideals.

What she says sounds very relevant today, given the whole Park51 melodrama. But she wrote these words in 2004, for her foreword to (who else) Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf's book, What's Right with Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West. In a way it's sad that these words still bear repeating six years later.

Over 800 sex abuse claims against Catholic Church in US last year

According to the Roman Catholic Church in the US, there were over 800 claims of sexual abuse of parishioners by clergy submitted in 2008. This number represents a 16% increase over the 2007 level. In 2008, the Catholic Church paid out US $436 million (C $555 million) to settle the claims. Most of these funds went towards compensating victims.

Approximately a fifth of the victims were children under ten years of age when the abuse occurred.

According to Francis Cardinal George, the Catholic Archbishop of Chicago, the Church was "on the right path" in its aim to ensure the protection of "all children in society" (BBC).

This is obviously a serious problem. It's not my place to tell the Church how to overcome its own shortcomings, but perhaps this calls for a married clergy.

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Now playing: The Irish Descendants - The Two Ronnies/Broderick's Reel
via FoxyTunes

BBC's Simpson displays prejudices on Iraq

In an article on Tariq Aziz, who has recently been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his contribution to the execution of 42 Iraqi flour merchants in 1992, the BBC's long-serving correspondent John Simpson has made two statements that I find quite surprising because of the outright prejudices contained in them.

First of all, according to Simpson, "although [Aziz] comes from a Christian family, this is a matter of historical chance rather than an indication of his opinions." This statement is, obviously, problematic on a number of levels. Would Simpson say this of a British politician with an unsavoury reputation? Would he take the pains to point out that such-and-such European or North American politician was born into a Christian family and had then gone astray? Moreover, what does it mean to say that the fact that he's a Christian is no indication of his opinions? Can Simpson tell us what opinions a Christian, as understood by him, does hold or should hold? Can he tell us which is the Christian opinion: invading Iraq as the Christians Bush and Blair did, or not invading it, as several different churches (including the Catholic Church, to which Aziz belongs, and which later accepted Blair into its fold) urged? Are Bush and Blair not Christians? If they are, why is Tariq Aziz any less a Christian? And, further, is Simpson trying to say here that Aziz's Baath Party membership would have been more understandable had he come from a Muslim family? If he is saying that, what is that but a calumny?

Secondly, according to Simpson, "Tariq Aziz changed his name from Mikhail Yuhanna... to something much more Arab-sounding, in order to fit in better with his Baathist colleagues". Now, pray tell me, what is not "Arab-sounding" about the name Mikhail Yuhanna? Again, it seems that Simpson is trying to equate "Arab" and "Muslim", and to try to portray the Christians as an anomaly in the Arab world. The fact is, Christian Arabs were present in the Middle East long before the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had been born. Mikhail Yuhanna is certainly not a non-Arab-sounding name. On the other hand, it is an identifiably Christian name. By renaming himself Tariq Aziz, Yuhanna did not Arabise his name; he secularised it. There is a big difference between the two, which a man of John Simpson's experience ought to be aware of.

UK Shari'a row exposes limits of tolerance

Last week, Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, sparked a major row in Britain when he suggested that "aspects" of the Shari'a would eventually be incorporated into British law, and said that British Muslims should not be faced with "the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty". Archbishop Williams faced a barrage of criticism after his comments, both from within and without the Anglican Church.

Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, said that it would be "disastrous" to incorporate any Shari'a-based laws into the British legal system. Col Edward Armitstead, a member of the General Synod of the Church, said he didn't think Williams was "the man for the job". Alison Ruoff, another member of the Synod, said that "in terms of being a leader of the Christian community I think he's actually at the moment a disaster." Brig William Dobbie, a former member of the Synod, said that Williams's words on the Shari'a were "a tragic mistake." Ordinary Muslims a BBC correspondent talked to in Bradford also seemed opposed to the idea.

However, in many ways Williams was greatly misunderstood. According to Muhammad Abdul Bari, the Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB),

The archbishop is not advocating implementation of the Islamic penal system in Britain. His recommendation is confined to the civil system of Sharia law, and only in accordance with English law and agreeable to established notions of human rights.

The MCB thanked Williams for his "thoughful intervention".

The Rt Rev Stephen Lowe, the Bishop of Hulme, criticised the "knee-jerk" response to Williams's suggestions, and added,

We have probably one of the greatest and the brightest Archbishops of Canterbury we have had for many a long day. He is undoubtedly one of the finest minds of this nation. The way he has been ridiculed, lampooned and treated by some people and indeed some of the media within this process, is quite disgraceful.

The highest-ranked female priest in the Church of England, the Very Rev June Osborne, cautiously backed Williams, saying, "Our society needs to be provoked into talking about these things." Alun Michael, a former minister in the Home Office, condemned the "absurd media feeding frenzy" surrounding the issue. Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, condemned the outburst against Williams, saying that such a response created a "fear that people with a Christian conscience will be put to the sidelines and not allowed to say what they believe to be true for the common good."

What Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor is saying may be true, since Williams has been shocked by the response into a near-silence on the issue. His website said, however, that some Shari'a-based rules were "already recognised in our society and under our law. The statement added that the Archbishop had been looking for ways in which "reasonable accommodation might be made within existing arrangements for religious conscience", and was trying to "tease out some of the broader issues around the rights of religious groups within a secular state".

The best part in all this is that, of course, as Williams says, some aspects of the Shari'a already operate in daily lilfe within British law (for example, halal slaughter and the certification of halal meat), and that Orthodox Jews have had their own religious courts in Britian for a long time.

Quite unfortunately, Williams's words were used by some quarters in British society and the media to once again jump on Muslims and decry anything Islamic. It's quite heartening, though, to see voices of calm and moderation not just among British Muslims, but among Christians as well.

Pope prays for peace

In his annual "Urbi et Orbi" (to the City and the World) speech, Pope Benedict XVI has called for a peaceful resolution of conflicts raging in Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Africa and other places. He also spoke out against terrorism, and against violence towards women and children.

The Pope called on politicians to "seek and find humane, just and lasting solutions" to conflicts that are "destroying the internal fabric of many countries and embittering international relations". The Pope also prayed for consolation to be given "to those who live in the darkness of poverty, injustice and war" (BBC).

Bigger celebration in Bethlehem this year

According to the Mayor of Bethlehem, Victor Batarseh, 25,000-35,000 "pilgrims and tourists" visited his city on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this year. This is twice as high as last year's numbers.

As Bethlehem shopkeeper Jacques Aman put it, "This year is very much better than the last seven years for tourism. The atmosphere is better in general. There is relative calm, from the security standpoint."

After praying at the Midnight Mass, President Mahmoud Abbas, who is a Muslim, "We pray next year will be the year of independence for the Palestinian people."

Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, said during the Midnight Mass that "This land belongs to God. It must not be for some a land of life and for others a land of occupation and a political prison" (BBC).

Catholic schools in Calgary drop anti-Catholic novel

The Catholic school network of Calgary has decided to remove copies of the fantasy novel The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman from library shelves pending a review of the book's suitability for young Catholics. Earlier, some Catholic schools in Ontario decided to remove the book from their stacks as well.

Pullman is reportedly anti-Christian, and the book contains themes deemed by some Catholics to be offensive. As a result, a US organisation called the Catholic League has called for a boycott of the recent film based on the novel (National Post).

While for some this decision on the part of Catholic schools in Calgary will no doubt smack of the old days, when the Index Librorum Prohibitorum told good Catholics what they could not read, I think any school has the right to decided what reading matter is appropriate for its students. Any parents who disagree with the schools' policies can, of course, buy copies of the book or borrow them from a public library.

Is the Pope coming to Quebec next year?

Marc Cardinal Ouellet, the Archbishop of Quebec and the primate of the Catholic Church in Canada, is planning to organise an open-air mass attended by 100,000 people in Quebec City next year as part of it's 400-anniversary celebrations. He has asked Pope Benedict XVI to attend and preside over the mass.

Ouellet said that the mass "will certainly be the culmination of our efforts to re-evangelize Quebec". He explained that "there is a need in Quebec to reconnect with our Christian roots and to revive the Catholic identity" (Windsor Star).

I think, though, that it would take more than a mass to "re-evangelize" Quebec, which has turned into a highly secular society in the last few decades. Big events such as this one may attract the public's attention for a few days or weeks until the next major headline comes along, but if the Church is serious about reviving Quebec's Catholic identity, etc., it has to show its relevance to people's lives, something it has, to some extent at least, failed to do since the Quiet Revolution.

Bouchard-Taylor Commission hears about religion in Drummondville

On 6 November, the Bouchard-Taylor Commission, which is canvassing public opinion in Quebec concerning reasonable accommodation, held a session in Drummondville, a city of about 67,000 in the Centre-du-Québec region.

During the session, the commission heard from some Catholics who argued against the province's plan to drop the teaching of Catholicism at public schools in favour of the teaching of religion as a general subject. Gilbert Deshaies, a Drummondville resident, stated that "religious thought should be forged in a child before he submits his faith to criticism."

On the other hand, Lionel Émard, a Catholic priest, argued that it was not the role of the state to promote a certain religion, but rather the responsibility of the relevant religious community itself.

Aziza Aboulaz, an immigrant from Morocco, aimed to counter the negative image of Islam held by some by informing the audience that she did not have to get her husband's permission to address the commission, and that she had a car which she could drive. She also said she had worked in the banking sector in Morocco for 15 years. On the other hand, she asked what she called Muslim fundamentalists to be more realistic in the demands they made from Quebec society at large.

Finally, Gérard Malo, a World War II veteran, spoke out against what he considers to be a moral decline in the province. According to him, this decline has set in due to consumerism and a reduction in religious observance. In this regard, he said Christians had a lesson to learn from Muslims, who pray "a lot and well". Malo finished by praising God in six different languages (Radio-Canada).

Abdullah of Saudi Arabia visits Vatican

Saudi king Abdullah visited the Vatican today and met with Pope Benedict XVI, in what was the first ever meeting between a pope and a reigning king of Saudi Arabia. A Vatican spokesman later said the two leaders had had a "warm" meeting.

Benedict brought up the issue of the contributions of over a million Christian residents to Saudi Arabia. King Abdullah presented the Pope with a jewel-encrusted gold sword, while Benedict gave the king an engraving of the Vatican made in the 16th century in return. During their half-hour meeting, Abdullah and Benedict also discussed a possible "just solution" to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians (BBC).

Very encouraging. The more mainstream voices emphasise what is common between Muslims and Christians, the harder it should be for extremists on either side to try to stir up conflict.

Mother Teresa suffered decades of doubt

A compilation of Mother Teresa's letters, due to be published next month under the title Come Be My Light, reveals that she doubted the existence of God and heaven, and that she found no attraction in "saving souls," that is, converting people to Catholicism. While outwardly every bit the Catholic, she suffered from an intense spiritual drought in her heart.

At her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in 1979, she proclaimed that "Christ is in our hearts, Christ is in the poor we meet, Christ is in the smile we give, and Christ is in the smile we receive." However, writing to Father Michael van der Peet, her spiritual adviser, she admitted that "the silence and the emptiness is so great that I look and do not see -- listen and do not hear -- the tongue moves but does not speak."

In fact, Mother Teresa, known after her death as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, believed that she was involved in the "verbal deception" of people who admired her.

While these revelations, which come from letters Mother Teresa wanted burned after her death (they were preserved on the Church's orders), may make her less popular with some, but others are already saying that she is as holy as they thought previously, only more human (Daily Mail).

Vatican Library closes for 3 years

The Vatican Library, which is used by academics and other researchers from the world over, has closed for urgent repairs, and is not due to reopen until September 2010. The library has had to close because of structural damage that was discovered in one of its wings.

The library is home to over 1.5 million printed books and 150,000 manuscripts, including the Codex Vaticanus, a copy of the Bible dating back to the 4th century.

This is the first time since the 15th century that the library will be closed for an extended period of time. Despite the closure, however, scholars will be able to request microfilms of photocopies of documents they require, according to Ambrogio Piazzoni, deputy head of the library (BBC).

Catholic film festival held in Belarusian countryside

The Hlybokaje (Hlybokaye) District, located in Belarus's Viciebsk (Vitsebsk) Region, has played host to the third edition of Magnificat, an international Catholic film festival, held from 21 to 24 June. Forty-four movies from 14 countries were presented at the festival.

The film festival is funded by the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Belarus. According to Aliaksandr Amielčenia (Amel'chenia), a Catholic priest who directs the festival, the organisers aim not only to proselytise, but also highlight the common human values that arose within Christianity. Amielčenia praised the Hlybokaje District Executive Committee (that is, the local reprsentatives of President Aliaksandr Lukašenka) for their support for the festival (BelaPAN).

Quite a different picture from Orša, I must say.

Bush meets Pope

In a visit to the Vatican, George W. Bush has met Pope Benedict XVI for the first time. The Pope expressed concern about the plight of Christians in Iraq, and called for a "regional and negotiated solution to the conflicts that afflict" the region.

"I was talking to a very smart, loving man," Bush observed (BBC).

Now if only Bush could learn something from him.

[This post was written in Toronto.]

Pope in Brazil

Pope Benedict XVI is visiting Brazil, the country with the largest number of Catholics in the world. He is due to canonise Brother Antônio Galvaão, who is set to become the first Brazilian-born Catholic saint. Catholics account for 64% of Brazil's population.

On 13 May, the Pope is scheduled to open a meeting of about 200 bishops from Latin America and the Caribbean. The main topic under discussion is expected to be the church's steady and large-scale loss of members to various evangelical denominations. Abortion is likely to be another topic under discussion, as politicians in Mexico and Brazil have made several moves to weaken their countries strict anti-abortion laws (BBC).

Man whose eye was "miraculously" healed meets Pope

Six years ago, Phil McCord, facilities manager at a convent near Terre Haute, Indiana, had his eye healed by a miracle, or so he believes. He prayed to Mother Théodore Guérin (1798-1856), who founded the convent. After his prayer, his eye was healed, and 12 different doctors who subsequently examined him were unable to explain the recovery scientifically.

As a result of this reported miracle, which was the second claimed for Mother Théodore, the Catholic Church canonised her in 2006. St Théodore's remains have been disinterred, and placed in a shrine at the convent.

For his part, McCord is planning to convert to Catholicism. He recently met briefly with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican. Unfortunately, however, his dry cleaner had given him the wrong pair of trousers, and so he had to meet the Pope wearing trousers that were two inches too short (BBC).

Christian leaders rally for illegal immigrants in London

Christian priests joined trade union activists in London today for a rally that called for the issuance of two-year work permits to all illegal immigrants who have been in Britain for at least four years. According to the organisers of the rally, 300,000 people would be covered by the scheme (out of an estimated total of 570,000-870,000 illegal immigrants currently in the country).

The British government is strongly against the idea of the temporary work permits.

Earlier, a mass was held at the Westminster Cathedral to pray for illegal immigrants. Addressing the rally, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, said, "Our government and the governments all over the world must treat migrant workers with justice and with dignity" (BBC).

Fine sentiments, but won't this sort of plan, if it is actually implemented, simply encourage a flood of new illegal immigration? How do you deal justly with existing illegal immigrants, who face difficult living conditions because of their lack of work permits, without inviting in many others who would want to gain the same rights through the back door?

Khatami visits the Vatican

Former Iranian President Seyyed Mohammad Khatami is visiting Vatican City, where he has met with Pope Benedict XVI.

In the coming week, the Vatican is planning to host a seminar for diplomats from several Muslim countries, where they will be told about the Catholic Church's interfaith and inter-cultural dialogue initiatives (BBC).

I should add that Khatami's visit can also be seen as part of a continuing "dialogue between civilisations", which is his preferred alternative to the "clash of civilisations" posited by Samuel Huntington and others.

Pope expected to widen use of Latin Mass

Pope Benedict XVI is expected to authorise wider use of the Latin Mass, in a move that is already stirring controversy. The reason is that, once a year, on Good Friday, the Latin Mass includes a prayer for the conversion of the Jews to Christianity (BBC).

Whether or not the Latin Mass, on that one day per year, calls for the conversion of Jews, the fact remains that Christianity is a proselytising religion, as is Islam. Perhaps what is incumbent on followers of these religions is not to stop seeking to pray to God for what they will, but rather to be sensitive to and respectful of the beliefs of others.