Quotes and news

Last Wednesday the Pope described his recent apostolic trip to Cyprus as "in itself a historical event" as it was the first ever visit by a Pope.

He highlighted how "the Cypriot Catholic community in its various ramifications - Maronite, Armenian and Latin - incessantly seeks to be of a single heart and a single soul, both in itself and in its cordial relations with our Orthodox brothers and with other Christian groups".

The Pope also happily remembered his contacts with the Orthodox, Armenian, Lutheran and Anglican communities.

'Church should ordain women'

American theologian Fr Charles Curran has reiterated his support for homosexuality, contraception, and divorce in the June 5 issue of Newsweek.

Fr Curran, now 76, was removed from a Catholic University teaching position in 1986 after a decision of then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. He is now a professor of human values at Southern Methodist University.

Fr Curran says clerical celibacy has led to a loss of priestly vocations. He concludes by calling for "rewriting the celibacy laws as an initial edit - a change on the way to redressing the multitude of other needed reforms", including the ordination of women.

Protest over testing on embryo tissue

A statement by EU bishops said a proposed directive restricting the use of animals in laboratory tests might encourage the use of tissues taken from human embryos.

The proposed directive says living animals should not be used for tests if any alternative is available. However, the proposed text does not exclude testing on tissues from human embryos. They said the directive might protect animals at the expense of human embryos.

While welcoming the protection given to animals,the bishops want to add a provision that would "explicitly exclude from the alternative testing".

Pope approves nine new beatifications

Pope Benedict has approved plans for the beatification of the following nine candidates between June and November: Manuel Lozano Garrido, a Spanish layman; Lojze Grozde, a Slovenian layman and martyr; Stephen Nehme (ne Joseph), a Lebanese Maronite monk; Leopoldo (Francesco) Sanchez Marquez de Alpandeire, a Spanish professed lay Capuchin; Mary of the Immaculate Conception (Maria Isabella Salvat y Romero), a Spanish religious; Chiara Badano, an Italian lay woman; Anna Maria Adorni, an Italian religious; Szilard Bogdanffy, a Romanian bishop and martyr; and Barbara of the Blessed Trinity (Barbara Maix), an Austrian religious.

'Senseless act of evil'

Bishop Michael Campbell of Lancaster said the murders of 12 people by a lone gunman in England's Lake District was a "senseless act of evil".

Derrick Bird, a taxi driver, used two rifles to murder his twin brother and 11 others before killing himself in remote woodland in Cumbria.

Mgr Campbell said he shared "in the profound sense of shock and loss" that so many people felt.

The bishop said there were no easy answers to explain the actions of the killer. "We're standing here before what they call the mystery of evil," he said. "It is unfathomable that someone would perpetrate such horrors on innocent bystanders."

Compiled by Fr Joe Borg