Heart’s Cry, an electro-pop youth anthem by the British band Ooberfüse, will be performed during Pope Benedict’s upcoming apostolic visit to the UK.
The anthem, which premiers digitally today and will likely be part of the Hyde Park prayer vigil on Saturday, includes lyrics such as “Go help the poorest of the poor/lying dying the gutter/like Teresa of Calcutta”, as well as words of Pope Benedict, such as “Hatred will never reign in the hearts of men again”.
“We were overjoyed when members of the bishops’ organising committee decided to dub our track the ‘youth anthem’ of the papal visit,” band members said in a press release.
BBC accused of anti-Catholic bias
Cardinal Keith O’Brien of St Andrews and Edinburgh has strongly accused the BBC of Christian and Catholic bashing.
“Our detailed research into BBC news coverage of Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular, together with a systematic analysis of output by the Catholic Church, has revealed a consistent anti-Christian institutional bias,” he said.
The cardinal said senior news managers have admitted to members of the Catholic Church that a radically secular and socially liberal mindset pervades their newsrooms.
The BBC rejected the criticism, insisting the network’s programming is fair and comprehensive.
Divorce leads Catholics to Islam
Patriarch Antonius Naguib, head of the Coptic Catholic Church, said one of the main reasons why Christians in Egypt convert to Islam is that this is the easiest way to divorce and have the benefit of full rights against the other partner or spouse and full custody of the children. He said Egyptian law leaves marital issues to the different religious bodies, allowing the Church to uphold the indissolubility of Christian marriage.
Others reasons for Christians converting to Islam is for the sake of employment opportunities or due to weakness in their faith due to lack of sound formation. The cardinal was giving an interview to Aid to the Church in Need.
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)