Quotes and news
Global religiosity index
People who consider themselves religious form the majority of the world population.
According to a study conducted by the Gallup International Association 59 per cent of those surveyed described themselves as religious, 23 per cent said they are not religious, and 13 per cent said they are convinced atheists.
The study was conducted in 57 countries. Malta was not included.
The study did not gauge actions that show one’s religiosity or lack of it. It asked people whether or not they describe themselves as religious. The nations with the highest percentages of self-described religious people are Ghana, Nigeria, Armenia, Fiji, Macedonia, Romania, Iraq, Kenya, Peru, and Brazil.
The nations with the highest percentages of “convinced atheists” are China, Japan, the Czech Republic, France, South Korea, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Iceland, Australia and Ireland.
Pope finishes Jesus of Nazareth, Vol. 3
The third volume of the Pope’s trilogy – Jesus of Nazareth – about Jesus has now been concluded. The Pope wrote in his native language, German. The Vatican press office gave this information while saying the volume is now being translated into various languages; a process that will take quite some time.
The third volume is to be shorter than the previous two, and centres on the infancy of Jesus.
Olympic athletes’ faith
Several Olympic athletes have given testimony of how faith has changed their lives.
US swimmer Missy Franklin told belief.net she had not been raised in an environment that was particularly religious. “Every day over the last three years, my faith has grown. One of my favourite times is going to our school chapel and spending time with God. Faith has changed my life forever. I now work on keeping my faith strong,” she said.
Franklin won her first gold medal in the 100-metre backstroke.
Jordyn Wieber, the 17-year-old US Olympic gymnast, spoke of how her parents helped instil the importance of her Catholic faith. “My parents have always made going to church as a family important,” Weiber told a diocesan magazine. “Sometimes we have to split up due to our schedules, but most times we’re able to get to Mass together. It’s a very special family time and it means a lot to me.”
US Sisters struggle on
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which is locked in battle with the Vatican, will discuss the latter’s call for change at its annual conference. The Vatican found serious problems with this group, which represents the majority of religious sisters in the US.
The sisters informed Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle, who has been charged by the Vatican with responsibility for supervising the reform of LCWR, that his presence at the conference would not be considered as helpful.
Judge says Jewish girl may be baptised
A British judge has ruled that a 10-year-old Jewish girl may convert to Anglicanism and seek baptism.
“Her upbringing for the first eight years of her life lacked any significant religious teaching upon which her own moral compass could be based,” he said in his ruling. At the age of eight, her parents divorced, and her father converted to Christianity. When the girl decided to seek baptism, her mother filed suit, alleging the child had been brainwashed.
The judge accepted the evidence that it was the child who asked to accompany her father to church and that it is her wish to learn more about Christianity, and her wish to be baptised.
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)
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Alex Ellul
Aug 14th 2012, 16:19
Thanks for posting my comment below.
I expect that Fr. Joe Borg, as a (former) media representative of the Catholic Church, illuminates us on the current situation that the Catholic Church in the USA finds itself now under Obama's presidency. Fr. Borg should tell us the Chick Fil-A story, how this fast food chain has been demonised by Obama and his supporters just beccause the family owning this firm are catholics who have expressed their opinion on Obam's gay marraige proposed law, and how Obama has attacked Catholic hospitals and other Catholic institutions forcing these to carry out abortions under the guise of a health care law.
Alex Ellul
Aug 14th 2012, 15:34
"The sisters informed Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle, who has been charged by the Vatican with responsibility for supervising the reform of LCWR, that his presence at the conference would not be considered as helpful." This statement says it all showing the intollerance exhibited by these liberal-left nuns.
The truth is that these nuns are actually an irrelevant and insignificant group which seems to be making a bit of noise which is then amplified by their few but well positioned fans across the Catholic world. The truth is tthat the most important story for Catholics and Christians in today's USA is Obama's attack on the Catholic Church and Christianity. Such cruel are these attacks that the Catholic Church has instituted court procedings against the US government while the Christians (Catholics and many other denominations) have congregated under a banner that they named WE ARE ALL CATHOLICS NOW, to oppose Obama's attacks on Christians in the USA.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/evangelicals-respond-to-catholic-lawsuits-we-are-all-catholic-now/
This is front pagenews in the US but Catholics here are not getting the message.
I have been trying to post similar comments under Fr. Joe Borg's commentary for many a week, but mysteriously none have apppeared. I m trying my luck eith this one. Finger crossed.
Mr Emanuel Farrugia
Aug 12th 2012, 22:40
Importance of religion in one's life
Something important about Religion is that it makes people more secure in life and death. It also gives them sometthing to look up to, something they believe in wich they feel safe. Religion has a very powerful influence in economics and politics. If you study the historic formation of various religions with an opened mind and a probing spirit, you may discover some very revealing truths about the world in which we live.
The Church is the universal sacrament of salvation, since, united always in a mysterious way to the Savior Jesus Christ, her Head, and subordinated to Him, she has, in God’s plan, an indispensable relationship with the salvation of every human being. For those who are not formally and visibly members of the Church, salvation in Christ is accessible by virtue of a grace which, while having a mysterious relationship to the Church, does not make them formally part of the Church, but enlightens them in a way which is accommodated to their spiritual and material situation. This grace comes from Christ; it is the result of His sacrifice and is communicated by the Holy Spirit; it has a relationship with the Church, which according to the plan of the Father, has her origin in the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit.
The revelation of Christ will continue to be the true lodestar in history for all humanity: The truth, which is Christ, imposes itself as an all-embracing authority. The Christian mystery, in fact, overcomes all barriers of time and space, and accomplishes the unity of the human family: From their different locations and traditions all are called in Christ to share in the unity of the family of God’s children.... Jesus destroys the walls of division and creates unity in a new and unsurpassed way through our sharing in His mystery. This unity is so deep that the Church can say with Saint Paul: “You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are saints and members of the household of God”. (Eph 2:19)
Most historic and biblical scholars believe that many parts of the New Testament are very useful in reconstructing Jesus' life. Many of them agree that He was a Jew from birth who was regarded as a divine teacher and healer. They also agree that Jesus was water baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified in Jerusalem on the orders of Pontius Pilate, a Roman of Judaea, and charged with sedition against the Roman Empire. Scholars have offered competing theories of Jesus as the awaited Messiah, but many of the Old Testament prediction far outweigh their theories and point to Jesus as the Messiah.
The main source to learn the teachings of Jesus is the four canonical gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, found in the New Testament (Bible). Critical scholars have found valuable historical information about Jesus' life and ministry in the gospels but cannot neither confirm nor deny much of the miraculous and theological content. One major point of agreement is that many of the principles delivered, illustrated, and expounded by Jesus have had a tremendous impact on morality and code of conduct of our society. Scholars can also point out that some of the greatest charitable efforts are also directly related the teachings of Jesus.
Emanuel Farrugia [TARXIEN] former student Faculty of Theology UOM
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