Following Saudi Arabia’s decision to condemn a blogger to 1,000 lashes, 10 years imprisonment and a fine of €250,000, the Austrian government is considering closing the King Abdullah International Centre for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna, which is financed by the Saudi Arabiaan government.
The Austrian foreign policy council is discussing the government’s reaction. Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann said on prime time television news that he could imagine the closing of the centre.
The centre’s boad of directors had strongly condemned the massacre of journalists and policemen at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo in Paris. A spokesman said Austria could withdraw from the centre but it could only be closed with the agreement of the other founding members, Spain and Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Fr Christian Troll SJ, a prominent figure in Muslim-Christian dialogue, criticised the German government which, due to economic reasons, had not demanded respect for fundamental human rights “energetically enough”.
This was negatively affecting Christian-Muslim dialogue, he said.
Israelis block bishops
Israeli authorities prevented an internation delegation of Catholic bishops from entering Gaza to celebrate Mass with the embattled Catholic community there. Only three members of the Holy Land Coordination, as the delegation is known, were allowed to go through, while 10 were stopped. The other members were held up for eight hours before being allowed to visit.
After eight hours they were eventually let through and paid a visit to the Catholic parish and some of the families in Gaza. The three bishops who had earlier been allowed through said Mass with the community.
“Being held up for eight hours at the Erez crossing was difficult and disappointing as we were unable to celebrate Mass with the people in the Holy Family parish in Gaza. It did, at the same time, give us a small insight into the experiences of the few Gazans who are allowed to come in and out of Gaza,” the Bishop of Clifton, Declan Lang, said.
Aquino lashes out at Philippino bishops
President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines lashed out at his country’s Catholic bishops only a day after he welcomed Pope Francis. He said they had been unduly critical of his leadership.
Aquino also accused the bishops of overlooking the corruption of his predecessors, but “now seem to think the way to be true to the faith means finding something to criticise”.
He said that one prelate had even criticised his haircut.
The Catholic bishops and President Aquino have often been entangled in heated controversies as the bishops protest against legislation that facilitates family planning.
Focus on US poverty
Over 100 US Christian faith leaders in an umbrella organisation called Circle of Protection, are urging politicians contesting the 2016 elections to make poverty a priority throughout the campaign.
They said each person announcing his or her candidacy will be invited to submit a three-minute video outlining a platform to “offer help and opportunity” to poor people if elected to the White House.
In the 2012 campaign, both Republican Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama had submitted videos to the group that were circulated throughout the faith community. This time they are planning well before the election date to make their campaign more effective.
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)