Pope Benedict’s latest book, Jesus of Nazareth Part II: Holy Week – From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection, published by Ignatius Press, which was released on March 10, has already made it to The New York Times’ bestseller list.
Bishops against nuclear power
The opposition of the Philippine Catholic bishops to the development of peaceful nuclear power is being vindicated. This is the opinion of Bishop Deogracias Iñiquez, who chairs the Filipino bishops’ public affairs committee.
In the wake of the disaster in Japan, Iñiquez said the bishops’ fears have been proved right. The bishops’ conference has consistently opposed building nuclear power plants.
There are no nuclear power plants active in the Philippines today.
10,000 Ethiopian Christians flee
About 10,000 Ethiopian Christians have fled for their lives after 69 Protestant churches in the country’s southwest were burned by Muslim extremists.
The violence started after reports that the Qur’an was being flushed down the toilet at one of the churches.
One per cent of Ethiopia’s 79.2 million people are Catholic, according to the Vatican; 50 per cent are Oriental Orthodox, 10 per cent are Protestant, and 33 per cent are Muslim.
More money for abuse victims
‘Towards healing and renewal’, the pastoral letter of the Irish bishops, acknowledges that “the inadequate response (to abuse) by some Church leaders has left a deep wound that may never be fully healed”.
The letter said: “No apology, no gesture of repentance or sorrow can ever make up for the hurt caused to those abused and to their families: They have been grievously harmed and let down by people who professed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are deeply ashamed of this and we are profoundly sorry for any failures on our part.”
The bishops’ conference and the Conference of Religious of Ireland have already paid €20 million to fund the counselling service called ‘Towards Healing’. They have now pledged a further €10 million.
Regulating sexual behaviour
“A state should never punish a person or deprive a person of the enjoyment of any human right based just on the person’s feelings and thoughts, including sexual thoughts and feelings. But states can and must regulate behaviours, including various sexual behaviours,” said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican’s representative to UN agencies in Geneva.
The Vatican affirms “the inherent dignity of all humans” and condemns “all violence against people because of their sexual feelings or sexual behaviours,” he said.
What parish churches are for
A parish church is a place for people to get to know God better, to worship Him and to learn how to take the message of His love to the neighbourhood, Pope Benedict said at the dedication of the new St Corbinian church in Rome last Sunday.
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)