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‘Catholic Woodstock’ kicks off in Lisbon ahead of Pope arrival
The world's largest Catholic gathering, a week-long religious festival known as World Youth Day, kicks off in Lisbon on Tuesday, a day before Pope Francis arrives on his first foreign trip since recent surgery. Around 300,000 people are expected to attend the opening mass at 7:00 pm (1800 GMT) at the hillside Eduardo VII park, which offers sweeping views of the Portuguese capital and the Tagus river. The 86-year-old pontiff is set to arrive in Lisbon on Wednesday morning to celebrate World Youth Day, a week of religious, cultural and festive events held about every three years in a different city. He has a typically packed schedule for his five-day visit to Portugal, despite having spent nine nights in hospital after undergoing hernia surgery in June. Francis, the first Latin American pope, is due to make 11 public pronouncements and hold numerous meetings, and on Saturday will visit the shrine of Fatima north of Lisbon. Church organizers expect one million faithful will attend the event's closing mass held by the pope on Sunday at a waterside park on the outskirts of Lisbon. Images of the pope were on display on banners set up across the city as well as on screens on automatic bank machines along with the message: "I am with you". A Lisbon pastry shop is even selling cookies with the image of the smiling pontiff wearing a crucifix. "I think it is going to be amazing experience to be in the same spot as the pope," said Barbara Weisz, a 19-year-old student from the United States, part of a group of 37 youths who came from a San Diego parish. "It is a great feeling to be among so many young people who share your beliefs," she added as the group, who wore matching red t-shirts, gathered in the lobby of their hotel before going sightseeing before attending the opening mass. World Youth Day, which has been dubbed the "Catholic Woodstock", is part of the Vatican's efforts to galvanize young Catholics at a time when secularism and disgust over clerical child sex abuse cause some faithful to abandon the Church. In recent days groups of event volunteers, decked out in their distinctive yellow T-shirts, could be seen outside of churches in Lisbon to welcome pilgrims who have flocked to the city. "It is a special moment that you should experience at least once in your life," said Samuel Navarro, a 19-year-old student from Spain. - Meeting with abuse victims - Pope Francis is expected during his visit to meet privately with victims of sexual abuse by members of the Portuguese clergy. A report published in February by an independent commission found at least 4,815 children were sexually abused by clergy members -- mostly priests -- since 1950. The inquiry, based on testimony from over 500 victims, concluded that the Church hierarchy in Portugal "systematically" tried to conceal the abuse. "I know (the meeting) will take place... but I don't know where it will happen or how many people will take part," Lisbon's patriarch, Cardinal Manuel Clemente, told a news conference Monday. "There is a total commitment on the part of the Portuguese Church to settle this issue," he added. Around 16,000 members of law enforcement, civil protection and medical staff are being deployed for the pope's visit, officials said. Initially scheduled for August 2022, but postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Lisbon World Youth Day is the 16th international edition of what has become the largest gathering of Catholics worldwide. The brainchild of late Pope John Paul II, this year's event is the fourth presided over by Pope Francis, who became head of the Catholic Church in 2013. The last three events took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2013, Krakow, Poland in 2016 and Panama City, Panama in 2019. lf-tsc/ds/yad © Agence France-Presse The post ‘Catholic Woodstock’ kicks off in Lisbon ahead of Pope arrival appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Australian Indigenous rights vote fuels racism
A referendum aimed at elevating the rights of Indigenous Australians has instead triggered a torrent of racist slurs and abuse, with toxic debate spreading online and in the media. The October 14 vote will decide whether to finally recognize First Nations peoples in the constitution. Their ancestors were in Australia for 60,000 years before British colonial rule began in the late 1700s. The reform would give Indigenous communities the right to advise parliament -- a so-called "Voice" -- to help address entrenched inequalities including poorer health, weaker education, and higher rates of incarceration. But recent surveys indicate support for the referendum has plummeted over the past year and will likely fail. The debate has stirred uncertainty about the reform's scope and impact. It has also stoked racial tensions. "It has involved personal attacks, labelling of people as 'un-Australian' and perpetuating racially based stereotypes," Australia's Race Discrimination Commissioner Chin Tan told AFP. "I am disappointed that the way some people have engaged in the debate has stoked racial tensions and caused harm to First Nations peoples." Racist conduct had gone largely unchallenged in the public domain, he said. "Racism should never be accepted as part of the exchange of ideas in public debate." Voters have to choose one way or the other, and recent surveys indicate the "yes" camp is at just over 40 percent and the "no" side at nearly 60 percent. It is a near reversal of the situation a year ago. Opponents have criticized the proposal for a lack of detail and for creating unnecessary bureaucracy. But opposition leader Peter Dutton, one of the leading campaigners against the Voice, also warned it would "re-racialise" Australia. Referendum supporters accused Dutton of disinformation and scare-mongering. 'Catastrophic breakdown' Indigenous-related racism reports have spiked since July, according to University of Technology Sydney criminology professor Chris Cunneen, who leads a project that documents such incidents. The share of racism complaints in the "Call It Out" register related to the referendum had climbed to about 30 percent since July, he said. In previous months, the rate was eight percent. "We have also seen an increase in reports of racism online on social media and in the media during the same period," Cunneen said. "Combined these make roughly more than half of all reports." A national mental health helpline for First Nations peoples, 13YARN, painted a similar picture. It recorded a 108-percent increase in callers reporting abuse, racism and trauma from March-June compared to a year earlier, a spokesperson said. University of Queensland communications professor Timothy Graham examined thousands of Voice-related posts on X, formerly Twitter. He found a "catastrophic breakdown of public communication about the referendum across the entire Australian media ecology". "X/Twitter is overrun with confusion, misinformation, and incivility -- this occurs in what can only be described as a vicious feedback loop between politicians, partisan media, and social media," he told AFP. Online abuse Samala Cronin, an Indigenous woman of Butchulla heritage in Queensland, knows how it feels. In August, an old video of her went viral. It showed her in a heated row with an elderly couple about a parcel of land over which Aboriginal people have "exclusive native title". "I got about 3,000 notifications from Facebook and I thought: 'Oh my God'," she told AFP at the time. It has since racked up thousands more reactions on the platform. The comments were littered with racist insults. The country's online safety watchdog, the eSafety Commission, said it had recorded a small but noticeable rise in the proportion of adult cyber abuse complaints from First Nations people in the first half of this year. "We're also hearing from community stakeholders that online abuse is ratcheting up as we approach the referendum," eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant told AFP. She urged all Australians to "discuss and debate this issue respectfully, without stooping to slurs, racist remarks, hate speech or abuse". The post Australian Indigenous rights vote fuels racism appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Participating nuns, laywomen make Synod historic
For the first time in the history of the Catholic Church, women will participate in the Synod of Bishops that will open in the Vatican on Wednesday. During the assembly, 464 participants, including 365 members with voting rights, will meet every day, divided into plenary sessions in five different languages. Fifty-four of the participants will be women — nuns and laywomen who will take part in the consultations and be able to vote. One informed observer of the Holy See, who asked not to be named, said the participation of laypeople and women will make the synodal process more effective. The 16th Ordinary General Assembly taking place over four weeks will see bishops and other participants collaborating on ideas and solutions to some of the most contentious issues affecting the 21st century Church. Particular attention in the upcoming discussions will be paid to the possibility of allowing women to serve as deacons, or allowing married men as priests in remote areas lacking clergy. The multi-stage process, with a second session of the assembly scheduled for October 2024, sought input from local dioceses around the globe, with their insights and those from episcopal conferences contributing to a 50-page working document that will be used during this month’s discussions. During an ecumenical prayer vigil Saturday, Pope Francis expressed hope that the Synod would be “a place where the Holy Spirit will purify the Church from gossip, ideologies and polarization.” Pope Paul VI created the institution of the Synod in 1965. WITH AFP The post Participating nuns, laywomen make Synod historic appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Five things to know about Pope Francis’ Synod
Pope Francis opened the Synod of Bishops' general assembly in Rome on Wednesday, which in a historic first gives women a vote, after a vast global consultation on the future Catholic Church. Here are five things to know about the event: Input from faithful Since 2021, the world's 1.3 billion Catholics have been invited to express their views on the Catholic Church and its challenges to help guide the institution through the 21st century. The "Synod on Synodality" was launched by Francis, 86, as a way to make the Church more inclusive and transparent as it sought input from the faithful around the world. Insights from local dioceses were submitted to episcopal conferences, all contributing to a 50-page working document called the "Instrumentum Laboris" that will be used during the discussions that will take place over the next four weeks. A second session of the assembly is scheduled for October 2024, after which a final document will be given to the pope. He will then decide whether or not to incorporate its findings into a papal document known as an apostolic exhortation. "It's an important forum for reflection for the Church, on its way of being, of moving forward," Italian priest Giacomo Costa, the special secretary of this assembly, told AFP. 21st-century issues The current Synod is the first time the Vatican has waded into so many of today's contentious social issues so openly. The topics to be addressed include the place of LGBT+ people within the Church, whether women should be ordained deacons, and whether married men can serve as priests in regions with insufficient clergy, among others. While there has been consensus on some issues, "there are other issues on which we disagree in substance," said Costa. Contributing to discussions will be theologians, experts, and sociologists, he said. Women and laypeople The Synod is a consultative institution created by Pope Paul VI in 1965 that meets regularly through assemblies. Francis presided over three previous Synods: those of the Family in 2014-2015, Youth in 2018, and Amazonia 2019 -- where he rejected a proposal to open up the priesthood to married men in remote areas of the Amazon. The current Synod marks a major break from the past, however, with Francis' decision to allow women and lay people to vote. "It's a total change from Paul VI: this time, the people of God are being summoned, not representatives," a Vatican observer told AFP. The source said the laymen and women in the assembly will be trying to push past the "ecclesiastic culture" pervading the event. "They won't be satisfied with good words, there will be a demand for procedure, the will to change, efficiency," said the source. Busy calendar For four weeks, the 464 participants, including 365 voting members, will meet every day, divided into 35 working groups divided into five languages (English, Italian, Spanish, French, and Portuguese). Among them are 54 women. The Synod will open and close with a mass presided over by Francis in St. Peter's Basilica and will be marked by periods of prayer. Francis said last month that discussions during the assembly will be behind closed doors to "safeguard" the synodal climate. Dissent Although Francis has warned that there is "no room for ideology in the Synod", there are likely to be differences. Vatican observers will be closely watching the conservative wing of the Church, which is hostile to the Argentine pope. Its members, which include Germany's Cardinal Gerhard Mueller and US Cardinal Raymond Burke, maintain that Francis risks creating confusion and division in the Church, given the Synod's reflections on possible doctrinal changes on thorny issues such as gay rights or celibacy. The post Five things to know about Pope Francis’ Synod appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Appeal to Pope Francis: Restore the Mediatrix
Devotees are appealing to Pope Francis to restore the Mediatrix because there is evidence that the 1951 Pope Pius XII decree, which declared the Mediatrix apparitions not “of supernatural origin,” has been proven invalid, including all subsequent Church decrees to suppress the Mediatrix devotion in the last 70 years. The Vatican allows Mediatrix devotion (prayers, novenas) but bans any Church activity in reference to the apparition. The 1951 Pius XII decree is invalid because it is not found in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, a requirement for a decree to be binding, according to Canon Law. The decree is considered “non-existent” even though the Holy Office (the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith back in 1951) issued a similar decree, which was not binding. Only the Pope can issue such an official decree, according to Canon Law. On 11 December 2015, Gerhard Cardinal Muller, as head; and Archbishop Luis Ladaria, SJ, as the secretary of the CDF, the Vatican office in charge of investigating Marian apparitions, issued Protocol 226/1949 which hinted at the non-existence of the Pius XII decree. Archbishops of Lipa Mariano Gaviola and Ramon Arguelles, during their respective tenures, separately asked the CDF for the documents on the status of the 1951 disapproval of the Lipa apparitions. After the CDF failed to give this, Gaviola permitted public veneration of the original image of the Mediatrix, and Arguelles issued a decree lifting the ban on Mediatrix veneration, which they could do under Canon Law, and which resulted in the erroneous CDF Protocol 226/1949, quoted below. “11. Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, in a letter dated 7 October 2009, requested permission to examine the archives of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, regarding the phenomenon at Lipa. Shortly thereafter, on 12 November 2009, Archbishop Arguelles issued a decree by which he ordered that ‘all bans written or unwritten intended to curtail or diminish the devotion to Mary Mediatrix of all Grace be lifted’ and ‘ that a new commission be formed to review the documents on the alleged apparitions of 1948 as well as to compile additional documents from the period up to the present.’” “12. After examining its archives, and discovering the error in Archbishop Ramon Arguelles’s assumption that the matter of the phenomenon of Lipa was still open to discussion, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in a letter dated 20 March 2010, responded to Archbishop Arguelles, informing him that the decision communicated by the Episcopal Commission in 1951 was, in fact, a decision approved by the Holy Father and, therefore, the matter no longer rested under the authority of the Archbishop.” Under Canon Law, Arguelles and Gaviola, as bishops of the Lipa diocese, had the right to be provided a copy of the Holy Office-Pius XII decree, if it existed at all. When it was not given, under Canon Law, Arguelles and Gaviola had the right to lift the ban on Mediatrix devotion. The CDF claim that the matter was no longer “open to discussion” is false and is a contravention of Canon Law, which states that, in the absence of a Vatican decree, local bishops had a right to act on their own authority. The CDF, in Protocol 226/1949, wrongly blamed Gaviola and Arguelles for violating Vatican protocol.Both the Holy Office of 1951 and the CDF of 2015 committed the “sin” of not reporting that the Pius XII decree was not registered in the Acta. Muller and Ladaria , who have retired from the CDF, should be investigated by Pope Francis. No one in the entire Church knew that the Pius XII decree was non-existent for seven decades up to this very day, except for a few who did not come out in fear of Vatican repercussions. The CDF claim that the “Episcopal Commission in 1951 was in fact a decision approved by the Holy Father” is completely baseless. The Episcopal Commission issued its decision on 11 April 1951, while the Holy Office-Pius XII issued its decision two weeks before on 28-29 March. How could the Holy Office issue a decision on a still non-existent future Episcopal Commission decision? Mediatrix devotees are appealing to Pope Francis to retract Protocol 226/1949, restore the images of Bishops Gaviola and Arguelles, and stop the suppression of the Philippine clergy and the Marian devotees, in the name of the Virgin Mary whom we all love. We welcome any reply from Rome on this matter. eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com The post Appeal to Pope Francis: Restore the Mediatrix appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pope arrives in Mongolia to back tiny Catholic presence on China’s doorstep
Pope Francis arrived in Mongolia on Friday, beginning the first papal visit to the vast Asian nation landlocked between China and Russia. The 86-year-old pontiff's trip through Monday to the Buddhist-majority nation is a gesture of support for the tiny community of Catholics numbering about 1,400. The Argentine pontiff left Rome at 1640 GMT Thursday bound for the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar, arriving Friday morning local time following a nine-hour journey. He was greeted by a line of Mongolian honor guards in traditional blue, red, and yellow attire and foreign minister Batmunkh Battsetseg. Aboard the papal plane soon after take-off, Francis described the vast, sparsely populated country of Mongolia as one that "can be understood with the senses." Asked by a journalist whether he found diplomacy difficult, the pope answered: "Yes, you don't know how difficult it is. "Sometimes you need a sense of humor." The nine-hour flight passed over Chinese airspace and the pontiff, following custom, sent a telegram to President Xi Jinping, bearing "greetings of good wishes" to him and the Chinese people. "Assuring you of my prayers for the well-being of the nation, I invoke upon all of you the divine blessings of unity and peace," he wrote. The voyage -- Francis' second to the region in a year after a September trip to Kazakhstan -- is geopolitically strategic. It is seen as encouraging Mongolia's fragile democracy and potentially helping the Church make inroads with the country's more powerful neighbors. "This is a clear effort of the Holy See to take care of Central Asia and not abandon it to Russia or China," Michel Chambon, a scholar of Catholicism in Asia, told AFP. The visit -- Francis' 43rd voyage in his decade as head of the Catholic Church -- is also crucial in keeping the door open for improved Vatican ties with Beijing and Moscow, which have yet to offer the Pope an invitation. "It's a way to not give up, to remind them 'I'm here!'" Chambon said. "It's a way not to just stay in Rome and wait for things to happen but to jump in." Stamina test The trip will be a stamina test for the pope, who continues to travel widely despite undergoing a hernia operation in June and pain in his knee that has forced him to use a wheelchair. After a day of rest, the pontiff's itinerary on Saturday includes a welcome ceremony, meetings with President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene, and a first address to authorities, diplomats, and members of civil society. He will meet the Catholic community -- which includes just 25 priests and 33 nuns, only two of them Mongolian -- later Saturday in Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral. Its circular nave resembles a "ger", the Mongolian nomads' traditional tent dwelling. The Jesuit pope addresses an interreligious meeting Sunday, where the rector of Ulaanbaatar's Russian Orthodox Church is expected to be present with a delegation, and later presides over a mass inside a newly built ice hockey arena. Pilgrims from nearby countries are expected at the mass, the Vatican said, including from Russia, China, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Azerbaijan. Not taking sides Once part of the empire of Genghis Khan, Mongolia is dependent on Russia for energy imports and on China for the export of its raw materials, primarily coal. But while toeing a neutral line with its powerful neighbors, it has engaged in a "third neighbor" policy, strengthening relations with other nations, including the United States, Japan, and South Korea, for balance. That makes Mongolia potentially helpful for Vatican relations with both Beijing and Moscow. The Holy See last year renewed a deal on the thorny issue of bishop appointments with China, and Francis has sought to broker an end to the war in Ukraine with Russia. Francis may use his trip to the former Soviet satellite state, a democracy since just 1992, to hammer home democratic principles. A major coal industry corruption scandal provoked street protests in December, eroding public trust amid a weak economy, high inflation, and major gaps between rich and poor. Chambon, a fellow at Singapore's Asia Research Institute, said Francis may take a page from last year's Kazakhstan visit, during which he warned authorities they have a responsibility to govern well. "The pope is not taking sides but is really putting politicians in front of their responsibilities," Chambon said. "'Who are we serving, are we honest, are we caring for the poor and marginalized, are we taking care of the entire nation in its religious and ethnic diversity?' "He plays the games but he asks the hard questions." Francis, who plans in October to publish an update to his seminal 2015 "Laudato Si'" a global call to action for the environment, will also likely bring attention to the impact of climate change on Mongolia's ecosystems. Together with mining and overgrazing, rising temperatures and their effects are fuelling desertification across swathes of the country. Severe cold, flooding and drought have killed off herds on the vast grasslands, forcing nomads who make up one-third of the population to migrate to Ulaanbaatar, now surrounded by shantytowns inhabited by displaced herders. The post Pope arrives in Mongolia to back tiny Catholic presence on China’s doorstep appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Beware: God’s silence
Dear Editor, Has the Church lost its moral ascendancy to preach about righteousness and piety? It is a wonder why it has been silent about all forms and sources of evil in our society, like corruption and gambling, legal or illegal. What could be the reason why the Church is mum on important national issues involving depravity or demons, unlike during the time of Jaime Cardinal Sin three or four decades ago? Why does the Church seem to have abandoned its duty of exorcizing evil? I am referring not only to the Catholic Church but to other churches as well, including Protestants, all Christian denominations, and other religions in the country. If church leaders can corrupt the government and politicians, we can just imagine the magnitude of their corrupt acts over their church organization’s own money. These are those who entered a “life of mission,” but due to undying love for mammon and a “good life” (contrary to Christ’s life), they ended up serving themselves rather than God and their flocks. The Constitution is clear: “No public money or property shall be appropriated, applied to, or employed, directly or indirectly, for the use of, the benefit of, or support of any sect, church, or denomination.” May I add, “And no church money shall be used for personal ambitions?” Upon reading news similar to the SUV scandal in 2011 whereby a “bishop asked for a car as a birthday gift but used the welfare of the poor as an excuse,” and upon realizing the baseness of many ministers today who use gadgets as Bibles, I was led to write this piece. In the same way that we can distinguish the original from fake products by looking at the details or scrutinizing the small, minuscule parts, a church is known for its authenticity or hypocrisy. While God is also in the details of Christian living and the imperatives of faith, the Devil is in every side and corner, floor and ceiling, of religiosity and the so-called “essentials” and “fundamentals” of (sham) faith. Since when have sanctified living and/or corruption, child abuse, human trafficking, taking drugs, drinking, smoking, gambling, adultery, and the like become “non-essentials?” Why are most ministers today afraid of speaking against sin? And how dare they categorize crookedness and worldliness as just being parts of what they call “non-essentials”? They have been so focused on their essential “theology” and “religiousness” that they’ve been blinded to see piety and righteousness. Christ was not crucified to save religions but sinners, according to Matthew 7:15-20. But be equally watchful of “ministers” who preach the Bible with Bibles but are actually just preaching their man-made religions and damnable doctrines. Finally, why not make a law that would stop corrupt churches from corrupting politicians during elections by prohibiting them from endorsing any candidate via “block voting,” openly or secretly? Be courageous for the good of the motherland and do this, dear lawmakers. Country first, before yourself (or your votes), and you will have the vote of God. No worries. Reni Valenzuela renivalenzuelaletters@yahoo.com The post Beware: God’s silence appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pope winds up Portugal visit with big outdoor Mass
Pope Francis celebrated an open-air Mass before a huge crowd on Sunday at a waterside park near Lisbon to wrap up an international jamboree of Catholic youth. Around 1.5 million people attended the service at the Parque Tejo on the eastern outskirts of the Portuguese capital, the Vatican said. The crowd waved national flags and cheered as the 86-year-old pope arrived at the park, which was built for the occasion on a former landfill site. Many had camped out overnight in sleeping bags or floor mats after attending a vigil there held by the pope. "You are the hope of a different world," Francis said in his homily as many national flags fluttered in the sea of pilgrims. The leader of the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics also urged the pilgrims to pray for those who could not come "because of armed conflicts and wars". "There are many of them in our world. In thinking of this continent, I feel great sorrow for beloved Ukraine, which continues to suffer greatly," he added to applause. With little shade in the park, pilgrims protected themselves from the blazing sun with umbrellas or makeshift tents made from sheets. "It's extraordinary to be able to be here to see our Pope Francis who has managed to gather people from the whole world," Pimentel Gomes, a 52-year-old priest from Brazil, told AFP as he sat for breakfast before the Mass. Unforgettable days The pope, who now uses a wheelchair or walking stick to get around, addressed some 24,000 event volunteers on Sunday afternoon to thank them before flying back to Rome. "You have made these unforgettable days possible," he said. Francis is expected to give a press conference onboard the papal plane, which is set to land in Rome at around 10:15 p.m. (2015 GMT) This was his first foreign trip since he spent nine nights in hospital after undergoing hernia surgery in June. Charlotte Bordas, a 26-year-old who came from Mont-de-Marsan in southwestern France, said she was moved to see the pope had made the trip despite his health problems. "We see he's really tired, weakened, but he still took the time to come to see us, talk to us, and it is particularly touching for me to see him," she told AFP. Francis arrived in Portugal on Wednesday for World Youth Day, a six-day international Catholic jamboree featuring festive, cultural, and religious events. It comes as Francis attempts to galvanize young Catholics at a time when secularism and priest pedophilia scandals cause some to abandon pews in Europe. Room for everybody The pope met 13 victims of clerical abuse at the Holy See's diplomatic mission in Lisbon during his first day in Portugal. He also met 15 youths from war-torn Ukraine, visited a community center in Lisbon's impoverished Serafina neighborhood, and prayed at the shrine of Fatima north of the Portuguese capital. During his visit Francis stressed his call for inclusivity, telling the World Youth Day opening ceremony on Thursday that "in the Church, there is room for everyone". He then led the crowd of half a million people in a chant of "todos, todos, todos" or "everyone, everyone, everyone" to press his point. "It has been an extraordinary moment of joy, of energy, with remarkable speeches by the Holy Father," Portugal's Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa told public television RTP. Francis received an enthusiastic welcome throughout his visit to the Catholic-majority country, with well-wishers lining the streets to see him go by. World Youth Day, created in 1986 by John Paul II, is the largest Catholic gathering in the world and features a wide range of events, including concerts and prayer sessions. This edition, initially scheduled for August 2022 but postponed because of the pandemic, is the fourth for Francis after Rio de Janeiro in 2013, Krakow in 2016 and Panama in 2019. At the end of Sunday's Mass, the pope announced that Seoul in South Korea would host the next edition in 2027. The post Pope winds up Portugal visit with big outdoor Mass appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pope says ‘anguished cry’ of abuse victims must be heard
Pope Francis said Wednesday that the "anguished cry" of victims of clerical sexual abuse must be heard as he began a visit to Portugal, where a recent report found thousands of cases spanning decades. Addressing the clergy at Lisbon's vast Jeronimos Monastery, the pontiff said some people viewed the Church "with disappointment and anger" due to "the scandals that have marred her face". These scandals "call us to a humble and ongoing purification, starting with the anguished cry of the victims, who must always be accepted and listened to", he added. A report released in February by an independent commission concluded that at least 4,815 children had been abused by clergy members, mostly priests, in Portugal since 1950. The inquiry -- similar to audits elsewhere in Europe and the Americas -- concluded that the Church hierarchy had "systematically" tried to conceal the abuse. Before those findings, top Portuguese church officials maintained there had been only a few such cases. The results of the inquiry have tainted the institution in the Catholic-majority country and led the Portuguese Roman Catholic Church to apologise to the victims. A July poll by Lisbon's Catholic University of Portugal found 68 percent of all Portuguese felt the Church's image had deteriorated. According to the Portuguese Bishops' Conference and a local organising committee, Francis will meet abuse victims privately, though it has not yet been included in the official programme. A support group for victims has put up three large billboards in Lisbon close to places that will host events attended by the pope to denounce clerical sexual abuse. The billboards read: "4,800+ children abused by the Catholic Church in Portugal". The pope, who was elected by his peers in 2013, has told bishops around the world they must adhere to a policy of "zero tolerance" for clergy who sexually abuse children. He held an unprecedented summit on clerical sexual abuse the following year and has enacted reforms that include new obligations to report abuse and cover-ups. The post Pope says ‘anguished cry’ of abuse victims must be heard appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Nothing compares to her: Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor dead at 56
Acclaimed and controversial Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor has passed away at age 56, her family announced in a statement. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time,” the statement said. The cause and time of death was not released to the public. O' Connor is best known for her now-classic rendition of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which catapulted her to fame when the song topped worldwide charts and was named the number one world single in 1990 by the Billboard Music Awards. But she will also be remembered for a deeply divisive gesture: In 1992, she infamously tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul II in an episode of Saturday Night Live to protest against the Catholic Church’s silence on child abuse cases. Born in Dublin, O’Connor made a mark not only as an accomplished artist but also for being outspoken and provocative throughout her career. She rocked a signature shaved head, wore bold and eccentric clothing and never backed down from her fierce, unconventional persona. She released 10 studio albums, beginning with The Lion and The Cobra (1987), which charted internationally and gave her her first Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990), was O’Connor’s breakthrough as a singer-songwriter, gaining critical raves and selling over seven million copies worldwide. Through her sophomore album, O’Connor made legendary musician Prince’s song “Nothing Compares 2 U” into her own, and with it, she became the first woman to win the Video of the Year honors at the MTV Video Music Awards on 6 September 1990. The album also earned three Grammy nominations. However, despite being nominated for the music industry’s highest awards, she became the first artist to criticize and boycott the Grammys, claiming that it measured artists’ worth based on commercial success alone. In later years, the Irish star opened up about her struggles with mental health. O’Connor went on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2007 and revealed her struggles with bipolar disorder and depression. Living through these mental disorders felt like “a bucket with holes in it, just leaking tears from every pore,” she said. In her 2021 memoir Rememberings, O’Connor recalled that she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder due to the physical abuse she went through growing up. The tragic death of her 17-year-old son, Shane, in 2022 added to O’Connor’s struggles, leading her to seek immediate medical care for herself. The post Nothing compares to her: Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor dead at 56 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
An ‘artist’s’15 minutes of fame
A question of freedom of expression or outright blasphemy? Social media and its ardent followers recently engaged in animated commentary, some amusing, others vitriolic, when drag queen Pura Luka Vega, dressed up to imitate Jesus Christ, performed before a noisy and possibly inebriated audience that sang along with the “star,” a pop version of the church hymn “Ama Namin” in a crowded venue that appeared to be a bar. The engagement drew a flurry of protests, principally from the country’s Catholic faithful. But what did Vega expect? The Philippines is, after all, a country with about 78.8 percent of the population identifying themselves as Roman Catholics based on the 2020 census. While some sectors proclaiming themselves as vanguards of the arts expressed their support for Vega, a participant in a contest featuring drag queens, the majority of the comments, some of them from those who are not even Catholic or “religious,” condemned the act and demanded an apology from the person at the center of the controversy. Many said what he did was “blasphemous, offensive, disrespectful.” Several senators openly denounced his act, with one saying the performer could face criminal charges. Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code punishes “those who offend any race or religion in the performance of obscene or indecent plays, scenes, acts or shows in theaters, fairs, or any other place.” The law imposes a jail term and/or a fine on violators. “As a woman of faith, I admit I find this regrettable. However, I also caution against the use of this incident to deny rights and protections to a community that has long been marginalized and excluded,” Sen. Risa Hontiveros. said For his part, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said Vega “should think of some other way to make himself known and not resort to gimmickry.” On the other hand, Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman, the first Filipino transgender lawmaker, warned Vega not to use the gender card in his defense. “Do we really need this kind of provocation? What is the contribution of this to LGBT rights?” Roman said. She added that invoking the performance as a constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression is not absolute. She even dared the artist to do what he did to other religions with less tolerant views to see how far he could go. Pope Francis, the first pope, has criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust” and advised Catholic priests to welcome LGBTQ people into the Church. My take on the gender issue is probably not as magnanimous as that of the pope. I am a conservative Catholic, meaning I am quite rigid in interpreting/differentiating the male from the female. For me, there are no “in-betweens.” But it does not mean that I do not respect our fellowmen who identify themselves with a gender that is not what they were born with. I respect them so much and would protect them as I would protect my children. But mind you, respect is a two-way street, so let us leave it at that. Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said it was not inclined to press charges against the artist, adding that it was enough that he got the message that what he did was wrong. Although Vega said he apologized “to those who were offended by his performance,” it didn’t sound like he meant it because he added that he would not stop expressing his art, and it was his way of practicing his faith as a Catholic, and it was a form of worship anyway. In a bar before people obviously having a good time? At the same time, he said it was some healing process for him for having experienced exclusion from the Church because he is gay. Huh? The logic escapes me. Vega’s imitation of Christ also drew the ire of local government officials in Gen. Santos City, who recently declared him “persona non grata,” meaning there’s no welcome mat waiting for him in the city. Plucked from obscurity, Vega has become an instant celebrity of sorts and apparently basks in the spotlight. A concept introduced by the late American visual artist Andy Warhol who said, “Everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes,” it implied the fleeting nature of being a “celebrity.” We see this phenomenon now with the surge of bloggers and vloggers flooding all social media platforms, from taho vendors to movie stars to various hangers-on, retired police officers, etc. All one needs is a cellphone with a decent camera. Soon enough, your video becomes viral. Meanwhile, let Vega enjoy his 15 minutes of fame while he can. The post An ‘artist’s’15 minutes of fame appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Saints by day, demons by night’
A former seminarian has exposed the Catholic Church’s vast sex abuse network in Bolivia where men of the cloth victimized children and adults. Pedro Lima, 54, said he and other men training to become priests were also subjected to abuse often by clergymen who arrived from Spain. Lima, who has lived in Paraguay since 2011 where he works as a blacksmith, returned home last month to give evidence in a vast investigation into child predation at schools countrywide, including a boarding school for poor, rural kids in Cochabamba. “The children lived through hell,” he recounted of things he said he saw. “These abusive priests were saints by day, demons by night.” At the center of the latest scandal is Spanish priest Alfonso Pedrajas, who died in 2009. In his journal, recently discovered and published by a newspaper, Pedrajas confessed to having harmed dozens of people, possibly as many as 85. He also noted that senior clergy had known about his crimes and kept quiet. Lima, who said he had encountered Pedrajas personally, claims he was expelled from the Jesuit order in 2001, while studying to become a priest, for reporting abuse. Since then, he has compiled a list of alleged wrongdoers, most of them now dead. “It wasn’t only one priest, there is a structure of priests who helped and supported each other so this (abuse) could continue to happen,” he told Agence France-Presse. Priests heard young victims’ complaints, then rebuked them and expelled them from school, Lima alleged. The post ‘Saints by day, demons by night’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Twitter blocks troll hunters
For years, a band of science-loving “troll hunters” hounded climate change deniers off Twitter — but Elon Musk’s takeover has upended their efforts, with many ousted accounts back, pushing fresh disinformation. Despite the threat climate change poses to the planet, disinformation about it has gone largely unsanctioned on Twitter. But a secretive global community of about 25 scientists and activists, calling themselves Team Ninja Trollhunters, found a roundabout way to tackle it. Since its founding in 2019, TNT claims to have secured the suspension of some 600 accounts of climate change denialists by reporting them for other infringements, including hate speech, that are officially recognized by the platform as valid grounds for termination. “If they’re saying something racist or offensive or misogynist, we can get them kicked off,” one Germany-based TNT member, a 45-year-old scientist who asked to be identified as Tom, told AFP in a Zoom interview. Like other TNT members interviewed by AFP, he requested that his real identity be withheld to avoid online harassment. TNT members showed AFP archives documenting their campaigns, including a spreadsheet logging thousands of Twitter accounts they reported on grounds ranging from spam and harassment to hate speech and threats. They also shared screenshots confirming numerous suspensions. “We make sure that we’re as under the radar as possible... to get (climate) deniers and ‘sceptics’ and just generally nasty people reported on Twitter,”” a Canada-based member named Peter told AFP. “We’re more effective if we’re very quiet about it. These deniers are quite often very violent in their responses to climate misinformation being corrected. Intimidation and abuse are very common.” The post Twitter blocks troll hunters appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
In defense of Our Lady Mediatrix of all Grace
This is a reaction to the CBCP position that appeared in a PhilStar article dated 29 May 2023 concerning Our Lady Mediatrix of All Grace, as articulated by Bishop Pablo David, CBCP president. This open letter is in defense of Our Lady Mediatrix. The article was headlined, “Vatican has Spoken on Lipa Apparitions.” The article began, “The Vatican has already ruled on the alleged apparitions of Mary Mediatrix of All Grace in Lipa, Batangas in 1948.” Bishop David says there was “no sign of supernatural character or origin.” In other words, the Mediatrix issue was an open and shut case. The article, however, did not take into account the history that had been omitted and about which the Vatican was silent. That needs to be mentioned here to avoid a false picture. The Vatican’s Confederation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the most powerful Church office that investigates alleged apparitions, created a commission of eight Filipino bishops in the 1950s, led by then Bishop Rufino Santos (later a Cardinal), to investigate the Mediatrix apparitions in Lipa. The findings were unanimous. All the bishops declared the Mediatrix apparitions authentic. But under extreme pressure from the Apostolic Nuncio, the diplomatic representative of the Vatican in the Philippines, the bishops were forced to reverse their findings. This was discovered only years later when one bishop, on his deathbed, recanted his reversal. All the other bishops also recanted later, throwing a monkey wrench into the Vatican-led study that said the apparitions were not authentic. There was a move to set the record straight with another investigation — about which Pope Francis was aware — but that proposal was ignored and never materialized. Instead, Vatican and CDF elements began an intense campaign to suppress the Mediatrix phenomenon that has lasted more than eight decades to this very day. The original miraculous Mediatrix statue was hidden in some cellar. Other statues were destroyed. The miraculous rose petals that had religious images on them were burned, destroying the very evidence needed for future investigations. Those that escaped the medieval-style iconoclasts are now secretly hidden somewhere. Novena pamphlets, stampitas, and religious materials were burned, including the precious diary that contained the first-hand account of visionary Sister Teresing Castillo. A second diary was written before she died and which is available on the internet. Many bishops of Lipa were “exiled” to remote dioceses or forced to resign through the decades for their support of the Mediatrix. The entire Philippine Church, fearing repercussions, was forced into silence, except for a few brave souls. Despite all this, the Virgin prevailed. When the bishops fell silent, the laity, immune to Vatican repressions, took over. Taking a cue from a CBCP declaration that Mediatrix devotion was allowed despite the apparitions having been declared as non-authentic, the devotion spread like wildfire. About 80 life-size Mediatrix statues were distributed to dioceses nationwide, especially in Mindanao, where Mediatrix miracles mushroomed. Lay Mediatrix groups sprouted everywhere. Nobody could stop the Virgin. The statements of the CBCP and Bishop David are understandable, as they cannot defy the Vatican. Any defiance is tantamount to “schism,” a denial of the Papacy and of the Church itself. Fr. Jose Syquia, chief exorcist of the Archdiocese of Manila, and his assistant, Fr. Winston Cabading, are an example of overzealous loyalty to the Vatican, which is also understandable, but only up to a point. They cannot make fun of Our Lady. That was why Fr. Cabading was arrested based on the charges filed by Mediatrix devotee ex-justice Harriet Demetriou. In her second diary, Sr. Teresing wrote that she withstood the tortures by the devil of a foul smell and bruises on her arms. Satan fears the Philippine Church as the launch pad of Our Lady Mediatrix for the Church evangelization of Asia, especially China, where there is now a Mediatrix statue in Nanjing. The triumph of the Virgin over Satan today was prophesied in the Book of Genesis 3:15, when God told Lucifer, “I will put enmity between you and the woman (Our Lady) and between your offspring and hers (Jesus). Her offspring shall crush your head, and you will bruise his heel.” eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com The post In defense of Our Lady Mediatrix of all Grace appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pig’s blood on fish
Octogenarians are not easily provoked. They are ever protective of their mental and physical health, fragile as they are. Their low immune system is vulnerable to being compromised if negative emotions are aroused. Science and medicine tell us that these emotions could trigger chronic diseases and cardiac, respiratory and other related medical issues common to the elderly. A bad temper leads to blood pressure rising and if untreated angina and myocardial infarction or stroke. Hence, when they cannot suppress anger, it means their tolerance level has reached rock bottom. Muslim elderly had experienced this outburst of anger recently. A bit of news, pedestrian it may seem in media reporting has provoked the ire of this writer. It was a bad hair day. This may have skipped notice from readers who are more focused on headline-hugging news. It was buried in the inside pages. And in the print media of yore, perhaps along with obituaries. A report last week datelined General Santos, Philippines says “A group of inspectors uncovered a deceitful practice . . .on which several market vendors were found coating fish slices with pig’s blood to make them look fresh. Plastic packs of pig blood were seized from the vendors involved. The discovery sparked controversy among Muslims and other non-pork eaters . . .” This has opened Pandora’s box. It triggered indignation and condemnation from Muslims and non-Muslims. It was most deceitful and malevolent. This should not be treated only as a “public health issue.” It is an attack upon the sensitivity and religious beliefs of some sectors of society. The Muslims, Seventh Day Adventists, and others shy away from eating pork and its derivatives because of their religion. We suggest that the local government of General Santos City impose the corresponding penalty commensurate to the gravity of the crime. It should not stop from merely imposing administrative sanctions like canceling the license of vendors but also filing a criminal case for fraudulent misrepresentation or other deceit. Allow me to quote part of the article I wrote earlier about the same issue. “What is in pork that makes it an abhorrent animal? Why is it specially mentioned in the Holy Koran as prohibited for consumption by Muslims? For one, it is considered one of the dirtiest animals which thrives on filth and unsanitary environment. Pig is considered garbage and waste eliminators. . . “which eat its own feces, as well as dead carcasses of sick animals, including their own young.” The scientific reasoning is that “Swine serves as a vector for pathogenic worms to enter the human body. Infections by Trichinella spiralis and Taenia solium are not uncommon. Fatty acids and composition of pork fat have been mentioned as incompatible with human fat and biochemical systems.” In other words, the strong underlying reason for this religious proscription is its damaging effect on humans which could cause a variety of medical issues like “increased cancer risk” and many health problems. It is for this reason that Islam is not the only religion that bans pork from its adherents. Other religious sects like the Seventh Day Adventists, the United Church of God, the Orthodox Jewish Kosher, etc., prohibit pork consumption. In an article by Dr. Josh Axe he mentioned that “in the Old Testament, God warned us that the pig was an unclean animal. Why? Because pig is a scavenger and not meant for human consumption.” The greatest fear among Muslims and non-pork-eating citizens is that this may have been going on in several markets in the country without being detected. The local government units should be uncompromising in the exercise of their supervisory and monitoring power over market operations to prevent a repeat of this criminal act. It should never abdicate its inherent oversight duty. How can one person be possessed of so much greed to resort to a reprehensible way that violates the belief of a fellow human being? It reflects a social malady that government must help to address. amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com The post Pig’s blood on fish appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pilgrimage
Pilgrimage is an overt manifestation of one’s religious and spiritual devotion to one’s creed. There are people whose devotion is pure and strong. You see this in all religions. They walk the extra mile to perform arcane rituals enjoined by their religion. Distance is no issue. They literally climb mountains and sail the “seven seas” to observe the injunction. What divine force pushes them? When we were about to take the bar examination some of our Christian batchmates talked in a whisper about seeking help from the St. John the Baptist Parish Church or Quiapo Church, the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene. They heard of testimonies about the magical power of the Church which grants prayers for success, providence, and healing which would-be bar takers can do with. Another shrine frequented by pilgrims is the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Manaoag, Pangasinan. Pilgrims coming from afar flock to the Church because of its divine healing power and many other accounts of the grant of miraculous benefits. There are many other shrines in various places in the country that are visited by pilgrims who seek relief from disease, poverty and hardship. Catholics who are financially able, visit the St. Peter’s Basilica in the Holy City of Rome, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church. The claim of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Bosnian village Medjugorje testified to by many adherents is drawing thousands of devotees from different parts of the globe. Other religions have their own places of worship or shrines visited regularly by devotees. The Muslims have them. I write this article having in mind the Haj season for World Muslims which kicks off next month. They will flock to the Holy Cities of Mecca and Madinah, where Masjid el Haram, the holiest shrine, and Masjed el Nabawe, the 2nd holiest mosque, are located, respectively. Ironically, the 3rd holiest mosque, Masjed el Aqsa is in Jerusalem. The principal difference between Muslims and other religious devotees performing pilgrimage is that in the former, the Haj pilgrimage is obligatory during their lifetime while the latter do it voluntarily and mostly part of a religious tour for leisure and pleasure. It’s pure unadulterated devotion for Muslim pilgrims performing Haj. Also, Muslims perform it on a specific date and time in the Lunar calendar while non-Muslim pilgrims do it anytime in their own free time. Moreover, there are specific arcane rituals that had to be observed imitating what Prophet Muhammad PBUH and Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham to non-Muslims) did during their lifetime. Performing the Haj pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam along with belief in Allah SWT and His Messenger Muhammad PBUH, five times a day prayers, payment of zakat or alms-giving, and fasting during Holy Ramadhan. Islam, however, exempts those physically disabled and senile persons with health issues and those who are not financially capable. This accounts for the fact that millions of Muslims annually troop to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. How the Kingdom could manage millions of devotees performing Haj and Umrah pilgrimages is one for the books. As host, it had to provide security, housing, and easy access to the Shrines along with managing the horrendous human traffic and other imperatives needed by the annual gathering. It is no mean feat to gather a multi-racial and ethnolinguistic throng in one place on a specific day and time without any major mischance happening. While there were few and far accidents before, they were manageable and had not marred the performance of the pilgrimage. It is likewise a wonder how the Kingdom managed to modernize the housing, transport, medical, and security system for the pilgrimage without violating the holiness of the places of worship. Mecca has been transformed from one oasis in a huge desert land into a metropolis with high-rise hotels and structures, including state of an art transport system connecting the twin Holy Cities of Mecca and Madinah specifically constructed to cater to pilgrims. The Kingdom has lived up to its name as the capital of Islam. And the world Muslims cannot but express appreciation for the labor of His Majesty King Salman ibn Abdelaziz and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman for walking the extra mile to make the experience of Muslim pilgrims a lifetime fulfillment. amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com The post Pilgrimage appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Family’s frustration 30 years after racist murder rocked Britain
Thirty years after the murder of their son in a racist attack, Stephen Lawrence's parents are tired of broken promises. They have heard Britain's biggest police force talk about reform many times since a gang of white youths stabbed the black 18-year-old to death. The brutal killing shocked Britain and sparked calls for an overhaul of policing. It led to a damning official review in 1999, which found the force carried out a flawed murder investigation marred by "institutional racism" and recommended a series of changes. But last month, a new review following a spate of fresh police scandals, found racism still rife in the force, along with misogyny and homophobia. "I don't see any change," Neville Lawrence told AFP after giving a talk in central London to mark the anniversary of his son's murder. He said black people still fear the force will not protect them, and vowed to make life safer for his young relatives so they can "walk the streets and not worry about getting stabbed". Stephen had wanted to be an architect, and his father described being "robbed" of the chance to see him grow up and fulfil his ambitions. Battle for justice On the night of his death, 22 April 1993, Stephen was waiting for a bus with his friend Duwayne Brooks in south London. The gang shouted racist abuse before they attacked. Brooks remembers Stephen running fatally wounded from the scene, asking: "What's happened to me?" The suspects were well known in the area, but the mishandled initial murder investigation meant it took the family years of tireless campaigning before two members of the gang were jailed in 2012 after new forensic evidence came to light. Three others were never prosecuted. In recent years, Metropolitan Police officers have faced outrage over their treatment of black Londoners -- from routinely using disproportionate force to strip-searching schoolchildren. Stephen's mother Doreen Lawrence -- now a member of the UK's upper house of parliament -- said this week that the police force had not changed and officers could still be "as brutal as they want" without being held accountable. "I don't know how many more inquiries and how many reviews you need to have to say the same thing -- and still no changes, and still denials," she told the BBC. Over-policed, under protected Suresh Grover, founder of The Monitoring Group anti-racism charity, has been involved in the Lawrence family's campaign for justice since the outset. He said the family was promised "a proper attempt at addressing institutional racism" -- but the latest review showed the force had failed. "What little trust people had is gone -- it's got worse", he said. In Britain, April 22 is officially recognized as "Stephen Lawrence Day". The family will hold a memorial service in a church near Trafalgar Square, which the mayor of London and opposition party leader Keir Starmer are set to attend. On the eve of the anniversary, the head of the Metropolitan Police admitted the force had failed black communities in the three decades following Stephen's death, saying they had been left feeling "over-policed and under-protected". Mark Rowley paid tribute to the family's long battle for justice, acknowledged "systemic biases" in the force, and pledged to "finally" make it anti-racist. But he did not use the term "institutional racism", and his refusal to do so since the latest report's publication has been seen as a key sticking point in efforts to reform the service. "Until they can accept it, they can't fix it", Neville Lawrence said. The post Family’s frustration 30 years after racist murder rocked Britain appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
The story of the Waco siege — from the lawyer who got inside
Blood had already been spilled during the armed standoff between US agents and the Branch Davidian cult in Waco, Texas, when lawyer Dick DeGuerin got a phone call. The worried mother of cult leader David Koresh said her son needed legal help. She hired DeGuerin. He was the first outsider to pass through the security cordon and enter the Mount Carmel compound, where the Davidians were holed up. DeGuerin came face to face with a badly wounded Koresh, and was in position to try to broker an end to the stalemate. Three decades later, as the story pours forth from the 82-year-old lawyer, he remains convinced that the 51-day siege could have ended peacefully without the deaths of nearly 80 people. DeGuerin's account strikes a chord in today's deeply polarized United States, where some see Waco as a symbol of government overreach. Even now, a memorial at the scene of those killed draws hundreds of visitors a month. When DeGuerin got the call from Koresh's mother, he knew that the case was of a "magnitude" beyond anything he'd ever faced. "I had handled some big cases, but nothing like this," DeGuerin recalled from his office in Houston. "The world was watching." The Branch Davidians were founded in 1959 as a splinter from the Seventh Day Adventist church. They believed in the imminent return of Jesus, and Koresh emerged as their charismatic leader in the 1980s. In 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) accused the group of stockpiling weapons, and obtained an arrest warrant for Koresh and a search warrant for the compound, where there were also allegations of child abuse. On February 28, ATF agents raided the complex, a gun battle erupted, several people died, and a tense weeks-long standoff set in. As he prepared to enter the compound in late March, DeGuerin thought he had worked out a deal with Texas Rangers law enforcement officers to manage Koresh's surrender. FBI agents took the lawyer close to the compound in the back of a tank, stopping about 100 yards away. "My handler said, 'Would you like some body armor?' I said, 'No, I'm not afraid of the Davidians... I just don't want you FBI snipers shooting at me.'" DeGuerin didn't know what to expect, but said he found Koresh, 33, to be intelligent and articulate, and could see he had gunshot wounds to his torso and wrist. Koresh was "very angry" at the siege by the FBI and ATF agents. DeGuerin saw it as his mission to get Koresh out of the compound and into court "without anybody else dying." "I told him, of course, that the law is the law and he had to obey the law even though it might conflict with his religious beliefs. He understood that," he said. As negotiations ground on, DeGuerin returned to the compound with another lawyer, Jack Zimmerman, who represented one of the other cult members. Patience was wearing thin, particularly among federal agents. "There were the negotiators that wanted it to end peacefully. And then there were the tactical people that just wanted to rush in and kill anybody and arrest him," DeGuerin said. "The tactical people won." As a final showdown loomed, DeGuerin sought to go back and make a final appeal for Koresh to surrender to authorities. But he was turned away. "This FBI agent told me, 'We don't need you anymore.'" On that day -- April 19, 1993 -- FBI agents in armored vehicles smashed into the compound buildings and pumped in tear gas. The causes of the subsequent fires are still disputed, but the compound burnt to the ground, claiming more than 70 lives, including some 20 children. Investigations cleared law enforcement of wrongdoing, but Waco became a rallying cry for Americans accusing their government of abuse of authority, and it spurred growth of militias across the country. In 1995, on the second anniversary of the raid, Timothy McVeigh, who had driven to Waco to witness the siege, carried out the Oklahoma City bombing killing 168 people. For DeGuerin, 30 years on, the lessons of Waco are clear. The federal agents had grown convinced that Koresh "was fooling them again" and would not surrender, he said. "They didn't wait. I believe if they'd waited, it would have ended peacefully. But it didn't." The post The story of the Waco siege — from the lawyer who got inside appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Former Pope Benedict was first pontiff to resign in 600 years
VATICAN CITY — Former Pope Benedict, who died on Saturday aged 95, was the first pontiff in 600 years to resign, leaving behind a Catholic Church battered by sexual abuse scandals, mired in mismanagement and polarised between conservatives and progressives. Benedict, the first German pope in 1,000 years, had good relations with his successor, Pope Francis, but […] The post Former Pope Benedict was first pontiff to resign in 600 years appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Church to observe 4th World Day of the Poor on Nov. 15
The Catholic Church will observe the 4th World Day of the Poor on November 15. (PIXABAY / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) In the Archdiocese of Manila, parishes,communities and organizations have been urged to observe the occasion by giving five kilos of rice to poor families in their respective areas. “Our Commission on Social Services and Development asks every parish, community, and organization in the Archdiocese of Manila to give five kilos of rice to at least 100 poor families in our areas,” Father Reginald Malicdem, chancellor of the archdiocese,said in a circular letter dated November 10. The World Day of the Poor was established by the Holy Father Pope Francis in his Apostolic Letter, Misericordia et Misera that was issued on November 20, 2016, to celebrate the Extraordinary Year of Mercy. It is celebrated every 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time. Malicdem also asked priests and chaplains to observe Alay Kapwa Special Sunday on the said day. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) declared November 15 as Alay Kapwa Special Sunday. “We are aware of the financial difficulties that many of our parishioners are experiencing now because of the pandemic,” said Malicdem. “But we can still appeal to their generosity and make them aware that the funds collected for Alay Kapwa are used to respond to the needs of those affected by calamities,” he added. Malicdem said a second collection may be taken on all Sunday Masses on November 15 for the said purpose. He added that the collections must be remitted to the Treasury and Accounting Department of the Arzobispado. Alay Kapwa is a fundraising program of the Roman Catholic Church for social services of the poor and the most in need, especially during times of disaster. Funds raised from Alay Kapwa will be used as emergency funds for both natural and human-caused calamities like typhoons, floods, fire, earthquakes, and other tragedies and crises, and for disaster prevention and mitigation programs......»»