December - St. Augustine Catholic

world news
the top-10 Catholic News
events this month
1
Vatican Stamp and Coin Museum Opens
A new museum featuring all the stamps and coins minted
in Vatican City State since 1929 is open to the public. Materials
illustrating the production of stamps and coins are included.
2
Israel tightens policy on re-entry visas
The Israeli government is no longer granting routine
re-entry visas to Arab Christian religious leaders who travel
in and out of occupied Palestinian territories. The new policy
means that clergy will no longer be able to move freely between
their parishes in occupied territories.
3
Six Arkansas nuns excommunicated
Six women religious were excommunicated in Arkansas
for their involvement in the schismatic association Army of
Mary.
4
Prayers for minority Christians
Benedict XVI is praying that Christians who are in minority
situations may have the strength and courage to live their faith
and persevere in bearing
witness to it.
5 Global
cooling
A “cooling off” of love and
solidarity is even more
dangerous than global
warming, claims the
archbishop of Prague.
6
Spirituality over
logistics for World
Youth Day
Youth are challenged to
ensure that organization of
logistics does not interfere
with spiritual preparation
for the 2008 event.
7
Pope encourages
youth to
evangelize in hometowns
The pope said that missionary work is essential to Christian faith
formation.
8
Personal development through sports
Sports are beneficial when pursued in the right spirit with
respect and dignity, Benedict XVI said.
9
Nobel Prize winners join the
Pontifical Academy of Sciences
Klaus von Klitzing, who won the Nobel Prize in physics, and
Yuan Tseh Lee, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry, are now
ordinary members of the academy.
10
U.N. needs to focus on health care
The pope called for the U.N. to renew its commitment
to the preservation of life at every level and in every corner of
the world.
Finding cures and protecting life
Apacket of information about the
church’s stance on stem cells was
delivered to
every Catholic
home in Michigan that’s
registered with a parish.
A letter signed by the
state’s diocesan bishops,
a 12-minute DVD, and
a brochure explaining
the church’s support
for adult stem cell
research were sent out
as part of the Michigan
Catholic Conference’s
The Science of Stem Cells:
Finding Cures and Protecting Life campaign. The
conference aimed to reach 500,000 homes and
nearly 800 parishes.
The Michigan Catholic Conference campaign formed in light of
embryonic stem cell research supporter’s movement to overturn
the state’s ban on research that involves the destruction of human
embryos.
Paul Long, the vice president for public policy at the conference,
said the central message of the statewide education program is
the church’s support for adult stem cell research and opposition
to research which involved destroying human embryos. Long
said that the campaign is intended to counter all of the attention
focused on embryonic stem cell research which has overshadowed
the real hope that adult stem cell research can provide.
According to Long, “ Medical science, along with people
from different faith and political backgrounds, have recognized
that human cloning and the destruction of living embryos for
research purposes may not be the most promising way to move
forward with stem cell research. Yet because of the great deal of
attention given to unproven embryo destructive research, partly
through misinformation and even deceit, necessary funding for
and the promotion of adult stem cell research have been nearly
nonexistent.”
Often people do not know that adult stem cells are already
providing treatment and even cures without harming donors.
The letter that was included in the mailing said, “Catholics have the
right and duty to assist all who are suffering, and medical science,
through adult stem cell research and its proven track record of
success, has opened a door of hope.”
– ZENIT
St. Augustine Catholic December 2007