Saint Raymund Nonnatus Religious of Our Lady of Mercy and Cardinal (1204-1240)

Saint Raymund Nonnatus

Religious of Our Lady of Mercy and Cardinal
(1204-1240)

Saint Raymund Nonnatus

Saint Raymund Nonnatus was born in Catalonia, Spain, in the year 1204. Motherless from infancy, in his childhood he seemed to find pleasure only in his devotions and serious duties. He chose the Blessed Virgin for his mother, almost as soon as the light of reason made this choice available to him. His father, perceiving in him an inclination to the religious state and unwilling to give up his son, took him from school and sent him to take care of a farm which he owned in the country. Raymund readily obeyed, and, in order to enjoy holy solitude, kept the sheep himself and spent his time in the mountains and forests in holy meditation and prayer. He found there an ancient hermitage containing a portrait of his Blessed Mother, and made this his asylum. There the devil found him and, assuming the disguise of a shepherd, attempted to turn him away from his devotions; but Raymund turned his back on his visitor and called Mary to his assistance. The sole name of the Mother of God caused the demon to disappear, and the hermit prostrated himself and blessed Her for Her assistance.

Some time afterward, he joined the new Order of Our Lady of Mercy for the redemption of captives, and was admitted to profession at Barcelona by the holy founder, Saint Peter Nolasco. Within two or three years after his profession, he was sent into Barbary with a considerable sum of money; in Algiers he purchased the liberty of a great number of slaves. When all his treasure was exhausted, he gave himself up as a hostage for the ransom of others, according to the Rule of his Order. This magnanimous sacrifice served only to exasperate the Moslems, who treated him with uncommon barbarity, until they began to fear that if he died in their hands, they would lose the ransom which had been asked for his deliverance. A crier announced in the streets that anyone who mistreated him would answer for it, if he died.

Therefore he was permitted to go abroad in the streets, which liberty he utilized to comfort and encourage the Christians in chains, and to convert and baptize certain Moslems. Learning of this, their pasha, furious, condemned him to be impaled, but his barbarous sentence was commuted at the insistence of those who had an interest in the ransom payments for the slaves he was replacing. He underwent instead a cruel bastinade, but that torment did not daunt his courage. So long as he saw souls in danger of perishing eternally, he thought he had yet done nothing.

Saint Raymund had no more money to employ in releasing poor captives; and to converse with those of the local beliefs on the subject of religion meant death. He enjoyed sufficient liberty nonetheless to continue the same endeavors, and he did so, hoping either for success or martyrdom. The governor, enraged, ordered our Saint to have his lips pierced and padlocked, then to be imprisoned until his ransom would be brought by members of his Order. He remained in jail for eight months before his brethren arrived with the required sum, sent by Saint Peter Nolasco.

Upon his return to Spain, he was nominated Cardinal by Pope Gregory IX, and the Pope called him to Rome. The Saint was on his way, but had gone no farther than Cardona when he was seized with a violent fever. He died on August 31, 1240, in his thirty-seventh year. His face in death became beautiful and radiant like that of Moses when he descended from the mountaintop, where he had spoken with God. A heavenly fragrance surrounded his body, and cures were effected on behalf of those who came and touched him.

"ஆண்டவரே, நீர் எங்கே செல்கிறீர்?" “Quo Vadis”

"ஆண்டவரே, நீர் எங்கே செல்கிறீர்?"

“Quo Vadis”

புனித பேதுருவைப் பற்றி கூறப்படும் “Quo Vadis” என்ற கதை நம்மில் பலருக்குத் தெரிந்திருக்க வாய்ப்புண்டு. உரோம் நகரில், மன்னன் நீரோ, கிறிஸ்தவர்களை வேட்டையாடி வந்த நேரத்தில், பல நண்பர்கள் கூடிவந்து, பேதுருவிடம், "நீங்கள் மிகவும் முக்கியமானவர். உங்கள் சேவை இந்த உலகிற்கு மிகவும் தேவை. எனவே, உரோம் நகரை விட்டு வெளியேறுங்கள். இவ்வுலகின் ஏதாவது ஒரு பகுதியில் நீங்கள் கிறிஸ்துவைப் போதிக்கச் செல்லுங்கள்" என்று அவரை வேண்டினர். பேதுருவுக்குள் போராட்டம் எழுந்தது. இருப்பினும் நண்பர்கள் சொன்ன அறிவுரையைப் பின்பற்றி, அவர் உரோம் நகரை விட்டு இரவோடு இரவாகப் புறப்பட்டார்.

விடியற்காலையில் அவர் உரோம் நகர் எல்லையை அடைந்தபோது, அவருக்கு எதிர்புறமாக கிறிஸ்து உரோம் நகர் நோக்கி விரைந்து செல்வதைக் கண்டார். இந்த நிகழ்வை ஓவியமாகத் தீட்டிய ஒரு சிலர், இயேசு சிலுவையைச் சுமந்துகொண்டு உரோம் நகர் நோக்கிச் செல்வதாகவும் சித்திரித்துள்ளனர். பேதுரு இயேசுவிடம் சென்று, "ஆண்டவரே, நீர் எங்கே செல்கிறீர்?" (“Quo vadis, Domine?”) என்று கேட்டபோது, இயேசு அவரிடம், "நான் உரோமையில் துன்புறும் மக்களோடு சேர்ந்து, மீண்டும் ஒருமுறை சிலுவையில் அறைந்து கொல்லப்படுவதற்குச் செல்கிறேன். நீ எங்கே செல்கிறாய், பேதுரு?" என்று சொன்னார். இதைக் கேட்ட பேதுரு, மனமுருகி, கண்ணீர் விட்டபடி, மீண்டும் உரோம் நகர் திரும்பினார் என்று இந்தப் பாரம்பரியக் கதை சொல்கிறது. உரோம் நகரில், புனித பேதுரு, சிலுவையில் தலைகீழாக அறையப்பட்டு மறைசாட்சியாக மரணம் அடைந்தார் என்பது நாமறிந்த வரலாறு.

ஆதாரம் : வத்திக்கான் வானொலி

 

செய்திகள் - 30.08.14

செய்திகள் - 30.08.14

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1. திருத்தந்தை : இறைவன் நம்மை மன்னிப்பதற்கு நம் ஒத்துழைப்பை வழங்குவோம்

2. கிறிஸ்துவின் சாட்சிகளாக விளங்கும் அரசியல் தலைவர்களுக்கு, திருப்பீடச் செயலரின் பாராட்டுக்கள்

3. திருத்தந்தை : துன்புறும் ஈராக் அகதிகளின் துயர் துடைப்புப் பணியாற்ற எப்போதும் தயார்

4. வன்முறைகள் நிறுத்தப்பட இந்தியக் கிறிஸ்தவ சபைகள் அழைப்பு

5. சிரியாவில் பாதிக்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் இடம்பெயர்வு: 30 லட்சம் பேர் அகதிகளாக தவிப்பு

6. இந்தியாவில் சிறார் திருமணங்களை ஒழிக்க 50 ஆண்டுகள் ஆகலாம்: யுனிசெப்

7. 20 நிமிடங்களுக்கு ஒரு பெண் கற்பழிப்பு : ஐ.நா.,வில் இந்திய நடிகை வருத்தம்

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1. திருத்தந்தை : இறைவன் நம்மை மன்னிப்பதற்கு நம் ஒத்துழைப்பை வழங்குவோம்

ஆக.30,2014. 'இறைவன் நம்மை எப்போதும் மன்னிப்பதோடு, நம் அருகே நடந்தும் வருகிறார்; அவ்விதம் அவர் நடந்துவருவதற்கு நாம் அவரை அனுமதிக்கவேண்டும்' என்று இச்சனிக்கிழமை தன் Twitter பக்கத்தில் செய்தி வெளியிட்டுள்ளார் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் அவர்கள்.

ஒவ்வொரு நாளும் 9 மொழிகளில் Twitter செய்திகளை வெளியிட்டுவரும் திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் அவர்கள், நம்மை மன்னிப்பதற்கும், நம்முடனேயே இறைவன் நடந்து வருவதற்கும் நாம் அவருக்கு வழங்கவேண்டிய ஒத்துழைப்பைக் குறித்து இச்சனிக்கிழமை Twitter வழியே நம்மிடம் விண்ணப்பித்துள்ளார்.

திருத்தந்தையின் Twitter செய்தியை ஒவ்வொருநாளும் ஏறத்தாழ 44 இலட்சம் பேர் வாசித்து வருகின்றனர்.

ஆதாரம் : வத்திக்கான் வானொலி

2. கிறிஸ்துவின் சாட்சிகளாக விளங்கும் அரசியல் தலைவர்களுக்கு, திருப்பீடச் செயலரின் பாராட்டுக்கள்

ஆக.30,2014. இவ்வுலகில் கிறிஸ்துவின் சாட்சிகளாக விளங்கி, கிறிஸ்தவ மதிப்பீடுகளையும் ஒழுக்க நெறிகளையும் வேரூன்றவைக்கும் அரசியல் தலைவர்களுக்கு, தன் பாராட்டுக்களை வெளியிட்டார், திருப்பீடச் செயலர், கர்தினால் பியெத்ரோ பரோலின்.

உலக கத்தோலிக்கச் சட்டமன்ற உறுப்பினர்கள் அவையின் 5வது கூட்டம் உரோம் நகருக்கு அருகேயுள்ள Frascatiயில் இடம்பெறுவதையொட்டி, அவர்களைச் சந்தித்து உரை வழங்கிய கர்தினால் பரோலின் அவர்கள், மக்கள் பணிகளில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ள அவர்களின் வாழ்வு, கிறிஸ்தவ மதிப்பீடுகளால் வழிநடத்தப்பட்டு வருவது குறித்து தன் மகிழ்ச்சியை வெளியிட்டார்.

அனைத்தையும் தன் மயமாக்கும் சுயநலமும், தன்னையே வெறுத்து, இறைவனை மையமாக்கும் நம் இறை அன்பும் எப்போதும் ஒன்றுக்கொன்று மோதிவரும் நிலையில், நாம் மனச் சோர்வின்றி செயல்பட புனித அகஸ்டின் அவர்களின் எடுத்துக்காட்டு நமக்கு உதவுகின்றது என்று கூறியத் திருப்பீடச் செயலர், திருஅவை தன்னுடைய பணியில் கிறிஸ்தவ அரசியவாதிகளின் தேவையை உணர்வதுபோல், கிறிஸ்தவ அரசியல்வாதிகளுக்கும் திருஅவையின் பராமரிப்பு தேவைப்படுகிறது என்று கூறினார்.

அனைத்துலகக் கத்தோலிக்க சட்டமன்ற உறுப்பினர் அமைப்பு, 2010ம் ஆண்டு ஆஸ்திரியக் கர்தினால், Christoph Schonborn அவர்களாலும், பிரித்தானியப் பிரபுக்கள் அவையின் கத்தோலிக்கப் பிரதிநிதி, David Alton அவர்களாலும் துவக்கப்பட்டது.

ஆதாரம் : வத்திக்கான் வானொலி

3. திருத்தந்தை : துன்புறும் ஈராக் அகதிகளின் துயர் துடைப்புப் பணியாற்ற எப்போதும் தயார்

ஆக.30,2014. ஈராக்கில் புலம்பெயர்ந்தோர் முகாமில் பணியாற்றும் கத்தோலிக்க அருள்பணியாளர் ஒருவருடன் திருத்தந்தை தொடர்புகொண்டு பேசினார் என்ற செய்தி உண்மையானதே என்பதை உறுதிச் செய்துள்ளார் திருப்பீடச் செய்தித் தொடர்புத் துறையின் துணைத்தலைவர்.

ஈராக் அகதிகளிடையேப் பணியாற்றும் அருள்பணி Behnam Benoka என்பவர், தன் நண்பரும் பத்திரிகையாளருமான Alan Holdren என்பவர் மூலமாக ஈராக் நிலை குறித்து, திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் அவர்களிடம், தென்கொரிய திருப்பயணத்திலிருந்து விமானத்தில் திரும்பியபோது விவரங்களை வழங்கியதாகவும், வத்திக்கான் திரும்பியவுடன் அந்த அருள்பணியாளரை தொலைபேசியில் தொடர்புகொண்டு திருத்தந்தை உரையாடியதாகவும் திருப்பீட அதிகாரி அருள்பணி Ciro Benedettini கூறினார்.

ஈராக் அகதிகளிடையேப் பணியாற்றும் சுயவிருப்பப் பணியாளர்களுக்கு நன்றியை, தன் உரையாடலின்போது வெளியிட்ட திருத்தந்தை பிரான்சிஸ் அவர்கள், துன்புறும் மக்களின் துயர்களை அகற்ற தன்னால் இயன்ற அனைத்தையும் எப்போதும் மேற்கொள்வதாக அருள்பணி Benoka அவர்களிடம் உறுதியளித்ததாகவும் கூறினார் அருள்பணி Benedettini.

தொலைபேசி உரையாடல் குறித்த விவரங்களை திருத்தந்தையின் செயலர் மூலமாக அறிய வந்ததாகவும் கூறினார் திருப்பீடச் செய்தித் தொடர்புத்துறையின் துணைத்தலைவர் Benedettini.

ஆதாரம் : வத்திக்கான் வானொலி

4. வன்முறைகள் நிறுத்தப்பட இந்தியக் கிறிஸ்தவ சபைகள் அழைப்பு

ஆக.30,2014. இந்தியாவின் அஸ்ஸாம் மற்றும் நாகலாந்து மாநிலங்களின் எல்லைப்பகுதியில் 12 பேர்களின் உயிரிழப்புக்குக் காரணமான வன்முறைகள் நிறுத்தப்பட்டு, அமைதிப் பேச்சுவார்த்தைகள் துவக்கப்படவேண்டும் என வடகிழக்கு இந்திய கிறிஸ்தவ சபை அமைப்பு அழைப்பு விடுத்துள்ளது.

இந்தியாவின் அனைத்துக் கிறிஸ்தவ சபைகளும் இணைந்து ஷில்லாங்கில் நடத்தியக் கூட்டத்தில் இவ்வழைப்பை விடுத்த கிறிஸ்தவப் பிரதிநிதிகள், ஒருவர் தான் வாழ்வதோடு பிறரையும் வாழவைக்கவேண்டும் என்ற கொள்கையுடன் அனைத்து அமைதி முயற்சிகளும் இடம்பெறவேண்டும் என்றனர்.

அஸ்ஸாம் மற்றும் நாகலாந்து எல்லையில் இடம்பெற்ற அன்மை வன்முறைகளால், 10,000 பேர் குடிபெயர்ந்துள்ளதைச் சுட்டிக்காட்டும் கிறிஸ்தவத் தலைவர்கள், இவர்களை மீள்குடியேற்றுவது, அமைதித் திட்டத்தின் முதல்படியாக இருக்கவேண்டும் எனத் தெரிவித்தனர்.

ஆதாரம் : MISNA

5. சிரியாவில் பாதிக்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் இடம்பெயர்வு: 30 லட்சம் பேர் அகதிகளாக தவிப்பு

ஆக.30,2014. சிரியாவில் தீவிரமடைந்துள்ள உள்நாட்டுப் போரால் அந்த நாட்டு மக்கள் தொகையில் பாதிக்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் இடம் பெயர்ந்துள்ளனர் எனத் தெரிவிக்கும் ஐ.நா. நிறுவனம், 30 இலட்சத்துக்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் அண்டை நாடுகளில் புலம்பெயர்ந்தோராக தஞ்சமடைந்துள்ளதாகவும் கூறுகிறது.

சிரியாவில் உள்நாட்டுப் போர் காரணமாக 2011 முதல் மக்கள் நாட்டைவிட்டு வெளியேறி வருவதால், இதுவரை 30 இலட்சம் பேர் அண்டை நாடுகளில் அகதிகளாக தஞ்சம் அடைந்துள்ளனர் என்றும், கடந்த ஓராண்டில் மட்டும் 10 இலட்சம் பேர் அகதிகளாகி உள்ளனர் எனவும் கூறினார், ஐ.நா.அவையின் புலம்பெயர்ந்தோர் மறுவாழ்வுத் துறைத் தலைவர் António Guterres.

லெபனானில் 10,14,000 பேரும், துருக்கியில் 8,15,000 பேரும், ஜோர்டானில் 6,08,000 பேரும் அகதிகள் முகாம்களில் வாழ்கின்றனர். இவர்கள் தவிர ஈராக், எகிப்து உள்ளிட்ட நாடுகளிலும் இலட்சக்கணக்கானோர் உள்ளனர். உள்நாட்டிலேயே 65 இலட்சம் பேர் இடம் பெயர்ந்துள்ளனர். ஒட்டுமொத்தமாக நோக்கும்போது, சிரியாவின் மக்கள் தொகையில் பாதிக்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் புகலிடம் தேடி வேறு பகுதிகளுக்கு இடம்பெயர்ந்துள்ளனர்.

ஐ.நா. புள்ளிவிவரப்படி, அகதிகள் மக்கள் தொகையில் சிரியா முதலிடத்தில் உள்ளது. பாலஸ்தீனம் இரண்டாம் இடத்தில் உள்ளது. சிரியாவில் கடந்த மூன்று ஆண்டுகளாக நடைபெற்று வரும் உள்நாட்டுப் போரில் இதுவரை 1,91,000 பேர் பலியாகி உள்ளனர்.

ஆதாரம் : BBC

6. இந்தியாவில் சிறார் திருமணங்களை ஒழிக்க 50 ஆண்டுகள் ஆகலாம்: யுனிசெப்

ஆக.30,2014. இந்தியாவில் சிறார் திருமணங்கள் கடந்த இருபது ஆண்டுகளில் குறைந்துவந்துள்ள போதிலும், அந்த குறைவின் வேகம் மெதுவாக உள்ளதால், இந்தியாவில் சிறார் திருமணங்களை ஒழிக்க குறைந்தது 50 ஆண்டுகளாவது தேவைப்படும் என்று யுனிசெப் அமைப்பின் சிறார் திருமண ஒழிப்புப் பிரிவின் இந்திய அதிகாரி Dora Giusti தெரிவித்தார்.

இந்தியாவில், 20லிருந்து 24 வயதுக்கு உட்பட்ட பெண்களில் 43 விழுக்காட்டினருக்கு சிறுமியராக இருக்கும் போதே திருமணம் நடந்துள்ளது என்றும், அங்கு சிறார் திருமண வழக்கத்தின் வீழ்ச்சி வேகம் ஆண்டுக்கு ஒரு விழுக்காடாக உள்ளதாகவும் யுனிசெப் அதிகாரி Giusti சுட்டிக்காட்டினார்.

இந்த வீழ்ச்சி வீதத்தின் அடிப்படையில், இந்தியாவில் சிறார் திருமணத்தை ஒழிக்க குறைந்தது 50 ஆண்டுகளாவது எடுக்கும் என்று கூறிய அவர், சிறார் திருமண வழக்கத்தை தடுக்கும் பணிகள் இன்னும் தீவிரமாக எடுத்து நடத்தப்பட வேண்டும் என்றும் கூறினார்.

சிறார் திருமணங்கள் பொதுவாக வட இந்தியாவிலேயே அதிகம் நடைமுறையில் இருந்து வருகின்ற போதிலும், சமீபத்திய அறிக்கைளின்படி, தெற்கு மாநிலமான கேரளாவில் சிறார் திருமணங்கள் விழுக்காடு சற்று அதிகரித்துள்ளதாக தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

உலக அளவில் 70 கோடிக்கும் அதிகமான பெண்களுக்கு, அவர்களின் 18 வயதுக்கு முன்னமே திருமணம் செய்துவைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளதாகவும் அவர்களில் மூன்றில் ஒரு பங்கினர் இந்தியாவைச் சேர்ந்தவர்கள் என்றும் யுனிசெஃப் அமைப்பு கடந்த ஜூலை மாதம் வெளியிட்டிருந்த அறிக்கையில் சுட்டிக்காட்டியிருந்தது.

ஆதாரம் : BBC

7. 20 நிமிடங்களுக்கு ஒரு பெண் கற்பழிப்பு : ஐ.நா.,வில் இந்திய நடிகை வருத்தம்

ஆக.30,2014. இந்தியாவில், 20 நிமிடங்களுக்கு ஒரு முறை, ஒரு பெண் கற்பழிக்கப்படுவதாகவும், இந்த கொடுமையை தடுத்து நிறுத்த ஆண்கள் ஒத்துழைப்பு முழுமையாக இருந்தால் தான் முடியும் என இந்திய நடிகை Mallika Sherawat, ஐக்கிய நாடுகள் அவையில் உரையாற்றினார்.

ஐக்கிய நாடுகள் அவையின் பொது தகவல் துறை சார்பில், வறுமை ஒழிப்பு, பெண்கள் முன்னேற்றம், கல்வியறிவு போன்றவற்றை மேம்படுத்துவது குறித்து நடைபெற்ற கருத்தரங்கில் பேசிய நடிகை Sherawat, இந்தியாவில், பெண்களுக்கு எதிரான குற்றங்கள் அதிகரித்து வரும் நிலையில், இதை தடுக்க அரசும், நீதித்துறையும் எவ்வளவோ முயற்சிகள் மேற்கொண்ட பிறகும், இந்த கொடூர சம்பவங்களைக் குறைக்க முடியவில்லை என்ற கவலையை வெளியிட்டார்.

ஜாதி பிரச்னை, ஆணாதிக்க சமுதாயம் போன்றவையும், இக்கொடுமைக்குக் காரணமாக அமைந்துள்ளன என ஐ.நா.வில் பேசிய நடிகை Sherawat, ஏராளமானோர் கல்வியறிவு பெற்ற போதிலும், குழந்தை திருமணங்களும் இந்தியாவில் அதிக அளவில் இடம்பெறுவதையும் தடுக்கமுடியவில்லை என்று கூறினார்.

ஆதாரம் : BBC

Philippines needs to start fighting poverty

Few countries fail so badly to tackle disparity.

By Fr Shay Cullen
Manila:  Reggie is the human face of poverty in the Philippines. He and his family lived on the edge of hunger before Typhoon Haiyan pushed them into the abyss.

Reggie is 17 years old, unemployed and homeless. His home was taken away by the 245 kph typhoon in November. With the strong wind, the boy's dignity was also taken away from him by human traffickers who forced Reggie and six others into unpaid labor on a fishing boat.

The boys were later abandoned, hungry and unpaid. Reggie sunk into an even worse situation when his freedom was taken from him by authorities who jailed the boy for being a vagrant. It was only recently that he was rescued from illegal detention.

The most haunting example of extreme poverty in the Philippines though is that of Edgar. One of the poorest of the poor and typical of hundreds of thousands of Filipino street children, he is skinny and emaciated – someone nobody wants to look at.

Edgar was found wounded on a street in Manila wearing a pair of shorts to cover his otherwise naked body. He had nothing else in this world, a reality so shocking when we realize that the obese are more numerous than the 1.2 billion poor that live on less that US$2 a day across the globe.

The Philippines, with its towering condominium buildings, wealth and opulence of the ruling elite, remains one of the poorest countries in Asia. Progress in reducing poverty despite so-called economic growth has been virtually non-existent. In a country with about 100 million people, there are 29 million Filipinos living below the poverty line according to government statistics. This was almost the same figure seven years ago.

Walden Bello, a member of the Philippines congress, writes that the rest of the world has made great improvement in reducing poverty since 2005. The World Bank declared (in 2010) that the "progress is so drastic that the world has met the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals to cut extreme poverty in half, five years before its 2015 deadline”.

But the Philippines has not made any such strides. The roots of poverty are found in the concentration of economic power in the hands of a few powerful families.

Debt has also become a tool of control. Getting poor countries into debt was a deliberate policy by rich nations to have economic and political influence over developing nations.

The worldwide campaign to cancel debt succeeded in exposing this tactic, and nations refused to pay or had it restructured and changed economic policy in a bid to have real freedom and growth that favored the poor.

But the Philippine elite, forever subservient, made debt servicing their obedient obligation. This slavery to debt masters consumes as much as 25 percent of the national budget, leaving little for infrastructure and rural development.

The Philippines has remained enmeshed in the debt trap and makes no effort to throw it off. The Philippine government and their backers are clinging to an economic ideology that allows multinationals to exploit the economy and natural resources and makes them all richer and the rest of the nation poorer.

The Philippine Congress passed mining laws, for example, that gave the international mining corporations unprecedented privileges that many claim are unconstitutional. They destroy the environment with open pit excavations, cut forests causing landslides and disasters. Meanwhile, entire villages and communities are uprooted and driven into poverty.

The poor are driven from the impoverished countryside to urban slums where children, some as young as 13 years old, end up in the sex trade.

Poverty is allowed to grow by the greed of the dynastic families that hold a political power monopoly backed by the military. They passed laws that allow members of congress to have huge lump sums of money from the national treasury for their so-called development projects in their constituencies. However, most of it has been siphoned off into private accounts.

The scandal has dominated the headlines for months now as one sordid revelation of corruption at the highest levels of power follows another.

Meanwhile, in a desperate effort to meet the UN millennium development goals, the government has been implementing the Conditional Cash Transfer Program. This handout project, despite its shortcomings, is helping to stop poor urban families from falling into abject poverty.

The program is a temporary life jacket to keep the poor afloat in an ocean of deprivation and hunger. What is needed is a pro-poor economic policy change that will put job creation for the poor and land distribution (with support), at the center of economic policy.

Hopefully it will help create a strong lower and middle class with spending power that will, in turn, create more employment. The wealth will be distributed instead of concentrating among a few at the top.

The Philippines will remain among the most backward and poor unless there’s a dedicated pro-poor government in power, and sadly that is not likely in the foreseeable future.

Father Shay Cullen is an Irish Columban missionary priest. He established the Preda Foundation in Olongapo City in 1974 to promote human rights and promote the rights of children, especially victims of sex abuse.

Source: ucanews.com

Filipino priest held in US for child abuse

Priest arrested and supsended after two reported incidents.

Fr Nilo Apura .

Manila:  A Filipino Catholic priest has been arrested and charged in the United States with sexually abusing a teenage boy.

Romannilo “Nilo” Apura, 67, was arrested on August 21 at St Martha Parish rectory in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, where the priest has been serving as pastor, a source at the Philippines bishops’ conference told ucanews.com on Thursday.

Apura, originally from Borongan City in Eastern Samar province, allegedly molested the 16-year-old at the boy’s family home in Trenton, New Jersey earlier this year.

A second incident occurred in June, when the priest reportedly tried to remove the same boy’s pants.

Trenton diocese, in a statement, said it took the allegations against Apura and his arrest with "heavy hearts."

Apura has served as pastor of St Martha Parish since July 2012. The Times of Trenton reported that the local bishop, David O’Connell, has already suspended Apura pending the outcome of the investigation by police and recommendations from the diocesan review board.

Bishop O’Connell was quoted as saying that the suspension prohibits Apura from celebrating Mass publicly, wearing priestly garb, or presenting himself as a priest.

"Sexual abuse committed by anyone representing the Church is a sin against God and His people, and a betrayal of the trust placed in the Church by families,” the diocese said in a separate statement.

"We reiterate our firm commitment to the safeguards and initiatives in place to keep our children safe, and we ask the faithful throughout the diocese to pray for all who may have been harmed in this case," the statement added.

The diocese said it will continue to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.

Apura was ordained a priest in Borongan diocese where he served for several years before leaving for the US in the 1980s.

The priest has long been incardinated in Trenton diocese and is also an American citizen.

Child sex abuse scandals involving priests continue to plague the Catholic Church around the world.

Early this year, Pope Francis begged forgiveness from victims of clerical sexual abuse and vowed to hold bishops accountable for their handling of pedophile priests.

Source: ucanews.com

Signs of 'reverse jihad' as Christians join fight against IS

Grassroots resistance encouraged by some governments.

Asia:  While Americans like Douglas McAuthur McCain might be joining forces with the Islamic State in its effort to establish a caliphate throughout Iraq and Syria, others from the West also apparently are taking up arms—to defend persecuted Christians in the region.

McCain is the first American reported to have died fighting for the Islamic State in Syria. FBI Director James Comey said in June that roughly 100 people had left the United States to join the conflict in Syria

But it's not just those who embrace the radical, fundamentalist version of Islam who are headed east. Apparently, a number of Christians from the West are signing up too.

A reporter from the Swiss newspaper "Sonntags Zeitung" visited a number of training centers of the Syriac Military Council, a group of armed self-defense units consisting of Syrian Christians, Chaldeans and Assyrians. They included several Swiss residents active in Iraq, one of whom said, "Someone has to take action to prevent the disappearance of Christians.”

Earlier this month, the president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Massud Barzani, announced that his government was ready to open its doors to Christian volunteers among the Kurdish armed forces by providing them with the means to create self-defense forces in their villages and defend themselves from jihadi militias of the Islamic State, Fides Agency reported. Barzani said this during a meeting with the Lebanese Foreign Minister Gibran Basil.

Barzini called on Christians "not to think about emigrating from their homelands, because the threat of terrorism is temporary and terrorists “will be defeated."

Apparently, such militants are getting military help from people in the West who don’t feel the Iraqi government and Western powers are doing enough. Some Europeans have been talking about an “armed pilgrimage” to Iraq, saying what is needed is a fifth Crusade or a new Lepanto, recalling the historic battle of Oct. 7, 1571, when the Holy League defeated the Muslim fleets of the Ottoman Empire.

There are also those like Catholic journalist Antonio Socci who have criticized Pope Francis as being “reticent” as “200,000 Christians (and other minorities) are fleeing, hunted down by Islamist militants who crucify, behead and stone their enemies.”

Pope Francis said on his flight back from Korea to Rome that it would be just to stop agression against innocent civilians in Iraq. But he tempered his words by adding: “I underscore the verb 'stop.' I don't say 'to bomb' or 'make war,' (but) 'stop it.'”

For several months, coalitions on the right in Italy have been organizing aid to help the resistance on the Iraq-Syria border, providing financial and military assistance for the “secular and military regimes of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Egyptian President Al Sisi, self-defense militias of Chaldeans, Assyrians, Mandaeans, Orthodox and Copts.

As the world became more and more aware of the attrocities ISIS was committing against religious minorities in Iraq, the Assyrian International News Agency editorialized that the United States and European Union should help arm Assyrian Christians and Yazidis to protect their ancient homelands.

“The United States and Europe, under the auspices of the United Nations, must establish an Assyrian Defense Force for the Nineveh Plain, Baghdede and other Assyrian areas, as well as a Yazidi defense force for the area of Sinjar and Zumar,” the agency wrote.

The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Iraq takes a slightly different view. Although innocent people have the right to defend themselves from agression, only "the forces of the State should take charge of this defense," said the Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans Louis Raphael I Sako.

Source: Aleteia

Over 400 human trafficking victims rescued in Assam

Assam at present has 14 anti-human trafficking units including one attached to the Government Railway Police (GRP) to check trafficking.

Guwahati:  Assam Police has rescued 422 victims of human trafficking, mostly minors, and arrested 281 offenders since 2011, according to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), highlighting the magnitude of this problem in the entire northeastern region.

Official records showed that of the total 93 victims of trafficking in 2011, 36 were minors, and of these 36, 28 were girls.
The number of victims went up to 188 in 2013 and 94 were found to be below 18 years.

"The entire northeast is a major source area for women and child trafficking. Guwahati is the major transit point," said Additional Director General of Police (CID) Mukesh Sahay.

He said most of the people had fallen victim to traffickers after they moved out of the region due to poverty induced by violence, ethnic conflicts or natural disasters such as floods. The police official said many of the girls and children were rescued from Mumbai, Haryana, Chennai and Siliguri.

"While girls are trafficked for prostitution, minor boys are taken out for cheap labour," Sahay said.

He said women and children were taken on the promise of jobs and often fall prey to the sex trade in brothels, spas and beauty parlours in big cities.

He said many women were rescued from Haryana, where there is a demand for girls due to the skewed sex ratio.

Assam at present has 14 anti-human trafficking units including one attached to the Government Railway Police (GRP) to check trafficking.

"We were rewarded Rs.2 lakh by the home ministry in 2012 for our performance in rescuing trafficking victims but we need to improve our conviction. Our conviction rate is not very good as many don't want to be witnesses in court," Sahay said.

He said that recently, 59 minor girls from Assam were rescued from a factory in Mumbai, and a police team has been sent to bring them back.

A study by Unicef recently identified six Assam districts - Sonitpur, Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Baksa, Kokrajhar, Udalguri and Kamrup as the most vulnerable districts for trafficking.

The Unicef and Assam State Commission for Women Wednesday organised a regional conference on trafficking of women and children in the northeast, including Sikkim.

"Not only poor and illiterate girls have fallen prey to such gangs, educated girls are also becoming targets. Women are now taken out through placement agencies and there is a need to strongly regulate such agencies," the police officer said.

He said traffickers take advantage of violent incidents and riots when both police and the administration are busy in controlling the situation.

They target the displaced people in relief camps during conflicts or floods, he said.

IANS

Christians appeal for peace in Assam-Nagaland border

The church leaders further appealed all concerned parties to respect human lives.

(Photo: oneindia)

Guwahati:  The North East India Christian Council (NEICC) has appealed to all to shun violence and work for peace in Assam-Nagaland border, where 12 people were killed in violence two weeks ago.

A joint peace meeting of Christian churches in the region under the aegis of the NEICC at Shillong expressed their "deep pain and anguish at the human suffering" as an outcome of the conflict on the inter-state boundary.

The meeting held yesterday jointly appealed to all sections of both sides to shun violence, stop inhuman killings, and maintain peace, a statement from the NEICC said.

The church leaders further appealed all concerned parties to respect human lives and to follow the universal policy of "Live and Let Live", it said.

They also appealed all concerned to find a solution for the rehabilitation of displaced communities and called for a return to the status quo of affairs with humane consideration till more permanent solutions are reach amicably.
On August 12, nine persons were killed in firing and arson at Uriamghat area of Assam's Golaghat district by unidentified people from across Nagaland and over 200 houses torched forcing 10,000 people to flee their homes.

Source: New Indian Express

Detained asylum seekers sue Australian government

Lead plaintiff is six-year-old whose health has deteriorated.

Australia:  Asylum-seekers detained on Christmas Island are suing the Australian government over alleged inadequate health care.

A class action case has been filed in the Victoria Supreme Court, with a six-year-old girl as the leading plaintiff.

A lawyer for the group said asylum-seekers' health was being "severely compromised" by being in detention.

The move comes amid mounting debate over Australia's immigration policies, including the detention of children.

All those who arrive in Australia by boat seeking asylum are placed in offshore detention camps, currently on Christmas Island (an Australian territory) and in the Pacific nations of Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

Living conditions in these camps - and the length of time people spend in them - have been strongly criticised by rights groups and the UN.

Children are also detained, in a policy described by church leaders recently as "state-sanctioned child abuse".

A national human rights inquiry into the treatment of children in immigration detention is continuing, while the government says it is working to reduce the number of detained children.

Compensation sought

The legal case will allege that the government is failing in its duty of care to the asylum seekers.

The lead plaintiff, identified only as AS, is a young girl who has been in detention for a year.

"Since that time she has an ongoing dental infection, allergies, separation anxiety, bed wetting, has developed a stammer and is refusing food. She has been assessed by a child psychiatrist as having Post Traumatic Stress disorder," law firm Maurice Blackburn said in a statement.

But the firm said the case was being brought on behalf of all asylum-seekers detained on Christmas Island in the past three years who "have suffered an injury or exacerbation of injury due to the government's failure to provide adequate health care".

The case is seeking compensation for injuries as well as better medical care, the law firm said.

Australia says its tough asylum policies are aimed at stopping people making the perilous journey by boat. Scores of people have died in recent years after their boats sank.

Last week, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison announced plans to release some children from detention - but those held in the Christmas Island and Nauru camps are not eligible.

Addressing the human rights inquiry, he also described the fact that children were being detained as "a consequence of the policies that more broadly have been effective in securing Australia's borders... and stopping children dying at sea".

In late July, however, Australia's top human rights official, Gillian Triggs, said the situation at the Christmas Island detention centre had "significantly deteriorated", leaving people "plagued by despair".

She voiced grave concern over "a spike" in self-harm cases and for the welfare of babies and young children.

Responding to Prof Triggs' remarks, a spokesperson for Mr Morrison told the BBC that health care services on Christmas Island were "commensurate with those available in the Australian community".

Source: BBC

China's church demolitions continue unabated

Close-up report on recent demolition and clash with parishioners.

China:  At 8:30 a.m. on Thursday August 21, police vehicles, vans and excavators entered Gao’ao Village (in Beibaixiang Township, Leqing City, Zhejiang Province) and stood sentry at several intersections. More than 100 uniformed police officers stood at church entrances with shields and truncheons to prevent anyone from entering.

The demolition force started at the foot of the mountain and entered a bamboo forest. They flattened the bamboo while excavating a road, gradually moving toward the church. When people tried to enter the church, police blocked the entrance and beat them.

They also used gas, causing headaches and dizziness. Some people were bloodied, some were beaten to the ground. One was chased by a dozen police and beaten into unconsciousness. The police dragged his body into a police vehicle and drove toward the police station.

Auxiliary police said: "We have the ability to illegally demolish, go and report us."

Source: Boxun News

Gaza erupts in joy over Israel-Palestine truce

After deadliest violence in years, both sides call 'unlimited' ceasefire.

Palestinians hail the truce which they see as a victory.

Palestinian territories:  Celebrations erupted in Gaza on Tuesday as a long-term ceasefire agreed by Israel and the Palestinians began, ending 50 days of the deadliest violence in a decade.

The agreement, effective since 1600 GMT, involves an immediate halt to the violence in Gaza that broke out on July 8 and has claimed the lives of 2,143 Palestinians and 69 on the Israeli side.

The Palestinians said it was a "permanent" truce, while a senior Israeli official described it as "unconditional and unlimited in time".

Washington gave its full backing to the deal. "We strongly support today's ceasefire agreement," Secretary of State John Kerry said, calling "on all parties to fully and completely comply with its terms."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced hope that the ceasefire in Gaza will set the stage for talks on a final Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.

In Gaza itself thousands flooded onto the streets in celebration, some firing joyfully into the air, among them gunmen from Hamas, AFP correspondents said.

Chanting and clapping they surged through the battered streets, bellowing songs of victory as a man swathed in a huge green Hamas flag threw handfuls of sweets into the air.

Mosques used their loudspeakers to broadcast celebratory chants of "God is greatest" as the war-torn enclave hailed the apparent end to seven weeks of violence that has seen a quarter of the territory's 1.8 million people flee their homes.

"Thank God the war is ended. I can't believe I'm still alive with my kids!" 32-year-old Maha Khaled told AFP.

"It was a very harsh war. I never thought that we would see peace at the end." Cars jammed the streets, their horns honking incessantly, as beaming women and children flashed victory signs and crowds of young men bounced up and down on rooftops, waving flags.

As night fell, there was no letup in the celebrations as the rhythmic thud of drums beat a celebratory pulse and a performer breathed fire to entertain the ecstatic crowd.

"Today Gaza showed the world that it is resisting and that it is stronger than Israel," said Tamer al-Madqa, 23.

But there was no sign of celebration in Israel as citizens absorbed the news of two people killed when mortar shells hit a kibbutz in the south.

Ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet began whetting their political knives after a deal which was reportedly agreed by the premier and his defence minister, with other security cabinet ministers only updated by phone.

News of the agreement first emerged from the West Bank city of Ramallah where a Palestinian official told AFP an elusive deal had been reached over a "durable" halt to the bloodshed.

He said the deal involved a "permanent ceasefire" and an end to Israel's eight-year blockade of Gaza, in a move hailed by Hamas as a "victory for the resistance".

Ending the blockade had been a key Palestinian demand in earlier, abortive truce talks in Cairo.

"The Egyptian initiative (includes) an opening of the crossings for goods and humanitarian and food aid to enter Gaza, as well as medical supplies and materials to repair the water, electricity and mobile phone networks," chief Palestinian truce negotiator Azzam al-Ahmed told AFP.

Restrictions on fishing would end "immediately" with boats allowed to fish up to six miles offshore with the limit later extended to 12 miles, he said.

At a later, unspecified date, the two sides would discuss "the exchange of (Palestinian) prisoners and of the bodies of those (Israeli soldiers) killed" during the conflict, he said.

Israel confirmed the negotiating teams would return to Cairo "within a month", without saying when.

"We have accepted, once again, an Egyptian proposal for an unconditional and unlimited-in-time ceasefire," a senior official said.

"The framework includes an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and then, inside a month, both delegations will be in Cairo raising issues with the Egyptians," he said.

"We will be raising our concerns about demilitarisation and preventing Hamas from rearming."

During the celebrations several senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad figures emerged onto the streets for the first time since the war began, having feared assassination by Israel, which had labelled them "legitimate targets".

As well as rebuilding the battered enclave, senior Hamas official Mahmud al-Zahar said the Islamist movement would continue "arming itself and developing its resistance capacity".

Egypt's foreign ministry said the two sides had agreed to the "simultaneous opening of the border crossings between Israel and Gaza to enable the rapid entry of humanitarian aid and relief and reconstruction supplies".

And the statement referred to a "continuation of indirect negotiations between the two sides on other matters within one month of the ceasefire taking effect."

News of the reported deal came after weeks of Egyptian-led efforts to end the violence which resulted in several short-term ceasefires, all of which broke down in the absence of agreement on a longer-term truce.

The latest collapsed on August 19 as hostilities resumed, killing more than 120 Palestinians and two Israelis, one a four-year-old child.

There had been no sign of any letup in the fighting earlier on Tuesday, with 12 Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes and tank shelling, among them two children.

Source: ucanews.com

Blind lead the blind for light of vision

Since October 2013, Project Vision has been active and around 10,000 persons have been motivated to pledge their eyes.

Bangalore:  Some 600 people, all of the blind folded, march through the streets of Bangalore on Sunday in what is billed as "world's first ever Blind Walk" aiming to popularize the need of eye donation in the country.

Some 100 blind people led the blindfolded men and women, mostly young, as they walked highlighting the cause of the visually handicapped. While the blind walked confidently, with the help of their walking sticks, the blindfolded volunteers were seen stumbling.

Organizers, a Church group led by Claretion Father George Kannanthanam, plans similar walks over the next two Sundays in the city.

Project Vision, which organized program with other groups including Amway India Enterprise, aims to spread awareness on blindness and to educate the public on avenues of pledging one's eyes. More than 100 organisations were represented at the walk.

The startling figures of blindness in India prompted Father Kannanthanam, Director of the Project Vision to initiate an innovative way of reaching out to the public to draw their attention to the blind in India and inform them of avenues to pledge their eyes.

"One of the things that should make us think as a nation is the fact that more than one third of the world's blind persons are in our country. The number is quite shocking: 15 million out of the 39 million," the priest said.

He said this "shocking figure touched a few of us" and 50 of them joined with objectives: "to make eye donation a norm in the society and to create opportunities for the permanently blind to live a decent life".

"While eye donation can bring light to over three million blind persons, the other 80% can live better through various facilities that could be created for them. We have committed ourselves to make Bangalore the Eye Donation Capital of the World.” he added.

One of the objectives of Project vision is to make eye donation process easy and effective.

Since October 2013, Project Vision has been active and around 10,000 persons have been motivated to pledge their eyes.

All the major religions of the world support the principles of organ donation and transplantation.

However, within each religion there is a different school of thought, which means that views may differ, the Project Vision has been engaged with faith leaders across religions to raise awareness of organ donation and transplantation, the priest said.

Press Release

Communion wine controversy as Kerala bans alcohol

Archbishop vows Communion 'will remain unchanged until the world ends'.

Thiruvananthapuram:  Disgareements have arisen between Church leaders in Kerala over the use of Communion wine, as the state prepares to impose a ban on alcohol consumption.

“Churches should think about using grape water, as had been the practice in the past, instead of wine," Bishop Philiphose Mar Chrysostom of the indigenous Mar Thoma Syrian Church told ucanews.com yesterday.

Unlike Catholic Church, his faith does not believe that the bread and wine offered at Mass turn to the body and blood of Christ, but are merely symbols of the sacrament.

But Latin Rite Catholic Archbishop Francis Kallarackal of Verapoly said Christians would not be able "to think of the Holy Mass without bread and wine”.

The use of bread and wine as the body and blood of Jesus "will remain unchanged until the world ends," he said.

Fr Paul Thelakkat, spokesman for the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in Kerala dismissed the controversy, saying the ban would have no impact on the way the Church dispenses the sacraments.

"Every faith has its own traditions and practices. Using wine at Mass is a global practice. Its use is minimum and based on a faith. Combining the liquor ban and Mass wine issue together is an attempt communalize the issue by dragging in the Church," Father Thelakkat told ucanews.com.

Kerala authorities last week announced a plan to phase out alcohol sales over a 10-year period. Beginning next year, bar licenses will only be issued to five-star hotels, while many of the state’s 720 bars and restaurants will not have their licenses renewed.

The debate has now extended outside Church circles. Vellapally Natesan, general secretary of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, a Hindu political group, demanded the government cancel 23 licenses issued to Catholic dioceses, religious orders and other Christian groups to produce Mass wine.

"All are equal before law. If the government has decided to issue no licenses for liquor manufacturing, sale or use, then the Catholic Church cannot be an exception," he told ucanews.com on Wednesday.

Shortly after the ban was announced, Natesan told local media, "Jesus turned water into wine. Today, nobody has the power to convert water into wine. Then why don't churches use water and consider it as wine?" He also alleged that some churches were selling Mass wine, in violation of Indian law.

"I know that even the churches are selling wine for a price. They are not supposed to sell Mass wine. But no action was taken against them,” he said.

Anil Xavier, state excise commissioner, told ucanews.com that licenses were issued to Church organizations under the Cochin Mass Wine Act that permits the license holder to make wine that is used for Mass.

"It is not meant for sale and the license holders must pay a tax of three Indian rupees [5 US cents] per liter produced in their winery," he said.

Source: ucanews.com

Saint Fiaker Prince of Scotland and Anchorite († 670)

Saint Fiaker

Prince of Scotland and Anchorite
(† 670)

Saint Fiaker

Saint Fiaker was the eldest son of Eugene IV, king of Scotland, born in the early sixth century heir to the throne of Scotland. He was educated under the care of a bishop of eminent sanctity, Conan, Bishop of Soder or the Western Islands.

Considering all worldly advantages as dross, the young prince, accompanied by his sister, left country and friends when in the flower of his age, and sailed to France. The prince intended to seek a solitude to which they might retire and devote themselves to God, unknown to the rest of the world. Divine Providence conducted them to Saint Faro, Bishop of Meaux, eminent for his sanctity. When Saint Fiaker addressed himself to him, the prelate, charmed with the marks of extraordinary virtue and abilities which he discerned in this stranger, gave him a solitary dwelling in a forest called Breuil, two leagues from Meaux. He placed the princess Sira in the Faremoutier monastery for women, of which his own sister was Abbess, and in that convent the young Christian found the enduring peace of Christ.

The holy anchorite Fiaker cleared the ground of trees and briers, made himself a cell and cultivated a small garden. He built an oratory in honor of the Blessed Virgin, where he spent the greater part of the days and nights in devout prayer, laboring also with his own hands for his subsistence. The life he led was very austere, and only necessity or charity ever interrupted his exercises of prayer and heavenly contemplation.

Many resorted to him for advice, and the poor sought relief at his door. Saint Chillen, or Kilian, an Irishman of high birth, on his return from Rome visited Saint Fiaker, who was his kinsman. After spending some time under his discipline, this other budding Saint was directed by Fiaker's advice and with the authority of the bishops, to preach in the nearby dioceses as well as in that of Saint Faro. This commission he executed with admirable sanctity and fruit, and his relics were later placed in the same coffer as those of his eminent relative, the saintly hermit. Saint Fiaker died in the year 670, on the 30^th of August; he is the patron of gardeners.