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| Vatican to hold conference on development of unborn Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:00 pm (GMT -5)  Catholic Church to Hold Intl Conference on Unborn Baby's Development by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor November 6, 2007 Link to original The Vatican (LifeNews.com) -- The Catholic Church is planning an international conference to help policymakers understand the amazing development of the unborn child. Vatican officials say nations are making decisions about abortion and bioethics issues such as human cloning and stem cell research and they need to know how human life begins at conception. The conference is slated for November 15-17 as part of a teaching program at the six pontifical universities.  The program explores the relationship between science and faith an is an attempt to help decision-makers better understand that human life is sacred and not a commodity to be destroyed or used for research. Pontifical Regina Apostolorum university is hosting the conference and the dean of the philosophy department, Rev. Rafael Pascual, told AP, "The study of human life from the point of view of its individual origin acquires a particular interest in today's world." |
| Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:03 pm (GMT -5)  Click Logo To Link Original Latin Lovers in America By Harry Mount Published 11/6/2007 12:08:02 AM And is it true? Are the long-held dreams of a thousand bachelor teachers, their shoulders sprinkled with dandruff and chalk-dust, coming to life? Is the great Latin revival happening? After half a century of decline, when the teaching of Latin retreated to a few small brave frontier outposts -- American prep schools, British public schools and the Vatican -- is it back? The answer is -- yes...a bit. The dead language is showing some small signs of recovery; mere glimmers, perhaps, but significant all the same. Chief of the Latin Revival Club is Pope Benedict XVI, who on September 14 made it easier for Catholics to attend the Tridentine Mass, celebrated almost entirely in Latin, and set out by Pope Pius V in 1570. With this masterstroke, the Pope has single-handedly ended a battle fought by modernists for 40 years to end the Latin Mass. The old Latin rite is a splendid sight -- the priest celebrates High Mass with his back to the congregation, intoning the Latin liturgy amid puffs of incense, throwing in gobbets of Greek and Hebrew too. Prayers are said at the foot of the altar, matched to a complicated series of genuflections, bows and crossings of the chest. Although Pope Benedict has quite rightly been celebrated as the driving force behind the Latin revival, his predecessor did his bit, too. Pope John Paul II was the first to remove major restrictions on the Latin Mass in the early 1980s. In 2001, he hurried the Vatican's return to Latin when he signed off the directive, Liturgiam Authenticam, demanding translations of the liturgy that are closer to Latin. The Old Testament may have been written in Hebrew, the New in Greek, but it was in Latin that the medieval priest principally read and in Latin that he spoke in church. It is in the translation from the Latin, too, that worshippers were used to hearing the liturgy. Confusingly, the Latin Church used a Greek liturgy for several hundred years before adopting Latin, but it was the Latin version that stuck until Vatican II. In America, Australia, Scotland, England and Wales, bishops have now voted to accept these new Vatican-backed translations closer to the original Latin. So, in America for example, the prayer before communion, which had gone "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you," now goes "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof." That's much closer to the original -- "Domine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum meum." Likewise, in the Nicene Creed, "born of the Virgin Mary" will revert to "incarnate of the Virgin Mary" ("incarnatus...ex Maria Virgine"). And, in the exchange between priest and congregation: Priest: "The Lord be with you." Congregation: "And also with you." will become: Priest: "The Lord be with you." Congregation: "And with your spirit." Again, this is much closer to the original Latin: Priest: "Dominus Vobiscum." Congregation: "Et cum spiritu tuo." Still, under Pope John Paul II, it was up to individual bishops whether they allowed the Latin Mass in their diocese. Pope Benedict XVI has removed that prerogative from the bishops. As a result of his apostolic letter in July, called Summorum Pontificum ("Of the Leading Popes"), issued Motu Proprio ("by his own motion"), individual priests can themselves choose to say the Latin Mass. And, what's more, individual congregations can demand that their priest says the Mass. Hundreds of American churches are expected to demand the Latin Mass. Even before Pope Benedict XVI announced his plans to ease the restrictions, you could find five churches in New York alone that celebrate the Tridentine Mass. ALL GOOD NEWS, THEN, for Latin fans. But even before this wonderful news, Latin was already on the up in America. The country suffered a great classics slump in the late 20th century; now the subject's booming again. In 1905, 56 percent of American high school students studied Latin. By 1977, a mere 6,000 pupils took the National Latin Exam. That went up to 134,873 last year. Still, let's hope that the Latin revival won't just be confined to classrooms and chancels, that the language will be used for pleasure, as well as for instruction and ritual. Of course this new generation of Latin students will know their English grammar better by learning their actives from their passives. And priests and congregations who understand the Tridentine Mass will tend to have better written English than those without Latin. But let's hope those students, those priests, and their congregations will enjoy some Latin literature as well as Latin grammar and Latin masses. The real point of Latin and Latin teachers is not their gift for improving your English but for improving your Latin; and so allowing you to appreciate some of the finest prose and poetry ever written. To say you need to understand Latin to understand English, as some people do say, is as crazy as suggesting that you need to understand Anglo-Saxon, German, and Norman French to understand English. All these languages went into the pot to form English but no one suggests learning them to improve your grammar. English is not nearly as close a relative of Latin as, say, French, and even French is a descendant through many generations. Once the Romans left Britain to the Angles and the Saxons, our native language went through several incarnations. The language the Angles and Saxons brought with them -- Anglo-Saxon -- imported large chunks of non-Latinate words, as well as some pretty garbled bits of Latin, often borrowed via French. And then, when the Normans came, their new brand of French imported even more Latinate words. But it was much-mutilated and diluted Latin that poured into the mix that became modern English. THE IDEA THAT THE PURE strain of original, ancient Latin, as spoken in the Tridentine Mass and taught to increasing numbers in American schools, forms the spine of modern English is ludicrous. In fact, the main reason you will know English better as a result of reading Latin is that it is so different from Latin, not because of any similarities. It is in computing the changes from one language to another that you are forced to think about the structure of each of them. Latin is particularly useful for this computing exercise, thanks to the very quality that it is usually attacked for -- its deadness. Because living languages are in a constant state of flux, there's a great deal of wriggle room when translating from one to another. Precisely because Latin is dead, there's none of that flexibility. You are much more likely to be definitely wrong in a translation from Latin to English than from, say, French to English, if you haven't understood exactly what a particular word means or how a grammatical rule works. Still, it's pretty grim to think of Latin like this, as a sort of mental gymnastics, a grim, utilitarian exercise for strengthening the mind. Yes, if the new Latin students, and the priests and congregations celebrating the Tridentine Mass, really get to know their Latin, they'll incidentally improve their English. But -- much more wonderful than that -- they will then know world literature from the third century BC, when writers got going in Rome, through to the Golden Age of Latin -- Lucretius, Catullus, Sallust, Cicero and Caesar. They will know the Augustan Age -- Ovid, Horace, Virgil and Livy -- down to the end of the Silver Age in 120 AD: Martial, Juvenal, Lucan, Seneca, Pliny and Tacitus. It's a pretty inspiring reading list. If they happen to pick up some grammar along the way, well, all the better, but I hope they don't forget to look out of the window and take in the beauty spots too. _________________ IN CORDIBUS JESU ET MARIÆ SECRETMAN |
| Red, green Christmas lights to be banned? Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:32 pm (GMT -5)  HOLIDAY BLUES Red, green lights to be banned? Committee proposal says colored Christmas twinklers too religious Tuesday, November 6, 2007 link to original .jpg) This is part of Fort Collins' art in public places program, and is called 'Source of life.' But the city's new rules call for a ban on red and green lights at Christmas as being too religious This is part of Fort Collins' art in public places program, and is called 'Source of life.' But the city's new rules call for a ban on red and green lights at Christmas as being too religious A special task force in a Colorado city has recommended banning red and green lights at the Christmas holiday because they fall among the items that are too religious for the city to sponsor. "Some symbols, even though the Supreme Court has declared that in many contexts they are secular symbols, often still send a message to some members of the community that they and their traditions are not valued and not wanted. We don't want to send that message," Seth Anthony, a spokesman for the committee, told the Fort Collins, Colo., Coloradoan. He said the recommended language does not specifically address Christmas trees by name, but the consensus was that they would not fall within acceptable decorations. What will be allowed are white lights and "secular" symbols not associated "with any particular holiday" such as icicles, unadorned greenery and snowflakes, the task force said. The group was made up of members of the city's business and religious communities as well as representatives from some community groups. Members met for months to review the existing holiday display policy, which allowed white as well as multi-colored lights and wreaths and garlands. In previous years, there also was a Christmas tree at the city's Oak Street Plaza. A vote on the proposal will be coming up before the city council on Nov. 20, officials said. "As far as I'm concerned, the group ended up in a very fair place in which primarily secular symbols will be used on city property," task force member Saul Hopper told the newspaper. The existing holiday display rules were adopted in 2006 after a rabbi requested that the city display a menorah. The only apparent exception to the completely secular rule would be at the Fort Collins Museum, where a "multicultural display" of symbols and objects would be collected to represent Diwali, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Christmas among others. "I expect criticism from people who feel like we are taking Christmas away. And I expect we will get criticism from people who think educational display endorses religions," Anthony said. "(But) to the extent we can, recognizing that offending no one will be impossible, we want to be inclusive." City officials touted their own efforts. "I am really delighted to see us taking this step," Mayor Doug Hutchinson said when the task force was being assembled. "I think Fort Collins is a great city, and I think great cities are inclusionary." In a forum for the Coloradoan, outrage was pretty evident. "Let's spend our CHRISTMAS money somewhere that believes in CHRISTMAS!" wrote barbie333. "Where does the 'PC-ization' stop? Maybe if the town leaders realize that we do not live in Boulder (or California)!?" Added "Stick," "No Virginia, there is no Santa Claus, he is dead from lack of political correctness and the elves have all been sent to China to make toys." "Seth Anthony says, 'Some symbols, even though the Supreme Court has declared that in many contexts they are secular symbols, often still send a message to some members of the community that they and their traditions are not valued and not wanted. We don't want to send that message.' Guess what, Seth? That's EXACTLY the message you sent me!" added "notpc." "If the city council decided to not acknowledge Christmas on public grounds this year then all city offices should be open for business on Dec. 25th, white lights shining! Don't want to offend anyone by stopping city business for a day to celebrate a holiday not everyone believes in," added Amidon. |
| Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 8:10 am (GMT -5) english.aljazeera.net Saudi king set to meet the pope UPDATED ON: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 06, 2007 12:33 MECCA TIME, 9:33 GMT Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah is set to meet Pope Benedict XVI in the first meeting between a Saudi monarch and leader of the the Roman Catholic Church. The pair are expected to discuss Christian-Islamic relations on Tuesday at the Vatican, officials said. Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, came to Rome in September to pave the way for the visit, the third leg of a European tour that has taken the 84-year-old monarch to London and Geneva. The Holy See and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic ties, but King Abdullah met Pope Benedict's predecessor John Paul II in 1999 - at the time he was the crown prince. The Vatican said the talks in September between al-Faisal and the pope centred on defence of religious and moral values, the Middle East conflict, the political and religious situation in Saudi Arabia and the importance of inter-cultural and inter-faith dialogue. Religious freedom Vatican officials urged Saudis to allow greater religious freedom in Saudi Arabia, on the eve of King Abdullah's historic meeting with the pope. Bishop Paul Hinder said on Monday: "Muslim Saudi Arabia should guarantee more freedom and security for minority Christians and allow more priests in to administer to the faithful." Hinder, a Swiss national who is the bishop of Arabia, said he hopes Tuesday's encounter could lead to diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Islam's birthplace. "What I am hoping is that there can be more security and freedom for our people in a very low-profile manner," he said in an interview with Reuters news agency. "I am not expecting to be able to build a cathedral ... but at least the freedom to worship in security," he said. Churches banned Vatican officials often ask why church construction is banned in Saudi Arabia while Muslims can build mosques in Europe. There are 1.2 million Christians in Saudi Arabia, nearly a million of them Catholics. Most are migrant workers, including a large Filipino community. They are only allowed to worship in private places, usually homes, and cannot practice their faith nor wear signs it in public. Hinder said rules regulating private worship by non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia were not clear and were open to interpretation. The Vatican has often called for greater rights for Christians in predominantly Muslim countries. But the Holy See considers Saudi Arabia a severe case. King Abdullah is custodian of Islam's holiest mosques in the Saudi cities of Mecca and Medina, sites of pilgrimages by millions of Muslims every year. _________________ http://www.geocities.com/demographic_crash |
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