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Pope to make First Visit to US Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 4:10 pm (GMT -5) Pope to make First Visit to US By RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion Writer Yahoo! News (AP) BALTIMORE - Pope Benedict XVI will make his first visit to the United States as pontiff next year, and plans to visit the White House, ground zero and speak at the United Nations, Archbishop Pietro Sambi told the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Monday. Benedict will travel to Washington and New York from April 15-20, speak at the United Nations on April 18 and visit ground zero on the final day of his trip. The pope will visit the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York to show "solidarity with those who have died, with their families and with all those who wish an end of violence and in the search of peace," said Sambi, the Vatican's ambassador to the U.S. The visit will take place on the third anniversary of Benedict's election to succeed Pope John Paul II, who died in April 2005. An official welcome reception for Benedict will be held at the White House on April 16, Sambi said. The pontiff will celebrate two public Masses, first at the new Nationals Park in Washington on April 17, and again at Yankee Stadium on April 20. He will also hold meetings with priests, Catholic university presidents, diocesan educators and young people. "The pope will not travel much, but he will address himself to the people of the United States and the whole Catholic Church," Sambi said. _________________ Blessed Pius IX, pray for us!

Vatican II not open to free interpretations Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 1:41 pm (GMT -5) Vatican II not open to free interpretations, says Vatican official Rome, Nov 12, 2007 / 12:22 pm (CNA).- The secretary of the Pontifical Council for Migrant and Itinerant Ministries, Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, said Vatican Council II is a "synthesis between tradition and renewal" and is not open to free interpretations, such as the ones proposed by the Bologna School initiated by Giuseppe Alberigo. "Vatican II was a great event, a synthesis between tradition and renewal that is not a break with the past in the creation of a new Church," the archbishop said during a speech on the Catholic Church in the 20th century in the city of Ancona. He said the members of the School of Bologna have been very successful in "monopolizing and imposing one interpretation" of Vatican II that goes beyond what John XXIII and Paul VI imagined, even so far as to propose "a Copernican revolution, the passing to…another Catholicism." Archbishop Marchetto said that Alberigo proposed a sort of democratization of the Church by affirming that "the institutional system's hegemony over the Christian life…reached an apex with the dogmatic definition of the primacy and magisterial infallibility of the Bishop of Rome." "It is rather faith, communion and willingness to serve that make the Church," the Italian prelate stated, saying he proposes instead "identity in evolution" and "fidelity in renewal." Archbishop Marchetto encouraged Catholics to read Pope Benedict XVI's discourse to the Roman Curia on December 22, 2005, in which he spoke of the interpretation of the Council as a "break with the past" as a favorite of those in the media. The correct interpretation of the Council, the Pope said at that time, "has always been visibly and silently" stronger. The School of Bologna Giuseppe Alberigo, professor of Church history at the University of Bologna, published a five-volume set between 1995 and 2001 on the History of the Church, including a section on Vatican II. His theories were in the same vein as those of Father Giuseppe Dossetti (1913-1996), a confidant of Cardinal Giacomo Lercaro, one of the four moderators of the Council. Both men promoted the idea that Vatican II is "above all a new Pentecost"—open to the most disparate and even arbitrary interpretations—more than just a collection of documents; a "novelty" that is supposedly represented by Pope John XXIII, while according to this interpretation, Pope Paul VI and his successors symbolize the "betrayal" of this spirit. _________________ http://www.geocities.com/demographic_crash

New president of Una Voce Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 12:07 pm (GMT -5) Leo Darroch, the former secretary of Foederatio Internationalis UNA VOCE, has been elected the new president of that federation. An exclusive interview with Darroch can be read on Petrus. Thanks and may God Bless You All! _________________ IN CORDIBUS JESU ET MARIÆ SECRETMAN

the vote to watch Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:28 am (GMT -5) the vote to watch Diogenes Off the Record Catholic World News Nov. 11, 2007 http://www.cwnews.com/offtherecord/offtherecord.cfm?task=singledisplay&recnum=4474 The US bishops hold their annual meeting in Baltimore this coming week, with a few interesting items on the agenda. There will be an open discussion about the bishop's role in political debates; that promises to be lively and revealing. There will be a new report from John Jay researchers on the causes of the sex-abuse crisis. (In preparing this report, the researchers asked members of Voice of the Faithful to answer an opinion survey. Did they ask for your opinion, too? No, I didn't think so. Do you see where this is going?) And then there are the elections. Cardinal George will become president of the USCCB. That's a foregone conclusion; the vice-president is always tapped to succeed a president ending his 3-year term. More interesting is the choice of a new vice-president, who will step into the limelight in 2010. Still more interesting will be the vote for chairman of the relatively obscure Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance. The candidates are Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis and a Chicago auxiliary, Bishop Thomas Paprocki. Yes, you have seen those two names before-- in this column, in fact. In the last few weeks, each prelate has taken a strong public stance Archbishop Burke took controversial disciplinary action, and then explained that he was morally obligated to do so-- implicitly suggesting that other bishops are obligated to take the same sort of action. Bishop Paprocki argued that legal attacks on the American hierarchy are unjust and perhaps diabolical. If everyone listened to Burke, life would be more difficult for a typical American bishop. If everyone listened to Paprocki, life would be much easier. It's a very interesting contrast, making for a very interesting vote.

No help from the Left Coast Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:25 am (GMT -5) No help from the Left Coast Bishops to consider excluding pro-abortion politicians from communion, but California's prelates unlikely to support such a ban California Catholic Daily November 12, 2007 http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=261461ab-e39b-4323-9a21-6c4b6e93306a A four-day meeting of U.S. bishops begins today at the posh Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel. On the bishops' agenda, among other items, is a revision of their statement on "faithful citizenship," a guide for Catholics on political issues. A news release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says a draft of the updated statement "focuses on the bishops' role in helping to form consciences in political life." But what is the best way to do that? The prelates are divided, with some favoring denial of communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion and euthanasia, while others consider the question of whether or not to receive communion a matter of private conscience. Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis is probably the strongest advocate of denying communion to pro-abortion politicians as a disciplinary measure. In a recent interview published by the Archdiocese of St. Louis' Office of Communications, Burke minced no words when asked if the majority of bishops supported this discipline: "It is not a question of what number of bishops agree or disagree with the discipline. It is the discipline of the universal Church, which every bishop is required to uphold." Those favoring denial of communion to Catholic politicians who defy Church teaching point to Canon 915 of the Code of Canon, and particularly to a clause that says those "who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to communion." In 2004, Pope Benedict XVI (then Cardinal Ratzinger) sent a memorandum to U.S. bishops specifically about the issue of denying communion to politicians. The memo said defiant politicians should be given "due process" of prior warning, but insisted that denial of communion was the next step: "Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person's formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church's teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist." But California's bishops do not appear as willing as Archbishop Burke to follow the advice contained in Ratzinger's memo. In a March 22 online chat held at the LA Religious Education Congress in Anaheim, California's most prominent bishop, Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles, was asked about American bishops who do not follow the instructions of Pope Benedict by denying Communion to pro-abortion politicians. Cardinal Mahony answered by denying that the pope took that position: "Rather, he is asking that everyone who approaches Holy Communion should make sure he/she is living a life worthy of Jesus in this Sacrament," said the cardinal. "The burden is on the recipient, not on the minister." And, in a May 2004 interview with the Catholic News Service before the Bush-Kerry election, Cardinal Mahony said, "I'm slightly mystified why this is all coming up now. We've had pro-choice Catholic politicians going to Communion since Roe vs. Wade… in fact, with respect to the Eucharist, it really is not possible for a priest or bishop to deny someone Communion unless that person is known to have been a public sinner, in the sense of having been interdicted or excommunicated or formally sanctioned in some way… The presumption is that if someone presents himself for Communion, that they are doing so with the belief that they are in a state of grace and receiving in good faith the Eucharist." Bishop Tod Brown of the Diocese of Orange has made no public statements about the issue, but has given Holy Communion to pro-abortion Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez and remains on very friendly terms with her. It is not likely that he would embrace a program of denying Communion to pro-abortion politicians. Neither is it likely that Bishop Robert Brom of San Diego would support such a measure. In 2001, he reversed his predecessor's (Bishop Leo Maher's) communion ban on pro-abortion Assemblywoman Lucy Killea, and as recently as 2004 Bishop Brom said in a press release, "In my judgment at this time, it is not prudent to deny Holy Communion to Catholics in political life because of their public support for abortion on demand." Bishop John Steinbock of Fresno also refused to deny pro-abortion politicians communion during the 2004 election. In a pastoral message from July 2004, Steinbock spoke of Cardinal Ratzinger's memo: "I pointed out to the priests and deacons that this document did not say, as was falsely reported by the secular media, that Catholic politicians who vote for abortion may not receive Communion. It did not refer to Catholic politicians at all… Let us not politicize the Eucharist. We all struggle, whether we are public figures or not, to be faithful to the Lord Jesus, and must constantly examine our own consciences. Let us not judge the consciences of others and be so presumptuous as to say who is and who is not worthy to receive Communion…" There are no statements on record from Monterey Bishop Richard Garcia on denying communion to politicians, nor has Bishop Gerald Barnes of San Bernardino made any public statements about the issue, but a June 2004 chart on Catholicvote.net indicates that Bishop Barnes would not withhold communion. Bishop Patrick McGrath of San Jose is another bishop who has not spoken publicly about the issue, but the Catholicvote.net survey indicates he "follows the policy of San Francisco, will not withhold communion." (At the time the survey was taken, Cardinal William Levada was Archbishop of San Francisco.) Archbishop George Neiderauer, who succeeded Cardinal Levada, apparently shares his predecessor's views. In a February interview on KCBS radio, Archbishop Neiderauer was asked about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's position on abortion and whether it presented a problem for him. Neiderauer astonished listeners by saying he didn't know her position on abortion. When pressed as to whether he would deny her communion, Neiderauer said, "I think that when I stand at communion time, in front of the altar, to distribute communion, I, like all priests and bishops, I believe, am counting on the individual communicant who's coming forward to receive communion, to decide whether he or she is worthy of communion and is ready to receive it, this sacrament. I am not there principally as a gatekeeper. I am there as a priest and a celebrant to give forth the Eucharist." In January 2003, Bishop William Weigand of Sacramento publicly told former Gov. Gray Davis and other pro-abortion politicians that they should refrain from receiving communion, but has not gone so far as to deny it. A month later, in an interview with the National Catholic Register, Bishop Weigand told reporter Tim Drake, "Some people thought I was 'considering formally forbidding the [governor] from receiving Communion.' I did not intimate that I had any such thing in mind, nor that we would refuse Communion to someone that approaches… Some people thought that there must inevitably follow a further step, namely to excommunicate Governor Davis. But there are no inevitable consequences to my action. After instructing people, we respect them and strive to treat them as adults. We prefer to trust in their sincerity and goodwill. That is why I stated that a person of integrity should 'choose of his own volition to abstain from receiving Holy Communion until he has a change of heart.'" Bishop Allen Vigneron of Oakland has not made any public statements about denying communion to pro-abortion politicians, and the 2004 Catholicvote.net survey indicated he did not respond to their inquiry. Bishop Daniel Walsh of Santa Rosa told LifeSite News in July 2004 that the idea of denying Communion to pro-abortion politicians was "an election year ploy." Instead, he said, "In this diocese there will be no trying to force people to do what their conscience tells them they cannot do, or vice versa… The sacraments are not used as a bludgeon, a weapon to enforce Church law. Out of respect for the sacraments and the faithful, (dissenting politicians) would normally refrain from the Eucharist until they were in unity with the Church."

Blessed Liberty: The Posthumous Miracle of Antonio Rosmini Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:17 am (GMT -5) Blessed Liberty: The Posthumous Miracle of Antonio Rosmini The great classical thinker was under condemnation by the Holy Office until six years ago. He was exonerated. And now, he's been proclaimed blessed. The philosopher Dario Antiseri paints the portrait of this teacher of a form of liberalism open to religion by Sandro Magister www.chiesa November 12, 2007 http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/175502?eng=y ROMA, November 12, 2007 – A beatification ceremony is approaching that is a miracle in its own right: the beatification of the priest and philosopher Antonio Rosmini. It's a miracle because just six years ago, the new blessed was still under a condemnation issued in 1887 by the congregation of the Holy Office, against 40 propositions drawn from his writings. Absolution came on July 1, 2001, with a note from the then-prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. And it was only after the removal of this obstacle that the cause of his beatification was put on the fast track. Antonio Rosmini will be proclaimed blessed on Sunday, November 18, in Novara, the northern Italian diocese where he spent the last part of his life. Pope Benedict XVI has appointed cardinal Josè Saraiva Martins, the prefect of the congregation for the causes of saints, to preside over the celebration. In addition to being a deeply spiritual priest, Rosmini was a profound thinker and a prolific writer. The complete edition of his works, being prepared by Città Nuova, will ultimately run to 80 large volumes. Fr. Umberto Muratore, a religious of the congregation that Rosmini founded, does not hesitate to compare him, as a philosopher, to giants like Saint Thomas and Saint Augustine. Of his books, the one still most widely read and translated is "Delle cinque piaghe della santa Chiesa [Of the Five Wounds of the Holy Church]." One of the wounds that he denounced was the ignorance of the clergy and the people in celebrating the liturgy. But it is a mistake to view him as a standard bearer for the abandonment of the use of Latin. He wrote, instead, that "reducing the sacred rites to the vernacular languages would mean resorting to a remedy worse than the disease." He was also a great political theorist. He was a dyed-in-the-wool liberal during a period – the mid-19th century – when liberalism, for the Church, was synonymous with the devil. In his book "Filosofia della politica [Philosophy of Politics]," Rosmini expresses his admiration for "Democracy in America," the masterpiece of his contemporary Alexis de Tocqueville, a founding father of faith-friendly liberalism. Rosmini anticipated by more than a century the statements on religious freedom affirmed by Vatican Council II. He was a critic of Catholicism as a "religion of the state." He was a tireless defender of the freedom of citizens and of "intermediate bodies" against the abuses of an omnipotent state. It is not surprising, therefore, that those spreading Rosmini's thought in the Catholic camp today are above all the proponents of a form of liberalism open to religion, which in Europe has its leading figures in the "Vienna school" of Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich von Hayek. The portrait of Rosmini reproduced below was written by a prominent representative of these Catholic thinkers, Dario Antiseri, a professor at the Libera Università degli Studi "Guido Carli" in Rome, and the author of a highly respected "History of Philosophy" translated into a number of languages. His portrayal was published on November 1 in the newspaper of the Italian bishops' conference, "Avvenire." Antiseri focuses his attention on just one aspect of the figure of Rosmini, his political theories. But this may be the aspect that best displays his originality. Rosmini's ideas are still distasteful to many Catholics, bishops and priests included. Even after Rosmini's beatification, his thought will still have a long road ahead of it before it becomes accepted language in the Catholic Church. Rosmini, the Anti-totalitarian by Dario Antiseri Antonio Rosmini's first and fundamental concern in the political arena was that of establishing the conditions needed to guarantee the dignity and freedom of the human person. And it is in this perspective that, in his view, the question of property becomes crucial. In opposition to socialist economic theory, Rosmini clearly maintains the connection between private property and individual freedom. "Property – he writes in his 'Filosofia del diritto [Philosophy of Law]' – truly expresses the close union between a thing and a person. [...] Property is the originating principle of legal rights and duties. Property constitutes a sphere around the person, of which that person is the center: no one else may enter within this sphere." Respect for another's property is respect for that other person. Private property is a means for the person to defend himself from encroachment on the part of the state. Person and state: the former is fallible, the latter, never perfect. And here is a famous passage taken from the "Philosophy of Politics": "Perfectionism – meaning the system that believes it is possible to achieve perfection in human affairs, and sacrifices present goods for imagined future perfection – is a result of ignorance. It consists of an arrogant prejudice that judges human nature too favorably, basing itself upon pure conjecture, upon a postulate that cannot be granted, and with an absolute lack of reflection upon natural limitations." Perfectionism ignores the great principle of the limitations of things; it does not consider that society is not composed of "angels confirmed in grace," but rather of "fallible men"; and it forgets that every government "is made up of persons who, being men, are all fallible." The perfectionist neither uses nor abuses reason. And those who are most intoxicated by the malignant idea of perfectionism are the utopians. These "prophets of boundless happiness," with the promise of an earthly paradise, work busily to build quite serviceable hells for their fellow men. Utopia, Rosmini asserts, is "the tomb of all true liberalism" and "far from making men happy, it digs an abyss of misery; far from ennobling them, it renders them as ignoble as beasts; far from pacifying them, it introduces universal war, substituting power for law; far from distributing wealth, it concentrates it; far from moderating the power of the government, it makes this absolute; far from opening competition to all in all areas, it destroys all competition; far from expanding industry, agriculture, art, and commerce, it deprives them of any incentives, blocking private initiative and spontaneous activity; far from spurring minds to great invention and hearts to great virtue, it smothers and crushes any vitality of the soul, rendering impossible any noble effort, any magnanimity, any heroism; virtue itself is prohibited, and even faith in virtue is destroyed." And here it must be specified that connected with Rosmini's anti-perfectionism is his staunch criticism of the arrogance of that strain of thought that celebrated its own triumphs in the writings of the Enlightenment, and then unleashed the horrors of the French Revolution. The goddess Reason was taken as symbolizing man's presumption that he could take the place of God and create a perfect society. The judgment that Rosmini levels against the fatal presumption of the Enlightenment calls to mind similar assessments, those of Edmund Burke first of all, and then those of Friedrich A. von Hayek. An anti-perfectionist on account of the natural "infirmity of men," Rosmini is quick, again in his "Political Philosophy," to point out that the critical barbs that he aims against perfectionism "are not intended to deny the perfectibility of man and society. That man can continually become more perfect as long as he lives is a precious reality; it is a dogma of Christianity." Rosmini's anti-perfectionism thus implies an even greater effort. From this arises, among other things, his attention to what he calls "long, public, free discussion," because it is from this kind of friendly hostility that men can draw out the best from themselves and eliminate the errors of their own projects and ideas. We read further in the "Philosophy of Law": "The individuals who comprise a people cannot understand each other if they do not speak a great deal among themselves; if they do not confront each other vigorously; if errors are not drawn forth from minds and, once fully revealed, combated in all their forms." As an anti-statist, and therefore a defender of "intermediate bodies," and as a champion of freedom, Rosmini was very attentive to the sufferings and problems of the needy and the most disadvantaged. But the duty of Christian solidarity did not make turn a blind eye to the harms of state-run assistance programs. "Government beneficence – he asserts – is in great demand in view of the most serious difficulties, and instead of good it can produce great harm, not only to the nation, but also to the same poor class that it is pretending to help; in that case, instead of beneficence, it is cruelty. Very often it is also cruel because it dries up private sources of charity, discouraging citizens from helping the poor, who are thought to be receiving help from the government, while instead they are not and cannot except to the slightest extent." So these are a few of Antonio Rosmini's positions, as a political theorist. It is not difficult to understand their extreme relevance and their astonishing timeliness. And, together with this, the incalculable harm – not only to Catholic culture - caused by the long marginalization of this priest-philosopher. __________ A biographical sketch Antonio Rosmini was born in Rovereto, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, on March 24, 1797. He attended the public school. In August of 1816, he took his final exams at the imperial secondary school, earning the grade of "eminence" in all subjects, and a written evaluation that says he is "endowed with tremendously keen intelligence." In the autumn of 1816, he began to attend theology classes at the university of Padua, where he received his degree on June 23, 1822. Meanwhile, in 1821, he was ordained a priest by the bishop of Chioggia. The patriarch of Venice, cardinal Ladislao Pyrcher, brought him to Rome. There, introduced by the abbot Mauro Cappellari, the future Pope Gregory XVI, he met twice with Pope Pius VIII, who gave this advice to the priest-philosopher: "Remember, you must attend to writing books, and not occupy yourself with the affairs of the active life. You handle logic rather well, and we need writers who know how to make themselves feared." In 1830, he published his first great philosophical work, "A New Essay on the Origin of Ideas." On February 2, 1831, Rosmini's friend cardinal Cappellari rose to the pontifical throne, and on September 20, 1839, the Institute of Charity that Rosmini had founded received definitive approval. In just over ten days, from November 18-30, 1832, Rosmini wrote "The Five Wounds of the Holy Church," in which he denounces the dangers threatening the Church's unity and freedom, and points out the remedies for these. The book would be published in 1846. In 1839, he published the "Treatise on Moral Conscience," in which he argues that intelligence is illuminated by the light of being that is the light of truth, and therefore there is something "divine" in man. His theses were harshly attacked by some Jesuits. In 1848, with a mandate from the king of Piedmont, Carlo Alberto di Savoia, Rosmini returned to Rome on a diplomatic mission, with the aim of persuading Pope Pius IX to preside over a confederation of Italian states. But when the Piedmont government demanded that the pope join in the war against Austria, Rosmini resigned from his diplomatic post. But Pius IX ordered him to remain in Rome. He was spoken of as the next cardinal secretary of state, and after the foundation of the Roman Republic, as prime minister. But he refused to preside over a revolutionary government that stripped the pope of his freedom. On November 24, 1848, Pius IX fled to Gaeta. Rosmini followed him. But he quickly fell into disgrace by opposing the political line of cardinal Giacomo Antonelli, who wanted to use foreign armies in support of the pope. In 1849, Rosmini left the company of Pius IX. During his trip back to northern Italy, on his way to Stresa, the news reached him that his words "The Five Wounds of the Holy Church" and "The Civil Constitution according to Social Justice" had been placed on the Index of forbidden books. Under attack from the Jesuits, but bolstered by visits from his friends, including the author Alessandro Manzoni, Rosmini spent his last years in Stresa, guiding the two congregations he had founded and writing his loftiest work, the "Theosophia." Tried by the Vatican for the first time in 1854, he was absolved. He died in Stresa on July 1, 1855. The Church's condemnation came in 1887, against 40 propositions drawn from his works. The revocation of this condemnation came in 2001.

A Catholic Church Turns Into A Mosque Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:13 am (GMT -5) A Catholic Church Turns Into A Mosque By Fr. Chetan, Capuchin, Rome Mangalorean.com [ Published Date: November 11, 2007 ] http://mangalorean.com/browsearticles.php?arttype=Feature&articleid=1149 Believe it or not! A parish Church turns into a mosque every Friday, for the Muslims brothers and to offer their customary prayers. This isn't a sequence from any Bollywood film, but a reality in the parish of Our Lady of Assumption of Ponzano near Venice, the romantic city of Italy. The pastor of the parish, Don Aldo Danieli, 69, affirms, "It's useless to speak of religious dialogue and then bang the door on their face. Pope John Paul II addressed them as, 'dear Muslim brothers'. How can we close our church doors to them?" At Ponzano, in the province of Treviso, live some 11,500 people of whom 232 families are immigrants, making their number roughly 650. These are mainly immigrants from North African countries and Eastern Europe. Two years ago, Don Aldo decided to open the doors of the church to these Muslim immigrants and keep a portion of his own parochial house including a kitchen and a little at their disposal. On Fridays an average of 200 Muslim believers gather in the church and offer prayers. But in the month of Ramadan, the number swells to 1000-1200. "They requested me and I said yes, moreover, the kitchen and hall were a home for spiders". The decision of Don Aldo has disturbed the peace of mind of more than a few parishioners. The protests of even the local bishop and priests have reached his ears. "I haven't asked the express permission of the bishop, because it's an act of charity. No permission is needed to do charity. For the rest, I am older than the bishop and been his professor in the seminary too. Even if had prohibited me, I wouldn't be obliged to obey him," Don Aldo is firm in his resolve. He does not hesitate to proclaim, "Better praying Muslims than non praying Christians. If you brand me a racist, you are wrong". In the last two years a Don Aldo has received a number of emails and letters advising him to "remain with his own flock". The letters cautioned him, "These people come as immigrants and then claim the place for themselves and throw us out". Don Aldo has taken into confidence the Parish Pastoral Council and is unrelenting. "The pope has exhorted to open wide the doors to Christ: Christ lives in Muslims too." Meanwhile, there have been protests from public spheres too. "I urge the bishop to clarify the position of the Church in this regard", demands Luca Zaia, the vice president of the Federation of a few right wing politicians, "so that this does not set a precedence for such efforts in the history of Venice". "Moreover, in this initiative, there isn't a grain of reciprocity. In some of the Muslim countries, they won't give an inch to us to offer our prayers. These "feel-good" gestures would lead us nowhere. Integration must begin from their part. The immigrants must learn to insert themselves into mainstream, our culture, traditions and identity. The immigrants must know that before demanding their rights, they must adhere to their duties." Luca justifies. Don Aldo runs an Arab School in the church premises, for the education of immigrant Muslim children. Italy, of late has been a favorite destination for immigrants especially for North African and Eastern European Muslims. The public opinion with regard to immigrants is divided. "At last, a tangible gesture of openness and acceptance", comments one in the largest Italian Corriere della Sera'. "It's useless to preach openness and then hold on to one's own prejudices. This priest makes us trust in the future," writes another. "The saddest thing is that, the church of Our Lady of Assumption has larger congregation on Fridays than Sundays" comments one, "Hope one day the pastor does not convert himself to Islam" quips another in La Repubblica' daily. Yet the majority is supporting the gesture of the pastor, Don Aldo Danieli. As the case of Don Aldo is being discussed and debated, in Padova, the city of St. Anthony, the members of the federation of the right wing politicians, have paraded a pig in the location where the municipality of Padova had decided to transfer the existing mosque from Anelli Street. The leader of the confederation, Mariella Mazzetto said:" We have blessed' the place by parading a pig, before the municipality could transfer the mosque to the place." " This is a question of Italian identity. We demand a referendum be done by the municipality before they venture into such stupidities". The mayor of Padova, Flavio Zanonato, condemning the act, said: "The majority of the dwellers of Padova are ashamed of this. This isn't the culture of Padova. In this city live more than 7,000 Muslim immigrants. While we are discovering ways and means to live a well integrated life, this type of acts sends out a wrong message to them". In the changed circumstances of globalization, Italy is slowly getting used to immigrants of religions and cultures other than Christian. Cases like Don Aldo's, give rise to regional and national debates on integration and immigration, which are so important to a country in which the Heart of Christianity is situated!!

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