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Weekly News In Review

October 2 - 8, 2005
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The following articles were posted at www.understandthetimes.org this past week:

President Bush Attends Mass
Avian Flu Virus Showing Resistance to Tamiflu
Rick Warren, Advises Jewish organization re: synagogue transformation
National ID system proposed - Australia
Ban on Internet religious information
Synod of Bishops begins in Rome
Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible
Catholic archbishops praise Alpha as 'effective tool' with 'excellent results'
Protestant Author Asks: Is the Reformation Over?
Link Between Eucharist and Public Ethics Stirs More Talk
Record crowd at audience hears Pope denounce idolatry
Bible Answer Man Golf Classic
Eucharistic adoration is key, but also has drawbacks, bishops say
Security fears as flu virus that killed 50 million is recreated
New Zealand scientists intend to use human cells to genetically engineer cows
Synod Rediscovers Eucharistic Adoration
Over 1,000 Feared Dead in Asian Quake

Article: Roman Catholicism and Last Days

October 2, 2005 - President Bush Attends Mass
Bush attended the worship service, known as the Red Mass, with Roberts and Justices Breyer, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Anthony M. Kennedy.

The service has been held at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle since 1952 by the John Carroll Society, a group of Washington professionals who are Catholics. The name of the service, which dates back centuries, comes from the red vestments worn by the celebrants. Red, the color of fire, is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.

Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, greeted Bush and told the standing-room-only crowd that they were there to pray for Roberts and for guidance in the new term. He noted that the last time he spoke at the cathedral was during Rehnquist's funeral.

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Article: Signs of the Times

September 30, 2005 - Avian Flu Virus Showing Resistance to Tamiflu

Scientists here are reporting that a strain of the H5N1 avian flu virus is showing resistance to Tamiflu (oseltamivir), the antiviral many health organizations and governments are stockpiling to protect against a potential pandemic.

Tamiflu is proving less effective against the H5N1 strain that surfaced in northern Vietnam earlier this year, Hong Kong scientists reported. The greatest number of human deaths from avian flu have occurred in Vietnam since the start of the outbreak in 2003.

They also reported that general resistance to the drug is growing in Japan, where Tamiflu is prescribed routinely for common human influenzas. Thus far, H5N1 has been detected only in poultry in Japan. In light of this bad news, public health experts are now calling on pharmaceutical manufacturers to rev up production of an alternative antiviral Relenza (zanamivir).
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Article: Ecumenical Movement - Christianity Uniting with other Religions

October 4, 2005 - Rick Warren, Advises Jewish organization re: synagogue transformation
Some Jewish synagogues are taking their lead from a mover behind the Protestant phenomena of mega-churches.

According to Synagogue 3000, an umbrella organization pushing for synagogue transformation, there was "a pathbreaking meeting with Rick Warren ("The Purpose-Driven Life"), founding pastor of Saddleback Church", an evangelical Christian church that averages over 30,000 worshippers each weekend - to explore what synagogues can learn from mega-churches and small groups.

With a new model in place, Synagogue 3000 says that "thousands of Jewish worshippers around the country are being drawn to (the organization's) new concept of lively, creative and spiritually welcoming communities." The organization says the success of its venture defies the notion that there is a decreased demand for synagogues, and claims that Synagogue 3000 congregations are growing, not shrinking.

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Article: One World Government

October 05, 2005 - National ID system proposed - Australia

A new national identity system will be considered at today's federal cabinet meeting as part of a shake-up of immigration procedures, aimed at preventing the recurrence of wrongful detention of Australians.

The plan includes a big increase in Immigration Department staff, more rigorous training, and additional responsibilities for the Commonwealth Ombudsman, who would be charged with overseeing the administration of immigration cases.

The multimillion-dollar, four-year plan would overhaul the department and change its culture, in response to criticisms by the former Australian Federal Police commissioner Mick Palmer.

Mr Palmer reported to the Government earlier this year after investigating the wrongful detention of Cornelia Rau.

The plan includes a new identity-checking system for the Immigration Department, with upgraded information systems allowing users to track names on the files and databases of all federal departments. It would be akin to an online national identity card system set up to enforce border control.
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Article: One World Government

September 26, 2005 - Ban on Internet religious information
Beijing (AsiaNews/SCMP) - Beijing announced yesterday new rules aimed at tightening controls over news posted on the internet in order to "protect the interests of the state". News criticising the state's religious policies or preaching cultist or superstitious beliefs are banned. The announcement did not however give any date as to when the rules would come into effect.

Mainland authorities already strictly control the media and use technology to filter and monitor internet content considered politically sensitive or pornographic.

Dissidents and journalists have also been jailed for posting papers and e-mailing and messages that Beijing considers a threat to the state.

In addition to religious news, the new rules affect ten other 'forbidden zones', including news that would endanger state security, state secrets which have not been declassified, or reports that sparked ethnic violence.

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Article: Roman Catholicism and Last Days

October 3, 2005 - Synod of Bishops begins in Rome

At a later press conference, Cardinal Angelo Scola explained that his hope for this Synod is, first of all, "to recover the primacy of the rite of celebration of the Eucharist," the foundation of the Church. "We cannot," he said, "reduce the Eucharist to an act of community piety. 'Rite' is the most comprehensive word to describe how the Trinity, in Christ Jesus, comes out to meet my own individuality. The Eucharist is not a right or a possession, it is a gift."

The patriarch of Venice also briefly outlined some of the central themes contained in the Synod's "Instrumentum laboris," explaining that the subject arousing most interest is that of "maintaining the centrality of the Eucharist in all its plenitude," although other important themes include a more profound study of the relationship between the Eucharist and the priesthood, the question of "viri probati" (the priestly ordination of married men), and the relationship between the Eucharist and celibacy.

Also to speak at the press conference was Archbishop Pierre-Antoine Paulo O.M.I., who reaffirmed that "the Eucharist is the Church and the Church is the Eucharist," expressing the hope that the Synod would favor ecumenism. "We ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of unity," he said.
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Article: Roman Catholicism and Last Days

October 5, 2005 - Catholic Church no longer swears by truth of the Bible
The hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church has published a teaching document instructing the faithful that some parts of the Bible are not actually true.

The Catholic bishops of England, Wales and Scotland are warning their five million worshippers, as well as any others drawn to the study of scripture, that they should not expect “total accuracy” from the Bible.

“We should not expect to find in Scripture full scientific accuracy or complete historical precision,” they say in The Gift of Scripture.

The document is timely, coming as it does amid the rise of the religious Right, in particular in the US.

Some Christians want a literal interpretation of the story of creation, as told in Genesis, taught alongside Darwin’s theory of evolution in schools, believing “intelligent design” to be an equally plausible theory of how the world began.

But the first 11 chapters of Genesis, in which two different and at times conflicting stories of creation are told, are among those that this country’s Catholic bishops insist cannot be “historical”. At most, they say, they may contain “historical traces”.

The document shows how far the Catholic Church has come since the 17th century, when Galileo was condemned as a heretic for flouting a near-universal belief in the divine inspiration of the Bible by advocating the Copernican view of the solar system. Only a century ago, Pope Pius X condemned Modernist Catholic scholars who adapted historical-critical methods of analysing ancient literature to the Bible.

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Article: Roman Catholicism and Last Days

October 5, 2005 - Catholic archbishops praise Alpha as 'effective tool' with 'excellent results'

Two catholic archbishops have added their names to the many senior Catholics around the world who are encouraging use of the Alpha course in local parishes.

Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh, northern Ireland, (pictured left) said, "Alpha has developed a reputation as an inspirational programme of Christian education and formation, producing excellent results and having a long-lasting and positive effect for those who participate and beyond. I pray that this force for good in our world, so necessary to counter-act all that is contrary to the Gospel, may continue to grow and develop."

Buti Tlhagale, Archbishop of Johannesburg, South Africa, (right) said, "The Alpha course has shown across the world, as well as here in South Africa, that it can be a most effective tool for evangelisation... It is with much enthusiasm that we in the Catholic Church embrace and support the Alpha initiative and we encourage all Christians to work together in spreading the good news through this medium to the glory of God our Father."
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Article: Roman Catholicism and Last Days

October 5, 2005 - Protestant Author Asks: Is the Reformation Over?
WHEATON, Illinois, OCT. 5, 2005 (Zenit.org).- From antagonists following the Reformation to allies in recent years, Catholics and evangelical Protestants are forming new bonds and identifying points of common Christian affirmation.

So says Mark Noll, the McManis Professor of Christian Thought at Wheaton College, senior adviser to the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals, and co-author of "Is The Reformation Over?: An Evangelical Assessment Of Contemporary Roman Catholicism" (Baker Publishing Group) with Carolyn Nystrom.

Noll shared with ZENIT how he thinks Catholics and evangelicals are bridging the gap -- and what may still stand in the way of Christian unity...

More and more evangelicals and Catholics take part in ad hoc or para-church religious movements such as Alpha.

There is more evangelical respect for leading Catholics such as Mother Teresa and John Paul II and more Catholic respect for leading evangelicals such as Billy Graham...

In addition, evangelicals by and large do not grasp what is spelled out about Mary pretty clearly in documents such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Mary stands as first among the faithful in the Bride of Christ.

That is, the centrality of Mary in the Church and the identification of the Church with Christ are Catholic convictions that most evangelicals do not understand. Such issues are very sensitive because they combine refined doctrine and popular practice.

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Article: Roman Catholicism and Last Days

October 5, 2005 - Link Between Eucharist and Public Ethics Stirs More Talk

Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, also addressed the assembly. In addition to referring to the argument mentioned by Archbishop William Levada, new prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he presented Eucharistic life as a remedy for the many evils that beset the family today.

The text states that "some receive Communion while denying the teachings of the Church or supporting publicly immoral choices, such as abortion, without thinking that they are committing an act of serious personal dishonesty and causing scandal."
"Moreover," it adds, "there are Catholics who do not understand why it is a sin to support publicly a candidate who openly favors abortion or other serious acts against life, justice and peace."
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Article: Roman Catholicism and Last Days

October 5, 2005 - Record crowd at audience hears Pope denounce idolatry
An estimated 50,000 people-- a record crowd for a papal audience-- gathered in St. Peter's Square on October 5 to hear Pope Benedict XVI speak. In his remarks, the Holy Father drew a sharp distinction between true religious faith and idolatry.

The Pope's weekly meditation was on the second section of Psalm 134: "only God is great and eternal." He observed that the psalmist makes a comparison between idolatry and worship of the living God. Idols, he observed, are not alive; they are "nothing more than 'the work of man's hands.'" Pope Benedict continued: "The destiny of those who adore these dead things is to become like them: impotent, fragile, inert." That, he said, is also the fate of those who put their trust in worldly success and material goods.

Psalm 134 then concludes with a blessing. The Pope, noting that the blessing takes a liturgical form, reminded his audience that the Synod of Bishops is currently meeting to discuss the Eucharist, and observed that the Eucharistic liturgy is "the privileged place to listen to the divine Word," and the rite in which "God and man meet in an embrace of salvation."

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Article: Miscellaneous

October 5 - Bible Answer Man Golf Classic

 
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Article: Roman Catholicism and Last Days

October 6, 2005 - Eucharistic adoration is key, but also has drawbacks, bishops say
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Some eucharistic practices, including eucharistic adoration, have brought people closer to the real presence of Christ, but there may be some drawbacks to watch for, said some members of the Synod of Bishops.
Italian Cardinal Camillo Ruini, papal vicar of Rome, said the discovery of eucharistic adoration has been "a key development," especially for youths, in establishing a relationship with that invisible reality of the divine.

He said the church has had to learn how to explain Christ's presence to people who live in a culture that does not understand reality unless it is visible.

"In the extended silence of adoration, (people) find a better opportunity of personal relationship with Christ and God the Father," he said in his Oct. 6 speech to the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist. Portions of some speeches from the Oct. 2-23 synod were released by the Vatican.
French Bishop Jacques Perrier of Tarbes and Lourdes said while eucharistic adoration has become very popular in France there were some dangers. He said adoration risked becoming too individualistic a practice in which the person could lose a sense of the church as a spiritual community.

He also warned that with eucharistic adoration "there is an absence of words." The church must make sure young people understand their faith and can express that faith, he said.
He also said eucharistic adoration could lead to a neglect "of the other different ways the risen Christ has real presence."

Bishop Perrier said adoration of the Eucharist does help prayer "escape the trap of introspection," because this form of adoration is seeing Christ "face to face." He said it probably became popular with so many young people because today's generation "cannot live without images."

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Article: Signs of the Times

October 6, 2005 - Security fears as flu virus that killed 50 million is recreated

Scientists have recreated the 1918 Spanish flu virus, one of the deadliest ever to emerge, to the alarm of many researchers who fear it presents a serious security risk.

Undisclosed quantities of the virus are being held in a high-security government laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia, after a nine-year effort to rebuild the agent that swept the globe in record time and claimed the lives of an estimated 50 million people.

The genetic sequence is also being made available to scientists online, a move which some fear adds a further risk of the virus being created in other labs.

"Once the genetic sequence is publicly available, there's a theoretical risk that any molecular biologist with sufficient knowledge could recreate this virus," said Dr John Wood, a virologist at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control in Potters Bar.
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Article: Cloning and Genetic Engineering

October 8, 2005 - New Zealand scientists intend to use human cells to genetically engineer cows
New Zealand scientists intend to use human cells to genetically engineer cows to produce milk high in a protein that will boost the body's natural defences against disease.

The scientists at crown research institute AgResearch have approval from the Environmental Risk Management Authority to undertake laboratory experiments and intend to apply to take it a stage further and create transgenic cows. AgResearch will partner Netherlands-based Pharming Group to produce the milk.

The work is opposed by environmental groups. The Greens say it flies in the face of the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification that food animals and plants should not be used to produce pharmaceuticals.

AgResearch scientist David Wells told an Australian science conference this week that cloning and transgenic research had the potential to more precisely redesign animals for specific human health benefits and medical advances.

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Article: Roman Catholicism and Last Days

October 8, 2005 - Synod Rediscovers Eucharistic Adoration

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 7, 2005 (Zenit.org).- For members of the Synod of Bishops, Eucharistic adoration is not only a daily practice, but a key topic of discussion.
In the synod on the Eucharist, many bishops have dedicated their comments to underlining the importance of adoration of the Body of Christ.

According to Bishop Jacques Perrier of Tarbes and Lourdes, Eucharistic adoration has been a genuine "discovery," as opposed to a rediscovery, for many young French Catholics who participated in Cologne's World Youth Day in August.

The prelate said that faith without understanding the importance of Eucharistic adoration risks having a faith that is "individualistic and not very ecclesial"; that is unable to adequately express itself; and that "neglects other ways of the presence, real though different, of the risen Christ," as in the poor.

Bishop Perrier pointed out that young people "cannot live without images," and said that adoration has "the immense advantage of being lived as a face to face."
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Article: Signs of the Times

October 8 - Over 1,000 Feared Dead in Asian Quake
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake near the Pakistan-India border Saturday reduced villages to rubble, triggered landslides and flattened an apartment building, killing hundreds of people in both nations. Pakistan's army called the devastation "a national tragedy."

In the capitals of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, buildings shook and walls swayed for about a minute, and panicked people ran from their homes and offices. Tremors continued for hours afterward. Communications throughout the region were cut.

Pakistan's Geo television quoted chief army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan as saying 1,000 people were feared dead. Army officials who flew over quake-hit areas reported seeing hundreds of flattened homes in villages north of the capital, Islamabad.

"The damage and casualties could be massive and it is a national tragedy," Sultan told The Associated Press. "This is the worst earthquake in recent times."

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