Catholic New Times articles from November 2004

Catholic New Times archives from November 2004

From the editor's desk.(Editorial)
November 7, 2004... Some days grace comes calling more abundantly than others. Oct. 19 was one of those days. Into our humble two-room operation at the top of St. Paul's School in Cabbagetown, Toronto, Fr. Naim Ateek visited. The Palestinian Anglican priest never...

How about 'rankism?'.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 7, 2004... Regarding the article "Racism alive in Canada "(CNT, Oct. 10, 2004), in expressing frustration at racism, Joan Munson's expression of shame may actually be a form of discrimination. She is generalizing about a group. To combat forms of...

Charlie will be missed.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 7, 2004... About Charlie Angus' s piece 'He cast down the might from their thrones' let me first express both my congratulations and my dismay as Charlie moves from CNT to the halls on the Rideau. He should know that he Will not be far from our hearts...

Griffin gaining momentum.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 7, 2004... I'd like to vote for Ed Griffin as pope. Will you pass on my support? It is a wonderful article that speaks to my need to move beyond the ignorance of the church that continues to linger--sometimes not discretely. Thanks for your...

Men still abusive.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 7, 2004... Recently, when a mentally deranged man ran after his wife and shot her in front of petrified spectators, the story made the news. The ugly troth is that every day, in every country of the world, women are verbally intimidated, battered, injured...

Bad homilies.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 7, 2004... Fr. James Martin S.J. (CNT Sept. 26, 2004) asks "Would you believe that a priest actually preached about the dangers of contraception to a group of nursing home residents?" YES! And today! In fact I have personally heard all of his examples...

Quote/unquote.
November 7, 2004... There is a tendency to think that what we see in the present moment will continue. We forget how often we have been astonished by the sudden crumbling of institutions, by extraordinary changes in people's thoughts, by unexpected eruptions of...

Hope paved with broken tombstones: life in the slums of Sao Paolo: the Little Brothers of Jesus quietly accompany the street people of Brazil. Amid all the violence, hope still shines through.(Witness)
November 7, 2004... Serafim Moura is from Bello Horizonte in Brazil. During his formation in France, he became a friend of Bernard Audigier, a religious brother from Paris, who has lived in Toronto since 1978. Both are Little Brothers of Jesus, a worldwide...

The death of one sailor.(Editorial)(Editorial)
November 7, 2004... In early October the whole country stopped and took a deep, and saddened, breath. Off the coast of Ireland, a young Canadian submariner, Chris Saunders, died in a tragic fire aboard the submarine, HCMS Chicoutimi. On The National, the CBC...

Congratulations to Bluenosers.(Editorial)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
November 7, 2004... On Oct. 17, Nova Scotians, in a big turnout at the polls despite a windy and rainy day, voted 53 per cent to 47 per cent against the expansion of Sunday shopping. That was 159,000 votes against and 144,000 for. The vote against opening...

Democracy in America: a spiritual campaign issue?(Front Burner)
November 7, 2004... The "religious question" has been slowly simmering on the back burner of the U.S. Presidential campaign, occasionally boiling over onto the stove of public attention. While Bush, a Methodist, has been out-of-step with his own church's...

Water: life or profit?(Canada)
November 7, 2004... 'Blue gold' is becoming hard to come by. The UN estimates the world's population tripled last century, leading to a six-fold increase in the use of water resources by agriculture, industry and municipalities. In the world's "hot stains"...

Hockey players need your help.(Canada)
November 7, 2004... Hundreds of Professional Hockey players in our very own nation are locked out, living at well below the seven-figure salary level. And as if that weren't bad enough they could be deprived of their life-giving pay for several months, possibly...

Canada's housing co-ops meet.(Canada)
November 7, 2004... They came from across the country to speak with one voice: we need more affordable housing and we want more co-operative housing. We want other people to have the same sense of community and security in housing that we have in our co-ops. ...

Buy nothing day.(Canada/Church Notes)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2004... VANCOUVER -- The magazine of "mental environment" Adbusters has designated Nov. 26 as "Buy Nothing today." For several years now, the Canadian based journal has promoted this anti-consumerist celebration. In describing the action Adbusters...

Bishop is misleading, spokesman says.(Canada/Church Notes)
November 7, 2004... Archbishop Charles J. Chaput is misleading when he says Catholics cannot vote for Senator John Kerry and take communion, Rea Howarth, national coordinator of Catholics Speak Out, said recently in a statement. "You don't have to be a church...

Pope replaces bishop at Austrian seminary.(Canada/Church Notes)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2004... VATICAN -- The bishop who investigated a pornography and gay sex scandal at a seminary in Austria will replace the bishop who resigned over the case, the Vatican said recently. Pope John Paul II named Bishop Klaus Keung as head of the...

Write for Rights December 10.(Canada/Church Notes)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2004... Amnesty International Canada, in its biggest event of the year, is organizing a country-wide "Write for Rights" action day to take place on December 10, the anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Last...

Good news on capital punishment.(Canada/Church Notes)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2004... Amnesty International says that 80 countries worldwide have abolished capital punishment for all crimes. This stands in contrast to the global situation in 1977 when only 16 countries had taken this stand. "There is momentum towards...

The Kerry-Bush debate was miserable stuff.(World)
November 7, 2004... The Kerry/Bush debates I think it was miserable stuff. Both Kerry and Bush have completely missed the point. I think if they're not willfully doing so, they are certainly misleading American people who listened to what they had to say. We...

Making a difference in Haiti.
November 7, 2004... A Haitian writer has said of his homeland, "Haiti is the only country in the world with a last name: "Poorest Country in the Western Hemisphere." Sadly, Haiti lives up to its reputation. In the aftermath of Hurricane Jeanne this fall,...

Christological themes in a Catholic high school classroom.
November 7, 2004... If one was to enter my high school classroom, one would see the object which I hope best expresses the hope of every Catholic secondary teacher. It is the painting of the prodigal son by Rembrandt, hanging on the classroom wall. The...

Chris Searle: teaching in inner city London in the 1970s.
November 7, 2004... The following is a selection from chapter six of Bob Davis new book, Teaching Tough Kids: What we can learn from Five Provocative Teachers It was now August 2001 and I was in Sheffield, England talking to Chris Searle in his house with his...

Listings.
November 7, 2004... CATEGORY: Retreats/sabbatical/Spiritual direction PLACE: Queenswood, 2494 Arbutus Road, Victoria, B.C. V8N 1V8, Canada. Ph. (250)477 3822 email: Queenswood@ssabc.ca web: www.queenswoodcentre.com DESCRIPTION: PLANNING A...

Abortion on rise under Bush's economic policy.(World Notes)
November 7, 2004... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- An independent study by an ethics professor at Fuller Theological Seminary who is also trained in statistical analysis finds that, contrary to popular assumption, abortion has risen in the U.S. during George W. Bush's...

Robertson: if Bush 'touches' Jerusalem, we'll form 3rd party.(World Notes)(Brief Article)
November 7, 2004... JERUSALEM -- According to Ha'Aretz, one of Israel's leading newspapers influential American evangelist Pat Robertson said that Evangelical Christians feel so deeply about Jerusalem, that if President George W. Bush were to "touch" Jerusalem,...

A Canadian visit to Spiritus Christi.(Church)
November 7, 2004... "Boundary-breakers," not "boundary-makers" is what Jim Callan, priest of Spiritus Christi Church in Rochester, New York, calls Christians. Spiritus Christi's boundary-breaking ways are demonstrating how to be church today, in ways both new...

How my thinking has changed.(Church)
November 7, 2004... I was quite taken with the CNT's question, "How has your thinking changed," because my experience in coming to see 'the big picture' often seems to stand in contrast to that of many of my peers. Born into a rather left-of-centre family, I...

Christianity and the unmasking of civil religion: too many Catholics expect liturgy to re-enforce their illusions about America's greatnesss, New York priest says.(Church)
November 7, 2004... In the months leading up to the war with Iraq and for the year after the war began, I found preaching a bittersweet experience, both stressful and challenging. Many of the Sunday lectionary readings were taken from the prophets Isaiah,...

A very social justice: a snapshot from the Ukraine.(Faith & Spirituality)
November 7, 2004... In the economics of countries like the Ukraine, the social statistics, indeed, most any form of social analysis, almost lead one to despair. The accounts are refracted through competing ideologies, perhaps each having its ray of truth,...

Naim Ateek, apostle of non-violence, visits Canada: Palestinian pastor calls for divestment campaign used against apartheid regime.(Biography)
November 7, 2004... Naim Ateek had just turned eleven when his town of Beisan (Beth Shean) twenty miles south of the Sea of Galilee was occupied by Israeli soldiers on May 12, 1948. The Ateek family, with Naim the eighth child in a family of 10, were Christians in...

Ways of the Wilderness: a Personal Journey Through Religion and Literature.(Book Review)
November 7, 2004... Ways of the Wilderness: A Personal Journey Through Religion and Literature, by Anne McPherson. Ottawa: Novalis, 2003. Clearly an inveterate pilgrim--her previous publication was Walking to the Saints: A Little Pilgrimage in France (Novalis,...

The Motorcycle Diaries.(Movie Review)
November 7, 2004... In the late 1960s, Che Guevera was hot among the wild and crazy young Canadians who were fleeing west to "find" themselves on the beaches of Vancouver. You had to be big on Che if you wanted to establish your credentials as a radical among...

Wailing to remember.(Back Burner)
November 7, 2004... A wandering Irish storyteller and folklorist passed some time in Alberta recently, visiting family and dipping into his storehouse of treasures at several gatherings. Some of his stories evoked laughter while others were more thought-provoking....

Unnatural symbols lack power.(Back Burner)
November 7, 2004... I have written that imagination and metaphor play an essential role in religious language. I now turn to symbols, the building blocks of metaphor that link the well-known to the less well-known. The Greek origin of the word "symbol" is...

From the editor's desk.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
November 21, 2004... As we watched the results of the tightly contested U.S. election come in, we were assuredly deluged with analyses from hither and yon. In Milwaukee, I sampled some of the more thoughtful and Critical commentary at the annual Call to Action...

Edified, but saddened by Ehrenreich.(Letter to the Editor)
November 21, 2004... In the October 10th issue of CNT, Barbara Ehrenreich describes how the photographs of female U.S. military personnel abusing Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib prison signified for her "the end of naive feminism." While I agree with much of what she...

Quote/unquote.(Brief Article)
November 21, 2004... Prayer and sacrifice must be used as the most effective spiritual weapons in the war against war, and like all weapons, they must be used with deliberate aim: not just with a vague aspiration for peace and security, but against violence and...

Ken Untener, 'his ordinariness, servant bishop: Untener's office was the trunk of his car. Having sold the bishop's mansion, he proceeded to live in 69 rectories over the next 24 years.(Witness)(Biography)
November 21, 2004... "My name is Ken, and I will be your waiter for a long, long time." These words, the first words of Bishop Ken Untener to the people of his Saginaw, Mich. diocese, were recalled by Sr. Honora Remes as she presided over a vigil service two days...

Bush-Christ team stokes crippling fear.
November 21, 2004... There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear--1 John 4:18 With the pundits in full swing pontificating on the meaning of the re-election of U.S. President George W. Bush, we are among those prepared to admit that the United...

U of T's OISE to help in future war training.(Front Burner)(Ontario Institute for Studies in Education)(University of Toronto )
November 21, 2004... The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) of the University of Toronto has brokered a partnership with a leading Canadian war-maker, Atlantis Systems Corp., which provides training and simulation equipment for the militaries of the...

Canadian nationalist warns against compliance with U.S. missile defence.(Canada)
November 21, 2004... The controversial North American missile defense shield will deny other nations the use of space and will inevitably lead to "Armageddon" this century, Canadian nationalist Mel Hurtig warned prior to the U.S. presidential election. "What...

Hurtig challenges Canadian government.(Rushing to Armageddon: the Shocking Truth About Canada, Missile Defence, and Star Wars )(Mel Hurtig)(Book Review)
November 21, 2004... Rushing to Armageddon: The Shocking Truth about Canada, Missile Defence, and Star Wars, has sat by my bedside these past few weeks. This is no cozy bedtime read. When my youngest son, Locky, saw it and commented on the "cool cover," he said it...

Organ donation: an act of solidarity.(Canada/Notes)
November 21, 2004... Everyone has a story, a tale of an event that, for some reason, was a defining moment in one's life. Most of us keep our stories to ourselves, or limit the telling of such a tale to those closest to us. After all, who wants to hear it? But...

Council of Churches cannot agree.(Canada/Notes)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2004... OTTAWA -- As the Supreme Court of Canada held hearings on the legalization of same-sex marriages this month, the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) could not take a position said president Richard Schneider. "Given the wide spectrum of...

Most Canadians want restrictions on abortion, but Liberals unlikely to introduce legislation.(Canada/Notes)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2004... OTTAWA (CCN) -- Despite a recent Environics Focus Canada poll showing that 57 per cent of Canadians want human life protected after the first three months of pregnancy, the Liberal government is "unlikely" to introduce any measures to protect...

Groups urge unconditional debt cancellation for world's poorest.(Canada/Notes)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2004... OTTAWA -- Canadian Civil Society Organizations recently sent an open letter to Prime Minister Martin calling on Canada to support full debt cancellation for the poorest countries. Meetings in Washington around the World Bank and International...

Faith groups urge McGuinty government to keep promises.(Canada)
November 21, 2004... After a year in office, Ontario's Liberal Government received only a C- in a report card issued by the Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition (ISARC). The coalition, representing Ontario's major faith communities, issued its report...

On the road to civil war.(World)(Column)
November 21, 2004... Everybody in Israel is talking about the Next War. The most popular TV channel is running a whole series about it. Not another war with the Arabs. Not the nuclear threat from Iran. Not the ongoing bloody confrontation with the Palestinians. The...

Study reveals 100,000 excess Iraqi deaths since War.(World Notes)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2004... LONDON -- The death toll of Iraqis has risen dramatically since the Iraq war--many of the victims have been women and children, public health experts from the U.S. said Oct. 28. "Making conservative assumptions, we think that about 100,000...

Royal Society calls for stem-cell research.(World Notes)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2004... LONDON -- In an unprecedented move, The Royal Society, Britain's National Academy of Science, asked the United Nations to ignore President Bush's call for a ban on all forms of human cloning, including stern-cell research. According to the...

China rising: nationalist fervour runs amok.(World Notes)
November 21, 2004... Reporting in the Globe and Mail, distinguished veteran reporter Geoffrey York stated that the ugly head of Chinese xenophobia is rising in China and the enemies are Japan and the U.S. Reporting on Oct. 25, York described an anti-Japanese...

Christology and cosmology: Part 1 of 2.(Centrespread)
November 21, 2004... These are some of the recent reflections of eminent cosmologian Sr. Rosalie Bertell on the Christian dimension of evolution of life on planet earth. In part one of this two-part article, Bertell focuses on Jesus and the role of the church....

Joseph's story.(Church)(Biography)
November 21, 2004... In ministry, a knock on the door is always an adventure. You never know who is coming, or what their reason. The knock has brought friends and strangers gifts and news of a death or illness. Every so often the knock on my door opens to the...

Retired bishop disputes 'exclusive language'.(Church Notes)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2004... CORNWALL, ENGLAND (CCCN) -- Many believe the debate over inclusive language in the church's liturgy is subsiding in North America, but it may just be "less strident," says Msgr. Bruce Harbert, the executive director of the International...

Bishops' efforts to re-elect Bush further damages church's credibility.(Church Notes)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2004... CHICAGO -- In a recent column, Catholic commentator Rev. Andrew Greeley questioned whether some high-profile American bishops thinly disguised support for George W. Bush in the recent U.S. election might boomerang on them. Speaking about the...

Conservative Christians biggest backers of Iraq War.(Church Notes)(Brief Article)
November 21, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Of the major religious groups in the United States, evangelical Christians are the biggest backers of Israel and Washington's planned war against Iraq, says a new survey released in late October by a politically potent group of...

Solidarity across borders.(Faith & Spirituality)
November 21, 2004... I am a Catholic theologian with a special interest and a strong commitment to social justice and religious pluralism. An important development in the Catholic Church, especially at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), has taught me to...

Is there ice cream in heaven? Another in our series, 'how my thinking has changed'.(Faith & Spirituality)
November 21, 2004... When I was growing up in northern Alberta. a priest came to preach it mission at our Cathedral parish in McLennan. There was a special session for junior high students. We were allowed to put questions in a question box. One of the...

Revealing the pharmacon.(Faith & Spirituality)
November 21, 2004... If Martians were tuned into media coverage of the U.S. election and listened casually, they might have been inclined to think that American-earthlings were embroiled in two ugly wars: one in Iraq and another in Vietnam. The question is, Why did...

Eminem and Green Day smarties: American pop stars attempt to inspire youth voters: musical messengers of hate and apathy get on the Fahrenheit 9/11 bandwagon and sing about American "idiots" voting for deceitful presidents.(Arts & Culture)
November 21, 2004... Rapper Eminem ditched misogyny, and punk rockers Green Day abandoned apathy to join the ranks of old "fogies" like Steve Earl and Bruce Springsteen to try to oust U.S. President George W. Bush, and to challenge American apathy. Rapper...

Restless Churches: How Canada's Churches Can Contribute to the Emerging Religious Renaissance.(Book Review)
November 21, 2004... RESTLESS CHURCHES: How Canada's Churches Can Contribute to the Emerging Religious Renaissance by Reginald W. Bibby. Novalis/St. Paul University, 2004. 206pp Reports of the imminent death of Canada's churches may be greatly exaggerated,...

The Church that Forgot Christ.(Book Review)
November 21, 2004... The Church that Forgot Christ by Jimmy Breslin, New York, Free Press, 2004,239 pp You can tell Jimmy Breslin is angry with the leadership of the Catholic Church. His book begins with the simple admonition in Latin, "Noli venire inter...

Saturday breakfast at St. Stephen's.(Back Burner)
November 21, 2004... It was 6:30 a.m. on a bitterly cold winter morning when volunteers for the Saturday breakfast at St. Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church arrived to find an ambulance at the back door. The lifeless body of a homeless man was being prepared...

Ecclesiastical or community power?(Back Burner)
November 21, 2004... "Ecclesiology" n., from "ecclesia"; the church. "Logos": to speak of, words about. These are terms that a professor of mine brings up for discussion weekly. Each time they cause me to cringe. As a child, I clearly remember learning at...