UN committee criticized for efforts to push abortion on Ireland

Assertions by members of the U.N. Human Rights Committee that Irish abortion law violates international human rights agreements is erroneous and exceeds its authority, one observer has said.

“No U.N. (agreement) or any other kind of treaty or understanding supports the notion that there is a human right to abortion,” Austin Ruse, president of the New York-based Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, said.

“Only one treaty even mentions ‘reproductive health’ but even that treaty does not call for a right to abortion,” he added. “This idea is made up out of whole cloth by the sexual left. And it is an idea that is even losing ground at the UN and around the world.”

The United Nations human rights committee in mid-July hearings in Geneva considered Ireland’s adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as part of a regular periodic review. Several committee members and witnesses contended that Irish abortion restrictions violated human rights agreements.

Violence in Nigeria has ‘no boundaries’ now, archbishop says

In wake of two bombings this week in Nigeria, targeting both an Islamic scholar and a senior politician, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama has called for greater proactive efforts to identify all violent groups.

“The two separate bombings in Kaduna is a further indication that there is progression rather than retrogression of violence in the northern part of Nigeria,” Archbishop Kaigama said.

“That the attacks were allegedly aimed at a prominent Islamic scholar and preacher, and a senior politician shows that the violence has no boundaries now.”

Archbishop Kaigama, head of Nigeria’s Jos archdiocese and spokesman for the country’s Catholic Bishops Conference, gave his comments following two June 23 bomb blasts in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna.

BBC News reports that the initial blast killed at least 25 people, and was reportedly aimed for moderate Islamic cleric Dahiru Bauchi, who escaped unscathed. Shortly afterward a second blast in the city could be heard not far away.

Branded: Nazarene

Have you seen this symbol?

This is the arabic letter “nun,” the first letter in the word “Nazarene.”

In Mosul, Iraq, it has been painted on doors to identify the homes of Christians who are then brutally beaten and often executed.

A militant Sunni organization known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has been steadily attacking cities and communities in north and northwestern Iraq since June. The attacks have divided Iraq along religious and ethnic lines.

On Friday, July 18, ISIS issued an ultimatum to the Christians of the city of Mosul, which it captured more than a month ago: convert to Islam, pay the jizya (a tax on non-Muslims), or be killed.

Pope’s Angelus Address, Sunday July 27th

“Everything makes sense when you find this treasure, which Jesus called “the Kingdom of God,” that is, God reigning in your life, in our lives.”

At 12pm today, Pope Francis appeared at the window of the study in the Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with faithful and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Here below is an English translation of his words introducing the Marian prayer, and his address that followed:

***

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The brief similarities put forward in today’s liturgy conclude the chapter of Matthew’s Gospel dedicated to the parables of the Kingdom of God (13:44-52). Among these are two small masterpieces: the parables of the treasure hidden in the field, and the pearl of great price. They tell us that the discovery of the Kingdom of God can come suddenly, as when the peasant farmer is ploughing, finding the treasure unexpectedly; or after a long search, as the pearl for the merchant, who finally found the pearl of great price he had long dreamed of. But in that case and in the other, the primary fact remains that the treasure and the pearl are worth more than all other goods. Therefore, the farmer and the merchant, when they find them, give up everything else to buy them. They do not need to reason, to think, to reflect: they realize immediately the incomparable value of what they have found, and are willing to lose anything to have it.

US Senator Rubio: Economic health tied to morality, community

A strong national economy requires strong families, supported by both government and the broader community, said Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in a recent policy speech.

“Too often in modern politics, debates about our values have been viewed as either wedges to win elections or unnecessary distractions to be avoided,” Rubio said during a July 23 talk at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

“But the truth is that the social and moral wellbeing of our people has a direct and consequential impact on their economic wellbeing.”

Rubio, who has been viewed as a potential Republican candidate for the 2016 presidential election, said that he and his family have been prayerfully considering a run for presidential office.

He explained in his talk that in his own life, the strong marriage of his parents and the moral values they taught him “gave me an enormous advantage in life,” despite being poor immigrants.

Papal visit to US not confirmed, but archbishop confident

Reports that Pope Francis will travel to the U.S. for the World Meeting of Families in 2015 remain unconfirmed by the Vatican; however, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia is confident of the pontiff’s attendance.

On July 25, reports began to circulate the Archbishop Chaput had confirmed Pope Francis’ presence at the meeting in his cathedral city next year.

However, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia explained in a statement that there “has been no official confirmation by the Vatican or The Holy See of Pope Francis’ attendance.”

“We still expect that any official confirmation will come approximately six months prior to the event,” the archdiocese said, explaining that “Archbishop Chaput’s comments do not serve as official confirmation, (but) they do serve to bolster our sincere hope that Philadelphia will welcome Pope Francis next September.”

Pakistani Catholics, Muslims cooperate to extinguish fire at friary

When a fire broke out last week at a Capuchin friary in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, both local Christians and Muslims rushed to put out the blaze.

On July 16, a fire began at Karachi’s “Capuchin House” around 11:00 a.m. People in the neighborhood heard a huge blast, and then saw a raging fire engulf the residences of the friary.

“We thank God that no lives have been lost and the friars are safe,” Asif Nazir, a local teacher, said.

“Only a assistant parish priest, Fr. Javed Kashif, sustained burn injuries on his hands while trying to extinguish the fire.”

Nazir explained that the lack of casualties was because “the friars were in the city on their missionary assignments, and the rest of the staff were on summer vacations.”

He added that it has been confirmed that the fire was caused by an an electrical short circuit.

Give primacy to God, Pope says

Pope Francis on Saturday visited the Italian city of Caserta, encouraging the people of the region to place God at the center of their lives.

“Giving primacy to God means having the courage to say no to evil, violence, oppression; to live a life of service to others and in favor of lawfulness and the common good,” Pope Francis said July 26.

The Pope spoke during his homily at evening Mass in front of the Royal Palace of Caserta, a former residence of the King of Naples, Vatican Radio reports. The city is in the southern Italian region of Campania.

Pope Francis visited the city for the Feast of St. Anne, its patron saint.