This may explain why so many people are claiming the winners in the last senatorial elections as “proof” of the public support for or sentiment against the Reproductive Health Law, which is currently caught in the limbo of Supreme Court procedures.

But how is this possible? How could the same set of senators be for/against the same law? It all depends on the beholder, and the person interpreting the turnout.

Sen. Tito Sotto (still remember him?), who was staunchly against the RH bill during the Senate debates, said that Grace Poe’s clinching the top spot among the senatorial wannabes is “proof” that the so-called Catholic vote is “real.” He also said that the drop in the rankings of Loren Legarda, Chiz Escudero and Alan Peter Cayetano, who had all voted in favor of the measure, “is strong evidence that there is a Catholic vote.” The Catholic vote, he added, also helped propel Koko Pimentel, Gringo Honasan, Cynthia Villar, Antonio Trillanes and JV Ejercito into the winning circle.

But last I looked, Poe—who has publicly declared her support for reproductive health—as well as Legarda, Escudero and Cayetano, occupy the top four slots in the senatorial tally. Sotto’s favored winners—Pimentel, Honasan, Villar, Trillanes and Ejercito—are caught in the bottom of the list, with Villar, Ejercito and Honasan taking the precarious last three slots.

This may be the reason the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development, a key player in pushing for the passage of the RH Law, rejoiced over the election of pro-RH candidates, saying that “despite the black propaganda of the Church against senatorial candidates who have been supportive of the Reproductive Health Law, a good number of the pro-RH candidates won the recently concluded midterm elections.” This, the group said, is proof that “there is no Catholic vote, and [that] no black propaganda of the Church can steal victory from candidates who advocate reproductive health.” [More]

SOURCE:

INQUIRER

Top-notcher Grace Poe came with her mother, the widow of movie star Fernando Poe, a presidential aspirant said to have been robbed of victory almost 10 years ago. Juan Edgardo Angara came with dad, Senator Edgardo Angara. Alan Peter Cayetano, a re-electionist, came with his sister Pia, also a senator. Both are children of the late senator Rene Cayetano. Francis Escudero, son of the late congressman Salvador, came with his partner.

Because of a controversy involving others in her party, Nancy Binay did not show up. If she had, she probably would have been accompanied by her father, Vice President Jejomar Binay; brother, the re-elected Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay; and sister, Abigail, re-elected representative from the city’s second district. Only former broadcast journalist Loren Legarda came without political family credentials but brought her own as the only woman to have twice topped the senatorial elections.

Surprise front runner, Grace Poe ran as her father’s daughter. In a television interview, she explained that an essential part of her strategy was to introduce herself as the daughter of movie star Fernando Poe Jr. In his movies, the older Poe acted “in defense of the oppressed, the champion of the poor”. A political neophyte, she nevertheless was clear: “I would like measurable, concrete achievements that can be felt by the poor. That is my goal. There are a lot of good lawmakers but I would like to be remembered as somebody who made a difference, specifically for the poor.” In the next breath, she added:  “This is what my dad would have done if he were blessed with the chance to actually assume office.” This family branding and the careful, deliberate delivery of a message were overseen by Poe’s husband.

Nancy Binay, who placed sixth despite her also being a neophyte, is seen as a reflection of her father’s success in making the financial capital, Makati City, the paragon of welfare service delivery.

Based on the results, the vote seems to have nothing to do with issues or party affiliation. As with elections in Western democracies, polls in the Philippines are about powerful networks, media exposure and narratives that somehow offer a vision for the future. What is different is that in the face of entrenched poverty, votes may be bought for as little as 30 US cents and lives taken in exchange for U$40.

The Catholic hierarchy, which actively supported “pro-life” candidates and stood against those who favored the Reproductive Health Law, has conceded defeat. More “political catechesis” will be needed, Church leaders say, beating their breasts.

The success of the drive against political dynasties, the culture of money politics, and vote buying has at best been spotty. NGOs are pledging to intensify awareness building campaigns; even as activists, who attempt a serious distribution of wealth and power, are discredited, arrested or killed. Most of the population survives as best they can. Many are skeptical about elections as the route to change and if they engage choose the personifications of celluloid dreams.

In a country long ruled by elite families both new and old, it is a thin line between family solidarity and nepotism. What is important is that fresh hopes for change are re-ignited and that the space to maneuver is broadened.

With the elections, the president’s party has won unprecedented control of the two chambers of Congress, easing the way for the delivery of reforms for sustainable growth, poverty alleviation and employment opportunities.

But how to manage populism with real lasting change? Already looming are the 2016 presidential polls and the likely oppositionist tandem of Jejomar Binay and Joseph “Erap” Estrada. Movie star Estrada was impeached as president on corruption charges but has now resurrected himself as Manila City mayor-elect. Estrada’s own son, JV Ejercito has been proclaimed senator and will thus sit with his brother Senator Jinggoy Estrada.

Thus glow the profiles of the winners. They are the faces of the Child who carries on the legacy of parents, patrons who wave promises of salvation. They are the Sto. Nino, the Holy Child who never grows up: but upon whom a multitude of Filipinos depend for miracles.

Do we see here the magical thinking akin to the kind of faith that hopes only in miracles? Surely, this predominantly Christian country can construct a new code for liberating and mature politics.

SOURCE:

UCA News

The gathering at St. Christopher’s Church offered a moment of silence for fisherman Hung Shih-cheng and appealed to the Taiwanese people not to discriminate against Filipinos.

“We did not commit the crime,” said Oria Gayaden, a member of the group Alliance of Filipino Organizations.

Chen Hsiu-lien, of the Taiwan International Workers’ Association that organized the gathering, called on the Taiwanese government not to “pick on easy targets.”

Chen was referring to the freeze on hiring Filipino workers as a sanction against the Philippines for the May 9 incident.

Sunday’s gathering came a day after another Filipino worker was injured in an attack on a dormitory for Filipinos on Saturday.

Marissa de Guzman, a Filipino national, said a group of Taiwanese broke into the dormitory and attacked an unnamed Filipino worker who suffered a fractured arm.

Joey de Leon, another Filipino who was attacked by a group of Taiwanese men, has recovered from his injuries and has received an apology from one of the attackers.

“I have now recovered. I can go back to work,” he said in an interview. A group of Taiwanese men attacked De Leon on Saturday. Authorities arrested one of the attackers and issued an apology.

“Everything is now okay. He apologized to me,” De Leon said, adding that the attacker insisted he was drunk.

A group of Taiwanese students, meanwhile, launched yesterday a campaign to show support for Filipino workers in Taiwan. The students held a rally to appeal for “friendly treatment” of Filipinos in Taiwan.

Filipino participants of the rally held up placards that read “Have Peace” and “We are Innocent” and chanted slogans “Support the fisherman!” and “Anti-discrimination!”

Taiwan yesterday also announced a 24/7 hotline that will act on reports of harassment against Filipinos.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) said Filipinos could call Hotline 1955 for authorities to take immediate actions to protect Filipinos.

TECO voiced its “sincerity and determination to continue protecting the welfare and legal rights” of nearly 90,000 Filipinos working in Taiwan.

In the past week, there have been several reports of Filipinos being assaulted by Taiwanese nationals over the May 9 incident.

Philippine officials on Monday hinted at possible cooperation between Philippine and Taiwanese investigators looking into the May 9 shooting of the Taiwanese fisherman.

On Sunday, Taiwan claimed to have reached a consensus with the Philippines on a possible parallel investigation.

David Lin, Taiwan’s foreign minister, was quoted as saying that both sides will soon work out how to proceed with the matter.

SOURCE:

UCA News

“The agreement is historic and significant for Philippines-Saudi bilateral relations,” Philippine labor minister Rosalinda Baldoz and her Saudi counterpart Adel Bin Mohammed Fakeih said in a joint statement.

“The Philippines is confident that other countries of destination will emulate Saudi Arabia and, thus, follow its very commendable move,” Baldoz said.

She said around 60,000 domestic workers of the estimated 670,000 Filipinos working in Saudi Arabia will benefit from the labor agreement.

Baldoz said the agreement will ensure the authenticity of employment contracts and speed up the settlement of labor contract violation cases. A 24-hour mechanism for domestic workers’ assistance will be put in place.

The Philippines, meanwhile, is expected to ensure that workers are qualified, medically fit and of good character. All employment contracts submitted by Saudi Arabian recruitment offices will also be verified.

The labor deal also specifies an entry level minimum salary of SR1,500 (US$400) as well as weekly rest days and vacation leave with pay.

The agreement also prohibits Saudi employers from holding the passports and work permits of their employees, allows workers freedom of movement and to freely express their thoughts on how they are being treated to the authorities.

Fakeih welcomed the agreement saying “it is the first time that Saudi Arabia has signed such an agreement with a labor-sending country.”

SOURCE:

UCA News

When the Wilmington atheist couple decided to join their lives a year ago, they knew they wanted a secular wedding celebrant, but their families weren’t so sure.

Her family is Methodist and his is “generally spiritual.” And they worried about even telling Mike’s grandmother, who is Eastern Orthodox.

So they found a wedding celebrant ordained through the Humanist Society, Han Hills, who allowed their family members to read a spiritual poem.

“Nobody seemed to notice that we didn’t mention God,” Holowaty said. “People came up afterward and said it was one of the best weddings they’d seen.”

With the rise of the “nones” – the 20 percent of Americans without a religious affiliation – more couples are looking for wedding celebrants who don’t mind skipping God’s blessing of the ceremony altogether.

More national atheist and humanist agencies such as the Humanist Society and the Center for Inquiry are developing ordaining programs to establish nontheist ministers in most states to perform weddings and funerals. CFI began its certification program in 2009.

There are currently 138 celebrants listed as ordained through the Humanist Society, and some perform weddings in multiple states. The Center for Inquiry has 23 celebrants.

Because of the demand she’s seeing for marriage and funeral celebrants, Florida humanist writer and blogger Jennifer Hancock is considering writing a book about the secular approach to marriage.

What’s missing, she says, is advertising for leaders in the humanist community who can fulfill ceremonies for life cycle events. Only a handful of the ordained celebrants listed on the society’s website also advertise their services on a personal page.

Former Army medic Richard Cotter advertises his services in and around New York at humanistcelebrations.com. California Humanist minister William Rausch advertises his memorial, baby naming and wedding services at ebcelebrant.com.

“As soon as you do the advertising, people are like yeah, I want that. When I got married, I was worried. I didn’t want any religious references in my wedding because I didn’t want to start out the most important relationship of my life with a lie,” Hancock said.

“Some of my most popular posts are about grief, marriage relationships and parenting. That’s all stuff that a traditional minister would help you with.”

The creative elements of a humanist wedding don’t differ much from a religious one. There are sand-mixing ceremonies, candle-lighting ceremonies and walking down an aisle in a white dress. Vows are typically written by the couples themselves, said Hills, whose company is called Leap of Humanity.

Hills already has eight weddings booked this year across North Carolina and is starting to book weddings for 2014. And he’s only been formally advertising his services for a few months.

“You need a certain personality to do this. If you’re mousy, and you can’t think in a crisis, this isn’t for you,” he said, laughing. “It’s the only job where you can look out and if you see old ladies crying, then you’re doing a good job. It’s an honor to be given this place of reverence.”

North Carolina’s celebrant numbers have grown to seven, while New York and California have the most, at about 20 each. But there are some states without any Humanist celebrants listed, such as Wyoming, West Virginia or Wisconsin.

Humanist Society program coordinator Sadie Rothman said she gets at least two requests for Humanist celebrant applications each month. But the process to become a celebrant requires five character references and training sessions.

Becoming a wedding celebrant outside of an established faith system can present legal challenges, depending on the state. In North Carolina, marriages performed through the online Universal Life Church before 1981 are considered valid. But the legality of ULC marriages after that date is in question, according to state marriage laws.

Because the Humanist Society is a religious nonprofit associated with the American Humanist Association, they are considered a valid marrying entity in the state. But Indiana Humanist celebrants certified through the Center for Inquiry lost a legal battle in December 2012 over the validity of the marriages they performed.

Mike Werner, past president of the American Humanist Association, said the demand for Humanist celebrants will grow to include traditional ordained ministers interested in officiating nontheist ceremonies.

Amanda and Mike Holawaty didn’t want to settle for a justice of the peace. They wanted to celebrate their values in a scenic wedding near the ocean.

“You see weddings in movies and on TV, the bride being given away and walking down the aisle,” she said. “It was really the same desire for us, just minus the religious aspect.” [More]

SOURCE:

Religion News Service

The Catholic Church unveiled a new iPad application this week, intended to keep the faithful abreast of Vatican comings-and-goings, as well as other news from the church’s missions throughout the world.

Called the MISSIO App, the new software debuted during a ceremony hosted this week by newly-minted Pope Francis in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, according to the Catholic News Agency, or CNA.

“I push here?” the Pope reportedly asked, when presented with an iPad from Father Andrew Small, U.S. national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies.

“As soon as the Holy Father hit the button, a little notice came across the top …and it said, ‘Pope Francis has unlocked the MISSIO App,’” the Rev. Small told CNA. “He sort of looked a little bit surprised.”

The app is reportedly available in English, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese, Chinese and Arabic.
“I was quite anxious that we were going to get the signal and it was all going to work,” Small told CNA.

The MISSIO App was reportedly developed by Little iApps and is available for free in the iTunes App Store and on Google Play.

The Pope is putting “the missionary Gospel in the pockets of millions of people, young and old, rich and poor, believer and searcher,” Small reportedly added. “Ever since his election, Pope Francis has reached far beyond the Vatican, touching people’s lives in simple and meaningful ways.”

SOURCE:

FOX News

The court is currently examining the constitutional validity of a law that allows police to arrest people sending “false and offensive messages through communication services,” such as the internet. Violators can face a three year jail term for the offence.

Critics say the law is being abused. They point to several cases where lower ranking police officers have made arrests for posts on Facebook that many people thought trivial but were considered objectionable by political figures.

The guidelines, set down by the federal government in January, say that a person suspected of violating this law should be not arrested without permission from an officer not below the rank of Inspector-General in metropolitan cities and not below the rank of Deputy Commissioner or Superintendent of Police in districts.

“We direct the state governments to ensure compliance with the guidelines before making any arrest,” the Times of India quoted Supreme Court justices B S Chauhan and Dipak Misra as saying yesterday.

The Supreme Court was yesterday hearing a petition challenging one such case.

Jaya Vindhayal, the general secretary of rights group, People’s Union for Civil Liberties was jailed on Monday after being arrested by a low-ranking officer in Andhra Pradesh.

She had allegedly made comments on Facebook that offended several politicians.

The federal government’s guidelines came in the wake of a high profile case in November last year that drew international outrage.

Two girls were arrested for posting comments criticizing a local political party in Maharashtra over the funeral of its founder Bal Thackeray.

SOURCE: 

UCA News

Amadeo Perez Jr., head of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan, said that “tension is high” after the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by the Philippine Coast Guard last week.

“We advise Filipinos not to leave their homes as much as possible,” Perez said in an interview. Several instances of discrimination against Filipinos have already been reported and an attack against a Filipino in the city of Kaoshiung has been confirmed, Perez said.

The attack happened on Wednesday when a man was struck on the arm with a bat in Kaoshiung City. He was taken to hospital, Perez said, and police are reportedly investigating.

Congressman Walden Bello meanwhile called on the Taiwanese government not to put the blame on Filipino workers for the “inadequacy” of the Philippine government’s response to the death of the Taiwanese fisherman, who was killed after his boat entered disputed waters.

“Their unilateral moves are certainly not contributing to the resolution of this current dispute,” Bello said. “It is simply unacceptable for Taiwan to leverage their grievance against Filipino [workers].”

Government data shows that some 93,000 Filipinos work in Taiwan as factory workers or domestic helpers.

Taiwan has already issued a series of sanctions on the Philippines after the May 8 shooting, including a stop to the hiring of Filipino workers, the recall of Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to Manila, and a call on Taiwanese nationals not to travel to the Philippines.

SOURCE:

UCA News

Too many modern Christians invoke, to lamentable effect, an ancient history of persecution that didn’t exist, Moss argues in her newly published book, “The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented A Story of Martyrdom.”

Although anti-Christian prejudice was fairly widespread in the church’s first 300 years, she writes, “the prosecution of Christians was rare, and the persecution of Christians was limited to no more than a handful of years.”

We asked Moss, professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of Notre Dame, to talk about the travails of early Christians, and how they are misappropriated in the public sphere today. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: You argue that modern myths of Christian persecution are rooted in an ancient myth, and you focus on Pliny, a first- and second-century Roman who governed what is now Turkey. Why should we know about him?

A: He’s the first Roman official to actually talk about Christians. He writes to the Emperor Trajan and says, “What am I supposed to do about them? They’re not doing anything wrong, but when they’re in the courtroom they’re very stubborn.” Those charges could get you killed in the Roman world. And Pliny has other concerns: Christians were not purchasing the meat associated with the Roman temples. And he thinks of Christians not as a religious group, but prone to superstition, which the Romans considered a kind of madness that could spread like a disease.

Pliny and Trajan agree that there will be no seeking out of Christians, but if they do end up in courtrooms and are stubborn, he will give them three chances to curse Christ and make a sacrifice in the Roman temple. If they don’t, they will be killed. I’m not saying what Pliny did was right, but it’s very far from the story I grew up with, about Christians being hunted down.

Q: Isn’t that persecution though? They’re not being sought out, but if they do wind up in court, there’s a decent chance they’re going to die.

A: Is it persecution? I’d say it comes fairly close to the line. I’m not saying it’s just. But it was illegal to be part of a secret club at the time. It was illegal to be stubborn toward a Roman judge. So it’s not that they’re being persecuted for having a Trinity. They are being executed for breaking the law.

I want to understand what, from the ancient Roman perspective, was the problem with Christians. The Romans tolerated lots of religious groups. They only really acted in situations where they thought the group was dangerous, and Christians talk about their new emperor Christ. They talk about how they cannot respect the Roman government. A lot of them say they won’t join the military. They’re very subversive. But this is a world where religious freedom isn’t a right; it just doesn’t exist as a concept yet.

Q: Critics of your book — even if they agree that there was no concerted, sustained campaign to root out and kill the early Christians — argue that this was nonetheless a dark and dangerous period for them. Doesn’t that count for something? 

A: The situation was terrible and we should be attentive to that, but distinctions need to be made. The Emperor Decius (who in the third century required everyone in the empire to make a sacrifice to his divine spirit) didn’t really know what his edict would mean for Christians and he wasn’t trying to attack them. He was basically trying to bolster the Roman Empire.

In a contemporary discussion, Catholics feel very strongly about the Obama administration’s contraceptive mandate. President Obama is not trying to harm Catholics or Christians generally; he is trying to provide health care. Catholics can disagree with him very strongly, but unless he’s trying to attack Catholics, as long as we believe he is interested in health care, we can continue to have a discussion with him.

There’s been a lot of back and forth between the Catholic bishops and the Obama administration. That’s a different situation than if we were in a country where legislation was passed that said “Christians can’t own Bibles” or “you can’t go to church.” [More]

SOURCE:

Religion News Service

The Council of the Laity of the Philippines, which led the “White Vote Movement” that endorsed the candidacy of politicians who are against the Reproductive Health Bill, said it learned its lessons.

“We discovered some loopholes but there is always room for improvement,” said lawyer Aurora Santiago, president of the Catholic Council of the Laity, yesterday.

“We had such little time and few resources,” said Linda Valenzona of Catholic Vote Philippines, which led “political catechesis” in different parts of the country before the elections.

Valenzona, however, said educating Catholics to apply the teachings of the Church to political life “has been a fulfilling task.”

Father Melvin Castro, head of the Commission on Family and Life of the bishops’ conference, said “name recall” is still crucial in Philippine elections.

He cited the victory of Grace Poe, daughter of the late action star Fernando Poe Jr., as an example. Poe, a first time candidate, topped the senatorial race over seasoned and traditional politicians.

“If we want our candidates to win in 2016, as early as now we should already familiarize the people with them,” Fr Castro said.

A pro-RH group, meanwhile, said the victory of many reproductive health advocates in Congress and even in the provinces was an affirmation that “leaders of the Catholic Church cannot dictate the results of elections.”

“There is no Catholic vote and no black propaganda of the Church that can steal victory from candidates who advocate reproductive health,” said Rom Dongeto, executive director of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development.

The group pushed for the enactment of the controversial reproductive health measure, which was opposed by Church leaders for endorsing the use of artificial contraceptives.

Data from the partial tally of election winners show 94 percent of more than a hundred pro-RH candidates ahead in their respective districts and party list system.

Six of the seven senatorial candidates endorsed by pro-RH groups are front-runners in the senatorial race while none of those endorsed by Catholic groups figured in the elections.

Santiago of the Council of the Laity said her group would start laying the groundwork early to familiarize voters with Church-related issues in preparation for the 2016 elections.

“We are expecting more groups to join our crusade. Our campaign does not stop in 2013. We have to get ready this early for 2016,” Santiago said. The Philippines will hold presidential elections in 2016.

“With the commitment and dedication of everyone [the Catholic vote] will rise up again to the challenge in 2016,” said Valenzona.

SOURCE:

UCA News

If people don’t open their hearts to the Holy Spirit to let God purify and enlighten them, then “our being Christian will be superficial,” the pope said Wednesday at his weekly general audience.

Knowing and doing what God wants is not possible with mere human effort — it takes the transformative action of the Holy Spirit, he said.

Speaking to more than 80,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis also announced his September visit to Cagliari on the Italian island of Sardinia, where he plans to venerate the icon of Our Lady of “Bonaria” or “Buona Aria” (“good air” or “fair wind”), the namesake of his native city of Buenos Aires.

The pope dedicated his audience talk to the Year of Faith and, anticipating Sunday’s feast of Pentecost, focused on the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding the lives of the faithful and the church to the truth.

The pope also released two doves into the square in an impromptu moment.

While he was riding in the open-air popemobile, a pilgrim handed the pope a cage with two white doves inside.

At first, aides were unsure whether the woman really wanted them set loose, but after her reassurances, they opened the cage door and the pope reached inside to grab the first one, which he expertly tossed into the air.

The second dove proved more difficult as its wings got caught in the cage’s small opening. The dove didn’t seem to want to go as it tightly clutched the pope’s fingers with its small feet before finally taking off and circling over the crowds.

His deft handling of the birds perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise. According to the pope’s sister, Maria Elena Bergoglio, the future pope had a parrot when he was in the seminary.

In his audience talk, Pope Francis said the modern world is skeptical about the truth and echoed Pope Benedict XVI’s warnings about relativism, which holds that nothing is definite and that truth is based on consensus or personal whims.

But Jesus is the truth that “came among us so that we could know it,” he said. [More]

SOURCE:

National Catholic Reporter

Of course, these are all concerns, and you need to consider them in terms of what role social media has in your life.

But I don’t think social media is dangerous. I think we are dangerous.

We don’t need social media to sin. Social media, in fact, reveals our character. If I think too highly of myself, lack self-control, or lack integrity, these will be visible in my Facebook posts.

So don’t blame social media for your issues. Too often Christians are the laggards, fearful and unsure about new opportunities. We are also the ones quick to call out the implications of sin and temptation in realms of human advance. But what if we thought carefully and constructively from the get-go?

Social media can make you a better person. Here’s how:

1) Rather than envy, rejoice.

As Shauna Niequist recently wrote here, “It only takes one friend at the Eiffel Tower to make you feel like a loser.” But, as she indicates later in the piece, this does not have to be.

When I see post from a friend in Paris, or a new baby, or having just run a marathon, I am happy for them. We are only as petty on Instagram as we are in real life. Seek God’s grace to “rejoice with those who rejoice.”

2) We need the accountability of the crowd.

We have different pictures of what “accountability” looks like. But these days, it’s various people and groups demanding that the person they know is the same one, whether at work, on campus, at family gathering or in a bar.

When I got on Facebook eight years ago, I was only able to because I worked at a college. My peers and elders could not get an account at first. As they joined, I was pulled and torqued into more integrity in relationships as I needed all my stories to line up. I was not radically different when with different people, but Facebook has forced me to be consistent with different areas of my life. As a result, I am more at peace.

3) You can’t wax a rusty Ford Escort.

There is a temptation to share more positively than we ought, to make our lives look better on Facebook than they really are. But as Christians we know and accept that we’re insufficient, that we’re prone to selfishness. So I need to be honest with that, in an appropriate way, even online.

If I snap at my kids, I don’t need to go to my Facebook friends as if they’re the world’s largest confessional booth. But I can be honest with, “I’m not the father I wish I was,” or “Being a dad is really hard work.” These little lines help all of us acknowledge life isn’t all sunshine and puppy dogs.

4) Live a better life so you can post about it.

That’s right—go ahead, share the good stuff about yourself. But do it in the way of “iron sharpens iron,” where good friends push each other positively.

In “real life,” we are excited to tell our friends about good stuff: “Guess what happened to me!” and “I lost another five pounds!” and “I just got back from Bolivia!” And we’re excited to hear the same from our face-to-face friends.

As a result of this continual back-and-forth with friends on Facebook, I end up making better decisions, whether about time, relationships, or money.

Part of the joy of our accomplishments—simple and milestone—is sharing our joy with friends. And since I have more friends than just the ones next door, Facebook lets me expand that sharing. And I receive joy and ideas because my friends are doing the same on Facebook. We are redefining “normal” from just living vicariously through Netflix to really living (and posting about it).

5) Facebook helps us love other people better.

We are able to keep in touch with many more people. Yes, critics will say, “But how deep are those relationships? Aha! Got you!”

At the very least, social media creates a wealth of small talk relationships that can dip down into deeper topics more quickly. I know when people are really sick, when there are major life changes, or when someone goes radio-silent for a while, I can pop them a message, ring them up on the ol’ landline, or even drop by those who are in my zip code. And when we do interact more personally and directly, I can leap over the chit-chat and get to the heart of the matter.

Plus, social tools help us serve others more efficiently. We can find out who needs meals, who’s moving, who needs 30 refrigerator boxes to build “Fortlandia” (true story). And then we can help each other out.

We are now visible and accessible. Gone are the days when someone entered “church” by walking through the sanctuary doors. Today, the Church lives beyond the sanctuary walls—and that’s good because many people today wouldn’t be caught dead in a pew. Now, the life of the Church is at least partly visible and public via other interactions, including those on social media. [More]

SOURCE:

Relevant Magazine

The plan had begun on Jan 23 starting at Bang Kwang central prison near Bangkok, with 563 inmates seeing their shackles unlocked and removed for the last time.

On Wednesday, some gathered for a ceremony led by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to officially kick off the policy, kick off the chains, and put the shackle era to an end for good.

She cut a paper shackle made by the department as a symbol. It was her first time ever, inside a prison.

Taking the shackles off prisoners was made part of the government policy to guarantee human dignity for all and respect the human rights of everyone, the prime minister told the event.

The first group of inmates unchained in January comprised 16 under 50 years old, 34 serving life terms, and 513 on death row. As well-behaved inmates, they became the first to walk freely in their zone without chains.

They included Wisut Boonyakasemsanti, convicted of murdering his wife, Dr Passaporn; Sitthiporn Khamart, who killed the mother of Khomkhai Polaboot of the Democrat Party, and ex-Maj Chalermchai Matchaklum, sentenced for murdering former governor Preena Leepattanpan.

The department observed that prisoners could not walk properly after the shackles were removed, it took them some time to adjust to walking without dragging the heavy weights around.

Dr Wisut admitted that his life was difficult life with the shackles on his legs for what he thought would be the entire life term. “Prisoners are not animals. They should not be chained because of their wrongdoing,” he said. They already were punished by being in jail,” he said.

Pumin Siang-orn, another inmate without shackles, said the removal improved his health and morale. But he said only prisoners who are well behaved should be allowed to have their chains removed. [More]

SOURCE:

Bangkok Post

Hung Shih-cheng, 65, was shot dead by the Philippine coastguard in disputed waters last Thursday. The incident has sparked outrage in Taiwan.

Taiwan’s response today comes despite an apology from the Philippine envoy to Taiwan after a three-day deadline set by Taipei expired.

“As far as the Philippine government is concerned, we have already issued our deep regret and apology to the family,” President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

Lacierda said the president has already sent a personal emissary to the family of the fisherman and has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct an investigation into the incident.

Antonio Basilio, head of the Philippine Representative Office in Taiwan, earlier said the Philippines will compensate the fisherman’s family and conduct a joint investigation with Taiwanese authorities.

“The Filipino people and the government understand the hurt and grief that the Taiwanese people have felt as result of the death of one of their own fellow citizens,” Basilio said.

Taiwan’s president Ma Ying-jeou, however, said the Philippine government and not its envoy should offer a formal apology and compensation.  He also called for the arrest of those responsible for the killing. Taiwan also wants Manila to open talks on fishery cooperation in disputed waters.

“President Ma expressed his strong dissatisfaction over the Philippines’ lack of sufficient sincerity and its shifting attitude,” reports quoted Lee Chia-fei, Ma’s spokesperson as saying.

Taiwan has since given Manila until 6pm local time today to make a formal apology or face another round of sanctions.

Five special municipalities in Taiwan, whose residents make up 60 percent of the country’s population, have already suspended cultural exchange activities with cities in the Philippines.

SOURCE:

UCA News

“[Politicians] did everything to entice people to vote for them,” said Henrietta de Villa, chairperson of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting.

De Villa said “vote buying” included distributing money, rice, food packs, mobile phones and even education scholarships to voters in exchange for votes.

“In all areas, the public knows who the candidates who are engaged in vote buying are, but no one gets arrested because there’s a need for material evidence,” the former ambassador to the Vatican said.

De Villa blamed poverty, especially in the countryside, for the “culture of money politics.”

An international observers’ mission organized by the group Compact for Peaceful and Democratic Elections also reported incidents of vote buying today, in areas that they monitored.

“The majority of those interviewed openly admitted that vote buying is happening, including paying people not to cast their votes in areas controlled by incumbent candidates and political clans,” said Arnold Tarrobago, the group’s national coordinator.

The observers also noted that one common “but extremely disturbing issue” they witnessed concerned the public’s right to a secret ballot.

“In many polling precincts, there was a deficiency of ballot secrecy folders,” Tarrobago said.

The foreign observers noted that the election was generally peaceful and orderly, but they were quick to say the orderly conduct could not hide serious irregularities and other problems that they observed.

“The problems we saw and documented, unless properly addressed by concerned government agencies and stakeholders, will undermine an electoral process reasonably credible by international standards,” the group said in a statement.

Monday’s election was seen as a boost to President Benigno Aquino’s reform agenda, although the victory of graft-tainted rivals, including former president Gloria Arroyo, in Congress raised alarm.

SOURCE:

UCA News

Yet over time, the marriage between art and faith grew stale — the Vatican’s culture minister even called it a “divorce” — with the Roman Catholic Church finding itself estranged from the art world it did so much to create.

Now, in a bid to revive its ancient tradition of arts patronage, the Holy See will participate with its own pavilion at the 2013 Venice Biennale, a leading international arts festival.

The exhibition, unveiled on Tuesday (May 14) at the Vatican, will feature works by contemporary artists taking their cues from the Book of Genesis.

It’s an about-face for the church, which has often found itself as the subject of some controversial – some would say blasphemous – works of contemporary art.

The most famous case is probably “The Ninth Hour,” a 1999 sculpture by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan depicting Pope John Paul II being hit by a meteorite.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the Vatican’s culture minister who was considered a strong contender during the recent papal conclave, has made reconciliation with the art world a top priority since his appointment in 2007.

In 2009, Ravasi promoted a meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and some of the world’s leading artists in Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, 45 years after the first such event hosted by Pope Paul VI in 1964.

The Vatican first tried its hand at commissioning art two years later, when it called on 60 artists – from painters to architects to movie directors – for a show to mark the 60th anniversary of Benedict’s ordination to the priesthood.

At the 2013 Venice Biennale, the Vatican didn’t commission artists to create religious art, such as crucifixes or other works that could be used for church liturgies — though this will eventually be an objective of the Vatican arts patronage, according to Ravasi.

Rather, under the title “Creation, Un-Creation, Re-Creation,” the Vatican asked artists to reflect on the Genesis account of the creation of the world and the fall of humanity.

The artists’ personal religious faith was not a factor in their consideration, Vatican officials said.

Italy’s multimedia group Studio Azzurro was entrusted with the theme of “creation,” while Czech photographer Josef Koudelka, who photographed the 1968 Soviet invasion of Prague, was chosen to represent “un-creation.”

His photographs “expose an abandoned, wounded world, and at the same time are able to transform fragments of reality into works of art,” said Antonio Paolucci, director of the Vatican Museums, who curated the exhibit.

American painter Lawrence Carroll was assigned to the theme of “re-creation,” working with “salvaged materials,” according to Paolucci.

The Vatican pavilion will cost nearly $1 million, covered entirely by donations and corporate sponsors.

According to Ravasi, the Vatican’s participation at Venice Biennale is just “a first step” in re-establishing an “authentic dialogue” between art and faith. Whether there will be further artistic ventures will be up to Pope Francis, he added.

For now, the Vatican is considering participating at Milan’s Universal Exposition in 2015. [More]

SOURCE:

Religion News Service

He said only divine intervention could explain the speed with which the Argentine Cardinal – who did not feature on any of the main lists of likely candidates compiled by Vatican experts – was elected.

Speaking to an Anglican conference in London, he also said the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, had a “strange similarity” to the new Pope.

He said that the two elections were a “little miracle” and a “sign from the Lord” that the two churches should work towards closer unity.

Addressing an audience of 5,000 people in the Royal Albert Hall, at a conference organised by the prominent Holy Trinity Brompton church in west London, he said that he was certain that on the evening of March 12, as the papal Conclave began, none of the Cardinals had known who would be chosen.

“It was a tremendous experience of the Holy Spirit,” he said.

“We were driven by the Holy Spirit to this man – he was sitting in the last corner of the Sistine Chapel: This man he is the chosen one.”

He added: “I received at least two strong signs: one I can tell, the other was in the Conclave I can’t speak about – but real signs of the Lord giving me indication ‘he is the one’.”

The Cardinal said that just after a special mass before the Conclave began he came across a couple from Latin America who are friends of his.

He said: “I met them outside the Basilica and I asked: ‘You have the Holy Spirit, can you give me advice for the Conclave that will start in a few hours?’

“And the woman whispered in my ear ‘Bergoglio’, and it hit me really: if these people say Bergoglio, that’s an indication of the Holy Spirit.

“And I’m sure many of us have received similar signs during the Conclave, it wouldn’t have been possible to have this election so soon and so rapidly.”

To applause, the Cardinal went on: “You know there is a strange similarity with your Archbishop Justin, I hope so much that they will meet soon.”

Laughing, he added: “I don’t know the secrets of the ‘conclave’ at Lambeth Palace.

“But it looks like a little miracle that he became the Archbishop, so I think the Lord as given us a great sign through these two elections and other signs and what I have deeply in my heart … it is as if he would say to the world ‘come home, I wait for you’.” [More]

SOURCE:

The Telegraph

Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, who had publicly endorsed candidates  who fought against the reproductive health (RH) law, on Tuesday said he was not at all happy with the outcome of the elections—most of the senatorial candidates in the winning circle supported the controversial measure.

“I am not happy,” Arguelles told the Inquirer in a text message, adding he was resigned to the idea that the country “is not yet ready for better things.”

The prelate said Church organizations had tried their best to guide the electorate “but it was not good enough.”

During the campaign, the Diocese of Bacolod even put up a large tarpaulin bearing the names of candidates who opposed the RH law, branding them as “Team Buhay.” It referred to those who voted for the measure as “Team Patay.”

Signed into law by President Aquino last December, the controversial measure provides poor people with information and access to various forms of family planning or birth control methods, including the use of condoms and other contraceptives.

‘Team Buhay’

Under the leadership of Bishop Vicente Navarra, the diocese also led a rally before the elections encouraging its parishioners to vote for candidates who would fight the RH law.

The diocese urged the faithful to support senatorial candidates JV Ejercito, Antonio Trillanes IV, Gregorio Honasan, Mitos Magsaysay, Koko Pimentel and Cynthia Villar, saying they belonged to “Team Buhay” for being prolife.

The diocese identified the “Team Patay” candidates as Francis Escudero, Loren Legarda, Alan Peter Cayetano, Jack Enrile, Risa Hontiveros and Teddy Casiño, who all voted in favor of the RH measure.

The White Vote Movement, led by Bro. Mike Velarde and his charismatic group El Shaddai, endorsed at least nine senatorial candidates who stood with the Church in opposing the family planning law. [More]

SOURCE:

INQUIRER

The pope’s words came in a homily during Mass in St. Peter’s Square May 12, when he canonized the first Colombian saint, as well as a Mexican nun and some 800 Italians martyred by Ottoman Turks in the 15th century.

Mexico’s St. Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala (1878-1963), the pope said, gave up a “comfortable life to follow the call of Jesus, taught people to love poverty, in order the more to love the poor and the sick.”

“How much damage does the comfortable life, well-being, do,” the pope added, looking up from his prepared text. “The gentrification of the heart paralyzes us.”

The Mexican saint, known as Mother Lupita, “knelt on the floor of the hospital before the sick, before the abandoned, to serve them with tenderness and compassion,” and in doing so, “touched the flesh of Christ,” he said.

Pope Francis said the Mexican founder of the Handmaids of St. Margaret Mary and of the Poor sets an example for everyone “not to retreat into oneself, into one’s own problems, into one’s own ideas, into one’s own interests in this little world that has done us so much damage,” but to share God’s love with the needy “through gestures of delicacy and sincere affection and love.”

The pope also praised St. Laura Montoya (1874-1949), the “first saint born in the beautiful land of Colombia,” as a “spiritual mother of the indigenous peoples, in whom she infused hope” and taught about God in a way that “respected their culture and was not opposed to it.”

“Mother Laura” founded the Missionary Sisters of Mary Immaculate and St. Catherine of Siena, who today “live and bring the Gospel to the most remote and needy places, as a kind of vanguard of the church,” he said.

“She teaches us to see the face of Jesus reflected in the other,” the pope said, “to overcome indifference and individualism, welcoming everyone without prejudice or constraints, with love, giving the best of ourselves and above all, sharing with them the most valuable thing we have, which is not our works or our organizations” but “Christ and his Gospel.”

Pope Francis also paid tribute to the approximately 800 people in Otranto, southern Italy, who in 1480 were decapitated by invading Ottoman forces for refusing to convert to Islam.

“Where did they find the strength to remain faithful?” the pope asked. “Precisely in faith, which allows us to see beyond the limits of our human eyes, beyond the boundaries of earthly life, to contemplate the ‘heavens opened,’ as St. Stephen said.”

The pope then prayed for “those many Christians who, in these times and in many parts of the world, right now, still suffer violence,” and asked God to “give them the courage and fidelity to respond to evil with good.”

Before praying the “Regina Coeli” at the end of Mass, Pope Francis called on the Otranto martyrs to “help the beloved Italian people look with hope to the future,” and invoked the intercession of the new Mexican and Colombian saints in bringing peace to their troubled homelands.

Colombian and Mexican pilgrims, waving or wearing their countries’ flags, were notable in the crowd filling the square on the sunny Sunday morning.

All the day’s news saints “pose questions to our Christian life,” the pope said at the conclusion of his homily, which he delivered in a mix of Spanish and Italian. “How am I faithful to Christ? Am I able to show my faith with respect, but also with courage? Am I attentive to others? Do I recognize when someone is in need? Do I see in everyone brothers and sisters to love?” [More]

SOURCE:

Catholic News Service

Bishop Precioso Cantillas of Maasin has become the target of a ‘hate campaign’ after announcing plans to convert part of Saint Joseph’s College, the province’s biggest private school, into a commercial complex housing banks, restaurants and shops.

He said the move is necessary because of a declining number of students at the school.

Cantillas, who was named bishop of Maasin in 1998, is school president.

The protesters, who posted their complaints on the internet, also slammed the bishop for “unlawful increases of tuition [and] miscellaneous fees … without proper consultation” with parents and teachers.

They have called on Cantillas to step down, saying people “have had enough” of what the prelate is doing.

Messages posted on social networking sites also threatened to hack the school’s website.

Fr Oscar Cadayona, the school’s vice president and pastor of the city’s Catholic cathedral, defended the bishop who has refused repeated requests for interviews.

Cadayona said the bishop is “sensitive to the needs of the students,” adding that what the school administration does “is for the students and teachers.” He said the Cantillas only approves the result of consultations with stakeholders of the school.

The priest said the complaints posted on social media sites are baseless.

He said it is “unfair to judge” the bishop based on what he called “hearsay.” The priest said Cantillas has the support of the clergy.

The protesters, however, have accused Cadayonas of demonstrating an “evident display of power” by giving police printouts of comments against the school and Cantillas.

This was an attempt to scare people, they said.

Those behind the protests declined to be named for fear of repercussions on their children who are enrolled in the school.

“We are afraid because it is normal that school authorities will hold a grudge against us,” one parent said.

“I don’t like the way [Cantillas] manages the school but I don’t want my kid to suffer,” another one said.

SOURCE:

UCA News

Statistics show that the growth of Catholics in Asia greatly outpaces that of the general population. Between 2010 and 2011 the region witnessed a two percent increase in growth, compared to 1.2 percent of the global population. Similar figures were recorded in Africa, while in the rest of the world Catholics’ ranks expanded in line with population growth.

The Americas remain the most populous region for Catholics, accounting for slightly less than half the global population.

The growth trend of the Church in Asia and Africa is also reflected in the number of priests and seminarians. While in Europe they have declined by almost 10 percent in the past decade, in Africa the numbers are up 39.5 percent since 2000, and 32 percent in Asia.

This trend may accelerate in the coming years, particularly as candidates to the priesthood become increasingly scarce in Europe and the Americas. Asia and Africa on the other hand now account for almost one in four potential future priests in the world, compared to one in six a decade ago.

The picture is different for females in the Church. The ranks of nuns have shrunk by almost 10 percent from 2001, with just 713,000 in 2011 compared to 792,000 ten years earlier. The decline is sharp in Europe, Oceania and the Americas, but even the quick growth in Asia and Africa has not been able to offset the trend.

SOURCE:

UCA News

“We have one of your people here,” says a vendor. A shy young man, low-heeled pumps peeking beneath his work apron, is pushed forward to embrace the Ang Ladlad candidate, Bemz Benedito. Benedito, 35, is running for congress in this deeply Catholic country’s midterm elections, which take place on Monday. If she succeeds, she will be the world’s first politician to win a seat in a national legislature standing for an explicitly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) party.

If she did not tell you, you would not know that Benedito was born male. She has the telegenic beauty essential in Filipino politics, but she quite self-consciously eschews the glamorous hyperfemininity associated with transgenderism here. She has a master’s in sociology and a decade of work in politics behind her, and projects a diligent sobriety.

In Tagalog, “Ladlad” means the unfurling of a cape, and it has come to signify “coming out”. Benedito and her fellow Ang Ladlad candidates are running on a single issue: they vow to pass the anti-discrimination bill, which will specifically protect LGBT people, that has been languishing in congress for 12 years, stymied by the persistent lobbying of the Catholic church.

The Ang Ladlad PartyList was formed by a group of activists in an inspired attempt to exploit the idiosyncratic Filipino electoral system, which reserves a certain number of seats for “special-interest” groups. Each voter casts two congressional ballots: one for a district representative, and one for a special-interest representative. The latter is elected nationally, from a party list, through proportional representation: to gain a seat, a candidate needs to get 2% of the national poll (roughly 300,000 votes).

Traditionally, these have gone to lists representing women, farmers and migrant workers. Seeing a gap, the Ang Ladlad activists, led by a former English professor, Danton Remoto, applied to form their own party list. They were refused permission, in 2010, by the Philippines Commission for Elections, in an extraordinary judgment that cited the Bible and the Koran to assert that they promoted “immorality” and were thus a “threat to the moral and spiritual degradation of the youth [sic]“.

The party took the matter to the supreme court and won, just three weeks before the 2010 elections. Thanks to sympathetic media and public outrage at the commission’s homophobia, Ang Ladlad garnered 120,000 votes despite barely being able to campaign. Now, three years on, it is fielding a full slate of three candidates (Benedito, Remoto and a lawyer, Raymond Alikpala), who have been on the stump relentlessly for the past three months.

Ang Ladlad’s bring-out-the-vote strategy is unique: it consists of hitting almost every beauty parlour and Miss Gay pageant in this vast archipelago. In a culture obsessed with adornment and beauty, there are more than enough of both to keep a campaign busy: every neighbourhood hosts at least one annual pageant, and every street in every town seems to have a parlour run by a bakla– the Filipino word for effeminate men who are seen, as in many south-east Asian cultures, to be a third gender.

“The parloristas are our backbone,” says Benedito as we enter yet another kitschy jewel box staffed by a bustling claque of bakla in various stages of transition. “These are the nerve-centres of the community, and also the place where bakla come into contact with the broader community. Every Filipina woman has a bakla hairdresser!”

One of Benedito’s missions is to ensure that bakla are no longer limited to working in the beauty industry. The child of a middle-class political family from Abra province, she was raised by accepting parents who insisted on her further education: “When I came out to my father, he said: ‘Do not take part in the Miss Gay pageants. I do not want you to degrade yourself, and to be an ‘entertainment’ in other people’s eyes.”

For Miss Gay contestants, the pageants are a way of coming out: a mentor teaches you how to present yourself as female. Benedito loathes the contests, but accepts they are key to her campaign strategy, for they are as much community entertainment – the whole neighbourhood turns out to watch – as they are political rallies. [More]

SOURCE:

UCA News

Two teachers were also killed by unidentified gunmen in the nearby Isabela and Maguindanao provinces yesterday. Several other election-related killings were reported elsewhere in the country, while police have arrested around 3,000 on charges of flouting a gun ban put in place for the election.

Authorities attempted to deflect criticism of security surrounding the crucial midterm vote. “Although there are pockets of violence, leading to some deaths, the whole system is protected,” said military spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan. “We are able to curtail the big threats and we don’t see any major disruption.”

Allegations of fraud have also circulated. In the town of Baganga, in the southern province of Davao Oriental, which was devastated by a typhoon last December, elections monitors reported massive vote-rigging, with supporters of political candidates said to have “bought” votes for between $15 and $50.

Election watchdog Against Fraud reported several “anomalous situations” in polling precincts across the country, lending weight to earlier claims by youth groups that the poll body failed to address major issues in the automated election system. Claims of malfunctioning machines, blackouts, and delayed voting were also reported earlier today.

Monday’s election is likely to see a dramatic shake-up of the country’s political and legislative arenas and is crucial for President Benigno Aquino’s reform drive.

More than 18,000 government posts are up for grabs, from the local level up to members of the legislature. President Aquino has stressed the importance of the midterms for his anti-corruption drive, which he won popular support for in the buildup to his 2010 landslide election victory.

SOURCE:

UCA News

Catholic Church leaders, Protestant pastors, and emerging faith-based organizations have become crucial players in politics, some even trying to harness their “authority” in exchange for material or political favors.

During elections, religious groups project themselves as moral beacons that guide the faithful in making what are supposed to be enlightened political choices.

Catholic bishops, for instance, have lobbied against the recent passage of a reproductive health law and are actively campaigning against candidates who supported the bill.

It is not something new. During the martial law years, Church groups, through various pronouncements and “prayer rallies,” emboldened the ranks of the opposition fighting the 20-year rule of Ferdinand Marcos.

Church leaders during the years of the dictatorship found themselves in a distinct position of influence because of the brazen ineptness of government institutions. The struggle against the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos became a morality play that forced bishops, priests and pastors to assert their authority.

After the fall of Marcos in 1986, Catholic bishops justified their involvement in politics as a way of addressing social inequities. The Second Plenary Council of the Philippines in 1992 encouraged more active participation of Church groups in the elections.

The bishops said Philippine politics “has been most hurtful for us as a people. It is possibly the biggest bane in our life as a nation and the most pernicious obstacle to our achieving full development.”

They said the Church can intervene in the electoral process during “extraordinary” situations.  “This happens when a political option is clearly the only one demanded by the Gospel.”

They reminded priests and nuns that they are bound by the “preferential option for the poor.” The clergy are supposed to involve themselves in politics “if the welfare of the majority is at stake,” a condition which observers say is open to the most liberal interpretation.

Other religious groups also discovered the potential of transforming traditional faith-based organizations into effective political machineries. Some political parties that are backed by religious organizations won seats in Congress by riding on the voting power of their respective flocks.

The role of the religious sector has evolved and diversified through the years. From bestowing sacramental sanctions on the state and its actions, several religious groups have taken on more active and deliberate roles and even tried to influence government policies.

“Under any condition and under any regime, the Church must stand for the majesty of truth. The Church must take to task perpetrators of any form of deceit and deception, any use of terror to coerce the people into submission, even if tactics are used against a presumed godless enemy,” said Protestant theologian Sharon Rose Joy Ruiz-Duremdes.

In the context of the elections, Ruiz-Duremdes said the Church must demand the truth and must ensure that the sanctity of the electoral system is upheld. [More]

SOURCE:

UCA News

The rights group Karapatan has released police mug shots of 60-year-old activist Estelita Tacalan, taken inside Dipolog City jail.

“We have not talked to her yet. But right now, what is important is that she is alive and we are happy that she is alive,” said Father Christopher Ablon, secretary general of Karapatan in Mindanao.

Tacalan has been involved in protests against abuses by landlords and has lobbied for economic and political rights for peasants.

“We are aghast at the way she has been taken away. If she is facing charges, what the authorities should have done was to follow the law and respect her rights. If she’s a suspect, her rights as a suspect must still be respected,” said Fr Ablon.

Chary Fe Montemayor, Tacalan’s daughter, earlier sought the help of the Department of Justice in trying to find her mother after she was last seen on April 27 attending a meeting in preparation for activities to mark Labor Day.

Church leaders in Mindanao earlier sent a letter addressed to Justice Secretary Leila de Lima urging her “to take the necessary action.” The letter was signed by Archbishop Antonio Ledesma of Cagayan de Oro, Bishop Melzar Labuntog of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, and Reverend Samuel Domingo of the United Methodist Church.

SOURCE:

UCA News

The miraculous rescue came shortly after emergency officials announced that the woman called Reshmi had been located under the rubble of the nine-story Rana Plaza complex after crying out for help.

A report on Bangladesh’s Somoy TV said that she had been found sheltering in the ruins of a basement mosque.

Rescuers cheered loudly as she was carried to an army ambulance, managing a faint smile at the crowds who had gathered.

The country’s fire service chief said that the woman appeared to have had access to water during her marathon ordeal trapped underneath the wreckage of the building which had caved in on April 24.

One of the rescuers said that the woman had cried out for help as recovery teams sifted through the wreckage in the town of Savar on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka.

“As we were clearing rubble, we called out if anyone was alive,” the unnamed rescuer told the private Somoy TV channel. “Then we heard her saying ‘please save me, please save me’.”

Another rescuer said that the woman had had access to food supplies for the first fortnight of her ordeal but had run out two days ago.

“She said she has not eaten for the last two days. She said she has eaten some dried food like biscuits,” said the rescuer.  “She said she had found a safe place and found some air and light.”

News of the miracle survival came as recovery teams were preparing to wrap up their work at the site after discovering scores more corpses in the tangle of concrete overnight.

Brigadier General Siddiqul Alam, one of the leaders of the recovery operation, said the toll now stands at 1,041, making it one of the world’s deadliest industrial disasters.

Alam said many of the bodies were little more than skeletons and the stench from under the rubble suggested that many more were still to be located.

“We have found a huge number of bodies in the stairwell and under the staircases. When the building started to collapse, workers thought they would be safe under the staircases,” he said.

“Each time we moved a slab of concrete, we found a stack of bodies.”

More than 3,000 workers were on shift on the morning of April 24 when the building suddenly caved in.

SOURCE:

UCA News

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi says worshipping such an icon is a degeneration of religion.

The Santa Muerte is a skeletal figure of a cloaked woman with a scythe in her bony hand. It is worshipped both by drug dealers in Mexico and by the terrified people who live in drug-torn neighborhoods.

Ravasi spoke Wednesday at a dialogue among believers and nonbelievers in Mexico City as part of the Vatican’s “Courtyard of the Gentiles.” The program was started in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI, who said the Roman Catholic Church should hold such meetings so nonbelievers could get to know God.

SOURCE:

The Huffington Post

Samuel Jaramillo, who is an orphan, lives with his grandmother and an aunt in the city of Medellin. When family members posted a video of the boy pretending to celebrate Mass on YouTube, it gained rapid popularity, attracting nearly 300,000 views in just over a week.

His relatives told reporters that last Christmas, Jaramillo did not ask for toys like most kids his age. Instead, he wanted “priest’s clothes” and the objects necessary to “celebrate” Mass.

He has learned to recite the Mass from memory with the corresponding pauses, intonations and gestures of an experienced priest.

In a reflection published by El Colombiano, Father Daniel Monsalve noted Jaramillo’s “passion for what he says and the tenderness that inspires him” in the videos.

“Amid a changing world that is at times indifferent to religious matters, this child appears as a testimony of love for God and fascination for sacred celebrations, most certainly fostered by those who care for him and by the priest of his parish,” Fr. Monsalve wrote.

Cases like that of Jaramillo “should not only awaken religious fervor but also serve as an example for the promotion of priestly and religious vocations, supported always by the encouragement of parishes, seminaries and houses of formation,” he added.

Jaramillo’s aunt, Elizabeth Rojas Arango, said, “This isn’t something we taught him, and we don’t even attend church,” but Jaramillo goes to Mass every Sunday and on Tuesdays with his grandmother, Rosa Eva Arango.

Rojas Arango said the decision to post the videos of Samuel online was not “to try to make him popular, but because they are moving.”

Jaramillo knows the Creed by heart and even preaches his own homilies.

In an interview with RCN television, Jaramillo said he wants to be a priest when he grows up.

Fr. Monsalve said that when people see Jaramillo, “They will be amazed and will be unable to resist clicking on ‘Like’ or ‘Share.’ However, it will be God who continues speaking to humanity through the nobility and humility of his littlest children, the favorites of the Kingdom of Heaven.”

He also underscored the role of parents and relatives in the education of children.

“Parents and all those involved in the care of children must continue to fulfill that essential role of giving testimony and encouragement,” he said. [More]

SOURCE:

Catholic News Agency

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said people should help each other “to save our country” against efforts to kill clean elections on May 13.

“It has to be saved because through the years it has been mired in dirt… in things that deprived the ballot and the election process of their sacredness,” Tagle said.

The cardinal made the statement on Tuesday in his homily during a Mass to open the Parish Pastoral Center for Responsible Elections’ command center at the Pius XII Center in Manila.

“(But) what must we do to save this sacred exercise called the election? How do we save it?” he asked.

Tagle said PPCRV volunteers and the public as well should invoke the help of the “Holy Spirit” in performing their obligations this coming election.

“This is not just a civic exercise but being faithful to God could lead to love of country,” he said.

“Believe in the Lord Jesus. He is the Savior. And He will save not only individuals…. He will save nations. He will save the sacred exercise of the election. But we have to engage in faith,” said Tagle.

PPCRV national chairperson Henrietta de Villa said the command center will be operational from May 12 until the end of the month.

She said the command center is equipped with computers and large-screen televisions on which electronically transmitted results will be showed.

The PPCRV, one of the accredited citizens’ arms of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), will also conduct the random manual audit (RMA) of the 2013 elections.

Also in attendance were Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes, Jr., and Commissioner Grace Padaca and several PPCRV coordinators and volunteers. (RL with reports from Pio Bellen)

SOURCE:

CBCP News

This was how the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) described the existence of vote-buying during elections, particularly at the local level.

In a report by GMA News’ Isay Reyes on GMA News TV’s State of the Nation on Wednesday night, PPCRV media director Ana de Villa-Singson even gave a sample scenario of one of the many forms of the illegal activity.

“What’s happening is sa gabi, may umiikot sa mga bahay, kumukuha ng mga signature and asking if they’re willing to sell their vote… but that happens in the dead of night kaya mahirap makakuha ng pruweba,” she said, adding that what happens is “very, very discreet.”

The SONA report showed an image of a sample ballot with money inserted in it that is allegedly being given by two candidates in Surigao del Norte. The report noted that the money offers range from P500 to P3,000.

The PPCRV said that since February, they have received various reports of vote-buying around the country.

The PPCRV also noted that vote-buying in the country has become “trickier,” according to a Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines article on Tuesday.

In the CBCP article, De Villa-Singson was quoted as saying that there that vote-buying is difficult to prove.

“It’s very hard. You do not know who they are. It’s very hard to find people who would testify (in court),” she said.

Likewise, De Villa-Singson was quoted in the article as expressing apprehensions over bigger and bigger targets of candidates who buy votes.

“It’s alarming for us because it’s getting rampant. The target units before were only families but now it’s per barangay. What’s next, provincial? Oh my gosh!” the CBCP article quoted her as saying.

The PPCRV has already scheduled to air its advocacy ads against vote-buying in time for the May 2013 elections on Monday.

It has also launched its Call-A-Lawyer program, in which one can ask for legal assistance to know what to do in case of witnessing election-related anomalies.

SOURCE:

GMA News Online