Indian Colonialist humbug in Assam

Songbijit's (Sanghvijit's) faction of the Bodo Independence Movement of the Bodos, Assam's most significant Adivasi ethnic tribal groups, have been attacked by the Indian Colonial armed forces, allegedly guided by "Tea Plantation" workers descendants of tribals imported from Jharkhand, etc., and have retaliated with pogroms against these Tea Plantation imported tribes.

In response, there have been counter-attacks by these "Plantation Tribes" against Bodos.

Last year, and intermittently, Bodos have committed pogroms against Bengali Muslim settlers largely from Bangadesh who have increasingly demographically outnumbered the native Bodos in their own lands.

At that time, the Bodos were identified by the Media as now being predominantly Hindus. I looked that up and found that to be true — at the present, most Bodos have assimiliated informally from their Bodo Animism to Hinduism, a small minority retains pure & traditionalist Bodo Animism, an extremely tiny minority joined "Christian" sects.

The Bodo tribals, Aborigines of the Assam Valley, were Animists who had historically rejected Hinduization under the Thai-Ahom dynasty that founded modern Assam over the last 400 years, but have now, under Bengali Muslim colonizational pressure, largely assimiliated to Hinduism.

In the present conflict, they are falsely portrayed as "predominantly Christian" militants by the Lügenpresse / MSM, by the Assam CM Tarun Gogoi's & Modi's regimes. This is a lie.

Equally false, mischievous & malicious is the pretension that the tribes being pogromed by the Songbijit Bodos are "Adivasi" or "Aborigine" in Assam.

There is a story told of an Indian student (I believe probably Dhingra, Savarkar or one of their associates) in England during "British" rule being introduced as the "only native" in the room, to which he retorted, quite rightly, that he was the only non-native in the room!

The fighting in Assam, regardless of the ethnic identities and alleged causes of perpetrators & victims, is inexcusable; human beings must learn to live with each other, to accomodate each other witthin reasonable limits.

After its lying rethorics against the Songbijit Bodos, the Gogoi Regime now publicly admits that its intemperate, lying propaganda is backfiring, alienating all Bodos & galvanizing all Bodos to mobilize. No sane person wants a worsening of this quarrel.

People from all sides must walkback inflamatory talk & make peace. Enough of human beings killing humans.


Lúcío Mascarenhas

Christmas December 25, 2014

The twenty-fifth day of December, in the five thousand one hundred & ninety-ninth year of the creation of the world, from the time when God in the beginning created the heavens & the earth; the two thousand nine hundred & fifty-seventh year after the flood; the two thousand & fifteenth year from the birth of Abraham; the one thousand five hundred & tenth year from Moses, & the going forth of the people of Israel from Egypt; the one thousand & thirty-second year from David's being anointed king, Jesus Christ was born....

«And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send? and who shall go for us? And I said: Lo, here am I, send me. And he said: Go, and thou shalt say to this people: Hearing, hear, and understand not: and see the vision, and know it not. Blind the heart of this people, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes: lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted and I heal them» (Isaias vi, 8-10) «And you shall be hated by all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, he shall be saved» (Marc. xiii, 3; Matt. x, 22) «To whom shall I speak? and to whom shall I testify, that he may hear? behold, their ears are uncircumcised, and they cannot hear: behold the word of the Lord is become unto them a reproach: and and they will not receive it» (Jer. vi, 10) «Thus saith the Lord: Stand ye on the ways, and see and ask for the old paths which is the good way, and walk ye in it: and you shall find refreshment for your souls. And they said: we will not walk. And I appointed watchmen over you, saying: Hearken ye to the sound of the trumpet. And they said: We will not hearken» (Jer. vi, 16)   «You that are mindful of the Lord, hold not your peace» (Isaias lxii, 6) «Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel because He has visited and ransomed His people» —Luke i, 68   Here's wishing you a happy and pious Christmas, the Nativity of the one and only Lord and God, Jesus Christ, the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and of all the Holy Patriarchs and Prophets, God made Incarnate. 

  Christmas is a day that the Neo-Pagans, usurping the name of Christian, celebrate even as we, deprived unjustly and downtrodden, mourn against the blasphemies and sacrileges and against being robbed of the Eternal City of Rome, the new, Christian Jerusalem. 

  But Our Lord said: «Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted» (Matt. v, 4)

  «Go, my people, enter into thy chambers, shut thy doors upon thee, hide thyself a little for a moment, until the indignation pass away.  For behold the Lord will come out of his place, to visit the iniquity of the inhabitant of the earth against him: and the earth shall disclose her blood, and shall cover her slain no more» (Isaias xxvi, 20-21)    The Church is in Mourning, with the Public Buildings of the Holy Catholic Church in Rome occupied by Satan and his minions, verily in this day & time, Antipope "Francis" Jorge Bergoglio.

I have been in mourning since Sept 8,1993 when I realized the truth that the sect that pretends to be the Catholic Church isn't, but is the Whore of Babylon.... The true & orthodox Catholic Church, the immaculate Bride of Jesus Christ, has been in mourning since October 28, 1958 when the antipope Roncalli usurped the Vatican Basilica and founded Roman Protestantism....

Nevertheless, this time of Mourning is ordained by God as a cleansing and it shall also end, and the enemy shall be cast without and trod underfoot.

  «For behold the day shall come kindled as a furnace: and all the proud, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall set them on fire, saith the Lord of hosts, it shall not leave them root, nor branch.

  «But unto you that fear my name, the Sun of justice shall arise, and health in his wings: and you shall go forth, and shall leap like calves of the herd. 

  «And you shall tread down the wicked when they shall be ashes under the sole of your feet in the day that I do this, saith the Lord of hosts» (Malachias iv, 1-3)   We pray that this be done speedily - Good Christians are those who pray, with the holy Catherine Anne Emmerich, that the Church of Darkness speedily  leave the Holy & Eternal City of Rome.  Amen. 

  Until then, all days, including that of the Nativity of Our Lord, are Days of Mourning. 

  «It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to the house of feasting: for in that we are put in mind of the end of all, and the living thinketh what is to come. Anger is better than laughter: because by the sadness of the countenance the mind of the offender is corrected. The heart of the wise is where there is mourning, and the heart of fools where there is mirth» (Ecclesiastes vii, 3-5) «The Churches shall lament with a great lamentation, for there shall be offered no more oblation, nor incense, nor worship acceptable to God. The sacred buildings of the churches shall be as brothels; and the precious body and blood of Christ shall not be manifest in those days; the Liturgy shall be extinct; the chanting of psalms shall cease; the reading of Holy Scripture shall be heard no more. But there shall be upon men darkness, and mourning upon mourning, and woe upon woe. Then, the Church shall be scattered, driven into the wilderness, and shall be for a time, as it was in the beginning, invisible, hidden in catacombs, in dens, in mountains, in lurking-places; for a time it shall be swept, as it were, from the face of the earth» (Prophesy of St Hippolytus, as cited by Henry Cardinal Manning in "The Present Crisis of the Holy See, p. 44, 1861).   «The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me: he hath sent me to preach to the meek, to heal the contrite of heart, and to preach a release to the captives, and deliverance to them that are shut up. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God: to comfort all that mourn: To appoint to the mourners of Sion, and to give them a crown for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, a garment of praise for the spirit of grief: and they shall be called in it the mighty ones of justice, the planting of the Lord to glorify him. And they shall build the places that have been waste from of old, and shall raise up ancient ruins, and shall repair the desolate cities, that were destroyed for generation and generation» (Isaias lxi, 1-4)   «All we like sheep have gone astray, every one hath turned aside into his own way» (Isaias liii, 6) «May God console you! What saddens you... is the fact that others (the Arian apostates) have occupied the churches by violence, while during this time you are on the outside. It is a fact that they have the premises, but you have the Apostolic Faith. They can occupy our churches, but they are outside the true Faith. You remain outside the places of worship, but the faith dwells within you. Let us consider: What is more important, the place or the Faith? The true Faith — obviously! Who has lost and who has won in the struggle — the one who keeps the buildings or the one who keeps the Faith? The true Faith, obviously! That therefore the ordinances which have been preserved in the churches from old time until now may not be lost in our days.... Rouse yourselves, brethren... seeing them now seized upon by aliens.... True, the premises are good when the Apostolic Faith is preached there; they are holy if everything takes place there in a holy way. You are the ones who are happy; you who remain within the Church by your Faith, who hold firmly to the foundations of the Faith which has come down to you from Apostolic Tradition. And if an execrable jealousy has tried to shake it on a number of occasions, it has not succeeded. They are the ones who have broken away from it in the present crisis. No one, ever, will prevail against your Faith, beloved brothers. And we believe that God will give us our churches back some day. Thus, the more violently they try to occupy the places of worship, the more they separate themselves from the Church. They claim that they represent the Church; but in reality, they are the ones who are expelling themselves from it and going astray.... Even if Catholics faithful to Tradition are reduced to a handful, they are the ones who are the true Church of Jesus Christ» — Saint Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria, Apud. Caillau and Guillou, Coll. Selecta Ss. Eccl. Patrum, vol. 32, pp. 411-412 Let us turn back then, following no more our own foolish attitudes and notions, but let us rally around the Shepherd of the Lord, the Holy Father, Pope Michael I (VaticanInExile.com)

  «Non participentur sancta, donec exsurgat pontifex in ostensionem et veritatem» («They shall not have part in the holy things, till a Pontiff shall arise who shall show them truth») (Offertory, Mass for the Election of a Pope).    «Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bosra, this beautiful one in his robe, walking in the greatness of his strength. I, that speak justice, and am a defender to save. Why then is thy apparel red, and thy garments like theirs that tread in the winepress? I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the Gentiles there is not a man with me: I have trampled on them in my indignation, and have trodden them down in my wrath, and their blood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my apparel. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, the year of my redemption is come. I looked about, and there was none to help: I sought, and there was none to give aid: and my own arm hath saved for me, and my indignation itself hath helped me.

  «And I have trodden down the people in my wrath, and have made them drunk in my indignation, and have brought down their strength to the earth. I will remember the tender mercies of the Lord, the praise of the Lord for all the things that the Lord hath bestowed upon us, and for the multitude of his good things to the house of Israel, which he hath given them according to his kindness, and according to the multitude of his mercies. And he said: Surely they are my people, children that will not deny: so he became their saviour. In all their affliction he was not troubled, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love, and in his mercy he redeemed them, and he carried them and lifted them up all the days of old. But they provoked to wrath, and afflicted the spirit of his Holy One: and he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

  «And he remembered the days of old of Moses, and of his people: Where is he that brought them up out of the sea, with the shepherds of his flock? where is he that put in the midst of them the spirit of his Holy One? He that brought out Moses by the right hand, by the arm of his majesty: that divided the waters before them, to make himself an everlasting name. He that led them out through the deep, as a horse in the wilderness that stumbleth not. As a beast that goeth down in the field, the spirit of the Lord was their leader: so didst thou lead thy people to make thyself a glorious name. Look down from heaven, and behold from thy holy habitation and the place of thy glory: where is thy zeal, and thy strength, the multitude of thy bowels, and of thy mercies? they have held back themselves from me.

  «For thou art our father, and Abraham hath not known us, and Israel hath been ignorant of us: thou, O Lord, art our father, our redeemer, from everlasting is thy name. Why hast thou made us to err, O Lord, from thy ways: why hast thou hardened our heart, that we should not fear thee? return for the sake of thy servants, the tribes of thy inheritance. They have possessed thy holy people as nothing: our enemies have trodden down thy sanctuary. We are become as in the beginning, when thou didst not rule over us, and when we were not called by thy name» (Isaias lxiii) Blessings,


  Lucio Mascarenhas, Baçaim (O Corte de Norte)
VaticanInExile.com

GOEMCHO SAIB 2014

St. Francis Xavier: "All the prayers (invocations) of the pagans are hateful to God because all their gods are devils."

"The gods of the pagans are devils" - Psalm xcv, 5

"What the pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice unto devils, and not to God" - 1 Cor. x, 20 THE "VATICAN II" ANTICHURCH, ROMAN LUTHERANISM, IN GOA HAS ANOUNCED an Exposition of the Relics, once incorruptible, of St. Francis Xavier, "Goemcho Saib," in Goa this year, 2014.

See http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2014/11/24/millions-of-pilgrims-visit-goa-for-st-francis-xavier-exposition/

This sect likes to pretend that they can harmonize their diabolic, apostate beliefs with the life & teachings of this great Catholic Saint.

As a matter of fact, Goemcho Saib was a staunch, radical Catholic whose works & teachings are totally against the beliefs of Roman Protestantism.

Such, for example, was his hatred of Paganisms, and of their idolatries, himself violently destroying their shrines & idols, and fiercely commanding it from his disciples, including young children (See 2nd section below).

It is for this same reason that believing & knowledgable Hindus, Buddhists, Mahomettans and other pagans and heathens, violently hate him, violently vilify him.

Goemcho Saib, Catholicism, Portugal's territory of Goa (under illegal occupation by Hindu India since successive invasions 1954 & 1961), the Holy Inquisition at Goa, etc., are all subject of vicious lies, anti-Catholic slanders or "Black legends," such as the cute pretensions, made by interested parties e.g. Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Nestorians, Monophysites, etc., that the vast majority of conversions made by Goemcho Saib and others under the auspices of Portugal were by force or by deceit, etc.

For example, this page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Hinduism states «During the Portuguese rule in Goa, thousands of Hindus were coerced into accepting Christianity by passing laws that made it difficult to practice their faith, harassing them under false pretences or petty complaints and giving favourable status to converts and mestiços in terms of laws and jobs. It is alleged that during the Goa Inquisition, thousands of Goan Hindus were massacred by Portuguese rulers, starting in the year 1560. The inquisition was proposed by St. Francis Xavier.» Other examples of Anti-Catholicism & Anti-Xaverianism are:

http://bharatabharati.wordpress.com/2012/12/04/st-francis-xavier-a-pirate-in-priests-clothing-sita-ram-goel/

http://krishnaj.blogspot.com

http://hindujagruti.org/news/13112.html

http://hinduwisdom.info/European_Imperialism22.htm

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FcpsCXWOW1Q

http://bharatabharati.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/mangalore-christian-group-objects-to-the-exposition-of-st-francis-xaviers-remains-in-goa-indiafacts/

http://ajitvadakayil.blogspot.com/2010/12/portuguese-inquisition-in-goa-and.html

GOENCHO SAIB'S WAY

"These children, I trust heartily, by the grace of God, will be much better than their fathers. They show an ardent love for the Divine law, and an extraordinary zeal for learning our holy religion and imparting it to others. Their hatred for idolatry is marvelous. They get into feuds with the heathen about it, and whenever their own parents practice it, they reproach them and come off to tell me at once. Whenever I hear of any act of idolatrous worship, I go to the place with a large band of these children, who very soon load the devil with a greater amount of insult and abuse than he has lately received of honor and worship from their parents, relations, and acquaintances. The children run at the idols, upset them, dash them down, break them to pieces, spit on them, trample on them, kick them about, and in short heap on them every possible outrage" - St. Francis Xavier, Letter of 1543 ( http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1543xavier1.html)

"When I have finished baptizing the people, I order them to destroy the huts in which they keep their idols; and I have them break the statues of their idols into tiny pieces, since they are now Christians. I could never come to an end describing to you the great consolation which fills my soul when I see idols being destroyed by the hands of those who had been idolaters" - St. Francis Xavier

"Following the Baptisms, the new Christians return to their homes and come back with their wives and families to be in their turn also prepared for Baptism. After all have been baptized, I order that everywhere the temples of the false gods be pulled down and idols broken. I know not how to describe in words the joy I feel before the spectacle of pulling down and destroying the idols by the very people who formerly worshiped them" - St. Francis Xavier

"I order everywhere the temples pulled down and all idols broken.  I know not how to describe in words the joy I feel before the spectacle of pulling down and destroying the idols" - St. Francis Xavier

"When the boys informed him that some had made an idol, he went with them and had it broken into a thousand pieces. If in spite of all his advice someone persisted in making idols, he would have them punished by the Patingatis (Parava headsman) by exile.... One day when he heard that idols had been worshiped in the house of a Christian, he ordered the hut to be burnt down as a warning to others" (Silva Rego Vol. I, page 158)

On May 16, 1545, Xavier requested the King of Portugal to establish the Inquisition in Goa: "The second necessity for the Christians is that Your Majesty establish the Holy Inquisition in Goa because there are many who live according to the Jewish Law and according to the Mohammedan Sect, without any fear of God or shame of the World. And since there are many Hindus who are spread all over the fortresses, there is the need of the Holy Inquisition, and of many preachers. Your Majesty should provide such necessary things for your loyal and faithful subjects in the Indies."

Michael Davies In India

While researching into the Congress for the Promotion of Satanism scheduled to end tomorrow [Nov. 2, 2005] at the Pune Seminary, I stumbled upon an interesting document. While I do not esteem Michael Davies, I found his interesting account of his 1984 visit to India and the Diabolopolis at Bangalore called the National Biblical, Catechetical and Liturgical Center: http://www.sspx.ca/Angelus/1984_October/This_That.htm.

I would stronly recommend reading this for information, but with the usual disclaimer as to source.


Lúcio Mascarenhas
lucio.mascarenhas [at] gmail.com

Paganizing The Mexican Church

IntroiboAdAltare [at] aol.com has sent me this picture from http://www.shrineofsaintjude.net and which shows "John-Paul II" undergoing an "exorcism" according to Aztec pagan rites at the hands of a pagan Aztec woman.

There are other pictures:








The webpage of the Cordi-Mariae priests where these pictures also appear, is also interesting: http://catholic.shrineofsaintjude.net/homec082.html

More Spiritual Fornication

'Christians Must Be Rooted In Local Culture'

[Times of India, November 1, 2005.]

'Becoming genuinely Christian and Indian is the goal of the movement for the Indianisation of the Roman Catholic Church. Theologians such as Kurien Kunnumpuram S.J. (74) are at the head of this movement at Pune's famed Papal Seminary and the Jnanadeepa Vidyapeeth, formerly the Pontifical Athenaeum. Kurien spoke to Abhay Vaidya about the state of this movement in India.'

A.V.: What exactly is the movement for the Indianisation of the Catholic Church?
K.K.: This movement is not an organized single movement but a variety of movements. It was started in different places by different people. For instance, in the 16th century, Robert de Nobili, a Jesuit, took to Indian dress, learnt Sanskrit and did much more. In Kerala, another German priest started this kind of a movement and in 1937, the Protestants spoke of Indian Christian theology. After Vatican II there has been a little more encouragement fr this movement in the official church where we use the word inculturation. That is, Christians must be rooted in the culture of their place. This word is strongly endorsed officially by Vatican II. It means, get nourishment from the soil where you are planted.

A.V.: How is the Indianisation of the church being achieved?
K.K.: Starting with worship, we have said that we will use Indian languages, signs and symbols, aarti, bhajans.... The whole area of worship is becoming more and more Indian. Second, many of us are taking to the study of Indian spirituality. Third is the area of Indian Christian theology. We want to express the Christian faith in the Indian way, rooted in the Indian experience.

A.V.: To what extent has the Vatican supported or opposed this movement?
K.K.: In principle, the Vatican supports it. As I said, officially Vatican II has adopted it and such experiments in the history of the church have been done in many parts of the world. For instance, in early centuries, there was an Egyptian church which was different from other churches. Later, we had a Chinese Christian church. The Vatican is sometimes afraid whether the core christian beliefs will be preserved. Therefore, they have some hesitation. But that is in practice. In theory, they cannot oppose this movement.

A.V.: What about the masses? Are they accepting these changes?
K.K.: To some extent, the older people are used to old ways and therefore there is a certain amount of resistance. On the other hand, when you use regional languages for liturgy, they are happy because they can understand and participate more actively. But the bulk of the poeple are for it.

A.V.: What is the ideal that you are striving for?
K.K.: What we are saying is, very simply, that we have to be genuinely Christian and truly Indian. this is our goal. Becoming a Christian should not alienate me from my roots and culture, which is Indian. We are an Indian national religion. END

---

"Christians & Hindus Host Iftar"

[A Press Trust of .India report in the Bombay Mirror, supplement to the Times of India. Bombay. November 1, 2005]

Porayar: In a notable example of inter-religious harmony, Hindus and Christians on Sunday jointly hosted an iftar (breaking the fast party) for Muslims in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu. Normally, during the Muslim month of Ramzan, Muslims host iftar parties in which people of other religions too take part.

In Nagapattinam, for the fifth year in succession, Hindus and Christians jointly hosted an iftar party in the premises of St. Peter's Church near Porayar. A large number of Hindus, Muslims and Christians participated.

Church authorities and the Nagapattinam Chamber of Comerce had sponsored the party. Jeevandam, member of the state legislature for Nagai, presided.

St. Peter's Church pastor Richard, hereditary trustee of the Nagai Nellukadai Mariamman Hindu Temple Thiagarajan, Muslim Jamath president Jaffer Ali, Nagai Superintendent of Police Abdul Rauf and Nagai Chamber of Commerce president Shanmugam were among those present. END.

Without Comments

Ceylon News: Buddhists Seek To Ratchet Persecution of Christians

Although Buddhists are themeselves anti-Christians, and therefore do not need instigation to persecute Christians where they (Buddhists) dominate politically, it remains a fact that the Hindu "Sangh Parivar" has been fanning across the globe instigating various groups, sects and cults, such as the Buddhist communities worldwide, to persecute Christians where possible. This is yet another of the same. The following message was forwarded to me by a person who received it from Lefebvrists who received it from Protestants.

Some 20 years or so back, Sinhala Buddhist imperialism and colonialism against the homelands of other ethnic native peoples of the island and poggroms directed against these communities in the capital catalyzed the Tamil War of Independence, bravely carried out even till now by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam against the might of Sinhala terrorism aided and abetted by India and the U.S.A. With all the powers behind it, Ceylon, determined to commit state-suicide, will assuredly be torn asunder by its aggravations!

See also this page: http://www.tamilcanadian.com/pageview.php?ID=3509.1

— Lúcio]

From: David and Jasmine Trask
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 11:19:21 -0700
Subject: Urgent Prayer Request for Sri Lanka — more info.

Please pray for Sri Lanka. If this Anti-Conversion Bill is placed in effect, the Catholics will be greatly persecuted.

Please note: Some Catholic churches have already been torched in this country.

There is a traditional Catholic community (SSPX) in Sri Lanka; please pray for them especially that they may have the courage to persevere in defending the true Catholic Faith.

The source of the article below: http://www.win1040.com/currentprayer/a0000547.cfm

The link to the draft of the actual Anti-Conversion bill: http://persecution.net/news/srilanka_law.html

Buddhists Push "Anti-Conversion" Bills Before November Presidential Elections

WIN Emergency Prayer Alert

Christians worldwide are needed to intercede for Sri Lanka after more than 1,000 Buddhist monks recently staged a protest in the predominantly Buddhist country, asking that anti-conversion legislation be put back on the parliamentary agenda before presidential elections scheduled for Thursday, November 17.

Two anti-conversion bills — one proposed by the Buddhist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU or National Heritage Party) — were presented to parliament earlier this year, but were put on hold, Compass Direct reported.

The JHU bill called for prison sentences of up to five years and/or a stiff fine for anyone found guilty of converting others "by force or by allurement or by any fraudulent means." It also encouraged members of the public to report cases of suspected forced conversion.

Monks from the JHU played a key role in the September 20 protest march and rally in Colombo, the nation's capital. However, the JHU has now dropped its demands for presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapakse, currently prime minister of Sri Lanka, to push the anti-conversion agenda forward before the elections.

The JHU signed a deal with Rajapakse earlier this month promising electoral support in return for a more aggressive approach to negotiations with the LTTE, a rebel group that has fought for an independent Tamil homeland since 1983.

JHU leader Athuraliye Rathna Thero told the daily "Colombo Page" that his party had "decided to withdraw its [anti-conversion bill], as the threat of conversion to other religions will not exist when Prime Minister Rajapakse becomes president."

Rajapakse traveled to Kandy, the Buddhist capital of Sri Lanka, to sign the deal outside the Temple of the Tooth, an important religious landmark. He knelt down before JHU chief monk Ellawala Medananda to formally accept his copy of the agreement, before entering the temple with Medananda to observe Buddhist religious rites.

In July, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom expressed concern about growing religious intolerance in Sri Lanka, Compass reported. The commission claimed the JHU bill would "fall short of international standards with regard to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief."

The commission urged the Sri Lankan government to refrain from passing laws that were "inconsistent with international standards." In response, the JHU sent a letter to U.S. Ambassador Jeffry Lunstead in early August, condemning the United States' stand on the anti-conversion bill.

The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka recorded more than 170 attacks on Christian individuals or institutions between January 2003 and January 2005. In many of these incidents, Buddhist monks were present and played a leading role.

The violence has continued this year. Most recently, a Foursquare Gospel church in Horana, located in the Kalutara district, was ordered to close after a Buddhist mob threatened worshipers at Sunday services on July 31 and August 7. The police accepted that the church had a constitutional right to meet together but ordered the meetings to stop, as they had supposedly provoked a "disturbance of the peace." Church members were ordered not to meet for worship in any other location.

In July, a Roman Catholic church in Patunagama was attacked during the night and set on fire. A second Catholic church in Pulasthigama was torched in broad daylight on July 16. Unidentified extremists also planted explosives outside the Christian Family Church in Kayankerny, located in the Batticaloa district, in the early hours of July 7, causing severe damage to the newly-built church, Compass reported.

Christians constitute about 8 percent of this prominently Buddhist country's 19.7 million people, 70 percent of whom are Buddhists. According to Operation World, with Christianity growing by more than 11 percent a year, Christians have come under increased persecution. END.

More Indian Hypocrisy & Anti-Christian Bias

Friends,

Please share and publicize these incidents, which graphically demonstrate the hypocrisy and systemic anti-Christian bias of the Indian State, to your abilities and as you see fit.

The news article on Rajasthan quotes the lumpen “home minister” as portraying the incidents at Kota in February 2005 as a clash; as a matter of fact, what occurred was a series of terrorist attacks against a Protestant mission and against its personnel and guests, staged not only by the ruling Hindu fascists, but abetted by officers of state. I have altered the text to reflect reality.

Regards,


Lúcio

---

“Christian’s Meet In Goa Not Allowed”

Asian Age, Oct. 29, 2005. Page 4.

[The R.S.S. is the ideological organization of the Hindu fascist federation called the “Sangh Parivar”. See also this news report in a local Goan daily: http://oheraldo.in/comment/reply/5815 — Lúcio]

Panaji: Under orders from a Sub-Divisional Magistrate, the police disallowed a three-day Christian evangelical meet from taking place in a North Goa village, reports our correspondent.

Hindu activist groups, led by prominent R.S.S. members from the nearby Mapuca town, had threatened to disrupt the meeting, alleging that conversions were expected to take place. Protest groups held small meetings outside a temple near the meeting venue prior to its inauguration. END.

x x x

“Kerala Government Turns To Vaastu Shastra”

Asian Age, Oct. 29, 2005. Page 4.

[Vaastu Shastra and Feng Shui are the respective Hindu and Chinese superstitions regulating the orientation of things and structures. The Indian Constitution includes provisions that citizens must cultivate a “rationalistic attitude” and outlaws superstitions, a provision that, to the best of my knowledge has never been enforced — Lúcio]

Trivandrum: The Government of Kerala state is now hoping that the ancient Indian building science, Vaastu, will work wonders for all its troubles. Vaastu experts, who had suggested modifications to the Vidhan Soudha (State Legislature) complex in Bangalore to help the Karnataka Government, have apparently been called in to have a look at the imposing Kerala Legislative Assembly complex. They will also study the design and construction of the state INC Party headquarters. (I.A.N.S.) END.

x x x

“BJP To Bring Law Against Conversion”

Asian Age, Oct. 30, 2005. Page 2.

[Since the last two years or so, since the Hindu fascist Bharatiya Janata Party won the elections in Rajasthan province, India, and formed the government, Hindu fascist youth, particularly the Bajrang Dal, have, time and again, attacked Christians and Christian organizations without provocation. There has been no Christian attack against Hindus. I have re-edited the text of the news report. See also these links:
http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/24/stories/2005022406240500.htm
http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/21/stories/2005022109030500.htm
http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2207/stories/20050408001104000.htm
http://across.co.nz/5000Graduate.html
http://www.aiccindia.org/news/emmanuel_mission_attack.htm
http://www.persecution.net/news/india50.html
— Lúcio]

Jaipur: In order to curb the growing tension between Hindu organizations and Christian missions in the tribal areas of Rajasthan, the B.J.P. government has decided to enact an Anti-Conversion Law as early as possible. The Minister for Home, Gulabchand Kataria made a statement to this effect to senior R.S.S. functionaries who had organized a camp to convert tribal children to Hinduism.

Addressing the three-day cam, Kataria said that the new law will deal with an iron hand if anyone was found engaged in “forceful conversion”.

“The new law is aimed to stop any conversion to Christianity on the basis of bribery or compulsion,” he assured the Sangh Parivar. The issue of anti-conversion legislation came in context of the Bajrang Dal’s attack on the Emmanuel Mission’s personnel in the city of Kota in February 2005.

The camp was organized by Vidya Bharati, a Sangh Parivar constituent, dedicated to converting tribals to Hinduism. There were over eight thousand girls and boys from tribal areas collected at the camp. END.

Vindication of Pope Honorius I

Friends,

I found, on Mario Derksen’s site, this document by Jean Andre Perlant, which excites me because it provides a fuller and better vindication of Pope Honorius I than I had… and also because it records an early statement on the Indefectibility of the Particular Church of Rome which was last formally reiterated by the Vatican Council, 1870.

The document is to be found here: http://www.eclipseofthechurch.com/HonoriusCalumny.htm

The usual disclaimer as to source applies.

Regards,


Lúcio
lucio.mascarenhas [at] gmail.com

Thought For The Day

"An error which is not resisted is approved; a truth which is not defended is suppressed... He who does not oppose an evident crime is open to suspicion of secret complicity." — Pope Felix III

Indian Supreme Court Permits States Relax Loudspeaker Ban

More proof of hypocrisy at High levels in the Bharatiya establishment. "Don't mix religion into this issue", except when it comes to exempting Hindu festivals. Muslims and Christians can go to the dogs!

[Under 58 years of pagan rule, Christians already have gone to the dogs!]

Regards,


Lúcio
[No webpage was found for this article]

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Times News Network. Times of India, Bombay, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2005. Page 15.

New Delhi: Festivals like Navratri and Ganesh Chaturthi will be fun once again. Toning down its own order imposing a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. ban on the use of loudspeakers in public places, the Supreme Court on Friday upheld the constitutional validity of a provision of the Noise Pollution (Control & Regulation) Rules to allow state governments to permit the use of sound amplifiers for two hours till midnight for 15 days in a year.

However, this doesn’t mean a free run for Diwali revelers as the relaxation will not be applicable to the court’s July 18 order banning the use of sound-emitting fire crackers after 10 p.m.

The order followed a spate of applications by many parites, including the governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat, seeking relaxation of the absolute ban during Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri respectively.

While Maharashtra did not get the relief and went through the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations quietly, Gujarat witnessed a full-scale Garba during Navratri as it got the assent of the Supreme Court to relax the use of loudspeakers till midnight by citing rules allowing states to relax the ban for a limited period.

Upholding the validity of the provisions of the Statutory Rules giving such power to the States, a bench comprising Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti and Justice Ashok Bhan said that States must strictly adhere to the two-hour relaxation period and that too, only for a maximum of 15 days in a year.

In addition, the relaxation period has to be notified by the States concerned in advance. “Any attempt to enlarge the period and hour of relaxation for use of loudspeakers may run counter to the Supreme Court’s rulings,” the bench warned.

It had said that loudspeakers and high-volume amplifiers could be used only in case of public emergencies. The court had invoked Article 21 of the Constitution guaranteeing Right to Life and said that the right to life included the right to live peacefully.

When applications wer filed seeking relaxation of the ban on the use of loudspeakers in the morning hours, as it clashed with the Muslim Azaan (morning call to prayer), a visibly upset Chief Justice had asked the applicants not to mix religion into such issues. END

Feast of Christ the King

Friends,

This is to remind you that tomorrow, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2005, is the last Sunday of October, and is the Feast of Christ the King.

Please observe the day accordingly.

Regards,


Lúcio
lucio.mascarenhas [at] gmail.com

Further Proofs of Satanism

These pages should prove, beyond doubt, to the believing Christian, the extent of apostasy that is prevalent in what purports to tbe Catholic Church...

The two principal pages are those of the "DIM-MID" or "Dialogue Interreligieux Monastique - Monastic Interreligious Dialogue", and the other of its U.S. section, monasticdialog.com

God help us!


Lúcio

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http://www.monasticdialog.com
http://www.dimmid.org

Christopher Bamford on sacred hospitality.

Sr. GilChrist Lavigne reflects on the first meeting of the Nordic Commission, held on June 16-17, 2004.

Becoming a Zen Teacher by Kevin Hunt.

Towards Deepening Hindu-Christian Maitri: The Meaning of Interreligious Dialogue by Mgr. Felix Machado

Ewert Cousins, right, with his wife Janet Cousins on the way he first became involved in interreligious dialogue.

After Petersham: A Journey in Search of Jain Nuns by Mary L. O'Hara.

Griselda Cos' recollections of the Parliament of the World's Religions

Thomas Ryan's recollections of the Parliament of the World's Religions

Response to Dominus Jesus | William Skudlarek on Sesshins in Japan

Brother Ed Dailey on Interreligious Dialogue

Sister Mary Margaret Funk, O.S.B. interviews Patrick Henry, Ph.D.

Radical Openness: Toward a Christian Spirituality of Interreligious Dialogue in Depth

Alas! The Kingdom of Satan is truly amongst us!!


Lúcio

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By Gregory Perron, OSB

Br. Gregory, a member of the Monasstic Interreligious Dialogue Board, gave the following presentation to his own monastic community, St. Procopius Abbey in Lisle, Illinois, on January 23, 2004. Slightly revised for publication here, it provides a lucid and concise overview of what pioneers like Bede Griffiths, Thomas Merton, and Raimon Panikkar said about the practice of intrareligious and interreligious dialogue. Br. Gregory chose as an epigraph for his presentation the following passage from Raimon Panikkar.

We must distinguish between interreligious dialogue and intrareligious dialogue. The first confronts already-established religions and deals with questions of doctrine and discipline. Intrareligious dialogue is something else. It does not begin with doctrine, theology and diplomacy. It is intra, which means that if I do not discover in myself the terrain where the Hindu, the Muslim, the Jew and the atheist may have a place—in my heart, in my intelligence, in my life—I will never be able to enter into a genuine dialogue with him.

As long as I do not open my heart and do not see that the other is not an other but a part of myself who enlarges and completes me, I will not arrive at dialogue. If I embrace you, then I understand you. All this is a way of saying that real intrareligious dialogue begins in myself, and that it is more an exchange of religious experiences than of doctrines. If one does not start out from this foundation, no religious dialogue is possible; it is just idle chatter.

Introduction

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue is presently developing a document on the spirituality of dialogue. This document will be called “A Christian Spirituality of Interreligious Dialogue,” and it will attempt to clarify the Church’s “profound motivations” for engaging in interfaith dialogue and “to encourage its practice.”2 In so doing, it will undoubtedly seek to address some of the many fruitful demands that this dialogue makes upon those who enter into it at the level of theological discourse and religious experience. What I would like to do in this paper is basically anticipate the PCID’s forthcoming document by (a) briefly sketching some of the constitutive theological underpinnings of any Christian spirituality of dialogue, and (b) reflecting at greater length on the actual religious experience of interreligious dialogue so as to better understand the kinds of demands that this practice makes on a person at this level.

Read further...

Update on Paganization

“DIM/MID" represents the French & English abbreviations for "Monastic InterFaith Dialogue". The website is http://www.dimmid.org

The “Commission” that Ms. Colin speaks of is the facilitative organ of the “Benedictine Interfaith Dialogue”.

Regards,

Lúcio

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Indian Questions

by Sr Bruno-Marie Colin osb

View source.

On the invitation of Sr Iona Misquitta, I had the pleasure of taking part in the assembly of the Federation of Indian and Sri Lankan Superiors and also in the annual meeting of the contact persons of Benedictine Interfaith Dialogue (BID). Sr Iona is the person responsible for BID, the Indian and Sri Lankan equivalent of the European DIM/MID. These meetings were held in the Sylvestrine Monastery of Mount Fano in Kandy, Sri Lanka, February 13-16, 2002.

Sr Iona’s intention was to enable me to get to know the Indian Commission and, in a lightning visit of 10 days, the Benedictine communities and their situation. In sending me, Fr Pierre de Béthune, the General Secretary of DIM/MID, wanted to strengthen the bonds between the Commissions of the two continents and to stimulate the interfaith engagement of the Benedictines. For my part, I wished to respond as best as I could to all these expectations (to be Roman with the Romans!), even if the prospect of making a journey like this on my own was somewhat disquieting.

The International Bulletin will doubtless give an account of the BID meeting, so it is my impressions of this first contact with South India (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala) that I would like to offer in order to express my thanks. I really put myself into living this adventure in depth, by day and by night (3 nights out of 7 were spent on trains), but all that I can say is bound to be very superficial.

There was no time to keep a journal and this experience was so dense that an interval was needed before impressions could settle, some things be forgotten and the main points stand out. Therefore will those who know these countries kindly forgive my naive and external approach to an India that is far more mysterious and profound. May this account give them a pretext to return in heart and mind to this captivating continent!

The first thing I discovered was how extremely varied Benedictine life is. From the very beginning questions arose. When Benedictines meet, what do they say? “What congregation are you from? Are you active or contemplative?” Since, as a nun, I do not travel widely in Europe and, moreover, come from Belgium, a small country, these were new questions for me. To be able to reply that I came from a monastery affiliated with the same congregation as Asirvanam brought a smile of recognition.

In Western Europe monasteries resemble one another, but this does not mean monotony, since each country has its own style. In India, however, I found myself faced with a great diversity of families: there were Sylvestrine, Vallombrosian, Camaldolese and Benedictine monks (the latter from the Congregation of the Annunciation), Benedictine and Camaldolese nuns, sisters of St Lioba, of our Lady of Grace and Compassion, and of the Missionary Benedictines of Tutzing. Each family has its own style of foundation: there are important cenobitic communities (Mount Fano, Asirvanam, Shanti-Nilayam), semi-anachoretic foundations of men and women (Shantivanam), convents engaged in helping people (Grace and Compassion), and monastic houses (St Lioba).

While each of these communities has kept some features that came from its founding house, each has also succeeded in becoming engaged in a multiplicity of undertakings well adapted to local circumstances: missions, parishes, spiritual centres, schools, student hostels, crèches, hospitals, homes for the elderly, farms, animal husbandry, arts and crafts …

As a gyrovague going from cell to cell (10 monasteries in a week!) I found four communities that seem to illustrate the needs of the country and the expectations of its people. I would like to say something about each of them.

Shantivanam – Saccidanânda Ashram, Tamil Nadu.

With its hermitages scattered in the forest, its church, its fine mediation area, Shantivanam is still the Christian ashram desired by Jules Monchanin, Henri Le Saux and Bede Griffiths. But – sign of the times – the Camaldolese have just opened a new novitiate built on the European model. Many Westerners frequent the guest house and appreciate finding there a centre of Christian meditation with traditional Indian characteristics. I cannot forget the happy moment when Sr. Marie-Louis and Sr Sarananda, nuns of the neighbouring women’s community, and I called to mind the three founders, each of us having our own preference.

Shanti-Nilayam Abbey, Bangalore, Karnataka.

This is Sr Iona’s community, numerous and impressive when singing Office, with young and less young Sisters seated on the ground facing the altar. Some wore kavis, wishing to indicate their deeply Indian roots, while the majority used white habits to show their desire to be recognized as Catholic nuns. As soon as you entered the door, it was impossible not to think of the founding abbey, St Cecilia’s Abbey, Ryde, England, and its concern for a strictly contemplative life.

Sevasadan Hostel, St Benedict’s Convent, Cochin, Kerala.

This small, fraternal community, which is so welcoming, is responsible for a hostel for girls coming from all religious confessions. Here I had the pleasure of finding again the spontaneity, simplicity of life and sound training of the Sisters of St Lioba (Freiburg).

Grace and Compassion Priory, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu.

The Sisters of this young, dynamic community, who generously respond to the needs of the local people, gave me the joy of a profoundly “Indian” day. The time was divided for the first part into a circumambulation (by jeep!) of Arunchala, the mountain so dear to Dom Le Saux, recollection in a temple of Shiva, one of the great sanctuaries of India, and meditation at the Ramana Maharshi Ashram. The second part was spent visiting the various forms of service undertaken by the community: a hospital, a technical school and workshops, a crèche, and a farm. Three sisters who are deeply committed to their Benedictine life accompanied me that day and shared their discovery of the riches of the Ramana Maharshi spirituality.

Meeting these communities, which are well grounded in the local culture but careful to keep traces of Western Benedictine tradition, led me to ask some questions I scarcely dare formulate: Does every tradition keep an unchangeable nucleus derived from the culture from which it sprang? Is there any desire for the inculturation of Christian monasticism into the Indian cultural tradition? What is inculturation? Is the desire for monastic inculturation a projection of our Western exoticism that would be met by another form of exoticism, that of Indian wishing to preserve the Western origins of Christian monasticism? Is concern for praying in a common language a sufficient explanation for the general use of English in liturgical worship? In Sri Lanka, the Buddhists have decided not to speak it.

The signs of omnipresent prayer bear witness to the Indian’s profoundly religious life and are a call to love in the presence of God. The prayer of monks, morning prayers in the family, the muezzin’s call, puja before the village temple, candles offered to Mary by Christians and Muslims mingling together, the incessant flow of people in the Hindu and Jain temples, a basilica full of Christians, a chapel of the Blessed Sacrament open for adoration 24 hours a day, men and women profoundly absorbed in prayer, Westerners meditating in ashrams – all this speaks clearly. In confining the faith to a private universe, in passing it through the sieve of rationality, in banishing the external signs of religion, have we not amputated a vital dimension of our “humanity”?

At the Superiors’ meeting, an encounter of the faiths in an atmosphere of esteem and tolerance for the cause of peace formed the background to the official contributions. The Bishop of Kandy, Mgr Joseph Vianney Fernando, recalled that dialogue is not an option but the way to live the spirit of the Gospel. Fr Abbot Primate Notker Wolf invited us to see monastic stability as an opportunity to develop inter-faith engagement. A Sri Lankan Buddhist patriarch with spiritual authority over 5000 monks spoke of his conviction that Buddhist and Christian monks could work together by following their own traditions without being in competition with one another. Finally the Indian High Commissioner called for the authenticity of each faith to be lived to the full. He saw this as a positive factor in co-existence. All this urged BID towards a dynamic engagement with other faiths.

Following the important meetings at Bangalore and Makkiyad, the BID Commission has fully taken shape. An office has been set up to ensure follow-up. A contact-person has been designated in each monastery. A number of monks have personal friendly relations with representatives of other traditions. Some communities engage in inter-faith hospitality and meetings. Others, who are more reserved, contribute a positive approach to other religions by seeking information.

The chief part of the meeting also fell into the category of information. The theme “Love, Compassion, Forgiveness” was explored by Buddhist representatives in the presence of Christian monks whose questions revealed their concern for comprehension in depth. On the other hand, none of the Buddhist speakers attended the various responses to the theme made by the Christian participants. The absence of the Buddhists was caused by difficulties with the timetable, the need to take classes or observance of the monastic fast.

Sant’Anselmo’s request to Sr Iona about the possibility of organising a course of inter-faith lectures in the Bangalore area will certainly be a powerful stimulus to the Indian Commission.

I cannot fail to mention the prodigious hospitality of these countries. Fr Anselm of Mount Fano made himself entirely available and was concerned to introduce me to the life of the Sylvestrines, the beauty of Sri Lanka, its mountains, forests, rivers, lakes and palm groves, the high places of Theravada Buddhism (the Temple of the Tooth, the grottoes of Alu Vihara where the Tripitakas were first copied), and Dambulla.

Sr Iona also wanted me to get to know the Benedictine communities of South India and the realities of life there – quite a challenge for one week! She succeeded by drawing up an itinerary, appealing to the contact-persons in the communities that welcomed me, and leaving a little margin for the unforeseen to Providence. This was an excellent means for discovering the hospitality of the monasteries and also the unbelievable welcome afforded by the families and friends of the monks. There were shared meals in towns and country, and lodging where one was woken by the sound of the raga. All gave of their best. Twice people made train journeys of over 20 hours in order to accompany me from one place to the next. “If you are asked to go a mile….”

Indian Supreme Court Upholds Cow Slaughter Ban

Ah, and I was being taught in school the lie that India is, by constitution, a secular, socialist republic!

And now we have it certified — by no less "august" an "authority" than the Indian Supreme Court — that Hinduism is the State Religion of India!

The Big Question: How soon before it is upheld as "Constitutional" that all citizens and residents of India must publicly worship the Cow?

Let me out of this suspense!


Lúcio

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Press Trust of India, Oct. 26, 2005, 13:27 IST. Page Source.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the 1994 Gujarat government order banning slaughter of bulls and bullocks over the age of 16 years.

A seven-judge constitutional bench headed by Chief Justice R C Lahoti set aside the judgement of the 1998 Gujarat High Court which termed it as unconstitutional.

The High Court had held that the government order imposed unreasonable restrictions on the Fundamental Rights of some petitioners who were involved in the trade.

The apex court upheld the constitutional validity of the Gujarat government order in a six to one verdict.

The matter, which was heard by a five-judge bench earlier, had been referred to a seven-judge bench for the interpretation of provisions of the constitution, specially with regard to status of directive principles viz a viz Fundamental Rights as well as the effect of introduction of article 31(C) and 51(A).

Meanwhile Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi termed the SC verdict as significant and said it would have an "impact on national life".

"Our Constitution provides for cow protection. Mahatma Gandhi also used to advocate it. But unfortunately it (ban on cow slaughter) was not done due to vote bank politics. The Gujarat Goverment had banned it and we are victorious today," Modi said.

He said the verdict was very significant for those who love the cow and believe in non-violence and it would have a major impact on our national life.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad also termed the apex court verdict as heartening for Hindus throughout the world.

"Cow and its progeny are the backbone of our economic, social and religious development," Parishad senior Vice-President Acharya Giriraj Kishore said.

He demanded that the centre and state governments immediately ban cow slaughter "as provided in the Constitution and as desired by the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi."

How to be a Muslim 101? Thomas More Law Center cites double standard

[San Francisco, Oct. 18, 2005, Catholic News Agency.]

The Ann Arbor, Michigan based Thomas More Law Center is challenging a California public school district which they say indoctrinated impressionable middle-schoolers in the Muslim faith.

The group said that during a three-week project, the 12-year old students were "placed into Islamic city groups, took Islamic names, [and] wore identification tags that displayed their new Islamic name" along side of the Star and Crescent Moon — the symbol of Muslims.

In addition, they were given materials which instructed them to "Remember Allah always so that you may prosper."

The students also completed "the Islamic Five Pillars of Faith, including fasting, and memorized and recited the ‘Bismillah’ or ‘In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate,’ which students also wrote on banners that were hung on the classroom walls."

San Francisco’s Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will begin hearing Eklund vs. Byron Union School District tomorrow.

A San Francisco federal judge had previously ruled that the school district did not violate the constitution, but according to Richard Thompson, Chief Counsel of the Law Center, "There is a double-standard at play in this case. If the students had done similar activities in a class on Christianity, a constitutional violation would surely have been found."

He said that, "If the public school’s practice is upheld on appeal, all public schools should begin teaching classes on Christianity in the same manner as the Islam class was taught in this case."

Added Edward L. White III, trial counsel with the Law Center: "Rather than teach students about Islam, which is constitutional, the public school crossed the constitutional line and began indoctrinating students."

"The public school", he said, "placed students into the position of being trainees in Islam, which is impermissible in a public school."

Irish Wrath Falls On Bishop Who Wants To Redesign Cathedral

By Tom Peterkin in Cobh, Ireland, Oct. 19, 2005, in The Telegraph.

A Roman Catholic bishop has caused uproar in Ireland over his plans to redesign a neo-Gothic cathedral built by one of the most celebrated ecclesiastical architects.

Bishop John Magee, a close friend of Pope John Paul II, has been granted planning permission to rip up an historic mosaic floor and dismantle a 100ft marble altar rail in St Colman's Cathedral, Cobh.

The alterations are part of his plan to extensively remodel the sanctuary, nave and transepts of the cathedral designed by Edward W Pugin, a man regarded as one of the most important Victorian architects of the Gothic revival.

Dr Magee, the Bishop of Cloyne and the former secretary to the previous pope, believes the changes are necessary to bring the style of worship in the cathedral into line with Vatican II guidelines that modernised Mass by ending the use of Latin and bringing the priest closer to the congregation.

Dr Magee wants to strip out 20 pews to extend the sanctuary into the body of the cathedral and lower it to the same level by removing three steps. He also wants to bring the bishop's chair and altar forward.

The move requires the removal of large portions of the mosaic floor laid by Ludwig Oppenheimer, of Manchester, who worked on the Co Cork cathedral built between 1867 and 1919.

The delicate mosaics depict religious symbols as well as the harp, signifying St Colman's sixth-century role as the Bard of Munster.

Bishop Magee would also like to redesign the adjacent marble-floored chapel built by Pugin and his partner George Ashlin for the lying in state of a bishop. He wants to transform the chapel into an ordinary mortuary for lay people.

Breaking up the altar rail will deprive people of the place where they have knelt to take communion for almost 100 years.

Although Cobh town council has approved the proposal, the decision has met with a huge number of objections and is now the subject of a legal challenge from the Irish government.

The Department of Heritage has lodged an appeal with An Bord Pleanala, Ireland's planning appeal board, arguing that moving the mosaics is in breach of architectural guidelines.

The state versus Church row has also been fuelled by objections from the Irish Georgian Society and the Friends of St Colman's Cathedral, who have collected the signatures of 24,124 people in the diocese.

"These are drastic changes in this type of church," said Terry Pender, of the Friends of St Colman's. "This is a church where every stone, every carving was done with a particular reason in mind."

Donough Cahill, of the Irish Georgian Society, said: "The cathedral, and specifically its chancel and sanctuary, are an intact masterwork of high Victorian Gothic Revival design and craftsmanship.

"The alterations proposed would greatly undermine the character and integrity of these works and would diminish a major heritage asset for generations to come."

Objectors have cited a letter written by the current Pope in the 1990s referring to the renovation of Carlow Cathedral, Co Carlow, to bring it into line with Vatican II.

When he was Cardinal Ratzinger he said such changes were not mandatory.

Inspired by the great French medieval cathedrals, it is one of the finest examples of the work of Edward Welby Pugin, the architect who designed more than 100 Roman Catholic churches in the British Isles.

Dr Magee was unavailable for comment. But Father Jim Killeen, the diocese spokesman, said: "We are of the opinion that to facilitate the full activity of the people in the liturgy, the structure should lend to the experience of the community celebrating together.

"What we have at the moment is a significant spatial separation between the priest and all the people in the church."

No more "Christ" with a capital C in the Netherlands

Brussels, Oct. 19, 2005, Catholic News Agency — According to a new grammar rule in the Netherlands and Belgium, the name "Christ" will soon be written with a lower-case "c", as stipulated by an orthography reform published last Friday.

According to the Kath.net agency, the new spelling rules also will stipulate that the Dutch word for "jews" (joden) be spelled with a capital "J" when referring to nationality and with a lower-case "j" when referring to the religion. The changes will be mandatory starting in August 2006.

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Comment

From now on, let's call those accursed countries, the Netherworlds.


Lúcio
lucio.mascarenhas [at] gmail.com