Zapatero, a tus zapatos!

Global warming

Global warming threats exaggerated, says Cardinal Pell

Claims of 'doomsdayers' and scientific evidence don't match, Pell says

(From Sodality-Run Catholic News Agency)

Sydney, Feb 19, 2007 / 01:36 pm (CNA).- Cardinal George Pell is calling for caution regarding exaggerated claims of severe global warming and says he’s “deeply skeptical about man-made catastrophic global warming, but still open to further evidence.”

In his weekly Sunday Telegraph column, the cardinal-archbishop of Sydney said people have been “subjected to a lot of nonsense about climate disasters as some zealots have been painting extreme scenarios to frighten us.”

He called those who make claims about ice caps melting and ocean levels rising spectacularly “doomsdayers” and “scaremongers.”

He also called to account journalists who have called for Nuremberg-style trials for global warming skeptics and who have compared skeptics with “Holocaust deniers.” The media during the last 100 years, he also noted, has flip-flopped between promoting fears of a coming Ice Age and fears of global warming.

“What we were seeing from the doomsdayers was an induced dose of mild hysteria, semi-religious if you like, but dangerously close to superstition,” he said. “I would be surprised if industrial pollution, and carbon emissions, had no ill effect at all. But enough is enough.”

The cardinal acknowledged that enormous climate changes have occurred in world history, such as the Ice Ages and Noah’s flood. Long and terrible droughts are not infrequent in Australian history either, he pointed out.

He cited some scientific evidence to try to make sense of it and noted that the evidence on warming is, in fact, mixed.

He noted that:
• Global warming has been increasing constantly since 1975 at the rate of less than one-fifth of a degree centigrade per decade.
• The concentration of carbon dioxide increased surface temperatures more in winter than in summer and especially in mid and high latitudes over land, while there was a global cooling of the stratosphere.
• The East Anglia University climate research unit found that global temperatures did not increase between 1998 and 2005.
• A recent NASA satellite found that the Southern Hemisphere has not warmed in the past 25 years.

“The science is more complicated than the propaganda!” he concluded.

To Laugh or to Cry?

Taken from the Catholic News Agency (Sodality Run News Agency)

The title is absolutely shameless, and the celebration of this statistic itself is intra-Church political back-patting at its best. Bolded text is added emphasis.

Spain even more generous than Latin America: 800 Spanish missionary priests

Madrid, Feb 14, 2007 / 11:31 am (CNA).- According to the Spanish bishops’ Committee on Missions and Cooperation Between Churches, a total of 800 Spanish diocesan priests are currently on mission in Latin America, with most in Peru (127), the United States (88), Venezuela (82) and Brazil (74).

In a message to mark the Spanish America Day on March 4, the president of the committee, Bishop Ramon del Hoyo of Jaen said, “Rather than a decrease in the Spanish Church’s missionary concern for the work of evangelization in Latin America,” the Spanish dioceses “have always been willing to cooperate.”

He explained that the theme for Spanish America Day this year is related to the theme chosen for the 5th Conference of the Latin American Bishops’ Council (CELAM), which will take place in May in Aparecida, Brazil, and will focus especially on the missions.

“For historical reasons related to culture and to language, the missionary spirit of the Spanish Church has always focused on the sister churches” of Latin America in a special way, “Bishop del Hoyo stressed.

In a letter sent to the Bishops’ Conference of Spain, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, encouraged the Spanish Church to “live true evangelical boldness” at a time in which Latin America “needs her religiosity to be awakened and nourished with decisiveness more than ever.”

The cardinal also thanked Catholics in Spain for their pastoral concern for Latin America “during more than 500 years of evangelization” and he called on them to “continue in this great missionary commitment” in these “extensive regions where the spiritual and earthly needs are so great.”

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Spain's Catholics had pastoral concern over the past 500 years?

Opiniones del articulo en Caretas 1960: 'Ayaviri: hostias con Aj­i'

Trifulca Eclesiástica

Ayaviri, Puno, 28 de enero del 2007

Respecto a ‘Ayaviri: Hostias con Ají’ de CARETAS 1960, negamos abusos hacia algún sacerdote de esta prelatura. Todas nuestras acciones se han realizado con espíritu de caridad y dentro de las facultades y deberes que las normas del Código de Derecho Canónico dan al Obispo. Las actitudes individuales de sacerdotes y agentes pastorales, escudándose en supuestas incomprensiones, han hecho olvidar que para la Iglesia ambos son colaboradores del trabajo evangelizador. Nos extraña que el reportaje de Samuel Ashcallay, sesgado por recoger versiones críticas a la labor del Obispo en Ayavirí, haya ignorado el testimonio de sacerdotes y feligreses entusiasmados con el nuevo dinamismo pastoral.
En relación al Templo de Macusani, Prisco Lino Navarro, quien promovió su cierre esgrimiendo calumnias contra el párroco y las hermanas de la Asociación Lumen Dei, fue obligado el día 25 de enero, en un cabildo abierto con presencia de la población, la alcaldesa y la fiscal del distrito, a entregar las llaves de la Iglesia y a retractarse. Así el templo fue abierto y se realizó un acto de desagravio al padre Gustavo Mordones.
Héctor Cruz Mercado
Canciller de la Prelatura de Ayaviri

Los cambios en una prelatura son potestad del obispo, pero existen maneras más cristianas de ejecutarlas. Cuando el obispo Kay Schmalhausen expulsó el padre Francisco Fritsch de la prelatura de Ayaviri, 15 sacerdotes, 5 religiosas y 11 responsables de la pastoral social le pidieron por escrito que reconsidere su decisión. Durante dos semanas CARETAS intentó entrevistar al obispo Schmalhausen pero éste sólo respondió preguntas por teléfono y sin entrar en la materia. El templo de Macusani fue tomado por unas 130 personas protestando contra el padre Gustavo Mordones. Días después fue abierta por los propios pobladores y no por obligación. El vicepresidente del consejo parroquial, Prisco Lino, niega que le pidieran retractarse y el acto de desagravio al sacerdote Mordones.

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Lima, 30 de enero del 2007

El artículo sobre las Iglesias del sur no le hace favor a la objetividad periodística. El autor de la nota ha generalizado la queja de un par de sacerdotes y algunas cartas. El reportaje sugiere que todo lo que hacen los obispos es abusivo. Si lo que se pretendía era cuestionar a los monseñores Kay Schmalhausen y José María Ortega, el asunto les salió al revés. Los Obispos del Perú, a través de un comunicado, han expresado su apoyo al trabajo que se viene realizando en las respectivas iglesias de Ayaviri y Juli.
Carlos Bisso
DNI 07882714

CARETAS entrevistó a 4 sacerdotes del sur andino y recibió la opinión de otros 17 a través de dos cartas, además de la declaración de 2 religiosas y 11 laicos que trabajan en esta región. Todos coincidieron en señalar abusos por parte de los obispos de Ayaviri y Juli. El padre Francisco Fritsch, expulsado de Ayaviri, ha recibido unas 300 cartas de solidaridad de sacerdotes, religiosas y laicos vinculados a la labor de la Iglesia. El escueto comunicado de los obispos no desmiente el reportaje. Sorprende que los prelados respalden despidos –sin dar explicaciones– a religiosos que trabajaron más de tres décadas en esta región durante la época del terrorismo. O que no objeten la discriminación de un seminarista por ser jorobado.

Intolerancia Clerical

Obispo de Juli: cuando hay defectos es mejor no ordenarse de sacerdote.

Lima, 29 de enero de 2007

Respecto a ‘Capilla Ardiente de CARETAS 1960, el obispo José María Ortega no tiene reparo en decir que expulsó a un seminarista por ser jorobado. Debería saber que el padre Gustavo Gutiérrez también tiene una limitación física que no le ha impedido llegar a ser el sacerdote más ilustre del Perú. Este acto lo pinta como lo que es: un intolerante que discrimina.
Héctor Velásquez Chafloque
DNI 06994867

Esa es la confesión más franca y menos religiosa que ha publicado CARETAS. El Obispo merece ser despeñado por el propio Cuasimodo.

The Dangers of Rewriting History and the New Evangelization

The Sodality-run news agency "Catholic News Agency" had produced this article recently, which is a disturbing rewriting of the realities of the Americas.

Christians Called to Fearlessly Evangelize Culture, says Archbishop Gomez

“From their earliest settlement, these lands were Catholic, Christian. And these lands were, from the start, immigrant lands, meeting places of cultures,” he said. “Long before America had a name, the Gospel was being preached in these lands and the Holy Mass was being celebrated. Jesus Christ was here first -- in Word and sacrament -- changing lives and destinies, sowing the seeds of a civilization of love.”


Archbishop Gomez is an Opus Dei member, whose consecration was witnessed by Archbishop Chaput of Denver.