Peter Kavanagh has been a journalist for 25 years. He has written for the , and .
A Noble Debate over a Nobel Prize
Science and Religion collide a lot these days, though clearly the tension between what referred to, as the , has existed for centuries. When the collisions occur it is the result of conflicting values as well as on theological grounds. This was made abundantly clear this week with the awarding of the to one of the co-creators of. On the one hand seemed of a note, sheer excitement and congratulation. On the other hand, . The Church鱿鱼视频app clear stance on IVF and Robert Evans socialist politics to being behind what many expected to be a much earlier awarding of the prize.
Clearly the Church is not indifferent to the pain experienced by couples incapable of conception but as the made 鈥淎s Catholic doctors," we at FIAMC "recognize that pain that infertility brings to a couple, but equally we believe that the research and treatment methods needed to solve the problems of infertility have to be conducted within an ethical framework which respects the special dignity of the human embryo, which is no different from that of a mature adult with a brilliant mind."
None of this can be discussed without reference to the growing number of cases involving 鈥榤ix-ups鈥�, mistakes or possibly worse when it comes to the identity of the babies born of IVF. Recent are making news in Ottawa, and the problem is clearly not confined to individual doctors or to Canada and the are compounded by this growing list of 鈥榤istakes鈥�.
Nor as even the Indian newspaper are the problems as simple as any of can imagine, 鈥渢he widespread use of such methods has created new ethical issues. For example, 鈥榬ent-a-womb tourism' has become a thriving business in India, with wealthy couples from abroad paying poor women large sums of money to carry IVF embryos to full term.鈥�
As this report makes clear that Catholics are not alone in considering the Nobel winning tachnology to be a win win: 鈥淭he bewildering array of options due to the IVF revolution -- from the morality of making "designer babies" to exploitation of poor women as surrogate mothers -- has created much concern and many debates among secular ethicists as well.鈥�
, a noted American Bioethicist told the "In exploring the fundamental mechanisms of how human reproduction actually works, Edwards unleashed a social, ethical and cultural tsunami that he could not have predicted and I don't think anyone at the time could have anticipated. It opened so many doors that I'm not sure we even fully appreciate it today."
Veni Vidi Vici? Benedict in Britain
Every event needs a narrative, and this is oh so true of Pope Benedict XVI鱿鱼视频app just Prior to the trip, the buzz was about cost, security, protests and anger. During the trip, the buzz was about attendance at Papal masses, outings, ceremonies and the protests outside, inside and about. Now that the trip is done, the buzz centres on what he accomplished, how and whether the entire exercise was worth the effort? Or as Time Magazine put it,Notorious British M.P. George Galloway thinks he has it down and declares that the Pope鱿鱼视频app critics and much of the coverage were straight out of another time, when even being Catholic was a treasonous offence, . Dominic Lawson, writing in the Independent takes a different tack and places the credit with the Pope instead of the blame with the critics, noting, Lawson, a leading British journalist concluded his piece by observing 鈥淗umility is perhaps the most difficult of all the virtues; the smuggest among the Pope's secular critics could learn from his example.鈥� David Willey in a blog on the BBC site believes that the entire Vatican is heaving a sigh of relief at a trip well executed and euphoria over besting all expectations and even hopes in Paddy Agnew in the Irish Times concurs with Willey鱿鱼视频app sentiment noting, Publications as far away as New Zealand couldn鈥檛 help but share in the growing international consensus with a report entitled . Even Prime Minister David Cameron heaped praise on the Pontiff and his visit, noting that the Pope had Anne Applebaum writing in the Washington Post adds an interesting layer of reflection on Cameron鱿鱼视频app sentiment in a thoughtful piece which actually does a nice job putting much of the coverage into an interesting perspective.
Stand-offs, Echoes, Assertions: Benedict XVI, John F. Kennedy, Stephen Hawking
Arguably everything in the news the past few weeks has been about the key importance of tolerance and freedom, especially religious tolerance and freedom. Three different moments capture a sense of the forces at work.
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Benedict XVI鱿鱼视频app visit to the United Kingdom, which started on , provoked numerous reflections on the and it鱿鱼视频app deeper on the part of and throughout the world. In the first day alone, Benedict made clear that despite the criticism, he was intent on fighting back the tide of secularism and insisting on the need for religious liberty. , the Pope, as is his wont, delved into history for evidence of the evil that can flow from the desire to kill off God and Religion. He was referring to Nazism but it seemed to . But as is often the case, the reality of a Papal visit canand charm, though of course the .
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The Papal visit, and its attendant arguments about 鈥榚xtreme鈥� atheism and religious liberty comes in the same week as given by John F. Kennedy while running for President. It鱿鱼视频app difficult to imagine now, but in that campaign the idea that a Catholic might be President was the subject of bitter debate. And the young candidate traveled to a meeting of the Greater Houston Ministerial Association where he delivered a plea and forged an argument about religious tolerance, liberty and the distinctions between By the issue and made his Presidency possible. But while possibly creating the space for Catholics in politics, the long-term result may have been to render Catholic values in politics difficult, or so of Denver and with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
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Stephen Hawking creates the third corner of this triangle of tolerance and liberty. The physicist made news this month with the assertionsin the creation of the universe. This is a shift from his thinking as expressed in early works. Hawking used to believe the universe needed a prime mover but now believes the Universe came into existence on its own. The list of people unimpressed is extensive and includes a Jesuit , and The intriguing think about Hawking and the God issue is the ease with which much of the media assumed that if Hawking says so then it must be so. The reality is that an assertion by Hawking that God didn鈥檛 exist is still an assertion, not a fact, which takes us back to the ideas of religious freedoms, religious tolerance and the dangers of extreme atheism.
It's Not Quite Papal Fever But
In a little over a week, Pope Benedict XVI arrives in the United Kingdom on the first ever . John Paul II went in . Benedict鱿鱼视频app journey is promising, for better or worse, to be a much different event. Context is everything and this visit comes after a year of nasty accounts of clerical abuse in and as well as a flood on UK commentary on the role the Pope himself did or didn鈥檛 play in dealing with the abuse crisis then and now. Just this week it was announced that the Pope would .
Aside from the sexual abuse cloud over the visit, the most controversial aspect of the trip so far has been the question of cost. As a State Visit the and the Church is to cover its share of the costs. And while officials insist that no one will be denied access due to financial difficulties, the question of the cost and value of the trip just will not go away. Opinions on this are truly conflicted with some believing the Church should absorb all the costs while others denounce the Church for charging the faithful.
The visit, in the planning for most of this year has also provoked and appropriateness. And the result is thousands of news stories, opinion pieces and arguments. And while to the visit, no one is ignoring the visit. One of the true treats of British Journalism is that the favourably to the coverage of politics and sports. It鱿鱼视频app lively, witty and engaging, if at times unfair, biased and rude. Consider the the Pope is insisting that the main part of all masses during the visit will be conducted in Latin as example of the way British media deal with religious news.
There will be tension. The UK Catholic Church and the government are wrangling over 鈥�, which insists that Catholic Organizations adhere to non-discrimination laws when it comes to Gay and Lesbian employees. at every Papal stop, though there is a growing within the anti-papal forces about the. As well there is lingering angst and animosity over last year鱿鱼视频app Vatican outreach to troubled Anglicans. The , a highlight of the visit, is seen by some as rubbing , given that Newman spent the first half of his life as a prominent Anglican Thinker and the last half as a devout Catholic. Adding to these expected tensions are the plans of noted anti-Church forces led by Richard Dawkins and company and in particular to have the Pope arrested when he comes to British soil for crimes against humanity. In a strange twist of attention, of a visit sure to be marked by vitriol and celebration in equal measure.
Given Benedict鱿鱼视频app well known love of music, there鱿鱼视频app no surprise that one of Britain鱿鱼视频app leading that has choirs across the country trying to get up to speed. And news that , the YouTube sensation, as well as a current fave in Britain鱿鱼视频app Got Talent TV show, , are scheduled to sing at Papal Masses has created a real buzz. But perhaps the most intriguing news on the music front is the choice of based in London to provide the 鈥渙fficial youth anthem鈥� for the visit. .
And what鱿鱼视频app a State visit with out In addition to the usual run of plates, cups, glasses and so forth there are new the visit and the Newman Beatification. While the souvenirs seem relatively normal,and are calling for something a bit more out there. For even more details, check out the or link up with the
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The Tragedy of the Mosque
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It鱿鱼视频app truly an unfortunate coincidence and couldn鈥檛 come at a worse time. In just a week and a half America and the world will mark the and Muslims in America and the World will be marking the end of This would be an awkward coincidence at the best of times and has many that traditional celebrations marking the end of a month of fasting might be seen as a Being on edge makes sense simply because so many around the globe are asking what asks this week in its provocative cover story 鈥淚s America Islamaphobic?鈥� And what continues to drive the issue is the increasingly ugly argument over the so-called 鈥淎nd even though this is not strictly a Catholic Fight, Catholics are involved, enlisted and cited as examples for both sides. In a issued to mark the end of Ramadan, His Holiness obliquely touched on key tensions, some of which are on the boil throughout the United States. are big issues for the Church and other religious leaders and the confrontation with truly radical Islam is a tricky one, whether it is provoked by the , the , or simply the continuing comparisons made between the Mosque in lower Manhattan and the in Auschwitz which necessitated the intervention of John Paul II in 1993. One example of the use of the story to define the Mosque controversy is captured almost entirely in The Wall Street Journal story鱿鱼视频app headline:And for every time the Auschwitz example is used to demonstrate the wisdom of 鈥榙iscretion is the better part of valour鈥� then the irrational is offered as evidence of the need to fight anti-religious bigotry. As Commonweal notes, 鈥�. This is most vivid in a that resurrects the history of the building of Church in New Haven in 1879 and the accompanying bigotry at the time. The stark similarities to the language used today is breathtaking: Catholics were the Muslims of that era, at least as far as the New York Times was concerned. This is a complicated issue withbeing tossed around and you need a clear head to try and sort out and from what鱿鱼视频app . You know just how tricky the territory is when noted feels compelled to come who want to build the Mosque.
Mother Teresa Birthday Celebrations marred by controversy
It鱿鱼视频app bad enough that the controversy over the , New York has become a poster child for religious intolerance in the United States with reverberations around the world but there is a over the celebration of the of the birth of that is splitting Catholics. The Albanian Born Indian Sister who founded the Missionaries of Charity 60 years ago in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) was born on August 26th 1910. The Noble Prize winner has become for millions the model of self-sacrifice and charitable works. , of , writing in the National Post captures what he sees as her special qualities, the ones that moved her after her death in 1997.
There鱿鱼视频app a planned worldwide to mark the day, throughout India and around the world. But one suggested honour,in New York has provoked an ideological battle over what meaning should be taken from her life. On one side is Bill Donohue of the , who petitioned the Owners of the Empire State Building to join other prominent landmarks in New York City in lighting up in a birthday celebration. One the other side is a coalition of Catholic reform groups, led by , which is accusing Donohue of manufacturing a crisis.
There's a certain sadness to the whole affair. suggests theis 'extremist' and not representative of Catholics generally and, almost as if the birthday celebration is a mask for another type of argument entirely.
Meanwhile India is focusing on the including the publication of ahonouring the life and work of Mother Teresa. And for those who think there might be more to this story than temporary controversies, Sister Mary Prema, Mother Teresa's succesor has her on how we might remember her.
Strangers Everywhere
The news is filled with stories about immigration and 'strangers'. Making sense of immigration should be old hat to us by now, given the strength of the argument that . This is a national story with the unfolding events surrounding the arrival of another ship filled with . It is a Toronto story with the , a diocesan story with details of Archbishop Collins sponsoring a Iraqi Refugee Family , as reported by the Register's Michael Swan and an international story with from all sides. It is an issue that won't go away, nor should it. It raises fundamental issues of charity and justice and has been on the If we look with either horror, concern or confusion at the situation in Arizona, it is important to realize that the issue is heating up in Canada as well. And as notes, we shouldn't be too smug because the polls aren't painting a pretty picture of our attitudes or values. It's not a simple matter by any means, but it does require thinking through and possibly some . Without doubt politicians will be getting deeply involved in the issue this fall, which . As Catholic Bishops from America, Canada and Mexico have , we need to drill down deep as to causes, consequences and reactions to all parts of the immigration puzzle. And as Catholics, perhaps it's worthwhile to reflect as did recently on the history of Anti-Catholic immigration scares and the complicated issues raised.Ultimately this is a human story and offers an intriguing way to think about the human, economic and even cultural questions.
Is It just all about sex?
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The impact of ruling on , the California ban on Same Sex Marriage continues to, though with surpirsing questions from the heart of the matter San Francisco. On Monday there were two very provocative arguments by two very different types of Catholics. the openly gay, defiantly Catholic columnist at Atlantic and the keeper of the most popular blog in America, , riffs off of a column by , the former Atlantic Monthly editor and 'conservative' Catholic Op-Ed columnist with the New York Times. Douthat's on Monday is a defence of the ideal of the life long monogamous heterosexual marriage. It is nuanced, thoughtful and as Sullivan, in his, puts it 'Douthat at his most Catholic'. Both pieces are truly well worth reading and are stirring up .
Anne Rice's continues to roil , as you'll note on her own webpage. She includes all the commentary that comes her way, both supportive and dismissive. There is a quite reflective piece by Lily Burana in Magazine which tries to frame the argument in a slightly different way, asking whether disagreeing with others in the Church forces you out or keeps you in. Reflecting on Anne Rice leads to refelctions on Proposition * and vice versa.
And whenever Anne Rice or Same Sex marriage is being discussed you can win easy money by betting that the issue of sexual abuse is also going to arise. , former editor of the Catholic Herald in Britain, takes on the issue of clerical sexual abuse with athat examines the idea of media bias and news that doesn't make the front page: in this case yet of whether sex abuse is greater within the Church or outside it.
State Slams Up Against Church
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The news this week is squarely under the heading Faith in a Secular world.
In the United States, the latest on banning same sex marriages has cheering and Catholics experiencing a range of emotions. The U.S. Bishops were and . called for rethinking the definition of family and perhaps moving on. MercatorNet, out of Australia, published a with Ruth Institute founder Jennifer Morse on what she sees is the disconnect between the Court's ruling and the operating definition of family, while the National Catholic Register has a with William May, who led the Catholic Campaign on Proposition 8.
As to what happens next? Politicians are split, President Obama is , even though he is pleased with the decision on Proposition 8. And Republicans how to react but some that this is just the beginning of the return of 'social issues' to the political scene. The general public according to is tending to side with the ruling. One thing is clear, the and the legal arguments are far from finished.
Europe on the other hand is another country as they say.
The Economist magazine has a on the state of the Catholic Church in Europe today. It is a mix of the expected and the surprising and suggests that matters are not as dire as some predict. The on the other hand sees gloom and blames it all on a 30 year crusade on the part of Pope Benedict to recreate a conservative Catholic Church. Italy might actually be a true indicator or at least that is the argument of in a truly detailed and intriguing report on who goes to Church and why. All three pieces are provocative reading and raise important questions about the near and long term future of the Church in Europe.
The Continuing Controversy over Stem Cells
The on the part of the to move forward on research has provoked from the Ironically at the same time the announcement was being made there was suggesting that was proving significantly more promising than Embryonic. In the United Kingdom, being raised by Catholic Pro-Life groups is being directed at intensifying the Adult Stem Cell research. The Obama Administration move comes in the face of on the part of the U.S. Bishops.
Canadian Bishops Weigh in on Census Debate
The have called on the Harper Government to reverse its decision to cancel the . The Bishops argue that the information gathered in the 'long form census' helps in planning and 'meeting the needs of Canadians'. The has pre-occupied the scene for much of July. The Bishops have joined in with most and organizations as well as the majority ofin opposing the decision to scrap the mandatory long form census, which is normally distributed to about 20% of Canadian Households. The Conservatve government is standing by its decision and has the support of land some conservative.
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