Weekly News (Fourth Week of July 2011)

1. Pope: Every Problem Has Same Root

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, JULY 29, 2011 (Zenit.org).- There is a poverty at the root of every serious human problem, says Benedict XVI, and that poverty is the lack of love. [Read More]

2. CBCP Launches Website for World Youth Day

MANILA, July 30, 2011―The Filipino youth who are unable to participate personally in forthcoming World Youth Day celebrations in Madrid will have the opportunity to join the youth day celebrations in a virtual manner. [Read More]

3. Vatican Official: Norway Killings Were an Offense Against God

Vatican City, Jul 29, 2011 / 06:37 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The president of the Pontifical Council for New Evangelization says the recent shootings in Norway, whose perpetrator claimed to be defending historically Christian countries against Islam, had nothing to do with God and authentic Christian faith. [Read More]

4. Mexican Archbishop Calls for Greater Modesty at Mass

Mexico City, Mexico, Jul 26, 2011 / 06:03 pm (CNA).- The Archbishop of Leon, Mexico is calling on Catholics to dress modestly at Mass. [Read More]

5. Ex-Gay Greg Quinlan Defends Marcus Bachmann’s Right to Counsel Unhappy Homosexuals [Read More]

6. Young People Take Pro-Life Message to UN Youth Event

New York, NY — (C-FAM/LifeNews) The enthusiastic voices of pro-life youth from around the world dominated the events of this week’s High Level Meeting on Youth at the United Nations, drawing the attention of UN bureaucrats and delegates alike. [Read More]

7. Mexican Bishop Under Vatican Investigation for Supporting Homosexualist Organization

SALTILLO, Mexico, July 29, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Raul Vera, the Catholic bishop of Saltillo, Mexico, is under investigation by the Vatican over his sponsorship of an organization that condones sodomy, according to Mexican press sources. [Read More]

8. Abortionist Admits: Babies Sometimes Born Alive and Left ‘Wiggling Around in The Toilet’

ORLANDO, Florida, July 26, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In disturbing testimony during court proceedings against a well-known Florida abortionist, a fellow abortionist reportedly admitted that some aborted children are delivered alive and left “wiggling around in the toilet,” where they are allowed to die. [Read More]

9. World Trade Center Cross Continues to Be 'Sign of Consolation and Comfort' — and Hope

NEW YORK (EWTN News/CNA) — The World Trade Center cross is still a “sign of comfort” to many people, says the Franciscan priest who describes himself as its “unofficial guardian.” [Read More]

10. Documentary Gives Pornography a Human Face

ROME, JULY 29, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The "digital age" generation flocking to Madrid for World Youth Day in a couple week's time will be made aware of one of the darker sides of digital culture: the flourishing business of Internet pornography. [Read More]

Retorno Retreat - An Encounter with God

Come one, come all. Couples, priests, religious and others are invited.


What is Retorno Retreat?

RETORNO is a road sign in Spanish-speaking countries that cautions travelers to stop and change their direction on the road. The Retorno Retreat is a time for married couples to assess their journey together, which is to reflect to the world God's Love and Unity. This retreat is to achieve a unique encounter with each Person of the Blessed Trinity to become more conscious of God's presence within them and to gain awareness of the beautiful qualities of the Three Person upon whose likeness they are created.

For more information:
Website: www.philretorno.org
E-mail: retorno@kairocenter.com

Contact:
Roy & Malee Sanbuenaventura 630-2651, (0918) 9302060/(0928) 2117436
Emy & Esther Tagunicar (0917) 8978888/(0920) 9207647
Fr. Richard Antonio (077) 772381, (0919) 2809068
Fr. Teo Lopez Jr., MJ (0916) 6496396


"Amen I say to you. If two of you agree on Earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst of them." - Matthew 18: 16-17

Retrouvaille - A Lifeline for Hurting Marriages

Are you having problems in your marriage? Retrouvaille, the healing program for hurting couples, can help you.


What is Retrouvaille?

RETROUVAILLE (re-tro-vi), a French word meaning "rediscovery", is a program designed to help troubled couples overcome the stumbling blocks in their failing relationship, so they can address the breakdown of communication and the erosion of love. The program helps couples develop listening skills and sensitivity to the spouse's need, and strengthen the couples' will to love again unconditionally by respecting, accepting and trusting each other.

For more information:
Website: www.retrouvaille.org
E-mail: retrouvaille.antipolo2010@gmail.com, retromla90@gmail.com
Fax: (632) 532-1474

Contact:
Fe & Manny (0918) 9187670
Raymond & Zeny (951-4990
Merit & Bernie (0917) 7950682
Nes & Inday 938-9719, (0916) 4438346
Dan & Noemi (0916) 5954642
Mar & Armi (0918) 3833247
Tessie 800-5255, (0917) 5388970

Weekly News (Third Week of July 2011)

1. Documents Reveal Pius XII Saved 11,000 Roman Jews

ROME, JULY 22, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The direct action of Pope Pius XII saved the lives of more than 11,000 Jews in Rome during the Second World War, according to documentation recently discovered by historians. [Read More]

2. Church Launches 'Anti-RH With a Smile' Campaign

MANILA, July 22, 2011—The Catholic hierarchy has found a new weapon to fight away the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill – smile. [Read More]

3. Vatican Official Exhorts Catholics To Set Aside Sundays For God and Rest

Rome, Italy, Jul 19, 2011 / 01:48 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Sunday should be a day for worship, rest and time with family and friends, said Monsignor Miquel Delgado Galindo, under secretary for the Pontifical Council for the Laity. [Read More]

4. Pro-Marriage New Yorkers to Rally

New Yorkers who want the chance to vote on protecting traditional marriage are planning a march for their cause on Sunday, the same day local clerks will begin issuing licenses for same-gender "marriage," which will be legal in New York. [Read More]

5. LISTEN: AFTAH Interview with Ex-Transsexual Walt Heyer – Part One [Read More]

6. Population Control Activists Upset David Beckham Has 4th Child

British population-control fanatics and radical environmentalists are once again showing their irrationality and true totalitarian colors by using the birth of a fourth child to English football star David Beckham and his wife to climb on their over-population soapboxes. [Read More]

7. Obama Endorses Bill to Recognize 'Gay Marriage' on Federal Level

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 21, 2011 - President Obama has warmly endorsed new legislation to establish national recognition of homosexual “marriage,” which lawmakers considered in a Senate committee hearing yesterday. [Read More]

8. EU Economic Crisis Stems Directly From Low Birth Rate: Head of Vatican Bank

VATICAN CITY, July 21, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Europe’s ongoing economic crisis is due to more far-reaching problems than credit and massive national debt, said the head of the Vatican bank. The “true origin of the current economic crisis” is Europe’s aging population and low birth rate, according to Ettore Gotti Tedeschi. [Read More]

9. Harry Potter Expert Criticizes Vatican Newspaper’s Glowing Review of Deathly Hallows 2

VATICAN CITY, July 18, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) — “The positive review of the latest Harry Potter film in L’Osservatore Romano is symptomatic of serious problems in the condition of many modern Catholics,” Michael D. O’Brien, author of “Harry Potter and the Paganization of Culture,” told LifeSiteNews last week. [Read More]

10. Why The Irish Government Attacks The Catholic Church

Any Catholic American who lived through the Long Lent of 2002 can sympathize with the beleaguered Catholics of Ireland today. Especially for someone like myself—a native Bostonian, who saw the sex-abuse scandal erupt from a ground-zero perspective—the scenes that are playing out now in Dublin look depressingly familiar. [Read More]

Worldwide Marriage Encounter

Attention married couples!


What is Worldwide Marriage Encounter?

The Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) Weekend program is designed to give couples the opportunity to spend a weekend together. It is a positive and personal experience which offers a married couple a technique of loving communication.

For more information:
E-mail: eatag@yahoo.com, r.sangalang@bonheur.com.ph
Website: www.wwme-phils.com

Contact:
Mel & Rey (0917) 5259890
Gerry & Mila (0918) 9002213
Emy & Esther (0917) 8978888
Ken & Eunice (0918) 9446326
Rando & Vivien (0917) 5966478
Ruben & Amy (0917) 8528478
Fr. Opet Guiritan (0917) 8329325
Msgr. Rollie Castillo (0917) 5051387
Lowell & Ludy (0920) 2663403
Greg Lyne (0915) 9876092
Mon & Liding (0917) 9033842 (Lipa)
Fr. Vic Velasco (0910) 8142777

Husbands in Love + Wives in Love = Families in Love.

Catholic Engaged Encounter

Calling all engaged couples out there! Get to know your future spouse in a deeper way before tying the knot through this enriching marriage preparation program especially designed for you.


What is Catholic Engaged Encounter?

The CATHOLIC ENGAGED ENCOUNTER (CEE) is a weekend program that gives couples preparing for marriage the opportunity to examine their lives together through communication... a time to share their feelings, hopes, disappointments, joys, frustrations...and to do so openly and honestly in a face to face, heart to heart setting designed to deepen and enrich their relationship with each other and with God. This is a time for couples to focus on their couple relationship away from the distractions and tensions of everyday life.

For more information:
E-mail: ceephilippines@gmail.com

Contact:
Bernadette & Robbie Fabian 722-2315, 0920-9618840
Cory & Dado Hipolito 8207352, 8100222
Anna & Ike Madamba 7296568, 0917-5221440
Malou & Galo Reyes (for NFP) 439-3365, 0920-2086249
Elisha & Vinchy Lirios 721-4153, 0917-5206312
Chin & Lorna 0917-8811151, 0917-8225431
Fr. John Morota 0917-8819054


"A wedding is a day, a marriage is a lifetime."

Weekly News (Second Week of July 2011)

1. New York Prelate: There's Something Left to Say on Marriage

Archbishop Dolan Offers 7-Point Response to Same-Sex Legislation

NEW YORK, JULY 13, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Archbishop Timothy Dolan is responding to his state's legalization of same-sex "marriage" with a message to the homosexual community: "I am honored that so many of you are at home within our Catholic family, where, like the rest of us, we try, with the help of God's grace and mercy, to conform our lives to Jesus and his message." [Read More]

2. Attack on The Bishops Backfires

MANILA, July 14, 2011—Seven bishops from the country’s poorest dioceses told the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Wednesday the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) had given them vehicles to service the poor, the sick, the dying, and displaced victims of conflict and calamities, but these were old, second-hand pickup trucks, and not luxurious Pajeros, as alleged by the new PCSO head Margarita Juico and her media allies who had maliciously labeled them “the Pajero bishops.” [Read More]

3. California LGBT Curriculum is ‘Indoctrination,’ Critic Says

07:39 am | SACRAMENTO, CALIF., Jul 16, 2011 (CNA/EWTN News).- The California governor has signed into law a bill that will not simply require a “gay history” curriculum. It requires a form of “indoctrination” that will label Christianity as being intolerant and bigoted, one critic says. [Read More]

4. Pastors: Homosexuality Not a Sin

A group of Omaha pastors has issued a proclamation that states homosexuality is not a sin. [Read More]

5. UNFPA Launches Misleading Campaign Against “Overpopulation”

New York, NY (CFAM/LifeNews) –Messaging tied to a major new UN campaign reveals that the catastrophic fears common among population experts in the past 40 years regarding overpopulation and global population growth never came to pass and are now obsolete given new global population realities. [Read More]

6. Marriage Going Out of Fashion in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - Marriage is losing its luster for many in the Philippines, with an increasing number of couples starting families out of wedlock, the government census office said on Friday. [Read More]

7. Reality TV Polygamists Sue For Right to Lifestyle Choice - Gay Media Repudiates

SALT LAKE CITY, July 15, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The polygamous stars of a TLC reality TV series are planning to challenge Utah’s law against bigamy, arguing that it is a violation of their right to a lifestyle choice consistent with their religious beliefs. [Read More]

8. I Am An Ex-Gay, and I Support Michele Bachmann and Her Husband

July 14, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Why have gay activists instigated media attention over ex-gays and the husband of Presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann? [Read More]

9. Gay "Marriage" is About Power, Not Love [Read More]

10. Dion's Spiritual Journey for Truth

Dion DiMucci considers himself a “ferocious” Catholic and proclaims that “the truth will set you free.” That is why he chose Dion the Wanderer Talks Truth: Stories, Humor and Music for the title of his recently published autobiography, which discusses many details about his life, including his music. [Read More]

HIV Testing Centers in the Philippines

HIV cases are on the rise especially among the MSM sector (men having sex with men) and that is really not surprising at all considering the fact that anal sex carries the highest risk in transmitting HIV.

Do you know your HIV status? I know it is so scary but you have no other means to know if you have the virus or not. I myself got tested sometime in 2010 in Pasay City. There is pretest counseling and posttest counseling. A doctor will talk to you first to gather some personal information and assess your risk factors and personal knowledge about HIV/AIDS prior to the test. Please be honest about this. After this is the scariest part which is the actual testing itself. A nurse will facilitate this, after which you will have to wait 15 to 30 minutes. This is the moment of truth.

After you get the results, you will undergo a posttest counseling. If you are negative, the doctor will advise you on ways to lessen your risk of exposure by practicing abstinence, fidelity to your spouse, and condoms. I have an issue with her last two suggestions. Fidelity to your partner only applies to married heterosexual couple and I do not agree that condoms can protect you 100%, which leaves you with abstinence as the only surest way of keeping HIV at bay. By the way, my result came back negative. If you are positive, she can refer you to institutions and support groups for people with HIV.




Below is a list of testing centers where you can avail of their free services:

LUZON

Angeles Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Lucielle Ayuyao - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: 1-20 Cristina Drive, Villa Teresa Subd. Angeles City / (045) 3222979 Mobile # 0915-9872100

Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC)
Dr. Manuel C. Factora - Medical Center Chief; /Add: Gov. Pack Rd. Baguio City /(074) 4423165; 4424080; 5236077; 5234103; 4428342; 4438342

Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC)
Dr. Emmanuel F. Acluba - Chief of Hospital; Dr. Teresita Reyes - HIV AIDS Core Team Leader / Add: Cagayan Valley, Tuguegarao City / (078) 3213561 – 64; 3213560; 8053560; 8467240; 8443789; Mobile #: 09176280924

Caloocan Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Zenaida Calupaz - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: Mabini St. Calocan Health Dept. / 2888811 local 2281 Mobile # 09176018331

Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM)
Dr. Remigio M. Olveda - Executive Director; Dr. Rossana A. Ditangco - Head, HIV Research Unit / Add: Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City / 8072628 -32; 8072636; 8097599; 8422828; 8422245; 8072628 local 414 /208 Mobile # 0927510028

Laoag Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Imelda Tamayo - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: Brgy. 10, City Health Office, Tupaz, Laoag City / (077) 7720289 Mobile # 09189797491

Ilocos Training & Regional Medical Center (San Fernando, La Union)
(042) 888-5864/242-1143

Jose B. Lingad Memorial Med. Center (San Fernando City, Pampanga)
(045) 9613921/9613380


Bicol Regional Training & Teaching Hospital (BRTTH)
Dr. Rogelio G. Rivera - Chief of Hospital; Dr. Anna Lynda Bellen Add: Legaspi City, Albay / (052) 4830017; 4830886; 4830015; 4830636 Mobile #: 09177935692

Makati City Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Calixto Salud - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: JP Rizal St. Brgy. :Poblacion, Makati City / 8701615

Mandaluyong City Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Yolanda Tuaño - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: Maysilo Circle, Mandaluyong City / 5467799; 2115336 Mobile #: 09178424298

Manila Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Diane Mendoza - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: San Lazaro, Sta. Cruz, Manila / 7116942 Mobile #: 0920-5779074

Marikina City Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Honielyn Fernando - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: Marikina City / Mobile #: 09178298862

Pasay Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Loretta Garcia - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: Pasay City Health Office / 5514180 Mobile #: 09228915674

Pasig City Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Rocylene Roque - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: Caruncho Avene. Brgy. San Nicolas, Pasig City / 6400111

Puerto Galera Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Ginalyn Caguete - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: Rural Health Clinic, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro / (043) 4420182 Mobile #: 09272383989

Puerto Princesa Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Eunice Herrera - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: City Health Office, Puerto Princesa, Palawan / (043) 4658182 Mobile #: 09272383989

Batasan Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Dottie Mercado - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: Batasan Hills, Quezon City / Mobile #: 09053576353

Bernardo Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Suzette Encisa - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: Bernardo Clinic, Quezon City / Mobile #: 09164781607

Project 7 Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Monina Santos - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: Project 7 , Quezon City / Mobile #: 09186184133

San Lazaro Hospital (SLH)
Dr. Arturo Cabanban - Medical Center Chief; Dr. Rosario Jessica Tactacan – Abrenica - HIV AIDS Core Team Leader / 3099528-29; 7438301 local 6000 Mobile #: 09175359380; Bahay Kalinga 3099543 / 7323776 to 78

Ilocos Training and regional Medical Center (ITRMC)
Dr. Francisco A. Valdez - Chief of Hospital; Dr. Jimmy Mynardo Mendigo - HIV AIDS Core Team Leader / Add: San Fernando, La Union / (072) 7001766; 7003766 Mobile #: 09204124478

Jose B. Lingad Memorial Medical Center
Dr. Venancio S. Banzon - Chief of Hospital; Dr. Edwin Pasumbal - HIV AIDS Core Team Leader / Add: Brgy. San Dolores, San Fernando, Pampanga / (045) 961392; 9613380 Mobile #: 09274040365

Santiago Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Robelyn Vera Go - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician Add: City Health Office, San Andres, Santiago City / (078) 6827687 Mobile #: 09194626389

Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRMMC)
Dr. Christine Villaroman / Quiricada St. Sta. Cruz, Manlia / Mobile #: 09228245216

MEDI - Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center
Dr. Ma. Luisa M. Date / Add: Bldg. 14, DOH compound Sta. Cruz, Manila / 7438301 local 1702

Philippine General Hospital (PGH)
Dr. Rolando Enrique Domingo - Director; Dr. Jodor Lim - HIV AIDS Core Team Leader; Ms. Dominga C. Gomez SAGIP Unit / Add: Taft Avenue, Manila / 5261705; 5673394 Mobile #: 09396258730; Sagip Program 521-8450

Tuguegarao Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Josefina Chua - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: City Health Office, Tugegarao City / (078) 8462197 Mobile 09175745050

VISAYAS

Vicente Sotto, Sr. Memorial Medical Center (VSSMC)
Dr. Gerardo M. Aquino - Chief of Hospital; Dr. Regina Melodia - HIV AIDS Core Team Leader / Add: B. Rodriguez, Cebu City / (032) 2539882; 2539982; 2537564; 2532592 Mobile #: 09193473658

Cebu City Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Ilya Tac –an - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: Gen. Maxilano St. Cebu City / (022 3659962 Mobile #: 09173291663

Iloilo Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Odetta Villaruel - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician Address: Iloilo City (033) 3208151 Mobile #: 09215694450

Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital
Dr. Epifania S. Simbul - Chief of Hospital; Dr. Criselda E. Bacolor - HIV AIDS Core Team Leader / Add: Lacson St. Bacolod City / (034) 4351591;4332697; 2080094 Mobile #: 09228608876

Lapu-Lapu Ciy Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Rodolfo C. Berame - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician

Mandaue City Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Edna Seno and Dr. Debra Maria Catulong - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician

Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC)
Dr. Jose Mari C. Fermin - Chief of Hospital; Dr. Ray Celis - HIV AIDS Core Team Leader / Add: Manduriao St. Iloilo City / (033) 3211797; 3212802; 3211420; 3212841 to 50 Mobile #: 09189401217

MINDANAO

Butuan Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Jesus Chin- Chui - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: City Health Office, Butuan City / (085) 3423432; 815111 local 1039

Davao City Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Jordana Ramitere - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: City Health Office, Magallanes St. Davao City / (222) 4187 Mobile #: 09209102718

Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) (Note: former Davao Medical Center DMC )
Dr. Leopoldo J. Vega - Chief of Hospital; Dr. Alicia Layug - HIV AIDS Core Team Leader / Add: JP Laurel St. Bajada, Davao City / (227) 2731 Mobile #: 09204241721

Davao Regional Hospital
Ms. Telesfora A Hinay - Add: Apokon, Tagum City / (082) 2218593; 2279536; 4003653

Davao Medical Center (Davao City)
(082) 221-7029

General Santos Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr. Mely Lastimoso - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: General Santos City Hospital / (083) 3051510 Mobile #: 09088877512; 09198483116

Zamboanga Social Hygiene Clinic
Dr Kibtiya Uddin - Social Hygiene Clinic Physician / Add: Petit Barracks, Zone 4C, Cty Health Office, Zamboanga City / Mobile #: 09274836672

Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC)
Dr. Romeo A. Ong - Chief of Hospital; Dr. Jejunee Rivera - HIV AIDS Core Team Leader / Add: Zamboanga City / (062) 9910573; 9912934; 9920154; 9916573; Mobile #: 09204241721

Weekly News (First Week of July 2011)

1. Our World Needs Beauty, Pontiff Tells Artists

Says Charity Makes Life a Work of Art

VATICAN CITY, JULY 7, 2011 (Zenit.org).- If truth shines in the beauty of art, then it can awaken in mankind the desire to make his whole existence something beautiful and true, says Benedict XVI. [Read More]

2. Bishops To Return Donated Cars To PCSO

MANILA, July 7, 2011— Catholic bishops who received sports utility vehicles (SUVs) from a state-owned lottery said they are returning them back to the agency. [Read More]

3. Vatican Official: UN Gay 'Rights' Agenda Endangers Church's Freedom

Geneva, Switzerland, Jul 8, 2011 / 06:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican's representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva says a recent resolution on “sexual orientation and gender identity” is part of an agenda that could restrict the Church's freedom. [Read More]

4. Judges Push Radical Agenda on Military

"Radical" and "disturbing" -- that's how one conservative law group is describing this week's federal court decision calling for the immediate lifting of the military's ban against openly homosexual personnel. [Read More]

5. Cisco Fires Marriage Defender Frank Turek – Latest Victim of Homosexual Intolerance [Read More]

6. Pregnancy Worries Are Temporary, But Abortion is Forever

I am always excited when a supporter reaches out and lets me know that they’ve been touched or helped directly by our pro-life efforts. [Read More]

7. Two-Child Policy in the Philippines?

Debate rages over' reproductive health’ bill. Corazon Aquino supported ‘people power’ in 1986; now her son, the country’s new president, suggests that the poor might not know what’s best for them. [Read More]

8. Planned Parenthood Releases New Sex, Abortion Guides for Youth Ahead of UN Meeting

NEW YORK, July 7 (C-FAM) - In advance of the UN youth conference later this month, the International Planned Parenthood Federation has released two new publications on abortion and sexual rights for youth. The new documents are the latest part of the organization’s larger campaign targeted at teenagers and older children. [Read More]

9. Brad Pitt Calls Gay ‘Marriage’ a Constitutional Right, Applauds NY Passage

July 7, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Superstar actor Brad Pitt has voiced his approval for New York’s legalization of same-sex “marriage,” calling for states across the U.S. to adopt similar laws. [Read More]

10. Pope Goes on Vacation — and Why We Should Too

How Benedict will spend his time off and why a little rest and relaxation is good for the soul and evangelization. [Read More]

World Youth Day 2011

Forwarded invitation from EWTN:


To those who are interested in joining the World Youth Day 2011 celebration in Madrid, Spain please visit www.ewtn.com/wyd2011 or you can tune in to EWTN Life On The Rock for the most extensive on-site coverage of this event. The World Youth Day is a legacy of the late Blessed Pope John Paul II, which is being continued by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.

On Same-Sex 'Marriage'

Because same-sex 'marriage' is such a hot topic these days (after divorce and RH bill), I am posting a document written by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, on this issue. This document summarizes the main arguments against same-sex marriage from all perspectives which I think really make sense to any person in his right mind.

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH

CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING PROPOSALS
TO GIVE LEGAL RECOGNITION
TO UNIONS
BETWEEN HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS

INTRODUCTION

1. In recent years, various questions relating to homosexuality have been addressed with some frequency by Pope John Paul II and by the relevant Dicasteries of the Holy See. Homosexuality is a troubling moral and social phenomenon, even in those countries where it does not present significant legal issues. It gives rise to greater concern in those countries that have granted or intend to grant – legal recognition to homosexual unions, which may include the possibility of adopting children. The present Considerations do not contain new doctrinal elements; they seek rather to reiterate the essential points on this question and provide arguments drawn from reason which could be used by Bishops in preparing more specific interventions, appropriate to the different situations throughout the world, aimed at protecting and promoting the dignity of marriage, the foundation of the family, and the stability of society, of which this institution is a constitutive element. The present Considerations are also intended to give direction to Catholic politicians by indicating the approaches to proposed legislation in this area which would be consistent with Christian conscience. Since this question relates to the natural moral law, the arguments that follow are addressed not only to those who believe in Christ, but to all persons committed to promoting and defending the common good of society.

I. THE NATURE OF MARRIAGE
AND ITS INALIENABLE CHARACTERISTICS

2. The Church's teaching on marriage and on the complementarity of the sexes reiterates a truth that is evident to right reason and recognized as such by all the major cultures of the world. Marriage is not just any relationship between human beings. It was established by the Creator with its own nature, essential properties and purpose. No ideology can erase from the human spirit the certainty that marriage exists solely between a man and a woman, who by mutual personal gift, proper and exclusive to themselves, tend toward the communion of their persons. In this way, they mutually perfect each other, in order to cooperate with God in the procreation and upbringing of new human lives.

3. The natural truth about marriage was confirmed by the Revelation contained in the biblical accounts of creation, an expression also of the original human wisdom, in which the voice of nature itself is heard. There are three fundamental elements of the Creator's plan for marriage, as narrated in the Book of Genesis.

In the first place, man, the image of God, was created “male and female” (Gen 1:27). Men and women are equal as persons and complementary as male and female. Sexuality is something that pertains to the physical-biological realm and has also been raised to a new level – the personal level – where nature and spirit are united.

Marriage is instituted by the Creator as a form of life in which a communion of persons is realized involving the use of the sexual faculty. “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife and they become one flesh” (Gen 2:24).

Third, God has willed to give the union of man and woman a special participation in his work of creation. Thus, he blessed the man and the woman with the words “Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen 1:28). Therefore, in the Creator's plan, sexual complementarity and fruitfulness belong to the very nature of marriage.

Furthermore, the marital union of man and woman has been elevated by Christ to the dignity of a sacrament. The Church teaches that Christian marriage is an efficacious sign of the covenant between Christ and the Church (cf. Eph 5:32). This Christian meaning of marriage, far from diminishing the profoundly human value of the marital union between man and woman, confirms and strengthens it (cf. Mt 19:3-12; Mk 10:6-9).

4. There are absolutely no grounds for considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God's plan for marriage and family. Marriage is holy, while homosexual acts go against the natural moral law. Homosexual acts “close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved”.

Sacred Scripture condemns homosexual acts “as a serious depravity... (cf. Rom 1:24-27; 1 Cor 6:10; 1 Tim 1:10). This judgment of Scripture does not of course permit us to conclude that all those who suffer from this anomaly are personally responsible for it, but it does attest to the fact that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered”. This same moral judgment is found in many Christian writers of the first centuries and is unanimously accepted by Catholic Tradition.

Nonetheless, according to the teaching of the Church, men and women with homosexual tendencies “must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided”. They are called, like other Christians, to live the virtue of chastity. The homosexual inclination is however “objectively disordered” and homosexual practices are “sins gravely contrary to chastity”.

II. POSITIONS ON THE PROBLEM
OF HOMOSEXUAL UNIONS

5. Faced with the fact of homosexual unions, civil authorities adopt different positions. At times they simply tolerate the phenomenon; at other times they advocate legal recognition of such unions, under the pretext of avoiding, with regard to certain rights, discrimination against persons who live with someone of the same sex. In other cases, they favor giving homosexual unions legal equivalence to marriage properly so-called, along with the legal possibility of adopting children.

Where the government's policy is de facto tolerance and there is no explicit legal recognition of homosexual unions, it is necessary to distinguish carefully the various aspects of the problem. Moral conscience requires that, in every occasion, Christians give witness to the whole moral truth, which is contradicted both by approval of homosexual acts and unjust discrimination against homosexual persons. Therefore, discreet and prudent actions can be effective; these might involve: unmasking the way in which such tolerance might be exploited or used in the service of ideology; stating clearly the immoral nature of these unions; reminding the government of the need to contain the phenomenon within certain limits so as to safeguard public morality and, above all, to avoid exposing young people to erroneous ideas about sexuality and marriage that would deprive them of their necessary defences and contribute to the spread of the phenomenon. Those who would move from tolerance to the legitimization of specific rights for cohabiting homosexual persons need to be reminded that the approval or legalization of evil is something far different from the toleration of evil.

In those situations where homosexual unions have been legally recognized or have been given the legal status and rights belonging to marriage, clear and emphatic opposition is a duty. One must refrain from any kind of formal cooperation in the enactment or application of such gravely unjust laws and, as far as possible, from material cooperation on the level of their application. In this area, everyone can exercise the right to conscientious objection.

III. ARGUMENTS FROM REASON AGAINST LEGAL
RECOGNITION OF HOMOSEXUAL UNIONS

6. To understand why it is necessary to oppose legal recognition of homosexual unions, ethical considerations of different orders need to be taken into consideration.

From the order of right reason

The scope of the civil law is certainly more limited than that of the moral law, but civil law cannot contradict right reason without losing its binding force on conscience. Every humanly-created law is legitimate insofar as it is consistent with the natural moral law, recognized by right reason, and insofar as it respects the inalienable rights of every person. Laws in favor of homosexual unions are contrary to right reason because they confer legal guarantees, analogous to those granted to marriage, to unions between persons of the same sex. Given the values at stake in this question, the State could not grant legal standing to such unions without failing in its duty to promote and defend marriage as an institution essential to the common good.

It might be asked how a law can be contrary to the common good if it does not impose any particular kind of behavior, but simply gives legal recognition to a de facto reality which does not seem to cause injustice to anyone. In this area, one needs first to reflect on the difference between homosexual behavior as a private phenomenon and the same behavior as a relationship in society, foreseen and approved by the law, to the point where it becomes one of the institutions in the legal structure. This second phenomenon is not only more serious, but also assumes a more wide-reaching and profound influence, and would result in changes to the entire organization of society, contrary to the common good. Civil laws are structuring principles of man's life in society, for good or for ill. They “play a very important and sometimes decisive role in influencing patterns of thought and behavior”. Lifestyles and the underlying presuppositions these express not only externally shape the life of society, but also tend to modify the younger generation's perception and evaluation of forms of behavior. Legal recognition of homosexual unions would obscure certain basic moral values and cause a devaluation of the institution of marriage.

From the biological and anthropological order

7. Homosexual unions are totally lacking in the biological and anthropological elements of marriage and family which would be the basis, on the level of reason, for granting them legal recognition. Such unions are not able to contribute in a proper way to the procreation and survival of the human race. The possibility of using recently discovered methods of artificial reproduction, beyond involving a grave lack of respect for human dignity, does nothing to alter this inadequacy.

Homosexual unions are also totally lacking in the conjugal dimension, which represents the human and ordered form of sexuality. Sexual relations are human when and insofar as they express and promote the mutual assistance of the sexes in marriage and are open to the transmission of new life.

As experience has shown, the absence of sexual complementarity in these unions creates obstacles in the normal development of children who would be placed in the care of such persons. They would be deprived of the experience of either fatherhood or motherhood. Allowing children to be adopted by persons living in such unions would actually mean doing violence to these children, in the sense that their condition of dependency would be used to place them in an environment that is not conducive to their full human development. This is gravely immoral and in open contradiction to the principle, recognized also in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, that the best interests of the child, as the weaker and more vulnerable party, are to be the paramount consideration in every case.

From the social order

8. Society owes its continued survival to the family, founded on marriage. The inevitable consequence of legal recognition of homosexual unions would be the redefinition of marriage, which would become, in its legal status, an institution devoid of essential reference to factors linked to heterosexuality; for example, procreation and raising children. If, from the legal standpoint, marriage between a man and a woman were to be considered just one possible form of marriage, the concept of marriage would undergo a radical transformation, with grave detriment to the common good. By putting homosexual unions on a legal plane analogous to that of marriage and the family, the State acts arbitrarily and in contradiction with its duties.

The principles of respect and non-discrimination cannot be invoked to support legal recognition of homosexual unions. Differentiating between persons or refusing social recognition or benefits is unacceptable only when it is contrary to justice. The denial of the social and legal status of marriage to forms of cohabitation that are not and cannot be marital is not opposed to justice; on the contrary, justice requires it.

Nor can the principle of the proper autonomy of the individual be reasonably invoked. It is one thing to maintain that individual citizens may freely engage in those activities that interest them and that this falls within the common civil right to freedom; it is something quite different to hold that activities which do not represent a significant or positive contribution to the development of the human person in society can receive specific and categorical legal recognition by the State. Not even in a remote analogous sense do homosexual unions fulfill the purpose for which marriage and family deserve specific categorical recognition. On the contrary, there are good reasons for holding that such unions are harmful to the proper development of human society, especially if their impact on society were to increase.

From the legal order

9. Because married couples ensure the succession of generations and are therefore eminently within the public interest, civil law grants them institutional recognition. Homosexual unions, on the other hand, do not need specific attention from the legal standpoint since they do not exercise this function for the common good.

Nor is the argument valid according to which legal recognition of homosexual unions is necessary to avoid situations in which cohabiting homosexual persons, simply because they live together, might be deprived of real recognition of their rights as persons and citizens. In reality, they can always make use of the provisions of law – like all citizens from the standpoint of their private autonomy – to protect their rights in matters of common interest. It would be gravely unjust to sacrifice the common good and just laws on the family in order to protect personal goods that can and must be guaranteed in ways that do not harm the body of society.

IV. POSITIONS OF CATHOLIC POLITICIANS
WITH REGARD TO LEGISLATION IN FAVOR
OF HOMOSEXUAL UNIONS

10. If it is true that all Catholics are obliged to oppose the legal recognition of homosexual unions, Catholic politicians are obliged to do so in a particular way, in keeping with their responsibility as politicians. Faced with legislative proposals in favor of homosexual unions, Catholic politicians are to take account of the following ethical indications.

When legislation in favor of the recognition of homosexual unions is proposed for the first time in a legislative assembly, the Catholic law-maker has a moral duty to express his opposition clearly and publicly and to vote against it. To vote in favor of a law so harmful to the common good is gravely immoral.

When legislation in favor of the recognition of homosexual unions is already in force, the Catholic politician must oppose it in the ways that are possible for him and make his opposition known; it is his duty to witness to the truth. If it is not possible to repeal such a law completely, the Catholic politician, recalling the indications contained in the Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae, “could licitly support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and at lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and public morality”, on condition that his “absolute personal opposition” to such laws was clear and well known and that the danger of scandal was avoided. This does not mean that a more restrictive law in this area could be considered just or even acceptable; rather, it is a question of the legitimate and dutiful attempt to obtain at least the partial repeal of an unjust law when its total abrogation is not possible at the moment.

CONCLUSION

11. The Church teaches that respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions. The common good requires that laws recognize, promote and protect marriage as the basis of the family, the primary unit of society. Legal recognition of homosexual unions or placing them on the same level as marriage would mean not only the approval of deviant behavior, with the consequence of making it a model in present-day society, but would also obscure basic values which belong to the common inheritance of humanity. The Church cannot fail to defend these values, for the good of men and women and for the good of society itself.

The Sovereign Pontiff John Paul II, in the Audience of March 28, 2003, approved the present Considerations, adopted in the Ordinary Session of this Congregation, and ordered their publication.

Rome, from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, June 3, 2003, Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and his Companions, Martyrs.

Joseph Card. Ratzinger
Prefect

Angelo Amato, S.D.B.
Titular Archbishop of Sila

Secretary

Source

Weekly News (Fifth Week of June 2011)

1. God Isn't a Science Experiment, Says Pope

VATICAN CITY, JULY 1, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Is the classic definition of theology -- "the science of faith" -- actually a contradiction in itself? Does faith not cease to be faith when it becomes science? And does not science cease to be science when it is ordered or even subordinated to faith? [Read More]

2. Students Need Values Formation, Not RH-Based Sex Ed ― Solon

MANILA, July 1, 2011―Lessons on character-building instead of classes about sexual activity—that’s what teens need and what will minimize the incidence of teen pregnancy, said Zambales Representative Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay in a recent forum that tackled the Reproductive Health (RH) bill. [Read More]

3. Same-Sex Unions Stir Baguio City

BAGUIO CITY—The city’s homosexual community was “Here, There and Everywhere” at a local bar, which served as a chapel for Baguio’s first ceremonial gay unions on Saturday. [Read More]

4. Catholic Bishops Call NY Gay 'Marriage' Law Profoundly Unjust

Washington D.C., Jun 30, 2011 / 01:13 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The New York legislature’s recognition of same-sex “marriages” undermines the common good and will place officials in a position to “retaliate” against those who uphold basic truths about marriage, the U.S. bishops’ point man on the defense of marriage said. [Read More]

5. GOP Leadership Opens Door To Homosexual Rep

Homosexual Republicans are celebrating what they see as a major victory for their cause. [Read More]

6. Unborn Children Need Their Own Independence Day Freedoms

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite things to do on the 4th of July was to read aloud the Declaration of Independence. I proclaimed with conviction the words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” [Read More]

7. A Plea to U.S. Bishops: Please Love Enough To Speak of The Dangers of Homosexuality

une 29, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - As the same-sex ‘marriage’ debate plays out in the United States, with New York having recently fallen, I can’t help but think that it all feels strangely familiar. Back in 2003 and 2004 Canada went through these same debates. [Read More]

8. Top Gay Blog Laments: ‘WE ALWAYS LOSE’ When Voters Decide on Marriage

June 29, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A prominent online gay publication has admitted the existence of a little-known but persistent obstacle to legalizing same-sex “marriage”: American voters. [Read More]

9. ‘Gender Madness’: Swedish Pre-School Bans ‘Him’ and ‘Her’

STOCKHOLM, JUne 27, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In accordance with a national school curriculum that seeks to fight the “stereotyping” of gender roles, a preschool in the Sodermalm district of Stockholm has incorporated a gender-free pedagogy that eliminates any reference to gender completely. [Read More]

10. How to Be a Christian Missionary

Leaders representing 90% of all Christians worldwide issued guidelines on acceptable missionary conduct based on the witness of Christ and the early Church. [Read More]

Song For Today's Gospel Sung by Basil Valdez