The Eponymous Flower

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Crucifix banned at hospital where Muslims allowed to wear

[Daily Caller] A Christian nurse was ‘forced to choose between her job and her faith’ after being ordered to remove her crucifix at a hospital where Muslim staff wore headscarves unchallenged, a tribunal heard yesterday.

Shirley Chaplin, 54, said she had been wearing the religious symbol around her neck without complaint for 31 years before she was ordered to hide it away.

But the grandmother claims that after refusing to comply and then pointing out that two women doctors were allowed to wear headscarves, she was moved to a desk job.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/03/30/crucifix-banned-at-hospital-where-muslims-allowed-to-wear-headscarves/#ixzz1VxcK7XQY

U.S. bishops consultant has ties to homosexual lobby | LifeSiteNews.com

Edit: No way, how can this be?

U.S. bishops consultant has ties to homosexual lobby | LifeSiteNews.com

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

ACLU Anderson Continues Attack Against Church

Edit: the Vatican can't even get most parishes to follow the rubriks of the Liturgy or even follow guidelines regarding simple discipline of clerics who publicly disagree with Church teaching. It's not surprising that Bishops like Weakland and others were allowed to create a homosexual funhouse atmosphere which gave Anderson the opportunity to sue for millions.

Jeff Anderson routinely supports the ACLU and the Democratic National Committee. It is widely known that the DNC wants to legalize sexual contacts between adults and minors.

Even President Obama thinks it's a good idea for gids to be sexual.

Moreover, there's a striking similarity between the political and philosophical beliefs of Anderson and many of those he's litigating against.

Analysis & Opinion

"They'll Only Take me Out of Here in a Coffin"

Without any substantial motivation the German boulevard paper is helping the Carmelites of Zweifal with a shot of media fame: "He didn't even congratulate us on our fifty year Cloister Jubilee."

(kreuz.net) "I'm leaving this Cloister only when I'm dead" -- said Sister Regina (60) for the German website 'bild.de' today regarding the officially disbanded Carmel in Zweifal.

Zweifal is the most southerly part of the North Rhein-Westfalian city of Stolberg in the vicinity of Aachen.

The sisters there have been resisting the decision of the Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Aachen to close the Cloister for six years.

Six Years on Death Row

The Diocese of Aachen

The Carmelite Cloister Maria Königin was founded in 1955 besides Sister Regina, there are still Schwester Katharina (40) and Schwester Maria (28).

The Cloister occupies 4,000 cubic meters of living space and the estate is on a hill that's about as tall as two football fields.

For six years the Bishop Heinrich Mussinghof of Aachen has wanted to close the community due to a lack of growth.

In the best days the Cloister held twenty Carmelites.

Actually, the Carmelites of Zeifal oppose the Bishop with deathly courage.

"I have lived her for thirty years. I won't go freely. That is God's will", explained Sister Regina for 'bild.de'.

And: "I will leave this Cloister only when I'm dead, the only way they'll get me out of here is in a coffin."

"We're not indulging ourselves in anything else"

Sister Maria is presently "on a trip".

Sister Katharina commented in an explanation: "Earlier there was nothing. But we have established ourselves. Otherwise we're really not indulging ourselves."

The Sisters live by their host backery -- which produces 80.000 hosts a week.

The customers are about 200 parishes and cloisters in the Diocese of Aachen and Cologne.

Vegetables and grapes come right out of their own greenhouse.

Fight to the end

The Diocese wants to continue to bar the Cloister. It doesn't want any force used against the Sisters.

"We have a good legal case and are turning if need be to the courts" -- said Sister Regina combatively.

"The Diocese can't really dissolve us."

That's something only the Sisters' mother house can do: "Otherwise we have the village behind us."

What if the Bishop calls? "Then we'll invite him for Coffee", said the Abbess -- and continued to attack:

"But he didn't even congratulate us on your fifty year Jubilee."

Link to kreuz.net...

Iraq: Hope and Fear Among Christians

First Communion in Baghdad -- Attacks on Church in Kirkuk

München-Baghdad (kath.net/KIN) Despite the dangerous security situation in Baghdad, the same as it was before, over 40 children have celebrated their First Holy Communion in the capital of Baghdad. For Christians it is life threatening, just as it was before, to be seen on the streets of the Iraqi capital. Therefore, the parish must rent a bus to take the children to their communion instruction at the Church.

A young seminarian from Baghdad, who must be anonymous for security reasons, instructed the children during their preparation and sent "Kirche in Not" photos of their instruction for the First Communion.

He says that the children are preparing with "great seriousness and full of joy" in expectation of their reception of the Body of Christ. About the difficult situation of the Christians in Baghdad he says: "This is our home and we will not be driven from it!" The First Communicants are "seedlings of peace" for Iraq. "Christ is our joy and our hope, his message can change our society," explained the Seminarian.

Since the intervention of the "Coalition of the Willing" into Iraq in 2003, Christians have been caught between two fronts in a bloody civil war between Sunnite and Shi'ite militias. Representatives of the Church have stated since, that they are neutral bystanders in this conflict and are working for a peaceful and democratic Iraq.

For that reason there are always more terror attacks on Christian institutions. In this month alone, there have been three attacks on Churches in the city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq. Altogether there were at least 13 people wounded as well as Church and outlying buildings severely damaged. Last monday the Syrian-Catholic St. Ephraim Church in Kirkuk was the target of a car bomb attack. No one was injured, there the security personnel were quickly informed of a suspicious automobile and were able to save the priest and the parish.

Many Christians have left their homes out of fear. Archbishop Louis Sako from Kirkuk reports that in the last two weeks, five families have gone away. Actually the government takes the protection of Christians very seriously. It actually has promised to provide guards for the Churches, says Archbishop Sako, but no one can guarantee that there won't be more explosions.

"Kirche in Not" supports the peace work of the Iraqi Bishops and helps with additionally, to sustain Parishes of the Land and provide pastoral care.

The organization requests its supporters for their prayers for Christians in Iraq and donations for the Church there:

Receiver: Kirche in Not
Account Number [Konto]: 215 20 02
BLZ: 750 903 00
IBAN: DE63750903000002152002
BIC: GENODEF1M05
LIGA Bank München

Password: Iraq

Kirche in Note Donation Site, here..

Growing Number of Catholics Push for a Return of the Immemorial Mass

Ellie Arkin doesn't speak Latin, so upon entering Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Madison on a recent Sunday, the 21-year-old UW-Madison student opened a Latin-to-English translation book provided by the church.

For the next hour, she and many of the other parishioners followed along in the book as the Mass unfolded mostly in Latin.

For centuries, this was the only way Catholics around the world experienced Mass. Reforms ushered in by Vatican II in the 1960s largely eliminated Latin Mass, but now, across the country and in the Madison Catholic Diocese, traditionalists are seeking its comeback.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/article_5ff07426-cc16-11e0-8af0-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1VsjGsSyr

H/t: Stella Borealis

"Disobedience": Proposals are a 'False Path' says Retired Heiligenkreuz Abbot

Gregor Henckel-Donnersmarck in the "Kurrier" -- Interview: Making a point of view, in order to get people's attention, is "not right".

Vienna (kath.net/KAP) Retired Cistercian Heiligenkreuz Abbot Gregor Hencke-Donnersmarck describes the Pastors' Initiative as a "wrong path". "A deficit in Faith will not be corrected in more pastors," so says +Henckel-Donnersmarck in an interview with the daily "Kurier" on the (20th. August) It would be more important to the message to baptised and confirmed people; "there, where the priest can't get there. There is no prohibition against preaching, rather there is even a mandate," said the Abbot.

The question isn't whether priests should marry or women should be priests: "it is on the capacity for modern people to believe", says the Cistercian +Henckel-Donnersmarck

The Heiligenkreuz Abbot fears in general that in Euroope, people have lost the sensus for the Faith: "chasing after them, to give a point of view, only to get their attention, is also not right," says Henckel-Donnersmarck. "We have a message, which we must hold to."

Church is a "very indulgent authority, but it still isn't a democracy at heart", insists Hecnkel-Donnersmarck with a glance to the "Discussion on Disobedience". "We should speak of the important themes like th Sacraments and Jesus Christ in these difficult pastoral situations."

As to the question if anything new can be permitted in the Church, the Abbot referenced Pope Benedict XVI: There is a development in the Church with "strong, new impulses". There remains though an "unalterable message". One should not bow to new fashions or allow themes push their way in, "which have nothing directly to do with the Faith".

Link to original...

Monday, August 22, 2011

Micheal Voris Criticizes WYD Spain's Immodesty and Americanism

CNA will hopefully print some kind of retraction. We'll look for it when it comes. Here is Mr. Voris's explanation of what happened.

Link pdf, here...

Here's what Voris has to say about Americanism and WYD, here.

Phoenix diocese cathedral won't allow girl altar servers

Edit: going against the Zeitgeist in this way will bring about a substantial increase in vocations to the religious life and priesthood. Nice to see this excellent Bishop continuing to challenge the wisdom of the world.

Nothing Wrecks Solemnity Like Feminism

[Arizona Public] Girls no longer will be allowed as altar servers during Mass at the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, SS. Simon and Jude.

The Rev. John Lankeit, rector of the cathedral, said he made the decision in hopes of promoting the priesthood for males and other religious vocations, such as becoming a nun, for females.

Made up primarily of fifth- through eighth-graders the altar-server corps in American churches has included girls since 1983 in many places. Girls and boys regularly serve together at churches throughout the Phoenix Catholic Diocese.

Phoenix diocese cathedral won't allow girl altar servers

Photo, here...

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Traditionalist Bishops Celebrate the Immemorial Mass With 1500 WYD Pilgrims

(Madrid) Msgr. Marc Marie Max Aillet, the Bishop of Bayonne, Lescar and Orlon since 2008 in France will celebrate the Holy Mass in the Extraordinary Form at the Parish Church of San Eduardo in Madrid with more than 1500 youth. This church has been allocated to the youth who are attached to Tradition from France. The Bishops of Bayonne and Frejus-Toulon have been celebrating Holy Mass in the Tridentine Rite.

In addition, young Catholic pilgrims who are bound to Tradition also use the churches of the Terceer Monasterio de la Visitación (Salesians)and the parish church of San Francisco de Sales.

Msgr Le Gall on August 19th

Bishop Marc Aillet is close to the Community of St. Martin. His priestly ordination took place in 1982 at the hands of the great Cardinal Giusseppe Siri. Before his consecration as Bishop he was the General Vicar of the Diocese of Frejus-Toulon, which is known for its closeness to Tradition. Msgr Aillet promotes the Rite in his Diocese.

[Update] on August 19th, 2011, Msgr Robert Le Gall, Archbishop of Toulose celebrated the Old Rite at the parish church of San Francisco de Sales. The Benedictine Msgr Le Gall is a famous Liturgist and was named to the tradition rich French Archdiocese in 2006. In 1992 he founded the Groupe de Chevetogne for the collaboration of Catholics and Orthodox. Archbishop Le Gall is the Chairman of the Liturgical Commission of the French Bishops Conference.

Translated from German which was translated from Messa in Latino/Giusseppe Nardi

Link to Katholisches...

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Nearly Two Million Kneel in the Mud For The Eucharistic Lord

Edit: despite the rain, many of these people will remain throughout the night to adore the Blessed Sacrament.

Another Accusation Against Father Dan Ward at Collegeville

Fr. Dan Ward

Edit: What lies are there which continue to be revealed as the Modernist Monastery's decaying and dying structures spread their contagion. Monks who do not believe or practice the Church's teachings on sexual morality and personal conduct are protected and continue their collective task as agents of demoralization?

In the battle against what we call Cultural Marxism there are almost no active or coordinated opponents of this that we know of, although it's much discussed. All of the combatants are isolated from one another, linked by a common experience or an understanding of Cultural Marxism and its effects. Cultural Marxism is dangerous because it teaches that there are no personal sins, only collective ones and it stands by it central dogma that "there is no such thing as objectivity or truth". The term is better understood by its links especially to the Frankfurt School and Modern Psychoanalysis. But despite all of the evidence and warnings around and about, there is practically no response from the churches, indeed, they are often proponents of Cultural Marxism. While Pope Benedict will decry the "Dictatorship of Relativism" there are all too few religious leaders in the Catholic Church who take him seriously; a diabolical delusion has certainly taken hold. An individual who finds himself confronted by its various manifestations doesn't know where to turn; he can seek legal aid, but it's an uphill battle, because one of the hallmarks of this social disease is that it's extremely difficult to make a coherent defense against it, because many people won't accept reasoned defenses, so far have its inroads been made into education where the values of truth and honor have been replaced by Social Justice and uncritical "tolerance". Some even turn to their churches for counsel against this ideology, but in many cases, their church has long ago succumbed, and the Cultural Marxist will have been long in place, spreading the spiritual and intellectual torpor and demoralizing the society at large.

In this particular case, we have a Modernist Monastery -- whose legal counsel is a credibly accused predator, Father Dan Ward -- which is a widely trusted institution, thought to be forthright in its mission, but we discover not only that they are false, but when questioned about unjust and plainly immoral behavior, they will dismiss and deflect the concerns. Some victims have even found themselves being threatened. All of this has happened at Collegeville. Their very profession as religious is itself a walking contradiction where they are permitted and frequently promote homosexuality, sexual depravity and Social Justice in the name of the Catholic Religion and their profession as Benedictine Monks.

This philosophical attack, classically represented by Collegeville's monastics, has been with us for a long time. For Modernism has been a problem in the Catholic Church dating long before its actual condemnation by St. Pius X in his encyclical Lamaentabili Sane. Despite this condemnation and the perpetual condemnation of the Church for the false doctrines promoted at Collegeville. Modernism and its manifestations in the aforementioned Liberal schools of thought, has as their roots, the continental philosophical, humanist tradition expressed by Empiricist, Nominalist and Atheist thinkers of the last three Centuries.

Those seedlings which have shot up from fragile seeds of error have chocked out the furrows of a once plentiful field and turned them into an overgrown wasteland, increasingly remote to the principles which guided the organization in the first place.

St. John's has numerous complaints against it, including against its leadership, notably Abbot Eidenschenk who would interview his novices in the nude. These accusations stretch back decades but most have taken place in the eighties and indicate that from the top down, there was a culture of homosexual depravity to also include also Abbot Timothy Kelly who was himself responsible for disciplining these individuals and seems to have looked the other way because he too was as corrupt as the men being accused. It's also a matter of fact that someone in administration was tampering with the personal files of the various accused.

St. John's attorney, Father Dan Ward, has also been substantially accused of being a homosexual predator. When one of his victims approached the Abbot, Jerome, he was told to "grow up".

This account will be familiar to some. Many left-leaning, homosexual clergy have talked about the importance of "being sexually mature".

It is interesting to note that Father Dan Ward was the man responsible for stage handling the mostly ineffective and now defunct Institute for Sexual Trauma [Interfaith is always a bad sign. There's only one true Faith.] which was apparently set up for the fox to watch the chickens. His other activities, when he's not betraying the Catholic Faith, include helping women religious avoid living their lives in a legitimate fashion as director of the Resource Center for Religious Institutes.. This article is from Catholic Culture entitled, "In Denial".

Here's the most recent report about Father Dan Ward's alleged sexual activities from the Pine Curtain:

Fr. Dan Ward believed that a well-rounded and mature monastic needed to have an open-minded view of sexuality. The conversation started to become more physical as he began to be aroused by the topic.[Sounds familiar]

I rejected his advances and strong sexual initiatives.

I immediately left his room and went and got sick.

The next morning I went to see XXXXXX and told him of the incident. His response simply was to get over it that Father Ward has great power … [He does actually. He runs a well-endowed non-profit] and if I wish to continue being a monastic I would just have to accept his behavior.

I spoke to XXXXXX privately about the encounter. He told me it was a confessional issue and I needed to grow up and deal with my sexuality.

[Webmaster's Note: This is an excerpt from the fourth statement received from a victim of Dan Ward's misconduct. Excerpts from the first three statements are available here.]

Note that the complaining monk's counselor didn't deny that Father Ward is what he is, but that you just have to live with it.

Pine Curtain, here.


We Still Remember

Josh Guimond, 20, left a small card party at friend Nate Slinkard's Metten Court apartment on the St. John's University campus in Collegeville, MN sometime around midnight on November 9, 2002. His friends believed he was just making a trip to the bathroom, but when he did not come back after 15 minutes, they assumed he had just walked back to his dorm room at St. Maur House. It was a three minute walk, but he never made it home. He has not been seen since. While there was some drinking at the party, friends say Josh Guimond was not inebriated when he left.

General Superior of the SSPX Called to Rome

Edit: the following has been translated from the Society Website of Germany and he requests prayers. This was previously reported by Mundabor.

The General Superior and his two assistants, Father Niklaus Pfluger and Father Alain-Marc Nely have been invited to a special meeting in Rome on 14. September 2011.

This is according to Father Franz Schmidberger of Germany in the forward to his next newsletter.

Here it is:

"Exactly in this sense we ask you to raise your prayers to heaven for the 14th of September. On this day, on the Feast of the Holy Cross, Msgr Fellay, our honorable General Superior, has been ordered to an audience by Cardinal Levada, the Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, in regard to the outcome of the two year doctrinal talks between the Holy See and the Priestly Society."

It is noteworthy that not only the General Superior, but the General Counsel of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X has been ordered to Rome: The General Counsel consists of the General Superior and his assistants.

The Society has established preparations with the Talks with the Holy See under the direction of Bishop de Galarreta which has been left in a very good climate.

It is generally understood that this meeting will turn to the canonical situation of the Society.

Pope Benedict XVI has lifted the Decree of Excommunication of 1988 on 21. January 2009. (Dekret nachlesen) Since then the Society is no longer "excommunicated", therefore the question of the canonical status is left unanswered all along.

Opponents of the Society of St. Pius X., above all the German Episcopate, have used this as a pretext in the recent past, to deny any collaboration with the Society. Recent examples are the First home Mass of Father Jeindle in the Diocese of Vienna as well as the national Pilgrimage to Altötting in July of this year.

All Catholics, who receive the Sacraments in the churches and chapels of the Society of St. Pius X in Germany, are requested to offer their prayers for this meeting on the Feast of the Holy Cross.

Link to the German District Website...

Friday, August 19, 2011

Will There be Justice For Cardinal Innitzer?

Time Magazine's Cover For Man of the Year 1938

[Kreuznet, Austria]. The Archdiocese of Vienna is working together with a Holocaust Museum in Washington, in order to accuse Austrian Church History. This was reported yesterday by the the news agency 'kathpress'. It concerns data being researched about the Viennese Cardinal Theodor Innitzer († 1955). The Prince of the Church supported the Anschluss of Austria to the German Reich. At that time he signed a declaration with "Heil Hitler" Actually, from October 1938 – during the time when Reichskanzler Adolf Hitler († 1945) was an internationally celebrated political figure – the Prince of the Church turned against the Nazi political movement. He preached in Vienna's Stephansdom: „Unser Führer ist Jesus Christus“[Our Führer is Jesus Christ]. Today's leadership in the Archdiocese of Vienna on the other hand, has collaborated for years with the Abortion-State.

Link to kreuz.net article...

Sudden Tempest at Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium Kills Five

Edit: Participants claimed to have experienced the "end of the world" at a rock festival on Thursday. There were 65,000 on the field and it's a testimony to the mercy of almighty God that more weren't killed.

The storm came from nowhere and ripped apart two of the stages while the skies above became as black as the soul of a money lender. Heavy gusts of wind set in and torrents of rain.

The promoters decided not to continue the event scheduled to last for three days.

"I have bruises all over. Trees fell down. It was the end of the world" -- explained an eye witness for the Belgian journal "Le Soir"

No one paid much attention to the writing on the wall at last year's event

There was a palpable curse at the beginning of the event last year.

The singer of the no longer existing British electro-pop group, "Ou Est le Swimming Pool", Charles Haddon, killed himself after his entrance.
He hung himself from a satellite mast in the parking lot. On the day before the sound engineer of another group suffered a heart attack.

The evil festival was planned by an obscure atheistic organization "Humanistic Youth" from the 14,500 person city Leopoldsburg in the vicinity of Hasselt.

It is a society which is devoted to promoting church-hate.

One of the more well-received groups is, for example, "Faith No More".

Link to kreuz.net...

Monastery Corporation Goes Into Insolvency

The Monastery in the Ardennes was founded personally by St. Bernard of Clairvaux himself. Now the talk is of savings accounts.

Cloister Himmerod

(kreuz.net) 'The Abbey Himmerod Corporation mbH' is bankrupt.

This was recently reported by the website of the Cistercian Cloister Himmerod.

On the 12th of August the Operation filed for insolvency at the district court of Wittlich.

The Cistercian Cloister Himmerod is located in the Ardennes. It was founded in the years 1134/35 by St. Bernard of Clairvaux.

It is located in the municipality of Manderscheid -- 56 kilometers north of Trier.

Today there are thirteen Monks living in the Cloister.

Since January the Cloister has been directed by an administrator, Father Stephan Senge.

It operates a museum with rotating art exhibits, a book and art store, a guest area, a guest and meeting hall.

AFter losses of more than 200.000 Euro during the years of 2008 and 2009, employees must be dismissed and special projects like the fish farm must be closed.

Unfortunately, these measures aren't sufficient.

The leadership of the Subsidiary Company of the Cloister foresaw after talking to Counsel, to apply for bankruptcy, in order to protect the Abbey from enormous debts.

The Monastic life of the Monks is not going to be effected by this step.

On Tuesday the website of the Cloister announced that events, guest invitations, reservations and all further dealings will take place in the customary and planned extent in Abbey Himmerod.

Link to kreuz.net...

Riots Against Pope's Visit Incited by the Reds

The Flag of God, King, Country and Tradition

lot of money to the Spanish Government and taxpayers, violence has ensued. It's a familiar pattern. Actually, as Voris says, a lot more money is going in than going out and Coca Cola Company has picked up the expenses. Here's the video, here.

The proud banner above with Salitire and Cross is the Carlist. Carlistas have been fighting Communism in Spain for more than a century now. There was no ambiguity intended and many thanks to the commenter who pointed it out.

Catholic News Agency had "no idea" It Isn't a Legitimate Non-Profit

Bad Mime !

Clarification: Shea says that we were "reactionary" [That's a Marxist term to describe conservatives, btw.] in suggesting this and attempted to tut-tut us, but the records actually show that EWTNs CNA failed four times successively to file their tax status for the government and there were occasions where they went weeks and months without a legal tax status. We even got it from his website. Oh well, what do you expect from a channel that advertises Billy Graham ads and is a Network Gone Wrong.

Voris overlooked this minor technicality for two years. Catholic Snooze Agency did this over four years.

Catholic News Agency had "no idea" about its own administrative shortcomings when it attempted to pillory Micheal Voris for not filing the non-profit status of RCTV for two years with the State of Michigan.

Stephen Fry says comments sections are the rat's cellar, but Mark Shea's com box had this gem by JC Kapla:

Hmmm…. I’m no Voris defender, but this is nothing but cheapshot journalism, so let’s see:

Catholic News Agency claims to be a 501(c)3 based in Englewood, CO, yet there is no record of them under that name or ACI Prensa in Colorado. In addition, there is no record of either one on any charity watchdog site, such as GuideStar or Charity Navigator.

A search for their address on Google turns up two other Catholic organizations apparently located in the same building: Christ in the City Missionaries and Association for Catholic Info.

No business records exist for Christ in the City Missionaries either, but they do exist for Association for Catholic Info.

A man by the name of Jorge Luna incorporated AfCI and his name appears on several AfCI documents. His name also appears several times on the Catholic News Agency website, so they appear to be connected.

http://www.google.com/search?q=jorge+luna+site:www.catholicnewsagency.com&qscrl=1

And what do you know!!! Lo and behold…

AfCI failed FOUR YEARS IN A ROW to file its annual report with the state of Colorado. It’s all right there on the State of Colorado’s website:

http://bit.ly/oTngLc

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/blog/mark-shea/in-defense-of-michael-voris-and-simon-rafe/#ixzz1VUnZ0LlG

Hungary Isn't Banning the Anglican Church After All

Edit: after an exaggerated report from an England newspaper, a lot of people are keen to show you just how enlightened Hungary really is. That's too bad.

A story in the Church of England newspaper written by George Conger that Hungary has banned the Anglican Church in its country seriously distorts the facts.

Virtueonline spoke with Hungarian embassy officials in Washington, DC, today, who said that churches in their country are only being asked to re-register; they are not being banned. "Hungary's constitution supports religious freedom. Anybody can create a church and practice their faith all they are being asked to do is to register it with the state in order to be eligible for the benefits provided by the Act," an Embassy spokesman told VOL.

A statement VOL received from the embassy said that on July 11 the Hungarian parliament adopted the Act on the Right to Freedom of Conscience and Religion, and on the legal Status of Churches, Religious Denominations and ...

Link to original...

Ortega Accused of Religious Pandering by Former Culture Minister

Edit: in a country where almost sixty percent identify themselves as Catholics, the Leftist President, Daniel Ortega, now enjoys the support of Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo who was critical of him when he ruled the country beginning in 79 when he toppled Somoza thanks to the benign neglect of President Jimmy Carter.

All is not well, however, Jesuit Ernesto Cardenal, former Sandista Minister of Culture publicly reprimanded by Pope John Paul, and Bishop Abelardo Mata are more cynical about Ortega's newly found faith in God.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Religious processions and chants have become common at the re-election campaign rallies of leftist Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, who is highlighting his Christianity in his bid for re-election.

The image put forth by Ortega's Sandinista Party has dismayed Roman Catholic Church officials, who say the leader's spirituality is a ploy to deceive Nicaraguans who will elect a president in November.

"It's legal, legal, legal," Ortega said at a recent rally when addressing criticism that he is running a campaign tinged with religion. "No one can ban us from using the word Christian. No one. The Vatican hasn't said a word about it."

Link to AP...