, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20201012IPR89107/
Nuns lend their building to Pope for refugees – Vatican News
By Vatican News
The Office of Papal Charities in the Vatican has received a building in Rome from a women’s religious congregation for free use to shelter migrants and refugees arriving in Italy.
Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the Apostolic Almoner, or the Pope’s official almsgiver, released a statement on Monday saying the Sisters Servants of Divine Providence of Catania were responding to the “invitation of Pope Francis, who in the Encyclical Fratelli tutti repeats several times the need for adequate hospitality to migrants fleeing wars, persecutions and natural catastrophes”.
Through the Office of Papal Charities, the Sisters have lent their building on Via della Pisana (Pisana Road) to the Pope for free use.
Cardinal Krajewski said the Sisters’ building, called Villa Serena, will be used to shelter refugees, especially for single women, women with underage children, and vulnerable families, who arrive in Italy through the Humanitarian Corridors programme.
The centre can accommodate up to 60 people and will host them in the first months after their arrival, and will then accompany them on their journey to obtain independent jobs and accommodation.
The Villa Serena centre has been entrusted to the Community of Sant’Egidio, which, since 2015, has opened Humanitarian Corridors for refugees from Syria, the Horn of Africa, and most recently from Greece, especially the island of Lesbos.
So far, the programme has welcomed and accompanied over 2,600 people, including a large number of minors, in their process of integration.
The plight of refugees and migrants is very close to the heart of Pope Francis. He personally visited Lesbos on April 16, 2016, and on his return, brought along with him to Rome 12 Syrian refugees aboard the papal plane.
Ukraine, Poland intend to cooperate for further European integration
16:15
12.10.2020
Ukraine and Poland intend to cooperate in order to further deepen Ukraine’s relations with the European Union, according to a joint statement by Presidents of both countries, Volodymyr Zelensky and Andrzej Duda, released on Ukraine’s presidential website, following their meeting in Kyiv on Monday.
“We confirm the intention of both countries to cooperate in order to further deepen relations between Ukraine and the European Union on the principles of association and deep economic integration. We positively assess the results of the 22nd EU-Ukraine Summit, which took place on October 6, 2020,” according to the statement.
The Presidents of Ukraine and Poland also note the importance of mutually beneficial economic cooperation in order to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the Ukrainian and Polish markets in the context of a functioning deep and comprehensive free trade area between the EU and Ukraine.
“We see the need to urgently intensify the work of the Ukrainian-Polish intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation. The interests of the two states meet the growth of mutual investments in Ukraine and Poland, for which it is important to create favorable conditions for doing business,” according to the joint statement.
The heads of state also note the need for further cooperation in the energy sector to strengthen energy security in the region and Europe as a whole. “We see the importance of increasing the reliability and diversification of energy supplies, as well as ensuring transparency in the energy sector,” Zelensky and Duda said.
The Presidents emphasize the need for cooperation between Ukraine and Poland “in order to enhance the role of our region as an important transport, transit, infrastructure and innovation and investment center for the European continent.”
In addition, as noted in the statement, Poland supports Ukraine’s deepening cooperation with the Three Seas Initiative.
Supreme Court confirmation hearings highlight health care, religion
WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Oct. 12 start of the Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett had two distinct focuses.
Democratic senators homed in on concern that Barrett’s confirmation would lead to a vote to potentially overturn the Affordable Care Act when the legislation comes before the nation’s high court in November.
Republican senators emphasized the nominee’s qualifications for the role and stressed that her Catholic faith, which was raised in her 2017 questioning before a Senate committee for her federal judiciary nomination, shouldn’t be an issue in the current proceedings.
Indiana senators who introduced Barrett, remotely, to the committee near the end of the five hours of discussion about her, highlighted Barrett’s judicial talents and also emphasized that her Catholic faith should not come into question. Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, also pointed out that in his state: “Faith is seen as an asset in public service.”
In her remarks, Barrett said she was “honored and humbled” to be nominated to the Supreme Court. She spoke of her husband, their seven children, her siblings and her parents. She mentioned the “the devoted teachers at St. Mary’s Dominican,” the girls high school she attended in New Orleans, and she also mentioned that if she were confirmed, she would be the only justice on the bench not from Harvard or Yale but the University of Notre Dame.
Other than the school references, Barrett’s only remark about her faith came after thanking people for their support in recent weeks. She added: “I believe in the power of prayer, and it has been uplifting to hear that so many people are praying for me.”
In giving an indication of her judicial philosophy, she said: “Courts have a vital responsibility to enforce the rule of law … but courts are not designed to solve every problem or right every wrong in our public life. The policy decisions and value judgments of government must be made by the political branches elected by and accountable to the people.”
She said she tried to follow that view as a judge, “mindful that, while my court decides thousands of cases a year, each case is the most important one to the parties involved.”
At the start of the hearings, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pointed out the four-day process prior to sending the nomination onto the full Senate for a vote would be a “long contentious week.”
He also noted the proceedings were “not about persuading each other unless something really dramatic happens.” He predicted that “all the Republicans will vote yes, all the Democrats will vote no” for President Donald Trump’s nominee to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the Sept. 18 death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“Nothing about this today is normal,” said Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, in the middle of the first day of introductory remarks by members of the committee, noting the country is in the middle of holding a presidential election and battling the coronavirus pandemic.
Signs of coronavirus precautions were obvious in the room itself where senators were socially distanced and wore masks while bottles of hand sanitizer and plastic containers of bleach wipes were visible on the counters. The hearing room also did not have the usual crowds these events typically draw, and a few senators participated remotely.
Two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier, but those in the Senate hearing room were not required to be tested for the coronavirus before taking part in the hearing in the enclosed room, as some of the Democratic senators mentioned.
Prior to the hearings, protesters and supporters of Barrett’s nomination gathered outside in the rain to express their views with signs such as “Let the people decide!” or “Women for Amy.”
During the hearing, Barrett sat at a table across from the senators, and her husband and six of their children sat behind her.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, the senior Democrat on the committee, started the discussion with a trend that was followed by her fellow Democrats, voicing an overriding concern that with Barrett’s confirmation “Americans stand to lose the benefits that the ACA provides.”
On Nov. 10, the court will hear oral arguments about the health care law, often called Obamacare, for the third time in a case brought by 18 Republican state attorneys general and supported by the Trump administration.
As a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, Barrett did not hear any cases dealing with the ACA. But in 2017, she wrote a paper in the Notre Dame Law School journal that was critical of Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority opinion in the 2012 ruling, saying he “pushed the Affordable Care Act beyond its plausible meaning to save the statute.”
This quote was mentioned by several Democratic senators, many of whom referred to and showed poster-sized pictures of their constituents suffering from health problems who they said would lose their health insurance if ACA is dismantled.
A few Democrats brought up the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, saying it also stood in the balance with Barrett’s nomination. Several of them described the current hearings as a “sham” or “charade” for being rushed through amid the election and the pandemic.
Republicans highlighted Barrett’s qualifications and many of them brought up the issue of her Catholic faith, which had come up in her 2017 hearings. Several made reference to a comment made at the time by Feinstein, who told her: “The dogma lives loudly within you, and that’s a concern.”
Feinstein was referring to Barrett’s speeches and a 1998 article she co-wrote about the role of Catholic judges in death penalty cases. The senator also questioned Barrett about upholding Roe v. Wade.
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Nebraska, said the confirmation hearings should be about civics, not politics, and stressed that the senators should not get into religious tests of a court nominee or try to determine “whether ‘the dogma lives too loudly’ within someone.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, similarly recalled the questioning Barrett received in 2017 and said it reflected a “the very terminology of anti-Catholic bigotry.”
– – –
Follow Zimmermann on Twitter: @carolmaczim
Seven Stories Children’s Book centre receives lifeline Government grant
Newcastle’s Seven Stories National Centre for Children’s Books has been awarded a grant from the Government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund. Seven Stories, in Lime Street, Ouseburn will get £204,000 as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion …
India’s Catholic Church protests arrest of elderly Jesuit priest – Vatican News
By Vatican News
The Catholic Church of India is protesting the unjust arrest of a Jesuit priest noted for his advocacy of the rights of indigenous peoples, locally known as tribals and adivasis. Father Stan Swamy, 83, was arrested on October 8 in Ranchi, the capital of the eastern state of Jharkhand.
Accused of Maoist links
The priest has been accused by the government for links with Maoist insurgents who are accused of being behind a riot in Bhima Koregaon village in the western state of Maharashtra in December 2018. He has been remanded by a special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Maharashtra capital, Mumbai, until his hearing scheduled for 23 October.
“The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) expresses its deep sorrow and anguish on the arrest of Father Stan Swamy from his residence by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), accusing him of being related to the Bhima Koregaon incident,” said Archbishop Felix Machado of Vasai Diocese, CBCI secretary-general.
“The CBCI makes a strong appeal to the concerned authorities to immediately release Father Stan Swamy and to permit him to go to his residence,” Archbishop Machado wrote in an appeal sent to AsiaNews.
Indigenous rights
Father Swamy, who belongs to Jamshedpur Jesuit Province, was arrested from Bagaicha, a Jesuit social action centre in the outskirts of Ranchi, which works for the rights of indigenous people in Jharkhand. Attached to the centre is also a school for tribal children and a technical training institute.
In a statement before his arrest, Father Swamy claimed he has never been to Bhima Koregaon.
Archbishop Machado pointed out that the elderly priest “has spent a major portion of his life-giving yeoman service to the tribals and the downtrodden in the state of Jharkhand, … especially their land rights,”. “This,” he said, “could have worked against the interests of certain people.”
“When questioned during the months of July- August 2020 by authorities,” the archbishop said, “Father Stan Swamy fully cooperated with NIA and provided detailed statements, claiming his innocence.”
Father Swamy’s health concerns
The archbishop expressed particular concern over the arrest of Father Swamy who could be particularly vulnerable given his advanced age and poor health amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, India is the worst-case scenario in terms of infections and deaths.
Stressing that the Catholic community of India has always been loyal, law-abiding and committed to the common good and in nation-building, Archbishop Machado urged that the rights, duties and privileges of all citizens be duly safeguarded, and peace and harmony prevail among all.
The CBCI thanked all for supporting Father Swamy and calling for his immediate release and safe return to his residence.
South Asia Jesuits
Jesuit Father George Pattery, president of the South Asia Jesuits, said his religious order condemns the arrest “in the strongest terms”. “It is very unfortunate and a very illegal way of doing things and cannot be tolerated. I think it is an arrest without a warrant and cannot be accepted,” Father Pattery told Crux. “He has dedicated his entire life for the Tribals and their cause.”
Ranchi Archdiocese
The Catholic community of Ranchi Archdiocese has also appealed for the release of Father Swamy. “The Church in Ranchi appeals to the conscience and compassion of all concerned authorities and all those who have a say in this matter to release Father Swamy immediately and restore him to his own residence,” said a statement signed by Auxiliary Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas of Ranchi and Sister Punam Soreng SJC, secretary of the local unit of the Conference of Religious India (CRI).
Ileana Chinnici Receives Osterbrock Book Prize for Bio of Angelo Secchi
Press Release
From: <a href="https://www.aas.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">American Astronomical Society</a> <br/>Posted: Monday, October 12, 2020
<!-- start article text -->
<span>The Historical Astronomy Division (HAD) of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) is pleased to present the 2021 Donald E. Osterbrock Book Prize for Historical Astronomy to Ileana Chinnici for her work “Decoding the Stars: A Biography of Angelo Secchi, Jesuit and Scientist” (Brill 2019,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://brill.com/view/title/39451" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://brill.com/view/title/39451&source=gmail&ust=1602598946443000&usg=AFQjCNEpMymtknDI4Wi_RUUHWYqsTySY9w">https://brill.com/view/title/3<wbr>9451</wbr></a><span>).</span>
This is the first full-length biography of Italian astronomer Angelo Secchi (1818-1878) in English and will become the definitive work on this important figure in the history of astrophysics. Secchi became well known as part of the transition from classical positional astronomy to astrophysics. He was a pioneer of spectroscopy and its application to stellar classification and solar physics. At the 25th anniversary of Secchi’s death, George Ellery Hale praised his contributions “to the present widespread interest in Astro-physical research.” Chinnici’s book covers not only the research that Secchi is remembered for, but also the broader environment in which he worked. Based on extensive research in Italian and Vatican archives, it is richly illustrated with many color and black-and-white photographs.
Ileana Chinnici (https://www.astropa.inaf.it/en
The Donald E. Osterbrock Book Prize (https://had.aas.org/awards_an
The 2021 Osterbrock Book Prize will be presented to Dr. Chinnici at the virtual HAD Town Hall starting at 1:40 pm Eastern time on 11 January 2021, when she will give a presentation about her book. The HAD Town Hall will be held in conjunction with the virtual 237th AAS meeting (https://aas.org/meetings/aas2
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Vatican: Four Swiss Guards test positive for Covid-19 – Vatican News
By Vatican News
Responding to questions from journalists, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, said four positive cases of the coronavirus were discovered over the weekend among the members of the Swiss Guard.
At present, Bruni explained, they “have symptoms, and are all in isolation.”
Currently, he continued, “the necessary checks are being carried out among those who may have been in direct contact with them.”
“In the meantime, according to instructions issued last week by the Governorate of the Vatican City State, all the guards, whether on duty or not, wear masks, both outdoors and indoors, and observe the prescribed health measures.”
The Press Office Director added that the cases of the four guards are in addition to “three other positive cases found in recent weeks among residents and citizens of the State, all with mild symptoms and for which all the necessary measures of isolation at home and verification of the persons involved have been observed.”
New Book ‘American Crisis’ Reveals What’s at Stake in the 2020 Election and Beyond
New Book ‘American Crisis’ Reveals What’s at Stake in the 2020 Election and Beyond
An in-depth historical perspective and analysis of cultural Marxism and its threat to American values and institutions
NEWS PROVIDED BY
The Areopagus
Oct. 12, 2020
ATLANTA, Oct. 12, 2020 /Standard Newswire/ — The new book ‘American Crisis: Cultural Marxism and The Culture War – A Christian Response’ by Jefrey D. Breshears is an incisive analysis of the origins and effects of the culture war raging in America today.
‘American Crisis’ exposes the insidious cultural Marxism at the root of the chaotic upheaval fomented by socialists, anarchists and “social justice” warriors across our nation during these critical days leading up to the 2020 election.
“This is a perilous time in our nation’s history. The moral and spiritual influences of the past are disintegrating,” says Dr. Breshears, Christian historian, apologist, and president of The Areopagus, a Christian study center in Atlanta, Georgia. “As a result, America has become increasingly chaotic and dysfunctional to an extent unimaginable just a few years ago.”
We are facing an unrelenting culture war that threatens to destabilize the nation, destroy what remains of traditional Judeo-Christian values, and fundamentally transform America into a secular socialist state. Do individual Christians and the Church in general comprehend what is at stake in the 2020 election?
“I am challenging Christians to actively defend the biblical and moral principles upon which our country was built,” says Dr. Breshears. “My hope is that serious and thoughtful Christians will not only read but heed the warnings and challenges presented in ‘American Crisis’ and respond accordingly to the call to wholistic and countercultural Christian discipleship.”
Dozens of books have been published this year by leading Christian and conservative scholars on the threats to American society and culture, but ‘American Crisis’ provides the most in-depth analysis of both the problem and the solution.
A synopsis of the 425-page book including summaries of each chapter is available at The Areopagus website.
Published in July of 2020 by Centre•Pointe Publishing, ‘American Crisis’ is available in paperback and eBook through Amazon.
About Dr. Jefrey D. Breshears / The Areopagus
Jefrey D. Breshears, Ph.D., is a Christian historian, apologist, and president of The Areopagus, a Christian study center in Atlanta. Dr. Breshears is the author of ‘C. S. Lewis on Politics, Government, and the Good Society’, ‘Introduction to Bibliology: What Every Christian Should Know’, ‘The Case for Christian Apologetics’ and ‘The Absolute Truth About Relativism’. Visit The Areopagus website to learn more.
SOURCE The Areopagus
CONTACT: Elizabeth Greenewald, 770-789-7001, [email protected]
Escape Into the Scariest Books of All Time, If You Dare
SheKnows
Must-See Movies & TV Shows Based on Classic Books
<
p class=”M(0) C($summaryColor) Fz(14px) Lh(1.43em) LineClamp(3,60px)”>When it comes to movies and TV shows based on books, there seem to be two kinds of people: the ones who absolutely must read the book before seeing the screen version and the ones who aren’t bothered either way. Classic books particularly seem to divide people, especially because they are often adapted several times […]
