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by Junno Arocho Esteves 11/28/2018 VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A Vatican official said an intergovernmental pact can help countries address the current migration crisis through dialogue and concrete solution s rather than confrontation and fear. Jesuit Father Michael Czerny, undersecretary of the Migrants and Refugee Section of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, said the Catholic Church is doing all that it can to help welcome, protect, promote and integrate migrants in countries where the U.N. Global Compact on Migration is formally adopted. "The compact has a new style, a new spirit based on what we have brought ," Father Czerny told journalists Nov. 28. "It is our desire to promote dialogue and not confrontation and isolation; to promote a culture of encounter and not let fear decide. This is the problem. If fear is in charge, that is a problem." Father Czerny was among several experts who spoke about the global compact, which will be fo

A Call for Climate Justice - Release 7 “The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.” -Genesis 2:15- “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because I have been anointed to give good news to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken heart; to preach freedom to the captives, and bring sight to the blind; to release the oppressed.” -Luke 14:18-  What Does the Lord Require of You? The call to climate justice is deeply rooted in biblically based Christian convictions. The scriptures provide a wealth of reasons why Christ followers simply cannot ignore this crisis. The following points are drawn from the Evangelical Climate Initiative , a group of senior evangelical leaders in the United States who are convinced it is time to seriously address the problem of global warming . This is Our Father’s World . Christians must care about climate change because we love God the Creator and Jesus our Lord, through whom and for whom the creation was made. This is God’s wor

By Staff Reports - 11/28/18 1:29 AM I was saddened to hear about the Oct. 27 shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Everyone should be able to attend worship services without worrying that someone would target them solely because of their religion. I was pleased to learn that a local interfaith group held a service on Nov. 1 for those killed in the shooting. Our community has come together this way before. For example, groups gathered in: August 2012 in response to a shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin April 2014 to express their concern for the atrocities happening in the Syrian civil war September 2014 after three local Christian churches were vandalized These interfaith gatherings show how those of differing faiths can come together to support each other and protect religious freedom for all. The First Amendment allows all citizens to freely exercise their religion. This constitutional right offers protection to individuals in varying degrees. The most protection comes in the priva

By JAMES C. PHILLIPS & JOHN YOO November 30, 2018 11:30 AM Detail of portrait of James Madison by John Vanderlyn, 1816 (Wikimedia) We’re both fans of Ramesh Ponnuru. But we think he’s wrong in a recent post here on the Corner. There he argues that we are advocating an un-originalist position for the Free Exercise Clause: requiring the government accommodate religious dissenters from laws, except under certain conditions. He contends that our position is the one ushered in by the Supreme Court in 1963 in Sherbert v. Verner, which was replaced by Justice Scalia’s views for the court in 1990’s Smith. And Ramesh muses that Scalia was probably right. But Ramesh misunderstands our position. And relies on un-originalist evidence for his. First, the reading of the Free Exercise Clause we primarily advocated was not the 1963-1990 one the Supreme Court adopted. That was our fallback position if the Court was unwilling to go with the clause’s original meaning. And we explicitly stated such

In Chicago on June 30, 2014. SCOTT OLSON OLIVER THOMAS AND CHARLES C. HAYNES | OPINION CONTRIBUTORS | 8:00 am EST November 29, 2018 In the turbulent 1960s, John Courtney Murray famously reminded Americans that the Constitution begins with "we the, people," not " we, the tribe ." Murray, a Jesuit priest, wasn’t papering over differences that are often deep and abiding. Each of us has our tribe — Catholic, Hindu, Humanist, Jewish, Muslim, Protestant or one of a hundred others in the pluralistic society we all call home. Differences matter. Instead, Murray was calling on Americans to recognize what we share across our religious and philosophical divides, especially the core principles of religious liberty in the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” In just 16 words, our framers created an arrangement in religious freedom that has made today’s pluralism possible. More than any ot

Adventist-led organization seeks to bring academic focus to emerging concerns. Nov 29, 2018 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Bettina Krause, communication director, International Religious Liberty Association [Photo courtesy of the International Religious Liberty Association] View Larger As the number of migrants and refugees worldwide continues to surge, a panel of scholars convened last month by the International Religious Liberty Association (IRLA) says more must be done to deal with related religious freedom challenges. The IRLA’s 19thMeeting of Experts, held in Cordoba, Spain, brought together renowned scholars from a variety of academic disciplines to explore this issue. But the topics discussed were anything but academic for the many millions of men, women and children who are currently on the move, fleeing poverty, violence, or religious persecution, according to IRLA Secretary General Dr. Ganoune Diop. “Managing migration, with all its associated difficulties—ph

By Avery Anapol - 11/29/18 07:20 PM EST 34 A Jesuit university has blocked a proposed event featuring conservative writer Ben Shapiro, citing the possibility of “hateful speech” by protesters. Officials at Gonzaga University in Washington state rejected a request from the school’s College Republicans chapter seeking to bring Shapiro to campus, according to conservative college news site Campus Reform. Judi Biggs Garbuio, Gonzaga’s vice president of student development, reportedly said in the denial that Shapiro’s speeches “routinely draw protests that include extremely divisive and hateful speech and behavior, which is offensive to many people, regardless of their age, politics or beliefs.” Biggs Garbuio also cited the school’s Christian mission, as well as safety and security concerns about the event. “Gonzaga University is committed to the human dignity of every individual,” Biggs Garbuio wrote. “This is the core of our mission based on the teachings of Christ Jesus, and the f

Investigators were serving a search warrant Wednesday morning at the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston as part of a case against a former Conroe priest accused of molestation. Author: Jeremy Rogalski Published: 11/29/18 Multiple files alleging details of child abuse by priests were located by investigators at the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on Wednesday, sources tell KHOU 11 Investigates. The files were found as part of a search of the Chancery. Investigators were serving a search warrant as part of a case against a former Conroe priest arrested for molestation earlier this year. The unprecedented action in Texas was taken by the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, along with the Texas Rangers and Conroe Police Department. More than 50 investigators arrived Wednesday morning carrying boxes inside the Chancery, located at 1700 San Jacinto Street in downtown Houston. The DA’s office said investigators were looking for documents in connection to the criminal case of Father M

Zac Johnson January 29, 2018 In our industrialized, digitized, pressurized world, it may be hard to imagine there was once a time without the sound of text messages, the sight of skyscrapers and the smell of car exhaust. A time when the human impact on the earth was reverential and humanity viewed their mission as a steward of the planet and caretaker of everything therein. You would probably need to go back to Biblical times when Adam and Eve walked alone in the Garden of Eden when God concluded the six days of creation with a cessation of all further work. This day of rest called the Sabbath, or in Hebrew Shabbat, became enshrined in Mosaic law with the Ten Commandments. To this day, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have a version of a day of rest with adherents citing benefits far beyond the religious or spiritual . There are many examples of senior corporate executives and celebrities who have found within the day of rest, an opportunity for rejuvenation that strengthens their eff

  OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images By Amanda Prestigiacomo @amandapresto November 27, 2018 A Texas father is fighting for his son in court after pushing back on his ex-wife's claim that their six-year-old is a transgender girl. According to court documents, the young boy only dresses as a girl when he's with his mother, who has enrolled him in first-grade as a female named "Luna." The father, however, contends that his son consistently chooses to wear boy's clothes, "violently refuses to wear girl’s clothes at my home," and identifies as a boy when he is with him. The Federalist reports that the mother has accused the father of child abuse in their divorce proceedings "for not affirming James as transgender" and is looking to strip the dad of his parental rights. "She is also seeking to require him to pay for the child’s visits to a transgender-affirming therapist and transgender medical alterations, which may include hormonal sterilization s

November 16, 2018 - 08:00 AM EST GETTY IMAGES BY SANDEEP GOPALAN, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR Has social media metastasized from a social network into a social menace? And if so, is the harsh medicine of regulation the answer? The available evidence appears to point in the direction of acknowledging the dangers posed by platforms such as Facebook and holding them to account through legal measures. Consider just a few of Facebook's transgressions: Committing privacy violations and compromising the personal information of millions of users (the Cambridge Analytica scandal alone affected 87 million users ); Enabling Russian operatives to wage misinformation campaigns aimed at influencing the results of the 2016 presidential election; Enabling the viral spread of hateful messages directed at particular ethnic, racial or religious groups; Reportedly orchestrating campaigns to discredit critics such as billionaire George Soros; Enabling mob violence in India , Sri Lanka, Myanmar and other coun

4:00PM EST 11/15/2018 Shawn  A. Akers Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon (Drew Gibbs) The atmosphere at Thursday's Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast (JPB) conference in Orlando differed greatly from what Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon faces daily at the United Nations. Instead of the anti-Israel rhetoric he consistently encounters at the U.N., Danon knows that when he attends events like the JPB, he's among friends and allies. "For sure, for me it's a completely different ballgame," Danon said in an exclusive interview with Charisma News. "At the U.N., every day they blame Israel; they condemn us; they doubt our connection to Jerusalem and to the holy site. I know we are standing on the right side of history, but coming here and seeing the support and love, it gives the entire Jewish community and the people a lot of inspiration. It inspires me to see so many friends of Israel coming together, praying together and standing together." The JPB is a prayer

Updated on Nov 25, 2018 at 08:04 AM EST A makeshift memorial stands outside the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh where 11 people killed in a mass shooting this month. (Matt Rourke | Associated Press) By Rev. Alexander Santora/For the Jersey Journal A few months ago, a man walked up the main aisle of Our Lady of Grace Church, Hoboken, while a priest was preaching in the center aisle during the Sunday evening Mass, which attracts mostly young adults. The man was overdressed, took a seat, and then exited the same way after the homily. Quite a few parishioners were spooked. This prompted us to contact the Hoboken P.D., look at our evacuation procedures during Mass and talk to Mass-goers at all the Masses over several weekends about what we can do if there is a suspicious person in church. At Hoboken/Weehawken Catholic deanery meetings, we discovered concern for church safety was widespread. And understandably so since in the last several years, there have been nine instances of murders

By Jessica Schladebeck   | New York Daily News | Nov 24, 2018 | 11:25 AM   A Toronto police car is seen at St. Michael's College School. Police arrested six students from a prestigious private all-boys Catholic school in Toronto on Monday and charged them with sexual assault related to a video that was posted on the internet. (Tijana Martin / AP) Two top officials at an all-boys Catholic school in Toronto have resigned amid a police investigation into a case of sexual assault by students as well as criticism over the institution’s handling of the allegations. St. Michael’s College School in a statement this week announced that principal Greg Reeves and board president Father Jefferson Thompson resigned, both of them “citing a shared desire to move the school forward without distractions” in light of the recent “horrific events of student behavior.” Toronto Police on Monday arrested six boys, who are all 14 and 15, from the school on total of 18 charges, including assault, gang se

By Maritza Brunt - November 19, 2018 Justice Salika. (Photo: Facebook)  A Seventh-day Adventist Church member has been named Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Sir Gibbs Salika, a member of Hohola Adventist Church in Port Moresby, was appointed on November 13 for a term of 10 years. “Justice Salika is the longest-serving judge of the National and Supreme Courts and will be a strong and independent Chief Justice of Papua New Guinea,” said PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill. “I congratulate Justice Salika on his appointment and I am confident he will provide the sound leadership required of the Chief Justice.” Adventist Church leaders from PNG also expressed their congratulations and offered words of wisdom for the newly-appointed Chief Justice. “Justice Salika is one of the longest-serving elders in our Church, and has been a strong, vibrant church member for many years now,” said Central Papua Conference general secretary Pastor Rex Koi. “We praise God for his leadership, represen

GCSDA President Ted Wilson and Pastor Blaisious Ruguri , president of the East and Central Africa SDA Union. (Courtesy)  https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/african-seventh-day-adventist-leader-opposes-uganda-anti-gay-bill231212/#gs.BZxejNY The old standard bearers knew what it was to wrestle with God in prayer, and to enjoy the outpouring of His Spirit. But these are passing off from the stage of action; and who are coming up to fill their places? How is it with the rising generation? Are they converted to God? Are we awake to the work that is going on in the heavenly sanctuary, or are we waiting for some compelling power to come upon the church before we shall arouse? Are we hoping to see the whole church revived? That time will never come. There are persons in the church who are not converted, and who will not unite in earnest, prevailing prayer. We must enter upon the work individually. We must pray more, and talk less. Iniquity abounds, and the people must be taught not to be sati

Dan Hitchens   19 November, 2018  Henry Sire Henry Sire has been expelled for his strong criticisms of Pope Francis, but plans to appeal The historian Henry Sire has been expelled from the Order of Malta after writing a book which heavily criticised Pope Francis. Sire was suspended in March, when the Order set up a disciplinary commission. His book, entitled The Dictator Pope, criticised Francis’s interventions in religious orders, and said the Pope had introduced doctrinal ambiguity, following the programme of the “St Gallen mafia” who brought about his election. Sire also claimed the Vatican was increasingly dominated by corrupt churchmen, while officials with integrity lived in fear of the sack. The book divided opinion: some reviewers praised the book as an accurate portrayal, while others said it was inadequately sourced and guilty of irreverence towards the Pope. Now, the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre, has decreed that Sire be expelled, as his b

November 24 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. Titus 2:12 . Do not, because you are among unbelievers, become careless in your words, for they are taking your measure. If you sit at their table, eat temperately, and only of food that will not confuse the mind. Keep yourself from all intemperance. Be yourself an object lesson, illustrating right principles. If they offer you tea to drink, tell them in simple words [of] its injurious effect on the system. Tell them also that you do not use spirituous drinks of any kind, because you desire to keep your mind in such a condition that God can impress it with the sacred truths of His Word, and that you cannot afford to weaken any of your mental and physical powers, lest you shall be unable to discern sacred things. Thus you can sow the seeds of truth, and lead out upon the subject of keeping soul, body, and spirit in such a condition that you can un