That Blair woman again

Now it looks as if she is getting herself onto the Pontifical Council for Sciences, obviously people don't know her as we do, have a look at what Joanna Bogle has to say, look at Fr Tim Finnigan

The Telegraph reports her saying

"I have an enduring soft spot for the Virgin Mary"....
She added: "I passionately believe there is no more important role in life than motherhood. I admire her self-sacrifice, her ability to accept God's will and her trust in Him."
However, Mrs Blair admits she has doubts about the Church's position on the role of women, and says she chose to study law to annoy the nuns at the convent where she was educated.

UK Government “postpones” gay propaganda in Kindergarten after parents object

Conti - investigated
I am worried about civil liberties being eroded, so foregive my returning to this matter again, there does seem to be a cynical manipulation of public opinion through intimidation by the government, the police, the law. I think it should worry us all. Yes it is part of Blair Britain, to fair I suspect it will also be part of Cammeron Britain too.

By Hilary White
LONDON, October 18, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) –“Hello Sailor,” “The Sissy Duckling” and “Daddy's New Roommate” are among the book titles on a recommended government reading list for primary school children to teach them about homosexuality. New government regulations to place them in classrooms have been held back after officials were “inundated” by parent’s objections. Such books have not appeared in our school, nor have I heard of them appearing in other schools, even in Brighton.
The British government’s “anti-discrimination” regulations were to come into effect this month but the UK’s Telegraph reports that Cabinet ministers are “at odds” over the proposals which some warn will lead to reverse discrimination against Christian and other religious groups who hold homosexual acts to be sinful.
Colin Hart, director of The Christian Institute, a group that tracks the growing incidents of anti-Christian legislation and prosecutions, said: "The thought that new regulations could make these books compulsory is outrageous."
The Christian Institute warns that the regulations will make it unlawful for teachers to refuse to use the material in class. A media release from the Institute said, “Most parents would be alarmed to see the gay rights books already recommended by the Government for primary schools.”
Cases in the UK against Christians and others who object to the homosexual political advance, are alarming some rights groups. Colin Hart said his organization is particularly concerned about “the impact of these planned laws on religious liberty and on the school curriculum.”
“We do not want to see school lessons become the focus of litigation by crusading gay rights groups.”
Examples of this kind of anti-Christian harassment abound already in the United Kingdom.
In November 2003, the Anglican Bishop of Chester was investigated by the Cheshire police after he told his local newspaper of research showing that some homosexuals re-orientated to heterosexuality.
In December 2005, family-values campaigner, Lynette Burrows, was investigated by police after she expressed the view on a radio programme that homosexual men may not be suitable for raising children.
In January 2006, Patrick Harvie a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Green party, asked Strathclyde Police to investigate with the intention to prosecute, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, Mario Conti, for defending marriage in a sermon at a church service.
The Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Glasgow, Ronnie Convery, said that the action was a “publicity stunt” and was “not worthy of serious consideration”.
“It does however show once more that there are none so intolerant as the so-called champions of tolerance,” Convery said.
Read about many more “Christianophobic” incidents in the UK:http://www.christian.org.uk/rel_liberties/index.htm

Radical Muslims against pope: two churches attacked in Mosul and Baghdad

Muslim militias have forced Christians to pin up posters condemning the words of Benedict XVI in Regensburg. But religious leaders, including al Sistani, have expressed their friendship with the Apostolic Nunciature. And the representative of the Iraqi Shiite leader would like to meet the pope.
read more

Spain ends subsidy to church

Zappatero's govenment has shown itself hostile to so much that the Church stands for, especially the traditional family. He is increasingly trying to push it to the sidelines, this seems to be yet another attack.

New York Herald Tribune

MADRID The Spanish government said Friday that it would no longer offer a direct subsidy to the Catholic Church, adding to a deepening divide between religious conservatives and the governing Socialist Party.
Details of the move were outlined Friday by María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, the deputy prime minister.
The church would still receive government funding, because taxpayers would still be allowed to direct a percentage of their taxes each year to the church. But the government would no longer add to the amount allotted by taxpayers to guarantee a minimum level of state financing for the church.
In exchange for the elimination of the direct subsidy, the government said it would increase the maximum percentage that taxpayers can contribute from 0.52 percent to 0.7 percent.
The proposal also calls for eliminating the church's exemption from the value-added tax, a move requested by the European Union.
The Spanish government has funded the Catholic Church under technically temporary agreements since the death of General Francisco Franco in 1975.
The church receives about €135 million, or $170 million, a year from the government. The direct subsidy that is to be eliminated accounts for about €30 million. Spain's Conference of Catholic Bishops would not comment on the announcement.

Christian Values: New EU Membership Criteria for Turkey?

Article from Turkish Weekly

Edmund Stoiber, the Bavarian premier who is a key ally of Merkel, called for the EU to halt accession talks with Turkey. He said Turkish leaders had been "especially aggressive" towards Pope Benedict XVI over a papal lecture last week in Bavaria state that quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor badly criticizing Islam.
* "Turkey is not European and does not belong in Europe," said Stoiber* Turkish politicians and academicians argue that the real criteria for Turkey’s EU accession is the religious criteria and Turkey can never satisfy the EUBy Melek DURMAZPAN (JTW)ANKARA - When Turkish politicians including the leftist rightist leaders, severely criticized the Pope Benedict XVI, the religious leader of the Catholic Christians, some European politicians start to question whether Turkey is an eligible candidate for the EU or not. Edmund Stoiber, the president of Bavaria (Germany) and leader of the Christian Social Union Party (CSU), the “little sister” of Germany’s ruling Christian Democratic Union, proposed yesterday (Friday) that deliberations on Turkey’s possible acceptance into the European Union be ended. Stoiber said the reaction of many of the ruling political leaders in Turkey to the words of the pope was reckless and overly critical, Europa Press. According to Oldenburgische Volkszeitung, German daily, the Germany Government thinks like Stoiber yet Merkel cannot react Turkey in this way due to the diplomatic limits. Turks say that the latest criteria for Turkey’s EU membership is the ‘Christian values’.Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister of Turkey, Turkish opposition leaders, and some Turkish religious authorities continue to demand that the pope make a more sincere public apology for the words he spoke in a Sept. 12 discourse at the University of Regensburg, during his visit to Germany. Turkish media continue to argue that the Pope has undermined the harmony between civilasations. However Abdullah Gul, Turkish Foreign Minister, said the Pope’s visit to Turkey will be a great opportunity to restore the misunderstands.Some Turkish politicians even went so far as to compare Benedict XVI to Hitler or Mussolini, a comparison which exasperated Edmund Stoiber, who thinks that “Turkey is not now in the condition to enter the European Union.” Dr. Nilgun Gulcan from USAK, however, says that Stoiber’s only condition is Christinity:“Turkey is not a Germany, or a France, and it will never be like these countries. Turkey is different. If the current members want to establish Europe on the base of Christian values, Turkey can never be a European. If Europe means Christian discrimination, it means that the EU has to live with more than 100 million non Europeans (Muslims) inside”German politician Stoiber argued that Turkey has different cultural and spiritual background and these differences make it non-European: “Turkey is not Europe nor does it belong to the continent, because the country has such great cultural and spiritual differences with western values.Meanwhile the ranking prelate of the Catholic Church in England and the former head of the Anglican Communion have asked similar questions. Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, the archbishop of Westminster (London), told the Times of London, “I think the question is for Europe: will the admission of Turkey to the European Union be something that benefits a proper dialogue or integration of a very large, predominantly Islamic country in a continent that, fundamentally, is Christian?”Cardinal O’Connor said that the majority of English people are Christian who, regardless of the secular nature of their country, have a deep yearning for God, based upon their Christian traditions.A large majority of British Christians belong to the Church of England which Lord George Carey of Clifton used to head. The former archbishop of Canterbury added his voice to those questioning Turkey’s place in the EU yesterday, telling the “Today” program that “Surely a European community has to be more than economic? It has to have common values and so on."* ‘Old Europe vs New Europe’Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sedat Laciner, head of the Ankara-based USAK, argued that Stoiber and Cardinal O’Connor are the most sincere European politicians and religious leader yet sincerity does not make them right:“Many and many politicians and spiritual leaders in EU countries think in this way. I think the Pope Benedict XVI is not deeply sorry for his statement about Islam. He is sorry because his speech lures a severe reaction from the Islam peoples. Many EU politicians do not see any place for Turkey in EU because Turkey is a Muslim country. If the EU is only a Christian club, I think Turkey should not be part of it. Because Turkey is a secular country and I am personally against to be part of a Middle Ages understanding. If the EU wants to be a Middle Ages institution, so it cannot integrate the religions and ethnic groups of the European continent. There are more than 100 million Muslims in Europe. The millions of Muslims live at the heart of London, Berlin, Paris etc. Most of them are not immigrant but EU citizens, yet they cannot see the German or French Government as their own government. There are also many Euro-Muslim countries, yet none of them is EU member, including Turkey, Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo, Azerbaijan and Northern Cyprus Republic. I agree with Mr. Stoiber, Turkey has no place in a Christianity-based Europe. If the EU will be such a narrow-minded organization, Turkey should be outside of this discriminative structure and religious fundamentalism. It is really difficult to see any difference between Mr. Stoiber and Osame Bin Ladin in seeding religious hate. Europe is at a very critical stage as it was before the Second World War. Now the Turkish and Muslim peoples of the European continent can understand better what the European Jewish people felt before and during the Second World War. Turkey has always been a great opportunity to bridge Christians and Muslims, but I understand that we have lost that chance already”.Similarly Dr. Nilgun Gulcan says “both Mr. Stoiber and the Pope are German and this is not accidental. There is a strong Christian anti-Turkish root in Germany. They are after Christianity’s leader again. The Pope can criticize your cultural values or your very spiritual things, yet we cannot defend our self. When the Pope speaks, it is freedom of expression, when you question what the Pope says is attack against Christianity. I see double standard here. I accept some Muslims over reacted regarding the Pope’s statement, but not the Turkish politicians. They only criticized the Pope as he criticized a religion.”Sedat Laciner further says the Cyprus issue, Armenian issue and many other so-called obstacles are simply excuses produced to prevent Turkey’s EU membership:“The EU leaders accepted the Christian Cypriots as full member to the EU, but the Muslim Cypriots were rejected because they are not Christian. The EU cannot explain why and how it accepted such a problematic country. The border issues are still there and the Brussels breached all the EU principles by accepting the Greek Cypriots as full member. On the other hand the EU has not kept its words and has taken no concrete step to end isolation over the Turkish Cypriots.”“We want to see a more just and more balanced EU. We want to establish a common future instead of obsessing with the biases of the past.” Mr. Laciner added.