Catholic New Times back issues from April 2006:
Editor's note.
Apr 09, 2006; ... As we go to press we rejoice in the news that James Loney and his two CPT companions have been released. We offer our condolences to those who mourn the death of Tom Fox and we give witness to his life on page 3. Guest columnist Len Desroches agreed to write in what would have normally ...
Defending Ganley.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 09, 2006; ... As a Johnny-come-lately to CNT, I can hardly question Eileen McCarthy's recollection of CArTs original impulse or her account of the preoccupations of those who celebrated its 20th anniversary (CNT, March 19). My own, limited, experience of the publication, under the aegis of Ted Schmidt ...
Kutty not helpful.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 09, 2006; ... Faisal Kutty (CNT, March 19) has wiitten quite extensively on the recent furor involving the Danish cartoons. Furthermore he will be hosting a discussion at Osgoode Hall on that very controversial subject. It appears that the aim(s) of the discussion is to determine whether the offensive ...
Wrestling with tragedy.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 09, 2006; ... As I try to reflect prayerfully on the death of Tom Fox and the fate of Jim Loney and other hostages, I am reminded of the church in the first three centuries. Christians put their lives on the line for what they believed. They seemed content with whatever they had: far from the attitude ...
Shame on CNT.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 09, 2006; ... I have enjoyed reading the CNT for a long time, but, in the past few years you have become so abusive and strident against the pope and your support of the women who wish to be priests I feel that you are doing great harm. The church with all its problems has never lost sight of its ...
Thanks!(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 09, 2006; ... Thank you for producing such a wonderful ...
Kudos for Centre Spread!(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 09, 2006; ... What a splendid reflection (CNT, March 5). It provided bread for the mind and roses for ...
ALPHA admirer.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 09, 2006; ... I find your newspaper most refreshing and progressive in its views. (So glad you cannot be muzzled by the Vatican, like the editor of AMERICA was). I am really surprised you have not clued into ALPHA, the wonderful, non-denominational movement that is finally catching on in the ...
Thanks for Brokeback.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 09, 2006; ... Thank you and kudos to David Jenkins' assessment of the film Brokeback Mountain. I am so proud of CNT for promoting Jenkins' thoughtful, straightforward review. I recently saw the film with a 60-year-old gay man, who was born in the U.S. His experience within the same time period as the ...
A witness to light.(WITNESS)
Apr 09, 2006 ... Compiled with files from Christian Peacemaker Teams Tom Fox, 54, hailed from Clearbrook, Virginia and was a dedicated father of two children. A practicing Quaker for 22 years, Fox was an accomplished musician, who played the bass clarinet and the recorder and loved to cook. He ...
Passion in Africa.(EDITORIAL)
Apr 09, 2006 ... On Palm Sunday, Christians wrestle with the deep suffering of Jesus. We seek to find meaning in the pain of Jesus, often in order to find meaning in our own suffering or that of others. The story of the passion is familiar. The response of People to the suffering of Jesus, as ...
What will throne speech do for Canadians?(FRONT BURNER)
Apr 09, 2006; ... Will the PM's public policy reflect his faith convictions and respect those of others? Will the poor and powerless be protected? Will Stephen Harper seek areas of common agreement? In April, the Conservative government will outline its political plans and legislative priorities ...
Canadian groups mobilize for the right to water.(CANADA NOTES)
Apr 09, 2006 ... TORONTO -- A mass Canadian mobilization is representing a growing public concern about water issues in Canada and abroad. On World Water Day March 22, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and the Council of Canadians joined forces with faith-based organizations ...
Multi-faith charter challenge in Superior Court.(CANADA NOTES)(Brief article)
Apr 09, 2006 ... GUELPH, Ont. -- A multi-faith initiative, brought by Daoist Bill Hulet against the City of Guelph, is seeking to repeal a new by-law allowing major commercial construction near sacred lands. The multi-faith Charter of Rights challenge was heard in the Ontario Superior Court of ...
Canada treading on thin ice.(CANADA NOTES3)(Brief article)
Apr 09, 2006 ... OTTAWA -- Canada's warmest winter on record is putting pressure on wildlife and politicians alike. According to Environment Canada, temperatures this season were 3.9C above normal across the country, and 8C higher than usual in many parts of the north. The Great Lakes were ice ...
Families want national daycare: report.(CANADA NOTES)(Brief article)
Apr 09, 2006 ... TORONTO -- Canadian families want their child-care needs met by a nationally funded public system and not a federal cash payout, says a report by YWCA Canada. The YWCA commissioned four task forces across the country from fall 2004 to fall 2005, to address how local resources ...
'Place of hope': Canadian health professionals support people living with HIV/AIDS in Lesotho.(CANADA)
Apr 09, 2006; ... It is said that HIV/AIDS does not recognize any national boundaries or sovereignty. There is a small beacon for hundreds of thousands of people in the southern African country of Lesotho, however. It is a fledging clinic in Leribe's Motebang Hospital called Tsepong, a Sesotho word meaning ...
Africa's unsung heros: grandmothers survive HIV/AIDS pandemic, outlast younger generations.(CANADA)(Cover story)
Apr 09, 2006; ... Often overlooked in their society, often with meager resources, they bury their sons and daughters before raising their orphan grandchildren. However, grandmothers may soon receive a helping hand in AIDS-plagued Sub-Saharan Africa. On March 8, the Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) ...
Transnational feminism: despite Africa's continued woes, great strides are being made in women's participation in decision-making structures.(WORLD)
Apr 09, 2006; ... Aili Mari Tripp examines the continent's feminist movement and its contributions to global pressure groups, The term "transnational feminism" is sometimes used as shorthand for Western involvement in and influence on feminist movements globally. This is only one element of ...
Russia faces 'demographic devastation,' study says.(WORLD NOTES)(Brief article)
Apr 09, 2006 ... MOSCOW -- As millions have abandoned Russia's villages for a better life in the Cities, the country's high mortality rate has taken a punishing toll on many townships. The Guardian reported that Russia's population has plummeted by almost 7 per cent to 143 million in the last 15 ...
Diamond industry still funding 'bloody' conflicts in Africa.(WORLD NOTES)
Apr 09, 2006 ... NEW YORK -- Despite international efforts to blacklist stones from regions at war, the global diamond trade is continuing to fund civil wars in Ivory Coast and Liberia, human rights campaigners warn. According to a Global Witness and Amnesty International report released in ...
Mali farmers reject GM crops.(WORLD NOTES)
Apr 09, 2006 ... SIKASSO, Mali -- Farmers in Mali, the fourth poorest country in the world, recently told their government they do not want to see genetically modified (GM) crops being grown on their land. During the five-day meeting in Sikasso, in the south of Mali, where two thirds of the ...
Transformative theologies arising from Canadian margins: embodied and hope-filled, transformative theologies arise from suffering and resist violence.
Apr 09, 2006; ... What does a theology from the margins of our Canadian society look like? What makes theologies from the margins liberating and transformative? I suggest characteristics, a checklist, for those attempting to connect with others living on the Canadian margins and "do" transformative ...
Nourishing body and spirit: skiing priest develops a kick-and-glide guide to self-development for youth.(FAITH & SPIRITUALITY)
Apr 09, 2006; ... Father Jean-Marie Mouchet, O.M.I., has been a spiritual leader in the Yukon since the early 1950s and much of his life has been spent exploring the relationship among snow, the deep cold of a Yukon winter, and the development of young people. Mouchet came to Old Crow, the most ...
On pilgrimage with Thomas Merton.(FAITH/LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 09, 2006; ... During the March Break, my family travelled to the state of Kentucky. We wanted not only to escape the cold and unsettled climate of southern Ontario, but also to conduct a pilgrimage to the beautiful green hills of Gethsemani and the tranquility of the Trappist monastery south of ...
War at what cost?(FAITH/LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 09, 2006; ... March 19 marks the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Anniversaries offer us an opportunity to reflect on what's transpired in the intervening time. Three years ago President George Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and former Secretary of State Colin Powell told the ...
More uranium talk.(FAITH/LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 09, 2006; ... In responding (CNT March 5) to my critique of their earlier CNT article on nuclear power, Doctors Bertell and Yablakov were apparently unable to counter my arguments that nuclear power has nothing to do with acid rain and that the relatively small amount of spent nuclear fuel is managed ...
Generation-V2: print the T-shirts! Consider how last four decades have shaped a generation.(CHURCH)
Apr 09, 2006; ... Formative events influlence search for spiritual home I am 39-years-old. Lately, it seems, no one believes me when I tell them my age. Some say I look too young to be 39--bless their hearts! Others figure I must be lying, that I'm 40 or more and in denial. For the record, I ...
Spirit thrives in Sydney.(CHURCH)
Apr 09, 2006; ... Three cheers for the Canadian Religious Conference for speaking out on matters of concern to many Catholics across the country. (See p. 15) I note that every bishop in Canada has received a copy of its letter, and I only hope the bishops will respond. "Theat courtesy was denied a group to ...
A message to our bishops.(CHURCH)
Apr 09, 2006 ... THE CANADIAN RELIGIOUS CONFERENCE The Church and the Search for Meaning In view of the fact that today's young people and adults engage in an active search for meaning, increasingly through diverging paths: cults, alternative religions, Eastern spiritualities (Zen ...
Prophetic message sent in love.(CHURCH)
Apr 09, 2006 ... Editor's note: Last month the Canadian Religious Conference (CRC), the association of leaders of Catholic religious congregations in Canada, sent a message to the Canadian bishops. Written in preparation for the ad limina visit of the Canadian bishops to Rome this year. it was ...
Good Friday walk for justice.(CHURCH NOTES)(Brief article)
Apr 09, 2006 ... TORONTO -- Christians from many denominations will walk for justice on April 14, 2 p.m., starting at the Church of the Holy Trinity (behind the Eaton Centre in Toronto.) The contemporary Stations of the ...
NCC calls to end genocide in Darfur.(CHURCH NOTES)
Apr 09, 2006 ... WASHINGTON -- According to the National Council of Churches USA General Secretary, Bob Edgar, the world has "no higher priority, no greater imperative" than to end the genocide in Darfur. The genocide, including mass murders and rapes of thousands of people in Sudan's Darfur ...
Peace prize for Belgian priest accused of genocide.(CHURCH NOTES)
Apr 09, 2006 ... NEW YORK -- Belgian Roman Catholic missionary Guy Theunis, who has been accused by Rwandan authorities of taking part in the 1994 genocide, has been awarded a peace prize. The prize was granted in March in the Belgian city of Ghent by the Flemish weekly church newspaper Kerk en Leven ...
CHAC urges opposition 'Third Way'.(CHURCH NOTES)(Catholic Health Association of Canada)(Brief article)
Apr 09, 2006 ... OTTAWA -- The Catholic Health Association of Canada (CHAC) has called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to oppose a health-care proposal put forward this week by the Alberta government--a proposal the CHAC believes would undermine medicare and cause repercussions throughout Canada. ...
Evangelical concern for social justice.(CHURCH NOTES)(Brief article)
Apr 09, 2006 ... National Conference of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada brought together over 300 agency leaders and front line staff who work among Canada's poor and homeless from coast to coast on March 29. More than 300 individuals and organizations from across Canada, who are ...
Students offer support.(CHURCH NOTES)
Apr 09, 2006 ... TORONTO -- Students at St. Anselm Catholic School in Toronto presented a cheque for $860 to support Philippine mudslide victims. The cheque was presented to Jose Saavedra, Jr. President of Leyteno Association of Ontario (LAO), a Toronto-based ...
Fr. Cachia responds.(CHURCH NOTES)
Apr 09, 2006; ... Editor's Note: Father Ed Cachia recently sent a letter to supporters, informing them of decisions he has come to in the wake of the situation that erupted after he spoke out in favour of women's ordination. (See CNT, Nov. 6, 2005) This is "an edited version of his letter. Dear ...
Anne Rice gets religion: vampire novelist turns talents to lost years of Jesus.(ARTS & CULTURE)
Apr 09, 2006; ... The son of Annas, the scribe, was standing there with Jesus. Taking a branch from a willow tree, he dispersed the waters that Jesus had gathered. When Jesus saw what had happened, he became angry and said to him, "You godless, brainless moron, what did the ponds and waters do to you? Watch ...
The Tragically Hip's "No Threat" a real threat.(ART NOTES/POETRY)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
Apr 09, 2006; ... "No Threat," on the album Yer Favourites, released November 2005. This is the first track on the first compilation of Greatest Hits from the Hip, and what a song! So relevant to me right now, it is about knowing your place and wanting to be more. When you know your capacity, ...
I can't even brush my teeth without Tye Tribett.(ART NOTES/POETRY)(No Way)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
Apr 09, 2006; ... "No Way," on the album Life by Tye Tribbet and the Greater Anointing, June 8, 2004 "I can't even stomp my feet, I can't even brush my teeth," sings Tye Tribbet which I first heard on a neo-soul gospel sampler. As I scanned through the CD everything sounded over-produced and ...
Bruce Willis is reinvented in 16 Blocks and finds God, thank God.(ART NOTES/POETRY)(Brief article)(Book review)
Apr 09, 2006; ... 16 Blocks, staring Bruce Willis and Mos Def, directed by Richard Donner. So I paid to see one of the current huge Hollywood blockbusters but there were no good seats left, so I opted to switch my ticket for this little advertised new Bruce Willis movie, 16 Blocks, not expecting ...
V for very good movie.(ART NOTES/POETRY)(Movie review)
Apr 09, 2006; ... V for Vendetta, starring Natalie Portman, Stephen Rea and Hugo Weaving. Directed by James McTeigue. Our Hero "V" is based on the historical English Catholic revolutionary Guy Fawkes, and thus has more in common with Che Guevara than Jesus. But what a character and ...
Stabat Mater.(ART NOTES/POETRY)(Poem)
Apr 09, 2006; ... <Pre> Stabat Mater The whole night skyHas not enough rainTo bathe the woundsInflicted upon our preciousEarth. Her agony is all around.Can you not see?Can you not hear? Stabat Mater,An eternity of Holy Saturdays ...
Love confronting death.(BACK BURNER)
Apr 09, 2006; ... "Brutality engenders brutality," I heard myself utter when I was first told that Jim Loney and his companions had been abducted in Iraq. The brutality of war engenders more brutality, such as abduction. "A shoot will sprout that can only be watered with tears." These exact ...
Not even on the map.(BACK BURNER)
Apr 09, 2006; ... Particularly since the federal election, many are anxious to see that First Nations issues stay on the national agenda. Yet in many ways, at least in Ontario, First Nations are not even on the map. According to the Chiefs of Ontario, there are 134 First Nations in Ontario ...
Editor's note.
Apr 23, 2006; ... Alleluia! We celebrate Easter and Earth Day together in this issue. Images of sprouting seeds have Iong been connected with resurrection. These days we have even greater concerns as a resurrection people when we consider the crises our farmers are in and capitalism's incursion on the seed ...
Organic communion.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 23, 2006; ... I read that the Archbishop of Canterbury announced that Anglicans will be using organic bread and wine for Holy Communion so I began a campaign to have the United Churches do the same. Of course I hope that Roman Catholic Churches will take this up too. The decision to use only ...
Raise Opus Dei awareness.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 23, 2006; ... I have subscribed to the CNT for sometime and really appreciate the honesty of subjects printed. I have concerns about how our church is shrinking and the lack of leadership and real participation in church activities. However my real concern is the lack of knowledge ...
Can't we do better?(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 23, 2006; ... As stated in your paper, the CNT mission is dedicated to furthering the reign of God, as proclaimed by Jesus Christ through a commitment to faith and social justice. Therefore we should have the gall to say what needs to be said and to do what we feel needs to be done by living out our ...
Good for CNT!(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 23, 2006; ... A friend of mine gave me CNT to read. I did not know that there was such a paper and I found it interesting to read. I noticed that you published people's thoughts even if you don't agree with them. ...
Geographical correction.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 23, 2006; ... With respect to Kevin Moore's article, (CNT, April 9) I would like to correct a misunderstanding about where and when the students were killed in a protest against the war in Viemam by the Ohio National Guard. It was on May 4, 1970 on the Kent State University campus, in Bowling Green, in ...
Stereotyping CPT.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 23, 2006; ... "Blessed are the peacemakers." Does the human spirit (and scripture) affirm peacemaking because it is a 'nice' activity or because virtually every faith group teaches that peacemaking is essential if we are to love our neighbour as ourselves and to act as a just society? Similar to all ...
What do you say now, P.M. Harper?(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
Apr 23, 2006; ... Prime Minister Harper's motives for supporting our troops and our mission in Afghanistan are well intentioned. But does he not thereby embrace a far greater threat: United States Empire? Mr. Harper and (now) Public Safety Minster Stockwell Day once wrote in The Wall Street ...
Bob Hunter: hero of the environment: Greenpeace founder is remembered for his eco-activism and 'spiritual quest.'.(WITNESS)(Obituary)
Apr 23, 2006; ... Editor's note: Bob Hunter died of cancer on May 2, 2005. He was most noted for serving the Earth as one of the "heroes of the environmental movement. " In his October 2005 Speech from the "Throne, Lieutenant Governor James Bartleman announced the creation of the Bob Hunter ...
Acts of hope at Easter.(EDITORIAL)
Apr 23, 2006 ... When in the midst of environmental degradation it is easy to despair. At times, our world can seem like a horror movie that has shifted from fiction to reality. Terminator seeds, poisoning pesticides, water for sale, bankrupt farmers: the list seems never ending. In Canada it is ...
Exiting the Afghan quagmire.(FRONT BURNER)(Canadian involvement in Afghanistan)
Apr 23, 2006; ... Ever since a February 2006 poll showed that 62 per cent of Canadians were opposed to Canadas involvement in Afghanistan, the media and the government have inundated Canadians with the thetoric of war. Recent polls indicate that now 53 per cent of Canadians are now supportive of Canada's ...
Poverty hits one in six kids in Ontario.(CANADA NOTES)
Apr 23, 2006 ... TORONTO -- One in six children in Ontario--about 443,000 people under 18--live in poverty, a newly released study revealed. In 1989, the federal government promised to eliminate child poverty by 2000. Nonetheless, their poverty rate "has been stuck" between 15 and 16 per cent ...
Canada's record on human trafficking an 'embarrassment,' new report says.(CANADA NOTES)(Brief article)
Apr 23, 2006 ... OTTAWA -- Canada is an "international embarrassment" when it comes to combatting modern-day sexual slavery, a new report charged. The study on human trafficking by the Future Group, a non-governmental organization, gave Canada an "F" for its "abysmal" record, while also flunking ...
Forestry firms under fire at Grassy Narrows.(CANADA NOTES)
Apr 23, 2006 ... GRASSY NARROWS, Ont. -- The Grassy Narrows First Nation is demanding that forestry companies Weyerhaeuser Co. Ltd. and Abitibi-Consolidated Inc. stop logging on its reserve, threatening a fierce campaign of international protest. In a letter to the companies, advocates for the ...
Clemency urged for Portuguese workers.(CANADA NOTES)
Apr 23, 2006 ... OTTAWA -- Portugal wants Canada to adopt a gentler policy towards illegal workers who have rebuilt their lives in the country. Arriving in Ottawa on an "urgent" dispatch from his prime minister, Portugal Foreign Minister Diogo Freitas do Amaral met with Foreign Affairs Minister ...
Rural revolution: why aren't cash-strapped Canadian farmers reaping the fruits of their labour?(CANADA)
Apr 23, 2006; ... Today, it seems everyone in the 'agri-food' chain is reaping record-high profits--all except Canadian farmers. Amid high demand for food and growers' economy-topping efficiency, farmers are still posting their secondlargest financial losses of all time. Primary producers say ...
Uruguay and Argentina cease training at School of the Americas (SOA).(WORLD NOTES)
Apr 23, 2006 ... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Two South American countries recently sent a strong message of support for human rights and military accountability, by ceasing all military training of their troops at the controversial U.S. Army's School of the Americas (SOA) Nilda Garre, the Defence ...
African bio-resources 'exploited by West'.(WORLD NOTES)
Apr 23, 2006 ... JOHANNESBURG -- Dozens of Western multinationals have made millions of dollars by exploiting bioresources in poor Africa nations, says a new environmental study. U.S.-based Edmonds Institute, which published the reported, accuses pharmaceutical firms of breaching the United ...
Oscar Romero Catholic Worker community opposes U.S. immigration laws.(WORLD NOTES)
Apr 23, 2006 ... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Immigration bills introduced into the United States Congress and the Oklahoma Legislature could treat immigrants and refugees with "great harshness and cruelty," says the Oscar Romero Catholic Worker community. "These laws would make it a crime to offer help ...