Politics
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Tuesday February 4, 2003
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Print- CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY PRINCIPAL SLAMS RENOWNED CATHOLIC PROF
- UN REPORT TO SHOW FERTILITY RATES WORLDWIDE TO DROP TO BELOW REPLACEMENT
- INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT BEGINS ELECTING JUDGES
- FRENCH EUTHANASIA NURSE SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS FOR 30 MURDERS
- CFAC URGES ACTION TO CHANGE OTTAWA'S CHILD PORN BILL
- HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT PUNISHED FOR WEARING PRO-LIFE SWEATSHIRT
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY PRINCIPAL SLAMS RENOWNED CATHOLIC PROF
Intolerant of Peter Kreeft's defense of Catholic teachings on homosexuality
TODAY'S HEADLINES
TORONTO, February 4, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Principal of the Catholic University of St. Michael's College (USMC) - an affiliate of the University of Toronto - has denounced a lecture by world renowned Catholic philosopher Peter Kreeft.
USMC Principal, Professor Mark McGowan, who was earlier embroiled in controversy over his support for a 'gay and lesbian' group at USMC, said in an open letter in the university's student newspaper, The Mike, that "The Kreeft lecture greatly detracted from the inclusive and respectful environment we are trying to nurture at St. Michael's." The open letter was signed with "Principal's Advisory Committee of Sexual Orientation & Professor mark G. McGowan, Principal of SMC".
The pro-life student's group at USMC invited Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., to speak at the university. Kreeft, a professor of philosophy at Boston College since 1965 and a regular contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over 40 books; he is widely acclaimed as one of the leading Christian apologists of our time.
Hilary White of Campaign Life Catholic who attended the November 8 Kreeft lecture said that Dr. Kreeft merely "expounded on Catholic teaching regarding homosexuality in answer to pointed questions by homosexual activists who attended the event." White explained that "Letters of complaint on the lecture were sent by homosexual activists who demonstrated that they had not listened to the lecture, wherein Professor Kreeft distinguished between the sinfulness of homosexual sex and the love due to a person afflicted with homosexual inclinations."
Some of the questions and comments from the activists were notable for their intolerance and strong ideological slant. One questioner even commented that the Aztecs bloody human sacrifices of thousands of victims on one day could be "a very beautiful ritual".
McGowan quoted from the USMC "statement on inclusiveness" which was approved by the governing body of USMC on July 22, 2002. "St. Michael's is committed to doing everything it can do to ensure that people of all backgrounds regardless of colour, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social or economic class, and nationality will feel welcome in its midst." In his open letter, McGowan states that "Many members of the audience felt belittled, patronized, and excluded from membership in the Body of Christ because of their sexual orientation."
Last year McGowan was implicated in the USMC controversy over the application of a 'gay and lesbian' group on the Catholic campus. The group, Queers at St. Mike's College, claimed to have McGowan's support for their application for official group status. Moreover, McGowan was seen to have a rainbow triangle (the symbol of the homosexual campus movement) affixed to his office door.
To order a recording of the talk and questions and answer session see:
http://www.lifesite.net/shop/tapes/index.htm
Hear a Real Audio excerpt from a previous Peter Kreeft talk in Toronto
http://www.lifesite.net:7070/ramgen/Kreeft/kreefconv256.rm (high speed)
http://www.lifesite.net:7070/ramgen/Kreeft/kreefconv56.rm (56k)
Peter Kreeft website http://www.peterkreeft.com/
To express your concerns:
Chancellor of St. Michael's University
Toronto Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic
Catholic Pastoral Centre
1155 Yonge street, Suite 502
Toronto, Ontario, M4T 1W2
Telephone: (416) 934-0606, ext. 609;
FAX: (416) 934-3452
St. Michael's College Principal
Mark G. McGowan
Rm. 127 Odette Hall
(416) 926-7102
See related LifeSite coverage:
HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVIST GROUP TO RECEIVE APPROVAL AT TORONTO CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/sep/020926a.html
HOMOSEXUAL CLUB FAILS TO ACHIEVE CLUB STATUS AT CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/oct/02100901.html
Back to TopUN REPORT TO SHOW FERTILITY RATES WORLDWIDE TO DROP TO BELOW REPLACEMENT
NEW YORK, February 4, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A United Nations report due to be released later this month warns that the world will soon be in a dangerous situation of overall population decline. Far from the population controllers predictions that the world will be completely overpopulated, the UN demographers warn that the decline in fertility rate shows no indication of stopping at 2.1 - the replacement rate.
"All the evidence suggests fertility is falling rapidly in developing countries with no sign it is going to stop at the magical number of two," said Larry Heligman of the UN population division. The UN report warns that the average fertility rate will decline to 1.85 - dangerously lower than the replacement rate - by 2050.
The Sunday Times which provided a sneak preview at the report notes that Thailand's fertility rate went from 5 in the 1970s to just under 2 today. In Iran the rate has gone from 6.5 children in the 1980s to 2.75 today. While the current world average for women bearing children is 2.7, in the West the average is much lower with countries such as Italy at 1.2 children per woman.
Jacqueline Kasun, a researcher who has warned for years about the coming population decline and the erroneous predictions of those espousing overpopulation, warned that that crunch will be felt in attempting to care for the elderly with few earners to support welfare and pension systems.
(with files from The Sunday Times, Feb 2, 2003)
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT BEGINS ELECTING JUDGES
UNITED NATIONS, February 4, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The International Criminal Court moved forward this week with the election of seven of the required 18 judges for the Court out of 43 candidates in one round of secret balloting. In the election process, a procedure was used to meet minimum requirements for the representation of the principal legal systems of the world, equitable geographical representation. Of the 33 men and 10 women candidates, six of the seven judges elected thus far were women.
Pro-life, pro-family leaders have been warning for some time there are strong indications the court will likely be used to enforce a radical feminist, anti-life and anti-family ideology on the world.
Elected as judges were: Ms. Maureen Harding Clark (Ireland), Ms. Fatoumata Dembele Diarra (Mali), Mr. Sang-hyun Song (Republic of Korea), Ms. Sylvia Helena de Figueiredo Steiner (Brazil), Ms. Akua Kuenyehia (Ghana), Ms. Elizabeth Odio Benito (Costa Rica), and Ms. Navanethem Pillay (South Africa) obtained the highest number of votes and a two-thirds majority of the States parties present and voting.
To be elected, a candidate needs 57 votes, a two-thirds majority of the 85 countries that are a party to the ICC.
Interestingly, the most powerful position in the ICC, that of prosecutor, still does not have nominated candidates, despite the deadline for nominations having been passed and extended.
See the UN release on the election:
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/L3021.doc.htm
See LifeSite Special Report:
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT APPROVED
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/1998/jul/980719b.html
FRENCH EUTHANASIA NURSE SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS FOR 30 MURDERS
PARIS, February 4, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A French nurse who once admitted to "helping 30 patients to die" at the suburban Francois-Quesnay hospital was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the murder of six patients. Her lawyer had her retract the earlier admission on grounds she had been under the influence of drugs when she was first arrested in 1998. The final report recorded 11 suspicious deaths, but there was insufficient evidence to press charges in all cases.
Christine Malevre, 33, was also banned for life from nursing. Ms. Malevre claims that she was acting out of compassion for terminally ill patients. Psychiatrists testified that she had a "morbid fascination with illness" and had given lethal injections that were never asked for.
A lawyer for three of the victims' families, Olivier Morice, said: "Christine Malevre is not the Madonna of euthanasia she makes herself out to be, but on the contrary a woman who is unbalanced and who deliberately overstepped her authority. ... If [she] had been tried for killing seven people in good health," he said, "we'd be far from 10 years and closer to
life in prison."
See BBC coverage at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2714831.stm
CFAC URGES ACTION TO CHANGE OTTAWA'S CHILD PORN BILL
CALGARY, February 4, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Canada Family Action Coalition (CFAC) has issued an Action Alert urging Canadians to help defeat Bill C-20, Ottawa's flawed Child Protection Bill. The law "does very little to improve laws to protect children from pedophiles, predators and the sex trade industry," CFAC says. "The Liberal government and Canadian media has touted this Bill as being a big leap forward in protecting children. Nothing can be farther from the truth..."
CFAC cites three serious flaws: (1.) The old child pornography loophole of "artistic merit" is being replaced by the new loophole of "public good," one that "threatens to be an even bigger loophole" than before; (2.) The bill fails to touch on the age of consent law for predatory adult sex with teens as young as 14, despite widespread support for raising the age of consent to 16 or 18; (3.) The bill does nothing to solve the problem of pathetic sentencing for criminals who commit sex crimes against children, and the lack of minimum mandatory sentencing provisions to guide judges.
CFAC is urging Canadians to
(A) Contact the Justice Minister, Martin Cauchon
mailto: and the Prime Minister's Office mailto:
and ask that Bill C-20 be amended to * remove all loophole wording in the child porn laws, * raise the age of consent for adults having sex with teens from 14 to 18 (or at least 16), and * add tough minimum mandatory sentences to all laws dealing with sex crimes against teens or children.
(B) Call MP's office and ask them to refuse to support this motion until it is fixed.
MP contact info - check the phone book or click this link :
http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/senmemb/house/members/MemberList.asp?Language=E&Par...
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT PUNISHED FOR WEARING PRO-LIFE SWEATSHIRT
CLEVELAND, February 4, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A junior high school student in suburban Cleveland was punished with a Saturday detention for wearing a sweatshirt with a pro-life slogan printed on it. Bill Noyes, 17, was first ordered to take off the sweatshirt or turn it inside out. The front of the shirt said, "Abortion Is Homicide" while the back reads, "You will not silence my message. You will not mock my God. You will stop the killing of my generation. Rock For Life."
Principal Doug DeLong admitted to reporters that only two students, out of a student body of more than 1,200, had complained. With his mother's permission, Mr. Noyes came home early from Chardon High School following the disciplinary action. "I should not have to take off a shirt that explains my morals," he said.
To visit Rock for Life: http://www.rockforlife.org
To read media coverage:
http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/news/index.ssf?/newsflash/get_story.ssf?/cgi-...
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