Articles for Month: December 2005

By Terry Vanderheyden OTTAWA, December 23, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – One of my most memorable Christmases was the Christmas of 1996. I had begun the process of discerning whether God wanted me to serve Him as a priest, so I attended a retreat in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a religious order there. At the same retreat was a young man from Ghana who, unlike me, was fairly certain of his call to the priesthood. Unfortunately for Peter, the seminaries in West Africa were not only full, but had a waiting list of three years or more. His parents had saved from their […]

IRONDALE, Alabama, December 23, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – EWTN, the Eternal World Television Network founded by Mother Angelica, has been an outstanding success. The network offers 24-hour programming to 104 million homes in 110 countries. 80 percent of the material offered to viewers is produced on site at the network’s studios in Irondale, Alabama. There are countless conversions attributed to the networks’ influence, by people from an endless variety of backgrounds and situations. “Cancer patients, Playboy bunnies, secret Christians in Muslim countries who watch online—stacks of their stories come in to EWTN each day,” says Hoopes. Life has not been easy […]

By John-Henry Westen OTTAWA, December 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Prime Minister Paul Martin, a self-styled “very strong Roman Catholic”, said in an interview with Don Martin of The Calgary Herald that he would attend a homosexual ‘marriage’ ceremony. Asked if he would attend a same-sex wedding if invited, the Prime Minister responded, “oh sure I’d go, absolutely. Yes, I would go if I was invited.” Martin has campaigned on the homosexual ‘marriage’ issue, berating his primary opponent – Conservative Leader Stephen Harper – for his party’s willingness to allow a free vote in parliament on the issue. (see coverage: https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/dec/05121908.html […]

By Terry Vanderheyden OTTAWA, December 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – At least two conservative pro-family independents have decided to face-off with Conservatives who support same-sex “marriage” and abortion in the federal election. Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam, BC, Conservative MP James Moore riled a host of conservatives after he won his seat in 2000 while claiming that he was pro-family and pro-life, then later voted in favour of the Liberal Party’s gay “marriage” legislation. Now a former member of his riding executive, Greg Watrich, is running against Moore as an independent. “There is a strong Conservative base here who feels they’ve been betrayed […]

By Terry Vanderheyden CANBERRA, December 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Australian Prime Minister John Howard said Australia would not be following Britain’s lead by introducing a class of marriage for same-sex couples. “I believe very strongly that marriage is exclusively a union for life of a man and a woman to the exclusion of others,” Howard said, as reported by the Australian Associated Press. “That’s the common understanding of marriage in the Judeo-Christian tradition, and I would be opposed to the recognition of civil unions.” Australian lawmakers voted to amend the Marriage Act last year that enshrined the traditional definition of […]

By Gudrun Schultz WASHINGTON, December 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) issued a report today on efforts to protect the constitutional right of U.S. military chaplains to pray according to their faith. 160,000 people from across the United States have signed on to a national petition urging President Bush to enact an Executive Order protecting the constitutional rights of military chaplains to pray according to their faith. The petition campaign is in conjunction with efforts underway in Congress – spearheaded by Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina – urging President Bush to act.  ACLJ […]

ILLINOS, United States, December 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) –The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) announced today that legal action is underway in defense of two pharmacists who were fired for refusing to hand out abortifacient drugs. “These Conscience Clause cases are significant and represent the cutting edge of the abortion debate in our country right now;” ACLJ said in a statement to the press. “Doctors, nurses and pharmacists should not be compelled to violate their conscience and participate in an abortion procedure.” The pharmacists were suspended indefinitely from a Walgreens pharmacy after refusing to sign a document stating they […]

By Terry Vanderheyden AMARILLO, Texas, December 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Priests for Life’s new Society of Apostolic Life, the Missionaries of the Gospel of Life, has received official approval from its bishop. On December 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the unborn, Bishop John Yanta of Amarillo, Texas, signed the approval for the Society that will train priests, deacons, and lay missionaries to devote their lives to the unborn. Priests of the Society make special promises related to the defense of human life, and are at the disposal of the Society to travel throughout the United […]

By John-Henry Westen DERBY, UK, December 22, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – England’s Sinfin Community School is not backing down from its decision to suspend a 16-year-old for her refusal to take off a crucifix she wore around her neck on a gold chain for three years.ÂÂThe student, Sam Morris, was allowed back to school after a day’s suspension only after she removed the crucifix. Sikh religious bracelets, and Muslim sacred daggers are permitted at the school but the crucifix worn on a chain is not. LifeSiteNews.com contacted the local school council and was informed that the “jewellery ban” is still in […]

We Have a Huge Stake in Christianityhttps://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=11029 The Power of Christmashttps://www.nationalreview.com/jgraham/graham200512221014.asp Raymond Arroyo on an unlikely woman who built an unlikely empire.https://www.nationalreview.com/interrogatory/arroyo200512210812.asp National Post applauds Supreme Court of Canada decision in favour of swingers clubs https://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/editorialsletters/story.html?id=e28cab1b-41b7-49ab-bcd2-645654a7888a Menorahs Light Path for Nativity Displayshttps://www.forward.com/articles/7053 Taking the Christmas Out of Christhttps://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-xmas21dec21,1,1681994.story?coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=1&cset=true A last Christmas in Palestine?https://www.canadafreepress.com/2005/hagan122105.htm Public Schools Declare War on Christmashttps://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=11065 Chinese priests defiant in pre-Christmas standoffhttps://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-12-22T071320Z_01_KRA217178_RTRUKOC_0_UK-CHINA-PRIESTS.xml&archived=False Report Warns of Chinese Military Machinehttps://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/12/18/130057.shtml Next Narnia film, Prince Caspian, gets the thumbs-uphttps://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/news/blog-051219.html Exercise your way to better mental healthhttps://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=2005-12-22T164554Z_01_MOR258934_RTRUKOC_0_US-EXERCISE-MENTAL-HEALTH.xml Creating the world’s first synthetic life formhttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20051219/LIFE19/TPScience/?query=synthetic+life+form Calgary Herald Attacks Supreme Court on Swingers’ […]