Monday, March 18, 2024

Pope: Family, Community Are Keys to Ending Secularism; Developing Faith in Christ Requires Relationship with Family

 Faced with decades of rising secularism, the Church must invest in families and in strengthening other forms of community to transmit faith, Pope Francis said on March 15, 2024, the Catholic News website reports. 


"The big issue before us is to understand how to overcome the rupture that has been established in the transmission of faith," the pope told members of the Dicastery for Evangelization's section for new evangelization on March15.


Developing faith in Christ "requires a meaningful  experience lived in the family and in the Christian community as a life--changing encounter with Jesus Christ in order to be transmitted," he wrote in his message to members of the dicastery during their plenary assembly. "Without  this real and existential encounter, one will always be subject to the temptation to make faith a theory and not a testimony of life."

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Ind. School Orders Students Not to Pray Together; Coach Orders Track Team Not to Pray before Meet

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has confirmed that it has filed a federal lawsuit over an Indiana school district's order that students not gather together for prayer, the WND website reports  


One coach threatened track team members . " "Don't let me see you do that again," after they gathered before a track meet for prayer, the ACLJ said, describing it as a "blatant violation of students' First Amendment rights."


The students were instructed that they must not be seen praying together as a group and that they would engage in a moment of 'reflection' alone  in small groups of two or three ." the ACLJ said. . 

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Vatican Says Women Deacons on Docket for Synod; Ways of Welcoming LGBTQ Community Also Considered

 Organizers of Pope Francis's ongoing Synod of Bishops on Synodality announced March 14 that 10 different working groups had been formed in the Roman Curia to address specific topics that came out of last year's session, the Crux website reports t oday (March 16, 2024). 


These topics are restricted to issues mentioned inside the synod hall and include hot--button questions such as women's access to the diaconate and ways of welcoming the LGBTQ community.


Monsignor Piero Coda, secretary general of the International Theological Commission, said issues of homosexuality, and the women's diaconate are on the agenda,  and various materials will be included in these topics. 

Friday, March 15, 2024

NATO Chief Warns Allies not to Suerrender to Russaia; Says Ukraine Can Defeat Russia on Battlefield

 NATO Secretary -Geneeral Jens Stoltenberg has warned members of the bloc against committing a "historic mistake" by allowing Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, to secure victory in the Ukraine conflict, the RT website reports today (March 15, 2024). 


Speaking at a conference in Brussels on March 14, Stoltenberg insisted  that Ukraine has proven that it is capable of defeating Russia on the battlefield and has  survived  thus far, thanks to the "unprecedented" support of NATO countries. 


Now, however, Kiev is "running out of  ammunition," the NATO chief warned, and called on bloc members to mobilize their reserves and "show the political will" to provide Ukraine with everything it needs to continue the fight. 

Thursday, March 14, 2024

US House Passes Legislation to Sell TikTok; Fear TikTok's Chineses Owners May Betray US Info

 The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on March 13, 2024 that would force Chinese company Byte Dance to sell TikTok in order for the social media app to be allowed to operate in the U.S., the Daily Caller  website  reports.


The Protecting Americans  From Foreign Adversary Controlled  Applications Act advanced from the  House Energy and Commerce Committee by a unanimous vote on March 7.


The legislation's proponents argue that the app, immensely popular with teens and young people for its customized song and dance features on short clip videos, poses national security risks. TikTok' parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing and may expose American user darta to Chinese government surveillance. 

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Aid Ship Heads to Gaza to Ease Famine There; Barge with 200 Tons of Food Leaves Cyprus

 The first humanitarian aid ship using a  new maritime corridor departed Cyprus yesterday and headed to Gaza,  where more than 1 million people face an increasing threat  of starvation and reports of malnutrition --related deaths are rising, according to health officials and organizations, the USA Today website reports today (March 13, 2024). 


The food shortage and exorbitant prices for what's available   are especially dire in the north amid Israel's restrictors on aid .


The vessel, towing a barge with 200 tons of food, collected by the nonprofit World Central Kitchen, carries the first shipment of aid sent by sea to the territory since the war started. 

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Study: Aged Should Pay for Care Based on Wealth; Rejects Idea of a Tax Levy to Cover Aged Costs

A taskforce reviewing funding arrangements for aged care has rejected the idea of a tax levy to cover the sector's costs and instead suggested Australians accessing care should pay more based on their personal wealth , the ABC News website reports today (March 12, 2024).


The Albanese Government established a taskforce last year to find out how the country could properly fund aged care, following a range of recommendations made by a damning royal  commission into the sector. 


A total of $23.6 billion was spent on aged care in 2020--21, which increased to $24.8 billion in 2021--22, and  $27.1 billion last financial year in 2022--23 with aged care expenditure expected to reach $42 billion  by 2026--27.