Web site targets women 35 and older Marin Independent-Journal, CA - 59 minutes ago … the Web site she used to pull together experts in areas such as women's health, adversity, self-improvement, beauty, fitness, spirituality and humor. …

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Services Set for J. Francis Stroud, SJ, Authority on De Mello … Fordham University, NY - 1 hour ago J. Francis Stroud, SJ, executive director of the De Mello Spirituality Center at Fordham University, died on June 28 at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital in the …

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Inspire me, make me wise Financial Express, India - 1 hour ago Today, there is a clear adaptation of spirituality for day-to-day living—a coping mechanism to manage stress rather than a true seeking of the divine. …

Original post by spirituality - Google News and software by Elliott Back

Mon Jun 30, 2008 12:53 pm (GMT -5)

‘Safe’ Catholic school that let killer deal drugs, have sex and worship the devil

Sunday, 29th June 2008

LINK

ST DAVID’S High School in Dalkeith was a place where most parents felt secure in the belief their children were being educated in a moral environment which protected them from some of the more disturbing aspects of youth culture.

But the trial of Luke Mitchell for the gruesome murder of Jodi Jones has rocked that assumption to its foundations.

The police investigation into the killing exposed a culture of drug taking, violence and Satanism among some pupils which raised disturbing questions for the authorities that run the Roman Catholic secondary school - one of 59 such schools in Scotland.

Midlothian Council has refused to reveal what action, if any, was taken to tackle Mitchell’s behaviour, but senior school sources admit teachers were "not in control" of the teenager.

Now parents and politicians have demanded an investigation into why a pupil with a history of violence, drug dealing, underage sex and a fascination with Satan was allowed to continue his damaging behaviour seemingly unchecked.

Mitchell’s criminal activities and his attempts to corrupt other pupils with drugs and Satanism were no secret at St David’s. But at a time when the Scottish Executive’s policy was to avoid excluding troublesome pupils, he was allowed to remain at the school, mixing with other youngsters - one of whom would pay for her relationship with him with her life.

One school source said:

"Luke’s problem at school was indiscipline. He had control over a group of pupils who were scared of him. But he would also defy teachers. If he didn’t want to do something, he wouldn’t do it.

"I don’t think the teachers had control of him. I think he was in control."

Mitchell was recognised as the ringleader of a group of pupils who were involved in "Goth" culture, fascinated with Satanism and the occult. Yet sources at the school say his behaviour was not brought to the attention of the school board.

One parent close to the school management team said: "It’s very worrying it wasn’t picked up and dealt with earlier. Parents were not told there was any problem with Satanism and I don’t remember hearing Luke Mitchell’s name raised. If teachers had worries, but these weren’t acted on sufficiently because of the local authority, that would be very concerning."

There were signs of serious problems with pupil behaviour at St David’s even before Jodi’s murder. In 2001 13-year-old Emma Robertson hanged herself in her bedroom at the family home in Dalkeith. Fellow pupils claimed she had been the victim of bullying, which some said was rife in the school. The then headmaster, Joe Boyd, denied bullying was a serious problem. Just one month later a further scandal hit St David’s when four 14-year-olds were reported to the police after being caught with cannabis in the school gym. All four were suspended, but none were permanently excluded.

Given such incidents, a report by government school inspectors in September 2001 makes remarkable retrospective reading. The inspectors not only failed to uncover any serious problems at St David’s, they praised the "good standard of education within a very caring and supportive atmosphere".

The report noted that "the guidance team, although containing mostly new and acting guidance teachers, managed their respective responsibilities well" and there were "very good" arrangements for supporting children’s welfare.

Yet some teachers were concerned about Mitchell’s obsession with violence and the occult. He was referred to an educational psychologist after an assault on another pupil when he was in primary school, aged 11. By January 2003 some teachers at St David’s were also growing concerned.

English teacher Geraldine Mackie received an essay from Mitchell on the subject of the end of the world. In it, he described himself as violent and Satanic. "It was quite worrying," Mackie told Mitchell’s trial. "There were quite a few things in it I found a little bit disturbing. I thought he needed to have a little chat with someone - perhaps he was in need of support."

A spokeswoman for Midlothian council refused to confirm what support Mitchell received, saying Jodi’s murderer was entitled to have that information kept confidential.

But what is clear is that Mitchell’s behaviour continued to spiral out of control. At one point he carved the Satanic number 666 into his arm with a school compass, and it has been reported that a music teacher intervened as Mitchell throttled another pupil. On that occasion it is believed that he was referred to an educational psychologist, but refused treatment. A spokeswoman for Midlothian council refused to comment on whether police, social workers or mental health professionals had been approached by the school about Mitchell. Asked if the school had tackled Mitchell’s drug dealing, she insisted it "was not happening inside the school".

Fiona Hyslop, SNP education spokeswoman, said failures in communication between agencies responsible for children was a common feature in tragic cases such as Jodi’s death.

She added: "The Executive does have a responsibility to review and reflect whether the support agencies could have worked better together."

Hyslop also criticised the Executive policy, abandoned last September, of giving head teachers targets to cut the number of pupils excluded, including those with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Councillor Peter Boyes, education leader for Midlothian Council, suggested a review of what had happened at St David’s would now begin. "Questions are going to be asked on Monday," he said. "We will have a look to see if we need to make any changes. We will examine our policies to see if they are successful or whether we have to change certain aspects, such as more checks in the corners of the playground. We have policies against drugs and knives and will examine whether they need to be improved."

A spokesman for the Catholic Church said the Scottish Catholic Education Service (SCES) had not been aware of any concerns about Mitchell, who is not a Catholic.

He said issues such as drug dealing and violence in schools were a matter for the council.

Shortly before Jodi’s murder, a new headteacher was appointed at St David’s, Marian Docherty, and since then the school has moved to a new building on a shared campus with Dalkeith High school.

At a service to remember Jodi on July 3 2003, Mrs Docherty said that she had been impressed by the way youngsters at St David’s had helped one another after the tragedy.

Many in the local community have seen these changes as a chance for a positive new start for the school’s staff and pupils following the tragedy.

Donald MacKay, Midlothian’s director of education, said staff from St David’s had attended drug training sessions and added: "St David’s take this issue very seriously and has a robust anti-drug policy which follows council and Scottish Executive guidance".

He also stressed that Mitchell’s carrying of knives did not reflect the general situation in Midlothian schools.

He said: "This is not an issue within Midlothian schools but if there was a suspicion that a pupil was carrying a knife staff would take immediate action and pupil and staff safety is paramount."

A spokesman for the Scottish Tory party said: "People in Dalkeith and the surrounding areas will want to know that the local authority, the education authorities and the school have in the past done everything they could and will if necessary learn any lessons there are from this tragedy."

Original post by mattpruett@faith-net.net (Faith Community Church of Canton NC) and software by Elliott Back

Charged up Pune Newsline, India - 1 hour ago Contrary to the common belief that spirituality is an old man's field, youngsters seem to find motivation in spirituality as well. Ambika Walia (21) joined …

Original post by spirituality - Google News and software by Elliott Back

Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:10 pm (GMT -5)
buchanan.org

PJB: Who’s Planning Our Next War?

June 27, 2008

By Patrick J. Buchanan

LINK

Of the Axis-of-Evil nations named in his State of the Union in 2002, President Bush has often said, “The United States will not permit the world’s most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world’s most destructive weapons.”

He failed with North Korea. Will he accept failure in Iran, though there is no hard evidence Iran has an active nuclear weapons program?

William Kristol of The Weekly Standard said Sunday a U.S. attack on Iran after the election is more likely should Barack Obama win. Presumably, Bush would trust John McCain to keep Iran nuclear free. tors

Yet, to start a third war in the Middle East against a nation three times as large as Iraq, and leave it to a new president to fight, would be a daylight hijacking of the congressional war power and a criminally irresponsible act. For Congress alone has the power to authorize war.

Yet Israel is even today pushing Bush into a pre-emptive war with a naked threat to attack Iran itself should Bush refuse the cup.

In April, Israel held a five-day civil defense drill. In June, Israel sent 100 F-15s and F-16s, with refueling tankers and helicopters to pick up downed pilots, toward Greece in a simulated attack, a dress rehearsal for war. The planes flew 1,400 kilometers, the distance to Iran’s uranium enrichment facility at Natanz.

Ehud Olmert came home from a June meeting with Bush to tell Israelis: “We reached agreement on the need to take care of the Iranian threat. … I left with a lot less question marks regarding the means, the timetable restrictions and American resoluteness. …

“George Bush understands the severity of the Iranian threat and the need to vanquish it, and intends to act on the matter before the end of his term. … The Iranian problem requires urgent attention, and I see no reason to delay this just because there will be a new president in the White House seven and a half months from now.”

If Bush is discussing war on Iran with Ehud Olmert, why is he not discussing it with Congress or the nation?

On June 6, Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz threatened, “If Iran continues its nuclear weapons program, we will attack it.” The price of oil shot up 9 percent.

Is Israel bluffing — or planning to attack Iran if America balks?

Previous air strikes on the PLO command in Tunis, on the Osirak reactor in Iraq and on the presumed nuclear reactor site in Syria last September give Israel a high degree of credibility.

Still, attacking Iran would be no piece of cake.

Israel lacks the stealth and cruise-missile capacity to degrade Iran’s air defenses systematically and no longer has the element of surprise. Israeli planes and pilots would likely be lost.

Israel also lacks the ability to stay over the target or conduct follow-up strikes. The U.S. Air Force bombed Iraq for five weeks with hundreds of daily runs in 1991 before Gen. Schwarzkopf moved.

Moreover, if Iran has achieved the capacity to enrich uranium, she has surely moved centrifuges to parts of the country that Israel cannot reach — and can probably replicate anything lost.

Israel would also have to over-fly Turkey, or Syria and U.S.-occupied Iraq, or Saudi Arabia to reach Natanz. Turks, Syrians and Saudis would deny Israel permission and might resist. For the U.S. military to let Israel over-fly Iraq would make us an accomplice. How would that sit with the Europeans who are supporting our sanctions on Iran and want the nuclear issue settled diplomatically?

And who can predict with certitude how Iran would respond?

Would Iran attack Israel with rockets, inviting retaliation with Jericho and cruise missiles from Israeli submarines? Would she close the Gulf with suicide-boat attacks on tankers and U.S. warships?

With oil at $135 a barrel, Israeli air strikes on Iran would seem to ensure a 2,000-point drop in the Dow and a world recession.

What would Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria do? All three are now in indirect negotiations with Israel. U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq could be made by Iran to pay a high price in blood that could force the United States to initiate its own air war in retaliation, and to finish a war Israel had begun. But a U.S. war on Iran is not a decision Bush can outsource to Ehud Olmert.

Tuesday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Michael Mullins left for Israel. CBS News cited U.S. officials as conceding the trip comes “just as the Israelis are mounting a full court press to get the Bush administration to strike Iran’s nuclear complex.”

Vice President Cheney is said to favor U.S. strikes. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Mullins are said to be opposed.

Moving through Congress, powered by the Israeli lobby, is House Resolution 362, which demands that President Bush impose a U.S. blockade of Iran, an act of war.

Is it not time the American people were consulted on the next war that is being planned for us?

Original post by mattpruett@faith-net.net (Faith Community Church of Canton NC) and software by Elliott Back

Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:16 pm (GMT -5)
THE PRIEST WHO ‘PREYED’

By KATI CORNELL, JEANE MacINTOSH and DAN MANGAN

New York Post

June 30, 2008

http://www.nypost.com/seven/06302008/news/regionalnews/the_priest_who_preyed_117838.htm

Monsignor William Hodge (on the right; the priest on the left may not be the "other" monsignor)

An Atlantic City pastor was one of two Catholic monsignors hired by accused con artist Raffaello Follieri, allegedly to dupe real-estate investors into thinking he had close Vatican connections, The Post has learned.

Monsignor William Hodge, of St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church, was paid with money Follieri obtained from billionaire Ron Burkle, whom Follieri was accused of defrauding to fund his jet-set lifestyle with his then-girlfriend, "Get Smart" actress Anne Hathaway, sources said.

It is not known whether Hodge, a pastor for 10 years, was the same monsignor whom Follieri, according to the criminal complaint, asked to put on the robe of "a more senior clergyman" to create the illusion of having top-level church ties.

Hodge - who has not been charged - has known Follieri since at least 2006, when the Italian national was trying to buy a long-closed Catholic school in Atlantic City.

That deal fell through because Follieri’s company "failed to meet their obligations under the [purchase] agreement," said Andrew Walton, spokesman for the Diocese of Camden, for which Hodge is a priest.

Hodge is on vacation in Ireland and could not be reached for comment. Walton, also unable to reach him, said the diocese was unaware of Hodge being paid or hired by Follieri in any capacity.

But Walton said that if he is one of the unnamed monsignors cited in the complaint against Follieri, his actions "would be totally and completely inappropriate."

Follieri, 29, was arrested Tuesday on federal wire-fraud and money-laundering charges for allegedly misusing up to $6 million investors had placed with him to buy and redevelop Catholic Church properties. He remains jailed in lieu of $21 million bail.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York disputed Follieri’s claims of having had extensive dealings with Edward Cardinal Egan.

"At two receptions years ago, Mr. Follieri introduced himself to the cardinal. The cardinal has never had a conversation or any other involvement with him apart from this," spokesman Joseph Zwilling said yesterday.

Original post by mattpruett@faith-net.net (Faith Community Church of Canton NC) and software by Elliott Back

Faith Motorsports shares message with NASCAR community (9:30 am) Hickory Daily Record, NC - 48 minutes ago 89 Dodge Charger in the NEXTEL Nationwide (formerly Busch) Series, is doing his part to bring spirituality into the forefront of one of America's most …

Original post by spirituality - Google News and software by Elliott Back

Mon Jun 30, 2008 4:40 am (GMT -5)
Don’t count on the Catholic vote

Survey says many U.S. Catholics at odds with Church on abortion

California Catholic Daily

6/30/2009

http://www.calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=be86afab-5ffd-4888-8f6a-a549acb3c08f

(Editor’s Note: On June 24, California Catholic Daily published a story, “Many religions can lead to eternal life,” revealing that a majority of U.S. Catholics believe one religion is as good as another, according to a survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Today we revisit the same survey, focusing on a section of the report about the social views of believers.)

More Catholics than not believe abortion should be legal, and a clear majority of U.S. Catholics believe homosexuality should be accepted, according to the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, issued June 23 by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

The findings, included in a 46-page section on the social and political views of members of various religious traditions, suggest that Catholics may not represent a solid voting block when it comes to anti-abortion politicians and ballot measures, or on issues like same-sex marriage. The survey results were based on more than 35,000 interviews of U.S. adults, conducted in English and Spanish.

On abortion, the survey found that a plurality of Catholics – 48% –agree that abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Forty-five percent said abortion should be illegal in most or all cases. The number of Catholics opposed to legal abortion jumped to 58% in the subgroup of those who attend Mass once a week or more. In general, the viewpoint of Catholics differs sharply with Evangelical Christians, 61% of whom said abortion should be illegal in most or all cases. The figure was even higher among Mormons – 70% said abortion should be illegal in most or all cases.

On homosexuality, when asked whether homosexuality should be “accepted” or “discouraged,” 58% of Catholics said it should be accepted, while just 30% said it should be discouraged. Among Evangelicals, 64% said homosexuality should be discouraged; 26% said it should be accepted.

Fifty percent of all those questioned said churches should express political views, but Catholics split 48%-48% on the notion of church involvement in politics. Evangelicals took a decidedly positive view on church involvement in political life – 64% in favor, 32% against.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a press release in response to the Pew study on the day it was made public, concluding that the results were positive because “Americans take religion seriously, that faith is a very important part of their lives and that many of them attend religious services regularly and pray daily.”

The bishops’ statement largely ignored findings that suggest Catholics do not regard their faith as a special means of salvation, and did not mention at all the results showing that many Catholics disagree with the teachings of the Church on fundamental issues like abortion.

To read the USCCB news release, http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2008/08-094.shtml

Original post by mattpruett@faith-net.net (Faith Community Church of Canton NC) and software by Elliott Back

Mon Jun 30, 2008 4:36 am (GMT -5)
Chávez-linked church decried

A new church in Venezuela is earning criticism from Roman Catholic leaders over its links to Hugo Chávez.

BY CASTO OCANDO

El Nuevo Herald

Jun. 29, 2008

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/story/587067.html

A church modeled in part after one in Miami but with a ‘’revolutionary'’ spirit that praises Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is now at the center of a religious and social controversy in Venezuela.

Although it has adopted many of the symbols and rites of Roman Catholicism, the new Reform Catholic Venezuelan Church departs from traditional belief in some key ways.

DIVORCE ALLOWED

For example, reformists consider that ‘’homosexuality and bisexuality are not sins in and of themselves.'’ Divorce is allowed and priests do not take vows of chastity.

The church, which was publicly announced last week, also lines itself up squarely behind Chávez’s ‘’Bolivarian Revolution'’ and its socialist agenda.

Venezuelan Catholic leaders, who reacted sharply to the new church, claim Chávez is bankrolling it with petroleum proceeds.

But whether that’s true or not, Reform Catholic leaders line up squarely behind the Venezuelan president.

‘’We completely support the socialist project led by Chávez,'’ said Enrique Albornoz, one of the new church’s first bishops — a group that is to be ordained on Sunday.

The ordination of the bishops is scheduled to take place in Ciudad Ojeda, a small oil-rich town in the Venezuelan state of Zulia.

According to its leaders, the reformist church seeks to establish an institution that is “inclusive, participatory and with a strong Bolivarian spirit that recognizes Jesus Christ as the Lord of History. He is present in the revolutionary process that is occurring in Venezuela.'’

A former Roman Catholic priest, Jon Jen Siu Garcia, was elected coadjutor, and noted to the Venezuelan press that his mission is to “liberate people from capitalist values.'’

‘’We are learning to see the lower classes like Hugo Chávez, who has cared to attend to their necessities,'’ said Leonardo Marin Saavedra, bishop of the Anglican Latin American Church. A resident of Canada, he was invited to Venezuela especially to attend the upcoming ceremonies. “We are struggling against exploitation and the empire of the United States.'’

The church’s formation — along with its pro-Chávez orientation — immediately met with a severe response from the Roman Catholic hierarchy in Venezuela.

‘’It is a parallel church that Chávez has created, using Catholic priests of bad conduct that have problems with their ministries and are being paid,'’ said Monsignor Roberto Lückert, archbishop and vice president of the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference.

Lückert, in an interview with El Nuevo Herald, said he is certain the new church was financed in part with funds from the state-run oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). He said that among the founders of the church are bishops who have arrived from Miami and several Latin American nations, such as Peru, Mexico and Costa Rica.

Among other religious organizations, Miami’s own Catholic Apostolic Church served as a model for the newly established church in Venezuela.

‘’This church is lined in money from Chávez,'’ said Roman Catholic priest Jose Palmar, who until recently was an active supporter of Chávez, but is now a strong critic of his administration.

`SCANDALOUS’

Lückert also denounced the ‘’scandalous'’ pasts of the Venezuelan priests who will be ordained as the new bishops of the reformist Catholic church. One, he said, ‘’lived scandalously with a woman'’ and they have a son. Another had left his ministry to get married a long time ago, Lückert said.

Attempts to establish churches with political motivations are nothing new to Venezuela. In the mid 1940s several government leaders who had declared themselves anti-clerical decided to establish a Catholic Apostolic Church of Venezuela, by forging the ordainment of a bishop.

Lückert warned Chávez that the creation of this movement ‘’is a terrible political error'’ that could have an electoral cost.

‘’It never occurred to Fidel to make such a blunder,'’ Lückert said.

Original post by mattpruett@faith-net.net (Faith Community Church of Canton NC) and software by Elliott Back