News from around the Catholic world for the week ending 21 February.
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• Council of Cardinals gather in the Vatican
• Australian missionary detained in North Korea
• Bus carrying Christian pilgrims is bombed in Egypt
• a Catholic pharmacist has been criticised for opposing use of the Contraceptive Pill, and;
• Attempts to prevent pro-life groups in Albury from praying outside of abortion clinics.
TRANSCRIPT
BOBBIE: The Council of 8 Cardinals, including Sydney’s Cardinal George Pell, met with Pope Francis in the Vatican this week to review reports from the Holy See’s two major commissions into the Roman Curia and the Vatican Bank.
The Council gathered Monday through Wednesday ahead of the two-day Synod of Bishops, which began on Thursday. Vatican Radio has that report.
PHILIPPA HITCHENS: Thursday morning marks the beginning of a two day Extraordinary Consistory in the New Synod Hall during which the entire College of Cardinals will discuss the theme of the family. Following the celebration of Mid-Morning Prayer, the deacon of the College, Cardinal Angelo Sodano will open the meeting and Pope Francis is expected to greet participants. German Cardinal Walter Kasper, former president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, will then offer some reflections on the theme which will be discussed by all the cardinals during the following sessions.
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BOBBIE: An Australian man was arrested in North Korea on Sunday for his missionary work in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.
John Short, a Christian evangelical missionary of the Gospel Hall Brethren, was found by government officials to be in possession of Korean pamphlets promoting Christianity. He now faces the threat of up to fifteen years of jail, hard labour or deportation.
The Swedish embassy in Pyongyang is handling the case on behalf of Australia, who has no diplomatic relations with North Korea.
Mr Short’s wife Karen has managed to maintain her composure, stating that she is not upset and that as Christian missionaries they both “have tremendous support for what [they]do”. Short has already been arrested several times before in China for speaking out about the harsh treatment of Chinese Christians.
North Korea’s lack of religious freedom has recently come under fire with the United Nations’, which has likened the Country’s oppressive stance on religion to the harsh nature of the Nazi regime.
North Korea continues to face pressure to release an American missionary who has been detained for over a year.
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A bomb has been detonated on a bus carrying South Korean Christian pilgrims in Egypt, leaving four dead and 14 injured.
The bombing occurred on the Egyptian-Israeli border in South Sinai, marking the first terrorist attack on tourists in Egypt in nearly a decade.
The bombing doesn’t appear to have been a deliberate attack on Christians, but a result of internal struggles. An Islamic militant group has claimed responsibility for the bombing, citing an “economic war” against the Egyptian authorities and their economic interests.
In response to the attacks, the South Korean foreign ministry said in a statement, “We are shocked and enraged at the terrorist bombing on the bus… and strongly condemn the act… We believe that terrorism can never be justified under any circumstances and such inhumane and unethical acts should be weeded out by all means.”
The Christian pilgrims were reportedly attacked on route from St Catherine’s Monastery near Mt Sinai, as part of a 12-day pilgrimage through Turkey, Egypt and Israel.
Details available via BBC News
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A Catholic pharmacist in the Albury-Wodonga region has received wide criticism for objecting to the use of the pill as a contraceptive.
Simon Horsfall, owner of the Soul Pattinson Pharmacy in Thurgoona, has for the past twelve years sold the oral contraceptive pill with a note encouraging those using the pill as a contraceptive to purchase the product from another pharmacy. Recently a customer posted an image of the note on Facebook, prompting a social media backlash, which has resulted in Mr Horsfall’s pharmacy being disassociated with the Soul-Pattinson brand.
Mr Horsfall’s note explains that he has no objection to selling the Oral Contraceptive Pill for the treatment of medical conditions such as hormonal or skin problems, but that he also adheres to Catholic Church teaching that the use of artificial contraception is immoral. “For this reason,” the note explains, “[the pharmacist]contentiously object[s]to the sale and support of artificial contraception.”
In a report by News Limited, Mr Horsfall explained that “It’s a polite note asking people to respect our views. We never refuse [our customers]things, we never hassle them in the store.” “If I was selling the pill and taking the money that would be hypocrisy,” Mr Horsfall said.
“People despise hypocrites with good reason. This is something that I can make a stand on in a gentle way.”
Mr Horsfall has said that he is currently looking for a different branding company after being disassociated with Soul-Pattinson, but that he is not planning on changing his views or practices.
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Also in Albury, local abortion advocates are rallying to stop pro-lifers from praying outside of the city’s abortion clinic.
Retired abortionist Dr Pieter Mourik and Women’s Health Goulburn North East chief Susie Reid have rallied supporters, claiming the pro-life group Helpers of God’s Precious Infants are intimidating and harassing women who enter the clinic seeking abortion.
The pro-abortion group are lobbying Albury City Council to change its laws to stop the peaceful protests by the pro-life activists. The Council has refused, and deferred the issue to the State Government.
Bishop of Wagga Wagga Gerard Hanna has said that he supports the pro-life protestors, provided they don’t break any laws.
BISHOP HANNA: The people in the prayer group firmly believe that every woman who turns up at that clinic seeking an abortion may not know of options that are open to her. A number of studies have been carried out to show that some women who go through the abortion process do so under pressure, either from the family or from the person who has fathered the child within them.
The purpose of the people who keep vigil both in prayer and in physical presence outside the clinic is simply to say ‘if you wish to talk to us about your decision or about your ambivalence in being here then we can talk to you about other options and about pregnancy help.’ The record would show that a number of people do respond to the presence of the prayer group who keep vigil and change their minds.
I stress that the Council approves, at least it doesn’t give their disapproval, it allows them to be there as long as they keep the rules, stick to the bi-laws, they do not harass people and if evidence of harassment occurs then we take that very seriously and the person who does that has to be reeducated on what is required when you keep a vigil outside a place such as this, the laws and bi-laws of the council must be adhered to.
Bishop Hanna’s full comment on the issue will be available on the Cradio website.
Music Credit: Waking Up Instrumental – Dexter Britain
