Sunday, October 01, 2023
Saturday, September 30, 2023
Friday, September 29, 2023
Thursday, September 28, 2023
Georgetown University hosts panel on transgender, nonbinary issues
Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr. (Photo courtesy of the LGBTQ Victory Institute)
A panel on transgender and nonbinary issues took place at Georgetown University on Tuesday.
The panel included Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr and her fiancée, journalist Erin Reed, who are both trans, and nonbinary Oklahoma state Rep. Mauree Turner. Charlotte Clymer was also on the panel that Amanda Phillips, a nonbinary Georgetown professor, moderated.
The panel began with a discussion about anti-trans laws that have been enacted across the country.
Reed said the Alliance Defending Freedom and the American Principles Project developed a strategy in response to North Carolina’s now repealed law that banned trans people from using public restrooms consistent with their gender identity.
They focused on states that are more “business-friendly and therefore harder to boycott, and started with sports. Reed said bans on gender-segregated sports put an “asterisk on [trans] identity” that made further attacks possible.
Clymer spoke on attitudes towards trans policies.
She referenced a survey that asked Americans if they supported nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ individuals. Around 75 percent of respondents, including almost half of Republicans, said yes. Clymer said the next question that asked if such protections exist concerns her.
Roughly half of respondents said yes.
While there are two U.S. Supreme Court rulings — Obergefell and Bostock — that extended marriage rights to same-sex couples and employment protections to LGBTQ people respectively, Clymer noted there are no federal protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Turner and Zephyr spoke about being censured for defending trans rights.
Oklahoma lawmakers in March censured Turner after they refused to turn into the authorities a trans person who had allegedly assaulted a state trooper.
Turner said in Oklahoma, where there is no public debate, and politicians are openly anti-trans, residents are fighting against an “apathetic” and “heinous” legislature. On the topic of activism, they said being a “truth teller,” and saying “absolutely not” is “what got [them] censured.”
Zephyr’s censure was in April after she criticized a bill to restrict gender-affirming health care in Montana. The protests that followed stemmed from trans issues, but Zepher said they were about much more.
“The protests […] were about recognizing that when you silence a legislator, you take away representation from their constituents,” she said. “That fight became a larger fight about democracy.”
The panelists talked about mental health and addressing it.
Turner said that being the representation they needed keeps them going.
“I didn’t think I was going to make it through middle school,” they said. “Representation matters for so many people […] if you can aid in being that representation, being that force that helps somebody else keep going, that is one of the most powerful experiences.”
The panel agreed that finding community is important to mental health.
“Sometimes our best activism is finding our community,” Reed said.
The panel also spoke about queer joy and strength.
“Queer joy is the thing they can’t take away,” Zephyr said.
Reed talked about photos of activists who were organizing before the Stonewall riots in 1969; they were smiling and enjoying their community.
“The queer story is a story of not just surviving in the margins but thriving in the margins,” Reed said.
Turner added “trans lives aren’t just lives worth fighting for, they are lives worth living.”
A self-described “journalist” who didn’t identify himself or his outlet asked the panel, “What is a woman?” Clymer turned the question back to him, and he said it “comes down to genetics.”
Clymer began to explain that chromosomes don’t always define sex. The audience member began to argue and ignored an event organizer who was asking him to leave. Security promptly escorted him out.
Reed continued Clymer’s point that even biological sex is difficult to define.
“Last year, 15 different state legislators tried to define sex, did you know that none of them managed to do so in a way that was scientifically correct?”
The panelists also offered advice to allies.
Clymer said treading about trans issues and being informed about them is a great start.
“You’ve got to step up,” she said.
Turner said allyship goes beyond relationships, and into the realm of being uncomfortable.
“Allyship is synonymous with action and moving forward,” they said.
A panel on transgender and nonbinary issues took place at Georgetown University on Tuesday.
The panel included Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr and her fiancée, journalist Erin Reed, who are both trans, and nonbinary Oklahoma state Rep. Mauree Turner. Charlotte Clymer was also on the panel that Amanda Phillips, a nonbinary Georgetown professor, moderated.
The panel began with a discussion about anti-trans laws that have been enacted across the country.
Reed said the Alliance Defending Freedom and the American Principles Project developed a strategy in response to North Carolina’s now repealed law that banned trans people from using public restrooms consistent with their gender identity.
They focused on states that are more “business-friendly and therefore harder to boycott, and started with sports. Reed said bans on gender-segregated sports put an “asterisk on [trans] identity” that made further attacks possible.
Clymer spoke on attitudes towards trans policies.
She referenced a survey that asked Americans if they supported nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ individuals. Around 75 percent of respondents, including almost half of Republicans, said yes. Clymer said the next question that asked if such protections exist concerns her.
Roughly half of respondents said yes.
While there are two U.S. Supreme Court rulings — Obergefell and Bostock — that extended marriage rights to same-sex couples and employment protections to LGBTQ people respectively, Clymer noted there are no federal protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Turner and Zephyr spoke about being censured for defending trans rights.
Oklahoma lawmakers in March censured Turner after they refused to turn into the authorities a trans person who had allegedly assaulted a state trooper.
Turner said in Oklahoma, where there is no public debate, and politicians are openly anti-trans, residents are fighting against an “apathetic” and “heinous” legislature. On the topic of activism, they said being a “truth teller,” and saying “absolutely not” is “what got [them] censured.”
Zephyr’s censure was in April after she criticized a bill to restrict gender-affirming health care in Montana. The protests that followed stemmed from trans issues, but Zepher said they were about much more.
“The protests […] were about recognizing that when you silence a legislator, you take away representation from their constituents,” she said. “That fight became a larger fight about democracy.”
The panelists talked about mental health and addressing it.
Turner said that being the representation they needed keeps them going.
“I didn’t think I was going to make it through middle school,” they said. “Representation matters for so many people […] if you can aid in being that representation, being that force that helps somebody else keep going, that is one of the most powerful experiences.”
The panel agreed that finding community is important to mental health.
“Sometimes our best activism is finding our community,” Reed said.
The panel also spoke about queer joy and strength.
“Queer joy is the thing they can’t take away,” Zephyr said.
Reed talked about photos of activists who were organizing before the Stonewall riots in 1969; they were smiling and enjoying their community.
“The queer story is a story of not just surviving in the margins but thriving in the margins,” Reed said.
Turner added “trans lives aren’t just lives worth fighting for, they are lives worth living.”
A self-described “journalist” who didn’t identify himself or his outlet asked the panel, “What is a woman?” Clymer turned the question back to him, and he said it “comes down to genetics.”
Clymer began to explain that chromosomes don’t always define sex. The audience member began to argue and ignored an event organizer who was asking him to leave. Security promptly escorted him out.
Reed continued Clymer’s point that even biological sex is difficult to define.
“Last year, 15 different state legislators tried to define sex, did you know that none of them managed to do so in a way that was scientifically correct?”
The panelists also offered advice to allies.
Clymer said treading about trans issues and being informed about them is a great start.
“You’ve got to step up,” she said.
Turner said allyship goes beyond relationships, and into the realm of being uncomfortable.
“Allyship is synonymous with action and moving forward,” they said.
Legal fog over central bank digital currencies "unacceptable", BIS warns
By Marc Jones
September 27, 202312:56 PM EDTUpdated 17 hours ago
Agustin Carstens leaves after G-20 finance ministers and central banks governors family photo during the IMF/World Bank spring meeting in Washington, U.S., April 20, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri
LONDON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Developing national digital currencies are at risk due to a lack of legal powers to issue them in most of the world, the head of the global central bank umbrella body, the Bank for International Settlements, warned on Wednesday.
While countries generally have laws on banknotes, coins and credit balances, an IMF paper in 2020 showed that close to 80% of central banks are either not allowed to issue a digital currency under their existing laws, or the legal framework is unclear.
"This needs to be rectified," the BIS' general manager Agustin Carstens said in a speech. "The public rightly demands forms of money that meet their needs and expectations."
His warning comes as central banks around the world push ahead with central bank digital currency (CBDC) development in a bid to make money more high tech and keep up with the features now offered by cryptocurrencies.
Some 11 countries have already launched them and next month the European Central Bank is expected to receive the green light to start work on a digital euro.
Carstens, whose organisation is overseeing much of the global test work, said central banks have a mandate to meet public demands and have also made significant investments into CBDCs.
"It is simply unacceptable that unclear or outdated legal frameworks could hinder their deployment," added Carstens, the former governor of the Mexico's central bank. "The work to address these issues needs to begin in earnest. And it needs to proceed at pace."
Reporting by Marc Jones; Editing by Josie Kao
Agustin Carstens leaves after G-20 finance ministers and central banks governors family photo during the IMF/World Bank spring meeting in Washington, U.S., April 20, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri
LONDON, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Developing national digital currencies are at risk due to a lack of legal powers to issue them in most of the world, the head of the global central bank umbrella body, the Bank for International Settlements, warned on Wednesday.
While countries generally have laws on banknotes, coins and credit balances, an IMF paper in 2020 showed that close to 80% of central banks are either not allowed to issue a digital currency under their existing laws, or the legal framework is unclear.
"This needs to be rectified," the BIS' general manager Agustin Carstens said in a speech. "The public rightly demands forms of money that meet their needs and expectations."
His warning comes as central banks around the world push ahead with central bank digital currency (CBDC) development in a bid to make money more high tech and keep up with the features now offered by cryptocurrencies.
Some 11 countries have already launched them and next month the European Central Bank is expected to receive the green light to start work on a digital euro.
Carstens, whose organisation is overseeing much of the global test work, said central banks have a mandate to meet public demands and have also made significant investments into CBDCs.
"It is simply unacceptable that unclear or outdated legal frameworks could hinder their deployment," added Carstens, the former governor of the Mexico's central bank. "The work to address these issues needs to begin in earnest. And it needs to proceed at pace."
Reporting by Marc Jones; Editing by Josie Kao
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
'Laudate Deum,' to be title of Pope's Apostolic Exhortation on climate
Pope Francis' audience with rectors of Latin American universities
POPE
The title of Pope Francis' next Apostolic Exhortation will be "Laudate Deum," the Pope himself revealed, while addressing participants in a meeting of Latin American university rectors in the Vatican, and as he vehemently warned against a throwaway culture.
By Father Johan Pacheco
The name of Pope Francis' next Apostolic Exhortation on the environment will be Laudate Deum, Pope Francis has revealed.
The Holy Father shared this on Thursday, Sept. 21 when addressing in the Vatican some 200 participants in the meeting of the Rectors of public and private universities of Latin America and the Caribbean, sponsored by the Red de Universidades para el Cuidado de la Casa Común and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America on Sept. 20 and 21 at the Augustinianum on the theme "Organizing Hope," with the participation of some Prefects and Secretaries of Dicasteries of the Holy See.
During the occasion, the Pope reflected on various issues raised by the educators, including climate change, migration, and the culture of waste.
The Holy Father urged them to be creative in the formation of young people from today's realities and challenges. The rectors asked the Pope questions on environmental and climate issues to which he responded by emphasizing the deplorable "throwaway culture or culture of abandonment." He explained that it is "a culture of misuse of natural resources, which does not accompany nature to full development and does not let it live. This culture of abandonment," he said, "harms all of us."
The proper use of nature
Pope Francis also described it from the human point of view: "There is a throwaway culture that is always going on, there is a lack of education to use the things that remain, to remake them, to replace them in the order of the common use of things. And this throwaway culture also affects nature." And he insisted on the urgency of returning to the proper use of nature: "Today humanity is tired of this misuse of nature, and must return to the path of good use of nature. And how we use nature, a word that may sound strange, I would say: dialogue with nature, dialogue."
To this end, the Pope urged universities to create networks of awareness. "And at this point, you use a very beautiful word, which is organizing hope." "Reclaiming and organizing hope," Pope Francis said, "I like this phrase that you have said to me and one cannot help but consider it in the context of integral ecology, in this dimension according to which the youth of today have the right to a balanced cosmos and they have the right to hope and we have to help them to organize this hope, to make very serious decisions from this moment."
Nature is for all
Pope Francis also alluded to a "regenerative culture," identifying it as the fruit "of an economic crisis that is not always at the service of the development of the most needy. I would say that sometimes, or many times, it is not at the service of the development of everyone and creates more people in need. It is a culture of dispossession, we all have the right to the use of nature," to dominion over nature to make it grow and use it for the common good.
The Pope expressed his concern about "some abstract scientific type universities" that "do not use reality but science, an abstract science, not real, and so they walk on economic theories, social theories, everything is theory, but they never land" on the reality of the most needy. "The discarded, the outcasts, are men and women, whole peoples that we leave on the street like garbage, are they not? We have to be aware that we use the wealth of nature only for small groups through socio-economic theories that do not integrate nature, the discarded."
"Laudate Deum," the title of the next Apostolic Exhortation
Pope Francis called for alternatives to help overcome the environmental crisis and cited as an example the use of solar panels to provide electricity to Paul VI Hall and other areas of the Vatican. "We have to be very creative in these things to protect nature" because obviously electricity is made on the basis of coal or other elements, which always create problems in nature itself and "the young people we train have to become leaders on this point, convinced."
In his reflection, the Pope announced the name of his next Apostolic Exhortation: Laudate Deum, which will be published on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, Oct. 4: "a look at what has happened and say what needs to be done," he said.
Human and environmental degradation go together
The Holy Father also denounced the process of degradation that humanity is undergoing.
"There is a process of environmental degradation, we can say that in general. But this leads down, to the bottom of the ravine. Degradation of living conditions, degradation of the values that justify these living conditions, because they go together." And he explained that "inequality" is also "evident in the lack of access to basic necessities, and from here come all those visions that sociologically, in fact, without naming them, make women, indigenous peoples, Africans, people with fewer capabilities."
One of the forms of degradation and inequality, Pope Francis denounced, is "extractivism," that is, the hoarding of natural resources. "When this extractivist model goes on and enters people," he pointed out, "I extract the dignity of people, and this happens, never a geological extractivist model, so to speak, goes alone, it is always accompanied by the human extractivist model, the dignity of the person is extracted, they are slaves, said in another word. And please get this into children's heads, value education, so that they can evaluate these situations and can say clearly that this is called slavery."
Politics as the noblest vocation
Faced with this situation, the Pope called on university rectors to promote education in humanistic values and fraternal dialogue, helping students "enter politics" as a "noble vocation."
"Let us not forget that the noblest vocation of the human person is politics. Let us train our young people to be politicians, in the broadest sense of the term. Let us not forget that the noblest vocation of the human person is politics. We must train our young people to be politicians, in the broadest sense of the word. Not only to act in a political party, which is a small group, but to have political openness and to know how to dialogue with political groups with maturity, politics is not a disease, in my opinion it is the noblest vocation in a society, because it is the one that carries out development processes."
A human and Christian response to the migration crisis
The Pope also spoke about the current migration crisis.
"The migration drama in Europe today is extremely serious, extremely serious. And it cannot be solved by a mutual aid society, no. Here there is a humanistic and Christian question. Here there is a humanistic issue and a political decision, there are decisions that are human and Christian."
"I ask you," the Pope told the rectors, "out of respect for suffering humanity, to address this issue in your universities, but with the human density that it has. "So in summary I say this to you: migrants must be welcomed, accompanied, promoted and integrated. If we fail to integrate the migrant, we fail," he added.
"I want to say all this about migrants because the problem of migrants is very close to my heart," the Pope said again. He went on to say that "it is criminal what is being done today, here in Europe, sending them back, it is criminal. And I don't want to use euphemisms, I tell it like it is."
The three human languages: head, heart and hands
After reviewing all these situations, the Pope reminded that the task of universities should not be only to "teach things." "You must train boys and girls in the three human languages, that of the head, that of the heart and that of the hands.
"So that they learn to think what they feel and what they do, to feel what they do and what they think, and to do what they feel and what they think." Finally, he thanked those present and summed up his words by calling on universities to be: "creative in the face of reality and challenges, educators and not just dispensers of information."
POPE
The title of Pope Francis' next Apostolic Exhortation will be "Laudate Deum," the Pope himself revealed, while addressing participants in a meeting of Latin American university rectors in the Vatican, and as he vehemently warned against a throwaway culture.
By Father Johan Pacheco
The name of Pope Francis' next Apostolic Exhortation on the environment will be Laudate Deum, Pope Francis has revealed.
The Holy Father shared this on Thursday, Sept. 21 when addressing in the Vatican some 200 participants in the meeting of the Rectors of public and private universities of Latin America and the Caribbean, sponsored by the Red de Universidades para el Cuidado de la Casa Común and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America on Sept. 20 and 21 at the Augustinianum on the theme "Organizing Hope," with the participation of some Prefects and Secretaries of Dicasteries of the Holy See.
During the occasion, the Pope reflected on various issues raised by the educators, including climate change, migration, and the culture of waste.
The Holy Father urged them to be creative in the formation of young people from today's realities and challenges. The rectors asked the Pope questions on environmental and climate issues to which he responded by emphasizing the deplorable "throwaway culture or culture of abandonment." He explained that it is "a culture of misuse of natural resources, which does not accompany nature to full development and does not let it live. This culture of abandonment," he said, "harms all of us."
The proper use of nature
Pope Francis also described it from the human point of view: "There is a throwaway culture that is always going on, there is a lack of education to use the things that remain, to remake them, to replace them in the order of the common use of things. And this throwaway culture also affects nature." And he insisted on the urgency of returning to the proper use of nature: "Today humanity is tired of this misuse of nature, and must return to the path of good use of nature. And how we use nature, a word that may sound strange, I would say: dialogue with nature, dialogue."
To this end, the Pope urged universities to create networks of awareness. "And at this point, you use a very beautiful word, which is organizing hope." "Reclaiming and organizing hope," Pope Francis said, "I like this phrase that you have said to me and one cannot help but consider it in the context of integral ecology, in this dimension according to which the youth of today have the right to a balanced cosmos and they have the right to hope and we have to help them to organize this hope, to make very serious decisions from this moment."
Nature is for all
Pope Francis also alluded to a "regenerative culture," identifying it as the fruit "of an economic crisis that is not always at the service of the development of the most needy. I would say that sometimes, or many times, it is not at the service of the development of everyone and creates more people in need. It is a culture of dispossession, we all have the right to the use of nature," to dominion over nature to make it grow and use it for the common good.
The Pope expressed his concern about "some abstract scientific type universities" that "do not use reality but science, an abstract science, not real, and so they walk on economic theories, social theories, everything is theory, but they never land" on the reality of the most needy. "The discarded, the outcasts, are men and women, whole peoples that we leave on the street like garbage, are they not? We have to be aware that we use the wealth of nature only for small groups through socio-economic theories that do not integrate nature, the discarded."
"Laudate Deum," the title of the next Apostolic Exhortation
Pope Francis called for alternatives to help overcome the environmental crisis and cited as an example the use of solar panels to provide electricity to Paul VI Hall and other areas of the Vatican. "We have to be very creative in these things to protect nature" because obviously electricity is made on the basis of coal or other elements, which always create problems in nature itself and "the young people we train have to become leaders on this point, convinced."
In his reflection, the Pope announced the name of his next Apostolic Exhortation: Laudate Deum, which will be published on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, Oct. 4: "a look at what has happened and say what needs to be done," he said.
Human and environmental degradation go together
The Holy Father also denounced the process of degradation that humanity is undergoing.
"There is a process of environmental degradation, we can say that in general. But this leads down, to the bottom of the ravine. Degradation of living conditions, degradation of the values that justify these living conditions, because they go together." And he explained that "inequality" is also "evident in the lack of access to basic necessities, and from here come all those visions that sociologically, in fact, without naming them, make women, indigenous peoples, Africans, people with fewer capabilities."
One of the forms of degradation and inequality, Pope Francis denounced, is "extractivism," that is, the hoarding of natural resources. "When this extractivist model goes on and enters people," he pointed out, "I extract the dignity of people, and this happens, never a geological extractivist model, so to speak, goes alone, it is always accompanied by the human extractivist model, the dignity of the person is extracted, they are slaves, said in another word. And please get this into children's heads, value education, so that they can evaluate these situations and can say clearly that this is called slavery."
Politics as the noblest vocation
Faced with this situation, the Pope called on university rectors to promote education in humanistic values and fraternal dialogue, helping students "enter politics" as a "noble vocation."
"Let us not forget that the noblest vocation of the human person is politics. Let us train our young people to be politicians, in the broadest sense of the term. Let us not forget that the noblest vocation of the human person is politics. We must train our young people to be politicians, in the broadest sense of the word. Not only to act in a political party, which is a small group, but to have political openness and to know how to dialogue with political groups with maturity, politics is not a disease, in my opinion it is the noblest vocation in a society, because it is the one that carries out development processes."
A human and Christian response to the migration crisis
The Pope also spoke about the current migration crisis.
"The migration drama in Europe today is extremely serious, extremely serious. And it cannot be solved by a mutual aid society, no. Here there is a humanistic and Christian question. Here there is a humanistic issue and a political decision, there are decisions that are human and Christian."
"I ask you," the Pope told the rectors, "out of respect for suffering humanity, to address this issue in your universities, but with the human density that it has. "So in summary I say this to you: migrants must be welcomed, accompanied, promoted and integrated. If we fail to integrate the migrant, we fail," he added.
"I want to say all this about migrants because the problem of migrants is very close to my heart," the Pope said again. He went on to say that "it is criminal what is being done today, here in Europe, sending them back, it is criminal. And I don't want to use euphemisms, I tell it like it is."
The three human languages: head, heart and hands
After reviewing all these situations, the Pope reminded that the task of universities should not be only to "teach things." "You must train boys and girls in the three human languages, that of the head, that of the heart and that of the hands.
"So that they learn to think what they feel and what they do, to feel what they do and what they think, and to do what they feel and what they think." Finally, he thanked those present and summed up his words by calling on universities to be: "creative in the face of reality and challenges, educators and not just dispensers of information."
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Monday, September 25, 2023
Sunday, September 24, 2023
Abia: Worshippers sent out as Adventist Church seals headquarters over leadership crisis
The church leaders sent the worshippers out of the church premises and locked the gate with a padlock immediately after Saturday’s service.
NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA • SEPTEMBER 23, 2023
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh Day Adventist Church on Saturday sealed off its Abia North Conference at Umuoriehi, in Umuahia North Local Government Area, over a leadership crisis rocking the headquarters.
The church leaders sent the worshippers out of the church premises and locked the gate with a padlock immediately after Saturday’s service.
They displayed placards with different inscriptions at the gate, such as “Sealed,” “End of an era,” and “We pray for a new era of unity, peace, mission-mindedness and genuine spirituality,” among others.
Speaking with reporters, Godson Chukwuocha, leader of the Umuahia/Ubakala/Umunneochi Zone, said they were ending the leadership crisis that had lingered at the church headquarters for the past four years.
Mr Chukwuocha said the members were assembled from the 17 districts that make up the conference.
He said the church decided to pass “a vote of no confidence” in Pastor Enyinnaya Uguru with his executive and asked them to leave office because their tenure had expired.
Mr Chukwuocha said Mr Uguru and his executive had been occupying the position for the past 12 years and had refused to leave, as against the church policy of four-year tenure.
He explained that their tenure expired in February, but the union, which is superior to the Conference, extended it to August after the plea by Uguru and his executive.
“The union again extended it and expected them to organise another election and hand over to a new executive between September 21 and September 23, but they refused,” he said.
Also, Iroabuchi Alozie, the secretary of the zone, said the church has a policy document that stipulates a four-year tenure.
According to him, today (Saturday) is supposed to have been the swearing-in of the new executive.
“But because we are men and women of integrity, we will not watch impunity continue in the Church of God.
“This is the fourth year we are in this crisis, and we cannot continue like this. We want to stop it now,” said Mr Alozie, the Umuahia District’s secretary.
The district leader, Adventist Women Ministry, Priscilla Ogidi, said the women had pleaded with Mr Uguru and his executive to leave the office for peace to reign, but they refused.
A pastor in Umuahia District, Festus Uzochukwu, expressed displeasure over the leadership crisis, saying, “This is God’s church, and there’s no battle anybody can fight for God.”
Eberechi Uwaoma, the assistant secretary of the youth wing in the district, said the church hierarchy was aware of the crisis and had ordered Mr Uguru and his executive to vacate, but they didn’t.
Mr Uguru or any of his executives could not be reached for comment despite attempts by reporters, as they were said to have left their residences in the church premises before the service.
(NAN)
The Seventh Day Adventist Church on Saturday sealed off its Abia North Conference at Umuoriehi, in Umuahia North Local Government Area, over a leadership crisis rocking the headquarters.
The church leaders sent the worshippers out of the church premises and locked the gate with a padlock immediately after Saturday’s service.
They displayed placards with different inscriptions at the gate, such as “Sealed,” “End of an era,” and “We pray for a new era of unity, peace, mission-mindedness and genuine spirituality,” among others.
Speaking with reporters, Godson Chukwuocha, leader of the Umuahia/Ubakala/Umunneochi Zone, said they were ending the leadership crisis that had lingered at the church headquarters for the past four years.
Mr Chukwuocha said the members were assembled from the 17 districts that make up the conference.
He said the church decided to pass “a vote of no confidence” in Pastor Enyinnaya Uguru with his executive and asked them to leave office because their tenure had expired.
Mr Chukwuocha said Mr Uguru and his executive had been occupying the position for the past 12 years and had refused to leave, as against the church policy of four-year tenure.
He explained that their tenure expired in February, but the union, which is superior to the Conference, extended it to August after the plea by Uguru and his executive.
“The union again extended it and expected them to organise another election and hand over to a new executive between September 21 and September 23, but they refused,” he said.
Also, Iroabuchi Alozie, the secretary of the zone, said the church has a policy document that stipulates a four-year tenure.
According to him, today (Saturday) is supposed to have been the swearing-in of the new executive.
“But because we are men and women of integrity, we will not watch impunity continue in the Church of God.
“This is the fourth year we are in this crisis, and we cannot continue like this. We want to stop it now,” said Mr Alozie, the Umuahia District’s secretary.
The district leader, Adventist Women Ministry, Priscilla Ogidi, said the women had pleaded with Mr Uguru and his executive to leave the office for peace to reign, but they refused.
A pastor in Umuahia District, Festus Uzochukwu, expressed displeasure over the leadership crisis, saying, “This is God’s church, and there’s no battle anybody can fight for God.”
Eberechi Uwaoma, the assistant secretary of the youth wing in the district, said the church hierarchy was aware of the crisis and had ordered Mr Uguru and his executive to vacate, but they didn’t.
Mr Uguru or any of his executives could not be reached for comment despite attempts by reporters, as they were said to have left their residences in the church premises before the service.
(NAN)
AMERICAN JESUITS
NEW DOCUMENTARY - PRODUCTION UPDATE
AMERICAN JESUITS
The script writing and editing for our next documentary continues to move forward, one step at a time.
We typically both write and edit at the same time. At this point, we wanted to share some early screen shots of the film, which can be found below. By all means, please pray for this new project, that we will have the wisdom to put all these parts of a very large puzzle together in a way that will be edifying and a blessing to those who see and hear.
Also, we are planning to offer a PRE-SALE for the DVD next month, as the conclusion of the editing phase draws near.
Our new DVD cover, featuring some of the key historic figures that pertain to Jesuitism in America. One of them is the founder of the OSS, which later became the CIA.
SCREEN SHOTS
Screen shot of book, ‘Americans Warned of Jesuitism, Or the Jesuits Unveiled,’ by John Claudius Pitrat (1855). One of many resources warning about the order in early America.
AMERICAN JESUITS
The script writing and editing for our next documentary continues to move forward, one step at a time.
We typically both write and edit at the same time. At this point, we wanted to share some early screen shots of the film, which can be found below. By all means, please pray for this new project, that we will have the wisdom to put all these parts of a very large puzzle together in a way that will be edifying and a blessing to those who see and hear.
Also, we are planning to offer a PRE-SALE for the DVD next month, as the conclusion of the editing phase draws near.
Our new DVD cover, featuring some of the key historic figures that pertain to Jesuitism in America. One of them is the founder of the OSS, which later became the CIA.
SCREEN SHOTS
Screen shot of book, ‘Americans Warned of Jesuitism, Or the Jesuits Unveiled,’ by John Claudius Pitrat (1855). One of many resources warning about the order in early America.
"Our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government"..
.png)
By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near.
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p.451.
Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p.451.
Vivek Ramaswamy Quotes From The Bible With Ease While Confessing to Being a Devout Hindu
By Mary Anthony
Published on : 22:00 PST, Sep 23, 2023
Published on : 22:00 PST, Sep 23, 2023
Cover Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by Scott Olson
Vivek Ramaswamy, an Indian-American businessman and 2024 first-time presidential candidate, recently said that despite being a devout Hindu, he has read the Bible closely. "I’ve actually read the Bible much more closely than many of, probably most of, my Christian friends," Ramaswamy said at a campaign stop Saturday, adding, "I got a religion award back when I was at St. X High School in Cincinnati." According to the reports in NBC News, with his rising popularity, Republican voters are becoming more interested in his religious convictions. "What is your opinion of Jesus Christ?" an Iowan asked Ramaswamy at a campaign stop in Nevada. The billionaire Republican leader explained that in his Hindu faith, Jesus is "a" son of God and not "the" son of God. The potential caucusgoer followed up with another question about "the fact that the only way to heaven is Jesus Christ."
While on a campaign trail over the Labor Day weekend, a voter in New Hampshire inquired about Ramaswamy's religion, which prompted him to give a response regarding the significance of religious freedom in the US: "I’m Hindu, and I’m proud of that. I stand for that without apology. I think I’m going to be able to be more ardent as a defender of religious liberty." As per reports, Ramaswamy was questioned frequently about his relationship with God on August 31, a day filled with campaign trips around Iowa, and by the end of the day, he was naturally incorporating Bible stories into his speeches. "Remember the Book of Exodus," Ramaswamy told a crowd of voters in Boone. "The Israelites escaped the pharaoh; they’re lost in the desert," he continued. He compared the ancient Biblical narrative to how Americans, in his opinion, felt lost these days amidst a political shift.
Vivek Ramaswamy, an Indian-American businessman and 2024 first-time presidential candidate, recently said that despite being a devout Hindu, he has read the Bible closely. "I’ve actually read the Bible much more closely than many of, probably most of, my Christian friends," Ramaswamy said at a campaign stop Saturday, adding, "I got a religion award back when I was at St. X High School in Cincinnati." According to the reports in NBC News, with his rising popularity, Republican voters are becoming more interested in his religious convictions. "What is your opinion of Jesus Christ?" an Iowan asked Ramaswamy at a campaign stop in Nevada. The billionaire Republican leader explained that in his Hindu faith, Jesus is "a" son of God and not "the" son of God. The potential caucusgoer followed up with another question about "the fact that the only way to heaven is Jesus Christ."
While on a campaign trail over the Labor Day weekend, a voter in New Hampshire inquired about Ramaswamy's religion, which prompted him to give a response regarding the significance of religious freedom in the US: "I’m Hindu, and I’m proud of that. I stand for that without apology. I think I’m going to be able to be more ardent as a defender of religious liberty." As per reports, Ramaswamy was questioned frequently about his relationship with God on August 31, a day filled with campaign trips around Iowa, and by the end of the day, he was naturally incorporating Bible stories into his speeches. "Remember the Book of Exodus," Ramaswamy told a crowd of voters in Boone. "The Israelites escaped the pharaoh; they’re lost in the desert," he continued. He compared the ancient Biblical narrative to how Americans, in his opinion, felt lost these days amidst a political shift.
Image Source: GettyImages| Photo by Scott Eisen
The Republican candidate had stated categorically that his Hindu faith would not be a barrier to his campaign in Iowa. "I’m a person of faith. Evangelical Christians across the state are also people of faith," he told NBC News back in July while highlighting faith during his political campaign. "We found commonality in our need to defend religious liberty, to stand for faith and patriotism, and stand unapologetically for the fact that we are one nation under God." At a town hall in Nashua, a voter had asked him, "How does your belief in your God inform policies that were originally informed by the belief in, fear of, and obedience to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?" Ramaswamy responded wisely, "Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian values; there’s no doubt about it. It is a historical fact."
The Republican candidate had stated categorically that his Hindu faith would not be a barrier to his campaign in Iowa. "I’m a person of faith. Evangelical Christians across the state are also people of faith," he told NBC News back in July while highlighting faith during his political campaign. "We found commonality in our need to defend religious liberty, to stand for faith and patriotism, and stand unapologetically for the fact that we are one nation under God." At a town hall in Nashua, a voter had asked him, "How does your belief in your God inform policies that were originally informed by the belief in, fear of, and obedience to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?" Ramaswamy responded wisely, "Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian values; there’s no doubt about it. It is a historical fact."
Image Source: GettyImages| Photo by Win McNamee
He went on to add, "We share the same values, the same Judeo-Christian values in power." He added, "I’m not running to be a pastor-in-chief. I’m running to be our commander-in-chief." He continued. "I think it’s legitimate to gain comfort with somebody who is of a different faith—I am a Hindu—occupying that office. But we share the same values in common. I think that is true. And because it’s true, I think that people will come to understand that for the commander-in-chief, that’s what matters."
He went on to add, "We share the same values, the same Judeo-Christian values in power." He added, "I’m not running to be a pastor-in-chief. I’m running to be our commander-in-chief." He continued. "I think it’s legitimate to gain comfort with somebody who is of a different faith—I am a Hindu—occupying that office. But we share the same values in common. I think that is true. And because it’s true, I think that people will come to understand that for the commander-in-chief, that’s what matters."
Catholic Teachings on Immigration Reform
Strangers No Longer
E-Newsletter
Migration
Catholic Social Thought
Catholic Teachings on Immigration Reform
by Sue Weishar, Ph.D.
The prospect for comprehensive immigration reform appears hopeful in 2013. When President Obama was asked by Meet the Press host David Gregory on December 30th what his second-term equivalent would be to his all-out effort to pass health care reform in his first term, the president responded, “Fixing our broken immigration system is a top priority. I will introduce legislation in the first year to get that done.” [1] According to Washington insiders, a group of six Senate leaders, three from each party [2], began work on an immigration bill shortly after the election. It is expected the “Gang of Six” will release a set of principles shortly after the inauguration and then introduce full legislative language in March or April. A vote is not expected until June at the earliest. [3]
To be decided in addressing the future of our nation’s estimated 11.1 million undocumented immigrants will be who is eligible to apply for legalization, whether legalization will lead to citizenship, how future employment verification systems will be designed, and whether or not U.S. guest worker programs will be overhauled, among several other important policy considerations. Various aspects of immigration reform will be a focus of JSRI publications in the coming year. This article will look at the principles and concerns that inform the U.S. Catholic Church’s response to immigration reform legislation.
2013 marks the 10th anniversary of the landmark pastoral letter by the Catholic Bishops of Mexico and the United States, Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope, which identifies the following five principles, based on Scriptures and Catholic Social Teaching, that guide the Church’s views on migration:
- Persons have the right to find opportunities in their homeland. (34.) All persons have the right to find in their own countries the economic, political, and social opportunities to live in dignity and achieve a full life through the use of their God-given gifts. In this context, work that provides a just, living wage is a basic human need.
- Persons have the right to migrate to support themselves and their families. (35.) The Church recognizes that all the goods of the earth belong to all people. When persons cannot find employment in their country of origin to support themselves and their families, they have a right to find work elsewhere in order to survive. Sovereign nations should provide ways to accommodate this right.
- Sovereign nations have the right to control their borders. (36.) The Church recognizes the right of sovereign nations to control their territories but rejects such control when it is exerted merely for the purpose of acquiring additional wealth. More powerful economic nations, which have the ability to protect and feed their residents, have a stronger obligation to accommodate migration flows.
- Refugees and asylum seekers should be afforded protection. (37.) Those who flee wars and persecution should be protected by the global community. This requires, at a minimum, that migrants have a right to claim refugee status without incarceration and to have their claims fully considered by a competent authority.
- The human dignity and human rights of undocumented migrants should be respected. (38.) Regardless of their legal status, migrants, like all persons, possess inherent human dignity that should be respected. Often they are subject to punitive laws and harsh treatment from enforcement officers from both receiving and transit countries. Government policies that respect the basic human rights of the undocumented are necessary.
Based on the above principles, the U.S. Bishops have offered the following recommendations for immigration reform legislation: [4]
Pope decries indifference toward migrants, as he prays for the dead in Marseille
For a second day in the French port city of Marseille, the pontiff took aim at European countries that have used “alarmist propaganda” to justify closing their doors to migrants.
France is a “host country” to migrants — especially to asylum seekers — and is supporting European solidarity policies, including through financing and fighting human trafficking, the French presidency said. The Vatican provided no readout of the meeting.
Macron’s centrist government has taken a harder line on migration and security issues after coming under criticism from French conservatives and the far right. With elections for the European Union’s parliament set for next year, Macron is pushing for the E.U. to strengthen its external borders and to be more efficient in deporting individuals who are denied entry.
Macron greeted Francis on a wind-swept promenade overlooking Marseille’s old port, and helped him walk into the Palais du Pharo for the Mediterranean bishops meeting. With his wife by his side, the French leader listened as a young Italian volunteer working in Greece and the bishop of Tirana, Albania, who fled to Italy during Albania’s communist rule, spoke of the welcomes they received in foreign countries.
“May we let ourselves be moved by the stories of so many of our unfortunate brothers and sisters who have the right both to emigrate and not to emigrate, and not become closed in indifference,” Francis said. “In the face of the terrible scourge of the exploitation of human beings, the solution is not to reject but to ensure, according to the possibilities of each, an ample number of legal and regular entrances.”
Francis’ two-day trip was scheduled months ago, but it is taking place as mass migration to Europe is once again making headlines. Nearly 7,000 migrants who boarded smugglers boats in Tunisia came ashore on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa within a day last week, briefly outnumbering the resident population.
Nevertheless, Francis said talk of a migration “emergency” only fuels “alarmist propaganda” and stokes peoples’ fears.
“Those who risk their lives at sea do not invade, they look for welcome, for life” he said. “As for the emergency, the phenomenon of migration is not so much a short-term urgency, always good for fueling alarmist propaganda, but a reality of our times.”
Pope Francis celebrates mass at the Velodrome Stadium in Marseille, France, on Saturday.Alessandra Tarantino / AP
Sep. 23, 2023, 11:22 AM EDT / Source: The Associated Press
By The Associated Press
Pope Francis challenged French President Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders to open their ports to people fleeing hardship and poverty, insisting Saturday that the continent isn’t facing a migration “emergency” but rather a long-term reality that governments must deal with humanely.
For a second straight day in the French port city of Marseille, Francis took aim at European countries that have used “alarmist propaganda” to justify closing their doors to migrants, and tried to shame them into responding with charity instead.
He called for migrants to have legal pathways to citizenship, and for the Mediterranean Sea that so many cross to reach Europe to be a beacon of hope, not a graveyard of desperation.
The Mediterranean, Francis told Macron and a gathering of regional bishops, “cries out for justice, with its shores that on the one hand exude affluence, consumerism and waste, while on the other there is poverty and instability.”
The pope’s visit to the city in southern France, which drew an estimated 150,000 well-wishers Saturday, comes as Italy’s far right-led government has reacted to a new wave of arriving migrants by threatening to organize a naval blockade of Tunisia and to step up repatriations. The French government, for its part, has beefed up patrols on its southern border to stop migrants in Italy from crossing over.
After the bishops’ meeting ended, Macron and Francis held a private, half-hour meeting. They spoke about migration issues and a series of other topics, the French presidency said, adding that both leaders share a “joint will” to bring human solutions to the situation.
Sep. 23, 2023, 11:22 AM EDT / Source: The Associated Press
By The Associated Press
Pope Francis challenged French President Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders to open their ports to people fleeing hardship and poverty, insisting Saturday that the continent isn’t facing a migration “emergency” but rather a long-term reality that governments must deal with humanely.
For a second straight day in the French port city of Marseille, Francis took aim at European countries that have used “alarmist propaganda” to justify closing their doors to migrants, and tried to shame them into responding with charity instead.
He called for migrants to have legal pathways to citizenship, and for the Mediterranean Sea that so many cross to reach Europe to be a beacon of hope, not a graveyard of desperation.
The Mediterranean, Francis told Macron and a gathering of regional bishops, “cries out for justice, with its shores that on the one hand exude affluence, consumerism and waste, while on the other there is poverty and instability.”
The pope’s visit to the city in southern France, which drew an estimated 150,000 well-wishers Saturday, comes as Italy’s far right-led government has reacted to a new wave of arriving migrants by threatening to organize a naval blockade of Tunisia and to step up repatriations. The French government, for its part, has beefed up patrols on its southern border to stop migrants in Italy from crossing over.
After the bishops’ meeting ended, Macron and Francis held a private, half-hour meeting. They spoke about migration issues and a series of other topics, the French presidency said, adding that both leaders share a “joint will” to bring human solutions to the situation.
France is a “host country” to migrants — especially to asylum seekers — and is supporting European solidarity policies, including through financing and fighting human trafficking, the French presidency said. The Vatican provided no readout of the meeting.
Macron’s centrist government has taken a harder line on migration and security issues after coming under criticism from French conservatives and the far right. With elections for the European Union’s parliament set for next year, Macron is pushing for the E.U. to strengthen its external borders and to be more efficient in deporting individuals who are denied entry.
Macron greeted Francis on a wind-swept promenade overlooking Marseille’s old port, and helped him walk into the Palais du Pharo for the Mediterranean bishops meeting. With his wife by his side, the French leader listened as a young Italian volunteer working in Greece and the bishop of Tirana, Albania, who fled to Italy during Albania’s communist rule, spoke of the welcomes they received in foreign countries.
“May we let ourselves be moved by the stories of so many of our unfortunate brothers and sisters who have the right both to emigrate and not to emigrate, and not become closed in indifference,” Francis said. “In the face of the terrible scourge of the exploitation of human beings, the solution is not to reject but to ensure, according to the possibilities of each, an ample number of legal and regular entrances.”
Francis’ two-day trip was scheduled months ago, but it is taking place as mass migration to Europe is once again making headlines. Nearly 7,000 migrants who boarded smugglers boats in Tunisia came ashore on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa within a day last week, briefly outnumbering the resident population.
Nevertheless, Francis said talk of a migration “emergency” only fuels “alarmist propaganda” and stokes peoples’ fears.
“Those who risk their lives at sea do not invade, they look for welcome, for life” he said. “As for the emergency, the phenomenon of migration is not so much a short-term urgency, always good for fueling alarmist propaganda, but a reality of our times.”
People wait for the arrival of Pope Francis at the Velodrome Stadium in Marseille, France, on SAturday. Alessandra Tarantino / AP
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Antichrist: The Key to Pope Francis’s Identity
Antichrist: The Key to Pope Francis’s
Identity
Berean Beacon
May 11, 2017
Amidst mystery and adulation, and indeed hero worship of Pope Francis, there is a key that reveals his character. The secret lies in his own practices and is not hidden except in plain view... Pope Francis is a master of these Jesuit Spiritual Exercises the teach people how to conduct their own spiritual conversion.
For more on the office of the Pope and the Papacy please visit:
Friday, September 22, 2023
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)