Background briefing. The official recognition of the negative side-effects of abortion on women is always fiercely resisted by pro-abortionists.
From SPUC.
A group of physicians in the UK have drawn attention to research suggesting that abortion can increase the risk of mental problems in women. In a letter to today's Times newspaper, the 15 doctors write that women should be warned about the psychological problems of abortion, and they call on the bodies which regulate obstetricians, gynaecologists and psychiatrists to change their guidance. The research which they cite was published in The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry in January. [The Times, 27 October] The newspaper also carried an article about Ms Sue Hulbert who suffered from long-term depression after an abortion. She said: "I had never suffered from any mental illness before and I had never been depressed and, really, I am the last person who you would expect to react like this. But I was haunted by my abortion and it robbed me of all my confidence." Ms Hulbert was helped by British Victims of Abortion. [The Times, 27 October]
Friday, October 27, 2006
Post Abortion Trauma
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Education and Inspection Bill - victories
Background briefing.
Latest update: Lord Baker's amendment defeated. See the Universe report here.
Members of the British House of Lords have rejected by 173 votes to 85 an amendment to the Education and Inspections Bill which would have made personal, social and health education in schools a statutory part of the national curriculum. The change was backed by many children's charities. [Community Care 25 October]
The government has abandoned plans to force faith schools to admit 25% of their pupils from outside their religion. Lord Baker, the former Conservative Minister for Education, still intends to introduce an amendment to the Bill to that effect. See the BBC story.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
BBC admits bias
Background briefing. See also update.
Update: The Vatican has decided to 'filter' requests from the BBC in the light of the Sex Crimes and the Vatican programme. The Catholic Herald reports that 'all future requests from the BBC and independent television companies for Vatican press accreditation will now be scrutinised carefully.' Withholding press accreditation is one of the few ways in which the Vatican can directly punish specific journalists and organisations.
BBC claims the leaked 'Impartiality Seminar' was intended to be public, and was broadcast on the web. Can we see it again, then, Sue Lawley?
The BBC's new Robin Hood series leaves out Friar Tuck and refers to Maid Marian simply as 'Marian'. The BBC's Christianophobia strikes again.
Thanks to Valle Adurni for the reference to this story.
Key quote: '[At an 'impartiality' summit] executives were given a fictitious scenario in which they were asked to make a judgment. In the illustration, Jewish comedian Sasha Baron Cohen would participate in a studio program in which guests were allowed to symbolically throw in a garbage bin things they hated. What would you do, the executives were asked, if Cohen decided to throw kosher food, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bible and the Quran in the trash. Everything would be allowed, the executives said, except for the Quran, for fear of offending the British Muslim community.'
For the full story, see here for a US source, here for the Daily Mail.
Monday, October 23, 2006
EU funding for coercive population control
Current status: pro-life ammendments defeated. See update.
From SPUC: This Thursday (26th October) Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will vote on amendments to the European Union (EU) budget for 2007, specifically three amendments seeking to prevent any EU funds going to organisations, governments or programmes that are implicated in so-called 'family planning' programmes where coercion has been used in contravention of human rights.
Kathy Sinnott MEP writes: "At present the EU development funds have been given to governments and organisations for projects that include coercive abortion, forced sterilisation and infanticide...Governments such as those in China and Vietnam are currently heavily involved in such practices and international organisations have as yet failed to take proper action to avoid providing them financial support. Additionally there are aid projects in other countries that include one or more of these practices...These amendments will not lead to an end of diplomatic negotiations with any country or affect organisations or humanitarian aid which are not implicated in these human rights abuses."
Updates: The European parliament yesterday rejected three amendments to the European Union budget which would have removed funding from government and organisations' programmes which include coercive abortion, involuntary sterilisation and infanticide. Shortly afterwards, the parliament condemned China for allegedly shooting refugees. Ms Kathy Sinnott, MEP for Ireland south, welcomed the condemnation but said: "Why do Tibetans try to escape from China? Because of these very barbaric practices that in addition to the religious and political persecution blights the life of all the minorities and conquered peoples within the territory China now claims to rule." She asked the European commission what part EU aid was playing in that suffering. [Ms Sinnott's office, 26 October]
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Liberal Democrats and Ruth Kelly
Current status: update - Lorely Burt 'clarifies' her remarks.
A Liberal Democrat spokeswoman has called upon Ruth KellySecretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government, to reign solely because of her Catholic faith.
Key quote: Lorely Burt, Lib Dem equality spokeswoman, said: "We had always feared Ruth Kelly's personal beliefs would make her unsuitable to be a champion of gay rights. Unfortunately these fears have become reality and she should now stand down."
See the full Telegraph report.
This amazing demand -- discrimination on the basis of religion, in order to save a law which outlaws discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation -- neatly sums up the debate on the Sexual Orientation Regulations. (On these, see here.)
Please send messages of support to Ms Kelly.
And protests to Lorely Burt and Lib Dem leader, Sir Menzies Campbell.
You can use the parliament email form for each of them, see here.
Update: Lorely Burt writes a letter to the Catholic Herald.
Saying the CH report on her remarks weas 'a complete distortion of my position', she goes on: 'My disquiet with Ruth Kelly concerns not her beliefs but her actions. They are based on reports that she has actively delayed partliamentary consideration of regulations to extend the same protection already granted to religious groups, Catholics included, to those of different sexual orientations.'
What Burt actually said (quoted in the Telegraph): "We had always feared that Ruth Kelly's personal beliefs would make her unsuitable to be a champion of gay rights. Unfortunately these fears have become reality and she should now stand down."
Burt is clearly embarassed by the reaction to her comments.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Education and Inspection Bill
Current status: action, please: contact MPs and Peers.
See here for a good article by Archbishop Nichols in the Telegraph.
Daily Telegraph report
Catholic Education Service press release condemning the Bill
From CFNews:
The Education and Inspection Bill reaches its Third reading in the Lords on October 30th. That is the very last chance of influencing its contents. It came from the Commons religiously neutral but has been so amended in the unelected chamber that it is now a very grave attack on Catholic schools. Very few MPs are aware of its changes. The Government has gone back on the assurances it had given through Lord Adonis.
The amended Bill states that:
(a) Local authorities will decide on the Catholic/non Catholic admission ratio in conformity with their perceived requirement of social cohesion.
(b) This will be subject to appeal to the Government in certain circumstances
(c) Admission policies will be looked at again and parental first choice will not receive preference.
(d) New statements made this week suggest that there will be new controls over what is taught and by whom in socially sensitive areas
(e) This will apply to all new schools.
(f) There will be a revised inspection code.
There is no suggestion that our existing schools will radically alter but it is manifestly unfair, costly and is an insult to the Catholics of this country. Consider the impact on families, parishes and the schools you know. The bishops have been misled and pushed aside so it is now down to us the laity to do what we can. What can we do? We can raise our voices!
1 Write, phone (020 7219 3000) , or email your MP. If conservative or Lib Dem ask him/her to ask their party not to support this. If Labour, to withdraw the amendment itself which was only first outlined by Lord Adonis in his speech on 17/01/06
2 Write to the Prime Minster at Parliament, SW1A 1AA
3 Write to your local paper or use any other media contact you have
4 Talk to your parish priest of teachers you know
5 Talk or write to local county councillors
6 Pray [CFNews]
Dossier on Advent Group
The dissident support group for ex-priests and nuns, Advent Group ('working for a renewed priesthood'), was allowed to use St Chad's Cathedral for its AGM, Saturday 11th November 2006.
1) One of the aims of ADVENT
is to "work for change in the Church and its ministry"
3) The ADVENT website states that
"We are regularly out on the web. When we find a great site we list it here for you to enjoy."
4) This links to various
Relevant here is the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 'The Pastoral Care of the Homosexual Person', 1986:17: 'All support should be withdrawn from any organisations which seek to undermine the teaching of the Church, which are ambiguous about it, or which neglect it entirely. Such support, or even the semblance of such support, can be gravely misinterpreted. Special attention should be given to the practice of scheduling religious services and the to the use of Church buildings by these groups, including the facilities of Catholic schools and colleges. To some, such permission to use Church property may seem only just and charitable; but in reality it is contradictory to the purpose for which these institutions were founded, it is misleading and often scandalous...'
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Gay Police Association
Current status: updates The Crown Prosecution Service
Spokesman apologises
ASA uphold complaint
Private prosecution planned: see update.
CPS refuse to prosecure
GPA Apololgy
GPA spokesman Kevin Boyle, in an interview on Christian radio statioin Premier Radio, said he found it 'devastating' that Christians were offended, and would 'obviously offer apologies'.
[Catholic Herald]
NB contrary to the Catholic Herald headline, this was not an apology from the 'Police'. Boyle's apology is welcome, but the advert was clearly intended to be controversial, as the GPA admitted at the time; they also admitted that they decided against a parallel advert featuring the Koran.
Christian Concern for Our Nation email: 'Many of you may have heard about or seen the Gay Police Association's advert, published in the Independent on 29 June, which features a picture of the Bible next to a pool of blood beneath the title 'In the name of the father'. Many of you have asked for further information on what to do. We hope this email and its attachments will be of assistance to you. The advert is about homophobic violence and impliedly accuses Christians of bearing the responsibility for an alleged 74% increase in homophobic 'incidents' this year. Clearly this is a hurtful, antagonistic, and above all, false, claim to be made in a national newspaper. We would urge everyone who feels strongly about this issue to look at the advert and then respond to one or all of the following organisations: (1) Independent Police Complaints Commission; (2) The Advertising Standards Authority; (3) The Press Complaints Commission; and (4) The Independent Newspaper. Following an extremely high number of complaints, the police investigation into this issue has been transferred to Holborn Police Station. All metropolitan police stations have been told not to open any further files relating to the advert. This means that any new complaints will not be recorded on a new file, they will be forwarded to the Holborn officers who are handling the case. All complaints are still being recorded so it gives the police an extremely useful indicator of the strength of feeling on this issue simply by the number of complaints being made. The complaint is currently being considered by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) who will decide whether there is a case to answer. One of the CPS's criteria for deciding whether to prosecute, is whether it is in 'the public interest'. Therefore the more members of the public who feel strongly about the advert who actually contact the police, the more likely the CPS will be aware of the public interest in prosecuting. [http://www.christianconcernforournation.co.uk]
Updates:
has announced that they had decided not to prosecute the Gay Police Association for any offence in relation to the publication of the advert in late June, depicting the Bible beside a pool of blood and accusing Christians of causing a 74% rise in incidents of violence against homosexuals. The following press release from the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship illustrates that it is a decision that is open to strong criticism. 'Just hours after announcing their decision not to prosecute the Gay Police Association for its controversial anti-Christian advert, placed in the Independent Newspaper, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Metropolitan Police have come under fire for alleged double-standards. After taking almost 3 months to come to a decision, the CPS announced that there was 'insufficient evidence' to prosecute the Gay Police Association. The news has surprised many of the 50,000 organisations and individuals who formally registered complaints with the police after the advert, accusing Christians of causing a 74% increase in violence towards homosexuals in 2005, was placed in the Diversity section of The Independent newspaper in June of this year. Andrea Minichiello Williams, Public Policy Officer of the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship (LCF), commented 'what we find hard to understand is the appearance of discrimination against Christians by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). In this case, the CPS has decided that despite thousands of complaints that the advert was misleading and insulting to Christianity and Christians, they will not prosecute. But what further evidence of the advert being an 'insulting' publication causing 'harassment, alarm or distress' which is religiously aggravated contrary to section 31 Crime and Disorder Order Act 1998 to Christians could be needed? The decision does not sit well with other prosecutions which the CPS has decided to pursue. In 2003 the CPS said that the evidence of a small group of homosexual protestors was sufficient to prosecute a Christian preacher who displayed a sign saying 'Stop homosexuality, Stop immorality. Jesus is Lord'. The CPS considered the small number of complaints sufficient to make out the test that the sign was 'insulting'. The policy is confused and is leading the police and the CPS to apply double standards'. Thomas Cordrey, a Public Policy Analyst at LCF, added 'At a time when the national media are picking up on the apparent Christianophobia prevalent in the behaviour of the police and other public bodies, it seems strange that once again the police and CPS have had such little regard for the views and opinions of Christians who make up such a sizable proportion of the population. Only recently Stephen Green was arrested for peacefully handing out Christian tracts which set out the Bible's teaching on practising homosexuality, whilst Muslim extremists are left to shout intimidatory hate abuse at Catholics with no sanction. In a world of competing rights and confused messages such behaviour by public authorities makes it increasingly hard for organisations like the Met to deny the accusations that they are Christianophobic'. It is astonishing that despite the LCF's formal letter of complaint on this matter we have never received a formal written acknowledgement or reply. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) have not yet issued their response on this matter If you are concerned about the Crown Prosecution decision and want to take it further please write to the Director of Public Prosecutions who is the head of the CPS. It would be good to ask about policy and how these decisions are made as everything seems to be very unclear. You can send an email to:
HQPolicy@cps.gsi.gov.uk
ASA decision
In light of 553 complaints, the ASA investigated the GPA under five headings, and upheld complaints under three of them. Thus:
1. Decency (suggestion that Christianity is homophobic): updeld
2. Decency (image of the Bible next to a pool of blood): not upheld
3. Violence and anti-social behaviour (incitement of violence against Christians): not upheld
4. Truthfulness (suggestion that the 'homophobic incidents' were violent): upheld
5. Substantiation (of the cited statistics): upheld.
The ASA's 'action':
"We told the GPA to ensure future campaigns were not presented in a way that could cause undue offence and also reminded them that they should ensure the use of imagery did not send misleading messages to consumers. We asked them to ensure any statistics could be substantiated and reminded them to show supporting data to the ASA upon request. "
For the full ASA report, see here.
For a BBC report, see here.
Private prosecution planned
The Reverend George Hargreaves, has made an application to the Director of Public Prosecutions (attached to this e-mail) to launch a private prosecution in the case. Mr Hargreaves, a member of the Metropolitan Police Service's Safer Neighbourhoods All Faith Forum Steering Group, and the Chair of the Metropolitan Police Service's Stop and Search Community Consultative Committee, has said that "I believe there is a case to answer in this matter, and that there is sufficient evidence to prove the necessary legal test set out in the Public Order Act. I also believe that it is not in the public interest for this case to be dropped - to do so would give the impression that Police officers are above the law". His views are echoed by many who cannot reconcile the decision by the CPS not to prosecute in this case, compared with the decision to prosecute Christians in situations where the evidence appeared to be less substantial.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Permanent vegetative State
Background briefing: the latest addition to a growing list of cases of so called 'Permanent vegetative State' patients recovering.
A boy who had been diagnosed as being in a so-called permanent vegetative state (PVS) has regained consciousness and is continuing to recover. Devon Rivers collapsed and became comatose 22 months ago and doctors considered his case hopeless. His mother, Carla Rivers, continued to visit and care for him and, in August 2006, he began to show signs of consciousness. Devon is to receive occupational therapy to recover motor skills, and is able to play with his siblings. A 1996 study published by the British Medical Journal found that 43% of PVS patients are wrongly diagnosed. [LifeSite, SPUC]
Thursday, October 12, 2006
IVF for single mothers
Background briefing
IVF treatment given to women wanting to become mothers without a partner has more than doubled in the last five years. Figures revealed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) also reveal that since 2001, the number of IVF cycles given to lesbian couples has risen fourfold. The Government intends to scrap the section of the HFEA Act 1990, which requires the need for a father because of fears over discrimination. [Sunday Telegraph, SPUC]
Monday, October 09, 2006
Gordon Brown
Current status: background briefing.
In a letter to this week's Catholic Herald, Anthony Ozimic, political secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), writes : 'Sir - Mary Kenny (Comment, September 29) claims - without citing any evidence - that: 'On other social issues such as gay rights or abortion, [Gordon Brown] may not approve, privately, but he consigns the matter to the personal conscience of each individual.' Hardly. In 1990, Mr Brown voted no fewer than 16 times with the pro-abortion lobby: three times for abortion up to birth, including for disabled babies; twice for abortion on demand in early pregnancy; once each to extend the Abortion Act to Northern Ireland, for selective foeticide in multiple pregnancies, to facilitate RU486 and to suppress information about abortions on disabled babies; and seven times for other pro-abortion positions. As Chancellor, Mr Brown cut the rate of VAT on morning-after pills from 17.5% to 5%; and launched the International Finance Facility to raise money for the Millennium Development Goals, which the British government interprets as including a universal human right to abortion on demand. Prior to their marriage, Mr Brown's PR consultant wife Sarah did marketing for EMILY's List, which raises funds for female Labour candidates who support (among other things) abortion on demand. Regarding the unborn outside the womb, Mr Brown voted five times in 1990 to promote destructive embryo experimentation, and has recently backed the UK Stem Cell Initiative which funds embryo killing. The last thing Catholics need, already surrounded by the culture of death, is to be told that politicians who support the destruction of the unborn at every available opportunity are 'personally opposed' to it'. [Catholic Herald]
Anglican attack on 'Multi-faith' policies
Current status: background briefing.
The Church of England has launched an astonishing attack on the Government's drive to turn Britain into a multi-faith society. In a wide-ranging condemnation of policy, it says that the attempt to make minority 'faith' communities more integrated has backfired, leaving society 'more separated than ever before'. The criticisms are made in a confidential Church document, leaked to The Sunday Telegraph, that challenges the 'widespread description' of Britain as a multi-faith society and even calls for the term 'multi-faith' to be reconsidered. The document, Cohesion and Integration - a Briefing Note for the House (of Bishops), claims that divisions between communities have been deepened by the Government's 'schizophrenic' approach to tackling multiculturalism. While trying to encourage interfaith relations, it has actually given 'privileged attention' to the Islamic faith and Muslim communities. Written by Guy Wilkinson, the interfaith adviser to the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, the paper says that the Church of England has been sidelined. Instead, 'preferential' treatment has been afforded to the Muslim community despite the fact that it makes up only three per cent of the population. Britain remains overwhelmingly a Christian country at heart and moves to label it as a multi-faith society suggest a hidden agenda, it says. [Sunday Telegraph]
For the full text of the Sunday Telegraph article, see here.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
BBC Panorama 'Sex Crimes and the Vatican'
Update: text of responses from bishops - see end of post.
Current status: official and unofficial protests are continuing; see end of post. For some BBC responses, see here.
Protest at BBC 'attack' on Pope
By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent
(Filed: 02/10/2006)
The head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales is to make a formal complaint to the BBC over a documentary which accused the Pope of covering up child abuse by priests.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor is to protest to Mark Thompson, the corporation's director general, about last night's "unwarranted" and "deeply prejudiced" BBC1 Panorama programme.
The documentary, called Sex Crimes and the Vatican, purported to reveal how in 2001 the future pope, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, issued "a secret Vatican edict" to instruct the world's Catholic bishops to put the interests of the Church before the safety of children.
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The programme said that by issuing the document the cardinal was advising bishops to encourage alleged victims, the accused and any witnesses to talk to them about the allegations rather than report them to the civil authorities.
It described the document as an updated version of the "notorious" 1962 Vatican instruction Crimen Sollicitationis – the Crime of Solicitation – which, it claimed, laid down the rules for covering up sexual scandal.
The English and Welsh bishops were denied a preview film by the BBC because the Vatican had refused to co-operate in the making of it.
But a leaked copy was sent to the bishops in Spain, where they were on retreat last week, and they watched it together on Saturday evening and decided that the cardinal should protest vigorously. A statement issued yesterday by the Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Rev Vincent Nichols, revealed the extent of their anger.
He said that as a public service broadcaster, the BBC should be "ashamed of the standard of the journalism used to create this unwarranted attack on Pope Benedict XVI".
The archbishop said that viewers would recognise "only too well the sensational tactics and misleading editing of the programme, which uses old footage and undated interviews.
They will know that aspects of the programme amount to a deeply prejudiced attack on a revered world religious leader."
Archbishop Nichols, the chairman of the Catholic office for the protection of children and vulnerable adults, described the evil of child abuse depicted in the documentary as "horrific and deeply distressing".
But he said that the thrust of the programme was "false and entirely misleading" because it misrepresented two Vatican documents.
"The first document, issued in 1962, is not directly concerned with child abuse at all but with the misuse of the confessional," he said.
"The programme confuses the misuse of the confessional and the immoral attempts by a priest to silence his victim.
"The second document, issued in 2001, clarified the law of the Church, ensuring that the Vatican is informed of every case of child abuse and that each case is dealt with properly."
He continued: "This document does not hinder the investigation by civil authorities of allegations of child abuse, nor is it a method of cover-up, as the programme persistently claims. In fact it is a measure of the seriousness with which the Vatican views these offences."
The row is the latest in a series of clashes between the Catholic Church and the BBC.
In October 2003 the bishops made a similar high-level complaint when the BBC attacked Pope John Paul II in a Panorama special called Sex and the Holy City.
A BBC spokesman said the corporation stood by the Panorama programme and invited viewers to make up their own minds about it. [Telegraph]
Bishops' protest to BBC In a press statement issued on Monday, Archbishop Vincent Nichols, chair of the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults, says in response to the BBC's broadcast of Panorama's programme Sex crimes and the Vatican on Sunday, 1 October, 'There are two strands to the Panorama programme ´Sex crimes and the Vatican.` The first is a graphic and explicit account of the evil of child abuse and the personal damage it causes to its victims. This is horrific and deeply distressing. Those abused as children have been grievously offended. This is especially so when the abuser is a priest. The film is a reminder to everyone of the need to work ceaselessly in the protection of children and in response to the needs of victims. The Catholic Church in England and Wales is doing so, with transparency and care, and, in every case, cooperating fully and immediately with public authorities. The second strand of the programme is an attack on the Vatican and specifically on Pope Benedict. This aspect of the programme is false and entirely misleading. It is false because it misrepresents two Vatican documents and uses them quite misleadingly in order to connect the horrors of child abuse to the person of the Pope. The first document, issued in 1962, is not directly concerned with child abuse at all, but with the misuse of the confessional. This has always been a most serious crime in Church law. The programme confuses the misuse of the confessional and the immoral attempts by a priest to silence his victim. The second document, issued in 2001, clarified the law of the Church, ensuring that the Vatican is informed of every case of child abuse and that each case is dealt with properly. This document does not hinder the investigation by civil authorities of allegations of child abuse, nor is it a method of cover-up, as the programme persistently claims. In fact it is a measure of the seriousness with which the Vatican views these offences. Since 2001, Cardinal Ratzinger, when Head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, took many steps to apply the law of the Church to allegations and offences of child abuse with absolute thoroughness and scruple. The Panorama programme makes clear the suffering of those abused in their childhood. But as a public service broadcaster, the BBC should be ashamed of the standard of the journalism used to create this unwarranted attack on Pope Benedict. Viewers will recognise only too well the sensational tactics and misleading editing of the programme, which uses old footage and undated interviews. They will know that aspects of the programme amount to a deeply prejudiced attack on a revered world religious leader. It will further undermine public confidence in ´Panorama´. This statement is endorsed by the Bishops of England and Wales, and Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, as President of the Bishops´ Conference, is writing to the Director General of the BBC to protest about this programme. This is the text of the letter sent by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster and President, Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, to the Director General of the BBC, Mark Thompson.
'Dear Mr Thompson, In May 2005 I wrote to congratulate the BBC on its coverage of the death and funeral of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI.
It is with deep disappointment that I now write to express the enormous distress and alarm of the Catholic community at your decision to broadcast Sex crimes and the Vatican. No-one can deny the devastating effects of child abuse in our society and the damage inflicted on the victims and their families. This is particularly shameful if such abuse is committed by a priest and it is of course legitimate to portray heart-rending elements of this evil.
However, your programme sets out to inflict grave damage on Pope Benedict, the leader of a billion Catholics throughout the world. It is quite clear to me that the main focus of the programme is to seek to connect Pope Benedict with cover-up of child abuse in the Catholic Church. This is malicious and untrue and based on a false presentation of church documents.
I cannot understand why no-one from your Corporation made any attempt to contact the Catholic Church in this country for assistance in seeking accurate information about this matter. I must ask if within the BBC there is a persistent bias against the Catholic Church. There will be many, not only Catholics, who will wonder if the BBC is any longer willing to be truly objective in some of its presentations. What a pity if the respect in which the BBC is held worldwide were to be seriously undermined by the bias and lack of integrity shown in the decision to broadcast a programme such as this'. [RCDOW]
Anyone who has seen the programme should complain:
The email address is:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/
Anyone can complain about what is on the BBC website, such as this, and there is a lively discussion going on which can be viewed by the public, here.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Sexual Orientation Regulations
Update from 'Christian Concern for Our Nation'.
Latest: Ruth Kelly delays publication of the the regulations: 'The consultation process undertaken by the Government received an unprecedented response and has forced the Minister for Equality, Ruth Kelly to delay publication until further research can be undertaken into the impact that these regulation may have upon faith groups.' [CARE] 8/9/06
Since the end of the consultation process on the SORs in June this year, the political issue went quiet over the summer. However, with only a week to go before Parliament is recalled, the issue has again leapt to the fore amid concern that in only a few weeks time the Government are going to try and push through a version of the Regulations which does not offer sufficient protection to guarantee Christians' freedom of conscience. We therefore urge everyone who is concerned by the SORs to write to or visit their MPs to explain that Christians must be given the freedom to live in accordance with the Bible's teaching: so that we are free to accurately convey the message that Jesus loves homosexuals and yet hates the sin of sex outside marriage. Full details of the issues involved and how to lobby on this issue are contained below. Back in May and June, Christian Concern for our Nation called the Christian community to respond to the Government consultation in order to stand up for our right to conduct our lives according to the Bible's teaching. We were amazed at the time, effort, sensitivity and thoughtfulness that people put into responding on this issue. When delegates from the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship met with civil servants at the Home Office, we were told that the Government had been surprised by the numbers who had responded to the consultation: almost 3000 formal responses. The civil servants also said that the majority of responses (around 3/5) were 'faith-based'. We are certain that many of those were from CCFON subscribers.
Unfortunately, since the consultation closed on the 5th June, the Home Office have not made it very clear about what is happening with the SORs. We do know that they have now finished analysing the responses to the consultation, and are some way to drafting a version of the Regulations which they hope to put before Parliament in mid-October. From the limited information the Government will give us, we think that despite the strong and principled arguments made by Christians in response to the consultation, they are not intending to address some of our key concerns. It does look like the Government might provide an exception from the Regulations for 'organised religion'. If this is the case, churches would not be required to provide goods, services, facilities etc to someone, if to do so would promote, assist or encourage that person to continue in sexual practice outside marriage. However, the Government seem determined not to provide that same protection for 'individual' Christians. This is extremely worrying. What it would mean is that Mr A, a vicar, would not have to give a blessing to practicing homosexual Civil Partners in his church, but if he also conducts ceremonies in, for example, a Christian convention centre, he would have to give the blessing. This is just one of thousands of possible examples.
As you can tell, to fail to give individual Christians the right to refuse to assist, encourage, promote or facilitate homosexual practice, is extremely worrying for all Christians. So, it is clear that this issue is far from over, and Christians need to be active in praying and lobbying, in order to safeguard our freedom of conscience: our freedom to act in accordance with the Bible. Because the SORs are Regulations, not a full Act of Parliament, the SORs when put before Parliament, will not have a full debate. Neither do they need to have the usual 3 'readings' in the House of Commons and House of Lords. It is a much quicker, more straightforward process. The expectation is that with Regulations Parliament will simply 'rubberstamp' and give the go ahead. It is over 30 years since a Regulation was defeated once it was put before Parliament. For this reason, if you want to do something to influence this law, NOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT! We urge everyone to pray and call on the Lord. In order to try and make sure sufficient protections are added to the Regulations, pressure needs to be put on MPs and ministers so that they understand that even if they do protect 'organised religion', this is not enough. One of the main problems with the SORs is that there is very little awareness in Parliament that they even exist, and even where MPs have heard of them, they have little understanding. This is where you can make a real difference. We urge everyone who is concerned by the SORs to write to or visit their MPs to explain that Christians must be given the freedom of conscience to live in accordance with the Bible's teaching. A leading QC, acting on behalf of the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship, has drafted a change to the SORs which we believe would offer substantial protection to Christians to guarantee their freedom to act with integrity according to the Bible's teaching. The proposed amendment is attached to this e-mail and we urge everyone to put a copy of it before their MP When considering this issue it is good to remember that when Christians were called to act over the Religious Hatred Bill, many thousands campaigned and lobbied their MPs and local members of the House of Lords, and the hearts of many of those politicians were changed. As Christians all we can do is pray that the truth will be made known, do what we can to tell others about that truth, and trust God to use our efforts for His glory. To help you pray and act on this issues, we have produced a number of resources, all of which are available
here.
For an example of a submission to the consultation process, see here.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Pro-Life Petition
"The UN's 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child has not been implemented for all children. The convention is often unjustly reinterpreted to limit its scope just to children who have been born. Amnesty International is currently consulting its members all over the world on the question of whether to campaign actively to make abortion a human right. The Amnesty for Babies campaign is promoting the rights of unborn children through a petition to the international community. "
See www.amnestyforbabies.com
For a direct link to sign the petition, click here.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
BBC bias against Pope
Currrent status: complaints, please.
For an example of the BBC's reports, see here
To make a complaint to the BBC use the website here.
(NB you will need to refer to specific BBC web pages containing unbalanced reporting when making your complaint.)
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Schools
Schools: Promotion of contraception, abortion, and homosexuality
This is an issue of ever-greater concern. Please be aweare of what is going on in your local school and diocese. Catholic schools are not excempt from government pressures.
Homosexuality
New laws could force homosexual lessons on schools. Primary and secondary schools throughout the UK may be forced to promote homosexuality as part of the curriculum. The Government is set to introduce new laws that ban discrimination against homosexuality in, amongst other things, education. Unless changed, the laws will apply to the content of the school curriculum. It is feared that homosexual rights groups will use these new laws to insist on lessons that promote homosexuality. There are already attempts to push pro-homosexual resources into the classroom. A report published jointly by the Department of Education and aged from five upwards, Government departments recommend 12 books including Daddy's Roommate, Hello Sailor, and The Sissy Duckling.the Department of Health has recommended a number of resources to help challenge 'homophobia' in schools. For children Amongst the four books recommended for secondary-aged children is the sexually explicit novel, Strange Boy, in which a ten-year-old boy has a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy. Schools are currently able to refuse to use these materials and, despite the materials being promoted by the Government, it is believed that not many schools are using them. However the proposed Sexual Orientation Regulations could change this. Schools could be required to use books like these if the curriculum is not exempted from these laws. Homosexual rights groups could use the laws to litigate against any school that doesn't use pro-gay resources, especially if those resources are recommended by a Government website for schools. Homosexual rights groups in Canada have used similar laws to threaten schools in this way. In a public consultation on the regulations several homosexual groups made it very clear that they want these laws to apply specifically to the curriculum. If the current list of Government-approved resources is anything to go by, parents ought to be deeply concerned about what may lie in store. Pray, and write to your MP. NB See for yourself: see here and download item 10 [Christian Institute]
Morning-after-pill has no effect on abortion statistics
'Evidence continues to grow that state-sponsored promotion of birth control is counter-productive in reducing abortions among teenagers. The government's strategy of promoting the morning-after pill is proving to be a disaster, especially for young people and above all for the embryonic unborn children who may be aborted by the pill. Promoting morning-after pills may also encourage risky sexual behaviour and appears to be fuelling the explosion in sexually transmitted infections among young people. Over the past five years the numbers of abortions on under-16 year-olds each year has not declined. The number has increased slightly overall in fact. ' [SPUC]
New reports are backing up the contentions pro-life groups have been making for months saying that the morning after pill will fail to reduce both abortion and teen pregnancy rates even if it's made available for sales over the counter. New British figures back up those from Scotland showing it's not the case. Figures show abortion rates in England have risen from 11 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 in 1984 to 17. 8 per 1,000 in 2004. In the past five years since the morning-after pill was made available over-the-counter, hundreds of thousands of women have used it but the number of British abortions has also risen steadily from 186,300 in 2001 to 194,400 last year. Professor Anna Glasier, director of the Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust in Edinburgh, wrote an article in the British Medical Journal showing that, while the morning after pill had been called a solution for both abortion and teen pregnancies, it failed to deliver. 'Despite the clear increase in the use of emergency contraception, abortion rates have not fallen in the UK,' she wrote. [LifeNews] Free morning after pills will be handed out to pupils under the age of consent at every school in England, it emerged this week. School nurses are to be told to dish out contraception and could even arrange secret abortions for teenagers without their parents' knowledge under a controversial push by Tony Blair to tackle teenage pregnancy. The Prime Minister launched the massive expansion of the Government's sex education policy by vowing 'better access to contraceptives' for under-18s. And he defended his provocative call for nuisance children to be identified 'pre-birth' by declaring: 'Their fate is our business.' There are currently 2,409 nurses who work in groups of primary and secondary schools across the country, but the new plan would be a massive extension to every school. The teenage pregnancy plan outraged family campaigners who warned it would only fuel soaring rates of conception among teenagers. Ministers have promised to halve teenage pregnancy rates - the highest in Western Europe - by 2010. But shocking figures last month revealed that the number of teenage pregnancies in England has risen by nearly 12 per cent in ten years. Details of the plan will be outlined next week in the Government's new teenage pregnancy strategy paper. It is understood it will focus on encouraging boys to use condoms by making them more freely available at school. School nurses and visiting GPs will be told to help pupils get the morning-after pill, pregnancy tests and terminations without their parents' knowledge. Guidance for schools was launched by the Departments for Education and Health earlier this year. But the new campaign headed by Mr Blair will hammer home to teachers and nurses of their 'obligations' to freely distribute contraception to schoolchildren. Mr Blair said: 'We will focus efforts on teenage pregnancy on those areas where rates are rising against the overall downward trend with improved social and relationships education. We will begin an expanded media campaign and offer better access to contraceptives, where appropriate.' The move followed his plan trailed last week to intervene in problem families at an early age, and even identify unruly children before birth - a move promptly dubbed 'Fasbos' or Asbos for foetuses. The Government has already ploughed £138 million of taxpayers' money into the problem. Tax on condoms and other contraceptive products such as the morning-after pill was slashed by Gordon Brown this year as part of a drive to improve sexual health. Official guidance to primary and secondary school heads says that nurses will be able to 'provide contraceptive advice to pupils and emergency contraception and pregnancy testing to young women'. School nurses are told to 'support young women to access services to make timely choices about emergency contraception, pregnancy or abortion'. Rising numbers of clinics based at secondary schools already offer free condoms and the morning-after pill to pupils or arrange fast-tracked doctors' appointments. Thousands of 13-year-old girls have been handed the morning-after pill by health service staff without their parents' permission. Last year it emerged that as many as one in three children has easy access to condoms and emergency contraception at secondary school. Among 302 primary care trusts across the country, around 2,400 girls aged 13 or younger received the morning-after pill on the NHS last year. They are able to get hold of the morning-after pill and other contraception without their parents' knowledge. Some schools now have clinics on site which are staffed by health professionals or visiting GPs who can give out condoms and prescriptions for the morning-after pill. Other services simply refer pupils on to doctors and family planning clinics during school time or provide information about where they can get help. Boys as young as 11 can get so-called 'C Cards' which entitle them to free condoms from chemists or family planning clinics. Girls can receive 'U Cards' - meaning urgent - which are supposed to give them fast-track GP appointments for the morning after pill. A controversial scheme involving health workers visiting teenage girls in their homes could also be expanded nationwide. The plan introduced in Gateshead six years ago was condemned after a nurse revealed she had given a contraceptive jab in a McDonalds toilet to a girl who had unprotected sex following a drinking binge. [Daily Mail] 1287.30
See the Daily Mail story here.
Child abuse in the classroom
'Children at primary school are being shown explicit animations of human sexual intercourse, accompanied by detailed verbal accounts of sex and masturbation', writes John Smeaton in Issue 34 of Pro-Life Times. 'These are just some of the elements in the Channel Four series Living and Growing which is being used for sex and relationships education at St William of York RC primary school in Forest Hill. As well as animated sequences showing sex and ejaculation, the series includes distressing sequences of a live childbirth, and treats alternative lifestyles as comparable to marriage. The programme also encourages primary school age children to investigate and discuss lurid magazines and TV soaps. Speaking publicly for the first time about their two-year struggle to protect their children from such inappropriate material, Stan and Patricia Wocial want to warn other parents about what can happen in the classroom. 'This type of material can undermine a child's natural sexual reserve whilst giving them a dread of childbirth,' Mr and Mrs Wocial told the Pro-Life Times. 'We know of little girls saying they never want to have children after seeing the birth scene. At one time parents could assume that their children would be safe from inappropriate sex education in school. This is not the case now. Parents need to reclaim their right to teach their children individually about sex and childbirth without being pre-empted by the school. They should make sure they see all the sex related materials used in the school, including science.' Mr and Mrs Wocial withdrew their seven-year-old daughter from, sex and relationship education classes at the school when they found out about Living and Growing. They feel that parents should not be afraid to withdraw their child from any lessons that use inappropriate material. Mr and Mrs Wocial have been frustrated in their repeated attempts to get the head teacher, school governors, the diocese, and their education authority to recognise the social and spiritual damage that may result from this kind of programme. Antonia Tully of SPUC's Safe at School campaign, which supports parents facing such problems, said: 'It is government policy to promote sex education in primary schools to reduce teenage pregnancy. Yet the figures for teenage pregnancy and abortion are not declining significantly. Indeed, evidence suggests that more school-based sex information means more precocious sexual activity, not less. In Birmingham, schools are now being given expert help to deal with seven-year olds who are acting in a sexualized manner. We cannot ignore the influence of this sort of insidious sex education on young children. Concerned readers who would like to take action should contact Antonia Tully at the Safe at School campaign on antoniatully@spuc.org.uk or telephone 020 7222 5845 or write to Antonia Tully, Safe at School, 5-6 St Matthew Street, London SW1P 2JT. [Pro-Life Times Sept06; CFNews]
Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy Free condoms should be handed to children - possibly as young as 12 - in sports halls, shops and swimming baths, Government advisers suggested on Thursday. They also called for five-year-olds to have compulsory 'relationship lessons' to drive down the number of pregnant youngsters. The Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy, which provides advice to ministers and monitors Government strategy, does not specify the age group that should receive the condoms. But condoms should be 'easily accessible to young people' and 'new and creative approaches of getting condoms into the community would be the next logical step', it says. Robert Whelan, of the Civitas think-tank, was scathing in his criticism. 'Up until now we have always taken a dim view about people who go to swimming baths to talk to little boys about sex. Now it seems to be Government policy. This is not progress. '
Other critics said that the Government's teenage pregnancy strategy - based on education and the availability of contraceptives - had clearly failed, with rates of sexually transmitted infections among teenagers remaining high. Gill Frances, of the National Children's Bureau, who leads the independent advisory group, said: 'No sensible person would give a small child a condom. ' However, she added: 'We are not specifying an age. ' Asked whether the plan could include 12- or 13-year-olds, she said: 'If a young person is having sex, he or she needs advice or support. ' She envisaged a youth advisory service within a sports facility, town hall or a school issuing the condoms. The panel's report says that longer-lasting contraceptives, such as injections and implants, should also be widely available. The panel's recommendations come amid a debate about how to cut the teenage pregnancy rate, the highest in western Europe. The panel's report says it is 'critical' for the Government to 'be brave' and make sex education - personal, social and health education - compulsory in schools 'at all key stages'. The youngest primary school children should be taught about 'relationships and friendships'. By 10, pupils should know about menstruation, physical changes in puberty, and correct names for reproductive organs. Detailed discussion of sex would be compulsory for children of 11 and over and there should be lessons on abortion. Current lessons left pregnant teenagers ill-equipped to 'assess abortion as an option', the report says.
On Monday, the Social Exclusion Action Plan is published. It will spell out the latest Government plans for tackling teenage pregnancy. Recent figures show a drop in the teenage pregnancy rate. However critics say the fall in the 'rates' - the number of pregnancies per thousand - can be attributed in part to an increasing population. This includes a large number of Muslim families where teenage pregnancy is rare. Behind the 'rates', official statistics show a rising number of girls under 14 becoming pregnant and the Government missing its target for cutting the under-18 pregnancy rate by 15 per cent from its 1998 level. [Telegraph]
See here for the Department of Health report.
See here for the Telegraph article.
A sinister cocktail of junk food, marketing, over-competitive schooling and electronic entertainment is poisoning childhood, says a group of British experts in a letter to The Daily Telegraph. The letter is signed by 110 teachers, psychologists, children's authors and other experts who call on the government to act to prevent the death of childhood. They express deep concern 'at the escalating incidence of childhood depression' and say children's developing brains cannot cope with 'ever more rapid technological and cultural change'. 'They still need what developing human beings have always needed, including real food (as opposed to processed 'junk'), real play (as opposed to sedentary, screen-based entertainment), first-hand experience of the world they live in and regular interaction with the real-life significant adults in their lives.' The group complains that the primary school curriculum is test-driven, and that children are 'pushed by market forces to act and dress like mini-adults and exposed via the electronic media to material which would have been considered unsuitable for children even in the very recent past.' [Telegraph]
Parents' primordial rights cannot be transfered
Archbishop Luis Martinez Sistach of Barcelona reminded parents this week that the education of their children is their primordial right and that teachers complement them in that task but are not substitutes.'Parents cannot transfer to teachers and to schools their own unique responsibility of educating their children. This also means that teachers cannot substitute for the parents, but rather they must help them and complement them in their educational task,' the archbishop wrote in a letter entitled, 'Parents and the School.' Archbishop Martinez Sistach explained that parents 'entrust the education of their children to the school and its teachers without renouncing their principal responsibility,' which they have as a 'logical consequence of their fatherhood and motherhood.' For this reason, he added, parents should choose a school whose values 'coincide with those of their own family.'The archbishop also said harmonious relations between parents and schools are necessary for excellence in education, and he warned that when there are conflicts between teachers and students, serious problems arise when parents automatically take the side of their child against the teacher.'The beginning of a new school year is an invitation to all of society to turn its gaze towards schools, to appreciate them and give them the support they deserve for the role they have in providing formation,' the archbishop said in conclusion. [CNA] 1291.14
Pontifical Council for the Family: The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality: Guidelines For Education Within The Family December 8, 1995
See here for the full text.
23. Other educators can assist in this task, but they can only take the place of parents for serious reasons of physical or moral incapacity. On this point the Magisterium of the Church has expressed itself clearly, in relation to the whole educative process of children: "The role of parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to find an adequate substitute. It is therefore the duty of parents to create a family atmosphere inspired by love and devotion to God and their fellow-men which will promote an integrated, personal and social education of their children. The family is therefore the principal school of the social virtues which are necessary to every society".
65. 1. Each child is a unique and unrepeatable person and must receive individualized formation. Since parents know, understand and love each of their children in their uniqueness, they are in the best position to decide what the appropriate time is for providing a variety of information, according to their children's physical and spiritual growth. No one can take this capacity for discernment away from conscientious parents.
66. Each child's process of maturation as a person is different. Therefore, the most intimate aspects, whether biological or emotional, should be communicated in a personalized dialogue. In their dialogue with each child, with love and trust, parents communicate something about their own self-giving which makes them capable of giving witness to aspects of the emotional dimension of sexuality that could not be transmitted in other ways. 78. It can be said that a child is in the stage described in John Paul II's words as "the years of innocence" from about five years of age until puberty — the beginning of which can be set at the first signs of changes in the boy or girl's body (the visible effect of an increased production of sexual hormones). This period of tranquility and serenity must never be disturbed by unnecessary information about sex.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Masses for Gay activists
Current status: local responses are best. For example:
Mass was celebrated for Birmingham Quest in St Catherine of Siena, Bristol Street, Birmingham, 18th December 2005, for the 30th Anniversary of the local group; further Masses were arranged for 14th Jan, 11th March, and 9th April.
Mass was celebrated for the Leicester and East Midlands Quest in Holy Cross, Leicester, 18th Feb 2006.
A monthly Mass is said for Quest in the Archdiocese of Westminster. Fr Jim Kennedy, the diocesan priest with responsibility for the pastoral care of homosexuals, allows Quest to use his own parish hall for meetings and parties.
See the CDF document at the end of this post.
"The dissenting homosexual group 'Quest' that operates in the United Kingdom, under the Chairmanship of national broadcaster and journalist Mark Dowd, is becoming more active and gaining support from bishops and priests around the country. Various Masses, private and public, are regularly being celebrated for this group across the
Quest has been excluded from listing in the Catholic Directory since 1998. For a taste of Quest's approach, see their Statement from Quest regarding the Vatican Document on Admission of Gay Men to Seminaries and Holy Orders
24th November 2005
"Same-sex attraction, whether it be in women or men, is once again dismissed by this text as being 'objectively disordered', a phrase that appeared in the 1986 document written at the time by the then Cardinal Ratzinger. It confirms that the Church pastors have failed to listen to the voices of modern medicine, science and psychology, which does not see the homosexual state in such pathological terms. Lesbians and gay men are not accepted for who they are, but are condemned by such language to be seen as merely ‘defective heterosexuals’, rather than evidence of a strand of love and commitment which is at the heart of God’s pluralistic creation."
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 'The Pastoral Care of the Homosexual Person', 1986: (See here for the full text.)
17: 'All support should be withdrawn from any organisations which seek to undermine the teaching of the Church, which are ambiguous about it, or which neglect it entirely. Such support, or even the semblance of such support, can be gravely misinterpreted. Special attention should be given to the practice of scheduling religious servicds and to the use of Church buildings by these groups, including the facilities of Catholic schools and colleges. To some, such permission to use Church property may seem only just and charitable; but in reality it is contradictory to the purpose for which these institutions were founded, it is misleading and often scandalous...'
Holy Days of Obligation
Update: the petition has been sent to Rome, with 3008 entries (representing a greater number of people). Nearly 10% of this is represented by the online version; the rest was collected manually. Congratulations to Miss Vaughan-Spruce for her campaign, which Catholic Action UK was proud to support. Details of any official response will be posted here in due course.
Links: Cardinal Murphy-O'Conner's Press Release (pdf)
The Liturgy Office of the Bishops' Conference
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect,
Congregation for Bishops
10 Piazza Pio XII
00193 Vatican City State
Email: p.higgs@cathunion.fsnet.co.uk
Catholic Union of Great Britain
St Maximillian Kolbe House
63 Jeddo Road
London W12 9EE
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Vatican contact details
Please use the Vatican website to check the names of the heads of the various congregations etc.. The contact information on the website is very patchy; please let us know about errors and omissions in what is set out below.
The Holy Father: benedictxvi@vatican.va
Congregation for the Doctrine of the FaithYou should address this office in matters concerning the Faith, moral teachings, doctrinal issues.
The address is:
cdf@cfaith.vaCerdinal Levada, Prefect
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
11 Palazzo di S. Uffizio
00193 Vatican
Italy
Congregation for the Clergy
The Congregation for the Clergy deals in matters of Catechetics and the rights of Pastors.
Congregation for the Clergy
3 Piazza Pio XII
00193 Vatican
Italy
Congregation for Catholic Education
The Congregation for Catholic Education deals with matters concerning Catholic schools, universities and colleges.
3 Piazza Pio XII
00193 Vatican
Italy
Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments
Here's the office to write about liturgical and sacramental abuses.
10 Piazza Pio XII
00120 Vatican
Italy
Congregation for Bishops
This is the office that advises His Holiness on the appointment of Bishops, so this is a good one to write to if you're expecting a new (Arch)Bishop.
10 Piazza Pio XII
00193 Vatican
Italy
Congregation for Religious
The Congregation for Religious is where to write on matters concerning religious orders and the deportment of religious.
civcsva.pref@ccscrlife.va (Prefect)
civcsva.segr@ccscrlife.va (Secretary)
vati059@ccscrlife.va (information)
Piazza Pio XII,
3 / 00193 Rome
Italyu
Pontifical Council for the Family
Here's where to write on matters concerning the family, sex education, contraception, abortion.
Pontifical Council for the Family16 Piazza S. Callisto
00120 Vatican
Italy
