Anglo-Catholic News Service

Holy Cross Mission

2012-02-26T17:48:00.000-08:00

LEXINGTON, SC 26 February 2012 (ACNS) - The Holy Cross Mission in Lexington, South Carolina, was recently welcomed into the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church. The mission is led by the Rev. Anthony Giunta, Ph.D., TOR, a Franciscan priest, and specializes in counseling for Military, Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical Personnel, pastoral counseling for marriage & family, bereavement and grief Counseling, and traumatic incident management.

Father Anthony Giunta is always ready to help those in need.

Holy Cross Mission is a small Christian Franciscan Order, which has trained professional chaplains in a specialized setting to assist and support people with spiritual and emotional needs. Our Chaplains are well versed in problems related to critical incidents and Post traumatic Stress Disorder, conditions that can be seen especially in those connected with law enforcement, military, and public safety occupations. Marriage and family counseling and substance abuse counseling are also a vital part of the ministry. Holy Cross Mission Chaplains offer their ongoing spiritual support to all people in need.

Fr. Giunta, the spiritual leader of the mission, is a former Associate Dean at ITT Technical Institute, a Police Chaplain with the Lexington Police Department, and a Hospital Chaplain with the Lexington Medical Center. He is a graduate of St. Alcuin College and Theological Seminary, a U.S. Army Veteran, and a retired Chaplain with the Civil Air Patrol. Fr. Giunta has a long and distinguished record of chaplaincy service with the military and law enforcement.

Vicariate-General of the Northeast Established

2012-02-19T11:20:00.000-08:00

CAMDEN, N.J. 19 February 2012 (ACNS) - The Patriarchal See announces with great joy the establishment of the Vicariate-General of the Northeast to serve the faithful of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church in that region of the United States. The Vicar-General Pro Tempore is the Rev. Salvatore Scuderi, a priest of significant experience and distinction in his personal service to others.

Coat of Arms of the Vicariate-General of the Northeast

Obama administration Feigns Concern over Plan B

2011-12-08T16:37:00.000-08:00

8 DEC 2011 (Catholic Online) Read more here.

Scouting Medal Presented to Distinguished Scout Leader

2011-11-09T18:03:00.000-08:00

HUNTSVILLE 9 NOV 2011 (ACNS) - The Imperial Distinguished Scouter Award of the Holy Roman Empire was presented to Dr. Walter E. Whitacre, Scoutmaster of Troop 364 in Huntsville, Alabama. During Dr. Whitacre's long tenure with Boy Scouts of America, he not only led Troop 364 and an affiliated Sea Explorer ship, he served at all levels of Scouting and was instrumental in the development of several key programs.

The significance of the award is discussed with the Scouts.

The Imperial Distinguished Scout Award (called "Scouter Award" for adult leaders) is part of the Scouting ministry of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church. It is given to those Scouts and Scout leaders who fulfill set requirements. These involve demonstrating distinguished service, both within Scouting and in the community, religious education within their particular denomination, and writing a paper on the ways in which a chosen aspect of the history of the Holy Roman Empire can be applied to the modern era in making the world a better place.

Dr. Whitacre receives the Imperial Distinguished Scouter
Award medal and certificate as Imperial Chief Scout,
Chev. John Refieuna looks on.

Dr. Whitacre, though his service in Boy Scout, Cub Scout, Sea Exploring, and other Scouting programs, not only has personally rendered great service to humanity, he has inspired countless others to do the same. This is the chief principle of the award. Our actions should not only be in service of others, our actions should set an example to inspire others to service.

Following this link for more information on the Imperial Distinguished Scout Award of the Holy Roman Empire.

Vicariate-General of the Southeast Established

2011-11-09T13:25:00.000-08:00

(ACNS) - The Patriarchal See announced today that the Vicariate-General of the Southeast will be established as the principal jurisdiction within the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church for the region of the southeastern United States. The Vicar-General appointed is the Very Rev. Msgr. Harris Rowzie, OP, who had previously served as Vicar-General of the Archdiocese of the Southwest.

The establishment of the new Vicariate-General is seen as a step towards the eventual creation of a new Archdiocese within the southeastern United States. The Vicariate-General comprises the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Sharia Law encroaching in American Courts

2011-11-09T07:55:00.001-08:00

8 NOV 2011 (ACNS) - There is an alarming trend of Muslim sharia law encroaching into the American court system. Read more of this important news here.

Life is cheap in Communist China

2011-10-20T07:45:00.000-07:00

BEIJING 20 October 2011 (ACNS) - Life is cheap in Communist China. Not only do they lead the world by far in the number of executions, but as people lay dying in the streets, no one does anything to help. Those who help are often blamed as being the guilty party. This should be no surprise to anyone who has studied the history of the Cultural Revolution and its after-effects. A Godless society like China lacks a moral compass. Without the fear of punishment from God, Chinese act merely out of selfish interests rather than according to morals.

Recently, a toddler was injured in China and completely ignored by passers-by. (See more here.) This is a trend in China. People are told not to intervene. People who do intervene are often accused of being the responsible party for the death or injury, or are even sued by the very same victims they helped.

One cannot be fooled by China's apparent adoption of capitalist principles. Just because they resemble in many ways the Christian nations of the West does not mean that they have a Christian moral compass, or any moral compass at all. They remain a Godless society, persecuting Christians who seek to instill morality into Chinese society. With a lot more influence of Jesus Christ in China, perhaps people won't lay dying in the streets as people pass them by.

Stock market investing book the first of the new Personal Empowerment Series

2011-09-30T18:12:00.000-07:00

ALBUQUERQUE 30 September 2011 (ACNS) - Crossing Wall Street - The Road to Independent Financial Security, by Robert L. Clark, CPA, is the first book of Saint George Seminary Press's new Personal Empowerment Series. Check out more of this fantastic new book by following this link.

Complete text of address from Patriarchal Court

2011-09-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

SAN ANTONIO (ACNS) - The complete text of Cardinal Johnson's address to the Patriarchal Court is given below:

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen. Greetings and Apostolic Blessings on the Feast of Saint Joseph of Cupertino in the Year of Our Lord 2011. We thank all the members of the Court of Saint Mary of Walsingham, as well as guests, and especially those who travelled great distances to be here and worked diligently to ensure that this event would be most meaningful and memorable.

This Convocation is particularly special as it comes at the beginning of newly-implemented initiatives for ecclesiastical unity. These efforts have been underway for several years and may even be said to have originated with the work of the late Bishop Caudill when he was Bishop of the Southwest. We are indeed holding this Convocation in Bishop Caudill’s own historic See City, so it is particularly fitting that we continue his work here.

For far too long, differences in opinion, egotism, and the work of the Antichrist have resulted in a fractured Church on this earth. Sacred Tradition and even Sacred Scripture have been used to divide the Church rather than unite it. This has resulted in the trend of more division being the result of disagreement. Yet, we must not be afraid of disagreement. Faith is a struggle. It is warfare against the ways of the world in favor of the ways of God. True religion is not easy. It demands true conversion of heart, it demands sacrifice, and it demands spiritual warfare. The Christian Faith should be at the center of each Christian’s life. It must be the guiding force in all aspects of their lives, rather than simply something relegated to a few hours on Sunday, if even that.

Far too often one’s duty to God is subjugated to the obligations of the world. Far too often the laws of God are asserted to be inferior to the laws of the world. In both these cases, we know this to be wrong, yet it is rapidly becoming the norm more and more, day by day. Nations, municipalities, societies, and commercial organizations, though, only have true authority when they recognize that they are under God and act accordingly. Those who claim that governments are independent of God, often using the popular phrase “separation of Church and State,” speak falsely. Insofar as a government has just authority, it comes from God. Governments that fail in this regard lose their authority to govern. This is applicable to employers and organizations as well.

Indeed, we are in a time in which the world is divided into two camps; the companions of the Antichrist and the brotherhood of the Christian faithful. This was spoken of by Archbishop Fulton Sheen in his time, and the situation he described has continued to worsen. We are in the midst of a great fight against the forces of the Antichrist. They are found all around us, openly proclaiming their anti-Christian message and promoting their anti-Christian agenda. They are the secularists and the atheists who wish to remove or at least suppress the Christian Faith. Particularly troubling is the trend by secularists, modernists, liberals, and socialists in society and the government of marginalizing Christians while simultaneously promoting religions that fundamentally seek the destruction of Christianity, such as Islam. The secularists have gained ground through success in suppressing the Christian Faith for a number of reasons. Among these is the divided nature of the Church. In-fighting and schism has made it much easier for secularists to divide and conquer. We know, though, that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Holy Church. Even if the Church is reduced to a handful, those who keep her faith and traditions remain the true Church.

Nevertheless, this makes the issue of unity all the more urgent today. Yet, unity must be rational. Compromise, particularly on matters of doctrine and in areas on which the true Faith cannot compromise, all for the sake of creating the pretense of union in fact does just the opposite. Compromise on such matters creates weakness and leads to a culture of relativism, thereby making it more difficult to combat the secularists and modernists of today.

What is needed is cooperation amongst the apostolic branches of the Church. We must come together, work together, seeking partnerships in Christian brotherhood for the good of the Holy Church and for the sake of our Lord. Furthermore, schism must be resisted. Those who disagree must not create further division in the Church through initiating or participating in a schism. We need only look to the writings of Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas to know the truth on this matter. Heresy, though a sin, is better than schism. Schism includes the sin of heresy as well and further is a sin against charity. Particularly troublesome are priests and even bishops who lead or participate in schism, for they not only place their own souls in peril, they jeopardize the souls of those in their care. All such clergy by their very actions declare themselves to be excommunicated. We pray for reconciliation of all schismatics and heretics.

Also what must be avoided and cannot be excused or tolerated is one branch of the Church actively or passively seeking harm against or even the destruction of another branch. As but one example, those branches of the Anglican Church that, though they maintain Apostolic lines, have left the Episcopal Church or another branch of the Anglican Communion must not actively seek harm against the communion they left or promote its destruction. This is a grave sin against charity and ultimately in most cases likely stems from the sin of pride.

It is, therefore, policy promulgated by the Court of Saint Mary of Walsingham in the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church that all in this Particular Church are called to seek unity with our brother Catholics and indeed with all Christians through cooperation, not compromise. And, we call on all Christians to work for this goal rather than causing further division, even if through good intentions. While we cannot compromise on the doctrine so essential to our belief, we also cannot fail in fraternal love to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Doctrine without love is meaningless, and Christian love without doctrine lack direction and order of purpose.

While, again, we do not and cannot compromise on matters of doctrine and Canon Law of the special heritage of this See that we have been entrusted to shepherd and we all have been entrusted to maintain, we Anglican Rite Catholics nevertheless will not stand in antagonistic opposition to the Episcopal Church or any other body of the Anglican Communion, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, or any other body of the Roman Communion. Rather, we openly and actively seek cooperation and creative and active partnerships whenever possible for the benefit of Christ, his Church, and all the faithful. This is the fundamental and essential definition of unity.

Also of joyful importance is to note that the Missale Anglicanum Editio Latina et Anglica, which is in effect the second edition of the altar edition of the 2010 Book of Common Prayer, is now complete. The Pontificale Anglicanum and Rituale Anglicanum third editions are also in print. These three books, coupled with the historic Anglican Breviary, comprise the liturgy and devotion of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church and no doubt will enrich the lives of all who participate in those devotions and liturgy.

Lastly, we remind all the faithful never to despair, for that, too is a sin. We must never give up hope, and our hope must always be in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We must constantly do battle against the forces of evil. We must constantly seek to serve God in all that we do every day of our lives.

Further, in accordance with the norms established, we grant a plenary indulgence to all who have participated in this Convocation. We pray that you will all receive the numerous blessings of our Lord, and that God will enrich your lives.

Convocation resounding success

2011-09-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

SAN ANTONIO 21 September 2011 (ACNS) - The Court of Saint Mary of Walsingham's 2011 Convocation, held at the Hotel Contessa on the Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas, was seen as a definite success. The chief task of the Convocation was to promulgate policy and plans for unity initiatives that have been underway for some time.

The Patriarch with members of the Prelatial
Camera and Anticamera Nobile

The Court of Saint Mary of Walsingham is the Patriarchal household of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church. Its members include much of the leadership of the Curia and the vital support staff of the Patriarchal See. It was due to the tireless efforts and continued devotion of these clerics and laymen that the ARRCC's initiatives for unity have been so successful.

Some members of the Court during business meetings.

Identifying that the solution to problems faced by the Church today will not be solved through schism or any act that breaks apart the Church or creates factions, the Patriarchal See has made official policy to denounce such division and to work for unity in Christian brotherhood under the guiding principle of cooperation without compromise.

Msgr. Rowzie and Col. Garrison

Leaders of the ARRCC have been meeting with leaders of other Catholic jurisdictions for some time and have been successful in achieving agreement that cooperation without compromise is necessary to heal the wounds of the past, prevent further fraction, and build meaningful unity in Christ. While it was realized that problems facing the Church will not likely be solved instantaneously, it was also realized that they will never be solved without proactive efforts in which the members of the corporate Body of Christ move towards each other and not apart.

Cardinal Johnson outside Chapel House prior to the
rites of the Court.

On Sunday, the Patriarchal Court itself was held at Chapel House (see video), a chapel inside a 1920s Spanish-style house at the Bishop Jones Center of the Diocese of West Texas of the Episcopal Church in San Antonio. In accordance with tradition, the ceremony began with the Solemn Reception of the Patriarch at the church. This was followed by the rite for the court itself, which included an address by the Patriarch outlining the Church's policies and plans for unity efforts.

Msgr. Lozano is incardinated.

After the rites of the Court were concluded, Rev. Ryan Lozano was incardinated into the ARRCC and made a member of the Patriarchal Chapter. Msgr. Lozano will serve in the Prefecture of the Liturgy. The rites concluded with the solemn Te Deum.

The ARRCC seeks to build bridges and creative partnerships to make the work of the ministry more effective for everyone. It is the firm belief of the Church that the animosity of the past is counterproductive and must be turned into more positive directions. Schism, factions, and disharmony are not the answer. A true embracing of the Catholic Faith and extending the hand to others in the brotherhood of Christ through cooperation when possible is the answer that the ARRCC promotes.

Unviersal Church Unity Theme of Patriarchal Address

2011-09-07T22:30:00.000-07:00

8 September 2011 (ACNS) - The Patriarchal Address on the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary had as its chief theme the unity of the universal church. This concept was addressed in detail and in regard to efforts by the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church.

Catholicism and Obedience

2011-08-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

Editorial.

29 August 2011 (ACNS) - There is an interesting phenomenon in Catholicism as a whole lately. There seems to be a lack of respect for the hierarchy. This goes beyond irritation at some distant, high-up bishops over the sexual abuse scandal. It is something far closer to home. It is about the parish priest. It is about laity telling priests their job. It is about priests telling bishops, even senior bishops how to do their job. All of this flies in the face of basic obedience that is a fundamental cornerstone of the Catholic Faith. It is inconsistent for a layman to call himself (or herself) Catholic and then tell the parochial leadership what they should be doing. It is inconsistent for a priest to call himself Catholic and then tell bishops and archbishops what they can and cannot do.

These actions are more Protestant than Catholic. The Continuing Anglican churches are rife with this problem. Laymen tell their priests what to do and what to say all the time. Vestries often hijack parishes, even in the mainstream churches. Independent Catholics even exhibit this trait, especially among the clergy. The possible reasons are many. Whatever the reason in any given individual case, it is not Catholic behavior. It is not a demonstration of the humility and obedience required of all Catholics, lay and clergy.

New Encyclical Released on Church Unity

2011-08-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

By Rev. George Smith

22 August 2011 (ACNS) - On the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Cardinal Johnson, Patriarch of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church, released an encyclical regarding matters of unity within the worldwide Church, and especially within the Anglican Church. This encyclical, entitled Christus Desiderat, follows a lengthy set of initiatives and talks designed to heal the wounds of the past and move forward to the future. It also precedes the Patriarchal Address on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, which is expected to involve talks of unity.

When asked what is needed now for unity, Card. Johnson said "We need cooperation, not compromise. Least common denominator approaches do not work. Neither does it work when those who are upset, troubled, or concerned by current situations in the church create divisions through schism or seek the destruction of another church."

Other clergy have expressed concern at the various implicit or explicit attempts by some Continuing Anglican churches to seek the destruction of other Continuing Anglican churches and the Episcopal Church. One Continuing Anglican leader once remarked that his would be the only "Episcopal Church" left after a certain number of years. "This type of inharmonious behavior is highly counterproductive, and it is most definitely not Christian behavior. If your raison d'etre as a church is to syphon members off from another church, especially when the justification is that said church is having problems as you perceive it, then you have no firm foundation and commit grave sin against charity," Card. Johnson said. In the encyclical, the Cardinal also urged Church leaders to come together and find common ground on which they can cooperate. There appears to be growing concensus among major church leaders that the time has long since come for us all to come together, not comprising on our sincerely-held beliefs, but working together as Christ intended.

The complete text of the encyclical is below:

CHRISTUS DESIDERAT

Encyclical regarding Unity in the Church

To the Bishops, Regular Clergy, and Faithful of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church, greetings and Apostolic Blessings.

1. Christ desires unity in his Holy Church. Natural segments of the Church have developed over the many centuries, though they all remain one as the Trinity is One, through the closest possible bonds of Apostolic Succession and valid Sacraments.

2. Yet, for various reasons, various schismatic factions have arisen. Even when formed through the best of intentions, such as maintenance of true doctrine, they nevertheless create fractions within the Church. Walls are erected, and animosity, mistrust, and confusion develop on both sides of that wall.

3. Some of these factions further seek the destruction of other branches of Christ's Holy Church. This is the worst possible result, even if the initial intentions of those factions were good. No entity of the Church can consider itself truly Christian if it seeks the destruction of other entities of the Church.

4. Schism is by far worse than heresy. Schism contains with it heresy, viz. the heresy that promotes fraction of the Church and is opposed to unity and charity. Saint Augustine said that a schismatic is one who holds the same faith as the rest, but takes pleasure in the mere disunion of the Church. No one can be fully Christian if they seek, promote, or take pleasure in mere disunion.

5. When the formation of a faction or even a new and otherwise legitimate Apostolic branch of the Church is carried out for the preservation of doctrine and the Faith handed down from the Apostles, there exists a strong possibility to become exclusionary against other parts of the Church. Continuing Anglican churches, for example, often are hostile against the Church that they left, i.e., the Episcopal Church or another branch of the Anglican Communion, even to the point of seeking its ultimate destruction. Continuing Anglican Churches and Independent Catholic Churches are often hostile against Rome. Even validly-formed entities of the Church lose their doctrinal validity when they act in hostility, whether active or passive, against the other branches of the Church. This is not to say that they cannot and should not maintain their doctrinal position, or that they cannot express their belief that the opposing side is wrong. This is, however, different from hostility, as it implies an inherent respect for other members of the Corporate Body of Christ.

6. All Particular Churches must strive for unity. It must be remembered that doctrinal issues are beyond the capability of one person to decide. These matters will not be decided or resolved necessarily according to our time table. What is left to us is to be faithful stewards of what we have been given to preserve, doing this the best possible way that we can. While we have very strong reasons for our beliefs, doctrine, practices, and procedures, it must be acknowledged that other parts of the Church have equally strong reasons for their beliefs, doctrine, practices, and procedures, even when they differ from ours. It is, therefore, cooperation that is needed, not compromise or hostility.

7. We are all, therefore, called to work for cooperative unity.

8. The Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church has inherited a unique lineage and legacy to maintain that puts us in a prime position to heal wounds and work towards unity. With this comes a great responsibility. All the clergy and faithful of this Particular Church are expected to work for unity, shun schism, maintain the Faith, seek cooperation where possible, build bridges, and serve the needs of those whom God puts in our path to help. This is our mandate and our cause.

9. Furthermore, it is our firm belief that those churches in the Anglican Continuum should work to cooperate amongst themselves and with the various entities of the Anglican Communion, e.g., the Episcopal Church and the Church of England. Similarly, the various branches of the Anglican Communion should extend a hand in Christian fellowship and seek ways to cooperate for the greater good. Independent Catholic Churches and the Roman Communion ought to do similarly, as well as the western Church and the great Orthodox Churches of the East. No person, group, faction, sect or church ought to seek the destruction of any other branch of Christ's Holy Church. Those who are suffering due to internal doctrinal and structural crises within their Church need not give hope. Always trusting in Christ, it is our firm belief that they must not participate in schism, but wait and hope in the Lord. In all these situations, differences need not be laid aside, and compromise is not suggested. Cooperation and Christian brotherhood, however, are essential, for how can anyone call themselves Christian without those fundamental Christian traits?

Rutherford Card. Johnson
Patriarch of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church

Given at the Court of Saint Mary of Walsingham
on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
22 August A.D. 2011.

Notes:

(1) Eph. 4.4-6; 37.19.

(2) Acts 4.32; I Peter 2.17; Rom. 15.6.

(3) Thomas Aquinas S.T. Question 39

(4) Contra Faust. xx, 3; Contra Crescon. ii, 4

Corpus Christi Patriarchal Address

2011-07-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

(ACNS) - The video of the address for Corpus Christi by the Patriarch of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church is now available to the public. This address is one of the five regular Patriarchal Addresses given throughout the year.

New Encyclical - Sine Roma

2011-05-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

SINE ROMA

Encyclical regarding the Roman Nature
of the Anglican Church

To the Bishops, Regular Clergy, and Faithful of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church, greetings and Apostolic Blessings.

1. Without Rome, there would be no Anglican Church. Saint Augustine of Canterbury was sent to England in the Sixth Century by Pope Saint Gregory the Great with a mission of building the Church in that country. (1)

2. The Anglican Church proper, having been thus founded by Saint Augustine of Canterbury, naturally evolved as part of the Roman Church, while retaining and developing its own customs, still within the framework of the Roman Church. In A.D. 597, Pope Saint Gregory the Great authorized special liturgy for the English people be developed by Saint Augustine of Canterbury. (2)

3. The political break with Rome by Henry VIII occurred in 1529 over the matter of divorce and annulment. However, while the Anglican Bishops were forcibly cut from communion with Rome, the mass remained the same Latin mass as had been used before. (3)

4. In 1592, the Book of Common Prayer, in English, is revised to suit Protestants, with the doctrine of the Real Presence removed, as well as vestments, holy oil, the sign of the Cross at Confirmation, the reserved Sacrament, and prayers for the departed. However, when Mary Tudor ascended to the throne, 1553, succeeding Edward VI, the connection to Rome was again restored. However, it had become clear that the Protestant influence had thoroughly taken root in England. When Elizabeth I, a staunch Protestant, became Queen upon the death of Mary Tudor, the break from Rome for religious reasons was carried out, and the Anglican Church went into doctrinal schism. (4)

5. During and after the reign of Elizabeth I, the Protestant influence has been felt within the Anglican Church, even to the present day. While many Catholics, generally referred to as Anglo-Catholics, remain present within the various jurisdictions of the worldwide Anglican Church, even in some cases at Anglo-Catholic parishes professing Catholic doctrine, they are largely discriminated against. Attempts are made to suppress Anglo-Catholics.

6. At many Anglican parishes and within many Anglican dioceses, this suppression takes the form of catering to vocal low-church Protestants who criticize their ecclesiastical leaders and other parishioners who profess Catholic doctrine and seek Catholic worship in the Anglican tradition. The result of this is to bring worship and catechesis to the least common denominator, watering down the Faith of the Ages to suit the heretical whims of low-church Protestants within the Church. The Catholics are forced to suppress their views and further suffer by not receiving the fullness of the liturgical and catechetical life of the Church. The Catholics within such parishes or dioceses are often left feeling disenchanted, offended, and as second class citizens whose needs are insignificant to the other parishioners and to the clergy.

7. While low-church Protestants may be welcomed in Christian brotherhood, clergy and faithful alike fail in their duty to God and to his Holy Church when they uphold, adopt, or profess heresies. They need not openly adopt said heresy, but may nevertheless be guilty of its promulgation by not opposing it. (5)

8. One of the greatest strengths of the Anglican tradition is that there is ability for variation in worship. This tradition is strengthened by the fact that Pope Saint Gregory the Great charged Saint Augustine of Canterbury with the task of developing new liturgy for the Anglican Church. Yet, any such variation of change made must in all cases be consistent in fact and in spirit with the doctrine of the Church and must never imply or promote doctrinal changes. The liturgical changes within the Protestant Reformation were made to promote a break with Rome, the true heritage of the Anglican Church, and to imply changes in doctrine to be consistent with Protestant thought. Such liturgy cannot be permitted or tolerated within any Anglican jurisdiction professing the Catholic Faith.

9. In 1560, "An Apology for the Church of England" was written by John Jewel, in which Rome is declared to be the schismatic force, not England. In 1563, the Thirty-Nine Articles were drafted as a statement of the new Protestant doctrine of the Church of England. Rome was viewed as the enemy, then, by the Protestants. Fear and dislike of Rome is a byproduct of the Protestant Reformation and its influence on the Anglican Church. It is not and cannot be a product of the Anglican Church simply being different, as the Anglican Church was founded by Rome. As such, the history, doctrine, and traditions of the Anglican Church cannot exist, cannot function, and cannot be explained or understood outside of the context of Rome.

10. To claim to be Anglican and take offense at Rome is both to deny one's own heritage and to profess a steadfastly Protestant viewpoint. To claim to be Anglican and Catholic (or Anglo-Catholic) while denying Roman heritage is either to be not Catholic at all or at the very least not to have a thorough understanding of one's own heritage, history, and tradition.

11. It is incumbent upon all Catholic clergy of the Anglican Rite to impress the history and doctrine of the Church upon all the faithful. The simple truth must be promulgated that to be Anglican is to be Roman. The history of the two cannot be separated if one is going to profess the Catholic Faith.

12. A further problem that stems from procedural changes beginning in the Protestant Reformation is that of a Parish Vestry or a Parish Council taking upon itself far more authority than it is due. Far too often the laity of a parish, organized often in the form of a Parish Council or a Vestry, seeks to be the ultimate authority in the parish, usurping the authority of the clergy and often mistreating them.

13. In the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church, it must be remembered that the authority of the Vestry or Parish Council is limited to an advisory or operational role only. (6) Furthermore, as the principal authority in a parish is vested in the Rector, a parish need not have lay officers. (7) In this way, the Church keeps with the historic nature of its organization.

14. The Church is and has always been organized from the top down. Jesus Christ gave the authority to the Apostles at the first Pentecost. The Apostles gave authority to the Bishops. The Bishops have passed their Apostolic authority down through the ages to the present day through unbroken Apostolic succession. Bishops ordain priests and deacons, and commission to the Minor Orders in order to carry out the functions of the Church's ministry.

15. The Church is not a grass-roots organization in which the laity gives authority to the Rector, who gives authority to the Bishop, and so forth. To assume that it is organized in such a fashion is an affront to the Church and ultimately to Jesus Christ himself, who established the Church in a particular way.

16. Those clergy who wish to usurp the positions of higher authorities within the Church, as well as those members of the laity who seek to usurp the rightful position of the clergy commit the sin of pride. If such usurpations continue, it breeds an atmosphere of discontentment and instability within a parish, a diocese, or even the Church as a whole, rather than a prayerful, peaceful atmosphere that is intended.

17. The clergy and faithful who seek to impose their own will in matters of liturgy, doctrine, and ecclesiastical law and practice in contravention of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and higher ecclesiastical authority, lay no claim to call themselves Catholic. This individual arrogance is one of the largest impediments to Christian unity today, even unity within the Anglican Church.

18. Therefore, all members of the clergy and faithful are exhorted to keep the Catholic Faith in all matters of life, upholding the doctrine, and never forgetting the completeness of our Anglican heritage. This heritage includes, as a matter of historical fact, the heritage of the Roman Church. This heritage is not merely a point of history, but rather an inseparable aspect of the spiritual nature of our Church. Only the Protestants seek to deny this. To be Anglican is to be Roman. Without Rome, there is no Anglican Church.

Rutherford Card. Johnson
Patriarch of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church

Given at the Court of Saint Mary of Walsingham
on the Fourth Sunday after Easter
22 May A.D. 2011.

Notes:

(1) New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia; St. Augustine of Canterbury.

(2) Anglican Timeline. E. Friedlander.

(3) Idem.

(4) Idem.

(5) Eph. 4.25.; 2010 Anglo-Catholic Book of Common Prayer. Ways of Being an Accessory to the Sin of Another.

(6) Can. 276, Sec. 5, Code of Particular Canon Law.

(7) Can. 276, Sec. 1, Code of Particular Canon Law.

BREAKING NEWS: Was God shocked to learn there is no Heaven?!

2011-05-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

This article is intended as a piece of satire regarding the recent nonsensical claim of Stephen Hawking that there is no God and no Heaven.

18 May 2011 (ACNS) - Sitting on the heavenly throne, God was no doubt shocked and surprised to learn that his abode did not actually exist. The revelation came from Stephen Hawking, alleged brilliant physicist, who declared that neither God nor Heaven existed. Upon hearing the news, though, it is highly unlikely that God felt compelled to look in his mirror (if there even is such a thing in Heaven) to confirm that he was still there.

Mr. Hawking is considered brilliant by some, but some top physicists around the world consider him to be highly overrated and his ideas in general to be those of a crackpot. Unfortunately for him, this recent "scientific revelation" confirms the latter.

His behavior is a bit like that of a rebellious teenager against his parents. Such a teenager says to his parents "I don't have to listen to you. I don't have to do what you say. I don't have to acknowledge you." Mr. Hawking's attitudes towards his Creator are very similar.

Fortunately we need not worry, get upset, or even bother to refute his comments. Writers such as Thomas Aquinas have already done that a long time ago. We need merely sit back and wonder whether or not, if we claim Stephen Hawking does not exist, he will suddenly disappear.

Neighbor helping neighbor after a disaster

2011-05-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. 14 May 2011 (ACNS) - More than two weeks after the worst tornado outbreak in history ravaged the Southern United States, volunteers are still out in force. They come from all over the country, even as far away as Los Angeles and New York, and many come from neighboring communities and neighborhoods. Those who were spared are helping those who were hit the hardest. Even those who suffered terrible damage help others. Some even risked their lives in the midst of the storms to save other people. Recovery from the disaster will take years, and the volunteer spirit still shines strong.

Volunteers in a badly-damaged neighborhood.

In true Christian spirit, people turned out in droves to help those in need and those who had lost everything. People took time off of work to help. Even those who have job obligations during the week are giving their time to join in the cleanup effort on the weekend.

A trash pile from cleanup efforts.

Volunteers come from all walks of life, all professions and trades, and all ages. Churches, civic groups, associations and club, and even just ad hoc groups of people coming together for a common purpose are working hard to return life to normal for those who were hit so hard.

High school girls who lost their prom dresses in the storm thought the prom would have to be missed. Donations of thousands of prom dresses from all over the country, though, made their dreams come true. Temporary housing is being constructed. The stories go on and on. This just goes to show that the true human spirit that God gave each and every one of us is still alive and well.

Tornadoes tear through Alabama - Anglican Rite Catholics help victims

2011-05-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. 4 May 2011 (ACNS) - While most of America seemed to be swooning over the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton and cheering the death of Osama bin Laden, most Alabamians were picking up the pieces after what was perhaps the worst tornado outbreak in history. As many as 150 or more tornadoes ripped through Alabama on the 27th of April. Some of these reached strength of EF-5, the highest category, with winds over 200 mph. Many people lost their homes. There were many deaths. All of North Alabama was left without power for days, and some without telephone. The devastation was immense.

What is left of a home in one of the worst hit areas.

Cardinal Johnson, Patriarch of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church, was present throughout the day of storms, and while he escaped damage and injury, it brought back memories of his own experience as a tornado survivor more than twenty years ago. "We had an EF-5 tornado pass right over our house, imploding the windows and causing major damage," he said. "It picked up our dog, who survived with only minimal injury. It flattened several of the houses behind us down to the foundation. When I toured some of the most affected areas, it brought back many memories."

A neighborhood ravaged by a tornado.

Even in the worst of time, the human spirit has a tendency to shine through. Well before FEMA started operations, Alabamians took care of the situation. The government, church and civic groups, and scores of volunteers turned out immediately to help out. Neighbors helped neighbors.

Cardinal Johnson arrives at a the scene
of destruction from an EF-5 tornado.

The volunteer spirit is immense. People volunteered their time and resources to use their skills to help those in need. Anglican Rite Catholics, operating largely through the Church's humanitarian wing, the Anglo-Catholic Relief Service, provided help in the affected areas through clean-up, information services, assistance for medical responders, food delivery, and more. Anglican Rite Catholic volunteers worked alongside those from other churches and faith based and civic organizations, as well as people who just walked into the volunteer coordination center asking what they could do to help.

The tornado and the resulting power outage left many with food and other supplies, even if their homes did not sustain any damage. Anglican Rite Catholics, including Cardinal Johnson, joined local volunteers at a faith-based organization in distributing food all over North Alabama.

Cardinal Johnson delivers food to those left in need
after the tornado, one of many volunteers helping out.

Relief workers have come from all over the country, even as far away as Los Angeles. Those who wish to contribute financially may consider a donation to the American Red Cross, marked for the tornado disaster fund. Much is needed to achieve a recovery, not the least of which is prayer. In time, the buildings will be rebuilt and the area cleaned, and life will return to normal. The memories and the emotions, however, will always remain.

Tornado Disaster Relief

2011-05-02T16:33:00.001-07:00

MADISON COUNTY, Ala. 2 May 2011 (ACNS) - Members of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church are participating in the disaster relief effort in Alabama following the devastating tornado outbreak last week. Unfortunately, both An Anglo-Catholic Sunday and the Patriarchal Easter Address will be delayed. Please consider donating funds to the effort through the American Red Cross. And, of course, contribute through prayer.

A GREAT new spiritual book!

2011-04-13T09:15:00.000-07:00

A review by

Rutherford Card. Johnson

I have had very little time for discretionary reading these days, so when I not only read a book, but call it a page turner, that ought to say something. That is precisely what I would call A Time To... by Ronald Louis Peterson. The novel claims to be a baby boomer's spiritual journey, and it is just that. But, the message is one that ought to resonate with every man, woman, and child, no matter what their age.

A Time To... tells the story of Al Masterson, a man working in the World Trade Center on that fateful September 11th in 2001. He is trapped in the building, close to death, and is mysteriously taken on a journey of his whole life. It begins when he is a young boy who just moved to New York from Kentucky and continues on through being a Peace Corps volunteer to a media professional. He experiences many ups and downs, and even some personal crises and tragedies. He goes through several tries at self-discovery. As he progresses through his life, he becomes acutely aware of the deeper meaning of everything he experienced. Even those terrible times in his life turned out to be mechanism for spiritual growth that helped to make his life better. Al learns that what seems bad at one particular moment in time may actually have a greater purpose according to God's plan. We cannot hope to understand the vast magnitude of that plan, and thus must go forward in faith. This is the lesson that Al learns.

As the story progresses, Al comes back to the present time, where he is still trapped in the World Trade Center. I will not give away the interesting ending, as that would truly spoil the book. However, suffice it to say that he finds through the spiritual journey he took just what a great, wonderful, and positive impact his life experiences have had, not just on himself, but on those whose lives he has touched in ways he did not even know.

Ronald Louis Peterson drew on his own experience growing up in New York, working as a Peace Corp volunteer in Ethiopia, and as a media and public affairs professional. This gives the book a great deal of realism. Also, the novel is filled with historical facts from the various periods of Al Masterson's life. While some younger readers might not know about all of these events, I do not believe this detracts from the message of the story at all. Whether young or old, and no matter where you are in your own faith journey, A Time To... will speak to your heart.

New cause against intrinsic evil

2011-03-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

(ACNS) - The Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church has founded a new cause on Facebook's cause section, A Vote for Obama is a Vote for Intrinsic Evil. From the cause's information page, "We're here to remind you that many of the key positions of Barrack Obama and his administration are inherently incompatible with the Christian Faith. His positions on abortion, health care, and war, and his pro-Islamic and anti-Christian positions and actions represent one of the most heinous examples of intrinsic and pure evil in the modern era. Those of the Christian faithful who vote for or support, either actively or passively, this President are giving material support to evil and therefore remove themselves from communion with the Church. Those persons are admonished to withhold themselves from reception of the Sacraments until they obtain sacramental absolution, lest they eat and drink their own damnation. Certain liberal and modernist factions within the Church have attempted to silence at least one priest who had the visceral fortitude to speak the truth about right and wrong. We, however, will not be silent. It is the Church’s holy right and duty to speak on matters of ethics and morality, even where they concern a government. The condition of all men, from conception to death is the concern of the Church. The duty to fight evil wherever it is encountered remains. The need to speak for the unborn, for the weak, and for the downtrodden is as important as ever. The threat to the last great bastion of religious freedom in the world is real. The threat to Christians is real."

ARRCC officially adopts the Anglican Breviary

2011-03-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

(ACNS) - The Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church has formally adopted the Anglican Breviary as its official divine offices. The Anglican Breviary, like its Latin-language counterpart, the Roman Breviary, consists of the historic offices of the Church. The development of the Archdiocese of the Southwest's own Anglo-Catholic Breviary was moving in the direction of the fullness of the Anglican Breviary as well. The Anglo-Catholic Breviary will be renamed "Daily Prayers and Readings" and will be a more simple form of daily prayer encouraged for the laity. However, the Anglican Breviary has the fullness of the historic offices, as well as complete chants available through the Liber Usualis. The Anglican Breviary is available online, and the Metropolitan See hopes to make a re-print of the Liber Usualis available soon.

Statement by the Metropolitan on the Japanese Earthquake

2011-03-11T15:04:00.001-08:00

Ash Wednesday Metropolitan Address released

2011-03-08T20:04:00.000-08:00

9 Mar. 2011 (ACNS) - The video of the Metropolitan Address for Ash Wednesday has been released. In the address, Archbishop Johnson discusses success in church growth, social responsibility of people and especially of worldwide government leadership, and proposes a number of intentions that should be especially prayed for during Lent.

Failure is fast becoming an unpleasant reality

2011-03-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

Editorial

By Keith Patrick Steinhurst

SAN ANTONIO 5 Mar. 2011 (ACNS) - Interestingly enough, the only word in standard English usage to have the letters UFA in order, in the word is "manufacture" - we don't do enough of that in our Country any more - in fact (based on the book, "Failure is Not an Option" by Gene Kranz, we could have gone to Mars based on our Apollo technology functioning in 1972, but we lost the will, got into the 'bus' business, lost the infrastructure as well as the engineers to fabricate a program, and no longer even posess a complete set of technical documents for the Saturn V heavy lift launch vehicle. If we started today it would take us more than 20 years just to get back to where we were in '72 - really sad . . .I find it a microcosm of the macrocosm - we are broke, morally, insitutionally, and sytemically - perhaps individually we can effect some small change within our own spheres of influence, but by and large, we are witnessing our national decline . . .

Our grandfather's generation was perhaps the single, most ingenious and prosperous generation in our Nation's history - in the words of my late bishop - the one who ordered me and was himself a member of that generation, a veteran of WWII and Korea - they 'built the machine,' 'understood it,' could 'operate' it, and as needed, 'repair' it - they passed it to the 'boomers' (our father's generation) who neither built it, nor understood it, but could operate it and perhaps fix it. It is now left to us, operating, but in a growing state of disrepair, the design and even the reasons for its creation largely unknown or misunderstood. This is the legacy we leave our children who don't know how to fix it as they do not know what is broken and are content to let it operate on cruise until it breaks as they seem oblivious to the potential danger in failure. This takes us back to Kranz's posit - failure is not an option - but it is fast becoming an unpleasant reality . . .

Winston Churchill on Islam

2011-02-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

By Douglas Deffenbaugh

SHILOH, Ill. (ACNS) - Winston Churchill always promoted the importance of studying history. Those who fail to do so are doomed to repeat it. As the world fights the onslaught of Islam today, it is interesting to look back to a book written by Churchill more than one hundred years ago in 1899. In the unabridged version of The River War, Churchill wrote:

"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries, improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live.

A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement, the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.

Individual Muslims may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome."

New Vicar-General appointed for the Metropolitan See

2011-02-27T21:06:00.000-08:00

LAKE CHARLES, La. 27 Feb. 2011 (ACNS) - The Rev. Canon Harris Rowzie, OP, was appointed as Vicar-General of the Metropolitan See and given the rank of Canon in the Metropolitan Chapter. Canon Harris is a life professed friar of the Anglican Order of Preachers and a professional counselor. His training and experience make him an excellent choice for the position. His main task will be to oversee parochial and clergy growth and expansion within the Archdiocese.

College fraternities raise ethical questions

2011-02-25T15:03:00.000-08:00

Editorial

By Wanda Deffenbaugh, ORSS(T)

25 Feb 2011 (ACNS) - Mention a college fraternity, and the first image in the minds of many is a drunken collection of oversexed college men as seen in movies like Animal House. While fraternities typically claim to be about the character development of young men, the behavior of their members and of the organizations in general often raise questions about the true ethics of such programs. Fraternities in general have suffered problems that would be expected when such young men, barely more than children, are put in control of the local chapter frat house. Excessive hazing, even sometimes resulting in severe injury, psychological damage, or even death have occurred, especially during the 1980s and 1990s.

The '80s and '90s were known in the fraternity world for their out-of-control nature. A former member of Phi Kappa Sigma (aka "The Skull House") Alpha Nu Chapter at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) stated that things were well beyond wild there in the 1990s to the point that he would not consider it a worthwhile organization. Another student spoke of drunken parties he claimed to witness at the Phi Kappa Sigma house in which underaged drinking was allegedly promoted. Similar allegations were made against the Chi Phi fraternity by a student who witnessed freshmen pledges allegedly being required to supply alcohol, as well as apparent heavy promotion of underaged drinking. This same student witnessed a party at the Chi Phi house in which two police officers were standing outside the door, apparently blind to what was going on inside. Other fraternities at numerous universities have been expelled, suspended, or otherwise disciplined for excessive and underaged drinking. The matter was apparently so significant that some fraternities seemed to realize that they had better clean up their act or risk the future of their organization. The national office of the Phi Kappa Sigma fraternity instituted the so-called "Dry Skulls" policy, making it against the rules to possess or consume alcohol in the fraternity house.

Even ignoring the issues of drinking and hazing, the question still remains as to whether or not fraternities in general truly serve the purpose that they claim to serve. Critics of the "Greek System" in general say that fraternities are simply "buying friends." Indeed, while members of fraternities may forge lifelong friendships, there is no reason why those same individuals cannot make lifelong friends outside of a fraternity. Perhaps fraternities prey on the insecurities of young freshmen just arrived at college who have not, of course, yet developed a social network. Along these lines is the criticism of the recruitment process, saying that it is called "Rush Week" because they attempt to rush you into joining before you really have time to think it through.

Fraternities also are criticized for being nothing more than party organizations rather than service organizations. Their main purpose is social, and while they may engage in some charity or service projects, this cannot be used to mask their negative aspects. For example, Phi Kappa Sigma purports to be "Men of Honor," yet their earlier apparent drinking problems hardly lend credence to that theory. Neither did some of their apparent recruitment practices. One legacy reported that he was denied entry into the fraternity for apparent reasons of religious and other discrimination. Attempts to handle the matter with the national office were reported to be unsuccessful.

No organization is without its problems. Campus organizations, even fraternities, can be good experiences for students. However, all such organizations have a responsibility to behave in an ethical and legal manner in their recruitment process and in how they treat their members, new and old. For example, one fraternity, Delta Upsilon, is reported to have a "no hazing, no secrets" policy to help deal with these issues. Perhaps the other Greek Societies on college campuses should take a lesson from them.

New York Times compares Muslim extremists to Roman Catholics

2011-02-04T08:37:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK 4 Feb. 2011 (ACNS) - In a recent New York Times article, the Muslim Brotherhood was compared to the Roman Catholic Church. It was stated that the best way to understand this Islamic extremist group was to imagine a simile with Catholics. Just as the Roman Catholic Church contains leftist reformers and conservatives who are anti-abortion, they said, so the Muslim Brotherhood contains both "reformers and firebrand ideologues." Few things are likely so offensive to Catholics as this comparison. "It is astonishing that any intelligent person would compare Islamic extremists to conservative Catholics who are trying to preserve life," Archbishop Johnson, Primate of the Anglican Rite Roman Catholic Church said today about the New York Times article.

Conservative Catholics are those trying to preserve the traditions of their faith, traditional morality, and traditional worship. They work against things contrary to the sanctity of life such as abortion. Such Catholics can hardly be compared to "firebrand ideologues" of the Muslim Brotherhood whose apparent goal is perpetuation of terrorism and the conversion or destruction of anything that is not Muslim. The simile made by the New York Times is not only offensive to Catholics, it is a completely invalid comparison. The conservatives of the Catholic Faith seek to uphold life and freedom, while the firebrand ideologues of Islam seek just the opposite.

American Muslim honor killings remain a threat

2011-01-23T16:29:00.000-08:00

23 Jan. 2011 (ACNS) - So-called honor killings by Muslim immigrant men to the United States remain a threat to freedom. Muslim honor killings are usually perpetrated against a female member of a family who is deemed to have brought shame on the family. This can range from dating someone the father does not like to being "too westernized."

While America maintains freedom of religion as a fundamental right, that right does not extend to committing murder. That these honor killings are being carried out by Muslim immigrants in the United States should serve as a warning to all of the potential threat posed by Muslims in America.

Muslims a protected class?

2011-01-11T16:12:00.000-08:00

11 Jan. 2011 (ACNS) - A recent article detailed that the media, institutions, and perhaps also the government in the United States treats Muslims as a protected class. That Muslims are receiving more and more special treatment and perhaps even being allowed to violated the law in the name of their false religion is particularly shocking. It is even more shocking that it is happening in the Land of the Free.

The United States was founded upon the principles of religious freedom, despite being founded on Christian ethics. Muslims today are granted the same rights as other religions, but they should not be granted more. While Christianity is fundamentally a religion of love and tolerance, Islam is a religion of great intolerance towards others. Muslims should not be allowed to supplant Christianity in America. Muslims should not be allowed to suppress Christianity by claiming that the expression of the Christian Faith by Christians somehow violates the rights of Muslims.

"An Anglo Catholic Sunday" Series Launched

2011-01-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

10 Jan. 2010 (ACNS) - The Traditional Old Anglo-Catholic Church launched a new video series on Sunday called "An Anglo-Catholic Sunday." The series features weekly Sunday discussions with Archbishop Johnson. The discussions feature the readings for the day from the Holy Mass and/or the Daily Offices and how they relate to what it means to be an Anglo-Catholic.

In the first episode, released yesterday, the Archbishop discussed the Gospel from the mass for the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The discussion continued with some thoughts and history on the Anglican Rite and its Catholic nature.

Metropolitan Christmas Address (Video)

2010-12-25T19:40:00.001-08:00

Metropolitan Christmas Address

2010-12-14T05:50:00.000-08:00

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. Dec. 14, 2010 (ACNS) - The Archbishop of the Southwest will release his Christmas Address on the 25th via video on the Metropolitan YouTube Channel. The direct link will be posted when the video is available. The transcript will be available via the ACNS.

Athiests suggest "Reason" during Advent

2010-11-28T15:31:00.000-08:00

NEW JERSEY Nov. 28, 2010 (ACNS) - A billboard in New Jersey suggests that the Nativity of Christ was a myth and promotes athiesm instead. It was designed to support efforts to stop the celebration of Christmas.

Read the complete story from Fox News here.

Nun harassed by security: TSA more like stormtroopers

2010-11-25T00:56:00.000-08:00

HUNTSVILLE Nov. 25, 2010 (ACNS) - With all the reduction in civil rights at the hands of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), it was bound to happen. In was inevitable that the religious would have their rights violated in the name of state security. As this photo captured by a bystander suggests, a nun is being given one of the new obscene and lewd pat-downs by a female TSA officer who appears to be wearing a Muslim headdress.

That this could happen is yet another apparent outrage at the hands (literally) of the TSA. Do we as a national need to be protected from elderly nuns? Do we need to violate the sacred nature of the religious orders all in the name of blind screening and all so we do not have to do the politically correct thing of profiling? How many terrorist attacks will be stopped due to harassment of nuns? Who is next?

Korean Invasion: Attack on disputed island

2010-11-24T15:28:00.000-08:00

Video report on the recent North Korean attacks near the DMZ.

Archbishop visits DMZ in memory of Anglican martyrs in the Korean War

2010-11-22T16:21:00.000-08:00

By Anya Johnson

SEOUL Nov. 22, 2010 (ACNS) – Earlier this month, the Archbishop of the Southwest visited the Demilitarized Zone of Korea (DMZ) in honor of the Anglican martyrs who died in the Korean War. The annals of the Korean War are filled with accounts of atrocities committed by the communists in North Korea. Over 30,000 Americans alone died in the war, but that might be considered lucky compared to the treatment typically received by the prisoners of war. Forced marches, torture, shootings, and horrid conditions were just some of the war crimes POWs had to endure at the hands of the North Koreans.

A rare view into North Korea

The civilian population was not exempt from their brutality either. North Korean communists pitted village residents against each other, expecting them to inform the authorities about their neighbors’ real or imagined anti-communist activities. Civilians were killed and tortured. It was a time of great fear at the hands of the communists.

It was also a time of great heroism. Many stood against the communist forces, no matter the cost. In Seoul Anglican Cathedral, there is a memorial to six such heroes. They are the Anglican martyrs of the Korean War, Father Lee Won-Chang, Father Yoon Dai-Yong, and Father Cho Yong-Ho from Korea; Father Albert W. Lee and Father Charles Hunt from England, and Sister Mary Clare from Ireland. They kept the faith of the Church during the dark days of the Korean War and were killed for it by the communists.

Abp. Johnson prepares to go into one of
the tunnels built by the North Koreans.

Still to this day the Korean peninsula technically remains at war, as the conflicts of over half a century ago have yet to be resolved. The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was formed after the war as a buffer zone between the north and the south. From the south side, you can easily see into the north from many locations. Though people live and work in its midst, it is still a place of great tension and, occasionally, direct confrontation and conflict. Tunnels dug by the North Koreans under the DMZ (at least four that are known) were intended for a surprise attack on Seoul, which is less than an hour’s drive from the North Korean border. The DMZ also has one of the heaviest concentrations of land mines, and each year several people die or are seriously injured from them.

Still, the DMZ and its surrounding areas remain a place of hope. In some areas, South Koreans and North Koreans are allowed to work side-by-side. Ancient Korean culture and ways of life remain. All that is left is for the fences to come down and the Korean peninsula to be unified as a nation of free people.

More ethical concerns with TSA: Civil rights are no longer safe

2010-11-22T01:35:00.000-08:00

Editorial.

CHARLOTTE, NC Nov. 21, 2010 (ACNS) - A recent article by MSNBC raises more ethical concerns about TSA. According to the article, a woman who is a cancer survivor was forced to show her prosthetic breast during a security screening at Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC. To add irony to the situation, the woman was also a flight attendant.

A prosthesis is a replacement for a body part lost to injury or illness and ought to be treated with as much dignity as the natural part it replaced. It is unlikely that an artificial heart valve would be considered less a part of your body than your original heart valve. Why should it be any different with more external parts? Should a woman who has suffered breast cancer and survived be humiliated by having to show the prosthetic breast? This is as indecent as requiring a natural breast to be shown. This is a gross breech of human decency and ethics on the part of TSA and a violation of civil rights. It should not be tolerated.

The outrage of citizens is understandable and justified. Citizens have a right to protect themselves and be free from unjust, indecent, and unethical practices on the part of the government. Meanwhile, the President of the US acknowledges there are some "frustrations" being experienced, claiming that TSA has informed him that the present procedures are the only ones that can safeguard the country. How many police states in the world have used that as an excuse? Of course, the President does not have to go through these pat downs.

It is time the government starts treating the citizens like human beings and remember that it is the government that works for the people, not the other way around. Anything less, and the government fails to meet the standard for moral conduct and ethical discharge of duty, and that is a violation of the sacred trust the government has with the people.

Live Each Moment video series launched

2010-11-20T19:42:00.000-08:00

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. Nov. 20, 2010 (ACNS) - The new inspirational video series, Live Each Moment, was launched today by the Anglo-Catholic Archdiocese of the Southwest. The series features informal homilies given by the Archbishop and is intended to help make every moment in life count. The videos are available on the Archdiocese's YouTube Channel, as well as on the series's own page. The first episode is also shown below.

Live Each Moment

Episode 1: Right and Wrong

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Airport Body Scanners: The controversy continues

2010-11-17T23:44:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON Nov. 18, 2010 (ACNS) - Controversy rages on over the body scanners in place at many airports around the world. The key complaint is over the apparent invasion of privacy, possibility of saving images of you and your complete and intimate bodily details (though this is against the rules), and the potential for unscrupulous TSA agents to make or take copies of the images to be used for nefarious purposes.

Many are questioning whether or not air travel is even worth the hassle anymore. In a time of economic crisis, there is even doubt whether or not these new measures are in the best economic interest of the country.

Many question whether or not air travel is
worth the hassle anymore.

Though the body scanners are claimed to be in place to make air travel safer and combat terrorist threats, many air travellers question their legitimacy. The scanners are in place to catch passengers who, despite rules against carrying explosives, still attempt to carry them on board in violation of the rules. Is there a policy in place to catch TSA agents who are in violation of the rules against taking images of passengers?

The presence of a rule against carrying explosives on an aircraft is not considered sufficient to prevent all passengers from actually carrying explosives. Why, then should the people believe that a mere rule is sufficient to prevent all TSA agents from taking intimate pictures of passengers from body scanners? First ask yourself that question. Then ask whether or not it is time to reign in government agencies that have gotten out of control and are running roughshod over ethics and morality.

Cooperation and ethics at the G20 Seoul Summit good news for global development

2010-11-14T20:11:00.000-08:00

By Rutherford Johnson

SEOUL, Nov. 15 (ACNS) – The G20 Summit took place in Seoul on Nov. 11 and 12 with a theme of “Shared growth beyond crisis.” The intent of this summit was to continue existing efforts and begin new ones to end the global financial crisis and prevent another such crisis from happening again. The crisis itself was acknowledged by the leaders to be the result of systemic moral atrophy. The leaders decided on an unprecedented level of global cooperation, to include emerging markets and the poorest economies in the world.

Religious leaders around the world urged the heads of government gathered in Seoul for the summit to consider the moral issues at the root of the global financial crisis. Pope Benedict XVI urged cooperation among the leaders in a spirit of respect for humanity, with the goal of the development of mankind. The Archbishop of Canterbury said that the summit was an opportunity for the “...world's leaders to reaffirm their moral commitments to the welfare of all.” The response of the summit to the world’s high expectations was the G20 Seoul Summit Leaders Declaration, the Seoul Summit Document, the Seoul Development Consensus for Shared Growth, and the Multi-Year Action Plan on Development, including an Anti-Corruption Action Plan.

The documents produced by the summit leaders and their delegations had a common theme of global cooperation. Improving the job market was placed at the heart of recovery, and financial reforms around the world are intended. There was further a commitment for richer nations to help poorer nations, as well as to strengthen global financial safety nets. They, as representatives of the nations that comprise eighty-five percent of global GDP, recognized their responsibility to the world and promised to hold themselves accountable as leaders.

As part of their efforts to stabilize the world economy and prevent further crises, it was decided to move towards a market-determined exchange rate, with advanced economies having a particular responsibility to guard against excess volatility and disorderly exchange rate movement. This is expected to lessen risks of excess capital volatility in the emerging economies. The poorer countries and emerging markets are especially vulnerable to changes in the world economy and were disproportionately affected by the global financial crisis. The G20’s acknowledgement of the interconnectedness of the world economy and the responsibility of stronger economies to guard against shocks that might lead to a crisis and excessive adverse effects in emerging markets is a positive step towards safeguarding the condition of humanity around the globe, not just in the G20 member states. The G20 leaders committed to “enhance the voice and representation of emerging market and developing countries, including the poorest.”

The challenge that remains is the commitments of governments to the interests of their own people and the promises of governments to other nations and the global community in general. This is a delicate balance. Too far in one direction, and the governments fail to meet their responsibility to their people. Too far in the other direction, and nations act in their own self interest to the detriment of others. It is ultimately an equilibrium position in which the nations act simultaneously in their own best interests and in the best interests of the world that must be found in order to achieve an effective implementation of their plans.

The overall G20 development plan further is committed to free trade and opposition to protectionist policies. Considering that several G20 member states regularly engage in protectionism to varying degrees, it will be interesting to see the outcome of this aspect of the plan. Protectionism is one area in which the interests of the individual state may come in direct conflict with those of the global economy and vice versa.

A significant plan to fight corruption both within each country and across national borders was formed. A key point of this plan is the insistence upon transparency of operations of the G20, governments in general, and the private sector. The G20 has promised to lead by example and also recognizes the essential role of business in combating corruption.

The Seoul Summit Document placed the blame for the 2008 global financial crisis on reckless behavior by financial institution and failures of regulation and oversight. The specific decisions made by the summit leaders tended towards the direction of future moral behavior in the economy, a respect for humanity, and the goal of increased welfare for all. Economics typically defines an efficient economic outcome by Pareto efficiency, in which those who gain money have gained enough that they could, if they wished, compensate those who lost money. The Church, on the other hand, typically does not consider Pareto efficiency to be the final word on economic justice. Those who are leaders of businesses and governments have a duty to those whom their economic, business and financial decisions affect. The Seoul Summit Document recognizes this fact.

Overall, the documents produced by the Seoul Summit recognize the important role of ethics and morality in global financial markets. They present the need of advanced economies to balance their own interests with the interests of the global market. The global financial crisis demonstrated the interrelationship and interdependence of the nations of the world, so such a mutually-beneficial equilibrium of balancing national and global interests must be found for the benefit of humanity.

ACNS Video Report of the G20 Seoul Summit

2010-11-14T03:40:00.000-08:00

A video summarizing the outcome of the G20 Seoul Summit.

Some believe new airport procedures resemble Nazi tactics

2010-11-14T00:09:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON (ACNS) – New pat down procedures at airports are leaving many passengers feeling like criminals. Some liken this approach to the Nazis and wonder what is becoming of personal freedom in America.

Examinations involve touching of the breasts and genitals with a more intense touch than before. Where available, however, passengers may be able to use a body scanner. Passengers are subjected to this treatment when they set off a metal detector or there is another screening anomaly. "Too much change in your pocket is not a reason to be treated like a criminal," one frequent flyer commented.

Read more on this important issue by following the links below and find out ways you can help.

Airport pat-downs provoking backlash
Pat downs on plane trips irritate pilots, passengers
Pilot refuses full-body scan at Tenn. airport

Interview with Archbishop Johnson about the G20

2010-11-13T17:03:00.000-08:00

SEOUL, Nov. 13, 2010 (ACNS) – The following is an interview with Archbishop Dr. Rutherford Johnson to get his take on the G20 Seoul Summit and his opinions on its potential impact on the global economy and the lives of the people around the world. Johnson has a PhD in economics. He attended the G20 with the Anglo-Catholic News Service as part of a small number accredited to observe and cover the event. A good portion of his work centers on the relationship between faith and the economy, especially regarding ethics and morality, and he had a significant interest in seeing how the G20 would respond to ethical concerns as they seek to move forward past the global financial crisis.

Archbishop Johnson arrives in the auditorium
for the final briefing by the President of Korea,
President of the United States, and the
Prime Minister of Canada.

ACNS: How was the summit?

Johnson: It was very enjoyable. There were also many events surrounding the actual summit, and they were all very informative and exciting.

ACNS: Any of those side events interesting in particular?

Johnson: The visit to

Korea

’s Demilitarized Zone was a poignant reminder that this peninsula is still at war. It shows the need for unity and joint effort, even in the face of a crisis, which follows from the summit theme of “shared growth following crisis.”

ACNS: What about the Korean people? What did they do for the G20?

Johnson: Everything! The Koreans don’t just do something, they do it all the way and then some. Everyone from the President of Korea’s committee for the G20 to business, restaurants, and regular citizens seemed to be caught up in G20 fever. They really did put on a good show, and they have certainly come a very long way from the ashes of the Korean War.

ACNS: That’s good to hear. Now, you’re a priest. What’s so interesting about a global economic conference to a priest?

Johnson: The church is in this world and not of this world. As such, we are not directly concerned with politics. However, we must not forget the part about being in the world. The church has a duty to work for the betterment of the lives of humanity. As such, the actions of governments and the economic situation in the world are very much of interest to the church from the standpoint of ethics, morality, and the condition of mankind.

ACNS: You also have a PhD in economics and have published papers in this field, including on the global financial crisis, correct?

Johnson: Yes, that is true. I am particularly interested in the issues of ethics and morality in economics, and this fits rather nicely with the remarks of Korean President Lee Myung-Bok regarding the G20’s plans for reducing corruption.

ACNS: What’s your take on the G20’s Seoul Declaration?

Johnson: Overall I liked what I heard President Lee say on Friday afternoon. The commitment to cooperation is in keeping with Christ’s desire that the peoples of the world should seek unity and brotherhood. The Seoul Summit Document is quite lengthy, so I don’t think I have time to discuss the whole thing here. However, the real key to making what they say a success is whether or not they really will follow through.

ACNS: What do you mean?

Johnson: It’s one thing to come together with your counterparts from around the world, sit around a table, and say you think something is a good idea. It’s perfectly normal for there to be many emotions in play, and everyone likely truly means what they say. The trouble comes when one tries to implement a plan, especially at the national and international levels. First, there are the usual issues of practicability. Also, true international cooperation requires significant cooperation within each nation as well. If the G20 leaders can achieve that, then they have a good chance to achieve their plan. I obviously hope they can.

ACNS: Are you going to write an article about the Seoul Summit Document?

Johnson: I’m planning on it. Like I said, it is very lengthy. I received it just as it became available, and I haven’t had much time to digest all the details. It is my plan, though, to give a bit of faith-based economic analysis of what this means from the Christian perspective.

ACNS: We’re looking forward to it! Lastly, what do you think about this being the Anglo-Catholic News Service’s first direct coverage of a major world event?

Johnson: I am absolutely thrilled, and I believe it signals great things to come. The ACNS was founded to give a conservative Anglican Rite presence in news media and report on events around the world that are of interest to Christians. The participation of several members of the ACNS in the G20 was a most significant achievement in that regard. I also want to thank Coberly Communications and Yonhap News Agency for their invaluable media support in making this happen.

ACNS: Yes, you’re right. We really appreciate their help. Did you have time to promote the ACNS while you were there?

Johnson: I did indeed. Among others, I had a nice long chat with a representative of Caritas. It is so important that religious news services be present at major world events. Keep up the good work!

ACNS: Thanks again! And, thank you for taking time to speak with us. We’re looking forward to seeing your analysis of the Seoul Summit Document soon.

G-20 agrees to make current account guidelines by next June

2010-11-12T05:52:00.000-08:00

via Yonhap, Seoul, Korea

Leaders of the world's 20 major economies agreed Friday to formulate "indicative guidelines" for current account imbalances by the first half of next year, paving the way for defusing one of the most contentious issues facing the global economy.

The President of Korea
Credit: Yonhap NA

The world leaders also agreed to seek more market-determined exchange rate systems, enhance exchange rate flexibility and refrain from competitive devaluation of currencies as they wrapped up two days of summit talks in Seoul, the first G-20 summit in Asia.

Should the agreement be "implemented as agreed, it will contribute greatly to preventing a future global economic crisis. We all have to cooperate for this," South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said at a press conference at COEX in southern Seoul.

It was the fifth meeting of the G-20 leaders since they first met in late 2008 to discuss joint responses to the crisis that was rocking the world economy at the time. The G-20, which includes major industrialized and emerging nations, accounts for about 85 percent of the global economy.

This week's summit came amid a currency row between the United States and China as Washington has mounted pressure on Beijing to stop keeping its currency, the yuan, artificially low, which makes Chinese goods cheaper. The U.S. claims the Chinese currency policy has worsened global trade and current account imbalances.

Complicating the dispute was the Federal Reserve's move to inject $600 billion into the U.S. economy to lower long-term interest rates in an effort to spur growth. The move has raised the eyebrows of some countries, including China, Germany and Brazil, which believe lower U.S. interest rates will lead to the values of their currencies rising and hurt their exports.

In an attempt to resolve the disputes, the G-20 countries discussed limiting current account surpluses or deficits for balanced growth. But differences were too wide to produce a specific deal on how to limit imbalances, and the countries settled for agreeing to formulate "indicative guidelines" by the first half of 2011.

"These indicative guidelines composed of a range of indicators would serve as a mechanism to facilitate timely identification of large imbalances that require preventive and corrective actions to be taken," the summit declaration said.

South Korean President Lee hailed the agreement as "remarkable progress."

"For now, in conclusion, (the world) is out of the so-called currency war," he told the conference.

U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed the agreement, saying that the world's 20 major economies are "in broad agreement on the way forward."

But Obama increased pressure on China, urging the country to raise the yuan's value.

"The issue of China's RMB is 'irritant' not only to us, but also to a lot of China's trading partners," he said at a press conference.

Other agreements reached at the summit include modernizing the International Monetary Fund, strengthening global financial safety nets and pledging to help and work together with low-income nations for balanced and shared growth.

The global financial safety net and development issues are known as "Korea Initiative" as South Korea pushed for them as chair of the summit, building on its experience of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis that forced Seoul to seek a humiliating bailout fund, and its rise from the ashes of the Korean War to one of the world's largest economies.

The endorsement of the Korea Initiative by the G-20 leaders highlighted Seoul's role as a bridge between developed and emerging nations as it had to convince the G-20 and other developed nations why they should agree to relatively reduced coverage from the IMF.

On balanced development, South Korea helped identify nine key issues ranging from infrastructure and human resources development to trade, food security and job creation to help low-income nations. The G-20 leaders at the Seoul summit wholly approved the development agenda.

"We will continue to monitor and assess ongoing implementation of the commitments made today and in the past in a transparent and objective way," the leaders said in the declaration. "We hold ourselves accountable. What we promise, we will deliver."

The leaders also said that the "actions agreed upon today will help to further strengthen the global economy, accelerate job creation, ensure more stable financial markets, narrow the development gap and promote broadly shared growth beyond crisis."

In the run-up to the summit, vice finance ministers and personal representatives of the leaders, dubbed the "Sherpa" group, haggled for days over the current account guideline proposal, underscoring the difficulty of dealing with the sensitive issue.

After South Korean President Lee urged other leaders to make concessions at their working dinner Thursday night, envoys from the 20 members resumed the stalled negotiations later that night and had intensive discussions that went into early Friday morning.

On the sidelines of the G-20 meeting, South Korea had a series of high-stakes bilateral summits with the U.S. to discuss a pending free trade agreement (FTA), and with France to seek the return of ancient Korean royal texts seized in the 19th century.

Both Seoul and Washington had hoped to reach a final agreement on their FTA deal signed more than three years ago this week, but the last-minute negotiations broke off over U.S. demands for more concessions on auto and beef issues.

Obama said Friday that he is not interested in reaching a deal for the sake of "announcement" and that an agreement should be good for both sides, adding that he believes the two countries can reach a "win-win" agreement in the near future.

South Korea, however, produced progress in talks with France over the royal texts.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday his government will return Korean royal Uigwe books to Seoul on a five-year renewable lease scheme, after Seoul has sought the books' return for decades.

"I believe the time has come to settle this," Sarkozy told reporters. "I know that for Koreans, these documents are very much a part of Korean heritage."

The Uigwe books from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) were looted by French troops in 1866 when they invaded a Korean island in retaliation against its persecution of French Catholic missionaries.

The summit brought together about 4,000 officials from the 20 member economies, including such top leaders as Obama, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

In addition, the leaders of Spain and four other invited nations as well as top representatives of the U.N. and other international organizations attended the summit.

jschang@yna.co.kr

Full text of G-20 Seoul Summit Leaders' Declaration

2010-11-11T23:55:00.000-08:00

by Yonhap NA, Seoul, Korea

The following is the full text (through part 20) of a the G-20 Seoul Summit Leaders' Declaration released Friday following a two-day meeting of the leaders of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging countries.

Credit: Yonhap NA

1. We, the Leaders of the G20, are united in our conviction that by working together we can secure a more prosperous future for the citizens of all countries.

2. When we first gathered in November 2008 to address the most severe world recession our generation has ever confronted, we pledged to support and stabilize the global economy, and at the same time, to lay the foundation for reform, to ensure the world would never face such upheaval again.

3. Over the past four Summits, we have worked with unprecedented cooperation to break the dramatic fall in the global economy to establish the basis for recovery and renewed growth.

4. The concrete steps we have taken will help ensure we are better prepared to prevent and, if necessary, to withstand future crises. We pledge to continue our coordinated efforts and act together to generate strong, sustainable and balanced growth.

5. We recognize the importance of addressing the concerns of the most vulnerable. To this end, we are determined to put jobs at the heart of the recovery, to provide social protection, decent work and also to ensure accelerated growth in low income countries (LICs).

6. Our relentless and cooperative efforts over the last two years have delivered strong results. However, we must stay vigilant.

Credit: Yonhap NA

7. Risks remain. Some of us are experiencing strong growth, while others face high levels of unemployment and sluggish recovery. Uneven growth and widening imbalances are fueling the temptation to diverge from global solutions into uncoordinated actions. However, uncoordinated policy actions will only lead to worse outcomes for all.

8. Since 2008, a common view of the challenges of the world economy, the necessary responses and our determination to resist protectionism has enabled us to both address the root causes of the crisis and safeguard the recovery. We are agreed today to develop our common view to meet these new challenges and a path to strong, sustainable and balanced growth beyond the crisis.

9. Today, the Seoul Summit delivers:

-- the Seoul Action Plan composed of comprehensive, cooperative and country-specific policy actions to move closer to our shared objective. The Plan includes our commitment to:

-- undertake macroeconomic policies, including fiscal consolidation where necessary, to ensure ongoing recovery and sustainable growth and enhance the stability of financial markets, in particular moving toward more market-determined exchange rate systems, enhancing exchange rate flexibility to reflect underlying economic fundamentals, and refraining from competitive devaluation of currencies. Advanced economies, including those with reserve currencies, will be vigilant against excess volatility and disorderly movements in exchange rates. These actions will help mitigate the risk of excessive volatility in capital flows facing some emerging countries;

-- implement a range of structural reforms that boost and sustain global demand, foster job creation, and increase the potential for growth; and

-- enhance the Mutual Assessment Process (MAP) to promote external sustainability. We will strengthen multilateral cooperation to promote external sustainability and pursue the full range of policies conducive to reducing excessive imbalances and maintaining current account imbalances at sustainable levels. Persistently large imbalances, assessed against indicative guidelines to be agreed by our Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, warrant an assessment of their nature and the root causes of impediments to adjustment as part of the MAP, recognizing the need to take into account national or regional circumstances, including large commodity producers. These indicative guidelines composed of a range of indicators would serve as a mechanism to facilitate timely identification of large imbalances that require preventive and corrective actions to be taken. To support our efforts toward meeting these commitments, we call on our Framework Working Group, with technical support from the IMF and other international organizations, to develop these indicative guidelines, with progress to be discussed by our Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the first half of 2011; and, in Gyeongju, our Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors called on the IMF to provide an assessment as part of the MAP on the progress toward external sustainability and the consistency of fiscal, monetary, financial sector, structural, exchange rate and other policies. In light of this, the first such assessment, to be based on the above mentioned indicative guidelines, will be initiated and undertaken in due course under the French Presidency.

-- a modernized IMF that better reflects the changes in the world economy through greater representation of dynamic emerging markets and developing countries. These comprehensive quota and governance reforms, as outlined in the Seoul Summit Document, will enhance the IMF's legitimacy, credibility and effectiveness, making it an even stronger institution for promoting global financial stability and growth.

-- instruments to strengthen global financial safety nets, which help countries cope with financial volatility by providing them with practical tools to overcome sudden reversals of international capital flows.

-- core elements of a new financial regulatory framework, including bank capital and liquidity standards, as well as measures to better regulate and effectively resolve systemically important financial institutions, complemented by more effective oversight and supervision. This new framework, complemented by other achievements as outlined in the Seoul Summit Document, will ensure a more resilient financial system by reining in the past excesses of the financial sector and better serving the needs of our economies.

-- the Seoul Development Consensus for Shared Growth that sets out our commitment to work in partnership with other developing countries, and LICs in particular, to help them build the capacity to achieve and maximize their growth potential, thereby contributing to global rebalancing. The Seoul Consensus complements our commitment to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and focuses on concrete measures as summarized in our Multi-Year Action Plan on Development to make a tangible and significant difference in people's lives, including in particular through the development of infrastructure in developing countries.

-- the Financial Inclusion Action Plan, the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion and a flexible SME Finance Framework, all of which will significantly contribute to improving access to financial services and expanding opportunities for poor households and small and medium enterprises.

-- our strong commitment to direct our negotiators to engage in across-the-board negotiations to promptly bring the Doha Development Round to a successful, ambitious, comprehensive, and balanced conclusion consistent with the mandate of the Doha Development Round and built on the progress already achieved. We recognize that 2011 is a critical window of opportunity, albeit narrow, and that engagement among our representatives must intensify and expand. We now need to complete the end game. Once such an outcome is reached, we commit to seek ratification, where necessary, in our respective systems. We are also committed to resisting all forms of protectionist measures.

10. We will continue to monitor and assess ongoing implementation of the commitments made today and in the past in a transparent and objective way. We hold ourselves accountable. What we promise, we will deliver.

11. Building on our achievements to date, we have agreed to work further on macro-prudential policy frameworks; better reflect the perspective of emerging market economies in financial regulatory reforms; strengthen regulation and oversight of shadow banking; further work on regulation and supervision of commodity derivatives markets; improve market integrity and efficiency; enhance consumer protection; pursue all outstanding governance reform issues at the IMF and World Bank; and build a more stable and resilient international monetary system, including by further strengthening global financial safety nets. We will also expand our MAP based on the indicative guidelines to be agreed.

12. To promote resilience, job creation and mitigate risks for development, we will prioritize action under the Seoul Consensus on addressing critical bottlenecks, including infrastructure deficits, food market volatility, and exclusion from financial services.

13. To provide broader, forward-looking leadership in the post-crisis economy, we will also continue our work to prevent and tackle corruption through our Anti-Corruption Action Plan; rationalize and phase-out over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies; mitigate excessive fossil fuel price volatility; safeguard the global marine environment; and combat the challenges of global climate change.

14. We reaffirm our resolute commitment to fight climate change, as reflected in the Leaders' Seoul Summit Document. We appreciate President Felipe Calderon's briefing on the status of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations, as well as Prime Minister Meles Zenawi's briefing on the report of the High-Level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing submitted to the UN Secretary-General. We will spare no effort to reach a balanced and successful outcome in Cancun.

15. We welcome the Fourth UN LDC Summit in Turkey and the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Korea, both to be held in 2011.

16. Recognizing the importance of private sector-led growth and job creation, we welcome the Seoul G20 Business Summit and look forward to continuing the G20 Business Summit in upcoming Summits.

17. The actions agreed today will help to further strengthen the global economy, accelerate job creation, ensure more stable financial markets, narrow the development gap and promote broadly shared growth beyond crisis.

18. We look forward to our next meeting in 2011 in France, and subsequent meeting in 2012 in Mexico.

19. We thank Korea for its G20 Presidency and for hosting the successful Seoul Summit.

20. The Seoul Summit Document, which we have agreed, follows.

THE SEOUL SUMMIT DOCUMENT

Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth

1. Our unprecedented and highly coordinated fiscal and monetary stimulus worked to bring back the global economy from the edge of a depression. This has highlighted that the world would benefit from more effective international cooperation. In Pittsburgh, we launched the Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth and committed to work together to assess the collective implications of our national policies on global growth and development, identify potential risks to the global economy, and take additional actions to achieve our shared objectives.

2. Since then, we have made important progress through our country-led, consultative Mutual Assessment Process (MAP) of the Framework:

-- Supportive economic policies have been put in place to promote ongoing recovery and job creation;

-- Explicit commitments have been made to put public finances on a sustainable track;

-- Strong measures have been adopted and are being implemented to safeguard the stability of our financial system;

-- Important structural reforms have been launched and/or planned to boost global demand and potential growth; and

-- Significant steps have been taken to strengthen the capacity of international financial institutions (IFIs) in support of development.

3. Since we last met, the global recovery continues to advance, but downside risks remain. We are resolved to do more. Our strengthened collaborative and collective policy actions can further safeguard the recovery and lay a solid foundation for our shared objectives of strong, sustainable and balanced growth.

The Seoul Action Plan

4. Today we are launching the Seoul Action Plan. We shaped the Plan with unity of purpose to:

-- ensure an unwavering commitment to cooperation;

-- outline an action-oriented plan with each member's concrete policy commitments; and

-- deliver on all three objectives of strong, sustainable and balanced growth.

5. Specifically, we commit to actions in five policy areas with details of specific commitments by G20 members set out in the Supporting Document.

6. Monetary and Exchange Rate Policies: We reaffirm the importance of central banks' commitment to price stability, thereby contributing to the recovery and sustainable growth. We will move toward more market-determined exchange rate systems and enhance exchange rate flexibility to reflect underlying economic fundamentals and refrain from competitive devaluation of currencies. Advanced economies, including those with reserve currencies, will be vigilant against excess volatility and disorderly movements in exchange rates. Together these actions will help mitigate the risk of excessive volatility in capital flows facing some emerging market economies. Nonetheless, in circumstances where countries are facing undue burden of adjustment, policy responses in emerging market economies with adequate reserves and increasingly overvalued flexible exchange rates may also include carefully designed macro-prudential measures. We will reinvigorate our efforts to promote a stable and well functioning international monetary system and call on the IMF to deepen its work in these areas.

7. Trade and Development Policies: We reaffirm our commitment to free trade and investment recognizing its central importance for the global recovery. We will refrain from introducing, and oppose protectionist trade actions in all forms and recognize the importance of a prompt conclusion of the Doha negotiations. We reaffirm our commitment to avoid financial protectionism and are mindful of the risks of proliferation of measures that would damage investment and harm prospects for the global recovery. With developing countries' rising share in world output and trade, the goals of global growth, rebalancing and development are increasingly interlinked. We will focus efforts to resolve the most significant bottlenecks to inclusive, sustainable and resilient growth in developing countries, low-income countries (LICs) in particular: infrastructure, human resources development, trade, private investment and job creation, food security, growth with resilience, financial inclusion, domestic resource mobilization and knowledge sharing. In addition, we will take concrete actions to increase our financial and technical support, including fulfilling the Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitments by advanced countries.

8. Fiscal Policies: Advanced economies will formulate and implement clear, credible, ambitious and growth-friendly medium-term fiscal consolidation plans in line with the Toronto commitment, differentiated according to national circumstances. We are mindful of the risk of synchronized adjustment on the global recovery and of the risk that failure to implement consolidation, where immediately necessary, would undermine confidence and growth.

9. Financial Reforms: We are committed to take action at the national and international level to raise standards, and ensure that our national authorities implement global standards developed to date, consistently, in a way that ensures a level playing field, a race to the top and avoids fragmentation of markets, protectionism and regulatory arbitrage. In particular, we will implement fully the new bank capital and liquidity standards and address too-big-to-fail problems. We agreed to further work on financial regulatory reforms.

10. Structural Reforms: We will implement a range of structural reforms to boost and sustain global demand, foster job creation, contribute to global rebalancing, and increase our growth potential, and where needed undertake:

-- Product market reforms to simplify regulation and reduce regulatory barriers in order to promote competition and enhance productivity in key sectors.

-- Labor market and human resource development reforms, including better targeted benefits schemes to increase participation; education and training to increase employment in quality jobs, boost productivity and thereby enhance potential growth.

-- Tax reform to enhance productivity by removing distortions and improving the incentives to work, invest and innovate.

-- Green growth and innovation oriented policy measures to find new sources of growth and promote sustainable development.

-- Reforms to reduce the reliance on external demand and focus more on domestic sources of growth in surplus countries while promoting higher national savings and enhancing export competitiveness in deficit countries.

-- Reforms to strengthen social safety nets such as public health care and pension plans, corporate governance and financial market development to help reduce precautionary savings in emerging surplus countries.

--Investment in infrastructure to address bottlenecks and enhance growth potential.

In pursuing these reforms, we will draw on the expertise of the OECD, IMF, World Bank, ILO and other international organizations.

11. MAP beyond the Seoul Summit: In addition, we will enhance the MAP to promote external sustainability. We will strengthen multilateral cooperation to promote external sustainability and pursue the full range of policies conducive to reducing excessive imbalances and maintaining current account imbalances at sustainable levels. Persistently large imbalances, assessed against indicative guidelines to be agreed by our Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, warrant an assessment of their nature and the root causes of impediments to adjustment as part of the MAP, recognizing the need to take into account national or regional circumstances, including large commodity producers. These indicative guidelines composed of a range of indicators would serve as a mechanism to facilitate timely identification of large imbalances that require preventive and corrective actions to be taken. To support our efforts toward meeting these commitments, we call on our Framework Working Group, with technical support from the IMF and other international organizations, to develop these indicative guidelines, with progress to be discussed by our Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the first half of 2011; and, in Gyeongju, our Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors called on the IMF to provide an assessment as part of the MAP on the progress toward external sustainability and the consistency of fiscal, monetary, financial sector, structural, exchange rate and other policies. In light of this, the first such assessment, to be based on the above mentioned indicative guidelines, will be initiated and undertaken in due course under the French Presidency.

12. We have a shared responsibility. Members with sustained, significant external deficits pledge to undertake policies to support private savings and where appropriate undertake fiscal consolidation while maintaining open markets and strengthening export sectors. Members with sustained, significant external surpluses pledge to strengthen domestic sources of growth.

13. Recognizing the benefits of the Framework, we agreed to expand and refine the country-led, consultative MAP by including monitoring of the implementation of our commitments and assessment of our progress toward achieving our shared objectives. This process will be adopted in 2011 under the French Presidency.

International Financial Institution Reforms

14. When the world was in the middle of the global financial crisis, we met and agreed to provide the IFIs with the resources they needed to support the global economy. With our agreements to increase their resources substantially and endorse new lending instruments, the IFIs mobilized critical financing, including more than $750 billion by the IMF and $235 billion by the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs). Financial markets stabilized and the global economy started to recover. Even in the midst of the crisis, we knew that further reforms of the IFIs were required.

15. We committed to modernize the institutions fundamentally so that they better reflect changes in the world economy and can more effectively play their roles in promoting global financial stability, fostering development and improving the lives of the poorest. In June 2010, we welcomed the reforms to increase the voting power of developing and transition countries at the World Bank. We also remained committed to strengthening the legitimacy, credibility and effectiveness of the IMF through quota and governance reforms.

Modernized IMF governance

16. Today, we welcomed the ambitious achievements by the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors at the Gyeongju meeting, and subsequent decision by the IMF, on a comprehensive package of IMF quota and governance reforms. The reforms are an important step toward a more legitimate, credible and effective IMF, by ensuring that quotas and Executive Board composition are more reflective of new global economic realities, and securing the IMF's status as a quota-based institution, with sufficient resources to support members' needs. Consistent with our commitments at the Pittsburgh and Toronto Summits, and going even further in a number of areas, the reforms include:

-- Shifts in quota shares to dynamic emerging market and developing countries and to under-represented countries of over 6%, while protecting the voting share of the poorest, which we commit to work to complete by the Annual Meetings in 2012.

-- A doubling of quotas, with a corresponding rollback of the New Arrangements to Borrow (NAB) preserving relative shares, when the quota increase becomes effective.

-- Continuing the dynamic process aimed at enhancing the voice and representation of emerging market and developing countries, including the poorest, through a comprehensive review of the quota formula by January 2013 to better reflect the economic weights; and through completion of the next general review of quotas by January 2014.

-- Greater representation for emerging market and developing countries at the Executive Board through two fewer advanced European chairs, and the possibility of a second alternate for all multi-country constituencies.

-- Moving to an all-elected Board, along with a commitment by the IMF's membership to maintain the Board size at 24 chairs, and following the completion of the 14th General Review, a review of the Board's composition every eight years.

17. We reiterate the urgency of promptly concluding the 2008 IMF Quota and Voice Reforms. We urge all G20 members participating in the expanded NAB to accelerate their procedures in completing the acceptance process. We ask the IMF to report on the progress, in accordance with agreed timelines, toward effective implementation of the 2010 quota and governance reforms to our Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors at their periodic G20 meetings.

18. When combined with the already agreed voice reform of the World Bank, these represent significant achievements in modernizing our key IFIs. They will be even stronger players in promoting global financial stability and growth. We asked our Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to continue to pursue all outstanding governance reform issues at the World Bank and the IMF.

Surveillance

19. We recognize the importance of continuing the work on reforming the IMF's mission and mandate, including strengthening surveillance.

20. IMF surveillance should be enhanced to focus on systemic risks and vulnerabilities wherever they may lie. To this extent, we welcome the decision made by the IMF to make financial stability assessments under the Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) a regular and mandatory part of Article IV consultation for members with systemically important financial sectors. We call on the IMF to make further progress in modernizing the IMF's surveillance mandate and modalities. These should involve, in particular: strengthening bilateral and multilateral work on surveillance covering financial stability, macroeconomic, structural and exchange rate policies, with increased focus on systemic issues; enhancing synergies between surveillance tools; helping members to strengthen their surveillance capacity; and ensuring even-handedness, candor, and independence of surveillance. We welcome the IMF's work to conduct spillover assessments of the wider impact of systemic economies' policies.

Energy executives share views on greater cooperation

2010-11-11T19:44:00.000-08:00

by Nam Kwang-sik

via Yonhap NA, Seoul, Korea

Top executives of domestic and foreign energy companies met in Seoul Friday to seek further cooperation and discuss ways for finding new growth engines, SK Energy Co. said.

During the meeting hosted by the top refiner in South Korea, participants shared the view that global energy market conditions will improve next year, though the global economic outlook is still uncertain, the company said.

Koo Ja-young, president of SK Energy, stressed the need to boost cooperation with Repsol YPF, Spain's largest oil company, in the construction of its fourth lubricant plant.

Credit: Yonhap NA

SK Lubricants Co., a unit of SK Energy, is pushing to build the lubricant plant with a daily production capacity of 13,300 barrels, in Cartagena, southeast of Spain, jointly with Repsol. The completion is set for sometime in 2013.

Koo also exchanged views with Woodside, Australia's largest energy company, on ways to join hands in large-scale liquefied natural gas projects, SK Energy said.

Participants included Woodside CEO Donald Voelte; Arturo Gonzalo, an executive of Repsol; and Sanjeev Verma, executive of India's state-run Indian Oil, SK Energy said.

The foreign executives are among the 120 business leaders from around the world who attended a two-day global CEO summit that ended in Seoul on Thursday ahead of the G-20 summit.

ksnam@yna.co.kr

World lanterns to lighten up Seoul for one more week

2010-11-11T18:50:00.001-08:00

via Yonhap NA, Seoul, Korea

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will extend its annual world lantern festival for one more week due to its popularity among foreign tourists and local residents, city officials said Friday.

The Seoul Lantern Festival 2010 opened a week ago, timed to coincide with this week's summit of the Group of 20 major economies in Seoul. About 27,000 traditional and creative lanterns from 24 countries, including the G-20 nations, are on display along the Cheonggyecheon Stream running through the heart of the city center. The event was originally planned to end this Sunday.

"We decided to extend the event till Sunday next week to provide more attractions to foreign tourists coming to visit the capital and local residents," said Ahn Seung-il, a senior city official in charge of planning tourism programs. "It has been drawing positive response from citizens and foreign tourists."

About 500,000 people visited the stream in the first week of opening, city officials said, expecting the number of visitors to surpass one million this weekend.

Traditional lanterns from 24 countries, including Japan, China, New Zealand and Thailand, are especially popular to tourists for their splendid sizes and colors, the officials said.

Also drawing attention is a special, 3-meter-high lantern tower made of 2,000 smaller lanterns "to wish for the successful hosting of the G-20 summit," they said.

The city authority will place more security guards around the venue of the festival to keep it safe from possible incidents during the extended period, they added.

sshim@yna.co.kr

Box of fruit addressed to Obama wreaks havoc at post office

2010-11-11T18:48:00.001-08:00

via Yonhap NA, Seoul, Korea

One citizen seems to have taken the government's call to give a warm welcome to the G-20 summit's foreign participants quite literally.

Two days ahead of Thursday's start of the summit, employees at a post office in southern Seoul received a parcel addressed to U.S. President Barack Obama's youngest daughter, Sasha. The box was intended for delivery to the G-20's main conference venue.

Staff at the post office, on high alert for terrorist threats since last month, immediately investigated the contents of the box. X-ray results showed about 15 round objects that looked like fruit, but no sign of an explosive.

Still unassured, the staff called in a SWAT team and a sniffer dog, but the parcel was later found to contain Asian pears.

The gift was returned to its 70-something-year-old sender in the southern port city of Busan the same day. He is known to have previously sent fruit to former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun in a similar way.

The post office declined to comment on the parcel or the reason for its return.

hague@yna.co.kr

G-20 leaders head into high-stakes summit amid row over currency, trade imbalances

2010-11-11T18:03:00.001-08:00

via Yonhap NA, Seoul, Korea

(ATTN: UPDATES in paras 2-4 with comments from S. Korean president, government source)

World leaders headed into a high-stakes economic meeting Friday to make a final push for compromise on an intensifying dispute over currency and trade, and discuss other steps to underpin the fragile global economic recovery as Asia's first G-20 summit took off in Seoul.

The meeting came just hours after envoys from the world's 20 major economies wrapped up last-minute, overnight negotiations to narrow wide differences over how to manage currencies and trade imbalances in an effort to draft a joint declaration to be issued after the summit.

"There has been big progress" in the negotiations, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said at the start of the first session of the leaders' meeting held at COEX in southern Seoul. Lee did not elaborate on what the progress was.

A South Korean government source said that the negotiators came close to agreement to seek "more market-determined exchange rate systems," increase flexibility of their currencies and to create a guideline on sustainable current account imbalances by the next meeting in France.

At a working dinner Thursday, Lee urged other leaders to make concessions to reach compromise over the currency and trade imbalance issues, stressing the need for greater policy coordination to spur economic growth, South Korean spokesman Kim Yoon-kyung said.

"So far, the G-20 has achieved great results through international coordination, and now is the time for us to strengthen it without losing the sense of urgency," Lee was quoted as saying at the dinner. "I would appreciate it if the leaders of each country made concessions."

Other leaders shared an understanding that they need to strengthen cooperation, Kim said.

Negotiators from the countries resumed stalled talks late Thursday night and "had a lot of discussions through 3 a.m.," the spokesman said, declining to give any more details, including whether there was a deal.

It is the fifth meeting of the G-20 leaders since they first met in late 2008 to discuss joint responses to the crisis that was rocking the world economy at the time. The G-20, which includes major industrialized and emerging nations, accounts for about 85 percent of the global economy.

South Korea is the first Asian nation to host a G-20 summit.

Complicating the dispute was the Federal Reserve's move to inject $600 billion into the U.S. economy to lower long-term interest rates in an effort to spur growth. The move has raised the eyebrows of some countries, such as China, Germany and Brazil, which believe lower U.S. interest rates will lead to the values of their currencies rising and hurt their exports.

Last month, the finance ministers and central bank governors of the G-20 nations agreed to seek market-determined foreign exchange rates and refrain from competitive devaluation of their currencies. They also agreed to seek every possible policy to keep current account imbalances at a sustainable level.

South Korea, as chair of the summit, has hoped to flesh out that deal at this gathering, such as creating a guideline for sustainable current account imbalances by requiring countries to limit surpluses or deficits to a certain proportion of their gross domestic products.

In the run-up to the summit, vice finance ministers and personal representatives of the leaders, dubbed the "Sherpa" group, haggled for days over the current account guideline proposal, but failed to find a compromise, underscoring the difficulty of dealing with the sensitive issue.

After the series of sessions, the leaders plan to adopt a joint declaration to summarize their discussions and include whatever agreements are made. South Korean President Lee, as chair of the meetings, will later hold a press conference to announce the statement.

Unless there is a breakthrough, officials said that the leaders could settle for simply calling for defusing the standoff before they meet again in France next year or making general recommendations to reduce excessive imbalances.

The declaration is also expected to support what is known as the "Korea Initiative," which combines the establishment of a global financial safety net with the issue of balanced development.

Other measures likely to go into the declaration include universal calls for a "standstill" on all forms of protectionist measures and support for carrying out reforms in the International Monetary Fund as well as introducing financial sector restrictions.

Seoul is also pushing to incorporate a pledge by G-20 members to expand support for developing countries and fuel a drive to fight corruption that has been cited for holding up progress in the world's poorest countries.

The summit brought together about 4,000 officials from the 20 member economies, including top leaders such as U.S. President Barack Obama, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

In addition, the leaders of Spain and four other invited nations as well as top representatives of the U.N. and other international organizations attended the summit.

jschang@yna.co.kr

Al Jazeera reporter denied access to G-20 Seoul summit

2010-11-11T18:02:00.000-08:00

by Kim Hyun

via Yonhap NA, Seoul, Korea

A reporter from Al Jazeera, a major Arabic-language news network, said Friday that he was denied entry to the venue of the G-20 summit in Seoul and claimed the denial may have been for political reasons.

Fadi Salameh, a Syrian-born reporter now based in Tokyo, was told he was not allowed to cover the summit when he went to pick up his press pass on Thursday at the Convention and Exhibition Center (COEX), the venue of the global forum.

"I got the affirmation email for my registration," Salameh, now staying at a hotel in southern Seoul, said over the phone. "I got my visa, a C1 journalist visa, very smoothly, and there was no problem about entering the country."

Salameh said a security official told him he was denied entry because of his past record of unauthorized access to a Northeast Asian summit in late May. He had entered the summit venue of the South Korea-Japan-China summit without a proper press ID, which security later discovered on his way out.

"I had missed the deadline for applying for an ID card. But they let me in anyway," he said.

But the Syrian reporter believes the access denial has to do with political reasons. In the Jeju summit in May, his main interest was getting Chinese reactions to the sinking of a South Korean ship earlier that month blamed on North Korea. Salameh claims the way he covered the ship sinking story must have irritated the South Korean security authorities.

A South Korean-led international investigation had concluded that North Korea attacked the Cheonan with a torpedo, killing 46 South Korean sailors. North Korea denies any involvement.

"A journalist has to take a neutral stance," he said. "I think the whole problem was with the security officer (in Jeju) who wanted me to cover North Korea negatively."

Ahn Byeong-ho, an official at the G-20 preparation committee, said he could not give details nor was he aware of Salameh's case. A journalist can be denied entry to the summit if he or she has a security problem, he said.

For foreign journalists applying for a press pass, the committee goes through a security check with the embassy of their nationality before issuing them the card.

"But even after the security check was done with the embassy, something problematic may have been found with him," Ahn said. "But the security authorities usually don't give specifics on those things."

This was not Salameh's first to Seoul. He says he interviewed Ban Ki-moon, now secretary-general of the United Nations, when Ban was foreign minister and was invited to the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae in 2007 by then President Roh Moo-hyun, who hosted a luncheon for foreign journalists who covered his inter-Korean summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il that year.

Salameh was to cover the G-20 summit for Al Jazeera's Arabic-language news. His colleagues in the English-language news service were allowed entry to the summit.

hkim@yna.co.kr

G-20 leaders head into high-stakes summit amid currency row

2010-11-11T17:58:00.001-08:00

via Yonhap NA, Seoul, Korea

World leaders will head into a high-stakes economic meeting Friday to make a final push for compromise on an intensifying dispute over currency and trade, and discuss other steps to underpin the fragile global economic recovery as Asia's first G-20 summit takes off in Seoul.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and other leaders from the world's 20 major economies will hold six sessions of discussions as well as a working lunch through the day at COEX in southern Seoul. The focus will be on the first session where the leaders are expected to tackle a widening row over currency management and trade imbalances.

Other issues on the agenda include strengthening the international financial regulatory system, modernizing international financial institutions, narrowing development gaps between advanced and developing nations, preventing protectionism and forging a global financial safety net.

South Korea is the first Asian nation to host a G-20 summit.

Complicating the dispute was the Federal Reserve's move to inject $600 billion into the U.S. economy to lower long-term interest rates in an effort to spur growth. The move has raised the eyebrows of some countries, such as China, Germany and Brazil, which believe lower U.S. interest rates will lead to the values of their currencies rising and hurt their exports.

Last month, the finance ministers and central bank governors of the G-20 nations agreed to seek market-determined foreign exchange rates and refrain from competitive devaluation of currencies. They also agreed to seek every possible policy to keep current account imbalances at a sustainable level.

South Korea, as chair of the summit, has hoped to flesh out that deal at the summit, such as creating a guideline for sustainable current account imbalances by requiring countries to limit surpluses or deficits to a certain proportion of their gross domestic products.

In the run-up to the summit, vice finance ministers and personal representatives of the leaders, dubbed the "Sherpa" group, haggled for days over the current account guideline proposal, but failed to find a compromise, underscoring the difficulty dealing with the sensitive issue.

The declaration is also expected to support what is known as the "Korea Initiative" that combines the establishment of a global financial safety net with the issue of balanced development.

In addition, the leaders of Spain and four other invited nations as well as top representatives of the U.N. and other international organizations will attend the summit.

jschang@yna.co.kr

Rights panel reviewing police action on G-20 poster graffiti

2010-11-10T20:42:00.001-08:00

by Kim Eun-jung

via Yonhap NA, Seoul, Korea

The human rights panel is in discussions over the attempted arrest of civilians who drew graffiti on G-20 promotional posters to see if the police overreacted, its officials said Thursday.

A 41-year-old college lecturer, whom the police identified only by his last name Park, and a 23-year-old female student were caught on the spot on Oct. 31 drawing a mouse on the posters plastered in downtown Seoul.

They were put under detention at a local police station for two days but later released after a local court rejected police request for warrants to arrest them.

The actions of the police immediately drew fire as excessive and a violation of freedom of expression.

The National Human Rights Commission said that in addition to the case, it will be monitoring whether the police resort to excessive security control or engage in unreasonable crackdowns during the G-20 summit period on Thursday and Friday. Inspectors will head to the streets to monitor how the riot police handle demonstrations and rallies by civic and labor groups, it said.

Park said that the graffiti was meant to be a satire, but the police argued that what the two did was "intentional and systematic" behavior against the global economic summit.

"It seems that the police have requested the warrants as an example to the people ahead of the G-20 summit," said Park Ju-min, a lawyer for the defendants. "It is an action that limits basic rights, such as freedom of expression."

Obama urges N. Korea to abandon nuke weapons, seek improved ties with U.S.

2010-11-10T20:40:00.000-08:00

via Yonhap NA, Seoul, Korea

U.S. President Barack Obama Thursday urged North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions and refrain from provocations so it could enhance ties with the U.S. that would lead the impoverished communist state to prosperity.

"If they choose to fulfill their international obligations and commitments to the international community, they will have the chance to offer their people lives of growing opportunity instead of crushing poverty -- a future of greater security and greater respect; a future that includes the prosperity and opportunity available to citizens on this end of the Korean Peninsula," Obama said in a speech to U.S. soldiers at Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul.

About 28,500 U.S. soldiers are stationed in South Korea as a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. More than 360,000 American soldiers were killed in the war.

Obama flew into Seoul late Wednesday to attend the summit of leaders of the world's 20 major economies for discussion on ways for sustainable recovery from the worst recession in decades that hit the global economy in late 2008.

Obama was to have a bilateral summit with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak later in the day to discuss the resumption of the six-party talks and the ratification of a bilateral free trade deal pending over lopsided auto trade and limited shipments of beef, among others.

The six-party nuclear talks have been stalled over international sanctions on the North for its nuclear and missile tests early last year and most recently North Korea's torpedoing of a South Korean warship.

Seoul and Washington call on Pyongyang to show a commitment to denuclearization and apologize for the Cheonan's sinking that killed 46 sailors in the Yellow Sea in March. The North denies responsibility for the ship sinking.

Obama warned the North of any further provocations.

"In the wake of this aggression, Pyongyang should not be mistaken: The United States will never waver in our commitment to the security of the Republic of Korea," he said. "The alliance between our two nations has never been stronger, and along with the rest of the world, we have made it clear that North Korea's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons will only lead to more isolation and less security."

The U.S. president said his country's participation in the Korean War was a victory, not a tie.

"Because the Korean War ended where it began geographically, some used the phrase 'Die for a Tie' to describe the sacrifice of those who fought here," he said. "But as we look around at this thriving democracy and its grateful, hopeful citizens, one thing is clear: This was no tie. This was a victory. It was a victory then, and it is a victory today."

He took note of the close alliance between Seoul and Washington, "a friendship that was forged in war has become an alliance that has led to greater security and untold progress -- not only in the Republic of Korea, but throughout Asia."

"Today, the Korean Peninsula provides the world's clearest contrast between a society that is open and one that is closed; between a nation that is dynamic and growing, and a government that would rather starve its people than change," he said, describing South Korea's transition to "one of the fastest-growing, most prosperous democracies in all the world" from "little more than rice paddies and villages."

hdh@yna.co.kr

Korea - Britain: Lee, Cameron agree to bolster trade, investment

2010-11-10T20:37:00.001-08:00

via Yonhap NA, Seoul, Korea

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed to further boost their ties in trade and investment as they met Thursday ahead of the opening of the G-20 summit.

The leaders shared the view that the free trade agreement (FTA) signed between South Korea and the European Union last month would help expand their countries' bilateral commerce, according to the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.

"(The two leaders) agreed to work together for the Korea-EU FTA to take effect on July 1 next year as planned," it said in a press release.

Lee and Cameron also exchanged views on "the two countries' close cooperation in their preparations for the G-20 summit" and "expressed satisfaction with their friendly and cooperative bilateral relations, which continue to develop across all areas based on the common principles of democracy and market economy," it added.

Two-way trade amounted to US$6.7 billion last year, with South Korea exporting $3.8 billion worth of goods, including wireless phones, ships and autos. Imports from Britain, comprising mainly of steel parts, medicine, medical supplies and alcoholic beverages, reached $2.9 billion.

Britain was the largest investor in South Korea last year, spending $10 billion in the banking, insurance and retail sectors, among others, while South Korea invested $5.46 billion in Britain's sales, distribution, shipping and financial services sectors.

hague@yna.co.kr

Seoul summit to help solidify G-20 as regular gathering

2010-11-10T20:36:00.001-08:00

via Yonhap NA, Seoul, Korea

The Seoul summit of the Group of 20 major economies is expected to establish the G-20 as a regular gathering of leaders to handle key global economic issues and set rules for sustainable growth, government sources said Thursday.

The local summit preparation committee and the finance ministry said there is a good chance that G-20 leaders will announce a move to hold a summit meeting on a regular basis like the G-7 meeting of advanced industrialized economic, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the Asia-Europe Meeting.

"The G-20 has already established itself as a 'premier forum' for economic issues, and since host countries for the 2011 and 2012 summits have been set, there is wide support for the meeting to be held regularly in the future," a government official said.

Originally, the G-20 was a gathering of finance ministers but gained prominence when leaders met in Washington in November 2008 to tackle the global financial crisis triggered by the collapse of U.S. investment giant Lehman Brothers earlier in the year.

Leaders from the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies and international organizations such as the United Nations have since met in London, Pittsburgh and Toronto, during which the G-20 has proven its worth by handling both crisis situations and helping to lay the foundation for how the global economy should grow in the future.

"The summit has shown it can solve critical problems not only in times of crisis, but in a post-crisis environment as shown by the agreement reached during the Gyeongju finance ministers meeting last month when members moved to prevent the currency issue from getting out of hand," he said.

To turn the G-20 summit into a regular gathering, efforts are underway to create a permanent secretariat. At present, the G-20 does not have a permanent secretariat, and host countries take turns coordinating the summit and various agenda items.

Initially, there were calls to operate an "online secretariat" that may be built up into a more permanent body in the future.

In addition to the G-20 summit, officials here said that efforts are underway to institutionalize the G-20 Business Summit so that it can be held alongside the meeting of global leaders.

France has already said it wants to hold a gathering of entrepreneurs similar to meetings held in Seoul. Businessmen can coordinate their agendas with government officials to tackle issues facing the global economy, they said.

yonngong@yna.co.kr

G-20 Seoul Declaration to call for more effort to resolve currency row

2010-11-10T20:35:00.000-08:00

by Lee Joon-seung

via Yonhap NA, Seoul, Korea

The Group of 20 countries are expected to call for a resolution to the currency row before France hosts the next global economic leaders meeting in late 2011, government sources said Thursday.

The local summit preparation committee said the Seoul Declaration, to be announced Friday at the conclusion of the two-day gathering, is expected to fully endorse the Gyeongju communique agreed upon by finance ministers from the G-20 countries last month, although it is not expected to elaborate on a clear solution to the dispute.

The finance ministers reached an understanding to move toward a more market-determined exchange system that reflects underlying economic fundamentals and to refrain from competitive devaluation of currencies. They said countries should pursue a full range of policies conducive to reducing excessive imbalances to sustainable levels.

The communique also agreed that advanced countries will be vigilant against excess volatility and disorderly movements of exchange rates in order to help mitigate the risks facing some emerging economies.

Summit organizers said that while talks had been held to consider placing a cap on current account imbalances detrimental to sustainable growth, opposition has made it hard to reach consensus so that it can be reflected in the final statement. The United States, supported by South Korea, called for a numerical limit but the move ran into opposition from countries such as China, Japan and Germany.

"Because of the present opposition, leaders from the 20 largest economies may agree on a compromise that calls for a resolution to the standoff before the next G-20 meeting takes place," said a source who declined to be identified. He pointed out that France has already expressed a willingness to tackle the critical agenda to preempt the possibility of a full-fledged trade war from erupting.

The official said that before a viable solution is reached next year, countries could be asked to announce a detailed action plan with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to review feasibility and set up an early warning system to check for excessive imbalances.

In addition, the Seoul Declaration may make recommendations to reduce imbalances for both countries that maintain large current account surpluses and those with chronic deficits.

"A so-called Seoul Action Plan that could recommend country-specific currency and current account policies, may be included in the statement at the conclusion of the summit," the official said.

Related to the move to set future goals instead of concluding the matter in Seoul, Sakong Il, head of the preparation committee, said Tuesday that reaching an accord on when to start or conclude talks on resolving the imbalance issue should be seen as a significant achievement in itself.

In addition to the currency standoff that has received considerable media attention, local organizers said the G-20 leaders will support the Korea Initiative that combines the establishment of a global financial safety net with the issue of balanced development.

Other measures to be included in the declaration are universal calls for a "standstill" on all forms of protectionist measures that can affect trade, and support for the decision to carry out reforms in the IMF as well as new financial sector restrictions as outlined by the Basel III requirement reached in September.

Seoul, as chair of this year's summit, is also pushing to incorporate a pledge by G-20 members to expand support for developing countries and fuel a drive to fight corruption that has been cited for holding up progress in the world's poorest countries.

yonngong@yna.co.kr

Lee, Obama to discuss trade, N. Korea in summit talks

2010-11-10T15:48:00.000-08:00

by Lee Chi-dong

via Yonhap NA, Seoul, South Korea

11 November 2010

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama will hold bilateral summit talks Thursday expected to focus on trade and regional security issues, just ahead of the opening of the G-20 Seoul Summit, officials said.

Air Force One arrives in Korea.
(Credit: Yonhap)

The Lee-Obama meeting will be the first since Obama's Democratic Party suffered heavy defeat in mid-term elections last week.

It is uncertain whether Obama will present or signal a shift in Washington's approach toward North Korea to end their protracted stand-off and resume the six-party talks over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.

The leaders plan to "reaffirm unswerving commitment" to the Seoul-Washington alliance and discuss ways to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, a South Korean presidential official said on the customary condition of anonymity.

Keen attention is also being paid to whether Lee and Obama will be able to announce the conclusion of a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), signed in 2007 but yet to be ratified by respective legislatures.

The official said it is hard to predict whether the two countries would be able to reach an accord on the matter.

Trade officials from the two sides have been in intensive consultations over Washington's demand that Seoul lower the trade barrier for U.S. autos and widen its market to American beef.

South Korea has hinted at the possibility of some concessions on the auto trade but ruled out any discussion over beef. The Lee Myung-bak administration was hit hard in its early months in office by weeks of fierce street protests and candlelight vigils against its decision to resume American beef imports despite fear of mad cow disease. It has since banned the imports of U.S. beef from cattle older than 30 months.

The South Korean president will also hold one-on-one talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Brazilian President Luiz Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the two-day G-20 session.

He is due to meet bilaterally with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tyyip Erdogan on Saturday.

lcd@yna.co.kr

Pope calls on G-20 nations to serve common global interests

2010-11-10T15:41:00.000-08:00

via Yonhap NA, Seoul, South Korea

10 November 2010

Pope Benedict XVI called on the Group of 20 nations to draw fair consensus that will serve the common interest of the international community and respect humanity.

In a letter to President Lee Myung-bak, the pope sent words of encouragement to the leaders of the world's 20 advanced and emerging market nations who will get together in Seoul on Thursday and Friday to work out a global financial roadmap.

"I therefore encourage you to take the numerous serious problems facing you ... bearing in mind the deeper reasons for the economic and financial crisis," the pope said in the letter released by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea.

"In doing so, it is my hope that there will be a keen awareness that the solutions adopted, as such, will work only if, in the final analysis, they are aimed at reaching the same goal: the authentic and integral development of man."

Accords of the Group of 20 should "not favor some countries at the expense of others," he stressed.

The summit's critical agenda includes establishing a guideline on limiting current account balances and the controversy on the recent U.S. move to print more money. Host South Korea hopes the summit will draw commitments to support developing nations, with its status changed to a donor of foreign aid from a recipient last year.

Korea's hosting of the summit "is a recognition of the significant level of economic development attained by your country," the pope said.

hkim@yna.co.kr

Korea takes center stage

2010-11-10T15:34:00.000-08:00

EDITORIAL from the Korea JoongAng Daily on Nov. 11

The G-20 Summit carries special meaning because it deals primarily with the post-crisis world economy. First of all, the summit faces new challenges that have just emerged from our new economic reality, such as conflicts over trade surpluses and deficits, exchange rate manipulation, fiscal austerity and intervention in sovereign currencies.

The rift has been exacerbated by the United States’ quantitative easing, guidelines on the current account balance and a global financial safety net. But there has been no period without trouble. Whether it achieves its goals or not, there is no doubt the G-20 Summit will continue to be a major force steering the global economy.

President Medvedev (Russian Federation) and
President Lee (South Korea) share a toast as the
G20 gets going (Credit: Yonhap).

The G-20 Summit carries a great significance for Korea. In 1907, when Korea was on the verge of collapse due to Japan’s imperialist ambitions, King Gojong sent three special emissaries, including diplomat Yi Jun, to The Hague to protest against Japan’s illegitimate attempt to annex Korea. With Korea already deprived of its diplomatic sovereignty, however, the three envoys were prohibited from entering the hall for an international peace conference, leading Yi Jun to commit suicide.

Three years later, Korea was annexed by Japan and disappeared from the world map. In 1945, it became an independent country thanks to the allied forces, but the country was divided after the 1950-53 Korean War.

The Republic of Korea, stricken with poverty, was alienated from the rest of the world and required assistance from developed countries.

All the best is being prepared
for the G20 (Credit: Yonhap)

But South Korea changed its fate starting in the 1970s. It achieved industrialization and democracy in the shortest period of time in the world. It hosted the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and the World Cup in 2002, and now is host of the G-20 Summit. That means that the world now accepts Korea’s current stature - after having witnessed its tremendous transition from the periphery to center stage.

But we cannot celebrate too much.

We should take this opportunity to reinvent ourselves once again.

The nation can still be split over ideological differences, as seen in the case of the Cheonan sinking, the National Assembly is not always on its best behavior when controversial issues come up, and reason and science do not work when it comes to the four-rivers restoration project. Yet we have also shown that we can come together, and we should aim to do so more often. As South Korea takes center stage, it is time for us to imagine what our next steps will be.

'Seoul Consensus’ to set milestone for world economy

2010-11-10T15:25:00.001-08:00

(EDITORIAL from the Korea Times on Nov. 11)

Despite protesters downplaying it, there can be no doubt the G20 Seoul Summit which opens at the Coex today is both significant and symbolic.

It is significant because the world has seen its postwar economic order no longer work as it used to, but is yet to agree on effective devices to supplement it, let alone find a new one. It is symbolic because Korea is the first non-G7 nation to host the summit of the 20 major economies at a time when part of global economic initiatives is shifting from rich to emerging countries.

A joint declaration might have already been drafted by working-group officials, or ``Sherpas,” but the leaders’ discussions will still be meaningful, as they show their governments’ different positions and the process by which they compromised to reach a conclusion.

What matters for the Korean government is how and for what the Seoul summit will be remembered. It would be little exaggeration in this regard to say the host has already attained a half success by demonstrating leadership in two of the summit’s four key agenda items ― reform of the IMF and a stricter regulatory regime for the financial sector.

All these early performances will of course lose their luster if the two-day conference is clouded by a free-for-all among presidents and prime ministers over readjusting their currency values and trade balances.

We hope the top leaders will know better than that. It’s time for America and China to meet each other half way instead of maintaining what’s good for the largest and second largest economies is good for the rest of the world.

Summit organizers seem to have long abandoned their initial goal of setting a numerical target to limit trade surpluses and deficits, as proposed and virtually withdrawn later by U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. It would still not be insignificant progress if the participants agree on an ``early warning mechanism” (EWM) as a midpoint to rebalancing the extreme disparity in the countries’ trade balances. Better still will be if they decide to work out an ``indicative guideline” within a certain time frame.

Excessive ambition on the part of the host government ― and other key promoters of the multilateral economic talking shop for that matter ― is neither desirable nor feasible. This is because what the world also direly needs for the moment is the ``rebalancing of development,” or industrialization. Global financial crises have occurred when the world’s economic leader lets its financial sector abnormally outweigh its manufacturing sector, or the real economy, as the U.S. ― the operator of the reserve currency ― has done over the past decade or two.

It is against this backdrop that the ``Korea initiative” for ensuring the co-prosperity of 170 non-G20 countries, carries special significance as the last of the four key agenda items at this summit. Seoul says it is ready to share its experiences of accomplishing industrialization in half a century with less developed global villagers. Although we doubt whether Korea can pose itself as a global economic model, even the country’s failure, including the 1997-98 currency crisis, could provide lessons of what hasty, unprepared opening of short-term capital markets could bring about.

We hope visiting leaders, especially those from rich advanced countries, will share this spirit of sharing with less privileged global partners, and contain it in a ``Seoul Consensus.” And much is up to President Lee Myung-bak and his administration to attain this objective through fair arbitrage and skillful persuasion.

Shared Growth Beyond Crisis is the Theme for G20 Seoul

2010-11-09T04:53:00.000-08:00

by Staff

9 November 2010

A view from inside the venue of the summit meetings

Members of the G20 began arriving today in Seoul, South Korea. The whole city of Seoul is buzzing with activity, especially around the event venues. "Summit fever" has gripped the entire nation as Koreans prepare to show the world how far it has come since the devastation of the Korean War over sixty years ago. Yet, the spectre of that war, which officially has never ended, remains. North and South Korea remain separated, often with tense relations that make re-unification seem like a distant dream. The dream of a cooperation on the Korean peninsula provides a microcosmic representation of the dream of global cooperation. The theme of "shared growth beyond crisis" gives hope to a new era of global cooperation and underscores all the meetings set for the summit agenda.

The event venue is buzzing with activity
as staff, media, and security prepare for
the arrival of the G20 members

World leaders intend to commence a new era of global economic cooperation. Top on the agenda is strengthening the framework for strong, sustainable, and balanced economic growth. There is a strong sense of commitment to pull the world out of the global financial crisis and also to address more broad and persistent issues made worse by the crisis, such as poverty and hunger. Many Christian leaders hope that the new tone of operations in the global economy will be one of ethics, morality, and respect for human life.

Archdiocese of the Southwest Begins Participation in the G20 Seoul Summit

2010-11-08T03:47:00.000-08:00

by Staff
8 November 2010

The participation of the Archdiocese of the Southwest in the G20 kicked off today with a reception showcasing new IT products, many of which can be very useful to churches. There is also a new medical diagnostic machine that might be useful for medical missionaries. While the Church does not give product endorsements, the ACNS wants to let church leaders, dioceses, parishes, and associations know of what is available. Articles on these products, video, and photos will be available right here on the Anglo-Catholic News Service soon.

New User Group established for the Daily Offices

2010-11-07T16:45:00.000-08:00

by Staff

8 November 2010

Responding to interest and requests, a user group for the daily offices has been established by the Archdiocese of the Southwest.

(View the forum and sign up here.)

The forum was established first in response to a desire for such a forum for the Anglo-Catholic Breviary. However, the forum is open to discussion on all forms of daily offices and daily prayer, including the Anglican Breviary, 1928 Book of Common Prayer, and more. It is hoped that the forum will help united those who currently pray the daily offices, as well as to help others discover the beauty and rewards of the offices. If you're experienced, come and help others. If you are new to the offices, come and learn from those with experience. This is the traditional way. We are all not alone.

See the forum and sign up now! http://anglocatholicbreviary.lefora.com/

Agenda for the G20 Seoul Summit

2010-11-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

by Staff

8 November 2010

The stunning natural beauty of South Korea provides an excellent backdrop for the G20 summit meeting taking place on the 11th and 12th. The key items on the agenda this year have one thing in common, and it is economic recovery for both the present and long-run.

Also on the agenda is the issue of the IMF giving better more fair support to developing countries, many of whom consider their interests to be under-represented in the global community. There is a plan to create a 5% shift in quota from over-represented countries to under-represented countries, specifically those that are dynamic and emerging economies. For such economies, financial safety nets are said to need strengthening. Alleviating poverty and hunger are also considered important to the G20 and are in line with the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals.

The Seoul Summit, according to Il Sa-kong, Chairman of the Presidential Committee for the G20 Summit, will be the "...litmus test for the G20's future as the premier forum for international economic cooperation."

Suggestions on Immigration issued by Benedict XVI

2010-11-07T15:59:00.000-08:00

by Staff

7 November 2010

Pope Benedict recently spoke on issues of immigration, migrants, and refugees at the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. His words emphasized the commonality of humans and that human are united in Christ. The Holy Father also spoke of the spiritual benefits of helping refugees and being kind to immigrants. Yet, he also stressed the need for legitimate concern about security and social cohesion. Also was discussed was the importance of the role exchange students play in building cultural bridges between nations.

In America, the nation with the highest percentage of immigrants in the world, this situation is particularly important and has in many ways reached a political boiling point.

Read excerpts from Benedict XVI's address below. The complete text may be found here.

___________________________

“As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (Jn 13:34), is the invitation that the Lord forcefully addresses to us and renews us constantly: if the Father calls us to be beloved children in his dearly beloved Son, he also calls us to recognize each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.

This profound link between all human beings is the origin of the theme that I have chosen for our reflection this year: “One human family,” one family of brothers and sisters in societies that are becoming ever more multiethnic and intercultural, where also people of various religions are urged to take part in dialogue, so that a serene and fruitful coexistence with respect for legitimate differences may be found.

Thus, “We do not live alongside one another purely by chance; all of us are progressing along a common path as men and women, and thus as brothers and sisters.”

The road is the same, that of life, but the situations that we pass through on this route are different: Many people have to face the difficult experience of migration in its various forms: internal or international, permanent or sea-sonal, economic or political, voluntary or forced. In various cases the departure from their country is motivated by different forms of persecution, so that escape becomes necessary. Moreover, the phenomenon of globalization itself, characteristic of our epoch, is not only a social and economic process, but also entails “humanity itself [that] is becoming increasingly interconnected,” crossing geographical and cultural boundaries. In this regard, the Church does not cease to recall that the deep sense of this epochal process and its fundamental ethical criterion are given by the unity of the human family and its development towards what is good. All, therefore, belong to one family, migrants and the local populations that welcome them, and all have the same right to enjoy the goods of the earth whose destination is universal, as the social doctrine of the Church teaches. It is here that solidarity and sharing are founded.

“In an increasingly globalized society, the common good and the effort to obtain it cannot fail to assume the dimensions of the whole human family, that is to say, the community of peoples and nations, in such a way as to shape the earthly city in unity and peace, rendering it to some degree an anticipation and a prefiguration of the undivided city of God” (Caritas in Veritate, No. 7). This is also the perspective with which to look at the reality of migration. In fact, as the Servant of God Paul VI formerly noted, “the weakening of brotherly ties between individuals and nations” is a profound cause of underdevelopment and — we may add — has a major impact on the migration phenomenon. Human brotherhood is the experience, at times surprising, of a relationship that unites, of a profound bond with the other, different from me, based on the simple fact of being human beings. Assumed and lived responsibly, it fosters a life of communion and sharing with all and in particular with migrants; it supports the gift of self to others, for their good, for the good of all, in the local, national and world political communities.

Venerable John Paul II emphasized that “[the universal common good] includes the whole family of peoples, beyond every nationalistic egoism. The right to emigrate must be considered in this context. The Church recognizes this right in every human person, in its dual aspect of the possibility to leave one’s country and the possibility to enter another country to look for better conditions of life.” At the same time, states have the right to regulate migration flows and to defend their own frontiers, always guaranteeing the respect due to the dignity of each and every human person. Immigrants, moreover, have the duty to integrate into the host country, respecting its laws and its national identity. “The challenge is to combine the welcome due to every human being, especially when in need, with a reckoning of what is necessary for both the local inhabitants and the new arrivals to live a dignified and peaceful life.”

In this context, the presence of the Church, as the People of God journeying through history among all the other peoples, is a source of trust and hope. Indeed the Church is “in Christ like a sacrament or as a sign and instrument both of a very closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race”; and through the action within her of the Holy Spirit, “the effort to establish a universal brotherhood is not a hopeless one.” It is the holy Eucharist in particular that constitutes, in the heart of the Church, an inexhaustible source of communion for the whole of humanity.

The situation of refugees and of the other forced migrants, who are an important part of the migration phenomenon, should be specifically considered in the light of the theme “One human family.” For these people who flee from violence and persecution the international community has taken on precise commitments. Respect of their rights, as well as the legitimate concern for security and social coherence, foster a stable and harmonious coexistence.

Also in the case of those who are forced to migrate, solidarity is nourished by the “reserve” of love that is born from considering ourselves a single human family and, for the Catholic faithful, members of the Mystical Body of Christ: in fact we find ourselves depending on each other, all responsible for our brothers and sisters in humanity and, for those who believe, in the faith. As I have already had the opportunity to say, “Welcoming refugees and giving them hospitality is for everyone an imperative gesture of human solidarity, so that they may not feel isolated because of intolerance and disinterest.”This means that those who are forced to leave their homes or their country will be helped to find a place where they may live in peace and safety, where they may work and take on the rights and duties that exist in the country that welcomes them, contributing to the common good and without forgetting the religious dimension of life.

Dear brothers and sisters, the world of migrants is vast and diversified. It knows wonderful and promising experiences, as well as, unfortunately, so many others that are tragic and unworthy of the human being and of societies that claim to be civil. For the Church this reality constitutes an eloquent sign of our times which further highlights humanity’s vocation to form one family, and, at the same time, the difficulties which, instead of uniting it, divide it and tear it apart. Let us not lose hope and let us together pray God, the Father of all, to help us — each in the first person — to be men and women capable of brotherly relationships and, at the social, political and institutional levels, so that understanding and reciprocal esteem among peoples and cultures may increase.

More Parishes in the CofE Tired of Women Priests

2010-11-04T15:44:00.000-07:00

by Tim Ross, Religious Affairs Editor

telegraph.co.uk
Published: 7:35PM BST 28 Oct 2010

For the first time, the Church published figures showing which parishes have formally rejected women priests. The details come as some traditionalists prepare to quit the Anglican family to take up the Pope’s offer of converting to Roman Catholicism in protest at Church moves to ordain women bishops in England for the first time.

About 1,000 out of 13,000 CofE parishes have formally registered their objection to women priests working in their own churches. And some 363 parishes - 23 per cent more than 10 years ago - are now so unhappy at the Church reforms that they are refusing to remain under the pastoral care of their local bishops who have ordained women as priests.

Instead, these parishes have applied to come under the pastoral care of the group of traditionalists who refuse to ordain women, known as the "flying bishops". They travel beyond their immediate areas offering ministry to traditionalist parishes. The increase could be the result of a new generation of more liberal bishops who support women’s ordination taking over as more traditionalists retire.

The number of parishes objecting to women priests in their own churches has fallen slightly, in part as a result of a decline in the number of parishes overall, with amalgamations during the past decade. Some parishes will have voted again on the issue and decided to adopt a more liberal position. The number of women clergy in the Church of England increased by 53 to 1,649 between 2008 and 2009, while the number of men fell, from 6,750 to 6,579.

The Church also released figures for income, which showed that despite the credit crunch, parishioners’ tax-efficient donations continued to increase in 2008.

The total income of parishes exceeded £900 million for the first time at £925 million. Dr John Preston, the Church’s National Stewardship and Resources Officer, said: “Whilst recent figures for giving to the wider charity sector have shown a dip, giving to parishes in 2008 saw a further increase to record levels, a sign of the high level of commitment that so many have to supporting the mission and ministry of their local parish church.”

A Message from Catholic Vote

2010-11-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

by Fr. Deffenbaugh

According to the following letter sent to supporters, the political group Catholic Vote was most successful in this recent election.

___________________________

Dear CatholicVote Supporter,The votes are in.

And the Catholic vote was decisive.

Republicans took control of the house in a massive sweep, while the Senate remains in the hands of the Democrats by a slim margin.

Early indications suggest the GOP won 53% of the Catholic vote with Democrats garnering 45% of Catholics, according to a CNN exit poll. After losing the Catholic vote by 10 points in 2008, this eight point advantage represents an 18-point shift in support to the Republican Party.

CatholicVote.org Candidates

Catholic Republicans like Bobby Schilling in Illinois-17, Sean Duffy in Wisconsin-7, and Dan Benishek in Michigan-1 all won seats held previously by Catholic Democrats who supported the health care bill. All three of these winning candidates happen to be proud pro-life Catholics, and were endorsed by CatholicVote!

In South Carolina, CatholicVote-endorsed Mick Mulvaney shocked the political world by ousting Nancy Pelosi’s Budget Chairman John Spratt, who has been in office since 1983.

In Virginia, the founder of the liberal Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good (a group that publicly justified Catholic support for pro-abortion candidates) lost his seat to pro-life challenger Robert Hurt. CatholicVote.org backed Hurt with a radio blitz during the final week of the campaign.

We also backed Republican Jeff Fortenberry in Nebraska and pro-life Democrat Dan Lipinski in Illinois – both of whom were re-elected. Lipinski was one of the only members of the Stupak coalition that refused to compromise. He voted against Obamacare.

CatholicVote-endorsed candidate Frank Guinta unseated Rep. Carol Shea-Porter in New Hampshire. Shea-Porter claimed a Catholic faith, yet supported abortion and so-called same-sex “marriages.”

In northern Virginia, CatholicVote endorsed Keith Fimian still trails Rep. Gerry Connolly by a mere 820 votes. Some absentee ballots are apparently still to be counted and a recount appears likely. Please pray for Keith. Our candidate in NY-22, George Phillips, did better than anyone expected, but came up short to Rep. Maurice Hinchey.

And in the marquee Senate race in Nevada, Harry Reid defeated CatholicVote-backed Sharron Angle in a disappointing loss.

Putting it in perspective

This means our 2010 Midterm Election campaign racked up 8 wins, 2 losses and one race not yet decided. But we also helped lead the charge in educating, and mobilizing the most important voting bloc in America – the Catholic vote!

Together we are building a movement, and today you should feel proud.

Victories at the ballot box are a start, and the new Republican Party needs to know we expect them to deliver.

Economic issues may have been the biggest story of this election, but let’s not forget what we said last May. Votes have consequences, and virtually every so- called “pro-life” legislator that voted for Obamacare went down to defeat last night.

Those legislators that stood firm on principle, defended life, and opposed the stifling impact of a runaway federal government were rewarded.

We are grateful beyond measure for your help.

Whatever good we may have accomplished, may God be praised!

Brian Burch
President
CatholicVote.org

Church Leaders THANK Obama for his leadership?

2010-11-02T21:02:00.001-07:00

by Staff

Members of the National Council of Churches met with Obama on All Saints' Day to thank him for his leadership and passage of the health care bill. No Roman Catholic or Anglican representatives were present, other than Katharine Shori, Presiding Bishopess of the Episcopal Church of the USA. The delegation also pressed him to work more for families facing hunger and poverty. What is most unusual about this meeting is that health care was praised as an accomplishment, despite it vast number of problems from a Christian moral standpoint.

According to Church doctrine, the provisions of "Obamacare" that appear to provide for the funding of abortions, require death counseling, provides for care to illegal aliens and other government mandates are contrary to the notion of individual liberty and freedom of conscience, as well as right to life, and therefore contrary to Christian morality. And then there is the potential for massive and excessive taxation to fund the program, the details of which are still not even clear.

"That leaders of "mainline" denominations would travel to Washignton D.C. and meet with Obama in person to praise his actions of inflicting this travesty on us is extremely disturbing to me. I think it says a lot about their character. It also is very telling who did not attend this meeting. I don't think any Anglo-Catholic or Roman Catholic leaders went, and I certainly can't see them praising him on these issues," Father X, an Anglo-Catholic priest said, speaking anonymously.

The delegation included Bishop Johncy Itty of Church World Service, Bishop Mark Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Bishop John R. Bryant of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, Rev. Sharon Watkins of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt, Jr. of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Mr. Stanley J. Noffsinger of the Church of the Brethren, Archbishop Khajag S. Barsamian of the Armenian Church of America, Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of The Episcopal Church, Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Church of America, Rev. Gradye Parsons of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Rev. Dr. Betsy Miller of the Moravian Church, Thomas Swain of the Religious Society of Friends, Rev. Wesley S. Granberg-Michaelson of the Reformed Church in America, Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader of the United Methodist Church, Metropolitan Jonah of the Orthodox Church in America, Rev. Geoffrey Black of the United Church of Christ, and Dr. Walter L. Parrish III of the Progressive National Baptist Convention.

Obama Administration Threatens Independence of Catholic Colleges

2010-11-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

via the Cardinal Newman Society

November 2, 2010

Manassas, Va. -- In its latest threat to the religious liberty and independence of Catholic colleges and universities, the Obama administration has issued new regulations that open the door to possible state intrusion into curriculum, student policies and hiring decisions.

The regulations issued Friday effectively force many states to increase oversight of postsecondary education through state chartering or licensing, which is a necessary condition for colleges to participate in federal student aid programs.

Most Catholic colleges accept low-cost federal student loans and grants. If forced to forego federal aid, these colleges would be at a disadvantage in recruiting students.

"The door is opened for state politicians and bureaucrats who would impose their social agendas on private and religious colleges," warned Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society.

"Already the Obama administration has seized direct ownership of student loans, and now a college's eligibility for student loans is subject to the political whims of its state legislators and regulators. Many states have demonstrated callous disregard for the religious identity of Catholic colleges, from mandating contraceptive coverage in student and employee health plans to requiring employee benefits for same-sex couples."

Although the Higher Education Act has long required state authorization for a college to participate in federal aid programs, many states do not aggressively monitor colleges and their consent was assumed unless otherwise reported to the U.S. Education Department. The new regulations require state approval of colleges "by name" and a state process "to review and appropriately act on" complaints about any approved institution.

When issuing the regulations Friday, the Education Department acknowledged that it had received complaints from college leaders that "a State's role may extend into defining, for example, curriculum, teaching methods, subject matter content, faculty qualifications, and learning outcomes." Others feared that states might "impose homogeneity upon institutions that would compromise their unique missions."

In response, federal officials agreed that the new regulations do "not limit a State's oversight of institutions."

Last year, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled that Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic institution in North Carolina, must cover birth control in its employee health insurance plan despite the college's religious objections. An appeal to the EEOC is under review.

Catholic colleges and students may also not be protected from similar mandates for abortion and contraceptive insurance coverage under the recently enacted Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—i.e., President Obama's health care overhaul.

After the EEOC ruling against Belmont Abbey College, The Cardinal Newman Society launched its project to defend the religious liberty of Catholic colleges through its division, The Center for the Advancement of Catholic Higher Education. The Center published three papers—from experts in law, health insurance and ethics—to help Catholic colleges defend against government mandates for employee health benefits that violate Catholic morality.

Later this month, the Center will release a new legal analysis prepared by a prominent legal interest organization on steps Catholic colleges must take to defend themselves against increasing threats to their Catholic identity.

The press release is also available online here.

Church in Baghdad under Attack

2010-11-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

by Staff

A Roman Catholic church in Baghdad was attacked on Sunday evening just as services were beginning in a likely terrorist attack. Al Qaeda is suspected, and eight gunmen were arrested.

Some of the attackers committed suicide through detonating explosives that they were wearing. The "Islamic State of Iraq" claimed responsibility for the attack by posting the information on a radical islamist website.

For more information, see the story on CNN by following this link.

ACNS to be at the G20 Summit

2010-11-01T22:55:00.000-07:00

by Staff

Representatives of the Anglo-Catholic News Service will be at the G20 economic summit in Seoul next week. The summit gathers economics leaders from twenty nations to discuss global financial matters. Christian leaders hope that the summit will be guided by principles of the faith. ACNS will be present to report on how the summit impacts the Christian world.

Check back next week for reports from the summit and from special events surrounding the summit.

Financial Trouble at the Cathedral of Saint Philip?

2010-11-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

by Staff

The Cathedral of Saint Philip, cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, is showing a deficit of a whopping $600,000 as of All Saints' Day. Situated in the beautiful Buckhead Community of Atlanta, this is the church of which it was said "If you can't join the Piedmont Driving Club, just join Saint Phil on the Hill." The Piedmont Driving Club, by the way, is considered by many to be the most prestigious (and probably most expensive) social club in Atlanta. St. Philip's is as much social club as church, if not more so. And now they have lost some of their more generous donors. This comes only a few years after their massive construction and face-lift project, renovating the interior of the cathedral and building a new wing.

The Cathedral of St. Philip is home to the Very Rev. Samuel G. Candler, Dean of the Cathedral and outspoken proponent of homosexual ordinations and unions within the Episcopal Church. Despite the financial woes of the cathedral, he resides in a house in the ritzy neighborhood of West Andrews Drive for which he paid almost $1.4 million in 2003. In 2006 the property strangely transferred to Barbara Candler with a sale price listed of $0. There is a Deanery on the cathedral property, but the clergyman who is reported to be a Coca-Cola heir by those who know him decided to live elsewhere.

Perhaps the economic crisis is taking its toll on the Episcopal Church's great bastions of wealth such as the Cathedral of St. Philip.

Anglican Catholics and the pro-life movement

2010-11-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

by Staff

Deborah Gyapong, Canadian journalist for religious newspapers, spoke at the International Pro-Life Movement this past weekend as part of the media panel. Her presentation centered on how to get good coverage for the pro-life movement and get away from some of the negative stereotypes currently being experienced. Read the complete story at the link below.

Anglican Catholics and the pro-life movement

SPECIAL REPORT: Pope Benedict and the Crisis over Sexual Abuse

2010-11-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

by Staff

As recent news events have shown, the sexual abuse crisis is not unique to the Roman Catholic Church. Yet, this has not lightened the fury of attacks against Pope Benedict and the Vatican. A recent report on CNN entitled "What the Pope Knew" was filled with stories of sexual abuse in the church which were then alleged to be linked to Pope Benedict. This agenda-driven, one-sided, and generally biased program appears linked to the agenda of Jeffrey Anderson, the lawyer who wishes to lay the groundwork for a legal case against the Vatican.

What is most shocking is CNN's lack of interest in making a real contribution to solving abuse issues. Instead they seem more interested in ratings gained by attacking the church. This seems to be the agenda of the mass media these days in general. Instead of presenting the facts in a fair and unbiased manner, they add spin to promote agendas. In doing so, though, they miss many opportunities to make a truly positive impact on the world.

Read more here on Our Sunday Visitor.

Bro. Harris Rowzie, OP Ordained to the Priesthood

2010-11-01T07:41:00.000-07:00

by Staff

Bro. Harris Rowzie, OP, was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood on the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodius after successfully completing his formation. The ordination mass was held at the St. Mark's Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and was officiated by the Most Rev. Rutherford Johnson.

Father Rowzie is a member in life vows of the Anglican Order of Preachers, better known as the Dominicans. This order has a long and distinguished history of passion for our Lord and spreading the Gospel. There is no doubt that, as priest, Fr. Rowzie will continue in this mission. He has founded St. Dominic's parish.

Fr. Rowzie is a professional counsellor in Louisiana, as well as a Vietnam veteran, in which he served as a US Army officer.

The imposition of the diaconal stole

Father Harris gives his first blessing
to Bro. Ken Murphy, OP

Prayers after the imposition of the chasuble

Elevation of the chalice during the mass

Ancestor of Priest Helps to Liberate Concentration Camp in World War II

2010-11-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

by Staff

THE WARNING OF THE NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMPS IS CLEAR:
Christians around the world must uphold the faith and oppose all that is against the freedom of mankind.
- Abp. Johnson

John Loyd, the grandfather of one of the priests of the Archdiocese of the Southwest, served in the Army of the United States in World War II. He served in the European theatre. One of his greatest and most significant acts of service, though, benefited humanity as a whole. He was involved in the liberation of a Nazi Concentration Camp.

Brief History of the CampsThe Dachau camp was the first regular camp of its type established by the Nazis, and it housed not only Jews, but political prisoners opposed to Hitler's government (sources generally state that two-thirds were political prisoners, and one-third were Jews). Its format provided the blueprint for later camps. Auschwitz and other notorious camps were part of the regime's actions against decent human behavior.

Some Dachau Statistics as an ExampleAccording to That Was Dachau 1933 - 1945, by Stanislav Zámecník, more than 25,000 prisoners were believed to have died in the camp. A particularly important point to note for Christians is that the camp had a special "Priest Block" for the clergy. At least three thousand priests were held there, and more than a third did not survive. The camp stands as a bleak symbol of religious persecution.

John Loyd, discharged in 1945, was part of the liberating force of humanity in the 20th century. The men who freed the death camps did a service to the people of the world and to freedom. John Loyd's great grandson inherited this legacy. The defense of freedom of all mankind is a key mission of the Archdiocese. All the Christian faithful are called to this mission.

Why the Young People are not going to Church

2010-11-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

by Fr. Harris Rowzie

I'd submit to you the following. Back in 1952, my Dad took a job as a Driver's License Examiner for the exorbitant salary of $200.00/mo. He paid 4% income tax to the feds and 1/2% to the state. Sales tax was 1%, property tax was exempt because of homestead exemption. So, out of the $200.00 he paid maybe $25.00.

Today, with taxes and fees the young are paying somewhere in the vicinity of 40 to 50% of their salary and that forces the wife into the work force. They work 40-60 hours a week each, rush home and eat fast food or prepared food, both of which are expensive and unhealthy, watch tv, sleep, continue the march the next day. At the end of the week they are exhausted, but Saturday is taken up with kid's soccer, baseball, tee ball, biddy basketball, football, fooseball, racquetball, or hide the ball. That takes Saturday out of the equation. Therefore, Sunday, especially Sunday morning is left to shop for groceries which is usually done at Wal Mart. What's left out? Church! By Sunday afternoon they are again exhausted physically and emotionally. But what they really are lacking which should boost their spirit is an uplift of praying to something bigger than they, which is a mystery, and something that they would take comfort in. The problem is that they are like hamsters on a wheel, running to nowhere.

We are overtaxed, not just from a Conservative/Liberal stance, but from a spiritual stance. There's too much pulling these kids away from a spiritual life, which drains them, and then sadly, they have no where to go, no one to turn to, and they end up turning on each other, and the divorce proceedings begin. There's no place for them to fill up the spiritual well. They are chasing the material things, which provide really not solace to them. But, they can't get off the treadmill.
That's it in a nutshell.

Pope Benedict XVI Makes Historic Visit to the United Kingdom

2010-11-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

by Staff

19 September 2010

Pope Benedict XVI & Archbishop Williams

Pope Benedict XVI made an historic visit the to United Kingdom this weekend, visiting with Archbishop Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, and his wife at Lambeth Palace, addressing Parliament, and visiting with Queen Elizabeth II. The trip was in part to support relations between the Roman and Anglican Rites, as well as to beatify the great English theologian, Cardinal Newman. Newman was, if not the first, then the most famous of modern Anglo-Catholics. He serves as an inspiration to both Anglicans and Roman Catholics, and his beatification should increase that inspiration.
Writing in Church Forum., Newman and Escriva., Fr. Arroyo Martinez, PhD., University of the Holy Cross, Rome., edited from the larger work Rt.Rev. Keith P. Steinhurst, highlights Fr. Martinez's illustration of 'constant formation' and 'freedom of conscience' while living in the 'example of the first Christians' wherein the teachings of H.Em. Cardinal Newman and St. Josemaria resonate.

Blessed Cardinal Newman

Tracing a link between St .Josemaria Escriva and Cardinal John Henry Newman might seem forced, the comparison between these two monumental figures in the life of the Church, one in the nineteenth century and the other in the twentieth, could appear slender. Still, their social, cultural and historical backgrounds and contexts while different, +Newman being an Anglican convert to Catholicism, an essayist, and apologist while +Escriva a Spaniard and founder of an institution within the Church, nonetheless, they exhibit a spiritual harmony that parallels their pastoral interests. Both +Newman and +Escriva described the role of the laity within the Church and both suffered for preaching this role, that the Church, as recipient of the deposit of divine revelation, cannot do without the lay faithful, as without them, she would lose a valuable source of faith, the result being a diminution of the genuine nature of the Church, reducing her solely to the ordained ministers and the hierarchy.

St Josemaria +Escriva long maintained that the laity are called to the fullness of Christian life and to sanctity through work. He insisted that lay people are not second-class Christians, but have a specific divine call of their own inclusive of the vocation to marriage, and as such a specific way of following and doing Gods will in the Church and throughout the world. What +Newman would term the sense of faith, +Escriva called, perhaps colloquially, the Catholic nose of the People of God.
(1) Constant formation: Both +Newman and +Escriva saw clearly that the simple fact of being laity in the Church does not make people into spokesmen of the Holy Spirit. They need deep Christian study and formation and an ongoing effort to live in accordance with their faith. +Newman dedicated his intellectual and pastoral efforts to this aim stating famously that "I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men [and women] who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold and what they do not, who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it. I want an intelligent, well-instructed laity. I wish [them] to enlarge [their] knowledge, to cultivate [their] reason, to get an insight into the relation of truth to truth, to learn to view things as they are, to understand how faith and reason stand to each other, what are the bases and principles of Catholicism" (Sermon 9, Duties of Catholics towards the Protestant View, 1851)." +Escriva sought to remind everyone of the universal call to holiness, and make it accessible. The Work he founded not only tries to remind people that they should be saints in their ordinary lives, but to show them how, offering the help they need in order to achieve it. He himself defined the Opus Dei as an immense work of catechesis, because it offers specific formation, especially shaped to enable people to develop what he termed unity of life living in accord with their faith at each moment of the day.

(2) Example of the first Christians: Both +Newman and +Escriva knew that what they were proposing was really nothing new it is as old and as novel as the Gospel, said +Escriva. Both took the lives of the early Christians as their source of inspiration, since, as +Newman said, Christians need to look to them to recover the fullness of the faith. Both stressed the need to achieve a deep unity between faith and reason, on the basis of scientific study in the fields of both sacred and profane learning. Thus, for example, +Escriva required all Opus Dei priests to be experts in some field of academic study all of them have University degrees, and many of them have doctorates. At the same time, he wanted Opus Dei lay-people to study theology and related subjects, to doctorate level when appropriate. +Newman said, "I want the intellectual layman to be religious, and the devout ecclesiastic to be intellectual (Sermon 1, Intellect the Instrument of Religious Training, preached in the University Church, Dublin, feast of St. Monica, Sunday after Ascension, 1856)."
(3) Freedom of consciences: Both +Newman and +Escriva had a deep love for the truth, and refused to elevate conscience to an autonomous principle of morality. While both insisted on the need to form ones conscience, in moral and doctrinal questions, under the guidance of the Churchs Magisterium, both also proclaimed what we could term a freedom of consciences in temporal matters. +Escriva preached tirelessly about the laitys freedom and autonomy in political and social questions, explaining that there should be no ecclesiastical interference or pressure on them in such matters. The laity should, however, strive to be consistent with their faith and faithful to their consciences. They should never allow themselves, he maintained, to separate any of their actions from the dictates of their consciences, but should shoulder full moral responsibility for all that they do. +Newman, in turn, spoke and wrote in depth about the value of conscience as the place of our encounter with God, the deepest truth of mans being, and what drives all moral action.

Though many more aspects of the parallel in teaching of both men could be highlighted, such as the need to combine devotion and doctrine; the need for theologians to do their work prudently and responsibly, in full union with the Church; and a deep understanding of the Church as Mystery and sacrament, which, together with a human element, leads to communion with the divine; The three precepts described above justify the harmony of Catholic thought exhibited between His Eminence John Henry +Cardinal Newman and Saint Josemaria +Escriva.

Meeting between Religious Leaders on Ethics and Morality in the Asian Economy

2010-11-01T05:33:00.000-07:00

by Staff

March 2010

Archbishop Johnson recently met with Bishop You, of the Roman Communion, on matters of faith and morality and their relationship to the modern Asian economy, who was to meet the following day with the Korean Prime Minister to discuss the same topic. The conclusion of the lengthy meeting was that the modern marketplace must be built on a foundation of faith-based ethical behavior. Without this foundation, the economy is likely to suffer from problems such as the current economic crisis. Both bishops noticed a marked decline in the overall morality of society and agreed that work to improve this situation must continue.

New Presentation of Religious Award to Boy Scout

2010-11-01T05:31:00.000-07:00

by Staff

January 2010

A Boy Scout receives the Imperial Distinguished
Scout award while a member of the Regional committee looks on.

A Boy Scout received the Imperial Distinguished Scout of the Holy Roman Empire award during his troop meeting in late January while other recipients of the award were present. The recipient qualified for the Catholic religious emblem in Scouting, and then completed the additional requirements for the Holy Roman Empire award. The award is managed in part by the Archdiocese of the Southwest as part of its outreach ministry.

Archdiocese Represented at International Education Conference

2010-11-01T05:30:00.000-07:00

by Staff

January 2010

The Metropolitan with former
South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hyun-Jae

Several members of the Archdiocese were present at an international educational conference dealing with higher education issues and opportunities between China and Korea. In attendance at this conference were leaders of the top universities of both nations, and well as government leaders, including a former Korean Prime Minister and the current Chinese Ambassador. Through education, international differences can be resolved, barriers can be broken, and the elusive dream of peace can come one step closer to being reality. This conference, at which the Archdiocese was privileged to be represented as part of its own efforts for peace and freedom around the world, is an important part of that effort.

Economics Policy Paper Presented at American Economics Association

2010-11-01T05:28:00.000-07:00

by Staff

January 2010

The current period of economic crisis has left many seeking answers to difficult questions. Christian economists turn to faith to explain what is happening and to find a possible solution. Archbishop Johnson presented a paper entitled "A Theological and Mathematical Model of the Loss of Religious Values Following "Excessive Affluence" and Its Potential Contribution to an Economic Crisis" at a session during the 2010 national meeting of the American Economics Association and ASSA. (Click here to read a pdf of the paper.) As part of the ADSW's continuing mission to aid the people of the world, this paper was written to provide insight into the current situation and suggest implications for economic policy. The key point of the paper is that theology teaches us that what is generally considered sound economic policy might, in a period of spiritual and moral decline, simply fuel the problem and lead to an economic crisis or make an existing crisis worse.

During the Conference, Archbishop Johnson led one of the Daily Offices at the Cathedral of Saint Philip

Religious Emblems Presented to Boy Scouts

2010-11-01T05:26:00.000-07:00

by Staff

January 2010

Two Boy Scouts and one adult Scout leader were presented with the Imperial Distinguished Scout of the Holy Roman Empire award. This is a religious award that Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, both in the USA and around the world, can earn. Adult leaders may also qualify. The award is given not just to Anglo-Catholics, but to those of all Christian faiths. The applicant must qualify for the religious emblem given by their denomination first. Further requirements involve community or church service, academic excellence, scouting leadership, and historical research. Recipients should show how the history of the faith can be applied and made relevant today.

Members of the Metropolitan See remain active with Boy Scouts. This is an important ministry of the Church. The Boy Scouts, for more than a century, have helped boys grow into men and become productive members of society. Many have pointed to Boy Scouts as the most influential organization in their lives; an organization that helped them to be successful.

More importantly, Boy Scouts helps to preserve our Christian heritage. In an age of our faith being under attack on many fronts, Boy Scouts stands firm. The Imperial Distinguished Scout award exists to recognize not just the individuals who remain firm in their faith and exhibit Christian service to others, but also the organization that they are a part of.

For more information on youth or adults earning this award, please contact the Metropolitan Curia at metropolitan@southwestdiocese.org.

Sacrament of Confirmation Given in Texas

2010-11-01T05:24:00.001-07:00

by Staff

The Sacraments of Confirmation and First Communion were given to youth at the Oratory of Saint Thomas a Becket in Texas recently. The Apostolic Prefect presided over the ceremony. This is the fourth confirmation rite in the past year, representing the Metropolitan See's continued committment to growth and the spiritual developement of the faithful under the care of the Traditional Old Anglo-Catholic Church. We pray that all new confirmands will grow in their catholic faith throughout the course of their lives.

Archdiocese Participates in the Ringing of the Bell of Peace at the Demilitarized Zone in Korea

2010-11-01T05:23:00.000-07:00

by Staff

June 2009

In June 2009, members of the Archdiocese rang the Bell of Peace at the Demilitarized Zone (South Korean side) at its hourly ringing. The bell is rung during main daytime hours, seven times every hour on the hour. The bell stands as a symbol for peace in the Korean peninsula, in Asia, and in the world.

Members of the Archdiocese ring the peace bell in the DMZ

The Peace Bell

Freedom Bridge in the DMZ, where prisoner
exchanges were made

Presentation on Faith and Economics at the 2009 Trans-Sea and East Asia Finance and Economics Conference - Suzhou University, Suzhou, China

2010-11-01T05:20:00.000-07:00

by Staff

May 2009

Archbishop Johnson was invited to present a paper on his work dealing with the interrelation between religion and economics at the Trans-Sea and East Asia Finance and Economics Conference in Suzhou, China. The conference was hosted by and held at Suzhou University. The modern flavor, global feel, and economic well-being of Suzhou made the location ideal for this conference, the primary topic of which was the current global economic crisis. Many scholars from China, Taiwan, and Korea attended to discuss their views and present their research that might give insight into the economic crisis and how to solve the problem. Dr. Johnson was the only representative of the United States (or any western country).

+Johnson's presentation, which was of research still underway, began with a treatment of the potential psychological effects that religion and turning away from religion might have on consumer behavior. Included in this was the approximate doubling of wealth in the United States in the past 50 years, but also a marked decline in church attendance. The presentation further included Christian theology dealing with wealth and its potential to do both good and evil.

It was suggested that there is a theoretical amount of wealth inherent to each individual past which that individual will behave financially and socially irresponsibly. For any given individual, this amount might be so high, that it can effectively never be reached. If a sufficiently large portion of a population reaches this level inherent to them and goes from responsible to irresponsible, it is possible that this can contribute to economic problems on a wide-reaching scale.

Pilgrimage to Rome

2010-11-01T05:11:00.000-07:00

by Staff

5-13 November 2008

A Pilgrimage to Rome to pay homage to the seat of Christendom and work on continued Anglo-Roman unity was led by the Bishop of the Southwest. The delegation consisted of the bishop and three others. Meetings were held on a variety of topics with various church and Italian officials, ranged from a variety of topics from Church doctrine to sacred archaeology, and were most productive.

At the office of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre

Meetings included an audience with H.Em. Cardinal Rylko, a visit with a prelate to discuss Christian archaeological history at the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology on behalf of H.E. Archbishop Ravasi, who was occupied with a meeting for Christian-Muslim peace, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, an historical discussion over coffee at the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, and more. Part of the delegation was also able to spend time in prayer with the deceased Holy Fathers buried beneath St. Peter's Basilica.

Bishop Johnson discusses church history with a
lay Vatican official in the Basilica of St. Peter

Bishop Johnson also traveled to Florence to attend a mass in celebration of the anniversary of the dedication of the famed Duomo di Firenze. The Cathedral boasts the Brunelleschi dome and was built and decorated by some of the greatest artists of the early Renaissance. The Bishop met with one of the Chaplains of the Duomo for a discussion and exchange of blessings.

Members of the delegation with pilgrims
in Saint Peter's Square

Throughout all meetings, the delegation was most warmly and respectfully received. All combined, it is hoped that this brief set of encounters will contribute to eventual complete Anglo-Roman union.

Members of the delegation relax at a performance
of opera music at the Teatro Argentino in Rome

Bishop Johnson meets with the President of the
Savoy Royal Guard

Bishop Visits Diocese of Daejeon

2010-11-01T05:05:00.000-07:00

by Staff

October 2008

The Bishop of the Southwest visited the Cathedral of St. Benedict in Daejeon, South Korea, and was most warmly received by the Bishop of Daejeon and the Dean of the Cathedral. The cathedral parish maintains the high standards of Anglican-tradition choirs. Blessings were later exchanged between the two bishops, as well as mutual offers of support.