Eraño Manalo Avenue (Formerly Commonwealth Avenue)

Politician lawmakers, not religious leaders who still believe in the mythical Iglesia ni Cristo "bloc vote" came up with a suggestion to rename the Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City to Eraño Manalo Avenue.

Is this politicking?!

Housebill 6785 proposes to rename one of the busiest streets in Quezon City to the Iglesia ni Cristo heir (son of the founder Felix Manalo) in recognition of his "spiritual contribution" to the Filipino people.

What kind of spiritual contribution these Congressmen and women are saying? This same Iglesia ni Cristo denied Christ and accused the Catholic Church and Protestants of being "sons of perdition."

Let's not forget these "Traditional Politicians (trapos)" lawmakers who are very much influenced under the INC mythical "bloc vote" spell. They are Reps. Candido P. Pancrudo, Jr. (Bukidnon), Diosdado “Dato" M. Arroyo (Camarines Sur), Pedro P. Romualdo (Camiguin), Yevgeny Vincente B. Emano (Misamis Oriental), Jose S. Aquino II (Agusan del Norte), Antonio F. Lagdameo, Jr. (Davao del Norte) at Rommel C. Amatong (Compostela Valley).

If there's any religious leader who truly united our people, it should be the late Cardinal Jaime Sin even without his being Archbishop. No one doubts about that!

Commonwealth Ave nais ipangalan kay 'Ka Erdy' Manalo ng INC

MANILA (GMANews)– Nais ng ilang kongresista na ipangalan kay Eraño “Ka Edy" Manalo, ang pumanaw na punong tagapamahala ng Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), ang Commonwealth Avenue sa Quezon City.

Sa isang pahayag mula sa Kamara de Representante nitong Sabado, inihayag ng mga kongresista na ang pagpapalit ng pangalan ng Commonwealth Avenue bilang Eraño G. Manalo Avenue ay pagkilala sa kanyang “spiritual contribution" sa bansa.

“House Bill 6785 sought to convey Ka Erdy’s idea of Filipino ingenuity by sculpturing a religion that originated in the Philippines, which has expanded around the world," nakasaad sa pahayag.

Sa ilalim ng pamamahala ni Manalo lumaganap ang kapatiran ng INC sa iba’t-ibang bahagi ng mundo. Tinatayang mayroong simbahan ang INC sa 60 bansa.

“Ka Erdy also piloted the spiritual and moral well being of the Filipino people," ayon sa mga kongresista.

Dapat din umanong kilalanin ang malaking kontribusyon ni Ka Erdy sa paghubog ng kultura ng mga Pilipino sa kanyang mga tagasunod sa pamamagitan ng kanyang mga pangaral sa pinapaniwalaang relihiyon.

“With Eraño G. Manalo’s religious leadership that transcended over political and social boundaries, Ka Erdy is worthy to be lined up with great Filipino leaders and other great Filipino achievers," idinagdag sa pahayag.

Sa ilalim ng panukala, inaatasan nito ang Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) na magpalabas ng kautusan at alituntunin upang ipatupad ang pagpapalit ng pangalan ng highway.

Ang Commonwealth Avenue ang itinuturing ng Metro Manila Development Authority na isa sa mga pangunahing lansangan sa Metro Manila at buong bansa na may pinakamaraming kaso ng aksidente.

Bagong tawaging Commonwealth Avenue, naunang pinangalanan ang highway bilang Don Mariano Marcos Avenue, na may habang 12.4 km simula sa Quezon Memorial Circle hanggang Quirino Highway sa Novaliches.

Kabilang sa mga may-akda sa panukala ay sina Reps. Candido P. Pancrudo, Jr. (Bukidnon), Diosdado “Dato" M. Arroyo (Camarines Sur), Pedro P. Romualdo (Camiguin), Yevgeny Vincente B. Emano (Misamis Oriental), Jose S. Aquino II (Agusan del Norte), Antonio F. Lagdameo, Jr. (Davao del Norte) at Rommel C. Amatong (Compostela Valley).

Pumanaw si Ka Erdy, 84-anyos, noong Agosto 31 sa kanyang tahanan dahil sa cardiopulmonary arrest. – GMANews.TV

If these lawmakers wanted to do that, let them do it in their cities, not in Quezon City. If they wish, they could name our kantos and esquinitas to him. In terms of number, the El Shaddai of Mike Velarde is more than tha affiliates of the Iglesia ni Cristo.

Stop playing politics and religion together. Keep our street names from any religious influence.

God, not Obama will bring peace to the Middle East, says Jordanian bishop

Obama wants peace but he can't achieve to do it, only God can. This is what the good Bishop of Jordan Most. Rev. Selim Sayegh said in reaction to Obama's Nobel Peace Prize.

Source Article: CNS
Amman, Jordan, Oct 9, 2009 / 02:25 pm.- The Vicar of Jordan, Most Rev. Selim Sayegh, spoke to CNA in Amman last week about the tensions in the Middle East as well as the diminishing number of Christians in the area. He noted that Catholics can assist those struggling in the region by praying for peace because “true peace comes from the Lord,” not Obama, or Israeli/Palestinian leaders.

Sayegh, who has served Jordan as an auxiliary bishop for 27 years, addressed the plight of Christians in the Middle East, particularly the ones living in Iraq. He noted that the while the situation isn’t desperate, less Christians are living in the area than is considered ideal.

“Why,” the bishop asked, are not only Christians but also Muslims leaving the area? “All of them, they are looking for peace…they want peace for their children,” he answered.

“Once peace is established into these countries...no one would think about leaving.”

He zeroed in on Iraq asking why anyone would leave – it’s “one of the richest countries in the world,” however “there is no hope.”

When Iraqi Christian’s leave, they go to Jordan or Syria, the vicar explained. But, “for the most part, the Christians don’t intend to become established in Jordan,” but they only “stay until they can obtain a visa to the United States, Europe or Australia.”

“It’s a very sad situation,” the bishop lamented, explaining that many of the Iraqis were educated, economically well-off people in their country, but when they leave, all of a sudden, “poof, and they have nothing.”

Bishop Sayegh said that Catholics around the world can help improve the situation in the Middle East not only by being “good citizens,” but also by praying for peace.

“Pray for peace because true peace comes from the Lord, it doesn’t come from Obama or from Netanyahu or from Abu Mazen,” but rather from the “Lord of peace,” the bishop remarked.

Reflecting on Christians’ role in the peace process, Bishop Sayegh said that they have their place, but that they are called to play a role by living out the faith. “That’s why every day in our churches we pray for peace,” since God is the only one who is “able to change the hearts” and to “arrive at peace” in the region.

Pope Receives Palestinian President Abbas

Disgusting Nobel Peace Prize for Obama?!

Photo Credit: AP News:

How frustrating this Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to Barack Hussein Obama, President of the United States. While he is busy bridging the gap between the ever spoiled Islamic nations to the oil hungry Western societies, he is preaching hatred and "inhumanely" way of killing helpless unborn tiny human beings while still inside their mothers' womb.

Disgusting!

I can agree no more than what the American Papist said "Well, it's official, the Nobel Peace Prize is MEANINGLESS."

VIETNAM Abandoned elderly women find support at Church-run center

Among the many charitable institutions run by Catholic nuns around the world is "Home for the Aged". Once again, the splendor of Christ's love to everyone has been sowed through the works of these selfless Sisters of Charity.

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (Source: UCAN -- They have had feces thrown at them, food spat in their faces, and endured verbal abuse. But all these problems have not deterred Missionaries of Charity of Christ nuns from continuing to serve elderly residents in their care.

“It is not simple to look after elderly people. We have to be patient and bear with them because they are like children,” said Sister Mary Martin Nguyen Thi Kim Hoa from the Missionaries of Charity of Christ congregation, a local Religious community.

Sister Hoa, who heads the Center for Elderly People, a home for women in Ho Chi Minh City, said half the residents there suffer paralysis and stay in bed most of the time. Only four are strong enough to help prepare meals and wash clothes.

Sister Hoa, 50, and another 11 nuns work from 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. ever day to serve the center’s 60 women who are aged 60-102. The nuns clean the rooms, bathe the women, wash their clothes, provide health care, feed them and bring the wheelchair bound to the chapel for prayers.

Sister Hoa recalled that once a resident threw feces at her as she was trying to bathe the woman. Some residents have hit and shouted at nuns, while others have spat food at them.

Sister Hoa, who started working at the center 10 years ago, said many residents who have such negative attitudes had been “neglected or abused by their relatives or others.”

Father Paul Nguyen Van Khi, who founded the center near Tan Thong church in the city’s Cu Chi district, said many residents have no children, homes or money and feel lonely. “They really need love care from others.”

The center opened in 1988 and provides accommodation and food for elderly women who had been abandoned by their families. The women come from the city and the neighboring provinces of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Long An and Tien Giang.

Residents UCA News spoke to said they are grateful for the nuns’ care, although they did not fully appreciate it at first.

One 74-year-old woman recalled how she used to vent her anger at the nuns when she first arrived. At the time she thought no one loved her.

“My only son forced me to leave home,” she said. However, “after living here for one year, I have found true love from others and have changed my attitude.”

Agnes Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, who used to sleep on sidewalks seven years ago, said, “I am very happy to live here. I am given accommodation, food and health care.” She added, “I might have died without this center.”

Rita Lam Tieu Nhi, another resident, said she has made many friends since coming here in 2004. “I am loved and much respected here,” she shared. The 63-year-old said she helps the nuns to clean the center and wash clothes of the other residents.

Father Khi said he spends one hour a day visiting and talking with those women. “I bring them joy just by shaking their hands, smiling at them or talking about their health.”

The priest said the center’s monthly operating costs are 32 million dong (US$1,800) which comes from donations by benefactors and local Catholics. About 300 local families donate at least 5,000 dong each a month, he said.

According to the Ministry of Health, Vietnam has around 8 million elderly people, nearly 10 percent of the population. Many of them have to work for a living.

This is the challenge all professing Christians should do.

Geert Wilders' Speech in NY

Source: lefleurdelystoo or visit Geert Wilder's site HERE!

'In a generation or two, the US will ask itself: who lost Europe?'

Here is the speech of Geert Wilders, Chairman, Party for Freedom, the Netherlands, at the Four Seasons, New York, introducing an Alliance of Patriots and announcing the Facing Jihad Conference in Jerusalem.

Dear friends,

Thank you very much for inviting me.

I come to America with a mission. All is not well in the old world. There is a tremendous danger looming, and it is very difficult to be optimistic. We might be in the final stages of the Islamization of Europe. This not only is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe itself, it is a threat to America and the sheer survival of the West. The United States is the last bastion of Western civilization, facing an Islamic Europe.

First I will describe the situation on the ground in Europe. Then, I will say a few things about Islam. To close I will tell you about a meeting in Jerusalem.

The Europe you know is changing.

You have probably seen the landmarks.. But in all of these cities, sometimes a few blocks away from your tourist destination, there is another world. It is the world of the parallel society created by Muslim mass-migration.

All throughout Europe a new reality is rising: entire Muslim neighborhoods where very few indigenous people reside or are even seen. And if they are, they might regret it. This goes for the police as well. It's the world of head scarves, where women walk around in figureless tents, with baby strollers and a group of children. Their husbands, or slaveholders if you prefer, walk three steps ahead. With mosques on many street corners. The shops have signs you and I cannot read. You will be hard-pressed to find any economic activity. These are Muslim ghettos controlled by religious fanatics. These are Muslim neighborhoods, and they are mushrooming in every city across Europe. These are the building-blocks for territorial control of increasingly larger portions of Europe, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city.

There are now thousands of mosques throughout Europe. With larger congregations than there are in churches. And in every European city there are plans to build super-mosques that will dwarf every church in the region. Clearly, the signal is: we rule.

Many European cities are already one-quarter Muslim: just take Amsterdam, Marseille and Malmo in Sweden.In many cities the majority of the under-18 population is Muslim. Paris is now surrounded by a ring of Muslim neighborhoods. Mohammed is the most popular name among boys in many cities.

In some elementary schools in Amsterdam the farm can no longer be mentioned, because that would also mean mentioning the pig, and that would be an insult to Muslims.

Many state schools in Belgium and Denmark only serve halal food to all pupils.. In once-tolerant Amsterdam gays are beaten up almost exclusively by Muslims. Non-Muslim women routinely hear 'whore, whore'. Satellite dishes are not pointed to local TV stations, but to stations in the country of origin.

In France school teachers are advised to avoid authors deemed offensive to Muslims, including Voltaire and Diderot; the same is increasingly true of Darwin. The history of the Holocaust can no longer be taught because of Muslim sensitivity.

In England Sharia courts are now officially part of the British legal system. Many neighborhoods in France are no-go areas for women without head scarves. Last week a man almost died after being beaten up by Muslims in Brussels, because he was drinking during the Ramadan.

Jews are fleeing France in record numbers, on the run for the worst wave of anti-Semitism since World War II.. French is now commonly spoken on the streets of Tel Aviv and Netanya, Israel. I could go on forever with stories like this. Stories about Islamization.

A total of fifty-four million Muslims now live in Europe. San Diego University recently calculated that a staggering 25 percent of the population in Europe will be Muslim just 12 years from now. Bernhard Lewis has predicted a Muslim majority by the end of this century.

Now these are just numbers. And the numbers would not be threatening if the Muslim-immigrants had a strong desire to assimilate. But there are few signs of that. The Pew Research Center reported that half of French Muslims see their loyalty to Islam as greater than their loyalty to France. One-third of French Muslims do not object to suicide attacks. The British Centre for Social Cohesion reported that one-third of British Muslim students are in favor of a worldwide caliphate. Muslims demand what they call 'respect'. And this is how we give them respect. We have Muslim official state holidays.

The Christian-Democratic attorney general is willing to accept Sharia in the Netherlands if there is a Muslim majority. We have cabinet members with passports from Morocco and Turkey.

Muslim demands are supported by unlawful behavior, ranging from petty crimes and random violence, for example against ambulance workers and bus drivers, to small-scale riots. Paris has seen its uprising in the low-income suburbs, the banlieus. I call the perpetrators 'settlers'. Because that is what they are. They do not come to integrate into our societies, they come to integrate our society into their Dar-al-Islam. Therefore, they are settlers.

Much of this street violence I mentioned is directed exclusively against non-Muslims, forcing many native people to leave their neighborhoods, their cities, their countries. Moreover, Muslims are now a swing vote not to be ignored. I

The second thing you need to know is the importance of Mohammed the prophet. His behavior is an example to all Muslims and cannot be criticized. Now, if Mohammed had been a man of peace, let us say like Ghandi and Mother Theresa wrapped in one, there would be no problem. But Mohammed was a warlord, a mass murderer, a pedophile, and had several marriages - at the same time. Islamic tradition tells us how he fought in battles, how he had his enemies murdered and even had prisoners of war executed. Mohammed himself slaughtered the Jewish tribe of Banu Qurayza. If it is good for Islam, it is good. If it is bad for Islam, it is bad.

Let no one fool you about Islam being a religion. Sure, it has a god, and a here-after, and 72 virgins. But in its essence Islam is a political ideology.. It is a system that lays down detailed rules for society and the life of every person. Islam wants to dictate every aspect of life. Islam means 'submission'. Islam is not compatible with freedom and democracy, because what it strives for is Sharia. If you want to compare Islam to anything, compare it to communism or national-socialism, these are all totalitarian ideologies.

…….
So-called journalists volunteer to label any and all critics of Islamization as a 'right-wing extremists' or 'racists'. In my country, the Netherlands, 60 percent of the population now sees the mass immigration of Muslims as the number one policy mistake since World War II. And another 60 percent sees Islam as the biggest threat. Yet there is a danger greater danger than terrorist attacks, the scenario of America as the last man standing. The lights may go out in Europe faster than you can imagine. An Islamic Europe means a Europe without freedom and democracy, an economic wasteland, an intellectual nightmare, and a loss of military might for America - as its allies will turn into enemies, enemies with atomic bombs. With an Islamic Europe, it would be up to America alone to preserve the heritage of Rome, Athens and Jerusalem.

Dear friends, liberty is the most precious of gifts. My generation never had to fight for this freedom, it was offered to us on a silver platter, by people who fought for it with their lives. All throughout Europe American cemeteries remind us of the young boys who never made it home, and whose memory we cherish. My generation does not own this freedom; we are merely its custodians. We can only hand over this hard won liberty to Europe's children in the same state in which it was offered to us. We cannot strike a deal with mullahs and imams. Future generations would never forgive us.. We cannot squander our liberties. We simply do not have the right to do so.

Geert Wilders is a Dutch Member of Parliament.

Dieu le Roy!
Brantigny

Support Geert Wilders, click HERE!

Pastor and Flock Convert to Catholicism

(Source from Catholic Education): When Pentecostal minister Alex Jones came into the Church this past Easter he was not alone. He brought much of his congregation in with him.

When Detroit-born Alex Jones became a Pentecostal minister in 1972, there was little question among those who knew him that he was answering God's call to preach.

Now, many of his friends and family have dismissed the 59-year-old pastor as an apostate for embracing the Catholic faith, closing the nondenominational church he organized in 1982, and taking part of his congregation with him.

At this year's April 14 Easter Vigil, Jones, his wife, Donna, and 62 other former members of Detroit's Maranatha Church, was received into the Catholic Church at St. Suzanne's Parish. For Jones, becoming a Catholic will mark the end of a journey that began with the planting of a seed by Catholic apologist and Register columnist Karl Keating. It also will mean the beginning of a new way of life.

Jones first heard Keating, the founder of Catholic Answers, at a debate on whether the origins of the Christian church were Protestant or Catholic. At the close, Keating asked, "If something took place, who would you want to believe, those who saw it or those who came thousands of years later and told what happened?"

"Good point," Jones thought, and tucked it away. Five years later, while he was reading about the church fathers, Keating's question resurfaced. Jones began a study of the Church's beginnings, sharing his newfound knowledge with his congregation.

To illustrate what he was talking about, in the spring of 1998 he re-enacted an early worship service, never intending to alter his congregation's worship style. "But once I discovered the foundational truths and saw that Christianity was not the same as I was preaching, some fine-tuning needed to take place."

Soon, Maranatha Church's Sunday service was looking more like a Catholic Mass with Pentecostal overtones. "We said all the prayers with all the rubrics of the Church, all the readings, the Eucharistic prayers. We did it all, and we did it with an African-American style."

Not everyone liked the change, however, and the 200-member congregation began to dwindle. Meanwhile, Jones contacted Detroit's Sacred Heart Seminary and was referred to Steve Ray of Milan, Mich., whose conversion story is told in Crossing the Tiber.

"I set up a lunch with him right away and we pretty much had lunch every month after that," said Ray. He introduced Jones to Dennis Walters, the catechist at Christ the King Parish in Ann Arbor, Mich. Walters began giving the Pentecostal pastor and his wife weekly instructions in March, 1999.

CROSSROADS

Eventually, Jones and his congregation arrived at a crossroads. On June 4, the remaining adult members of Maranatha Church voted 39-19 to begin the process of becoming Catholic. In September, they began studies at St. Suzanne's.

Maranatha closed for good in December. The congregation voted to give Jones severance pay and sell the building, a former Greek Orthodox church, to the First Tabernacle Church of God in Christ.

Father Dennis Duggan, St. Suzanne's 53-year-old pastor, said the former Maranatha members and their pastor along with about 10 other candidates comprise the 750-member parish's largest-ever convert class.

UNITY AND DIVERSITY

Although not all parishioners at predominantly white St. Suzanne's have received the group warmly, Father Duggan, who also is white, said he considers the newcomers a gift and an answer to prayer.

"What the Lord seems to have brought together in the two of us — Alex and myself — is two individuals who have a similar dream about diversity. Detroit is a particularly segregated kind of community, especially on Sunday morning, and here you've got two baptized believers who really believe we ought to be looking different."

Father Duggan hopes eventually to bring Jones onto the parish staff. Already, he has encouraged Jones to join him in teaching at a Wednesday night Bible service. And, he is working on adapting the music at Masses so that it better reflects the parish's new makeup.

The current European worship style at St. Suzanne's has been the most difficult adjustment for the former Maranatha members, Jones said, because they had been accustomed to using contemporary music with the Catholic prayers and rituals. "The cultural adaptation is far more difficult than the theological adaptation," he said.

PROTESTANT ISSUES

Jones said the four biggest problems Protestants have with Catholicism are teachings about Mary, purgatory, papal authority, and praying to saints. He resolved three of the four long ago, but struggled the most with Mary, finally accepting the teaching on her just because the church taught it.... Read More...

Fatima Apparition now in Film

New movie about Our Lady of Fatima to be screened in major U.S. cities

San Francisco, Calif., Oct 1, 2009 / 06:39 am (Thanks to CNA).- A new film about the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, based on the memoirs of visionary Sister Lucia and the accounts of thousands of eyewitnesses, will be holding pre-release screenings in at least seven major U.S. cities.

“The 13th Day” is the first major motion picture by directors Ian and Dominic Higgins. According to the film’s U.S. distributor Ignatius Press, their film tells the story of the Virgin Mary’s appearances to Lucia Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto.

Over a six month period in 1917, the Virgin Mary gave prophecies and warnings to children that included a harrowing vision of hell, the spread of communism and the attempted assassination of a Pope.

The film was shot on location in Portugal and in the United Kingdom. It has a cast of hundreds and three young Portuguese actors will play the roles of the young visionaries.

Anthony Ryan, Director of Marketing for Ignatius Press, described the film as an “antidote” for our times.
“It is a reminder that a thin veil exists between our world and the next. The Message of Fatima is a relevant wake-up call to a culture torn apart by abortion, war, and injustice. Every Catholic, perhaps every person, should see this film,” he said.

Screenings of “The 13th Day” are scheduled for October 13, the anniversary of the final apparition. They will be held in Atlanta, New York City, Denver, Chicago and Oakland. Other cities with screenings include Orlando, Florida and Austin and Fort Worth, Texas.

Interested Catholic leaders can sign up for a screening in their area at the site Catholic Screenings.

The movie’s website is at http://www.ignatius.com/the-13th-day/

An Iglesia ni Cristo Member quoting anti-Catholic articles which believes Christ is God

I came accross a very interesting rhetorical anti-catholic article which was posted by a member of the cult of Felix Manalo, the Iglesia ni Cristo. The owner's name was hidden by the penname "READ ME" whose blog is found at readmeinc.blogspot.com/2009/10/rosary-from-pagan-practices.html

"Read me" wanted to make a score thinking that by posting such an article that attacks the Catholic Church would advance the Iglesia ni Cristo's teachings against the Catholic Church. The said anti-Catholic article is about the Holy Rosary which is a devotional prayer for Catholics to the Mother of the Lord.

As I was about to post a comment, at the end of his post, I found out that he provided his/her source which he took from godsonlygospel.com. Checking his source, the site is just one of the many anti-Catholic protestant owned sites which also espouses the belief that the Lord Jesus Christ is God (a teaching they so dispised). Iif I'm "readme" I'd rather shy away or stop quoting from some sources that contradicts my belief as a devout Iglesia ni Cristo.

If "read me" thought that by posting an anti-Catholic article would advance his cult's claims against the Catholic Church, I am sorry but he quoted from a wrong source from a wrong reason.

What a shame!

Synod launches with focus on issues facing Church in Africa

Vatican City, Oct 4, 2009 / 04:01 am (thanks to CNA).- Over two hundred bishops and dozens of experts and observers are gathering in Vatican City today for the Second Special Assembly for Africa, where they will discuss the continent’s evangelization as well as food security and the situation in Darfur.

The assembly’s theme is related to Pope John Paul II’s 1995 apostolic exhortation “Ecclesia in Africa.” That document collected the results of the First Special Assembly for Africa held in 1994. The first assembly had as its theme the Church in Africa and her “evangelizing mission towards the year 2000.”

Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, speaking on Friday at a Holy See Press Office briefing for journalists, explained that the Church in Africa is “very dynamic.” He reported that the number of African Catholics increased from 55 million to 146 million between 1978 and 2007.

“Vocations to the priesthood and the religious life also saw a notable growth in numbers,” he said.

The archbishop also lamented that 521 pastoral workers have been killed in Africa between 1994 and 2008.

The Second Special Assembly will take place Oct. 4 to Oct. 25. It will be attended by 244 Synod Fathers, of whom 228 are bishops. A reported 197 of the Synod Fathers are from Africa while 34 are from Europe, ten are from the Americas, and the rest from Asia and Oceania.

“Fraternal delegates,” representatives of six other Churches and ecclesial communities with a significant presence in Africa, will also attend. Another 29 experts and 49 observers will participate in the event.

Archbishop Eterovic listed three “special guests” invited by Pope Benedict: Patriarch Abuna Paulos of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church; Rudolf Adada, former head of the Joint U.N./African Union Peacekeeping Mission for Darfur; and Jacques Diouf, director general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Patriarch Abuna will take part in the synod’s Third General Congregation. Adada will speak about the efforts for peace in Darfur while Diouf will discuss FAO efforts to ensure food security for Africa.

List of Attendees for the African Synod

Other related news:

1. Benedict XVI discusses building a vibrant parish, ethnic unrest with Nigerian bishops
2. Kidnapped Catholic sisters freed in Kenya

Famous Cibeles Square to welcome Benedict XVI for WYD 2011

Article Source: Thanks to Catholic News Agency

Madrid, Spain, Oct 2, 2009 / 07:04 pm.- World Youth Day organizers in Spain announced yesterday that they are expecting some two million to attend the international youth event in 2011, a number “ten times greater than the Olympic Games.”

WYD 2011 Director of Communications, Yago de la Cierva, said Pope Benedict would be welcomed at the Cibeles Square in Madrid, where he will celebrate the opening Mass. Madrid's Mayor Alberto Ruiz Gallardon said the Mayor’s office building would be turned into “the great sacristy of Madrid” for the one thousand bishops expected to concelebrate.

On Friday, the Way of the Cross will take place along the city's famous thoroughfare the “Paseo de la Castellana,” where the fourteen stations will be decorated with renowned artistic pieces. The city’s central park, known as “Parque del Retiro,” will host the “Festival of Forgiveness,” where young people will be able to receive the sacrament of Confession.

On Saturday, the Cuatro Vientos stadium will host the vigil, “a cultural and musical event that will transform itself as the hours pass in the prayer vigil.” After spending the night under the stars, the closing Mass will be celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday morning.

The organization of WYD 2011, is being spearheaded by Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela of Madrid and Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Six teams of organizers and some ten thousand volunteers will be involved in the execution of the event.

Vatican to Pakistan: End discrimination of Christians

Article Source: Rome Reports

October 1, 2009. The pope welcomed Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari to Castel Gandolfo.

In the exchange of official gifts, President Zardari gave the pope a rug from his country, and in return the pope gave him a portrait of St. Peter’s Square and medals from his pontificate.

During the meeting, the president and the pope touched on issues like the fight against terrorism and the role of the Church in Pakistan in providing health and education services.

They also talked about the wave of recent violence against Christians in the country which has grown increasingly worse in the last months.

In August, Benedict sent a telegram to the Bishop of Faisalabad expressing solidarity after seven Christians were burnt alive in Pakistan.

The Vatican has asked Pakistan to make an effort in putting an end to discrimination against Christians and in respecting the human rights of all citizens.

About 2.8 million people, just over 1% of the total population of Pakistan, is Christian making it a vulnerable demographic to extremist groups in the country.

RS

Other news, "Islamic extremists in Somalia hunting Christians" thanks to Mission Network News:

Somalia (MNN) ― Somalia's Muslim militants are hunting down converts to Christianity. According to Voice of the Martyrs Canada, Al-Shabaab members have murdered 14 believers since July 15.

Compass Direct News reports the September 15 shooting death of 69-year-old Omar Khalafe, an underground Christian who had Bibles in his possession.

On the day of his death, Khalafe was carrying 25 Somali Bibles he hoped to deliver to an underground fellowship in Somalia. At a checkpoint controlled by al Shabaab--a rebel group linked with al Qaeda which has taken over large parts of the war-torn country--bus passengers were ordered to disembark for inspection.

Voice of the Martyrs Canada and Compass Direct reports agree on the events following the discovery of the Bibles.

The assailants used photos they found to determine if they could match the faces to any passengers. When they noticed a resemblance to Khalafe, they asked if the Bibles were his. The radicals shot and killed him when he did not respond.

Militants then displayed his body in Merca along with the Bibles as a warning to others. Later that day, a militant reported Khalafe's death on a radio program.

Khalafe, who had been a Christian for 45 years, was active in sharing the Good News and baptizing converts from Islam.

Khalafe's family is in mourning, but due to the risk of exposure, his wife and seven children were unable to participate in his burial because of the risk of being killed by militants, reports Compass Direct.

Despite the shock and brutality of Khalafe's death, the hope of the Gospel is still going forward through the underground church. Keep praying for wisdom for the workers who continue to follow Christ.

Another news of persecuted Catholics in a Muslim-dominated country. Thanks to AsiaNews for this article.

Catholic university student attacked by Muslim extremists in a public park in Dhaka

Dhaka (Asia News) – Members of an Islamist group, Hizbut Tawhid, attacked a Christian student in Dhaka, after they accused him of criticising Muhammad. Last Sunday Anup Rodrigues, a 25-year-old Catholic university student, had just left the Holy Rosary Church after evening Mass.

Anup was sitting at a bench in Farmgate Park, waiting for friends when four unidentified men, dressed in traditional Muslim garb, attacked him from behind. In the course of the assault, one of the attackers began accusing him of insulting the prophet, describing Christians as a “curse on the nation”, who want to convert Muslims.

“They started beating me with iron rods and bamboo sticks, without letting say a word,” the student said. “As they were pounding away at me, I prayed to Our Lady to save me. When they relented for a moment I was able to get away.”
“After the attack I stopped to think about what had happened and why they attacked me,” the young man told AsiaNews.

“I remembered then that a week before I was in the park with friends where we talked about prophets in the various religions. One of the men who attacked me was sitting across from us. He told us that he belonged to Hizbut Tawhid and that they had a duty to carry out jihad to punish people like us.”
Now Anup is afraid for his life, that of his friends and his two brothers who, like him, attend university. A month ago, someone killed a Baptist Christian named Swopon in the same area.

For this reason, Anup and his mother, Monica, have not filed a complaint with police. They place little trust in law enforcement since the young man’s father, Peter, and uncle, Paul, disappeared at work on 17 August 2006.

Monica Rodrigues turned to police after she received a ransom note, but the investigations have led nowhere.

Now, after the attack against Anup, she fears she might lose her sons, and remains at a loss as to who might help her

.

You are always in our prayers brothers and sisters. We also pray for our persecutors and love our enemies for this is how the world recognizes our being Christians.

God bless you.

MACAU Local Church gets new seminarians after 17 years

Source: Thanks to United Catholic Asian News

MACAU (UCAN) -- Thomas Aquinas Hoi Ka-tak's parents originally opposed his entering the seminary to become a priest. They were worried it could be a bad decision after reading international media reports of priests who sexually abused children.

However, they changed their minds after seeing how being a Catholic has changed him for the better, and after realizing that the seminary training would help him become a better person.

Hoi, 18, is the only Catholic in his family. He said he was impressed by the priests he knew during his years of study in a Salesian school in Macau, and longed to be one even before his baptism three years ago.

In late August, he and his 20-year-old friend Domingos Cheong Iau-chong, became the first two seminarians for Macau diocese in 17 years. The two have been studying at Holy Spirit Seminary in neighboring Hong Kong diocese since late August.

Macau diocese's St. Joseph's Seminary closed in 1994 due to a dearth of local seminarians. The last diocesan priest who studied at the seminary, Father Domingos Un Wai-meng who now chairs the Macau Diocesan Vocations Commission, was ordained in 1992.

Hoi and Cheong told UCA News they hope that their entering the seminary would encourage more young local Catholic men to take up the priestly vocation.

Cheong, whose family has been Catholic for the past three generations, said he was inspired to become a priest during a trip to South Korea in 2007. Macau diocese and Serra Club, a worldwide lay organization that promotes priestly and Religious vocations, organized the trip to expose Catholics to these vocations.

During the trip, Cheong learned that Macau diocesan priests are aging and that there had been no local seminarians since 1992. He said this inspired him to become a priest.

Hoi also went on this trip in which participants visited various churches, seminaries and Religious orders.
In early 2009, both wrote letters to Bishop Jose Lai Hung-seng of Macau asking to enter the seminary.

Hoi also went on this trip in which participants visited various churches, seminaries and Religious orders.
In early 2009, both wrote letters to Bishop Jose Lai Hung-seng of Macau asking to enter the seminary.

Hoi says he would like to serve in a parish as he feels that local Catholics are "devout and simple" in their faith, but do not fully put into practice Christ's command to "love one another." He said he strongly feels called to "nurture them to live according to the Gospel spirit."

Father Un says he is heartened to see new vocations, especially during the Year for Priests. He noted that Cheong has served as an altar boy since childhood, while Hoi joined Church-run voluntary services for the poor in Macau and mainland China.

Cheong and Hoi attribute the shortage of local priestly vocations to young Catholics preferring a materialistic life than the simple life of a priest. They added that for many people, the married life also seems more attractive than celibacy.

Hoi said he hopes his decision would encourage other hesitant young men, who feel called to the priesthood, to respond to the call.

Cheong said he knows of other young men who are considering the priesthood and believes they will enter the seminary in the coming years.

The two also say they hope laypeople would pray harder for priestly vocations and share in the task of promoting such vocations.

Macau currently has 22 diocesan and 40 Religious priests serving about 20,000 Catholics.

What's in the INC Logo?

Finally we found an attempt to explain the INC Logo. Note, this explanation from one of its members (probably a Minister himself) is not official. See below. (Thanks to readmeinc dot blogspot dot com).

1. The bird is the dove or Holy Spirit
2. The flame is the light of salvation
3. The shield is the shield of faith
4. The scale represents the equality of the justice of God;
5. The crown is the crown of eternal life
6. The lamb is the Lord Jesus Christ
7. The book is the Bible
8. The two scrolls seen in the Bible represent the OT and NT;
9. The upside down triangle means the equality of the members or brotherhood (Mt. 23:8);
10. White is holiness
11. Green is love
12. Red is courage
The logo of the INC has been used since 1919 but only appeared on its buildings of worship since the 1950s

On the contrary, here's what was thought about their logo (source: PinoyExchange.com)

On this image below, you’ll see a craftily “hidden” pattern of a “pentagram” on the compass and square. Observe really closely.
On this image below, you’ll see the scale, interlaced compass and square, and the craftily “hidden” pentagram. Now, this is a third coincidence already between the stark similarities between INC and Freemasonry. What do you call a 3rd coincidence? Is there such a thing in this world? Deliberate, copied, or just coincidence? Or, perhaps, they are the same institution!
Now, we see here on the image below a torch on top of the compass. Combining the craftily hidden pentagram here with the torch we have this, observe closely and take note:
We see here on the image below, a torch on top of the pentagram, with the torch in “drawing form”. Observe and take note.

And here is another from PinoyCatholic

Which is fairly explained by MonksHobbit.

The interlaced square and compass denotes Freemasonry
1. The crown at the center denotes the Order of Amaranth, a fraternal organization of master masons and their properly qualified female relatives
2. The compass, inverted triangle, and legs denotes the Order of the Eastern Star
3. The light rays at the background denotes the sun god.
4. The scales of justice denotes the Scales of Maat, the Egyptian goddess of truth, order, balance, and justice
5. The bible inside the inverted triangle and compass refers to the use of the bible in masonic lodge for swearing oaths
6. The dove and the color white denotes purity and innocence
7. The color red denotes courage, zeal, and blood of life–the color of Royal Arch Masonry
8. The color green denotes spiritual initiation into the high mysteries of life and god
9. The color blue recalls the dome of the heavens which denotes universal brotherhood and friendship
10. The inverted triangle points to the 22nd ray which probably signifies a 22nd degree mason–Knight of the Royal Axe.

To be fair to INC, I’ll try to provide a biblical meaning to the INC logo, with their doctrines in mind:

1. The dove is the dove of Noah. Just as the evil world was washed away by the flood and a new world was born, so was the apostate Catholic Church was abandoned by God and He established a new church, Iglesia ni Cristo, at the end of time.
2. The sun’s rays and the bible denotes the Prologue of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (Jn 1:1-5) Surprisingly, this passage proves the divinity of Christ, which INC does not believe.
3. The lamb and dove denotes the Baptism of Christ: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit.’” Surprisingly, the INC also does not believe on the divinity of the Holy Spirit.
4. The Triangle denotes the Dogma of the Holy Trinity, which states that there are three Persons in one God. Christ himself gave the following Trinitarian formula for Bapstism: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Mt 28:19-20). Surprisingly, INC does not believe on the Trinity.

Thus, INC uses Christian symbols, but does not believe on the meaning of the symbols. (The INC has not still provided an official interpretation of their logo).

Now, where is the Sign of the Cross? I cannot find any.

1. “Then he called to the man dressed in linen with the writer’s case at his waist, saying to him: Pass through the city (through Jerusalem) and mark an X on the foreheads of those who moan and groan over all the abominations that are practiced within it. To the others I heard him say: Pass through the city after him and strike! Do not look on them with pity nor show any mercy! Old men, youths and maidens, women and children–wipe them out! But do not touch any marked with the X; begin at my sanctuary. So they began with the men (the elders) who were in front of the temple.” The Hebrew letter X is Tav (or Taw) whose ancient form is the cross †, from which came the Greek letter Tau .
2. “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily 11 and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” (Lk 9:23-24)
3. “If anyone says to you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. False messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will perform signs and wonders so great as to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told it to you beforehand. So if they say to you, ‘He is in the desert,’ do not go out there; if they say, ‘He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For just as lightning comes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels 18 with a trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” (Mt 24:23-31) The sign of the Son of Man is the cross because his corpse hung there.
4. “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with the wisdom of human eloquence, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its meaning. The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the learning of the learned I will set aside.” Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish? For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith. For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor 1:17-24)

So why is there no Sign of the Cross in the INC logo? Is INC inviting the wrath of God to destroy its members starting from its temples? Does INC wish to follow Christ but without a cross in its temples to carry? Does INC await the coming of Christ but thinks that the Sign of the Son of Man is not the cross but a compass? Does INC wish to proclaim the cross of Christ like St. Paul or rather the message of Felix Y. Manalo, whom they consider as an angel? As St. Paul said: “But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach (to you) a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received, let that one be accursed!” (Gal 1:7-9). Lucifer is also an angel of light because in Latin, the word “Lucifer” means “Light-Bringer” (from lux, lucis, “light”, and ferre, “to bear, bring”). Lucifer is he whom the Freemasons worship. As Christ said: “And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.” (Mt 6:23)

And lastly, here's what Pinoy Catholic notices in the INC Logo: here and pasugo-1914.  Any originality in their logo?