NZ Catholics urged to boycott network over TV episode

Monday, February 20, 2006

NEW ZEALAND NZ Catholics urged to boycott network over TV episode

ASSOCIATED PRESS in Wellington

Prev. Story | Next Story Updated at 1.20pm: Roman Catholics in New Zealand have been urged to boycott a television network for its plan to show an episode of South Park that features a bleeding statue of the Virgin Mary.

The episode, titled Bloody Mary, is due to be screened on May 10 by TV Works - a subsidiary of Canadian-owned Canwest International - on its C4 free-to-air network.

The episode shows a statue of Mary bleeding, taken to be a miracle until Pope Benedict 16th suggests it is simply menstruation.

New Zealand's seven Roman Catholic bishops issued a letter Sunday urging the country's half a million Catholics to boycott TV Works' TV3 network news and companies that advertised products on the station.

The bishops' letter, read at Masses and published on the church Web site, called the episode's depiction of Mary "ugly and tasteless".

"Making known the extent of our offence might give them pause to consider that press freedom is not as license to incite intolerance or to promote hated or derision based on religion, race or gender," the letter said.

TV3 earlier this month apologised to Muslims for causing offence after it screened the Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. The publication of the cartoons, first in Denmark then several other countries, prompted angry demonstrations in many Muslim countries, and deadly riots in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Islam widely holds that representations of Muhammad are banned for fear they could lead to idolatry.

TV Works' chief operating officer Rick Friesen said that if Catholics thought they might be upset by the South Park episode they should not watch it.

"We absolutely expect there's segments of society that would be offended by the programme," he said.

Prime Minister Helen Clark said she had not seen the episode but it sounded "revolting".

TV Works was free to run the program but had to weigh that freedom against a potential viewer backlash, she said.

The Catholic Church never squared the priest rapes with Catholics (I don't mean monetary compensation) but it's okay to come out and try to smack down South Park.

This isn't a Catholic Church but it's up to all kinds of nonsense with the bonus of using hellfire as a psychout:

Church founder sentenced to 20 years for raping, abusing girls

KYOTO -- A church founder accused of 22 counts of rape and sexual assault against seven girls was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment by the Kyoto District Court on Tuesday.

Handed the prison sentence was Tamotsu Kin, 62, founder of the Seishin Chuo Kyokai church in Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture.

"He abused his position as a pastor, which is looked on with awe and reverence as someone close to God, and habitually committed the crimes," Presiding Judge Takeshi Uegaki said. "His actions were extremely malicious, to a level unparalleled by other sex crimes."

Kin was convicted of sexually violating seven girls aged between 12 and 16 in his pastor's office and other locations between March 2001 and September 2004. He faced charges for 22 attacks, including one attempted sexual assault.

On a regular basis, Kin preached that followers would "suffer in hell" if they resisted him, creating a situation in which his victims couldn't resist him, the court said.

Prosecutors said the charges they had laid against Kin were "the tip of the iceberg."

"He left the victims with scars that are difficult to heal," a representative of the prosecution team said. "In the public hearings, the defendant merely said he would not argue against the charges, and didn't divulge the truth. He has not offered the slightest apology."

During the trial, the victims presented statements, including one that said, "Not only has he failed to apologize, but his statements in the public hearings have been nothing but lies."

A group to support the victims has offered counseling, while the Kyoto Prefectural Government set up a project team using child consultation centers and clinical psychologists to care for the girls. A representative of the group that supports them said they are likely to need long-term care.

The victims have launched a damages suit in the Kyoto District Court against Kin and the church. The church has acknowledged that five of the girls were abused, but is arguing that is bears no legal responsibility and is not required to pay compensation. (Mainichi) Click here for the original Japanese storyClick here for the original Japanese story

February 21, 2006

Why HK? Why not the Philippines?

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

HK's Catholics are ready to celebrate

AMBROSE LEUNG

Prev. Story | Next Story The Catholic Church in Hong Kong has begun preparations for Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun's expected elevation to cardinal.

In an unusual move, the diocese yesterday organised a briefing on the roles and procedures for the appointment of a cardinal - while stressing it could not confirm Bishop Zen's appointment.

An announcement is likely to be made during a papal Mass at noon in the Vatican (7pm Hong Kong time) tomorrow.

Activities, including a solemn Mass and a reception for religious, political and society figures, are expected to be held in Hong Kong after the formal ceremony in Rome - likely to be held next month - to appoint the new cardinals.

At yesterday's briefing, diocesan chancellor Lawrence Lee Len said cardinals were popes' closest advisers and aides, who oversaw the operations of the whole church.

"Furthermore, they can also become a pope's envoys on important missions, head departments in the Roman Curia and have the right to elect and be elected in a papal conclave," Father Lee said.

He said tradition dictated that before the candidates were notified of their appointment, the Pope would call a closed-door meeting of cardinals to consult them on his choices.

After the names were announced they would formally receive their red hats, or birettas, to signify their positions, during a ceremony called a consistory.

Father Thomas Law Kwok-fai, head of the Diocesan Liturgy Commission, said the traditional colour of red worn by cardinals as "princes of the church" signified their willingness to shed blood in defence and propagation of the faith.

The Pope would also give each of his new cardinals a ring to recognise their new role and loyalty to the church.

The media was also shown religious relics passed down by Hong Kong's late cardinal John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung.

Bishop Zen will be the sixth Chinese cardinal in history if he is elevated tomorrow. Last night, he said he had yet to receive word from the Vatican of his appointment.

Clerics said Bishop Zen's position as head of the local diocese would not change if he was elevated to cardinal, the second most senior rank in the church.

Cartoon.

Tuesday, 21 February 2006, 10:10 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version Catholics urge South Park boycott South Park South Park began its run in 1997 Catholic church leaders in New Zealand are urging a boycott of a broadcaster planning to screen an "ugly and tasteless" episode of South Park.

The episode of the US animation, called Bloody Mary, depicts a bleeding statue of the Virgin Mary.

The country's prime minister, Helen Clark, said she had not seen the show but that it sounded "revolting".

TV station C4 is to air the cartoon earlier than planned in response to the levels of publicity it has generated.

The episode was originally scheduled for a screening in May, but will now be shown on 22 February.

Potential backlash

New Zealand's Catholic bishops signed a letter on Sunday urging the country's 500,000 Catholics to boycott C4 and its sister station TV3, which recently apologised for showing the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

They asked for the ban to extend to companies that advertise their products on the commercial network.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark New Zealand PM Helen Clark said the episode sounded "revolting"

"Making known the extent of our offence might give them pause to consider that press freedom is not a licence to incite intolerance or to promote hated or derision based on religion, race or gender," the letter said.

Rick Friesen, head of TV Works, which runs C4, said that if Catholics felt they would be upset by South Park, then they should not watch it.

Prime Minister Clark added the company was free to screen the programme, but should weigh that freedom against a potential backlash of viewers.

The episode of South Park caused a backlash when it was screened in the US.

The series, which has been running since 1997, tells the story of four boys in the dysfunctional Colorado town and regularly deals with sensitive subjects and sends up famous figures.

George Clooney has played the role of a dog, while Osama Bin Laden was killed in an episode of the programme.

Koreans are way better at handling Mainlanders than HKers.

Vatican Names S. Korea's 2nd Cardinal Wednesday, February 22, 2006 20:34:09

Related News Vatican to Appoint 2nd Korean Cardinal Korea May Have 2nd Cardinal Nation Could Get 2nd Cardinal Next Year Ex-Intelligence Agent Meets Priest, Ex-Pres. The Roman Catholic Church has named Seoul Archbishop Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk as South Korea's second cardinal.

Pope Benedict the 16th on Wednesday included Cheong on his list of new appointees, and Cheong will receive his ordination on March 24th in Rome's St. Peter's Basilica.

The 75-year-old Cheong is the second South Korean to receive the position after Stephen Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan, who was ordained in 1969.

Born in Seoul, Cheong earned a chemical engineering degree from Seoul National University, but later enrolled at Catholic University of Korea after experiencing the horrors of the Korean War.

A vocal supporter of the poor, he has urged efforts to bridge social disparity.

Entering the priesthood in 1961, he served at Seoul's Joonglim-dong Cathedral and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea before becoming bishop in 1970. He also earned a master's in church law from Collegio Urbano in Rome.

Since 1988, Cheong has written 22 books on Catholic canon.

Fresh meat!

Thursday, February 23, 2006

China warns Cardinal Zen against mixing politics with religion

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Prev. Story | Next Story Updated at 5.41pm: China warned outspoken Hong Kong Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun on Thursday not to mix politics and religion, after Pope Benedict XVI named him a cardinal.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao also said Beijing's position on refraining from establishing diplomatic ties with Rome had not changed because of the appointment.

"We have taken note that Joseph Zen was appointed as a cardinal by the Vatican," Mr Liu told journalists at a routine briefing.

"We advocate that religious figures should not interfere with politics."

Mr Liu also expressed hopes that the appointment would not disrupt social stability in Hong Kong.

"We hope that all communities in Hong Kong can maintain social stability and the harmony and development of Hong Kong," he said.

The outspoken Bishop Zen, who on Wednesday became the sixth Chinese in history to be named a cardinal, said on Thursday he hoped his appointment could help end the 55-year dispute between the Vatican and China.

Cardinal-designate Zen has long been a fierce critic of the Chinese government and has often joined in pro-democracy protests in the territory.

The Chinese government has repeatedly said it is willing to improve relations with the Vatican only if it breaks off ties with Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a renegade province.

Another condition imposed by Beijing is for the Vatican not to interfere in China's internal affairs, in reference to how the government controls religion.

"We have repeated our position on relations with the Vatican many times," Mr Liu said.

"There is no change in our position."

Mr Liu refused to comment on whether Cardinal Zen's appointment would help China in eventually normalising relations with the Vatican.