Hong Kong diocese cancels pro-democracy prayer in newspapers

August 31, 2020 CNA Daily News News Briefs 0Print

CNA Staff, Aug 31, 2020 / 02:40 pm (CNA).- The Diocese of Hong Kong has intervened to cancel a Catholic pro-democracy ad campaign and prayer that was set to run in local newspapers. 

The Justice and Peace Commission of Hong Kong Catholic Diocese, a body of up to 18 Catholics appointed by the Bishop of Hong Kong, was soliciting donations in order to buy advertisements in newspapers. The ads featured a prayer for the preservation of democracy in Hong Kong following the implementation of the new National Security Law in July. 

On Saturday, August 29, the commission announced that the donation drive and subsequent ad campaign had been canceled at the behest of the diocese. 

“Although the diocese supports the kind deeds of prayer for Hong Kong, it does not support the method of fundraising and the content of the prayer to be published by this commission,” said the commission in a statement Saturday.

The statement said that the Diocese of Hong Kong learned of their plans on Friday, a day before the fundraiser was canceled. The advertisement was set to run on September 6. 

According to the South China Morning Post, the prayer was drafted by “members of justice and peace organizations from several Asian countries,” and was in response to a request from Burmese Cardinal Muang Bo, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, to pray for the people of Hong Kong in the wake of the National Security Law.

The full text of the proposed prayer was “Lord, you reward your faithful servants with prosperity, but for servants not of your mind, your justice will come and you will deliver your people from oppression and slavery. As the city of Hong Kong is under threats of abusive control, we pray for your mercy. Amongst adversaries and oppression, we believe your Word and Grace shall bring back the confidence and hope of your people.”

In June, 2019, the commission ran a similar ad campaign against a proposed extradition law being brought into force for Hong Kong which would have allowed residents to be sent to the mainland for trial.

Hong Kong’s new National Security Law went into effect on July 1. It has been criticized as being overly broad on its definitions of terrorism, sedition and foriegn collusion. It criminalized the display of some political slogans such as “Free Hong Kong, Democracy Now,” and provides penalties of 10 years to life for those found guilty of breaching the law. 

Cardinal John Tong Hon, the apostolic administrator of Hong Kong, previously downplayed  religious freedom concerns about the law. 

In June, Tong told a diocesan publication that he “personally believe that the National Security Law will have no effect on religious freedom, because Article 32 of the Basic Law guarantees that we have freedom of religion, and we can also openly preach and hold religious ceremonies, and participate in religious activities.” 

On Friday, Cardinal Hon wrote to local clergy, warning them against mentioning politics in their homilies, according to Apple Daily. 

Tong said that some clergy were being “offensive and defamatory” by criticizing the new law, and that they would “incite hate and social upheaval.” 

On Aug. 11, the Episcopal Delegate for Education in the diocese wrote to the leaders of Hong Kong’s Catholic schools telling them to explain the provisions of the new National Security Law and to encourage patriotic “values” in students.

As part of helping students understand the new law’s provisions, teachers are to “foster the correct values on [students’] national identity” and to respect Chinese national symbols including the flag and national anthem, the letter said.

The letter also called for schools to put in place structures for evaluating “materials, assignments, examination papers and books” used by teachers to prevent “unilateral promotion of political messages, positions or views.”

---

If you value the news and views Catholic World Report provides, please consider donating to support our efforts. Your contribution will help us continue to make CWR available to all readers worldwide for free, without a subscription. Thank you for your generosity!

Click here for more information on donating to CWR. Click here to sign up for our newsletter.

---

Can horror give hope in a horrifying world? By Daniel Kempton

 

View this email in your browser Can horror give hope in a horrifying world? By Daniel Kempton on Aug 31, 2020 10:42 pm The anxiety and fear that many are experiencing in these days of pandemic and urban rioting have emerged from a sense that things are falling apart. New data released by Mental Health America reveal that [...] Read in browser »   Vocation and Singlehood By John Paul Meenan on Aug 31, 2020 04:50 pm Mary Cuff’s recent Crisis article premising that the single life is not a vocation, has left many singles rather nonplussed. The following words are meant to offer some hope and consolation to those who, for [...] Read in browser »     Get today's Catholic news headlines at Catholic World Report Donate

 

Symbols That Reveal A Bitter Mideast Truth

 BY STEPHEN FLATOW/JNS.ORG SEPTEMBER 01, 2020

Share this article:

 Share

 Tweet

 Email

 Share

 Print

---

Partners for Progressive Israel, a left-of-center group that is part of the American Zionist Movement, is in the midst of a 12-session "digital excursion to Israel and Palestine." Session No. 3, which was held this past week, consisted of virtual meetings with officials of the Palestinian Authority.

The Partners' official program booklet, describing the contents of the sessions, includes a photo or illustration for each one. For the session with the P.A. meetings, the booklet reprinted the official logo of the Palestine Liberation Organization, which is the parent body of the P.A. The emblem features a map of all of Israel, emblazoned with the words "Palestine From the River to the Sea."

Why does that matter?

Here's why. Beginning in the mid-1970s, Israeli left-wing activists started pushing the idea called "the two-state solution." The premise is that Israel would withdraw to the nine-mile-wide 1949 armistice lines, or "Auschwitz lines" in the memorable words of the diplomat Abba Eban, and a sovereign state of "Palestine" would be established in the vacated areas. The argument is that if the Palestinian Arabs are given their own state in those territories, then they will live in peace with Israel.

The major obstacle to the proposal is that Palestinian-Arab spokesman keeps saying that they will not be satisfied with a state in the territories, but will continue to regard all of Israel as "occupied Palestine" and will fight to "liberate" Palestine.

That's what makes it so hard to convince a majority of Israelis to support creating a Palestinian state. Most Israelis see the evidence before their eyes, and they don't believe that the Palestinian Arabs will live in peace. They see the bombings and the shootings--the way Palestinian society glorifies the bombers and the shooters. They hear the speeches calling for jihad and blood. Their blood.

And they see the maps.

By now, the Israeli news media has widely publicized images of the map that appears on the PLO's letterhead, on the walls in P.A. offices and, most of all, in textbooks in P.A. schools. A map that shows all of Israel as "occupied Palestine."

Entire generations of Palestinian Arab children have been raised on that image with its powerful message: All of Palestine belongs to the Arabs. None of it belongs to the Jews. A "two-state solution" is only a prelude to the final goal of destroying Israel altogether.

In the old days, Palestinian spokesmen were more blunt, and could not disguise their true feelings and goals. But over the years--with much coaching by Jewish "peace" activists and State Department officials--PLO and P.A. officials have gradually fine-tuned their message, emphasizing words that sound pleasant in English while never actually forsaking the goal of eliminating Israel. 

It's not hard to do that when you reporters feed them softball questions that are intended to make the Palestinian officials look as moderate and reasonable as possible.

That's why when President Barack Obama visited the P.A.-ruled city of Bethlehem in 2013, P.A. officials rushed to cart away a huge stone sculpture on the president's route, which featured a map with all of Israel labeled "Palestine." And that's why when U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon visited Gaza in 2016, officials at the Al-Zeitoun School quickly covered up a large Israel-as-"Palestine" map before he arrived.

They were savvy enough to know such images make a bad impression in the West. When the cameras departed, of course, the monument was put back up and the map uncovered.

Which brings me back to Partners for Progressive Israel and its decision to print the PLO emblem with the no-Israel map. I am not saying that nobody should print that image. True, it's very offensive. But it's also very revealing. What I am saying is that I wish the Partners for Progressive Israel would pause to look at the emblem that they have printed and consider its meaning.

Next to the emblem, in the text describing the session, the Partners write: "We will visit with some members of the current P.A. leadership in Ramallah, advocates for peace with Israel based on two viable sovereign states." That's right, "two sovereign states." That's the text that is directly adjacent to the map showing one sovereign state.

The Partners continue: "We will also meet with some of the PLO youth who will share how they envision the future of Palestine."

Just glance at the image to the left, people! There you can see how they envision the future of Palestine. They're saying it, loud and clear, in that map which is staring you straight in the face. It's time for you to stop partnering with illusions and start partnering with reality.

Originally published at JNS.org - reposted with permission.

 

What Christian Conservatives Can Learn From The Iranian Revolution

 BY MICHAEL BROWN/ASKDRBROWN.ORG SEPTEMBER 01, 2020

Share this article:

 Share

 Tweet

 Email

 Share

 Print

---

In 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini became the Supreme Leader of Iran, riding in on a tremendous groundswell of public support. The Shah had been forced to flee for his life, Khomeini was welcomed back from exile in France as a national hero, and the Islamic Republic of Iran was born. 

Today, however, a new poll finds that "only 32% of the population consider themselves Shia Muslims."

The poll was conducted by the Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN), described as "a non-profit institute in the Netherlands, asked Iranians about their 'attitude toward religion." The poll involved 50,000 Iranians.

According to the results, "78% of Iranians believe in God, but only 26% of them believe in 'the coming of the Messiah (Imam Mahdi)'," which is a major doctrine in Shia Islam.

Remarkably, "Half of the population used to believe but does not anymore and 6% have converted to a new religion.

"Out of 61% of the people born into religious families, 60% do not say their daily prayers. 68% of the participants believe that religion must not be the basis of legislation, 71% believe that religious institutions must be self-funded, and 42% believe that promoting any kind of religion must be banned from the public sphere."

In short, the people are rejecting a strict Islamic theocracy, which has driven people away from the faith rather than consolidated them in their faith.

Bottom-Up Revolution Turns Upside Down

What makes this polling data so interesting is that the Iranian Revolution came from the bottom up, meaning, it was the people, led by the Muslim clergy, which toppled the iron-handed, very-secular Shah.

While Khomeini was still in exile in France, his weekly teachings were recorded, duplicated on cassette tapes, and smuggled into Iran, where the clergy preached these same messages in the mosques on Fridays. And the people, revolting against the growing worldliness and anti-religious sentiments in their nation, toppled the regime, welcoming back the austere Khomeini.

As for Khomeini himself, Hamid Algar wrote in 1981 that, "Given the current fame of Imam Khomeini as a revolutionary leader who has achieved a rare degree of success in the purely political sphere, it may appear surprising that he first gained fame as a writer and teacher concerned with devotional and even mystical matters."

So, Khomeini began his career as a popular, spiritual teacher. But in his mind, the spiritual intersected with the secular and the political.

As Algar explained, "For Imam Khomeini, however, spirituality and mysticism have never implied social withdrawal or political quietism, but rather the building up of a fund of energy that finds its natural expression on the socio-political plane. The life of Imam Khomeini is a clear indication that the Revolution wrought by Islam necessarily begins in the moral and spiritual realm."

What's the Lesson for Christian Conservatives?

What, then, can Christian conservatives in America learn from the state of affairs in Iran?

First, changing government leaders and changing laws is important, but changing hearts is much more important. Otherwise, if change is primarily enforced from the outside rather than produced on the inside, there will be a massive backlash. The end will be worse than the beginning.

That's why I have emphasized repeatedly that we must put spiritual activity before political activity. As I tweeted on May 12, "If only we were as passionate about prayer as we are about politics! The nation would be rocked almost overnight and our own lives would be transformed."

This is not a matter of either-or. It is matter of emphasis, of putting first things first. By all means, we should work to change the laws where those laws are unjust or destructive. But we should work much harder to change hearts.

Second, every generation of believers must have a fresh encounter with God. We learn this from the history of Israel, where the book of Joshua tells us that, "Israel served the LORD during the lifetime of Joshua and the lifetime of the elders who lived on after Joshua, and who had experienced all the deeds that the LORD had wrought for Israel" (Joshua 24:31). The next generation, which did not experience the Lord's power and grace for itself, quickly fell away.

It is the same with the Church. Grandpa's stories and Mother's testimonies will only have relevance for the younger generation when those young people experience the reality of their parents' and grandparents' God. Traditions can be passed down. Living faith must be experienced.

Here too, if we do not get this right, there will be a revolt against God and the Christian faith. After all, how many people want strict morals and high standards of living without a personal encounter with the Lord?

Third, contrary to the theocratic worldview of Islam, in which the Muslim faith takes over and rules, enforcing and even coercing adherence, the New Testament method is very different. We are to preach the gospel, declaring God's love in the power of the Spirit, and as people are born-anew and transformed, they begin to lead different lives.

Their values change. Their perspectives change. Their goals change. Their standards change. As a result, the world around them changes.

The Jesus Revolution

Within the Church, as Christians start living like Christians, taking seriously the call of Jesus, they begin to shine their light more brightly. And that, in turn, touches the surrounding world in a positive way, drawing more non-believers to the faith while also confronting the social ills of the day.

This is how we fight our battles. And this is what I refer to as gospel-based, moral and cultural revolution, a Jesus revolution.

So, while we should stay involved politically, especially during this critical election season, we must put our priorities in the right place. Otherwise, while making temporary political gains, we will further alienate the next generation.

For some years now, dating back well before the rise of Donald Trump, young people have been turning away from God. And yet these same young people are hurting deeply today.

Let us bring to them the message of life, the message of hope, and the message of transformation -- all of it found in Jesus. Politics cannot do this, nor can other religions, like Islam.

It is the gospel truth that sets people free.

Originally published at AskDrBrown.org - reposted with permission.

 

Thousands Are Fleeing The Cities Because They No Longer Feel Safe

 BY MICHAEL SNYDER/END OF THE AMERICAN DREAM SEPTEMBER 01, 2020

Share this article:

 Share

 Tweet

 Email

 Share

 Print

---

In modern American history, we have never seen such a sudden mass exodus away from our major cities.  

Overall, the U.S. economy is a complete and total disaster in 2020, but moving companies and real estate agents that work in desirable rural and suburban areas are absolutely thriving right now.  

Each weekend we are seeing long lines at U-Haul rental facilities, moving companies can't handle all of the requests that they are getting, and property values are shifting at a pace that is difficult to believe.  

Homes in our core urban areas are losing value very rapidly, and at the same time we are seeing bidding wars for some rural and suburban properties that are absolutely insane.

I certainly can't blame anyone that wants to escape the violence.  If I was living in a major city that was being torn apart by violence, I would want to move too.

At one time we had some of the most beautiful cities in the entire world, but now the word "apocalyptic" is being used to describe them.  The following comes from an article by Victor Davis Hanson...

Nine months ago, New York was a thriving, though poorly governed, metropolis. It was coasting on the more or less good governance of its prior two mayors and on its ancestral role as the global nexus of finance and capital.

The city is now something out of a postmodern apocalyptic movie, reeling from the effects of a neutron bomb. Ditto in varying degrees Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco -- the anti-broken-windows metropolises of America. Walking in San Francisco today reminds me of visiting Old Cairo in 1973, although the latter lacked the needles and feces of the former.

Chicago is one of the cities that has been the most affected by the violence, and the Chicago Tribune recently posted an article about the mass exodus that the city is now experiencing...

Incidents of widespread looting and soaring homicide figures in Chicago have made national news during an already tumultuous year. As a result, some say residents in affluent neighborhoods downtown, and on the North Side, no longer feel safe in the city's epicenter and are looking to move away. Aldermen say they see their constituents leaving the city, and it's a concern echoed by some real estate agents and the head of a sizable property management firm.

Following the horrific looting in Chicago a couple weeks ago, a Tribune reporter visited some of the wealthier parts of the city, and that reporter encountered residents that indicated that they would be leaving "as soon as we can get out"...

The day after looting broke out two weeks ago, a Tribune columnist strolled through Gold Coast and Streeterville. Residents of the swanky Near North Side told him they'd be moving "as soon as we can get out." Others expressed fear of returning downtown in the future.

Of course Chicago is far from alone.  In a previous article, I discussed the fact that the New York Times has reported that hundreds of thousands of people have already left New York City.  

After losing so many residents, you would think that the mass exodus would be slowing down, but that does not appear to be happening.  In fact, we are being told that "moving trucks were out in force" on the Upper West Side on Saturday...

Moving trucks were out in force on Manhattan's Upper West Side on Saturday -- leaving Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa practically tripping over them.

"The mass evacuation of Upper West Siders from NYC is in full effect," Sliwa, who lives on W. 87th Street, lamented, blaming the city's decision this summer to house hundreds of emotionally disturbed homeless and recovering addicts in neighborhood hotels.

And someone filmed a stunningly long line at a U-Haul rental location in New York on Saturday.  In all my years, I don't think that I have ever seen anything like that at a U-Haul facility.

Of course all of those people need to have somewhere to go, and this is creating massive bidding wars for properties in the suburbs...

Over three days in late July, a three-bedroom house in East Orange, N.J., was listed for sale for $285,000, had 97 showings, received 24 offers and went under contract for 21 percent over that price.

On Long Island, six people made offers on a $499,000 house in Valley Stream without seeing it in person after it was shown on a Facebook Live video. In the Hudson Valley, a nearly three-acre property with a pool listed for $985,000 received four all-cash bids within a day of having 14 showings.

Isn't that crazy?

But this is what happens when vast hordes of wealthy people are trying to relocate all at once.

On the west coast we are seeing similar things happen.  Property values in rural and suburban communities are being driven up, and meanwhile prices in core urban areas are falling very quickly.  For example, just check out what is taking place in San Francisco...

San Francisco has seen a greater increase in price drops than any other U.S. metro, with the share of sellers slashing prices more than doubling from a year ago as the COVID-19 related panic drives homebuyers out of the Bay Area, reports Redfin.

A quarter (24.5%) of San Francisco-area home sellers cut their list prices during the four weeks ending Aug. 16, the highest share since at least 2015, when Redfin began recording this data. That's more than double the rate from a year earlier, marking the largest annual increase in the share of active listings with price drops among the 50 most populous U.S. metro areas.

Some Californians are choosing to relocate within the state, but of course many others are fleeing the state entirely.

One of the places many of them are heading to is Arizona, and one recent Yahoo News article commented on the "surge in California license plates" in the state...

Driving across Arizona, it's hard not to notice a surge in California license plates. The reason for this is becoming more apparent every day. California is a failed state.

If you currently live in an urban area and you are still thinking about relocating, I would make a decision rapidly.  Summer is almost over, economic conditions are going to continue to deteriorate, and much more civil unrest is coming.

And countless other Americans also seem to be deeply alarmed about the near future, because we have never seen a mass exodus of this magnitude in modern American history.

The times, they are a-changin', and life in our country will never be quite the same again.

Originally published at End Of The American Dream - reposted with permission.