An autopsy showed that Terri Schiavo had a brain half the normal size, and with a totally dead visual cortex (i.e., she was blind). Not exactly evidence in favor of the potential for rehabilitation.
News Clips: June 2005 Archives
Parents in Texas lost custody of their 12 year-old daughter who is undergoing cancer treatment because they refused to give her radiation treatment. In fact, they issued an Amber Alert to gain custody of her.
Frankly I am frightened about the degree to which states are interfering with families. It's as if the states own the kids and the parents are merely guardians at the state's pleasure. This is a good example IMHO of states usurping the legitimate discretion of the parents. Will all kids end up as wards of the state? Will the state micromanage how kids are to be raised and will well-meaning parents live in fear of running afoul of the rules?
I love the pro-choice quote -- "It's my body". Hard for them to argue with that!
(Thanks to Caleb)
Apparently the pope has a strong preference to write his own speeches while John Paul II relied heavily on speechwriters. Fascinating information!
(Thanks to Matt Kowalski)
Pope condemns gay marriages as 'anarchy'
Go for it, Pope Benedict!
John Paul's secretary — the one promoted to Krakow — did not burn his notes as requested in his will.
Personally I think this is a travesty — if his will said to burn the notes, I think that should be done; though I can understand his hesitancy. I am equally upset that they did not bury him as his will instructed, either. What good is a will if it's not going to be honored?
Here is a very weird story. A guy who otherwise seems like a kook claims that he can call UFOs on command. For some reason, a news center sends out a reporter to test him. And guess what? Sure enough, UFOs appear right on cue!
Stanislaw Dziwisz, Pope John Paul's personal secretary, Archbishop has been named to the see of Krakow following its bishop's retirement.
Here's an interesting fact from the article: The pope named his secretary bishop in 1998, going against tradition, and named him an archbishop only in 2003. So the archbishop has had no pastoral experience as a bishop.
Canadian mint issues John Paul II commemorative coins, available June 14th (gold version available July 14th)
Evangelicals have started an embryo adoption crusade to adopt embryos used in in-vitro fertilization or other procedures that would otherwise be destroyed.
Interestingly, industry organizations are opposed to calling it "embryo adoption" specificially because it implies that the embryo is a child. Well there is some openness for ya.
Not sure if the church has an official stance on this practice but I would not see a problem with it, as you are not involved in the immoral aspects of IVF, and you are saving lives that would otherwise perish.
"Churchmen at Westminster Abbey have grown so tired of answering questions about “The Da Vinci Code” that they announced Tuesday they would issue information sheets to correct “factual errors” in the runaway bestseller."
'“Although a real page turner, ‘The Da Vinci Code’ is theologically unsound and we cannot commend or endorse the contentious and wayward religious and historic suggestions made in the book — nor its views of Christianity and the New Testament,” said the statement by the authorities of the abbey, one of the Church of England’s most historic buiildings.'
Good for them!
Apparently they (not the churchmen) are making this travesty into a movie starring Tom Hanks.
German firm lanches baby-faced pope doll (photo)
I tried to search for the site but couldn't find it.
