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June 1 - June 14, 2009 
 News In Review
 Vol 4, Issue 9
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The News In Review newsletter is a service provided by Understand The Times that is a compilation of the news articles previously posted on our site .

 May 31 - Pope Urges Learning from Mary to Follow the Spirit
 Article: Roman Cathilc Church and The Last days

VATICAN CITY, MAY 31, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is encouraging Catholics to learn from the Blessed Virgin how to follow the Holy Spirit with docility and recognize his voice in daily life.

"The great Feast of Pentecost invites us to meditate upon the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Mary, a very close, privileged, indissoluble relationship," the Pontiff affirmed.

Then, at Calvary, Mary witnessed Jesus' "last words and his last breath, in which he begins to send out the Spirit" and "the silent crying out of his Blood, poured out completely for us," the Pope affirmed. He added that Mary "knew where the blood came from: it was formed in her by the work of the Holy Spirit, and she knew that this same creative 'power' would raise Jesus up, as he promised."

The Pontiff affirmed that in "Mary's school we too learn to recognize the Holy Spirit's presence in our life, to listen to his inspirations and to follow them with docility." He expressed the hope that Catholics will "walk with Mary according to the Spirit."



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 June 1 - Reports: N. Korea Prepares Long-Range Missile
 Article: Wars and Rumors Of Wars

SEOUL, South Korea -  North Korea is readying an advanced missile designed to reach the United States for a launch that could come within weeks, reports said Monday, ratcheting up tensions after its second underground nuclear test.

The reclusive communist country also reportedly bolstered its defenses and conducted amphibious assault exercises along its western shore, near disputed waters where deadly naval clashes with the South have occurred in the past decade.

Satellite images and other intelligence indicated the North had transported its most advanced long-range missile to the new Dongchang-ni facility near China and could be ready to be fired in the next week or so, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

The missile being prepared for launch was believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of up to 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers), the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported, citing an unnamed South Korean official. That distance would put Alaska and U.S. bases on the Pacific island of Guam - along with all of Japan - within striking range.

Experts said North Korea's nuclear capabilities, while improving, still do not pose a direct threat to its neighbors. The larger concern, they say, is that the North will try to sell its technology to others.

Lee of the Sejong Institute said the international community's options were few. "If North Korea is determined to become a full nuclear state, there's nothing the international community can do about it," he said



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 June 1 - Blair hopeful over Middle East peace process
 Article: Israel And The Last Days

Tony Blair said he expected the Middle East peace process to find "a way forward" in the next few weeks. In a rare return to Westminster, the former prime minister said that the month of June would be "critical" to efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

He claimed success in assisting development in the Palestinian territories since taking up his role in summer 2007, but suggested the recent political situation had been an obstacle. He expressed hope, however, that the commitment to peace from US President Barack Obama, the Israeli government and the Arab world could bear fruit.

Mr Blair predicted that Mr Obama would use a speech in Egypt on Thursday to signal the extent of the new American administration's "serious undertaking" in the Middle East.

Asked about his achievements, he pointed to improvements in housing, tourism, mobile telephones, and access and movements for the Palestinian people.

He added that there was now a "new sense of momentum towards peace", with the White House "fully committed" to the region, a settled Israeli government and the Arab world demonstrating "a renewed desire for partnership".



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 June 1 - Calif. District Creates Primary School Gay Curriculum
 Artilce: Perilous Times

Elementary school teachers in Alameda, Calif., will introduce lesson plans to their educational curriculum beginning next year that address gay and lesbian issues, KCBS News in San Francisco reports. Kindergarten through grade 5 students throughout the county will be exposed to same-sex educational material aimed at promoting tolerance and inclusiveness.

The curriculum -- which will include lessons to introduce students to "LGBT" (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual) issues -- will be designed to discourage bullying and teasing based on gay and lesbian stereotypes. The plan will be implemented despite objections by parents who complain children are too young to be exposed to the material.

Many parents are condemning the lesson plan as sex education in disguise and are angered that they will not be allowed to exempt their children from the lessons. Opponents decry the curriculum plan as an effort to advance the gay, lesbian and transgendered agenda.

School Board Member Trish Spencer, who voted against the plan, said she worries that its implementation could lead to the harassment of students who have religious objections to homosexuality. She cited that bullying due to religion is a bigger problem for the district than bullying based on homosexuality.

Also adamantly opposed to the plan is Randy Thomasson, president of the Campaign for Children and Families. "This will be done whether parents like it or not, and it shows the hostility against parental rights and traditional family values," Thomasson, told CNS New.



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 June 9 - The launch of Face to Faith, a new global education programme
 Article: One World Religion

In a world that is opening up at an astonishing speed, schools are recognising the need to equip young people with the skills to contribute to an increasingly global, interdependent society. Collaboration and communication skills, information and media literacy are all to be regularly found on the syllabus, acknowledged as vital tools for the 21st century.

Yet in a world in which 4 billion people - two thirds of the population - are of faith, can we be sure that young people are equipped to participate as global citizens if they do not understand much about the world's major religions? How can we ensure that a lack of knowledge does not lead to prejudice, antagonism and tension?

There some significant opportunities at hand. We are already seeing how new technologies are stimulating radically new approaches to teaching and learning. Why not apply these technologies in such a way as to encourage students of different faiths to learn directly with, from and about each other to support encounter, exploration and exchange between students from different countries and cultures? A new global education programme from the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, Face to Faith, is designed to do just that. The initiative was launched formally on Tuesday 9th June by Tony Blair who took part in a video-conference between three schools in the UK, Palestine and India.

Developed by an international group of educational experts and piloted in more than 10 countries on three continents, Face to Faith uses video conferencing, an online community and a course syllabus to support exchange between young people of different faiths. Face to Faith also contributes to the project component of the 'Global Perspectives' IGSCE from Cambridge Assessment as well as to a range of national RE, Humanities, Social Sciences and Citizenship qualifications and curricula.

The programme has already been taken up by schools in India, Singapore, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Thailand, Indonesia, Lebanon, the US, UK and Canada, who have recognised the programme's potential to improve young people's religious literacy. Young people involved in the pilot are already reporting how their understanding of the role of faith in today's world has increased by learning from those of differing social, cultural and religious perspectives



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 June 8 - Saudi representative visits Vatican council for inter-religious dialogue
 Article: Ecumenical Movement - Other Religions uniting with Roman Catholics

.- The Saudi Arabian minister for foreign affairs paid a visit to the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue last Friday to discuss the best way to follow up on a recent gathering of Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian leaders.

According to a Vatican press release, His Royal Highness Prince Saud Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabian minister for foreign affairs, along with his delegation, visited representatives from the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue on Friday. 

During their meeting, they exchanged ideas regarding the best way to follow up on the Madrid Conference, which took place July 16-18, 2008 at the request of King Abdallah bin Abulaziz Al Saud.  The meeting gathered together religious leaders from around the world urging them to find common ground and peacefully reconcile with each other.



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 June 9 - N. Korea Warns of 'Merciless' Nuclear Offensive
 Article: Wars and Rumors Of Wars

SEOUL, South Korea -  North Korea said Tuesday it would use nuclear weapons in a "merciless offensive" if provoked - its latest bellicose rhetoric apparently aimed at deterring any international punishment for its recent atomic test blast.

"Our nuclear deterrent will be a strong defensive means ... as well as a merciless offensive means to deal a just retaliatory strike to those who touch the country's dignity and sovereignty even a bit," said the commentary, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

It appeared to be the first time that North Korea referred to its nuclear arsenal as "offensive" in nature. Pyongyang has long claimed that its nuclear weapons program is a deterrent and only for self-defense against what it calls U.S. attempts to invade it.

The tough talk came as South Korea and the U.S. lead an effort at the U.N. Security Council to have the North punished for its nuclear test with tough sanctions.

Intensifying its confrontation with the U.S., North Korea handed down 12-year prison terms to two detained American journalists on Monday.



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 June 8 - Americans Tired of Typical Church, Report Shows
 Article: Emerging Church



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 June 9 - 40 Hours Devotion Taken up in St. Mary Major
 Article: Roman Catholic Chruch And The Last Days

Thousands of the faithful are approaching Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where the age-old tradition of the 40 Hours Devotion has been taken up in preparation for this Thursday's feast of Corpus Christi.

"If we want to be salt of the earth, as Jesus tells us, we should be light of the world; then our 'yes' should be like that of Jesus," he said in his homily. "Above all in the Eucharistic mystery we encounter the 'yes' of the Lord Jesus. In his death, in his cross, we understand the infinite love that God has for us through the cross." With this love, Cardinal Law added, we "thus become the salt and light of the world."

Dozens of groups and religious communities have taken an hour of adoration at the basilica. Today, ambassadors from various nations accredited to the Holy See were among the adorers.

His wife, Marķa Graciela, affirmed that even though not all of the ambassadors before the Holy See are Catholic, prayer brings them to find a "common point among all religions."

Monsignor Adriano Pancelli, master of liturgical ceremonies at St. Mary Major, told ZENIT that the initiative aims to remind Catholics of the central role of the Eucharist.

"It's enough to look at the lives of the saints," he said. "The Eucharist is the living rock of the Church. It's about adoring the Blessed Sacrament and feeling that the Lord is present. The most sublime, most high, most true and effective mystery."


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We hope the Weekly News In Review has been a blessing to you.

Sincerely,
Ron Pierotti


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