 |
|
|
1130 A.D.
Death of Saint Isidore, Patron Saint of Farmers. He died in Madrid, Spain, the same city where he was born and lived. Though he was extremely poor, he shared all he could with all. His wife is also a saint - Saint Maria de la Cabeza. He was known for having performed numerous miracles.
1213 A.D.
King John of England submits to Pope Innocent III. The supreme pontiff had earlier excommunicated him, but lifted that when John agreed to amend his ways as a person and monarch.
1508 A.D.
Pope Julius II leads the Papal States army, aligned with France, Spain and Germany and soundly defeated the City of Venice which he had excommunicated on April 27th of the same year.
1559 A.D.
Tough, uncompromising Pope Paul IV summonded the bishops of England to take an oath to the supremacy of Rome, but the English monarch stalled the efforts.
1572 A.D.
Cardinal Ugo Boncompagni becomes the 226th successor of Peter and takes the name Pope Gregory XIII following in the footsteps of Pope Saint Pius V. From this pontiff we get the Gregorian Calendar which he revised.
1265 A.D.
Death of Saint Simon Stock, the Carmelite to whom the Blessed Mother bestowed the the Brown Scapular promising salvation to all who wore it. Born in Kent, England, he died in Bordeaux, France while traveling to various monasteries as superior general of the Carmelites.
1532 A.D.
Saint Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England because he cannot abide by King Henry VIII's apostasy.
884 A.D.
Pope Saint Adrian III becomes the 109th successor of Peter. Little is known of this holy pontiff who died a year and a half later on his journey to San Cesario on his way to France at the invitation of Charles the Gross.
1198 A.D.
Frederick II Hohenstaufen is crowned King of Sicily at the tender age of four. His mother would turn him over as a ward of the Vatican court but he would come back to be a true thorn in the Holy See throughout his life as well as his son Conrad and grandson Conradin the last of the Hohenstaufen line.
1592 A.D.
Death of Saint Pascal Baylon, a Franciscan Lay Brother who was purported to have supernatural gifts. He is the patron saint of Eucharistic confraternities and congresses.
At his regular weekly public audience, the Holy Father-- who is approaching his 78th birthday-- offered his thanks to all the faithful who had prayed for him on the day of the attack, and mentioned his special filial devotion to the Virgin of Fatima. He repeated the aspiration which he had used to begin his pontificate: "Totus tuus, Maria!"
Agca, who is serving a life sentence, has reasoned that since in fact he did not kill anyone, who should now be released. His jailers report that he has been a "model prisoner."
Sara-- whose name has not been made public, but who is now a young woman of 18-- told an Italian television audience that it was "an honor" to have been partially responsible for the Pope's survival. John Paul had leaned over to hand her back to her mother when Agca, partially spoiling the aim of his attacker.
At a liturgy also on Wednesday, the Holy Father voiced his regrets that bishops from mainland China had been barred by the Beijing government from attending the sessions, and expressed his hope that the Church in China would be "authorized to have more contacts with the universal Church." The Pope also pointed out that Asia has a special place in the Church, as the place where Jesus walked on earth, and emphasized that the salvation won by Christ is offered equally to all of the world's peoples.
The Holy Father presided today-- the feast of St. Matthew-- at a Eucharistic liturgy which marked the formal closing of the synod assembly. The Asian synod had opened in Rome on April 19.
In his homily, as he discussed the challenges that face the Church in Asia, the Pope explained, "I cannot fail to mention the Chinese nation, which is the most numerous." But he thanked the Catholics of that country who-- despite oppression-- have remained loyal to the Holy See.
The Pope thanked all of the Asian bishops for their contributions to the synod, and observed that it was in Asia that Jesus had wrought the work of "salvation for all peoples."
The closing liturgy of the synod included a variety of Asian elements. The Prayers of the Faithful were read by Chinese, Hindi, Thai, Filipino, and Japanese Catholics; the music was predominantly Asia, including a Tamil chorale at the entry procession and a Gloria from the Philippines. The Gospel was read according to the Syro-Malabar rite, which is found mainly in southern India.
The Pope, alluding to the role of Asia in the development of the early Church, commented that the Asian synod could be viewed as "a sort of appendix to the Acts of the Apostles."
Archbishop Bertone made his remarks in an interview with the Italian monthly Ricerca, published by an organization of Catholic university students. He said that a common language of faith, which could unite all Catholics on the basics of doctrine, had been lost. The problem, he said, inhibits not only ecumenical dialogue, but even discussions among Catholics.
The ban would not apply if the girl's life is in danger. Supporters of the bill say it is necessary to protect parental rights and vulnerable girls, while critics claimed girls from dysfunctional homes would suffer. The Clinton administration said the president is reviewing the bill and has not decided whether he would sign it. A spokesman said the bill raises constitutional, enforcement, and policy questions. Twenty-nine states require permission from a parent, guardian, or judge before a girl can undergo an abortion.
GOP leaders have said they will put the measure on the fast track in the House and Senate. "I would think that virtually every member of the House and Senate should find it possible to protect 13-year-olds and should find it possible to protect the parents' right to know and give consent by voting for this legislation," House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Georgia, said. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, joined other Republicans to criticize abortion clinics for advertising the lack of parental notification laws or waiting periods in their states, which they said encourages people to try to circumvent the laws.
In a related story out of Sioux Falls, the South Dakota legislature has passed a bill to go into effect on July 1 that would protect pharmacists who refuse to prescribe drugs that can be used for abortion, suicide, or euthanasia.
The law, the first of its kind in the US, would shield pharmacists from being sued or fired for refusing to dispense certain drugs. The measure stems from cases such as that of Jeff Gallagher who was told last year to comply with his clinic's policy of providing rape victims with so-called "morning after" pills that induce spontaneous abortions. Gallagher said his religious beliefs as a Catholic conflicted with the order and successfully appealed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Although critics said the law would interfere with the doctor-patient relationship by allowing the pharmacist to second-guess a physician's orders, supporters said pharmacists make judgments about prescriptions all the time, such as making sure a drug does not interact with other medication the patient is taking.
"Cyprus has no choice, no real choice in fact," Hans Christian Kruger, Deputy Secretary General of the 40-nation Council of Europe, said during a sports ministers' meeting in Nicosia. Government officials agreed with Kruger, but parliament has refused to repeal the 99-year-old law. "This is an international obligation which the country has and must comply with ... You can prolong it here and there, but not in the long run," Kruger told Reuters. "I believe that this country, with a solid human rights record, would not wish to be in breach of the European Convention of Human rights."
Under the law enacted in 1889, homosexuals can be imprisoned for up to seven years, but Cypriot officials said the law is rarely, if ever, enforced today. Homosexual activists complained its mere existence is enough to be concerned. Kruger said that if the law is not changed this year, Cyprus could face negative repercussions, including expulsion from the Council of Europe.
