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Stories about the Pope's visit to the Middle East:

Local Christians feel neglected by Pope Benedict
Pope Benedict XVI delivered two straightforward sermons yesterday in Nazareth. A pope talking about prayer, saints, family life, vocations and holiness to Roman Catholics is not normally a break from regular activity, but after days of inter-religious dialogue and politically sensitive addresses, it was something different. It is one of the unusual elements of this papal trip -- local Christians have been among those least enthusiastic about it, with some even quietly but firmly opposed.
Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Post, May 15

Visit is a reason to give thanks
Pope reached out to Muslim world
Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Post, May 16

Earlier: Stories about the Pope, the Middle East, and his visit there

Stories about abortion and euthanasia:

March for Life coverage conspicuously absent
Let me get this straight: 5,000 Tamils block a few lanes of Toronto traffic and it's all over the news. Heck, a mere 50 Tamils demonstrate in front of the American Consulate in Calgary and we hear about it. But when 12,000 people showed up Thursday on Parliament Hill to demonstrate their support for life from conception to natural death -- something that affects us all -- it's not worth a picture? Twenty seconds of airtime? A paragraph at the bottom of Page J20?
Nancy Gall, Holy Post, National Post, May 15

Defending freedom of conscience
Last year, Ontario's College of Physicians and Surgeons came close to implementing a policy that would have made it "unethical" for doctors to decline, as a matter of conscience, to perform controversial medical procedures on otherwise healthy patients. If adopted, the policy would have compelled doctors who consider abortion the taking of innocent life to provide such a "service" themselves or risk losing their license to practice medicine in Ontario.
Randy Hillier, National Post, May 15

What might emerge from Notre Dame
I imagine that right about now Father John Jenkins is either dealing with the nerves of excitement that come with hosting a sitting president or doubled over in pain dealing with the ulcers brought about by the negative reaction for the decision to have President Barack Obama speak at Notre Dame.
Brian Lilley, Holy Post, National Post, May 15

Prestige over truth
Obama is at odds with the Church on abortion. So why is Notre Dame giving him a degree?
Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Post, May 16

Catholic students protest Obama appearance
Popular American president has yet to experience the angry demonstrations that plagued past leaders, but that could change
Sheldon Alberts, Canwest News Service, May 16

Legalized euthanasia leads to no choice, ever
On Wednesday, Lalonde resurrected for the third time her private member's bill for doctors to kill you without penalty, should you request she or he do so, even though both the Supreme Court of Canada and a Canadian Senate committee has rejected legalizing euthanasia. Lalonde's private member's bill is benignly called Bill C-384.
Licia Corbella, Calgary Herald, May 16

Euthanasia: at this end of the spectrum, no doubt about humanity
On May 13, during Respect for Life Week, Bloc MP Francine Lalonde introduced her third Private Member's bill in support of some liberalization of our euthanasia laws. The timing was probably a coincidence, and in any case she had stated her intention many times before.
Joanne McGarry, Holy Post, National Post, May 19

Earlier: Stories about the March for Life

Stories about Angels & Demons:

Dan Brown feels the wrath
Some say the author's best-selling books show anti-Catholicism is the last acceptable prejudice
Charles Lewis, National Post, May 15

Film tackles debate between church, science
Angels and Demons takes a more mature approach to its subject than Dan Brown's book
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, May 15

Answering Hollywood's higher call
Banned from the Vatican, Angels & Demons director recreated Rome in Tinseltown
Bob Thompson, National Post, May 15

Everything Is Illuminati
This and a few more substantial plot changes are probably why the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano (whose website includes a link to "the most beautiful pictures of the Pope," well worth a gander) gave Angels & Demons a conditional pass, calling it inaccurate but harmless. This surprised many critics who, in a rare reversal, were expecting the Spanish Inquisition.
Chris Knight, National Post, May 15

When Vatican says no, this Vancouver studio says yes
The city's CIS special-effects shop enabled Angels & Demons to fill in the blanks when access to churches was denied
Globe and Mail, May 16

Dear Diary: Dan Brown
I, Dan Brown, the dashing American bookologist, threw open the doors of my hotel balcony and surveyed the city. I love Rome, Italy, in the spring. It reminds me of Paris, France, because of its European feel. A breeze fluttered the collar of my tweed jacket, but my turtleneck kept me warm. I sipped espresso, and wondered if you spell it with an X or an S. Tonight is the Angels & Demons premiere.
Joseph Brean, National Post, May 16

No demonizing of Catholics in Angels & Demons
It's true, all the bad guys (except one) in the new Ron Howard/Tom Hanks movie Angels & Demons are Catholic. But then, the same could be said of the good guys: Catholics all, except one. I've read the criticism of the movie -- how its subtext is profoundly anti-Catholic; how anti-Catholicism is the last remaining acceptable prejudice, etc. -- and while I feel empathy for Catholics, who are frequently bashed and sneered at in the media, I must say I could not see the concern with Angels & Demons.
Lorne Gunter, Full Comment, National Post, May 20

Earlier: Stories about Angels & Demons

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Stories about New Age documentary Fierce Light:

Velcrow Ripper finds spiritual ferocity
Mahatma Gandhi had "soul force". Martin Luther King had "love in action". And now Velcrow Ripper has "fierce light" -- the title of his latest documentary on spiritual activism and also the title of a trilogy of which this documentary is the second installment.
Georgia Straight, May 14

Fierce Light champions industrial strength spirituality
Velcrow Ripper's startling new film is about the power of alternative spirituality, which some call New Age. But the "industrial-strength" spirituality highlighted in the B.C. filmmaker's dramatic documentary is so far removed from the self-absorbed thought associated with New Age trends such as The Secret that it is decidedly, in his mind, not funny.
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, May 15

Adventure of the soul illuminates friction between activism and spirituality
Latest film from Velcrow Ripper questions the driving forces in his own life following the death of a friend and activist filmmaker
Katherine Monk, CanWest News Service, May 15

Stories about "human rights" tribunals and commissions:

Hudak calls for abolition of Human Rights Tribunal
Party insiders fear move proposed by front-runner in Tory leadership race would ignite controversy similar to religious-schools issue
Globe and Mail, May 20

Time to right some wrongs
The very existence of human-rights commissions is, in itself, an abuse
Tom Flanagan, Globe and Mail, May 20

Earlier: Stories about "human rights" tribunals and commissions

Stories about Sikhs and Sikhism:

A Sikh's cost of fitting in: lopping off long hair
Families forced to cope as sons opt to crop locks
Toronto Star, May 19

Sikh religion viewed unfavorably in B.C.
A new poll shows British Columbians are not nearly as favorably disposed to some religions, particularly Sikhism, as many would expect. The extensive Angus Reid poll reveals that being "tolerant" is far more complicated than pro-multicultural Canadians like to think. Especially in B.C.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, May 20

Other stories from the past week:

Celibacy -- the Vatican vs. church-goers
Canadians will soon face a shortage of personnel in a very important vocation. No, it's not the Roman Catholic priesthood. We're facing a paucity of nurses. According to a study by the Canadian Nurses Association, our country has 11,000 fewer nurses than we need now, and we will fall short by a staggering 60,000 nurses in 2022. Of course all this would be solved if we allowed nurses to marry and have families instead of making them live in dormitories for single women attached to the hospital.
Brian Lilley, Holy Post, National Post, May 15
Earlier: Other stories about Catholics and Catholicism

Obama's small Muslim world
Candidate Obama promised to deliver a major speech to the Muslim world from a Muslim capital. On June 4, President Obama will make good on that promise in Cairo. What could go wrong with this heartwarming outreach? Begin with this question: Does the president regard Salman Rushdie and Ayaan Hirsi Ali as belonging to the Muslim world, yes or no?
David Frum, National Post, May 16
Earlier: Stories about Islam and the West

North American advertising and TV sitcoms discriminate against men
Has the portrayal of men as fat, lazy and incompetent gone on for too long?
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, May 16

Ireland's religion law flouts freedom of speech - watchdog
Europe's top security and human rights watchdog is urging Ireland not to preserve "blasphemous libel" as a crime in a draft media law, saying this would flout international free speech covenants.
Holy Post, National Post, May 19

Carbon Sabbath won't save churches
Look out, oil companies operating in the Athabasca tar sands -- Jesus is coming for you! Well, technically, some guys who kind of dig Jesus are coming, anyway, and isn't that about the same thing? The interdenominational "eco-justice" group Kairos is sending a delegation of 10 Canadian church leaders to Fort McMurray, Alta., this week to "explore the theological, social and ethical implications of fossil fuel extraction in the Athabasca tar sands." In case you thought this "exploration" would be conducted with an open mind, let's note that "Kairos Tar Sands delegation activities are part of 'Re-energize: Time for a Carbon Sabbath,' a three year Kairos campaign for personal, community and political change."
Colby Cosh, National Post, May 19

Gay marriage gains momentum in U.S.
A sense of momentum among gay rights activists and the election of a liberal African-American president have combined to push more states to adopt pro same-sex marriage laws in the past year.
Charles Lewis, National Post, May 19

Kate Moss in reported relationship with Buddha
Incense is not supposed to be turned into a weapon, but somehow, if reports are true, supermodel Kate Moss has done just that. There are a number of stories floating around the Web that Ms. Moss is converting to Buddhism. So enthusiastic is Ms. Moss for her new religion that she is now making her friends sit in front of a bronze Buddha, "the pride of her living room," and has taken to lighting sandalwood incense sticks.
Charles Lewis, Holy Post, National Post, May 19

Spreading the faith, one body part at a time
Why else would an English bishop take a bite out of St. Mary Magdalene's bones? And how did a hair from Muhammad's chin end up in Kashmir? These are the kinds of questions that inspired author and scholar Peter Manseau to embark on a journey around the world to investigate relics and the people who adore them, which resulted in the book Rag and Bone: A Journey Among the World's Holy Dead.
Charles Lewis, National Post, May 20

A ticket out of poverty
Even though we are in the midst of the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, the solutions on offer are generally more of the same -- with the emphasis on more.
Father Raymond J. De Souza, Full Comment, National Post, May 21

May 21/2009