By Ed Condon Vatican City, Jul 2, 2019 / 03:15 pm (CNA).- Last week, Bishop Marcello Semeraro, secretary of the pope’s C6 Council of Cardinal Advisors announced that the group hoped to present Francis with a […]
Chicago, Ill., Jul 2, 2019 / 04:43 pm (CNA).- After an investigative series by the Chicago Tribune uncovered numerous cases of sexual abuse and cover-up in the city’s public schools, a local commentator is looking to the Archdiocese of Chicago as… […]
Reims, France, Jul 2, 2019 / 02:01 pm (CNA).- Doctors have said they will begin to remove intravenous feeding tubes from Vincent Lambert, though his parents have asked international authorities to intervene to avoid the death of the man, who requires a… […]
We used to keep death close, even stare it in the face: the skull on the desk beside the book, the graveyard right next to the church, crypts under the floors where we knelt. We […]
Washington D.C., Jul 2, 2019 / 01:00 pm (CNA).- More than 200 businesses have asked the Supreme Court to recognize anti-discrimination protections on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation as good for business and the economy.
The compani… […]
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Salt Lake City, Utah, Jul 2, 2019 / 09:30 am (CNA).- Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York championed the importance of religious freedom at a patriotic-themed gathering in Utah on Sunday, appearing with religious leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“We come together as neighbors, we come together as a family, we come together as friends,” Cardinal Dolan said. “See, that gives a counterexample to those who would love to caricature us as these bigoted, hateful, violent people. And we can’t allow that to happen.”
The Cardinal added that religious freedom “is important for all of culture and all of society, not just for people of faith.”
Cardinal Dolan gave the keynote address to a crowd of 3,000 at Utah Valley University UCCU Center in Orem, Utah, on Sunday. The speech was part of America’s Freedom Festival at Provo which is an annual patriotic gathering held around Independence Day to promote American values of faith, freedom, patriotism, and family.
He appeared with Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Mormon faith, at Sunday’s event. On Monday Dolan met with church President Russell M. Nelson who presented him a statue of the Christus.
The Cardinal has previously worked with Mormon leaders on matters of religious freedom, faith, marriage and humanitarian efforts, including a 2017 ecumenical meeting in New York City with Mormon and Jewish leaders.
“To have us be able to work together on things that would bless this country,” Cook said, “whether they’re of a faith or no faith at all, has been an incredibly significant thing, as far as we’re concerned.”
Both Cardinal Dolan and Bishop Oscar Solis of the Diocese of Salt Lake City on Sunday emphasized that love of country should go together with love of God.
“We have to remember that patriotism is a biblical virtue,” said Cardinal Dolan, adding that it is important “to see people coming together — especially to see our young people — to show that we’re not alone in our love for God and country.”
“We have to bring God and patriotism together. It’s a great formula for a healthy society,” said Bishop Solis.
“Religious liberty is very essential for us, and that it is defined as the First Amendment in this country, and that is why we need to safeguard and uphold, because this is a precious gift.”
Harare, Zimbabwe, Jul 2, 2019 / 12:22 am (CNA).- A recent conference in Zimbabwe encouraged government officials, church leaders and academics to work together to fight human trafficking.
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The Antichrist has gone missing, and so has God. The former is the primary plot device of the new Amazon Prime comedy series Good Omens, adapted from the book by Neil Gaiman and the late […]
Krakow, Poland, Jul 1, 2019 / 06:37 pm (CNA).- An Ikea worker in Poland has filed a lawsuit after being fired last week for posting Bible verses opposing homosexual behavior on the company’s intranet.
Tomasz K is suing after he was terminated from his position at the furniture store in Krakow.
Poland Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro has also asked the national prosecutor’s office to look into the case.
The issue arose when employees were asked to attend a pro-LGBT event at the company.
In response, Tomasz said that he objected to the promotion of homosexuality. He posted two verses from Scripture: “Woe to him through whom scandals come, it would be better for him to tie a millstone around his neck and plunge him in the depths of the sea,” (Matthew 18:6) and, “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them,” (Leviticus 20:13).
Ikea then fired Tomasz. The company said in a statement that he was terminated for “using quotes from the Old Testament about death and blood in the context of what fate should meet homosexual people” and “expressing his opinion in a way that could affect the rights and dignity of LGBT+ people,” according to news.com.au.
Tomasz’s attorney, however, says he was simply exercising his protected right to express his religious beliefs.
Tomasz told TVP Info that his job was to sell furniture, not to promote same-sex ideology. When asked to take down the Bible verses he had posted, he said, “as a Catholic, I cannot censor God.”
“I do not think it was my duty. … [I] quoted two quotations from the Holy Scriptures: about stumbling and about the fact that the cohabitation between two men is an abomination,” he said, according to TVP Info.
After Tomasz was fired, another employee also quit in solidarity with him.
“[If Ikea] promotes equality and diversity towards people, why was this situation where the Catholic expresses his opinion and is thrown out of work for it?” the employee said, according to the TVP Info.
A spokeswoman for Ikea holding company Ingka Group issued a statement to news.com.au saying that in the company’s view, “Using your religion background as a reason for excluding others is considered discrimination.”
“At Ingka Group we believe everyone has the right to be treated fairly and be given equal opportunities whatever their gender, sexual orientation and gender identity, age, nationality, religion and/or any other dimension of their identity,” she said.
“Inclusion at Ingka Group means respecting our individual differences and creating a safe environment for all. Everyone’s views and opinions are welcome with the common goal to build a great place to work.”
Tomasz is represented by the legal group Ordo Iuris. The group’s chairman, Jerzy Kwasniewski, argued that it is illegal to censor the Bible, and said the move was oppressive to Tomasz’s rights.
“The insinuation contained in the Ikea statement is unacceptable and violates Mr Tomasz’s personal rights,” he said, according to New.com.au. “[It] can be read as motivated by prejudices against Christians.”
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