Fr. Ken Riley And Stem-Cell Research

I'm very interested in stem-cell research. The Catholic Church isn't in favor of embryoic stem-cell research. Actually, the latest statement from Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, head of the Pontifical Council for the Family isn't that pleasant:

Embryonic stem cell research, like abortion, involves the destruction of human life and those involved face excommunication from the Catholic Church, said the Vatican’s chief family official.
[...]
“Excommunication applies to all women, doctors and researchers who eliminate embryos,” the cardinal said.

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In my opinion, this is going way too far. Jesus of the Bible is someone who embraced all people, sinners before saints. What happened to that Jesus?

Anyway, when I read about Fr. Riley's stem-cell donation, I thought I'd inform my readers that the Catholic Church isn't very rigid when it comes to adult stem cells donation. Catholic Online reports:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (The Catholic Key) – Like all priests, Father Ken Riley's mission is to save souls. Thanks to a decision he made years ago, he saved a life.

Father Riley, pastor at St. Bernadette Parish here, finally got to meet the woman he saved nearly three years ago. The surprise meeting with Lee Ann Collins happened during the Adair County (Ky.) Relay for Life rally June 9. Before that, the two had only spoken by phone.
[...]
Father Riley is a big fan of the bumper sticker that says "Don't take your organs to heaven, heaven knows we need them here." He said that message frequently "makes homilies with me."

Then Fr. Riley explains the Catholic Church's position on stem-cell research:

With the stem-cell debate raging across Missouri and the world, Father Riley thought this would be a good time to clear up misconceptions about stem-cell research and the Catholic Church's position on the issue.

"Catholics are not anti-stem-cell," Father Riley said, the tone of his voice rising with each word. "It makes for a good sound bite on the news, but nothing could be further from the truth.”

"Catholics are very much for stem-cell research and the treatment options developed from adult stem cells, placenta blood, umbilical cord blood.

"The only time the church is anti-stem-cell is when embryonic stem-cells are used because we believe that is a human life and all human life has dignity. Therefore, to destroy an embryo to save another person, is destroying life, which we don't believe in," he said.

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I wonder how many newspapers and TV stations will pick up his story. Probably very few.

Apples and Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's time for another joke. I hope you appreciate humor :-)

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch.

At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray, "Take only one. God is watching."

Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples."

More Threats Against Basrawi Christians

A few weeks ago, my Assyrian friend in California told me a militia has sent a threat letter to one of her relatives in Basra. It's the usual letter of close your business and leave town or you and your family will be dead. Ahhh, how nice!!!!

The other day, I found a similar story on Ankawa Online. This time the threat is against Linda Edmon, the choir singer at the Chaldean Church in Basra [Arabic Source] -- It's the church I attended for 22 years while I lived in Basra. She and her husband received a death threat. They have no idea why the bastards want to kill them. But, they're taking the threat seriously. They have decided to leave the city they lived in all their life to start a different life in another unknown destination.

I asked Queen Amidala if she has more details. She sent me back this reply:

I know Linda from church. She really has a beautiful angelic voice.. All I can say is that she might have received that threat because someone wanted their house.

The reason I'm saying this is because three weeks ago a Christian man was killed by knives for this particular reason. He was an engineer working at Al-Hartha station for electricity and he was living alone in his house -- no wife or any relatives. His mother died a year ago. And, he wasn't any engineer. He was a senior engineer -- a manager -- and they killed him just to take his house.

I'm still waiting on the iron-fist approach to show some good results in Basra. Until then, more Basrawis will be killed by the hands of militias. And Basrawis are freaking tired of being the scapegoat of Iraqi governments since the start of Iraq-Iran war. Whether it rains or shines in other parts of Iraq, it has continued to rain in Basra since September 22nd, 1980. I'm tired of the attention other parts of the country has gotten during the last three years while Basra has being left in the dark.

Identical Twins Ordained As Catholic Priests

That's what Pennsylvania's Wilkes Barre Times-Leader has reported today:

ERIE — James and Joseph Campbell are identical twins and on Friday night, their uncannily similar lives are scheduled to merge again as both will be ordained as Roman Catholic priests at St. Peter Cathedral.

The 26-year-old Erie brothers said they always wanted to be priests, they used to play at saying Mass at home, using communion wafers they made from bread. They voluntarily went to 6:30 a.m. Mass each day growing up.

“It wasn’t an obligation for us, but rather something we saw as cool,” Joseph Campbell said.

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They come from a typical BIG Catholic family. I wish them the best.

Four Christians Arrested In Saudi Arabia

This isn't the first time Christians have been arrested in Saudi Arabia for practising their religion. You'd think this harrasment would stop due to pressure from the international community. Nope, there has been more arrests this month. AsiaNews reports:

Jeddah (AsiaNews) – The notorious Muttawa (religious police) have struck Christians in Saudi Arabia once again. According to the Compass Direct agency, on 9 June, 10 police armed with wooden clubs broke into a private residence in Jeddah, arresting four Christians of African origin who were conducting a prayer service. The two Ethiopians and two Eritreans are reportedly still detained in a prison for immigrants in Jeddah.

The government of Saudi Arabia forbids the practice of any religious other than the fundamentalist Wahhabite version of Islam. Mission and any public manifestation like carrying a Bible, a crucifix, a rosary beads and praying in public, are forbidden. The muttawa, known for their ruthlessness and violent torture practices, monitor respect for the ban,.

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Lucky are those who live in countries that grant freedom of religion. Unlucky are those who live in countries that subject them to prosecution because of their religious beliefs.

Prayer To Mother Mary, The Advocate

Holy Mary, my advocate, I pray for you from the depth of my heart, for I have reached the absolute limit of my human resources.

I am exhausted physically, depleted mentally, wrung out emotionally and desicated spiritually.

I have no one to turn to except you, my heavenly mother, nowhere to seek help except in your maternal heart.

So, dearest Advocate, I bring to you my petition [mention request]. Please, present it to your son, reminding him that I have turned to his mother in my hour of need, and implore him to look, therefore, upon me with his favor.

O blessed Advocate, I thank you for your advocacy and pray that I may always be your loving child.

Amen


Source: 100 Names of Mary

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100 Names of Mary

The Arab Jews

Growing up in the Middle East means you have little chance to meet a Jewish person. I was lucky enough to grow up in Basra where our neighbor was a Jewish lady, who was married to a Muslim Basrawi.

When I graduated college, I worked for the Department of Education in Baghdad. As a college graduate, I was required to serve one year in a hospital as an assistant nurse. The rule was introduced during Iran-Iraq War. The first day I arrived at the hospital, I learned from the whispers that doctor XYZ is an Iraqi Jew. It wasn't hard to figure that one myself from his father's name. The patients were told he's a Muslim. I asked around why he had to say he's a Muslim. A nurse told me that's how he and his family can stay unharmed in Iraq. He was a very sweet guy. I hope he's still safe.

Arab Jews have almost disappeared from most of the Middle East during the last 30 to 50 years. There are good sized Iraqi-Jewish communities in America and other Western countries. Israel absorbed a large number of them. As you might remember, Saddam fired scud missiles at Israel during the First Gulf War in 1991. One of my Israeli readers, who is married to an Iraqi-Jew, said most of those missiles hit near the city where most Iraqi-Jews live in Israel. She said they always joke that Saddam didn't forget them even from such a far distance.

Bahraini blogger Esra'a bumped into a Bahraini-Jew lately. She decided to interview him for her blog. She did an excellent job with the Q&A session. Here's an excerpt from the interview:

Is it hard being an Arab-Jew here?

If no one asks me or mentions it, I never bring it up. So when I don't, I'm treated like everyone else. When I do mention it, people hold it against me. Not everyone does, though. I have several strict Muslim friends who don't mind me being Jewish. They just think it's weird and unusual for me to follow that religion as an Arab. I do get uncomfortable and scared when some people try to drag me into a heated religious and political debate. They keep thinking that just because I'm Jewish, I'm pro-Israel, which isn't entirely true.

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His answers are really interesting. I admit I never knew there were any Bahraini-Jews. I learned something new from Esra'a today.

More on Arab-Jews from previous posts:

Iraqi - Israeli Handshake
Ashes to Art: The Iraqi Phoenix

An Estimated 6,000 Iraqi Christians Live In Lebanon

When I went to Jordan from Iraq more than 10 years ago, the Iraqi Christian community was growing fast in Amman. The Latin church in downtown Amman was kind enough to offer a Chaldean mass on Sundays.

I was lucky enough to get accepted into Australia. Others waited for years. Some lost hope and paid large sums of money for traffickers to smuggle them to Greece or other European countries.

Then Iraqi Christians started moving to Syria, where the cost of life was cheaper than Jordan. Now, I read that thousands of Iraqi Christians have moved to Lebanon. AKI reports:

Beirut, 6 June (AKI) - Impoverished and living in Lebanon illegally - many of the 3,000 Iraqi Chaldean Christians who have fled their homeland now dream of a better future abroad with Australia the most desired destination. Most of the refugees left Iraq in the wake of the US invasion of the country and while the bloody sectarian stuggle that followed has mostly pitted Shiite and Sunni Muslims against each other, the small Christian minority has not been spared the bloodshed.

But some Christians abandoned the country in the 1990s when it was still ruled by Saddam Hussein.
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The UNHCR estimates that some 6,000 Iraq Christians - over a half of them Chaldeans - have sought refuge in Lebanon

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The exodus of Iraqi Christians started in the 70s. It slowed down during Iran-Iraq war when Saddam's government closed the borders. We were isolated from the outside world.

After that long war, the borders were opened and Iraqi Christians started fleeing Iraq. After the first Gulf war, it became very sad to count how many friends and relatives left the country.

And here we are in year 2006. Iraqi Christians are still fleeing their country to unknown destinations. It's a matter of time until we become like the Iraqi Jews who disappeared from Iraq over the years.

Chaldean Thoughts

The Iraqi Chaldean community has scattered around the world in the last 10-20 years. Their numbers is decreasing quickly in Iraq. So, I decided to change my blog's name to Chaldean Thoughts because it represents my small community, personality and thoughts.

The World Cup Chapel

If you're an American, soccer doesn't mean much to you. To the rest of the world, it's the most popular sport. Iraqis are mad about soccer. So yes, I'm following the 2006 FIFA World Cup. I always cheer for Germany and Brazil. They play the best games.

In England, a Catholic priest made a world cup chapel to drew people to the church. The BBC News reports:

Father David Cain has decorated the parish centre at St Barnabas' Cathedral with flags of nations competing in the World Cup.

Fans will be allowed to come into the Roman Catholic church and pray for their team during the tournament.
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He said: "Understandably, many people will be fiercely cheering on their own nation.

"I believe sport, and football in particular can provide a great bridge in promoting harmony between nations despite differences that exist in race, religion or politics."

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The game really brings people together. There's something about the clean playing-style that makes it so lovable.

Chaldean Patriarch Delly Is Hopeful

Today, Iraqis received news that brought them some hope. The Interior and Defence posts has been filled, and Al-Zarqawi is dead. I'm happy that Iraqis have a functional government. I'm also relieved that Al-Zarqawi is gone for good.

Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly had this to say:

Baghdad, Jun. 08 (AsiaNews) - News that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is dead and that the last posts in the Iraqi ruling cabinet have been filled have given Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly “hope that violence may come to an end,” the AsiaNews service reports.
[...]
“There is great hope that the violence that is torturing us might end," said the Chaldean patriarch, who is the leader of Iraq's largest Christian community. He nevertheless expressed regret that the hope came at the expense of a human life. "Murdering one another for personal reasons cannot bring anything good," said Patriarch Emmanuel. "Loving, not killing one another: this is the path to follow.”

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Let's hope for the best.

The Date 6-6-6 Is Here

I'm not sure who's benefiting from this fuzz, but it's kind of entertaining. The Associated Press reports:

"Many people avoid the number. They're afraid of it almost, and there's absolutely no reason to be afraid of it," he [Jesuit priest Rev. Felix Just, a professor of theology and religious studies at the University of San Francisco] said. "It is not a prediction of future events. It is not supposed to be taken as a timetable for when the world is going to end."

It all started with Revelation 13:18 in the Bible: "This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six."

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Some pregnant women are concerned they may deliver their babies on 6-6-2006. The Australian reports:

Dr Leonard [Jesuit priest and director of the Catholic Film Office] said mothers-to-be should ignore the date, because when Christianity took over the Roman calendar, in the 4th Century, the monk who compiled the dates got it wrong.

"We assume that Satan knows that the sixth day of the sixth month in 06 was in fact the 6th June 2002," Dr Leonard said.

"I take evil far too seriously to think The Omen is telling me anything realistic or important."

Historians backdated to confirm the timeline of activities in 1582, and it was discovered the dating was four years out, Dr Leonard said.

He said the mistake had not been corrected and that going by the original dates, 6/6/06 had been four years ago.

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Thank you for the logic and clarification Fr. Leonard. I hope it makes people, who are taking this date seriously, much less paranoid.

No Letter From Ahamdinejad To The Pope

You probably heard of the 28-pages letter sent to President Bush from Iranian president Ahamdinejad. The Iranian president wanted to send another long letter to Pope Benedict XVI. But, someone stopped him before he did. AKI reports:

Tehran, 1 June (AKI) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will not write to Pope Benedict XVI as announced earlier this month, Iran's Farda news agency reported on Thursday, citing a source close to the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. "After reading a draft copy of the letter, the country's top religious authorities have forbidden Ahmadinejad to write to the pontiff," the agency said.

The official reason is that Iran's ayatollahs don't want a politician without any religious role to write a letter to the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

However sources in Tehran claim the real reason is the diplomatic failure of a letter sent by Ahmadinejad to US President George W. Bush - reportedly the first by an Iranian president to a US counterpart since the Iranian revolution in 1979.

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I'm glad the Mullahs stopped him from writing another silly letter.

65 Years After The Farhud In Iraq

Each time I read about the hardship of Iraqi Christians in today's Iraq, I can't help but think of the Iraqi Jews.

Today marks the 65th anniversary of Farhud in Iraq. It marks the beginning of fear among Iraqi Jews, which resulted in their exodus from Iraq.

Abraham H. Miller wrote in the Contra Costa Times:

THURSDAY marks the 65th anniversary of the infamous Farhud (pogrom) against Jews of Iraq on the Jewish holiday of Shavout 1941.

Although the media are filled with pieces about the tragedy of the Palestinian refugees, the tragedy of the nearly 1 million Jewish refugees of the Middle East (the Mizrachim) and of North Africa (the Sephardim), displaced from their homes by Arab governments is seldom mentioned.

It is as if these people never existed, and the violence against them need not impinge on humanity's conscience.

The Farhud began at 3 p.m. June 1, 1941 when a mob attacked a Jewish delegation that went out to greet the returning Iraqi Regent Abdulal Iiah.

The mob then murdered, burned and raped its way through Baghdad's Jewish community. Pregnant women, infants and children were systematically targeted for violence.

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The same crimes have been committed against Iraqi Christians for the last three years. Their population has decreased sharply since the collapse of the old regime. Very soon, we'll be like the Iraqi Jews, who existed in Iraq for centuries. Now, they're part of the Iraqi history.