Archaeologist Paolo Lorizzo, an Oriental Studies graduate and a postgraduate in Egyptology at the Sapienza University of Rome, has recently written on "Zenit.it" about the burial of Saint Peter in the Vatican Necropoli, a burial which is confirmed by literary sources and by archaeological findings.

Every historian worthy of the name knows that Peter died a martyr's death during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero in 64 AD, in the "Circus of Nero", that he was buried not far from the place of his martyrdom, and that over his grave emperor Constantine ordered the building of the Old Vatican Basilica at the beginning of the IV century. Literary sources can help us piece together what happened after the martyrdom; to start with, there's the account of Clement, the leader of the Christian Roman community of the I century, who describes the persecution by Nero, of which Peter was one of the many victims. Two texts dating back to the II century, the "Ascension of Isaiah" and the "Apocalypse of Saint Peter", confirm that the death of Peter took place in Rome with the martyrdom by Nero in 64 AD. Moreover, the presence in Rome of the Apostle is supported by the fact that nobody in the past has ever claimed to have his tomb, which is a sign that the sources that focus their attention in the area of the capital are in fact reliable.

Speaking about the tomb of the Apostle, it is also useful to...

The Supreme Court of India canceled the decision of the High Court of Delhi in July 2009 which decriminalized homosexual intercourse, thereby upholding the constitutional validity of section 377 of the Criminal Code and accepting the complaints of a large part of the population and many Hindu cultural and religious associations.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, has protested against the decision, saying that "the Catholic Church has never been opposed to the decriminalization of homosexuality, because we have never seen gay people as criminals. As Christians we express our full respect for homosexuals. The Catholic Church is opposed to the legalization of gay marriage, but teaches that homosexuals have the same dignity of every human being".

On the other hand, in Catholic Italy homosexuality was decriminalized back in 1866, well before Anglican Great Britain (1967), Communist East Germany (1968), Lutheran Norway (1972 ) and Israel (1988). The Catholic Catechism condemns the "sin" itself, defining "homosexual acts" as "intrinsically disordered" but teaches that we accept the "sinner", in fact homosexuals "must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity."...

In the latest edition of the "Meeting" in Rimini, organized by the ecclesial movement "Communion and Liberation",  were presented the conversion stories of two intellectuals born under state atheism.

The first  one is Tianyue Wu, professor of philosophy at Peking University: «I come from a Catholic family but for me it was hard to embrace religion», he said. «At school they would teach us that religions are just superstitions, monsters that belong to a dead and buried past. Chinese society is completely  secularized, with its "Carpe diem" motto, and Chinese people have now adopted a cynical and utilitarian attitude, due to the major economic growth and the consequent spiritual impoverishment». However, he stated, «After so many years of atheist education people still feel that they need to find something that goes beyond life on earth».

China is a country where already the early missionaries found it hard to «introduce the idea of a transcendent God among people who thought that the only thing that existed was life on earth, nothing else». What is more, the «communist government made things worse by using atheism as an essential part of its ideology, as it sent the missionaries away, as it closed churches and forced the priests that were left not to exercise their ministry.» Even after Mao's death and the reopening of churches, «the background remained hostile to religion. On the one side this was a difficulty, on the other it was a bright side for believers: you were forced to ask yourself which where the reasons for believing...

«Unfortunately, on this matter the Catholic thought is often misunderstood, as if the Church supported the idea of a non-stop fertility, urging married couples to procreate without any judgment or any plan in mind. However, it only takes an accurate reading of the pronouncements of the Magisterium to see that it isn't true». These are the words of John Paul II of July 1994.

He also added: «As they consider the decision of generating or not generating life, they must let themselves be inspired not from egoism or superficiality, but from a prudent and conscious generosity, which may evaluate the possibilities and the circumstances [...] Therefore, when there is a reason not to procreate, this choice is permissible and may even be necessary. However, there remains the duty of carrying it out with criteria and methods that respect the total truth of the marital act in its unitive and procreative dimension, as wisely regulated by nature itself in its biological rhythms. One can comply with them and use them to advantage, but they cannot be "violated" by artificial interferences»

It's also interesting to read the recent article of Dr. Gregory K. Popcak, director of the Catholic organization "Pastoral Solutions Institute”. He wrote: «Catechized by friends, family, and the media who all think the Catholic Church hates sex –unless it’s being"...

Lola Velarde, president of the Institute for Family Policies in New York, denounced at the UN headquarters the falsity of feminism as it claims the need to legalize abortion in order to decrease maternal mortality. These are old lies, which studies have fully proven to be wrong.

In her speech at the conference of the 19^th September she explained that «it isn't possible to reach the UN Millennium Development Goals unless you grant the right to life and to family». She proceeded to debunk the main myth of pro-abortionists: maternal health. Through this myth they wanted to manage the recent cases in Beatriz, El Salvador, and Savita, Ireland, failing in both of them. She mentioned the case of Ireland, a nation with strict abortion laws (in fact, abortion is performed only in the case of a real risk of death of the mother), a  nation considered by the World.  Health Organization (WHO) as the safest country in the world to give birth.

Dr Monique V. Chireau, professor at University Medical Center in North Carolina (USA) also gave a speech, in which she explained that the low maternal mortality rate of Ireland shows that «treatment of high risk pregnancies doesn't require a false choice between the needs and the rights of the mother and those of the baby. In fact, data of the British Health Department show that in the last 20 years not a single abortion was necessary to save the life of the mother». Moreover, Dr Chireau underlined that «doctors have the duty to give assistance taking...

    by Eliseo Del Deserto  

From the blog of Blog di Eliseo Del Deserto, 28/09/13

Dear Mr. Guido Barilla,

I'm writing because it is me who wishes to ask your forgiveness! I'm a homosexual guy and I followed the debate that sparkled by your statement. I was bothered by the multiplying brouhaha, by the pointless battles: "shall we boycott or not", by the insipid list of the other pasta brands, by the fact that your picture was insulted and acclaimed.

I've been living away from home for 4 years now and I can't eat any other pasta brands, even if I would spare money, because the only one that reminds me of my family is the Barilla. Maybe it's because of advertising, maybe just because it's the only pasta brand that my mother ever cooked for me. I'm homosexual and I believe in the traditional family, too; and I don't think that other kind of unions could ever be defined as "evolution of family".

When we are still little or young and we realize that we are homosexuals, we find it out for ourselves: we are different. At the beginning, many people (no generalization here) consider this diversity as a handicap. After a first despair we seek a balance, a reason, happiness. Each and every one of us has his/her own diversity to manage, that's the truth.

It is right to understand the traits of our diversity, to accept its limits. For example, two men will never generate a child. Two women will never be a family,...

This is the first article of the English version of "UCCR" (Union of Catholic Christian Rationalists), an online association of some young friends who are willing to support the rationality of the Christian faith, following the steps of Pope  Emeritus Benedict XVI, and to defend Catholic stances (and the stances of the Holy See) on many, different subjects.

It is essential to clear up a widespread misunderstanding straightaway: we realise that the term "rationalism" might be interpreted as an antithesis to the Catholic faith, if it means that reason is the only way to arrive at the truth (as thoroughly explained in the Catholic Encyclopedia). This claim is wrong if by "reason" one means "positivist reason" - as it is considered nowadays - that is a form of reason that requires proof and scientific demonstrations. This kind of rationalism is inevitably (and by definition) atheistic.

However, it is clear that this rationalistic attitude will not achieve a complete understanding of our experience, because we experience phenomena which stretch far beyond the biological, the physical and the chemical fields. It is therefore necessary to broaden the concept of reason. As Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, in his famous ...

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POPE FRANCIS

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THEOLOGICAL ANSWERS

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ABORTION AND CONTRACEPTION