• Ordaining married, single or widowed men who are chosen and endorsed by their local parish community;
• Welcoming former priests, married or single, back to active ministry;
• Ordaining women, married or single;
• Recognising Anglican, Lutheran and Uniting Church Orders.

“While we continue to reflect carefully on these options, we remain committed to actively promoting vocations to the current celibate male priesthood and open to inviting priests from overseas.  What is certain, however, is that Easter 2014 is irrevocably approaching! Please take sometime to give these matters serious thought and reflection.” Morris.

"Beijing theme for the preparation Year ahead is “One world, One dream”

PRAYER POWER

SYDNEY, Australia, July 22, 2007: (zenith.org) With one year to go, the host city for the 2008 World Youth Day is buzzing with what some on the ground are describing as “holy anticipation.”  The already popular WYD theme song, “Receive the Power.”      By Catherube Smibert (in Sydney)

CANON 215 and 223 are heeded by whom?

Can. 215  The Christian faithful are at liberty freely to found and direct associations for purposes of charity or piety or for the promotion of the Christian vocation in the world and to hold meetings for the common of these purposes.

Can. 223  1. In exercising their rights, the Christian faithful, both as individuals and gathered in associations, must take into account the common good of the Church, the rights of others, and their own duties toward others.

These canons confirm that the Catholic faithful are free to form and gather in prayer groups despite any nonsense and controversy to the contrary, from “pillars of the church boxes”.  No one should be ridiculed or threatened or maligned from gathering in prayer groups as that would be against divine Will.  Covering up such actions by use of “media fabrications of chaos” is still fear mongering and stealing from the spiritual needs of the needy.

NEWS FROM MOVEMENT OF ‘FRIENDSHIP AMONG PEOPLES.’

RIMINI, Italy, Aug 23, 2007 (Zenit.org) – Africa needs to rediscover the greatness of the human person and the beauty God has given to him, according to a nurse working with AIDS patients in Africa.

There is a reawakening of interest in religion and spirituality in Australia according to a book published last year by Monash University academic, Gary Bouma.  In “Australian soul”, he notes that Australia is a typical example of a secular, post-modern and post-Christian society.  This does not mean, however, that it is irreligious, he argues.

Compared to the 1960’s and 1970’s, when secularism seemed triumphant, Bouma detects much more interest these days in religion and spirituality.  Nevertheless, this is both good and bad news for the traditional churches, because much of this resurgence in religion is often not directed within the formal structures offered by established religion.

Studies of attendance at Catholic and Protestant churches, for example, show that regular churchgoers tend to be older and more likely to be female.  One study revealed that the traditional Protestant congregations lost nearly half of those who were raised as young people in these churches.

Furthermore, the traditional predominance of Christianity is under challenge due to a g\burgeoning of other faiths, in part due to immigration, in part due to a growing desire for religious experimentation.   Thus, not only have numbers o Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims risen, but also those who declare themselves followers of New Age type spiritualities or even forms of paganism is on the increase.

July 10, 2007 the Italian Associated Press reported “Pope Benedict XVI reasserted the primacy of the RC Church and saying that other Christian communities were wither defective or not true church.”

This does not even coincide with his own canons:

CANONS:

Can. 215 The Christian faithful are at liberty freely to found and direct associations for purposes of charity or piety or for the promotion of the Christian vocation in the world and to hold meetings for the common of these purposes.

Can. 223  1. In exercising their rights, the Christian faithful, both as individuals and gathered in associations, must take into account the common good of the Church, the rights of others, and their own duties toward others.

Naturally church leaders objected to the accertions from the papacy.  “It makes us question the seriousness with which the R.C. church takes its dialogues with the reformed family and other families of the church,” said the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in 107 countries.

They rightly see it as a putdown.

Sadly main stream Christianity is general has drifted far away from the doctrines the early church believers (and as accepted by the Celts trained by Aramathea.)

“Kings from the East” (Rev 16:12)

London Times reports on the Peace Mission 2007 between Russia and China with united military manoeuvres for anti terror exercises with 6,500 troupes in September 2007.  Who are they planning to move on? Is the answe r to this in the above scripture.

WASHINGTON, D.C., OCT 22, 2006 (zenith.org) – Pentecostalism and other similar charismatic movements are among the fastest-growing sectors of global Christianity.  So says a 10-nation study published by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.  The Washington, D.C. based research group released the study Oct 5^th.  (Debra was in Washington then as the missionary voice moving for the CCA and the teaching arm of the MMMI at the time of the release.)

According to the study, around a quarter of the world’s estimated 2 billion Christians are thought to be members of Pentecostal and charismatic groups, which emphasize the active role of the Holy Spirit in their daily lives as the movement of increasing seeking of spirituality as is the CCA and MMMI initiatives from the divine Spirit.  This seeking of the study was based on random surveys carried out in the United States; Brazil, Chile and Guatemala in Latin America; Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa in Africa; and India, the Philippines and South Korea in Asia.

The findings confirm the error of predictions about the demise of religion as claimed by fundamental church groups whose pew attendance are down. “Talk of ‘secularisation’ and of a ‘post-religious’ society has given way to a renewed recognition of religion’s influence in people’s social and political lives,” writes Luis Lugo, the director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

A case in point is Pentecostalism.  It was born just a century ago and now ranks second only to Catholicism in the number of followers, Lugo noted.  In Latin America, Pentecostals now account for about three in every four Protestants, according to the World Christian Database with many new spiritual groups being born each year.  This increasing spirituality growth is classified as renewals. We call it being redeemed by corma cooperation.

The Pew Forum noted that in its study the term “Pentecostal” is used to describe members of a range of different groups: from the Assemblies of God (or Church of God in Christ) which were founded almost a century ago, to more recent ones, such as the Brazil-based Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.

The concept of charismatic, however, is much looser.  Many of the people covered by this category belong to Protestant, Catholic or Orthodox churches and the new burgeoning movement of searching spiritual groups are the direct light brain discoveries of falsely imposed facts on the ‘Pew Crew’ who now want the real “stuff of spirituality.”

The study uses the general term of “renewalist” as a way to refer to Pentecostals and charismatic as a group.  In some countries the number of renewalists reach a high level.

Adding up numbers.

In the United States the renewalists account for 23% of the population – 5% Pentecostals and 18% charismatics.  In Brazil it is just under half of the population, with 15% describing themselves as Pentecostals, 34% as charasmatics.  In Guatemala the total reaches 60%, made up of 20% Pentecostals and 40% charismatics.

Kenya has the highest number of Pentecostals, where they account for a full third of the population.  Charismatics comprise another 23% of the count.  The Philippines also has a high level of renewalsists: Charismatics make up 40% of the population; Pentecostals, 4%. This is also confirmed by our own missionaries. (Recall Debra’s last visit to Africa in 2005)

Not all the countries studied, however, had high levels of the two groups.  In India, for example, the combined numbers of the two only add up to 5% of the population.  Nigeria, with a total of 8%, and South Korea, 9%, were also at the low end of the scale.

As a rule it is the charismatics who are by far the larger group, with the exception of Kenya and Nigeria. Pentecostal numbers are generally higher in Latin America and Africa than they are in the United States or Asia.

In six of the 10 countries the Pew surveys found that the combined numbers of Pentecostals and charismatics account for a majority of the overall Protestant population.  In fact, in five nations – Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Kenya and the Philippines – more than two-thirds of Protestants are wither Pentecostal or charismatic.

Speaking in tongues:

The surveys found a number of characteristics regarding the religious experience and practices of renewalists.

• They are generally more fervent in their religious practice. The vast majority of Pentecostals say theyattend religious services at least once a week.  Majorities of charismatics in every country except Brazil and Chile also say they attend church at least once a week.  These levels are generally higher than for other Christians.  Renewalist members also come out on top of other Christians in practices such as daily prayer and reading the Bible.

• Use of the media, mainly television and radio, to reinforce their religious faith is common among renewalists, particularly among Pentecostals in the United States, Latin America and Africa, where at least half say they do so more than once a week.  This is not predominant in Australia where we have experienced blatant fundamentalists abusers from media re movements of us away from fundamental churches. 

• In seven of the 10 countries surveyed at least half of the new wave of the H.S. of Pentecostals say that the church services they attend frequently include people practicing the gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as speaking in tongues, prophesying or praying for miraculous healings.  These aspects are less common among charismatics.

• Although many say they attend religious services where speaking in tongues is a common practice, fewer affirm that they themselves regularly do this.  Moreover, in six of the 10 countries surveyed, at least 40% of Pentecostals say they never speak or pray in tongues.

• In all 10 countries surveyed, large majorities of Pentecostals say that they have personally experienced or witnessed the divine healing of an illness or injury.  In eight of the countries a majority of Pentecostals say that they have received a direct revelation from God.

• In seven out of 10 countries Pentecostals say that they personally have experienced or witnessed the devil or evil spirits being driven out of a person.  Generally, fewer charismatics report witnessing these types of experiences.

• In eight of the 10 countries surveyed majorities of non-renewalist Christians believe that the Bible is the word of God and is to be taken literally.  This view is even more common among Pentecostals.

• Pentecostals also stand out, especially compared with non-renewalist Christians, for their views on eschatology.  In six countries, at least half of Pentecostals believe that Jesus will return to earth during their lifetime.  And more than 80% in each country believe in “the rapture of the Church.”  This refers to the belief that before the world comes to an end the faithful will be rescued and taken up to heaven.

• Pentecostals also make a big effort to spread their faith.  In eight of the 10 countries, a majority of say they share their faith with nonbelievers at least once a week.  Charismatics tend to be somewhat less likely to do this.  

• At least 70% of Pentecostals in every country, with the exception of South Korea, believe that faith in Jesus Christ represents the exclusive path to eternal salvation.

The Pew study also devoted a section to analysing the political implications of the growing numbers of Pentecostals and charismatics.  Many of those surveyed affirmed that it is important that political leaders possess strong Christian beliefs.

The study describes the moral and social views of the Pentecostals as being “conservative,” on a range of issues such as homosexuality, abortion, extramarital sex and divorce. 

In general, a majority agree with the proposition that church and state should be separate.  Yet, a sizable minority favour the idea that the government should take steps to ensure their state is a Christian country.

Nevertheless, while they agree that religious people and religious groups should be active in politics, relatively few spend much time actually discussing political issues.  They concentrate mainly on religious practices – with results that are spreading quickly.

 In the African situation, we have found a void of caution is needed.  Due to the African circumstances, many “dear- nots” seek to infiltrate religious groups and practices in order to make contacts to leave their country for so-called spiritual pilgrimages.  Not all is so fully of the H.S.   as may be claimed, we have found.