Receiving a Personal Call from God
BBC: With the number of seminary entrants rising yearly, has the problem of the Roman Catholic Church's ageing priest population been solved?

This weekend is a significant one in the Catholic calendar. It marks Vocation Sunday, an annual day of prayer for vocations into the priesthood and other forms of religious life.

This year, the church has distributed 4,000 posters and other publicity materials to parishes, schools and university chaplaincies across the UK.

Such determination to raise awareness of the possibility of a religious life may seem surprising given recent increases in the number of young men entering the priesthood.

Over the past five years, the number of would-be priests beginning formation, or training, has almost doubled - from an all-time low of 24 in 2003 to 44 in 2007.

"The death of Pope John Paul II and ascension of Benedict XVI were an important time for us", says Father Paul Embery, director of the National Office for Vocation.

"People became more encouraged to make an enquiry into joining the priesthood.

"We're also beginning to recognise a lot of people who have become priests, monks or nuns because they have been asked to do so. Sometimes, just being asked can be a crystallising moment.

"We're regaining the confidence to be able to ask young men to enter the priesthood." Receiving a Personal Call from God >>> By Amy Blackburn, BBC News | April 12, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

Britannia Turns Catholic
Photo courtesy of The Sunday Telegraph
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Roman Catholics have overtaken Anglicans as the country's dominant religious group. More people attend Mass every Sunday than worship with the Church of England, figures seen by The Sunday Telegraph show.

This means that the established Church has lost its place as the nation's most popular Christian denomination after more than four centuries of unrivalled influence following the Reformation.

Last night, leading figures gave warning that the Church of England could become a minority faith and that the findings should act as a wake-up call. Britain has become a 'Catholic country' >>> By Jonathan Wynne-Jones

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Roman Catholicism Alone Is the One True Faith, Says Pope Benedict XVI
Photo courtesy of the BBC
BBC: Pope Benedict XVI has urged world religious leaders not to allow God's name to be used to justify violence.

"Religions must never become vehicles for hatred," the Pope told the leaders attending a peace summit in Naples.

The Catholic Church, said the Pope, would continue to seek dialogue to bridge the gap between cultures.

Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Zoroastrians are attending the event organised by the Sant'Egidio Community, a Catholic lay organisation.

Catholics supremacy?

The three-day conference - entitled For a World Without Violence: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue - gathers scholars and religious leaders.

They include Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, Israel's chief rabbi Yona Metzger and the imam of the United Arab Emirates, Ibrahim Ezzeddin.

"In a world wounded by conflicts, where violence is justified in God's name, it's important to repeat that religion can never become a vehicle of hatred, it can never be used in God's name to justify violence," the Pope told the gathering.

"On the contrary, religions can and must offer precious resources to build a peaceful humanity, because they speak about peace in the heart of man.

"With respect for the differences between different religions, we are all called to work for peace and an effective effort to promote reconciliation between peoples."

But he also made it clear that he will never budge on traditional Catholic teaching, that Catholicism alone is the one true faith, reports the BBC's David Willey from Naples. Pope decries ‘religious’ violence (more)

Mark Alexander

Cardinal Signals Firm Vatican Stance with Muslims
PARIS (Reuters) - The top Vatican official for Islam has praised a novel Muslim call for dialogue but said real theological debate with them was difficult as they saw the Koran as the literal word of God and would not discuss it in depth.

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, in an interview on Friday with the French Catholic daily La Croix, also said Christians would have to discuss curbs on building churches in the Islamic world in the dialogue advocated by 138 Muslim scholars in the appeal.

His interview, coming after mostly positive comments by other Catholic Islam experts, signaled the world's largest Christian church wanted a serious dialogue with Muslims that did not avoid some fundamental issues dividing the religions.

"Muslims do not accept that one can discuss the Koran in depth, because they say it was written by dictation from God," Tauran said. "With such an absolute interpretation, it is difficult to discuss the contents of faith."

The fact that Muslims can build mosques in Europe while many Islamic states limit or ban church building cannot be ignored, he said. "In a dialogue among believers, it is fundamental to say what is good for one is good for the other," he said.

The appeal last week by 138 scholars representing a large majority of Islamic views invited Christian leaders to a dialogue based on their common belief that love of God and neighbor is the cornerstone of their religions.

It was unprecedented because Islam has no central authority to speak for all believers, especially not the silent minority that does not agree with radicals whose preaching of jihad and rejection of other faiths often dominates the headlines. Cardinal signals firm Vatican stance with Muslims (more)

Hat tip: Robert Spencer

Mark Alexander

Blair to Become Roman Catholic Soon
THE TELEGRAPH: Tony Blair is planning to announce that he will convert to Roman Catholicism soon after he meets the Pope at the Vatican tomorrow, according to Church sources and friends of the Prime Minister.

Mr Blair, an Anglican, may even inform the Pontiff of his intentions and seek his approval at the audience, which he is due to attend with his wife Cherie, a devout Catholic, and their daughter Kathryn.
Downing Street would not confirm the intended conversion last night.
However, The Daily Telegraph understands that it is the Prime Minister's firm intention to begin formal preparations as soon as possible after the hand-over of power to Gordon Brown next Wednesday. Blair will convert to Catholicism ‘soon’ (more) By Jonathan Petre

Mark Alexander

Blair to Make ‘Highly Significant’ Trip to Vatican Before Leaving Office
THE MAIL ON SUNDAY: Tony Blair has discussed becoming a Roman Catholic deacon when he quits office.

The revelation comes as he prepares to meet the Pope amid speculation that he will use the audience in the Vatican to announce his conversion.

In his last foreign engagement, just days before he leaves Downing Street for the final time, the Prime Minister will visit Pope Benedict XVI in what officials say will be a "highly significant" personal mission. Blair ‘may become a Catholic deacon’ (more) By Jonathan Oliver and Martin Delgado

Mark Alexander