Flimsy excuses to violate religious freedom

The posh Montreal borough of Outremont is dealing with noise complaints against the IMG_4690.jpgHasidic community by forbidding all outdoor processions — thereby suppressing religious freedom across the board. Next Sunday the Russian Orthodox cathedral in the city will be denied the freedom to carry out its midnight Easter liturgy, which starts with a procession around the church.
Report from Radio Canada International.

Cardinal Puljic: Report on Medjugorje ready before the end of 2012

A news item:
Cardinal Puljic: Report on Medjugorje ready before the end of 2012
14 February 2012 – 14:57
(ASCA): Rome, 14 Feb: The commission appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to evaluate the authenticity of the alleged Marian apparitions at Medjugorje, led by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, is expected to present its concluding report before the end of 2012. “Within the year we want to finish our work and give our opinion to the Pope so that he may express his judgment,” said Cardinal Vinko Puljic, archbishop of Sarajevo and member of the commission, during the press conference announcing the Sant’Egidio community’s “Meeting for peace” which is to take place next September. “We cannot talk about what the commission is doing, because we are bound to secrecy”, the cardinal explained: “Our work is continuing. But we need to finish it this year.” (asp/mpd)
(my translation)
Source: ASCA
Thanks to Diane at Te Deum Laudamus for alerting me to the news.

Vassula just can’t keep out of trouble

Just when one kerfuffle over the automatic-writing mystic Vassula Ryden is announced, along comes another.
Now the Orthodox Church of Cyprus issued a statement about her on January 13. The Synodical Committee for Matters of Heresy —
By the way, isn’t that a great name? Sure, we have a Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is a nice, positive-sounding name, but some issues really deserve a statement coming from an organization that gets right to the point. This is about identifying, defining, combating and routing heresy. I’ll send a little note to Levada and see if he– well, I’ll do that later.
The Synodical Committee for Matters of Heresy warned:

In reality, her teachings are heretical, and her claims that she communicates directly with Christ are fantastical and outside of the spirit of the experience of the our Church.

So how many Orthodox Churches have issued warnings against her: Greece? Cyprus? The Patriarchate of Constantinople? Does she plan to stop in at church offices to collect the condemnations on her tour?
There are probably more to come!