Word: vaticans
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...fill a spiritual void. Unofficial estimates of Chinese Christian converts now run to 50 million, most of whom have had no contact with foreigners. Even with China's reforms, Christian practice remains tightly monitored. The Catholic Patriotic Association controls Catholic dioceses that would normally be administered by the Vatican. Many Catholic believers, however, continue to worship under bishops approved by the Pope, and a broad network of "underground" dioceses operates outside government control. Similarly, Protestants often refuse to register with the official Three Self Patriotic Movement that governs their faith, and instead worship in illegal house churches. Periodic crackdowns...
That impulse is enough to put the Roman Catholic Church in full revolt; the Vatican has long condemned any research that involves creating and experimenting with human embryos, the vast majority of which inevitably perish. The church believes that the soul is created at the moment of conception, and that the embryo is worthy of protection. It reportedly took 104 attempts before the first IVF baby, Louise Brown, was born; cloning Dolly took more than twice that. Imagine, say opponents, how many embryos would be lost in the effort to clone a human. This loss is mass murder, says David...
...more missiles from Congress and blow some people to hell. Or maybe you missed "Snake Eyes," "A Few Good Men," "Courage Under Fire" and all the rest of them. No great loss. Even so, you've probably seen the movies about the Catholic Church, like "Godfather III" (the Vatican is in cahoots with the Mob) or "Primal Fear" (bishops are corrupt pedophiles). Or better yet, you've seen the films about the importance of free speech, like "The People vs. Larry Flynt" or this year's "Quills," in which we are taught the important lesson that pornography isn't evil...
...message from the Vatican has always been that the Pope has no plans to retire, and that may not be spin. In his talk yesterday, the pope said there were other men worthy of being made cardinal, and that he hoped to elevate them in the future. To hear the pope say this himself means he plans to be around for at least another three years. And he's even planning new trips. He'll go to the Ukraine in June. So there's little to suggest he has any immediate plans of retirement...
...have named more than 90 percent of those who choose his successor. They're not clones; they go in and vote their conscience about the man who'll be the best choice to lead the church. So, there's a lot of guessing going on, and no certainty. In Vatican history, there have been times when the successor is clear-cut for years before he is formally chosen, and there have been other times when the papacy appears to be up for grabs. This time, it's totally up for grabs...