O Lord, to comfort and succour all them, who
in this transitory life are in trouble, sorrow,
need, sickness, or any other adversity.
Communion Service
News & Views

BELOW you can find some news stories selected from the newspapers and from blogs. At the foot of the list (here) you can find the latest Headlines from Sky News.
Tuesday 16th March, 2010
The caretaker of St Mary’s in Westry, Cambridgeshire, had to be pulled back from the burning building after arriving to see a wooden cross and Bible engulfed in flames.
Daily Mail (March 16)

Evangelical Christians now account for two thirds of white American Protestants, while the ultra-Orthodox account for 17 per cent of British Jewry, but 75 per cent of children.
Ed West (March 16)

Leaders of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) in Canada have sent a letter to the Holy Father formally requesting to become unified with the Catholic Church.
CAN Daily News (March 16)

The poster campaign by a pro-abortion group claims that it is cheaper to fly to the UK and pay for accommodation than to get an underground termination in Poland.
Daily Mail (March 15)

The numbers of Lords would be dramatically culled to 300 – less than half the existing 746, under the Justice Secretary Jack Straw’s election proposal.
Daily Mail (March 15)

The expression “useful idiots” rings a bell here, although it remains to be seen exactly how useful these particular idiots will be.
American Spectator (March 14)
Related to this story: Story in NCR Online: Pro-life group urges Congress to pass Senate health care bill; Jill Stanek’s Pro-life blog

Stupak called the revelations “a pretty sad commentary on the state of the Democratic party.”
American Spectator (March 14)
Related to this story: Extracts from the Church Fathers on Abortion

Couples who live together before marriage without any commitment like engagement, hurt their chances of a having a long lasting marriage.
CBN (March 14)

There is international outrage in Catholic circles over a headline in The Times this morning that many people regard as utterly misleading.
Damian Thompson (March 14)

After years of modernisation, the Tories have still to convince enough of us that they should be given power.
Janet Daley (March 14)

The event recreated the lights that once shone from the imposing Roman turrets and mini-castles which were regularly stationed along the length of the wall.
Daily Mail (March 14)
Related to this story: Telegraph: story + video

The deal is just a thin veneer over permanent disagreements about how to run the European Union, which will further distance it from the bloc’s 500 million citizens.
Telegraph (March 14)

Independent schools will launch an attack this week on Government interference in how they are run and what they teach.
Telegraph (March 14)

Former Apollo astronauts have expressed dismay at President Barack Obama’s decision to cancel the Nasa programme that was intended to return mankind to the Moon.
Telegraph (March 14)

Business accepts that in recessionary times you may need to cut costs by 10% or 20% to survive. You just get on and do it.
John Redwood MP (March 13)

The worst way to ‘connect’ with parishioners is to offer secular fads, says Dominic Scarborough.
Catholic Herald (March 13)

The government of Sweden is taking a hard line against homeschoolers, proposing a bill that will only allow home education under “extraordinary circumstances”.
LifeSiteNews (March 13)

Politicians are voting on a bill that, if passed, would see restaurateurs fined $1,000 (£660) each time they were caught adding the condiment to food.
Daily Mail (March 13)

Democrats have been telling him, “If you pass the Stupak amendment, more children will be born, and therefore it will cost us millions more.”
American Spectator (March 12)
Related to this story: Extracts from the Church Fathers on Abortion

If you haven’t seen it, have a look at Simon Jenkins’ devastating critique of the bank bail-outs in today’s Guardian.
Daniel Hannan MEP (March 12)

President Barack Obama yesterday delayed a trip to Asia amid falling approval ratings and grave doubts that his 11th hour attempt to push health care reform through Congress will succeed.
Telegraph (March 12)

The Vatican has called for priests to cater to congregations’ dwindling attention spans.
Telegraph (March 12)
Related to this story: George Herbert (1593-1633) on how a Preacher should gain the attention of a country congregation

If Supreme Court justices breathe new life into the P & I clause, guns would be restored to Chicago citizens at the cost of a heavy erosion of states’ rights
Gerald Warner (March 12)

According to research, the average British male is toiling harder than ever at home.
Daily Mail (March 12)
Related to this story: Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667): The Duties And Rights Of Man And Wife Are Exactly The Same

The council met Health Secretary Andy Burnham last week to demand an end to the ban on checks - but were told it could mean fines from Brussels.
Daily Mail (March 11)

“I wish my parents would say I’m not allowed to be home alone with a boy”, said one 16-year-old girl. “I wish they’d say boys aren’t allowed in my bedroom.”
Christian Institute (March 11)
Related to this story: Archibald Alison (1757-1839): The Responsibility Of A Christian Education Lies With Parents

Parents viewed the country as an unhealthy place where young people would be more likely to spend more time watching TV and playing computer games.
Daily Mail (March 11)

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna has intervened in the debate on celibacy and clerical sex abuse.
Ruth Gledhill (March 11)
Related to this story: Richard Hooker on clerical marriage

This wide definition criminalises behaviour that is not illegal, and at the same time trivialises crime.
Ed West (March 11)
Related to this story: BBC: Man, 64, collapses and dies after ‘abuse from youths’

Sky News Headlines
UNDOUBTEDLY we all see situations and circumstances that upset us a great deal. We all see poverty, we see children being maltreated, we see pollution and bad conditions in inner cities. It is in the answer to those problems where we differ. Those on the socialist side say they can be met only by increased state action. We say that the powers of government are limited, and that many needs can be met in considerable measure by private action and the acceptance of personal responsibility. We know that if the state does everything for you, it can only do so by taking everything away from you.
Margaret Thatcher (1925-) (Religion & Liberty 2:4 (1992))
