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Transatlantic tragedy

07 Jun 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday's reading from the Letter to the Romans tells us that we are children and heirs with Christ "if only we suffer with him." Loved ones of passengers due in on overnight flight from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil suffered stunning news upon arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris Monday morning: Air France Flight 447 had disappeared over the Atlantic. Midweek, research vessels from several nations were sailing toward a site some 600 miles off the northeast coast of Brazil where what was thought to be debris from the jet had been spotted, while aviation experts tried to determine why the plane carrying 228 people ended up in the sea. Later reports said the debris was in fact not from the jet, but by the weekend crews later did begin finding bodies and debris from the flight at another site. Fierce thunderstorms, lightning, and severe turbulence had been reported prior to the plane's disappearance, but the final cause was likely a combination of these and other unknown factors, experts said. The crew made no distress call before the crash, but the plane's warning system sent automatic messages just before it disappeared, reporting lost cabin pressure and electrical failure. High seas and heavy winds hampered the search for debris, and an investigator said the black boxes may never be found, given that the depth of the Atlantic Ocean at the likely site of the crash can sink to more than 22,900 feet. Charlstie Laytin, 31, of Island Park, New York, whose uncle and aunt, Michael and Anne Harris, were two Americans on the flight, hopes to see the investigation continue until the victims' families know what happened. "It's so hard to come to the point of closure when you don't have your loved ones in front of you to grieve over," she said. Brazil began three days of national mourning Tuesday, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy and relatives of the victims were attending an ecumenical service at Notre Dame Cathedral later Wednesday for the crash victims. Source: Articles by Greg Viscusi and Andrea Rothman for Bloomberg.com, Christine Negroni for the New York Times, and Federico Escher and Emma Vandore for the Associated Press

atlantic ocean air france flight 447 rio de janeiro charlstie laytin nicolas sarkozy notre dame cathedral plane crash
French president criticizes religious cover-up

28 Jun 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday's gospel tells the story of a suffering woman who is healed by touching Jesus' clothes. As far as French President Nicolas Sarkozy is concerned, a woman clothed in a head-to-toe burka is forced to suffer as well. "We cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity," he told French lawmakers Monday in a major policy speech. "That is not the idea that the French republic has of women's dignity," said Sarkozy. "The burka is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience. It will not be welcome on the territory of the French republic." The speech came just two weeks after Sarkozy and President Barack Obama diverged on whether states should legislate on religious clothing, an issue that has sparked controversy in Europe. France, home to an estimated 5 million Muslims, passed a law in 2004 banning headscarves or any other "conspicuous" religious symbol in state schools in a hotly contested bid to defend secularism. Obama this month defended the choice of some Muslim women to wear the Islamic headscarf. It is "important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit, for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear," he said. Source: An article by Agence France-Presse

Muslims barack obama religion and state france nicolas sarkozy burka
Europeans build bridges instead of walls

15 Nov 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The reading from the Book of Daniel this Sunday describes an era when the "people shall escape" and lauds those "who lead the many to justice." This week the German people celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev and Polish 1980's pro-democracy leader Lech Walesa were among those being praised for their roles in the fall of the Wall. Thousands cheered as 1,000 colorfully decorated dominoes along a mile-long route were toppled to symbolize both the moment the Wall came crashing down and the resulting fall of communist governments in Eastern Europe. It was the finale to a day of memorial services, speeches, and events that attracted leaders from around the world. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the 78-year-old Gorbachev stood shoulder to shoulder as they walked through a former fortified border crossing point between East and West Berlin to cheers of "Gorby! Gorby!" Merkel--the first chancellor to be raised in the former communist East--called the fall of the Wall an "epic" moment in history. "For me, it was one of the happiest moments of my life," Merkel told the crowd. "This wall divided not only a single country but, as we realize today, all of Europe," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said. In another symbol of a less divided Europe, Merkel on Wednesday marked Armistice Day alongside French President Nicolas Sarkozy at Paris' Arc de Triomphe in a ceremony that both leaders said underlined their two countries' reconciliation. It was the first appearance by a German leader at the observance held to commemorate Germany's First World War surrender on Nov. 11, 1918. Source: Articles by Fabio Benedetti-Valentini for Bloomberg.com and Melissa Eddy for the Associated Press

angela merkel armistice day lech walesa mikhail gorbachev berlin wall europe nicolas sarkozy dmitry medvedev france germany
French Parliament unveils legislation banning face veils

18 Jul 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

When Jesus comes to visit Martha and Mary, he warns Martha about her unnecessary subservience. The French lower house of Parliament on Tuesday made its own statement against perceived subservience by overwhelmingly approving a ban on wearing face-covering veils in a public place. The legislation is part of an ongoing national debate on French identity. If it passes the French Senate in September as expected, President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has placed it high on his agenda, will sign the ban and it will take effect next spring. According to the legislation, covering one’s face in a public place will be subject to a fine of about $185 or community service. Far stricter penalties are aimed at those who force others to wear the veil: about $38,000 or a year in prison, terms to be doubled if the wearer is a minor. Though the wording of the law is careful not to single out Muslims, it is widely seen as a move to clamp down on Islamic extremism. Though the ban would affect only an estimated 1,900 of the millions of Muslim women in France, Sarkozy has used an accelerated legislative process to get it passed. Last year he said that the burka was “not welcome” in France and that it was “not a sign of religion but a sign of subservience.” The comments provoked a public reaction that showed widespread support for a ban on both the burka, an enveloping outer garment, and the niqab, or face covering. Muslim groups, however, complained that such a ban would stigmatize all members of their religion. Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said the action was a victory for democracy and French values: “Values of freedom against all the oppressions which try to humiliate individuals; values of equality between men and women, against those who push for inequality and injustice.” The vote Tuesday could set a precedent for other European countries. Britain, Spain, and Belgium are considering similar legislation. Support for such a ban is far higher in Europe than in the U.S., where 28 percent of the public would approve it, according to a Pew Global Attitudes Project poll, compared with 82 percent in France and 62 percent in Britain. Some, however, question the ban’s constitutionality. Amnesty International has said the law “violates rights to freedom of expression and religion.” It could be challenged in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. Source: An article by Alison Culliford for the Los Angeles Times

Muslims france nicolas sarkozy burka amnesty international face-covering veils niqab michele alliot-marie
France says arrivederci to Roma who lack permits

05 Sep 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist reminds us this Sunday that in every age the Lord has been our refuge. A growing number of Roma, often labeled gypsies, are struggling to find refuge after being expelled from France, whose campaign of forced expulsions has drawn international criticism. In face of these objections, President Nicolas Sarkozy and his closest lieutenants are striking an increasingly defiant tone in response to the outcry. Cabinet members now want to expand the list of infractions for which the Roma Gypsy minority can be forcibly expelled from France—and are blaming Romania as the ultimate cause of the controversy engulfing Paris. On Tuesday, French Secretary of State for European Affairs Pierre Lellouche and Immigration and Integration Minister Eric Besson traveled to Brussels to defend France’s high-profile campaign of dismantling itinerants’ camps and expelling the Roma living in France without residence permits. They met with European Union (EU) commissioners who have expressed concerns that those efforts may violate human-rights statutes guaranteeing the freedom of movement of EU citizens—a status conferred on all Romanians and Bulgarians during the EU’s 2007 enlargement. “Nobody should face expulsion just for being Roma,” said Viviane Reding, EU commissioner on human rights. “Some of the rhetoric that has been used in some member states in the past weeks has been openly discriminatory and partly inflammatory.” Besson refuted allegations that France’s campaign was racially discriminatory in targeting a single minority. He also dismissed claims that Paris was conducting systematic deportation, noting that the authorities assessed the case of each detained Roma individually. Spurce: Article by Bruce Crumley for TIME

france viviane reding eric besson pierre lellouche gypsies romania nicolas roma european union nicolas sarkozy expulsions
French retirement reforms fuel oil workers anger

24 Oct 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“The Lord is a God of justice,” we are assured in this Sunday’s first reading, not deaf to the complaints of those who suffer. The French nation is reeling this week from strikes by defiant oil workers who complain that government retirement reforms are unjust. As the strikes spread to other sectors, motorists flocked to gas stations in panic and found many empty, while airlines drastically cut back flights for lack of fuel. Workers blocked roads to airports around France Wednesday, leaving passengers in Paris to drag suitcases hundreds of yards on foot to reach their terminals. Outside the capital, hooded youths smashed store windows amid clouds of tear gas. Riot police in black body armor forced striking workers away from blocked fuel depots in western France, restoring gasoline to areas where pumps were dry after weeks of protests over the government proposal raising the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62. Many workers feel the change would be a first step in eroding France’s generous social benefits. President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservative government points out that 62 is among the lowest retirement ages in the world, the French are living much longer than they used to, and the pension system is losing money. Workers say the government could find pension savings elsewhere, such as by raising contributions from employers. Despite France’s long tradition of tolerance for strikes and protest, official patience appeared to be waning after weeks of actions that have snarled traffic, cancelled flights, and led to dwindling gasoline supplies and, now, rising urban violence. Prime Minister Francois Fillon said, “The government will continue to dislodge protesters blocking the fuel depots. . . . No one has the right to take hostage an entire country, its economy, and its jobs.” The protests in France come as countries across Europe are cutting spending and raising taxes to bring down record deficits and debts from the worst recession in 70 years. Source: Articles by Greg Keller and Jenny Barchfield for Associated Press

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Reviewing European votive offerings

13 May 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

When the Holy Spirit descends on Cornelius’ Gentile household, Peter and the Jerusalem community learn that “God shows no partiality.” Elections, however, are all about partiality, and this past weekend voters in Greece and France chastised their respective ruling parties and sent a strong message of Euro-discontent, rattling markets.In France, François Hollande, a Socialist who campaigned on an anti-austerity platform, pushed out President Nicolas Sarkozy, bringing to an end a staunch partnership with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that has been at the heart of Europe's austerity drive.Greek voters' rejection of pro-bailout political parties in Sunday's election has raised the chances of Greece leaving the euro. Even in Germany, where many taxpayers who are angry at bailouts for other governments welcome austerity measures, local elections in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein improved the standing of opposition Social Democrats and expressed their skepticism of coordinated European fiscal policy. Another vote this weekend in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, will probably continue this trend.“Germans are now predominantly of the opinion that they would be better off if Greece left the euro zone,” said Carsten Hefeker, a professor of economics and an expert on the euro at the University of Siegen. “If the country really is continuing on the path they are taking now, it would be hard to justify keeping them in. How do you deal with a country that says we don’t want to keep any of the commitments we have made?” Sources: Articles by Dina Kyriakidou, Nigel Stephenson, and Edward Krudy for Reuters,Ian Bremmer for ABC News, and Nicholas Kulish and Liz Alderman for the New York Times

angela merkel france nicolas sarkozy greece germany austerity eurozone carsten hefeker francois hollande