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The voiceless victims in Iraq

14 Dec 2008 - Preaching the News for Sunday

John the Baptist identifies himself as "the voice of one crying out in the desert . . ." in the Sunday gospel. But the voices crying out in the desert-like climes of Iraq these days are much more likely to belong to women. Political stability in Iraq, which involved the U.S. aligning with strict Islamic tribal leaders, is leading to increased oppression and violence against women in Iraq. In their quest for stability in Iraq, U.S. officials have empowered tribal and religious leaders, Sunni and Shiite, who reject the secularism that Saddam Hussein once largely maintained. These leaders have imposed strict interpretations of Islam and enforced tribal codes female activists say limit women's freedom and encourage violence against them. "Women are being strangled by religion and tribalism," said Muna Saud, a 52-year-old activist in Basra, while Pakshan Zangana, a Kurdish lawmaker, said that "women are trapped in a moral and cultural tug of war. There are forces trying to pull women into the 21st century. Then, there are other forces pulling women backwards, to keep them as second-class citizens." Iraq's constitution states that men and women are equal under the law. But it also states that no laws can be passed that are inconsistent with Islam, allowing for ultraconservative interpretations, women's activists say. "Honor crimes"-tribal killings and burnings of women accused of engaging in premarital sex or adultery-are rarely punished, and when they are perpetrators are handed light punishments. Women who protest are often threatened with punishment, violence, or death. Source: An article by Sudarsan Raghavan for the Washington Post

women iraq muna saud pakshan zangana honor crimes

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Wailing at Western Wall prayers

08 Mar 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"If God is for us, who can be against?" asks Saint Paul in the Letter to the Romans. While International Women's Day this Sunday is designed to acknowledge and celebrate women's achievements and contributions in all sectors of society, the presence of about 70 Jewish women praying aloud at Jerusalem's Western Wall area was not a cause for celebration among some Orthodox Jews. Reform Jewish women rabbis from North America sparked controversy by praying at the Western Wall last Wednesday, defying Orthodox Jewish customs by praying and singing aloud while wearing prayer shawls and skull caps at the holy site. The women, in Israel for a gathering of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, arrived at the Western Wall at about 7 a.m. on February 25 along with members of the Women of the Wall organization, which regularly organizes prayers at the site for ultra-Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative women. "There were about 70 of us praying when someone from the men's section started shouting that 'a woman's voice is lewd' and that our singing was offensive," said Anat Hoffman, an activist for Reform Judaism in Israel who attended the prayer. "I was ashamed in front of the guests from America." Jackie Ellenson, one of the visitors who attended the prayer, said that several ultra-Orthodox women then approached and demanded that the Reform prayers remain quiet and that the women rabbis take off their shawls and skull caps. In explaining the prayer, Ellenson--the wife of Hebrew Union College President David Ellenson--noted that the Wall is sacred to all Jews. "The ultra-Orthodox movement does not own the Wall," she said. "All Jews own it." Source: Articles by Ecumenical News International and Cnaan Liphshiz for Haaretz.com

western wall women rabbis reformed jews orthodox jews jerusalem international womens day wailing wall

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Wailing at Western Wall prayers

08 Mar 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

"If God is for us, who can be against?" asks Saint Paul in the Letter to the Romans. While International Women's Day this Sunday is designed to acknowledge and celebrate women's achievements and contributions in all sectors of society, the presence of about 70 Jewish women praying aloud at Jerusalem's Western Wall area was not a cause for celebration among some Orthodox Jews. Reform Jewish women rabbis from North America sparked controversy by praying at the Western Wall last Wednesday, defying Orthodox Jewish customs by praying and singing aloud while wearing prayer shawls and skull caps at the holy site. The women, in Israel for a gathering of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, arrived at the Western Wall at about 7 a.m. on February 25 along with members of the Women of the Wall organization, which regularly organizes prayers at the site for ultra-Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative women. "There were about 70 of us praying when someone from the men's section started shouting that 'a woman's voice is lewd' and that our singing was offensive," said Anat Hoffman, an activist for Reform Judaism in Israel who attended the prayer. "I was ashamed in front of the guests from America." Jackie Ellenson, one of the visitors who attended the prayer, said that several ultra-Orthodox women then approached and demanded that the Reform prayers remain quiet and that the women rabbis take off their shawls and skull caps. In explaining the prayer, Ellenson--the wife of Hebrew Union College President David Ellenson--noted that the Wall is sacred to all Jews. "The ultra-Orthodox movement does not own the Wall," she said. "All Jews own it." Source: Articles by Ecumenical News International and Cnaan Liphshiz for Haaretz.com

western wall women rabbis reformed jews orthodox jews jerusalem international womens day wailing wall

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Women worldwide suffer bias in healthcare

15 Nov 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday's reading from the Book of Daniel refers to the dead as "those who sleep in the dust of the earth." In its first study of women's health around the globe, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday that the AIDS virus is the leading cause of death and disease among women between the ages of 15 and 44. Throughout the world one in five deaths among women in this age group is linked to the virus, according to the U.N. agency. "Women who do not know how to protect themselves from such infections, or who are unable to do so, face increased risks of death or illness," WHO said in the 91-page document. The data were included in a report that attempts to highlight the unequal health treatment a female faces from childbirth through infancy and adolescence into maturity and old age. WHO chief Dr. Margaret Chan noted that in many parts of the world women suffer because of poverty, poorer access to healthcare, and cultural norms that put a priority on the well-being of men. Chan called it a "preventable tragedy" that nearly 15 percent of deaths in adult women occur in maternity, according to the statistics from 2004. She said the discrimination extends throughout a women's life, from girlhood diseases that aren't identified because they are not sicknesses affecting boys to clinical trials and medicines developed on the basis of curing adult males. "We will not see a significant improvement in the health of women until they are no longer recognized as second-class citizens in many parts of the world," Chan said. Source: An article by Bradley S. Klapper for the Associated Press

world health organization women who sexism margaret chan aids womens health

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Women worldwide suffer bias in healthcare

15 Nov 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday's reading from the Book of Daniel refers to the dead as "those who sleep in the dust of the earth." In its first study of women's health around the globe, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday that the AIDS virus is the leading cause of death and disease among women between the ages of 15 and 44. Throughout the world one in five deaths among women in this age group is linked to the virus, according to the U.N. agency. "Women who do not know how to protect themselves from such infections, or who are unable to do so, face increased risks of death or illness," WHO said in the 91-page document. The data were included in a report that attempts to highlight the unequal health treatment a female faces from childbirth through infancy and adolescence into maturity and old age. WHO chief Dr. Margaret Chan noted that in many parts of the world women suffer because of poverty, poorer access to healthcare, and cultural norms that put a priority on the well-being of men. Chan called it a "preventable tragedy" that nearly 15 percent of deaths in adult women occur in maternity, according to the statistics from 2004. She said the discrimination extends throughout a women's life, from girlhood diseases that aren't identified because they are not sicknesses affecting boys to clinical trials and medicines developed on the basis of curing adult males. "We will not see a significant improvement in the health of women until they are no longer recognized as second-class citizens in many parts of the world," Chan said. Source: An article by Bradley S. Klapper for the Associated Press

world health organization women who sexism margaret chan aids womens health

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Poor women face a blank screen on cancer care

20 Dec 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday's reading from the Letter to the Hebrews informs us that God neither desires nor delights in sacrificial offerings. Many poor women, however, are being forced to sacrifice good health care because of budget shortfalls. In at least 20 states they are being turned away or put on long waiting lists for free cancer screenings, according to the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network. In an unofficial survey of programs for July 2008 through April 2009, the organization found that state budget strains were forcing some programs to reject people who would otherwise qualify for free screenings. The Cancer Society said women have a 98 percent survival rate when breast cancer is caught early. That plummets to 27 percent at stage IV, when cancer has reached its most advanced point. "I already know there are women who are dying whose lives we could have saved with mammography and other detections," said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the Society. In a piece of good news for women who already have had breast cancer, moderate consumption of soy foods can help lower the risk of death and cancer recurrence, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "We found that women with a history of breast cancer who consumed moderate amounts of soy food were doing better in terms of prognosis. They had reduced mortality and reduced recurrence," said study author Dr. Xiao Ou Shu, a professor of medicine and a cancer epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Source: Articles by Valeri Bauman for the Associated Press and Serena Gordon for HealthDay Reporter

poor women cancer screening american cancer society cancer action network otis brawley breast cancer soy journal of the american medical association xiao ou shu

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Stay off tobacco road, health organizations urge

06 Jun 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Before blessing the loaves and fishes in this Sunday's gospel, Jesus "healed those who needed to be cured." The World Health Organization (WHO) hopes smokers will improve their health by quitting. Five million people worldwide die from tobacco-related illnesses each year and the toll is expected to rise to 8 million annual deaths by 2030, according to a WHO report released Monday to coincide with World No Tobacco Day, held annually on May 31. "Exposure levels are up," said Samira Asma, chief of the Global Tobacco Control Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "If there is no action, I think we are going to see a grim future." WHO created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to tobacco use and the preventable death and disease it causes. Not only is tobacco use increasing, according to WHO report, but it's increasing especially among women. Although women account for only about 20 percent of the world's smokers, WHO found female smoking rates on the rise, "suggesting that tobacco companies might be targeting this group." Statistics indicate that female lung cancer fatalities are rising, the American Lung Association said. More than 170,000 American women die every year from tobacco-related illness, and diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema kill more women than men. The tobacco industry spends tens of billions of dollars annually on direct and indirect advertising, according to WHO. Cigarette use among Americans, after declining for decades, has remained virtually unchanged for five straight years, with nearly 21 percent of the U.S.'s adult population being regular smokers. The greatest increases in smoking in recent years are in poor and developing countries. According to WHO, only 26 countries have implemented comprehensive bans on direct and indirect tobacco advertising, and many do not have high levels of compliance. Source: Articles by Stephen Kurczy for Christian Science Monitor and HealthDay News

world health organization women who smoking tobacco world no tobacco day samira asma

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Young women face social network addiction

11 Jul 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Psalm 69 urges us to “turn to the Lord” in our need. Young women ages 18-34 increasingly turn to Facebook and other social media to fulfill their communication needs, a new study reveals. Many confess to being “Facebook addicts." More than half of young women, 57 percent, say they talk to people online more than face-to-face, the survey found. A full 39 percent proclaim themselves Facebook addicts, while 34 percent of young women make Facebook the first thing they do when they wake up, even before brushing their teeth or going to the bathroom. Perhaps most astonishing, according to the survey conducted by Oxygen Media and Lightspeed Research, is the fact that 21 percent admit checking Facebook in the middle of the night. The study sampled the habits of 1,605 adults using social media in May and June of this year in an attempt to analyze their social media habits. Among other findings: 63 percent use Facebook as a networking tool; 42 percent think it’s OK to post photos of themselves intoxicated; 79 percent are fine with kissing in photos; 58 percent use Facebook to keep tabs on “frenemies”; and 50 percent are fine with being Facebook friends with complete strangers. Source: A blog post by Ben Parr for Mashable.com

women facebook social networking young adults

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Educated, skilled women choose religious life despite parents’ objections

13 Feb 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“We speak a wisdom to those who are mature, not a wisdom of this age,” Saint Paul writes in this week’s reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians. While contemporary trends have led to a decline in the numbers of professed members of religious communities, a new survey suggests that women entering religious life today are quite mature--highly educated and experienced in numerous church activities. The Profession Class of 2010: Survey of Women Religious Professing Perpetual Vows was released by the U.S. bishops on February 2, the World Day for Consecrated Life. It was conducted by the Georgetown University-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate and commissioned by the bishops’ Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations. One of the more disconcerting findings is that parents are often the most discouraging voices when their daughters consider becoming a nun or sister. Sometimes parents object because they want grandchildren or fear losing a daughter. Other times they fret over their child's loss of freedom and independence--an understandable but mistaken worry, according to many sisters. More than half of the women who professed final vows to join a religious order in 2010 said a parent or family member had discouraged their religious calling, the study said. Only 26 percent of the surveyed sisters said their mother encouraged them to consider religious life, and only 16 percent said their fathers supported their choice. A more extensive survey conducted by the Chicago-based National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) in 2009 produced similar results. In a presentation to the U.S. bishops in 2009, Holy Cross Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., executive director of the NRVC, flagged the discouragement from family and friends as a troublesome trend for the church. "Although people want a full-time pastor in their parish or religious sister teaching their children in the Catholic school, ironically, they are reluctant to have their own son or daughter choose that vocation," Bednarczyk said. Nevertheless, religious life continues to attract highly educated and skilled candidates. Of those surveyed, six in ten entered their religious community with at least a bachelor’s degree and a quarter already possessed a graduate degree. Eighty-five percent had ministry experience before entering, most commonly in liturgical ministry, faith formation, or social service ministry. Source: Articles by Daniel Burke for Religion News Service, Cathy Lynn Grossman for USA TODAY, and the USCCB Office of Media Relations, and NRVC.net

Consecrated life sisters women religious nuns center for applied research in the apostolate cara nrvc paul bednarczyk parents profession class of 2010

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Does France face a veiled threat?

17 Apr 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The cloak was common apparel in Jesus’ age and plays a role in his entrance into Jerusalem described in this Sunday’s reading at the procession with palms and in the Passion story from the Gospel of Matthew. A controversial French ban outlawing full-face veils in public, the first to be enacted in Europe, came into force on Monday. The new law raises questions about France’s relationship with its Muslim minority of five to six million--Western Europe’s largest--at a time when right-wing and anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise. Fewer than 2,000 women in France wear the full-face veil, known as a niqab, but the ban has touched nerves and prompted accusations that it stigmatizes one gender among one religious minority in a land that prides itself on the values enshrined in its national motto of liberty, equality, and fraternity. The law forbids clothing intended to hide the face in public spaces such as streets, markets, private business, government buildings, and public transportation. The ban also applies to foreigners visiting France. Anyone refusing to lift his or her veil to submit to an identity check can be taken to a police station. A woman who repeatedly insists on appearing veiled in public can be fined €150 ($216). There are much more severe penalties for anyone found guilty of forcing someone else to hide his or her face "through threats, violence, constraint, abuse of authority or power for reason of their gender." As debate flared over the law last year when Jean-François Copé, the parliamentary leader of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s party, defended the bill on the grounds of public security and as an important assertion of French identity and values. But many Muslims and rights activists say the right-wing president is targeting one of France's most vulnerable groups to signal to anti-immigration voters that he shares their fear that Islam is a threat to French culture. "Women in France have the right to freedom of religion and expression. They must also be free to protest when this right is violated," said John Dalhuisen, a director at Amnesty International. "This law puts France to shame--a country that prides itself on the human rights it claims to promote and protect, freedom of expression included." Source: Articles by Cecile Azzaro for Agence France Presse and Alan Cowell for the New York Times

immigrants Muslims women france veils niqab jean-françois copé

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