THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TWELFTH OF JULY

Much has been made of the peaceful nature of this year’s Twelfth of July Orange Celebrations. We read a lot of ‘Orangefest’ of bouncy castles, jugglers and clowns, but what is the real story? There is always peace in a graveyard for nobody opposes any more. Since entire towns and villages with a RC majority eg. Castlewellan are now no-go areas for Orange Parades and in Belfast the restrictions placed on where Orangemen can walk, when bands can play and the draconian order that supporters had to be bused past Ardoyne. Is it any wonder there were less incidents. However we publish the true facts showing the bitter spirit that still animates Roman Catholics and Republicans.

Cars burn as Republicans riot

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ORANGE HALL ATTACKS ARE "HATE CRIMES"

PSNI confirmed 250 arson attacks on Orange Halls since 1989 qualify as “Hate Crimes”

An Orangeman in the ruins of Lavin Orange Hall, Co Antrim

Hate crime has recently become a police priority and is defined as any incident which is perceived to have been committed against another person because of their race, religion, political opinion, disability or sexual orientation. The attacks only began after the formation of opposing republican residents’ groups and are estimated to have caused around £8 million of damage to halls. Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland Secretary Drew Nelson said:

“In the first 20 years of the Troubles, which were some of the worst, there were only four arson attacks on Orange Halls. After the formation of residents’ groups across the Province in 1989, the figures just took off. Our records show almost 250 arson attacks since then. Gerry Adams is on record as saying it took a lot of effort to start the opposition these groups provided and we now have over 200 police certificates saying the attacks were perpetrated by ‘illegal organisations’. To us that means the PIRA, and the objective was to heighten tension for recruitment and retention of its supporters. We will be writing to the Chief Constable to get confirmation that all attacks on Orange Halls will now be treated as hate crimes. It is our understanding that some are and some aren’t, depending on the district. Out of 250 attacks, only four people have ever been prosecuted, and the question has to be asked as to why this figure has been so low. We feel let down by the police and believe many more prosecutions are possible with increased effort. This summer, we have had two Orange Halls burnt down and, from now on, we will also be recording graffiti, broken windows and paint attacks, because the PSNI say they will also treat these as hate crimes if we perceive them as such.”

Mr Nelson, along with other Orange leaders, recently met the Irish government and Catholic Church for discussions on political progress. A police spokeswoman said:

“If it is perceived that the attack is motivated by religious hatred, we would classify an arson attack on an Orange Hall as a hate crime."

The PSNI hate crime policy, which has just recently been revised, further underpins the police investigation of hate crime, where all investigations are reviewed by a chief inspector after 28 days if no one has been made amenable.

“There have been a number of attacks on Orange Halls classified as hate crimes. However, we do not keep individual statistics for the number of attacks on them, only the number of hate crimes in total.”

She said there had been a 20.5 per cent increase in the number of hate crimes reported or detected by police in 2005/06, with the running total for this year at 746.

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SECTARIAN THUGS TARGET ELDERLY

Pensioners living in a tight knit Protestant community have spoken spoken of their fear after a group of thugs went on the rampage, shouting sectarian abuse and attacking homes. Windows in four homes belonging to elderly and disabled residents in Boyd Street, in the Lower Shankill area, were smashed when a group of young men and one woman attacked them with traffic cones at around 2.3Oam. At least one car was damaged and several front doors had visible boot marks where the youths had tried to kick them in. Police have confirmed they are treating the incident as sectarian after the hooligans were heard shouting ‘Orange ......’ and ‘Up the Ra’ as they made their way along the street.

William Hood (60), who suffers ill health, has lived in the street for 38 years. He had to get his living room window replaced in the morning after a traffic cone was hurled through it, also smashing a lamp, destroying a set of blinds and damaging a table. He said residents in the street have to deal with abuse from people walking through the street at night on a regular basis.

“We are absolutely sick of this happening. This is a quiet area and we just want to live in peace.”

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REPUBLICANS ATTEMPTING TO ETHNICALLY CLEANSE

Glengormley Orange Arch - Target for would-be Republican bus bombers

The Republicans who left a hoax bomb on a Metro bus in Glengormley were deliberately attempting to heighten sectarian tensions ahead of an Orange Order parade. That was the claim from Orangemen in the Co Antrim town after the bus was hijacked by two masked men who left a package on board and told the driver to drive it to Glengormley Orange arch. The driver did as instructed and got the remaining five passengers on board off before calling the authorities. Army technical experts arrived to examine the package, which was later declared a hoax. The incident happened before the scheduled mini-Twelfth parade by up to 500 Orangemen in Glengormley recently.

Albert Steele, the Orange Order spokesman for Carnmoney District, said the hoax alert was the latest “orchestrated attempt” by the Republican movement to stir up tensions in Glengormley. He claims republicans have spent recent years trying to create ill feeling in the area, particularly around the Orange arch.

"Once again we have seen the republican movement trying to heighten the tension here, this time before the mini-Twelfth parade,” he said. “The arch has become a controversial subject because Sinn Fein/IRA have made it that way over the last six to eight years. They brought a judicial review against it with the DRD and have continually tried to cause tension, even though the Catholic people of Glengormley will not come out and protest against it. It's an element that Sinn Fein have brought into the area.”

Mr Steele claimed republicans were attempting to start a planned process of “ethnically cleansing” Protestants from Glengormley. He said:

“The arch was attacked over the weekend and they pulled the camera down so this was all planned and orchestrated. The mini Twelfth parade has been going on without trouble for 30 years, but Sein Fein have been stirring up tension and this is the result. Republicans say the war is over, but it’s not over against the Protestant people because of what still goes on with the parades situation. They have ethnically cleansed other parts of Northern Ireland like Ardoyne and the Ormeau Road and what they are trying to do in Glengormley is the same thing.”

PSNI Chief Inspector John McCaughan said those responsible for the hijacking “had no regard for ordinary people trying to lead normal lives”.

South Antrim MP William McCrea blamed “sectarian bigots” for the incident, which he said was part of an ongoing campaign against Orange Order parades.

“Not only have the evil people behind this bomb put the lives of many people at risk and caused traffic chaos, but they have deliberately raised tensions within Glengormley only hours before a mini-Twelfth parade,” he said. “This awful incident illustrates exactly what is motivating those responsible for this ongoing campaign against parades in the Glengormley area. They are sectarian bigots who don't care whose safety they jeopardise in the pursuit of their intolerant agenda.”

Anyone with information should contact detectives in Newtownabbey on 0845 600 8000.

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PARADE IS ATTACKED – ALLEGATIONS THAT POLICE ‘TURNED A BLIND EYE’

"Shared Space?" Tricolour waving Republicans Attack Glengormley Orange Parade

POLICE were accused of turning a blind eye to a republican mob who pelted an Orange parade in Glengormley with urine, paint and golf balls. Alan Patterson, Worshipful District Master of Carnmoney, said that as the Mini-Twelfth parade passed the interface it was met by a protest including high profile republicans. Mr Patterson said:

“I asked the police if any forms had been lodged for the protest and was told they hadn’t, meaning it was illegal. As the parade passed by, republicans were allowed to throw bottles of urine, golf balls and paint bombs. A number of people were injured after being hit on the head. There were police officers with at least 10 Land Rovers there, but they totally ignored the rioters.”

A police spokesman said a small number of missiles was thrown by a small number of followers of the parade and a separate crowd. One civilian and a police officer were slightly injured and four juveniles were arrested.

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PROTESTANT HOME PETROL BOMBED IN LURGAN

Nationalist thugs have been blamed for a weekend petrol bomb attack on a Protestant home in Lurgan.

The property on the Tandragee Road, which borders the nationalist Taghnevan Estate, was damaged in the early hours of a morning. Gwen Cunningham was asleep when two petrol bombs and paint were thrown at her house at about 1.3Oam. One of the petrol bombs hit the roof, while the other landed in the back garden. Paint was also thrown at the Cunningham property and an adjacent house.

Mrs Cunningham believed her house was targeted because it is in a Protestant area.

“We’ve never been targeted with stones or anything. It was a planned attack, because they didn’t come out of a pub with petrol bombs,” she said. “I think, it is possible, it must be sectarian. It's a row of Protestant houses, there’s a Protestant estate behind us and a Catholic estate in front of us. We’ve been here nearly 20 years and this is the first time our home has been attacked.We’re both pensioners, we’ve both survived cancer and we don’t need this. It’s quite frightening."

Ulster Unionist MLA Sam Gardiner called on Nationalist Representatives and the Police to do more to stop such attacks. He said:

“Young hooligans from the nationalist estate across the road have thrown paint bombs at homes on the Tandragee Road in Lurgan. “These paint bombs are, of course, a proxy for petrol bombs and the activities of these young hooligans must be reined in by the PSNI before the situation deteriorates. They will get worse if they are not controlled.

It is just not on when people living quietly in their homes are subjected to this sort of attack. I went out to visit the families concerned and they are deeply upset by this uncalled for and nasty occurrence. I would call on nationalist politicians to show leadership and put a stop to the activities of these young hooligans. I would also call on the PSNI to do more to put a stop to this.”

A police spokesman said they are trying to establish why the house was targeted. They appealed for anyone with information to come forward. It is believed a gang of up to six men was involved.

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MORE SCENES FROM A PEACEFUL SUMMER IN NORTH BELFAST

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PROTESTANT PASTOR MURDERED IN MEXICO

The second evangelical Christian pastor to be murdered in two weeks has been killed in Chiapas, South East Mexico, reports Open Doors.

The latest death is that of Pastor Mariano Diaz Mendez, 38, who was stopped in his car on his way to a prayer service and shot by heavily armed men as he tried to escape.

He leaves behind a wife, Maria, and a daughter, Rosa.

Evangelicals in the area have been persecuted for many years by groups who practise ‘traditionalist’ religion, a semi pagan mix of ancient Mayan religion and Roman Catholic beliefs.

Local Christian leaders believe this upsurge in violence is a continuation of this opposition. An estimated 38,000 people have been driven from their homes.

However, many people, particularly tribal Indians, are continuing to turn to evangelical Christianity and the ‘traditionalists’ have seen their influence and their incomes drop radically over the years.

An estimated 35% of the 1.4 million population of Chiapas have abandoned the old belief systems for evangelical Christianity, compared to an average of 5% across Mexico as a whole.

MARTYRS OF TERRORISTS

A Jesuit writer in The Catholic Herald deals with the Jesuits who were executed following the Gunpowder Plot, arguing that they were martyrs and not terrorists.

He closes his article by saying that “their resolution is an inspiration, and the truth for which they died is eternal. If you find being a Catholic hard going seek their prayers; they are powerful intercessors, and will help to give us backbone”.

HOW ROME VIEWS THE CRUSADES

In another article in the same paper the Crusades are described as “penitential war pilgrimages, waged on Christ's behalf in defence of Christendom”.

The writer is the Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge University.

DECLINE IN U.K. MASS ATTENDANCE

Figures contained in a report published recently indicate that in the period between 1963 and 1991 Mass attendance in the Roman Catholic Church in this country fell by 40 per cent, baptisms by 50 per cent, and marriages and confirmations by 60 per cent. The number of adult conversions fell by more than half, and first communions by 40 per cent.

This has been described as the “greatest pastoral and demographic catastrophe” in the UK Roman Church since the Reformation. More recent figures show a fall in Mass Attendance between 1991 and 2004 from 1.3 million to 960,000.

ARCHBISHOP CELEBRATES SOLEMN MASS AT CANTERBURY

A Solemn Mass was held in Canterbury Cathedral on April 20 (St. Anseim’s Day) to mark the consecration of a new altar in St. Anseim’s Chapel. The names of the late Archbishops, Lord Runcie and Lord Coggan, have been inscribed in the stone step near the altar. ECUSA Presiding Bishop Griswold and Lady Runcie were present.

Hundreds of Roman Catholic pilgrims joined in the liturgy from Anseim's hometown of Aosta in Italy. The altar was the gift from the people of Aosta. The mass was offered in English, French, and Italian, with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams as celebrant and the Bishop of Aosta preaching.

(Episcopal News Service)

NUNS LOCKED UP DURING THEFT

THREE nuns were recovering after having been locked up during a robbery at a parish house in west Belfast. The robbery happened after a man called at the house, near St. John’s Church on the Falls Road, and asked for a priest. Another man entered the house and locked the nuns in different rooms while the pair ransacked the house. Cash was taken and the robbers fled. The nuns were physically unharmed but were said to be very shaken.

The robbery happened at around 1.3Opm on a Saturday. Parishioners offered their sympathies to the three nuns.

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WHY PRAY FOR ROMAN CATHOLICS

The answer lies in the photograph below which shows that in 2006 Roman Catholics in Ireland are still held in the grip of superstition, idolatory and relic worship

RELICS TOUR DIOCESES

By

William Scholos

Religious Affairs Correspondent

HUNDREDS of people filed past the relics of St Claude la Colombiere in Derry’s St Eugene’s Cathedral recently as the 300 year old bones continued their tour to every diocese in Ireland. Thousands in the north have now.seen the Jesuit saint’s relics, which were brought to St Eunan's Cathedral In Letterkenny.

Fr Bernard McGuckian, who brought the relics to Ireland from France, said St Claude la Colombiere was such an important figure because he was friend and spiritual adviser to St Margaret Mary Alacoque, whose Sacred Heart visions “appear in stained glass, statues and paintings in practically every church throughout Ireland. Almost every Catholic home in Ireland has had or has a picture of the Sacred Heart and the devotion to it has been a feature of Irish Catholicism for so many years,” he said. Fr McGuckian said he believed it was still important to “venerate his relics”. “It's a powerful symbolic way of expressing our faith in the love of God as revealed to us by a faithful saint who was once human just like us,” he said.

Pope John Paul II canonised St Claude in 1992, long after his original canonisation was abandoned In 1773 because the then Pope suppressed the Jesuit Order. St Claude contracted TB while in prison in England and died soon after his return to France in 1682 at the age of 41.

The relics continued their visit to Irish dioceses until July 21.

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JAMES GALWAY PLAYS HIS FLUTE FOR POPE

By Eddie Mcllwalne

Sir James Galway and his wife Jeanne were in Rome for an audience with Pope Benedict and to play at a concert in the Vatican this evening to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Swiss Guard.

“Not bad for a wee lad from Onward Flute Band in Belfast who used to march to Finaghy on the Twelfth,” said the Man with the Golden Flute from St Peter’s Square.

"I was 13 and I Iiving in Carnalea Street when I went on the Orange parade on July 12. And, if I remember rightly, I was paid £35 for the day. For that kind of money I would have marched anywhere. I remember coming home, getting my money and going out to buy a bike.”

The Swiss Guard for whom Sir James and New Yorker Lady Galway will be playing Danny Boy “and a little bit of Mozart” was formed five centuries ago when 150 Swiss soldiers were recruited as a, bodyguard to protect Pope Julius II. The current Guard has 110 male Swiss citizens, every one at least 5ft 8ins tall, all under 30 and unmarried when they began their service.

And Sir James, who has made his home in Lucerne, Switzerland, for many years, was a natural choice to play in tribute to the soldiers who, apart from their duties, are one of Rome's most treasured tourist attractions.

“And they must have all served in the Swiss Army,” said Sir James, who will be presented with a copy of a book called simply ‘Guard’ in which Sergeant Christian Roland Marcel Richard tells the story of how the bodyguard came into being.

"Little did I know in those happy days of my youth that one day I would be invited to the Vatican for such an important occasion and to meet the Pope,” said the Knight Flautist who was in Belfast to play at the Night Of 1,000 Voices Concert.

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NEW BOOK ON C.S. LEWIS AND CATHOLICISM RELEASED

SAN FRANCISCO

Many have wondered why C.S. Lewis the great 20th century Christian literary giant who so deeply affected the spirituality of many contemporary Catholics and Protestants never officially became a Catholic.

Lewis is credited, however, with playing a significant role in bringing many converts to Catholicism like Peter Kreeft, Thomas Howard, and even Joseph Pearce, the author of a new book which thoroughly explores the question of Lewis’ churchmanship and presents new insights into this great modern day Christian writer.

C.S. Lewis and the Catholic Church (Ignatius Press) delves into all the issues, questions, and factors regarding why Lewis while “Catholic” in many aspects of his Christian faith and devotion never formally entered the Catholic Church. Pearce gives abroad and detailed analysis of the historical, biographical, theological, and literary pieces to the “puzzle” of Lewis’ relationship with the Catholic Church.

Lewis believed in the Church's sacraments, spoke of “the Blessed Virgin,” made his confession to his Anglican priest regularly, believed in Purgatory, and even referred to the Eucharist as the Mass! Raised in Protestant Belfast in Northern Ireland, Lewis typically avoided open discussion of the rift between Protestants and Catholics, or open dialogue about his true religious leanings.

Pearce's exhaustive approach in examining the spiritual facets of C.S. Lewis in this colourfully written, 220 page book has been augmented by the research assistance of the world's foremost expert on Lewis, Walter Hooper. Hooper likewise provided help with a few of Pearce’s earlier books on Christian literary greats, such as Literary Converts (Ignatius Press 2000) and Tolkien: A Celebration (Ignatius Press 2001).

“I have written this book for those who share my love for Lewis, regardless of whether they share my love for the Catholic Church,” says Pearce, who converted to Catholicism in 1989. He adds that Lewis’ role in that conversion “was not insignificant”.

Pearce sees C.S. Lewis as being among two great literary giants of orthodox Christianity of the 20th century, the other being C.K. Chesterton. Upon reading C.K. Chesterton’s The Everlasting Man, Lewis’s former atheism “had been shaken to its foundations.” Though another six years would pass before Lewis would accept the Christian faith as his own, he credited The Everlasting Man with allowing him to “see the whole Christian outline history set out in a form that seemed ... to make sense”.

Lewis’s Christian faith then greatly influenced his children’s tales, books, poetry, and famous World War II era religious talk on the BBC.

Peter Kreeft, author of C.S. Lewis for the Third Millennium, says, “This book continues Joseph Pearce’s masterful, guided tours through 20th century English writers. A great assemblage of relevant data that form a penumbra full of lights on Lewisiana.”

(Ignatius Press can be contacted at 800 651 1531, or www.ignatius.com.)

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BISHOP OF LONDON HONOURS RC ‘MARTYRS’

Seventeen monks and lay brothers of The London Charterhouse, Carthusian monastery, were put to death Between 1535 and 1540 because they would not accept the Act of Supremacy. The first to be executed was the Prior of Charterhouse, St. John Houghton. The Bishop of London attended an ecumenical service on 4 May to commemorate the so called ‘martyrs’. The site of the London Charterhouse now home to Sutton’s Hospital in Charterhouse, a home, founded in 1611 for elderly gentlemen, known as Brothers.

Picture: Brothers of Charterhouse place roses into a model of the ‘Tyburn Tree‘ [The Tyburn gallows]

while the Bishop of London (extreme right) looks on.

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NEW MOTOR FOR STYLISH BENEDICT

The Prada Pope has added a swanky 4x4 to his garage, reports religious affairs correspondent William Scholes

Habemus Volvo - Pope Benedict XVI has added a gas guzzling sport utility vehicle from the sturdy Swedish manufacturer to his fleet of cars.

With its powerful V8 engine and sub 20 miles per gallon fuel consumption, the £56,000 Volvo XC9O would appear to be at odds with any sort of environmentally friendly message the Vatican propagates. Benedict has not bought the seven seat Volvo. Popes receive no pay but it has arrived at the Vatican after he approved the company's donation.

The car is dark blue with cream leather but Volvo refuses to say what modifications have been made to make the XC9O fit for a Pope, beyond coyly stating it has been “fitted for his personal use”.

To have the Pope, one of the most famous faces in the world, associated with its products is something of a marketing holy grail for any company a fact not overlooked by Pascal Bellemans, president of Volvo Italy. “We are absolutely happy and proud of the opportunity we had to give a car to the Pope,” he said Volvo is the latest brand to trumpet its Papal Product placement, although it appears to be hedging its bets bizarrely, another XC9O has been buried in a crate as a promotional tie in with the Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Benedict also wears Cartier spectacles, red Prada loafers, Geox walking shoes, Serengeti sunglasses and owns a specially engraved Apple iPod music player.

While his use of these products reveals Benedict not to be an ascetic in the mould of his predecessor, accepting the Volvo XC9O may open the Pope to accusations of being off message environmentally.

According to a standard measure of how much pollution an engine produces, the Volvo’s eight cylinder engine spews out 302 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre driven. In comparison, a Nissan Micra is responsible for 141g/km and a Ford Mondeo 173g/km.

But the Pope can claim some redemption by pointing to some of the other modes of transport he uses. For example, General Electric Motorcars and Italian leather maker Natuzzi gave Benedict a battery powered golf cart which he uses to scoot about the Vatican gardens.

But, environmental concerns aside, at least the hefty Volvo should keep the Pope safe, as Mr Bellemans was quick to highlight:

“Safety has always been a no compromise must for Volvo; no doubt, our strong commitment to safeguard lives could not get a higher and more touching recognition.”

Indeed, the off roader comes with a system called ROPS, designed to stop the car from rolling over.

The Pope, a Latin expert, will have no doubt looked at that part of the specification sheet with a wry smile. In Latin, Volvo means I roll.

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