Theologian Kung Says Roman Catholic Church in Danger of Becoming a Sect

The Earth Times Reported Today that:

Tubingen, Germany - The Catholic church was under the increasing threat to deteriorate into a sect under the rule of Pope Benedict XVI, a leading progressive theologian said. Father Hans Kung, an emeritus professor of ecumenical theology at the University of Tubingen in southern Germany, said he was "very sad" over the direction where the current church leadership was heading.

Remarks by Kung that the Catholic church under the current pope risked becoming a sect triggered fierce criticism by the Vatican.

After meeting Pope Benedict XVI four years ago he was still optimistic, Kung, whose authority to teach Catholic theology was rescinded by the Vatican over his criticism against papal authority, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"I was hoping that he [Pope Benedict] would show himself as reforming, ecumenical and open for the future. But this hope has been bitterly disappointed," Swiss-born Kung said.

Benedict XVI, formerly cardinal Josef Ratzinger, strained relations with the Protestant churches because of his lack of willingness to engage in ecumenical dialogue. Neither did the pope's dialogue with Islam amount to more than lip service, Kung said.

Furthermore, the German-born pope severely damaged relations with members of the Jewish faith by revoking the excommunication of Richard Williamson, a Holocaust-denying bishop of an arch-conservative Catholic group.

"Pope Benedict XVI seriously angered many faithful Catholics and suffered a severe loss of his credibility. This is sad," Kung said.

The pope should state that the revoking [Williamson's] excommunication without conditions has not been justified, Kung demanded.

The Complete Story may be found here:
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/257814,pope-loses-credibility-theologian-hans-kung-says.html

U. S. Criticizes Philippines for Failure to Stop Graft and Corruption

The Philippine Inquirer Reported Today that:

MANILA, Philippines—Corruption remains rampant in the Arroyo administration primarily because of its failure to enforce laws penalizing crooked officials and its withholding of information from public inquiries into questionable government transactions, according to the US State Department.

In its “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in 2008,” which was released on Wednesday, the US State Department said the culture of corruption in government agencies and the judiciary was among the reasons basic human rights continued to be violated in the Philippines.

“The law provides criminal penalties for official corruption; however, the government did not implement the law effectively, and officials often engaged in corrupt practices with impunity,” the report says.

Right to information

It adds: “The law provides for the right to information on matters of public concern. However, denial of such information often occurred when the information related to an anomaly or irregularity in government transactions. Much government information was not available electronically and was difficult to retrieve.”

But the report also mentions that a number of public officials were prosecuted last year, and that the Sandiganbayan handed down a number of convictions.

Obama’s policy

The report covers 2008, when George W. Bush was still the US president. But its general introduction refers to the policy of President Barack Obama on human rights, which warns against corrupt and suppressive governments.

It was signed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said “the promotion of human rights is an essential piece of [US] foreign policy.”

Predictably, Malacañang on Friday sought to downplay the report.

The Complete Story may be found here:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20090228-191520/US-raps-RP-for-failure-to-stop-graft

Vatican Rehabilitated Bishop Ordered to Leave Country by Argentine Government

Reuters reported today that:

A Roman Catholic bishop who caused an international uproar by denying the scale of the Holocaust left Argentina on Tuesday, days after the government ordered him out of the country.

Bishop Richard Williamson, an ultra-traditionalist who headed a seminary near Buenos Aires until earlier this month, said he believes that no more than 300,000 Jews died in Germany's Nazi concentration camps, rather than the 6 million figure that is widely accepted.

Wearing dark sunglasses, a baseball cap and an overcoat, the tall, gray-haired Williamson was seen by a Reuters reporter in Argentina's main international airport as he entered the boarding area.

The bishop did not respond to questions and raised his fist toward the face of a local TV reporter who was trying to get a comment from him as he walked briskly toward his flight.

Argentina's Interior Ministry later confirmed that the cleric departed on a flight bound for London.

The complete story may be found here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090224/wl_nm/us_argentina_bishop

Army charity hoards millions-Another Government Scandal

The AP reported today that:

FORT BLISS, Texas – As soldiers stream home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the biggest charity inside the U.S. military has been stockpiling tens of millions of dollars meant to help put returning fighters back on their feet, an Associated Press investigation shows.

Between 2003 and 2007 — as many military families dealt with long war deployments and increased numbers of home foreclosures — Army Emergency Relief grew into a $345 million behemoth. During those years, the charity packed away $117 million into its own reserves while spending just $64 million on direct aid, according to an AP analysis of its tax records.

Tax-exempt and legally separate from the military, AER projects a facade of independence but really operates under close Army control. The massive nonprofit — funded predominantly by troops — allows superiors to squeeze soldiers for contributions; forces struggling soldiers to repay loans — sometimes delaying transfers and promotions; and too often violates its own rules by rewarding donors, such as giving free passes from physical training, the AP found.

AER was founded in 1942 to soften the personal financial hardships on soldiers and their families as the country ramped up its fight in World War II.

Today, AER's mission is to ease cash emergencies of active-duty soldiers and retirees, and to provide college scholarships for their families. Its emergency aid covers mortgage payments and food, car repairs, medical bills, travel to family funerals, and the like.

Instead of giving money away, though, the Army charity lent out 91 percent of its emergency aid during the period 2003-2007. For accounting purposes, the loans, dispensed interest-free, are counted as expenses only when they are not paid back.

During that same five-year period, the smaller Navy and Air Force charities both put far more of their own resources into aid than reserves. The Air Force charity kept $24 million in reserves while dispensing $56 million in total aid, which includes grants, scholarships and loans not repaid. The Navy charity put $32 million into reserves and gave out $49 million in total aid.

The complete story may be found here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090223/ap_on_re_us/army_s_stingy_charity;_ylt=AufBe81Mynblwt3e63rlY18DW7oF

Junkets and First Class Travel by Members of the Government

Recent news reports about the travel habits of some members of Congress and others in the U.S. Government are undoubtedly causing much furor. The World Monitor is currently investigating what the Obama Administration is planning to do to ban the usage of first-class air travel by all levels of the Federal Government, as well as the usage of military aircraft to fly delegations to questionable events or on dubious fact-finding missions.
We will keep our readers updated as we receive responses from the agencies involved.

AP Investigation: Banks sought foreign workers

The Associated Press Reported today that:

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Major U.S. banks sought government permission to bring thousands of foreign workers into the country for high-paying jobs even as the system was melting down last year and Americans were getting laid off, according to an Associated Press review of visa applications.

The dozen banks now receiving the biggest rescue packages, totaling more than $150 billion, requested visas for more than 21,800 foreign workers over the past six years for positions that included senior vice presidents, corporate lawyers, junior investment analysts and human resources specialists. The average annual salary for those jobs was $90,721, nearly twice the median income for all American households.

As the economic collapse worsened last year — with huge numbers of bank employees laid off — the numbers of visas sought by the dozen banks in AP's analysis increased by nearly one-third, from 3,258 in the 2007 budget year to 4,163 in fiscal 2008.

The Complete Story May be found here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090201/ap_on_bi_ge/bailout_foreign_workers