Mumbai Archbishop Cardinal Ivan Dias to head Vatican body
Sunday, May 21, 2006 TIMES OF INDIA NEWS NETWORK

MUMBAI: Archbishop of Mumbai, Cardinal Ivan Dias, has been appointed Prefect of the Congregation of the Evangelisation of the Peoples at the Vatican. Cardinal Dias was one of the contenders for the pope's position after John Paul II died last year.

The new appointment has catapulted Cardinal Dias to what is considered one of the top positions in the Vatican with a responsibility extending worldwide.

He will continue as administrator of the archdiocese of Mumbai until he leaves to take over his responsibilities at the Vatican.

Born in Bandra, Cardinal Dias, 70, was ordained a priest in 1958 and has held several senior diplomatic positions for the Vatican over the last 33 years, the first being the secretary of the Apostolic Nunciatures in Scandinavian and Nordic countries, Indonesia and Madagascar.

He also worked as chief of desk in the Vatican for many countries in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia and was a papal representative in Ghana, Togo, Benin, South Korea and Albania. He was appointed archbishop of Mumbai in 1996 and made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001.

The Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, founded in 1622, is the Vatican's department entrusted with the coordination of programmes aimed at spreading the gospel in territories where Christianity is still young.

“….. Canada is today suffering from the pervasive effects of secularism," Pope Benedict

Excerpts from AP Article

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict said yesterday low Canadian birth rates are the result of the "pervasive effects of secularism" and asked the country's bishops to counter the trend by preaching "with passion" the truth of Christ.

The pontiff's comments to visiting bishops from Canada echoed his statements last month to members of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, when he said that a lack of true love was behind an increase in failed marriages and a decrease in birth rates in much of the developed world.

"Like many countries ... Canada is today suffering from the pervasive effects of secularism," Benedict said, speaking in English.

"The attempt to promote a vision of humanity apart from God's transcendent order and indifferent to Christ's beckoning light, removes from the reach of ordinary men and women the experience of genuine hope," the pope said.

"One of the more dramatic symptoms of this mentality, clearly evident in your own region, is the plummeting birth rate."

Canada's birth rate in 2005 was 10.5 births for every 1,000 people.

Benedict blamed the low birth rate on social ills and moral ambiguities that result from secular ideology.

He added that "Canadians look to you to be men of hope, preaching and teaching with passion the splendour of the truth of Christ who dispels the darkness and illuminates the way to renew ecclesiastical and civic life, educating consciences and teaching the authentic dignity of the person and human society."

Canada's Greatest Treasure - Its People
Message from the Catholic Organization for Life and Family on the occasion of the National March for Life Ottawa - May 11, 2006

Demographers have told us: the current birth rate – 1.5 children per woman of child-bearing age – cannot maintain the Canadian population at its present levels. Economists have warned us: the aging of the population will result in socio-economic problems at the younger generations’ expense. Scientists have confirmed it: abortion can cause sterility.

It is therefore not surprising that the organizers of the ninth National March for Life are declaring this year that “Abortion is killing Canada’s future”. On the occasion of this event, the Catholic Organization for Life and Family calls Canadians to recognize that our country’s greatest treasure is its people.

In light of this, how can we help but wonder what drives society to promote abortion? Many women, deprived of any support, see no other solutions. The difficult situations in which they find themselves present a series of invitations to the state and civil society, of which we are all members:

- An invitation to offer young people a vision of love that is worthy of their humanity – a love that is chaste and faithful – so they know that the favoured context for welcoming new life is parenthood that is rooted in marriage;

- An invitation to help them discover the fullness of human love according to God’s plan; a love that does not see sex as a commodity, but becomes “concern and care for the other. No longer is it self-seeking (…), instead it seeks the good of the beloved: it becomes renunciation and it is ready, and even willing, for sacrifice.

- An invitation to rediscover the greatness of responsible motherhood and fatherhood, and to promote the beauty of the role of parents and of raising a child; to recognize the immense personal and social value of the work performed by a parent who chooses to stay home to educate young children;

- An invitation also to offer to women, who generally take on this responsibility, the chance to be fulfilled professionally without having to give up their role as mothers – a change that involves a radical transformation of many social and corporate attitudes;

- An invitation once again to demand and develop effective family policies that support a rising birth rate, and also fiscal and social measures that would allow parents to assume their role as the primary caregivers for their children — a dream for so many young families! ;

- An invitation, finally, to increase initiatives and services to help pregnant women who are in difficult circumstances.
The serious demographic challenge facing Canada requires decisive action in favour of couples and families. As Pope Jean Paul II wrote in Evangelium Vitae this action would begin with resistance to those who:

“try to justify abortion by claiming that the result of conception, at least up to a certain number of days, cannot yet be considered a personal human life. But in fact, “from the time that the ovum is fertilized, a life is begun which is neither that of the father nor the mother; it is rather the life of a new human being with his own growth. It would never be made human if it were not human already. This has always been clear, and … modern genetic science offers clear confirmation. It has demonstrated that from the first instant there is established the programme of what this living being will be: a person, this individual person with his characteristic aspects already well determined.”

Together we must take up the challenge of life, beginning with changing our view of the child to be born. Rather than being a threat, this child is a rich resource and a promise: a promise for the future. We must encourage generous couples who would like to give three, four or five children to Canadian society.

However, this will not happen without an active commitment on the part of those who believe in life and who choose to welcome it and to help it blossom daily, from its earliest moments until it ends naturally.

This joint civic responsibility rests on everyone’s shoulders. That is why it is important to march for life. Being witnesses in this way of the inalienable worth and sacred nature of all life – even amidst great suffering – is to contribute to humanizing Canadian society so that it may become capable of always welcoming the new lives that guarantee our country’s future.

Kennedy pledges to eliminate immigrant success gap
"Immigrants are earning less, buying fewer homes, and facing twice the level of unemployment than non-immigrants in this country…."
Excerpts:
TORONTO, May 25 /CNW/ - Closing the gap between Canadian-born citizens and immigrants of similar education and work experience must become a national priority if we are to continue to compete successfully in a global economy, Liberal leadership candidate Gerard Kennedy said today.

"The individual effort of every Canadian is what makes our economy function at such a high level, and yet, immigrants earn a startling 40 per cent less than non-immigrant Canadians of similar education and work experience," Kennedy told the Economic Club of Toronto, in his first major policy speech in Toronto since announcing his leadership campaign. "This challenge is not being addressed by the Harper Government, despite the fact that the gap represents an estimated loss to our economy of $6 billion."

"By 2016, we will eliminate the Immigrant Success Gap - the difference between the income of immigrant and non-immigrant Canadians of similar education and work experience - for all immigrants who have been in the
country for 10 years," Kennedy pledged.

Taking aim at the Conservatives, Kennedy blasted the Harper government for failing to take up the challenge. "Immigrants are earning less, buying fewer homes, and facing twice the level of unemployment than non-immigrants in this country. This is not a priority for Stephen Harper, but it must for the Liberal Party of Canada."

Canada Gets a "D" in Physical Activity - Again
http://www.activehealthykids.ca/NewsArticle.cfm?WNID=2146234389HYPERLINK " "

~ Active Healthy Kids Canada calls on public and private sectors to do more to help families raise active, healthy children ~

TORONTO, May 25 /CNW/ - Active Healthy Kids Canada's 2006 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth identifies three immediate steps to help families raise active, healthy kids. The annual Report Card, which gives Canada a "D" for the second straight year, calls for families, communities and government to collaborate on a comprehensive approach to increase physical activity for children and youth.

The Report Card closely examines physical activity opportunities for kids where they live, learn and play. This year's report reveals new data that demonstrate where we are not improving, where we are actually getting worse, and where we can build on promising areas, including recommendations for action.

"Families are a major focus of the report because they provide an immediate and direct influence on children, and are an essential part of the solution to create a generation of active, healthy children and youth," said Dr. Mark Tremblay, Chair, Active Healthy Kids Canada. "We're calling on leaders from the public and private sectors to work with us over the longer term to help families help their kids become more physically active through enhanced support in the community and at school."

The Report Card reveals a major disconnect between parents' perceptions of their children's physical activity levels and what children are actually doing. In addition, it encourages parents and caregivers to role model physical activity because it has an important impact on the activity levels of their kids.

"Between 80% and 90% of parents feel that their children get a "good" amount of physical activity whereas, in reality, we know that less than half of Canadian children and youth meet the minimum daily physical activity requirements for healthy growth and development," added Dr. Tremblay. "We also know that parents and caregivers can help establish healthy patterns of physical activity by being active themselves but only 36% of parents regularly engage in physical activity with their children."