Indian law to legalise uterus rental, making children genetically orphans
The Catholic Church in Kerala plans to scuttle an upcoming bill to legalize surrogacy in India. An Orientalrite Catholic Church in Kerala, southern India, says it plans to try and torpedo an upcoming bill to legalize surrogacy in India, which it says will destabilize a family system already struggling “under Western influence.” “This law radically changes our society and the structure of the family and its values,” said Card. Varkey Vithayathil, SyroMalabar major archbishop of Ernakulam–Angamaly in Kerala. “A child that develops over a ninemonth period may no longer have a biological tie under the law with the mother.” For him, a child’s biological nature is in the hands of God, not science. The federal government has finalized the draft for the Assisted Reproductive Technologies (Regulation) Bill 2010, which will legalize surrogacy and sperm banks. It is planning to table the bill before parliament for approval. Under the proposed legislation, “renting” a womb would be banned and only nonprofit surrogacy permitted for women aged 21 to 35. Critics say this leaves the door open for gay couples and single heterosexuals to become parents. Commercial surrogacy in India has been practiced since 2002. “To have a child, one cannot take recourse to any and every means and technology possible,” said Kerala Church head Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil. “We shall not play God and opt for fabrications of humans at our own designs,” Cardinal Vithayathil said. For Pascoal Carvalho, a member Pontifical Council for Life, “This draft bill is legalising something immoral and unnatural.” Speaking to AsiaNews, he said that the propo-sed legislation “completely separates the procreative dimensions from the sanctity of marriage, leading to a human ecological disaster.”
Magazine: August 10

Birth Rate Among Christians is Less in India
Birth Rate Among Christians is Less in India The Ranganath Commission report reveals that the birth rate among Christians in India is less than in other religious communities. The Commission report points out that the birth rate among Christians is less than that of Hindus, Muslims, Scheduled Castes and Tribes and even the agnostics. The birth rate among the Hindus, the largest community, is 2.78%. Among the Muslims it is 3.59 and among the SCs and STs it is 3.15. Among the irreligious people, it is 3.95 and among the Backward Classes it is 4.25. For the Christians it is 2.44%. The Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains are behind the Christians. In the female-male ratio, Christians top the list.
Magazine: July 10

PEOPLE ARE WORLDS GREATEST WEALTH
Vatican: Archbishop Celestine Miliore, the Vatican Representative in the UN, said that the worlds greatest wealth is the human beings. He demanded that the move to portray the right for abortion as part of reproductive health should be stopped. He was speaking in the General Meeting of the UN Assembly regarding population and development. Many countries are now actually encouraging population growth with a view to ensure economic growth. The Archbishop explained that the real necessity for the nations is to work together with the conviction that people are the greatest sources of wealth. In his opinion family is an important unit in the social and economic development.
Magazine: December 09

CAUTION AGAINST LOVE JIHAD
Ernakulam: Campus Friend is the student wing of the Organization called Popular Front of India. The KCBC Commission for Unity and Caution asked the parents and teachers to be cautious against the Love Jihad organized by the Campus Friend. This cautionary notice has been given in the background of Christian female students getting involved in this and being forced to change their religion. The Church wants to have greater caution in view of the fact that the matter has been taken cognizance of even at the High Court level. Last September, in a Catholic College, a Hindu girl and a Christian girl were involved in the Love Jihad. They fell in love with Muslim boys and they were forced to accept Islam religion. Following the disappearance of these girls, their parents complained to the police. The police made investigations and the girls, who were produced in the Court later, were allowed to join their parents. The Muslim youths who were workers of the Campus Friend were refused bail by the Court. On 30 September, the Court asked the police and the government to enquire about the Love Jihad. It is in these circumstances that the Church has taken this matter seriously and has issued the directives.
Magazine: December 09

EFFORTS TO GRAB CHURCH PROPERTIES
Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh State Minority Commission has recommended to form a Board similar to the Waqf Board with the intention of taking control of the properties of the Christian Minorities. The State Minority Commission has recommended to the Government that all the properties with the Christian Minorities that have been gifted to them or granted to them by the Government should be brought under the control and use of the Government. The Bishop of Bhopal Archdiocese, Leo Cornelio, strongly condemned this move by the State Minority Commission. All the properties currently with the Christian Minorities are under the Firms and Societies Law. Moreover, all the accounts are audited and all the necessary documents are submitted regularly to the government. The Archbishop further said that the State Minority Commission is working against the interests of the Christian minority and so it has lost its moral basis to continue in office. The organization called Madhya Pradesh Isai Mahasangh has passed a resolution in the political affairs committee meeting to organize protests against the anti-minority stance of the Minority Commission throughout the State. To campaign against this black law the organization has formed an agitation committee. If the Government decides to move as per the suggestion of the Minority Commission, the organization will take the matter to the Court.
Magazine: February 09

Pope says World Youth Day contrast
Pope Benedict XVI highlighted the \"authentic joy\" experienced by World Youth Day participants and said it stood in stark contrast to the drug-fueled escapism affecting many young people today. The pope, speaking Aug. 10 at the end of a two-week vacation in the northern Italian city of Bressanone, offered what he called a \"spontaneous reflection\" on his World Youth Day trip to Australia in late July. What particularly impressed him in Australia, he said, were the \"joyous faces of so many boys and girls from all over the world.\" \"In the great cities of the young Australian nation, those young people were a sign of authentic joy, sometimes noisy but always peaceful and positive,\" he said. Although an estimated 400,000 young people participated in the Australian events, the pope noted that they caused no disorder or damage. \"To be happy, they didn\'t need to resort to vulgarity or violence, or to alcohol and drugs,\" he said. Instead, they drew happiness from meeting each other and discovering a new world, he said. The pope said it was only natural to compare World Youth Day participants to others their age who seek \"false escape\" through degrading experiences that often end in tragedy. Such escapism, he said, is a typical byproduct of today\'s prosperous society that, in order to fill up inner emptiness and boredom, promotes new experiences that are increasingly emotional and extreme.
Magazine: September 08