Religious quotes and news – January 22, 2023
Snippets of religious statements and highlights of events from around the world
Bishops slam therapy ban
The Catholic bishops of Scotland warned that the banning of “conversion therapy” would “outlaw pastoral care, prayer, parental guidance and advice relating to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. It could criminalise the Church teaching about God’s creation of the human person as male and female and the meaning of sex within marriage, and anyone who proposes this teaching to someone with same-sex attraction or gender identity issues would face sanctions. This would apply even if the person with these issues wanted help to follow Church teaching.”
No freedom without truth
In a message for Religious Freedom Day, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York said: “The purpose of religious freedom is to allow individuals and communities space to seek the truth and to bear witness to the truth. Truths about human nature – about conjugal marriage, the right to life, the equal dignity of every individual can be known by reason without the aid of faith. When these truths come under attack, religious freedom is not an escape route, as if we could watch the common good be harmed so long as we obtain religious exemptions.”
Beware of attachments
During his angelus address last Sunday, Pope Francis said: “John the Baptist teaches us freedom from attachments. It is easy to become attached to roles and positions, to the need to be esteemed, recognised and rewarded. And this is not a good thing because service involves gratuitousness, taking care of others without benefit for oneself, without ulterior motives, without expecting something in return. It is good for us to cultivate the virtue of setting ourselves aside at the right moment, bearing witness that the point of reference of life is Jesus.”
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)