Moscow Mayor: Pride Parade ‘Satanic’

Yury Luzkov, the mayor of Moscow, said he would never allow a “gay pride” parade to take place in Moscow, reported MosNews.

“Last year, Moscow came under unprecedented pressure to sanction the ‘gay parade,’ which can be described in no other way than as Satanic,” Luzhkov said. “We did not let the parade take place then, and we are not going to allow it in the future.”

The mayor also did not allow a rock group to perform in the city because of its explicit lyrics.

Catholic Adoption Agencies Not Exempt

Prime Minister Tony Blair said Jan. 29 that Catholic adoption agencies in Britain would not be exempt from new laws barring discrimination against same-sex couples, the Chicago Tribune reported.

While Blair said that “the interests of the children ... must come first,” he insisted that “there is no place in our society for discrimination.” Catholic adoption agencies account for about 30% of the private placements in Britain.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor of Westminter told Blair that the Church would be forced to close its adoption agencies as a matter of conscience.

Answered Prayers.

Worshippers stand praying in front of a church in downtown Ho Chi Minh City Jan. 26. Vietnamese Catholics praised the milestone meeting Jan. 25 between the communist nation’s premier and Pope Benedict XVI for bringing fresh hope to the country’s 6 million faithful.

First a ‘Clown Mass,’ Now ‘U2-charist’

The Church of England has announced it will use the songs of U2 frontman Bono to replace its hymns in an effort to boost its numbers, reported the Daily Telegraph of London.

The first “U2-charist” in England, an adapted Communion service that uses the Irish rock group’s best-selling songs in place of hymns, will take place in a Lincoln church in May.
Bishop Timothy Ellis of Grantham said it was “very important that we continue to try and find ways of worshipping that are surprising, challenging and fun. Rock music can be a vehicle of immense spirituality.”

The idea of a “U2-charist” was first used in 2005 in the Episcopal Church in the United States, where priests and ministers have celebrated services dressed as clowns.

Pro-Lifers Take to the Streets of Portugal

Approximately 9,000 pro-life protesters marched through the streets of Lisbon Jan. 28 urging people to reject the referendum that seeks to ease Portugal’s abortion law, BBC News reported.

On Feb. 11, voters will decide whether to allow abortions for all women up to the 10th week of pregnancy.

A poll published Jan. 26 in the daily Jornal de Noticias found that about 38% of likely voters would support the new abortion law proposals — down from the 53% registered in a poll in October.