Cruelty Tops BBC List of Sins

GUARDIAN, Feb. 7 — Pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony and lust. Those were the old seven deadly sins. The new list, as revealed by a BBC survey, comprises cruelty, adultery, bigotry, dishonesty, hypocrisy, greed and selfishness.

Warwick University philosophy professor Roger Trigg said although greed is the only sin to be on both lists, the new list is not so different. “For example, anger would often result in cruelty, and many people’s complaint about lust is that it’s a form of selfishness.”

Cambridge University chaplain Father Alban McCoy agreed. “The seven deadly sins … are still a valid way of describing the deepest and most corrosive propensities that we share … They manifest themselves in different ways in the present situation, but at root, they are the same problems.”

Church in Timor Demands Trials for War Crimes

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, Feb. 7 — The proposal for a “truth and reconciliation commission” to examine the atrocities committed during the struggle for East Timor’s independence has been rejected by Bishop Alberto Ricardo da Silva of Dili.

East Timor, which is mostly Catholic, gained its freedom from mostly Muslim Indonesia in 1999, but not before Indonesian troops went on a rampage of killing, destruction and forced deportations. Attempts to identify and try war criminals on both sides have largely failed, with only 18 trials of Indonesians and one conviction.

Bishop da Silva said, “If you reconcile, does justice remain to be done, or is it not going to be done? If there was a crime, there has to be justice. It’s nothing new; it’s always been the Church’s position on justice and peace.”

Aussie Priest Gives Radio ‘Absolution’

MELBOURNE HERALD-SUN, Feb. 4 — A controversial Australian priest faces sanctions after hearing confessions and giving absolution over a popular Melbourne radio station.

Father Bob Maguire, a guest on Triple J radio Jan. 30, gave one women a penance of one Our Father for swearing and banned a self-professed Satanist (who worried he had induced another man’s death electronically) from using Internet chat rooms for 24 hours.

Melbourne Archdiocese Vicar General Msgr. Les Tomlinson warned of “severe repercussions” for Father Maguire. He explained, “The penitent may choose to reveal the contents of their confession, but the priest can never break the seal of the confessional, and that includes broadcasting it on radio.”

Cardinal’s Reburial Offends Animists

EAST AFRICAN STANDARD, Feb. 8 — The proposed beatification of Kenyan Cardinal Maurice Otunga may be delayed over plans to exhume and rebury his body.

Cardinal Otunga, who died two years ago, was a member of the mostly animist Bukusu tribe. Wamalwa Manai, leader of the Dini ya Musambwa sect, said, “It is a taboo in our community to exhume a dead body, especially after such a long period has elapsed since burial.” The Bukusi claim they will be cursed if the reburial proceeds.

Christian critics of the reburial have noted that reburial is not always necessary for beatification, giving as an example Mother Teresa of Calcutta.