World News and Trends: Pope helps reverse proposed British legislation
Pope Benedict XVI recently spoke out against proposed legislation in Britain that could have forced religious organizations to hire homosexuals and restricted their freedom to speak out against behavior they consider sinful. He urged Catholic bishops to fight such government policies with "missionary zeal."
Pope Benedict XVI recently spoke out against proposed legislation in Britain that could have forced religious organizations to hire homosexuals and restricted their freedom to speak out against behavior they consider sinful. He urged Catholic bishops to fight such government policies with "missionary zeal."
He told the British: "Your country is well known for its firm commitment to equality of opportunity for all members of society. Yet...the effect of some of the legislation designed to achieve this goal has been to impose unjust limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs" ("Pope Benedict XVI Criticises 'Unjust' Effects of Harriet Harman's Equality Bill," The Daily Telegraph, Feb. 3, 2010).
The Times of London also reported that "the Vatican condemned Britain's proposed equality law yesterday, complaining that legislation to give homosexuals equal rights 'violates natural law'" ("Britain's Human Rights Policies Violate Natural Law, Pope Says," Feb. 2, 2010).
A later edition of The Times, on Feb. 3, contained an article headlined "Churches Win Fight Over Discrimination." The first sentence says, "Harriet Harman [deputy leader of Britain's liberal Labour Party] has backed away from a confrontation with religious leaders over whom they can employ, making clear that she will not force contentious amendments to the Equality Bill through Parliament."
This development highlights growing Roman Catholic influence in Britain. Wrote Martin Beckford in another Daily Telegraph piece: "The Roman Catholic Church has provided a vocal and effective opposition to Labour [i.e., the Labour Party] in recent years" ("Catholic Opposition a Thorn in Labour's Side," Feb. 2, 2010).
The fairly substantial Catholic vote could prove crucial in Britain's soon-coming national election, perhaps even determining who Britain's next prime minister will be. The Catholic bishops in both England and Wales will soon publish their own manifesto, possibly influencing Roman Catholic voting patterns. John Paul II, the late pope from Poland, expanded the Vatican's influence throughout the world, and it's clear that Benedict XVI has picked up the baton.
When advised against conflict with the Catholic Church, Soviet leader Josef Stalin dismissively responded, "How many divisions does the pope have?" He had no military divisions as such, but he nevertheless had a huge army, and Europe may be on the verge of finding that out. To understand the vital significance of events in the religious world, read our free booklet The Church Jesus Built. (Sources: The Daily Telegraph, The Times [both London].)
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Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
