|
|
Church in the WorldJudge sentenced for banning crucifix in courtItaly Robert Mickens - 1 March 2008A judge in central Italy has been given a one-year suspended jail sentence for repeatedly refusing to hear cases in courtrooms that display a crucifix, writes Robert Mickens. A tribunal in the city of L'Aquila last week also ruled that 59-year-old Judge Luigi Tosti would be barred from holding public office for year. It was the second time that the anti-crucifix judge has received a suspended sentence. In November 2005 a court sentenced him to seven months in jail. Both penalties were for Judge Tosti's refusal to try cases on three different days in July 2005. The judge suspended the trials because the crucifix, a standard fixture in most Italian courts, was not removed from the room. Judge Tosti, who is Jewish, has argued against what he calls the Vatican's dominance of Italian public and secular life. Pope Benedict XVI has insisted that crucifixes be displayed "on public buildings". In a homily on 15 August 2005 he said pointedly that "only if God is present do we have an orientation, a common direction; otherwise, disputes become impossible to settle". |
 In this week’s issueMaking markets moral Iron and velvet Love in a Catholic climate Someone to talk to A good Lent takes planning South American surprise Is the Church too slow in recognising that academies are the future for Catholic schools? Christopher Lamb Goodwin the scapegoat Elena Curti The pain of being a coeliac Catholic Sr M, guest contributor Why the Benedictine family will survive Christopher Lamb The Church's moral obligation to victims of clerical sexual abuse Speeches from this week's conference in Rome This week in Rome bishops and religious superiors met at the first Vatican-backed symposium devoted to forging a global response to the crisis of clerical sexual abuse that has disgraced ... Archbishop voices 'shame and sorrow' after priest's abuse trial Longley to visit parishes 'damaged' by Walsh Today, Tuesday 7 February, Bede Walsh, who served as a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, has been convicted by a jury, following a 10-day trial at Stoke-on-Trent ...
|
