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The rebirth of English Catholicism

Protestantism has generally dominated England since the reign of King Henry VIII and his famous break with the pope. But Catholicism is making big gains without much notice.

Consider, for example, the three major British political parties. The top leaders of the Conservative and Liberal parties are both Roman Catholics. Labour’s Prime Minister Tony Blair’s wife is Catholic, and, though an Anglican himself, it is said that he usually worships with a Catholic congregation.

Generally speaking, the most influential mainstream Christian voices in the British Isles call themselves Catholics. As a prominently placed editorial in The Times of London observed: "That English Catholicism should flow back after centuries of withdrawing, irrigating areas it had long since departed, should underline the danger of seeking to predict the tidal eddies of the sea of faith."

Said Times columnist Mary Ann Sieghart: "The acceptance of Catholics in the most exalted positions in the British establishment has been as speedy as it has been silent. People have barely noticed the change."

The country has not had a Catholic queen since 1688. In fact, it is constitutionally illegal for a prince of Wales to marry a Roman Catholic. The Independent on Sunday reminded Britons that "according to the 1701 Act of Settlement, no Catholic can ascend the throne, and the act also bars the heir to the throne from marrying a member of the Roman Catholic Church." But political pressure has mounted to make judicial amendments.

To understand the underlying significance of these trends and events, request our free booklets The Church Jesus Built and The Book of Revelation Unveiled. (Sources: The Times, The Independent on Sunday (both London).)

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A feature article authored by Times reporters Roland Watson in Washington, D.C., and Michael Binyon in Moscow states that "China will have 100 long-range nuclear missiles pointing at the United States by 2015, according to American intelligence analysts." The new missiles will be mobile and hard to target.

Plans for this accelerated Chinese nuclear buildup are thought to be occasioned by the controversial American

missile-defense shield, the development of which has been seriously questioned primarily by Russia and China. The theory is that 100 missiles launched at one time would overwhelm the planned U.S. defense system.

After the Cold War it is easy to forget that we live in a world under constant threat of a nuclear holocaust. In spite of past arms agreements, many of these weapons still exist either in readiness or in reserve, and many more are on the drawing boards. If you would like to understand their frightening role in biblical prophecy, write for our free booklet Are We Living in the Time of the End? (Source: The Times (London).)

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A recent Times editorial noted that "Italy deserves to be a major player in the European Union. The size of its population and its record as a founder member provide it with potential authority." The Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has set out his vision for a strong Europe and flatly said that he is a "Euro-enthusiast" and that Italy’s European credentials were beyond question.

Signor Berlusconi wants Europe to be "strong and to speak with one voice." He is his own foreign minister, having recently stated: "Given the importance I attach to Italy’s foreign policy, I decided to conduct it myself." Should Germany and France show signs of shirking their European quest, the Italian leader stands ready to steer Italy into any vacuum in leadership.

The Independent reported that Mr. Berlusconi will insist that Gianfranco Fini, leader of the postfascist National Alliance Party, "should sit on a convention on the future of Europe." Also the prime minister recently fired Renato Ruggiero, the centrist Italian official residing in Brussels, in a further move to imprint his rightist policies on the European Union. (Sources: The Times, The Independent (both London).)

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A swing to the right threatens to sweep across Europe, whose economic prospects in 2002 look uninspiring. Germany’s troubled economy may even spawn a right turn in that country. The "Munich marvel," Edmund Stoiber, woos the nation’s voters, and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder may face a tough challenge in September’s elections. Bavaria has remained relatively prosperous while the rest of Germany has suffered a slump.

Many European states either already have center-right governments in power or rightist elements are threatening to unseat unsteady socialist administrations. The New York Times summed up: "From Spain to Scandinavia, European politics is drifting to the right. As the economy slows, political parties stressing law and order and stricter controls on immigration are gaining ground, and mainstream conservative politicians are becoming more popular."

Italy is a case in point. As a UPI story put it: "Emboldened by electoral victories and high popular support, Italy’s political right wing is taking steps that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago: battling the country’s powerful labor unions, cutting back its generous pension system and even considering someone named Mussolini to head what once was the dominant Fascist party. Italy’s right wing is more powerful now than it has been since wartime Fascist leader Benito Mussolini was overthrown in 1943." (Sources: The Observer, The Guardian, The Times (all London), The New York Times, United Press International.)

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Statistics on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in Britain are so alarming as to be almost unbelievable. Except for Times writer Carol Midgley’s reputation for accuracy, and the reputation of the Times itself, one might question their validity.

Concerning the STD problem in London, Ms. Midgley said that instances of gonorrhea have increased by 74 percent in men and 75 percent in women since 1995. Syphilis in men has risen by 211 percent in three years.

Chlamydia is an infection that produces few symptoms but remains a major cause of infertility and ectopic pregnancies if not treated fairly promptly. Since 1955 chlamydia has been diagnosed in 87 percent more women and 120 percent more men, reported Ms. Midgley, "and it is thought that one person in ten is now infected, often without knowing it . . . The rise is most virulent among girls 16 to 19, who recorded a 141 percent rise and who face a possible future without children."

Dr. Thomas Stuttaford confirms Carol Midgley’s assessment in his regular medical briefing in The Times, adding that "last year saw the highest number of new diagnoses of HIV in this country recorded so far."

We pay a bitter and sometimes permanent price for the temporary pleasures of illicit sexual activity. How much better to teach our children that the sexual relationship in marriage is worth waiting for.

Carol Midgley visited a West London center for sexual health while researching her article. Even the advice proffered there was faulty: "We have to encourage young people to go for quality not quantity with sex." In other words, restrict oneself to fewer partners. However, any illicit sex is still a game of

Russian roulette. For the best possible advice, request our free booklets The Ten Commandments and Making Life Work. (Source: The Times (London).)

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Coinciding with World AIDS Day (Dec. 1), UNAIDS and the World Health Organization issued updated statistics on the relentless spread of the deadly disease.

Globally, 40 million adults and children are infected with HIV, AIDS or both. No sign of a slowdown is in sight in the numbers of people contracting the virus, with an estimated five million new cases added in 2001. The worst-affected continent is Africa, where more than 28 million people are afflicted. More than two million were expected to die of AIDS in 2001.

"HIV is spreading rapidly throughout the entire Eastern European region," warned Dr. Peter Piot, executive director of UNAIDS. "It is unequivocally the most devastating disease we have ever faced, and it will get worse before it gets better." The BBC reported that in some areas one third of women seeking prenatal care tested HIV-positive. In Russia, intravenous drug use is the biggest cause of the spread of HIV.

Sadly, AIDS is a disease of ignorance. It can be stopped. Living within God’s moral laws would stop the virus’s spread in its tracks.

The Bible teaches that sex should be confined to a husband and wife within marriage. Leviticus 18 lists sexual practices that people should not indulge in, some of which encourage the spread of the AIDS virus. The Seventh Commandment commands us to abstain from any sex outside of marriage. A loving God gave us these laws so we could avoid physical and emotional harm. Sadly, HIV and AIDS are sure to spread–as long as mankind denies the living laws of a loving God. (Source: BBC.)

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Even 15 years ago a visitor would generally find China a country that prided itself on its law-abiding orderliness, with few incidents of crime. But now even official government publications have admitted that the incidence of crimes is vastly increasing. A huge black market in illegal firearms is emerging, with criminals selling a whole range of weaponry–everything from grenades to automatic assault rifles.

An increasing number of police officers are killed while on duty. An unwelcome surge in organized crime is often the culprit in the rising demand for illegal firearms. Gangs perpetrate kidnappings and armed robbery and run the mushrooming sex industries in Chinese cities. (Source: The Economist.)

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According to a recent report from government scientists, rivers in Britain are probably cleaner than they have been since the Industrial Revolution. They are apparently cleaner now than at any time on record, and wildlife is beginning to thrive. Black otters, salmon and birds are enjoying certain river waters once again. Realistically, conditions are far from perfect, but huge investments in environmental protective measures are having a positive impact. (Sources: The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mail (both London).)

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Speaking of the state of the world just before His return, Jesus Christ said our planet will experience "a time of great distress, such as there has never been before since the beginning of the world, and will never be again" (Matthew 24:21, Revised English Bible).

The United Church of God, whose members and supporters provide the financial backing for The Good News and other publications, proclaims the good news of the imminent return of Jesus of Nazareth. This section of the magazine reports on some of the consequences of human behavior leading to the very conditions Jesus described: a dangerous world of chaos, confusion and apprehension in which man faces the terrifying possibility of extinction (verse 22).

The world is filled with bad news. Yet the future holds incredible promise: Christ’s return to establish the Kingdom of God (Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 11:15), ushering in a time of peace, prosperity and plenty during which all people will at last learn to live God’s way of life. This truly is good news on which you can stake your future.

–John Ross Schroeder and Melvin Rhodes

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