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Event Raises Over $2 Million for Catholic Education

Currents News Staff

The Catholic schools of Brooklyn and Queens got a big boost during last night’s Futures in Education fundraiser.

Guests packed into the famed Ciprianis on Wall Street for an evening of entertainment and good food. The event generated over two million dollars’ worth of donations.

“I think a Catholic education is one of the best that anybody can receive because it’s high academic standards, but there’s also many values that are inculcated into a child and it gives them the Catholic faith, so I think that’s the best education I can think of,” said Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio.

The mission of Futures in Education is to ensure that Catholic education continues to be a viable option for current and future generations of students throughout Brooklyn and Queens.

“It’s very special tonight, because really we’re reliving the past. Our parents and grandparents came here as immigrants. They had nothing. The church was there to educate them and many of them are successful today. Now we have so many new immigrants from different parts of the world, but they deserve that education. That same chance that our parents got,” said Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, Vicar for Development of the Diocese of Brooklyn.

There are currently eighty-six catholic schools and academies throughout Brooklyn and
Queens that are benefiting from these donations.

Canada Legalizes Pot

Currents News Staff

Today Canada became the first major world economy to legalize possession and use of recreational marijuana – it’s been illegal there for the last ninety-five years. The United States’ northern neighbor is now the second country, after Uruguay, to legalize and regulate marijuana.

Some people think the drug’s legalization could turn into some serious ‘green’ for retailers. “The way Starbucks is sort of dominating the coffee business throughout North America, the retailers want to do the same kind of thing in the cannabis space,” said Kyle Murray, a student in the School of Business at the University of Alberta.

Canada is also the first G-7 nation to make this move. Officials there, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, say legal marijuana will reduce related crimes and keep profits away from crime organizations.

Canadian store owners are ready and hoping for sky-high sales. “We’re going to have to keep opening stores. So as soon as we finish the first batch, we’re going to move onto the second and the third and the fourth,” said Trevor Fencott, CEO, Fire and Flower.
However, there are concerns in Canada over the legalization, like how ready police are to deal with an increase in impaired drivers.

While the United States hasn’t legalized marijuana as a country, many states have – with Colorado being the first in 2012. Eight additional states, and the District of Columbia allow recreational pot use. Thirty states permit medical marijuana, and the U.S. marijuana industry brought in nine-billion dollars in sales last year, according to BDS analytics.

And research points to some interesting findings. In Colorado a 2014 study by the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area reported that there was a 92% increase in marijuana related traffic accidents.

In Washington, where marijuana was also decriminalized in 2012, a study by the PEW Charitable Trusts showed a double in fatal crashes of drivers who recently smoked.

But even with those numbers, retailers don’t seem too discouraged. “I think that we have enough information now, certainly from other jurisdictions that have legalized, like Colorado or Washington where the demographics are fairly similar – that we have some confidence that this is going to translate,” said Fencott.

Brooklyn Bishop Nicolas DiMarzio has addressed the issue at length in one of his columns, ‘Put Out Into The Deep.’ DiMarzio saying in part, “Notwithstanding the argument being made that the current enforcement of laws regarding the use of marijuana abuse falls disproportionally on minority users, I must say, that this is another issue that has to do with equal enforcement of laws, regardless of neighborhoods or racial and ethnic characteristics. I speak directly to the ill effects of marijuana, especially on our youth.”

You can read Bishop DiMarzio’s full column on this issue by clicking here.

U.S. Officials Urge Caution In Journalist Disappearance

Currents News Staff

Turkey claims to have an audio recording from within the Saudi Consulate proving that Saudi journalist – and Washington Post columnist – Jamal Khashoggi was killed.

President Donald Trump said “I’m not sure yet that it exists. It probably does. Possibly does. I’ll have a full report on that from Mike when he comes back.”

Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo met with Turkish President Erdogan Wednesday. He also met with the Saudi Crown Prince on Tuesday – saying afterward that the U.S. would give ‘space’ to Turkey and Saudi Arabia to complete their investigation.

Mike Pompeo, United States Secretary of State said, “We need to know the facts before we can begin to formulate what the appropriate response would be. I do think it’s important that everyone keep in their mind that we have lots of important relationships – financial relationships between US and Saudi companies.”

Relationships that President Trump praised during Wednesday’s cabinet meeting.

President Trump said, “They’re a tremendous purchaser of not only military equipment, but other things. When I went there, they committed to purchase $450 billion worth of things. And $110 billion worth of military. Those are the biggest orders in the history of this country.”

Turkish officials said Khashoggi’s body was dismembered after his death and that a fresh coat of paint was applied everywhere inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul before Turkish investigators gained access to the building Monday evening.

President Trump said “I want to find out what happened and where is the fault and we will know that by the end of the week.”

Pope Francis and Imam of Al-Azhar Meet for the Fourth Time

Currents News Staff

It is one more embrace between two old acquaintances, Pope Francis and the Great Imam of Al-Azhar, rector of the University of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb. It is one of the main universities for the Sunni Muslim world.

Both had a brief meeting at Casa Santa Marta. “I welcome you and I am happy,” said Pope Francis.

This is the fourth time they have met since 2016 when Imam resumed relations with the Vatican, broken since 2011. Imam of Al-Azhar and the Pope share common interests such as inter-religious dialogue and the promotion of peace.

After the brief exchange of gifts, Pope Francis bid farewell to Imam amid smiles and laughter.
“God bless you,” said Francis.

Pope Francis: To Hate is to “Murder With The Heart”

Currents News Staff

Pope Francis continued explaining the meaning of the fifth commandment. He said it has a greater depth than it appears at first glance. He pointed out that insulting, contempt and indifference are other ways of killing.

“Jesus puts all these sins on the same line as killing. We are used to insulting. It is true! An insult comes to us as if it were a breath. Jesus tells us, ‘Stop! Because the insult hurts; it kills,’” said the Holy Father.

The Pope stressed the importance of empathy, of putting oneself in the shoes of others, to know what hurts them.

“In order to hurt a woman, you only need to make a cold gesture against her. In order to break the heart of a young man, denying him trust is enough. In order to annihilate a man, all you have to do is ignore him. Indifference kills. It’s like saying to the other person, ‘You are dead to me,’ because you have murdered him in your heart,” he said.

Have empathy and take initiative. Pope Francis said it is wrong to be content to doing nothing wrong. It is the deception of someone who, in reality, does not want to do anything. People, he said, are not like a mineral or a plant, they are asked much more of their life.

Desecrated Tabernacle and Decapitated Christ, Remains of Persecution Against Middle Eastern Christians

Currents News Staff

They shot at least six times to try to destroy the body of Christ. It is the door of a tabernacle of a parish in the Syrian city of Kessab. The Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, al-Nusra, and other jihadist groups occupied the city for months.

This cross, shattered by ISIS, belongs to a parish in Batnaya, Iraq.

In another church, terrorists shot this statue of the Blessed Mother.

This other decapitated Christ was not spared from the desecration perpetrated by the jihadists. They had a clear objective: to eliminate the Christian presence from Iraq and Syria, their people, their liturgical objects and their roots.

These remains, which testify to ethnic cleansing, have been exhibited very close to the Vatican. The Hungarian government has compiled them in this exhibition which, after visiting Budapest, New York and Washington, has arrived in Rome.

“There are people, near us, who sometimes have to give their own lives or suffer daily discrimination because of their faith in Jesus Christ. It is good that these objects, photos and their voices come to us. It’s great that they arrive in Rome, especially now when we are talking about young people, so that we realize how important our faith is and how much we owe it,” said Márk Érszegi, Embassy of Hungary to the Holy See.

When they didn’t use bullets, they used fire to destroy prayer books and Bibles. In some churches, they left no trace. Many of the ones they left standing were used as a firing range.

In addition to Syria and Iraq, extremism has also spread to Egypt. These are the faces and stories of the 21 Coptic Christians beheaded by ISIS on a Libyan beach.

The crime was for being Christians, Nazarenes. Therefore, ISIS marked, the houses of the infidels, with this letter, “n” in Arabic. As soon as it self-proclaimed its state of terror, ISIS sent this letter to the Christians with an ultimatum: convert, die or pay the jizya, a tax for non-Muslims. Even the jihadists minted their own coin, these gold dinars.

The map of the Middle East is full of wounds. Many Christians have been killed who refused to leave their homeland or deny their faith.

Father Ragheed Ghani did not close the doors of his church. This Iraqi priest was assassinated by extremists in Mosul in 2007, after Sunday Mass. In 2014 his tomb, located in Karamlesh, was desecrated in this way by the ISIS militia.

Mary Queen of Heaven

In this first of two episodes highlighting Mary Queen of Heaven church in Mill Basin, Brooklyn, host Anthony Mangano visits “the church in the basement” and discovers the compelling reason why this small church was never completed. Former pastor Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello explains the history of the parish and also shares memories of some of the most influential priests and parishioners who have helped the parish continue to thrive throughout the years! Watch Part 2 to learn even more!

Currents News for Tuesday, October 16, 2018

On the newscast: Saudi Arabia may soon admit that missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed; The Holy Father meets with Poland’s President; A shot in the arm for providing a Catholic education for young people in Brooklyn.

Jamal Khashoggi Wednesday Update

Currents News Staff

Republican and Democratic members of Congress want tough consequences if missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi was indeed killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held meetings with top Saudi leaders in Riyadh Tuesday, and the President says answers will be coming soon.

And from both sides of the aisle, calls to send a message to Saudi Arabia.

“What we want is not only the president to do is not only take action, but we want language to be clear, that America will not tolerate this type of behavior,” said Sen. Ben Cardin from Maryland.

“If the recognition is that Saudi Arabia had something to do with this, which it appears to be, we need to hold them accountable,” said Rep. Tom Reed from New York.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an interview with Bloomberg News, said Congress wants the facts. “We need to find out first what happened before we’re deciding what kind of responses are appropriate,” McConnell said.

Turkish investigators spent nine hours inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul Monday – their first permitted entry, nearly two weeks after Khashoggi’s disappearance.

And Tuesday, Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo sat down with top Saudi leaders – for brief meetings the State Department described as “direct and candid.”

A senior adviser to the President says Trump’s decision on how to handle the Saudi matter may be the most consequential of his presidency.

On Monday, sources said the Saudis were preparing to allege that Khashoggi died during a botched interrogation operation that did not have clearance.

Khashoggi’s family has called for an independent, international commission to investigate.