Friday, May 11, 2007

Pope canonizes saint, blames media

Earlier today Pope Benedict XVI canonized Brazil’s first saint during an open-air mass in Sao Paulo attended by approximately a million followers. Saint (nee Friar) Galvao was an 18th-century Franciscan monk who was believed to have made “miraculous pills” out of prayers inscribed on bits of paper.

Reuters reports that aside from exalting Galvao, the Pope also criticized Brazilian media for “undermining family values and glamorizing sex”. Said he:

"It is necessary to oppose those elements of the media that ridicule the sanctity of marriage and virginity before marriage."

Meanwhile, remarks the pontiff made over excommunicating Mexico City politicos that back decriminalizing abortion have reverberated north of the border. U.S. presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani has tried to clarify his stance on abortion in order to “avoid a head-on confrontation” with the Pope.

Links- BBC News, CBS News, Monsters & Critics, The Latin Americanist, Newsday, Reuters AlertNet

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