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MANILA, Dec. 15, 2010— A catholic prelate has admitted that the youth have been sadly abandoned by institutions, including the Church.

CBCP’s Commission on Youth Chair Joel Baylon made the admission as the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines formally launched today 2011 as the “Year of the Youth”.

“Many of them feel abandoned by the institutions that are supposed to take care of them – the Church included, we must humbly admit,” said Baylon.

VATICAN, Dec. 13, 2010 (CNS) -- A spate of U.S. diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks portray the Vatican as horrified over clerical sex abuse in Ireland but also deeply concerned that the procedures used by Irish investigators of the scandal were "an affront to Vatican sovereignty."

The cables, released Dec. 10-12, touched on a wide range of issues, from the Vatican's efforts to deal with leftist governments in Latin America to its recent moves to welcome disaffected Anglicans into the Catholic Church.

MANILA, Dec. 10, 2010—Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo has welcomed President Benigno Aquino III’s order to withdraw all criminal charges against the Morong 43.

Pabillo said over church-run Radyo Veritas that he was “delighted” that the government finally recognized the rights of the 43 health workers who were arrested in Rizal province on suspicion of being communist insurgents.

MANILA, Dec. 8, 2010—Aside from the anticipated quadricentennial festivities of the University of Santo Tomas, the Dominican Province of the Philippines (DPP) is also looking forward to another milestone of its existence.

The province will be celebrating its 40th year of existence next year. DPP was founded on Dec. 8, 1971.

To mark the fourth decade of DPP, the province’s media board, headed by Fr. Jeff Aytona, OP, embarked on the first full-length period film project about the life of St. Dominic de Guzman, founder of the Order of Preachers.

MANILA, Dec. 1, 2010—An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has called for a stop on surveys on the Reproductive Health bill while the issue is still being debated by the lawmakers.

Fr. Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the CBCP’s Commission on Family and Life, fears the surveys are being conducted to influence the decisions of the lawmakers.

Castro also expressed concern that surveys are being conducted as a mind-conditioning strategy of those behind the controversial measure.

VATICAN, Nov. 30, 2010 (CNS) -- In his latest book, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed that the church has "no authority" to ordain women as priests and rejected the idea that the rule was formed only because the church originated in a patriarchal society.

The pope said that man did not produce the form of the church, and does not have the power to change it. Christ gave the form of the priesthood when he chose his male Apostles, he said in the book-interview, "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times."

MANILA, Nov. 24, 2010— Proponents of the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill are lying with their claims that the measure does not promote or allow abortion,” a Catholic bishop said.

Large-scale public funding for artificial contraceptives such as condoms and pills is assured in the proposed measure.

Almost all versions of the bill classify contraceptives including intrauterine devices and injectables as essential medicines where billions of pesos of public funds will be used for its purchase.

20 November -- Father Joseph Guo Jincai was today made the first bishop of Chengde in northern Hebei province, without papal approval and under close surveillance of local government officials.

More than 100 faithful and dozens of government officials attended the ordination Mass at the church in the rural town of Pingquan.

The area was surrounded by about 100 uniform and plainclothes police. Cameras were banned in the church and mobile phone signals blocked in the area.

The ceremony proceeded smoothly, Church sources told ucanews.com.

BALTIMORE, Maryland, Nov. 16, 2010--The world of social media might seem like a fad, but it's not going away. In fact, it's a "digital continent," with natives, immigrants -- and in need of missionaries.

This was the reflection offered Monday, the first day of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) fall general assembly, by Bishop Ron Herzog of Alexandria, Louisiana.

MANILA, Nov. 7, 2010—Speaking before 500 delegates during the 17th Asia-Pacific Congress on Faith and Family, Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal said the Church’s struggle to preserve and promote the values conducive to nurturing faith, family and life appears to be heading “towards a head-on collision” with those who push for the passage of RH Bill.

He downplayed claims by some sectors that the Catholic Church tries to impose itself on the rest of the citizenry.

MANILA, Nov. 9, 2010—Caceres Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi has cleared a member of the archdiocesan clergy from charges of molesting a teen-age boy in a local motel.

In a statement sent to CBCP Media Office today, the 74-year old prelate said apparent attempts to destroy and discredit the church have been made by some sectors and individuals.

“The accused priest and the Archdiocese of Caceres vehemently deny the said accusation,” Archbishop Legaspi said in his statement.

MANILA, Nov. 3, 2010-Invoking God to win lotto and other forms of gambling for that matter is a 'defective' practice of religiosity, a Catholic prelate said.

Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez said gambling is incompatible with Christianity and invoking God of good luck is flawed.