Image of Virgin Mary Appears on Window at Sime Darby Medical Centre

'Virgin Mary window' to be moved from Malaysian hospital - CathNews

The following excerpt is from CathNews.com:

The window pane at a Malaysian hospital that throngs of Catholics believe has an image resembling the Virgin Mary will be moved to a church, reports AFP on PerthNow.

Hundreds of Catholics have gathered in prayer and worship at the Sime Darby Medical Centre (SDMC) just outside the capital Kuala Lumpur since last week after seeing the image on one of the windows.

Reverend Simon Labrooy, the priest of nearby St. Thomas More Parish, said in a statement that the hospital's management in a meeting with him had agreed to give the glass panel to the Catholic Church.

He said the panel would be moved to another church outside Kuala Lumpur, Marian Church of Our Lady of Lourdes Klang, "which will be more conducive for prayer and reflection".

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The Triumph of Christianity and what it means roughly 2,000 years later

The video and following news report is from RomeReports.com:

October 28th marks a special anniversary. It was on that day, 1,700 years ago that Emperor Constantine won the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. That victory, opened a new chapter for Christianity, since the night before, it's said that Constantine had a vision.

EDMUND MAZZA
Professor of Azusa Pacific University, Los Angeles (USA)

“He won that victory because he used the sign of Jesus. The letters of Jesus' name and he put that on the shields of all his soldiers. Before that, he had a vision that night, that said in this sign you will conquer. He put that symbol on all his soldiers. They went into battle and even though he was outnumbered, he was victorious.”

Roughly 300 years before this battle, Christians were openly persecuted by the Roman Empire.

After this battle though, Constantine legalized Christianity and the construction of churches quickly followed. This radical shift is commonly referred to as the Triumph of the Church.

But what exactly can the modern world learn from that victory? This and other topics were discussed during a forum titled 'Mary, Sign of Faith.' Edmund Mazza, who co-chaired the forum says, secularism and politics are once again marginalizing Christians.

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What the Arab Spring can learn from the history of the Catholic Church and democracy

What the Arab Spring can learn from the history of the Catholic Church and democracy

The following excerpt is from RomeReports.com:

In the long history of the Church, its embrace of democracy is still relatively new. David Forte is a historian and a professor of law, he says the Church's support of democracy helped to create many of Europe's modern political parties.

David Forte
Professor of Law, Cleveland State University (USA)

“One of the things that I've been researching is how Catholicism moved from an initial position against liberal democracy in the 19th century because of persecutions by Napoleon and the French Revolution to as not only embracing it but becoming one of it's great sponsors in Christian Democracy.”

Professor Forte met with members of Rome's Acton Institute, a conservative think tank that promotes individual freedoms with religious principles.

They say the Church's support of democracy can serve as an example to countries that are transitioning from autocratic regimes to a representative government. In Egypt, where elections have boosted the Muslim Brotherhood, observers say this could tension relations with neighboring Israel.

David Forte
Professor of Law, Cleveland State University (USA)

“So far as I know, all the presidential candidates have been supporters of Hamas, against Israel in the past. So the continuation of peace with Israel looks very iffy with the development of the Muslim Brotherhood's strength.”

Egypt is also home to a large population of Coptic Christians, that make up around 9% of Egypt's 80 million people. The protection of religious freedom and maintaining good relations with neighbors are two prescriptions that Professor Forte and other observers hope to see carried out in these emerging democracies.

Image of Jesus draws faithful to Ursuline chapel

Faithful say image of Jesus draws them to Ursuline chapel | wwltv.com New Orleans

The following excerpt is from WWLTV.com:

NEW ORLEANS – The Ursuline chapel in Uptown New Orleans is home to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, but for the past 12 days, it has also been home to hundreds of faithful who are coming in to see what they say is a vision of Jesus on a pillar.

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