ISLAMABAD (CNS) --- Christians in Islamabad gathered Aug. 4 to protest the recent violence against Christian communities in Pakistan. The violence came following unsubstantiated allegations that local Christians had desecrated the Quran, and led to the killing of eight Christians by a Muslim mob. Pope Benedict XVI deplored the killings and urged the minority Christian community not to be deterred by the attack.

British bishops say proposed EU directive could oppress Christians
LONDON (CNS) --- Britain's Catholic bishops have said a proposed European Union equality directive could force Christians to act against their consciences. In a joint submission for a public consultation on the proposed Equal Treatment Directive, the bishops of England, Wales and Scotland said the directive could become an "instrument of oppression" and that its provisions were "wholly unacceptable." The directive is designed to ban discrimination across the 27-member bloc on the grounds of sexual orientation, age, religious belief and disability. The provisions of the directive would extend beyond employment law and the provision of goods and services and also would regulate social conduct. In their submission to the U.K. Government Equalities Office, made public July 31, the bishops said the directive could stifle religious liberty and freedom of expression. They said they would be powerless to stop witches from reserving the use of church property, for instance, or from insisting that people at church events behave in a way consistent with Christian teaching.

Mexican church officials call for renewed fight against corruption
MEXICO CITY (CNS) --- Catholic officials have called for a renewed fight against corruption in the aftermath of two scandals that allegedly have enriched Mexico's political class at the expense of poor farmers and resulted in the massive theft of petroleum products from the state-run oil company. The scandals, according to a pair of church statements, also have reinforced perceptions that governance has failed to improve in Mexico since the country ended one-party rule in 2000. "We must be worried because as citizens we have not changed the culture of corruption and the political parties have not done their jobs. In fact, things have continued being the same," read an editorial titled "Corruption, Again," published Aug. 2 in Desde la Fe, an Archdiocese of Mexico City publication. In a July 31 statement --- "Have We Touched Bottom?" --- the Mexican bishops' conference said: "The fall has been due to errors, omissions, the manipulation of people and information and, worst of all, a lack of morals. Prevailing corruption has permeated all layers of society." Earlier in July, rival Mexican media outlets published exposes on rampant corruption in a farm-support program known as Procampo and on the sharp increase in the theft of combustibles from Pemex, the state-run oil company.

Honduran bishop says wealthy elite were behind ouster of president
EUGENE, Oregon (CNS) --- A Catholic bishop in western Honduras said members of the country's wealthy elite were behind the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya. Bishop Luis Santos Villeda of Santa Rosa de Copan also said the country needs a dialogue between the elite and Honduras' poor and working-class citizens. "Some say Manuel Zelaya threatened democracy by proposing a constitutional assembly. But the poor of Honduras know that Zelaya raised the minimum salary. That's what they understand. They know he defended the poor by sharing money with mayors and small towns. That's why they are out in the streets closing highways and protesting (to demand Zelaya's return)," the bishop told Catholic News Service. In a July 30 telephone interview, he said it is misleading to consider Honduras a democracy, either before or after the June 28 coup. "There has never been a real democracy in Honduras. All we have is an electoral system where the people get to choose candidates imposed from above. The people don't really have representation, whether in the Congress or the Supreme Court, which are all chosen by the rich. We're the most corrupt country in Central America, and we can't talk about real democracy because the people don't participate in the decisions," he said.

Britain's highest court orders clarification of assisted suicide law
LONDON (CNS) --- The highest court in Britain has ordered a clarification of the law on assisted suicide. The court --- five judges in the House of Lords --- ordered the clarification after hearing a plea from Debbie Purdy, 46, a multiple sclerosis sufferer who wanted to know if her husband, Cuban musician Omar Puente, would be prosecuted if he helped her to travel to the Dignitas euthanasia clinic in Switzerland to commit suicide. More than 100 British citizens have killed themselves in the clinic and another 800 have registered as members. But while aiding a suicide is punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the 1961 Suicide Act, no one has been prosecuted for accompanying a British citizen to the Swiss clinic. The judges made clear in their July 30 ruling that the right to respect for private life enshrined within Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights also encompassed a person's choice to end his or her life. Purdy's victory will mean that Keir Starmer, Britain's director of public prosecutions, will be obliged to spell out exactly how the state will respond if someone helps a friend or relative commit suicide abroad.

. The violence came following unsubstantiated allegations that local Christians had desecrated the Quran, and led to the killing of eight Christians by a Muslim mob. Pope Benedict XVI deplored the killings and urged the minority Christian community not to be deterred by the attack.

British bishops say proposed EU directive could oppress Christians
LONDON (CNS) --- Britain's Catholic bishops have said a proposed European Union equality directive could force Christians to act against their consciences. In a joint submission for a public consultation on the proposed Equal Treatment Directive, the bishops of England, Wales and Scotland said the directive could become an "instrument of oppression" and that its provisions were "wholly unacceptable." The directive is designed to ban discrimination across the 27-member bloc on the grounds of sexual orientation, age, religious belief and disability. The provisions of the directive would extend beyond employment law and the provision of goods and services and also would regulate social conduct. In their submission to the U.K. Government Equalities Office, made public July 31, the bishops said the directive could stifle religious liberty and freedom of expression. They said they would be powerless to stop witches from reserving the use of church property, for instance, or from insisting that people at church events behave in a way consistent with Christian teaching.

Mexican church officials call for renewed fight against corruption
MEXICO CITY (CNS) --- Catholic officials have called for a renewed fight against corruption in the aftermath of two scandals that allegedly have enriched Mexico's political class at the expense of poor farmers and resulted in the massive theft of petroleum products from the state-run oil company. The scandals, according to a pair of church statements, also have reinforced perceptions that governance has failed to improve in Mexico since the country ended one-party rule in 2000. "We must be worried because as citizens we have not changed the culture of corruption and the political parties have not done their jobs. In fact, things have continued being the same," read an editorial titled "Corruption, Again," published Aug. 2 in Desde la Fe, an Archdiocese of Mexico City publication. In a July 31 statement --- "Have We Touched Bottom?" --- the Mexican bishops' conference said: "The fall has been due to errors, omissions, the manipulation of people and information and, worst of all, a lack of morals. Prevailing corruption has permeated all layers of society." Earlier in July, rival Mexican media outlets published exposes on rampant corruption in a farm-support program known as Procampo and on the sharp increase in the theft of combustibles from Pemex, the state-run oil company.

Honduran bishop says wealthy elite were behind ouster of president
EUGENE, Oregon (CNS) --- A Catholic bishop in western Honduras said members of the country's wealthy elite were behind the ouster of President Manuel Zelaya. Bishop Luis Santos Villeda of Santa Rosa de Copan also said the country needs a dialogue between the elite and Honduras' poor and working-class citizens. "Some say Manuel Zelaya threatened democracy by proposing a constitutional assembly. But the poor of Honduras know that Zelaya raised the minimum salary. That's what they understand. They know he defended the poor by sharing money with mayors and small towns. That's why they are out in the streets closing highways and protesting (to demand Zelaya's return)," the bishop told Catholic News Service. In a July 30 telephone interview, he said it is misleading to consider Honduras a democracy, either before or after the June 28 coup. "There has never been a real democracy in Honduras. All we have is an electoral system where the people get to choose candidates imposed from above. The people don't really have representation, whether in the Congress or the Supreme Court, which are all chosen by the rich. We're the most corrupt country in Central America, and we can't talk about real democracy because the people don't participate in the decisions," he said.

Britain's highest court orders clarification of assisted suicide law
LONDON (CNS) --- The highest court in Britain has ordered a clarification of the law on assisted suicide. The court --- five judges in the House of Lords --- ordered the clarification after hearing a plea from Debbie Purdy, 46, a multiple sclerosis sufferer who wanted to know if her husband, Cuban musician Omar Puente, would be prosecuted if he helped her to travel to the Dignitas euthanasia clinic in Switzerland to commit suicide. More than 100 British citizens have killed themselves in the clinic and another 800 have registered as members. But while aiding a suicide is punishable by up to 14 years in prison under the 1961 Suicide Act, no one has been prosecuted for accompanying a British citizen to the Swiss clinic. The judges made clear in their July 30 ruling that the right to respect for private life enshrined within Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights also encompassed a person's choice to end his or her life. Purdy's victory will mean that Keir Starmer, Britain's director of public prosecutions, will be obliged to spell out exactly how the state will respond if someone helps a friend or relative commit suicide abroad.