Rebel News - Independent News and Analysis

Vatican officials have denounced attempts to link Pope Benedict XVI to a child abuse scandal in his German homeland.

"The accusations are failed attempts to involve the Holy Father" in the sexual abuse scandals, Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said on Saturday.

As Europe's rampant clerical sex abuse scandal continues to tarnish reputation of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI is drawn into the controversy.

New disturbing revelations on Saturday from his home country of Germany questioned the Pope's judgment in addressing sexual and sadistic abuse against child pupils by priests.

As allegations of sexual abuse of child pupils by Catholic clerics pile up in Europe, the Vatican has moved to defend the practice of priestly celibacy.

"Priestly celibacy is a gift of the Holy Spirit which must be understood and experienced with a fullness of feeling and joy, in a total relationship with the Lord," Cardinal Claudio Hummes was quoted as saying by Italy's ANSA news agency.

The sex scandals seem to be endless for the Catholic Church as new allegations of child abuses are surfacing in a Roman Catholic convent in Germany.

The Vatican said Tuesday that local churches had "acted swiftly and decisively" to address the issue.

The United Nations Council of Human Rights is intended to condemn a move by Switzerland to impose a ban on the construction of new minarets in the Alpine nation, characterizing the measure as "Islamophobic."

A draft resolution proposed by the Muslim states for consideration in the 47-member council, "strongly condemns ... the ban on construction of minarets of mosques and other recent discriminatory measures," AFP said.

Iranian officials are to launch a series of online courses to promote marriage and sponsor premarital trainings according to the Iranian culture and Islamic standards.

The county's hiking rate of divorce and falling rate of marriage made state officials consider methodical programs to restore the culture of effective marriages.

Developments across Europe on Tuesday have intensified a damaging scandal over allegations of child molestation and physical abuse at Catholic-run schools.

Dutch religious leaders ordered a “broad, external, and independent” investigation into alleged crimes committed by pedophile Catholic priests.

While German authorities are seeking to break the Catholic Church's “wall of silence” on child molestation, Catholic reformers turn to Pope Benedict XVI for answers.

Sexual abuse of child pupils at several German Catholic schools, including a monastic boarding school in Bavaria, have sparked a nationwide scandal with more than 150 ex-students coming forward with allegations of suffering abuse during the 1970s and 80s.

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Ameneh Bahrami was once an independent Iranian woman living in Tehran. In November 2004, her life changed forever when a rejected suitor threw acid into her face, scarring her and blinding her in both eyes. For four years Ameneh fought hard for the right to have her attacker tried under Islamic law which allows for victims' retribution. A rare look at contemporary life and law in Iran.