Stars tell stories about themselves, and sometimes about their  undiscovered planets. Their language is light. Starlight reveals many  physical properties of a star, such as its temperature, pressure, motion,  chemical composition, and more. Researchers analyze the light with a  method called quantitative absorption spectroscopy. To do this, telescopes  capture starlight and spectrographs break it down by wavelength into  a rainbow-like spectrum which is the star’s fingerprint of light. When  astronomers know these parameters precisely, they can use them to test  their theoretical models of stars. This often reveals that the models have  some shortcomings, or that observations of stellar spectra are still too  imprecise.

But sometimes, it reveals that a star has a surprising story for  astronomers. That is what motivated this team to carry out an ultra precise survey of possible planet-hosting stars. “Because stars and their  planets form together, the question arose whether the existence of  certain chemical elements in a stellar atmosphere, or their isotopic  or abundance ratios, is indicative of a planetary system,” explains  Prof. Klaus G. Strassmeier, lead author, director at AIP and principal  investigator of the survey.

Astronomers have hypothesized that the  amounts of different chemical elements within a star could hint that  the star has terrestrial planets (rocky worlds like Earth or Mars), could  suggest ages for those planets, and could even provide clues that the star  has “eaten” some of its planets. This needs to be further investigated and  the data now published form the basis for this.

Of the over 5000 confirmed exoplanets (planets orbiting other stars  than the Sun), 75% were discovered from space by observing the light  of stars being reduced because of planets passing in front of them.  NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission discovered  exoplanets just this way. It yielded more exoplanets when observing  those parts of the sky furthest from the ecliptic (the plane in which  the Earth orbits the Sun), called the ecliptic poles.

Observatories in the  northern hemisphere can observe the northern ecliptic pole, and this  survey of potential planet-hosting stars within this region is named the Vatican-Potsdam Northern Ecliptic Pole (VPNEP) survey.

The survey concentrated on the richest observing field of TESS, an  area of the sky approximately 4000 times the size of the full moon. All  approximately 1,100 potentially planet-hosting stars in this field were  investigated. Up to 1.5 hours of telescope time was required to catch  enough of a star’s light to make a single high-quality spectrum. With  several visits per star, it took five years to finish the survey.

The survey used telescopes at two sites: In Arizona, the VO’s Alice P.  Lennon Telescope and Thomas. J. Bannan Astrophysics Facility (Vatican  Advanced Technology Telescope or VATT) fed light to the AIP’s Potsdam  Echelle Polarimetric and Spectroscopic Instrument (PEPSI). These  recorded spectra of smaller stars with unprecedented precision. On  Tenerife, the AIP’s STELLA (StellTELLar Activity) Observatory used  the STELLA Echelle Spectrograph to capture light of giant stars with  lesser, but still high, precision.

Dr. Martina Baratella, one of AIP’s postdoctoral researchers involved in  the survey, comments: “The spectra revealed elements that are among  the most difficult to observe.” Abundance ratios like carbon to iron or  magnesium to oxygen hint towards the existence and age of otherwise  unseen rocky planets.

Prof. Strassmeier adds: “While it will take time to fully analyze the data  from the survey, we expect soon to announce subsequent discoveries.”

Fr. Gabor remarks: “Auguste Comte, the founder of French positivism,  once wrote that we would never know what stars were made of. He did  not know that starlight carried the ‘fingerprints’ that would be able to  tell us so much about stars. Creation appears to be made to allow us to  understand it—a parallel to what biblical revelation tells us about how  God wants to be known.”

The key areas of research at the AIP are cosmic magnetic fields and  extragalactic astrophysics. A considerable part of the institute’s  efforts aim at the development of research technology in the fields  of spectroscopy, robotic telescopes, and e-science. The AIP is the  successor of the Berlin Observatory founded in 1700 and of the  Astrophysical Observatory of Potsdam founded in 1874. The latter was  the world’s first observatory to emphasize explicitly the research area of  astrophysics.

The Vatican Observatory (VO) is the successor of observatories  established and supported by the Holy See since 1572. Its headquarters  are at the Pope’s summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. Thanks to  collaboration with the University of Arizona in Tucson, VO has a  telescope on Mt Graham (70 miles or 110 km northeast of Tucson,  10,500 ft or 3200 m above sea level).

The post Vatican telescope searches for new worlds: here’s what it has found appeared first on ZENIT - English.

In statements to the press, the Prosecutor said that the principal act was not verifiable and that, moreover, it was already prescribed. “Hence, the defendants responsible were not questioned during these proceedings and, therefore, there were no start-up notifications either and completion of proceedings,” added Prosecutor Hans Kornprobst, who in addition pondered that there were no “sufficient suspicions of criminal action on the part of the personnel managers, specifically about Ratzinger, Cardinal Wetter and the then Vicar General, Father Gerhard Gruber.

Prosecutor Kornprobst said that from the facts exposed, which, moreover, were already known, “no criminally relevant behaviour can be deduced,” adding that in other cases  concrete evidence is lacking or is just rumours. 

The post Benedict XVI Exonerated from Trial in Germany for Lack of Proof of Covering Up Abuses appeared first on ZENIT - English.

(ZENIT News / Rome, 03.21.2023).- Monsignor Georg Gänswein, who was Benedict XVI’s personal secretary, has made it known  that the Pope Emeritus left a personal bank account. In virtue of the fact that Monsignor Gänswein also acts as testamentary executor, he has had to look for relatives of Joseph Ratzinger. And he met with a surprise. “I thought he had two relatives, two cousins, but he had five cousins. Now, by law, I have to write to the cousins who are his closest relatives and, by law, I also have to say: “do you accept the inheritance or not? “

Monsignor Gänswein stressed that it’s “not about copyright stuff.” He explained that “everything that has to do with books, everything that has to do with his intellectual work has already been clarified.” He also said that almost all the personal things are to be given away. In fact, a cassock of Pope Ratzinger was donated to the parish of which he was Titular as Cardinal.

Monsignor made the statements to the press after celebrating Mass, last March 19, in the Roman church of Casal Bertone, of which Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was Titular.

The post Five People Can Inherit From Benedict XVI appeared first on ZENIT - English.

In their statement, the doctrine committee acknowledges that modern technology offers chemical, surgical, and genetic interventions for the functioning of the human body, as well as for modifying its appearance. While these developments have led to the cure of many maladies and promises for more, modern technology also produces interventions that are injurious to the true flourishing of the human person. As an example of immediate concern, the committee cites the interventions advocated by many in society as treatments for what is termed “gender dysphoria” or “gender incongruence.” These interventions involve the use of surgical or chemical techniques that aim to exchange the sex characteristics of a patient’s body for those of the opposite sex or for simulations thereof. As such interventions “do not respect the fundamental order of the human person as an intrinsic unity of body and soul, with a body that is sexually differentiated,” the committee states that Catholic health care services must not perform them.

While affirming that Catholic health care services “must employ all appropriate resources to mitigate the suffering of those who struggle with gender incongruence,” the committee asserts that the means used “must respect the fundamental order of the human body” or else the human person will not be helped, but rather harmed. The committee’s statement, which was developed in consultation with numerous parties, including medical ethicists, physicians, psychologists, and moral theologians, emphasized that “Catholic health care services are called to provide a model of promoting the authentic good of the human person. To fulfill this duty, all who collaborate in Catholic health care ministry must make every effort, using all appropriate means at their disposal, to provide the best medical care, as well as Christ’s compassionate accompaniment, to all patients, no matter who they may be or from what condition they may be suffering,” the statement says.

The committee’s full statement may be read here.

The post U.S. Bishops’ Doctrine Committee Issues Guidance to Catholic Health Care Institutions on Respecting the Fundamental Order of the Human Body appeared first on ZENIT - English.

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Mathew Hoffmann regarding a federal district court’s decision Monday to allow former graduate student Maggie DeJong’s lawsuit against officials at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to proceed, rejecting in part university officials’ attempt to dismiss the case and evade responsibility for violating DeJong’s constitutional rights:

“Rather than accept and embrace diverse ideological perspectives, SIUE officials are determined to force their graduate students to think and speak exactly the same—or stay silent—and they will punish anyone who steps out of line. On behalf of Maggie, and every student who is equally protected under the First Amendment to respectfully share his or her religious or political views without government punishment, we’re pleased the court has allowed this case to proceed. It is a sad day for civil dialogue and freedom of speech when universities can issue gag orders like those issued against Maggie for nothing more than expressing her beliefs—beliefs held by millions of Americans.”

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois wrote in its decision in DeJong v. Pembrook that, “DeJong clearly has the right, as enshrined in the First Amendment, to express her religious, political, and social views on her personal social media account and to engage in mutual conversations with fellow students regarding those opinions without fear of retaliation from school officials.”

Two weeks after receiving a letter from ADF attorneys informing the university that stifling DeJong’s speech based on her viewpoint is unconstitutional, officials finally disclosed to DeJong the materials underlying the no-contact orders and related investigation. That same day, the university closed its baseless investigation of DeJong, but not before violating her First Amendment rights and tarnishing her reputation because of her beliefs.

The post Green light for trial of student banned from U.S. university for expressing religious views appeared first on ZENIT - English.

(ZENIT News / Sen, 20.03.2023).- In early March, the French newspaper La Croix, reported on the pressure that some French Bishops, headed by Archbishop Hervé Giraud of Sens, are exerting on the Church to change her doctrine on homosexuality. 

According to the National Catholic Register, the discreet movement of doctrinal rewriting was already mentioned to the Holy Father in September 2021, during the ad Limina Visit of the French Episcopate. All this has been made known in the context of a recent meeting between Archbishop Giraud and members of a Parents’ Association with homosexual sons, called Reconnaissance. In March of 2021, that group exerted pressure on and questioned  the French Bishops regarding the Catechism of the Catholic Church and what it states about homosexuality. They adduced that what it says specifically in number 2357 is confusing and violent for their dear ones. Hence they call for a change. 

The members of Reconnaissance contest Sacred Scripture, saying that both Leviticus and Saint Paul are inappropriate, given that at that time they did not know all that is now “known” about sexual orientation. The Association itself said that several Bishops were sympathetic to them. 

The La Croix article states that the Pope invited the Bishops to a new formulation of that part of the Catechism. The article also mentions the few possibilities of success. However, what is being done in France , specifically on its Website, is updating sections that address questions such as homosexuality. According to the Register, theologians are receiving assistance from homosexuals. 

Archbishop Giraud is known for not sanctioning a priest of his clergy (Matthieu Jasseron) who affirmed, in a Tik Tok video, that homosexuality isn’t a sin. More recently, through an opinion article, he asked for a change of perspective on homosexuality. For example, on four occasions, he even uses the term homophobia.

The post French Bishop Promotes Change in the Church’s Doctrine on Homosexuality appeared first on ZENIT - English.

(ZENIT Noticias / Hong Kong, 20.03.2023).- A press release of the Diocese of Hong Kong, states: “By invitation of Bishop Joseph Li Shan, of the Diocese of Beijing, Bishop Stephen Chow, SJ, of the Diocese of Hong Kong, Auxiliary Bishop, Joseph Ha, OFM, and the Vicar General, Father Peter Choy, will travel to the Diocese of Beijing for a five-day visit, beginning on April 17.”

According to Bishop Chow, this visit underscores the mission of the Hong Kong Diocese to be a bridge Church and to promote exchanges and interactions between both sides. The invitation of the Beijing Diocese was received some time last year, and was accepted in a spirit of brotherhood at the end of last year.

MEIXIAN COUNTY, CHINA – MAY 2: (CHINA OUT) Catholics walk to the simulated crucified site of Jesus at Cross Hill at Paowo Village on May 2, 2007 in Meixian County of Shaanxi Province, China. Cross Hill is a Cross Hill is a Catholic holy place first built by missionary Liu Jialu as a simulation of Calvary. Liu was approved by the Pope Pius VI to name the place “Cross Hill”. In 1777, Bishop Nania of Shaanxi Province appointed May 3 and September 14 as the Holy Day for all people who came to worship, according to local media. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

In addition to the three priests, the delegation will include Bishop Wong Ka-chun’s personal assistant. The Bishop of Hong Kong, in communion with the Pope, begs his brothers, sisters and friends in Christ to pray for the success of the visit. As is known, the Bishop of Beijing, capital of China, is controlled by the Communist Government. At present it is in communion with the Pope, but under the Government’s control. 

The post Hong Kong’s Catholic Bishop (in communion with the Pope) Will Visit His Counterpart of Beijing (of the Patriotic Church controlled by China) appeared first on ZENIT - English.

Kinza Sindhu – who is just 14 years old – was abducted from her home in Lahore by five men on 19th September 2022.

Speaking through an interpreter, Miss Sindu told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) about her abduction.

She said: “My parents, who are both cooks, were away at work. My elder sister was in the kitchen when I heard a knock on the front door at around 12pm.

“When I opened the door, the armed men pulled me out and pushed me inside a van. I recognised two of them, but the rest were unknown.

“One of them made me take a sedative and I slipped into unconsciousness. Later one of the young guys I knew raped me at gunpoint, at an unknown location.”

Miss Sindu was put under pressure to convert to Islam and marry her rapist – but she refused to co-operate.

Relating her terrifying experiences in her native language Urdu, she said: “The next day the guy who raped me brought a bearded man to register the nikah [Muslim marriage].

“I told them I am a Christian and refused to repeat the Arabic verses. They told me to just listen quietly.

“They made me sign a white paper and took my fingerprints. They also made videos of the ceremony on a phone.”

She told ACN that she survived by praying silently throughout her ordeal.

Her family were able to obtain legal aid and pursued a case in the Lahore courts to get their daughter back.

Miss Sindu said: “My parents had registered a first information report at the local police station regarding my abduction.

“My kidnapper submitted the nikahnama [Islamic marriage contract] in the same police station stating that I had become a Muslim.

“But in Lahore High Court I denied converting to Islam. The judge let me rejoin my family after the second hearing.”

On 22nd October 2022 she was finally able to return home, but she and her parents are not out of danger.

Miss Sindu told ACN: “I am worried for my family who are still receiving threatening calls from unknown numbers.

“The callers are urging them to return me to them or face a beating after being stripped naked.

“They are planning to move to another neighbourhood. I worry about them.”

But Miss Sindu is thankful that she has escaped her captivity.

She said: “Now I am back home. I feel I am closer to God. I had lost all hope. It was God who sent help in the shape of lawyers who fought the case and brought me back.”

The Movement for Solidarity and Peace calculated that up to 1,000 young female Christians and Hindus, aged 12-25, are abducted and forced to convert to Islam every year.

The post Raped at gunpoint. Christian teen describes her horrific captivity appeared first on ZENIT - English.

* * *

In recent days there has been an unprecedented  attack against the person and image of Saint John Paul II. This is happening in the Pope’s homeland, who made Poland’s name famous as no other in the world. 

On the occasion of the Pontiff’s Beatification, the Mayor of Rome wrote: “Pope John Paul II left an indelible mark on the history of Christianity and on the history of the peoples of Europe and of the whole world.” The Holy Father Wojtyla became a symbol, a guide, both for believers as well as non-believers. He was a Pope whose contribution was decisive for the overthrow of Communism and of all those doctrines that tried to nullify all the dignity and freedom of the human being. Numerous nations found great strength in him, who was able to transmit the beauty of the faith and the values associated to it.”

On the occasion of his Canonization, Pope Francis recalled that Karol Wojtyla grew up to serve Christ and the Church in his homeland, Poland, before launching himself to travel the roads of the world. “I thank the Polish people and the Church in Poland for the gift of John Paul II,” said Pope Francis, pointing out that the Polish Pope continues to inspire us through his words, writings, gestures, style of ministry and suffering, lived with heroic hope. 

“We are inspired by his total surrender to Christ, Redeemer of man, and to the Virgin.” Saint John Paul II is one of the greatest fellow countrymen of our history. He is also the Father of our Freedom. He walked before us like Moses: he took us out of the house of slavery, he led us through the Red Sea and he reminded us of the tablets of God’s Commandments. He was situated in the line of the great prophets, powerful in word and deed. He showed us the way, he protected us from danger, he warned us against getting tangled in the thorns of evil and sin. As poet and thinker he valued and loved Polish culture, history and tradition. A great and exacting teacher, he cared about the heritage whose name was Poland. He came from this heritage, he grew up in it, and it formed him. He was proud of that heritage and was not ashamed to confess  it to the world. At the same time, he was the first citizen of the world; he went to all nations. 

He showed respect for all cultures, histories and traditions. He made an appeal to Europe’s spiritual unity and reminded us of its Christian roots, from which our culture and our civilization arose. His pilgrimages to his homeland were great retreats for the nation, milestones of our history, a breath of the Holy Spirit in the consciences of tormented and confused compatriots. He spoke words with causal power, able to drive the country’s history and the people’s destiny to new ways. “May your Spirit descend,” “Peace to you, Poland, my homeland!” The whole world should have its Westerplatte!” “Do not be afraid to be saints!” “Have the imagination  of mercy!” His papal preaching, his apostolic visits and his diplomatic efforts contributed to the spiritual growth of millions of people worldwide. For them, the Polish Pope was and continues being a moral reference, a teacher of the faith and an intercessor in Heaven. 

In face of the recent large-scale attempts to discredit Saint John Paul II’s person and work, we appeal once again to all to respect the memory of one of our most eminent compatriots. The process of Canonization, which was carried out, including a profound historical and scientific analysis, leaves no room for doubt on the sanctity of John Paul II. Are we going to allow ourselves to be deprived of this treasure on the basis of a journalistic discussion of materials produced by the Communist Security Service? It was done with contempt for the learned workshop, in a calm way, often ahistorical, without knowledge of the text, and of other existing documents, reports and studies. The SB’s materials show especially the magnitude of the vigilance of the person of Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. We cannot allow a situation in which those that were opposed to the Communist dictatorship had to be ashamed and explain themselves, instead of those that invigilated citizens, wrote complaints, collaborated with the Communist regime, persecuted believers and violated people’s conscience. 

The Church’s judgment on a person’s holiness is not done on the basis of his individual decisions or the lack of them. The totality of the life and activities of a person are taken into account and the fruits that are born from them. As Pope, Saint John Paul II classified the damage done to a child in the sexual realm among the most serious crimes. 

He obliged all the world’s Episcopates to introduce specific rules to address these cases. Faithful to his instructions, we assume today the concern for the safety of young people within ecclesial structures. We feel obliged  to listen and to give concrete help to all the wounded through the people of the Church. We thank all those that, with great courage and firmness, defend the good name of Saint john Paul II.

We make an appeal not to use the person of the Polish Pope for the ends of current politics. We encourage you to pray through Saint John Paull II’s intercession for our Church and national community. Let us not allow them to deprive us of our sentiment of pride and joy to belong to Christ’s Church. Let us not be divided, let us defend together our most precious values.

Bishops gathered in the 394th Plenary Assembly of the Polish Episcopal Conference

March 14, 2023

The post The John Paul II Case: This Is the Message that the Polish Bishops Asked to Be Read in All Parishes appeared first on ZENIT - English.

Gerald Groff was fired as a postman. First Liberty Institute, Baker Botts LLP, the Church State Council and the Independence Law Center  presented an appeal to the US Supreme Court for violating Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Law, which prohibits employers to discriminate for religious beliefs.  

In May 2022, a panel of three Judges of the US Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2 to 12 against Groff, and concluded that the US Postal Service could oblige him to work on Sundays. Patty Shwartz, the Circuit’s Judge, appointed by Obama, was the author of the majority’s opinion and concluded that to exempt Groff from work on Sunday would “cause excessive difficulty” to the Postal Service. 

“To exempt Groff from work on Sundays caused more than a minimum cost in USPS, because, in reality, he imposed on his fellow works, interrupted the workplace and the flow of work, and lowered employee morale,” wrote Shwartz.

The result of the survey reflects that two-thirds of employed adults  in the United States say that to talk about their political or religious beliefs at work can harm them.

Highlighted also in the survey i that one out of four surveyed knew “someone who has suffered negative consequences for expressing respectfully their religious and political points of view.”

Jeremy Tedesco, the Senior Lawyer and Senior Vice-President of ADF’s Corporative Commitment, said “we created the Business Punctuation Index on different points of view to help businesses to measure and improve their respect in face of religious diversity or diversity of opinion.”

Tedesco added: “Businesses could take great steps to recover the trusty of their employees and to improve their scores in the Business Index by doing four things: first, adopt our policy model of religious adaptations; second, adopt our policy model that protects the exercise of employees’ civil rights outside of work; third, include religious charity organizations in the charity donations programs of employees; and fourth, take part in the survey’s  Business Index’s part, which asks businesses to make known the internal policies and practices that involve civil liberties.”

In addition, the Report points out that 54% of those surveyed believe that to share political content on their own social networks’ accounts can affect their work negatively and 42% of those seeking employment feel less able to ask for employment in a business with a work culture that is hostile to their religious or political points of view.

The post USA: Three Out of Five Workers Fear to Share Their Religious Points of View in the Workplace appeared first on ZENIT - English.