Congressman Alejandro Muñante, one of the spokespersons for the Life and Family caucus in Peru, on Nov 12 told ACI Prensa, that the fundamental purpose of the law was "to consolidate the right to life from conception, which is already established in our constitution and in the Civil Code and the Children and Adolescents Code."

The lawmaker explained that for the drafting of this law, "the need was seen to be able to develop and detail a list of rights that our constitution precisely seeks to protect from conception."

According to Article 2 of the country's Magna Carta, in Peru, "the conceived child is a subject of law in everything that favours him or her."

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The occupant of the grave was dubbed the Priest of Pacopampa by archaeologists after the highland area where it was found.

Researchers dug through six layers of ash mixed with black earth to reach his skeleton, which was accompanied by two seals and other sacred offerings.

The seals indicated the presence of ancient ritual body paint used for people of elite status, Peru's culture ministry said in a statement.

Project leader Yuji Seki told Reuters news agency that the large size of the tomb, nearly 2m (2.2 yards) in diameter and 1m deep, was "very peculiar," as was the position of the body lying face down with one half of his body extended and feet crossed.

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The church says it has never heard of the man who stole thousands of dollars and administered sacraments.

The man says he worked in a priest in a church where he wasn't known. He celebrated fake masses in various places. Read more

The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life ordered an inquiry concerning the "Sodalitium of Christian Life" from Peru.

The movement's superior general has admitted that allegations against its founder, Luis Fernando Figari, are true.

The abuse was of a psychological, physical and sexual nature, dating back to the 1970s-80s.

There have been calls to expel Figari from the movement.

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The reconstruction by a team of specialists used research based on the saint's skull.

The result was unveiled on November 3 in Lima, Peru.

The reconstruction revealed that the Dominican brother would have had trouble eating later in life, because he was missing most of his teeth.

When St Martin died, he had only two teeth, and would have had great difficulty chewing, said Dr Paulo Miamoto, pointing to the distortions in the saint's upper jaw.

Thousands of people packed the Basilica of the Most Holy Rosary in Lima to hear about the project.

The specialists gave details on how they were able to reconstruct - in digital 3D - the face of St Martin.

Designer Cicero Moraes explained that when he made the graphic representation of the saint's face, the result coincided closely with an old painting and a statue of the saint by unknown artists that are kept at St Dominic's convent.

The research was a collaborative effort between the NGO Ebrafol, St. Dominic's Convent and the universities of St Martin de Porres and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega in Peru.

The group has previously recreated the faces of St Rose of Lima and St Juan Macías.

The son of a Spanish nobleman and a black slave woman, St Martin de Porres was born in Lima, Peru in 1579.

A talented medical apprentice, he sought to enter the Dominican Order, but was initially prevented from becoming a religious brother due to a Peruvian law at the time that prevented people of mixed race from joining religious orders.

Instead, he lived with the community and did manual work, earning the nickname "the saint of the broom" for his diligence and care in cleaning the Domincans' quarters.

Eventually, he was permitted to join the order despite the Peruvian law, and he worked with the sick in the infirmary.

Sources

• Catholic News Agency
• Image: Catholic News Agency

El Comercio stated it would not publish any more articles by Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, who is Lima's archbishop.

The newspaper, described as the paper of record for the Peruvian establishment, deleted the articles from its website.

A Peruvian website, Utero.pe had accused the cardinal of including six paragraphs from the book Communio by Pope Benedict (then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) and parts of the Ecclesiam suam, an encyclical by Pope Paul VI, in two editorials for El Comercio.

In a letter to El Comercio, Cardinal Cirpriani stated the arguments in his columns were part of the "patrimony of the teachings of the Catholic Church" and as such they had no copyright.

But he did concede: "I regret that the brevity of space led me to omit these sources and I recognise the error."

The Independent reported that Cardinal Cipriani's explanation about space - one op-ed took up an entire page - was met with ridicule from El Comercio's main rival, centre-left paper La República.

Columnist Augusto Alvaro Rodrich wrote: "Not even the most sycophantic of his acolytes believes that."

Another writer, Raul Tola, added that even a "primary school student" would not get away with such an excuse.

Raul Leon, a commentator in La República stated: "Taking someone's work and passing it off as your own is pure and simple plagiary, as set out in article 219 of the Peruvian Penal Code."

The Telegraph reported that in July, 2014, Cardinal Cipriani stated that Peruvian media was being "blackmailed" by foreign organisations promoting gay rights and abortion rights at the expense of reporting on traditional Peruvian values.

"They fabricate stories of death and dramatic situations," said the cardinal, who is a member of Opus Dei.

"Where people wish to learn whether truth and justice are being served, they report nothing."

In June, Peruvian media published an investigation into the cardinal's shareholdings in controversial mines.

Sources

• BBC
• The Independent
• The Telegraph
• Image: Zimbio

Gabino Miranda has been dismissed as auxiliary bishop in the dioceses of Ayacucho in southern Peru after he was accused of having sexual relations with minors.

"It is what the pope said - zero tolerance," said Luis Bambaren, the former president of Peru's bishops' conference and bishop emeritus of Chimbote.

"Those are very serious crimes, especially when it has to do with a bishop," Bambaren said.

A Church official confirmed to Reuters that Miranda, 53, had resigned from Peru's bishops' conference but declined to say why.

The attorney general's office said on Friday that it was investigating Miranda and would announce actions soon.

Sources

Reuters

Peru This Week

Image: El Commercio/YouTube/Peru This Week

Fr Camacho, Sunday 12 May, managed to preach and celebrate Sunday Mass so quickly that devout parishioners decided to take matters into their own hands and locked the parish priest into the chapel for around an hour after Mass.

Camacho was eventually released when a member of the choir worked out what had happened and called the police.

Vicar General of the Archdoicese of Huancayo, Gilberto Salas Hurtado, said the deprivation of Fr Camacho's liberty was "as serious as kidnapping."

Two people were arrested.

Source:

• The Tablet

As "of today there is no agreement on a comprehensive solution to the problems that exist," the university announced on its website April 9.

The university rector notified the Apostolic Nunciature in Peru on Monday that it would not convene an assembly to approve the reforms which were demanded by the Vatican as a condition for maintaining its status as a Catholic and Pontifical institution.

The Vatican had given the school until April 8 - later extending the deadline to April 13 upon the university's request - to comply, which marked the first time the Holy See has set such a deadline for a school to reform.

University officials have been refusing to accept the Church's guidelines for Catholic universities, which were laid out the papal document "Ex Corde Ecclesiae." The apostolic constitution was promulgated in 1990 by Pope John Paul II to clarify what is expected of an authentically Catholic university. Read more

As reported in CathNews, following a visitation by Cardinal Peter Erdo of Budapest, President of the European Bishops, the rector of the Pontifical University of Peru was been summoned to meet Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone in Rome to discus the university's refusing to acknowledge the authority of the Holy See.

Marcial Rubio Correa, the rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru met with the Holy See's Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone in Rome on February 21.

In a statement released after the meeting, the Vatican reference was made to to the "intense dialogue and numerous meetings" with Catholic University of Peru officials.

The Vatican statement indicated that Cardinal Bertone had instructed Correa to revise the statues of the university and present the changes to the Vatican for approval by Easter Sunday.

The Vatican statement did not indicate what steps would be taken if PCUP officials again defied the orders from Rome.

The university risks being stripped of its status as a pontifical university which may mean the university is closed and the property pass to the Lima archdiocese.

Sources

• Vatican Information Service
• CathNews
• Image: River of Life blog

The meeting follows a visitation by Cardinal Peter Erdo of Budapest, president of the Council of European Bishops, which reportedly concluded the Pontifical University was refusing to acknowledge the authority of the Holy See.

University officials have also defied an order from Peru's secular courts to give the Archdiocese of Lima a seat on the university's board.

The university risks being stripped of its status as a pontifical university which may mean the university is closed and the property pass to the Lima archdiocese.

Erdo arrived in Lima in December and met with university officials, the Archbishop of Lima an others.

The Apostolic Nunciature in Peru has announced that Marcial Rubo will meet Bertone on 21 February.