From Tom Roesser
The delicate sensibilities of Crain’s Greg Hinz are offended because Mark Kirk called President Obama “this guy” and further…perish the thought…that Republican Kirk wants to see Obama become a one-termer—Hinz thoughtfully detailing how important it is to expand Kirk’s influence beyond the Republican base…an idea evidently shared by a major newsletter-blog-fax in town since it seemed to pass on approvingly Hinz’s suggestion.
Meaning that Kirk would become an Arlen Specter-like handmaiden to the reigning liberal orthodoxy of The Squid. The idea would neuter Kirk and make nice-nice with liberals…more than he has already when he voted for Cap and Trade in the House…with the result that if Kirk got elected…which is looking more certain as the days go by…he would become indistinguishable from Chuck Percy (who gave us via Gerald Ford John Paul Stevens as an enduring Supreme Court legacy).
Link to Tom Roesser blog...
Friday, March 19, 2010
Boy Scouts Accused of Sex Abuse Coverup
You can't just indict the Catholic Church for these things, since the sexualization of children is something that happens even within the apparently secure confines of children's television. We were long indoctrinated that there was no evil and that perpetrators were victims. Now it seems that there are quite a few people who don't want to recall that pedagogical mythos which attempted to demythologize morality and put something else in its place.
It also may cause many to entertain some other notions, like whether or not all of this might have been avoided if the mormon perp wasn't restricted to just one wife.
The Catholic Church always resisted this attempt to portray personal evil as a medievalism, and it seems we're reaping the harvest of sentimentalism without objective morality.
What no one is saying is that the morality that allows us to condemn those who would prey on adolescents and children, has been steadily undermined by entertainment and education for more than 100 years. Why, you can see it in the works of Voltaire and Moliere.
Link to original...
You don't have to have a finely tuned ethical sense to appreciate that the victimization of children is wrong, but despite that, media conglomerates like Disney still find it fairly easy to earn the trust of parents who allow their children to consume its vacuous and occasionally immoral fair.
But the Boy Scouts of America aren't the only ones who are having problems with this, but ABC and its parent company, Disney, which has done a great deal to sexualize children, considerably more than the 500,000,000 it is accusing the Catholic Church of being responsible for. Lurid toys, films and personalities are standard fare at Disney and its various subsidiaries who promote every moral depravity imagineable:
Can't imagine why anyone would manufacture much less purchase the abovedepicted "toy" for the age-group it's targeted for. It seems unlikely that even the most morally liberated mother would blanche a bit at having her daughter idolize the trappings of late sixties harlotry. No one really wants to be an object and no one should be encouraged to be one as this toy must certainly valorize the morally objectionable image of the "femme fatale".
This art-house film appraisal of Disney by Whit Stillman, seems to grasp the significance of Disney's pedagogical (if not pathological) hold on the sexual mores of children who later grow up to be sophisticated but unsatisfied and highly medicated adults.
It also may cause many to entertain some other notions, like whether or not all of this might have been avoided if the mormon perp wasn't restricted to just one wife.
The Catholic Church always resisted this attempt to portray personal evil as a medievalism, and it seems we're reaping the harvest of sentimentalism without objective morality.
What no one is saying is that the morality that allows us to condemn those who would prey on adolescents and children, has been steadily undermined by entertainment and education for more than 100 years. Why, you can see it in the works of Voltaire and Moliere.
PORTLAND, Ore. - The Boy Scouts of America has long kept an extensive archive of secret documents that chronicle the sexual abuse of young boys by Scout leaders over the years.
The "perversion files," a nickname the Boy Scouts are said to have used for the documents, have rarely been seen by the public, but that could all change in the coming weeks in an Oregon courtroom.
The lawyer for a man who was molested in the 1980s by a Scout leader has obtained about 1,000 Boy Scouts sex files and is expected to release some of them at a trial that began Wednesday.
Link to original...
You don't have to have a finely tuned ethical sense to appreciate that the victimization of children is wrong, but despite that, media conglomerates like Disney still find it fairly easy to earn the trust of parents who allow their children to consume its vacuous and occasionally immoral fair.
But the Boy Scouts of America aren't the only ones who are having problems with this, but ABC and its parent company, Disney, which has done a great deal to sexualize children, considerably more than the 500,000,000 it is accusing the Catholic Church of being responsible for. Lurid toys, films and personalities are standard fare at Disney and its various subsidiaries who promote every moral depravity imagineable:
Can't imagine why anyone would manufacture much less purchase the abovedepicted "toy" for the age-group it's targeted for. It seems unlikely that even the most morally liberated mother would blanche a bit at having her daughter idolize the trappings of late sixties harlotry. No one really wants to be an object and no one should be encouraged to be one as this toy must certainly valorize the morally objectionable image of the "femme fatale".
This art-house film appraisal of Disney by Whit Stillman, seems to grasp the significance of Disney's pedagogical (if not pathological) hold on the sexual mores of children who later grow up to be sophisticated but unsatisfied and highly medicated adults.
Dutch Homosexuals Serving in Yugoslavia were part of a Disastrous Equation
Predictably, the Dutch government, which permits all kinds of license and degenerative depravity which has progressively gutted its society and left it open to Islamic predations, now denies legitimate claims that homosexuals serving in their Armed forces "peacekeeping" in Yugoslavia in 1995, as Marine General John Sheehan maintains, were part of the equation in their being overpowered by Serbian militants who then engaged in the largest massacre since the end of the Second World War.
The massacre at Srebrenica which was the result of the unreadiness of Dutch forces, the General said, "...was a net effect of social engineering".
A Telegraph article allows this interesting citation from a man who was excused from the Airforce because of homosexuality,
Of course, that's part of the problem. Television often portrays various abnormal conditions and situations as normal as a part of conditioning, whether that be the ever-popular single parent family, divorced family, homosexual raising a family and so forth. It doesn't portray a reality, but an ideology which will, in the final analysis, prove disastrous for society in terms of the dangerous demoralization enhanced by such widespread propaganda.
Here's the story from expatica, but you have to ask yourself, since when have Dutch officials, elected or otherwise, generally been any more dependable than their soldiers who allowed the massacre at Srebernica of 8,000 Muslim Civilians?:
Link to expatica...
This socialist Senator who has served Michigan, a State that has itself suffered the ill-effects of socialist pluralism, takes issue with the General's assertion and probably won't be prevailed upon to see the social problems of Holland visited upon the fighting effectiveness of its Army.
It's interesting how he is unwilling to address the issue without any intelligent consideration, it's also especially interesting that Senator Lieberman is also for a repeal of the law forbidding homosexuals in the military.
It would be nice if there were a more intelligent discussion about these social problems as they relate to the readiness of the Military, but from socialist senators like Levin and Joey Lieberman, it's not likely.
The massacre at Srebrenica which was the result of the unreadiness of Dutch forces, the General said, "...was a net effect of social engineering".
A Telegraph article allows this interesting citation from a man who was excused from the Airforce because of homosexuality,
"The young men and women that are coming into the military today, fresh out of high school or college, have grown up with gay and lesbian characters on TV ... know gays and lesbians in their schools, in their communities, on their sports teams and most assuredly in their military."
Of course, that's part of the problem. Television often portrays various abnormal conditions and situations as normal as a part of conditioning, whether that be the ever-popular single parent family, divorced family, homosexual raising a family and so forth. It doesn't portray a reality, but an ideology which will, in the final analysis, prove disastrous for society in terms of the dangerous demoralization enhanced by such widespread propaganda.
Here's the story from expatica, but you have to ask yourself, since when have Dutch officials, elected or otherwise, generally been any more dependable than their soldiers who allowed the massacre at Srebernica of 8,000 Muslim Civilians?:
The Dutch government rejected a retired US general's claim Thursday that Dutch UN troops failed to prevent the 1995 Srebrenica genocide because their ranks included openly gay soldiers.
"It is astonishing that a man of his stature can utter such complete nonsense," defence ministry spokesman Roger van de Wetering told AFP.
John Sheehan, a former NATO commander and senior Marine officer, made the remarks at a Senate hearing where he argued against plans by President Barack Obama to end a ban on allowing gays to serve openly in the US military.
"The case in point that I'm referring to is when the Dutch were required to defend Srebrenica against the Serbs," he said, referring to the UN peacekeeping force deployed to protect Bosnian Muslim civilians.
"The Srebrenica massacre and the involvement of UN soldiers was extensively investigated by the Netherlands, international organisations and the United Nations. Never was there in any way concluded that the sexual orientation of soldiers played a role," said Van de Wetering.
Sheehan claimed that Dutch leaders, including the former chief of staff of the Dutch army, had told him that the presence of gay soldiers had contributed to the fall of Srebrenica.
"I have never heard of a single statement by a Dutch political or military leader that drew a link between the fall of the enclave and the fact that there were Dutch homosexual soldiers," responded Van de Wetering.
The Dutch ambassador to the US, Renee Jones-Bos, added in a statement on the embassy's website that she "couldn't disagree more" with Sheehan's claims.
"I take pride in the fact that lesbians and gays have served openly and with distinction in the Dutch military forces for decades, such as in Afghanistan at the moment," she said.
Link to expatica...
This socialist Senator who has served Michigan, a State that has itself suffered the ill-effects of socialist pluralism, takes issue with the General's assertion and probably won't be prevailed upon to see the social problems of Holland visited upon the fighting effectiveness of its Army.
It's interesting how he is unwilling to address the issue without any intelligent consideration, it's also especially interesting that Senator Lieberman is also for a repeal of the law forbidding homosexuals in the military.
It would be nice if there were a more intelligent discussion about these social problems as they relate to the readiness of the Military, but from socialist senators like Levin and Joey Lieberman, it's not likely.
Sheikh Incites Muslims to Attack Christians in Egypt
At one point, an inept, knife-wielding Muslim attempts to convert a Copt by force.
Link to original...
ISTANBUL, March 17 (CDN) — A mob of enraged Muslims attacked a Coptic Christian community in a coastal town in northern Egypt last weekend, wreaking havoc for hours and injuring 24 Copts before security forces contained them.
The violence erupted on Friday (March 12) afternoon after the sheikh of a neighborhood mosque incited Muslims over a loudspeaker, proclaiming jihad against Christians in Marsa Matrouh, in Reefiya district, 320 kilometers (200 miles) west of Alexandria, according to reports.
The angry crowd hurled rocks at the district church, Christians and their properties, looted homes and set fires that evening. The mob was reportedly infuriated over the building of a wall around newly-bought land adjacent to the Reefiya Church building. The building, called al Malak al Khairy, translated Angel’s Charity, also houses a clinic and community center.
“I was very surprised by the degree of hatred that people had toward Christians,” said a reporter for online Coptic news source Theban Legion, who visited Reefiya after the attack. “The hate and the disgust were obvious.”
The attack was a rarity for a northern coastal resort town in Egypt; most tensions between Copts and Muslims erupt in southern towns of the country.
According to a worker building the wall around the newly-bought plot, local Sheikh Khamis along with a dozen “bearded” men accused the church and workers of blocking a road early on Friday, staff members of Watani newspaper said.
Worried that the dispute could erupt into violence, one of the priests ordered the workers to take the wall down.
The governor of Marsa Matrouh approved the building of the church center and granted a security permit to conduct religious services in 2009.
Following afternoon mosque prayers, Sheikh Khamis rallied neighborhood Muslims, gathering more than 300 people. The mob broke into groups, attacking the church and nearby houses of the Coptic Christian community. There are nearly 2,000 Coptic Christians in Reefiya.
Around 400 Copts fled into the church building while the rioting mob looted and destroyed 17 houses, 12 cars and two motorcycles, according to Watani.
Local security forces were unable to contain the attack and called-in back up from nearby Alexandria. At nearly 1:30 a.m. on Sunday (March 14) they managed to contain the crowd and let the Christians out of the church.
Police arrested 16 young Christian men among those who were inside the church building, according to Watani. Later, four of them who were released because they were underage told reporters that security forces beat them. Police also arrested 18 of the assailants.
Some of the attackers and security forces were also wounded in the altercation. Of the wounded Copts, two were reportedly rushed to a hospital in Alexandria in critical condition. Sobhy Girgis, 33, was taken to Alexandria’s Victoria Hospital for internal bleeding in the kidney from injuries sustained from rocks the crowd threw at him, and Mounir Naguib, 41, was treated for multiple stab wounds, according to Watani.
Naguib, a teacher, said he was accosted while on his way to the Angel’s Charity building, with a knife-wielding member of the mob asking him if he was a Christian. When he said he was, the Muslim told him to convert to Islam by pronouncing the two testimonies of the Muslim faith (that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger).
“When I refused, he stabbed me in the thigh and hit me on the head,” Naguib told Watani.
One Copt, Nabil Wahba, told of how his house was destroyed. Wahba said he came home at 6 p.m. to find around 40 men hurling stones at his house. At 9 p.m. they came back with clubs and iron pipes, ripping the windows open and throwing fireballs into the house.
“When we tried to put out the fire, they hurled stones at us, while others were pulling down the garden fence and setting the other side of the house aflame,” Wahba told Watani.
Security forces pulled Wahba and his sister out of his blazing house.
On the same day that violence erupted in Marsa Matrouh, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released a report denouncing Egypt’s legal system for not bringing people to justice for violent acts against Christians and their property.
According to the report, in the last year there have been more than a dozen incidents in which Coptic Christians have been targets of violence.
“This upsurge in violence and the failure to prosecute those responsible fosters a growing climate of impunity,” USCIRF Chairman Leonard Leo states in the report.
Since 2002, Egypt has been on the USCIRF “Watch List” as a country with serious religious freedom violations, including widespread problems of discrimination, intolerance and other human rights violations against members of religious minorities, according to the report.
Commenting on the Marsa Matrouh attack, the Theban Legion reporter stated that among the mob were members of Bedouin communities who are intolerant of plurality and diversity in society.
“The law of the land is supposed to be a civil law, and we would like to see a civil law applying to everybody,” he said.
Link to original...
"Catholic" Group Praises Oberstar
McCatholics are a syncristic lot, they appreciate the warm and comfortable association with a religion whose primary tenets they abhor, but hypocritically, they can't leave it behind. There's something more sinister at work here, to be sure, but animal sentimentality and emotionalism is what overrides honesty in the case of those aging Catholics who protest the Military and campaign for the normalization of homosexuality.
Link to Mn Independent.....
Following Wednesday’s news that Rep. James Oberstar will be voting for the health care reform bill before Congress, the progressive group Catholics United is airing TV commercials praising the Minnesota Democrat. The spots, which began airing in Minnesota on Wednesday, is part of a “broader national campaign to underscore Catholic support for health care reform” just as “as insurance company-backed interests are pulling out the stops to oppose affordable health care for all Minnesotans,” according to a statement by the group.
The spot praises Oberstar, a Catholic, in general terms for helping create jobs for working families, but doesn’t specifically mention health care reform or the controversy over whether elective abortions will be covered under the plan (they won’t).
The commercial, which runs in Duluth in full saturation through Saturday, came out the same day that a letter urging each Congress member to “cast a life-affirming ‘yes’ vote” on health care reform was released by a group of 59,000 Catholic nuns who are involved with running many of the country’s Catholic hospitals. The move is in opposition to the opinion of the Catholic bishops.
Link to Mn Independent.....
Outrage over Freeing of Officer Convicted of Killing Bishop
GUATEMALA CITY -- Guatemalan human rights groups expressed outrage Thursday over a judge's decision to release a former army colonel convicted of killing a prominent Roman Catholic bishop more than a decade ago. The judge ordered retired Col. Byron Lima freed for good behavior after serving half his 20-year sentence for helping plot the murder of human rights crusader Bishop Juan Gerardi. "It's an embarrassment for Guatemala," said Mario Minera, director of the Center of Legal Action for Human Rights.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/18/AR2010031806364.html
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Look Who's Talking Now
Dissident theologian Hans Kung calls on Pope to issue "mea culpa" for sex abuse
The Times
Richard Owen, Rome •
The dissident Swiss Catholic theologian Hans Kung has called on Pope Benedict XVI to issue a "mea culpa" for his part in "covering up decades of clerical sex abuse", both as an archbishop in Munich and as a cardinal in Rome. Father Kung, who once taught theology alongside the future Pope at Tubingen in Germany, noted that Monsignor Robert Zollitsch, the head of the German bishops had apologised to sex abuse victims after meeting the Pope last week, saying that the pontiff was "shocked and deeply moved" by his account of cases in his native Germany. Benedict is expected to sign a letter tomorrow to the faithful in Ireland after his talks with Irish bishops last month, when he described sex abuse as a grave sin and a "heinous crime". However Father Kung said that bishops — including the pontiff himself — should not just seek forgiveness but "should finally acknowledge their own co-responsibility" in covering up "systematic abuses". He added: "Should not Pope Benedict XVI also assume his own responsibility, instead of complaining that there is a campaign against him?"
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7067069.ece
The Times
Richard Owen, Rome •
The dissident Swiss Catholic theologian Hans Kung has called on Pope Benedict XVI to issue a "mea culpa" for his part in "covering up decades of clerical sex abuse", both as an archbishop in Munich and as a cardinal in Rome. Father Kung, who once taught theology alongside the future Pope at Tubingen in Germany, noted that Monsignor Robert Zollitsch, the head of the German bishops had apologised to sex abuse victims after meeting the Pope last week, saying that the pontiff was "shocked and deeply moved" by his account of cases in his native Germany. Benedict is expected to sign a letter tomorrow to the faithful in Ireland after his talks with Irish bishops last month, when he described sex abuse as a grave sin and a "heinous crime". However Father Kung said that bishops — including the pontiff himself — should not just seek forgiveness but "should finally acknowledge their own co-responsibility" in covering up "systematic abuses". He added: "Should not Pope Benedict XVI also assume his own responsibility, instead of complaining that there is a campaign against him?"
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article7067069.ece
How I found Peace with my Atheist Brother
"Soviet Communism is organically linked to atheism, materialist rationalism and most of the other causes the new atheists support. It used the same language, treasured the same hopes and appealed to the same constituency as atheism does today.
When its crimes were still unknown, or concealed, it attracted the support of the liberal intelligentsia who were then, and are even more now, opposed to religion. "
How I found God and peace with my atheist brother
Link to original...
When its crimes were still unknown, or concealed, it attracted the support of the liberal intelligentsia who were then, and are even more now, opposed to religion. "
How I found God and peace with my atheist brother
I set fire to my Bible on the playing fields of my Cambridge boarding school one bright, windy spring afternoon in 1967. I was 15 years old. The book did not, as I had hoped, blaze fiercely and swiftly.
Only after much blowing and encouragement did I manage to get it to ignite at all, and I was left with a disagreeable, half-charred mess.
Most of my small invited audience drifted away long before I had finished, disappointed by the anticlimax and the pettiness of the thing. Thunder did not mutter.
It would be many years before I would feel a slight shiver of unease about my act of desecration. Did I then have any idea of the forces I was trifling with?
In truth, it was not much of a Bible. It was bound in shiny pale blue boards with twiddly writing on the cover, a gift from my parents and until that moment treated with proper reverence, and some tenderness.
But this was my Year Zero. I was engaged in a full, perfect and complete rebellion against everything I had been brought up to believe.
As I had been raised to be an English gentleman, this was quite an involved process. It included behaving like a juvenile delinquent, using as much foul language as I could find excuse for, mocking the weak (there was a wheelchair-bound boy in my year, who provided a specially shameful target for this impulse), insulting my elders, and eventually breaking the law.
Link to original...
Statement By CMSWR, which represents 10,000 women religious, affirms Bishops' Opposition to Obamacar
By Staff Writer
Pewsitter.com
March 18, 2010 - In a March 15th statement, Cardinal Francis George, OMI, of Chicago, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke on behalf of the United States Bishops in opposition to the Senate's version of the health care legislation under consideration because of its expansion of abortion funding and its lack of adequate provision for conscience protection. Recent statements from groups like Network, the Catholic Health Association and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) directly oppose the Catholic Church's position on critical issues of health care reform.
The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, the second conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious in the United States, believes the Bishops' position is the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church.
Protection of life and freedom of conscience are central to morally responsible judgment. We join the bishops in seeking ethically sound legislation.
Mother Mary Quentin Sheridan, R.S.M.
President
On behalf of the Membership of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious
Link to pewsitter.com...
Pewsitter.com
March 18, 2010 - In a March 15th statement, Cardinal Francis George, OMI, of Chicago, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke on behalf of the United States Bishops in opposition to the Senate's version of the health care legislation under consideration because of its expansion of abortion funding and its lack of adequate provision for conscience protection. Recent statements from groups like Network, the Catholic Health Association and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) directly oppose the Catholic Church's position on critical issues of health care reform.
The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious, the second conference of Major Superiors of Women Religious in the United States, believes the Bishops' position is the authentic teaching of the Catholic Church.
Protection of life and freedom of conscience are central to morally responsible judgment. We join the bishops in seeking ethically sound legislation.
Mother Mary Quentin Sheridan, R.S.M.
President
On behalf of the Membership of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious
Link to pewsitter.com...
Canadian Council of Bishops Shows its true Colors, Again
It would be accurate to say that it's a bit like the Marxist-Leninist kettle calling the right-wing pot, black, except for the fact that LifeSitenews is far more apolitical than is the Canadian Catholic Council of Bishops. Rather than attacking Rush Limbaugh and going on witch hunts (would that they actually hunted real witches) for alleged rightists, they should work on saving souls for a change.
Of course, if you don't have any real arguments, just try hurling insults and libelous claims.
D&P Accuses LifeSitenews of Association with Groups that Use Violence; “Far Right Wing Fringe”
By John-Henry Westen
Related Links
Development and Peace "Partner" Admits Helping Women Obtain Abortions, Opposes Vatican UN Status
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09042204.html
"Stop Funding Pro-Abortion Groups in Our Country": Peru Bishop to Canadian Bishops
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jun/09060911.html
Pro-Life Leaders Representing 170 Nations Praise Bishops Who Withheld Funds from Development and Peace
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/oct/09101318.html
IRONY: NGO Funded by Canadian Bishops' D&P Battles East Timor Bishops over Abortion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09040708.html
Interview: Development & Peace South African Partner Freely Admits Abortion Advocacy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/mar/10031601.html
For all of LSN’s extensive coverage on this matter see:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/features/DevelopmentPeace/
Of course, if you don't have any real arguments, just try hurling insults and libelous claims.
D&P Accuses LifeSitenews of Association with Groups that Use Violence; “Far Right Wing Fringe”
By John-Henry Westen
OTTAWA, March 16, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The official international development arm of the Canadian Bishops’ Conference has produced a 10-page document in which the organization accuses LifeSiteNews (LSN) and Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) of association with “groups and individuals” who have used violence.
Speaking about the organizations, such as LSN and CLC, that have accused the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (D&P) of funding projects with partners that are involved in abortion advocacy, D&P writes, "These groups are part of the far right wing fringe element of North American society and have themselves been associated with groups and individuals who have resorted to violence to publicize their cause and achieve their objective.”
The document, “Questioning Development and Peace,” is a series of question and answers about the D&P funding controversy.
In answer to the first question, D&P explains that in the spring of 2009 a “militant anti-abortion advocacy organization and several supporting blog sites on the internet” made what the organization calls “unfounded accusations” about D&P’s funding practices. The document later identifies the “militant anti-abortion group” as Campaign Life Coalition, and the main internet site as “LifeSiteNews.com.”
Related Links
Development and Peace "Partner" Admits Helping Women Obtain Abortions, Opposes Vatican UN Status
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09042204.html
"Stop Funding Pro-Abortion Groups in Our Country": Peru Bishop to Canadian Bishops
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jun/09060911.html
Pro-Life Leaders Representing 170 Nations Praise Bishops Who Withheld Funds from Development and Peace
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/oct/09101318.html
IRONY: NGO Funded by Canadian Bishops' D&P Battles East Timor Bishops over Abortion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09040708.html
Interview: Development & Peace South African Partner Freely Admits Abortion Advocacy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/mar/10031601.html
For all of LSN’s extensive coverage on this matter see:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/features/DevelopmentPeace/
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
A Brief Article on the Last Remains of the Phanariot Greeks of Constantinople and their Plight
The Phanar as it's called is dwindling amid Turkish persecution, which intensified after the liberal Ataturk took power during World War I. Despite a few general inaccuracies, like saying that Constantinople is no longer called that (Istanbul is actually a "corruption" of the Greek reference to it as "yea-stin-poli" or "to the city".), it draws attention to the plight of Orthodox living in hostile governments. Of course, the predicament of the Patriarch is precarious, but there are other centers of Orthodoxy that are powerful. It may be in the future that Orthodoxy may have to leave behind its home for a kind of Babylonian exile.
Alaska Legislators seed Help for Persecuted Orthodox
By JOEL DAVIDSON
CatholicAnchor.org
March 17th, 2010 | Category: Alaska News, Social Justice/Charity, World/Nation News
Email a letter to the editor
Alaska Legislators seed Help for Persecuted Orthodox
By JOEL DAVIDSON
CatholicAnchor.org
In an unusual move last month, two resolutions were introduced into the Alaska House and Senate that aim to safeguard the religious freedom of Orthodox Christians. Specifically the resolutions deal with the selection of the next Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople — a highly honored spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians around the world, including a large population in Alaska.
The proposed resolutions are in response to extreme religious persecution by the government in Turkey, where Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I resides.
The resolutions note that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is situated in modern-day Istanbul, formerly known as Constantinople.
In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI visited Turkey in response to an invitation by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
Part of the trip focused on safeguarding the religious rights of all Christians in the region, including the Orthodox.
At that time, the pope underlined the “significant contribution” Christianity has made to Turkey and he noted that Christians are “proud to play their part, conscious of their ancient heritage.”
Globally, Orthodoxy consists of multiple patriarchs who independently govern various geographical regions of the globe. The Ecumenical Patriarch, however, is considered to have a place of honor and is referred to as “first among equals” within Orthodox Christianity.
Rep. John Harris of Valdez and Rep. Bob Lynn of Anchorage introduced the House resolution and Sen. Kevin Meyer of Anchorage introduced an identical Senate version.
The resolutions note that the current Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is “the 269th direct successor of the Apostle Andrew.”
The resolutions also state that there are 300 million Orthodox worldwide, including many in Alaska.
Furthermore, the resolutions point out that the government of Turkey has limited the selection of the next Ecumenical Patriarch to “Turkish nationals who have performed mandatory military service” and they continue to insist that they approve any new spiritual head of Orthodox Christians.
To make matters more difficult, in 1971, the Turkish government closed the Theological School of Halki, which was the only seminary to train new Orthodox priests. The government refuses to reopen the school, which limits the number of priests who might be chosen as the next Ecumenical Patriarch.
The resolutions condemn the network of oppressive laws that have effectively depleted “the once large eligible community of Turkish citizens of the Orthodox faith.” Their number is down to about 2,500 and many are elderly.
The resolution notes that the “dissolution of the spiritual head of Orthodox Christian churches in the coming decades is inevitable if Turkey continues its policy of interference in religious matters…”
Such a loss would mean the end of “a crucial link between Christians and the Muslim world at a time when individuals hostile to the United States are attempting to create conflict between Christians and Muslims,” the resolution points out.
It adds: “The presence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey is a powerful testament to the coexistence of these two faiths in Istanbul since 1453.”
The resolutions conclude by urging Gov. Sean Parnell to call on the government of Turkey “to eliminate all forms of discrimination based on religion and to immediately grant the Ecumenical Patriarchate appropriate international recognition and the right to train clergy of all nationalities.”
To date, 29 such resolutions have been adopted in 25 U.S. states.
The resolution in the Alaska House is being held in the House Rules Committee, while the Senate version was moved to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
March 17th, 2010 | Category: Alaska News, Social Justice/Charity, World/Nation News
Email a letter to the editor
Don't worry Brazil won't be the last Sex Abuuse Scandal
The media feeding frenzy has just begun, and now we await the stories coming out of Africa and India as well as the rest of Latin America.
Like the Bishop Williamson roast last year, the media didn't accomplish much.
Sex scandal embroils Catholic Church in Brazil
Like the Bishop Williamson roast last year, the media didn't accomplish much.
Sex scandal embroils Catholic Church in Brazil
By BRADLEY BROOKS (AP) – 19 hours ago
RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian authorities are investigating three priests accused of sexually abusing altar boys after a video allegedly showing one case of abuse was broadcast on television, police and church officials said Tuesday.
The case came to light after the SBT network aired a video purportedly showing an 82-year-old priest having sex with a 19-year-old altar boy who worked for him for four years. Other young men appeared on the report saying that they, too, had been abused by Monsignor Luiz Marques Barbosa.
Also under investigation are Monsignor Raimundo Gomes, 52, and Father Edilson Duarte, 43, for allegedly having sexual relations with boys and young men.
Adoption society wins gay ruling: UK
Press Association
With a hat tip and good thanks to DHP, a longtime correspondent. While he is not Catholic, we've seen eye to eye on quite a few things related to the decline of society in this new century. He finds this to be good news like many of us who are Catholics or have a have exercised our inborn sense of justice and are otherwise concerned about the well-being of children and the society they eventually come to inhabit.
Talk about a bad loser. High Court settled the issue, deal with it. If Stonewall want to get prissy about it, they can start their own adoption service and benefit from the same ruling. The fact they will not simply underlines my point being that they are just trouble-makers and are doing nothing about dealing with discrimination (their claimed bandwagon) nor are they promoting the advancement of a society which tolerates and respects different lifestyles - they are simply about ramming their agenda down the throats of others.
-D.H.Plantagenet
Link to yahoonews article...
A Catholic adoption society has won a High Court battle over legislation forcing it to consider homosexual couples as parents. Skip related content
Catholic Care, which serves the dioceses of Leeds, Middlesbrough, and Hallam in South Yorkshire, launched the legal action saying it would have to give up its work finding homes for children if it has to comply with the legislation.
It sought an exemption under the Sexual Orientation Regulations to allow it to continue to operate as it had always done.
Its plea to be allowed an exemption was opposed by the Charity Commission.
Mr Justice Briggs, sitting in London, allowed Catholic Care's appeal and ordered the commission to reconsider the case in the light of the principles set out in his judgment.
Later the Rt Rev Arthur Roche, Bishop of Leeds, welcomed the judge's decision, saying it would "help in our determination to continue to provide this invaluable service to benefit children, families and communities".
He said the judgment confirmed that Catholic Care was correct in its reading of the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 and that the exemption could apply "to any charity subject to it being in the public interest".
"The judgment will help in our determination to continue to provide this invaluable service to benefit children, families and communities."
Jonathan Finney, head of external affairs at Stonewall, the gay rights charity, said: "It's unthinkable that anyone engaged in delivering any kind of public or publicly funded service should be given licence to pick and choose service users on the basis of individual prejudice.
"It's clearly in the best interests of children in care to encourage as wide a pool of potential adopters as possible. There should be no question of discriminatory behaviour by any organisation that benefits from the taxpayer."
------
With a hat tip and good thanks to DHP, a longtime correspondent. While he is not Catholic, we've seen eye to eye on quite a few things related to the decline of society in this new century. He finds this to be good news like many of us who are Catholics or have a have exercised our inborn sense of justice and are otherwise concerned about the well-being of children and the society they eventually come to inhabit.
Talk about a bad loser. High Court settled the issue, deal with it. If Stonewall want to get prissy about it, they can start their own adoption service and benefit from the same ruling. The fact they will not simply underlines my point being that they are just trouble-makers and are doing nothing about dealing with discrimination (their claimed bandwagon) nor are they promoting the advancement of a society which tolerates and respects different lifestyles - they are simply about ramming their agenda down the throats of others.
-D.H.Plantagenet
Link to yahoonews article...
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Royal Family of Savoy at Mass in Rome
Link to the offical website of Casa di Savoia...
The external must be joined to the internal to obtain anything from God, that is to say, we must kneel, pray with the lips, &c., in order that proud man, who would not submit himself to God, may be now subject to the creature. To expect help from these externals is superstition; to refuse them to the internal is pride.
Other religions, as the pagan, are more popular, for they consist in externals. But they are not for educated people. A purely intellectual religion would be more suited to the learned, but it would be of no use to the common people. The Christian religion alone is adapted to all, being composed of externals and internals. It raises the common people to the internal, and humbles the proud to the external; it is not perfect without the two, for the people must understand the spirit of the letter, and the learned must submit their spirit to the letter.
-Blaise Paschal
Noam Chomsky Admits Dark Associations with Labor and Civil Rights Movements
In an attempt to portray Communism in a positive light, he remarks upon its close association with the Labor and Civil Rights Movements.
On 54:40
On 54:40
Father Scmidberger Defends the Pope
Father Schmidberger has been very supportive of the Holy Father in the past, as when he thanked Holy Father for the Motu Propio and in some rather public remarks for a regional German paper, he has stepped in again to defend his Pontif for all the world to see.
The Society of Pius X tore down its wall of silence: "Today those who cried the loudest, were those who demanded to be exempt from punishment for sexual abuse of children. Humanist Union belongs to this group."
[Stuttgart, kreuz.net] "The Pope was in no way guilty, therefore he cannot also apolgize.
Explained the German uppter district superior of the Society of St Pius X, Franz Schmidberger to regional newspaper 'Leibziger Volkszeitung.'
Father spoke on the topic of homosexual predators of underage, taboo for many decades in left and anti-church circles.
This "homosexual predation" is for many a welcome cause, in order to diminish the German Pope directly in Germany and discredit the Papacy, determined Fr. Schmidberger.
Humanist Hecklers
Father criticized the advisoress of church-hate, combination 'Humanist Union" and German law minister, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (FDP):
"Today those who cry loudest, were those who yesterday demanded exemption from punishment for abusing children
To which group the 'Humanist Union' also belongs, to which Mrs. Law Minister Leutheusser Schnarrenberger is counted a member. In the German language there is a word for this: Hypocrisy. The shoe fits!
Father Schmidberger opposes a general criminal suspicion against priests:
"We should be more cautious with this dragging-into-public of sins and guilt. Perhaps one or the other accusation will by closer inspection be proven false."
Sexual Desire contains the Responsibillity of the Child
Fr. Schmidberger sees a complicity in the aberration of society:
"Whoever brings pornographic writings to his person, unnatural scenes on television and dirty pictures on Internet before his eyes, will hardly pereceive any longer, that he is responsible for sexual desire."
The District Superior of explains that the instinct for hunger which is given to men, in order to sustain the individual -- and the sex drive, to propagate human sexuality:
"It is an misuse and deviation of the divine order to decouple man from this purpose, as the hedonistic society does.
Left-Catholic Debauchees Taste the Morning Air
Father Scmidberger states that Anti-Catholic groups and fragments as well as backsliding priests will use the abuse debate in order to implement their own interests:
"The Left-Catholic debauchees taste the morning air.
It is for these people designate that they demand structural changes instead of changing hearts." [Communist watchers, this is familiar stuff]
Beneficial Celibacy
The District Superior said about celibacy, that the priestly unmarried state has given extraordinary fruits for hundreds of years:
"As beneficial as celibacy is, is shown by the persecutions of the Church under the Communists and in the Third Reich:
"Protestant pastors were fearful for their families, Catholics ministers were in this respect free."
Cover instead of Showtrials (Karnevalssitzungen)
The German Bishop's Conference has covered for accused priests, expects Father Scmidberger.
"The Bishops must strengthen the priest's Faith and immediately prevent, for example, frivilous show trials in Churches."
Therefore, the sacrament of confession must take up again its place in the Christian life and in the life of the Church. [!]
"Confession is the most effective measure against sin and sinful impulses."
© picture: Piusbruderschaft.de
mnmajority -- Tell Your Catholic Member of Congress to Read What The Bishops Have To Say About The Senate Health Bill
Do the right thing, even if the Bishops are confused about Socialism. If the sacrament of the cultus americanum, Abortion, is enough to kill this socialistic piece of thievery, so be it.
mnmajority -- Tell Your Catholic Member of Congress to Read What The Bishops Have To Say About The Senate Health Bill
mnmajority -- Tell Your Catholic Member of Congress to Read What The Bishops Have To Say About The Senate Health Bill
Karl Guttenberg is a Devoted Roman Catholic: A hope for Germany?
Here's a discussion about a promising Catholic leader in Germany for a change who isn't afraid to discuss his Faith in public; forget all the protestantic gobbleygook, which was chopped out to leave behind some factual statements. Lew Rockwell also wrote an article in praise of the German Aristocracy, here, in 2009:
PCG Claims Karl Guttenberg is a “Devoted Roman Catholic”, COGwriter has a different view
...Germany’s Defence Minister Baron Karl-Theodor von und zu Guttenberg is someone to watch as both a potential future King... The one I would like to discuss today is about the devotion of Karl-Theodor von und zu Guttenberg to Roman Catholicism.
First here are several recent writings from PCG on this matter:
…zu Guttenberg hails from a staunchly traditional, moralist, right-wing, strongly Roman Catholic heritage…(Fraser R. Recently, religion has leaped into focus within the Bundeswehr courtesy of statements made by Germany’s minister of defense, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. During a recent interview with Germany’s Bild am Sontaag, Guttenberg confirmed that he is a “devout Christian” who prays regularly for his troops (Dec. 28, 2009). It is unusual for a senior minister of government in Germany to espouse his convictions so publicly and unashamedly…
Germany’s Future Foreign Policy.November 2, 2009 | From theTrumpet.com)
Germany’s new generation of conservatives is looking for charismatic, staunchly traditional, right-wing, Roman Catholic statesmen of the caliber of Edmund Stoiber and Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. (German Youth Celebrate Edmund Stoiber. December 1, 2009 | From theTrumpet.com)
The unabashed public declaration of his devout Catholicism by Germany’s minister of defense, Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, in direct association with his declared prayers for German troops, and the public announcement that the Catholic Church is engaged in a new initiative geared to preparing both German troops to handle combat and their families to prepare for casualties, are but harbingers for Rome stepping up its efforts in the new year for a more aggressive proselytizing push across Europe. (Fraser R. Rome and Berlin—Facing Up to War. January 4, 2010 | From theTrumpet.com)
The contrast between Guttenberg and Merkel is marked. He is a devoted Roman Catholic (Fraser R. A Void at Germany’s Helm. Philadelphia Trumpet, March 2010).
Guttenberg is also connected through part of his family line to the house of Habsburg. Strauss and Otto von Habsburg shared a common dream of a united Catholic Europe. (Flurry G. The Holy Roman Empire Is Back! Philadelphia Trumpet, February 2010).
PCG Claims Karl Guttenberg is a “Devoted Roman Catholic”, COGwriter has a different view
Canadian Anglican Church move toward Rome part of 'worldwide movement,' says bishop :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
When the Pope's document first came out, said Bishop Wilkinson, “I had Lutherans calling me saying, 'how do we get in on this?' And Orthodox (Christians) saying, 'how do we get in on this?'”
“It is a worldwide movement largely brought about by the vision of John Paul II” and “the wonderful, gentle firm, intellectual vision of Pope Benedict, who is such an inspiration to us,” noted the Anglican bishop.
Canadian Anglican Church move toward Rome part of 'worldwide movement,' says bishop :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
“It is a worldwide movement largely brought about by the vision of John Paul II” and “the wonderful, gentle firm, intellectual vision of Pope Benedict, who is such an inspiration to us,” noted the Anglican bishop.
Canadian Anglican Church move toward Rome part of 'worldwide movement,' says bishop :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
The Legion Awaits A New General. And Trembles
A commissioner appointed by the Vatican will take command of the Legionaries of Christ, orphans of their founder Marcial Maciel, disgraced by scandals. This is the likely outcome of eight months of investigation. Many things should be changed, including the current leaders
by Sandro Magister
ROME, March 16, 2010 – In the thick of the storm rocking the Catholic Church on account of the sexual abuse committed against minors by priests, an end has come to the apostolic visit ordered by the Holy See among the Legionaries of Christ, the congregation founded by Marcial Maciel.
The Maciel case is extreme in every way. It pushes the contrast between image and reality to exaggerated limits. Between the beatified image of the priest founder of an ultra-orthodox, ascetical, devout religious congregation, flourishing with vocations, some of them exemplary, and the reality of a dissolute second life, made up of incessant violations not only of the vows but of the commandments, of continual sinful affairs with women, men, and minors of every age and condition, with children and lovers all over the world, their number still unknown.
http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1342498?eng=y
by Sandro Magister
ROME, March 16, 2010 – In the thick of the storm rocking the Catholic Church on account of the sexual abuse committed against minors by priests, an end has come to the apostolic visit ordered by the Holy See among the Legionaries of Christ, the congregation founded by Marcial Maciel.
The Maciel case is extreme in every way. It pushes the contrast between image and reality to exaggerated limits. Between the beatified image of the priest founder of an ultra-orthodox, ascetical, devout religious congregation, flourishing with vocations, some of them exemplary, and the reality of a dissolute second life, made up of incessant violations not only of the vows but of the commandments, of continual sinful affairs with women, men, and minors of every age and condition, with children and lovers all over the world, their number still unknown.
http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1342498?eng=y
Catholic Church, and religion in general, losing Latinos in USA
After more than a century of Freemasonry in Latin America, it's surprising there are any Catholics there at all. The revolutionaries certainly made their best efforts to kill them all.
By Sharon Jayson
USA TODAY
March 16, 2010
Link to USA Today...
By Sharon Jayson
USA TODAY
March 16, 2010
Latino population growth over the past two decades has boosted numbers in the Catholic Church, but a new, in-depth analysis shows Latinos' allegiance to Catholicism is waning as some move toward other Christian denominations or claim no religion at all.
A report out today by researchers at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., finds Latino religious identification increasingly diverse and more "Americanized."
The analysis, based on data from the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey, compares responses to phone surveys in 1990 and 2008 conducted in English and Spanish. The 2008 sample included 3,169 people who identified themselves as Latinos.
"What you see is growing diversity — away from Catholicism and splitting between those who join evangelical or Protestant groups or no religion," says report co-author Barry Kosmin, a sociologist and director of the Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture at Trinity College. Among findings:
•From 1990 to 2008, the Catholic Church in the USA added an estimated 11 million adults, including 9 million Latinos. In 1990, Latinos made up 20% of the total Catholic population, but by 2008, it rose to 32%.
•Those who claimed "no religion" rose from fewer than 1 million (6% of U.S. Latinos) in 1990 to nearly 4 million (12% of Latinos) in 2008.
"As Latinos or any other ethnic group assimilates to American culture, they pick up the values of the broader American culture and are somewhat less likely to identify with the religious identification, or any other identification, that marked their parents or grandparents," says Mary Gautier, a senior researcher at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University."
Link to USA Today...
Monday, March 15, 2010
Germany's 'Spiegel' offers 1 Million Euro Bounty on Pope Benedict
WANTED!
Seems like they're desperate because they want to crown their assault with something more sustainable. You know, it's a cruel irony in all this, though we repeat it often, that the people responsible for the abuse in the first place are themselves, largely of the same political and philosophical bent as the journalists and political low-jobbers craving the power and financial resources of the Church.
It's funny too since 'Spiegel', Germany's 'Time', was founded by a National Socialist.
[Kreuz.net] The Goebels-Successors want to celebrate Pope's homosexual violation. The thing does not need to be in tune, the main thing is that it be set forth into the world.
Whoever accuses the Pope of a homosexual violation, 'receives one million euros from the Anti-Catholic German magazine, Spiegel'.
This was reported by German web page 'fact-fiction.net’ yesterday with 'apparently reliable' press circles.
The 'Spiegel' was founded by a former Nazi-Journalist apprentice and Lieutenant in the German Wehrmacht.
The Schmiermagazine will offer multiple former Seminarians and Theology students of the 60s and 70s who studied in Munster and Tubingen, this enormous bounty, "if it nails the Pope as a homosexual child molester."
According to the data of 'fact-fiction.net', the accusation does not have to be correct. It is primarily the concern of 'Spiegel' to set these slanders loose in the world.
The offers are going to make the rounds for two weeks.
'Spiegel' informers are to have thick bundles wagged in front of them.
The German Street Magazine, 'Stern' -- of a former National Socialist journalist based - only offers 50,000 for its Pope slanderers.
The magazine doesn't "have so much money any more" since its pratfall with the falsified Hitler diaries in the early 80s according to 'fact-fiction.net'.
According to the web page, the investigative journalist and political editor of the 'Süddeutschen Zeitung’ Hans Leyendecker (60) "crept incognito into the Vatican as as a boy prostitute and ran into German journalist colleagues there."
Link to original...
Photo: Dallas Observer
Bill Donahue Says New York Times Should Take on Jews for Sex Abuse of Children
NEW YORK TIMES GUNNING FOR THE POPE?
March 15, 2010
Catholic League president Bill Donohue takes on the New York Times:
On March 10, the New York Times ran an article on sex abuse in the Catholic Church stating that in Austria a priest abused a boy 40 years ago. Yesterday, readers learned of a German case where a man says he was abused in 1979. But when Rabbi Baruch Lebovits was found guilty last week on eight counts of sexually abusing a Brooklyn boy, the Times failed to report it. This is not an accident—it is deliberate.
Worse, on Saturday, the Times ran a front-page story saying that in 2002, when the sex abuse scandal in Boston hit, the pope—then Cardinal Ratzinger—"made statements that minimized the problem." No quotes or evidence of any kind were given. "Minimize the problem." Interesting phrase. In 2005, the Times reported that in 2002, Ratzinger believed that "less than 1 percent of priests are guilty" of sex abuse (it was later found that 4 percent was a more accurate figure). The Times characterized his remark by saying he "appeared to minimize the problem." Looks like they got their talking points down just fine.
What the Times could have said over the weekend was that on January 9, 2002, three days after the Boston Globe broke the story on sex abuse, it ran a story reporting that Ratzinger had sent a letter to the bishops worldwide saying that "even a hint" of the sexual abuse of minors merited an investigation. But to do so would have compromised the conclusion it sought to reach.
If the Times were truly interested in eradicating sex abuse, it not only would report on cases like Rabbi Lebovits, it would not seek to protect the public school establishment. But it does. Here's the proof. Last year, there were two bills being debated in Albany on the subject of sex abuse: one targeted only private institutions like the Catholic Church, giving the public schools a pass; the other covered both private and public. The Times endorsed the former.
Contact NYT Public Editor Clark Hoyt: public@nytimes.com
March 15, 2010
Catholic League president Bill Donohue takes on the New York Times:
On March 10, the New York Times ran an article on sex abuse in the Catholic Church stating that in Austria a priest abused a boy 40 years ago. Yesterday, readers learned of a German case where a man says he was abused in 1979. But when Rabbi Baruch Lebovits was found guilty last week on eight counts of sexually abusing a Brooklyn boy, the Times failed to report it. This is not an accident—it is deliberate.
Worse, on Saturday, the Times ran a front-page story saying that in 2002, when the sex abuse scandal in Boston hit, the pope—then Cardinal Ratzinger—"made statements that minimized the problem." No quotes or evidence of any kind were given. "Minimize the problem." Interesting phrase. In 2005, the Times reported that in 2002, Ratzinger believed that "less than 1 percent of priests are guilty" of sex abuse (it was later found that 4 percent was a more accurate figure). The Times characterized his remark by saying he "appeared to minimize the problem." Looks like they got their talking points down just fine.
What the Times could have said over the weekend was that on January 9, 2002, three days after the Boston Globe broke the story on sex abuse, it ran a story reporting that Ratzinger had sent a letter to the bishops worldwide saying that "even a hint" of the sexual abuse of minors merited an investigation. But to do so would have compromised the conclusion it sought to reach.
If the Times were truly interested in eradicating sex abuse, it not only would report on cases like Rabbi Lebovits, it would not seek to protect the public school establishment. But it does. Here's the proof. Last year, there were two bills being debated in Albany on the subject of sex abuse: one targeted only private institutions like the Catholic Church, giving the public schools a pass; the other covered both private and public. The Times endorsed the former.
Contact NYT Public Editor Clark Hoyt: public@nytimes.com
Communist Party upbeat about election outcome
MOSCOW. March 15 (Interfax) - The communists drew much stronger electoral support in the current regional elections than previously, Communist Party leaders said at a news conference on Monday.
"We have scored higher points nearly everywhere, which allows us to build a center-left vertical system in all regional governments," Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov said. Support for the communists was strongest in cities, where the communists gained 27% to 35% of the votes.
He noted however, that vote tampering was mostly reported in rural areas. "The governor's conduct was much quieter this time, and most of the mud slinging was down in rural areas," he said.
The Communist Party's first deputy leader, State Duma Vice Speaker Ivan Melnikov said the Communists "did better than before and even rose to a qualitatively new level of voter support."
Link to interfax...
"We have scored higher points nearly everywhere, which allows us to build a center-left vertical system in all regional governments," Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov said. Support for the communists was strongest in cities, where the communists gained 27% to 35% of the votes.
He noted however, that vote tampering was mostly reported in rural areas. "The governor's conduct was much quieter this time, and most of the mud slinging was down in rural areas," he said.
The Communist Party's first deputy leader, State Duma Vice Speaker Ivan Melnikov said the Communists "did better than before and even rose to a qualitatively new level of voter support."
Link to interfax...
Cardinal Mahony Features many Anti-Catholic Speakers: Catholics to Protest
ANAHEIM, Calif., March 15 /Christian Newswire/ — "Our committee is calling all Catholics to come join us and oppose Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony's latest dissent-fest," says Kenneth M. Fisher, chairman of Concerned Roman Catholics of America, Inc. (CRCOA). "He's going to make tens of thousands of Catholics hear Faith-subverters, the kind who get people to defy the Church on abortion, homosexuality, contraception, New Age practices and ordination of women." Fisher announced that on Saturday, March 20, 2010, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., his group will picket Cardinal Mahony's annual Religious Education Congress, the world's largest training event for Catholic schoolteachers. (The Congress will be at the Anaheim Convention Center, March 18-21. The Saturday protest will be outside the Center's main exhibit hall. CRCOA will supply picket signs to picketers.)
http://fratres.wordpress.com/2010/03/15/catholics-urged-to-picket-cdl-mahonys-giant-pro-gay-pro-radical-feminist-faith-subverting-dissent-fest/
http://fratres.wordpress.com/2010/03/15/catholics-urged-to-picket-cdl-mahonys-giant-pro-gay-pro-radical-feminist-faith-subverting-dissent-fest/
Irish Bookmakers Give 3:1 Odds Pope Resigns
Let's Place a Bet!
LONDON (Reuters) – Irish bookmaker Paddy Power said Friday it had cut the odds on Pope Benedict XVI resigning after allegations of child abuse by priests in Germany gripped the Roman Catholic Church. Ireland's biggest bookmaker, which has branches in Britain as well as Catholic Ireland, said it had cut the odds from 12 to 1 to 3 to 1 following a "cascade of bets." The bookie also said it had cut the odds on Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze becoming the next Pontiff to 4 to 1, after what it called a significant gamble. The firm said Arinze was now the clear favourite.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
LONDON (Reuters) – Irish bookmaker Paddy Power said Friday it had cut the odds on Pope Benedict XVI resigning after allegations of child abuse by priests in Germany gripped the Roman Catholic Church. Ireland's biggest bookmaker, which has branches in Britain as well as Catholic Ireland, said it had cut the odds from 12 to 1 to 3 to 1 following a "cascade of bets." The bookie also said it had cut the odds on Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze becoming the next Pontiff to 4 to 1, after what it called a significant gamble. The firm said Arinze was now the clear favourite.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
The Benevolence of Disbelief
June 4,2002
"The Other Side of Christ"
by Father Robert D.Smith
(deceased)
The heresy of modernism, rampant today, is in its essence belief in universal salvation. Many of the modernists seem to be saying merely that most people are saved, but when questioned on this, finally admit that they really believe that everyone is saved. It all seems benevolent, except that it is the benevolence of Satan, the benevolence of disbelief in Christ. The vast majority of them are saying that there is even no Purgatory, that everyone on Earth, whatever he has done, re-
pentant on not, steps from death straight into Heaven.
This is the benevolence which teaches that sin does not really count, and that God approves of all morality and of all immorality. It is the santification of worldliness.
The modernists can be seen to be divided into two wings: the left-wing modernists who teach that the Commandments themselves do not represent God's universal moral law, and the right-wing modernists who teach that the Ten Commandments are indeed God's universal law, but that all men, ultimately, are excused by the factors of ignorance, of weakness, or of faulty environment.
A second branch of the right-wing modernists, however, can be distinguished. Its adherents hold that the Commandments are valid universal laws, and also that long-term ignorance of wrongdoing in the breaking of the Commandments is impossible, and that weakness and environment similiarly are not excuses for long-term unrepentance.Where they reach their goal of belief in universal salvation is by saying that, well, everybody on Earth who is in long-term unrepentant sin will repent at the last moment, somehow or other.
Is this possible? It goes against what we see. Surprisingly few irreligious people come to religion on their deathbeds in any visible way. So, too, with sin of other kinds. In a sense,the longer the delay of repentance, the more unlikely it will be. But this is not a refutation. Refutation comes from the words of Christ, Himself. He often speaks about the reality that there will be people, many people, who will, in fact, find themselves damned. At The Judgment, the Son of Man "will place... the goats on His left." (Matt.25:33) If there shall be no goats at all at The Judgment, then this statement is a lie.
God, in the parable, said to the rich man,"Thou fool, this night your life will be demanded of you." (Luke 12:20) If the rich man was, after all, surely going to wake up in the middle of the night and repent, he would not be exactly a fool . The words of Christ would be ill-chosen, and fundamentally absurd.
Similiarly, and even more explicitly, Christ says: Many will try to enter but not be able." (Luke 15:24) After death, they shall find that they are fixed in a state of unrepentance, even though Heaven begins to look attractive to them.
"Those who have done evil shall rise to the resurrection of condemnation." (John 5:29) Notice that this is in St.John's Gospel, the mildest of the four
Gospels. True Christianity does not include a wing of those believing in universal
salvation.
"The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will collect out of His Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will hurl them into the fiery furnace where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth." (Matt.13:41-42) If the angels go out and there is no one to collect, then Christ again is a liar.
It all fits together. Those who try to be more benevolent that Christ find themselves only advocating the benevolence of Satan, and this comes not from thin air, but from previous committment to sin of some kind. Those who humbly accept the mysteries of Christ, including the difficult ones, find themselves on the path that leads to repentance and to holiness.
On Dec.15,2001, Father Smith went to his eternal reward
Permission to freely distribute these articles has been received from Smith's estate and from The Wanderer(201 Ohio St.,St.Paul,Mn. 55107)which may produce them in book form at a later date.
"The Other Side of Christ"
by Father Robert D.Smith
(deceased)
The heresy of modernism, rampant today, is in its essence belief in universal salvation. Many of the modernists seem to be saying merely that most people are saved, but when questioned on this, finally admit that they really believe that everyone is saved. It all seems benevolent, except that it is the benevolence of Satan, the benevolence of disbelief in Christ. The vast majority of them are saying that there is even no Purgatory, that everyone on Earth, whatever he has done, re-
pentant on not, steps from death straight into Heaven.
This is the benevolence which teaches that sin does not really count, and that God approves of all morality and of all immorality. It is the santification of worldliness.
The modernists can be seen to be divided into two wings: the left-wing modernists who teach that the Commandments themselves do not represent God's universal moral law, and the right-wing modernists who teach that the Ten Commandments are indeed God's universal law, but that all men, ultimately, are excused by the factors of ignorance, of weakness, or of faulty environment.
A second branch of the right-wing modernists, however, can be distinguished. Its adherents hold that the Commandments are valid universal laws, and also that long-term ignorance of wrongdoing in the breaking of the Commandments is impossible, and that weakness and environment similiarly are not excuses for long-term unrepentance.Where they reach their goal of belief in universal salvation is by saying that, well, everybody on Earth who is in long-term unrepentant sin will repent at the last moment, somehow or other.
Is this possible? It goes against what we see. Surprisingly few irreligious people come to religion on their deathbeds in any visible way. So, too, with sin of other kinds. In a sense,the longer the delay of repentance, the more unlikely it will be. But this is not a refutation. Refutation comes from the words of Christ, Himself. He often speaks about the reality that there will be people, many people, who will, in fact, find themselves damned. At The Judgment, the Son of Man "will place... the goats on His left." (Matt.25:33) If there shall be no goats at all at The Judgment, then this statement is a lie.
God, in the parable, said to the rich man,"Thou fool, this night your life will be demanded of you." (Luke 12:20) If the rich man was, after all, surely going to wake up in the middle of the night and repent, he would not be exactly a fool . The words of Christ would be ill-chosen, and fundamentally absurd.
Similiarly, and even more explicitly, Christ says: Many will try to enter but not be able." (Luke 15:24) After death, they shall find that they are fixed in a state of unrepentance, even though Heaven begins to look attractive to them.
"Those who have done evil shall rise to the resurrection of condemnation." (John 5:29) Notice that this is in St.John's Gospel, the mildest of the four
Gospels. True Christianity does not include a wing of those believing in universal
salvation.
"The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will collect out of His Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will hurl them into the fiery furnace where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth." (Matt.13:41-42) If the angels go out and there is no one to collect, then Christ again is a liar.
It all fits together. Those who try to be more benevolent that Christ find themselves only advocating the benevolence of Satan, and this comes not from thin air, but from previous committment to sin of some kind. Those who humbly accept the mysteries of Christ, including the difficult ones, find themselves on the path that leads to repentance and to holiness.
On Dec.15,2001, Father Smith went to his eternal reward
"For our exhortation was not from error, nor from impure motives, nor from guile. But as approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak not as pleasing men, but God, who proves our hearts."
Thess. 2:2-5
Permission to freely distribute these articles has been received from Smith's estate and from The Wanderer(201 Ohio St.,St.Paul,Mn. 55107)which may produce them in book form at a later date.
Pope showed wisdom and firmness against abuses as CDF prefect, says Msgr. Scicluna :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
At least he's willing to cite the fact that there is a strong correlation between this injustice and homosexuality:
They need to be much more aggressive about connecting this fiasco with liberalism, but Msgr alludes to it when he says:
Pope showed wisdom and firmness against abuses as CDF prefect, says Msgr. Scicluna :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
In the last nine years, said Msgr. Scicluna, the Congregation has dealt with three thousand cases of crimes committed over the last fifty years by diocesan and religious priests. He added that "about 60 percent of the cases chiefly involved sexual attraction towards adolescents of the same sex, another 30 percent involved heterosexual relations, and the remaining 10 percent were cases of pedophilia in the true sense of the term."
These 300 cases, he continued, "are of course too many
They need to be much more aggressive about connecting this fiasco with liberalism, but Msgr alludes to it when he says:
He concedes, however, that in practice "It may be that in the past - perhaps also out of a misdirected desire to protect the good name of the institution - some bishops were ... too indulgent towards this sad phenomenon."
Pope showed wisdom and firmness against abuses as CDF prefect, says Msgr. Scicluna :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
Father Abrahamowitz burns Second Vatican Council Documents
Father Florian Abrahamowitz, a controversial Jewish convert and priest who was previously censured by the Society of St. Pius X has burned and condemned the documents of the Second Vatican Council in a symbolic act at "Domus Marcel Lefebvre" in the upper Italian village of Paese.
Link to Kreuz.net...
Update: Father Abrahamowitz has done this with the approval of a local Bishop.
In the sign of the lenten fast of renunciation and the baptismal promises, wich are renewed at the Easter Vigil, I will swear the Antimodernist Oath of St. Pius X and burn finally the documents of the Second Vatican Council.
The Antimodernist Oat was abolished in 1966 by Paul VI.
Link to Kreuz.net...
Update: Father Abrahamowitz has done this with the approval of a local Bishop.
On Satan’s trail with Don Gabriele, the world’s most famous exorcist - Times Online
On Satan’s trail with Don Gabriele, the world’s most famous exorcist - Times Online
Ghosts are often the souls from purgatory attempting to complete things on earth they were expected to do; I'm sure he's aware of this, but there is a great deal of hysteria about hauntings and the like which are very likely delusions or even diabolical infestations.
Ghosts are often the souls from purgatory attempting to complete things on earth they were expected to do; I'm sure he's aware of this, but there is a great deal of hysteria about hauntings and the like which are very likely delusions or even diabolical infestations.
Crazed Liberal Nun Endorses Senate Bill
Since many Catholic Hospitals offer or recommend abortion services, this is hardly surprising, but what might cause some mirth is that they're a lot like chronic alcoholics back at the bar again supporting the Senate Bill and creating confusion amongst Catholics. They were reprimanded earlier this year for their unqualified support for this bill (which they recanted, falling in line with the male-dominated USCCB) and now they're at it again. Sr. Keehan, a liberal, non-habit wearing religious poseur, is ever eager to support her true coreligionists in the Democratic Party, but will she make heaven? It would be hoped that the Apostolic Visitation should visit her and insure that she finds her way to a nice pasture someplace, or perhaps a job more suitable to her, running a totally secular social services organization outside the Church.
This whole thing raises some other questions as well. Since attempting to import many things from the world, like Msgr Dale Fushek's attempt to import music and strange guru youth retreats, or the aborted attempt to awaken IHM Nuns to the wonders of modern psychology or of Benedictine Monks to do the same with the predictable results from what Cardinal Schonborn calls the "Spirit of 68", do we really need to continue on the same course set for us by most of the policies of the USCCB and Sr. Keehan herself, who continue to insist that we ought to be more worldly. It really goes against the teachings of the Church Fathers, for example. Perhaps what we need is more traditional morality, less modern psychology and false Catholic religious.
Read more: http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/03/14/catholics-start-to-show-their-cards/?xid=rss-topstories#ixzz0iFzEtmVG
This whole thing raises some other questions as well. Since attempting to import many things from the world, like Msgr Dale Fushek's attempt to import music and strange guru youth retreats, or the aborted attempt to awaken IHM Nuns to the wonders of modern psychology or of Benedictine Monks to do the same with the predictable results from what Cardinal Schonborn calls the "Spirit of 68", do we really need to continue on the same course set for us by most of the policies of the USCCB and Sr. Keehan herself, who continue to insist that we ought to be more worldly. It really goes against the teachings of the Church Fathers, for example. Perhaps what we need is more traditional morality, less modern psychology and false Catholic religious.
As a House vote on the Senate health bill nears, the Catholic Health Association threw its support behind the legislation with a strong statement over the weekend. The CHA, which represents hundreds of Catholic hospitals around the country, noted, "We expect to see charges and counter charges about what is in the bill and how it will work," in a surprising acknowledgement of some misinformation that has circulated in some Catholic circles recently.
The group's endorsement is not entirely surprising--the CHA supported the Senate's approach to abortion funding last December. Throughout the development of health reform and negotiations over abortion language, the CHA has also been more encouraging than the US Conference of Catholic Bishops on the question of whether it is possible to craft legislative language that provides broad coverage while also preventing federal funding of abortion. Because of this, Democrats have sometimes made too much of the CHA's openness and support, while downplaying the significance of opposition from the bishops conference.
Read more: http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/03/14/catholics-start-to-show-their-cards/?xid=rss-topstories#ixzz0iFzEtmVG
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Masonic Lodge Promotes Child Abuse
If you think the Catholic Church engages in secrecy and subterfuge to "cover up" its crimes, you should look at the Masonic lodge which is far more insidious and part of the Society to which you yourself, dear reader, belong.
The Royal Order of Jesters which runs some charitable hospitals and is planning on closing down some of them, "because of the bad economy" has been caught mismanaging its funds and a good number of the members who also belong to the Masonic Shriners Lodge, were engaged in sex-tourism, preying on poor Indian girls as young as 9 years old.
Masonic organizations have long been hostile to the Catholic Church, and given the sexual immorality of their society alone, one could understand their hostillity but there's something deeper than that.
The Jesters, whose boards and trustees are made up primarily of Shriners, are able, since many are attorneys, police officers and Judges, to threaten and intimidate individuals who "ask questions" about how they spend their money.
They remind us of the Quasi-Masonic organization the Bishop of Regensburg recently accused of promoting child abuse. [2]
Sandy Frost's lengthy series of articles lays bare the corruption and unpunished predatory activities of these Masons, which often goes unpunished, here.
The Royal Order of Jesters which runs some charitable hospitals and is planning on closing down some of them, "because of the bad economy" has been caught mismanaging its funds and a good number of the members who also belong to the Masonic Shriners Lodge, were engaged in sex-tourism, preying on poor Indian girls as young as 9 years old.
A few days after that, I learned about how 19 Jesters were named on a witness list for the defense in a defamation action between two fishing tour operators who took groups to fish the Amazon in Brazil. "'Jesters' To Testify about Illegal Drugs, Child Prostitution?" was published about three weeks later, on March 6, 2008, and reported how these Jesters were expected to testify about "their first hand knowledge of prostitution, minor prostitution, use of illegal drugs and/or the alleged illegal entry of one of the tour operators into Indian reservations by the plaintiff and his customers."[1]
Masonic organizations have long been hostile to the Catholic Church, and given the sexual immorality of their society alone, one could understand their hostillity but there's something deeper than that.
The Jesters, whose boards and trustees are made up primarily of Shriners, are able, since many are attorneys, police officers and Judges, to threaten and intimidate individuals who "ask questions" about how they spend their money.
They remind us of the Quasi-Masonic organization the Bishop of Regensburg recently accused of promoting child abuse. [2]
Sandy Frost's lengthy series of articles lays bare the corruption and unpunished predatory activities of these Masons, which often goes unpunished, here.
Pope At Lutheran Church in Rome
Tom Heneghan and Gavin Jones
ROME
Sun Mar 14, 2010 4:20pm EDT< 1 / 2 > View Full SizeROME (Reuters) - Pope Benedict told Rome's Lutheran congregation on Sunday that Protestants and Roman Catholics should be thankful for all the unity achieved among Christians rather than complain about the slow pace of dialogue.
Addressing about 350 Lutherans in their small church, Benedict said both sides had accused each other of slowing down the ecumenical movement, but that only God, not humans, could create true unity.
The movement has brought Christian churches closer together in recent decades but has lost momentum lately.
Some Protestants, especially in Germany, say Benedict has contributed to that by stressing more strongly the Catholic claim to be the only true church.
Link to original...
ROME
Sun Mar 14, 2010 4:20pm EDT< 1 / 2 > View Full SizeROME (Reuters) - Pope Benedict told Rome's Lutheran congregation on Sunday that Protestants and Roman Catholics should be thankful for all the unity achieved among Christians rather than complain about the slow pace of dialogue.
Addressing about 350 Lutherans in their small church, Benedict said both sides had accused each other of slowing down the ecumenical movement, but that only God, not humans, could create true unity.
The movement has brought Christian churches closer together in recent decades but has lost momentum lately.
Some Protestants, especially in Germany, say Benedict has contributed to that by stressing more strongly the Catholic claim to be the only true church.
Link to original...
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Bishop Mueller Accuses Justice Minister's Organization of Promoting Child Abuse
Ex-Communist Federal Chairwoman, Rosemarie Will, is trying a sorry diversionary maneuver against the just reproaches of the Bishop of Regensburg. Despite her denials that her organization promotes sex with children, there is already a unanimous decision by her organization in 2000 that states the opposite, being concerned that criminal prosecution of sex crimes with minors could lead to greater state oppression [(!)Kath.net].
Here's what Kreuz reports about how Bishop Mueller responded to this organization.
Link to original...
Here's what Kreuz reports about how Bishop Mueller responded to this organization.
The Regensburger Bishop has publicly portrayed an anti-Catholic Organization as having much sympathy for child molesters. The reaction shows that the Bishop has hit the bull's eye.
(kreuz.net) The Anti-Church 'Humanistic Union' threatened Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Mueller of Regensburg with the law, reported the German "Catholic News Agency".
On Saturday, the German ‘Süddeutsche’ from an interview with the Turin newspaper 'La Stampa', accordingly Bishop Mueller said:
The German consultant of the anti-Church Union and Justice Minister "Sabine Leutheusser-Schanarrenberger"belongs to a kind of Freemasonic-Society, where pedophiles are portrayed as normal, which should be criminalized.
Otherwise she's lied, in the manner she has defamed us. For neither the Holy See nor the German Church has ever given the directive to the clergy to frustrate the norms of Justice."
The Church-hater is now demanding by Monday a retraction of his supposed "slander".
Otherwise, "she intends to take legal steps."
The Communications Director of the Diocese of Regensburg, Clemens Neck, maintains for 'Katolischen Nachrichtagentur', that Bishop Mueller has authorized no interview with 'La Stampa'.
The Dicoese views the possible lawsuit with "unreserved calm".
Link to original...
Holy Father Says Priest Not a Social Worker
In secularized society, says Benedict XVI, the priest is not a social worker, but " man of the sacred," not subject to the cultural fashions of the time. "True freedom" in belonging to God. The value of "celibacy" Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The priest is not a kind of "social worker", rather a " man of the sacred " who "speaks of God to the world and presents the world to God", who detach themselves from the fashions of the time and who "in a context of widespread secularization, which progressively excludes God from the public sphere, and, basically, even shared social consciousness" express "the freedom that only the certainty of belonging to God can give." Benedict XVI thus described the priest, in the year dedicated to him, to reiterate the value of "celibacy" in a time where, even within the Church, voices are being raised that call for the amendment of celibacy, if not its outright abolition. Meeting participants at the International Theological conference today organized by the Congregation for the Clergy on "Faithfulness of Christ, Faithfulness of Priests" the Pope in fact spoke of the "priestly identity," describing it as "crucial to the exercise of priestly ministry in the present and future. In an age like ours, that is so "polycentric" and inclined to blurring conceptions of identity, believed by many to be contrary to freedom and democracy, it is important to be clear about the theological distinctiveness of the ordained ministry to resist the temptation to reduce it the dominant cultural categories. In a context of widespread secularization, which progressively excludes God from the public sphere, and, basically, even shared social consciousness, the priest often appears "unrelated" to common feeling, because of the most fundamental aspects of his ministry, such as those being a man of the sacred, removed from the world to intercede in favour of the world, a mission that constituted by God and not by men (cf. Heb 5:1). For this reason it is important to overcome dangerous reductions, which in past decades by using categories that are more functionalist than ontological, the priest has been presented almost as a "social worker", at the risk of betraying the same Priesthood of Christ". Today "there is great need for priests who speak of God to the world and present the world to God, men who are not subject to ephemeral cultural fashions, but able to authentically live the freedom that only the certainty of belonging to God can gift. The priest, in fact, is the "property" by God "This his 'belonging to Another' must become recognizable to all, through clear testimony. In order to think, speak, to judge the facts of the world, to serve and love, to relate to people, even in his dressing, the priest should draw strength from his sacramental belonging, from his deepest being. He must therefore make every effort to detach himself from the prevailing mentality that tends to associate the value of the minister not to his being, but his role, thus misunderstanding, God's work, which profoundly penetrates the identity of the person of the Priest, permanently configuring the priest to Him". "The ontological horizon of belonging to God is also the right framework to understand and reaffirm, even today, the value of celibacy, which in the Latin Church is a charisma required for Holy Orders (cf. Presbyterorum Ordinis, 16) and is held in high esteem in the Eastern Churches (cf. CCEO, can. 373). It is authentic prophecy of the Kingdom, a sign of consecration to the Lord with an undivided heart and the "things of the Lord" (1 Cor 7:32), an expression of self-giving to God and to others (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n.1579) . "The men and women of our time – concluded Benedict XVI - ask us to be priests to the end and nothing else. The laity will find in many other people what they humanly need, but only in the priest can they find the Word of God which must always be on his lips (see Presbyterorum Ordinis, 4); the mercy of God, abundantly and freely bestowed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Bread of new Life, "real food given to men" (cf. Hymn of the Office of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi Roman Rite).
Friday, March 12, 2010
Archbishop Burke Criticizes Media Influence
How striking that he says that there must be "ecclesiastical punishments". These should be far more fearful to the Catholic than the tender mercies even of Sha'ria law and the dreaded wall of hooks or some other unthinkable device of pre-modern justice.
The Prefect of the highest Vatican Court of Appeals, Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke, has complained about the negative influence of the public in the revelation of abuse cases.
In earlier cases in the USA, a strong interaction between the media and attorneys intensified and an "objective judgement became difficult to discern between the situation and the individual cases themselves.", said the US Church Justice in Rome for Journalists on Thursday afternoon.
The sexual abuse by clerics have caused a deep wound to the "smallest and most defensive members" of the Catholic Church. An exact and comprehensive recondition of the abuse cases must include ecclesiastical punishments, so said the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura.
Link to original...
(C) 2010 KNA Katholische Nachrichten-Agentur GmbH. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
Pope knew priest was paedophile but allowed him to continue with ministry -Times Online
Ruth Gledhill maintains that Benedict XVI is "unassailable" and that his papacy is one of continuing centralization of the last two papacies. It's amazing then that he doesn't seem to be able to keep even his closest Cardinals, like +Schonborn under control. On the contrary, there is a tremendous amount of freedom on the part of Catholic institutions to support causes contrary to Catholic teaching and mission, so on the face of it her suggestion is a dubious one, as it is with other readers of liberal Catholic papers who describe certain liberal prelates as conservative when well-informed readers know it not to be the case.
Still more important is the backdrop against which she poses this alleged state of affairs. If Cardinal Mahony couldn't be unseated with hundreds of legitimate claims against his Archdiocese that happened on his watch, do you suppose that the Holy Father can be brought down by allegations against his brother and one fuzzy claim that he had a hand in relocating someone ALLEGED to have abused a child?
The news media is digging deep and coming up with a few scraps. It is to be hoped that this signals the continuing downfall of the kingmakers of facile public opinion and the rise of a more liberal, factual and fair appraisal of the events of the day and not some pack of mercenaries in the employ of the consensus of moral depravity.
Pope knew priest was paedophile but allowed him to continue with ministry -Times Online
Still more important is the backdrop against which she poses this alleged state of affairs. If Cardinal Mahony couldn't be unseated with hundreds of legitimate claims against his Archdiocese that happened on his watch, do you suppose that the Holy Father can be brought down by allegations against his brother and one fuzzy claim that he had a hand in relocating someone ALLEGED to have abused a child?
The news media is digging deep and coming up with a few scraps. It is to be hoped that this signals the continuing downfall of the kingmakers of facile public opinion and the rise of a more liberal, factual and fair appraisal of the events of the day and not some pack of mercenaries in the employ of the consensus of moral depravity.
Pope knew priest was paedophile but allowed him to continue with ministry -Times Online
Dead Sea Scrolls at the Science Museum: Ancient fragments with well-hidden secrets | Twin Cities Daily Planet
Tertullian once asked, "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem." What, indeed, does Collegeville have to do with Nag Hammadi and Qumran? Perhaps the modernist Monastery is hoping for the glamour of this archeological find to rub off on their atheist illustrated and deceptively packaged Illustrated "Bible".
Dead Sea Scrolls at the Science Museum: Ancient fragments with well-hidden secrets | Twin Cities Daily Planet
On display adjacent to The Dead Sea Scrolls is an exhibit showcasing the St. John’s Bible, an illuminated manuscript commissioned by St. John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minnesota; it’s the first handwritten illuminated Bible to be created anywhere in the world since the Middle Ages. [That's a piece of humbug pronounced by the Abbey and it's not true. There have been illustrated Bibles since then.] The pages on display are striking, and the small exhibit is an eye-opening introduction to a remarkable project being executed just up the highway. - J.G.
Dead Sea Scrolls at the Science Museum: Ancient fragments with well-hidden secrets | Twin Cities Daily Planet
Pope gives full support to German bishops' plan for responding to abuses :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
It's good that there is talk of handing over to the secular arm for punishment, but what about the severe penances? If it sounds like too much of a government program, it'll sound like an empty and faceless bureaucratic and cynical maneuver, designed to frustrate, stonewall and disarm detractors while protecting the guilty from justice.
Again, would that we hadn't abolished juridical torture and made severe penances a thing of the past.
Pope gives full support to German bishops' plan for responding to abuses :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
Again, would that we hadn't abolished juridical torture and made severe penances a thing of the past.
Pope gives full support to German bishops' plan for responding to abuses :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
He Introduced the Index of Forbidden Books
Paul VI in a conciliar delirium: The United Nations is the great school, where humanity is brought to peace.
-Fr. Luigi Villa
(Kreuz.net) On 20th March Paul VI received the Administrative Council of the 'Rotary Club'.
In a talk he explained, that the organisational form of this para-masonic organization and their methods were good, and the goals, the Pope maintained, were good.
On 4 October 1965 he spoke to the UN - General Assembly in New York and declared: "Gentlemen, you have achieved a great work. You teach men peace. The UN is the great school, where one receives this education."
Paul VI. even visited the abstract meditation room of the United Nations, which is consecrated (geweiht) to God, who men honor under many different names and forms .
The Old Was Disposed of
On 23 March 1963 Paul VI let the lay-Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey (+1988) bless a wall of Cardinals, Bishops and faithful.
On 14 June 1966, he abolished the Index Liborum with the notification "Post Litteras apostolicas".
Simultaneously, a de facto Index was reestablished according to liberalistic theology.
Primarily, the Roman Missal and the works of right believing Catholic Theologians landed on the list.
On 3 April 1969, Paul VI replaced the ancient Roman Missal with the constitution "Missale Romanum" and later with the constitution "Novus Ordo Missae", above all this was done, in order to please the protestants.
With the Motu Propio "Matrimonia mixta" he forged the solemn vow between non-Catholic marriage partners to inform their children of the Catholic Faith.
On 22 November 1970 he avoided Ingravascetem aetatem by the Motu Propio, "over eighty-year old Cardinals, participating in the conclave."
Later bishops upon reaching the age of 75 were forced to retire.
Thus the old bishops should be removed, who might obstruct the development of the Conciliar Church.
A Suction Tube?
With the instruction "Fidei custos", Paul VI permitted laymen to give Holy Communion with the unspecified pretext, "special circumstances and new necessities".
With the instruction "Memoriale Domini" he permitted the Episcopal Conferences of those countries to allow Communion in the hand with their permission, despite this being done already, illegally.
Still, briefly before, the Pope himself had condemned the practice because of the, "danger of profaning the Holy Eucharist," and for the reason of "pious respect for believers towards the Eucharist."
Paul VI signed also an Edict, which maintained, that under both forms, the Precious Blood could be consumed through a straw.
When he died, there were no Christian symbols to be seen on his coffin.
Link to original...
-Fr. Luigi Villa
(Kreuz.net) On 20th March Paul VI received the Administrative Council of the 'Rotary Club'.
In a talk he explained, that the organisational form of this para-masonic organization and their methods were good, and the goals, the Pope maintained, were good.
On 4 October 1965 he spoke to the UN - General Assembly in New York and declared: "Gentlemen, you have achieved a great work. You teach men peace. The UN is the great school, where one receives this education."
Paul VI. even visited the abstract meditation room of the United Nations, which is consecrated (geweiht) to God, who men honor under many different names and forms .
The Old Was Disposed of
On 23 March 1963 Paul VI let the lay-Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey (+1988) bless a wall of Cardinals, Bishops and faithful.
On 14 June 1966, he abolished the Index Liborum with the notification "Post Litteras apostolicas".
Simultaneously, a de facto Index was reestablished according to liberalistic theology.
Primarily, the Roman Missal and the works of right believing Catholic Theologians landed on the list.
On 3 April 1969, Paul VI replaced the ancient Roman Missal with the constitution "Missale Romanum" and later with the constitution "Novus Ordo Missae", above all this was done, in order to please the protestants.
With the Motu Propio "Matrimonia mixta" he forged the solemn vow between non-Catholic marriage partners to inform their children of the Catholic Faith.
On 22 November 1970 he avoided Ingravascetem aetatem by the Motu Propio, "over eighty-year old Cardinals, participating in the conclave."
Later bishops upon reaching the age of 75 were forced to retire.
Thus the old bishops should be removed, who might obstruct the development of the Conciliar Church.
A Suction Tube?
With the instruction "Fidei custos", Paul VI permitted laymen to give Holy Communion with the unspecified pretext, "special circumstances and new necessities".
With the instruction "Memoriale Domini" he permitted the Episcopal Conferences of those countries to allow Communion in the hand with their permission, despite this being done already, illegally.
Still, briefly before, the Pope himself had condemned the practice because of the, "danger of profaning the Holy Eucharist," and for the reason of "pious respect for believers towards the Eucharist."
Paul VI signed also an Edict, which maintained, that under both forms, the Precious Blood could be consumed through a straw.
When he died, there were no Christian symbols to be seen on his coffin.
Link to original...
CCHD Stations of the Cross
This just in from "Reform the CCHD". Reform it out of existence would be a better idea. This most recent evil shows a station of the Cross dedicated to a Planned Parenthood funded recipient of CCHD funds, the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, here.
Read further....
This year, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) released its own version of this ancient devotion. This self-promotion offers a few scriptural passages relevant to each of the 14 Stations of the Cross (Jesus is Condemned to Death, Jesus Takes up His Cross, Jesus Falls the First Time, etc.), which are followed by commercial commentaries on groups receiving grant money from the CCHD. Even the prayers at the end of each station are tainted with these commercial insertions.
Read further....
Pope establishes structure for Anglicans uniting with Rome
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has established a special structure for Anglicans who want to be in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church while preserving aspects of their Anglican spiritual and liturgical heritage, said U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada.
The cardinal, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said a new apostolic constitution would establish "personal ordinariates" -- similar to dioceses -- to oversee the pastoral care of those who want to bring elements of their Anglican identity into the Catholic Church with them.
Anglican priests who are married may be ordained Catholic priests, but married Anglican bishops will not be able to function as Catholic bishops in keeping with the long-standing Catholic and Orthodox tradition of ordaining only unmarried clergy as bishops, Cardinal Levada said.
Read further...
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has established a special structure for Anglicans who want to be in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church while preserving aspects of their Anglican spiritual and liturgical heritage, said U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada.
The cardinal, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said a new apostolic constitution would establish "personal ordinariates" -- similar to dioceses -- to oversee the pastoral care of those who want to bring elements of their Anglican identity into the Catholic Church with them.
Anglican priests who are married may be ordained Catholic priests, but married Anglican bishops will not be able to function as Catholic bishops in keeping with the long-standing Catholic and Orthodox tradition of ordaining only unmarried clergy as bishops, Cardinal Levada said.
Read further...
Despite The Danube Cardinal's Remarks: Pope Benedict Defends Celibacy
Perhaps good can come of evil. The Cardinal on the Danube has caused a furor on-line while appearing to question the salutory nature of clerical celibacy, and indeed, it's what we've come to expect from him, but while he has stopped short of criticizing celibacy, he's very interested in giving voice to dissident communities in Vienna who ARE opposed to everything the Church teaches and expect that because they have an opinion celebrated by the mass media and entertainment complex, that they deserve to have their views put into effect. Remember when the Cardinal did such and such, like when he tried to blame the orthodox Father Wagner of Linz for the decline in Austrian Church membership?
Truly, our current Pope has ideas that are a sign of contradiction to the consensus; with not a little courage.
Read whole article...
Truly, our current Pope has ideas that are a sign of contradiction to the consensus; with not a little courage.
Pope Benedict Defends Celibacy
He was speaking at a theological conference before meeting Germany's top bishop for talks about a new crisis over sexual abuse of children.
German Bishop Robert Zollitsch apologised again to victims of abuse by German priests. [This Bishop made some excellent comments on sex abuse.]
The Archbishop of Vienna had suggested that the Church should examine celibacy and priests' training. [Yes, perhaps we should examine celibacy and learn how it has been the discipline of the Church for many centuries for good reasons.]
'Honesty needed'
Europe's Catholic paedophile scandal now affects institutions in Ireland, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany.
The Vatican has also admitted married clergy who converted from the Anglican faith
In Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn wrote in a diocesan magazine that "the issue of priest training, as well as the question of what happened in the so-called sexual revolution" needed to be addressed.
But the Pope said on Friday that celibacy is "the sign of full devotion, the entire commitment to the Lord and to the 'Lord's business', an expression of giving oneself to God and to others".
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Osservatore Romano Full of Errors
There was a comedy routine Robin Williams did about how if women ran world government that we'd have world peace. Well, Mother Goddess worship has come to the Vatican as well.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A greater presence of women in decision-making roles in the church might have helped remove the "veil of masculine secrecy" that covered priestly sex abuse cases, a front-page commentary in the Vatican newspaper said.
The article said that despite calls by popes and others for welcoming women into equal, though diverse, roles in the church, women have generally been kept out of positions of responsibility.
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US museums lend masterpieces to major Caravaggio exhibit in Rome
By Father Matthew Gamber
Catholic News Service
ROME (CNS) -- Three Caravaggio masterpieces, originally painted in Rome but now part of U.S. museum collections, returned to Rome as part of a historic exhibit of the artist's work.
In a way, the paintings are on a pilgrimage back to their birthplace, said Elizabeth Lev, a Caravaggio expert and professor of art history at the Rome campuses of Duquesne University and the University of St. Thomas.
"Caravaggio's vision was carried across the ocean thanks to these works, but now these paintings are making a pilgrimage back to the city where they were born," Lev said.
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Catholic News Service
ROME (CNS) -- Three Caravaggio masterpieces, originally painted in Rome but now part of U.S. museum collections, returned to Rome as part of a historic exhibit of the artist's work.
In a way, the paintings are on a pilgrimage back to their birthplace, said Elizabeth Lev, a Caravaggio expert and professor of art history at the Rome campuses of Duquesne University and the University of St. Thomas.
"Caravaggio's vision was carried across the ocean thanks to these works, but now these paintings are making a pilgrimage back to the city where they were born," Lev said.
Read further...
Thursday, March 11, 2010
CONFESSORS: OPEN A "DIALOGUE OF SALVATION" WITH PENITENTS
VATICAN CITY, 11 MAR 2010 (VIS) - At midday today, the Pope received participants in an annual course on the "internal forum" organised by the Apostolic Penitentiary. By participating in the course, he told them, "you have shown the pressing need to dedicate deeper study to a subject that is essential for the ministry and the life of priests".
Benedict XVI recalled how this year's course coincides with the current Year for Priests, dedicated to St. John Mary Vianney, "who heroically and fruitfully exercised the ministry of Reconciliation. ... From the saintly 'Cure of Ars' we priests can learn not only a limitless trust in the Sacrament of Penance which leads us to reinstate it as the focus of our pastoral concerns, but also the method of 'the dialogue of salvation' which must be part thereof", he said.
"Awareness of one's own limits and the need to turn to Divine Mercy in order to ask forgiveness, to convert the heart and to find support on the path of saintliness, are fundamentals in the life of priests. Only someone who has himself experienced greatness can convincingly announce and administer the Mercy of God", the Holy Father explained.
The current cultural context, characterised by "a hedonistic and relativist mentality which tends to remove God from the horizon of life, does not facilitate our acquisition of a clear picture of reference values, and does not help us to discern good from evil or to develop a correct sense of sin". This, the Pope noted, is not very different from the period in which St. John Mary Vianney lived, marked as it was by "a mentality hostile to the faith, as expressed by certain forces that even sought to prevent the exercise of the priestly ministry.
"In these circumstances, the saintly 'Cure of Ars' made 'the church his home' in order to lead men and women to God", the Pope added, "and he appeared to his contemporaries to be an evident sign of God that he encouraged many penitents to come to his confessional". Thus, the Holy Father went on, "it is necessary for priests to live their own response to vocation 'exaltedly', because only someone who daily becomes living and clear presence of the Lord can arouse a sense of sin in the faithful, give them courage and stimulate their desire for forgiveness from God".
"The 'crisis' in the Sacrament of Penance, which is often spoken of, is an appeal addressed first and foremost to priests and to their great responsibility to educate the people of God in the radical demands of the Gospel. In particular, it calls on them generously to dedicate themselves to hearing sacramental confessions, and courageously to guide their flock not to conform itself to this world, but to make choices that go against the tide, avoiding deals and compromises".
Finally, Benedict XVI invited priests to open a "dialogue of salvation" with their penitents, as suggested by the "Cure of Ars". A dialogue that, "arising from the certainty of being loved by God, helps man to recognise his own sin and progressively to introduce himself into a stable process of conversion of heart, which leads to the radical rejection of evil and to a life lived in accordance with God's wishes".
AC/CONFESSION/APOSTOLIC PENITENTIARYVIS 100311 (560)
Benedict XVI recalled how this year's course coincides with the current Year for Priests, dedicated to St. John Mary Vianney, "who heroically and fruitfully exercised the ministry of Reconciliation. ... From the saintly 'Cure of Ars' we priests can learn not only a limitless trust in the Sacrament of Penance which leads us to reinstate it as the focus of our pastoral concerns, but also the method of 'the dialogue of salvation' which must be part thereof", he said.
"Awareness of one's own limits and the need to turn to Divine Mercy in order to ask forgiveness, to convert the heart and to find support on the path of saintliness, are fundamentals in the life of priests. Only someone who has himself experienced greatness can convincingly announce and administer the Mercy of God", the Holy Father explained.
The current cultural context, characterised by "a hedonistic and relativist mentality which tends to remove God from the horizon of life, does not facilitate our acquisition of a clear picture of reference values, and does not help us to discern good from evil or to develop a correct sense of sin". This, the Pope noted, is not very different from the period in which St. John Mary Vianney lived, marked as it was by "a mentality hostile to the faith, as expressed by certain forces that even sought to prevent the exercise of the priestly ministry.
"In these circumstances, the saintly 'Cure of Ars' made 'the church his home' in order to lead men and women to God", the Pope added, "and he appeared to his contemporaries to be an evident sign of God that he encouraged many penitents to come to his confessional". Thus, the Holy Father went on, "it is necessary for priests to live their own response to vocation 'exaltedly', because only someone who daily becomes living and clear presence of the Lord can arouse a sense of sin in the faithful, give them courage and stimulate their desire for forgiveness from God".
"The 'crisis' in the Sacrament of Penance, which is often spoken of, is an appeal addressed first and foremost to priests and to their great responsibility to educate the people of God in the radical demands of the Gospel. In particular, it calls on them generously to dedicate themselves to hearing sacramental confessions, and courageously to guide their flock not to conform itself to this world, but to make choices that go against the tide, avoiding deals and compromises".
Finally, Benedict XVI invited priests to open a "dialogue of salvation" with their penitents, as suggested by the "Cure of Ars". A dialogue that, "arising from the certainty of being loved by God, helps man to recognise his own sin and progressively to introduce himself into a stable process of conversion of heart, which leads to the radical rejection of evil and to a life lived in accordance with God's wishes".
AC/CONFESSION/APOSTOLIC PENITENTIARYVIS 100311 (560)
Obama's Controversial Catholic Advisor
Obama has a number of strange advisors, in addition to Cardinal McCarrick.
Yes, we have to thank Rocco Palmo for spotlighting Mr. Denis McDonaugh, brother of Fr. Kevin McDonaugh, who is Obama's advisor on things Catholic. He graduated from St. John's University. Fr. McDonaugh, one of whose other brothers is also a Catholic priest. Comically, Fr. Kevin McDonaugh, formerly the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of St. Paul, Minnesota, insisted that there was no homosexual subculture in the Archdiocese, despite many priests active in one way or another in homosexualist causes. Closer to home, his brother own, Fr. William McDonaugh doesn't agree with the Church's teachings on homosexuality, and his advocacy of that cause seems more than personal.
Denis McDonaugh also has contacts, as Rocco Palmo mentions, with the Ambassador to the Holy See (another dissenter), Dr. Diaz, whom he prepared for the post.
Yes, we have to thank Rocco Palmo for spotlighting Mr. Denis McDonaugh, brother of Fr. Kevin McDonaugh, who is Obama's advisor on things Catholic. He graduated from St. John's University. Fr. McDonaugh, one of whose other brothers is also a Catholic priest. Comically, Fr. Kevin McDonaugh, formerly the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of St. Paul, Minnesota, insisted that there was no homosexual subculture in the Archdiocese, despite many priests active in one way or another in homosexualist causes. Closer to home, his brother own, Fr. William McDonaugh doesn't agree with the Church's teachings on homosexuality, and his advocacy of that cause seems more than personal.
Denis McDonaugh also has contacts, as Rocco Palmo mentions, with the Ambassador to the Holy See (another dissenter), Dr. Diaz, whom he prepared for the post.
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