There's at least one reason why you'd not want to trust Cardinal Pell with such a sensitive post that don't stem from his tenuous interaction with Deacon Alcuin Reed. Isn't the fact that he tolerated such an open source of dissent in his diocese related to homosexuality cause enough? You can read the story, here.
Still, it's all too easy to see that a very unsavory cluster of individuals might not want him in this sensitive position.
Cardinal Pell is the victim of a smear campaign designed to stop him reforming the world's bishops
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Argentinian Bishop Challenges State-Run Liberal Media
Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jun 16, 2010 / 04:45 am (CNA).- Archbishop Hector Aguer of La Plata in Argentina criticized the ideological slant in Argentina’s official state-run media, which, he explained, saturates “viewers and listeners with their ideology.”
The archbishop noted that some channels have “very good programs. But the strong ideological line and one-sidedness is noteworthy. No pluralism exists, as corresponding to the country, especially in the state-run media,” he added.
During the program, “Keys to a Better World,” Archbishop Aguer noted that many of the programs “are technically very good … but nevertheless the ideological virus is present. It is just another one of the defects of the media,” he said.
Read further... CNA.
America Magazine Pines Away in Defense of CINO University Appointment : You Mean RIght Wingers!
The new President of the Catholic University of America was introduced to the university community at a well attended gathering on campus yesterday. Professor John Garvey, previously the Dean of the Law School at Boston College, will take up his duties at the 15th President of CUA later this summer.
It did not take the conservative blogosphere long to impugn this man’s fitness. Never mind that he is, as Archbishop Alan Vigneron, Chairman of the CUA Board, said, “an accomplished jurist, scholar and teacher.” Never mind that his appointment had just been approved not only by the bishop-heavy CUA Board but by the Holy See. Never mind that he has devoted his life as a scholar to studying the ways that faith informs the law, his area of expertise. Never mind that his five children have a total of 92 years of Catholic education.
Garvey’s crime? He donated, over the course of three years, $1,750 to the campaign of his home state Senator John Kerry. And, while Dean of the Law School, he oversaw the awarding of an honorary degree to home state Congressman Edward Markey. Both Kerry and Markey are pro-choice. Now, I can think of a bunch of reasons to vote for or against John Kerry but I do not see how that support, or lack thereof, would disqualify a person from the post of a university President at a Catholic college. And, more than a year ago I let my feelings be known about the awarding of honorary degrees at commencement time. I think both Kerry and Markey are wrong on abortion, but I cannot judge their entire careers based on that fact alone anymore than I can judge George W. Bush’s career simply because he sanctioned the use of torture against suspected terrorists. That, too, is an intrinsic evil.
Link to America Magazine...
It did not take the conservative blogosphere long to impugn this man’s fitness. Never mind that he is, as Archbishop Alan Vigneron, Chairman of the CUA Board, said, “an accomplished jurist, scholar and teacher.” Never mind that his appointment had just been approved not only by the bishop-heavy CUA Board but by the Holy See. Never mind that he has devoted his life as a scholar to studying the ways that faith informs the law, his area of expertise. Never mind that his five children have a total of 92 years of Catholic education.
Garvey’s crime? He donated, over the course of three years, $1,750 to the campaign of his home state Senator John Kerry. And, while Dean of the Law School, he oversaw the awarding of an honorary degree to home state Congressman Edward Markey. Both Kerry and Markey are pro-choice. Now, I can think of a bunch of reasons to vote for or against John Kerry but I do not see how that support, or lack thereof, would disqualify a person from the post of a university President at a Catholic college. And, more than a year ago I let my feelings be known about the awarding of honorary degrees at commencement time. I think both Kerry and Markey are wrong on abortion, but I cannot judge their entire careers based on that fact alone anymore than I can judge George W. Bush’s career simply because he sanctioned the use of torture against suspected terrorists. That, too, is an intrinsic evil.
Link to America Magazine...
Bishop Mixa is Fighting His Forced Resignation in Rome Against Liberal Prelates
Archbishop Zollitsch, who faces his own problems related to sex abuse, sold his colleague down the river when it came to an uncredible accusation against him. The Bavarian Bishop is not overly friendly to tradition, but perhaps his current experience with cut-throat liberal Bishops will instill a stronger sense of who his real friends are, the Traditionalists.
Mixa wants his case reviewed by Vatican - The Local
Mixa wants his case reviewed by Vatican - The Local
USCCB to Give More Money to Alinskyite Groups
While some USCCB members are sunning themselves and relaxing, there will be serious business. The Bishops have authorized funds to go to various Alinskeyite groups who allege to help oil spill victims, USCCB site, here.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Bishops Gather to Watch Communist Propaganda and Relax in St. Petersburg
According to the Petersburg Times, the Bishops are still "wrestling" with the sex abuse crisis. It doesn't sound like they'll be having meditations on the Spiritual Exercises of the great St. Ignatius of Loyola and as far as we know they won't be discussing the new Pro-Abortion President of Catholic University, as far as we know. According to Bishop Lynch, they're going to watch Invictus, a pious homage to the alleged beneficence and wisdom of hard -core Marxist, Nelson Mandela.
Bishop Lynch had this to offer about the retreat:
Maybe the Bishops could discuss the injustices heaped upon some priests by their colleagues in the last 50 years, like Father Mclucas, or all the Seminarians whose lives were made hell for no good reason, or perhaps the dissident priests teaching at their colleges and Universities. Sometimes, a priest can get dismissed by teaching unpopular things to their flocks, and sometimes priests even get hung out to dry by their ordinary.
Bishops assemble to refresh, reflect at St. Petersburg retreat - St. Petersburg Times
Bishop Lynch had this to offer about the retreat:
The media was not allowed at the retreat, but Bishop Robert N. Lynch, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, which spans Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties, offered an insider's peek at the weeklong gathering in his May 31 blog.
"It is relaxed and informal," he said.
"It is something like five days of continuing education and this year the general theme is 'the bishop and his priests' … Relationships between bishops and priests is an important topic because it has changed for the worse since the sexual-abuse controversy of 2001 and following. In many places priests don't trust their bishops any longer and are terrified that they will receive a call and be asked to come and see the bishop for fear it might be a complaint or something of that nature," Lynch wrote.
Maybe the Bishops could discuss the injustices heaped upon some priests by their colleagues in the last 50 years, like Father Mclucas, or all the Seminarians whose lives were made hell for no good reason, or perhaps the dissident priests teaching at their colleges and Universities. Sometimes, a priest can get dismissed by teaching unpopular things to their flocks, and sometimes priests even get hung out to dry by their ordinary.
Bishops assemble to refresh, reflect at St. Petersburg retreat - St. Petersburg Times
Catholic Priest and Exorcist Thomas J. Euteneuer on Performing Exorcisms
[Opposing Views] Obscured by rumor and myth, and confused by exaggerations and outright falsehoods in popular movies, the Catholic Church's ancient rite of exorcism is not only still practiced today, but is needed more than ever, writes pro-life leader, Catholic priest and exorcist Reverend Thomas J. Euteneuer in his new book, Exorcism and the Church Militant.
"The Church has good reason to avoid popularizing exorcism, and affirming the sensationalist or dismissive accounts of the culture at large," said Father Euteneuer. "At the same time, this necessary discretion has led to the rite being neglected in many areas, at precisely the time when it is most needed to deliver those who have succumbed to the increasing deceptions of the devil in these troubling times."
Father Euteneuer, President of Human Life International, has conducted exorcisms in several dioceses around the United States and spoken to thousands of people on this subject. He seeks to build up the faith of people through accurate teaching on this controversial topic.
"With Exorcism and the Church Militant I hope to undo myths and misunderstandings surrounding exorcism, and issue a call to my brother priests and our faithful bishops," said Father Euteneuer. "Our culture is ever more saturated with enticements to the occult and other dangerous spiritual and moral choices. Clarifying what exorcism is and underlining the urgency for both clergy and the faithful is key if we're going to start confronting Satan where he is making so much headway, in our homes and communities."
With Exorcism and the Church Militant, Father Euteneuer is also releasing Demonic Abortion, the first of two companion works. This 120-page booklet is a meditation on the evil nature of the abortion industry, from the perspective of a priest and exorcist who has been fighting in the pro-life trenches around the world for well over a decade. With a release date of July 7, 2010, Demonic Abortion is now available for pre-order.
More information about both Exorcism and the Church Militant and Demonic Abortion can be found at www.exorcismbook.com.
About the Author:
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer was ordained a priest in 1988 for the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida and served in parishes in that diocese for twelve years before being given permission by his bishop to work full-time in pro-life ministry with Human Life International, where he has served as President since December of the year 2000. Father Euteneuer has been performing exorcisms for seven years with approval from numerous dioceses in the United States. His interest in the ministry was a natural outgrowth of his work in the pro-life field, which deals with the organized power of evil on a global scale.
Link to original...
"The Church has good reason to avoid popularizing exorcism, and affirming the sensationalist or dismissive accounts of the culture at large," said Father Euteneuer. "At the same time, this necessary discretion has led to the rite being neglected in many areas, at precisely the time when it is most needed to deliver those who have succumbed to the increasing deceptions of the devil in these troubling times."
Father Euteneuer, President of Human Life International, has conducted exorcisms in several dioceses around the United States and spoken to thousands of people on this subject. He seeks to build up the faith of people through accurate teaching on this controversial topic.
"With Exorcism and the Church Militant I hope to undo myths and misunderstandings surrounding exorcism, and issue a call to my brother priests and our faithful bishops," said Father Euteneuer. "Our culture is ever more saturated with enticements to the occult and other dangerous spiritual and moral choices. Clarifying what exorcism is and underlining the urgency for both clergy and the faithful is key if we're going to start confronting Satan where he is making so much headway, in our homes and communities."
With Exorcism and the Church Militant, Father Euteneuer is also releasing Demonic Abortion, the first of two companion works. This 120-page booklet is a meditation on the evil nature of the abortion industry, from the perspective of a priest and exorcist who has been fighting in the pro-life trenches around the world for well over a decade. With a release date of July 7, 2010, Demonic Abortion is now available for pre-order.
More information about both Exorcism and the Church Militant and Demonic Abortion can be found at www.exorcismbook.com.
About the Author:
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer was ordained a priest in 1988 for the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida and served in parishes in that diocese for twelve years before being given permission by his bishop to work full-time in pro-life ministry with Human Life International, where he has served as President since December of the year 2000. Father Euteneuer has been performing exorcisms for seven years with approval from numerous dioceses in the United States. His interest in the ministry was a natural outgrowth of his work in the pro-life field, which deals with the organized power of evil on a global scale.
Link to original...
The Bishop of Essen warns Perverse of Eternal Damnation
Bishop Overbeck is friendly with the traditional Society of St. Peter, and doesn't intend on backing down when it comes to the teaching the traditional Catholic Faith given to us by Christ and passed down to the Apostles.
Whoever dies as an unrepentant homosexual, goes to Hell. The Bishop of Essen can not abolish the 10 Commandments: homosexual perversion is a mortal sin.
Link to original...
Whoever dies as an unrepentant homosexual, goes to Hell. The Bishop of Essen can not abolish the 10 Commandments: homosexual perversion is a mortal sin.
[kreuz.net, Essen,June 10, 2010] Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen had delineated his diagnosis of homosexual perversion in a talk show on an evening in April, and yesterday during a town-hall meeting in his Cathedral
In April the Bishop had said "the first" on television: "Homosexuality is a sin, we know this very clearly and precisely, that it is that. It contradicts nature. The nature of man is applied in the unity of man and woman."
The Gruesome Homosexual Perversion is a Mortal Sin.
Msgr Overbeck specified then, that it would have been better to say, that "expressed" homosexuality is a sin.
That's how it is written in the "Catechism of the Catholic Church."
The Bishop continued, that he holds the Church's traditional Faith, which holds that the married unity of partnership and love is between a man and a woman.
He sees also "an opposition" between Catholic moral and degenerate western society.
The Church must, therefore, specify how a happy life could led.
It occurs not as a life-style choice and freedom from all norms. It must come from Christ within God-given norms in order to life a fulfilling life.
Anti-Democratic Homosexuals Rioted in the Cathedral
While the Bishop spoke about Sodomy, some unnatural homosexual storm troopers attempted to rob the Bishop of freedom of speech in his own Cathedral.
The Homosexuals shouted and heckled during the Bishop's explanation.
The moderator attempted to explain to the sodomites the limitations. A talk with the public was not planned impossible because of the acoustics in the Cathedral make it impossible.
The naive Bishop offered the anti-democratic homosexual hecklers, to meet at another time.
Link to original...
Monday, June 14, 2010
Archdiocese and City of Vienna to Scrap "Pope's Cross"
The City of Vienna and the Archdiocese want to tear down a giant metal cross and replace it with an ugly memorial by sculptor Oscar HÖFINGER. There's an initiative to renew the so-called "Pope's Cross" which has been estimated to cost around 400,000 Euro. It wouldn't be surprising if it were the cost of the sculptor's commission.
One commenter has already pointed out on kathnet that the universally hated St. Restituta statue cost the Vienna Archdiocese 100,000 Euro.
[Kath.net, Vienna] The Cross is going to be scrapped and replaced by a small monument. This has angered many Catholics who were there at the time. They are planning their own initiative "Save the Pope's Cross".
In the Archdiocese of Vienna there is an uproar about the planned destruction of the "Pope's Cross" in the Danube Park. The 40 Meter high and 65 ton metal cross was erected for a Eucharistic Celebration with John Paul II on September 11, 1983.
Recently, a placard has been put on the fence around the cross. It reads: "For statistical reasons the present Pope's Cross, which was erected on the first pastoral visit of John Paul II on 12 September 1983, in agreement with the Vienna City Parks and the Archdiocese of Vienna and in the the Summer of 2010 will be replaced by a small memorial. The piece will be by sculptor Oskar HÖFINGER and will represent the risen Christ." [It will most assuredly be ugly socialist art.]
For some days Kath.net has dialed the phone in order to discover what is to become of the cross. The director of the Park Office of the Vienna Magistrats was very friendly, but clueless. He didn't know that there was such a cross. Then, after some further calls, Kath.net got the answer: "the cross is rusty" and "must be taken away." Sadly, nothing more could be said.
It constitutes a danger of collapse, one would have to reinforce the construction to make it safe, as is maintained by the Mayor's office, as the "Crown" reports. City Park Director Rainer Weisgram has tried to find all the information for a possible renovation.
"This would cost an estimated 400,000 Euro." One such investment with tax money is not sensible, because "with that you could make a giant playground with the works".
This statement really brings everything to hand, for the "Pope's Cross" has enduring value and high symbolic value. This estimate is "on one hand surely exaggerated" , and it states the other side "laughable on the face of millions, who pay their tax money in a 'Lifeball' which is about to be given away in a few days," incites a Catholic woman in the Archdiocese of Vienna to write to Kath.NET.
The cost for the planned "little memorial" should come by the way of the City of Vienna and the Archdiocese of Vienna and be used for the same , Kath.NET has learned from well informed circles of the Archdiocese of Vienna.
In the meantime there is a spontaneous initiative "Save the Pope's Cross". which forms a petition group, in a do-it-yourself effort to raise the allegedly necessary 300,000 to 400,000 Euro.
Link to Kath.net...
Comparing the Church Militant with a Cruise Ship
Msgr Charles Pope wrote an interesting blog post for the Archdiocese of Washington recently where he compared the Church to a battleship. There is a lot of symbolism in scripture and tradition to compare the Church militant to a ship, an ark or even a battleship. The dream of Dom Bosco was a kind of vision of the Church Militant engaged against Her enemies. The symbolism is powerful, although some may object to it today, they are only expressing vicarious doubts borrowed from the false doctrines of secular humanism. If they look to what the Church has always been and stood for, the Church is like a battleship, She's militant and prepared for war against the Powers and Principalities of this world.
Pope Benedict Promises More Discipline: Will Dissident Bishops Come to Canossa?
Holy Father promises greater Church discipline. Authentic Church life requires the values of obedience and forthrightness. In his sermon on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart last week, he promises greater discipline, the rod, to keep wolves at bay.
This falls in line with other concerns he's had more recently regarding heresy. It's going to be increasingly the case that Church leaders who do not ascent and teach the orthodox tenets of the Catholic Faith are going to find themselves out in the cold, like various Cardinals who have been finding themselves sidelined when it comes to important Curial meetings. It may go beyond that, however. Will the rebellious Austrian Clergy walk the road to Canossa?
"Your rod and your staff – they comfort me": the shepherd needs the rod as protection against savage beasts ready to pounce on the flock; against robbers looking for prey. Along with the rod there is the staff which gives support and helps to make difficult crossings. Both of these are likewise part of the Church’s ministry, of the priest’s ministry. The Church too must use the shepherd’s rod, the rod with which he protects the faith against those who falsify it, against currents which lead the flock astray. The use of the rod can actually be a service of love. Today we can see that it has nothing to do with love when conduct unworthy of the priestly life is tolerated. Nor does it have to do with love if heresy is allowed to spread and the faith twisted and chipped away, as if it were something that we ourselves had invented. As if it were no longer God’s gift, the precious pearl which we cannot let be taken from us. Even so, the rod must always become once again the shepherd’s staff – a staff which helps men and women to tread difficult paths and to follow the Lord.
Read the entire Sacred Heart Sermon, here.
h/t Rorate Coeli.
Photograph: New York Times, of a mostly neutralized but vocal, Archbishop Rembert Weakland.
Americanist Bill Buckley, a Review
There's a new book on the CIA Agent who worked in Mexico, graduated from Yale and belonged to the Skull and Bones.
Americanism, here.
Read further...
Americanism, here.
Lee Edwards calls William F. Buckley Jr. “The St. Paul of the conservative movement.” No other 20th century figure made such a vast contribution to the intellectual force of political conservatism. He paved the way for the likes of Ronald Reagan and all of those political children of Reagan who credit the former president for bringing them into politics. He achieved what no other had done and that was his ability to bring traditional conservatives, libertarians, and anti-communists together under the same umbrella. Late in life, when asked why he continued working so hard despite fame and wealth, a surprised Buckley said, “My Father taught me that I owe it to my country. It’s how I pay my debt.”
Lee Edwards offers an excellent story of Buckley’s founding and overseeing of the modern conservative crusade in William F. Buckley Jr.: The Maker of a Movement. Edwards traces the roots of those who influenced Buckley, from libertarian author Albert Jay Nock, conservative political scientist Willmoore Kendall, the anti-communist Whittaker Chambers, and political theorist James Burnham. Buckley fused together these right of center factions that were often feuding with each other more than with their common foes, the statists. Kendall, Burnham, and Chambers were all closely associated with National Review, launched by Buckley in 1955. Russell Kirk was also an essential conservative voice in the mix who agreed to become a contributor to the magazine. Buckley purged Ayn Rand and her anti-Christian and morally bankrupt philosophy of Objectivism from mainstream conservatism. He dismissed anti-semitism from the movement by dismissing it from his publication. The conservative historian George Nash simply said, “Much of the history of American conservatism after 1955 is the history of the individuals associated with the magazine William F. Buckley Jr. founded.”
A significant aspect of this book, and one that has received more attention since the death of Buckley, was his magnanimous personality and financial generosity. It is estimated that since he was paid a nominal salary by National Review, he diverted $10 million to the magazine because he forwarded speaking fees, lecture fees and other fees to National Review’s coffers. He waived his speaking fee for the Acton Institute in 1992 because according to Edwards, “He was taken with the idea of an organization dedicated to explaining the relationship between-free market capitalism and Christian morality.” Edwards offers other points of generosity...
Read further...
Analyst Sees Tought Times for the Catholic Church in America
Washington D.C. (CNA) -- An “anti-Catholic storm” is looming in the United States because of the Church’s stance against “postmodern ideologies” and because well-funded Catholic supporters of President Obama provide cover for Catholic politicians who dissent from Church teaching, says Catholic analyst Deal Hudson.
Hudson, who has served as an advisor to Republican leaders on Catholic issues, wrote at InsideCatholic.com that a “relentless barrage” of reporting in the mainstream media is intended to force changes demanded by dissenting Catholic groups.
Revelations of clerical sexual abuse in Europe have provided “Catholic bashers” the opportunity to attack Church teachings about abortion and same-sex “marriage,” he added. A call to arrest Pope Benedict XVI in the United Kingdom should have been regarded as “a crank call” but has led to speculation about whether the papal trip to Britain should be canceled.
Read further..CNA
Hudson, who has served as an advisor to Republican leaders on Catholic issues, wrote at InsideCatholic.com that a “relentless barrage” of reporting in the mainstream media is intended to force changes demanded by dissenting Catholic groups.
Revelations of clerical sexual abuse in Europe have provided “Catholic bashers” the opportunity to attack Church teachings about abortion and same-sex “marriage,” he added. A call to arrest Pope Benedict XVI in the United Kingdom should have been regarded as “a crank call” but has led to speculation about whether the papal trip to Britain should be canceled.
Read further..CNA
Pope Beatifies Slovenian Student Killed by Communists
CELJE, Slovenia (AP) — A Slovenian student who was captured, tortured and killed by communists during World War II was beatified on Sunday by Pope Benedict XVI's state secretary at a Mass attended by thousands.
Lojze Grozde, who died at the age of 20, is the first beatified martyr in the predominantly Roman Catholic country where the church was long suppressed. Grozde, a high school student, was captured in Jan. 1943, when Slovenia was occupied by Italy and Germany. Communist-run antifascist rebels — known as partisans — reportedly found a Latin prayer book in his possession and suspected him of collaborating with Italian fascists. His mutilated body was found a month later in a forest.
Tarcisio Bertone, the secretary of state of the Holy See, declared Grozde a martyr of faith before 32,000 of the faithful and 750 priests — many from abroad — at the Celje football stadium.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/06/13/vatican-beatifies-slovenian-student-killed-communists-wwii/
Lojze Grozde, who died at the age of 20, is the first beatified martyr in the predominantly Roman Catholic country where the church was long suppressed. Grozde, a high school student, was captured in Jan. 1943, when Slovenia was occupied by Italy and Germany. Communist-run antifascist rebels — known as partisans — reportedly found a Latin prayer book in his possession and suspected him of collaborating with Italian fascists. His mutilated body was found a month later in a forest.
Tarcisio Bertone, the secretary of state of the Holy See, declared Grozde a martyr of faith before 32,000 of the faithful and 750 priests — many from abroad — at the Celje football stadium.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/06/13/vatican-beatifies-slovenian-student-killed-communists-wwii/
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)