By Kathleen Gilbert
SOUTH BEND, Indiana, June 24, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Thanks to the strain of being subjected to criminal prosecution on charges of trespassing, one of the 88 peaceful pro-life protesters arrested at the University of Notre Dame in May of last year recently suffered a heart attack. According to Dr. Therese Beste's doctor, she continues to suffer from post-traumatic stress related to the prosecuation.
The doctor's diagnosis has been submitted to the pro-lifers' defense lawyer as members of the group, known as the "Notre Dame 88," continue to face prosecution and a possible penalty of up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Beste, a Michigan resident, told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) that she travelled to Indiana in May 2009 because she was "horrified" to learn that Notre Dame, "Our Blessed Mother's University," would be honoring "the most pro-abortion politician in our nation." The university had invited Obama to give the commencement address and receive an honorary law degree.
Link to original...
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Mixa locutus -- causa finita?
The actual "Mixa File" is still not closed -- No clarification of the German Bishops' clarification -- Why the diocese has clearly the directives of the German Bishop's Conference.
Augsburg (kath.net) Even after the clarifications of the German Bishops Conference on Tuesday and the letter from Bishop Walter Mixa this Wednesday, the Causa Mixa is still leaving a number of questions unclear.
One question remains in connection with the clarification of the German Bishops Conference (GBC), which on Tuesday had affirmed the alleged "Secret Dossier" on Mixa. It says: "They affirmed that the documents and accusations against him in April 2010 had been passed on to Rome. Pope Benedict XVI acted upon this and accepted Bishop Mixa's resignation."
It is completely unclear on the one hand, if the accusation is to be seen as true, if there has been an orderly investigation and if it on the other hand, there is a causal connection between the Pope's decision and the accusation. One kath.net- inquiry to this theme led to Matthias Kopp, the speaker for the GBC, who gave the following answer: "Please understand that I can't answer your questions as if they were represented in a text of the presiding Bishops today."
It is certain that in the past week not one of the high-ranking Bishops of Germany knew of the "Secret Dossier" as kath.net was aware. Clearly, only the closest circle of the German Bishops Conference, some of the members of the Diocese of Augsburg and the Archbishop of Munich were privy.
It is as good as in the hand that the internal Church correspondence from this circle was directing the FAX and the South German Times. Bishop Mixa himself clearly knew nothing of this correspondence.
"That the press has access to the archive of the Vatican or the Papal Nuncio, is for the time being improbable. Therefore the source is especially nebulous like the reported occurrence," explained Mixa-Attorney Gerhard Decker on Sunday to kath.net. Even in the 3-sided-correspondence of Bishop Mixa to the Bishops Congregation, where all of these accusations are theoretically arising, it is not certain.
For more confusion yesterday as members of the Augsburg Diocesan administration and by Bishop Walter Mixa approved a "joint clarification" in a passage. "The Diocese will seek, while a final decision for the successor to the Bishop's office is not known, a temporary home for Bishop Emeritus Dr. Mixa. A confirmation is being sought with the Bavarian Bishops per their clarification of the current day." An explanation of the Bavarian Bishops is till now not forthcoming.
It is exiting that on the beginning of July that Bishop Mixa and Pope Benedict will meet. It's somewhat absurd in this relation to point to #3 of the joint clarification: "the invitation of the Holy Father to a meeting in Rome with Bishop Emeritus Dr. Mixa will happily proceed; his resignation and his circumstances will not be the subject of this discussion."
What the Pope will discuss with Bishop Mixa no one knows and whoever knows the Pope knows that he will surely not let himself be limited. How should this resignation with all its open questions not be a topic? It is clear from the 3-page-letter of Bishop Mixa to Rome, that this will be the motive for his visit.
Mixa's criticisms of the instigation of his colleagues stand out in the room like before: "It should have been brotherly. I should have been advised of a leave till all the accusations were thoroughly investigated. Instead they hurried to the Pope and showed the so-called abuse case like a trump, which de facto consisted of not more than six hand-written sentences of a highly dubious, scribbled memo.", he said to "Welt" a few days ago.
Even high-ranking Church officials of the Diocese of Augsburg refrain from criticism. They have, in the matter of the supposed abuse case about Bishop Mixa, clearly not followed the corresponding guidelines of the German Bishops Conference.
It is clear, that the "educational abuse" was already apparent to the Eichstaetter Pastoral Associate L. already on the 25th of March 2010 in Augsburg. In conjunction with the directives of the German Bishops Conference: "The accredited agent researches the circumstances and is the contact person for the law enforcement authorities."
Accordingly, the accredited agent of the Diocese of Augsburg, i.e. Cathedral Vicar Heinrich hasn't researched this. He has not to-date sought any contact with the suspected victim.
Even in another point the Diocese of Augsburg has clearly violated their own guidelines. The indifference to the complaint was a serious break of the valid directives on the part of the Diocese of Augsburg, as it states: "every complaint or claim of suspicion will be thoroughly investigated. Immediately after becoming aware of suspicion or an incident, the responsible party must commence investigating.
He conducts an interview with the accused, upon which he consults a lawyer. A protocol is to be followed during the interview, for which the responsible party is obliged to follow. With the (presumptive) victim respective his legal guardian will be contacted. According to the protocol, the incident will be assessed and established, how the victim is best to be helped and how to further proceed."
Fact: This did not happen in the Diocese of Augsburg at all. There was no interview with Bishop Mixa and there was no protocol, which would have been undersigned by the participants.
If the victim was approached, may be doubted, for the directives of the GCB states further: "The welfare of the Church goes first to the victim. The defense of the victim from further abuse or public release of information is to be especially avoided. There is also a responsibility for the welfare of the accused. He remains until proven otherwise, innocent. If it is found that the suspicion is groundless, the necessary steps will be taken to restore the good reputation of the person." Presently, there hasn't been any apology to Bishop Walter Mixa.
If one looks exactly at the directives of the GBC and the incidents in the Diocese in conjunction with the alleged victim, then it is clear, that the suppositions of the Diocese of Augsburg could not stand.
On the 16th of June a communication was made by the Diocese: "Those responsible in the Diocese have followed what is just and necessary and appropriate to the directives of the German Bishops Conference and the Freisinger Bishops Conference. The Diocese of Augsburg expressly denies that it had made public any accusations of abuse.
Otherwise the prosecuting attorney's initial inquest was not known at the of Bishop Emeritus Walter Mixa of the Diocese of Augsburg's signing of his resignation."
This supposition is in any event in complete contradiction to the kath.net copy of the original act of the State Prosecuting Attorney. From him it was clear, that the Diocese even previously must have known of the alleged abuse case.
In the kath.net memo concerned, by Augsburger Pastoral Assistant F., who advocated as a "representative for possible victims of sexual and physical violence", said elsewhere: "On March 25 2010 I have spoken about the case with Mr. Heinrich [Responsible Party for Abuse in the Diocese!]. Bishop Mixa had incidentally signed his resignation on 21 April 2010.
Even a Church critic like Alan Posener had stated in Cicero, that Mixa is being treated unjustly. Posener maintains, that Mixa has the same rights as every other Citizen has. "That belongs to his personal rights, which follow, that the worth of a man is unassailable." Fact: The actual "Acta Mixa" is not closed.
Augsburg (kath.net) Even after the clarifications of the German Bishops Conference on Tuesday and the letter from Bishop Walter Mixa this Wednesday, the Causa Mixa is still leaving a number of questions unclear.
One question remains in connection with the clarification of the German Bishops Conference (GBC), which on Tuesday had affirmed the alleged "Secret Dossier" on Mixa. It says: "They affirmed that the documents and accusations against him in April 2010 had been passed on to Rome. Pope Benedict XVI acted upon this and accepted Bishop Mixa's resignation."
It is completely unclear on the one hand, if the accusation is to be seen as true, if there has been an orderly investigation and if it on the other hand, there is a causal connection between the Pope's decision and the accusation. One kath.net- inquiry to this theme led to Matthias Kopp, the speaker for the GBC, who gave the following answer: "Please understand that I can't answer your questions as if they were represented in a text of the presiding Bishops today."
It is certain that in the past week not one of the high-ranking Bishops of Germany knew of the "Secret Dossier" as kath.net was aware. Clearly, only the closest circle of the German Bishops Conference, some of the members of the Diocese of Augsburg and the Archbishop of Munich were privy.
It is as good as in the hand that the internal Church correspondence from this circle was directing the FAX and the South German Times. Bishop Mixa himself clearly knew nothing of this correspondence.
"That the press has access to the archive of the Vatican or the Papal Nuncio, is for the time being improbable. Therefore the source is especially nebulous like the reported occurrence," explained Mixa-Attorney Gerhard Decker on Sunday to kath.net. Even in the 3-sided-correspondence of Bishop Mixa to the Bishops Congregation, where all of these accusations are theoretically arising, it is not certain.
For more confusion yesterday as members of the Augsburg Diocesan administration and by Bishop Walter Mixa approved a "joint clarification" in a passage. "The Diocese will seek, while a final decision for the successor to the Bishop's office is not known, a temporary home for Bishop Emeritus Dr. Mixa. A confirmation is being sought with the Bavarian Bishops per their clarification of the current day." An explanation of the Bavarian Bishops is till now not forthcoming.
It is exiting that on the beginning of July that Bishop Mixa and Pope Benedict will meet. It's somewhat absurd in this relation to point to #3 of the joint clarification: "the invitation of the Holy Father to a meeting in Rome with Bishop Emeritus Dr. Mixa will happily proceed; his resignation and his circumstances will not be the subject of this discussion."
What the Pope will discuss with Bishop Mixa no one knows and whoever knows the Pope knows that he will surely not let himself be limited. How should this resignation with all its open questions not be a topic? It is clear from the 3-page-letter of Bishop Mixa to Rome, that this will be the motive for his visit.
Mixa's criticisms of the instigation of his colleagues stand out in the room like before: "It should have been brotherly. I should have been advised of a leave till all the accusations were thoroughly investigated. Instead they hurried to the Pope and showed the so-called abuse case like a trump, which de facto consisted of not more than six hand-written sentences of a highly dubious, scribbled memo.", he said to "Welt" a few days ago.
Even high-ranking Church officials of the Diocese of Augsburg refrain from criticism. They have, in the matter of the supposed abuse case about Bishop Mixa, clearly not followed the corresponding guidelines of the German Bishops Conference.
It is clear, that the "educational abuse" was already apparent to the Eichstaetter Pastoral Associate L. already on the 25th of March 2010 in Augsburg. In conjunction with the directives of the German Bishops Conference: "The accredited agent researches the circumstances and is the contact person for the law enforcement authorities."
Accordingly, the accredited agent of the Diocese of Augsburg, i.e. Cathedral Vicar Heinrich hasn't researched this. He has not to-date sought any contact with the suspected victim.
Even in another point the Diocese of Augsburg has clearly violated their own guidelines. The indifference to the complaint was a serious break of the valid directives on the part of the Diocese of Augsburg, as it states: "every complaint or claim of suspicion will be thoroughly investigated. Immediately after becoming aware of suspicion or an incident, the responsible party must commence investigating.
He conducts an interview with the accused, upon which he consults a lawyer. A protocol is to be followed during the interview, for which the responsible party is obliged to follow. With the (presumptive) victim respective his legal guardian will be contacted. According to the protocol, the incident will be assessed and established, how the victim is best to be helped and how to further proceed."
Fact: This did not happen in the Diocese of Augsburg at all. There was no interview with Bishop Mixa and there was no protocol, which would have been undersigned by the participants.
If the victim was approached, may be doubted, for the directives of the GCB states further: "The welfare of the Church goes first to the victim. The defense of the victim from further abuse or public release of information is to be especially avoided. There is also a responsibility for the welfare of the accused. He remains until proven otherwise, innocent. If it is found that the suspicion is groundless, the necessary steps will be taken to restore the good reputation of the person." Presently, there hasn't been any apology to Bishop Walter Mixa.
If one looks exactly at the directives of the GBC and the incidents in the Diocese in conjunction with the alleged victim, then it is clear, that the suppositions of the Diocese of Augsburg could not stand.
On the 16th of June a communication was made by the Diocese: "Those responsible in the Diocese have followed what is just and necessary and appropriate to the directives of the German Bishops Conference and the Freisinger Bishops Conference. The Diocese of Augsburg expressly denies that it had made public any accusations of abuse.
Otherwise the prosecuting attorney's initial inquest was not known at the of Bishop Emeritus Walter Mixa of the Diocese of Augsburg's signing of his resignation."
This supposition is in any event in complete contradiction to the kath.net copy of the original act of the State Prosecuting Attorney. From him it was clear, that the Diocese even previously must have known of the alleged abuse case.
In the kath.net memo concerned, by Augsburger Pastoral Assistant F., who advocated as a "representative for possible victims of sexual and physical violence", said elsewhere: "On March 25 2010 I have spoken about the case with Mr. Heinrich [Responsible Party for Abuse in the Diocese!]. Bishop Mixa had incidentally signed his resignation on 21 April 2010.
Even a Church critic like Alan Posener had stated in Cicero, that Mixa is being treated unjustly. Posener maintains, that Mixa has the same rights as every other Citizen has. "That belongs to his personal rights, which follow, that the worth of a man is unassailable." Fact: The actual "Acta Mixa" is not closed.
Freedom in Russia Before Stalin, Mao and Obama
Though the Russian absolutist monarchy was overthrown by shrill egomaniacs like Lenin about ten years before I was born, I know it better than I do any other absolutist monarchy. So let me give you a couple of examples from its public life.
The Soviet propaganda implied more and more insistently that the Soviet Russians were the world's superior race. But if they were, why didn't they come to power centuries earlier, and not in 1917? That was where the Soviet propaganda began to represent Russians who had lived in the pre-1917 regime as idiots because that was what the tsarist regime had allegedly made out of them to prevent the revolutionary overthrow of the "tsarist regime."
The secret opposition to the "tsarist regime" was on throughout the second half of the eighteenth century.
After tsarevich Constantine, who lived in Poland, had secretly renounced any claim to the imperial succession, his brother tsarevich Nicholas was crowned emperor of Russia. Nicholas was disliked, while Constantine had a big following in Russia ("Constantine and Constitution"). In December of 1825, Russian troops in St. Petersburg refused to take the oath of allegiance to Nicholas, who for hours tried his best to bring to reason the mutinous soldiers. When that did not work, he consented to use force, and a few rounds of grapeshot quelled the mutiny. The Decembrists (as they came to be called) demanded the abolition of serfdom and the attainment of some degree of representative government. The chief conspirators were arrested and interrogated by the emperor in person.
Let me draw a comparison with events closer to us. The Tiananmen rebels (alive by the end of the suppression of rebellion) numbered 11 people, and all eleven were shot on the spot. The Decembrists and the Tiananmen rebels both pursued a similar goal: constitutional government. But while all Tiananmen rebels caught alive were shot, some of the Decembrists were sent to a city named Chita. They reconstructed and repaired it to live in to their pleasure. Others began to work in mines in Siberia to have some food to stay alive.
Alexander Pushkin, regarded as the greatest Russian poet of the time, began his poem addressed to the rebels as follows:
In the depths of the Siberian ores,
Preserve your proud noble patience.
Your sorrowful toil will not be lost,
Nor will be your lofty aspirations.
Nekrasov lived to the age of 57, and he continued spreading his misery nationwide in his poetry and his magazines. He was never stopped and was never asked to make his literary mood less miserable. He died in 1878 while serfdom (slave ownership) had been abolished in 1861, but his mood of misery hardly changed.
On the other hand, no monarch was so showered with flattery as Stalin was — he was glorified as the source of everything valuable on earth:
In the broadest spaces of our wonder — country,
While to victories in war and in peace there is no end,
We composed a song so joyous
About our leader and great friend.
Stalin is our military glory,
Stalin is our youth and our highest flight.
Fighting with songs and with them winning,
Our people follow Stalin in peace as they do in fight!
Let us now take a glance again at the British monarchy. The queen is to talk with and approve the person presented to her to be Her Majesty's Prime Minister (a rough equivalent of the U.S. president) if she accepts him. He is presented to the queen by his party, which had a majority in general elections.
Usually information about a person's ability is obtained via written sources. But at a certain point, a live person has to be evaluated by his peers through his performance, especially when one is considered to be Her Majesty's Prime Minister. It is up to the queen to accept or reject the prospective candidate.
I suppose it would have taken the queen a minute or two to reject Obama. Many voters may be incapable of understanding the mind of a person running for president they are going to vote for. On the other hand, the queen engages in human dialogue, showing her an abyss between refreshing intelligence, extraordinary intelligence, and genius in understanding the civic and military realities. Thus, Winston Churchill was endorsed as the prime minister, and possibly his official appearance made Hitler leave Western Europe alone and attack Russia, which led to his defeat in Russia and suicide.
The Soviet propaganda pictured the Russian absolutist monarchy as the lowest degradation of human society. Yet Stalin's Russia was an abysmal jump downward, compared with the Russia of the time of Pushkin and Nekrasov.
A society is not the latest machine, in which everything valuable is preserved as much as possible. The Russian absolutist monarchy or the queen in Britain may be more useful than the futuristic dreams, of which Stalin's Russia, Hitler's Germany, or post-1949 China were to consist.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lev Navrozov can be reached by e-mail at navlev@cloud9.net. To learn more about and support his work at the Center for the Survival of Western Democracies, click here. If you intend to make a tax-exempt donation to the non-profit Center, please let us know via e-mail at navlev@cloud9.net, and we will send you all relevant information. Thank you.
Link to original...
The Soviet propaganda implied more and more insistently that the Soviet Russians were the world's superior race. But if they were, why didn't they come to power centuries earlier, and not in 1917? That was where the Soviet propaganda began to represent Russians who had lived in the pre-1917 regime as idiots because that was what the tsarist regime had allegedly made out of them to prevent the revolutionary overthrow of the "tsarist regime."
The secret opposition to the "tsarist regime" was on throughout the second half of the eighteenth century.
After tsarevich Constantine, who lived in Poland, had secretly renounced any claim to the imperial succession, his brother tsarevich Nicholas was crowned emperor of Russia. Nicholas was disliked, while Constantine had a big following in Russia ("Constantine and Constitution"). In December of 1825, Russian troops in St. Petersburg refused to take the oath of allegiance to Nicholas, who for hours tried his best to bring to reason the mutinous soldiers. When that did not work, he consented to use force, and a few rounds of grapeshot quelled the mutiny. The Decembrists (as they came to be called) demanded the abolition of serfdom and the attainment of some degree of representative government. The chief conspirators were arrested and interrogated by the emperor in person.
Let me draw a comparison with events closer to us. The Tiananmen rebels (alive by the end of the suppression of rebellion) numbered 11 people, and all eleven were shot on the spot. The Decembrists and the Tiananmen rebels both pursued a similar goal: constitutional government. But while all Tiananmen rebels caught alive were shot, some of the Decembrists were sent to a city named Chita. They reconstructed and repaired it to live in to their pleasure. Others began to work in mines in Siberia to have some food to stay alive.
Alexander Pushkin, regarded as the greatest Russian poet of the time, began his poem addressed to the rebels as follows:
In the depths of the Siberian ores,
Preserve your proud noble patience.
Your sorrowful toil will not be lost,
Nor will be your lofty aspirations.
Nekrasov lived to the age of 57, and he continued spreading his misery nationwide in his poetry and his magazines. He was never stopped and was never asked to make his literary mood less miserable. He died in 1878 while serfdom (slave ownership) had been abolished in 1861, but his mood of misery hardly changed.
On the other hand, no monarch was so showered with flattery as Stalin was — he was glorified as the source of everything valuable on earth:
In the broadest spaces of our wonder — country,
While to victories in war and in peace there is no end,
We composed a song so joyous
About our leader and great friend.
Stalin is our military glory,
Stalin is our youth and our highest flight.
Fighting with songs and with them winning,
Our people follow Stalin in peace as they do in fight!
Let us now take a glance again at the British monarchy. The queen is to talk with and approve the person presented to her to be Her Majesty's Prime Minister (a rough equivalent of the U.S. president) if she accepts him. He is presented to the queen by his party, which had a majority in general elections.
Usually information about a person's ability is obtained via written sources. But at a certain point, a live person has to be evaluated by his peers through his performance, especially when one is considered to be Her Majesty's Prime Minister. It is up to the queen to accept or reject the prospective candidate.
I suppose it would have taken the queen a minute or two to reject Obama. Many voters may be incapable of understanding the mind of a person running for president they are going to vote for. On the other hand, the queen engages in human dialogue, showing her an abyss between refreshing intelligence, extraordinary intelligence, and genius in understanding the civic and military realities. Thus, Winston Churchill was endorsed as the prime minister, and possibly his official appearance made Hitler leave Western Europe alone and attack Russia, which led to his defeat in Russia and suicide.
The Soviet propaganda pictured the Russian absolutist monarchy as the lowest degradation of human society. Yet Stalin's Russia was an abysmal jump downward, compared with the Russia of the time of Pushkin and Nekrasov.
A society is not the latest machine, in which everything valuable is preserved as much as possible. The Russian absolutist monarchy or the queen in Britain may be more useful than the futuristic dreams, of which Stalin's Russia, Hitler's Germany, or post-1949 China were to consist.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lev Navrozov can be reached by e-mail at navlev@cloud9.net. To learn more about and support his work at the Center for the Survival of Western Democracies, click here. If you intend to make a tax-exempt donation to the non-profit Center, please let us know via e-mail at navlev@cloud9.net, and we will send you all relevant information. Thank you.
Link to original...
Poland Gets New Primate, Archbishop Jozef Kowalczyk
Archbishop Jozef Kowalczyk is quitting as apostolic nuncio to Poland and assume the duties of the archbishop of Gniezno and primate of Poland on June 26.
On 8 May, the Pope Benedict XVI appointed Jozef Kowalczyk the archbishop of Gniezno and primate of Poland. Kowalczyk’s episcopal enthronement will take place on 26 June in the cathedral in the central-western city of Gniezno, which has a similar status to Canterbury or Reims cathedrals in Great Britain and France.
During the celebrations of St. Peter and Paul’s Day, 29 June, Archbishop Kowalczyk will receive a pallium, an ecclesiastical vestment worn by metropolitans and primates, from the Pope.
Jozef Kowalczyk has served as the first apostolic nuncio to Poland since II WW for over twenty years. He negotiated with Polish authorities the text of the concordat signed in 1993
Until a new apostolic nuncio is appointed, the secretary of the nunciature Father Ionut Paul Strejac will act as charge d’affairs. (mg)
Link to original...
On 8 May, the Pope Benedict XVI appointed Jozef Kowalczyk the archbishop of Gniezno and primate of Poland. Kowalczyk’s episcopal enthronement will take place on 26 June in the cathedral in the central-western city of Gniezno, which has a similar status to Canterbury or Reims cathedrals in Great Britain and France.
During the celebrations of St. Peter and Paul’s Day, 29 June, Archbishop Kowalczyk will receive a pallium, an ecclesiastical vestment worn by metropolitans and primates, from the Pope.
Jozef Kowalczyk has served as the first apostolic nuncio to Poland since II WW for over twenty years. He negotiated with Polish authorities the text of the concordat signed in 1993
Until a new apostolic nuncio is appointed, the secretary of the nunciature Father Ionut Paul Strejac will act as charge d’affairs. (mg)
Link to original...
US bishops back Olmsted in Arizona abortion drama :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
Could the USCCB be any more useless? It's high time this bloated bureaucratic shakedown operation were jettisoned for something more streamlined; and Catholic.
US bishops back Olmsted in Arizona abortion drama :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
US bishops back Olmsted in Arizona abortion drama :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
Consecration of Tridentine Altar in Moscow
On Sunday 20 June, Archbishop Paul Pezzi, the Ordinary of Archdiocese of the Mother Of God in Moscow, Russia, consecrated a refurbished wooden altar for the Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite. This altar is situated in the Big Chapel of the Moscow Cathedral of Immaculate Conception of The Blessed Virgin Mary. The consecration ceremony followed the 'usus antiquor.' After consecration of the altar, Fr. Augustine Dzenzel celebrated Mass in the Extraordinary Form. This is the first time since 1936, when the ruling Ordinary of this Archdiocese participated in the traditional Latin liturgy.
h/t: ggreg
Judge weighs Pride fest's request to keep preacher out | Minnesota Public Radio NewsQ
He will not be able to legally distribute bibles at the Pride Festival.
Judge weighs Pride fest's request to keep preacher out | Minnesota Public Radio NewsQ
Judge weighs Pride fest's request to keep preacher out | Minnesota Public Radio NewsQ
Young Wisconsin Catholics Come out in Force to Support Bishop Morlino
By Kathleen Gilbert
MADISON, Wisconsin, June 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Catholics in the diocese of Madison, WI are hitting back at negative media coverage of their bishop after he welcomed priests with the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest, a group renowned for their traditionalist liturgy and fidelity to orthodox Catholic teaching. Supporters note that, contrary to the picture painted by dissenting voices in the media, Morlino's focus on orthodoxy is increasingly popular with Catholic youth - even in the liberal stronghold of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Madison Bishop Robert Morlino, one of the most outspoken advocates for the unborn among the U.S. Catholic hierarchy, has defended the priests against criticism that the move represented a "step backward" and that the priests' approach is, in the words of one parishioner, “quite different than we have become accustomed to." Morlino heard parishioners from St. Mary's Parish in Platteville at an occasionally-heated meeting on Monday.
Despite media coverage focusing on dissenting voices, many were eager to voice support for their bishop - especially among pro-life Catholics.
Read further...
MADISON, Wisconsin, June 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Catholics in the diocese of Madison, WI are hitting back at negative media coverage of their bishop after he welcomed priests with the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest, a group renowned for their traditionalist liturgy and fidelity to orthodox Catholic teaching. Supporters note that, contrary to the picture painted by dissenting voices in the media, Morlino's focus on orthodoxy is increasingly popular with Catholic youth - even in the liberal stronghold of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Madison Bishop Robert Morlino, one of the most outspoken advocates for the unborn among the U.S. Catholic hierarchy, has defended the priests against criticism that the move represented a "step backward" and that the priests' approach is, in the words of one parishioner, “quite different than we have become accustomed to." Morlino heard parishioners from St. Mary's Parish in Platteville at an occasionally-heated meeting on Monday.
Despite media coverage focusing on dissenting voices, many were eager to voice support for their bishop - especially among pro-life Catholics.
Read further...
Occultism and Gnosticism Fill in the Void in the Czech Republic
Thanks to the deceits of Masonic associations fueling Czech Nationalism and the destructive presence of an impending Soviet menace, the Catholic Church has been sorely beaten in this once mostly Catholic nation.
After 1918, a Wilsonian Europe had no room for the Hapsburg Monarchy, and the deliberate elimination of the Hapsburg throne, put the altar of Christendom at the mercy of secular forces who saw it as a temporarily useful tool to be eventually phased out.
Read entire article, here.
After 1918, a Wilsonian Europe had no room for the Hapsburg Monarchy, and the deliberate elimination of the Hapsburg throne, put the altar of Christendom at the mercy of secular forces who saw it as a temporarily useful tool to be eventually phased out.
[Guardian] Czechs may not be very enthusiastic churchgoers but many of them easily accept the idea that fortune-tellers can predict the future, lucky charms bring good fortune or that the stars might influence their lives. Moreover, claims about Czech non-religiosity are also complicated by the growth of charismatic and evangelical movements in recent years. Even though the total number of evangelicals and charismatics is small, some of these denominations have multiplied their membership several times in the 10 years between the last two censuses.
Weak support for traditional church religion is partly a legacy of Czech nationalism of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century and its interpretation of the country's religious history. Catholicism, which was the major religion at that time, was seen as an Austrian import that forcibly replaced the "true" religion of the Czech nation – Protestantism. The denunciation of the Hapsburg monarchy and German language and culture (though, paradoxically, the German-speaking urban intelligentsia played a major role in the first wave of Czech nationalism) thus also included also a rejection of the Catholic faith. Nationalist anti-Catholic arguments appealed to many Czechs even though most of the population remained formally affiliated to the Roman Catholic church.
Read entire article, here.
Matteo Ricci moves closer to Sainthood
John Zmirak's polemical article at Insidecatholic, here:
Matteo Ricci moves closer
If you don't know the story of Father Ricci's extraordinary mission to China, it's worth reading up on, for the light it casts on preaching the gospel to alien cultures. To summarize very briefly a controversy that would last for centuries, Father Ricci tried to "inculturate" Christian faith in China. Learning the Mandarin language, Chinese court customs, and finally adopting Chinese dress, Ricci mastered the nuances of Confucian philosophy and Chinese culture. Exploring the speculative works revered by that nation's scholars, Father Ricci found words in Chinese philosophy that could either refer to "the heavens" (i.e., the sky) or "Heaven" (the ordering principle in Creation) -- so Ricci chose to use them in the second, theological sense. In much the same way, St. Paul had told the Greeks: "For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you" (Acts 17:23).
Matteo Ricci moves closer
USCCB Media Blog: Truth be told?
That's it, fret about details and conceal the way things are. Hopefully, people who foolishly give money and support to the USCCB and their various Socialist agendas will cease doing so.
Considering that the USCCB receives over 33% of its budget from the Federal Government, it's not too difficult to imagine that they would be compromised.
No wonder they spend so little time working on souls, and a lot more time promoting Socialist agendas of wealth redistribution and pacifism.
USCCB Media Blog: Truth be told?
Considering that the USCCB receives over 33% of its budget from the Federal Government, it's not too difficult to imagine that they would be compromised.
No wonder they spend so little time working on souls, and a lot more time promoting Socialist agendas of wealth redistribution and pacifism.
USCCB Media Blog: Truth be told?
French Foreign Legion Chaplain Serves Troops in Afghanistan: Hard Core
June 21, 2010. This is just one of a thousand jumps by Benoît de Pommerol, the chaplain of the paratrooper brigade of the French Foreign Legion. He's lived with them for 10 years. His last destination was the war in Afghanistan.
Since he came to the Legion, de Pommerol hasn't hesitated to act like a soldier in order to better help them. That's why he trains with the legionaires.
A day in the Legion begins with Mass in a former Soviet bunker on a mountain east of Kabul.
Source: Le Figaro
And Rome Reports, here.
Jesuit Theology Professor and "Friend of Darwin" says Science and Religion Are Compaitable
In 2008, Haught received a "Friend of Darwin Award" from the National Center for Science Education. Additionally, in 2009, in recognition of his work on theology and science, Haught was awarded the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Louvain. Here.
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Participants in dialogue between religion and science must work to dispel the notion that the two disciplines stand in total opposition to each other, said a theologian with the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University in Washington.
"Just like I have been trying to do my entire life, the dialogue should attempt to remove the false obstacles in the way of discussion, namely that religion and science are incompatible opposites," John Haught told Catholic News Service June 18.
The interview was prompted by a panel discussion hosted two days earlier by the Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion, which is part of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Moderated by Jennifer Wiseman, the new director of the dialogue, the panel had four speakers who discussed the theme "Re-Envisioning the Science and Religion Dialogue." They reached an agreement on three basic principles: no name-calling, civility and a need to help develop an interest in science among the public.
One crucial viewpoint was missing on the panel: the Catholic perspective.
Haught has written 18 books on the subject, including "The Cosmic Adventure: Science, Religion and the Quest for Purpose," "God After Darwin: A Theology of Evolution" and "Responses to 101 Questions on God and Evolution." He has been involved with religion and science dialogue for many years, teaching a course on the dialogue at Georgetown University.
"Many people still do not have a very deep understanding of the relationship between science and faith," he said, adding that many don't even have much interest in this relationship.
"Look at the numbers: 50 to 60 percent of Christians consider evolution and Christian faith incompatible," he said.
To Haught, most who believe in the conflict model of religion-science dialogue cannot explain why they think the two are irreconcilable.
Catholics who hold this view need "to get over it," he said. "There isn't any controversy about the reality of the evolution in the scientific community, so why in the church?"
As Pope John Paul II said in a message to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences on Oct. 22, 1996, Catholics need to construct a theology that shows how divine knowledge, providence and wisdom can be affirmed because of evolution.
Pope Benedict XVI said in 2007 that evolution and the existence of God the creator should not be seen as two ideas in strict opposition to each other.
"Evolution exists, but it is not enough to answer the great questions," such as how human beings came to exist and why human beings have an inherent dignity, he said.
That is why the religion-science dialogue is so important, said Haught.
"If the Catholic Church wishes to remain with an appropriate understanding of God, then it must accept evolution," Haught said.
He suggested that the dialogue should reach out to the seminaries and schools of theology and show the importance of science education.
Even more than that, he said they should reach out to the people sitting in the pews. "It will be important to hold more available conferences and other opportunities for people to meet and discuss the topic."
The dialogue should focus on bringing people into contact with the whole body of theology and science, said Haught.
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Defenders respond to criticisms of CNA report :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
(CNA).- Controversy continues about the Catholic News Agency story on Cardinal Francis George’s criticism of the Catholic Health Association’s (CHA) actions during the health care debate. Defenders of CNA note the substance of the report is supported by other sources, while critics focus on the accuracy of several quotations.
At the U.S. bishops’ executive session last week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) president reportedly discussed the fallout resulting from CHA’s support for the health care legislation despite the bishops’ opposition. Among the bishops’ objections to the bill were that its abortion restrictions were insufficient.
Several bishops who wished to remain anonymous told CNA that Cardinal George charged CHA and other Catholic groups with providing “cover” for undecided legislators to support President Obama’s legislation. According to these sources, the cardinal clearly remarked that CHA president Sr. Carol Keehan and her colleagues were to blame for the passage of the bill. He said these groups’ actions also weakened the moral voice of the bishops in the U.S., caused confusion and wounded Catholic unity.
In response, USCCB Secretary of Communications Helen Osman criticized
Defenders respond to criticisms of CNA report :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
At the U.S. bishops’ executive session last week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) president reportedly discussed the fallout resulting from CHA’s support for the health care legislation despite the bishops’ opposition. Among the bishops’ objections to the bill were that its abortion restrictions were insufficient.
Several bishops who wished to remain anonymous told CNA that Cardinal George charged CHA and other Catholic groups with providing “cover” for undecided legislators to support President Obama’s legislation. According to these sources, the cardinal clearly remarked that CHA president Sr. Carol Keehan and her colleagues were to blame for the passage of the bill. He said these groups’ actions also weakened the moral voice of the bishops in the U.S., caused confusion and wounded Catholic unity.
In response, USCCB Secretary of Communications Helen Osman criticized
Defenders respond to criticisms of CNA report :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)
Federal Police Raid Belgian Church's HQ
[Brussels] It will be interesting to see if this implicates Cardinal Daneels who assigned a lot of the predators to their positions of trust and protected them after it was found that they were guilty. There's nothing currently about what the police have found, but there should be a report shortly.
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