Arizona Employee Fired for Telling Subordinate "Homosexuality is a Sin"
Court rules firing her was Okay, not religious discrimination

PHOENIX, April 29, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - An evangelical Christian, fired from her job for asking a subordinate to come to church with her, and for telling her that her homosexuality was a sin, has lost an appeal against her employer. Evelyn Bodett charged that her being fired was an act of religious discrimination; the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday in favor of the defendant, Cox Communications.

Cox said they fired Bodett for anti-homosexual harassment, which is against company policy. Bodett's subordinate, Kelly Carson, raised the issue after accepting a transfer to another city.

My father never envisioned a day when Roman Catholic bishops would intentionally try to harm the candidacy of a Catholic Democrat. Yet that's where the current presidential election is headed, unless church leaders — and the conservatives who now are gleefully piling on — are forcefully reminded that our country was built on the doctrine of the separation of church and state.

The problem for Kerry is that he is a pro-choice Democrat. But Catholic teaching holds that all human life must be protected. For three decades now, U.S. bishops have worked mightily with politicians and Catholic voters to outlaw abortion. Now some bishops are raising the political stakes. In a statement last summer, Archbishop Sean O'Malley of Boston, Kerry's archbishop, told individual Catholic elected officials that they should refrain from receiving Communion if they favor abortion rights.

Then days before the Missouri primary in February, St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke said that were Kerry to stand in his Communion line, he would bless him, but deny him the sacrament. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Neb., joined the chorus.

As if to reaffirm, a top Vatican official in Rome last week said politicians who support abortion rights are "not fit" to receive the Eucharist.

When St. Robert Bellarmine speaks of the Mystical Body, he has in mind only the first of its three branches, the Church Militant—or, in other words, the visible organization of the Roman Catholic Church.

Thus, in treating the delicate question of occult infidels, he refutes the doctrine of Calvin who held that, if a baptized person has lost the virtue of faith, in spite of his external profession of belief and conformity with Christian practice he is no longer a member of the organic Body of Christ. “It is certainly true,” he admits, “that a sincere faith and not its mere external profession is required if we are to be internally united to the Body of Christ, which is the Church …. But even the man who makes only an outward profession along with the rest of the faithful is a true member, albeit a dry and dead member, of the Body of the Church.”

It follows, therefore, that the Mystical Body of Christ is the Roman Catholic Church, whose members are all those who have been baptized and who at least externally practice and profess the true faith. Commentators on the Mystici Corporis make special note of the fact that, after centuries of controversy on the subject, the Pope has authoritatively approved Bellarmine’s doctrine on the minimum essentials for membership in the Mystical Body—which reads like a paraphrase from the third book of St. Robert’s De Conciliis.

In the words of Pope Pius XII, “only those are really to be included as members of the Church who have been baptized and profess the true faith and have not unhappily withdrawn from Body-unity, or for grave faults been excluded by legitimate authority. For in one Spirit were we all baptized into one Body.”
(From the archives of Fr. John Hardon)

Cardinal Newman Society has issued a shocking new report on scandals at U.S. Catholic colleges and universities that is certain to reignite concerns about the colleges’ religious character.

The 56-page report, “The Culture of Death on Catholic Campuses: A Five-Year Review,” documents inroads made by advocates of abortion, contraception, premarital sexual activity and physician-assisted suicide onto Catholic college campuses since 1999. It is the most extensive evidence of problems in Catholic higher education ever compiled in a single source—and yet it only scratches the surface, relying primarily on media reports and college websites.

“‘Pro-choice’ is no choice for a Catholic institution, which by its Catholic mission must be courageously pro-life,” said Erin Butcher, lead researcher and co-author of the report. “Cardinal Newman Society has responded to scandal after scandal on Catholic campuses, but many Catholics still fail to appreciate the scope of the problem.”

The report identifies the problems and suggests solutions to ensure that Catholic colleges uphold their Catholic, pro-life mission.

In this last section (Defects and Remedies), there are some important things to note. First, after describing the graviora delicta, all of them serious sins against the Eucharist, there is a list of "Grave Matters" which identifies as "grave matter" issues identified through a list of specific paragraphs within the Instruction itself. So, there is no doubt left that the Apostolic See considers certain things "grave matter" and instructs bishops to correct them. Then RS says that it is the bishop’s responsibility, "within the limits of his competence, to issue norms on liturgical matters by which all are bound" and that he "is bound to promote the discipline common to the entire Church and therefore to insist upon the observance of all ecclesiastical laws" and moreover, "be watchful lest abuses encroach upon ecclesiastical discipline, especially as regards the ministry of the Word, the celebration of the Sacraments and sacramentals, the worship of God and the veneration of the Saints" (177). Furthermore, and this is precise:

"Delicts against the faith as well as graviora delicta committed in the celebration of the Eucharist and the other Sacraments are to be referred without delay to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which ‘examines [them] and, if necessary, proceeds to the declaration or imposition of canonical sanctions according to the norm of common or proper law’" (179 — emphasis added).

This means that the CDF has competence regarding some doctrinal issues of the sacraments and only the CDF has the faculty, from the Pope, to absolve certain sanctions incurred from committing graviora delicta. Then the Instruction says what the job of the CDW is.

One of the most important things to take note of when reading RS is use of forms of the Latin word reprobare, "to reprobate," in the English version. You will see that word in the quotation from paragraph 185, emphasized above. "Reprobare . . . to reprobate" is a technical legal term in Church law. What "reprobating" something does is effectively outlaw a practice in such a way that it is completely excluded. That is, once something is officially reprobated, you cannot make an appeal to "custom," saying "this is how we have done it for years . . . there is a custom." Once something is explicitly reprobated, it is out for good. There are nine uses of a form of reprobare in the Latin text identifying specific things. Among the most salient for the English-speaking world:

"55. In some places there has existed an abuse by which the Priest breaks the host at the time of the consecration in the Holy Mass. This abuse is contrary to the tradition of the Church. It is reprobated and is to be corrected with haste.

"59. The reprobated practice by which Priests, Deacons or the faithful here and there alter or vary at will the texts of the Sacred Liturgy that they are charged to pronounce, must cease. For in doing thus, they render the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy unstable, and not infrequently distort the authentic meaning of the Liturgy.

"65. It should be borne in mind that any previous norm that may have admitted non-ordained faithful to give the homily during the eucharistic celebration is to be considered abrogated by the norm of canon 767 §1. This practice is reprobated, so that it cannot be permitted to attain the force of custom.

"117. . . . Reprobated, therefore, is any practice of using for the celebration of Mass common vessels, or others lacking in quality, or devoid of all artistic merit or which are mere containers, as also other vessels made from glass, earthenware, clay, or other materials that break easily. This norm is to be applied even as regards metals and other materials that easily rust or deteriorate.

"126. The abuse is reprobated whereby the sacred ministers celebrate Holy Mass or other rites without sacred vestments or with only a stole over the monastic cowl or the common habit of religious or ordinary clothes, contrary to the prescriptions of the liturgical books, even when there is only one minister participating. . . .

"157. . . . The practice of those Priests is reprobated who, even though present at the celebration, abstain from distributing Communion and hand this function over to laypersons."

Once reprobated, these abuses can never be considered licit through any claim of "custom" (e.g., "contra legem custom"). They must be corrected by the local bishops when encountered, for the sake of the salvation of souls (the motivating force of this Instruction). In addition to the things that are reprobated, there are also the graviora delicta and issues of grave matter.

The shared use of a building by various Churches is problematic. There are spaces dedicated to this purpose, for example, in airports. But they are not churches nor mosques. They are interfaith spaces, capable of being used by Jews, Christians, Muslims and persons of other faiths alike. But this is based on a type of agreement to allow for their shared use.

If it is a Catholic chapel with the Blessed Sacrament inside, it should not be used to for prayer services of another religious tradition.

Bishop Joseph Galante, incoming leader of the Camden Catholic diocese, said yesterday that he would deny communion to Gov. McGreevey if he sought it at Galante's installation Mass today.

"If he comes to communion, I'd give him a blessing," Galante told a news conference in Camden. "In his case, he can't go to communion."

Galante said he was taking the stance primarily because the divorced governor, who is Catholic, remarried without receiving a church annulment. Also, he said, McGreevey's record of "pushing" for legalized abortion, stem-cell research, and other positions the church views as immoral "is almost like he throws the gauntlet down."

WASHINGTON - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., like John Kerry (news - web sites) a Catholic who supports abortion rights, said Thursday she will continue to ask for Holy Communion in spite of Vatican (news - web sites) opposition to pro-choice Catholics doing so.

"I fully intend to receive Communion, one way or another. That's very important to me," Pelosi told reporters during her weekly press conference.

Bishops from the ecclesiastical provinces of Baltimore and Washington in the United States were welcomed today by the Holy Father as they end their "ad limina" visit. The Pope noted that, in his meetings with U.S. prelates this year, he "is reflecting on the mystery of the Church and, in particular the exercise of the episcopal ministry."

John Paul II emphasized that "the challenge set before us (as bishops) and before the whole Church" is that "the life of every Christian and all the structures of the Church must be clearly ordered to the pursuit of holiness. . The pursuit of personal holiness must be central to the life and identity of every Bishop. He is to recognize his own need to be sanctified as he engages in the sanctification of others."

Speaking on an Australian radio program, the former executive secretary of the International Committee for English in the Liturgy (ICEL) sharply criticized new procedures for liturgical translations, charging that the Vatican has endorsed "a more secretive process and definitely a process that seems to be less open to the wider Church."

John Page resigned from his post at ICEL in 2002, after the Vatican revised procedures for liturgical translations into English, in response to widespread protests about the texts produced under ICEL's guidance.

OTTAWA, April 28, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - This afternoon the Canadian Senate voted 59-11 for final passage of homosexual hate crime Bill C-250 which places the undefined term "sexual orientation" into Canada's already contentious hate crime legislation. The vote was recorded and a list of those who voted for and against the bill will be available on Hansard. The new provision in the criminal code could readily open up prosecution of individuals and groups who express views considered by courts to be "publicly inciting hatred"

In order to be found guilty of an indictable offence under the code, which carries a penalty of up to two years in prison, a person must communicate statements, in a public place, which incite hatred against an identifiable group in such a way that there will likely be a breach of the peace. Legal experts consulted by LifeSiteNews.com confirmed that the language in the legislation is loose and open to widely varying interpretation.

Representatives of priests in at least nine dioceses, from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Long Island, have announced the birth of a new nationwide effort to allow married men in the Roman Catholic clergy.

"Priests' Forum for Eucharist sees that the Church law of mandatory celibacy is endangering the identity of the Catholic faithful as a people of the Eucharist," the organizers said. "They believe that making celibacy an option for those who wish to become priests or by ordaining those who are already married is an obvious and welcome way" to bolster those ranks.

The movement stems from a letter sent in August by 163 priests in the Milwaukee diocese urging the nation's bishops to make celibacy optional. Priest organizations in other dioceses began sending letters of support spontaneously, said Thomas McCabe, a married former priest.

A driving force in the forum is Voice of the Ordained, a recently organized group of priests in the Archdiocese of New York and dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre, which covers Long Island. The forum's coordinator is the Rev. Andrew P. Connolly, pastor of St. Frances de Sales parish of Patchogue, N.Y.

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - The University of St. Francis has told former ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman that it no longer wants her as commencement speaker because of comments she made about abortion seven years ago.

The letter (faxed Tuesday to Snyderman) by Sister M. Elise Kriss, the university's president, said the school could not allow her to speak because her comments on abortion ``appear to be contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church.''

The best way I can explain what I witnessed at today's so-called March for Women's Lives is to reference the movie, The Exorcist. When the possessed child, Regan, is confronted by priests who have come to expel the evil spirit from her, she reacts in shockingly vulgar, profane ways.

That is how thousands of 'pro-choice' demonstrators reacted to the presence of a lone priest blessing and praying for them along the march route.

Father Reynolds stood for hours this afternoon on Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in front of the Navy Memorial. Other members of the clergy and pro-life activists were spread out along the same block. Almost nonstop, he made the sign of the cross with his right arm while speaking to the marchers offering blessings and prayers.

The response was nothing short of satanic. Father Reynolds was cursed at and flipped off by hundreds of marchers, many of whom sported Kerry stickers. Many other marchers mocked the sign of the cross. Some denounced God while others denied His existence.

Marchers screamed at the top of their lungs against the priest. He was repeatedly accused of being a child molester by those who support the murder of children.

One woman walked up to the priest and stood just on the other side of the police-manned fence separating the sides. She made the sign of the cross, but finished by thrusting her hips forward at the priest while she dramatically grabbed her crotch.

All the while, 'pro-choice' marchers were walking behind our lines with the permission of police. This caused me and another man to stand guard by Father Reynolds because the 'pro-choice' marchers kept harassing him and the police were slow to intervene.

I was wishing I had a video camera to document this. To see Kerry supporters acting in such a revealing and demonic manner was unsettling. Hour after hour passed of this vile, contemptuous behavior toward the priest. No one on their side tried to rein in their evil behavior. It was the Democratic party at its most real.

The last group in the march was a bunch of homosexuals in drag who stopped and sang crude, profane songs meant to insult the clergy.

Father Reynolds blessed the men, as he had done thousands of others all afternoon. His faith was not shaken by the way he was treated today. He remained in good spirits throughout. His blessing arm was almost worn out, though :-)

A controversial new Catholic church in Sewickley will hold services for the first time this weekend.

The Rev. William Hausen established the Christ Hope Ecumenical Catholic Church.

Hausen left the Catholic Church after he asked the church to study birth control and the ordination of women and married men.

Good news for John Kerry and the rest of the "Deadly Dozen" U.S. senators: A U.S. bishop in charge of enforcing church doctrine isn't up to the task.

Among possible "penalties" the comfort-seeking cardinal mentioned: no honorary degrees from Catholic universities, no honors from dioceses, or no invitations to speak from Catholic institutions.