On the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World
The document from the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith may be found here.


- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
Open Letter to Sean Hannity . . .by Dr. Arthur Hippler

When "Conservatives" Dissent From Church Teaching
By Arthur M. Hippler

Dear Mr. Hannity:

I was listening to your show the other day, as I occasionally do on my drive home from work. You were talking to a woman from Baton Rogue, La., and explaining to her your opposition to withholding Holy Communion from Catholic politicians who support legal abortion. If Communion could be withheld from liberals, you explained, there would be pressure to withhold from conservatives such as yourself. You did not give a specific example, but I assumed you were making reference to William Hughes’ article in The Baltimore Independent: "Should Sean Hannity Be Denied Communion" (June 19, 2004), which criticized you for your stand on the Iraq War. I was then startled to hear you tell the caller that "you had no problem with contraception," and that you should be allowed to receive Communion even though you do not accept this Church teaching.

I suppose I should not swerve off the road when I hear a Catholic "conservative" reject the teaching of the Church on artificial birth control — William F. Buckley provided the model for this form of dissent decades ago. And yet, it is always a little surprising to me when I encounter it. A "conservative" position, that is, a position that tries to defend the principles of traditional Christianity within our society, becomes inconsistent when it rejects the clear teachings of the Church, not only on the nature of marriage and the conjugal union, but also on the dignity of the Eucharist, and the importance of protecting the Eucharist from sacrilege.

To give one example: On your radio show and your show on the Fox network, you have defended traditional marriage against the novelty of "same-sex marriage." And yet, how can this position be coherent if you allow the separation of sexuality and procreation? Once these are separated, marriage can no longer be defined in terms of the complementary relationship of man and woman for the sake of engendering children and providing them nurture and education. This is not a distinctively "Catholic" observation — Methodist minister Donald Sensing made this point persuasively in a recent Wall Street Journal editorial ("Save Marriage? It’s Too Late," March 15, 2004). You cannot defend traditional marriage coherently without rejecting artificial birth control.

Similarly, your respect for the Catholic Church is meaningless if you reject her responsibility to protect the worthy reception of her sacraments. You explained that Holy Communion is a means for people to grow spiritually and become more enlightened by God. From this, you concluded that it is unreasonable to bar believers from the Eucharist. The spiritual growth and enlightenment, however, can only happen if the receiver is properly disposed.

As The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes clear, "Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to Communion" (n. 1385). The graces of the Eucharist do not work in a soul that is in a state of mortal sin. As the Catechism teaches: "The Eucharist is not ordered to the forgiveness of mortal sins — that is proper to the Sacrament of Reconciliation" (n. 1395). Your understanding of the reception of Holy Communion neglects the necessity of sacramental Confession.

Hopefully, those who are in a state of mortal sin voluntarily abstain from receiving Holy Communion. Nonetheless, under certain extraordinary circumstances, Church law (known as "canon law") stipulates that the minister has the responsibility of barring certain people from the Eucharist, and that among them are those "who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin" (canon 915). One must note here not just the phrase "grave sin," but also the phrase "manifest," that is, public, obvious, known to all. When Catholic politicians actively support abortion rights despite the admonition of their pastors, they are obstinately persisting in grave sin. Having the privilege of working under Bishop Raymond Burke in the Diocese of La Crosse (who is now the archbishop of St. Louis), I have witnessed some of this obstinacy at close range.

It is unlikely that you would be barred from receiving Holy Communion for publicly rejecting the Church teaching on birth control. But, as a fellow Catholic, I urge you to read the encyclical letter of Paul VI Humanae Vitae, and consider its arguments seriously. I would also ask you to read Family Planning and Modern Problems by Stanislas Lestapis, SJ, which provides a deeper explanation of the principles in Humanae Vitae.

I would finally ask you to consider whether someone such as yourself who publicly disagrees with a binding Church teaching should be receiving Holy Communion. As St. Paul makes clear in his First Letter to the Corinthians: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the Body and Blood of the Lord" (11:27-29). Your comments on birth control give scandal to the faithful, and are bound to lead unstable believers astray. This is a grave matter indeed.

For my part, I cannot justify continuing to listen to your show. But I will certainly keep you in my prayers, and wish an abundance of blessings for you and your family.

In the Peace of Christ,
Arthur M. Hippler, Ph.D.
Office of Justice and Peace
Diocese of La Crosse
La Crosse, Wis.

A great letter! Hopefully, it will prick the consciences of Sean Hannity and others who may be more properly called "Cafeteria Catholics" to conform their minds and wills to that of God by learning to embrace the truths of the Church.

I had noticed that Sean and others such as professed Catholic Bill O'Reilly, frequently say things that are against the teachings of the Church - and it is done publicly. As Dr. Hippler says, we should keep them in our prayers.

Letter copied from The Wanderer

- posted by LRS @ 7:15 AM   

 
Fostering vocations: What's the next step?

Vocations director grapples with challenge of parental opposition

Father Michael T. Butler, director of the archdiocesan Vocations Office, said he is witnessing a challenge among young men and women considering a possible religious vocation — gaining the acceptance of their parents.

According to a 1997 CARA study, parental encouragement of religious vocations leads to dramatically higher positive attitudes toward becoming a priest or religious. The nationwide study was conducted for U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops with the support of the Serra International Foundation.

"It becomes important then for parents to reflect on their own attitudes toward their faith, the Church and on the value of young people consecrating their lives to Christ, and to make a conscious effort to address any negative attitudes that they might outwardly or subconsciously be communicating to their children in the home," he said.

"In fact, I have five guys who would love to come into the seminary this year, but they won’t because of their parents," he said. "One mother, a couple of years ago, even went as far as to say to her son, ‘If you go to the seminary, don’t ever come back home.’"

If you do not belong or participate in the Serra Club in some way, perhaps it would be worthwhile to do so.

There appears to be an often overlooked reason why parents may be disinclined to encourage a vocation to the priesthood. It seems that contraception plays an important part in the equation. Families are much smaller now than they were years ago, therefore the 'pool' of good young men is less. It seems that the scourge of contraception has not only lead our nation and others toward the legalization of abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality and other grave immoralities but has lead us to a decline in the priesthood as well. This, combined with the pursuit of the almighty dollar, the radical feminist movement, the diminishing of the faith, and other things has a direct bearing on one's ability to become more virtuous and learn to the practice of self-sacrificing love.

Anyway, the article discusses some of the efforts of the Serra Club and has some other good points but I would add that perhaps more people need to spend more time praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament and asking our Lord to help us overcome the evil in our midst, and if it be His Will, raise up good men to continue His ministry for the sake of His people and to give courage and strength to those parents whose sons may have been graced with this special calling from God.

Article is here.


- posted by LRS @ 7:05 AM   

 
Catholics for a Free Choice Files IRS Complaint against Operation Rescue
Click here to read the press release
Click here to read the original complaint to the IRS



- posted by LRS @ 6:55 AM   

 
Watergate in Lima: Opus Dei Cardinal Accuses Bishops and the Vatican Curia
Here is an update on the archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani.

Falsified letters, plots, and lies. The Church in Peru is at war. The target is the archbishop of the capital, the first Opus Dei cardinal. And he’s fighting back

by Sandro Magister

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:52 AM   

 
Letters to the Editor discussing Amendment 2-Protecting Marriage
The Post Dispatch printed five letters on July 28 specifically regarding Missouri's Amendment 2 which is on the August 3rd ballot.

Thee of the five, as one might expect, are advocating the defeat of the Amendment - and all three are rationalizing the reasons for such a defeat. In fact, it appears that they are advocating legalizing sodomy and other homosexual acts in the name of "freedom".

A couple who has made a commitment to love and respect each other and who want to enjoy the legal rights and benefits of civil marriage should be allowed to do so.

First, these are not commitments arising from love and respect for it is impossible to love another if one does not love God first. It is lust rather than love for love desires the highest and best for the sake of the beloved and that 'highest and best' is heaven. One cannot violate God's laws, the natural laws, and the moral laws while at the same time referring to acts of depravity as 'love'. Likewise, it is not 'respect' that one demonstrates or practices in such a relationship. It is disregard and contempt for one's fellow human beings. What has always and everywhere been regarded as an abomination can never be made right, just, and desirable because man wishes it so.

Letters are here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:50 AM   

 
How do they know this?
The Herald-Sun's article headline reads: "Vatican document 'slams feminism'". I wonder if they received an advance copy of the document?

The Church teaches and tells us what true feminism is, as best exemplified by Our Blessed Mother Mary. While this may not be what some would like to hear, it is, nevertheless, what is needed, especially today in our age of confusion. The lies and deception inherent in the corrupted world view of "feminism" needs to be exposed.

A Document on the roles of men and women to be released by the Vatican criticises "world-wide feminism" for trying to erase the biological differences between men and woman, according to a report made public today.

Article

- posted by LRS @ 6:40 AM   

 
Pro-choice Catholics in Democratic delegation feel the heat
My guess is the heat they're feeling now is nothing comapred to the "heat" they may feel for all eternity if they continue in their denial of God and of God's rights.

"It was difficult, and it is difficult, that the church in which I grew up, is now sort of rejecting folks, whereas when you get to the door of the church, when you walk through those doors, that's between you and God," [Peggy Flanagan, 25, of Minneapolis] says.

Flanagan was not denied communion, but she said she no longer felt welcomed in her parish. So she recently switched congregations and attends a Lutheran church, even though she still considers herself a Catholic.

Perfectly understandable - I might consider myself to be TV-Star handsome but my self-consideration does not make it so. One must understand that defection from the Church by a formal act, renders one Catholic no longer. She is treading on very thin ice here.

Full story here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:35 AM   

 
They can no longer pretend to be Catholic
This is the essence of what several people are saying by refusing to sign an "affirmation of faith" as required by Bishop Robert F. Vasa of the Diocese of Baker. They have been called to outwardly express the Catholic faith, part of which requires one to believe in all that the Church proposes for our belief, and some refuse to do that.

I could no longer pretend that I could ascend to some of those articles of faith any more than others can," [lay liturgical minister and a cantor, Wilma Hens] said Thursday.

"I happen to believe that many of the teachings on human sexuality are just plain faulty," said Hens, one of at least six lay ministers to quit because of the affirmation. "I don't want to be held to those teachings. I cannot give my full assent. I don't want to pretend to do so in order to be a lay minister."

Unable or too obstinate to believe what the Church teaches? Who knows? It's high time that a bishop has begun to do something like this - to purge the ranks of parish elitists and dissenters who are in positions which afford them ample opportunity to spread their poisonous beliefs to others.

But Tom Dolezal of Bend said it's not a matter of supporting church teachings, it's the blind adherence to dogma.

"If he (the bishop) is going to exclude any one who has any doubt about a church teaching, he's going to exclude 100 percent of the membership of the church, including himself. He has to be a human being, the same as me, and I have doubts about some of the church teachings," Dolezal said.

Dolezal, a communion minister and lector, has not resigned from his positions. He said he plans to confront the bishop and see if the bishop forces him out of his job.

Here again there may be a faulty understanding of terminology - while one may have "difficulties" with some of the Church's teachings, one is noe permitted to have "doubts" regarding those teachings. And when one has "difficulties", one is required to study, learn, and ultimately accept those teachings.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:30 AM   

 
Constitution doesn't include a right to sexual privacy
A federal appeals court has, rightly in my opinion, determined that the constitution contains no provision for an individual's right to sexual privacy. This, however, seems to contradict a 1965 Supreme Court ruling which opened the floodgates to contraception.

``On the other hand, if we today craft a new fundamental right by which to invalidate the law, we would be bound to give that right full force and effect in all future cases including, for example, those involving adult incest, prostitution, obscenity, and the like.''

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:25 AM   

 
Priest's benediction touches on abortion and gay rights

As the Democratic Party nominated a Catholic for president for the first time since 1960, the Catholic priest who gave the final words at the convention alluded to the church's concern with the Democratic Party's support for abortion rights by calling on God to ''guide every citizen of our United States to cherish all life."

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:20 AM   

 
Human Personhood Begins at Conception
Philosopher Peter Kreeft presents the arguments commonly used to explain why the unborn child is not a human person and then shows clearly and simply why each of these arguments cannot possibly be true.

There is a time to be polite and scholarly and a time to tell the truth plain and prickly. Plainly put, abortion comes from Hell and it can lead us to Hell if not repented. Any unrepented sin can, and we all need repentance, whether we abort or hate or lust or despair or coldly condemn. But abortion is more likely than most sins to be unrepented because there are so many pro-choice voices justifying it. The justification of abortion can be more lethal than abortion itself.

Peter Kreeft's excellent article is here.
- posted by LRS @ 8:55 PM   

 
Taking Satan Seriously
We should take the devil "very seriously," but without losing confidence in the love of God, says the theologian of the Pontifical Household.

Cardinal Georges Cottier gave this interview in the wake of last Saturday's murder of a priest in the cathedral of Santiago, Chile. The killing was linked to Satanism.

We must take the devil very seriously, but we must not think that he is omnipotent. There are people who have an irrational fear of the devil.

Christian confidence, which is nourished with prayer, humility and penance, must be above all confidence in the love of the Father. And this love is stronger than all. We must have the consciousness that the mercy of God is so great as to surmount all obstacles.

Link.
- posted by LRS @ 8:50 PM   

 
Pornography: the Degrading Behemoth (Part 2)

Pornography may be a thriving criminal enterprise, but a legal expert in the field believes the Church and the laity can stunt its growth.

We are called to convert the world by living the faith and proclaiming the Gospel. None of the battles we face today are easy but with God's grace, we must persevere.

Link.
- posted by LRS @ 8:44 PM   

 
Dioceses Must Fill Need for Catechesis, Says Cardinal Castrillón

The faithful have a right to sound catechesis, and it is up to parishes and diocesan movements in communion with the bishop to provide such instruction, says a Vatican official.

When opening the European Catechetical Conference, Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, referred to the plea of many Catholics who want to learn more about the faith. The Vatican dicastery organized the conference.

"Catechesis is not simply one more activity among the many endeavors of the diocese in evangelization, but represents a unique and fundamental 'work of justice,'" he added.

"Catechesis is not simply one more activity among the many endeavors of the diocese in evangelization, but represents a unique and fundamental 'work of justice,'" he added.

Zenit Article.
- posted by LRS @ 8:36 PM   

 
An insightful look at weakness
Phil Lawler of Catholic World News has posted an observation here called "A voice in the wilderness".

This week a militantly pro-abortion Catholic is being nominated for the US presidency, with a Catholic priest offering an invocation at the convention, and dozens of prominent Catholics enthusiastically participating in the events.

Now is a time when we need clear, unequivocal leadership from our bishops, to leave no doubt about where the Church stands on abortion.

And what do we get?

In Boston, Archbishop Sean O'Malley is out of town.

In Washington, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a series of statements:

on restrictions on travel to Cuba
on the US-Central America Free Trade Treaty
on the crisis in Darfur
on the latest World Trade Organization talks
on restricted travel to Cuba (again)
on over-the-counter sale of the "morning-after pill"

You might say that the US bishops have already spoke out about pro-abortion Catholic politicians, in their statement Catholics in Political Life. You know, the one in which they said:

... we seek to form the consciences of our people so that they can examine the positions of candidates and make choices based on Catholic moral and social teaching.

Right now-- this week-- would be a good time to form some consciences, while the pro-abortion candidates are squarely in the media spotlight.

True, the bishops would be repeating themselves. Is that a bad thing? Remember, this is the group that has posted two different statements on travel to Cuba in less than one week.

- posted by LRS @ 12:05 PM   

 
CDF to Publish Document Saturday

VATICAN CITY, JUL 29, 2004 (VIS) - On Saturday, July 31 at 12 noon, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith will publish a document entitled "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World." It will be published in Italian, French, English, German, Spanish and Portuguese.

The Vatican Information Service will transmit a special edition on Saturday, July 31, about this document.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 7:30 AM   

 
Chaplain provides spiritual needs for terminally ill patients
Here's a good article about a deacon, Bill Sinak, who devotes his energy helping others.

"The most rewarding thing for me is to see a patient who is able to die peacefully, not just with no fear, but with a joyful expectation of meeting their God," Sinak said. "And to see families who are able to let go and be at peace with their relationship they've had with the patient."

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 7:10 AM   

 
A glimpse of Minnesota Catholic Delegates to the DNC

About a third of Minnesota's delegates this year, at least 28, are Catholic, followed by Episcopalians with four. Only three people surveyed said they were Lutheran. That compares with four years ago, when 19 of the 66 delegates responding to the AP's survey said they were Catholic.

Most, 22 of 28 who responded, supported abortion rights and 15 of them said they backed gay marriage rights.

Former Minnesota House Speaker Phil Carruthers said he was troubled that politics and religion had become so intertwined.

"You try to take your faith seriously," he said. "There's a set of moral principles, but that's different from what the laws of the state and the country should be."

Get that? "You try to take your faith seriously"...BUT...they can not! So much for professing to be Catholic - it just isn't so...

Does anyone teach the faith anymore?

Link.
- posted by LRS @ 7:05 AM   

 
Abortion debate won't keep priest from national stage

Make no mistake: The Rev. John B. Ardis, the Catholic priest whom Senator John F. Kerry has chosen to give the benediction at tonight's closing session of the convention, opposes abortion.

But he also opposes capital punishment, the war in Iraq, and public policies he views as unjust toward the poor or hungry.

He's a saint!

Ardis said he expects to allude to the abortion issue with a call to "respect for life in all of its forms." But he said the party's position does not preclude a Catholic priest from offering a prayer.

Allude to abortion???

Speaking at the convention is not Ardis's first bold move. In April, just before Easter, Ardis said he would welcome Kerry to Communion, despite declarations by some bishops that they would deny Kerry the sacrament because of his support for abortion rights. Ardis instead cited the position of other bishops, including O'Malley, that individual Catholics should examine their consciences to decide whether to seek Communion.

"We will not deny Communion to anyone who presents themselves in a respectful manner," Ardis said.

To ANYONE? That's nice...
Article
- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
How did the liturgical abuses get started?
Adoremus has posted selected quotes from the past on specific problems raised in Redemptionis Sacramentum

After reading many of these quotes from self-proclaimed liturgical experts, it's really difficult to maintain a balanced composure. One may react, and I believe rightly, with disgust at these people who have had a major influence on the abuses we have witnessed for years.

Another truly sad aspect of all of this is that far too many priests and 'liturgy directors' or committees read such books and articles as if they were true. Again, this is a direct result of a failure to educate and teach the faithful.

- posted by LRS @ 6:30 AM   

 
The blind leading the blind...?

Gay couples should be able to marry in civil ceremonies and, if they are parents, they deserve all the legal rights of straight parents, says a policy the American Psychological Association adopted Wednesday at its meeting here.

"We're going out on a limb," says Diane Halpern, president of APA, the nation's largest group of psychologists.

Going out on a limb...going out of their minds is more like it...
Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:00 AM   

 
John Edwards and Abortion

Though he is seeking to project a moderate image to voters through his Democratic convention speech, John Edwards has compiled a record in favor of abortion that pro-life groups call extreme. During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Edwards voted against pro-life legislation at every turn -- even opposing a ban on partial-birth abortions.

Details here.
- posted by LRS @ 5:30 AM   

 
Pornography: the Degrading Behemoth (Part 1)
Zenit has posted an interesting article discussing the perverted and disordered view of the human person and the criminal enterprise promoting it.
- posted by LRS @ 5:12 AM   

 
Immoral Ideology
Fr John Lombardi of St. Wenceslaus Parish in St. Louis offered this bit of wisdom to the readers of the Post Dispatch a couple of weeks ago...

A July 18 editorial advised voters to vote "no" on Amendment 2.

I can't believe that you can ask the voters to vote "no" on an issue that goes against the natural law and also is against the common good and is gravely immoral.

The ideology of same-sex marriages goes against Judeo-Christian moral values and is tainted with secular liberalism, which denies that there is any objective truth. In other words, your editorial is saying that everything is relative.

As a matter of fact, our country has wrapped itself in this mantle of freedom and tolerance for all points of view regardless of objective truth.

The Rev. John Carl Lombardi
St. Louis

We can pray that hardened hearts might be converted to the truth.
Link
- posted by LRS @ 6:23 PM   

 
Karl Keating's 7/27 E-Letter

KARL KEATING'S E-LETTER
July 27, 2004

TOPIC:
WANT TO GET FIRED? SHARE THIS E-LETTER
ISSUING AN "ULTIMATUM"
YOU TOO CAN BECOME A MILLIONAIRE

Dear Friend of Catholic Answers:

My E-Letter makes some people happy and some people apoplectic. One of the latter is a priest who runs a small (and ever smaller) parish in Georgia. Here is the story, as recounted to me by a subscriber who identified herself as Theresa:

"I sent your E-Letter to a lot of my Catholic friends, including my parish priest. I was an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, head of the women's group, an instructor in Pre-Cana, an instructor for pre-baptism, and a member of the parish council and choir. I was fired from all those positions.

"My priest called me up, told me in a disgusted tone never to send him letters from you again, and then proceeded to fire me from all of my volunteer positions. I was essentially kicked out of my home parish.

"Just a final note: This man cornered me at Mass this past Sunday and yelled at me for telling him that I don't agree with his views on married priests. I was very diplomatic, respectful, and calm. It's unfortunate that some of our shepherds are like this, and ours wonders why his flock went from about 400 to just over 100 during his tenure."

Driving away three-quarters of one's congregation is not something normally considered a sign of successful pastoral management. I recall hearing about one diocese where the bishop told pastors that they would not receive associate priests for their parishes unless their parishes regularly produced priestly vocations. That bishop smartly used the carrot. It seems that Theresa's pastor confines himself to the stick.

SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE--OR ELSE?

Last week I discussed the "Affirmation of Personal Faith" instituted by Bishop Robert F. Vasa of the Diocese of Baker. The "Affirmation" is to be signed by anyone working in parish ministries. Anyone unwilling to sign must remove himself from ministerial positions. Several subscribers to the E-Letter wondered whether taking such a hard line is the way to go.

Stacey Burdue wrote:

"I don't believe an ultimatum is the most effective, or Christlike, method to enforce the Church's teaching upon people or to assume those involved in ministries have successfully finished their journey. I do believe that God is with all people on their journey, that the people involved in ministries bring a multitude of gifts that do benefit the Church a great deal even while some may struggle with some very serious issues.

"I do not believe that we are living Christ's command to love our neighbors when we present them with a document that says 'sign this or get out.' I believe to do so would hurt the people who are trying to be good Catholics by participating in a ministry yet who are still on a journey of faith themselves."

On one level I sympathize with this argument; on another I don't.

Certainly each Catholic is on a journey of faith. The person sitting next to you in the pew may be considerably ahead of you, or considerably behind you, in that journey. But aren't there two elements to the journey, one intellectual and one spiritual?

When we speak about people being on a journey, if we're speaking about Catholics, as distinguished from non-Catholics, we almost always mean people who are trying, however fitfully, to deepen their spiritual lives--to avoid habitual sins, to become more regular in prayer, to attend Mass not just on Sundays.

If we're speaking about non-Catholics, usually we mean a journey toward acceptance of Catholic teachings: letting go of misconceptions and errors from their pre-existing faith, coming to see and to adhere to Catholic truths they heretofore had rejected.

What we usually don't have in mind, when we talk about Catholics who are on a journey of faith, is Catholics who don't accept basic teachings of the Church. We presuppose that Catholics know basic teachings and accept them.

I can understand why many Catholics might not accept the Church's teaching on the circumincession of the Holy Trinity--they have never heard of such a teaching. It's not that they reject it. They just don't know about it. Most Catholics, even solidly orthodox ones, never have it brought to their attention. No need, really. It's an obscure teaching, one commonly reserved for theological journals.

But when we look at Bishop Vasa's "Affirmation of Personal Faith," we don't find any mention of circumincession. What we find are simple, almost self-evident teachings that every adult Catholic has heard of and should be able to understand without difficulty. There is nothing complicated about opposing abortion, contraception, or homosexual acts.

Adult Catholics who approve of abortion in some cases, who approve of (and likely practice) contraception, who think there is nothing wrong with homosexual acts--such Catholics are not, except in highly unusual cases, "on a journey of faith" with respect to these issues. They are not seeking advice ("Explain to me, Father, why abortion is always wrong"). They simply oppose Catholic teaching, either in their own lives ("My spouse and I see nothing wrong in using contraception") or in the lives of others ("Homosexuals should be able to express their love as they see fit").

Now maybe there are some people who, on such issues, truly are struggling to learn the Church's teaching and who, once they have learned it, will accept it. But such people are rare birds. What we're really talking about is people who know full well what the Church teaches on these matters and who, for whatever reasons, reject that teaching.

I really don't think such people are "on a journey of faith" at all. To be on a journey is to make progress, however fitfully. Such people have turned off the highway and parked themselves under a tree: "This is as far as I'm going." They really don't want to continue the journey because they know where it will take them, to acceptance of things they'd rather not be burdened with. They don't want to be fully Catholic; they are satisfied to be partially Catholic.

But that isn't good enough, says Bishop Vasa, when it comes to holding positions of authority in the Church. If you're going to teach the faith, if you're going to be seen as an exemplar of Catholicism, if you're going to be identified by the public as a representative Catholic, then you need to represent the entirety of the Catholic faith, not just the portion of it you like. And that is why he issued his "ultimatum."

That's too harsh, too loaded, a word for the "Affirmation." I think it's better to look at the "Affirmation" as an attempt to have truth in advertising. You hold yourself out to be a Catholic? Fine, then be a Catholic in fact, not just in title. It's not fair to others if you say you're Catholic when in fact you're only half-Catholic.

A GET RICH QUICK SCHEME

Fr. John F. Paul, S.J., wrote that "Somehow I had the idea that your E-Letter had to do with Wall Street and investments. I was going to add your address to my junk senders' list. Then a friend made a reference to one of your E-Letters. I went back and, thank God, realized that your E-Letters are just what the doctor ordered when it comes to faith issues and the modernist crisis that has all but destroyed the Church."

That was a close call, Father, but you've given me an idea. Maybe I should start an investment letter. Still better, I could take out full-page newspaper ads touting my secret to instant financial security. Image this headline: "How to Become a Millionaire in Ten Easy Steps." Then the small text: "Step No. 1: Get a million dollars ..."

Until next time,
Karl

********************
To subscribe to Karl Keating's E-Letter, send an e-mail to eletter@catholic.com and write "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject line or go to http://www.catholic.com/newsletters.asp.
********************
To learn more about the Catholic faith and about Catholic Answers, visit us at http://www.catholic.com.
********************
The content of this E-Letter is copyright 2004 by Karl Keating.

- posted by LRS @ 7:20 AM   

 
CCC approves resolutions..

Each year, the CCC issues resolutions at its convocation which give a certain moral support to the mission of the Church. This year, five resolutions were approved at their July (12-15) 2004 convocation in Chicago:

1. Support of all bishops who insist that pro-abortion politicians must not receive communion.

2. Support of all legislation which protects the life of the unborn and the nature of marriage as a permanent union between a man and a woman.

3. Condemnation of the secular media’s use of false notions of separation of Church and state to attack the rights of the Church to preach the Gospel.

4. Reaffirmation of the CCC’s consistent denunciation of all forms of child abuse, demand for punishment of all perpetrators, insistence on justice for victims, and condemnation of injustice against those falsely accused and denied due process.

5. Resolution of prayers and support for all military personnel and their families in the war on terrorism, and for the innocent victims of violence.

Link
- posted by LRS @ 7:13 AM   

 
A Flawed Understanding of Missouri's Amendment 2
Doug Gray, campaign manger with the Constitutional Defense League for No on Amendment 2, has a naive and flawed understanding of Amendment 2, as does the American Civil Liberties Union of Eastern Missouri. These groups oppose the amendment because, as they say, it perpetuates discrimination.

But many of our laws are discriminatory, in that they discriminate actions that are immoral such as, murder, burglary, assault, robbery, etc. To discriminate is to discern, distinguish or differentiate ideas or actions. One has no right to engage or promote those things which contradict the natural law.

"Regardless of someone's position on gay marriage, the statute clearly says there is no gay marriage in state," Gray said. "It's all about the Constitution and whether we want to put discriminatory laws in the Constitution. There is a radical agenda by a few to take an issue like gay marriage and drive a wedge between people to get people out to vote."

St. Louis Archbishop Raymond L. Burke has written a column published on the Archdiocese of St. Louis website stating that it was a person's duty to vote and urging people to vote 'yes' on Amendment 2.

"By marriage, a man and a woman promise faithful and enduring love, giving to each other, exclusively and for life, the right to the conjugal act by which married love is blessed with its highest fruit, the conception of a child," Burke states. "Marriage is not an institution which was established by our society or culture. Rather, it is inherent to our human nature and is found in all societies and cultures."

Burke sites the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and church teachings to urge people to safeguard the sanctity of marriage by voting in favor of Amendment 2.

Gray believes this argument is naive.

There is a naive argument here, but it is not Archbishop Burke's.
Source.
- posted by LRS @ 7:05 AM   

 
Someone has failed to teach Catholic moral truths...
...and it is evident in this Post Dispatch Town Talk column.

Voter's choice

LAST WEEK SOMEBODY said you can't be Catholic and favor abortion which would indicate that you shouldn't vote for John Kerry. But you also can't be Catholic and be for the death penalty, pro-war and try to cut back on welfare like President Bush. A really good Catholic can't vote either way without sinning, so you should just vote for whomever you planned to before Archbishop Burke opened his mouth.

It is well past time for St. Louis Catholics to become educated in authentic Catholic teaching regarding those things which are intrinsically evil and those things which are not. The utter confusion of people, such as the one above, is disgraceful and it speaks volumes regarding the failure of those charged with imparting the truths of the faith to the faithful.

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 7:03 AM   

 
When an order abandons the truth, it dies...

The number of Marist priests has declined in the past 30 years, and they struggle to find priests to tend to their parishes, schools and communities.

The Rev. Steik, a founding member of the Marist community at Star of the Sea, believes the church must look to new possibilities and possible restructuring of church order to recruit people to religious life and the priesthood.

"We need to be open to more of the questions of young people in the world today, discussing AIDS, the role of women in the church and gay and lesbian ministries," Steik said.

Some seem to think that the answer lies in openness to women priests and to homosexuality and that this will encourage vocations to the order. They have failed in their mission.

Slowly, those orders which have have abandoned the moral teachings of the Church continue to die from a self-imposed spiritual malnutrition and starvation of the soul.

Link.
- posted by LRS @ 6:50 AM   

 
France Nonchalantly Introduces Chemical Abortion

The French government has introduced chemical abortions, saying that women can undergo them without having to be hospitalized.

The measure, already planned by the government in 2001, sparked no debate in the media. Health Minister Philippe Douste Blazy signed the decree last Friday, authorizing induced abortion through drugs prescribed by a gynecologist or family doctor.

According to the decree, women can undergo chemical abortion up to seven weeks after missing their period, but they must visit their gynecologist or family doctor five times before having recourse to it.

This is to be financed, of course, by 'social security' - what an ironic use of terminology.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 6:40 AM   

 
Canadian Government Meat Inspectors...
Canadian Government Insists Immigrant Strippers Bare All for Officials

Sergio Mercado, of the Canadian Embassy in Mexico has issued a memo ordering all Canadian Immigration Officers to insist on seeing the full monty if a woman wants to come to Canada to work as a stripper.

The rules are that a prospective stripper-immigrant must provide nude photos of herself doing her 'act' in a club to prove her bona fides.

Meanwhile immigration officers [from other countries] are boasting that they export only the best in female flesh for Canadian audiences.

The continuing Western moral decadence...we are sliding into oblivion.

Merciful Lord, grant us the strength and perseverance to endure these times and, if it be Your will, the courage and fortitude to confront and convert those who would destroy and pervert our nations.

Source.

- posted by LRS @ 6:35 AM   

 
Abortion Docs Don't Have to Report Statutory Rape

In a decision handed down Monday, a federal judge ruled that abortionists are not required to comply with a law requiring the reporting of sexual abuse or rape of minors to authorities.

U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten argued that most underage sex is consensual, thus a mandatory reporting of all underage sexual activity would constitute an invasion of privacy. He also reasoned that mandatory reporting would deter minors from seeking abortions out of fear of the abusive relationship being exposed.

Confusion reigns everywhere.

The judge decides that those who are underage are capable of making decisions and assuming responsibility for their actions...yet, the bishops and others tell us that juveniles are not responsible for their actions and should not be subject to capital punishment for heinous crimes...

One must also wonder at what age the honorable judge decides that a child is no longer able to give adequate consent?

Article




- posted by LRS @ 6:33 AM   

 
Ruling on clergy abuse may yield new cases

In some cases, the crimes happened so long ago that criminal charges were out of the question. Statutes of limitations — time limits for prosecution — were a roadblock to many attorneys wanting jail-time for abusive priests.

But some attorneys — among them St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce — began to look for ways to file charges.

Earlier this month, a three-judge panel of the Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District ruled that no statute of limitations existed to bar Joyce's prosecution of a priest accused of child sex abuse in the late 1970s.

As the article states, all of this hinges on the proper interpretation of the meaning of "or" and "during". A way was 'found' to get around the statute of limitations.

In 2002, Joyce charged [priest Thomas] Graham under a 1969 law that says anyone convicted of "the detestable and abominable crime against nature" can be given two years to life in prison. Because the code does not specify a time limit on prosecution, Joyce argued that the statute of limitations must be determined by the sentencing options.

Until crime code changes in 1979, Missouri law explicitly gave no statute of limitations for crimes punishable by "death or by imprisonment in the penitentiary during life." Most at issue in the code are the words "during" and "or."

The panel's July 6 opinion found that "during life" meant a life sentence. And "or" meant the crime did not have to have both the death penalty and life imprisonment as a sentencing option.

Thus, sodomy, for which an offender could receive two years to life in prison, has the same statute of limitations as does murder, which allows for both a life sentence or the death penalty.

Setting aside the statute of limitations issue for a moment, one thing I noticed immediately was that sodomy is referred to as "the detestable and abominable crime against nature" and it was punishable from 2 years to life.

One wonders, considering the relentless push for homosexual "unions", if sodomy, primarily practiced by homosexual males, is still "the detestable and abominable crime against nature" as it was before 1979 when Missouri crime code changes occurred or if it is now viewed as "loving and life-giving relationship" by the Missouri statutes - I guess I should check that out...

Anyway, as anyone who studied civics in high school may remember, there are valid and compelling reasons for statutes of limitations. "Memories fade. Documents are lost. People disappear."

On the other hand, David Clohessy of SNAP argues that:

[V]ictims frequently sit in silence. They are often convinced that the abuse isn't actually abuse. Sometimes they block out the incidents altogether.

"They don't understand first that it's abuse, second that they're being harmed," Anderson said. "It takes them time to come forward to report it, to take legal action."

Time limits are imposed for most crimes to avoid the "he said, she said" conundrum, especially when there is little or no physical evidence.

Some expect the ruling to be overturned on appeal - others are confident it will stand. I guess now we wait and see.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 9:49 PM   

 
Bishop DiLorenzo not ready to support diocese split

In a reversal of his predecessor’s position, newly installed Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo has decided not to support a proposal to split the Richmond diocese and create a new Catholic diocese with Hampton Roads at its core.

“The decision to split the diocese comes from a recommendation of the diocesan bishop, and he is not convinced it needs to be done, and he is not recommending it be done,” said Robin A. Price , a spokeswoman for DiLorenzo and managing editor of The Catholic Virginian, the diocesan newspaper.

Link
- posted by LRS @ 7:25 AM   

 
Spanish sect leader says he is the real Pope

Papal pretender "Gregorio XVII" is leader of a self-styled church in Spain who says God crowned him after Pope Paul VI's 1978 death, that Satan controls the Vatican and that the devil will crucify him at the start of an apocalyptic end of an era.

"Rome...is no longer the capital of Christianity; the new Rome is the Sacred Place of El Palmar de Troya," a booklet from Gregorio's church quotes God as telling him.

Article

In 1980 'pope Gregorio' introduced 'palmarian rite' of Mass, which includes almost only the Consecration. During next few years he changed all rites. New ones are probably invalid.

We should also carefully examine so-called 'Palmarian Catechism'. The catechism teaches that in the Holy Mass are two sacrifices - the Christ's one and the Mary's one. 'Pope Gregorio' says also that the Mary's body and blood are present in the Holy Communion and that we receive a bit of her blood during Baptism. He thinks that somewhere in the Space there is a place kept away from the first human sin - he calls it the Planet of Mary. On the other hand there is also a place where one can't hope for salvation - the Planet of Antichrist.

Creatures, who live on the Planet of Antichrist come from the fourth dimension, and people who live in the Planet of Mary, including Eliash, Henoh, Moises and saint John, look at the Space from the eight dimension. During the Armageddon people from the Planet of Mary will come back on Earth to help us in the battle.

On the other hand we should remember that the 'Palmarian Catechism' clearly reaffirms main evangelical principles, forgotten by so many modern 'neochristians'.

Source...

- posted by LRS @ 7:15 AM   

 
Archbishop Chaput: SSPX barred from shrine

The Denver Roman Catholic Archdiocese again has rebuffed a breakaway traditionalist Catholic church that wanted to end a two-day, 50-mile pilgrimage with a Mass at a mountaintop shrine west of Denver.

The pastor of Mission of St. Isidore the Farmer several weeks ago asked the archdiocese to approve an Aug. 7 Mass at the Mother of Cabrini shrine, which towers over Interstate 70 near Golden.

But Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput declined, saying the congregation is out of communion with the Roman Catholic Church and with the archdiocese. An identical request was refused two years ago for the same reasons.

Link...
- posted by LRS @ 6:46 AM   

 
Diocese of Jefferson City and bishop will pay in abuse cases

The Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City and a former bishop have agreed to pay settlements to two former high school seminarians who allege they were sexually abused while they were students.

The two men had filed suit against the diocese and the Rev. Anthony J. O'Connell, who resigned in March 2002 as bishop in Palm Beach, Fla., after he admitted to having molested a third seminarian. O'Connell was a teacher and rector of the former St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Hannibal, Mo., for about 25 years until 1988.

Post Dispatch Link.
- posted by LRS @ 6:34 AM   

 
Kill scientists, says animal rights chief

A top adviser to Britain's two most powerful animal rights protest groups caused outrage last night by claiming that the assassination of scientists working in biomedical research would save millions of animals' lives.

Article
- posted by LRS @ 6:31 AM   

 
Satanism Linked to Priest's Murder in Chilean Cathedral
Assailant Invoked Devil's Name, Says Servite Superior


- posted by LRS @ 6:25 AM   

 
Cardinal Arinze Outlines Pope's Contributions on Liturgy and Eucharist
This is another article of Cardinal Arinze's talk in Pittsburgh.

The centrality of the liturgy, with the Eucharistic sacrifice as its apex, is one of key reasons why John Paul II's pontificate stands out, according to Cardinal Francis Arinze.

The prefect for the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments recently spoke on the Pope's teachings on the sacred liturgy and the Eucharist to more than 300 attendees at Christendom College's Summer Institute, which was entitled "Confronting the Culture of Death: John Paul II's Prophetic Vision for the Renewal of Christian Culture."

Zenit link
- posted by LRS @ 6:21 AM   

 
“The Passion” for Christians Only in Malaysia

After box-office records in the Arab world, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ will soon be released in Malaysia, but for “Christian eyes only.” Some months ago Catholics and Protestants were worried that the Film Censorship Board might block its release, but following the intervention of Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi the movie was approved for “Christians only,” for viewing “at designated cinemas,” and without prior advertising.

Link.
- posted by LRS @ 6:12 AM   

 
A Lucid Response to a 'Confused' Commonweal Author
Fr Rob Johansen has an excellent article, clarifying the Church's teaching and shedding much needed light on the confusion regarding the "persistent vegetative state". This is one of the best articles I have read on the subject!
Link here.
- posted by LRS @ 12:10 PM   

 
Science and Vatican Agree: Cognitively Disabled Can Recover

On September 11, 2001, while the world was riveted to the sight of two planes crashing into the World Trade Towers, a 60-year-old Missouri man was fighting for his life in a St. Louis hospital. Hit by a truck, he suffered massive head injuries and was flown to a state-of-the-art intensive care unit where doctors applied every ounce of their skill to save his life.

Three days later, he was still alive, but in a coma and breathing only with the aid of ventilator. Doctors saw little hope that he would recover and recommended that the family withdraw treatment and let him die. They refused.

"When the family wouldn't withdraw treatment, the hospital told them they had to put him somewhere else because he was never going to recover," said ex-trauma nurse and spokesperson for the National Association of Pro-Life Nurses, Nancy Valko. "They told the family he was going to die. He would never get off the ventilator. There was absolutely no chance of recovery."

The man was transferred to a nursing home, where patients are likely to receive little or no rehabilitative help. Thankfully, Valko visited him weekly and, together with the family, employed nothing more than a few simple sensory stimulation techniques she learned on the job. Ever so gradually, they began to see signs of awakening. "By Thanksgiving, the man was awake and talking and able to start eating by mouth," Valko said. "He's made a full recovery."

Valko is one of many in the medical profession who greeted the pope's recent statement about the ethical care of persons in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) with tears of joy rather than outright derision.

Good article...
- posted by LRS @ 7:15 AM   

 
Seattle: a longtime liberal archdiocese leans right

When John Barnes heard Seattle Archbishop Alexander Brunett declare this week that it was impossible for Roman Catholic politicians to keep the faith and support abortion rights, he cheered.

My first thought was, it's about time," said Barnes, a member of St. Cecelia Catholic Church in Stanwood. "It's long overdue."

Yes...about 30 years overdue in many places...But...

Carrie Sheehan, who worshipped at St. Joseph Church in Seattle for 44 years but no longer attends, said her greatest disappointment is the current divergence from the liberalizing reforms of Vatican II -- particularly with regard to women's involvement.

Still waiting for women priestesses? The liberalizing reforms of Vatican II are there if one submits oneself to the "authentic" affirmations of the council, such as that of laity's obligation to confront and change the world...And she no longer attends Mass - this is what decades of defective catechesis has wrought.

"There was this tremendous hopefulness for a whole new openness, but no -- it's still just a male hierarchy," she said.

As it always has been and always will be, just as Christ ordained it. The hopefulness is in Christ and Him crucified, and the Church and sacraments are His channels of grace for us. One must look with humility, docility, and obedience to the Church and the Holy Father as our sure guides in fulfilling our hopes to be in union with Christ.

While Sheehan, a 75-year-old mother of seven, considers herself a loyal, lifelong Catholic, none of her eight grandchildren has been baptized.

"The old me would have agonized over that," she said. "But I see that they are still beautiful, spiritual people and the church doesn't speak to their values."

But now, there is no agony because she and many others have been mislead by those who bring division into the Church, acting as agents of the evil one. She may consider herself a loyal Catholic, but the fact that she is now comfortable that none of her grandchildren have been baptized reflects an abandonment of the faith and a lack of concern for the eternal life and happiness with God of her own family. How truly sad these situations are - the complete and utter disregard for the spiritual welfare of one's family members.

It seems many have fallen into apostacy and are not even aware of it, because true charity has been lost or denied - that love by which people are counseled with the truth and prayerfully led toward the path of eternal life.

We must continue to pray for the Holy Father, our bishops, priests and religious, and for all so that we may be more receptive to the graces God bestows on us in order to that we may do His will rather than our own will.

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:45 AM   

 
The Paulist Center, where people who hate the Church go to church

There are no kneelers in the church and the atmosphere is decidedly casual. (Of the hundred or so people at Mass on Sunday morning, only two men wore coat and tie.) At times the Mass departs from the Catholic text. During the Nicene Creed, for example, the sections on believing in only "one Lord" ("We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God . . .") and only "one holy Catholic and apostolic Church" are excised from the prayer.

On the back of the Sunday bulletin, the Paulist Center carries ads, like all Catholic churches do. Where most Churches have ads from local florists, funeral homes, hotels, and restaurants, the Paulist Center carries ads for the Animal Rescue League and "Yoga of the Future." The biggest block of ads is from psychotherapists. More than a fifth of the ads in the Paulist Center bulletin are from "Jungian psychoanalysts" who offer counseling, "body psychotherapy," and even "dream interpretation."

The people who come to the Paulist Center aren't your typical Catholics. "The congregation is not geographical, but ideological...

The ideology which brings people to the Paulist Center is best explained by the Center's Mission Statement which declares, "Attentive to the Holy Spirit, we are a Catholic community that welcomes all, liberates the voice of each and goes forth to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ." (Before Mass, this Mission Statement is projected, in large type, onto the wall above the alter, on either side of the statue of Christ.) In their Vision Statement, the Center goes on to explain that they aspire to serve "those persons searching for a spiritual home and those who have been alienated from the Catholic Church."

It should come as no surprise, then that Fr. John Ardis has been invited to the give the invocation at the Democratic convention...Evidently, he is an expert at confirming people in their errors and sins. No fraternal correction is allowed here unless, of course, one happens to be faithful to the teachings of the Church.

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:30 AM   

 
When shepherds vacillate, the sheep stray.

The numbers prove that if every Catholic voter, acting on an informed conscience, refused to vote for any politician — Democrat, Republican or independent — who supports abortion, the scourge could be eliminated almost overnight.

A Catholic bloc vote against abortion would stun the Democratic Party into renouncing its abortion platform and serve notice to the wobbly Republicans, especially their Catholic sell-outs.

Beyond John Kerry, the bishops have a lot of work to do with the flock. The unanswered questions are: Do they recognize it, and do they have the will?

When Bishops Fear to Lead.
- posted by LRS @ 6:25 AM   

 
Archbishop O'Malley not invited to offer blessing for Democrats

In a break from past practice, the Democratic Party is not inviting the archbishop of Boston to offer a blessing at the Democratic National Convention, but instead is inviting a Paulist priest who has taken Senator John F. Kerry's side in a national debate over whether politicians who support abortion rights should receive Communion.

The Kerry campaign said last night it is seeking to have the Rev. John B. Ardis, director of the Paulist Center, deliver an invocation at the convention. The Paulist Center is on Beacon Hill, where Kerry lives, and the senator and his wife have often worshiped at the chapel there.

One wonders just exactly who or what they 'worship' at the chapel....

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:20 AM   

 
Cardinal Arinze captivates audience

Cardinal Francis Arinze, one of the most powerful men at the Vatican, is known for an acerbic wit in defense of church teachings.

He did not disappoint 112 people who had paid $250 to hear him at a benefit dinner in the LeMont restaurant Friday night, where miniature papal flags on toothpicks decorated their creme brulee. But Arinze was as critical of conservative Catholic foibles as of liberal ones, and his descriptions of his own work were charmingly self-effacing.

Arinze spoke for an hour, drawing rave reviews.

"He made the complicated issues of faith very clear and very joyful," said the Rev. Joe Codori, parochial vicar at St. Theresa of Avila in Perrysville.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:10 AM   

 
Eucharistic Congress Planned in Washington
A Eucharistic Congress planned for Sept. 24-25, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, takes its theme from John Paul II's 2003 encyclical.

Speakers at the congress will include Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C.; Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments; Cardinals James Francis Stafford, major penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary; and Sister Nirmala, superior general of the Missionaries of Charity.

The CMSWR (The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious) Web site has a link for those who want to register for the congress, or to obtain information.

Zenit Article
- posted by LRS @ 8:57 PM   

 
Kerry Thinking on Abortion Same as Supreme Court on Allowing Slavery

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry gave an interview on abortion yesterday on ABC news. Host Peter Jennings asked Kerry about his statement that "life begins at conception" to which Kerry responded by drawing a distinction between the beginning of human life and 'personhood'.

What a statement of imbecility! I would imagine that those who are stricken with some sort of debilitating disease or are old and sick lose their 'personhood' at some point also?

Catholic League president William Donohue remarked on Kerry's statements pointing out that in distinguish between human life and personhood, Kerry mirrored the dichotomy that was advanced by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1857 in the Dred Scott decision that legalized slavery. "In that ruling, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney wrote that members of 'the negro race' were 'not regarded as a portion of the people or citizens of the Government.' Similarly, he concluded that 'it is too plain for argument, that they have never been regarded as part of the people or citizens of the State'," said Donohue.

Lifesite Article
- posted by LRS @ 11:38 AM   

 
Bishops' stances not supported by the Church
Here is another attempt to spin the truth with flawed opinions and previously refuted 'facts'. This article by Jimmy Patterson of the Midlan Reporter-Telegram is laced with error even though he has some truth in it. Not only that, but the innuendos of the article can be seen as attempts to discredit both Archbishop Raymond Burke and Bishop Michael Sheridan.

Was he [Archbishop Burke] in error for acting as judge and jury in a case involving someone's [John Kerry] personal convictions?

The simple answer, which Mr. Patterson fails to note, is no. It is the obligation of the bishop to teach, govern and sanctify, and protecting the Holy Eucharist from sacrilege and protecting the faithful from scandal are duties entrusted to him.

[W]as the archbishop's assertion simply a case of trying to sway his Catholic electorate by casting the Democratic candidate in a negative light?

Had the author read or listened to any of Archbishop Burke's responses over the past several weeks or months, he would not hav had to even ask this question - but - this rhetorical question was asked precisely to cast doubt and confusion among unsuspecting readers.

Whatever the ultimate agendas of these two representatives of the church, local Catholic officials say the statements of the two are theirs alone and insist the church does not practice the withholding of Holy Communion from its faithful because personal beliefs may differ from the dictates handed down by the Vatican.

Here the author is dead wrong...the discipline of the Church demands that Holy Communion be withheld in cases involving obstinate and manifest grave sin. Merely because the discipline has not been enforced, especially here in the US does not mean that the Church condones the failure. This is evident in Cardinal Ratzinger's "Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion: General Principles".

And personal beliefs which are contrary to what the Church proposes for us to believe separate one from communion with the Church - it is a sin against faith. Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God, believe in all that God has said and revealed to us, AND believe in all that the Church proposes for our for our belief, because He is Truth itself (CCC 1814). To reject a truth of the Faith is to reject God. One's personal beliefs, therefore, must be in accord with the teachngs of the Church if one is to remain in communion with Christ and His Church.

The author proceeds to quote both Bishop Michael Pfeifer, of the Diocese of San Angelo, who says he would do things differently, and Fr. Tom Kelley, parish priest at Our Lady of San Juan Catholic Church. Fr. Kelley states,

"I would give him Communion, I wouldn't hesitate. Kerry is not saying he believes in abortion. What he is saying publicly is that he believes in our country and that the United States is based on the Constitution and the decision that everyone has a right to make his or her own decision."

Thankfully, Fr. Kelley is not a bishop and were he to be in a diocese where the bishop stated otherwise, one would hope he would be obedient at least to the bishop since he evidently pays no attention to the Holy See which has stated:

When “these precautionary measures have not had their effect or in which they were not possible,” and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, “the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it” (cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts Declaration “Holy Communion and Divorced, Civilly Remarried Catholics” [2002], nos. 3-4).

The eminent Fr. Kelley proceeds:

Kelley said Burke and Sheridan's views were "out of it, quite frankly."

"If a person came to Communion who really very publicly had caused even a major scandal of some sort, even then (withholding Communion) would be a judgment call. When (Burke) suggests not giving Communion to Kerry, he has made a decision that Kerry has a moral flaw."

The priest is wrong again. As the Holy Father has previously stated and as Cardinal Ratzinger made perfectly clear recently:

This decision, properly speaking, is not a sanction or a penalty. Nor is the minister of Holy Communion passing judgement on the person’s subjective guilt, but rather is reacting to the person’s public unworthiness to receive Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin.

Once again one has to question what, if any, theological education some of our priests and bishops received? It seems that many may have been absent during several of the classes.

Article is here.

- posted by LRS @ 10:50 AM   

 
Shrine hosts annual Healing Novena

Father Louis Studer and other priests from around the country will preside over the annual Healing Novena July 28 through Aug. 5 at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows.

Each weekday of the Novena, various speakers will speak on the ministries and mission work of the Missionary Oblates at 10 a.m. in the Shrine Hotel conference room. The rosary will be recited at 3 p.m. each day in the Hotel Chapel.

The evening Novena Masses begin at 7:30 p.m. It is free of charge and open to the public. Participants will be given a complimentary prayer book.

Link
- posted by LRS @ 10:29 AM   

 
The Catholic's Best Solutions for Internet Protection

by Peter Mirus
special to CatholicCulture.org

This week CatholicCulture.org is releasing a follow-up to my recent article about protecting your children (and yourself) when on the Internet. In that article, I made mention of the fact that we have performed extensive testing of many products that can assist you in that endeavor.

The result is the following article:

Catholic Tech Watch: The Catholic's Best Solutions for Internet Protection

I encourage you to read this article. It is likely the only article available about this subject written from a Catholic perspective and based on expert analysis.

The new article that we are releasing is a brief overview of the issues at hand and the products that we reviewed, including our recommendations and individual product reviews.

In fact, the article forms a mini section of the site that we hope will eventually turn into a full site section titled "Catholic Tech." This will be determined by your feedback, so please let us know what you think! We look forward to receiving your comments.

To read my original article: Pornography and the Internet: Are Your Children Safe?

These are two excellent articles that every Catholic with Internet acces should read. Considering the dangers to which children could be exposed on the Internet, the articles are necessary reading and useful in fulfilling one's role as a parent to protect children. It is estimated that 12% of websites on the Internet are pornographic.

Catholic Culture link here.

- posted by LRS @ 7:53 PM   

 
Austrian bishop silenced during apostolic visitation

During an apostolic visitation of his St. Pölten diocese, the embattled Bishop Kurt Krenn has been ordered to refrain from public statements, and to obtain approval of the Vatican's investigator, Bishop Klaus Kung, for any significant pastoral decisions, Austrian media reports have disclosed.

The restrictions on Bishop Krenn will remain in place for the length of the apostolic visitation-- which, according to a spokesman for Vienna's Cardinal Christoph Schønborn, is expected to last 6-8 weeks.

Catholic World News report.
- posted by LRS @ 7:40 AM   

 
Has the time for "dialogue" passed?

Catholic lawmakers ignoring bishops' warning on abortion and Communion

Scores of leading Roman Catholic politicians across the country appear undaunted by election-year warnings from bishops that those who support abortion rights may be unworthy to receive Holy Communion. In Associated Press interviews with more than 75 such politicians, none said that they are abstaining from the sacrament over the issue, and many said they believed voting for legalized abortion did not jeopardize their standing with the church.

Deal Hudson, editor of the conservative Catholic magazine Crisis, has been highly critical of bishops who fail to take a hard line against dissenting Catholic lawmakers, and said he wasn't surprised that the politicians hadn't reconsidered their positions.

"Bishops have been ignoring this issue for 30 years, so (politicians) don't take the bishops seriously," Hudson said.

However, Bill Ryan, a spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said it was too soon to know whether the bishops have been effective, since they are focused on building relationships with Catholic politicians and educating them about church teaching.

"The bishops want to have a dialogue with Catholic officials," Ryan said. "If an elected official were to say that he or she did not choose to give consideration to these matters, that would be unfortunate, but it would not be a reflection on the Catholic bishops."

Too soon to know whether bishop have been effective? Does Ryan actually believe this? What relationships have they built for 30n some years? I have to agree with Deal Hudson's take on this.

Too many US bishops have been negligent in their duties and have become a scandal to the Church.

Link to several responses of policians.

- posted by LRS @ 7:15 AM   

 
Pensacola Bishop Ricard Critical of Obedient, Loyal Bishops

There are those who believe the best way to handle those who dissent from church teaching and doctrine is to place the priest and those who assist him with the distribution of holy Communion in the role of judge.

The bishop is clearly wrong here. Where manifest grave sin is concerned and when the person engaged in such sin is obstinate, Holy Communion must be denied (Cardinal Ratzinger)

Such a change of role would require ministers of Communion to determine the worthiness of those coming forth to receive the body and blood of Christ.

Hardly...the person receiving a prior notification would know well in advance NOT to approach. Priests in the diocese would be notified as Archbishop Burke did in La Crosse. Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion would be advised by their priests.

Moral theologians and canon lawyers warn the bishops that such steps could raise serious questions about Catholic teaching.

Yes...it raises SERIOUS questions from the faithful about why those who embrace heresy and others who reject Church teaching are allowed to continue to engage in sacrilege and scandalize the faithful.

There is the additional concern about the impact of such practices on faithful legislators, the Catholic community and the role of the church in public life.

YAWN....this is getting tiring...Perhaps the good bishop should consider resigning from his office if he feels incapable of admonishing sinners and instructing the ignorant? This type of lack of concern for dealing with these grave issues is appalling.

Some advocates of a more severe approach to these issues go so far as to suggest that anyone who votes for a candidate who supports abortion on demand commits a serious and grave sin. I do not support those who would want to turn the reception of the holy Eucharist or the Communion line into a partisan political battleground.

Basic Catholic moral theology, your Excellency...Apparently, then Bishop Ricard does not support Archbishop Burke, and Bishops Sheridan and Bruskewitz and others who choose to teach what the Church teaches.

The Church really does not need bishops like this, but perhaps, this is part of the suffering we must endure for the many offenses against our Lord. We should pray for the confused and weak. We should pray for those who are courageous in the face of adversity, even among their own. We should pray the God will grant us mercy and grace to persevere in these times of confusion and geave moral evils.

Article here. It's a sad commentary on episcopal leadership.
- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
President of Catholic Missions Fully Supports 'Pro-Abortion' Politician

Fr. Sebastien Groleau President of Catholic Missions In Canada (CMIC), an organ of the Catholic Church and chaired by Toronto Cardinal Aloysius Ambrozic, has responded to concerns over his appointment of a former Ontario cabinet minister listed as 'pro-abortion' by a pro-life group to a high-profile post within the Catholic organization. Following a LifeSiteNews.com story which exposed former cabinet minister Tina Molinari's controversial background, several pro-lifers and past donors to CMIC expressed their concerns to the organization.

Rev. Groleau insinuated in his letter that the pro-lifers who wrote him out of concern were themselves to blame for contravening the will of God - by being angry. Groleau quoted the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus says: "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, 'You shall not kill: and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment," adding, "I trust you do not fall in the latter category."

Rev. Groleau has indicated he can't comprehend the scandal caused when a prominent public official who was known to be in support of abortion is given a highly placed position within a Catholic organization.

Employing the tactics of the Evil One...misdirect the concerns of the faithful back to them as if they are the one responsible. And he can't understand the concept of the scandal of his actions...If true, he needs to be relieved of his faculties and re-educated in the area of moral theology.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:40 AM   

 
Civil, church law may come in conflict in church's bankruptcy filing

The bankruptcy filing by the Archdiocese of Portland is almost certain to place church law and civic law in conflict.

The two legal systems have met before in Oregon, and churches have often prevailed.

The question, Skeel said, is whether the court will count parishes and schools as assets of the archdiocese when the time comes to develop the reorganization plan.

Canon law holds that parish and school assets cannot be seized by the archdiocese.

Full article
- posted by LRS @ 6:30 AM   

 
"Designer Baby" Decision Flawed, Say Prelates

The decision by Britain's Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority to allow for the creation of embryonic children to provide therapeutic tissue for an older sibling is "deeply flawed," warns a Catholic bishop.

"Everyone will sympathize with the plight of parents searching for a tissue donor for a gravely ill child," Archbishop Peter Smith of Cardiff said in a statement today over the "designer baby" decision.

Our Lord must be truly offended that the world has begun the process of 'farming' humans for later harvesting.
- posted by LRS @ 6:25 AM   

 
GOP asks for Catholic parish directories to target people for registration

The Republican National Committee has asked Bush-backing Roman Catholics to provide copies of their parish directories to help register Catholics to vote in the November election, a use of personal information not necessarily condoned by dioceses around the country.

In a story posted Thursday on its Web site, the National Catholic Reporter said a GOP official had urged people who attended a Catholic outreach event in January to provide parish directories and membership lists to the political party.

Post Dispatch article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:11 AM   

 
RICO suit filed against Tucson diocese

A former Catholic seminarian is suing the Diocese of Tucson, its bishops, and Bishop Wilton Gregory, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops among other high-ranking American prelates. The suit alleges a pattern of racketeering activity exemplified by fraud and obstruction of justice.

Attorney Ivan Abrams filed the case under provisions of federal RICO - Racketeering Influence and Corrupt Organizations - statutes. The federal RICO law is a set of statutes that was initially directed at shutting down organized crime. Over the past two years, however, RICO has been used by some plaintiffs who argue that the Church cover-up of the clergy abuse crisis falls under RICO’s provisions.

Philip A. Hower was studying at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, when he was ousted from the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania by now-Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore. Hower claims he was essentially ‘fired’ and later blackballed from ordination in other dioceses because he ‘blew the whistle’ on the homosexual activities of priests with whom he resided as a priest candidate.

Hower’s own investigation, he says, has revealed the same pattern of deception in the dioceses of Boston, Los Angeles, Saint Louis, Minneapolis, Chicago, Manchester and Portland, Maine—to name but a few. Hower’s treatment at the hands of Keeler and Moreno illustrates the modus operandi whereby whistleblowers are treated as criminals, while active homosexual priests are protected and promoted by their allies in what priest sociologist Fr. Andrew Greeley has dubbed "the Lavender Mafia."

In a paragraph that nicely sums up the nature of Hower’s complaints, the lawsuit states: "The actions of which [Hower] complains were committed by persons in pursuit of their own secular interests, who used the structure of the Roman Catholic Church as a shield behind which they could conduct their affairs in wanton and intentional disregard of the criminal and civil law of the State of Arizona and the United States of America, and in contempt of the tenets of their faith, and in deliberate flaunting of their nominal positions as officials and managers within the Roman Catholic Church."

Complete article here

...This, if true, demonstrates the depravity that has infected priests, bishops, and even cardinals in the Church. May God have mercy on those who have poisoned and continue to poison His Church.

We must pray even harder and offer reparations for these sins against Christ and His Church.
- posted by LRS @ 9:50 PM   

 
Dr. Arthur Hippler: A Reply To Some Catholic Politicians

A Reply To Some Catholic Politicians
By ARTHUR M. HIPPLER

In recent weeks, the press in Wisconsin and elsewhere has given ample space to our Catholic legislators who support abortion to "defend themselves" against Bishop Raymond L. Burke’s "notification" that such Catholics should not be admitted to Communion. The character of the objections is largely pragmatic, and reveals a fundamental compromise on the application of Catholic social teaching to American politics.

(Bishop Burke wrote the "notification" as the bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wis.; he has now been installed as the archbishop of St. Louis, Mo.)
Some have asked, "What is the role of an individual to work within the realm of his own conscience?" This question seems to consider conscience detached from its foundation in the moral law. Without this foundation, conscience becomes mere rationalization. No one, for example, would excuse a Catholic legislator who promoted racist policies on the ground of "conscience." Conscience must be measured by the moral law, or else it becomes simply a license for personal whim.

Others have objected this way: "We can’t be a one-issue Church. We can’t have one issue be the litmus test to decide if someone is a good Catholic or not." They wonder why the bishop did not bar politicians from Communion who support capital punishment or the Iraq war.
...
Allow me to conclude with this observation: By and large, few are objecting to Bishop Burke’s reasoning in the pastoral letter On the Dignity of Human Life and Civic Responsibility and its accompanying "notification." They do not like the consequences and repercussions, but they cannot deny that His Excellency has followed out the logical conclusions of Catholic teaching. By this, many Catholics are openly admitting that they have compromised the truth of Catholic teaching for secular and political gain.

Dr. Arthur M. Hippler is the director of the Office of Justice and Peace in the Diocese of La Crosse, Wis.

Wanderer Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 12:30 PM   

 
Crusade for Life walkers not welcome in Baltimore

Dear Cardinal Keeler:

I was distressed and disappointed to read that you denied access to Baltimore's Catholic churches to the young people walking from Maine to Washington for the unborn. What message does this send to idealistic youth who love the faith and act on it to protect the innocent? They are the future! Visit the website describing the Crusade walk to meet these beautiful young adults and read the witness of their vibrant faith. http://www.all.org/crusade.htm

Our Churches do not belong to you, Your Excellency. They were raised and are maintained by the generosity of the faithful. On what possible grounds did you make the decision to ban these young Catholics from our churches? I can only conclude that it is an act of retribution against American Life League for having the courage to speak out boldly about the necessity of our bishops to act like they truly believe the unborn are worthy of human dignity and protection.

I hope you will reconsider your decision as it reflects very badly on you. It must appear to others as it does to me as a petty decision made out of pique.

Orthodox Catholics in this country are deeply grieved by our bishops acting more like the secular bureaucrats than our spiritual fathers in the Body of Christ. Please withdraw your ban against these beautiful young people and welcome them to your diocese with open arms. They are the future and a beautiful part of the solution to the crisis of faith in this country.

If you have eyes to see you must recognize it.

Sincerely in Christ,
Mary Ann Kreitzer
President, Les Femmes
www.lesfemmes-thetruth.org

With regard to my previous message, Cdl. Keeler has shut down his chancery e-mail. I suggest the following contact information.

William Cardinal Keeler
Archdiocese of Baltimore
Catholic Center, 320 Cathedral Street, 21201
410-547-5437

Print out your e-mail and send it. Or give the Cardinal a call. Let them know that the Church militant will fight for the faith even when the bishops won't. And send a copy of your e-mail to the Apostolic nuncio: Most Rev. Gabriel Montalvo, 3339 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20008. Put a short cover letter on it explaining that the Cardinal has banned our courageous and orthodox young people from speaking in parishes in his diocese but allows dissenters and pro-abortionists the same privilege. Shame on him!

Mary Ann Kreitzer
Les Femmes
www.lesfemmes-thetruth.org

"The first law of history is not to dare to utter falsehood; the second, not to fear to speak the truth."
Pope Leo XIII

- posted by LRS @ 12:15 PM   

 
Greeley's moral loopholes

Rev. Andrew Greeley quotes the Most Rev. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger that certain moral rules could be applied that would allow a faithful Catholic to vote for a faithless Catholic, abortion-advocate John Kerry.

Remote material cooperation excuses the person from direct moral responsibility for harms caused to the poor, the innocent the downtrodden - the aborted babies. Why even try to live with remote material cooperation and vote for someone who has the bloodstained hands from too many abortions?

Greeley urges bishops to support women and not exercise political clout. Bishops should not have political clout; instead they should speak the truth. Aborting babies hurts women, destroys unborn and being-born children, and distorts doctors who swore the Hippocratic Oath.

Greeley does not have political clout but a tired arm for his pen that he uses to carry water for the Democratic Party, both hell-bent on aborting babies. Aborting babies are not proportionate reasons for supporting abortion advocates.

Fr. Tim O'Malley
Chicago

Link here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:25 AM   

 
Cardinal Arinze Addresses Christendom's Summer Institute

"No one can have God as Father who does not have Church as mother," said Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze at Christendom College’s 2004 Summer Institute. The institute focused on Pope John Paul II and his many contributions to the Church during his 25-year pontificate. Throughout the day, a sub-theme emerged that the pope is the vital link between the Church and Christ.

"The divine element can never fall short. The human element sometimes falls short," said Cardinal Arinze, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments. He described the pope as the "perpetual and visible source of unity of the bishops and all the faithful."

"When God speaks, we are not expected to hire six lawyers to debate," Cardinal Arinze said. "We obey and live it out.

Faithful Catholics will obey with humility and docility.

Father Anthony Mastroeni, a priest from the Diocese of Patterson, N.J., and adjunct professor of theology at Christendom, spoke about John Paul II and the priesthood.

"What is a priest? He is the heart of Jesus for us," said Father Mastroeni. "Many see him as just a regular guy. What we need to see is Christ."

Although the final end or purpose of the priest is to make the Eucharist available, he also has a duty to proclaim the Gospel, to be a good confessor and to be holy, he said.

Father Mastroeni rebuked the abuse of general absolution. "The doctor does not diagnose a crowd or over the phone," he said. Instead, it should be a painstaking, individual process. "In the confessional, (the priest) quickens souls back to life."

Parishioners want priests to be "beacons, not weather vanes," he said.

I have heard Fr. Mastroeni on a set of Fatima Conference tapes and from what I heard, he sounds like a good and faithful priest who is not afraid to speak the truth.

And lest we forget:

"Love the pope and pray for him," Cardinal Arinze said. "The care of Christ’s flock is not easy. He has much to suffer."

Complete article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:30 AM   

 
Survey finds Catholics skeptical of bishops' handling of sex abuse
WARNING....This is a reference to a Catholic News Service article...

U.S. Catholics regard the clerical sexual abuse scandal and the bishops' handling of it as two of the most serious problems facing the church, according to a study by two leading sociologists.
...
"Our survey tells us that tomorrow's Catholics will be more individualistic, more tolerant in the area of sexual morality, less inclined to defer to teachings of the hierarchy, less committed to Catholic institutions and less involved in parish life," they said.

Actually, they meant to say, "Tomorrow's Catholics will not really be "Catholic"!

Article here.

Read it and pray for the Church.
- posted by LRS @ 6:10 AM   

 
USCCB weighs in on Capital Punishment for Adolescents

A broad array of individuals, groups and nations - including Jimmy Carter, Mikhail Gorbachev, the American Medical Association, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the European Union - urged the Supreme Court on Monday to declare that it is unconstitutional to execute people for crimes they committed before turning 18.
...
Four justices - Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David Souter and John Paul Stevens - have said that imposing the death penalty for offenses by 16- and 17-year-olds is "inconsistent with evolving standards of decency in a civilized society." But thus far, they have not attracted the fifth vote they need to overturn the practice, which is increasingly rare.

What are these "evolving standards of decency"? I suppose they include the murder of unborn children and assisting the old and sick to "die with dignity"? Many of these people would not recognize standards of decency if they were presented to them in black and white. And, from what I have seen, decency has not "evolved" in the 20th and 21st centuries, but regressed to barbarism...

Mark Chopko, general counsel to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and author of the brief by religious groups, said all major religions teach that "the young don't have the same moral culpability" as adults.

"There is a great consensus among religious organizations that executing juveniles should offend the sense of decency in any society," he said.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:02 AM   

 
Eight men settle lawsuit with Springfield, Ill., diocese

The Catholic Diocese of Springfield recently settled a lawsuit brought by eight men who said they were sexually abused by a former priest in the 1970s.

Diocese spokeswoman Kathie Sass said Wednesday the men will share $1.2 million.

Link to Post article here.
- posted by LRS @ 5:09 AM   

 
Cardinal Arinze to speak in Pittsburgh Friday night

He is among the most powerful men in the Vatican, atop all A-lists of possible future popes, and on Friday night Cardinal Francis Arinze will headline a fund-raiser in Pittsburgh for one of his favorite ministries.

Arinze will speak, mingle and answer written questions at Le Mont restaurant on Mount Washington. The $250 per plate dinner benefits the Apostolate for Family Consecration. Arinze has close ties to the group, which promotes family spirituality and the teachings of Pope John Paul II. He spends part of each summer recording teaching tapes at its headquarters, Catholic Familyland in Bloomington, Ohio. But this is the first time he has raised money for them.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 12:15 PM   

 
The New Mysteries of the Rosary for John Kerry and others
Jeff Miller of The Curt Jester has posted some new mysteries called the "Flip Flop Mysteries" here.


- posted by LRS @ 7:40 AM   

 
Another Diocese warns it could go bankrupt

The Santa Rosa Catholic Diocese has been unable to settle 10 sexual abuse lawsuits and could be forced into bankruptcy by "adverse verdicts" if some of the cases go to trial, the diocese attorney said Monday.

The Santa Rosa Diocese considered bankruptcy in 1999 to cope with a $16 million debt attributed to former Bishop G. Patrick Ziemann's mismanagement. A special fund-raising campaign run by clergy, laity and Walsh raised more than $16 million in pledges, helping with the diocese's financial recovery, church officials said last year.

Santa Rosa still is repaying loans from other dioceses that were obtained during the fiscal crisis.

Article here...

So first, it is Portland with Tucson, it seems soon to follow and now Santa Rosa.

Archbishop Vlazny of Portland explains here that the bankruptcy filing offers everyone a chance to heal.

- posted by LRS @ 7:25 AM   

 
Archbishop Brunett:All Catholics should unite behind universal principles
Archbishop Brunett has an editorial column in the Seattle Times here and discusses "Catholic Participation in Political life" here.



- posted by LRS @ 7:20 AM   

 
Vatican: Speedy response to Austrian sex scandal reflects seriousness

Pope John Paul II's speed in ordering a special investigation into an Austrian diocese and its seminary reflects the seriousness of the allegations of sexual misconduct there as well as the formal request of the Austrian bishops' conference, Vatican officials said.

A Vatican official, who asked not to be named, said the publication of photographs showing members of the seminary staff and students engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior "is scandalous in the most literal sense."

The photographs, he said, "show widespread corruption within the seminary. The Holy Father must have been horrified."

"You don't need a degree in canon law to know that something needed to be done immediately," he said.

CNS Article.
- posted by LRS @ 7:15 AM   

 
A Request for Prayers for Archbisop Burke
Here is an excerpt from an email I received recently and I thought I should share it with everyone.

Thank you for your generous response to the spiritual bouquet for our Holy Father John Paul II. On June 30th, after the Holy Father's General Audience, Archbishop Burke personally presented the spiritual bouquet to our Holy Father on behalf of the Marian Catechists and the pilgrims from the St. Louis Archdiocese and from La Crosse Diocese. Over 24,500 prayer offerings are included in the spiritual bouquet.

I am sure you are aware of Archbishop Burke's courageous and heroic public stance regarding the sanctity of life and the moral evil of abortion and euthanasia; but sadly, His Excellency is almost the lone voice of sanity among our nation's bishops. Really, Archbishop Burke is like another St. Athanasius (who alone stood firm against the Arians in the 4th century). Daily, His Excellency is under attack and derided by many Catholic politicians and the secular media. Archbishop Burke especially needs our prayers and spiritual sacrifices.

At the annual Marian Catechist retreat this year, August 19-22, we would like to present a spiritual bouquet to Archbishop Burke, our National Director, as an expression of our gratitude for His Excellency's firm and courageous witness to the Truth and also as a pledge of our support and solidarity with His Excellency.

If you would like to participate in this spiritual bouquet, please send in your prayer offerings to the following e-mail address by Friday, August 6, 2004: lfchou@centurytel.net. Those who do not have e-mail access may call in their prayer offerings at (608)782-0011.

Friends, family members, and relatives are welcome to participate in the spiritual bouquet.

Please include the following information in your response: your name, your diocese, city and state, prayers to be offered and their number (i.e. 10 Rosaries, 9 Novenas, 7 Mass Intentions, 5 Holy Hours, etc.). The prayers and sacrifices should be offered within a year.

Thank you and God bless.

- posted by LRS @ 6:50 AM   

 
Bishop Olmsted awaits word from CDF on suspended priests

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted is awaiting reports from the Vatican and the Mesa Police Department before he determines what action to take with two East Valley priests.

On April 30, he suspended the Rev. John Cunningham, founding pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Gilbert, for allegedly celebrating Mass at a wedding with a non-Catholic priest. Olmsted said it was "inconsistent with Catholic teaching" for a clergyman of another tradition and not grounded in Catholic doctrine to participate in the Eucharist. Named as interim pastor of the parish with more than 770 registered families was the Rev. Donald Kline.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:48 AM   

 
A Tale of Two Dioceses (Karl Keating e-letter)

Dear Friend of Catholic Answers:

Bishop Walter F. Sullivan was a liberal who maintained some of the original meaning of the word "liberal." Unlike many of his counterparts on the left half of the episcopal spectrum, he permitted the celebration of the Tridentine Mass, and there were other ways in which he was said to have given liberty to those with whom he did not agree on liturgical or other matters.

But he was a liberal in the usual sense too. He catered to pressure groups, establishing, for example, a "sexual minorities" commission to advise him on "gay and lesbian issues," and there were de rigueur commissions dealing with women, people with AIDS, black Catholics, and social justice issues.

Sullivan retired after leading the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia, for 29 years. His replacement is Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo, who took over in May. He formerly was the bishop of Honolulu.

Under DiLorenzo the "sexual minorities" commission is not being reactivated. (It and all other commissions went into suspension when Sullivan retired.) The new bishop removed from the women's commission a member who was vocal in her support of women's ordination; she had served as the secretary of the Women's Ordination Conference. Membership in 24 other commissions is being reviewed.

Especially interesting is that DiLorenzo announced that no one could be invited to speak on Church property unless first approved by the diocesan theologian, a post that had lain vacant under Sullivan.

In deciding whether a proposed speaker passes muster, the new diocesan theologian, Fr. Russell E. Smith, has been instructed to use a simple standard: orthodoxy. "Orthodoxy is right teaching. Anything contrary to Catholic teaching will not fly. Don't expect anything about women's ordination in this diocese." The definition of orthodoxy, Smith said, can be found in the Catechism and in canon law. To help parishes, he will be sending them guidelines.

Smith's duties go beyond vetting prospective speakers. He also will handle complaints about liturgical abuses. "I am to determine whether or not there is a problem, and I propose the easy solution to the problem, which is to fix it voluntarily." If that fails, the situation will be handled by diocesan administrators as a personnel matter, said Smith.

Richmond has been known for three decades as a "progressive" diocese. It may be transformed in three years into one that has made great progress in putting itself in line with the teachings and practices of the Church. Stay tuned.

VASA NON VACILLATOR

At the other end of the country we find a parallel story.

Bishop Robert F. Vasa heads the Diocese of Baker, Oregon. He has issued a regulation that requires those involved in parish ministries, especially in catechetics and in service at Mass, to provide assent to a list of ten doctrinal statements as well as to "all the teaching of the Catholic Church."

The document is called the "Affirmation of Personal Faith." Anyone who declines to sign it is asked to withdraw from ministerial duties. Among the issues in the "Affirmation" are teachings on homosexuality, contraception, chastity, marriage, abortion, euthanasia, the Real Presence, Mary, hell, purgatory, and the authority of the Church.

Vasa noted that "some Catholics claim a right to 'religious dissent' from even the serious moral teachings of the Church," but this "does not carry with it a corresponding 'right' to hold positions of esteem as a catechist or liturgical minister."

In a cover letter to lay ministers, Vasa wrote, "The summary statements which I have collected in the 'Affirmation of Personal Faith' are all taken from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. They represent the authentic and authoritative teaching of the Catholic Church, and acceptance of these tenets is expected of every Catholic. While it is sufficient for me to 'presume' that Catholics who attend Mass and receive Communion adhere to these teachings (unless the contrary is clearly evident), such a presumption is not sufficient for those whom I commission to teach and act in some official capacity."

The "Affirmation of Personal Faith" includes statements such as these:

"I affirm that I reject direct, intentional abortion and I do not recognize the legitimacy of anyone's claim to a moral right to form their own conscience in this matter. I am not pro-choice."

"I affirm and believe the Church's teaching about the sinfulness of contraception."

"I affirm and believe the teaching of the Church about the evil of homosexual acts."

"I affirm and believe that those who die in God's grace and friendship but are still imperfectly purified undergo additional purification so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joys of heaven. I affirm that the Church's name for this final purification is purgatory."

"I further acknowledge that those teachings pronounced in a definitive manner, even though not as an infallible definition, are binding on the consciences of the faithful and are to be adhered to with religious assent."

In a footnote the "Affirmation" says that "The Church requires the making of a Profession of Faith by various persons when they undertake specific duties related to Church administration and teaching (cf. Canon 833). In the Diocese of Baker this has been expanded to include those who take on the ecclesial duties of Catechist, Liturgical Reader, Cantor, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, and other Church positions which entail a presumption of orthodoxy."

The full text of the "Affirmation," along with Bishop Vasa's cover letter and an explanatory document titled "Giving Testimony to the Truth," may be found at http://www.dioceseofbaker.org/giving_testimon_to_the_truth.htm

HARRUMPH!

Not surprisingly, not everyone in the diocese has been pleased. A small group calling itself Concerned Catholics of the Diocese of Baker sent a letter to Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, asking him to review the new documents. The group includes the diocese's former episcopal vicar. The letter charges that "Giving Testimony" is "narrow and imbalanced" in that it ignores "the principal teachings of Christ and the Gospel."

Of course "Giving Testimony" is "narrow," and the "Affirmation," being shorter, is even narrower. If it were to be otherwise, they would be the Catechism, not booklet-length documents. The issue shouldn't be whether "Giving Testimony" and the "Affirmation" are "narrow" but whether what they propose for belief is correct.

If the faith consisted of 100 propositions, it would not be much of an argument to say that a doctrinal statement was too "narrow" because it listed only ten of them. What matters is whether what is listed is true and therefore worthy to be affirmed.

At the largest parish in the diocese, St. Francis of Assisi in Bend, more than two dozen people have withdrawn from ministry. One such person, Wilma Hens, said the "Affirmation" focused too heavily on "pelvic issues." Vasa responded by noting that he "did not set the [sexual] agenda, but the world set that agenda."

Would Hens have signed the "Affirmation" if it had included a few dozen additional points that had nothing to do with sexual morality? Not likely. Her kind of complaint comes from those who reject one or more moral teachings of the Church.

The pastor of St. Patrick's parish in Madras also is unhappy with the "Affirmation." "It breaks my heart," said Fr. Jim Stephens, "that a number of good people ... have told me they cannot continue in parish ministry, that they cannot make the 'Affirmation of Personal Faith' because they have some reservation about some of the teachings."

Stephens says his heart is broken because these people now feel excluded. Why didn't his heart break when he discovered that they didn't accept the entirety of the Catholic faith? Isn't rejection of formal Catholic teachings a worse thing than feeling left out?

What will Stephens do to insure his flock accepts the faith in its entirety? He doesn't say.

Until next time,

Karl

The content of this E-Letter is copyright 2004 by Karl Keating.

Soon the time will come when the wheat is separated from the chaff.
- posted by LRS @ 6:37 AM   

 
Voting rights and Archbishop Burke
Here are a couple of "Town Talk" blurbs from today's Post-Dispatch

ARCHBISHOP BURKE IS such a great politician now in telling all of us Catholics how we should vote or we're a bunch of sinners. Maybe he should spend more time figuring out why there's so many pedophile priests in the Catholic Church. I'm a practicing Catholic and I want to tell you, Mr. Archbishop, you or no one else is going to tell me how to vote.

A practicing Catholic? Who doesn't know how to address the Archbishop? Who doesn't recognize the evil of supporting abortion? Poor soul - His confusion must be from all his orthodox Catholic education and spiritual formation he's been receiving from his parish. That is, IF he attends Mass at least every Sunday...

And one more:

I WISH YOU people would get off the Archbishop's back. He is not telling you how to vote. He is trying to educate you that you can't be Catholic and favor abortion. John Kerry thinks it can be both ways and is making a mockery of the Catholic faith.

Thankfully, there are some people who "get it", unlike the person above who is probably confused about many daily life issues.

It will be interesting in the next few months...The division will be seen even more clearly as time goes on. Those who profess to believe in the one true God will be demonized by those who believe themselves to be god...and many of these will be calling themselves "Catholic".

Post Dispatch Link.
- posted by LRS @ 6:20 AM   

 
Archbishop Burke and Republicans

Archbishop and Republicans

Archbishop Burke needs to talk to his political candidates. The Republicans control the White House, the Senate and the Supreme Court. Have the abortion laws changed at all? Maybe his candidates should not receive Communion, because they have not done what they said they would do.

Here is a good example of intellectual dishonesty. The partial Birth Abortion Ban has been signed into law federally as has the 24 hour notification here in Missouri. These are steps to safeguard the lives of the unborn from a brutal murder - however, judicial activism has prevented them from being implemented. These attempts to deny the right to life to the unborn certainly is not the doing of the Republicans.

The caller to the Post-Dispatch has engaged in sophistry to make a pointless political remark lacking in substance.

Soundoff article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:12 AM   

 
Holden & McCaskill both support murder of the unborn

Responding to a question from a panel of journalists, both Holden and McCaskill said they were disappointed in St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke's directive to Catholics that they are committing a sin if they vote for candidates who support abortion rights. Both McCaskill and Holden support women's right to choose to have an abortion.

McCaskill said voters needed to make up their minds about who would be the best governor on social justice issues, taking care of those who need help, preventing child abuse and keeping children from being murdered and thrown away in Dumpsters.

Holden said he supported a woman's right to make a decision for herself on whether to have an abortion.

"I think it's unfortunate when any leader tries to step in and put their value decision over the value system of the one making the decision," Holden said. "I would hope leaders would leave this decision to the woman and the family involved."

Both have disqualified themselves as possible candidates for Catholics by their support of abortion. McCaskill's attempt to invoke "social justice" as a smokescreen for her support of abortion is deplorable, especially since she claims to be a professed Catholic.

Article here.

- posted by LRS @ 6:04 AM   

 
Culture of Death at Catholic Colleges in U.S.

The trend of Catholic colleges hosting abortion-rights advocates has grown so much that the U.S. bishops' conference has asked Church-related institutions to refrain from honoring those who act in defiance of Church teachings.

Patrick Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society, co-authored a five-year study with the group's Erin Butcher investigating inroads made by advocates of abortion, contraception, premarital sexual activity and physician-assisted suicide on Catholic college campuses.

Reilly shared with ZENIT the importance of the U.S. bishops' statement and the danger of Catholic schools welcoming high-profile persons who publicly oppose the Church's fundamental moral principles.

Here is Part 1 of the interview and Part 2 is here.


- posted by LRS @ 5:33 AM   

 
Defrocked Priest Starts Own Church

A Roman Catholic priest defrocked over sexual abuse allegations has started his own church in western Waukesha County.

Just last week, the Milwaukee Archdiocese listed Joseph Collova on its restricted priest list.

At the same time, however, the Milwaukee Archdiocese said his ordination in another religion severs all ties Collova once had with the Roman Catholic Church.

Another one with a handful of supporters.

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:32 PM   

 
Archbishop warns Catholic politicians on abortion

Seattle Archbishop Alex Brunett joined a growing chorus of U.S. bishops Monday and warned Catholic politicians that it's impossible to keep the faith and support abortion.

Brunett said those who support abortion have adopted "a morally untenable position and are choosing a path that leads them away from the church." And those "who suggest that they can disassociate totally their political actions in principle from their Catholic faith are laboring under a dangerous moral delusion."

Article
- posted by LRS @ 7:08 AM   

 
Bishop Vasa would deny Holy Communion

7/17/2004 - 11:00 AM PST

Bishop Vasa will deny Senator Kerry the Eucharist. He is no stranger to controversy nor does he shy away from defending Church teachings.

In answer to the question, 'If the pro-abortion 'Catholic' Senator John Kerry came up to you for Holy Communion, would you deny him,' Bishop Vasa quickly replied:

"Absolutely. I would agree, certainly, with Archbishop Burke and Bishop Bruskewitz in their own actions in this matter. I literally could not give Holy Communion to a professed and actively committed pro-choice politician."

Were all of the bishops informed of Cardinal Ratzinger's clear supportive directive citing why the bishops must deny manifest, obstinate, persistent persons in grave sin?

Bishop Vasa replied that the June memorandum from Cardinal Ratzinger was not given to the Conference of Bishops in Denver.

Article
- posted by LRS @ 6:15 AM   

 
Vatican sends investigator to Austrian diocese

Bishop Klaus Kung of Feldkirch, Austria, will be the apostolic visitator, the Vatican announced. The formal announcement indicated that the visitator had been assigned "in particular for the diocesan seminary."

Article
- posted by LRS @ 5:53 AM   

 
Honosexuals should not be ordained as priests

Bishop John M. D'Arcy, who in private letters to other church officials as early as 1978 questioned the reassignment of priests accused of sexual misconduct, said yesterday that the church must improve its screening process for accepting seminarians and that homosexuals should be prohibited from being ordained as priests.

This is what the Holy See stated in 1961 - but, of course, why listen to Rome. But then the Boston Globe wants to find out how the Boston Archdiocese and homosexual activists 'feel' about Bishop D'Arcy's statement:

The Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, spokesman for the archdiocese, said that while there has been discussion among some members of the archdiocese and at the Vatican about the possibility of banning homosexuals from the priesthood, no decisions have been made.

''The main issue is celibacy," he said, adding that D'Arcy's concerns about gay priests ''aren't necessarily shared by others."

Chuck Colbert, a Cambridge freelance writer and gay Catholic activist, said many Catholics understand that homosexuality and pedophilia have no connection. ''People make the distinctions," he said. ''People know gay priests."

D'Arcy's contention that gay men would find it difficult to resist temptation in a mostly male environment is flawed and closed-minded, Colbert said. ''Straight men are always around attractive women and they don't collapse," he said.

Close- minded? Given the statistics in the John Jay report? Given that homosexual inclinations are disordered? Colbert was the 'man' who disrupted Mass back in March when a video advocation the preservation of marriage was shown. Let's ask him how he "feels" about the statement, knowing that his inability to think rationally might be caused by his disordered inclinations.

Article here


- posted by LRS @ 6:42 AM   

 
The Great Irony: Bush is the Social Justice Candidate

But even if Catholic liberals are taken at their illogical word that somehow poverty is on a par with the right to life, the authentic social justice candidate in this election is still, surprise of surprises, George W. Bush. Social justice looks at the modern causes of a life of poverty and seeks realistic remedies. George Bush has consistently proposed two revolutionary initiatives that strike at the root of the cycle of American poverty: faith-based initiatives and school vouchers.

If you think outside the box and attack substance abuse with proven faith-based approaches and offer real educational opportunity to poor kids, then social justice can be advanced in today's America--without killing one single unborn or partially born infant. The grand illusion of liberal Catholics is that the Democratic Party is the party of social justice, while in fact it is the party of the extravagantly unjust status quo of poverty and abortion. It is time for Catholic liberals to open their minds.

Article
- posted by LRS @ 6:24 AM   

 
Lifesite: Archbishop Burke, spokesman for orthodoxy

Archbishop Raymond Burke has become the effective spokesman for the orthodox Catholic position among the US bishops with his unabashed criticism of Catholic politicians who support abortion.


Burke has been equally forthright on the subject of homosexual 'marriage.' He has issued a letter addressed to the Catholics of the St. Louis Archdiocese in which he urges his flock to participate in the decision and offers a document for instruction. Burke says, "The action in question has profound implications for the future of marriage and family life… I urge you to exercise your right and fulfill your duty to vote on Aug. 3"

Lifesite article.

This is a position EVERY Catholic bishop and priest should take...Pray that it may soon be so!
- posted by LRS @ 6:15 AM   

 
"They can take the priest...We won't give up the parish"
Such is the attitude of one parishioner at the 124-year old parish at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church.

No priest? Then why have a parish?

St Louis Post Dispatch article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:10 AM   

 
Surely everyone has heard of St. Joan of Arc Parish in Minneapolis?
"GLBT Pride/Twin Cities Presents the 2004 Community Pride Award to Church of St. Joan of Arc."

This distinctive award inscription honored St. Joan's for their committed support of their GLBT members. To show that support, over 150 members of the parish marched in this year's Ashley Rukes GLBT Pride Parade held June 27 and attended the "Dreaming Out Loud GLBT Prayer Service-A Celebration of Pride and Community” held in SJA's church on June 23rd.

In a time when right wing conservatives of many churches condemn the lifestyle of homosexuality, some excluding gays and lesbians from worship while perpetuating a message of hate, St. Joan's has been steadfast in welcoming their GLBT parishioners. A monthly potluck support group run by Ron Joki and Theresa Healy allows for an outreach of connectiveness. An annual GLBT spiritual retreat explores biblical readings, meditations, rituals, play and musical skits with guest performers and speakers that confront negativity, challenges exclusivity and affirms acceptance and healing. This very website includes a GLBT section devoted to updates of relative news, GLBT families, same-sex adoption and potluck meetings. And SJA continues their presence in marching in the Pride parade each year.

Let's see here...One of the irreversible teachings of the Church is that homosexual acts are intrinsically evil. So, evidently, the Church must also be a "right wing conservative...perpetuating a message of hate?" All because some people see evil and call it good! How wonderful! Satan must be proud of his followers.

Parish Link here.

Take a look around the site. And it claims to be Catholic? Is anyone in charge there?
- posted by LRS @ 10:15 PM   

 
History and Significance of Dogma of Immaculate Conception

The dogma of the Immaculate Conception, proclaimed 150 years ago, rediscovers in its profundity the expression "full of grace," says a consultor of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Discalced Carmelite Father Jesus Castellano Cervera, a specialist in Marian studies, reflects in this interview with ZENIT on the origin and significance of this dogma. Next month John Paul II will make a pilgrimage to Lourdes, the place in France where the Blessed Virgin appeared in 1858 and confirmed the truth of her immaculate conception.

Zenit article here.

This is by no means an in-depth theological treatise, but it will help to get a grasp of the history and meaning of the Immaculate Conception.
- posted by LRS @ 10:08 PM   

 
Andrew Greeley says Catholics CAN vote for Kerry
The matter is settled!  Fr. Andrew Greeley has written:

Catholics can vote for John Kerry. They don't have to, but it would not be a sin to do so, according to a distinguished theologian [Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger who wrote:

"A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate's permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate's stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons."

But that's not all, he then slams all bishops who follow the directives of the Holy Father and the law of the Church:

This theory of "indirect material cooperation" is traditional Catholic moral teaching. Apparently, the few bishops who excluded Catholics from communion if they voted for Kerry didn't know much traditional moral theology -- which demonstrates what the qualifications are for the bishopric these days.

It is difficult to express sufficient gratitude to Andrew Greeley for giving us the teachings of his 'church'. Under Greeley's moral umbrella, one is at liberty to vote for Kerry or any other supporter of baby killing for ANY REASON whatsoever except that of supporting abortion! It's all so clear now. Why didn't Pope John Paul and the Bishops just state this years ago?

This does bring up some questions, however. May one rightly conclude from his article that one may ignore any and all directives from one's lawful bishop if the bishop's statement is contrary to Greeley's "Bulla"?

Is it possible that Archbishop Burke's forthcoming Pastoral Letter will confirm Greeley's erudite theological conclusions?  (No, I don't think so)

Perhaps some now-enlightened Catholic voters will send a few letters requesting clarification of these obvious unCatholic voting principles to Cardinal George just to be sure?

Dear Lord, thank you for sending us people like Greeley so that we may test and exercise our virtues!

Full Chicago Sun-Times Article here. There's much more than I addressed.



- posted by LRS @ 12:20 PM   

 
Discussion continues on pols, Communion

WASHINGTON (CNS) — In a scene that may be repeated across the country as U.S. bishops take their own advice to talk with Catholic politicians about abortion, Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis met with a U.S. congressman from Missouri July 12.

Archdiocesan spokesman Jim Orso said the Archbishop’s half-hour meeting with Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, took place in the congressman’s St. Louis office. Because it was a "pastoral meeting," Orso added, both parties agreed not to make any public comment about it.

Clay, who is Catholic and has supported legislation backing abortion rights, criticized Archbishop Burke several weeks ago after the Archbishop stated that Catholics commit a mortal sin by voting for politicians that support abortion. Clay also was among some Democratic congressmen who wrote to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C., complaining of bishops who have said they would deny Communion to pro-abortion Catholic legislators.

Archbishop Burke, who will issue a pastoral letter on the voting issue, said he wasn’t stating anything new but reiterating Church teaching and Pope John Paul II’s writings about proper reception of the Eucharist. In his statement three weeks ago, the Archbishop did not name candidates or political parties.

From the St. Louis Review
- posted by LRS @ 12:10 PM   

 
Archbishop Burke: Amendment No. 2 and safeguarding the sanctity of marriage

Sanctity of marriage

The truth regarding marriage is written in human nature as it issued from the hand of God at Creation. From the study of human nature, it is clear that God has made man and woman for each other, in order to provide for them a faithful and lasting relationship of love and to provide for the procreation, that is creation with Him, of offspring. By marriage, a man and a woman promise faithful and enduring love, giving to each other, exclusively and for life, the right to the conjugal act by which married love is blessed with its highest fruit, the conception of a child.
...
Respect for the sanctity of marriage requires that we do all within our power to safeguard its essential elements, so that marriage can serve the good of all in society, as it alone can. Respect for the sanctity of marriage means the recognition of God’s plan for marriage and the rejection of any intervention by ourselves which violates God’s plan.

Marriage and same-sex attraction

The present need to define clearly the nature of marriage arises from the efforts of persons with same-sex attraction and others, who wish to have same-sex relationships recognized as marital. In other words, they wish civil authority to recognize as marriage the relationship of a man and a man, or a woman and a woman. To do so would be to treat marriage as an institution created by man, instead of God, and to violate what nature itself teaches us about the marital relationship.

Same-sex attraction, that is "an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex" may have various causes, but it cannot be attributed to God’s plan for man and woman, as it is clearly revealed in their bodies and in the Sacred Scriptures (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2357). Persons suffering from same-sex attraction are endowed with the same dignity as every man and woman, and, therefore, "must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 2358). But, accepting each other with respect does not mean failing to recognize our disordered tendencies and defects.

Respecting individuals who suffer same-sex attraction means honoring their call to lead a chaste life, a call which is inherent in our dignity as sons and daughters of God. It would be wrong, on our part as individuals and on the part of society, to give institutional recognition to same-sex relationships by giving them the status of the marital relationship. Rather, we, as individuals, and society, in general, should assist persons with same-sex attraction to lead a good and chaste life by recognizing their same-sex attraction as disordered and disciplining it, so that the inclination does not express itself in immoral actions and the affections of the individual are purified and express themselves in good and chaste friendships.

The protection of the institution of marriage by means of a constitutional amendment is not discriminatory toward persons with same-sex attraction. It does not offend their dignity or foster any unjust attitude or action toward them. It simply provides assurance that all in society will respect the true nature of marriage as the foundation of the life of the family, of society and of the Church. As Catholics, we must respect the moral law in all of its dictates, opposing homosexual acts and opposing any unjust attitude, word or action directed toward persons suffering with same-sex attraction.

There is a tendency to accept same-sex relationships because we do not want to deal with the embarrassment and hurt of recognizing same-sex attraction as disordered. We find various excuses for failing to address a matter which lies at the foundation of our nature as man and woman. As with any anomaly or affliction in life, our human weakness leads us to pretend that it does not exist or to act as if it were other than a difficulty. By giving in to the tendency or temptation to treat same-sex attraction as equivalent to the attraction of man to woman and woman to man, we serve neither the good of persons who struggle with same-sex attraction nor the good of the family and of society. The fact that our American culture more and more fails to make any distinction between same-sex attraction and heterosexual attraction does not justify our failure to make the distinction, respecting God’s gift of human life in its integrity and helping others to attain the perfection to which we are called as true children of God.

Conclusion

Once again, I urge you to fulfill your civic responsibility on Aug. 3. Please vote in favor of Constitutional Amendment No. 2, so the institution of marriage may be safeguarded in its integrity. Also, please encourage and assist others to vote. The good of individuals and of society depends upon our safeguarding the sanctity of marriage as it has been given to us by God.

St Louis Review Article
- posted by LRS @ 7:10 AM   

 
Alarm in Italy as growth of Satanism creates “market” for consecrated hosts

ROME, Italy, Jul. 15, 2004 (CNA) - Fr. Aldo Buonaiuto, director of an “emergency help line” that assists young people wanting to get out of satanic cults, expressed alarm this week at the growth of Satanism, which has created a “market” for consecrated hosts in Italy.

In statements published in the Catholic magazine Famiglia Cristiana, Fr. Buonaiuto explained that “a proliferation of cults exists which practice black masses, with the profanation of consecrated hosts, rape and torture.”

“We know of cases of consensual vampirism, and also the assaulting of young people who have been drugged in the course of ritualistic orgies.”

According to Fr. Buonaiuto, “A true ‘market’ for consecrated hosts exists. They sell for 80-500 euros, depending on the size of the host, the prominence of the church from which they were stolen, and who consecrated them.”

“The highest price is placed on those that are consecrated in the churches of Rome, above all those closest to the Vatican. They are stolen in two ways: from the tabernacle, but also at the time of Holy Communion,” he said.

“Some cults perform rituals with the consecrated hosts while under the influence of LSD or cocaine, led frequently by ex-priests who have offered themselves in the service of Satan,” he told Famiglia Cristiana.

According to Fr. Buonaiuto, the proliferation of these cults is very much connected with “the loss of the sense of the sacred.” “Man needs to fill himself with something, and today the market is full of superficial alternatives, among them, Satanism,” he concluded.

All Rights reserved. Catholic News Agency 2003

- posted by LRS @ 6:51 AM   

 
St Vincent de Paul: We’re not part of Portland Archdiocese

St. Vincent de Paul fears its fund-raising drive could be harmed by the Chapter 11 filing on behalf of the Catholic Church in Portland

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:50 AM   

 
Bishops back constitutional challenge to California sex abuse law

California's Catholic bishops have endorsed a constitutional challenge by the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, and the Los Angeles Archdiocese to a California law that temporarily suspended the time limit on seeking civil damages in decades-old sexual abuse cases.

The bishops said they agree with arguments that the 2002 law, SB 1779, sponsored by Democratic Sen. John Burton of San Francisco, violates the ex post facto, due process and bill of attainder clauses of the U.S. Constitution. (emphasis mine)

Do schools still teach "Civics" or a similar type class where students actually learn about "ex post facto", "due process" and "bill of attainder" or even the U.S. Constitution?

CNS Article
- posted by LRS @ 6:44 AM   

 
The Church Teaches Forum for 2004
Special Notice for those in the area or for those who have the weekend free:

The 2004 CHURCH TEACHES FORUM will be held on July 16th & 17th at the GALT HOUSE (4th Avenue & The River) in Louisville, Ky.

The Theme for this year's forum:
The Role of the Laity in the Modern World

One purpose of the Forum is to help Catholics understand their faith and to realize the grave crisis through which the Church is oing. Pleas, at this point read Fr. Hardon's words, and then be firmly resolved to support the Forum."

"The crisis of faith today is the worst in the entire history of Christianity...Unless we recover the zeal and the spirit of the first century Christians, unless we are willing to do what they did - and to pay the price that they paid, the future of our country, the days of Amrerica are numbered." (Fr. John A. Hardon)

Scheduled Speakers are:
Edouard Cardinal GagnonPresident emeritus of the Pontifical Council for the Family

Archbishop Raymond L BurkeArchbishop of St. Louis installed in St. Louis on January 26, 2004, the fifth anniversary of Pope John Paul II's historic pastoral visit to the archdiocese.

Rev. Abbot Edmund McCaffreyFormer Abbot Ordinary of Belmont Abbey in North Carolina. A founder and Vice President of The Institute on Religious Life.

Rev Roger Arnsparger Pastor, St. Barnabas Parish, Arden, NC

Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, will give the Keynote Address tonight: The Role of the Laity in the Culture of Death

More information at Eternal Life or call 800-842-2871.




- posted by LRS @ 6:38 AM   

 
The Seven Capital Vices of the Movements, According to “La Civiltà Cattolica”
Three “dangers” and four “challenges”: through the magazine of the Rome Jesuits, the Vatican makes a critical appraisal of the movements. A warning for the Neocatechumenal Way, Focolare, Sant’Egidio, and Bose.
by Sandro Magister

ROMA – With John Paul II, the communities and movements that have arisen within the Catholic Church during the past few decades have enjoyed a mild climate, wrapped up in the friendship of the pope. But shadows gather where light shines. A recent editorial in “La Civiltà Cattolica” listed the “dangers” and “challenges” posed to the Church by many of these movements.

The editorial – dated June 19, 2004, entitled “The ecclesial movements today,” and signed by Jesuit Fr. Giuseppe De Rosa – is all the more important insofar as it was reviewed and authorized before printing by the Vatican secretariat of state, as is the rule for every edition of “La Civiltà Cattolica.” Reading it is like glancing over a reminder note, not for the use of the current pontificate, but for that of the next, with a list of unresolved questions. And the answers must be found.

In making a survey of the “dangers” and “challenges” posed by the movements, the magazine does not mention names. But it’s not difficult for the experts to identify the institutes under criticism, point by point.

Full Article here.

- posted by LRS @ 6:23 AM   

 
German Cardinal Slammed by Colleague for Fostering Dissent

Breaking with the custom of diplomacy, a German cardinal has made some blunt accusations in a public forum against another leading German prelate. Cardinal Joachim Meisner, Archbishop of Cologne, known for his "conservative" views, has accused his colleague, Cardinal Karl Lehmann, the Archbishop of Mainz of promoting a leftist, liberalized view of the Catholic faith according to England's Catholic magazine, The Tablet.

Dissident and so-called "liberal" theologians have been extending their reach within European Roman Catholic circles openly for forty years. The movement has created a crippling divide in what was once seen to be a unified Catholic voice on issues such as abortion, contraception and divorce.

Cardinal Lehman is considered one of the most "liberal" of the German Catholic hierarchy. He was one of the bishops who fought for years with the Vatican over their issuance of abortion counselling certificates which allowed women to obtain government-funded abortions. Decisive action had to be taken by Church authorities to put an end to the practice.

Full article-Lifesite
- posted by LRS @ 6:00 AM   

 
Why the Church Restricts Access to Communion

That the Church normally restricts access to holy Communion to Catholics, who must fulfill certain conditions, has become a debated issue in some sectors.
 
Some Catholics do not even know why the Church maintains this custom, which dates back to the early Christian communities.
 
To answer the question, ZENIT interviewed Father Philip Goyret, professor of sacramental theology, ecclesiology and ecumenism at the University of the Holy Cross. Father Goyret is also the pontifical university's director of studies.

Every Catholic should be able to at least understand the answers given to following question:

Q: What is the theological and ecclesiological significance of someone receiving Communion?

And every priest should be able to answer it and explain the answer sufficiently to the faithful.

Now the following is an excerpt of the full article.

Q: Denying Communion, whether to Catholics or in some cases even to Protestants, is criticized as being a divisive measure. What is your opinion?

Father Goyret: To understand this, suffice it to develop the foregoing last lines.

Ecclesial communion as an antecedent condition to access Eucharistic Communion consists, substantially, in the integrity of faith and absence of grave sin. From the Catholic point of view, the first includes, logically, to be a Catholic.

It also implies the absence of situations of habitual sin -- family irregularities, ideological positions that are incompatible with the Catholic faith, professional conduct opposed to Catholic morality, etc. -- in addition to occasional sins.

The moral and pastoral norm followed by priests when distributing Communion is to deny it publicly to those who are publicly known as persons who cannot receive it. To proceed otherwise would mean to cast aside the theological and ecclesiological meaning of which we spoke earlier.

For Catholics, the eventual distribution of Communion to a non-Catholic, within a Catholic celebration of the Eucharist, implies a contradiction, as it would imply an ecclesial communion that does not exist in its fullness. Something similar occurs in the case of the eventual Communion of a public sinner.

Obviously, these ideas presuppose a strong affirmation in faith in the Eucharist -- not as a mere external manifestation of a generic feeling of Christian fraternity, but as the sacrament that truly contains the whole Christ, with his body, blood, soul and divinity.

It is important to see that the necessity of full unity of the faith among the participants in the Eucharist is something exacted by the specific content of this sacrament, namely the substantial reality of the body of Christ -- because in it is necessarily implied faith in everything that Christ has revealed and that the Church teaches.

Therefore, Eucharistic Communion and communion in truth cannot be separated. In this line, the Catholic Church denies Eucharistic Communion to those who do not participate fully of its ecclesial communion, as they cannot participate in the sign of full unity who do not possess it wholly.

In short, according to the Catholic point of view, access to Eucharistic Communion without full ecclesial communion is, first of all, an absurd action, as it does not realize the significant aspect characteristic of the sacramental dynamics; and by not signifying this, it does not cause it either.

It must be added that the desire and spiritual need to receive Communion is something profoundly personal, but never a "private" event, precisely because we are before an ecclesial good -- ecclesial par excellence -- of which we are not the owners.

Not to respect this discipline is not only a contradiction in the one who goes to Communion, but also in the whole ecclesial community.

One last question is this one:
Q: What are the key considerations that bishops are grappling with regarding the debates? What is the bishops' primary concern over the Communion debate?

Zenit Article



- posted by LRS @ 9:17 PM   

 
Michael Rose: The Catholic Church's Abu Ghraib
Here's more information on the sickening scandal from Austria.

Photos are the key
Homosexual sex scandals are, regrettably, nothing new to Catholic seminaries. Denial, avoidance and cover-up are also old hat in these same circles. If it wasn’t for an unnamed 33-year-old Polish-born priest who took photos of the misdeeds with his compact digital camera, there would have been no resignations, no calls for an investigation, no emergency meetings. There would only have been the characteristic obfuscation and denials on the part of Church leaders. Conservative Catholics would have defended the priests and bishop, calling the accusations false and vilifying the whistleblowers as psychologically unfit. At the same time, liberal Catholics would have dismissed the accusations of homosexual revelry as the product of an overactive conservative imagination. Or they may have simply ignored the whole issue.

Despite the fact that certain seminaries became widely known by nicknames such as The Pink Palace, Notre Flame, and the Faggot Factory, seminary rectors and bishops could think of nothing more original than to deny that anything was wrong, calling the charges scurrilous and groundless. Nothing less than compromising photos published in Newsweek would have made them eat their words.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 12:12 PM   

 
Peru's cardinal says he is victim of smear campaign
I am reluctant to post an article from the National Catholic Distorter, but, as they say, even a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally...

Anyway, something is going on here, perhaps in an attaempt to discredit Opus Dei. And many, including some at the Vatican, for some reason, want this "swept under the rug".

When a civil investigation now underway is finished, Peru's Opus Dei cardinal believes it will demonstrate that a remarkable, if rather inept, "dirty tricks" campaign against him was orchestrated by elements within the Catholic church, including some of his fellow Peruvian bishops.

Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, generally seen as an arch-conservative, also says that if the truth does come out, it will be despite Vatican pressure to sweep matters under the rug.

Fake letters have not been the only crisis for Cipriani, who is lightning rod for controversy in Peru.

In recent months, he has been publicly accused of involvement in the "assassination" of his predecessor, Cardinal Augusto Vargas, even though most observers believe that Vargas died of a cerebral hemorrhage. Cipriani was also linked in press accounts to a famous massacre of teachers during the years of Shining Path terrorism in Peru, another charge he has vociferously denied.

"It's one lie after another, for 16 years," Cipriani said. "Many of these lies come from inside [the church], not from outside. For me this really hurts."

Some of us can understand immediately what's going on - there are two strikes against him right off the bat - he's "conservative" and a member of Opus Dei, the "watchdogs" for the Holy Father...The good Lord must be watching over him and taking care of him - he is still alive!

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 12:10 PM   

 
Update on Heresy Case against John Kerry
This is from Pete Vere, JCL:

A number of you asked me how you can go about helping Marc Balestrieri in his canonical effort to combat the alleged pro-choice heresy espoused by Catholic politicians such as John Kerry. In fact, Al Matt asked me to answer this very question for his readers when I asked him last Wednesday whether I could cover this story in my regular monthly column for the Wanderer.

With this in mind, here's a sneak peak at the rough draft of the column I hope to submit. It is written in three parts. The first part is basically a summary of what I've already blogged on this subject, while the second part offers a basic explanation of why I maintain the pro-choice position to be heretical according to the clear teaching of the Catholic Church. Finally, the third part outlines three basic actions every Catholic can do to support Marc in his canonical petition.

Full article here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:30 AM   

 
Pro-Life Walkers Ask Philadelphia Archdiocese: 'Where's the Brotherly Love?'

Undeterred by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's refusal to permit them to speak at area Masses, American Life League's Summer Crusade for Life walkers will arrive in Philadelphia this week. During their stay they will pray at local abortion mills, meet with Catholic public figures and speak to gatherings of faithful Catholics in their homes and other venues.

In a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article, Archdiocese spokesman Catherine Rossi said it would be "inappropriate" for the students to speak at masses. "There is nothing inappropriate about our message," said Kristen Rainey, Crusade walk spokesman and a student from the College of the Ozarks. "What is inappropriate is when our bishops, cardinals and priests turn a blind eye to the truth and allow pro-abortion 'Catholic' public figures to desecrate the Body of Christ by receiving Holy Communion unworthily."

This is strange...I would think that Cardinal Rigali would welcome these crusaders for life...

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
More on "Proportionate Reasons" and Cooperating with Evil

The moral guidance for this answer is found in an area called, "moral cooperation with evil." Here moral cooperation is when a person freely and knowingly assists another person in performing an immoral act, i.e. an action that is objectively evil. Such cooperation means that a person concurs in another’s sinful act, and participates in a way that helps bring the sinful act to completion. The Catechism teaches, "Anyone who uses the power at his disposal in such a way that it leads others to do wrong becomes guilty of scandal and responsible for the evil that he has directly or indirectly encouraged."(#2287)

Now we come to some classic distinctions in morality. Formal cooperation is when a person (the cooperator) first of all gives consent to the evil action of another (the actor). Here the cooperator shares the same intention as the actor. The cooperator also joins in the actual performance of the evil action or supplies the actor with the means of performing it. Essentially, he consents to and helps enact the sin. For example, using the example of abortion, a nurse who assists a doctor in performing an abortion and shares the same intention is formally cooperating with evil. A legislator who actively promotes abortion legislation enabling innocent human beings to perish is guilty of formal cooperation with evil. Formal cooperation with evil is always wrong, and the cooperator shares in the guilt of the sin of the actor.

This is from an article By Fr. William P. Saunders, a Catholic Herald Columnist (From the issue of 9/5/02)

For more of the discussion, especially regarding remote and proximate material cooperation and for some guidance on the question, "Is there a proportionate reason for cooperating with this evil action?", see this article.


- posted by LRS @ 6:47 AM   

 
A primer on the Holy Communion controversy
by George Weigel

This is an article appearing in the Denver Catholic Register, the archdiocesan newspaper.

The debate over the reception of Holy Communion by Catholic politicians who persistently support permissive abortion laws continues. This debate is an opportunity for authentic Catholic reform, in our sacramental practice and our public witness. To help further that reform, let me take four crucial questions and suggest answers that track with the long-established teaching and discipline of the Church.

1. Who should examine their conscience during this debate?

2. Does supporting permissive abortion laws damage one's communion with the Church?

3. What are the local bishop's responsibilities toward Catholic politicians who support permissive abortion laws?

4. What about the many other issues involving the sanctity of life?

We should welcome this debate. It could get ugly. It could also lead to a renewed Church and a reformed America.

The response are in the complete article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:44 AM   

 
What goes on in church should reflect its beliefs
A columnist in Richmond VA defends Bishop DiLorenzo and his policies of restoring orthodoxy to the diocese.

There are a couple of things worth remembering. Numero Uno is that church buildings are not public property. Nor are they town halls. There is no fundamental right of free speech inside them. Sorry.

As far as I know, nothing prevents Catholics from discussing anything they like outside of church. In fact, we’re nearly impossible to shut up. But what goes on inside ought to reflect the beliefs of that church. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Complete article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:29 AM   

 
A Response to Archbishop Burke's July 4 article on Human Embryos
Archbishop Burke's article in Post has received a response:

Balance needed
in bioethics

In his July 4 commentary, Archbishop Raymond L. Burke articulated the reasoning behind the church's opposition to the use of cloned human embryos in stem-cell research. Although I agree with him that cloned human embryos deserve to be treated with some level of dignity, I can't unconditionally support his view of the embryo's "right to life."

I don't believe that the Scriptures (Christian or other) provide direct guidance regarding the status of artificially created and maintained life forms. The progress of biomedical research has taken our society to the point where it is no longer possible to utilize traditional sources of moral guidance.

To make matters worse, the pressure is rising to make a quick decision because of the mesmerizing potential of embryonic stem cells to cure devastating diseases. This dangling carrot of a potential utility has seduced many of our fellow Americans to suggest that the cloned human embryo has no claim to human dignity, and should be as disposable as the Petri dish they grow in.

As a researcher, when I work with human cancer cells, I have no qualms about destroying them during my experiment. I would hesitate to do this to a cloned human embryo.

Our generation is the first to face a seemingly insurmountable vacuum of moral certitude. Therefore, it is up to our generation to climb the Mount Zion of constructive, mindful, nationwide elaboration to develop sustainable moral standards to guide us through the dilemmas of bioethics.

The President's Council on Bioethics admirably called for a moratorium on the destruction of cloned human embryos, but much wider discussion is needed to make sure we do no harm while searching for cures. The inclusion of elected representatives (in the form of bipartisan congressional committees) would help to maintain a prudent balance of views.

Robert Kokenyesi
Kirkwood

This seemed to me to be the saddest commentary of all in this letter of Mr. Kokenyesi: "The progress of biomedical research has taken our society to the point where it is no longer possible to utilize traditional sources of moral guidance."

There are many who wish to discard objective truth, objective morality, for a "make it up as we go along" morality - a relativistic model which is devoid of common sense and rational thought.

Link here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:19 AM   

 
Christian Groups Say They Won't Give Up ... on FMA

The Federal Marriage Amendment's Religious Supporters See Long-Term Fight, Plan to Focus Energy on State-Level Votes

Despite a defeat in the Senate yesterday, evangelical Christian groups said they would continue to push for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, but some predicted that it would be a 10-year battle.

I suspect that this fight is lost...During his talks in Denver for the World Youth Day in 1993, Pope John Paul II told the young people to “Pray that America might not lose its soul.”

There is a tremendous battle going on in the world and here, in the U.S., for souls. We need supernatural help in this war.

The Holy Father also said:

"Vast sectors of society are confused about what is right and what is wrong, and are at the mercy of those with the power to "create" opinion and impose it on others.

"The family especially is under attack. And the sacred character of human life denied. Naturally, the weakest members of society are the most at risk: the unborn children, the sick, the handicapped, the old, the poor and unemployed, the immigrant and refugee, the South of the world!

"At this stage of history, the liberating message of the Gospel of life has been put into your hands. And the mission of proclaiming it to the ends of the earth is now passing to your generation. Like the great apostle Paul, you too must feel the full urgency of the task: "Woe to me if I do not evangelize" (1 Cor. 9:16). Woe to you if you do not succeed in defending life. The church needs your energies, your enthusiasm, your youthful ideals, in order to make the Gospel of life penetrate the fabric of society, transforming people's hearts and the structures of society in order to create a civilization of true justice and love. Now more than ever, in a world that is often without light and without the courage of noble ideals, people need the fresh, vital spirituality of the Gospel."

Pray for success in overcoming the evil that plagues us and is threatening to destroy us.

Article here.



- posted by LRS @ 6:10 AM   

 
Former Tucson Bishop Moreno's Admission
In a deposition, former Tucson Bishop Manuel D. Moreno comes clean about allowing pedophile priests to take kids to Disneyland

At the conclusion of Manly's deposition, Moreno once again exhibited repentance.

"As you sit here today," Manly asked Moreno, "is there anything with ... any of the other cases that you would do differently, if you could turn back the clock?"

Moreno stumbled a bit, then said, "Well, I wish we could have avoided them as much as possible. I wish they had been the holy priests they're supposed to be. Perhaps I could have been more strict in that. I don't know."

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:00 AM   

 
The Death of Morality
by Benjamin D. Wiker

The real moral crisis is this: that we, among all human beings who have ever lived, face the end of morality as such. Abortion and infanticide have existed before. So have homosexuality and pedophilia. Exclusive, lifelong heterosexual monogamy was, largely, a Christian mandate, and therefore variations on the definition of marriage are not difficult to come by historically. If these ills were all that plagued us, we would only be facing an especially ugly relapse into the darkness of paganism. But underneath these ills lies a darkness against which even the darkness of paganism is light—the rejection of human nature itself, and hence the rejection of all morality.

Benjamin D. Wiker is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute and a lecturer in theology and science at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He is the author of Moral Darwinism: How We Became Hedonists and Architects of the Culture of Death with Donald DeMarco (Ignatius). He is also currently working on a book titled The Meaning-Full Universe. His Web site is www.benjaminwiker.com.

Crisis Magazine Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 11:05 PM   

 
How Individual Senators Voted on Marriage Amendment Procedural Vote
Here is a link detailing how each senator voted. Not too surprisingly, three Democrat Senators for "YEA":
Byrd (WV), Miller (GA) and Nelson (NE). These brave souls should be commended for the vote and their courage.

11 of American Life League's "Deadly Dozen" (Pro-Abortion Senators who fraudulently claim to be Catholic) voted "NAY":

Kennedy (MA), Harkin (IA), Durbin (IL), Dodd (CT), Collins (ME, RINO), Reed (RI), Murray (WA), Landrieu (LA) Leahy (VT), Mikulski (MD), and Biden (DE). Of course, the last remaining member of the "Deadly Dozen", John 'Fraud' Kerry, did not vote.

These and the remaining 39 apparent supporters of sodomy, immorality, and the destruction of any remaining good, should be publicly chastized while kept in prayer, petitioning God to have mercy on them and on us.

It's scandalous when professed Catholics refuse to uphold the moral law. It reveals quite a bit about one's character - or more rightly speaking, the lack of character.
- posted by LRS @ 9:35 PM   

 
Religious Unbelief in the World
Cardinal Poupard Draws a Sobering Sketch of Rising Secularism

Religious unbelief isn't uncommon anymore, says the president of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

"Unbelief is no longer a phenomenon reduced to a few individuals but a mass phenomenon," warns Cardinal Paul Poupard. It is manifested especially "in countries where a secular cultural model prevails," he adds.

In an interview with ZENIT, the French cardinal sketched a map of religious unbelief in the world, a problem analyzed by the culture council during its assembly last March in the Vatican.

Q: Aren't many sociologists talking about a "return to the sacred"?

Cardinal Poupard: Many talk about a "return of the sacred" without specifying that this is rather the emergence of a new weak religiosity, without reference to a personal God, something more emotional than doctrinal.

We are witnessing the de-personalization of God. This new religiosity does not coincide with a return to the faith and it is a real challenge for Christianity.

Some sobering statistical information from a study made by the assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture is then presented.

The interview concludes with this question...
Q: Given this situation, are there signs of hope for the Catholic Church?

Zenit Article.

- posted by LRS @ 9:11 PM   

 
A brief statement by William Lacy Clay, Jr re:Meeting with Archbishop Burke
On radio station KTRS 550AM this afternoon during the drive time local news update, Representative Clay indicated that his meeting with Archbishop Burke went well and they are going to continue to meet. The first meeting, he said, was a religious moment, more of a religious meeting. Neither party is discussing the details of the meeting.

This is good news in that Rep. Clay and Archbishop Burke are going to continue to talk and to meet again.

Please continue to keep both Rep. Clay and Archbishop Burke in your prayers. There is nothing other than the grace of God that will permit an enlightening of the mind and a conversion of the heart in the battle to save the unborn and to save others souls from scandal.

- posted by LRS @ 6:15 PM   

 
Contraception: Fatal to the Faith and to Eternal Life
by Fr. John Hardon

Excerpted from a 1968 article...

We affirm in this article that the deliberate practice of contraception between husband and wife is objectively a mortal sin. Those who persist in its practice are acting contrary to the explicit teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. They may protest that they are Catholic. They may profess to be Catholics. But their conduct belies their profession.

[In 1968]..., Paul VI appealed to the conscience of the world when he warned about “the consequences of practicing artificial birth control.” His warning was prophetic. What have been the consequences of contraception in one once-civilized nation after another?

They have been myriad. But I would give especially seven, which may be listed in sequence.

• Fornication;
• Adultery;
• Sterilization;
• Homosexuality;
• AIDS;
• Breakdown of the family; and
• Murder of the unborn.

At the risk of repeating the obvious, let me briefly show how contraception inevitably leads to these seven tragedies that haunt the modern world.

Fornication
How can we expect unmarried people to practice chastity if married people are allowed to practice mutual masturbation, which is another name for contraception?

This touches at the heart of sane morality. Intercourse is the divinely instituted means for married person to cooperate with God in procreating children. It is also the divinely provided means of fostering mutual love between husband and wife.
But contraception does just the opposite. It deliberately prevents the conception of a child and it fosters, not mutual love, but mutual selfishness.

Is it any wonder that our country is plagued with fornicators who indulge their sex passions, while avoiding the responsibilities of parenthood?

Adultery
How can a husband respect a wife who insists on using contraceptives? And how can a wife respect a husband who refuses to accept the duties of fatherhood?

The soul of Christian marriage is selfless love between the spouses. Contraceptive relations between married people are a lie. They pretend to love one another. But in reality, they are using one another in what might just well be called prostitution.

The history of mankind is clear. Contraception in marriage leads to infidelity in either or in both partners. Naturally! Why limit sex activity to one’s spouse if no commitment to having or raising children is the consequence of intercourse?

Sterilization
We do not ordinarily associate contraception with sterilization. But we should.

It is one thing to use contraception as an occasional malpractice. It is something else when people have themselves sterilized to avoid even fathering or mothering a child.

Yet massive sterilization, in a country like the United States, has become commonplace. Now the discovery of a five-year, synthetic hormone contraceptive gives carte blanche to any female teenager or adult, willing to have it surgically implanted under the skin. One of the largest school systems in America is doing just that—at taxpayer’s expense. The sterilizing hormone is implanted under the skin in young girl’s arms. No parental permission is needed.

This opened the door to an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases, whose ratio is already sky-high in the United States.

Homosexuality
The relationship between contraception and homosexuality is seldom adverted to and, in homosexual circles, openly denied. Yet they are connected by the most basic laws of human society.

Contraception contradicts the most fundamental desire of the human heart: to give oneself in total generosity to another human being. Marital relations are meant by God to satisfy this desire between the married spouses. But if women selfishly withhold this generosity from men, men will—tragically look for such generosity in other men. And women will look for it in other women.

As you read some of the homosexual and lesbian literature, you are moved to tears at seeing how a contraceptive society has begotten a homosexual society. In their desperate search for love, men will turn to other men and women to other women. To say they are being deceived is only to emphasize the pity of a sodomistic culture that is starving for love. Contraception deprives married people of the love that they expect to find in a marriage between two people of opposite and complementary gender.

AIDS Epidemic
With all the published writings and statistics on Acquired Immune Deficiency, seldom a word is given to associate this dreadful scourge with widespread practice of contraception.

In spite of all the protests to the contrary, the AIDS epidemic has its roots in homosexuality. By now, of course, there are victims of AIDS whose condition is the result of other factors than sodomy. But the radical cause remains. And therefore, we should in sheer justice, associate the physical disease with its moral foundations, which is homosexuality abetted by contraception.

Family breakdown
The breakdown of stable family life in formerly Christian countries of the Western world is a matter of record. No one who is even dimly aware of what is going on in countries like our own, has any doubt that the family, as known since the dawn of Christianity, is being legislated out of existence.

I use the word “legislated” to bring out what Pope Paul stated so clearly in Humanae Vitae. In context, he is urging reasons for avoiding contraception. He says:

Consider also the dangerous weapon that would thus be placed in the hands of those public authorities who pay no attention to moral obligations.

Who could blame a government for applying to the solution of the problems of a community those means acknowledged licit for married couples in the solution of a family problem?

So it has been. Once contraception became widespread, it was only logical for civil governments to impose a contraceptive way of life on all their citizens. Thus, everything controlled by the government reflects a contraceptive mentality:

• The majority of employed people, working outside the home, are women.
• The salaries earned by husbands and fathers make it next to impossible for them to provide for the size and kind of family they would honestly desire.
• The feminist ideology deprives men of the dignity and respect they deserve and need in the modern world.
• The number of children of single parent, shall we call them families, has reached gigantic proportions.
• Countless children are no longer reared by their parents, but by paid personnel in so-called day care centers.
• Working mothers and under-paid fathers have become commonplace.
• The very idea of a stable and loving family has become—for millions—a starry ideal.

All of this, and more, can be traced, as surely as smoke proves a fire, to the contraceptive mania that is destroying the foundations of the human family.

Abortion
I have saved abortion as the last of the seven deadly consequences of contraception. This, too, is a law of human behavior. Abortion follows contraception like the law of gravity.

This is obvious. As people come to equate sexual pleasure with the self-gratification, there is no limit to their lustful pride. Contraception has taught them to have their own way. They will stop at nothing to have their way, not even murder of their unborn offspring.

Respect for human life requires selfless love of human beings. As a nation is nurtured on contraceptive self-indulgence, it becomes a nation that kills innocent children—if they are an obstacle to the self-gratification of those who brought them into existence.

It has been correctly said that Humanae Vitae divides the Catholic Church into two periods of history. The Church will survive only among those who believe that contraception is deadly to both Christianity and the promise of a heavenly reward.

Normally thirty years is a short time. But in this case it has been long enough to prove who are still truly Catholics. They are those who believe that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ. “If you love me,” Jesus said, “keep my commandments.” The single most tested commandment of the Savior today is that contraception is fatal to the true faith and to eternal life.

© Copyright 1998 Inter Mirifica

Complete article here.

- posted by LRS @ 12:10 PM   

 
Archbishop Chaput: Catholics must fight abortion as they would slavery

Chaput urges faithful to fight
By Jean Torkelson, Rocky Mountain News
July 14, 2004

A "real" Catholic cannot support abortion rights, Archbishop Charles Chaput said Tuesday in a one-hour interview on Colorado Public Radio.

He said Catholics must fight abortion as they would slavery or segregation - as the No. 1 human rights issue of the times.

He said bishops are speaking out after decades of trying to be "more friendly to the culture."

And yet, he said, "We haven't found the culture is falling on its knees before the teachings of God - it seems to be slipping further and further away from what we understand God's will to be for human dignity."

Some bishops are speaking out! And for these we should offer our prayers of thanksgiving and prayers of petition that God will grant them the extraordinary graces needed to persevere in the persecution that they will suffer for defending our Lord, His Teachings and His Church.

We are called to being truthful - to be in conformity with Christ who is Truth! Being nice and friendly to a culture which was not prepared for truth has not done anything except cause decades of confusion, especially for Catholics. Strong, firm leadership is needed to guide Catholics and others of good will back to the firm path of our Lord, back to the guiding light of truth.

We should also pray for all those who are afraid of the truth, those who prefer darkness to light, that their hearts and minds might be opened and that they will come to embrace all which is true and be freed from the chains of sin and ignorance.

Article is here.

To listen to the interview online (Window's Media Player required, go here:
http://www.cpr.org/co_matters/


- posted by LRS @ 7:32 AM   

 
Senate Call List HERE...Call Today to Protest Marriage
An EMAIL UPDATE I received...

I was just handed the following list. You can find the names and local
telephone numbers of all the Senators who are uncommitted or against the Federal Marriage Amendment. You must call your Senator today and tomorrow morning. Call them at the home-state offices, not their Washington DC offices. The DC offices telephones are jammed.

Here is the page.
http://www.lc.org/marriage/senators_fma.htm

Do it now!

Very best,

Austin Ruse
President
Culture of Life Foundation

- posted by LRS @ 7:10 AM   

 
Ratzinger vs. Kerry, Round II. A Well-Tempered Controversy

The prefect of the Holy Office douses the flames. His ‘No’ to communion for pro-abortion Catholic politicians is “very much in harmony,” he writes, with the ‘Yes’ of most of the U.S. bishops. But the rigorists are holding firm
by Sandro Magister

- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
Some words of advice from Fr. John Hardon

As you know, in our day the priesthood is under going some of the most serious trials in the Church's history. What the Church needs at the beginning of the twenty first century is priests, who have a deep faith, a strong love of Jesus Christ crucified, and absolute loyalty to the Vicar of Christ.

To have a strong faith, we must grow in our understanding of what we believe. The love of Jesus crucified means a sincere love of the cross, seeing every thing in our lives as a part of God's mysterious providence. Loyalty to the Holy Father means seeing in His teaching Christ, Himself instructing us in the mysteries of our faith.

All of this is possible only through a deep devotion to the Holy Eucharist. Christ Our Lord is on earth now in the Blessed Sacrament. Once we realize that, then we expect miracles in our life. We priests need miracles of God's grace.

Source.

- posted by LRS @ 6:40 AM   

 
The Church in Austria
Many articles have been written recently concerning the scandals which have occurred in the Church in Austria. This is not new and has been going on now for a number of years.

Let's look at a story from March of 1998:

In February the Pope appointed Vienna's Archbishop Schoenborn to the College of Cardinals. The Vatican has finally started an investigation into the alleged sexual activities of his predecessor, Cardinal Gröer. Gröer stepped down as Archbishop in 1995, amid allegations that he'd sexually abused five teenage boys. According to Nigel Glass in Vienna, the Gröer affair has divided Austria's Catholics:

Or this one from June of 1998:

The visit, John Paul's third to Austria, was aimed at calming the waters in this Catholic bastion, rocked by accusations that a Cardinal sexually abused young boys, and by divisions among bishops and demands for reform signed by a half-million Austrians.

The Pope issued his verdict in a private meeting of Austrian bishops, following Sunday's Mass. The Vatican released the text.
''A bishop by himself does not realise the project of Christ,'' the Pope said in a clear reference to Bishop Kurt Krenn, a conservative who has angered many by his staunch support for Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer. The Vatican forced Cardinal Groer to relinquish his duties following accusations of paedophilia.

Bishop Krenn takes responsibility for scandal. He states there is no proof of homosexuality at his seminary and says the photograph was of a Christmas kiss at a Christmas celebration.



Catholic World News has some updates today here.

- posted by LRS @ 6:24 AM   

 
Fresno Bishop in desparate need of prayers...

KNXT EDITORIAL, JULY 2004
Denying Holy Communion
By Bishop John T. Steinbock

My dear people of God,

On June 1 of this year, I sent a commentary to our priests and deacons on a recent Instruction from the Congregation in Rome on Divine Worship regarding the Holy Eucharist. I pointed out to the priests and deacons that this document did not say, as was falsely reported by the secular media, that Catholic politicians who vote for abortion may not receive Communion. It did not refer to Catholic politicians at all.

In fact, the document stated that “sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who seek them in a reasonable manner, are rightly disposed, and are not prohibited by law from receiving them.” The document emphasized this by stating clearly again that “any baptized Catholic who is not prevented by law must be admitted to Holy Communion.” I reminded our priests and deacons that “rightly disposed” can only be judged by external actions, as no one can be the judge of another person’s conscience and relationship with the Lord. If someone approaches to receive Communion who is obviously intoxicated or someone comes up who has no idea how to behave, that person is certainly not rightly disposed and may be denied Communion, but this should be done in a loving and pastoral way.

The Doctrine of the Faith has declared that even those who are not in full communion with the teaching of the Church, as long as there is not a denial of what is proposed by the Church as divinely revealed, may not be denied the Sacraments. Jesus did not come to condemn but to save. The Church must always proclaim clearly the truth of God’s teaching and love. But the mission of the Church is to teach and propose the truth, not to impose it. St. Paul tells us in first Corinthians: “whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily sins against the body and blood of the Lord.” This is God’s call, not our call.

Let us not politicize the Eucharist. We all struggle, whether we are public figures or not, to be faithful to the Lord Jesus, and must constantly examine our own consciences. Let us not judge the consciences of others and be so presumptuous as to say who is and who is not worthy to receive Communion. Even those who are prevented by law from receiving Communion may be in God’s grace, and closer to God than we may ever hope to be.

The Holy Eucharist is God’s great gift to us to help us on our journey through the complexities, trials and temptations of this world. We all need the Eucharist as we all need Christ, and we also need one another. May God bless you all very, very much.

A lost shepherd, indeed. We should pray for him. Evidently, he has also not read or misread what the Church teaches.

Source.
- posted by LRS @ 6:15 AM   

 
Another Confused "Catholic" Exposes Her Ignorance of the Faith

Catholics being blackmailed by archbishop's threatsI am extremely disappointed in the stance of Archbishop Burke in withholding Communion from politicians and voters who vote for abortion.

I, as a Catholic, am very much against abortion. But, I am also against war, especially this unprovoked, unnecessary war we are in today. Why has this archbishop not come out against this war that is killing so many of our fine young people?

And if the archbishop did come out against this war, who would we Catholics have left to vote for? By doing so, does the archbishop have a political agenda of his own?

In latter years, I have been very disappointed in our priests. First we had the scandalous sexual abuse of young innocents, then we had the huge coverups and payoffs. Now, as Catholics, we are being blackmailed by the archbishop's threats of withholding Communion. I hate to think of what will come next!

Diana Brown
Pacific

Diana would be better served if, rather than listening to sound bites from TV or radio, or reading the local slanted reports in the Post, she were to read the Catechism or talk to an orthodox, faithful Catholic priest about her concerns. Acting as another mouthpiece of support for dissenting politicians and other professed Catholics only exacerbates the rift and division that so many enjoy.

People like this would be well advised to pray for enlightenment. Many may not want to hear what comes after this earthly existence - it isn't necessarily heaven for everyone, contrary to what sometimes passes as Catholic doctrine these days. At some point, all of us will be facing judgement. We should, while on this earthly journey, learn more about our faith, share the truths of the faith with others, learn and practice humility, and in so doing, become more obedient to the teachings of Christ and His Church as presented to us by Archbishop Burke. He is fulfilling his duty and working for the salvation of our souls.

Post Dispatch Letters here.

- posted by LRS @ 6:09 AM   

 
In light of the Federal Marriage Amendment...
Spanish archbishop speaks out on homosexual tendencies

Archbishop Elias Yanes of Zaragoza, Spain, said this week the existence of homosexual tendencies does not nullify one's freedom and responsibility and that therefore homosexual acts could not be morally justified.

Archbishop Yanes also underscored in his column that "marriage is not just another union between human persons." Marriage and homosexual unions are "two essentially different realities from an anthropological and ethical point of view."

"No ideology or legislation can erase from the human spirit the certainty that marriage in reality exists solely between two persons of the opposite sex who, through mutual personal donation, proper and exclusive to them, tend in a stable way towards the communion of persons and the procreation and education of children," he said.

Link.

- posted by LRS @ 5:32 AM   

 
Who is this? "A Man of Faith," and a former altar boy...
Someone...has debuted a Spanish language ad aimed at New Mexico Hispanics, touting himself as "un hombre de fe," a man of faith, according to an Albuquerque Tribune report.

Although the advertisement does not explicitly state his religion as Catholic, the religion of nearly all Hispanics, it does claim that he was an altar-boy and that he considered the priesthood.

You probably already know who this is...?

"John Kerry is a man of faith, as is the overwhelming majority of the Hispanic community," New Mexico campaign spokesman Ruben Pulido told the Tribune. "This is another value that connects John Kerry with Hispanics."

This is a rather sick attempt at garnering votes - appealing to Hispanics via their faith? Where's that separation of church and state that he so proudly spews from his mouth?

Making Satan proud! Article here.


- posted by LRS @ 11:22 PM   

 
Catholic News Service Spins Cardinal Ratzinger's memo again
Jerry Filteau of the Catholic News Service has written another 'interesting' piece on the newly released letter from Cardinal Ratzinger to Cardinal McCarrick.

The article is roughly 14 paragraphs excluding the new letter (apparently written for public display), and two of those paragraphs address the new letter. The remain 12 paragraphs basically reiterate and confirm what everyone already knew.

There is this little paragraph, near the end, just prior to printing the new "public" letter.

A number of news reports on the memo...inferred that the memo posed an absolute rule that all Catholic politicians who campaign and vote for permissive abortion or euthanasia laws must be barred from Communion if they continue to hold that position after being instructed that it is contrary to church teaching and warned that they should not receive Communion until they change their views.

A number of people inferred it as an absolute? But CNS did not?

One wonders if the people at Catholic News Service are reading the same thing everyone else is reading?

Evidently, this is what Catholic News Service wants people who read the article to remember. And that is unfortunate because it is false and misleading.

Is this a deliberate attempt to confuse people?

Anyone who reads what Cardinal Ratzinger said, cannot possibly understand his statements to mean what CNS asserts them to say, that is, not an absolute.

So, one more time, let's see what Cardinal Ratzinger said:

6. When “these precautionary measures have not had their effect or in which they were not possible,” and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, “the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it” (cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts Declaration “Holy Communion and Divorced, Civilly Remarried Catholics” [2002], nos. 3-4). This decision, properly speaking, is not a sanction or a penalty. Nor is the minister of Holy Communion passing judgement on the person’s subjective guilt, but rather is reacting to the person’s public unworthiness to receive Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin. [Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion. General Principles, Joseph Ratzinger] (Emphasis mine)

And this is not all! Let us recall the words of the Holy Father in Ecclesia de Eucharistia in which he refers specifically to Canon 915:

[I]n cases of outward conduct which is seriously, clearly and steadfastly contrary to the moral norm, the Church, in her pastoral concern for the good order of the community and out of respect for the sacrament, cannot fail to feel directly involved. The Code of Canon Law refers to this situation of a manifest lack of proper moral disposition when it states that those who “obstinately persist in manifest grave sin” are not to be admitted to Eucharistic communion.76 (Emphasis mine)

Once again, I caution everyone to read Catholic News Service articles carefully, noting particularly the "spin" being applied to the "story". As CNS continues its slanted journalism, it won't be long before it finds itself side by side with other questionable entities.

I am still convinced that the statement in Cardinal Ratzinger's letter which states, "It is hoped that this dialogue can continue as the Task Force carries on its important work.", means that much still needs to be done in order for the US Bishops to be seen as in solidarity and union with the wishes of the Holy See as I noted here.

CNS Article.
- posted by LRS @ 7:09 PM   

 
Death Penalty for the Innocent
By Fr. Frank Pavone

From the beginning of my ministry, I have preached and taught consistently against the death penalty (see
www.priestsforlife.org/articles/capitalpunishment.htm). I do not believe it should be used and have joined efforts to abolish it.

At the same time, there's a difference between capital punishment and abortion. Put simply, abortion can never be justified; capital punishment can sometimes be justified. Abortion is intrinsically evil, which means that no circumstances can ever make it right. Capital punishment, on the other hand, is evil when used in the wrong circumstances, but can sometimes be used in the right circumstances.

Capital punishment can never be carried out on an innocent person. That would defy its very definition. Abortion, on the other hand, is always carried out on an innocent person. Otherwise, that would defy its very definition.

In those rare circumstances where it has been justified, capital punishment was carried out precisely for the defense of life. Abortion, on the other hand, is carried out precisely for the destruction of life.

There is a substantial difference between a tiny child, growing in her natural environment, and a convicted criminal who poses a threat to the well-being of society. Yet more children are killed by abortion in America every five days than have ever been executed by capital punishment.

The Bible, and 2000 years of Catholic teaching, recognize the state's right and duty to protect its citizens, even by force. Romans 13:1-5 reads,

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. …. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad…If you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer."


In his encyclical The Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II makes a clear distinction between a practical "no" to the death penalty and an absolute "no" to abortion. In regard to the state punishing wrongdoers, he writes, "the nature and extent of the punishment must be carefully evaluated and decided upon, and ought not go to the extreme of executing the offender except in cases of absolute necessity: in other words, when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society. Today however, as a result of steady improvements in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically non-existent" (56).

Then he goes on to say, in distinction, "If such great care must be taken to respect every life, even that of criminals and unjust aggressors, the commandment "You shall not kill" has absolute value when it refers to the innocent person." (57)

Simply put, "You shall not kill" applies even to the criminal, but with exceptions. "You shall not kill" applies absolutely to the innocent (born and unborn), without exceptions.

Can one still be pro-life and support the death penalty in certain instances? The answer is yes.

Link.
- posted by LRS @ 5:31 PM   

 
Where Do Your Senators Stand on FMA?
In Favor : 36
Opposed : 45
Undecided: 19

As of Monday, July 12, 2004 this is where the current U.S. Senators stand on the Federal Marriage Amendment, S. J. Res. 40 .

At least, both Missouri Senators are in favor...Others need to start notifying their Senators.

Link.
- posted by LRS @ 6:45 AM   

 
Letter from Cardinal Ratzinger to Cardinal McCarrick

Cardinal Ratzinger Says U.S. Bishops' Statement On Catholics In Political Life ‘Very Much In Harmony' With General Principles Sent By Congregation

WASHINGTON (July 12, 2004) -— Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, Chairman of the Task Force on Catholic Bishops and Catholic Politicians, received a July 9 letter from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, saying the U.S. Bishops' statement on Catholics in political life is "very much in harmony" with the general principles previously sent by the Congregation.

Cardinal Ratzinger's letter of July 9:

Your Eminence:

With your letter of June 21, 2004, transmitted via fax, you kindly sent a copy of the Statement "Catholics in Political Life," approved by the members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops at their June meeting.

The Congregation is grateful for this courtesy. The statement is very much in harmony with the general principles "Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion," sent as a fraternal service-to clarify the doctrine of the Church on this specific issue-in order to assist the American Bishops in their related discussion and determinations.

It is hoped that this dialogue can continue as the Task Force carries on its important work.

With fraternal regards and prayerful best wishes, I am,

Sincerely yours in Christ
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

USCCB Link...

*** Updated

A couple of thoughts here. Card. Ratzinger states that his initial letter was sent:
1. to clarify the doctrine of the Church, and
2. to assist the Bishops in their discussions and determinations.

My question, then, is why were the Bishops not allowed to see this letter before their discussions? What, in the first letter, was such a concern that it had to be kept private?

One last observation: While this letter, which was not deemed to remain private, states that the Bishops' statement was "much in harmony" with Card. Ratzinger's June letter, he also confirms his hope that the 'dialogue' can continue, presumably so that the Bishops will be completely in accord with the principles of the letter.

I may be wrong, but this seems to me to be his desire and a polite way of indicating that the Task Force (and Bishops) fulfill the wishes of the Holy See.
- posted by LRS @ 6:33 AM   

 
Something new from Fr. John Corapi...

Every four years we enjoy a very great privilege, one that carries with it an equally great responsibility: that of voting for the officials who will govern the country and affect the lives of tens of millions of people, for better or for worse. Good government and just laws are not optional if the human family is to survive, much less prosper.

Read more of "Form Your Conscience, Vote Your Conscience" here.

Also, Fr. Corapi has a new video, "Wake Up, America".

In a powerful and dramatic sermon, one of the best loved Catholic preachers in the world speaks to Catholics and other Christians, as well as all people of good will, regarding the moral obligation to form and vote your conscience.

View the video introduction... (3.6mb)

Fr. Corapi's Web Site.
- posted by LRS @ 6:10 AM   

 
Meeting between Archbishops Burke & William Lacy Clay, Jr.

U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay Jr., met privately with St. Louis Archbishop Raymond L. Burke on Monday, two weeks after he accused the church leader of "going over the top" in his dealings with candidates supportive of abortion rights.

Diocese spokesman Jim Orso said that Burke and Clay agreed that the discussion was a "pastoral meeting ... between the archbishop and a Catholic in the diocese," and that no public statements would be made.

At least the archdiocese is not going to make any statements - which is what one would expect. One wonders if Rep. Clay will or if he has had a conversion of heart?

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:08 AM   

 
Diocese of Tucson likely to file for bankruptcy

Thousands of parishioners in the Catholic Diocese of Tucson got the official word for the first time from their priests at Mass yesterday and Saturday that bankruptcy appears likely for the diocese.

Chapter 11 protection is being considered by the diocese, which faces an unknown amount of present and future damage claims alleging sexual abuse by its priests and other employees, according to Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas.

This weekend marks the first time parishioners were told of the possibility of bankruptcy in church by their pastors.

Kicanas said he will make the decision on bankruptcy by mid-September.

Link here.
- posted by LRS @ 10:23 PM   

 
Prayers for Vocations Needed More Than Ever, Says Pope
In the era of the global village, it is more important than ever to pray for vocations to the consecrated life, says John Paul II.
- posted by LRS @ 10:17 PM   

 
Is Marriage a Form of Discrimination?

Commentary by R.M.T. Schmid of Oxford

ROME, JULY 12, 2004 (Zenit.org).- This commentary on same-sex unions appeared in the weekly edition of the English-language L'Osservatore Romano, by R.M.T. Schmid, of St. Hugh's College at the University of Oxford.
* * *
Justice requires that equals be treated equally and unequals unequally. Discrimination is a distinction or the differential treatment based on such a distinction. Whether discrimination is justified depends on the answer to what Aristotle calls "the difficult question": equals and unequals in what? Unjust discrimination either fails to ask the right question or fails to act on the right answer.

In contemporary political discourse the term discrimination itself has come to signify injustice. While this reflects the truth that all human beings have equal dignity simply in virtue of belonging to the human species, it can obscure the fact that human dignity also requires recognition of the truth that, though equal, not everyone is the same.

To deny driving licenses to the blind does not assume that they do not deserve equal respect and consideration as persons, but that they are different from other persons in respects relevant to driving.

Zenit Article.
- posted by LRS @ 10:10 PM   

 
Intrinsic Evils and "Proportionate Reasons"
A recent post from EWTN Q&A.

1. What are all the known Instrinsic Evils? 2. What makes an evil Instrinsic vs. non-Instrinsic? 3. What is meant by the phrase "in the presence of proportionate reasons"? 4. What are some examples of "proportionate reasons"?

Answer by Fr.Stephen F. Torraco on 07-09-2004:

1. Intrinsic evils are delineated by the Ten Commandments, otherwise known as the natural law.

2. An evil act is intrinsically so if the object of the act (the "what-ness") as distinct from its intention or circumstances, is evil. Object, intention, and circumstances constitute the "sources" of a human act. These are evaluated to determine the rightness or wrongness of an action. If the object of the act is evil, no good intention or set of circumstances can make it good. Such an act is intrinsically evil. On the other hand, a bad intention or set of circumstances (how, ehen, or where something is done) can make an otherwise good action bad. Such an action would not be intrinsically evil.

3. An example of "proportionate reason" can be found in a number of situations:

-in the act of self-defense, the preservation of one's life against an aggressor that needs to resort to force to accomplish the self-defense, even if the forseen but unintended and unavoidable evil consequence is the death of the aggressor. The evil consequence is allowed for the sake of avoiding an equally grave or greater evil. There is a moral proportion between the good (self-defense) and evil (death of aggressor) consequence.

-in the case of ectopic pregnancy, in which an unborn child is lodged in the mother's fallopian tube. The child will die in that location, and the mother will die if the tube is not removed. Removing the tube to save the mother's life results in the unintended and unavoidable death of the child. The evil consequence is allowed for the sake of avoiding an equally grave or greater evil.

If you have understood the above, you should then be able to understand the point that one cannot morally justify voting for a candidate that embraces an intrinsic evil in order to avoid voting for a candidate with whose views (not intrinsically evil) one can legitimately disagree. There is no moral proportion between an intrinsic evil and a political view with which one disagrees, albeit legitimately.

Link.
- posted by LRS @ 6:50 AM   

 
Diocese in Ohio May Close 15% of Its Parishes

The Toledo Diocese is considering closing 24 of its 157 parishes in order to consolidate parishes with few members and to keep its dwindling number of priests from being overworked.

Zenit article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:45 AM   

 
The Church in Austria infected with perverts

Vienna - A huge pornography scandal hit the Catholic church in Austria at the weekend after the discovery of 40 000 photos and a number of films at a priests' seminary at St Poelten west of Vienna.

The revelations came in the Monday edition of the magazine Profil, published in advance on Sunday. The seminary chief, Ulrich Kuechl, was already forced to resign earlier this month with first reports of the scandal, allegedly including child pornography.

The report said that some of the seminary leaders had joined in "sex games" and allowed themselves to be photographed.

Profil quoted allegations of drunken orgies in the seminar building where "Nazi slogans were also heard". Trainee priests had downloaded child pornography pictures.

This really should not come as any surprise. Little has been done to remove bishops and priests engaging in or promoting sodomy - Bishop Reginald Cawcutt of South Africa is a perfect example.

There is an insidious disease affecting the Church. Pray for the Church. Many have succumbed to the empty promises of Satan's influence.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:36 AM   

 
An Educational Letter for the Post Dispatch

Bipartisan "edict"

According to the many letters you printed regarding Archbishop Raymond Burke's "edict" to vote pro-life, the writers think that only Republicans are pro-life. I know that there are many Democratic politicians who believe in the sanctity of life, and there are those in the Republican party who are pro-choice.

Burke is only instructing Catholics that, if you truly follow the teachings of the church, you would have to vote for those people who are pro-life, whether you are Democrat or Republican.

Joyce Heitert
St. Charles

Link here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:22 AM   

 
Marriage initiative: Churches to lobby members

Bishop Samuel Aquila directed priests to preach on the sanctity of marriage.

"All Catholics have a moral obligation to defend marriage and oppose efforts to legalize same-sex unions as equivalent to marriage," he wrote. "I want you through your parishioners to obtain signatures in your parish or parishes for this initiative.

"I also ask that you preach on this matter during the next month in your parishes and present clearly the teaching of the Church to our people."

Link
- posted by LRS @ 6:18 AM   

 
Profiles of the Architects of the Culture of Death
Catholic Culture has posted an excerpt from a new book, "Architects of the Culture of Death" by Donald DeMarco and Benjamin Wiker. This article provides brief profiles of some of the major contributors to the Culture of Death.

Our fourteen "Architects of the Culture of Death" have two things in common. On the objective side, they reject God, nature and the notion of the human being as a person who lives by knowledge and love. On the subjective side, they are guilty of an intransigent willfulness inasmuch as they accord a higher place to their own egos than to the order of creation. Their weaknesses are transparent; their ambitions, vain; and their logic is a mere house of cards. In sum, they represent a Culture of Death that rests on the shifting sands of a "false humanism."

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 9:32 PM   

 
Can A Catholic Politician Be Pro-Choice?
Bishop Victor Galeone of the Diocese of St. Augustine answers this in the diocesan newspaper:

In 1962 Archbishop Joseph Rummel of New Orleans excommunicated Judge Leander Perez for attempting to block the desegregation of the school system in the archdiocese. The mainstream and liberal media applauded the archbishop’s action. Racists and segregationists attacked him vehemently. How dare he try to impose his sectarian views on those who held a different opinion on how the schools should be integrated?

In recent months, several Catholic bishops have issued directives forbidding the Eucharist to Catholic politicians who support abortion-on-demand. The media has been quick to respond with scurrilous editorial cartoons and commentaries, castigating those bishops for breaching the wall between church and state. How dare they try to impose their sectarian morality on the rest of the nation?

How does one respond to these charges? First, one should bear in mind that the right to life is not a sectarian Catholic issue – like celibacy for priests or meatless Fridays during Lent. It is a fundamental moral attribute of our humanity. We possess this right not from the state, not from the church, but from God himself. The founders of our nation acknowledged as much when they declared to the British monarch: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (emphasis mine)

Second, the right to life is the foundation of all our other rights. Just as a building without a foundation will ultimately collapse, so too, every other right we enjoy will crumble unless buttressed by this most basic right of all. So a politician of whatever or no religious persuasion at all is bound to respect the right to life of others, including incipient life in the womb.

“But the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that one cannot be sure when human life begins.” That assertion was disingenuous on the part of Justice Harry Blackmun. It’s embryology, not theology, that asserts: “Development is a continuum that begins when an ovum is fertilized by a sperm and ends at death. All the genetic information of the human adult is already present in that single combined cell, the zygote, which definitely marks the beginning of a new individual.” All that is needed for development is time and nourishment, the same components needed by a newborn child.

“Can an avid proponent of abortion-on-demand be at the same time a Catholic in good standing with the church?” I answer that question by asking another: Can an avowed racist be a member in good standing of the NAACP? For similar reasons, there are some positions so extreme that they would bar one from being considered a good Catholic, not because a specifically Catholic teaching is being denied, but because a basic tenet of the natural law is being trashed. As members of the human family, we must obey the natural law, written on our hearts: “You shall not take an innocent life.”

“Are you implying that Holy Communion should be denied to Catholic candidates who espouse abortion-on-demand?” I would hope that those candidates who consistently vote in support of abortion have enough integrity to willingly exclude themselves from receiving the Eucharist. After all, they are supporting a procedure for which the church reserves the penalty of excommunication for those directly involved. Besides, consider what St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:27: “Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in any unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.”

“What about Catholic politicians who support the death penalty? Shouldn’t they refrain from receiving Holy Communion too?” According to church teaching, the state has the right to protect its citizens from unjust aggressors through use of the death penalty. However, at present the church stresses that non-lethal means – namely life-imprisonment – are more in keeping with human dignity, thus making reasons for recourse to the death penalty almost non-existent. Still, the church does not deny that the state continues to have the right to impose the death penalty. Furthermore, although the life issues are all interrelated, not all of them are of equal importance. In 1998, the bishops of the United States issued Living the Gospel of Life, a pastoral letter that stated categorically that the right to life carried more weight than other issues because it served as their moral foundation.

“I still feel that you bishops are meddling in politics.” Abortion is a moral, not a political issue. The United States Constitution does not prohibit a member of the cloth from addressing moral issues. If it did, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would never have achieved all the good that resulted in the area of civil rights. Besides, would not our silence be similar to that of the German clergy who looked the other way while millions of innocent citizens were being herded off to the ovens? And finally, God’s word roundly condemns anyone who tolerates evil. God commands Samuel to inform Eli that his house will be punished “because although he knew that his sons were blaspheming God, he did not reprove them” (1 Sam 3:13). A very similar message is found in the prophet Ezekiel 33:7-9. The lesson from Scripture is clear: Whoever tolerates evil becomes an accomplice in that evil.

Source...
- posted by LRS @ 9:18 PM   

 
Clay plans to meet with Archbishop Burke on Communion issue

A Missouri congressman thinks St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke "has gone too far" by saying that Roman Catholic politicians who support abortion rights should not receive Communion and that voters who support them should go to confession before receiving the sacrament.

Rep. William Lacy Clay, a St. Louis Democrat who favors abortion rights, plans to meet Monday with the archbishop.

"I think Archbishop Burke has gone too far; he is now delving into politics," Clay said in an interview on Friday. "Perhaps the Catholic Church should surrender their 501-C status."

Perhaps Clay should rethink his position as a Catholic - it appears he has rejected the teachings of the Church and the lawful authority of the Church with regard to questions of faith and morals.

Clay, who attends St. Nicholas Catholic Church, said that if a priest refused him communion, "I would stand there."

"That's such a personal thing, between my God and me," he said. "I think it's an intrusion into uncharted waters that the church has never been in. They don't have the luxury of driving people away from the church right now. It's difficult for them to find priests and nuns, and if they continue on this track, they're going to drive people away from the church."

Actually, maybe all the heretics and apostates should be asked to leave if they find the faith unacceptable - Our Lord never said it would be easy to follow Him. Most of these people choose the wide and easy path that leads to eternal damnation. They do need our prayers, but they should not be allowed to continue to poison the rest of the community of the believers with their disobedience and rejection of the natural law, let alone the teachings of the Church.

Article
- posted by LRS @ 8:55 PM   

 
Bishops have denied communion before

In the wake of the United States Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling, Joseph Francis Rummel, Archbishop of New Orleans, began planning the integration of the archdiocese's schools. It would take eight years, several court battles and the excommunication of three prominent Catholic political figures for Rummel to achieve his goal.

Some conservative Catholic organizations have glimpsed parallels in the cases of Archbishops Rummel and Burke. They see two men who stood up, in the face of tremendous opposition, for a moral imperative. That both men were willing to use the sacrament of Communion to make their points is further proof for such groups that the two cases are similar.

"There are no convincing parallels between today's situation and the one in New Orleans more than 40 years ago," said the Rev. Richard P. McBrien, a liberal Catholic and professor of theology at Notre Dame University. "None of today's pro-choice politicians has openly opposed the Church's teaching on the morality of abortion nor defied any of the bishops' rights to articulate that teaching."

McBrien, who frequently extols and promotes heretical ideas, should have been removed as a priest years ago, rather than remaining as a professed Catholic priest and theologian.

Others who feel some bishops' pronouncements on Catholic politicians and Communion are meant to play a role in national politics are more specific. "In new Orleans, those politicians held that segregation was good," said Robert McClory, a retired Northwestern University professor, and former board member of Call to Action, a liberal Catholic organization. "(Senator John) Kerry does not hold that abortion is good, but rather that he is against criminalizing it."

And leave it to a Call to Action type to twist Kerry's "personally opposed" mantra. I suppose obtaining comments from the radical fringe help sell papers?

"Surely the two situations are not perfectly the same," said Burke. "There are differences. But if (abortion) is a grave moral evil, which surely it is, then a person who is taking public stands in favor of it, and even accepting recognition from groups that are promoting it, then it's dissent by whatever name you want to call it. Maybe it's less extravagant, but it is full-blown dissent."

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 1:04 PM   

 
New bishop conforms to strict Catholic law

Six weeks after taking office, Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo is reshaping the Diocese of Richmond to bring it into close conformity with the policies of Pope John Paul II and orthodox Catholic teaching.

That intention is most obvious with DiLorenzo’s announcement last month that no one can be invited by parishes as a guest speaker without first being approved by the diocesan theologian, a post re-established by the bishop.

The bishop has also decided not to reactivate the diocesan “sexual minorities” commission that had advised former Bishop Walter F. Sullivan on gay and lesbian concerns.

Additionally, DiLorenzo removed a Virginia Beach woman from the diocesan women’s commission because her support for ordaining women as priests conflicted with the Vatican’s policy of restricting the priesthood to men.

It seems it did not take Bishop DiLorenzo much time to start cleaning house and getting things in order!

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:37 PM   

 
Archbishop Dolan Discloses Priests Names

With all of this thoughtful advice, and through a great deal of time spent in reflection and prayer, I have decided to publicize the names of diocesan priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee who have been (or would be if they were still alive) restricted from all priestly ministries in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of the Protection of Children and Young People.

Archbishop Dolan's Letter here.

List of Priests here.
- posted by LRS @ 12:05 PM   

 
Senate to Debate Marriage Amendment

"Nuts," said Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I. "To be seen as the party that's coming between two people that love each other doing what they want to do ... to me that's going to be seen as a liability, politically."

This is the thinking of so many politicians...Ethics and morality be damned! It's "What's best for ME!"

Article.
- posted by LRS @ 7:45 AM   

 
Former Bishop of Springfield, Thomas Dupre invokes 5th...
Article
- posted by LRS @ 7:11 AM   

 
Covington diocese may file for bankruptcy
Link here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:10 AM   

 
Personally Opposed...To What? by Dr. James Hitchcock

"Personally I am opposed to abortion, but I will not impose my views on others." This has become the favorite mantra of some Catholic politicians, but it does not stand up to analysis.

If the statement means anything, it has to mean that abortion is the taking of a human life, which is the most serious issue government can face. But those who repeat the mantra do not act as though they believe that.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:05 AM   

 
A Possible Reason for Cardinal McCarrick's Special "Nuancing"?
Global Warming!
- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
European Court rejects fetus rights appeal

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Europe's top human rights court rejected an appeal Thursday to grant full human rights to a fetus, saying national governments must decide the issue themselves.

Meeting in Strasbourg, France, the European Court of Human Rights said it could not rule on a case filed by a French woman who was forced to have an abortion after a doctor's mistake.

Thi-Nho Vo had argued that France had violated the right to life of her unborn child, after French courts refused to convict the doctor of involuntary homicide.

The 17-judge panel ruled the issue of when the right to life begins "was a question to be decided at national level ... because the issue had not been decided within the majority of states" which have ratified the European Convention on human rights.

The only truth that exists is that which we say is true. Apparently, forced abortions are legal.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:35 AM   

 
HOLY SEE ROLE AT U.N. FACILITATED BY UNANIMOUS RESOLUTION
Of course, this will not be accept well by groups like 'Catholics for a Free Choice', which have been relentless in their efforts to have the UN remove the Holy See as detrimental to their efforts of global abortion and contraception.

Vatican link here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:30 AM   

 
Coming here soon ?
Spanish gays renounce their Catholic faith

Madrid, Jul. 08 (CWNews.com) - Members of a Spanish gay activist group renounced their Catholic faith en masse on Thursday because of the Church's constant teaching that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.

CWNews Article
- posted by LRS @ 6:00 AM   

 
Vatican "Riches" are a legend...
What Catholic hasn't been confronted with statement regarding the wealth of Vatican, especially from those who who have left the faith for whatever reason?

From Zenit:

The Holy See's latest financial statement shows that the "Vatican's riches" are a legend, says a Church official.

"If we had so much money, we wouldn't need to put our hand out to ask for help," Cardinal Sergio Sebastiani said with a smile today at a press conference.

The president of the Prefecture for the Economic Affairs of the Holy See was presenting the Vatican's deficit numbers for the fiscal year 2003.

"And the Vatican's riches?" a journalist asked him.

"A legend -- the reality is far more prosaic," the cardinal replied.

Article here.
- posted by LRS @ 5:30 AM   

 
Magazine chronicled age from vibrant Catholicism to clown ministry
From Cruxnews, there is a new article well worth the read.

Looking back: FROM THE MAIL recently acquired a box full of old Jubilee magazines, a "Magazine of the Church and Her People," from the years 1953 to 1962, when it was under the editorship of Edward Rice, and published by A.M.D.G. Publishing Co., 377 Fourth Avenue, NYC.

So, let’s take a trip down memory lane, courtesy of the old Jubilee.

Link.
- posted by LRS @ 7:04 PM   

 
Pete Vere on "The Catholic Faithful vs. John Kerry"

A number of you kindly sent me links to stories involving Marc Balestrieri’s canonical petition against John Kerry concerning the scandal being caused to Christ’s faithful from the latter’s support for abortion. Marc is a lay canonist in his early thirties and a pretty solid guy. So his action in support of innocent children in the womb took both myself and other lay canonists from our generation by surprise.

Link to Catholic Light here.

Thanks to Dominic Bettinelli
- posted by LRS @ 12:10 PM   

 
Last night's Pro-Life Mass
I attended a monthly "pro-life" Mass last night as I usually try to do every month.

I took about 25 of the booklets "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics" with me as well as the Archdiocesan Pro-Life Committee Letter which states that Archbishop Burke has read and approved the booklet for use in all the parishes. I spoke with one of the women on the parish Pro-Life committee who helps in preparation for the Pro-Life Mass about the "Voter's Guide" and was informed that our pastor wants nothing to do with the "Voter's Guide" but intends to use the USCCB's long and confusing "Faithful Citizenship" for the parishioners.

I can understand why. The "Voter's Guide" is short and to the point. It lists five non-negotiable, disqualifying issues(*) that would preclude one (a serious and faithful Catholic) from voting for a specific candidate.

As for "Faithful Citizenship", on May 10th, forty-eight Catholic Democratic Congressmen in the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, DC arguing that bishops should not deny communion to pro-abortion politicians. The politicians twice cited the American Bishops' statement to bolster and justify their positions, while concealing the fact that this same document states that abortion can never be morally permissible.

Many Catholics will use this document to justify positions which cannot be reconciled with the teaching of the Church precisely because the document allows such justifications to be made - when it is not read and studied with clarity of mind and with knowledge of the Church's teachings.

Anyway, there will be several different people seeking permission to, at least, get these "Voter's Guides" in the vestible (oops, "gathering space") of the church. If permission is not forthcoming, then a letter noting such refusal will be sent to the Archbishop.

Anyway, to further confuse Catholics, the associate pastor, in his homily, said some very good things but, unfortunately, stated some erroneous things as well.

When he started, I thought we might be in for the first decent homily I have heard from him since he's been here (2 or 3 years, I think). He started by stating that abortion is condemned by the Church and it always has been viewed as intrinsically evil. He proceded to discuss this and euthanasia and the uproar recently over Archbishop Burke's comments, noting that the Archbishop's comments are perfectly in line with the teaching of the Church....(Great!, I thought.)

But then, he proceded to equivocate on "judging others" and how there is a disparity of opinion on whether to allow public sinners and those who vote for them to receive Holy Communion. Then he mentioned Cardinals Mahony and McCarrick and I, sitting in the front pew right in front of him, shook my head in disgust.

He seemed somewhat obsessed with the "judging" aspect, failing to understand what the Holy Father, Cardinals Arinze and Ratzinger, and Archbishop Burke have been saying with respect to "manifest, grave sin".

He also stated that we should be totally "pro-life", that is opposed to capital punishment and war, etc., with which some may agree but these are not things which are intrinsically evil. It is the same obfuscation of the hierachy of life issues which Cardinal Ratzinger discussed in his recently released memo.

Anyway, I faxed him Cardinal Ratzinger's memo this morning and gave him a copy of the "Voter's Guide" after Mass. I did not have an opportunity to talk with him this time, but hopefully will later on.

I must have handed out maybe 10 of the "Voter's guides" in total - everyone with whom I came in contact wanted one. Perhaps this is a good sign and maybe the Holy Spirit will prevail in helping to people to change their hearts and minds toward the truth.

* Abortion, Euthanasia, Fetal Stem Cell Research, Human Cloning, "Same-Sex" Unions
- posted by LRS @ 7:46 AM   

 
U.S. Bishops Urge Senate Support for Marriage Amendment
Zenit article.
- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
Bankruptcy Considered by Many Catholic Archdioceses

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Several Roman Catholic dioceses being sued for clergy sexual abuse could find themselves following the lead of the Portland Archdiocese, filing for bankruptcy to fight the lawsuits.

AP Article.
- posted by LRS @ 6:50 AM   

 
Bill McClellan (Post Dispatch) tries to be a theologian
Since the Post Dispatch indicated that this was yesterday's most e-mailed article, I thought it might be worthwhile to link to it.

I read it yeasterday and did not reference it as I thought it was a useless waste of space - but apparently many thought it was useful for some reason or another.

It is apparent that McClellan has ventured into a territory about which he knows little to nothing:

As regular readers know, I seldom venture into theology, but as long as Archbishop Raymond Burke is busy with politics, somebody has to deal with theological issues. It might as well be me.

To assert that Archbishop Burke is delving into politics is absurd, but then I would certainly expect little truth from the Post.

The question posed to the new theologian, Bill McClellan, is this:

"The Archbishop has said that if you vote for John Kerry, you are committing a sin. Since some of Mr. Kerry's funding must come from his wife, would it not be a sin to support him by using ketchup? There is some urgency to this question, as my cheeseburger is getting cold."

What little humor he tries to bring to the story is offset by the fact that he engages in a little Catholic bashing and ridicule of Archbishop Burke...or so it seems to me. But hey, I expect nothing less from the Post.

Most emailed article here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:48 AM   

 
Kerry-Edwards "Most Gay-Supportive National Ticket in American History"

US Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry and running-mate John Edwards have been declared ". . . the most gay-supportive national ticket in American history," according to National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute Executive Director Matt Foreman.

"With a 100% rating from the [homosexual activist] Human Rights Campaign since 1995," Kerry's campaign web-site proclaims, "John Kerry is a powerful voice in the ongoing fight for civil rights for gay and lesbian Americans."

Surely this must be a ticket that many professed Catholics can support! Please Lord, have mercy on us!

Lifesite article
- posted by LRS @ 6:42 AM   

 
Controversy Heats up over Cardinal McCarrick Downplaying Vatican Direction on Communion

Times reporter Julia Duin reports that McCarrick "downplayed" the Vatican Cardinal's letter which she noted "contains much stronger language than Cardinal McCarrick used." Duin notes that McCarrick used "nuanced speech" in presenting the Ratzinger letter even though "as the chairman of a task force on Catholic Bishops and Catholic Politicians, it was his job to convey what Vatican officials had told him during meetings in Rome."

[A]s LifeSiteNews.com pointed out on July 5, the current incident is the second time Cardinal McCarrick seems to have contradicted the Vatican over the issue of denying communion.

Does "Nuanced", in this case, mean "lied"?

Article here
- posted by LRS @ 6:40 AM   

 
But what is there to study, Your Eminence?

The Church has always taught that abortion is the killing of the innocent and intrinsically evil. When some of us were growing up, men in organized crime were denied burial in sacred ground. What are these abortion clinics other than killing houses?

Catholicism used to produce a different kind of prelate. In 1953, Archbishop Joseph Rummel of New Orleans issued a pastoral letter: "(L)et there be no further discrimination or segregation in the pews, at the Communion rail, at the confessional and in parish meetings, just as there will be no segregation in the kingdom of heaven."

Resistance to integration of the parochial schools was fierce. The battle went on for a decade. Catholics appealed to the Vatican. Pius XII backed up the archbishop. In the Louisiana Legislature, bills were introduced forbidding integration of the Catholic schools, bills supported by Catholic legislators. The archbishop's response was to threaten the Catholic lawmakers with excommunication.

When the rabid segregationist Leander Perez of Plaquemine Parish persisted, Archbishop Rummel excommunicated him and the head of the Citizens Council of Louisiana for "continuing to provoke the devoted people of this venerable archdiocese to disobedience or rebellion in the matter of opening our schools to all Catholic children."

Now, there was an archbishop.

Cardinal McCarrick should take this as a challenge – and ask himself how St. Thomas More would have reacted to this threat. Then, go forth and do likewise, Your Eminence.

Full Article.



- posted by LRS @ 6:39 AM   

 
From the Post Dispatch Soundoff column

Very sure

In thinking about Archbishop Burke, I'm very sure I made the right choice 30 years ago to become a former Catholic. Nobody is ever going to tell me how I must vote.

One wonders how sure this person would be if he were living in a totalitarian country facing imminent death or torture if he voted the 'wrong' way?

ANd this is to say nothing of the fact that the comment is completely moronic since Archbishop Burke never once mentioned anything regarding for whom one is to vote.
Link.
- posted by LRS @ 5:30 PM   

 
Another Letter from another confused Catholic

Prudent choices

I am a practicing Catholic and active member of a suburban parish. I was distressed to hear Archbishop Burke saying that my vote in an election or support of a pro-abortion candidate like Sen. John Kerry could be a matter for the confessional before taking Communion. I was offended because, like all Americans, I regard my vote and everyone else's as personal, confidential and our free choice and right as American citizens.

Although I always form my conscience and actions in the light of my faith and the teachings of my church, nobody is going to persuade me that my vote, whatever it is, has an authentic link to the sacraments. Certainly, no priest will ever hear me speak in confession about how I voted. I find the very idea to be grotesque.

Many of our bishops must feel the same way, as most of them have chosen not to take the same stand as Burke's in their own dioceses.

I want to reassure Burke that the people in St. Louis' many Catholic parishes are quite capable of making a prudent political choice that reflects the moral values of our faith and the needs of the common good in America. I encourage him to believe in us.

Patricia Smith
Creve Coeur

If one formed his conscience according to right reason, the moral law, and Church teaching, then it would be incomprehensible to cast a vote for an avowed promoter and defender of abortion. And there is a connection to our actions (including voting) and having the proper disposition to receive the Sacraments. A denial of this fact demonstrates an incomplete and deficient understanding of the Sacraments and the nature of being in a state of grace as a prerequisite to receive the Sacraments (excepting the Sacraments of Penance and Anointing).

With respect to Patricia's statement (and many others like hers) that many of our bishops do not stand with Archbishop Burke, perhaps she has been absent for the past few decades and have failed to witness the disobedience and dissent that has plagued many dioceses for years. Only recently have the appointments of the Holy Father demonstrated a return to good and holy men to lead Christ's people.

Unfortunately, contrary to Patricia's opinion that many "are quite capable of making a prudent political choice that reflects the moral values of our faith", this is not the case. When polls indicate that Catholics contracept and have abortions at nearly the same rate as society in general, then professed Catholics are not making choices that reflect the "moral values' of the Catholic faith. Bishops and priests have, in many places, failed to teach the faithful.

Link here



- posted by LRS @ 4:37 PM   

 
An analysis of Cardinal Ratzinger's Statements & Cardinal McCarrick's
Barbara Kralis does an excellent job of reviewing the Cdl. McCarrick's conflicting statements with those of Cdl. Ratzinger.

Read it here.

**Updated**
Also try these for more discussion: Ad Limina Apostolorum, and this one at BettNet.

- posted by LRS @ 12:30 PM   

 
And in another related story....
Cardinal Ratzinger lays out principles on denying Communion, voting

Notice how CNS deliberately distorts the words of Cardinal Ratzinger. This is another reason why, I think, CNS is such a poor example of truthful Catholic News reporting.

In a recent memorandum, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger laid out the principles under which bishops or other ministers may must deny Communion to Catholic politicians who consistently promote legal abortion.

At the same time, he said it is not necessarily sinful for Catholics to vote for politicians who support abortion, as long as they are voting for that candidate for other reasons for "proportionate" reasons.

And this is how "proportionate" reasosn are explained:

In other words, if a Catholic thinks a candidate's positions on other issues outweigh the difference on abortion, a vote for that candidate would not be considered sinful.

This is, at the very least, confusing and at worst, an outright lie.

But then read the story here, courtesy of the USCCB.

- posted by LRS @ 6:00 AM   

 
Cardinal McCarrick says leaked Ratzinger memo is not whole story

Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington said July 6 that the leaked text of a recent memo he received from a top Vatican official, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, on Catholic politicians and abortion appeared to be "an incomplete and partial leak" not reflecting "the full message I received."

Hmmm...OK, the part that wasn't released said what? Ignore the memo?
CNS article here
- posted by LRS @ 5:26 AM   

 
US bishops rejected Ratzinger's advice
This is a Catholic World News article which has generated quite a number of responses.

The first thing that I would like to know in this whole episode is if Cardinal McCarrick distributed copies of Cardinal Ratzinger's letter to the assembled bishops of if he "nuanced" it for them...

Something is wrong here if, indeed, the bishops did not see the letter but were given a Washington cardinal's translation.

Enjoy the link here . I don't think a subscripton is needed - if it is let me know ASAP.

- posted by LRS @ 8:43 PM   

 
Portland archdiocese declares bankruptcy

The Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, has filed for bankruptcy, seeking court relief in the face of overwhelming legal damages in sex-abuse lawsuits.

Catholic World News article here.
- posted by LRS @ 8:27 PM   

 
Vatican to narrow chasm in 'Church's great divide'

This week, FTM looks at a number of related liturgical issues, starting with a news report that the Holy See is about to expand the indult for the Tridentine Mass.

On Sunday June 18, the U.K.'s Catholic Herald reported that the Holy See is about to "relax the rules" on the Tridentine Mass because bishops have not been "generous" in allowing its use.

According to the report by Freddy Gray, "Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos. prefect of the Congregation for Clergy, told The Latin Mass, America's leading traditionalist magazine, that the Vatican was preparing to issue a 'juridical guarantee' in favor of the Tridentine rite, which was the Church's official rite from the 16th century until 1962.

"Cardinal Hoyos' remarks are a clear indication that Rome wants to embrace traditionalists by ensuring that they can attend old rite Masses if they so wish. The cardinal praised the Tridentine rite, and acknowledged the growing numbers of traditionalist Catholics, before giving cause to hope that restrictions on the old rite might be lifted....

"Cardinal Hoyos said: 'The idea is constantly growing that it has become necessary to provide for the concession of the indult in a broader fashion that would correspond more with the reality of the situation. It is thought that the times are mature for a new and clearer form of juridical guarantee of that right, which has already been recognized by the Holy Father with the 1988 indult.'

"He explained that the cardinals, and the bishops of Ecclesia Dei, a pontifical commission set up to oversee the implementation of the indult, have all studied the matter carefully, and are trying to thrash out the best possible solution.

John Medlin, development manager for the Latin Mass Society, said he was excited by the cardinal's comments. 'Rome is signaling that it is prepared to use the transcendent nature of the traditional Mass as a standard to rein in the abuse in the new rite,' he said. 'We are beginning to hear the death knell of liberalism in the Church and not before time'....."

+ + +

Full article ar Cruxnews.

- posted by LRS @ 7:37 AM   

 
Cardinal McCarrick's ambiguous interpretation of Vatican position puzzles US Catholics
Highest Authorities in Vatican Back Denial of Communion to Pro-Abortion Politicians

Cardinal McCarrick, who heads the U.S. Bishops task-force, looking into the issue of Catholics in political life, has recently, on two separate occasions, defended statements which seem to contradict or at least confuse what Vatican authorities have actually said on the issue of communion and Catholics who publicly support abortion.

- posted by LRS @ 7:15 AM   

 
Is this too difficult to understand?
Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, in communion with the Bishops-who on various occasions have condemned abortion and who in the aforementioned consultation, albeit dispersed throughout the world, have shown unanimous agreement concerning this doctrine-I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being. This doctrine is based upon the natural law and upon the written Word of God, is transmitted by the Church's Tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium.

No circumstance, no purpose, no law whatsoever can ever make licit an act which is intrinsically illicit, since it is contrary to the Law of God which is written in every human heart, knowable by reason itself, and proclaimed by the Church.
(Evangelium Vitae, 62)

- posted by LRS @ 8:45 PM   

 
Archbishop Burke: Use of human embryos defies justification by any moral measure
No cause justifies the taking of innocent human life.

In Sunday's Editorial Section of the Post Dispatch.

No motive, no matter how exalted - even the certain hope for a cure of another individual or groups of individuals - can justify the taking of innocent human life. The church's moral condemnation of embryonic human stem-cell research is based principally upon the fact that an embryonic human must be destroyed in order to conduct the research.

Link
- posted by LRS @ 8:21 PM   

 
Kerry Says He Believes Life Starts at Conception
What a pathetic and sick man he is. Morally bankrupt.

A Catholic who supports abortion rights and has taken heat from some in the church hierarchy for his stance, Kerry told the paper, "I oppose abortion, personally. I don't like abortion. I believe life does begin at conception."

Kerry took Communion during Mass, which a few Catholic bishops have publicly said he should not do because of his abortion views.

"I wish he was against abortion, but I don't think that'll get settled," said Helen Willenberg, 83, a Catholic who met Kerry later in the day. "But I still hope he wins."

Poor Helen is another confused "Catholic". Wonder if she'll volunteer for euthanasia when it becomes a right of 'society' which is legally protected?

Article here.



- posted by LRS @ 8:46 AM   

 
When moral and secular values clash
And here is one more link for your reading pleasure:

Jan Wacker, in denying Archbishop Burke's ibligation to teach and sanctify the faithful states, "As a Catholic I believe only God has the right to judge my actions. I am responsible for my actions, and I do not need to be stopped at the Communion rail by others who believe they have been given the right to judge here on earth. The archbishop has chosen to interfere with politics, and if he continues to do so, he is jeopardizing the "nonprofit" organization the Catholic church professes to be."

Yes, Jan, we should be more concerned with the 'non-profit' status of the Church rather than the murder of thousands of innocent children every day! As a Catholic, you should know better!

James R. Burkhart writes, "As a Catholic, if I can't vote for Gov. Bob Holden or State Auditor Claire McCaskill (who are both pro-choice) for governor, nor President George W. Bush (since abortion in cases of rape or incest is OK by him) or Sen. John Kerry (since he is pro-choice), maybe I should move to another diocese where the bishop says otherwise if I want to vote."

Yes, James, it's time to move! There are plenty of dioceses where bishops will confirm one in their sins and tell them everything is A.O.K...If you need help locating one, let us know!

Link.


- posted by LRS @ 8:27 AM   

 
Questions raised on faith, conscience and political choices
Here is yet another set of Letters to the Editor about Archbishop Burke's recent statements.

Here are some of the more absurd statements made indicating that many professed Catholics are ignorant of basic Catholic teaching:

Karen Diehl writes "What angers me is the hierachy of life that is inherent in his statement. To be pro-life is to respect all life - that of the unborn, the elderly, the convict on death row, the homeless, our enemies in Iran and Afghanistan."

Bob Kozlowski says, "To make a judgment as to the rank of one life form over another is unconscionable to me, but that is the "moral" choice I'm being asked to make by a leader of my church."

Mikel Monnett writes, "But if we follow the archbishop's logic, Catholic voters who vote for the Bush-Cheney ticket would also be committing a sin. President George W. Bush has waged war on the poor in this country through his regressive tax policies, engaged us in an immoral war for specious reasons and was a major force in creating the Texas death machine that has executed so many."

"Personally opposed" Wayne Robbins declares, "If voting for an "abortion rights" candidate is a sin, then what is it when an elected Roman Catholic candidate swears that he or she will defend the Constitution "so help me God"? Are we now to ask every Roman Catholic if they are going to put their version of religion above the needs and desires of the American people?"

Yet, there is hope. Unfortuantely, it may not be found among those who call themselves Catholic, yet know next to nothing about the Faith. It can be found among those who are not Catholic, as is seen here:

Ronald J. Lawrence says, in part: "Although I am not a Catholic, but a member of another Christian faith, I wholeheartedly support Archbishop Burke's position concerning abortion rights and receiving Communion."

Suzanne Wagner writes, "Rep. William Lacy Clay said that he is against the death penalty but supports abortion rights. So the death row killer gets more compassion than a baby in the womb. Unbelievable. I am not Catholic, but I applaud the archbishop for not caving in on his beliefs as so many politicians seem to do for the sake of popularity. "

It is truly a shame that so many professed "Catholics" have been misled about the truths of the Church or have chosen to deny and reject the teachings of the Church.

Link here.








- posted by LRS @ 7:59 AM   

 
Area priests back Archbishop Burke on voting and Communion

In the wake of St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke's comments last week regarding voting and Communion, priests from around the archdiocese have heard mixed reactions from parishioners. They also differ in terms of what this means to their parishes and their flocks.

Several priests expressed their own staunch belief that Burke's comments were simply in line with Catholic church teaching.

"their own staunch belief"...Hmmmm...

Post Dispatch article here.
- posted by LRS @ 7:54 AM   

 
Independence Day, Entitlements and such, & Rush Limbaugh
I try as a matter of course to limit my posts to strictly issues pertaining to the Church. In these days, we find the US bishops more and more involved in the secular affairs of the state while ignoring, to a great extent, the more important issue of sanctifying and teaching the faithful. So, perhaps, there is some relevancy to religious issues in this.

I received this via email a couple of weeks ago, I wondered how many of the founding fathers and previous legislators would view this.

By Rush Limbaugh:

I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving the country in Uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either, because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11. Well, I just can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country. If you lost a family member in the September 11 attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million.

If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable.. Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt.

Keep in mind that some of the people who are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough. Their deaths were tragic, but for most, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Soldiers put themselves in harms way FOR ALL OF US, and they and their families know the dangers.

We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11 families are getting. In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for compensation as well.

You see where this is going, don't you? Folks, this is part and parcel of over 50 years of entitlement politics in this country. It's just really sad. Every time a pay raise comes up for the military, they usually receive next to nothing of a raise. Now the green machine is in combat in the Middle East while their families have to survive on food stamps and live in low-rent housing. Make sense?

However, our own U.S. Congress just voted themselves a raise, and many of you don't know that they only have to be in Congress one time to receive a pension that is more than $15,000 per month, and most are now equal to being millionaires plus. They also do not receive Social Security on retirement because they didn't have to pay into the system.

If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7, you may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed you in harm's way receive a pension of $15,000 per month. I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting.

"When do we finally do something about this?" If this doesn't seem fair to you, it is time to forward this to as many people as you can.If your interested there is more........................

This must be a campaign issue in 2004. Keep it going. SOCIAL SECURITY: (This is worth the read. It's short and to the point.)

Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years. Our Senators and Congressmen do not pay into Social Security. Many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan. In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it. For all practical purposes their plan works like this:

When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die, except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments. For example, former Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7,800,000 - that's Seven Million, Eight Hundred Thousand), with their wives drawing $275,000.00 during the last years of their lives.

This is calculated on an average life span for each.

Their cost for this excellent plan is $00.00. These little perks they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan.

The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Fund--our tax dollars at work! From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into - every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer) --we can expect to get an average $1,000 per month after retirement. Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly benefits for 68 years and one month to equal Senator Bill Bradley's benefits!

Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made. And that change would be to jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us and then watch how fast they would fix it.

If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe good changes will evolve. WE, each one of us... can make a difference..

I am not vouching for veracity of this email. I am merely presenting it as it was received. IMHO, many good points are made.


- posted by LRS @ 10:17 AM   

 
Text of Cardinal Ratzinger's memo to the US Bishops
This letter was sent during the first half of June, to Cardinal McCarrick and to the president of the bishops’ conference, Bishop Wilton Gregory. As you will see after reading it, it clearly suggests actions other that what the USCCB decided.

One wonders why Cardinal McCarrick misrepresented it as he did?

Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion. General Principles
by Joseph Ratzinger

1. Presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion should be a conscious decision, based on a reasoned judgement regarding one’s worthiness to do so, according to the Church’s objective criteria, asking such questions as: “Am I in full communion with the Catholic Church? Am I guilty of grave sin? Have I incurred a penalty (e.g. excommunication, interdict) that forbids me to receive Holy Communion? Have I prepared myself by fasting for at least an hour?” The practice of indiscriminately presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion, merely as a consequence of being present at Mass, is an abuse that must be corrected (cf. Instruction “Redemptionis Sacramentum,” nos. 81, 83).

2. The Church teaches that abortion or euthanasia is a grave sin. The Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitae, with reference to judicial decisions or civil laws that authorise or promote abortion or euthanasia, states that there is a “grave and clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection. [...] In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to ‘take part in a propoganda campaign in favour of such a law or vote for it’” (no. 73). Christians have a “grave obligation of conscience not to cooperate formally in practices which, even if permitted by civil legislation, are contrary to God’s law. Indeed, from the moral standpoint, it is never licit to cooperate formally in evil. [...] This cooperation can never be justified either by invoking respect for the freedom of others or by appealing to the fact that civil law permits it or requires it” (no. 74).

3. Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion. While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia.

4. Apart from an individuals’s judgement about his worthiness to present himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, the minister of Holy Communion may find himself in the situation where he must refuse to distribute Holy Communion to someone, such as in cases of a declared excommunication, a declared interdict, or an obstinate persistence in manifest grave sin (cf. can. 915).

5. Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.

6. When “these precautionary measures have not had their effect or in which they were not possible,” and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, “the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it” (cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts Declaration “Holy Communion and Divorced, Civilly Remarried Catholics” [2002], nos. 3-4). This decision, properly speaking, is not a sanction or a penalty. Nor is the minister of Holy Communion passing judgement on the person’s subjective guilt, but rather is reacting to the person’s public unworthiness to receive Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin.

[N.B. A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate’s permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favour of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.]

Those faithful who have been blessed to have good bishops who teach the truth and demonstrate fidelity to the Church should daily thank the Lord for His generosity. Those who have been saddled with burdensome and weak bishops who are afraid of the truth should petition our Lord that, if it be His will, He might grant these men the grace and strength to become strong shepherds to help lead His flock to eternal life.

Source


- posted by LRS @ 7:42 AM   

 
Updated "Receiving Communion Anyways" posters at The Curt Jester
Jeff Miller has done an great job revising the Catholic Action Network's posters to be more accurate in presenting its heterodox viewpoints regarding abortion and other Catholic issues.

Much of the information from the CAN site was forwarded to Archbishop Burke a few weeks ago (regarding Women's Ordination and the rejection of the Church's teaching on homosexuality).

I have been recently informed by a representative of CAN that:

Concerning the elections, both groups [CAN & Network] are attempting to place issues on the table such as poverty, and affordable housing. These issues are often missing in traditional 'pro-life voter guides,' but are certainly as important.

While these other issues are important, these issues mean nothing if life is denied by abortion. Abortion is one the issues which must be addressed first because it is a "disqualifying" issue with respect to voting.

Again, see the Curt Jester's revisions here.
- posted by LRS @ 12:15 AM   

 
ACEE Local 1312 requests unions & others to withhold donations to the Archdiocese
Heard on the radio this evening.

The Association of Catholic Elementary Educators, ACEE Local 1312, which the Archdiocese does not recognize has decided to ask other unions and others to withhold donation sto the archdiocese until such time as they are recognized by the archdiocese.

Archbishop Burke has already addressed the issue but, apparently, it isn't to the satisfaction of ACEE. This was previously reported here.
- posted by LRS @ 12:00 AM   

 
Statements of Missouri's Catholic Bishops . . .
Regarding the Proposed Constitutional Amendment for the Protection of Marriage.

All of Missouri's bishops are asking everyone who is able, to vote for Constitutional Amendment 2 on August 3. Passage of this amendment depends on all of us.

See the bishops' documents here:
Joint Statement Regarding the Proposed Constitutional Amendment.


Question and Answer Sheet




- posted by LRS @ 11:45 PM   

 
Italian journalist to release Ratzinger letter?
For those who cannot access CWNews:

Jul. 02 (CWNews.com) - A veteran Vatican correspondent, Sandro Magister of the Italian weekly L'Espresso , has reportedly said that he will release the full text of a letter from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (bio - news) to the American bishops, on the contentious issue of whether or not Catholic politicians who support legal abortion should be denied the Eucharist.

According to news stories circulating in the Roman press, Magister will print the entire text of Cardinal Ratzinger as a part of a column to appear on July 3. The column, covering the debate among American bishops over the Communion issue, will appear on the L'Espresso web site.

Informed sources report that Magister's story will confirm early reports (including one that appeared on the CWN site) that Cardinal Ratzinger's letter supported the argument of those American bishops who have said that they will deny the Eucharist to pro-abortion politicians.

At a meeting of the US bishops' conference in Denver earlier this month, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick-- the chairman of a task force studying the question of how bishops should respond to dissenting Catholic political leaders-- told reporters that Cardinal Ratzinger had not called for withholding the Eucharist from politicians who reject Church teachings, and that the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith left the question in the hands of the American bishops. While both of those claims are accurate, Magister's story will reportedly support the claim that Cardinal Ratzinger lent his support to those bishops who are arguing for stern disciplinary action.

At their Denver meeting, the US bishops adopted a policy statement re-affirming the Church's condemnation of legal abortion, but stopping short of any call for withholding the Eucharist from prominent abortion supporters. The bishops reportedly turned down a milder form of the resolution, backed by Cardinal McCarrick, which would have said that it was imprudent to deny the Eucharist to Catholic politicians.

© All material copyright 2004 Domus Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.

The key phrase, in my opinion, is:
While both of those claims are accurate, Magister's story will reportedly support the claim that Cardinal Ratzinger lent his support to those bishops who are arguing for stern disciplinary action.

If true, this appears to me to be a further demonstration of weakness and an attitude of ignoring Rome - much like other dissenting groups in the US and elsewhere.

- posted by LRS @ 12:42 PM   

 
State’s bishops back Aug. 3 marriage amendment

Redefining marriage to include same-sex couples would have dangerous consequences, the bishops of Missouri state in a letter urging voters to support a marriage amendment to the state constitution.

The bishops urged all people of good will, regardless of political or religious persuasion or sexual orientation to reflect carefully on the common good of society "and stand with us."

The bishops of who signed the letter are Archbishop Raymond L. Burke of St. Louis, Bishop Raymond J. Boland of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Bishop John J. Leibrecht of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Bishop John R. Gaydos of Jefferson City, Coadjutor Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph and Auxiliary Bishop Robert J. Hermann of St. Louis.

Full Article here
- posted by LRS @ 7:03 AM   

 
Abp. Burke to issue Pastoral letter on Church teachings on voting

Archbishop Raymond L. Burke receives the pallium from Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. The pallium, a circular band of white wool, symbolizes the archbishop’s authority and unity with the Pope.

*************

Archbishop Raymond L. Burke will issue a pastoral letter addressing more fully questions raised by his reported statements last week that Catholics commit a mortal sin by knowingly voting for a candidate who advocates abortion.

"It is a serious sin," Archbishop Burke told the Review, adding that a person who voted that way could receive Communion only after a "true repentance" and obtaining absolution through the Sacrament of Confession. "It’s not right to support candidates who are for abortion," he added.

St Louis Review Article.
- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
Get your "Receiving Communion Anyways!" posters/stickers here!
I hope "The Curt Jester" can do something with these.

Catholic Action Network's new push (after it's recent letter writing campaign)is the promotion of the agenda "Voting Issues: More Than Abortion!!"

Here are some samples, evidently based on recent statements by some politicians that they would receive Holy Communion regardless of Archbishop Burke's directives:






- posted by LRS @ 6:50 AM   

 
More Letters to the Editor
There is one which will cause me to do some research:

The late Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona believed that abortion was a private matter and that the state had no business sticking its nose into the people's right to make their own moral decisions. Were those Catholics who voted for Goldwater in 1964 guilty of a "grave sin" that must be confessed? If Goldwater were the Republican candidate this fall, would Archbishop Burke be so ready to anathematize anyone voting for him?

I was unaware that Goldwater held that view - even if he did, it could not have possibly been on the radar as an issue in 1964. So why the misleading reference? Or am I missing something here?

Anyway, there a couple of good letters supporting the Archbishop as well as this one above and another where the letter writer is confused about the distinction between abortion, war, and capital punishment. But then the reason for this is most likely that too many of the priests in the archdioceses are also confused about it.

Link here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:35 AM   

 
Two more bishops weigh in on Communion for Pro-Death Politicians
Cleveland Bishop Pilla lets politicians decide on Eucharist

Fort Wayne Bishop D'Arcy calls Bishop Sheridan's statements "unwise".
- posted by LRS @ 6:30 AM   

 
A Jesuit priest who would make St Ignatius proud...Not
It's 'men' like this who give the Jesuits a bad name.

This priest, if he is indeed a priest, should be stripped of his faculties for his heretical views and opinions which have been voiced publically.

Link here.
- posted by LRS @ 6:15 AM   

 
Denunciation Files from the St. Joseph Foundation
The files from the St. Joseph Foundation for use in filing a Denunciation under Canon Law may be obtained directly from them.

Use the Contact Form to make a request and the documents will be emailed to you.


- posted by LRS @ 6:00 AM   

 
Radical Feminists Pray to Mary for Legal Abortion

At Puerto Rico Meeting, Radical Feminists Pray to Mary for Legal Abortion

As debate at the latest Latin American economic meeting continues, pro-abortion advocates have sought the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary to bring victory to their cause of establishing abortion on demand for women and girls throughout the region.

Many participants at the meeting now taking place in Puerto Rico, called the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Ad Hoc Committee on Population and Development, were stunned on Monday when "Catholics" for a Free Choice (CFFC) and its Latin American counterpart, "Catolicas" por el Derecho a Decidir, released a prayer card of the Virgin Mary, with the words "The love of God and of Mary of Guadalupe is greater..For women's lives, safe and legal abortion" superimposed over the image of the Virgin Mary. The back of the card says, "Dear Mary of Guadalupe, we thank you because your love is greater, because you listen to us without judging, because you know our heart and you respect the intimacy of our decisions."
....
Copyright 2004 - C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute). Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required.

Full article here.

This is so sick!

- posted by LRS @ 12:36 PM   

 
Dr Ed Peters comments on the canonical case against Kerry
His comments are here.
- posted by LRS @ 12:35 PM   

 
The Holy Father's Prayer Intentions for July
The Holy Father's general prayer intention for the month of July is: "That all those who are able to benefit from a holiday period during this time of the year may be helped during their vacation to rediscover in God their inner harmony and to open themselves to the love of human beings."

His missionary intention is: "That in the young Churches the lay faithful may receive more attention and may be turned to greater account for evangelization."

Source.

- posted by LRS @ 7:00 AM   

 
Heresy charge filed against John Kerry in Archdiocese of Boston

On 14 June 2004 DE FIDE filed its first Libellus Litis (Bill of Complaint) in the Ecclesiastical Court of the Archdiocese of Boston. The Criminal Complaint alleges that United States Senator JOHN F. KERRY, as a baptized Catholic, has committed a court-martial offense under Canon Law by professing the Right-to-Murder heresy, commonly known as the "Right to Choose" doctrine.

The Complaint is currently under review by the Archdiocese of Boston. Once accepted, the arguments and evidence will be considered by a collegiate panel of three judges nominated to evaluate the merits of the case. When created, the Court will summon Defendant KERRY to trial for the presentation of any arguments the Defense may attempt to invoke.

As this criminal case is unprecedented both historically and procedurally under the new Code of Canon Law of 1983, all Catholic and Protestant Christians, even the non-baptized, may, and are invited to join this class-action suit.

It is hoped that the faithful and public at large will support the efforts of DE FIDE by participating in the action and contributing to the State of California Tax-Exempt Association.

More of these need to be done! Link.

And a Washingtimes Times article.

- posted by LRS @ 6:40 AM   

 
A bit fuzzy, you say?
Here was another letter to editor from, I presume, a professed Catholic.

Saving lives

After 50 some years, I admit my catechism lessons have gotten a bit fuzzy. However, I think I recall that Jesus was a loving, caring God who urged us to help each other. That would include fellow adults and children who suffer or die from muscle diseases, cancers, diabetes, paralysis, Parkinson's disease and such.

But after reading Kevin Horrigan's Sunday column, "How gray thou art," I'm not only thinking that Archbishop Burke inserts religion into politics, I'm wondering whose church he represents and why he thinks he's smarter than God.

Terry Mulligan
St. Louis

Fifty years and still clueless regarding the fundamentals of the faith. Apparently, for some individuals, columnist Kevin Horrigan can clear up the little gray fuzzies for a number of "Catholics", even more than those charged with teaching the faith?

My advice: Go buy a Catechism and read it, spend some time before our Lord in the tabernacle, pray for an increase of grace to enlighten the mind. Pay close attention to what Archbishop Burke says - he duty is to help all of us under his care to attain heaven.
- posted by LRS @ 6:15 AM   

 
What the Pallium Signifies
Here is a translation of the address John Paul II gave today at the general audience, which he dedicated to reflect on the meaning of the pallium.

Zenit article
- posted by LRS @ 6:00 AM