This site is dedicated to promoting and defending the Catholic Faith, in union with Christ and His Church and in union with the Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of St. Peter.
Items of note in the St. Louis Archdiocese are featured whenever possible. Please feel free to forward news topics of importance to us in the St. Louis Archdiocese.
The cardinal charmed a small crowd in Dallas recently with his acceptance speech for an award he got for his interfaith work. God, he said, deserves the credit for anything he's achieved as a cleric.Salt Lake Tribune article.
"When you praise a suit well-made, you are praising the tailor," he said with a smile. "Not the wood that the suit is put on in the tailor shop."
Zenit Conducts an Interview With New General Director, Father Álvaro Corcuera and dispels the 'theories' regarding Fr. Maciel's decision not to seek re-election...
Archbishop Raymond Burke said Friday that three St. Louis priests had been laicized, or defrocked, by the Vatican.Link to Post article.
Burke had asked Pope John Paul II to return Michael McGrath, Donald Straub and Robert Yim to "the lay state," according to a statement issued by the archdiocese, because "all three had credible allegations of sexual abuse of a minor against them."
In the archdiocese's statement, [Archbishop] Burke said he "expresses his deepest regrets to all who have been harmed by these priests and to anyone who has been abused by a member of the clergy," and urged others abused by a member of the clergy to contact the archdiocese or civil authorities.
Jamie Allman, a spokesman for the archdiocese, said the Vatican was reviewing more cases of abusive priests from the archdiocese but would not say how many or provide names. He did, however, confirm that one of those was the Rev. Bryan Kuchar. He described that case as pending. Kuchar, who is fighting the laicization process, is serving three years in the St. Louis County jail after a jury found him guilty last year of three counts of statutory sodomy for molesting a 14-year-old boy in 1995.
From: Mark 4:35-41
January 27, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The January 25 edition of National Geographic News features a story on new research being done around the world to create hybrids of humans and animals.A revealing article of scientists gone mad...
In the last few years, legislation has been passed in various countries that pro-life leaders worry will allow experiments to create embryos made from human and animal cells. Such artificial creatures are, revealingly, called by scientists "chimeras," a word, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, which means "a wild, impossible scheme or unreal conception."
Editor:This 'Letter to the Editor' was in today's St. Louis Review and I couldn't let it go by with posting it as it coincides quite well with his column below on "Praying and Marching for Life".
Archbishop Raymond Burke, marching in support of life, has shown the way for other Catholic leaders to get involved in communities throughout the country.
If they don’t, abortions will continue; we will for sure lose "Christ" in Christmas, "God" in our Pledge of Allegiance as well as open displays of the Ten Commandments and crosses on government seals and elsewhere, etc.
Many Catholics are waiting to march behind such banners with their own prominent clergy out in front. Thank you and God bless you, Archbishop Burke, for being such an inspiration.
Margie Tiritilli
Montebello, Calif.
Three insurance companies have sued the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, accusing Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of refusing to share information about alleged sex abuse by priests, and precluding scrutiny of his activities as their supervisor.Unbelievable - $1 Billion in damages...
The insurers have asked a judge to order Mahony to provide documents that could be used to defend the church or to relieve them of liability stemming from allegations by more than 535 people who say they were molested by priests since the 1930s.
"For whatever reasons, the archbishop's [Cardinal Mahony's] apparent goal is to obviate any meaningful disclosure of the facts and circumstances of these claims, and yet to pressure [the insurers] to contribute enormous sums of money" to settle the cases, according to the lawsuit.
...
More than $1 billion in damages could be assessed against the church, the insurance companies stated in the lawsuit. Of that total, the three insurers are "potentially at risk for hundreds of millions of dollars," said Raymond P. Boucher, court-appointed liaison counsel for the alleged victims in the Southern California clergy abuse cases.
DALLAS (CNS) -- The celebration of the Eucharist is "the supreme act of worship" for Catholics, and is at the "very heart of our religion," a top Vatican cardinal told a crowd of nearly 2,000 gathered in Dallas for a liturgical conference. Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, was the keynote speaker at the 43rd annual Southwest Liturgical Conference, held Jan. 18-21.What a wonderful blessing it must be to be able to attend a conference with a speaker such a Cardinal Arinze. Anyone who has heard him or seen him certainly would understand this. I am looking forward to his coming here to St Louis for a liturgical conference in April.
Two co-founders of Life Teen, the nation's largest Catholic youth ministry based in the Valley, were accused Thursday in a lawsuit of covering up and helping carry out sexual attacks on a 14-year-old boy two decades ago.This is not the full story. There appears to be more:
The lawsuit, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, also claimed that the Life Teen program at St. Timothy's parish in Mesa had "a social culture which inappropriately focused upon sexual activity . . . and fostered an environment that led to inappropriate sexual behavior."
Named as defendants in the suit were Life Teen co-founders, Monsignor Dale J. Fushek and Phil Baniewicz, along with former priest Mark Lehman, resigned Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, the Diocese of Phoenix, St. Timothy's Parish and Life Teen Inc., the program founded at St. Timothy's parish in 1985.
The lawsuit repeated and expanded allegations brought to the diocese last month by William J. Cesolini, who said he was sodomized at St. Tim's parish in 1985 by Lehman while Fushek watched and performed sexual acts on himself without stopping to help or report the attack to authorities.He gradually "recovered" the details...
Cesolini, a one-time seminarian, said he regained his memory of the decades-old molestations in February 2003 after another priest made an unwanted sexual advance on him. He went to a church-paid counselor, who helped him gradually recover the details of the trauma. (Emphasis mine)
In a Jan. 26 statement, Archbishop Flynn said he met in mid-December with Cardinal Francis Arinze, head of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, to discuss "the difficult pastoral situation" of Rainbow Sash.Great! Further study is needed to develop a uniform approach in addressing those who proudly display their opposition to the Church and Church teaching yet still demand to receive Holy Communion. I suppose the Church has no guidelines regarding Holy Communion and manifest public sin and scandal?
Archbishop Flynn said he was issuing the statement to clarify remarks he made in an interview with Catholic News Service in December.
Cardinal Arinze "did not in fact suggest an immediate change to the policy in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis," Archbishop Flynn said in his statement.
"However, he did clearly indicate that this situation merits further study and that ideally all of the bishops who have pastoral care for the members of this movement should seek to adopt a uniform approach," the statement said. "This recommendation needs to be reviewed by those bishops involved in the near future."
Our most effective means of carrying forward the apostolate of respect for human life is prayer. Given the gravity of the attack on innocent and defenseless human life in our nation, we must pray daily for the victims of abortion and for those who promote and provide procured abortion. We must also participate in the public prayer and devotion of the Church — Mass, eucharistic devotion and other devotions like the praying of the rosary — for the intention of the respect for human life.These are words which must be taken to heart!
Every third Saturday of the month, Mass is celebrated at 8 a.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis for the pro-life apostolate. It is followed by the eucharistic adoration in the basilica and a march to the Planned Parenthood facility, while praying 15 decades of the rosary, and is concluded with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at the cathedral basilica.
Each year, the Lenten Season is set before us as a good opportunity for the intensification of prayer and penance, opening hearts to the docile welcoming of the divine will. During Lent, a spiritual journey is outlined for us that prepares us to relive the Great Mystery of the Death and Resurrection of Christ. This is done primarily by listening to the Word of God more devoutly and by practicing mortification more generously, thanks to which it is possible to render greater assistance to those in need.This is well worth reading for reflection as we approach the season of Lent...Link.
This year, dear brothers and sisters, I wish to bring to your attention a theme which is rather current, well-illustrated by the following verse from Deuteronomy: "Loving the Lord ... means life to you, and length of days..." (30:20).
John Paul II in his Message for Lent exhorted the faithful to express their affection and respect for the elderly, in the face of proposals to introduce euthanasia.Ful article here.
In the text, whose title is a phrase from the Book of Deuteronomy "Loving the Lord ... Means Life to You, and Length of Days," the Holy Father expresses the hope that this Lent will help "to deepen the awareness of the role that the elderly are called to play in society and in the Church."
"The care of the elderly, above all when they pass through difficult moments, must be of great concern to all the faithful, especially in the ecclesial communities of Western societies, where the problem is particularly present," said the 84-year-old Pope.
From: Mark 4:26-34
...for Refusing to Rent Hall for "Wedding" Reception
In 2003, Deborah Chymyshyn and Tracey Smith rented a Knights of Columbus hall in Port Coquitlam. When the Knights became aware that it was to be for a homosexual couple, they cancelled the booking. The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal began hearing their case on Monday and a ruling is expected tomorrow [today].Details at LifeSiteNews here.
Despite the fulsome praise from some Canadian bishops, it is notable that the Supreme Court offered no protection for non-clerical objectors. Thus, Christian groups such as the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Women’s League, not being priests who are asked to officiate, are just as vulnerable as always to gay activist attacks in the courts and Human Rights Tribunals.
It is, according to groups such as this...At first, I thought I was reading something from one of our own country's groups of dissent. But this comes from the land 'down under':
Catholics should have a greater say in the appointment of their pastors and their Bishops, say Australian Reforming Catholics (ARC) and apologies given to gays, the divorced, Aboriginal people and all discriminated against by unjust Church structures.More people to add to our prayer lists...
The group, which met last September amid contraversy when Cardinal Pell banned them from Catholic land, issued a declaration arising from the conference, or 'campfire'.
The spokesperson for Australian Reforming Catholics, John Buggy, says that current Catholic governance stuctures should go the way of slavery and the subjagation of women. "The same thing needs to happen to absolute minority rule," he said.
The beatification of pope Pacelli brings division again. Some Jews and Catholics reject it. Pietro De Marco defends it. And he explains what is the real miracle accomplished by this pope.A good article about Pius XII.
Prayer, especially in times of despair and anguish, moves the heart of God if offered with humility, says John Paul II. The Pope gave that commentary on Psalm 114(116), a song of thanksgiving raised by the man at prayer, at today's general audience...Source
"It is a brief but intense prayer of the man who, finding himself in a desperate situation, holds fast to the only plank of salvation," said the Holy Father...
"Once saved, the person at prayer proclaims that the Lord is 'gracious and just,' more than that, 'merciful,'" he said. "This last adjective, in the Hebrew original, makes reference to the tenderness of a mother.
"Genuine trust always sees God as love, even if at times it is difficult to understand his actions. It is certain, nevertheless, that 'The Lord protects the simple.' Therefore, in misery and abandonment, one can always count on him, 'Father of the fatherless, defender of widows.'"
The Pope continued: "Invoked with faith, the Lord extended his hand, broke the coils that encircled the person at prayer, dried the tears from his eyes, and stopped his precipitous descent into the infernal abyss."
The song, he reminded the faithful, "ends with a scene of light: The person at prayer returns to 'the land of the living,' that is, to the paths of the world, to 'walk before the Lord.'"
From: Mark 4:21-25
Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, has recently and publicly criticized introducing dance into the Liturgy, as it risks reducing this sacred rite to a spectacle.Adoremus has a new article on this subject, which has been termed, (quite appropriately it seems), "Leotardation" by The Curt Jester
In an address in 2003, the cardinal responded to a question on "liturgical dance":
"There has never been a document from our Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments saying that dance is approved in the Mass"; and he noted that "the tradition of the Latin Church has not known the dance. It is something that people are introducing in the last ten years -- or twenty years".
The real storyCould this possibly be from one of the board members or one of those who minds have been corrupted with lies?
I think Jamie Allman needs to get the real story from Archbishop Raymond Burke before he starts flapping his mouth off about the people of St. Stanislaus. The truth is, after he sets up the irrevocable trust, he's going to stack the deck in his favor with him being the boss. I think that needs to come out to the people itself, then Allman should preach it that way instead of telling half-truths like the archbishop does.
Worth investigatingAn Executive Director of Communications should do what his superior asks him to do, provided, of course, that what is asked is morally good, or at least morally neutral. If one is unable to obey the lawful commands of a superior, one should resign the position. The public has not been informed (to my knowledge) of the reason(s) for the firing of the previous director of communications, Jim Orso.
Is it true that possibly the last person who was the spokesman for the archdiocese and Archbishop Raymond Burke got fired for speaking out for the people at St. Stanislaus? If that is the case, Jamie Allman got a good job and being an investigative reporter, he needs to tell about it.
It's a hate crimeEvidently, the Post Dispatch will print anything...This must be the Post's new comedy column.
I TOLD YOU to stop printing hate stuff about the Catholics. It's a hate crime and I will get a lawyer and sue you and put all of you people in jail, even the people that're doing the complaining. I'm filing a lawsuit as we speak. So you better stop printing these hate crimes about the Catholics in the paper. It's a hate crime. Understand English. It's a hate crime. You will go to jail. I will report you for doing it. I will get the governor to make sure you lose your job if you keep on printing this hate stuff about the Catholics. Shame on you. You will go to jail. It's as simple as that. You will go to hell for it, too. You will go out of business, the South County and the Post Dispatch. I'll be the new owner of the paper. So you better stop it now or you will go to jail. Remember that I'm filing a lawsuit. So you better quit it now. I'm not kidding. I will file a lawsuit for a hate crime against Catholics. Just remember that. So heed the warning.
The root of all evilRather than go into the whole realm of "Where's that in the Bible", suffice it to say that, once again, ill-formed opinions abound. Archbishop Burke removed the priests from St. Stanislaus because of the treatment they received by the board and the actions the board took in denying the pastor proper oversight of the parish.
JAMIE ALLMAN SAID Archbishop Burke wants St. Stanislaus back in the fold. Hello, when did they leave? They had a priest and the sacraments. Who took that away? Archbishop Burke took the priest away from St. Stanislaus and is threatening the board members. What sin did they commit that was so horrible he had to do this? Since when does $9 million in assets become a sin? Burke is denying them the sacraments over money. Where is that in the Bible or the commandments?
Talk to the parishioners, Bishop BurkeThis is just too much! It is a distortion of the facts regarding Archbishop Burke and his meeting with the parishioners of St. Stanislaus (which he already did) and a most irresponsible condemnation of converts to the Catholic Faith. The actual facts are that being a 'cradle Catholic' is no more confirmation that a person truly knows the Faith or what is "going on" than any other person. In defense of those who convert to Catholicism, many make the journey after a diligent search for truth and, after finding that the fullness of the truth is in the Catholic Church, they choose to enter the fold of the Church willingly and eagerly. This is something which far too many 'cradle Catholics' do not do.
WHY CAN'T ARCHBISHOP Burke meet with the people at St. Stanislaus? Does he think he's above the little people that he has to have a novice who knows nothing about the Catholic religion and who has only been a Catholic for six years? You have to be a Catholic practically all your life to know what the heck's going on, and Jamie Allman doesn't fit that pattern. I don't trust Burke and I sure wouldn't trust a novice like Jamie Allman.
From: Mark 4:1-20
...at the St. Louis Archdiocese Eucharistic Conference a few years ago. This mp3 file runs 1 minute 48 seconds. He discusses the importance of kneeling and Eucharistic Processions.
ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (AP) _ Eight priests were defrocked and nine permanently suspended from the Diocese of Rockville Centre on Long Island, according a report on the status of sex abuse cases that involve 23 priests.Article.
Diocese Bishop William F. Murphy reported in a three-page letter given to parishioners and priests there that the 17 priests were disciplined, three others await canonical trials, two more have been cleared and proceedings against another have been deferred.
Illinois churches are protesting a new state law that bars them from "discriminating" against homosexuals, contending it robs Christians of their First Amendment freedoms.Source.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed the bill into law yesterday amid a demonstration led by the Illinois Family Institute, or IFI, a non-profit group affiliated with Focus on the Family, Family Research Council and Alliance Defense Fund.
The measure adds "sexual orientation" to the state law that bars discrimination based on race, religion and similar traits in areas such as jobs and housing.
Bishop Thomas Gumbleton is supposed to write a letter to Pope John Paul II next Wednesday. Trouble is, he doesn't want to do it.Why should he be willing to do what he is supposed to do? Promoting dissent requires disobedience.
"Traditionally, you are supposed to write to the Pope on your 75th birthday and offer to resign," Michigan's most politically controversial bishop said, chuckling softly over breakfast. "But it's so arbitrary - some of them they ignore, but if you are the least bit progressive, they accept it immediately.""Progressive"??? Of course, today that is a code word for disobedient and dissenting...
He is a true child of Vatican II who was studying in Rome while the famous council was going on, and who was changed forever by it.Ah yes...A true child of that Second Vatican Council which only occurred in some people's imaginations...Apparently, some failed to actually read the documents or failed to understand the documents as the Church does.
He laughed a few years ago when I asked if he thought he would have been made a bishop today. "Oh no!" he said, laughing.It's a shame that he seems to show no remorse for being out of step with the Church...
What if he somehow just forgets to send the letter in?Actually the waste has been the years spent sowing the seeds of dissent, disobedience, and questionable teaching among the faithful.
"I suspect I'll get a call saying that the Pope is looking for my letter." He thinks forcing him into retirement would be a waste. He says he knows another round of church closings is coming.
I suppose we'll have to wait and see if a letter of resignation is forthcoming next Wednesday from His Excellency???
"They say it isn't arbitrary, but it is, and they never address the real reason, which is that there aren't enough priests."
An article from the Post on the "Pro-Life March in Washington...
WASHINGTON - Hundreds ofSource.anti-abortion[Pro-Life] activists from Missouri and Southern Illinois were among the tens of thousands taking part in the 32nd March for Life on Monday in Washington.
The protesters marched in wintry conditions from the Ellipse up Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill. Many chanted Hail Marys, and others carried signs. "If Mary were pro-choice there would be no Christmas," one said. "Let's follow Him, choose life," said another.
From: Mark 16:15-18
Here is a News Flash - as if we didn't already suspect that we were receiving a "nuanced" perspective from Archbishop Flynn and Catholic News Service...
Archbishop Flynn told CNS that after speaking to Cardinal Arinze, he was not asked to change his policy of giving the Eucharist to sash-wearing persons. He said he received no sense that the Vatican was pushing for a single policy on this.One wonders what the motives are for people to distort the facts, the truth...? Just another reason, I suppose, to continue to view article from CNS with skepticism.
"I got the clear understanding that this is recognized as a very complex pastoral issue which must constantly be looked at in all its ramifications," CNS quoted Flynn as saying.
"There was encouragement to keep on teaching and also to be aware of the forces everywhere, including the United States, that are against the long tradition of the teachings of the Church."
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Interestingly, in a private letter to this writer, dated January 15, 2005, Cardinal Arinze refuted the statements given by Archbishop Flynn. Cardinal Arinze's secretary wrote:
"Dear Ms. Kralis, His Eminence, Francis Cardinal Arinze, asks me to thank you for your communication regarding a news release from the "Catholic News Service" dated December 14, 2004. It concerns the Cardinal's private discussion with the Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, His Excellency Archbishop Harry J. Flynn.
"Cardinal Arinze wants you to know that the report was not exact and does not show his stand. He has written Archbishop Flynn about it.
"Rainbow Sash wearers, the Cardinal says, are showing their opposition to Church teaching on a major issue of natural law and so disqualify themselves from being given Holy Communion."
I received this update via email this morning:
Following are excerpts from the article:
A book authorized by founders Kiko and Carmen presents a doctrinal and liturgical defense of the Neocatechumenal Way. But the criticisms about how they celebrate the mass remain intactIn effect then, Kiko and Carmen determine how the Holy Mass is to be celebrated, rather than the Church...I know some others who think much in the same way...
by Sandro Magister
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ROMA, January 24 2005 – Among the new movements that have arisen within the Catholic Church in recent decades – on the "dangers" of which an editorial in "La Civiltà Cattolica" sounded the alarm on August 19, 2004 – there is one that is under closer observation than the rest: the Neocatechumenal Way.
Begun in 1964 in Spain by Francisco "Kiko" Argüello and Carmen Hernández (see photo), the Way has seen impressive growth throughout the world. On June 29, 2002, the Holy See approved its statutes. But that did not end the scrutiny. That same year, on September 21, John Paul II reminded the heads of the Way:
"It now falls to the appropriate dicasteries of the Holy See to examine the catechetical directory and all the catechetical, not to mention liturgical, practices of the Way itself."
In effect, the catechisms written by Kiko and Carmen, which provide a model for all of the Way, have never been made public, and are still under examination by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The book [a synthesis using Kiko & Carmen's unpublished texts] is an open apology for the Neocatechumenal Way, in response to the criticisms advanced up to now, even by authoritative bishops and cardinals, before and after the approval of the statutes.
But there is one point upon which this apology remains weak. And it regards the liturgical practice of the Way.
The Neocatechumenals customarily celebrate the Sunday mass on Saturday evening, separately from the parish community to which they belong.
That's not all. Given that each Neocatechumenal community corresponds to a precise stage of the Way, each community of twenty or thirty persons has its own mass. If there are ten communities in a parish, on Saturday evening there will be ten discrete masses, in separate locations.
There is a glaring contrast between the encyclical [Ecclesia de Eucharistia], the instruction [Redemptionis Sacramentum], and the indications for the eucharistic year [Mane Nobiscum Domine] on the one hand, and the liturgical practices of the Neocatechumenal Way on the other.
And to justify the liturgical praxis of the Way, the author refers to unpublished texts by Kiko and Carmen, in which they recount to their disciples their own highly particular history of the mass, according to which the great merit of the Way is that of restoring the celebration of the mass to its original purity.
The fruits of [Kiko and Carmen's] questionable history lesson are visible in the liturgies celebrated by the Neocatechumenal communities all over the world.But I thought Cardinal Arinze said, "The do-it-yourself Mass is ended."?
The masses are almost always celebrated, community by community, not in the churches, but in parish buildings. Centuries of sacred art and architecture are thus nullified. And these are substituted by new decor typical of the Way, dominated by a large, square dinner table at the center of the room. The images used are in the style of the founder, Kiko, who is a Byzantine-influenced painter. And so are the songs. The musical accompaniment is provided by the guitar, defined as the instrument "closest to the ancient Hebrew psalter."
The celebration is formally open to all. In reality, at the moment of entrance there is an exchange of greetings, presentations, and applause, which acts as a barrier to those outside the community.
In the liturgy of the Word, each of the readings is preceded and followed by long "admonitions" from the catechists, which are then followed by "echoes" from many of those present. The priest's homily is barely distinguishable from the rest of the comments.
The eucharistic liturgy is also pulled free from the norms in order to represent instead the presumed physical actions of the primitive apostolic community: with a huge loaf of bread mixed and baked according to Kiko's precise instructions, with wine which passes from hand to hand in decanters, with a communion that takes place as fellow sitting diners eating and drinking around a dinner table...
From a Post Dispatch Letters to the Editor Page:
Planned Parenthood fills a gapSource
As an 83-year-old pro-choice woman, I would like to challenge the Catholic church on the subject of abortion. If you are not pregnant, you can't have an abortion. So why in heaven's name fight Planned Parenthood? This organization gives women the information that would keep them from getting pregnant. Many poor, rural women receive treatment from them, which is the only medical care they ever get.
Bonnie F. Redemich
Webster Groves
ROME (AP) -- A review of the probe into a statue of the Madonna said to have shed tears of blood a decade ago concluded that the phenomenon has no human explanation, a newspaper reported Sunday.Article here.
The Civitavecchia diocese ordered theologians, historians and doctors to review the case and compile their conclusions in a document, according to Corriere della Sera, which published what it said was a summary of the findings.
Corriere, Italy's leading newspaper, said the document presented a critical analysis of all the testimonies given at the time, as well as all possible explanations for the phenomenon.
"Everything -- they (the experts) say unanimously -- indicates that in that corner of the Earth, at the gates of Rome, an event took place that has no human explanation and points at the mystery of the supernatural," Corriere wrote.
...Bishop & Doctor of the Church
VIENNA, Austria -- Austrians are leaving the Roman Catholic Church in record numbers, according to statistics released last week.The first thought that comes to mind is that I cannot help but think that those who are leaving or who have left have little faith or little understanding of the faith. And where will they go? The failures to teach the faith are evident as well as the failure to live one's life as a Catholic. This probably applies to both the clergy and the laity. This is such a terrible situation - all I know to do is to pray for them and for the Church.
Church officials attributed the 44,852 dropouts during 2004 to a scandal involving the discovery of child and other pornography on computers at a seminary in the diocese of St. Poelten, the Austria Press Agency reported.
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul on Saturday stressed that the Roman Catholic Church believed abstinence and fidelity within marriage, and not condoms, were the best way to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.Source
The Pope's words, spoken to a new ambassador to the Vatican, took on an added significance being his first direct comment on the controversial topic since a Catholic official in Spain this [past] week appeared to question the Church's stand against condoms.
LifeSiteNews carried a story Friday about Bishop Felipe Arizmendi who said at a news conference that condom use should be tolerated as a “lesser evil.” LifeSiteNews correctly notes that the Bishop's statement directly contradicts Humanae Vitae (No. 14) which states, in part:
"Neither is it valid to argue, as a justification for sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive, that a lesser evil is to be preferred to a greater one..."Pope Paul VI also continues:
Though it is true that sometimes it is lawful to tolerate a lesser moral evil in order to avoid a greater evil or in order to promote a greater good," it is never lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it...The Holy Father has recently reaffirmed the Church's position in condoms as noted in this article.
A fourth problem which I see, is the problem that derives from several decades now of the "seamless garment" doctrine. I have no doubt that there is a linkage between the various pro-life causes, purposes and undertakings, but I think it is time, if not to eliminate, at least to evaluate a little more critically what, if anything, has been accomplished by the promotion of this "seamless garment" doctrine. I think it is plainly incorrect to exaggerate the linkage, let us say, between the opposition to the death penalty and opposition to abortion. There is not a great deal of equivalence between several hundred convicted murderers in the United States, who have had not only a fair trial but many years of judicial appeals, who are defended by lawyers and who also when they are put to death are killed with a lethal injection or a sudden jolt of electricity or some other method that at least is quick if not painless. Comparing those people to millions upon millions of innocent little babies, who, of course, commit no crimes, have no trial, have no defense, are by the very definition utterly and totally innocent, and who are killed not only without appeal, but sometimes in the heinous, gruesome and unspeakable torture, experiencing pain which can be plainly seen in ultra-sound pictures.This is an excerpt of the text of a talk given by Bishop Bruskewitz at a pro-life dinner in 1999. (All emphasis is mine).
Q: What do the widespread liturgical abuses and the controversy of pro-abortion politicians receiving Communion indicate regarding perceptions of and respect for the Eucharist?All emphasis above is mine.
Father Neuhaus: There are two questions there. The great liturgical movement of the early 20th century, led by figures such as Henri de Lubac, Danielou, Virgil Michel and Martin Hellriegel, was formally embraced by the Second Vatican Council. Many of the liturgical "reforms" following the Council, however, departed radically from the vision of the earlier movement.
This is a very big subject with many parts, but the key problem, I believe, was the ascendancy of an instrumental view of worship. Liturgy was subjected to psychological and sociological criteria alien to the very meaning of worship.
The worship of God has no purpose other than the worship of God. While worship has many benefits, we do not worship in order to attain those benefits. The simple and radical truth is that we worship God because God is to be worshiped.
The earlier movement understood that we are to worship "in the beauty of holiness," as it says in Psalm 96. This engages the aesthetic dimensions of liturgy, including the dignity of language, gestures, ritual and excellence in music and the arts.
In many ways, Catholic worship has been destabilized and impoverished since the Council. Today, fortunately, more and more liturgical scholars and pastors are committing themselves to what is called "the reform of the reform." This is not to go backward but to carry forward the great vision of the liturgical movement that was, let us pray, only temporarily derailed.
As for the controversy about pro-abortion Catholic politicians receiving Communion, we must hope that the discussion started will continue. This is not just about pro-abortion politicians. It engages the much deeper question of the connection between "communion" and receiving Communion.
To be rightly disposed to receive the Eucharist is to be in communion with the Church, which includes faithful adherence to the Church's magisterial teaching. Especially in America where there is a multitude of Christian denominations, many Catholics have assumed the Protestant attitude that the local parish is simply their religion of choice.
The parish is the local franchise of the Catholic Church, much as they might patronize the local franchise of McDonald's. It is further assumed that everybody has a "right" to receive Communion, just as everybody has a right to purchase a Big Mac.
Obviously, this is a severe debasement of "communion" and Communion. In the Eucharist, we receive Christ and Christ receives us, incorporating us into his body the Church, which is, most fully and rightly ordered through time, the People of God in communion with bishops who are in communion with the Bishop of Rome.
To be rightly disposed entails confessing whatever in our lives contradicts or compromises that "communion" with Christ and his Church and then receiving absolution. Sadly, the sacrament of reconciliation has fallen almost into desuetude in many places, and certainly not only in the United States.
One, therefore, must hope that the election-year controversy over pro-abortion politicians will lead to a much more comprehensive renewal of Catholic understanding and practice with respect to authentic "communio."
Legionaries' New General Director Assures ContinuitySource
Father Álvaro Corcuera Succeeds Founder, Father Marcial Maciel
ROME, JAN. 23, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The Legionaries of Christ elected a new general director, after their founder, Father Marcial Maciel, declined re-election, citing his age and his desire to see the congregation flourish under a successor.
The congregation, in a press statement issued today, explained that its general chapter "first re-elected Father Maciel by absolute majority vote," and added that "Father Maciel, 84, who has headed the Legionaries since their founding in 1941, declined" the re-election.
For a soft-spoken guy, Raymond Leo Burke has had a lot to say since he was installed as the eighth archbishop of St. Louis one year ago this week.Full article.
{Archbishop] Burke presided over some of the biggest St. Louis headlines of 2004 - from election controversies over politicians and voting, to a battle with St. Stanislaus Kostka church.
Taking the heat when you're the new guy can be difficult, and Burke did not have the luxury of a honeymoon in St. Louis. At the very beginning, he dove into the deep end. But the people who know him best say he is a kind man who leads a simple, holy life. His favorite activities are walking, reading and bird-watching. They say he is guided by his faith in Jesus and his love and respect for the Catholic church.
"You have to pray a lot and be courageous," he said last week. Burke sees his role as protecting the church and his flock. Like a dog who doesn't bark when a thief approaches, he said, "a shepherd who doesn't shepherd is useless." "Sometimes I bark," he said.
From: Matthew 4:12-23
