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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.