A Public Service Announcement for My Younger Readers

Gee I Thought It Was Only Catholics That Chained Their Bibles in the Churches

1 of the most pernicious myths propigated about the Catholic Church to support the claim that the Church didn't want lay people to read the Bible is that the Catholic Bibles were chained in the Churches to keep them from reading them.

The truth is way different. Back in the olden days when the Bibles were chained in the Churches it was to keep them from being stolen not to keep the lay people from reading them. 1st of all, in those days very few lay people were educated enough to read. So chaining them had nothing to do with keeping them out of the hands of the average person, rich or poor, so they couldn't read the Bible. Even if they could get a Bible in every person's hands almost none of them could read it anyway. In fact, in 12th & 13th century England, the ability to read a particular passage from the Bible entitled a common law defendant to the so-called benefit of clergy provision. That provision entitled a person to be tried before an ecclesiastical court, where sentences were more lenient, instead of a secular one, where hanging was a likely sentence. Clearly reading was a rarity for everyone to grant such a benift for those who could read.

2ndly, up to the time of Guettenberg, Bibles were copied by hand by monks. they were usually "illuminated" as well. That was the term for what we now call illustrated, but it was much more than that. The illuminations were to add a beauty to the pages to increase the honor & glory given to God. The result is that the Bibles were very costly. & could bring a pretty penny in those days in the medieval equivalent of the black market.

So the real reason they were chained was to keep them from being stolen.

Which makes this picture I came across all the more interesting. It was in a story about a copy of the King James Bible in the back of a small Anglican Church in England. It turned out that it was 1 of the original editions printed 400 years ago in 1611. (Tiny church finds original King James Bible)

When I looked at the picture below 1 thing immediately stood out, it has a chain attatched so it could be chained in the Anglican Church where it was used.

But wait a minute, I thought only Catholics chained their Bibles. Apparently not. & I am willing to bet that it wasn't chained to keep the average Englishman of the time from reading it. In fact even by the middle of the 1600s in England the average peasant still couldn't read. (ENGLAND IN 1600) Also, I am willing to bet that they were chained for the same reason catholic Bibles had been chained, to keep them from being stolen.

So the next time someone makes the false accusation about the Catholic Church chaining Bibles to keep them out of the hands of peasants so they couldn't read the Bible, you have a couple more ways to respond with. That it just wasn't Catholics. & it was done to the KJV.

In The Navy

The Reaganite Republican looks at the direction our Navy is going by looking at the USS Ronald Reagan & then at the type of ships that would appropriately represent what Bill Clinton & Barak Obama's treatment of the military during their administrations.

USS Ronald Reagan

OK, these next 2 aren't real. But they sure could be if the Navy wanted to truly honor them as they should. 1st there is the

USS Bill Clinton

click on link for description

Finally we have the

USS Barak Obama

I don't think an explanation is needed folks.

I Think I Just Lost My Appetitie

Just when you think thinks can't reach a new low in the lack of respect for the unborn, something like this comes along.

Children of God for Life (CGL) issued the following news release on Tuesday:

Action Alert: Biotech company testing food additives on aborted fetal cell lines

Yes you read that headline right. A biotech company, Senomyx, is using what it describes as "isolated human taste receptors" to to test food flavor enhancers. As COG director Debi Vinnedge points out “What they don’t tell the public is that they are using HEK 293 – human embryonic kidney cells taken from an electively aborted baby to produce those receptors. They could have easily chosen animal, insect, or other morally obtained human cells expressing the G protein for taste receptors.” Among the companies that have partnered with Senomyx are Pepsico, Kraft Foods & Nestlé.

I don't know about you, but suddenly the cans of Diet Cherry pepsi I have at home don't seem so appealing.

Here is the text of the news release (Largo, FL)

Children of God for Life is calling on the public to boycott products of major food companies that are partnering with Senomyx, a biotech company that produces artificial flavor enhancers, unless the company stops using aborted fetal cell lines to test their products.

In 2010, the pro-life organization wrote to Senomyx CEO Kent Snyder, pointing out that moral options for testing their food additives could and should be used. But when Senomyx ignored their letter, they wrote to the companies Senomyx listed on their website as "collaborators" warning them of public backlash and threatened boycott. Food giants Pepsico, Kraft Foods, Campbell Soup, Solae and Nestlé are the primary targets of the boycott, though Senomyx boasts other international partners on their website.

Senomyx website states that “The company's key flavor programs focus on the discovery and development of savory, sweet and salt flavor ingredients that are intended to allow for the reduction of MSG, sugar and salt in food and beverage products....Using isolated human taste receptors, we created proprietary taste receptor-based assay systems that provide a biochemical or electronic readout when a flavor ingredient interacts with the receptor.”

Senomyx notes their collaborators provide them research and development funding plus royalties on sales of products using their flavor ingredients.

“What they do not tell the public is that they are using HEK 293 – human embryonic kidney cells taken from an electively aborted baby to produce those receptors”, stated Debi Vinnedge, Executive Director for Children of God for Life, a pro-life watch dog group that has been monitoring the use of aborted fetal material in medical products and cosmetics for years. “They could have easily chosen COS (monkey) cells, Chinese Hamster Ovary cells, insect cells or other morally obtained human cells expressing the G protein for taste receptors”, Vinnedge added.

In writing to their collaborators, it took three letters before Nestlé finally admitted the truth about their relationship with Senomyx, noting the cell line was “well established in scientific research".

After hearing Ms Vinnedge speak publicly on the problem, angry consumers began writing the companies. Both Pepsico and Campbell Soup immediately responded.

Shockingly, Pepsico wrote: “We hope you are reassured to learn that our collaboration with Senomyx is strictly limited to creating lower-calorie, great-tasting beverages for consumers. This will help us achieve our commitment to reduce added sugar per serving by 25% in key brands in key markets over the next decade and ultimately help people live healthier lives.”

Campbell Soup was more concerned in their response: “Every effort is made to use the finest ingredients and develop the greatest selection of products, all at a great value. With this in mind, it must be said that the trust we have cultivated and developed over the years with our consumers is not worth compromising to cut costs or increase profit margins."

While Campbell did not state they would change their methods, still their response, gave Vinnedge hope.

“If enough people voice their outrage and intent to boycott these consumer products, it can be highly effective in convincing Senomyx to change their methods”, she noted. “Otherwise, we will be buying Coca-Cola, Lipton soups and Hershey products!”

Click here to read the response letters from Pepsico, Campbell Soup and Nestlé letters (Letter 1, 2, 3)

A few hours after the news release Campbell Soup contacted COG to tell them that they have severed their ties with Senomyx. "Stated Juli Mandel Sloves, Senior Manager of Nutrition & Wellness Communications at Campbell Soup Company, 'We are no longer in partnership with Senomyx. This fact was discussed during the Senomyx conference call with its investors earlier this month.'"

COG suggests you contact Campbell's to thank them.

Edmund M. Carpenter, Chairman

Finance and Corporate Development

Campbell Soup

1 Campbell Place

Camden, NJ 08103-1701

1-800-257-8443

http://campbellsoupcompany.com/Feedback.aspx

They also ask that you contact Senomyx, Nestlé, Kraft, & Pepsi as well. Let them know how you feel, that human embryos are not a moral source for the receptors they use for research.

Kent Snyder, CEO

Senomyx

4767 Nexus Centre Drive

San Diego, California 92121

email

Paul Bulcke, CEO

Nestlé USA

800 North Brand Boulevard

Glendale, CA 91203

email

Jamie Caulfield, Sr.VP

PepsiCo, Inc.

700 Anderson Hill Road

Purchase, NY 10577

email

Irene Rosenfeld, CEO

Kraft Foods/Cadbury Chocolate

Three Lakes Drive

Northfield, IL 60093

email

Sources: Biotech company using cell lines from aborted babies in food enhancement testing Company Uses Cells From Abortions to Test Artificial Flavors

Dilbert Reveals the Greenies Dirty Little Secret

Click on strip to enlarge

Taliban Catholics

Anyone who regularly reads this blog may know some of those he is refering to who are using the term. & that I am sure that I am 1 of those who they consider Taliban Catholics. May God have mercy on them for their attempts to silence those of us who truly desire to do what is right & uphold God's truth.

Pro-Life Coalition Is Putting Out An Ad Planned Parenthood Won't Like

Especially since it features former Planned Parenthood Clinic director Abby Johnson. The coalition is led by the Susan B. Anthony List Education Fund. Other partners are Expose Planned Parenthood coalition group members American Values, Catholic Advocate & CatholicVote.org Education Fund.

The ad (below) is scheduled to run from today to 7 April 2011 on DC area cable. It is being run to help expose the "true corporate realities behind Planned Parenthood’s business model, one which requires an “abortion quota” to increase revenue." It is being run in DC at this time as the Congress is back in session & the budget debate is on the front burner. & a huge part of that debate is whether to continue funding Planned Parenthood.

In part the ad is being run to keep the pressure on those in the House who might be wavering so that they will continue to support defunding. It will also put pressure on the Senate & make it clear that if Harry Reed refuses to go along, the blame for a government shutdown will be on his hands, not the Pro-lifers.

The news release from Susan B. Anthony Fund had the following statements from various leaders in the coalition:

“There is no better testament to why Planned Parenthood must be defunded than the account of a former insider whose life work is to serve women and saw first-hand how it exploits them,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List Education Fund. “She found out the hard way that Planned Parenthood hides its true mission and deceives the public about its health services. If this Congress cannot find the moral courage to relieve taxpayers of the burden this scandal-plagued organization places upon them, it is not serious about budget reform.”

“The abortion industry is often falsely portrayed as a big-hearted caring industry that simply wants to serve low-income women,” said Brian Burch, president of the CatholicVote.org Education Fund. “This is the lie that Abby Johnson has courageously exposed. Planned Parenthood is America's leading abortion provider, and a billion-dollar organization profiting off the American taxpayer. Americans deserve the choice to help women without being forced to fund the abortion giant Planned Parenthood."

“Abby Johnson’s powerful witness shows that Planned Parenthood doesn’t care about women, it cares about abortion,” said Matt Smith, vice president of Catholic Advocate. “Abby’s testimony reveals that Planned Parenthood doesn’t work to reduce the number of abortions but instead encourages employees to increase the number of abortions it performs. No wonder Planned Parenthood is America’s largest abortion provider.”

“For far too long, Planned Parenthood has tried to tell the American people that it works to reduce the number of abortions,” said Gary Bauer, president of American Values. “Yet, every year, the number of abortions they perform increases. Now we know why. Planned Parenthood is centered around abortion and actively tells employees to sell its lies to more women to fatten their bottom line."

The cost of running the ads is $90,000. Not a bad price in my opinion to get the truth out.

_____________

Catholicvote.com Education Fund (a is asking for donations to help defray their share of the costs. You can donate HERE. Anyone who gives $50 or more will get a copy of the Ignatius Press edition of Abby Johnson's unPlanned.

Note: I have added a new ticker above my Pro-Life Links that shows how fast PP is going through our tax dollars as well as how many babies they have killed so far this year.

Another Reason Why So Many Anglicans Are Crossing the Tiber

After seeing this National Post article I came to the conclusion that the Canadian Anglicans might as well call themselves what they really are, Unitarians.

Anglicans may open Communion to unbaptized

Yes, you read that right. The Canadian branch of the Anglican Church is seriously considering throwing out 1 of the last few bits of semblance to authentic Christianity it has left. The article (which you can read at the link above) includeda link to the original article in the AnglicanJournal.com in which The Rev. Dr. Gary Nicolosi, an Ontario church pastor, argues that removing the requirement of baptism would help stop the decline in the number of Anglicans attending services.

Nicolosi's article starts out by describing the Eucharist as simply "a family meal" & nothing else. Nowhere does he mention that the bread & wine are the Body & Blood of Christ, even symbolically. It is simply a meal that God sets for us & since Jesus ate with sinners etc then who are we to exclude non-believers. It is all about "inclusiveness". "Oh, that word!"*

What he leaves out is that at the 1st Eucharistic meal none of those he said we should include were there, just the Apostles, all believers. & that Judas left Mass early as well.

But he doesn't see it that way, he merely sees it as another meal, like a Church potluck fellowship dinner. "One of the most powerful witnesses of God’s inclusive love is the welcoming table, so prevalent among southern black churches in the United States. At these fellowship dinners, held on church grounds, a large meal is prepared for anyone who might come: rich and poor, black and white, stranger and church member. In the days of the segregationist south, when legal measures were ruthlessly enforced to prevent different races from eating together or even sharing a water fountain, the welcoming table was a powerful witness to God’s inclusive love."

Again, nice sounding idea, but not the same thing as the Eucharistic Banquet. Nor is it simply a "Sunday dinner" held at Church.

Yes, he acknowledges that "St. Paul warns against eating and drinking in an “unworthy manner” (I Cor. 11:27)." But what he fails to mention is why, "whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord." In fact he totally twists it. He says St. Paul left "the decision whether to partake in the meal to each person’s conscience (I Cor. 11:28)." Actually St. Paul goes on to say what we are to "discern": "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. (1 Cor 11:29)."

He talks about the table being welcoming rather than admitting the danger that is clearly their for those who fail to rightly discern, eternal damnation.

Despite the claim he makes that "God’s all-embracing hospitality is a hallmark of the meal we call eucharist," it isn't. It isn't a dinner, it is a sacrificial meal, yes. But that is something totally different from the type of meal he is talking about. A sacrificial meal was only between those who believed.

But even more so, the Eucharist is the Body & Blood of Christ. something many Anglicans do believe, which is why they are coming home to the Catholic Church. I know 1 from DBQ who has more reverence than many a Catholic in this town. She belongs to Anglican Church in America which seperated from the Episcopal/Anglican communion for all the obvious reasons, is 1 that is looking to come back into union with Rome.

What I have presented is only a part of the tripe & heresy he puts out to try & justify what deep down he has to know is wrong.

He talks about how an open communion meant more people at a parish he was at to justify all his claims. It may be true if you are looking to deny the basic Christian truths, that in the short run you will get more. But in the long run it is the kiss of death. & even though he edited that part out of what St. Paul said, in the end he will have to face up to it. As well as the warning in Revelation about adding & subtracting to the book. & the judgment won't be a nicey inclusive party like he thinks. Nor will those who came along for the ride that he mislead be any happier.

____________

*1776 reference.

Archbishop Dolan - An Encounter in Denver

This was posted a few days ago by Archbishop Dolan on his blog. It is about how he dealt with someone who was angry at the Catholic Church for how it handled the sex abuse scandal. Without justifying the wrong way it was handled by most Catholic Bishops, he does show the person the truth about how it was covered & how much worse it is, as well as how much more it is covered up in these other professions.

What makes thsi story so interesting is how it ends up. & gives us some ideas about how we can help overcome some of the damage done by the scandal as well.

An Airport Encounter

It was only the third time it had happened to me in my nearly thirty-five happy years as a priest, all three times over the last nine-and-a-half years.

Other priests tell me it has happened to them a lot more.

Three is enough. Each time has left me so shaken I was near nausea.

It happened last Friday . . .

I had just arrived at the Denver Airport, there to speak at their popular annual “Living Our Catholic Faith” conference.

As I was waiting with the others for the electronic train to take me to the terminal, a man, maybe in his mid-forties, waiting as well, came closer to me.

“Are you a Catholic priest?” he kindly asked.

“Sure am. Nice to meet you,” says I, as I offered my hand.

He ignored it. “I was raised a Catholic,” he replied, almost always a hint of a cut to come, but I was not prepared for the razor sharpness of the stiletto, as he went on, “and now, as a father of two boys, I can’t look at you or any other priest without thinking of a sexual abuser.”

What to respond? Yell at him? Cuss him out? Apologize? Deck him? Express understanding? I must admit all such reactions came to mind as I staggered with shame and anger from the damage of the wound he had inflicted with those stinging words.

“Well,” I recovered enough to remark, “I’m sure sorry you feel that way. But, let me ask you, do you automatically presume a sexual abuser when you see a Rabbi or Protestant minister?”

“Not at all,” he came back through gritted teeth as we both boarded the train.

“How about when you see a coach, or a boy scout leader, or a foster parent, or a counsellor, or physician?” I continued.

“Of course not!” he came back. “What’s all that got to do with it?”

“A lot,” I stayed with him, “because each of those professions have as high a percentage of sexual abuse, if not even higher, than that of priests.”

“Well, that may be,” he retorted. “But the Church is the only group that knew it was going on, did nothing about it, and kept transferring the perverts around.”

“You obviously never heard the stats on public school teachers,” I observed. “In my home town of New York City alone, experts say the rate of sexual abuse among public school teachers is ten times higher than that of priests, and these abusers just get transferred around.” (Had I known at that time the news in last Sunday’s New York Times about the high rate of abuse of the most helpless in state supervised homes, with reported abusers simply transferred to another home, I would have mentioned that, too.)

To that he said nothing, so I went in for a further charge.

“Pardon me for being so blunt, but you sure were with me, so, let me ask: when you look at yourself in a mirror, do you see a sex abuser?”

Now he was as taken aback as I had been two-minutes before. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Sadly,” I answered, “studies tell us that most children sexually abused are victims of their own fathers or other family members.”

Enough of the debate, I concluded, as I saw him dazed. So I tried to calm it down.

“So, I tell you what: when I look at you, I won’t see a sex abuser, and I would appreciate the same consideration from you.”

The train had arrived at baggage claim, and we both exited together.

“Well then, why do we only hear this garbage about you priests,” he inquired, as he got a bit more pensive.

“We priests wonder the same thing. I’ve got a few reasons if you’re interested.”

He nodded his head as we slowly walked to the carousel.

“For one,” I continued, “we priests deserve the more intense scrutiny, because people trust us more as we dare claim to represent God, so, when on of us do it – even if only a tiny minority of us ever have — it is more disgusting.”

“Two, I’m afraid there are many out there who have no love for the Church, and are itching to ruin us. This is the issue they love to endlessly scourge us with.”

“And, three, I hate to say it,” as I wrapped it up, “there’s a lot of money to be made in suing the Catholic Church, while it’s hardly worth suing any of the other groups I mentioned before.”

We both by then had our luggage, and headed for the door. He then put his hand out, the hand he had not extended five minutes earlier when I had put mine out to him. We shook.

“Thanks. Glad I met you.”

He halted a minute. “You know, I think of the great priests I knew when I was a kid. And now, because I work in IT at Regis University, I know some devoted Jesuits. Shouldn’t judge all you guys because of the horrible sins of a few.”

“Thanks!,” I smiled.

I guess things were patched-up, because, as he walked away, he added, “At least I owe you a joke: What happens when you can’t pay your exorcist?”

“Got me,” I answered.

“You get ‘re-possessed’!”

We both laughed and separated.

Notwithstanding the happy ending, I was still trembling . . . and almost felt like I needed an exorcism to expel my shattered soul, as I had to confront again the horror this whole mess has been to victims and their families, our Catholic people like the man I had just met . . . and to us priests.

H/T: Thomas Peters (Archbishop Dolan’s Airport Encounter)

White House Easter Bunny Comes Out of the Closet

Meet the Easter Bunny for the 2011 Easter Egg Roll at the White House:

I came across this in a post about the enviromentally PC correct Easter Egg Roll at LarryD's Blog Acts of the Apostasy entitled The Easter Bunny Is A Gay Enviro-nut.

My 1st thought was this bunny is trying out for a Village People tribute band by doing his version of YMCA. & if that doesn't tell you that I agree with LarryD's evaluation nothing will.

Am I surprized that Obama is trying to right PC notes to please all his left wing envirowacko gay rights supporters? No. This is just following the politicization direction he has taken it the past 2 years.

Do I think he is once again proving that he unfit to be president? YES!

Why? This is supposed to be a fun day out for the kids, NOT an attempt to brainwash them. But for the Obamas socialism trumps everything else. & that is all this is for Obama, another chance to push his socialistic agenda.

AXIOS, AXIOS, AXIOS!!!!!

Here is a video with hilights of the installation. It is in Ukranian of course.

Інтронізація новообраного Глави УГКЦ from Yuriy Bihanskyy on Vimeo.

PETA - Telling God They Know Better Than God What The Bible Should Say

PETA Wants Bible Changed to Include More Animal-Friendly Language…

(Gothamist) — After they heard that the latest translation of the New International Version of the Bible will now use gender- inclusive language such as “he or she” instead of just “he”, PETA saw an opportunity to change one other thing. The organization has petitioned the Committee on Bible Translation to suggest that its next translation remove”speciesist” language, by referring to animals as “he or she” instead of “it.”

“When the Bible moves toward inclusively in one area . . . it wasn’t much of a stretch to suggest they move toward inclusively in this area. Language matters. Calling an animal ‘it’ denies them something. They are beloved by God. They glorify God,” Bruce Friedrich, PETA’s vice president for policy, told CNN.

PETA said it hopes the switch to include more gender-inclusive language will spark translators to readdress the ways animals are referred to in the Bible.

“Updating the Bible’s language regarding animals would not only reflect modern writing trends but also reinforce the idea that animals are living beings valued by God, not inanimate objects. Jesus taught us the importance of mercy and compassion, and this update would encourage mercy and compassion for all God’s creatures — including those who have feathers, fins, and fur,” Friedrich wrote.

ZIP who posted this @ Weasel Zippers raises a good question "How many overwhelmingly leftist PETA members actually read the Bible?" My answer would tend toward few to none. Esp since Genesis makes it clear that we have dominion over the animals, let alone that they are not on the same level as human beings. Nor did Jesus die on the Cross for a single animal, just man. In fact, they seem to forget (or probably aren't aware) that the Old Testament talks about animal sacrifices.

On the subject of animal sacrifices Jeff Miller @ The Curt Jester has come up with a great response to the insanity of PETA's latest that shows how far removed from reality PETA. He does it by showing how there translation would work in the section about animal sacrifices:

Animal Friendly Bible Translation

You just have to wonder if perhaps they didn’t read the book of Leviticus or really many parts of the Old Testament. Yes just before the blood sacrifice and offering the animal as a burnt offering we should refer to the animal as she or he. Yeah that’s the ticket. “If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall offer a male without blemish; and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD” Now the Petafied version.

“If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall offer a male without blemish; and he shall kill her on the north side of the altar before the LORD.

Wow that is so much less speciesist.

Here is another Petafied verse.

And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head, and burn him on the altar; and his blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar; and he shall take away his crop with the feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes; he shall tear him by his wings, but shall not divide it asunder. And the priest shall burn him on the altar, upon the wood that is on the fire; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD.

Surely they can not object to that language. A pleasing odor to the Lord – man I want some Bar-B-Que now!

I would have more respect for PETA if they just condemned the whole Bible instead of playing games like this. The view of scripture just is totally opposite to that of PETA and animal sacrifices were a shadow of Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He was not the Asparagus or Tofu of God.

I have to wonder how long it will be until the tree hugging, Gaia worshipping, New Age, Wiccan, Habitless Hussies hop on the bandwagon & call for a not only female inclusive but animal inclusive translation of the Bible as well as the Liturgy. I suspect it won't be long.

In the meantime do you think I could get someone at PETA to pass the Bar-B-Que sauce? I think my ribs are about done.

Source: PETA Wants Animal Friendly Bible Translation:

There IS NO Difference

CAUTION: This video is not for younger viewers, but it does get across in a powerful way what abortion really does.

The sad thing is, you have ethicists out there who are now saying that just being born doesn't give you the right to live either. Following their logic this wouldn't be murder either. God have mercy on us if we ever get to the point where the culture does accept this. God have mercy on us for even allowing abortion to go on for as long as it has.

I know I am once more going to sound like a broken record, but we MUST get down on our knees & pray. We MUST spend part of that tiime repenting for the sins of the nation when it comes to the life issues just like Daniel did for the sins of Judah. & we MUST ask God to guide our efforts to put an end to this horrible sin of abortion. Yes, we must work to elect Pro-life politicians. But we must also ask God to change the hearts of those who are pro-abortion as well.

Our prayers have held God's Hand of Justice back so far, but for how long?

Source: Rockford Pro-Life - A Shocking and Unforgettable Pro-Life Video

A Tale of 2 Periti

(With apologies to Charles Dickens, sort of.) Both then Fr. Joseph Ratzinger & Fr. Hans Küng served as a peritus at Vatican II. Ratzinger served as peritus to Cardinal Josef Frings, Archbishop of Cologne, Germany, while Küng was a peritus for the Council, rather than for an individual Bishop. In the years since both have trod down completely opposite paths. But in another way the paths have run parallel to each other.

I recently came across an interesting article by Dr. Samuel Gregg who is Research Director at the Acton Institute about the path each has trod & where it has led. Benedict XVI, Hans Kung and Catholicism’s Future is an article that looks at those paths & where they have led.

The accepted view is that back at Vatican II they were pretty much on the same page & it is only after Vatican II that their paths diverged. But this article shares something written by the Jesuit Henri de Lubac in his diary that shows how different they already were at the time. In the diary Ratzinger is portrayed as one whose powerful intellect is matched by his “peacefulness” & “affability.” Then there is Kung. He is denoted by Fr. de Lubac as possessing a “juvenile audacity” & speaking in “incendiary, superficial, and polemical” terms. Given how things are today, it seems like in this aspect, nothing has changed.

The post Vatican II path for Fr. Ratzinger eventually led to him to the Papacy & to being known as 1 of the greatest Bible Theologians of modern times. Kung was eventually forbidden to teach Catholic theology & his opinions are only important to a few dissidents who are unwilling to admit the fact that the Catholic Church they are attempting to destroy never will be.

The article looks at the paths they took, but it also looks at their agendas & how well they have worked. Or should I say how Kung's has failed & why Ratzinger/Papa Benedetto's is the right one? Dr. Gregg shows us what is wrong with Kung's agenda & what is right with Papa Benedetto's in a nutshell. & in a way that is understandable even for those who don't know "theology". I suggest you follow the link above or below to read the entire article. It is well worth it. Unless you are a fan of Kung & prefer to keep your delusions that Kung is right. Then this article will force you to face those delusions &, like it or not, if you are honest, you will admit Kung took the wrong path, Ratzinger the right one.

Source: The Incredible Shrinking Kung

Non-Shocker - Obama Administration Lying to Promote Agenda

1of all, given the Obama administration track record of lying about abortion in ObamaCare etc, that they would lie about the Vatican stand is no surprize. & then when called out on it, lie some more. But what gets me is the willingness of some Latin American countries to believe the Vatican would approve of something that calls for an end to “stigmatization” of “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” on any grounds. Esp since that would keep the Catholic Church from teaching that certain sexual acts are intrinsically disordered. (Catechism 2357) & that is only 1 teaching the resolution would silence. I have to wonder if they are willingly going alone to present cover for what they want to do knowing the people would oppose it if the Vatican did.

US Accused of Falsely Stating Vatican Position to Win Votes for Resolution

By Terrence McKeegan, J.D. NEW YORK, March 23 (C-FAM) The US Department of State is telling Latin American delegations to the United Nations that the Vatican has changed its position on a sexual orientation declaration that was just released at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, according to diplomatic sources in New York.

According to these sources, an official in Western Hemisphere Affairs at the US State Department has held a series of meetings with Latin American delegations telling them the Vatican now supports the declaration calling for “sexual orientation and gender identity” to be new categories of non-discrimination in international law. However, a high ranking source at the Holy See says these assertions are false and that the Holy See opposes the declaration being considered in Geneva.

When contacted, the official at the State Department confirmed the meetings took place but denied that any of the Latin American diplomats were told that the Holy See backed the declaration. Instead they were only told that the Holy See was against violence against all individuals including those based on their sexual orientation.

One source told the Friday Fax, “Several Latin American delegations have now thrown their support behind the declaration after incorrectly believing the Holy See supports it.”The declaration on “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” was introduced yesterday at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

The declaration, which was not voted on, draws upon similar declarations issued by EU-led coalitions at the UN General Assembly in 2008 and the Human Rights Council in 2006. However, the most recent declaration takes the principles further by calling for these principles to be taken up by all human rights mechanisms, as well as calling for an end to “stigmatization” on any grounds.

“Human sexuality, like any voluntary activity, possesses a moral dimension,” said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, on behalf of the Holy See. “It is an activity which puts the individual will at the service of a finality; it is not an “identity”. In other words, it comes from the action and not from the being, even though some tendencies or “sexual orientations” may have deep roots in the personality. Denying the moral dimension of sexuality leads to denying the freedom of the person in this matter, and undermines ultimately his/her ontological dignity,” said Tomasi.

The declaration was signed by 85 countries, almost twenty more than the number who signed onto the 2008 General Assembly joint statement. Three counter statements were made at the Human Rights Council, one by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Countries, one by Nigeria on behalf of the African Group, and one by the Russian Federation.

In their statement in support of the “sexual orientation” declaration, the US stated that it was proud to join in support of “LGBT rights”, which the delegate likened to the struggle for democracy in parts of the world, including the Middle East. In a press release issued today, the US touted its role in securing 20 additional countries to sign onto this year’s declaration, who had not signed onto the 2008 or 2006 statements.

Project Klavitas - The Shocking Video of Big Bird & Elmo

Obeying Our Religious Leaders

Following a Fatwa to its (ill)logical conclusion:

Let Us Obey Our Religious Leaders...

Right, Islamists...?

Some time ago, Iran's Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged the Muslim World to boycott anything and everything that originates with the Jewish people. He even went so far as to issue a fatwa to this effect...

In response, pharmacist Meyer M. Treinkmanout offered to assist them in organizing and targeting the anti-Israeli boycott with some helpful guidelines:

Any Muslim who has Syphilis must not be cured by Salvarsan discovered by a Jew, Dr. Ehrlich. He should not even try to find out whether he has Syphilis, because the Wasserman Test is the discovery of a Jew. If a Muslim suspects that he has Gonorrhea, he must not seek diagnosis, because he will be using the method of a Jew named Neissner.
"A Muslim who has heart disease must not use Digitalis, a discovery by a Jew, Ludwig Traube.
Should he suffer with a toothache, he must not use Novocaine, a discovery of the Jews, Widal and Weil.
If a Muslim has Diabetes, he must not use Insulin, the result of research by Minkowsky, a Jew. If one has a headache, he must shun Pyramidon and Antypyrin, due to the Jews, Spiro and Ellege.
Muslims with convulsions must put up with them because it was a Jew, Oscar Leibreich, who proposed the use of Chloral Hydrate.
Arabs must do likewise with their psychic ailments because Freud, father of psychoanalysis, was a Jew.
Should a Muslim child get Diphtheria, he must refrain from the "Schick" reaction which was invented by the Jew, Bella Schick.
"Muslims should be ready to die in great numbers and must not permit treatment of ear and brain damage, work of Nobel Prize winner, Robert Baram.
They should continue to die or remain crippled by Infantile Paralysis because the discoverer of the anti-polio vaccine is a Jew, Jonas Salk.
"Muslims must refuse to use Streptomycin and continue to die of Tuberculosis because a Jew, Zalman Waxman, invented the wonder drug against this killing disease.
Muslim doctors must discard all discoveries and improvements by dermatologist Judas Sehn Benedict, or the lung specialist, Frawnkel, and of many other world renowned Jewish scientists and medical experts.
"In short, good and loyal Muslims properly and fittingly should remain afflicted with Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Heart Disease, Headaches, Typhus, Diabetes, Mental Disorders, Polio, Convulsions and Tuberculosis... and be proud to obey the Islamic boycott."

Source: The Reaganite Republican

They're Called Laptops for a Reason - This Isn't It

Source: Cheap Desk FAIL

Usually Libraries Oppose Censorship Not Encourage It

In this case, since the subject abortion & looks at Planned Parenthood in a less than positive, but truthful light a library decided the movie Blood Money was not appropriate. Yet this same Marathon County Library has The Handmaid's Tale as 1 of the books for its April book club discussions. The American Library Association (ALA) lists the book as number 37 on the "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000". 1 of the reasons is because of how it attacks Christianity. Attacking Christianity in a slanderous way OK, telling the truth about Planned Parenthood not an OK use. Can you say hypocricy? Can you say double standard?

Wisconsin Library Engages In Censorship

Wisconsin Library Censors Showing of Pro-Life Film in “Public Meeting Room” National Law Firm Demands Wausau Library Cease Discrimination Against Local Pro-Life Organization


March 25, 2011—Thomas More Society attorneys issued a letter today to Marathon County library officials demanding that the library rescind its decision to cancel a showing by the Wausau “40 Days for Life” group of the pro-life documentary, “Blood Money.” The director of the library, Ralph Illick, had cancelled the showing of the movie in one of the library’s “public meeting rooms,” because he determined that the film’s topic – abortion – would “interfere with normal use of our library.”

“Having to demand that a library not engage in censorship is outrageous,” said Peter Breen, executive director and legal counsel for the Thomas More Society. “The library’s own policy declares that meeting rooms are to be allocated without regard to the beliefs of those using the rooms, but here, the sincerely held religious beliefs of Wausau “40 Days for Life” that all life is sacred has barred this group from use of these purportedly ‘public’ rooms. We stand ready to take immediate legal action if the showing of the film is not allowed.”

In the letter written to Director Illick, Thomas More Society attorneys cited the library’s own “Bill of Rights,” which guarantees that, “VI. Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.”

Read the entire letter here

For more information or to speak with Peter Breen, please contact Tom Ciesielka at 312-422-1333 or tc@tcpr.net
# # #
About the Thomas More Society: Founded in 1997, the Thomas More Society is a national public interest law firm that exists to restore respect for life in law. Based in Chicago, the Thomas More Society defends the sanctity of human life, the family and religious liberty in courtrooms across the country. The Society is a nonprofit organization wholly supported by private donations. For more information or to support the work of Thomas More Society, please visit http://www.thomasmoresociety.org/.

The 75% Destruction by the Modernist, Heretical, Liberal, Stupid, Progressive, Anti-Church Crowd

Cardinal Burke: Say No to Contraceptive Mentality, Yes to Humanae Vitae

Fighting ‘contraceptive mentality’ is ‘essential’ for the culture of life: Cardinal Burke

by Patrick B. Craine

SYDNEY, Australia, March 18, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Restoring the “respect for the integrity of the conjugal act” and correcting the contraceptive mentality that “fears procreation,” is “fundamental” to the New Evangelization and its effort to transform Western culture, said Cardinal Raymond Burke, prefect of the Vatican’s Apostolic Signatura, earlier this month.
In a March 11th address to the Australian Catholic Students Association, the prelate offered reflections on the “crisis of Christian culture in the West” and the effort to build a Catholic culture “in fidelity to our vocation to give witness to Christ and, therefore, to be martyrs for the faith.”
He said the world today faces a “profoundly disordered moral state,” emphasizing the current “plague of procured abortion.” He likewise decried the “abhorrent practices of the artificial generation of human life and its destruction,” the “mercy killing” of the elderly and weak, and the “ever advancing agenda” of those seeking to redefine marriage and family life to suit homosexual advocates.
Lamenting the fact that today Christians face persecution for opposing “the ever advancing anti-life and anti-family agenda,” he said we face a “similar challenge to our faith” as did 16th century martyr St. Thomas More.
“We recognize in certain so-called free nations and in some of their policies and laws an opposition to the Christian’s adherence to the natural moral law,” he noted. He cited in particular the fact that pharmacists have been required to fill prescriptions for abortifacient drugs, and that priests have been charged with ‘hate speech’ for preaching on the intrinsic evil of homosexual acts.
“Not without reason, there is greater and greater fear that the Church will be unable to carry out her educational, health-care and charitable works in certain nations because the civil law requires that such Church works cooperate in acts which are always and everywhere wrong,” he said.
The prelate stressed the relationship between “the living of the truth regarding human sexuality and human life” and “the practice of justice.” “The attack on the innocent and defenseless life of the unborn, for example, has its origin in an erroneous view of human sexuality, which attempts to eliminate, by mechanical or chemical means, the essentially procreative nature of the conjugal act,” he explained.
Invoking Pope Paul VI’s landmark encyclical Humanae Vitae, which reaffirmed the Church’s condemnation of contraception, the cardinal contested claims that the conjugal act can maintain its integrity or remain unitive and loving while the procreative nature of the act is “radically violated” through use of contraceptives.
“In fact, it is not unitive, for one or both of the partners withholds an essential part of the gift of self, which is the essence of the conjugal union,” he explained. “The so-called ‘contraceptive mentality’ is essentially anti-life. Many forms of what is called contraception are, in fact, abortifacient, that is, they destroy a life which has already been conceived, has already begun.”
He also highlighted the prime importance of respecting human life in the Church’s development activities, highlighting the fact that Pope Benedict XVI made “special reference” to Humanae Vitae in his encyclical on human development, Caritas in Veritate.
“Humanae vitae indicates the strong links between life ethics and social ethics,” the pope wrote.
“Individual freedom and the freedom of society, in general, depends upon a fundamental education in the truth about human sexuality and the exercise of that truth in a pure and chaste life,” said Cardinal Burke.
When facing resistance in the effort to uphold the moral law, he said, “we must recall that we, alive in Christ, are a sign of contradiction to the world’s way of thinking.”
“Our lives are a rebuke of the violation of the moral law, not for the sake of rebuking, but the sake of the salvation of our world,” he explained. “We must also remember tat our witness, like the witness of the martyrs, will work a transformation in our society, will redound ultimately to the safeguarding and fostering of all human life.”

You can read the full speech here.

This Isn't About Children's Rights, It Is About State Controlled Brainwashing

Parentalrights.org.

Obama has made it clear he supports this treaty. Given his attempts to totally turn the USA into a socialist country this treaty would play perfectly into his & his cohorts hands by allow the USA to take total control of how our children are raised. That would include forbiding parents from teaching their children anything they opposed, like Christian morality that opposes abortion, premarital sex, homosexual unions etc. He would wholeheartedly go along with the UN goal to reeducate our children. Why wouldn't he since their agendas are identical in this area?

For those who may think this group is being alarmist & that the UN goal isn't to take over the way children are raised then I suggest reading a few of the following articles that the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) have put up over the last few years that tie into the application of this treaty. (Follow links for entire stories)

UN Child Rights Committee Calls for Child Access to Contraceptives ...

(13 July 2003) (NEW YORK - C-FAM) Last week, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child sought to weaken parents' authority to guide their children's access to contraceptives and other sexual and reproductive services and information. At the conclusion of its current session in Geneva, the Committee released a general comment on adolescent health in which it asserts that all countries that have ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) should "strictly respect the right to privacy and confidentiality, including confidential advice and counseling on all health matters," and "that access to information on sexual and reproductive health be accessible regardless of prior consent from parents or guardians."
The Committee exists to guide nations' implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a document that has now been ratified by every country on earth except Somalia and the United States. After a country ratifies CRC, it must submit periodic reports to the Committee, which then determines if the country is in compliance with the Convention. The Committee has the ultimate power to interpret the CRC document, and to establish what legal obligations the Convention creates for ratifying nations.

IPPF Says UN Child Rights Treaty Endorses Abortion for Children ...

(25 Oct 2002) (NEW YORK - C-FAM) International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has started distributing a brochure to inform children that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has established for them an international right to abortion.
According to the brochure, just posted on the IPPF website, both the CRC's recognition of a child's right to life as well as a child's right to health can be interpreted to mean that children should have access to abortion. For example, the CRC's broad right to health includes the right to "visit a doctor or nurse to receive the full range of sexual and reproductive health services that are available and legal in your country, including contraceptives [and] abortion services" Also, because children have a right to life, they must be protected from reproductive problems that could threaten their lives, "such as...unsafe [illegal] abortion."

On the 20th Anniversary of the Child Rights Convention, US Pressured to Ratify

(26 Oct 2009 - last paragraph) The report claims that the Convention "sets out common standards" yet leaves room for State parties of finding their "own way of implementing the treaty." Over the years, the CRC committee has chastised countries for allowing corporal punishment, mandated governments to increase state-sponsored day care, pushed recognition of a child's right to privacy "especially in the family," and pushed for adolescent family planning and reproductive health and sex education programs, despite possible parental objections.

UN "Alternative Care" Guidelines Scrutinized for Pitting Children Against Parents

(22 Oct 2009) (NEW YORK – C-FAM) The United Nations (UN) General Assembly (GA) will consider a document on alternative, non-parental care of children this fall in conjunction with the twentieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Certain delegates are expressing concern, however, at one provision in particular that appears to pit the rights of children against their parents. The Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children call upon States to implement policies aimed at “empowering youth to face positively the challenges of everyday life, including when they decide to leave the parental home." They further call for governmental programs aimed at youth as "future parents" to make "informed decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive health."

& these are just a few examples. You can go here for links to many, many more stories that tell the same thing.

You can register your opposition to UN control of your family and your country here.

Source: Do Your Part to Resist United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Mary's Fiat

OK folks, don't blame me, blame Jeff Miller @ The Curt Jester whence this came. (Feast of the Annunciation)

1 of These Things Is Not Like the Other

1 of these things just doesn't belong.
As I am sure, almost everyone recognizes these lines from a Sesame Street Song that is used to show how something is completely different. But for the few culturally deprived of you who aren't familiar with the tune:



I Thought of that song when I read the start of this article by Matt Yonke of Pro-Life Action League. He makes a good point about how what goes on outside an abortion clinic, in this case, Planned Parenthood that you don't see outside the typical dentist's, podiatrist's or general practice doctor's office/clinic. As I have pointed out before we see these same things at the Rockford Abortion Mill (Pro-Life Corner - Rockford Pro-Life ). We see these things at many other abortion mills as well.

The abortion industry tries to present itself as simply providing reproductive health services & that they are no different than any other clinic or medical office. But clearly they aren't when you put them next to any other health service it is clear the abortion the 1 that doesn't belong. The reason should be obvious, the others provide true health care meant to save lives &/or improve the health of a person. Abortion ends a life & also results in emotional & psychological problems for the mother & often others as well.

Many people are beginning to realize that PP or any abortion mill just doesn't belong in a community. We must continue speaking out, praying & educating people about the truth so that some day we won't have to see something that doesn't belong, abortion mills.

Things That Don’t Happen at a Podiatrist’s Office
by Matt Yonke

I’ve spent a goodly amount of time outside our local Planned Parenthood in Aurora, Illinois lately, and I’ve noticed a number of things happening there that don’t happen outside your local podiatrist’s office. Or that of your local dentist, pediatrician, or general practice doctor.
At Planned Parenthood Aurora yesterday, a young man waiting outside, talking on his cell phone while his significant other got an abortion, yelled at me and the two other pro-lifers there. He led off with asking whether we were going to adopt his baby if his girlfriend didn’t have the abortion. When we responded with an enthusiastic, “Yes, we will adopt your baby!” he changed his tack.
Next he started screaming, and I do mean screaming, at the top of his voice, that we should mind our own business and let people make their own choices. When I replied that we were only offering more options, not trying to force anyone to do anything, he finally ran out of arguments and started in with the vulgarity.
I won’t repeat the things he said to me and the other two pro-lifers, including as gentle a grandmother as ever you’d want to meet. It was far too vulgar. It got so bad, one of my companions called the police because they felt so threatened.
Squad Cars and Blaring Music
This was the second time the police had been to Planned Parenthood that morning. I had called them earlier because of another violation.
Planned Parenthood has speakers shaped like rocks planted in their landscaping to drown out pro-life sidewalk counselors—another thing you won’t see outside your neighborhood OB/GYN’s office.
When they were first installed they were deafeningly loud and pro-lifers along with neighbors who live around the clinic complained to the police, who enforced the local noise ordinance and turned them down. It had been months of relative quiet until yesterday when they were cranked back up to a ridiculous volume.
Two officers had come out earlier, assessed that they were indeed violating the ordinance, and made them turn the speakers down.
Cars Used as Weapons
And, believe it or not, I had to call police a third time to report that a passerby had swerved his car and nearly hit me in an obviously threatening maneuver. This is a sadly common occurrence outside this particular clinic.
Peaceful Protest

The previous Saturday at our monthly protest, over 50 people gathered to protest Planned Parenthood’s deadly business while a large group prayed the Rosary and two stalwart pro-lifers sidewalk counseled. Have you ever seen a grassroots effort to dissuade people from undergoing any other “medical procedure”?
No, abortion is no normal occurrence and the world knows it. That’s why Planned Parenthood has even put up signs forbidding anyone taking pictures of their facility! It is, of course, perfectly legal to do so, but the very fact that they would put up such a ridiculous sign shows that they have something to hide. After all, every other doctor’s office in the country has the same concern for the privacy of its patients as Planned Parenthood, but none of them try to forbid taking pictures of the outside of their buildings.
But so much strangeness is a hopeful sign to me. Planned Parenthood is under great pressure right now from all sides. Even many pro-choice people are beginning to see Planned Parenthood for what it is. And they’re cracking from the pressure. The crazy that they’ve long been able to keep inside the clinics is leaking out, and, as pro-life attorney Tom Brejcha likes to say, there’s no disinfectant in the world like sunlight.
The more the world sees Planned Parenthood, the less they will support it.

An Trinitarian Tryptich for the Feast of the Annunciation

Today we celebrate the day when the Archangel Gabriel. But what we fail to realize is that this is actually the centerpiece in a tryptich of Annunciations found in the Bible. In fact, the 3 Annunciations have a very strong Trinitarian theme with 1 member of the Trinity being the main focus of each Annunciation. If you haven't figured out by now the other 2 that I am refering to are the Annunciations to Joseph in a dream & the Annunciation of the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah.

1st we have the visit of the Archangel Gabriel to Zechariah found in Luke 1: 11-22.

The Trinitarian focus in this Annunciation is God the Holy Spirit. Gabriel told Zechariah that even from his mother's womb John would be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes to empower us to live out our calling as Christians. he does so by giving us the gifts we need to do so. In John's case that included the gift of prophecy.

Next we have the event that we celebrate today. The Annunciation to Mary by Gabriel that she would be the mother of the Savior found in Luke 1:26-38.

The focus here is God the Son. It would be by the power of the Holy Spirit but the heart of the message is that the Child will be called Son of God. The Son was sent by the Father & through the power of the Holy Spirit Mary became His mother. She became the Θεοτόκης (Theotokis), the Mother of God. The Word of God is spoken to Mary by the Father's messenger, & by her "fiat" the Word becomes flesh.

Finally we have the message of the angel to Joseph in a dream found in Matthew 1:18-25.

The focus here is on God the Father. Unlike the clear connection found in the other 2 Annunciations that connection may be a little hard to see at 1st. But it is seen in the statement where the angel told him "you must name him Jesus." The final decision for what the name would be rested with the father. & by giving Joseph the mandate to do so, he was also being told that he was to act as the earthly representative of God the Father in Heaven. Joseph was told that his actions were to be the image of actions of the Heavenly Father. Joseph was the visible sign of what the invisible Heavenly Father was like, caring for, protecting, providing for not only Jesus, but all of us who put our trust in God.

As I said, the Annunciation we celebrate today is the centerpiece that shows us in a nutshell the mystery of the Trinity, 1 God, yet 3 Persons. All 3 Persons are found in each Annunciation. But as I pointed out each also has its focus on 1 Person of the Trinity. So we have a beautiful tryptich painted for us that reveals to us the awesome truth of who our God is that we proclaim everytime we recite the Creed (Nicene or Apostle's) when we pray.

Contraception & Confession

Shaw: Contraception one reason for Catholic flight from confession
By Russell Shaw
After the death of Dr. Bernard Nathanson last February, we were reminded that somebody once asked him why he became a Catholic. Because, said Dr. Nathanson, who’d been a leader in the movement to legalize abortion and performed or presided over many thousands of abortions, then seen the light and become ardently prolife, no other religion provides as much opportunity for forgiveness as the Catholic Church does, and he had a lot to be forgiven for.
Bernard Nathanson was a realist. What about the 75 percent of American Catholics who, according to polls, receive the sacrament of penance less than once a year or never? Escapists perhaps?
This year as in other recent Lents, dioceses and parishes across the country are making a push to get Catholics back to this neglected sacrament. I wish them much success. The flight from sacramental penance has been one of the genuine disasters of contemporary Catholic life.
What explains it? Many things undoubtedly combine to play a part: an often-cited loss of the sense of sin, fatuous presumption that God approves of me no matter what, shame at the prospect of confessing one’s sins after a long time (give it a try: It won’t hurt). But part of it, I feel certain, has to do with contraception.
It works this way.
Last time I looked, the surveys were reporting that something like eight out of 10 American Catholics said they thought contraception was OK and the Church was wrong about it. Obviously this includes many of childbearing, child-rearing age who are practicing contraception now.
As far as the Sacrament of Penance is concerned, these people don’t want to confess contraception because they believe — or anyway say they believe — it isn’t wrong, and they don’t care to give it up. But they don’t want not to confess it since they know perfectly well that the Church says something different, so not confessing would be, well, kind of dishonest. The non-solution to the dilemma is not to receive the sacrament at all. Which is where we are now.
I have no easy remedy for this situation, but one approach that might help a bit is to present the Sacrament of Penance not so much as an obligation but — as Bernard Nathanson understood — a marvelous opportunity: a chance to get rid of one’s burden of objective guilt and start over again with a forgiving God.
As for those who may be somewhat more advanced in the interior life but who’ve neglected penance for whatever reason or combination of reasons: Bear in mind that contrition and penance are closely linked to conversion and all but indispensable to it. All three go together to make up a complex, continuing process of lifelong growth in the Christian life — a process that necessarily includes awareness of one’s sins, a healthy sense of guilt, and the desire to be forgiven.
The first letter of St. John says it best: “Sin is with us; if we deny that, we are cheating ourselves; it means the truth does not dwell in us. No, it is when we confess our sins that [God] forgives our sins, ever true to his word, ever dealing right with us, and all our wrong-doing is purged away. If we deny that we have sinned, it means that we are treating him as a liar; it means that his word does not dwell in our hearts” (1 John 1:8-9).
Sometimes people say they don’t go to confession because they have nothing to confess. Tell that to St. John!
Russell Shaw is an OSV contributing editor.

New York City Crisis Pregnancy Center Vandalized

On Wednesday, the main office in the South Bronx of the Expectant Mother Care-EMC FrontLine Pregnancy Centers was broken into & literally left in shambles. According to Chris Slattery, founder & president of EMC “Our main office in the South Bronx was burglarized again. This is the second time this has happened in the past 12 months. They broke into our facility through the second story window, stole over $5,000 worth of equipment, and virtually destroyed the office.”

He went on to say “The rampage of these heartless criminals shattered windows, stole all of our audio visual equipment, destroyed displays and supplies, tore up the ceiling, doors, and floor. They even broke into our supply closet and stole our Pampers.
The staff in our Bronx office is heartbroken, but they have all pulled together to put together the pieces and try to reopen the office. Each day we are closed puts innocent babies in the wombs of their mothers at risk. We desperately need your help.”

Slattery thinks that in all likelihood the crime was perpetrated by drug addicts seeking some quick cash. Given that, as he said “We’re in a warzone. We’re in the South Bronx,” he could very well be right, Jill Stanek suggests another possiblility. She asks "With Slattery and EMC at the center of the opposition against NYC’s recently passed hostile law forcing pccs to post signage that they do not commit abortions, my first thought was the vandals were hostile pro-aborts. Would run-of-the-mill ne’er do wells go so far as to tear up the floors?

I think not. Seems to me someone(s) wanted to render EMC South Bronx inoperable."

That does strike me as a valid possibility. From where I stand the damage goes far beyond what those looking for things to take for drug money would do. Given that they are leading the fight to overturn the unfair new ordinance in New York City that targets CPCs this could have a bit of a vengance motive. Or at the least, an attempt to temporarily stop them. As Slattery pointed out, their being closed puts innocent babies at risk, especially since the vandalized site is just accross from a Planned Parenthood abortion mill.

But without further proof I will rely on Chris Slattery's evaluation.

& despite the damage as well as a lack of electricity & heat for half the day due to construction going on they were still able to open & counsel 1 woman.

The thing now is for them to get repairs done as soon as possible & replace the stolen equipment etc. & that will take money. So they could use any donations they can get to ease the burden.

To make a donation, click here.

Sources: New York City pregnancy center ‘virtually destroyed’
Pregnancy Center in New York City Burglarized, Trashed
NYC crisis pregnancy centers file 2nd major suit against law
Vandals destroy Bronx pregnancy care center; “They even stole our Pampers.”

Bishop Aquila - "notion of 'faithful dissent'" Demonic in Origin

I find this a refreshing contrast to retired Cardinal Mahony's recent comment where he said that politicians shouldn’t be punished if they “aren’t able to act” on their Catholic principles. Mahony's comment was basicly a copout to justify his not taking the actions he should have taken against many a politician.

Instead Bishop Aquila makes it clear that Bishops should be doing their duty & providing fatherly correction, painful as it is, rather than worrying about pleasing man. He also gets to the root of the problem, failure to deal with dissent back in the late 60s. Not that it would have completely stopped it all, but we would sure not have even an 1/8 of the problems we do today.

He also pulls no punches in what he thinks the origin of the concept of "faithful dissent" is. As the Church Lady would say: "Could it beee - SATAN?????" Yup. That is exactly what the good Bishop says.

Hmm, admitting Satan is real, standing up for what the Church teaches, expecting Bishops to be Bishops!!! Papa Bededetto, give that man a red hat.

Something tells me that what he said will NOT go down to well with a lot of his fellow Bishops of the USCCB. & while there may not be much done to get those Bishops who are copping out to do the right thing, at least 1 seminary seems to be doing what it can to ensure the next generation of Bishops will come from those faithful to the Magesterium & willing to be the priest &/or Bishop God wants them to be.

US Bishop: How long will pro-abort politicians be able to receive Communion?
by John-Henry Westen

PHILADELPHIA, PA, March 23, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - “One must honestly ask, how many times and years may a Catholic politician vote for the so called right to abortion, - “murder” in the words of John Paul II in Evangelium Vitae (58), and still be able to receive Holy Communion?” The remark came as part of a keynote address delivered by Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Fargo on March 18.
“The continual reception of Holy Communion by those who so visibly contradict and promote a grave evil, even more than simply dissent, only creates grave scandal, undermines the teaching and governing authority of the Church and can be interpreted by the faithful as indifference to the teaching of Christ and the Church on the part of those who have the responsibility to govern,” Bishop Aquila told over 150 participants at the 10th Annual Symposium on the Spirituality and Identity of the Diocesan Priest in Philadelphia, PA .
Concentrating his remarks on the exercise of authority in the Church, Bishop Aquila noted that in Matthew 18 Christ lays out a plan for correction of a wayward believer. First correct him personally, then with another believer or two, then with the Church and if there is still not a change shun them.
“The steps in this passage are clear and Jesus is teaching us, but do we listen and follow his example?, said the Bishop. “If this criteria had been followed with dissenting theologians, priests, religious and faithful in 1968 with the encyclical, Humanae Vitae, would we still be dealing with the problem today of those who dissent on contraception, abortion, same sex unions, euthanasia and so many other teachings of the Church? “
The Bishop of Fargo excoriates the notion of “faithful dissent, when this phrase describes a refusal to adhere to the deposit of faith”, as the “work of ?the father of lies.”
Bishop Aquila noted finally “Correction can be difficult and painful, as parents know, yet as a shepherd I am willing to suffer the rejection and anger of another when I speak the truth for the good of the person and the Bride of Christ. To correct and/or to punish someone who has gravely sinned against real love is an act of servant love and is found in the truth!”
The Bishop concluded his talk saying: “We must come to accept the fact that the exercise of true authority will be divisive as it was in the time of Jesus. Ultimately living the pastoral authority of Jesus in loving obedience will lead us to the Cross as it led him to the Cross, for we will love the Father with the heart of Jesus.”
See LSN Special ReportBest Quotable Quotes from Bishop Samuel Aquila Talk
Also, the full talk is available here