Number of Priests worldwide shifting: the numbers

Provided by the AP:

VATICAN CITY -- The number of priests has decreased worldwide in the last quarter-century, with the sharpest fall in Europe _ where there are now 20 percent fewer Roman Catholic clerics, the Vatican said.

Experts say the reasons for the drop are complex, but they cite increasing secularization in Europe; some also cite a broader culture that devalues celibacy.

The Vatican, in figures released Saturday, said the number of priests worldwide fell from 420,971 in 1978 to 405,891 in 2004 _ a decrease of 3.5 percent. A Vatican statement called the decline "rather disappointing."

In Europe, the number of priests fell by 20 percent _ from 250,498 in 1978 to 199,978 in 2004.

In Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, the numbers of priests fell by 14 percent.

But in Africa, the numbers increased _ from 16,926 to 31,259 _ a rise of nearly 85 percent. Asia also showed more priests over the period _ from 27,700 to 48,222 _ for an increase of 74 percent.

Latin America and North America together saw a slight increase, with the number of priests rising 1 percent _ from 120,271 to 121,634.

The Vatican did not provide a further geographic breakdown, but the latest figures for the United States show a drop from 58,632 priests in 1965 to 42,839 in 2005 _ a decrease of 26 percent, according to CARA, a research center on the Catholic Church affiliated with Georgetown University.

This report reminds me of a line I heard in a talk given by Dr. Philip Jenkins:

"Something you will likely hear your children say: 'Daddy, do you remember when there was still that thing called Western Christianity?'"

He explains what he means in this book, "The Next Christendom: the Coming of Global Christianity," which will probably find its way, along with a few other of his books, onto the summer reading list I'm currently compiling (so much for eating and sleeping this year).

Philippines trying to track down man posing as priest

From the Manila Standard:

Church warns public of fake Catholic priest

A FAKE priest is in town.

A church official is warning clergy, religious women, and heads of Catholic schools and other institutions as well as the public of a fake priest solemnizing marriages and performing Roman Catholic rituals.

Rev. Msgr. Roberto Canlas, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Manila, issued Circular 2006-21 informing the people of the presence of a certain Fr. Carlo Layson, who introduced himself as a priest from Capiz, Aklan.

“Fr. Carlo Layson, DCC, from the Archdiocese of Capiz, is not a Roman Catholic priest,” Canlas said.

He claimed that Layson has celebrated mass, solemnized weddings and baptisms in Manila while noting that, in the process, “he has misled many Catholic faithful.”

Canlas directed parishes to launch an information campaign during masses to warn the people and urged parishes and the public to always demand a celebret to avoid individuals posing as priests officiating weddings, administering the sacraments of baptism and celebrating masses, among others.

A celebret is a letter that a bishop gives to a priest to certify that the priest is allowed to say mass and is free from canonical censures.

After conducting an identity check, Canlas said Layson was not a priest from Capiz.

As horrible as the other stuff is, the "celebrating [invalid] masses" is the one that really gets me the most.

Hurting for blog reading material this Sunday night?

Against the Grain has the cure for you!

(I'd be blogging too but tonight I'm engaged in a battle-to-the-finish with my last assignments for the semester...)

Oh great, they went ahead and did it.

China, that is:

BEIJING (Reuters) - China pressed ahead with appointing a new bishop to its state-sanctioned Catholic Church on Sunday and warned the Vatican not to interfere, risking a deepening rift with the Vatican which objected to the promotion. More.

Your PPOTD (Papist-Picture-of-the-Day): Sunday, April 30 - YOU CAPTION!

Pope Benedict: "My dear friends: Today, I want to talk about materialism."

*clears throat and repeats very clearly into the microphone*: "MA-TER-I-A-LIS-M."

(more good ones in the comments!)

[photo: REUTERS/Chris Helgren]

I never thought I'd see an offensive TEXT advertisement

Sadly, I was wrong:

Shame on these folks for using Terri Schiavo's tragic plight (and death) to sell their services.

Shame on Yahoo! for letting them. Do you think they would permit an ad saying "Don't get caught like Princess Diana - wear a seatbelt."??

(I'm sorry if my example is offensive, I picked the first tasteless one that came to mind, because this is tasteless - at the very least.)

A little public service message (in picture form)

"... because you never know who could be reading."

"... doh!"

New Cardinal Arinze Podcast Up + a Great One-Liner!

Rob of Familyland was kind enough to notify me about the most recent Cardinal Arinze Podcast (which he produces) being made available today:

Cardinal Arinze on Vatican II (MP4 format)

From this new episode's summary:

"Who better than Cardinal Arinze to explain the documents of the 2nd Vatican Council? He was there! This time he'll enlighten us about the documents on Holy Scripture (Dei Verbum) & the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium). Listen to Arinze, find the heart of the Church." [source]

The Cardinal gets off a nice one-liner soundbyte in this episode:
"The Catholic Church is not a piece of the Vatican Museum."

Good stuff as always.

I'm enjoying my read through Cardinal Arinze's biography, God's Invisible Hand. I'm enjoying it so much, in fact, that I dont want to read any faster than one chapter a day because I don't want it to end yet. *sigh* I'll survive.

"Large Mammal" + Top 1000 TTLB

Yes...!

If you run a blog, now would be a great time to blogroll me or join TTLB (and then blogroll me).

Now, to go meet Cardinal Tumi ...

Amy Welborn is coming to my neck of the woods this weekend!

Hooray!

Jim Tucker of Dappled Things a "dissenter in the flock"?

Well, that's what Jeffrey MacDonald of the Religion News Service (and currently appearing in the Washington Post) would have you believe about Jim Tucker of the blog Dappled Things:

"Religious bloggers run the gamut of topics, but challenging their own authorities is shaping up to be a favorite:

...

· In the Diocese of Arlington, the Rev. Jim Tucker speculates in his blog about why Catholic bishops do not welcome disgruntled clerics from other denominations, a practice he describes as "an opportunity being terribly missed." [source]

Now, I've often read Fr. Jim Tucker's blog, Dappled Things, and describing him primarily as one who challenges authority (particularly in a article titled "Blogs Give Voice to the Dissenters in the Flock") seems grossly misaccurate.

I dug up Fr. Jim's full post on this topic and I think everyone would agree it is far more balanced and "non-dissenting" than MacDonald's short quotation and context would lead one to believe.

My quick question (besides what Fr. Jim thinks about this): How deep did MacDonald have to dig in the Catholic blogosphere before he found the "dissent" he was looking for?

I'd argue he should still dig deeper - because he failed to quite find it this time around...

Oh well, to borrow the ending sentence from Fr. Jim's own carefully-worded blog disclaimer: "All of this should go without saying, but common sense is surprisingly uncommon."

Email-wielding Church officials? Could it actually happen? Are we that lucky?

Perhaps responding to the recent media feeding frenzy on Cardinal Martini and Barragan's comments and the "lag time" of a few days before Cardinal Barragan or anyone in a position of authority issued some clarifying thoughts, this statement gets made:

From Zenit:

"According to the director of communications of the conference of U.S. bishops, dioceses need to be better prepared with "timely responses, especially in potentially controversial matters." Monsignor Francis Maniscalco, speaking at the 5th Professional Seminar for Church Communications Offices, added that it is obvious that "the more timely the response in a critical situation the better." [Read more]

So, does this mean we can expect "blog.usccb.org" to be launched soon? :-) Well, maybe not.

However, this very interesting proposal is mentioned:

"[i]nstead of resting from the media for a blessed respite after the crisis, Church communicators should see to it that every media outlet in their vicinity receives an e-mail alerting them about a story-idea, containing a correction that needs to be made of an error about the Church published or aired, or offering a word of appreciation for good coverage."

I can't even begin to imagine a world where that is done... it seems too much to ask for. Or is it?

This idea reminds me of a sequence of events Dom noticed suggesting that Cardinal Levada used email earlier this year to save the Church from an embarassing situation during the Boston Catholic charities controversy.

Couldn't a few more judicious (and timely) emails here and there plug a few holes in the dike? Is that just not the way these things work?

The news story de jour: "Report: 'Da Vinci' Boycott Urged"

Dozens upon dozens of media sources are picking up on this story:

Report: 'Da Vinci' Boycott Urged

ROME -- A Vatican official reportedly called for a boycott of the upcoming "The Da Vinci Code" film Friday, saying it contained "slanderous" offenses against Christianity that would have provoked a worldwide revolt had they been directed against Islam or the Holocaust.

Monsignor Angelo Amato _ Pope Benedict XVI's former No. 2 when Benedict was head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith _ made the comments in a speech at the Pontifical Holy Cross University, which is run by the conservative Catholic movement Opus Dei, the ANSA news agency reported.

"I hope all of you boycott this film," the Italian agency quoted Amato as saying. He said the film, based on the best-selling novel by Dan Brown, was full of "offenses, slander, historical and theological errors concerning Jesus, the gospel and the church."

"Slander, offenses and errors that if they were directed toward the Quran or the Shoah would have justifiably provoked a worldwide revolt," he said, referring to Islam's holy book and the Hebrew word for Holocaust.

"Yet because they were directed toward the Catholic Church, they remain 'unpunished,'" he said. [More]

Three things strike me:

• First, it's interesting how readily Church officials are now making the comparison between overblown Islamic responses to the desecration of their beliefs vs. the Christians' track record of playing fair... I don't know what it means, but I think it should be noted.
• Second, I don't think I'm going to see this film in the theaters. I simply don't feel like giving my money to the project, at all. The "othercott" idea - going to see another movie instead, sounds very appealing, however.

Third: I wonder if it would be a nice little service to sit outside a local theater on opening weekend and hand out pamphlets (such as this one by Amy Welborn - sold in packs of 50) that disprove the historical claims made in the Da Vinci Code.

You wouldn't even have to get into debates with people necessarily - just invite them to read the pamphlet. You could say something like, "Okay, you've been entertained - now learn the truth."

Of course, If you chose to get into (charitable) discussions with people - and it would be hard not to - I would in that case recommend seeing the movie because you should always be well-informed about what you are talking about...

Any comments? Has someone else already suggested this?

More analysis of the Chicago Tribune on "religious blog mania"

Dom points out this story in the Chicago Tribune entitled "Religious blogs test beliefs, power structure" which has a very odd (read: biased) take on the Catholic blogosphere. You can read Dom's comments (on certain quotes from the article) right here.

I'd like to take a look at the other three paragraphs that discuss "Catholic blogs" in this article:

"In light of blog mania, religious organizations are getting proactive to make the voices of their top authorities more accessible. Posting the actual words spoken by Pope Benedict XVI on any number of topics, for instance, has become a priority for church staffers in an age when people seem to value messages that come directly from "the horse's mouth."

Interestingly, the pope's official texts have been published in the Acta Sanctae Sedis from before the 1900s, and in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis up until the present day. The difference is that one can more easily and quickly access the texts now - but that's equally true of everything with the internet.

"People want to know, `What did he say? What did the pope actually say?'" said Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. "This enables people to get material without it being filtered by the media."

Yes, exactly: "without being filtered [and neutered] by the media."

Meanwhile, reform-minded dissidents are finding the Internet enables them to bypass religious authorities altogether in a way that was virtually impossible, at least in terms of mass media, just 15 years ago.

... and maybe *gasp* also lets loyal Catholics voice their support for tradition and authority because the liberal elite have a stranglehold on the mass media? Hmm...

Finally, this could just be the path I tread, but I don't see that many dissident blogs really giving it a serious go... there seems to be a strange lack of liberal Catholic blogging enthusiasm out there - or again - is this just me?

Hey, send me some links ... I'd love to take a look at their comboxes.

Oh that's right. I bet they keep them closed.

Doh! And after we'd heard so much about Vatican-Chinese relations being on the mend...

... this happens:

China plans to ordain bishop, defying Vatican

Beijing, Apr. 28 (AsiaNews) - Chinese officials are planning to ordain a new bishop without the approval of the Holy See, the AsiaNews service reports. The ordination would jeopardize the progress made in recent talks between Beijing and Rome.

Father Bernardo Cervellera, the director of AsiaNews, reports that the government-approved Chinese Patriotic Association plans to ordain Father Ma Yinglin as Bishop of Kunming, in a ceremony set for Saturday, April 30. [source]

AsiaNews.it has more.

Drudge Watch: the important catholic stories for today

Drudge Report is highlighting:

• Pope: Lack of Love Behind Failed Marriages (I agree.)
• "Boycott Da Vinci Code film": top Vatican official (I agree.)

Today is the feast day of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla!

Today is the feast day of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla, the recently-recognized Pro-Life saint. I had the great honor of attending her Mass of canonization two years ago in Rome (it was also the last Mass of canonization done by Pope John Paul II, I think). I'll try to dig up some pictures of that event sometime later when I have access to the computer that hosts them.

More available here from the Saint Gianna society:

"The canonization of Saint Gianna is the first of its kind. Many mothers have been beatified for their heroic virtues but they entered religious life after becoming widowed. In St Gianna’s case, the very condition of her being a spouse and mother is being exalted and highlighted. St Gianna is the first canonized woman physician and professional who was also a "working mom"."

The Prayer of Saint Gianna:

"Jesus, I promise You to submit myself to all that You permit to befall me, make me only know Your will. My most sweet Jesus, infinitely merciful God, most tender Father of souls, and in a particular way of the most weak, most miserable, most infirm which You carry with special tenderness between Your divine arms, I come to You to ask You, through the love and merits of Your Sacred Heart, the grace to comprehend and to do always Your holy will, the grace to confide in You, the grace to rest securely through time and eternity in Your loving divine arms."

Book resources for her life story and message:

• Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla: A Woman's Life
• Saint Gianna Molla: Wife, Mother, Doctor
• Love Letters to My Husband (by Saint Gianna)

Hers is an excellent and most-worthy witness in today's world - spread the word!

Once again, more information available at the Saint Gianna society website.

As promised, Magister on the Cardinal Martini fallout

Running between classes right now, will take a look at it later. Until then, here is the story:

Carlo Maria Martini’s “Day After”

The text of the cardinal published in “L’espresso” greatly irritated the Church’s leadership. Some have interpreted it as the manifesto of an antipope. Here is a summary of the reactions, plus a commentary by Pietro De Marco." Read on.

Vatican Information Service Brief Debriefing

"The Holy Father today received in [a] separate audience: Bishop Robert James Carlson of Saginaw (USA)."
Bishop Carlson is awesome. Anytime he and the Holy Father get together is a good time for rejoicing!

Your Papist-Picture-of-the-Day: Friday, April 28

As a good and loyal Papist, Mrs. Tony Blair was in Rome today for her ad limina visit, reporting on recent decisions made in the UK by her political puppet, her husband the prime minister.

(...and she gets to wear white!)

Related news article: "Pope blames loveless world for low birthrates."

[photo: AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano]

Catholics for a Free Choice call for Vatican change on condoms

"Catholics for a Free Choice", who are behind the "Condoms 4 Life" initiative - which launched a massive ad campaign during the last world youth day to promote condom use - predictably issued a call this week urging Pope Benedict to change Church teaching on the use of condoms:

"Last week, the Condoms4Life campaign welcomed the news that another prominent cardinal had come forward to make a stand in support of the culture of life. Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini joined a growing chorus of voices within the church suggesting that for couples where one partner has HIV/AIDS, the use of condoms is “a lesser evil.” Now we hear that the pope himself has commissioned the Council on Health Care to study this issue in the interest in changing it long-contentious stand against the use of condoms, even to prevent the spread of disease."

...

"We ask that Benedict XVI show courage, compassion and vision and that he lift this ban against condoms as a step to promote a true culture of life." [source]

It's nice they appropriate our language (for instance, "culture of life"). The ad campaign promoting condoms that they organized for world youth day also included pictures of two men gazing lovingly at each other, and their latest newsletter ("Conscience") has a picture of two lesbians kissing accompanied by the main article's title as a caption "Catholic Pride... and Prejudice: the story behind the hierarchy's obsession with sexuality."

The list of follies goes on and on, but what irks me in all this the most, however, is that they get to use the name of a prominant Catholic cardinal as being "on their side" as they issue their pleas to the Vatican.

UK Tablet article & editorial on the condom debate

Mirror of Justice points to this article by the UK Tablet on the Condom Debate.

MOJ also highlights an editorial in the April 29th issue. A quotation:

"But the real problem for the Catholic Church lies elsewhere. Under the doctrine spelled out in the encyclical Humanae Vitae in 1968, any use of condoms, for whatever reason, is immoral. There is no leeway for arguments about a lesser evil; it is irrelevant how effective condoms are against Aids. But it is also well known that in the panoply of Catholic moral teaching, that on contraception is most often disregarded by the faithful. Can the Vatican approve the use of contraceptives in connection with Aids, even in the textbook case of a married couple, without reopening the wider debate? Would that not be interpreted as a retreat from Humanae Vitae? Indeed, has the time come for such a move anyway, with Aids as the catalyst for an overdue development of doctrine? The Pope will be well aware of all these questions."

"In 1968 the most persuasive reason advanced in favour of retaining the ban on artificial birth control was that to lift it would signal that the Church could change its mind, and hence undermine its teaching authority. That is ironic, given the damage done to that authority by the furore that followed. Today, however, far from weakening its position, the Church would gain much public credit by admitting that condoms should not be ruled out as a protection against HIV-Aids, even if the practical questions concerning their advisability remain to be addressed. And if that opens the door to wider issues, then so be it." [More]

Well, at least the other side admits that the "lesser evil" argument is bunk and that any ruling in favor of condom use in the "textbook case of a married couple" would be a retreat from stated Catholic doctrine.

Circumcision, Fidelity More Effective HIV Prevention Methods Than Condoms, Abstinence, Researchers Say

From Medical News Today (and currently being highlighted by the Drudge Report):

Promoting male circumcision and fidelity to one partner seems to be more effective at curbing the spread of HIV than promoting abstinence and condom use, USAID researcher and technical adviser Daniel Halperin said last week, the Chicago Tribune reports.

As Halperin and other researchers analyze 20 years of studies on HIV/AIDS throughout Africa, they have tried to "put aside intuitions, emotions, ideologies and look at the evidence in as coldhearted a way as we can," Halperin said.

During a speech at a meeting of the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society in Johannesburg, South Africa, Halperin said he and his colleagues discovered that regular sex partners rarely use condoms, and abstinence merely delays HIV infection among young people by one or two years.

For example, condom use in Ghana and Senegal seems to have helped in the reduction of the spread of the HIV, which in those countries is particularly prevalent among commercial sex workers and their partners. However, condom use in South Africa and Botswana has had little effect in reducing those countries' HIV epidemics -- which have reached the general population -- because regular sex partners rarely use condoms consistently.

In comparison, faithfulness to one partner has worked at reducing HIV prevalence in Uganda and Kenya, according to Halperin. Because a person is more likely to transmit HIV during the first three weeks of contracting the virus, an HIV-positive person who has just one partner during that time is likely to pass the disease to that one person.

But if an HIV-positive person in the highly infectious stage has many sexual partners at a time, "the virus spreads like wildfire" as those people in turn have sex with other people, Halperin said. In addition, circumcision has been shown to reduce male-to-female HIV transmission by 60% to 75% (Goering, Chicago Tribune, 4/23).

A study published in the November 2005 issue of PLoS Medicine of men living in South Africa finds that male circumcision might reduce the risk of men contracting HIV through sexual intercourse with women by about 60%. Male circumcision might also reduce the risk of HIV transmission from HIV-positive men to their female partners, according to a study of couples in Rakai, Uganda (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 2/9). [source]

Fidelity works?! Wow, science never ceases to amaze. One sentence from this report does mystify me, though: "abstinence merely delays HIV infection among young people by one or two years." Well, clearly abstinence only practiced for two years ... only works two years.

But combine "abstinence" with "fidelity to one parter" ... hey, now you've got something! Hmm, what does that sound like? Well, it sounds rather like the Church's teaching on sex and marriage to me. And circumcision? I seem to remember that being somehow a part of the Old Covenant...

Bishop Wuerl to replace Cardinal McCarrick in Washington DC?

Rocco reports on the rumors:

"Speculation indicating that Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh will succeed Cardinal Theodore McCarrick as archbishop of Washington has increased markedly in recent days. Earlier today, it was even buzzed that the appointment could come as soon as tomorrow morning; that theory was discounted on further review."

"Whatever the case, the timetable for the Washington transition has been noticeably expedited." [More]

Only two mainstream sources are speculating about this possibility right now. KDKA Pittsburg, for one, and then a much longer story from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review:

"I would think that he would be considered. Given his position in the American church, the familiarity that Rome has with him and the time he spent in Rome, I would not be surprised if he was named the archbishop of Washington," Francesco Cesareo, dean of the McAnulty College of Liberal Arts at Duquesne University, said Sunday.

"The only person who knows is Benedict. A lot of speculation can happen. Until he makes a decision and he makes an announcement, all it is is speculation," Cesareo said.

...

The Rev. Ronald P. Lengwin, spokesman for the Pittsburgh Diocese, said neither he nor Wuerl has any information that Wuerl is a candidate for the Washington post. Lengwin said Wuerl would have no comment.

Lengwin said it's no surprise that Wuerl's name surfaces when there is talk of naming cardinals because of Wuerl's reputation in the church.

"The confidence in him leads to it -- from all his positions he enjoys in the church," Lengwin said.

Wuerl worked with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI a little more than a year ago, on a number of projects, including the development of the new Catholic catechism in the late 1980s. [More]

I don't know much about Wuerl. I have heard that his Catechism for Adults is very decent (and popular - it's also available in a Q&A format), as is his companion book to the CCC, "The Catholic Way." Beliefnet commends him for his handling of the sex-abuse scandal (or really, lack of one) within his diocese ... that's a good sign normally.

"Canonization and the emerging Benedict XVI"

In follow-up to the news story reported earlier today:

Canonization and the emerging Benedict XVI

Of those matters we know anything about (an important qualification when discussing papal activities), Benedict XVI's letter to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints seems to me to be one of the most important things he's done to date. It certainly shows the clearest difference between him and John Paul II to emerge so far. Benedict XVI could have communicated his concerns about the beatification and canonization process in a simple telephone call; instead he wrote a short treatise on the topic. The world was meant to take notice...

Read the rest.

Archdiocese of Munich taking on MTV's "PopeTown"

From the AP:

Munich archdiocese rejects MTV concession to German criticism of 'Popetown'

BERLIN (AP) - The Munich archdiocese on Thursday rejected a concession made by music channel MTV after criticism in Germany of its "Popetown'' cartoon, vowing to press ahead with legal efforts to keep the program off the air.

The cartoon, which depicts the pope as a pogo-stick riding brat, has stirred protests from the Roman Catholic church and conservative politicians, particularly in Pope Benedict XVI's native Bavaria.

On Wednesday, the channel said it would broadcast only the first episode on May 3 and would consider public reaction before deciding to air more. The Munich archdiocese had pressed it to back off airing the program, and said it was not satisfied.

"The broadcaster's proposal to air one program in the series, have a public discussion and then decide on further broadcasts is perfidious in that an attempt is being made to commercialize the legitimate protest rather than show sense,'' a statement from the archdiocese said.

It added that the archdiocese would pursue legal move to prevent the series being broadcast and would announce its next move May 2. [More]

St. Blogs commentary:

• Closed Cafeteria - first post (some sample stills from the show)
• Closed Cafeteria - the Popetown website's blasphemous "virtual confessional":

"MTV Germany also has what they call a "virtual Confessional" - enter your name,
city and your sin, press "Confess", then the screen says "absolution"." [!!!]

• Holy Whapping - "We are not amused" about Popetown's unbelievably offensive magaine ad:

"To give you an idea of what we're dealing with here, you might have a look at the (to put it mildly, blasphemous) poster they've prepared for the show. The German reads, "Laugh Instead of Hanging Around," and shows a hideously grinning image of Our Suffering Lord watching TV. Utterly disgusting. (The original version does not have the text in red.) For more news on the subject, click here, and here."

• PowerBlog has some good thoughts about Viacom, the company funding the show:

"The interesting things is Comedy Central and MTV [producers of Popetown] are both owned by the media conglomerate Viacom. Viacom also own CBS, CMT, LOGO, Neopets, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, TV Land, Noggin, Spike TV, VH1, Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks Studios and local Infinity Pittsburgh radio stations 93.7, 100.7, 107.9 and KDKA. What is is being pumped into our life by Viacom?"

I hope the Archdiocese of Munich gets this piece of trash canned.

[Technorati Tags: Popetown]

"Pope raising standards for beatification" - report

From CWNews:

Vatican, Apr. 27 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI has called for tighter limits on the number of candidates for beatification, in a message to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

In a long letter to Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Pope Benedict said that a cause should not be opened unless there is "a proven reputation for holiness." The Pope's letter was sent on April 24, as the Congregation opened its plenary meeting; the text was released by the Vatican on April 27.

More from Catholic News Agency.

Reversing JP2's precedent? Or more precisely, returning to the pre-JP2 norm.

Bloglines: a fantastic blog-reading web tool

If you've already heard about this wonderful little service, no need to continue reading.

Since over 50 brave souls now subscribe to the AP syndicated feed using the (completely free) Bloglines service, I thought I'd take a quick moment to explain its handly time-saving features to everyone else (especially to anyone who uses bookmarks or types-out the blog address everytime they want to visit their favorite blogs!).

The Bloglines features that I enjoy:

• You can subscribe to the syndicated feed of any blog you enjoy reading and it will keep track of which posts you've already read. It also handles "updated" or "multiple" revision posts and remembers to re-mark them as "unread" so you don't miss anything important.
• No matter what computer you are using - at home, at work, at school - it remembers what posts you've read already and only shows the new ones (while keeping the old ones archived). This is perfect for me since I normally read blogs from 2-3 locations a day (including public portals) - this way I don't waste as much time re-reading old news ... as long as the computer can access the internet, I'm set.
• It even handles displaying embedded pictures in posts - important for enjoying PPOTDs!
• You can also subscribe to the local weather (with a couple clicks), as well as news feeds from popular media portals (Google News, Washington Post, Zenit, etc...). Essentially allowing you to keep track of all your blog and news headlines in one portable web location.
• Finally, you can subscribe to the comments feeds of blogs (providing you know how to find them) and keep track of those more easily as well. The link for my comments feed is right here.

Bloglines has many more features that I haven't explored yet. I only use the "My Feeds" tab on the far left of the mainpage. If you decide to register a free account with them, feel free to come back to this post and click here - it will automatically add the AP syndicated feed to your subscriptions. :-)

DecentFilms gives United 93 a positive endorsement

Just listening to Steve Greydanus of DecentFilms speaking on the Heart, Mind & Strength radio program. He gave the soon-to-be-released movie United 93 a big two thumbs up.

United 93 official movie site

Watch the United 93 movie trailer

Maybe I'll let myself go see it this weekend if I get my work out of the way...

Oh please, doesn't this count towards favoritism?

From Reuters:

LONDON (Reuters) - Three weeks after a British court passed judgment in the copyright case involving Dan Brown's bestseller "The Da Vinci Code," a lawyer has uncovered what may be a secret message buried in the text of the ruling.

Lawyer Dan Tench noticed some letters in the judgment had been italicized, and it suddenly dawned on him that they spelled a phrase that included the name of the judge: "Smith code."

Read the rest.

They are now trying to figure out the rest of the Judge's "code" which consists of the letters "smithcodeJaeiextostpsacgreamqwfkadpmqz."

Personally I think it'll code to "You're guilty as the day is long Dan brown but I liked your spunk - not guilty."

Magister to analyze media fallout from Martini comments tomorrow

From CNA:

Rome, Apr. 27, 2006 (CNA) - In an article entitled, the “Day After Carlo Maria Martini”, set for publication in English on Friday, Italian journalist Sandro Magister of “L’Espresso” analyzes the reactions to the controversial statements by Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini regarding the morality of condom use.

Magister’s article will include both public statements as well as reactions from inside the Italian Bishops’ Conference to the proposals of the former Archbishop of Milan who, among other things, told “L’Espresso” that life does not begin at the moment of conception; an issue considered “non-negotiable” by the Catholic Church in terms of its defense of human life.

Magister will also include reactions by sociologist and former member of the Socialist Party, Paolo Sorbi, who is now head of the Pro-life movement of the Archdiocese of Milan, and Bishop Dante Lafranconi, who heads up the Italian bishops’ Committee on Family and Life.

I'll link it when it gets posted.

Your Papist-Picture-of-the-Day: Wednesday, April 26

"Allright everbody, let's keep our eye on the ball: God is love and we will work this out!"

[photo credit: AP Photo/Plinio Lepri]

The Condom Debate: Wednesday Recap

The major news item for today was John Allen's "Word from Rome", which I've responded to briefly here. Basically, I think John Allen's news sources are either outdated, plain wrong, or at least quickly being contradicted by the other more recent statements that are coming from Vatican officials.

Some other headlines today on the topic:

From CNS: "Vatican officials say condom-AIDS study still in consultation stage"

Speaking to Vatican Radio April 25, the cardinal clarified his remarks, saying his council had undertaken a study that would find its way through usual Vatican channels to the pope, who would decide how to use it.

The Vatican sources said Cardinal Lozano's office had been asked to study one aspect of the wider question of condoms and AIDS, which has been under quiet examination at the Vatican for at least 10 years.

"No document has been prepared yet. Cardinal (Lozano) Barragan was asked to respond to a particular question concerning use of condoms to prevent transmission of the disease between a husband and wife," one source said.

"(Cardinal Lozano) gave his input. Now we have to hear what the competent Vatican agencies have to say," he said.

"From this consultation of officials of Vatican departments that are directly involved in the question, the Holy Father will draw material for his own decision," the source said.

The pope will probably have one of the Vatican agencies issue a document of some type, the source said. There are two possibilities: a broad document on condoms and disease prevention, or a more limited pastoral note that focuses on the situation of married couples in which one partner is infected. Both have potential problems, in the eyes of the Vatican.

From CNA: "Cardinal Lozano [Barragan] announces Vatican document on AIDS prevention"

Cardinal Lozano [Barragan] said he was disappointed that most agencies involved in preventing the spread of the disease understand prevention “as the condom…Certainly the Catholic Church believes that the most important form of prevention is abstinence and marital fidelity: in this way absolutely nothing can happen.”

The cardinal said the question of the use of condoms in marriages in which one partner is HIV positive poses a “problem.”

“Precisely in this sense we are preparing a profound study that will be both scientific and moral. This study will certainly be presented to the Holy Father through the necessary channels and the Holy Father, according to his wisdom and with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, will make the decision and will tell us which way to go. What he says will be the position of the Church,” the cardinal said.

Lifesite News has some coverage, and speculates about a scenario I thought likely as well:

And in comments which have some suggesting that he [Cardinal Barragan] may have been reprimanded for his loose comments he told Zenit: "I repeat: What I think and my commitment is simply to be an echo of what the Pope says. I don't have a personal opinion as head of this dicastery. My official opinion is to reproduce exactly to the letter what the Pope says."

It is at least clear that Cardinal Barragan is either a) very unhappy about the way his comments were taken or b) very embarassed by the effect caused by the comments that he did make.

... finally, in my ever-bemused survey of the mainstream media's coverage of this topic, we have Nora Boustany of the Washington Post interviewing the liberal Bishop Kevin Dowling. I especially enjoyed this quote (there are, of course, many others I could highlight):

"Dowling was in Washington this week to address a forum on the issue sponsored by Physicians for Human Rights. Although he is the only one among South Africa's 30-strong Council of Bishops to take a stand in favor of condom access, his peers understand that he is struggling with the question. "I would not say I am the black sheep," he said. "I am just different."

... the only one in the whole council to dissent, eh? And which one do we interview? You guessed it!

Diogenes isn't very pleased either...

Prior posts on this topic: [Tuesday Recap.] [Overview of the story/links to articles.]

Technorati Tags: Catholic, Church, condom, condoms, cardinal, HIV, AIDS, Pope, Benedict, Martini, Barragan.

Archbishop of Dublin opposes Charles Curran's participation in theology conference

From CNA:

Dublin, Apr. 26, 2006 (CNA) - The Archdiocese of Dublin has expressed the Church’s opposition to the participation of Father Charles Curran in a controversial Theology conference due to be held at St. Patrick’s College in Maynooth, Ireland later this month.

The conference, titled, “The Risks of Theology” is taking place within the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Dublin although officials clarified that the Church is in no way involved with its organization.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said in a statement that “Rev. Charles Curran, while being a Roman Catholic Priest in good standing, has been declared by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith as ‘not suitable and not eligible to exercise the functions of professor of Catholic theology’.”

The statement, they said, was in response to queries regarding Fr. Curran’s invitation to the event.

I had the privilege to meet and serve Mass for Archbishop Martin last summer (he was doing English-language catechesis in the parishes of Koln leading up to World Youth Day).

Fr. Charles Curran, among other things, opposes the Church's teaching on contraception. If you want to hear him debate his views with a prominant Pro-Life moral theologian, click here.

Poland to clean up it's act ... for a few days anyway

Found via Papa Razi Post:

TV to ban erotic ads during pope’s visit

Poland’s TVP public broadcaster is to ban television adverts containing erotic and violent scenes during Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the country next month, officials said.

“Programmes of masses will obviously not be accompanied by publicity,” Zbigniew Badziak, the TVP official responsible for publicity, told AFP. “For other programmes linked to the pope’s visit, we will eliminate all advertisements that could hurt religious feelings, particularly those containing violent or erotic scenes.” Badziak also said TVP would avoid transmitting adverts for products such as beer and intimate hygiene items during the pope’s visit.

“It was the same during visits to Poland by Pope John Paul II,” he added. Benedict XVI’s May 25-28 visit is due to take in Warsaw, Krakow, the former Nazi death camp at Auschwitz, the shrine of the Black Madonna in Czestochowa, and Wadowice, the birthplace of John Paul II. Over 90 percent of Poles profess to be Roman Catholic. -AFP-

The Vatican just released the Pope's Poland-trip schedule. Looks like this page is due for an updating...

Time Mag. "cracks" Opus Dei

So Time is trying to tackle Opus Dei, eh?

Read their expose here.

Carl Olson has a few laughs and posts a few thoughts after reading it.

And before I forget again, Chris Blosser (Ratzinger Fan Club) has an excellent resource center for all things Da Vinci Code.

John Allen: "Breaking News" that is already outdated

Several dutiful readers have alerted me to John Allen's most recent "word from Rome" story entitled, "Vatican draft document would approve condoms for married couples with AIDS."

Quick response: John Allen is wrong that the Vatican is about to approve condoms for married couples. He bases his claims on outdated comments made by Cardinal Barragan that the Cardinal himself has already taken back in this interview with Zenit yesterday (which I presume Allen has not read).

I would pursue this question further but I have three pressing engagements today. Read Allen's article, then read the Zenit interview, and everything should be cleared up. If not, I have plenty of reading material on this issue right here.

Why IP released a hardcover edition of Deus Caritas Est

Ignatius Press is releasing a hardcover edition of Deus Caritas Est on May 10th.

Now why would they do that?

"... because the hardcover edition is more impressive when set side-to-side with one of those softcover editions of the Book of Mormon."

"... because in 63% of studies, the hardcover edition deflected attacking heresies with greater effectiveness."

"... because the hardcover edition creates a louder *bam!* when slammed down on a podium during a debate with a fundamentalist."

"... because the hardcover edition serves as a better support to weak biblical arguments." (hehe)

"... because they believe in tough love, of course!"

... oh, that's why! :-)

The Condom Debate, Tuesday Recap

For my complete coverage of the recent Condom Debate, pleased click through one of the following links.

• Cardinal Barragan's interview today with Zenit
• Where the condom controversy currently stands
• The best single article to read if you want to get caught up on the debate
• My complete roundup of the story since it first went public

Update: The media continues to claim that Pope Benedict is reconsidering the Church's stance on condom use, as Mirror of Justice points to this MSNBC Nightly News report (I have not been able to view the video myself yet). However, from this most recent interview with a Vatican official, I think it is clear that such a claim is not accurate.

Update 2: I finally was able to view the MSNBC Nightly News Report. I once again enjoyed how they've already decided every issue related to the question - gee, I guess that saves Pope Benedict having to do anything.

Update 3: I only had a moment to glance at it, but it looks like the AP story is a bit more objective.

[I'm stickying this post to the top of the page until tonight, so scroll down for new posts]

This week's Catholic Carnival is up!

... hosted this week by Eddy Lee's blog: To Jesus Through Mary

Check it out!

Video of the Dancing iPope Commercial

... it had to happen:



h/t: Curt Jester via Canterbury Tales

[tags: iPod, Pope, Benedict]

Zenit interviews Cardinal Barragan Re the condom debate

Some amazing (and much needed) words were published today from Cardinal Barragan in a clarifying interview with Zenit obviously responding to last weekend's media blitz.

You can read the complete interview here.

For now I'll just excerpt the last line from the interview:

"I [Cardinal Barragan] repeat: What I think and my commitment is simply to be an echo of what the Pope says. I don't have a personal opinion as head of this dicastery. My official opinion is to reproduce exactly to the letter what the Pope says."

...Yeah. It's that good...

New Coadjutor bishop for Venice, Florida

CWNews has the story:

Apr. 25 (CWNews.com) - The third-ranking official of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Msgr. Frank Dewane, has been appointed Bishop of Venice, Florida.

The Vatican has not named a replacement for the American priest, who has served as undersecretary of the Pontifical Council since 2002. His departure is likely to stimulate new speculation about a possible "consolidation" of offices in the Roman Curia.

More from the SW Florida News-Press:

The Diocese of Venice will announce at noon today a Coadjutor Bishop, who will work side-by-side with Bishop John Nevins until his retirement in early 2007.

The Coadjutor eventually will become the new bishop of the 250,000 Catholics in the 10-county diocese. His [name] is Monsignor Frank J. Dewane, 56, ordained in Green Bay, Wis. at the age of 38. [More]

Graphic: How Abortion Dies (demographically)

"How Abortion Dies" - more from Jimmy Akin.

TomKat clearly didnt know their Hebrew...

Who ever said that knowing biblical languages doesn't have real-life utility?

From ABC News:

Suri, the name chosen by Hollywood couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes for their newborn daughter, is raising more than its share of interest in Israel. It means "get out of here" in the local language, Hebrew.

"I really don't know what they were thinking when they chose this name. It's a term that denotes expulsion, like 'Get out of here'," said Gideon Goldenberg, a linguistics professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

"It's pretty blunt."

A Cruise family spokesman said last week that Suri has its origins in ancient Hebrew, as a variant on Sarah, the biblical matriarch. But that pronunciation is all but unknown in Israel. [source]

I agree with the article, they should have just called her "Scram!"

Where the condom controversy currently stands

UPDATE: Some amazing (and much needed) words were published today from Cardinal Barragan in a clarifying interview with Zenit obviously responding to last weekend's media blitz. [learn more here].

Today's clarifying comments made by Monsignor Guerrero appear to be the last word for now on the issue.

To recap, here are the unique resources I've been able to make available on this debate:

• Hugh Henry's article first published in Christian Order, "Real Sex or 'Safe Sex': The Impending Catholic Controversy." As I've said before, if you read one article on this debate, read this one.

From the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly:

• Letter from William May of the John Paul II Institute. The shortest defense of the anti-condom position by the distinguished moral theologian.
• "Condoms and HIV Prevention" by Peter J. Cataldo, Ph.D., Director of Research, NCBC. Medium-length article on the debate.
• In-depth analysis of the question by Luke Gormally. A much longer treatment.
• Debate between Martin Rhonheimer and Benedict Guevin. Rhonheimer provides the most cogent argument for condom use, while Benedict Guevin disagrees with his position.

Other resources/my commentaries:

• Interview with Cardinal Trujillo (President, Pontifical Council for the Family) concerning condom use
• "Family values vs. safe sex" - by Cardinal Trjillo, President, Pontifical Council for the Family
• Complete English translation of Cardinal Martini's comments
• A small reality check as the issue began to get exaggerated
• News sources begin claiming the Vatican is about to change its teaching on this issue
• A related comment from Pope Benedict on the need for Jesuit obedience?
• A perfect example of liberal spin on Cardinal Martini's comments
• Commentary on the media fallout after Cardinal Martini's comments

Okay, time to take a breather.

[some tags: Catholic, Cardinal, Barragan, Martini, Condom, Condoms, HIV, AIDS]

Oh my. How very disturbing.

Linked to with no comment

(I'd recommend taking the donut out of your mouth before viewing - I wish I had!)

Back when people really took the Liturgy to heart...

Reader Jeff writes in:

Saw your Trid-Indult Poll and thought you might enjoy this vignette which I just sent to some of my friends:

From a quoted reference in a footnote in Klaus Gamber's "The Reform of the Roman Liturgy" (Ratzinger wrote the Preface for the French edition):

"The following episode indicates the bitter hatred that erupted among the people as a result of the reforms [mandating that the Roman Catholic Rhinelanders sing German texts that replaced the ordinary during the Liturgy of the Mass].

In 1787, on the Feast Day of St. John, a great disturbance occurred in the church. The new hymnal was being introduced to replace the Latin choral singing, which heretofore had been the accepted norm.

During High Mass, when the school children were to have responded to the Gloria in excelsis Deo, intoned by the celebrant, with a German song, the people started to hiss, and the choir responded with unusual force and vigor, Et in terra pax hominibus.... As the distubance grew in intensity, the Elector dispatched two companies of infantry, the artillery and two squads of Hussars.

Thirty ringleaders were sentenced to hard labor; and some among them were never to see their fatherland again." (P. 18.)

...ouch!

I don't care, it's still discrimination...

... and I don't have to take it.

(I have nothing against Baptists, mind you)

As Pope Benedict makes his decision, remember:

"I'm watching you, Benny"

(seen over at Fr. Stephanos' backup blog, which has some good pics of Pope Benedict's mass of inauguration

- today being the one year anniversary of that blessed event.)

News Flash: Personal secretary to Barragan clarifies earlier statements

Here we go. Finally some clarification. I'm reprinting this entire article from the Catholic News Agency:

(my comments in bold - I've underlined the important parts)

Vatican City, Apr. 24, 2006 (CNA) - An official from the Pontifical Council for Health and Pastoral Care, presided by Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragán, made it clear today that the recent interview given by the Mexican prelate to the Italian daily La Reppublica, doesn’t hint at any change in the doctrine of the Church on the use of condoms to fight Aids.

First point - Barragan's interview does not imply a change in Church teaching on this issue. Whether Barragan was misquoted, misunderstood or now taking back some of his comments remains to be seen.

Over the weekend, numerous dailies and news agencies have headlined the Cardinal’s interview, in which he declared that: "This is a very difficult and delicate subject that requires prudence. My department is studying this closely with scientists and theologians expressly assigned to draft a document that will be issued soon," he said.

You bet it has gained some attention - as we have been covering. It's satisfying to see a quick response from someone at the Vatican.

The prelate’s declarations became the basis of heavy speculations, especially his thoughts on making “the Church’s position more flexible,” in respect to the use of condoms.

Nevertheless, Msgr. Antonio Soto Guerrero, personal secretary of Cardinal Lozano Barragán, and member of the Pontifical Council for Health, told CNA that “the Doctrine of the Church remains firmly within the principles of Catholic moral. Facing AIDS, there is abstinence; we cannot forget that the issue has to do in large parts to a moral disorder facing the seventh commandment.”

The answer: "abstinence," per the habitual teaching of the Church.

In his remarks to CNA, Msgr. Soto said that “indeed, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , headed by Cardinal William Joseph Levada, is currently studying the possibility of drafting a document on the same issue, and for that reason he has asked for the opinion of the other dicasteries in the Vatican. “

So the document might not even be to the drafting phase yet, and CDF is doing it - Barragan's congregation is just advisory...

“Our dicasteries have already sent very serious studies from members and consulters who are answering to consultations requested by the Congregation (for the Doctrine of the Faith). The Congregation will then carry out a thorough study that will last a few months before presenting the conclusions to the Pope, who will subsequently decide of the publication of a document.”

All very reasonable - and very different from what news sources were saying.

“The moral principle of the Church is the same,” he stressed, “but the situations we have to face changed. It’s rather about applying the doctrine of the Church to always new situations such as AIDS,” said Msgr. Soto.

Okay... now look at the example:

“Let me take a specific example”, he told CNA, in which one member of a couple “has AIDS, and requests matrimony, has the other partner the right to protect his health in any way?”

“The principle”, he said, “remains the defense of life and the conscience that everything that sends back to the fifth commandment includes the seventh one too, the act of fornicating that implies defending life.”

Perfect: the defense of life and conscience - both. Fifth and seventh commandments as normative for decision making.

A much-needed clarification, hopefully news sources will take note...

Msgr. Antonio Soto Guerrero earned his paycheck today, in my book.

Catholic news sources weigh-in on Martini comments

From Catholic News Agency:

Church has not changed position on respect for human life, other moral issues, says Msgr. Sgreccia

"In a conversation with the Catholic News Agency, the prelate [The president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Msgr. Elio Sgreccia] preferred not to directly address the statements by Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, Archbishop emeritus of Milan, saying instead that “at the Vatican, we do not consider it necessary make a controversy out of something that does not merit it.”

...

Regarding the use of the condom, even in order to prevent the spread of AIDS, Msgr. Sgreccia said, "Let us remember that scientifically it does not offer complete protection," and therefore "the most effective method of prevention is in the correct use of sexuality, which consists of chastity and fidelity."

From Catholic News Service:

Vatican preparing document on condom use and AIDS, official says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI has asked a commission of scientific and theological experts to prepare a document on condom use and AIDS prevention, a Vatican official said.

Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, head of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry, said the document would focus, at least in part, on condom use by married couples when one spouse is infected.

He said the document would be made public soon, but refused to give details about the commission's conclusions.

Remember, if you read one article on the issues surrounding the morality of condom usage, read this one.

Complete translation of Cardinal Martini's remarks

Made available by Sandro Magister:

(Regarding condom use by those infected by HIV/AIDS...)

Cardinal Martini: "Everything possible must be done to oppose AIDS. Certainly, in some situations the use of condoms can constitute a lesser evil. Then there is the particular situation of spouses, one of whom is infected with AIDS. The infected one is obligated to protect the other partner, who should also be able to take protective measures. But the question is instead whether it is convenient that the religious authorities be the ones to promote such a means of defense, almost as if it were believed that the other morally sustainable means, including abstinence, should be put in second place, while the risk arises of promoting an irresponsible attitude. So the principle of the lesser evil – which is applicable in all the cases provided for by ethical doctrine – is one thing, while the matter of who should express such things publicly is another. I believe that prudence and the consideration of the different particular situations will permit everyone to contribute effectively to the fight against AIDS without this fostering irresponsible behavior."

Read the whole lengthy interview, and Magister's introductory comments.

Now that's one loving Pope...!

Just look at him go...

"... that's all folks!"

I could watch it all day.

[photo credit: top 5, ALESSIA GIULIANI/CPP; bottom, Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters]

This week's AP Poll: Did you watch God or the Girl? Did you like it?

This week's AP Poll: Did you watch A&E's God or the Girl? Did you like it? Why/Why not?

AP Poll results: Would a universal indult be a good thing?

*wow*

I think the results speak for themselves (290-34-23).

In addition to the 19 comments left in this thread, many people opted to email their comments in to me.

Here are a few:

"We love the Tridentine Mass! Message to Bishops: Let us have it-now!!!"

"Doi! Yeah it's a good thing! Why do you even need to ask?!"

"I voted yes as a matter of principle (though it could hardly be considered an indult in the strict sense), but I have reservations on the practical level. Most notably, I fear what may happen to this pearl of great price when unleashed on a largely undisciplined clergy (and faithful)."

"Definitely. I attend the Tridentine [...] and it is packed with young families with little children. People are dressed appropriately, the liturgy is known and followed and there is a feeling of joy in having attended a Mass that is reverential in being in the presence of God and not a social gathering where, too often, the priest is the center of attention, rather than all facing the tabernacle."

"Our organization [...] gave the results of the Gallup Poll on the Traditional Latin Mass to Pope John Paul II in 1992. Poll result was that 25% of Catholics polled would frequently or always attend the Tridentine Mass if it were in their local parish. We cannot count how many liturgical dropouts would return to the practice of the faith if this rite of Mass were restored. It is a matter of justice."

... and many more good comments. Thanks for the energetic participation!

Your Sunday Night Movie

Even Hannity and Colmes agree on something:



Poor lady, she is pretty clearly mentally unbalanced.

h/t: The Angry Twins

The "condom decision" - decided before it's actually made?

Jeff Miller had an insightful point in one of the comment boxes below:

"[The news coverage of this debate] reminds me of all the reporting in the sixties as to how Pope Paul VI's encylical Humanae Vitae was going to allow the pill."

And sure enough, when all we actually know is that the Vatican may be preparing a document in this issue, I now see headlines like this:

HEALTHCARE: The Vatican to Allow Use of Condoms

"Rome - Soon the Vatican will allow the use of condoms, article published in Rome newspaper La Republica reads." [sic. - source]

Hold on everybody. Last time I read my Ratzinger Fan Club T-Shirt the back reads "Truth is not determined by a majority vote." And this man is pope now. And he still believes that. And thank God.

So don't worry, we're in good hands. And as for the liberal media taking it upon itself to decide a question before it's even being asked ... well, there's nothing new under the sun, now is there?

A helpful clarifying article on the HIV/AIDS + condom debate

Hugh Henry (LLB, BTheol., BA Phil(Hons), Dip. Ed.) of Australia sent me an article he originally published in the June/July 05 issue of Christian Order.

In sum, his article briefly talks about every major point of debate that I've seen brought up in the numerous commment boxes, blogs and articles I've been reading on this issue - and he wrote this all almost a year before this double-bombshell weekend of Martini/Barragan comments.

It's about 10 pages - but really closer to 4 or 5 when you consider double-spacing and some empty space:

"Real Sex or 'Safe Sex': The Impending Catholic Controversy" (PDF)

And just to give everyone a sense of the scale of this issue now: the most recent round of articles (this time on Cardinal Barraga's comments) have been picked up by over 254 online news sources and counting... so I think it would be a good thing to be moderately well-informed about what the issues are because this is quickly filtering through the secular news circuit.

A comic interlude: The Golden Retriever takes shape

Hehe. Thanks, Jeff.

(click here if you don't get it)

Vatican drafting document to permit condom use for those infected with HIV/AIDS?

Amy Welborn has a very significant news discovery today:

Vatican working on document on condom use and AIDS

Rome - The Vatican is expected to permit the use of condoms for AIDS patients, according to an interview with a high-ranking cardinal published Sunday.

The Vatican is currently working on a document on the subject that would be published soon, Vatican 'Health Minister' Javier Lozano Baragan said in an interview with the Italian daily La Repubblica.

The Roman Catholic Church has up till now strictly prohibited the use of condoms even in marriage for AIDS patients and HIV-infected people.

Observers in Rome suggest that a Curial cardinal such as Baragan could only make a statement on a such a sensitive theme when it had been first agreed upon with Pope Benedict XVI.

However the cardinal did not provide details on the Vatican's new rules.

[source]

Amy is careful to note that she is just reporting the facts and she suspends judgement about the reliability of the report. I think she is very wise to do this. Now, in preface, I submit my judgment to the Magisterium - if the Vatican were to issue a document permitting the use of condoms for HIV/AIDS victims, I would submit to that teaching (even as I try to appropriate the reasoning behind it).

However, I think there are a few things one could point to in this story to make the case that such a decision isn't any more likely based on what this story reports.

First, the primary message of this article is that the Vatican is working on a document addressing the question, the only direct mention of which way the Vatican is expected to decide occurrs is the German presse's opening paragraph - there are no direct quotations to that effect, and in the interview with La Repubblica (which has not yet been posted) the Cardinal "did not provide details on the Vatican's new rules."

A second incidental point is that the article doesn't even spell the Cardinal's name right (it's "Barragan").

A third more substantial point is Cardinal Barragan's own track record on this issue:

"I don't care about the condoms yes, condoms no, debate," Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, told a news conference. "What concerns me is that these people are dying and I have to help them." [source]

Quotes can always be taken out of context. But if this is taken out of context, what is to say that the German Presse's comments aren't taken out of context as well?

So far Cardinal Barragan of Mexico and Cardinal Danneels of Belgium (an outspoken liberal) - and now Cardinal Martini (also considered liberal by many) - have taken this position.

My opinion? Either Cardinal Barragan has decided to "ride the wave of condom support" initiated by Cardinal Martini yesterday, or his quotes have been lost in translation somewhere between the Italian and German presses.

But that's just my guess... the La Repubblica article is the next thing we need to watch for.

UPDATE: Reuters has a better version of the story - and doesn't claim to know what's in the document.

Well, it does appear that we are going to get a document on this issue "soon".

Irish Ecumenical Priests risk dismissal from priesthood

I haven't been following this story particularly closely, but this caught my eye:

Priests face Vatican dismissal following ecumenical Mass

Three Augustinian priests who concelebrated Mass with a Church of Ireland clergyman on Easter Sunday could be dismissed from the priesthood by the Vatican.

Fr Iggy O'Donovan, Fr Noel Hession and Fr Richard Goode, prior of St Augustine's in Drogheda, invited Rev Michael Graham, the rector of St Peter's, Drogheda, to join them for the Mass.

The Catholic Church does not recognise the validity of Anglican orders and regards the Church of Ireland as an "ecclesial community" which is not a Church "in the proper sense".

Fr Paul Clayton-Lea, a spokesman for the archdiocese of Armagh, in which the Mass took place, said: "Inquiries are being carried out at the moment by Archbishop Sean Brady."

Because this involved a religious order, it makes it somewhat different to dealing with a diocesan event.

The final outcome would be a matter for the Augustinians.

"However, I don't think there will be any undue delay in the inquiry because this is clearly a matter of great public interest and concern."

The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) - the Catholic Church's doctrinal watchdog - has exclusive powers to deal with "the concelebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice...with ministers of ecclesial communities which do not have apostolic succession and do not acknowledge the sacramental dignity of priestly ordination".

Read the rest.

So this in Levada's court.

Well, I've been thinking, we need a good nickname for Cardinal Levada now that he is the head of CDF.

Hmm, let's see, if Ratzinger was "God's Rottweiler" and we want to continue the canine theme ... how about "The Golden Retriever" for Levada?

"Golden" because of Levada's San Francisco origins (the Golden Gate bridge...) and "Retriever" because many people consider him to be a glorified messenger boy for the ex-head of CDF, Il Papa himself.

Huh? Dig it? Someone wanna bite? Does it have wings? :-P

If some brave soul wants to photoshop something together I'd be much obliged. ;-)

UPDATE: Jeff took a stab at it... take a look-see!

"That mallard had about as much of a chance as women's ordination."

Cardinal Martini Roundup

As you may have noticed, we've been covering Cardinal Martini's controversial comments to the Italian paper L'Espresso (on the legitimacy of condom usage by a spouse infected with HIV/AIDS) in great detail. Here's a roundup of our coverage so far:

1] Pope talks to Jesuits about obedience to the Church
2] A perfect example of liberal spin on Martini's comments
3] A scholarly response to Martini's comments by the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly (and other sources)
4] Media fallout from Martini's comments (and my overview of them)
5] Catholic News Agency alerts to the story in English

6] Real Sex or Safe Sex: the Impending Catholic Controversy - Highly Recommended!

Also: L'Espresso's interview with the Cardinal (in Italian)

UPDATE: Amy points to this story, which claims that the Vatican is currently drafting a document that would permit the use of condoms for AIDS patients. I've posted my reaction to this news story here.

UPDATE 2: Cardinal Barragan's comments about an impending Vatican release of a document on this issue (which looks reputable) is garnering a tremendous amount of attention. A helpful clarifying description of the issues and most common arguments is introduced in this post.

UPDATE 3: A complete translation of Cardinal Martini's remarks and a roundup of Catholic News Coverage.

UPDATE 4: Clarifying interview with Antonio Soto Guerrero, secretary to Cardinal Barragan.

UPDATE 5: An overview of the resources available on this debate, recap of where matters stand.

UPDATE 6: The Condom Debate, Tuesday Recap

UPDATE 7: The Condom Debate, Wednesday Recap

Pope talks to Jesuits today about obedience to the Church

Slightly ironic, considering the recent comments made by a prominant Jesuit (and responded to here):

Pope Reminds Jesuits of Vow of Obedience

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI reminded members of the Jesuit religious order Saturday of their vow of obedience to the pontiff and said their main job was to interact with modern culture.

Benedict made the comments following a Mass in St. Peter's Basilica in honor of the Jesuits, who are marking several anniversaries surrounding the founder of the order, St. Ignatius Loyola, and other prominent members.

Benedict told the prelates that Loyola was a faithful servant of the church.

"And it was from this desire to serve the church in the most useful and efficient way that the vow of special obedience to the pope was born," Benedict said.

More from the AP story.

Rocco has a complete english translation of the Pope's speech, which reveals (among other things) that the Pope expressed the point about loyality to the Church in a very strong and recurring way:

St Ignatius of Loyola was above all a man of God, who gave the first place of his life to God, to his greater flory and his greater service; he was a man of profound prayer, which found its center and its culmination in the daily Eucharistic Celebration.

In this way he left his followers a a precious spiritual inheritance which must not be lost or forgotten. As a man of God, St Ignatius was a faithful servant of the Church, in which he saw and found the spouse of the Lord and the mother of Christians. And from the desire to serve the Church in a more useful and effective way was born the vow of special obedience to the Pope, who he classified as "our first and principal foundation" (Constitutions of the Society of Jesus, I,162).

This ecclesial character, so specific to the Society of Jesus, continues to be present in your persons and in your apostolic activity, dear Jesuits, as you make yourselves able to encounter faithfully the Church's urgent necessities of each time. Among these, I find it important to mark out the cultural imperative in the areas of theology and philosophy, the traditional environs of the apostolic presence of the Society of Jesus, as well as the dialogue with modern culture, which boasts marvelous progresses in the scientific realm, remaining firmly marked by a pos[i]tive and relevant (materialista) science. ... It is good that this tradition be maintained and reinforced, given the growing complexities and vastness of modern culture.

I can't think of a better way to preface an actual call for obedience, specifically on matters of "dialogue with modern culture," than to remind the Jesuits of their "vow of special obedience to the Pope."

Quote for the Day

From Omar Bahlaiwa, secretary general for the Committee for International Trade, a branch of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce, speaking of economic ties between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia:

"We are in a Catholic marriage with America," Mr. Bahlaiwa said, emphasizing that divorce is unthinkable. "But we are also Muslims — we can have more than one wife."

A perfect example of liberal spin on Martini's comments

Martini's position is wrong, and he should have refrained from making his dissenting comments in such a public forum, but in the hands of the press, his erroneous thinking is only compounded.

A perfect example of this is an article in the Toronto Star entitled "Cardinal backs use of condoms" with one of the sub-headlines reading "[Cardinal] Directly contradicts Vatican in interview":

Some quotes:

A man once seen as a possible replacement for Pope John Paul II has broken with the Vatican and publicly backed the use of condoms by married couples to prevent the spread of AIDS.

Married couples, he said, have a responsibility to protect each other.

"Therefore, using a condom would be considered a minor sin and in particular in the case of married couples where the use of a prophylactic would protect the partner and ultimately themselves."

The statement is in direct contradiction to the Vatican's position, which holds that condoms should never be used, even to stop AIDS spreading from one married partner to another.

Martini, considered at the time as a close runner-up in last year's papal election, appeared to break with the Vatican on this issue as well [abstinence and chastity being the best remedy to the epidemic of STDs].

(Here comes my favorite part - the "expert" interviews:)

The Vatican has not commented on Martini's statements, but Suzanne Scorsone, research director with the Archdiocese of Toronto, said the cardinal's comments are not likely to change the Vatican's position, but will form part of the ongoing debate on the issue.

"There are many things that are true and valid, but sometimes some of them come into collision," she told the Star.

Calling Martini an "exceedingly well-informed and exceedingly well-respected figure," Scorsone said he appears to be opening the door to condom use for only a select group — married couples in which one has AIDS.

Rev. John Perry, a Jesuit priest and a professor of religious studies at the University of Manitoba, said there is a growing school of thought in the Catholic church of "double affects," that a single action can have more than one impact. Using a condom is one such act, he said, and is likely what Martini, himself a Jesuit, had in mind in making his comments.

And there are currently over 235 online articles saying substancially the same thing (I'm not counting LifeNews and Catholic News Agency in that total of course).

Responses to the Martini question: National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly

The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly has generously made available to us some recent articles on the questions that Cardinal Martini has raised about condom usage by couples when one spouse is infected with the HIV/AIDS virus.

The three pieces below were originally published in NCBQ (PDF files):

Letter from William May of the John Paul II Institute (3pp.)

Debate between Martin Rhonheimer and Benedict Guevin (14pp.)

In-depth analysis of the question by Luke Gormally (17pp.)

NEW: Originally published in "Ethics and Medecine" (Microsoft Word):

NEW: "Condoms and HIV Prevention" by Peter J. Cataldo, Ph.D., Director of Research, NCBC

You can take out a subscription to the National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly right here, and a subscription to their monthly bulletin "Ethics and Medicine" right here.

Our thanks to Edward J. Furton, M.A., Ph.D., Ethicist and Director of Publications of The National Catholic Bioethics Center for making these scholarly materials available to our readers in a timely fashion. I would recommend considering taking out a subscription to this excellent journal. I'll try to make a few more articles on this topic available soon. In the meantime, please feel free to alert more people to these new resources!

Update: almost 200 online news sources are now covering this story.

Also, two more topical articles:

• Interview with Cardinal Trujillo (President, Pontifical Council for the Family) concerning condom use
• "Family values vs. safe sex" - by Cardinal Trjillo, President, Pontifical Council for the Family

UPDATE 2: A complete roundup of this topic.

Media fallout from Martini's comment on condom usage

The associated press has (not suprisingly) picked up on Martini's comments about "legitimate" condom usage for couples where one spouse is infected with HIV/AIDS.

As always, Martini's status as a popularly-reported second finisher to Pope Benedict in the last conclave is mentioned. The article goes on to outline a whole series of ethical questions where Martini advocates practicing the "lesser evil."

For him, examples of the "lesser evil" are many (these are all direct quotes from the article):

• 1) Martini agreed with the questioner that the church could consider condoms a "lesser evil" than the risk of the disease.
• 2) [Martini says] single women could be implanted with frozen embryos if the alternative is letting the embryos die. Church teaching holds that all procreation must take place within marriage; the Vatican also opposes many assisted fertility procedures.
• 3) Martini said Catholic couples seeking in vitro treatments might be able to get around the church's opposition.
• 4) [Martini said] in the zygote stage _ which occurs 18-24 hours after fertilization _ "there are still no signs of singularly definable human life."
• 5) [Martini] acknowledged that in abortion, there were cases when the life of the mother was at risk where abortion might be considered the "lesser evil."

Now, admittedly, there are some aspects of the above-mentioned medical issues that are still open to debate. But for Martini to publically express an opinion on five "hot topics" in one sitting, and then for each one of his opinions to be against the (in my opinion) clear leanings of the Magisterium on these issues is very damaging to Catholic sensibility.

Certainly the press is having a field day with such a high-raking prelate (notice how they continually mention that he was a papal contendor) dissenting on so many important "cutting-edge" biomedical issues. How will the Vatican respond? The press has also been very quick to pull-out file photos of Pope Benedict with Cardinal Martini [here and here], creating a situation where it could be harder for Pope Benedict to even tacitly reprimand Martini as he did Fitzgerald (and I seem to remember somewhere reading that Benedict has praised some of Martini's work in his offhand comments - but that shouldn't really effect anything drastically).

UPDATE: A complete roundup of this topic.

"Life of John Hardon" to be presented in Windsor Apr. 27

A bit of late notice... but still time to register:

Canadian Catholic Radio

BANQUET FUNDRAISER

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Ciociaro Club, Hall C

3745 North Talbot Road

See maps: Canada, NorthAmerica / Overview of Detroit-Canada

Location of club 3745 North Talbot Rd Oldcastle Ont. (Windsor)

THEME: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF FR. JOHN HARDON, S.J.

Master of Ceremonies: Robert Ouellette - Presenter at prior CCR events, Department Head of Catholic Studies at St. Anne High School. Former Principal of Spiritus Sanctus Academy, Ypsilanti, MI; CCR Board Director

Father John A. Hardon, S.J. was one of the greatest teachers of the Catholic faith during the twentieth century. He was also a mentor in the Catholic faith for many thousands. Father Hardon was a tireless apostle. Besides contributing to the sanctification of people whose lives he personally touched, he spread Christ's message to others by his preaching, teaching and writing. One of the most amazing things about this modern apostle was thathe was not satisfied merely to spread the Gospel himself; he wanted othersto work tirelessly for Christ. Because of this, he inspired and facilitatedother people to serve the Lord in their own apostolic activities.

Presenter:

Jay McNally is the former Editor of the Michigan Catholic and Credo, a founding member and past Director of the Michigan Call to Holiness. His presentation will focus on the Life & Work of the late beloved Fr. Hardon, S.J. who was a Teacher, Lecturer, Writer of many books and catechisms, founder of the Marian Catechists, friend of Pope John II and Mother Teresa, a giant of our Catholic faith, a holy priest. Jay has written a biography of Fr. Hardonwhich is expected to be published in the near future.

PROGRAM 6:00 - 9:00 PM

6:00-6:45 PM - Registration & Table Display of Fr. Hardon\'s Writings

6:45 PM - Opening Song, Invocation & Supper Buffet

ALL PROCEEDS TO SUPPORT CANADIAN CATHOLIC RADIO

Tickets $25.00 per person and all students (secondary/university)

$20.00 Late registertration being accepted by PHONE ONLY.

Please reserve as soon as possible. Limited seating. When calling for tickets, please give your complete name, address & phone number. You may arrange to obtain tickets from the person you contact. Please consider to sponsor secondary/university/community college students.

FOR TICKETS / FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT THE FOLLOWING IN WINDSOR (AREA CODE 519)

JOHN 944-3168

MICHELLE 948-7406

MARGARET 945-9638

MARY 966-2023

CLAIRE 948-4561

There will be a List of Fr.Hardon's writings by Brisebois Catholic BookStore of Windsor, so that guests can arrange to order his books & a table display by the Detroit Marian Catechists.

Your PPOTD! (Papist-Picture-of-the-Day) Fri, Apr. 21

The new Vatican cook learned an important lesson on his first day: only one shot of espresso should be placed in Il Papa's morning coffee!

[photo credit: AP Photo/Riccardo Musacchio]

Cardinal Martini: married AIDS victims CAN use condoms

A double punch this morning:

Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini said that in couples where one had HIV/Aids, which could pass to the partner, the use of condoms was "a lesser evil".

The Vatican says condoms should never be used, even to stop Aids spreading from one married partner to another." [More]

... and this from the man widely rumored to have placed second in the conclave that elected Benedict. I dare not browse through the news headlines a third time this morning...

Cardinal Martini: Life DOES NOT begin at conception

I think we could all use a real martini after reading this:

Vatican City, Apr. 20, 2006 (CNA) - Italian Vatican analyst Sandro Magister is releasing a long dialogue Cardinal Martini sustained with Ignazio Marino, famous Italian bio-ethicist, and director of the Center of transplants of the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, about abortion, in-vitro fecundation and contraception

And the answer is: “not immediatly with conception, but after” said Cardinal Martini, about when life starts, “with the consequences that derive from it,” added Magister. The long dialogue between the two men will be released in the next issue of the weekly “L’espresso,” a center-left weekly tomorrow, it will be made available by Sandro Magister in his website in English. [More]

Oh joy, I can't wait.

Mahony running out of places to hide, but not quite yet

Mahony is quickly running out of places to hide it seems:

LOS ANGELES -- A 2004 report by Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony failed to disclose that he let seven priests continue in ministry for as long as 13 years after they had been accused of inappropriate behavior with children, a newspaper reported Thursday.

Mahony acknowledged in the report that he left five priests in ministry after accusations they molested children, but the seven others were not mentioned, the Los Angeles Times said. [More]

This revelation comes out after Mahony can now no longer hide behind a false invoking of the priest-penitent privilege. And what did he do when that ploy failed? Caved in. Dom says it best:

"If Cardinal Roger Mahony hands those files over [and he did] he will be exposed as cynical and manipulative, because if he really thought those files should be protected under the seal he would go to jail before violating that seal. Canon law requires no less. But if he turns them over, and it looks like he will [he did], then we will see that Mahony simply used the seal of the confessional as a legal tactic to cover his butt."

There's another danger here, namely, Mahony's overextension of the priest-penitent privilege, when overturned, makes it harder for genuine cases of the privilegeto be honored by the civil authorities.

Case in point, this line from an editorial on the subject in the New York Times:

"Cardinal Mahony became a study in arrogance who only compounded the church's embarrassment. His lawyers concocted elaborate hypotheses that church leaders and priests — under the confidentiality of "the sanctification process" — somehow enjoyed shelter from their basic duty to cooperate with criminal law enforcement."

And it's not like Mahony is done running and hiding, as Dom points out today. Mahony will continue to hide behind his status in the Church to save his own keister, and whenever he does that, his guilt will have wider consequences than embarassing himself. Well, I hope he goes down, and I hope he doesn't bring much of the Church with him - he's already done enough of that.

(oh, and by the way, that perfect photo at the top I snagged from Jeff)

Oh no, anyone but Kerry!

I'm frankly torn - on the one hand, I don't want Kerry. On the other hand, I so want to have an entire election campaign to make fun of him...

Kerry 'thinking hard' about 2008 run for president

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said on Thursday he was seriously thinking about another White House bid in 2008 and will decide before the year is out.

"I will make that decision toward the end of the year, but I'm thinking about it hard," Kerry said in response to a question at the Latin Economic Forum at the United Nations. [more]

Your PPOTD! - Thursday, Apr. 20

As democrat John Murtha (L) covered his head in shame, John Kerry (C) suddenly realized that their undercover attempt to infiltrate the Vatican had failed miserably, though this didn't stop Ted Kennedy (R) from frantically snapping a few last-minute pictures before the Swiss guards tossed them out.

[Photo Credit: ALESSIA GIULIANI/CPP]

A Pro-Life Music Video: You Must See This...

The video that I'm about to show I think deserves a great deal of attention. To young Catholics my age, this is the kind of production we should support by downloading it to our iPods/MP3 players, adding it to our mix lists and letting other people hear it. Let me explain:

Nick Cannon is a born-again Christian, a rapper, comedian, music producer and actor. Now, I'm not endorsing everything he has done. I simply don't know anything about him except what I've briefly read after having watched his music video - and I am only endorsing the music video, because I do know that it deserves it.

Here's what his Wikapedia page has to say about his music video:

It has attracted positive attention from the pro-life movement, praising the pro-life message of the video. While he claims the video is not meant to be pro-life, but "pro-Nick," the video is clearly political. In addition to the actual lyrics, the video includes abortion protestors, an angelic-looking Cannon, a young woman jumping up from an abortion procedure and running out of the clinic in a panic when she changes her mind, and a large crowd of children wearing "Can I Live" shirts. The music video is based on the actual story of Cannon's mother considering abortion.

Thus, the video portrays the (now very-successful) Nick singing about the time his mother almost had him aborted. It's an extremely powerful message, and fairly good music to boot (in my opinion).

That said, you can watch the video right here:



Powerball blog (which I just found) had this to say yesterday: "The video has been consistently voted in the top ten at BET's music-video rating site for weeks, recently reaching the #2 spot on the BET countdown."

Here is the website for this video (includes ringtones, quicktime/WMP format versions).

Why is this video especially important? Music videos expressing positive pro-family (let alone pro-life) themes are extremely rare, especially in the african-american rap culture. I think it's good to support the rare artists who are trying to convey this kind of positive message. So please, feel free to spread the word.

Here's a last thing to consider - this is also a perfect song to give to someone actively considering an abortion. I was reading some of the comments about this video and (I forget now where I saw it but) one woman mentioned that she had decided not to go through with an abortion and when she came back home she listened to this song and it gave her courage to face the challenge of going to term with her pregnancy.

I think that's reason enough to make sure people have a chance to watch it ... even once can be enough.

Video: Pro-Life doctor reveals what partial-birth abortion really is

From "God's Miracle of Life: Pro-Life DVD":

Gynecologist Dr. William R. Lile gives an astounding presentation of the Miracle of Life. Using ultrasound technology and in-vitro cameras, Dr. Lile shows how the unborn child develops while in its mother's womb.

After showing, with incredible clarity, the personhood of the human child, Dr. Lile uses the actual instruments of abortion to demonstrate how the procedure is performed at each trimester - including late term partial-birth abortions - without bloody pictures. His simple yet powerful technique is unlike anything you have seen before!(A preview of Dr. Lile's partial birth abortion demonstration can be found below.)

The DVD is a recording of a presentation to high school students.Approximate Running time: 70 minutes. More information on the video can be found at http://www.dyinglight.com. To reach Dr. Lile, go to http://www.prolifedoc.org.

Here is the Dr. Lile's presentation on partial birth abortion (non-graphic, but requires maturity to view):



Update: Video restored.

[H/T: AMDG]

Universal Indult: Poll & Roundup

The AP poll I posted last night has proven very popular - a couple hundred votes in the first day and numerous thoughtful comments. I hope to update this post later this week with a roundup of reports from catholic news sources and a few postings from st. blogs members on this subject.

WashingtonPost: McCarrick retiring soon

The Washington Post reports:

"Although the Vatican has not announced a date for his departure or given any clues to who his successor might be, McCarrick said, 'I am getting the sense that this is going to happen soon.'"

Some other quotes:

"'I'm not the ideal archbishop,' he said."

"McCarrick said yesterday that "the life issues are primary." But he said he worries about a "loss of civility" in politics and rising stridency among religious leaders in telling politicians, and even voters, how they must act, not just on broad moral issues but on particular legislation or in particular races."

"I'm afraid there are a lot more people in the church who think that things are black and white," he said. "No one can really read another person's conscience. . . . I hope it is not cowardice, I hope it is prudence -- we must always give people the benefit of the doubt."

McCarrick declined to speculate on his successor but set a high bar. "The fellow who comes should be a great leader. He should not be afraid of you people," he said, referring to the news media. "He should be a holy man. He should be a great teacher, and he should teach more by example than with words. And he should be funny."

Cardinal McCarrick also has something to say today about Pope Benedict:

''I'm sure he [Benedict] has surprised some of the very conservative people, but that's because they didn't really know him. They just saw one side of him, which was his responsibility as guardian of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,'' said Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop of Washington.

''I think this Holy Father is a man in the center, and we're seeing that now,'' the cardinal said.

Reading through the news stories published at Pope Benedict's one year anniversary, if I had to sum-up today's evaluation of Pope Benedict by the mainstream media in one phrase, it would be just that, "Benedict the centrist."

Now, that phrase sure is "nice" and "non-challenging," but is it really that accurate? Is it a bad thing that Pope Benedict has been playing his hand so close to his chest that no one realizes how challenging his pontificate really has been? This includes - arguably - the people we would think need to realize it the most - the media themselves, who are so influential in shaping public opinion. I mean, how effective is the Pope's approach if most the world is missing the point, or ignorant that a message is being preached in the first place?

Hmm, maybe you just can't trust the media with anything so that is why Pope Benedict is choosing to go beneath their radar. I don't know. I do know I dislike it when Pope Benedict is described as a "centrist" (which seems to carry with it the tacit condemnation that he really doesn't matter all that much). "Centrist" seems to be a throw-away compliment, in other words. What I can't decide if it's a good thing that the media just hasn't a clue.

World Youth Day Watch: the First T-Shirts

The first unofficial T-Shirts for WYD 2008 in Sydney Australia are starting to show up (for those of you who have to be first in your youth group to have one):

This style makes it very clear where WYD 2008 is being held.

... and this style makes it very clear how you would get there from the U.S.

Other shirt colors/styles are available for each design, as are tote bags, buttons, etc.

Habemus Papam Music Video - hey DJ, bring that back!

(click here if video does not work)

Busy until the end of the month

Taking six classes in a semester sometimes catches up to you. Now is one of those times. As a result, blogging will be fairly light for the next 11-12 days or so (that is, unless something exciting happens - and it always does).

What does it take to get booted from the Church?

Ed Peters says, "maybe more than you think."

In the interest of full disclosure (which several folks have urged upon me)... yes, Dr. Peters is my father.

"Mild yet firm" - Pope Benedict at one year

"I ask all of you to continue to support me, praying to God that he lets me be a mild and firm shepherd of his Church." Well, it looks like the AP has made their choice about what to take from Pope Benedict's first year.

One year ago today I was sitting in front of a television with a group of friends and pre-seminarians at the moment Joseph Ratzinger was elected. One of my friends was proudly wearing his "Ratzinger Fan Club" T-Shirt. As soon as the announcement was made everyone started jumping up and down and cheering. Our whole school threw a party that day and we spent the rest of it conversing about what Benedict's election would mean for the Church. That was a pretty good day.

Introduction to the "Arinze Report" posted online

A good read. Get the book here.

AP Poll: Would a universal indult be a good thing?

This week's AP Poll:

Would a universal indult for the celebration

of the 1962 Missal ("Tridentine Rite") be a good thing?

Vote first, then let us know why in the comments box below!

NB: Yes, I know that "a good thing" is a bit vague, but that's why I'd invite you to expand your answer in the comment box - the poll is just to get a general sense of where St. Blogs is on the issue. As always, please spread the word.

Finally, here is an updating list of St. Blog's postings on this topic.

NYT gives Neuhaus' new book a fair treatment

From the New York Times, a suprisingly even-handed book review by Patrick Allitt. I guess I can't say I'm really all that amazed, though - people can be rightfully terrified of taking on Neuhaus in print. But whatever the reasons, it did turn out nicely:

The Zeal of a Convert

IS it possible to be a dogmatic Catholic yet still enjoy intellectual freedom? Richard John Neuhaus, a leading Catholic commentator and editor of the ecumenical journal First Things, says yes, by "thinking with the church." In his new book ["Catholic Matters"], he argues that American Catholics can emerge from the confusion that has afflicted their church in recent years and rediscover "the splendor of truth." They must, however, welcome the guidance of the old Pope, John Paul II, and the new one, Benedict XVI, while taking their church's doctrines and traditions as their starting point.

... Neuhaus defends his vision of Christianity with wit and sure-handed confidence. I doubt whether many Catholics of the type he criticizes will be convinced, but he makes an erudite case for the old teachings, while humanizing them in the context of his own biography."

Read the rest.

I was able to hear the great "RJN" speak recently. It was a very powerful experience - his often-lauded skills as an orator and a wordsmith are not in the least bit exaggerated.

And yes, even RJN has a blog (other people post as well, so just look at the beginning to check who it is).

Pope's 1st Year Lacks An Ideological Edge(?)

Alan Cooperman of the Washington Post wrote today about Pope Benedict's "Centrist Approach" in the first year of his pontificate. Suprisingly, on the whole, Cooperman seems to at least know what the issues are and (less so) which people's opinion are worth listening to (he does of course cite the hobbyhorses of married priesthood and a couple other topics).

Anyway, I think the article is fairly representational of what the nominally clued-in reporter on the street thinks about Benedict's papacy thus far, namely, that it is suprisingly mild, thankfully un-challenging and happily uneventful.

The article ends with a quote from Fr. Fessio, who says "... on the surface it [the Encyclical Deus Caritas Est] was non-controversial -- but underneath he was laying the groundwork, the principles, for conclusions [about homosexuality and the permanance of marriage] that are controversial. I think this second year is going to be the one to look it."

Well, that sure would be nice, but may God grant him the time and energy to continue his plans.

Don't get me wrong - I think Pope Benedict's papacy has been far from uneventful; he has highlighted so-called "serene" truths that are in actuality radically challenging, and he has had the wisdom, experience and grace to make the papacy truly "his own" in a year's timespan. Remember, things have always move slow in the Vatican, and people have always felt that they move slower than they actully do. And how much of what does occur fails to even generate a whisper in the loggia?

In any case, for those of you who want my take on what the weather vane is saying, I noticed that Benedict is resting in his summer residence of Castel Gandalfo this week - and the calm always proceeds the storm, right?

Common Sense 101: Lessons From G.K. Chesterton

From Ignatius Insight:

"Dale Ahlquist, the President of the American Chesterton Society, and author of G. K. Chesterton -The Apostle of Common Sense, presents Common Sense 101: Lessons From G.K. Chesterton ($11), a book of wonderful insights on how to "look at the whole world through the eyes of Chesterton". Since, as he says, "Chesterton wrote about everything", there is an ocean of his material to benefit from GKC's insights on a kaleidoscope of many important topics.

Chesterton wrote a hundred books on a variety of themes, thousands of essays for London newspapers, penned epic poetry, delighted in detective fiction, drew illustrations, and made everyone laugh by his keen humor. Everyone who knew Chesterton loved him, even those he debated with. His unique writing style that combines philosophy, spirituality, history, humor, and paradox have made him one of the most widely read authors of modern times.

As Ahlquist shows in his engaging volume, this most quoted writer of the 20th century has much to share with us on topics covering politics, art, education, wonder, marriage, fads, poetry, faith, charity and much more."

And here is a great article from Dale: The Common Sense Apostle & Cigar Smoking Mystic

Sounds like a good book to buy for friends you want to introduce to Chesterton. *adds to summer reading list*

Quote of the Day: Hillary Clinton

Today's gem from Hillary Clinton (and Harry Reid):

"Ironically, those advocating the loudest for an outright ban on abortion are too often the same people who oppose prevention initiatives and instead support making contraception less accessible, particularly for low-income women who are more likely to have unplanned pregnancies."

Read the rest of their "solution" to the high number of abortions in the U.S.

Or just let me summarize it in two words: "more contraceptives!" Gee, I've never heard that one from the Democrats before. What a fresh new solution, Hillary. Thank you so very much.

Magister on Pope Benedict's off the cuff style

Sandro Magister does it again:

ROMA, April 18, 2006 – Among the novelties he has introduced during his first year as pope – which comes to completion this Easter week – there is one that Joseph Ratzinger has a special fondness for. So much so that has repeated it several times.

It is the practice of public discussions in question and answer format. Benedict XVI arrives and greets those present, but doesn’t speak from a prepared text. He simply fields questions. And he responds to each of them, spontaneously.

...

In all these cases, his words had a strong effect on those present. Even the children listened to him attentively. And the pope did the same thing behind closed doors on March 23, with the cardinals gathered for the consistory.

...

But little or nothing of these dialogues between the pope and his interlocutors reaches the general public. Benedict XVI replies to each question at length and in depth, and so makes it almost impossible to extract short, flashy phrases fit for the newspaper articles.

...

And yet these are texts of very noteworthy importance. Because of their spontaneity, they better permit one to enter into the pope’s mind and understand the things that are closest to his heart.

Magister goes on to give his own translation for one of Pope Benedict's Q&A sessions.

Also: Chris Blosser (Ratzinger Fan Club) has an excellent Pope Benedict Roundup.

Your PPOTD! (Papist-Picture-of-the-Day): Tue., April 18

"And now, as my next official act of the Easter season, I shall ceremonially dust off a copy of the 1962 Roman Missal!"

[photo credit: AFP/Patrick Hertzog]

... or will he?

A final silver nail in the "gospel of Judas" coffin

A good final parting analysis of the "gospel of Judas", and what it really represents:

Judas: A Saint for Our Seasons

"When it comes to discovering new ways to cheapen the human soul, the "professional intellectuals" of our society have cornered the market. So it was last week when, timed carefully to cash in on the Easter holiday, the "serious" editors of National Geographic chose to release their gleanings from a sheaf of rags and call them "The Gospel of Judas."

"Having risen through the echo chamber of "higher" education and survived the ruthless but quiet vetting process of their "profession," these editors knew full well that what they were putting out into the world was not a "gospel." They also knew that calling it a "gospel" would ensure greater attention and greater sales. Beyond that, the editors, secular cultists all, also got a quiet little tingle by having, in their minds, "stuck it" to the Christian church once again. As usual, such secularists love to stick it to Christianity. Addicts of auto-erotic spiritual asphyxiation, their onanistic pleasure in these deeds is only enhanced if they can be performed during the most holy days of the Christian calendar. Only then can maximum profit and pleasure be assured."
...
"But beyond these considerations, the publication of the "Gospel" of Judas has another, deeper and more lasting benefit to our neophytes of nihilism. It puts one of the final elements of their anti-morality play at center stage. It seeks to sanctify treason."
...
"What is needed, in this secular age of self-intoxication, is a Saint who will remit our sins of betrayal; who will by his very existence sanctify treason. And who better fits this role than the man who betrayed the greatest love for the smallest change, Judas?"
...
"The worshipers of the Church of the Self need Judas today more than they need Christ, and they need Christ more than they can know. They need Him so much that they are compelled to reject Him utterly lest their shabby Church be seen as it is, a hovel made of mud and wattle, of empty objects, shabby dreams and promises broken. A statue of Judas would blend right into the niche above their television; a household god whose only requirement is an offering of silver, from time to time, or a shopping spree at the mall to secure his love and blessing; our "Saint Judas of Perpetual Extortion."

As you can see, Van der Leun has an excellent style, and some very insightful points. Go read the rest.

[Thanks to reader Mark for pointing out this essay to me.]

The 100,000 page views mark

On Easter Sunday, 1:13PM EST, a visitor from Pottsville Pennsylvania registered the 100,000th page view on the American Papist blog. 70,000 of these page views have occurred since March 1st of this year.

As always, thank you to the many dedicated readers and fellow Catholic bloggers who have made AP a small (but hopefully enlightening and amusing) part of their day! -AMDG-

War on Christianity?

Well, perhaps we've at least got the Washington Post's attention. Feel free to contribute!

500 YEARS Young

"The sun sets behind the Dome of St Peter's Basilica. Pope Benedict XVI has marked the 500th anniversary of the Saint Peter's Basilica with an appeal to the faithful to be "living stones" in the building of the Roman Catholic Church." (AFP/File/Thomas Coex)

A lovely photo of Pope Benedict taken today

Looks like the Easter flower bouquets are doubling for his birthday.

[photo credit: AFP/Patrick Hertzog]

My summary of Triduum 2006

Amy Welborn is doing a St. Blogs survey of Triduum services. Here are my (hastily written and hence probably typo-filled) comments below with links to her thread if you want to contribute your experiences to the discussion...

Holy Thursday - Chrism Mass
(yes I attended our diocese's Chrism Mass, but Amy isn't polling people on this one)

Holy Thursday - Join Amy's discussion thread

Overflow crowd. Almost the entire parish processed out to the parish center where the altar of repose was setup, and stayed kneeling in silent prayer afterwards or singing the Tantum Ergo.

It was nice seeing the holy oils brought in during the celebration ... having seen them consecrated earlier that morning at our diocese's Chrism Mass. It brought home to me the deep interconnection between the various parishes in our diocese.

Good Friday - Join Amy's discussion thread

Full prostration by both priests. Overflow crowd into the street. Veneration of the Cross probably took about half an hour.

I'm always struck by how radically different a Church is on Good Friday without the presence of the Holy Eucharist. Our parish normally has very bright lights illuminating the central tabernacle and that day the doors of it were open and the lights all turned off. It reminded me of a line from Brideshead Revisited: "Suddenly, it wasn't a Church anymore, just an oddly decorated room."

Thank God Good Friday is just a single day out of the year!

Easter Vigil - Join Amy's discussion thread

Ah, my hair still has incense in it from the Easter Vigil.

The Easter proclamation was done by a very well intentioned but almost tone-deaf deacon... so that was a bit of overflow penance from Lent. :-P

4 kids and an adult baptized, each with a full pitcher of water for the three immersions - fantastic!20 more RCIA folks received Confirmation and were brought into full communion. Athanasius, Augustine ... some great conformation names (though for a moment I thought I heard one person had taken the name St. Pelagius - that gave me a fright!!).

Since our parish is named after St. Thomas the Apostle the pastor used the example of St. Thomas as the basis for meditation in the Homily... calling on the faithful to encounter the risen Lord in all his powerful reality - and not as a "myth" or "nice idea" (appropriate considering this year's cycle of readings for Triduum was from Mark - which brings up that whole "historical Jesus" modern reading of the synoptic gospels).

2 1/2 hour liturgy all totalled. We did 7 of the 10 readings I believe (and the Epistle). Bells during the Gloria. After the consecration and distribution of Communion the Blessed Sacrament was reposed in the tabernacle and the lights were flipped back on - The Church felt like home again!

I love how the Easter Candle serves so many purposed during Easter Vigil - lighting the candles of the faithful, placed in the baptismal font, used to light the candles of the Altar, and the candles of the Catechumans... you get this wonderfully typological expression of the light and grace of Christ inspiring and upholding the whole Sacramental life of the Church!

Easter Sunday - Join Amy's discussion thread

(yes I went to this one as well - five liturgies in the last 4 days, counting Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday)

Another wonderful Mass... this one a bit more sedate after the Easter Vigil revelries. Pretty much back to the normal wonderful routine. Easter proclamation, refined Homily from the night before. ;)

You know, supreme sacrifice of the Mass. Can't complain. :)

Now it's time for me to join my family - they've baked a cake for Pope Benedict and are going to sing him happy birthday! Apologies if there are any inaccuracies in my account - I only had a couple moments to compose it.

A little Easter levity

The Urbi et Orbi of 2006

A truly magnificent Urbi et Orbi, if I do say so myself...

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Christus resurrexit! - Christ is risen! During last night’s great Vigil we relived the decisive and ever-present event of the Resurrection, the central mystery of the Christian faith. Innumerable Paschal candles were lit in churches, to symbolize the light of Christ which has enlightened and continues to enlighten humanity, conquering the darkness of sin and death for ever. And today there re-echo powerfully the words which dumbfounded the women on the morning of the first day after the Sabbath, when they came to the tomb where Christ’s body, taken down in haste from the Cross, had been laid. Sad and disconsolate over the loss of their Master, they found the great stone rolled away, and when they entered they saw that his body was no longer there. As they stood there, uncertain and bewildered, two men in dazzling apparel surprised them, saying: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, he is risen” (Lk 24:5-6). “Non est hic, sed resurrexit” (Lk 24:6). Ever since that morning, these words have not ceased to resound throughout the universe as a proclamation of joy which spans the centuries unchanged and, at the same time, charged with infinite and ever new resonances.“He is not here . . . he is risen.” The heavenly messengers announce first and foremost that Jesus “is not here”: the Son of God did not remain in the tomb, because it was not possible for him to be held prisoner by death (cf. Acts 2:24) and the tomb could not hold on to “the living one” (Rev 1:18) who is the very source of life. Like Jonah in the belly of the whale, so too Christ crucified was swallowed up into the heart of the earth (cf. Mt 12:40) for the length of a Sabbath. Truly, “that Sabbath was a high day”, as Saint John tells us (Jn 19:31): the highest in history, because it was then that the “Lord of the Sabbath” (Mt 12:8) brought to fulfilment the work of creation (cf. Gen 2:1-4a), raising man and the entire cosmos to the glorious liberty of the children of God (cf. Rom 8:21). When this extraordinary work had been accomplished, the lifeless body was suffused with the living breath of God and, as the walls of the tomb were shattered, he rose in glory. That is why the angels proclaim “he is not here”, he can no longer be found in the tomb. He made his pilgrim way on earth among us, he completed his journey in the tomb as all men do, but he conquered death and, in an absolutely new way, by an act of pure love, he opened the earth, threw it open towards Heaven.

His resurrection becomes our resurrection, through Baptism which “incorporates” us into him. The prophet Ezekiel had foretold this: “Behold, I will open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you home into the land of Israel” (Ez 37:12). These prophetic words take on a singular value on Easter Day, because today the Creator’s promise is fulfilled; today, even in this modern age marked by anxiety and uncertainty, we relive the event of the Resurrection, which changed the face of our life and changed the history of humanity. From the risen Christ, all those who are still oppressed by chains of suffering and death look for hope, sometimes even without knowing it.

May the Spirit of the Risen one, in particular, bring relief and security in Africa to the peoples of Darfur, who are living in a dramatic humanitarian situation that is no longer sustainable; to those of the Great Lakes region, where many wounds have yet to be healed; to the peoples of the Horn of Africa, of the Ivory Coast, Uganda, Zimbabwe and other nations which aspire to reconciliation, justice and progress. In Iraq, may peace finally prevail over the tragic violence that continues mercilessly to claim victims. I also pray sincerely that those caught up in the conflict in the Holy Land may find peace, and I invite all to patient and persevering dialogue, so as to remove both ancient and new obstacles. May the international community, which re-affirms Israel’s just right to exist in peace, assist the Palestinian people to overcome the precarious conditions in which they live and to build their future, moving towards the constitution of a state that is truly their own. May the Spirit of the Risen one enkindle a renewed enthusiastic commitment of the Countries of Latin America, so that the living conditions of millions of citizens may be improved and democratic institutions may be consolidated in a spirit of harmony and effective solidarity. Concerning the international crises linked to nuclear power, may an honourable solution be found for all parties, through serious and honest negotiations, and may the leaders of nations and of International Organizations be strengthened in their will to achieve peaceful coexistence among different races, cultures and religions, in order to remove the threat of terrorism. [my underlining]

May the Risen Lord grant that the strength of his life, peace and freedom be experienced everywhere. Today the words with which the Angel reassured the frightened hearts of the women on Easter morning are addressed to all: “Do not be afraid! ... He is not here; he is risen (Mt 28:5-6)”. Jesus is risen, and he gives us peace; he himself is peace. For this reason the Church repeats insistently: “Christ is risen - Christós anésti.” Let the people of the third millennium not be afraid to open their hearts to him. His Gospel totally quenches the thirst for peace and happiness that is found in every human heart. Christ is now alive and he walks with us. What an immense mystery of love! Christus resurrexit, quia Deus caritas est! Alleluia!

Easter Sunday, April 16, 2006

AP News story, "Pope Celebrates Easter, Prays for Peace"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPE BENEDICT!!!

Ad multos annos!

79 years old today!

[photo: REUTERS/Max Rossi]

[Click here for a history of his life in pictures]

HAPPY EASTER!!! Christos Aneste! Alethos Aneste!

CHRISTOS ANESTE! - CHRIST IS RISEN!

ALETHOS ANESTE! - HE IS TRULY RISEN!

[I just got back from Vigil Mass, and my clothes still smell of incense! Alleluia!]