This week's Catholic Carnival...

... is back at Living Catholicism.

"Coordinator of U.S. seminary visitations expects report this fall" - CNS

From CNS:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -- Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services said May 26 that the Vatican's visitations to U.S. seminaries and houses of formation are nearly complete, and he hopes the resulting reports will be released this fall.

"Bottom line, I think this visitation was most successful," Archbishop O'Brien said in a talk to the 2006 Catholic Media Convocation in Nashville. A former head of two seminaries, he was coordinator of the visitations for the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education, which oversees seminary formation.

The objectives of the visitations, which were sparked by the sexual abuse crisis that hit the U.S. church in 2002, were to examine the criteria for admission of candidates and various aspects of priestly formation, including the intellectual formation of seminarians in the field of moral theology and the programs of human and spiritual formation aimed at ensuring they can faithfully live chaste, celibate lives.

...

"Each seminary will get its own report. The question is will it be made public?" Archbishop O'Brien said."I think each report should be made public to the appropriate constituencies," he added.

He said it would be difficult to keep the results confidential.

...

He said the overall report won't name specific seminaries or rank them in terms of compliance with the congregation's objectives.

...

"I hope there will be consequences for all concerned," he said. "I just don't know what means Rome will use to make sure seminaries are in compliance."

[Read the entire article.]

What guarantee is there that this report won't be quickly filed-away and forgotten?

Update: Diogenes posts his comments here.

"Woman balks at having 6/6/6 'devil' baby" - UPI

From UPI:

CAVERSHAM, England, May 30 (UPI) -- A woman in England due to give birth on June 6 is fighting with her hospital to induce her sooner to avoid delivering on the demonic date of 6/6/6.
Melissa Parker, 30, said as a fan of "The Omen," a movie about a demonic child, she's genuinely concerned about the numerology involved, The Sun reported Tuesday.
"I'm terrified the birth will go wrong or the child will have evil in him or her," Parker said. "Even worse my beautiful baby could be the devil himself -- the anti-Christ."
The figure 666 is mentioned in the Bible and various cultures believe it represents the date the anti-Christ will appear on Earth, but that doesn't hold any water at the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
A hospital spokesman said Parker's request for an induction was refused because due dates are not 100 percent certain.
"There is little we can do to change them without a Caesarean or inducing the child, which we try to avoid," the spokesman said. "We must let nature take its course. The baby will be born when ready, no matter what day it is."

Ugh. How sad...

Domenico Bettinelli is job searching...

Spread the word!

Dom is currently the editor of Catholic World Report Magazine.

Click here for more info about him.

CB's reflections on Pope Benedict's visit to Auschwitz

Christopher Blosser analyzes what is quickly becoming the most talked-about event of the Poland Trip:

On Sunday, May 28, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI walked in silence under the iron gate bearing the Nazi slogan, "Arbeit Macht Frei," or "Work Makes You Free," and into the concentration camp of Auschwitz. [More...]

The inscrutable ways of God: Opus Dei membership boosted by Da Vinci Code

Via AMDG:

The controversial religious organisation lambasted in the blockbuster movie and book The Da Vinci Code has revealed that membership inquiries have soared in the past year.

...

Jack Valera, Opus Dei's UK spokesman, said: "We're getting 10 times more enquiries than we would normally get. Over the last two months, as the hype for the film has built up, we have had about 50 inquiries a month about membership. We would normally get about three or four a month. [More...]

"Church-run programs making inroads on AIDS in Zambia" - CWNews

From CWNews:

May. 30 (CWNews.com) - The chancellor of the Ndola diocese in Zambia reports that Church efforts to combat AIDS have produced strong positive results by emphasizing traditional Christian moral principles.

Father Alick Mbanda told officials of Aid to the Church in Need that Catholic agencies are sexual abstinence and marital fidelity, while providing medical help for those already infected with AIDS. "Of late, we have at last begun to see a bit of progress," he said. "The numbers of people infected with HIV have not been going up and, because of the campaign; the numbers are finally coming down." [More...]

A Sandro double-header

The latest two articles from Vatican analyst Sandro Magister:

• The Pope at Auschwitz: “They wanted to kill God”: “By destroying Israel, they ultimately wanted to tear up the taproot of the Christian faith.” A startling interpretation of the Holocaust in the words of the German pope
• The New Curia of Benedict XVI Looks toward Asia: The new prefect of “Propaganda Fide” comes from India. And the new secretary of the congregation for the liturgy is from Sri Lanka. His first public address was the presentation of a book. And it was revealing

"Blair to meet Pope and invite him to UK" - CNA

From CNA:

London, May. 30, 2006 (CNA) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to have his first papal audience with Pope Benedict XVI this weekend and to invite the pontiff to set a date for his first visit to the UK, the Telegraph reports.

This is Blair’s second papal audience in three years. Blair had a private audience with Pope John Paul II in 2003 during which the late pontiff expressed his reservations about military action in Iraq.

The audience with Pope Benedict is expected to include discussions about reconciliation between the Muslim and Christian faiths.Blair's wife, Cherie, is Catholic.

She met Pope Benedict in a private audience in April, after attending a Vatican conference on young people.

The feast of Chesterton - hoorah!

Yesterday Gilbert Keith Chesterton turned 132 years old!

The Chesterton and Friends blog is where you want to hang out for the party.

A short description of what is happening over there:

"[we] will be producing an extended look at both G.K. Chesterton's life and the Chestertonian Life during the period of May 29 to June 14 inclusive... Our aim is not only to deliver a useful and engaging treatment of Gilbert's life (which it will be, we hope), but also to foster thought and discussion about the Catholic life, and Life in general." [Learn More...]

I would also recommend taking a look at Gilbert! the Magazine of G. K. Chesterton (which my family has subscribed to from the beginning of its publication and thoroughly enjoy).

Finally, Dale Ahlquist, President of the American Chesterton Society has a short "pithy bio" of GKC.

His recent book, G. K. Chesterton: Apostle of Common Sense is now available ($10).

Sounds like a parody but isn't: "College too Catholic"

Via Curt Jester:

STUDENTS at Bexley's first sixth form college are in revolt because they claim their Roman Catholic college is too Catholic.

Nearly a third of the students at St Luke's College, Chislehurst Road, Sidcup, have protested to headteacher Maria Williams, likening practices at the college to "fanatical religious cults".

The 16 to 18-year-olds claim they are forced to attend "evangelical talks" expressing puritanical views on subjects such as chastity and homosexuality.

They say they were made to walk around the school field carrying a statue of the Virgin Mary singing hymns and have been hauled into the principal's office for holding hands off college premises and told they were a "disgrace".

Girls have also been banned from wearing skirts shorter than knee-length and boys from wearing three-quarter length trousers because they are deemed as "disrespectful".

The most recent mandatory talk by pro-life campaigner Barbara McGuigan, founder of pressure group Voice of Virtue International, prompted more than 100 of the 383 students at the college to sign a protest petition to Mrs Williams.

They also claim many parents complained.

One student told News Shopper: "We were dictated right-wing views typically associated with extreme religious groups."

...

Another student said: "Although we accepted by going to a Catholic college we would be signing up to the Catholic ethos, we had no idea we were also joining an institution which embraced many values present within many fanatical religous cults."

Accusing the headteacher of "losing a grip on reality" the student referred to the religious procession and added: "We would certainly not have been forced to do such an extreme ritual in any of our previous schools." [More...]

Babies aborted for not being perfect - DailyMail

From the UK Daily Mail (via Drudge):

Babies aborted for not being perfect

The ethical storm over abortions has been renewed as it emerged that terminations are being carried out for minor, treatable birth defects.

Late terminations have been performed in recent years because the babies had club feet, official figures show. Other babies were destroyed because they had webbed fingers or extra digits.

Such defects can often be corrected with a simple operation or physiotherapy.

The revelation sparked fears that abortion is increasingly being used to satisfy couples' desire for the 'perfect' baby.

A leading doctor said people were right to be 'totally shocked' that abortions were being carried out for such conditions.

Campaigners warned we are turning into a society that can no longer tolerate imperfection. Doctors were recently told they can now screen IVF embryos to try to weed out inherited cancers.

Ethical groups fear parents are opting for abortions because they are not told of the support and help available if they continued with the pregnancy.

Details of the terminations emerged as new figures revealed an alarming rise in the use of an abortion pill that has been linked to 10 deaths. [More...]

One line in particular got to me:

"Remarkable pictures recently have revealed how at just 23 weeks baby in the womb appears to smile, yawn and flinch in pain."

Why must the verb "appear" be used to qualify what a baby does in the womb (like "smiling, yawning and flinching in pain")? Oh that's right - because it's not human?!

Another nonsensical line:

"if, as a society, we are truly committed to equality for people with disabilities then such blatant discrimination against the disabled unborn must stop."

It's discrimination to kill a child with a disability, but "the parent's choice" when killing a healthy baby.

Update: the second quote, from a LIFE Charity member, I took out of context, as another Life Charity member was kind enough to inform me:

LIFE does not only oppose abortion for foetal handicap but abortion for any reason. LIFE is in complete agreement with your analysis of how inconsistent it is to merely oppose abortion for disability: It's discrimination to kill a child with a disability, but "the parent's choice" when killing a healthy baby. We do not advocate any choice that involves the destruction of innocent life from fertilization and believe that a truly civilised society recognizes the inviolability of each and every human being from the moment they are conceived.

More info on LIFE:

LIFE is the largest pro-life charity in the UK working hard to overturn the 1967 Abortion Act. I would warmly encourage you to familiarize yourself with the work of our charity (http://www.lifecharity.org.uk/).

Thank you for the correction. My point about the inconsistency still stands, but it was certainly not the point the LIFE member intended to make.

Roll Me Over: An Excellent WWII Book

I've almost finished reading Roll Me Over: An Infantryman's World War II by Raymond Gantter. My grandfather served in WWII under similar circumstances, and he recently recommended this book to me as the best first-hand description of that war for the average American infantryman (my grandfather was an editor and has read dozens and dozens of WWII related titles). I figured today would be a good day to mention it to anyone interested in this genre of literature. We should all pray today for those who have served and are serving now in the armed forces. God keep them in his ever-merciful gaze.

The New Sin: Kneeling (A quick survey of links)

The big story today is a (front page) Los Angelas Times article about the members of a parish being told that kneeling at certain times in the Mass is " ... rebellion, grave disobedience and mortal sin...", and apparently even the bishop is in on it (!):

"At a small Catholic church in Huntington Beach, the pressing moral question comes to this: Does kneeling at the wrong time during worship make you a sinner?

Kneeling "is clearly rebellion, grave disobedience and mortal sin," Father Martin Tran, pastor at St. Mary's by the Sea, told his flock in a recent church bulletin. The Diocese of Orange backs Tran's anti-kneeling edict.

Though told by the pastor and the archdiocese to stand during certain parts of the liturgy, a third of the congregation still gets on its knees every Sunday." [More...]

Numerous Catholic blogs have been covering this story for some time, so do read up:

• Bettnet: Kneeling as a mortal sin
• Off the Record: warning: not for children or the squeamish
• Open Book: On the Kneeling Beat
• Cafeteria is Closed: Los Angeles Times story on ban on kneeling in Orange County
• Get Religion: Is kneeling really a mortal sin?
• Roman Catholic Blog: A Ban on Kneeling? Some Catholics Won't Stand for It

Sticky: Pope Benedict's trip to Poland, Roundup of Coverage

For all your Pope-Benedict-Visiting-Poland needs, please click here. For all other posts, scroll down.

Reuters: Rome-approved Chinese bishop defies state church

From Reuters:

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A Chinese bishop approved by the Vatican but not by China's official state-backed Catholic church has defied authorities and officiated at a religious ceremony, a Hong Kong newspaper reported on Monday.

The row over Wu Qinjing's appearance highlighted the current friction between the Holy See and Beijing over the appointment of bishops, a key sticking point in negotiations over the normalization of relations which were severed in the early 1950s.

Wu appeared at Zhouzhi cathedral in the northern province of Shaanxi on Saturday despite official warnings that his secret October elevation, made public only last Monday, was illegal and that he could not work as a bishop, the South China Morning Post said on Monday.

"It first came as a suggestion, then a requirement, and an order. It is a final warning," the paper quoted a Catholic source as saying. [More...]

Youth promise Pope to be drug-free, Pope's response

From Zenit:

KRAKOW, Poland, MAY 28, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI appealed to young people as a "father," asking them to say no to drugs.

After a huge outdoor Mass today in Blonie Square in Krakow, the Pope addressed the faithful and revealed that on Saturday some young people gave him a book which read: "I do not take them, I am free of drugs."

The statement had been signed by 30,000 youths, following an Internet campaign in Poland.

The Holy Father responded to the gift saying, "I ask you now, as your father: Remain faithful to this promise. It is a question of your lives and your freedom. Do no let yourselves fall victim to this world's illusions."

Pope Benedict's public appearance preparation secret revealed!

Rocco says, "Don't be fooled, however -- it may look like Hoegaarden or some kind of Hefeweisen, but it's more likely the Pope's beloved Orangina/Fanta...."

I practically lived on orange Fanta while backpacking in Europe... good stuff.

[photo credit: AP/Czarek Sokolowski]

Probably the most memorable picture from the Poland trip will be...

"[In a trip plagued with constant drenching rain...] A rainbow is seen in the sky as the Pope Benedict XVI pays his respect to the victims of the former Birkenau Nazi death camp in Oswiecim, southern Poland May 28, 2006."

[photo credit: REUTERS/Damir Sagolj]

More Pictures from BBC News.

The Pope visits Auschwitz - Pictures

[source: Papacy and the Vatican (Yahoo! News slideshow)]

Police: 900,000 go to papal Mass in Poland - AP

From the AP:

KRAKOW, Poland - Pope Benedict XVI urged 900,000 singing, clapping Poles gathered in a rain-soaked field Sunday to share their faith with other countries in mostly secular Europe, saying it was the best way to honor their beloved John Paul II.

The enormous, exuberant crowd chanted "Benedetto! Benedetto!" and sang "Sto Lat," or "A Hundred Years," wishing him a long life.

"I ask you, finally, to share with the other peoples of Europe and the world the treasure of your faith, not least as a way of honoring the memory of your countryman, who, as the successor of St. Peter, did this with extraordinary power and effectiveness," Benedict said as he concluded his homily during the Mass in the Blonia meadow.

"I ask you to stand firm in your faith! Stand firm in your hope! Stand firm in your love! Amen!" he concluded, speaking in Polish on the last day of his trip. [More...]

The article also includes a short video from the AP (NB: Cardinal Macharksi sighting!).

Your Papist-Picture-of-the-Day, Satuday May 27

"I see you, American Papist!"

[photo credit: "Polish Cardial Franciszek Macharski mimics photographers in Krakow 26 May 2006 during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI." (Cardinal Macharksi graces the top photo of the AmP blog)] - Thanks Marketa!!

Phil Lawler speculates on next Vat. Sec. of State

From Off the record:

The announcement, we're told, will come very soon. Who will it be?

The ideal candidate [for Vatican Secretary of State] would be:

• Someone the Pope knows well, and trusts. Someone with whom he has worked closely.
• Italian. Since 1979 it has been possible to think of a non-Italian Pope; it's not yet possible to think of a non-Italian Secretary of State.
• A cardinal, preferably papabile. This job commands enormous respect, and the man holding the post will be on every short list of potential successors to the current Pontiff. If he already appeared on last year's lists, so much the better.

One man neatly fills all those criteria: Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone of Genoa. He's Italian, he's a cardinal, he's widely respected, and he's the former secretary of the CDF, where he served for 7 years under you-know-whom. Sure enough, that's the name that friends in Rome keep hearing mentioned. [More...]

The magic holy 8-ball says the appointment will come in early June...

Your Saturday Morning Laugh

... brought to you by Bruce Willis:

This week's AmP poll: Do you support Ben Kessler?

This week's AmP poll inspired by Ben Kessler's commencement address at the University of St. Thomas.
My coverage of his address can be found here.

American Papist Poll: Do you support Ben Kessler's commencement address?

As always, feel free to discuss or explain your vote in the comments box below.

Spokane diocese to sell headquarters - UPI

From the United Press International:

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane in western Washington, facing $200 million in sex abuse claims, plans to sell its headquarters and other property.

Officials hope to realize $11 million from the sale, The New York Times reports.

Spokane is one of three dioceses -- along with Portland, Ore., and Tucson -- that have declared bankruptcy.

The Rev. John Coughlin, a law professor at Notre Dame University, said selling the headquarters building is a symbolic step for the diocese.

"The diocese doesn't need the physical building to exist," he said. "But the sale shows that the effects of the sex abuse crisis are serious, for this and other dioceses as well."

The diocese could face even more difficult choices. A federal bankruptcy judge has ruled that parish property and Catholic schools within its borders are the property of the diocese and could be sold to settle claims. [source]

"Dying 'Dr. Death' Has Second Thoughts About Assisting Suicides"

From ABC News:

Now, as he sits in jail, Kevorkian may have had a change of heart — not about his dedication to the "death with dignity" movement, but on how he went about promoting it.

Specifically, his lawyer suggests, he questions the more than 100 suicides he said he assisted throughout the 1990s. One assisted suicide — the death of Lou Gehrig's disease patient Thomas Youk, which was taped and broadcast on "60 Minutes" in 1998 — earned him a prison sentence of 15 years to 20 years for second degree murder.

"He did what he did, and it brought it to public awareness [of physician-assisted suicide]," said Kevorkian's attorney, Mayer Morganroth. "He now realizes that having performed it when it was against the law, wasn't the, probably, appropriate way to go about it. … What he should have done was work towards its legalization verbally. … Pursuing that cause, and not performing it because it still was against the law." [More...]

[h/t: Roman Catholic blog]

On the street coverage of Pope Benedict in Poland - AmP style

Bringing you the latest in technological advances... here is some short personal footage shot by a Polish Catholic as Pope Benedict's motorcade passed by his home in Warsaw yesterday:

Pope in Poland Pictures - the Second Day

[source: Papacy and the Vatican (Yahoo! News slideshow)]

President of St. Thomas U. comments on Ben Kessler's commencement address

Fr. Martin Fox has posted a response he received from University of St. Thomas president Dennis Dease regarding a note he sent him about Ben Kessler's controversial commencement address:

"I was present at the graduation ceremony and heard Mr. Kessler's speech. I do not believe it was appropriate for him to use our Commencement event as a venue for his comments. There is no question that he was speaking sincerely and upholding Church teaching, and there were certainly many ways that Mr. Kessler might have dealt with the subject of “selfishness” from a Catholic perspective that could have been edifying. However, to berate his classmates on what was to have been a joyous occasion of celebration and congratulation was not appropriate and was hurtful to many of our students and their families." [More...]

I couldn't agree less, Mr. President.

Update: here is a link to Fr. Fox's original letter (thanks, Publius).

Is the Rhythm Method - "the only method of birth control condoned by the Catholic Church" - responsible for "massive embryonic death"?

There is an article forthcoming in the June issue of the Journal of Medical Ethics, by professor Luc Bovens, a professor of philosophy at the London School of Economics entitled, "The rhythm method and embryonic death" (J Med Ethics 32: 355-356).

A story has been buzzing around the news wires prior to the article's publication that I've reproduced below:

'Rhythm method' may kill off more embryos than other methods of contraception

The "rhythm method" may kill off more embryos than other contraceptive methods, such as coils, morning after pills, and oral contraceptives, suggests an article in the Journal of Medical Ethics.

The method relies on abstinence during the most fertile period of a woman's menstrual cycle. For a woman who has regular 28 day cycles, this is around days 10 to 17 of the cycle.

It is the only method of birth control condoned by the Catholic Church, because it doesn't interfere with conception, so allowing nature to take its course.

It is believed that the method works because it prevents conception from occurring. But says Professor Bovens, it may owe much of its success to the fact that embryos conceived on the fringes of the fertile period are less viable than those conceived towards the middle.

We don't know how much lower embryo viability is outside this fertile period, contends Professor Bovens, but we can calculate that two to three embryos will have died every time the rhythm method results in a pregnancy.

Is it not just as callous to organise your sex life to make it harder for a fertilised egg to survive, using this method, as it is to use the coil or the morning after pill, he asks?
Professor Bovens cites Randy Alcorn, a US pro-life campaigner, who has equated global oral contraceptive use to chemical abortion that is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths of embryos, or unborn children, every year.

But says Professor Bovens: if all oral contraceptive users converted to the rhythm method, then they would be effectively causing the deaths of millions of embryos.
Similarly, regular condom users, whose choice of contraception is deemed to be 95% effective in preventing pregnancy, would "cause less embryonic deaths than the rhythm method," he says.

"the rhythm method may well be responsible for massive embryonic death, and the same logic that turned pro-lifers away from morning after pills, IUDs, and pill usage, should also make them nervous about the rhythm method," he contends. [source]

Now, there are MANY things in error with this article. I'll try to tackle a couple myself, but the important thing to realize is that little stories like this have a habit of taking up residence in the mind of some people as "valid problems" with the Church's teaching on sexual ethics.

Anyway:

• The "Rhythm Method" is not "the only method of birth control condoned by the Catholic Church." Statements claiming the Church only supports the rhythm method reveal more the ignorance of their authors than anything else. Natural Family Planning - not the Rhythm Method - is supported by the Church, and for good reason.
• There can be no "embryos" conceived outside the of the fertile period of a woman. This article says "The method relies on abstinence during the most fertile period of a woman's menstrual cycle." Natural Family Planning, on the other hand, relies on abstinence during the entire fertile period. Let's review: No fertility = no embryos = no "massive embryonic death." Now, what they do mean to say is that the old rhythm method, which did not take into account the fact that a woman could conceive (during her fertile period) even several days after sex (from that one act of sexual intercourse), could result in pregnancy. Essentially, Prof. Bovens makes his startling revelations based on a point that the Church has understood for sometime, and which is no longer (if ever) supported or recommended. But the article goes even further.
• "Is it not just as callous to organise your sex life to make it harder for a fertilised egg to survive, using this method, as it is to use the coil or the morning after pill, he asks?" Suddenly the article jumps into the realm of morality. Instead of sticking close to the biology, the article takes its "revelation" about the defects of the (discarded and old) rhythm method and tries to chip away at the Church's sexual teaching with it.
• "if all oral contraceptive users converted to the rhythm method, then they would be effectively causing the deaths of millions of embryos. " Good point, but the Catholic Church isn't telling people to switch to the rhythm method. Switching to NFP would result in no pregnancies (99.5% success rate). How would the professor respond to that?
• "Similarly, regular condom users, whose choice of contraception is deemed to be 95% effective in preventing pregnancy, would "cause less embryonic deaths than the rhythm method," he says." Presuming, of course, that condom users would not terminate the pregnancy. Again, this claim is off-point - the rhythm method is a moot point for Catholics.
• The final sentence: "the rhythm method may well be responsible for massive embryonic death, and the same logic that turned pro-lifers away from morning after pills, IUDs, and pill usage, should also make them nervous about the rhythm method," he contends." You're so right, professor. Sadly, you never took the time to research whether they actually have discarded the rhythm method.

I think this article is a classic "straw man" argument. The article deliberately claims "The Church teaches X (the old rhythm method, in this case)," and then proceeds to gloriously poke holes in it with the aid of trusty science. I don't think I'm reading into this article at all when I say that it is deliberately trying to discredit the logic of pro-lifers and the Catholic Church.

Happily, logic is and will always be on the side of pro-lifers and the Catholic Church, so I'm not worried.

An even more inflammatory version of the article, posted here at the Sydney Morning Herald, is provoking a sharp response in the comments section.

The Dialogue blog explains a bit how Natural Family Planning works in response to this article.

Hat tip to Shelray of Cosmos-Liturgy-Sex for originally spotting the article.

Your Papist-Picture-of-the-Day, Tuesday May 25

"...did someone say, perogies?"

[photo credit: AP Photo/Andrew Medichini]

Pope in Poland Pictures - the First Day (updated)

[source: Papacy and the Vatican (Yahoo! News slideshow)]

All your Cormac Burke needs fulfilled!

From In the Light of the Law:

Msgr. Cormac Burke is an Irish priest of the prelature Opus Dei, a member of the Irish bar, professor of modern languages, and a prolific theological author. More than all of these, though, Msgr. Burke is one of the world's most influential English-speaking canon lawyers, serving 13 years on the Roman Rota as an "auditor" (essentially, a judge), retiring in 1999, only to continue his priestly service by teaching in Kenya.

Msgr. Burke is that unusual kind of man who has maintained extensive scholarly output while performing Church work at the highest levels; in him, we have the chance to see how a canonical judge (one with a common law formation at that) adjudicates actual cases, and how the same man reflects on those issues as an academic. Thus, his decision to launch a personal website, featuring many of his books, articles, and judicial sentences, is very exciting news. His materials (often entire works) are now available in several languages. [More...]

CNA on Bishops voting on the new Order of Mass in English

From CNA, a lengthy treatment:

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. bishops will be asked to approve a new translation of the Order of Mass when they meet in Los Angeles June 15-17.

If the new translation is adopted as proposed and subsequently approved by the Vatican, Catholics will have to learn a number of changes in their Mass prayers and responses. Among the more obvious will be:

-- Whenever the priest says "The Lord be with you," the people will respond, "And with your spirit." The current response is "And also with you."

-- In the first form of the penitential rite, the people will confess that "I have sinned greatly ... through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault." In the current version, that part of the prayer is much shorter: "I have sinned through my own fault."

-- The Nicene Creed will begin "I believe" instead of "We believe" -- a translation of the Latin text instead of the original Greek text.

-- The Sanctus will start, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of hosts." The current version says, "Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might." [More...]

Update: The New Liturgical Movement has more: "CNS, Catholic News Service, is the news agency of the U.S. Bishops Conference. As such, and given the debates going on about this, there is perhaps a little spin put into this article that I'd like to analyze. It may reflect some of the underlying debates and tactics that have been going on, and continue to." [More...]

The Great Poland Post of 2006

Pope Benedict visits Poland this weekend as the second apostolic trip of his papacy. This post will be updated as the weekend progresses. Please feel free to email me links to news stories/websites covering the trip. Thank you!

Yahoo's Papacy and the Vatican news photos will be updated throughout the weekend. [You can view the slideshow here.]

You can view live television of the Pope in Poland by clicking here and then on the big red button that says TRWA TRANSMISJA.

May 27/28 coverage: The Final Stretch

• Pope Benedict: Why God's Silence? Pope Asks at Auschwitz
• Pope Benedict: Be Strong in the Faith, Pontiff Urges Poles
• Pope Benedict: Youth Promise Holy Father to Be Drug-Free
• Pope Benedict: Pope Eager for John Paul II's Beatification
• Pope Benedict: Benedict XVI Addresses Huge Gathering in Krakow
• Pope Benedict: After Mass in Krakow's Blonie Park
• Pope Benedict: Benedict XVI's Farewell to Poland
• Pope Benedict: Pope's Message at Auschwitz
• Pope Benedict: Benedict XVI's Homily in Blonie Park
• Pope Benedict: Papal Address in John Paul II's Hometown
• Pope Benedict: Pope's Words at Kalwaria Shrine
• Pope Benedict: Address to the Sick at Divine Mercy Shrine
• Pope Benedict: Address to Young People in Blonie Park
• New York Times: A German Pope Confronts the Nazi Past at Auschwitz
• Pictures: The Pope visits Auschwitz
• New York Times: A Pope From Germany Prays at Auschwitz
• Washington Post: Pope Benedict Visits Auschwitz
• Associated Press: Police: 900,000 go to papal Mass in Poland
• New York Times: In Poland, Pope Speaks of Quick Sainthood for John Paul II
• Reuters: Pope says mass as he prepares for Auschwitz visit
• NewsMax: Pope Criticizes Polish Catholic Radio
• CWNews: Benedict XVI makes late appearance at "pope's window" in Krakow
• CWNews: Pope visits predecessor's hometown
• CWNews: "About 1 million young Polish Catholics gathered in Krakow's Blonie Park on Saturday evening, May 27, to meet Pope Benedict XVI...The Holy Father gave his young audience a message of encouragement, telling them that they should not be discouraged by the people who reject the claims of Jesus Christ. The apostle Peter faced the same problem, the Pope reminded his audience, when St. Peter referred to Christ as the "living stone rejected by men."

May 26 coverage: Rain on the Parade

• Curt Jester: Pope in Poland Day 2 (photos with captions)
• Pictures: Day Two Highlights
• CNA: Benedict XVI makes vivid recollection of Pope John Paul II addressing the youth in Krakow
• Pope Benedict: Benedict XVI's Message to Young People: John Paul II "Is Among Us"
• Pope Benedict: Papal Address in Czestochowa: "Place Yourselves in the School of Mary"
• Pope Benedict: Papal Homily in Warsaw's Pilsudski Square: "Faith Is a Gift, Also a Task"
• Newsweek: Papal Visit, Poland’s chief rabbi discusses Pope Benedict XVI’s visit, Jewish-Catholic relations and the renaissance of Judaism in a nation once known for its anti-Semitism.
• New York Times: In Poland, Pope Benedict Endorses Sainthood for John Paul II

Media coverage:

• BBC's In Pictures: Pope's Warsaw Mass
• Associated Press: 270,000 attend Mass by Pope Benedict XVI (also includes video)
• Associated Press: Poles give Benedict a warm reception
• Rueters (Tom Heneghan): Heavy rain, lower turnout for Pope mass
• New York Times: Pope celebrates mass in Warsaw rain

May 25 coverage: The First Day

• John Allen, writing from Warsaw: "Pope Benedict XVI launched what might be dubbed his "Take Back Europe" 2006 summer tour today, opening a four-day swing through a traditional Catholic stronghold that he hopes will build momentum for reawakening the Christian roots of the Old Continent." [More...] {He will be covering the trip daily}
• Whispers has coverage: "While Benedict and Kaczynski were in their meeting, the Vatican television camera seemed a little lost as it followed Cardinal Sodano while he killed time looking at the artwork on the walls." [More...]
• The Curt Jester has pictures (with captions!)
• Pope Benedict: Welcome ceremony at the International Airport of Okęcie
• Pope Benedict: Meeting with the Clergy in the Cathedral of St. John in Warsaw
• Pope Benedict: Benedict XVI's Address at Ecumenical Meeting
• Pictures: Day One highlights, PPOTD
• Zenit: Benedict XVI in Poland on "Journey of Faith", Pope Arrives in Warsaw on 2nd International Trip

Media coverage:

• Update: Poles praise pope for addressing them in Polish during papal trip: ""The pope studied hard before this pilgrimage -- besides language lessons, he spent a lot of time privately reading and repeating Polish texts" ... "The pope made several remarks in Polish during his arrival speech at the Warsaw airport and in an address to Polish clergy at the Cathedral of St. John. [More...]
• Update: WashingtonPost: Pope, in Poland, Honors John Paul
• Update: New York Times: In Poland, Pope Seeks to Strengthen Bond With Faithful and Honor His Predecessor
• CNS: Pope, in Poland, says faith, thanks, remembrance to guide trip
• CNA: As a community, the Church must practice love, says Pope during ecumenical encouter in Warsaw
• CNA: I have come to follow in the footsteps of John Paul II, says Pope on beginning of Apostolic visit to Poland
• CNA: Pope meets with Polish Clergy in Saint John’s Cathedral
• New York Times: Pope Arrives in Poland for Four-Day Visit
• Associated Press: Enthusiasm greets Benedict in Poland
• United Press International: Pope starts 4-day visit to Poland
• Reuters: Sexy ads, drink sales out for Pope's Poland visit
• Reuters (Tom Heneghan): Visit by a German pope raises questions for Poles
• Reuters: Warm but sparse welcome for the Pope in Poland
• WashingtonPost: Pope Begins Four-Day Tour of Poland

May 24 coverage: The Warm-Up

From this morning's VIS bulletin: "Tomorrow, Thursday, Benedict XVI will leave the Vatican on an apostolic trip to Poland, the second of his pontificate following last August's visit to Germany. In Poland, from May 25 to 28, he will visit Warsaw, Czestochowa, Krakow, Wadowice, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, and Auschwitz."

I had the opportunity of visiting Krakow, Czestochowa, Wadowice and Auschwitz when I was studying in Europe.

Links from Amy's super post:

• Plan for the first day
• Detailed timeline for the trip
• Here's where to look for translations of the Pope's homilies, etc
• EWTN's coverage
• More info at Amy's post
• Update: Here's a website that has lots of interesting information, the joint effort of the Polish Press Agency and the Catholic Information Agency (PAP/KAI) [Thanks Nancy!]: http://www.b16.pl/index_en.html
• Update: Polish TV where you can click the big red button for live coverage of the Holy Father's Pilgrimage to Poland [Thanks EuropeanCatholic!]: http://www.itvp.pl/pielgrzymka2006/

Media coverage:

• Associated Press: Disruptions expected for pope's visit
• Reuters: Pope hopes for "springtime" of faith in Poland
• Associated Press: Pope to Visit John Paul II's Homeland
• CNA: Pope calls for prayers for forthcoming trip to Poland
• CNA: Holy See unveils new details about Apostolic visit to Poland starting tomorrow

The Ratzinger Fan Club has a Pope Benedict XVI roundup to get you up to speed.

[Tags: Benedict, Poland, Visit, Pope, Trip, Catholic, John Paul]

A drug that wakes up so-called "PVS" patients

Amy Welborn has the story (quoting the UK Guardian):

A drug commonly used as a sleeping pill appears to have had a miraculous effect on brain-damaged patients who have been in a permanent vegetative state for years, arousing them to the point where some are able to speak to their families, scientists report today.

The dramatic improvement occurs within 20 minutes of taking the drug, Zolpidem, and wears off after around four hours - at which point the patients return to their permanent vegetative state, according to a paper published in the medical journal NeuroRehabilitation. [More...]

Badges? No Badges?

It appears like the Canadian National Post got it wrong: No plans to badge non-muslims in Iran.

Your Papist-Picture-of-the-Day, Wednesday May 24

"... and what was really surprising was when the zuccheto froze in mid-air and then obediently returned to the Pontiff's head."

[photo credit: AP Photo/Plinio Lepri]

A Papist after my own heart: Ben Kessler takes a stand

For me, dinner conversation this evening turned towards the intrepid actions of Ben Kessler, an all-american, 4.0-achieving college seminarian going on to study for the priesthood next year at the North American College in Rome.

I was talking to a friend of mine who attends Saint John Vianney seminary (near STU where Kessler went) and Kessler's commencement speech was mentioned. Arriving home, I found that some people had blogged the story (notably Dom).

Well, I also think the story deserves some attention, and Kessler support. Kessler was given the prestigious "Tommie of the Year" award by the staff, faculty and students of St. Thomas University, and boy, did he deliver:

"Ben Kessler, an academic All-America football player at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., scolded students for using birth control, criticized a recent food fight and backed the Catholic school's policy of barring unmarried faculty and staff in romantic relationships from rooming together on school trips that include students, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported." [source]

"The remarks by Ben Kessler, a well-known student recently honored by peers and faculty as Tommie of the Year, led to catcalls and boos during commencement at the Catholic university in St. Paul. Others booed those who were booing. Some students walked out on their own graduation ceremony." [source]

Some backstory is needed for his remarks: St. Thomas University has been embroiled in several controversies this academic year, and basically, Kessler came out supporting Catholic teaching regarding the issues at stake. Kessler's remarks provoked a sharp response during and after:

Buzz about the incident dominated post-graduation parties, spread throughout the community and sparked a flurry of e-mails. By Monday, there were scattered requests to strip Kessler of his Tommie of the Year award and questions about why St. Thomas officials didn't try to pull the plug on Kessler's speech as the crowd's unhappiness intensified. [source]

The president of STU, Rev. Dennis Dease, was quick to offer an apology:

"I have shared my sentiments with Mr. Kessler that it was not appropriate for him to use the commencement exercise as a venue to express his opinions on several issues. I had hoped that he would focus on the accomplishments of his fellow graduates and challenge them to continue their efforts 'to advance the common good,' as our mission statement urges." [More...]

(What else is a student speaker invited to do except talk about his opinions and experiences?)

Kessler has also apologized to anyone he offended (before leaving for a retreat):

"I first would like to apologize to all offended by my words. As I stated in the opening line of my address, graduation is a time to look back and a time to look ahead. On Saturday, I looked back at some issues our university and our society have faced. I then looked ahead and tried to provide hope to all in attendance. Instead of providing hope to all, I offended some by my words and by my decision to speak those words at commencement. I sincerely apologize to each person I offended." [source]

Okay, sure, apologize if you went too far and offended someone. But did he go too far?

Go ahead and watch it for yourself. (see below for video)

In the speech he lays out two choices for his audience: selfishness or selflessness, and wants them to be truly happy by giving and living selflessly. What he identifies as selfish are things like a cafeteria brawl that brought the police, the practice of birth control (because it hurts relationships in the long term, etc), and traveling and staying with an unmarried partner (in the case of St. Thomas, originally the problem was provoked by a lesbian couple). This is what Kessler spoke against. Those who protested his speech said he was "too conservative."

Kessler spoke about "true, lasting happiness ... as lived by St. Thomas Aquinas, Mother Theresa... and - dare he say it- Jesus Christ himself."

... so, what exactly does he have to apologize for?

Update: you can view his speech below (some foul language - be warned):



Update: Read the U. of St. Thomas president's response to a letter here.

Vote in this week's American Papist poll: Do you support Ben Kessler's commencement address?

Cardinal Pell on "Diabolical" Porn, a Great New Generation of Priests, More.

The third and final interview with Cardinal Pell has been posted:

LifeSiteNews.com: Actually, maybe I'll pursue that further. LifeSite has been reporting a lot lately on the effect of pornography on the culture. What's your opinion on that? How has it affected the culture and what can we do to bring it to an end?

Cardinal Pell: "Well, it's so big and so powerful that I'm not sure we're going to be able to bring it to an end. But I think we should talk about it. And we should try to get sociological data that's accurate. Perhaps even from sources that aren't particularly Catholic, and just show how it closes people in on themselves, and makes it hard for them to relate to others, especially if they become addicted to pornography, how destructive that is for their own sexual life as an adult in an ongoing relationship, adult relationship, you know, a man and a woman. As well as giving out clear moral lines, we need to dip into this, find out about this research and tell people about it. Because, if you conform to the natural way of things that brings genuine benefits."

[Read the full interview]

First installment, here; Second, here.

Rocco ruminates about WYD plans

The machinery is being put into action:

"... the planning committee for the next World Youth Day extravaganza, to be held in Sydney in two years' time, sat last week for a major meeting under the serene and kindly gaze of the event's secretary-general, Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Fisher, OP.

Among the major issues discussed were the need for an event-specific official hymn. A competition will probably be held, but the organizers are looking for something playable in both English and Latin, with easy translations into Spanish, Italian and French (but not German?)..." [More...]

WYD 2008 official website.

Your Papist-Picture-of-the-Day, Tuesday May 23

Polish People Practice Pecking Pope Posters

[photo source: REUTERS/Katarina Stoltz]

More info on the Pope's September trip to Bavaria

From CWNews:

May. 23 (CWNews.com) - Even as Pope Benedict prepares for his May 25-28 trip to Poland, plans for his visit to Bavaria in September are also taking firm shape.

The Pope's trip to his native land will stretch from September 9 to 14, with stops in Munich, Altötting, Ratisbon, Freising, and Marktl am Inn, according to the program sketched out by the Italian Korazym web site.

"Madonna Blasted for Concert Crucifixion" - AP

From the AP:

LOS ANGELES -- Less than 12 hours after Madonna crucified herself on a mirrored cross, the Catholic League expressed its discontent with the concert stunt.

The controversial diva wore a crown of thorns and sang while hanging from a cross during Sunday night's opener of her "Confessions" world tour at The Forum in Inglewood.

"Knock off the Christ-bashing," Catholic League president Bill Donohue said in a statement Monday. "It's just pathetic." [More...]

But apparently it didn't really touch a nerve in the audience:

The crucifixion appeared to puzzle many of her LA audience rather than offend them, though, as the singer made no attempt to explain the meaning of the imagery.

The show also featured a montage juxtaposing shots of Tony Blair and George Bush with footage of Adolf Hitler, Osama bin Laden and Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe. [source]

Oh well, when she runs out of ideas, defaming Christianity is her default mode I guess.

Update: For once, the Church of England agrees with me:

"Why would someone with so much talent seem to feel the need to promote herself by offending so many people?" said the Church in a statement. [source]

Last but not least, a picture of Madonna on her "cross". (and a fairly scathing review, to boot)

*whoops* - Levada gets a little scare from this morning's VIS

Reading through this morning's Vatican Information Service press release an announcement might have taken some by surprise:

VATICAN CITY, MAY 20, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father ... Appointed Archbishop Ivan Dias, archbishop of Bombay, India, as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith."

Luckily, about an hour and a half later comes this message from the VIS:

"This is the good version for today's 'Other Pontifical Acts'."

"ATICAN CITY, MAY 20, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father ... Appointed Archbishop Ivan Dias, archbishop of Bombay, India, as prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of People."

*whew* - Much better. :-)

Condi's Commencement Controversy Concludes

From the AP:

A few students turned their backs but more stood to applaud as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice received an honorary degree and addressed graduates at Boston College on Monday.

After weeks of turmoil and anti-war protests over Rice's invitation to address the Catholic school, Rice told graduates that their education comes with responsibilities.

She drew scattered applause when she discussed what she called a "commitment to reason," or an obligation to test and challenge their own views.

"There is nothing wrong with holding an opinion and holding it passionately," Rice said, "but at those times when you are absolutely sure you're right, go find someone who disagrees."

About 50 students stood with their backs toward the stage as Rice was introduced to give her commencement speech, but they were quickly drowned out by a standing ovation. [More...]

Oh well, much ado about nothing it appears.

My previous posts on this issue.

Update: The New York Times has a slightly different take on the event.

[Tags: Condoleezza, Rice, Boston, College, Letter, Iraq War, Catholic]

La Civilta Cattolica: No Change in the Church's stance on Condoms.

No change in the Church's stance on Condoms.

From Sandro Magister:

[This] article published in the latest issue of “La Civiltà Cattolica” [which is printed under the supervision of the Vatican authorities] is an implicit response to the expectations for a change in the Church’s stance, beginning with the specific case illustrated by cardinal Martini.

And the answer is in the negative. Not only does the article make no direct reference to condoms, but it demonstrates that the Church’s activity is directed in an entirely different direction, which can be summed up in the word “chastity.” It maintains that the Church would do nothing but harm if its efforts in combating AIDS “seemed to support promiscuous, excessive, and destructive behavior.”

That this is also Benedict XVI’s thought is beyond all doubt. At the same time as “La Civiltà Cattolica” was publishing its article, the pope referred twice – in addresses on May 11 and 13 – to the encyclical “Humanae Vitae” by Paul VI, describing it as “prophetic and always relevant.”

[More...]

Magister publishes a substantial translation of the original article published in Italian:

“La Civiltà Cattolica,” the journal of the Rome Jesuits that is printed under the supervision of the Vatican authorities, doesn’t usually post to its website the complete text of all of the articles published in each of its editions.

It does so only with one or two of its less significant articles, which are usually dedicated to art or literature. But there are exceptions. In the case of an important editorial, or of another article also held to be significant, “La Civiltà Cattolica” immediately puts the entire text online, in order to bring the thinking of leading Church authorities to a wider audience.

This was done with an article dedicated to AIDS in Africa and to the Church’s efforts to combat it, published in the most recent edition of the magazine.

Why was this done? Presumably because during the preceding weeks there had been worldwide coverage of the controversy over the Church and AIDS, and in particular over the question of whether or not the use of condoms should be permitted.

The dispute was reignited by remarks from cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, and by later indiscreet comments about a possible Vatican document on the topic.

A Jesuit comes into the debate to save a Jesuit:

Cardinal Martini is a Jesuit. And the Jesuits have been for years among the most active in fighting AIDS in Africa, in almost thirty sub-Saharan countries.

The author of the article in “La Civiltà Cattolica” is also a Jesuit: Fr. Michael F. Czerny, director of the African Jesuit AIDS Network, AJAN, founded in 2002 with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. He is also the author of the book “AIDS and the Church in Africa: To Shepherd the Church, Family of God in Africa in the Age of AIDS,” published in Nairobi in 2005 by Pauline Publications Africa.

Magister has large excerpts from the article by Fr. Czerny, "AIDS, the greatest threat to Africa since the time of the slave trade."

CNA has a short summary of this most recente development in the debate.

My AP page on this debate has several articles explaining why the Church cannot change its teaching.

Click here for a partial list of the postings I've written on this debate.

ZENIT's objectivity about the Maciel decision doubteful?

Okay, *deep breath*.

Zenit today released in its daily news coverage a statement issued by the Mexican episcopal conference about the recent Maciel decision.

But note their introduction:

The Holy See's statement, released Friday, said it would stop the canonical investigation into allegations against the 86-year-old, Mexican-born founder.

Sorry, I don't think that's a complete or accurate one-sentence summary of the situation.

Zenit is owned and run by the Legionaries, and I think they just aren't being objective about this one (perhaps understandably, but that's a different question).

Gregory Borse makes the same point:

"In this author's opinion, Zenit's characterization is tantamount to a lie: Father Maciel has been removed by the Vatican from public ministry because the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith found the charges against him to be credible. The CDF declined to go through a trial (the "canonical process" referred to) because of Maciel's "advanced age, frail health," not because there was no basis in fact for the accusations."

Zenit should realize that everyone is going to be closely watching how they treat this story - so why not just relate the facts according to their due?

Their coverage of the initial story isn't much better, either:

VATICAN CITY, MAY 19, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The Holy See won't continue with a canonical investigation into accusations against Father Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legionaries of Christ, and has invited him to renounce all public ministry.

For all the talk about receiving the Vatican's decision in "complete obedience," shouldn't part of that obedience be admitting and accepting the full decision? The Vatican communique did not compare Maciel with Christ, nor was its primary decision that the investigation be ceased so much as that Fr. Maciel has been "positively" instructed to renounce all public ministry. Maybe this is a case in point of what Diogenes has been talking about.

Condi Controversy Commences...

Condi shoots back!

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in Boston, says the Bush administration's actions in Iraq are not in not conflict with Catholic teachings.

"We have overthrown a dictator who brutalized his population.... Sometimes you have to get rid of really, really bad regimes." Rice said at a news conference Sunday on the eve of her commencement address at Boston College.

The Boston Globe said Boston College's announcement that Rice would speak and receive an honorary law degree has divided the Jesuit school. More than 200 members of the faculty have signed a letter penned by two leading theologians, objecting to the college's invitation, the newspaper said.

Some students and faculty are planning silent actions of protest for the ceremony and local peace activists are planning to rally outside the event.

"People have the right to say whatever they wish," Rice said. "That's the great blessing of living in a free country." [source]

Click here for my previous posts on this topic. She will speak at Boston College tomorrow. Should be fun.

[Tags: Condoleezza, Rice, Boston, College, Letter, Iraq War, Catholic]

Fr. James Schall on making sense of Commencements, especially Catholic ones

Reading Without Learning: On Not Missing "Sublime Passages" Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.: "We are near graduation weeks again. The perennial question comes up: "What did our students get for their education money during their high school or college years?"

A great read - Fr. Schall was my commencement speaker and did a find job of it (no suprises there!).

Planned Parenthood moves into "on the go" services

Who doesn't want to pop over to their local mall, get their coffee and contraceptives, and be done with it?

No really, that's how Planned Parenthood is pitching it:

“It’s very fresh, upbeat _ people getting being responsible, doing their shopping, getting the Starbucks and going in and getting their contraception,” said Dianne Luby, who heads the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.

[More at C-L-S.]

Sticky: Fr Maciel Ruling Coverage

Full First Day Roundup here; Day Two Coverage, here.

French are rudest, most boring people on earth: British poll

Fresh from the "I'm not suprised" category:

LONDON (AFP) - The French have been voted the world's most unfriendly nation by a landslide in a new British poll published. They were also voted the most boring and most ungenerous.

... The Germans have no to reason to celebrate the damning verdict. They came second on all three counts [by the British]. [More...]

Can you feel the love?

June happenings: new Sec. of State?

From Rocco:

At the same time, however, we're told to expect the appointment of a new Secretary of State on the 10th of June, if not the preceding Saturday. And that the retirement of Angelo Sodano will set off a "domino effect" of appointments across the church's central administrative structure.

Podcast: De-Coding Da Vinci by Amy Welborn

From Clayton:

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Amy Welborn when she was giving a talk at the parish of St. John Fisher in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. She's not only a fine, thoughtful writer; she's also a gifted speaker, and I was very glad I made the effort to make it to her presentation here in Southern California.

Today I've posted the audio from her De-Coding Da Vinci presentation in which she provides an excellent response to the main historical claims of Dan Brown's novel, summarizes people's reactions to this book, and explains why a response to the novel matters.

You can either subscribe to the podcast or simply click on this direct link to the audio to listen.

The Two Essential Da Vinci Code Movie Reviews

Read this ... and you're set:

• Amy Welborn
• Steve Greydanus

Magister on Fr. Maciel: "End of the Story"

Magister's latest:

End of the Story for the Founder of the Legionaries of Christ

“A reserved life of prayer and penance:” this is the penalty inflicted by Benedict XVI on Marcial Maciel, after “attentive study and investigation.” He and the Legion are obeying."

ROMA, May 19, 2006 – Because of his advanced age – 86 – and his infirm state of health, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has decided not to subject Mexican priest Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legionaries of Christ, to a canonical process.

But at the same time the congregation, with the approval of the pope, has imposed upon Maciel “a retired life of prayer and penance, renouncing any form of public ministry.”

This is the epilogue of the investigation carried out by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith into the accusations of sexual abuse and the violation of the sacrament of confession brought against the founder of the Legionaries, which he has always denied. [More...]

Your Papist-Picture-of-the-Day, Saturday May 20 - A Triple PPOTD!

With busy days the PPOTD has not always been quite "D"ly so here's a little Saturday bonus:

"Dear Holy Father, I want you to have this book to read on your flight to Poland, it's by this wonderful Cardinal named Ratzinger!"

"Here, have a special ticket to my Poland Tour - In Krakow I'll have Cardinal Dziwisz opening for me with DJ Cardinal Macharski doing the mixing!"

"Sisters Philomena and Perpetua continue their ministry of being the first people at every major Papal world tour event. They send the dog to retrieve food from their Benedict Groupie van."

[photo credit: 1, REUTERS/Osservatore Romano; 2, AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano; 3, AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski]

Fr. Maciel removed from ministry: Day Two

Some insightful reads in the wake of CDF's Fr. Maciel statement:

• Mirror of Justice posts the text of an NCR article looking at the situation.
• Matt Abbott posts the statement of a book author on clergy sex-abuse cover-up.
• Sandro Magister gives his take: "End of the Story":

End of the Story for the Founder of the Legionaries of Christ
“A reserved life of prayer and penance:” this is the penalty inflicted by Benedict XVI on Marcial Maciel, after “attentive study and investigation.” He and the Legion are obeying."

ROMA, May 19, 2006 – Because of his advanced age – 86 – and his infirm state of health, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has decided not to subject Mexican priest Marcial Maciel Degollado, founder of the Legionaries of Christ, to a canonical process.

But at the same time the congregation, with the approval of the pope, has imposed upon Maciel “a retired life of prayer and penance, renouncing any form of public ministry.”

This is the epilogue of the investigation carried out by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith into the accusations of sexual abuse and the violation of the sacrament of confession brought against the founder of the Legionaries, which he has always denied. [More...]

• Diogenes does as well (excellent analysis in my opinion - highly recommended read):

"Equally frustrating to a just assessment of the situation is the LC requirement "never to make outward verbal criticism, written or otherwise, of any act of governance or of the person of any rector or superior of the Congregation, and to inform forthwith the immediate superior of the member who has made such a criticism." Many religious communities have rules that discountenance grumbling; the LC's stricture is not simply another rule, but is undertaken as a vow: that means the member risks damnation if he acts against it, and it binds his conscience in a uniquely comprehensive and final way. Ironically, this vow makes the LC's support of Maciel epistemically valueless -- I'm not saying it's morally valueless, simply making the obvious point that testimony in favor of a man is shonky when offered by a witness who has vowed a priori, and under pain of mortal sin, never to speak ill of him."

...

"Several people have reacted to the decision by positing the following syllogism: If Maciel were innocent, it would be a gross injustice for the CDF and Pope Benedict to impose restrictions on his ministry that invite us (even if they don't require us) to believe that he is guilty. But we have no grounds for thinking the Pope and the CDF have the motive, still less the character, to visit such an injustice upon Maciel. Therefore, he's not innocent. I find this reasoning persuasive. But it leaves a lot of questions hanging." [More...]

Video for John Paul the Great Catholic University

Via, Curt Jester and Singing in the Reign (which has more info on this place):



You can learn more this video and the university behind it here.

The Curial "Tsunami" gets rolling (slowly)

Rocco thinks big things are starting over at .VA:

Some weeks ago, you all were advised to expect the first major throes of Benedict XVI's curial reshuffle before the Pope's departure for Poland on the 25th.

Well, right on time and just as predicted for about a year, this morning the Holy See announced that Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, heretofore prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, has been appointed archbishop of Naples in succession to the retiring Cardinal Michele Giordano. [More...]

Arinze puts to rest any doubts about Liturgiam Authenticam

An excerpt of a letter from Cardinal Arinze to Bishop Skylstad, president of the USCCB:

The Instruction Liturgiam authenticam is the latest document of the Holy See which guides translations from the original-language liturgical texts into the various modern languages in the Latin Church. Both this Congregation and the Bishops’ Conferences are bound to follow its directives. This Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments is therefore not competent to grant the recognitio for translations that do not conform to the directives of Liturgiam authenticam. If, however, there are difficulties regarding the translation of a particular part of a text, then this Congregation is always open to dialogue in view of some mutually agreeable solution, still keeping in mind, however, that Liturgiam authenticam remains the guiding norm.

The attention of your Bishops’ Conference was also recalled to the fact that Liturgiam authenticam was issued at the directive of the Holy Father at the time, Pope John Paul II, to guide new translations as well as the revision of all translations done in the last forty years, to bring them into greater fidelity to the original-language official liturgical texts. For this reason it is not acceptable to maintain that people have become accustomed to a certain translation for the past thirty or forty years, and therefore that it is pastorally advisable to make no changes. Where there are good and strong reasons for a change, as has been determined by this Dicastery in regard to the entire translation of the Missale Romanum as well as other important texts, then the revised text should make the needed changes. The attitudes of Bishops and Priests will certainly influence the acceptance of the texts by the lay faithful as well.

Diogenes posts the full letter and gives some background for understanding it.

This statement is an awesome show of support from Cardinal Arinze for faithful translations, especially before the U.S. Bishops vote on the new Roman Missal translation in about a month, as I've discussed before.

Closed Cafeteria Da Vinci Code Podcast

Gerald's intro:

So dark the con of man, a man named Dan Brown....I just recorded a 39-minute podcast about the book, gnosticism, new ageism, feel-good spirituality - with me getting mad (I know, hard to believe!) at some points. Also, a hilarious quote from the book, and grand quotes from Pope Benedict XVI and Chesterton.

[Get links for his newest podcast.]

Iran to make Jews, Christians wear BADGES

From the National Post:

Human rights groups are raising alarms over a new law passed by the Iranian parliament that would require the country's Jews and Christians to wear coloured badges to identify them and other religious minorities as non-Muslims.

"This is reminiscent of the Holocaust," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. "Iran is moving closer and closer to the ideology of the Nazis."

Iranian expatriates living in Canada yesterday confirmed reports that the Iranian parliament, called the Islamic Majlis, passed a law this week setting a dress code for all Iranians, requiring them to wear almost identical "standard Islamic garments."

The law, which must still be approved by Iran's "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenehi before being put into effect, also establishes special insignia to be worn by non-Muslims.

Iran's roughly 25,000 Jews would have to sew a yellow strip of cloth on the front of their clothes, while Christians would wear red badges and Zoroastrians would be forced to wear blue cloth.

"There's no reason to believe they won't pass this," said Rabbi Hier. "It will certainly pass unless there's some sort of international outcry over this." [More...]

Oh, there will be.

Update: Liam in Amy Welborn's comments offers a short explanation for why these three colors might be chosen (this question is, of course, tangential to the much more serious issues involved with "badging" human beings):

"The color yellow for Jews comes actually from medieval Christian practice. [More from Wikipedia]

The color red for Christians comes from the fact that the red cross is the traditional emblem of our faith, used by Crusaders. It is also the opposite color of the green that traditionally is associated with Islam, but Islam also has uses for red.

As for the color blue, I imagine it has something to do with vestments of Persian shahs and Zoroastrian priests and/or holy men."

Cardinal Pell to Pro-Abortion Catholics: "How come you feel that you're able to go to Communion?"

LifeSiteNews continues its dynamite 3-part interview with Cardinal Pell:

LifeSiteNews.com: What would you say to the politicians themselves who are doing or saying these things?

Cardinal Pell: "Well, I'd say if they do it on a number of really significant issues, you'd have to bring into question just to what extent they are straight up and down the line Catholics, and to what extent they remain Catholic. I mean, if they call themselves Catholics and on every significant public issue they don't line up with us, well at the very minimum I think they should go quiet on the Catholic labelling."

"I mean there are other questions about whether or not they should be refused Communion, and they are difficult questions. I think if a person is regularly supporting pro-abortion legislation in a way that is very, very difficult to divorce that voting from an explicitly pro-abortion attitude I think you should ask them, how come you feel that you're able to go to Communion?" [More...]

The first part I blogged here.

Fr. Maciel removed from ministry: reactions & commentary

From the Vatican Information Service:

"...After having attentively studied the results of the investigation, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the guidance of the new prefect, Cardinal William Joseph Levada, decided - bearing in mind Fr. Maciel's advanced age and his delicate health - to forgo a canonical hearing and to invite the father to a reserved life of penitence and prayer, relinquishing any form of public ministry. The Holy Father approved these decisions.

"Independently of the person of the Founder, the worthy apostolate of the Legionaries of Christ and of the Association 'Regnum Christi' is gratefully recognized." [More...]

The Legionaries of Christ respond:

2. Facing the accusations made against him, he declared his innocence and, following the example of Jesus Christ, decided not to defend himself in any way.

4. Fr. Maciel, with the spirit of obedience to the Church that has always characterized him, he has accepted this communiqué with faith, complete serenity and tranquility of conscience, knowing that it is a new cross that God, the Father of Mercy, has allowed him to suffer and that will obtain many graces for the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi Movement.

5. The Legionaries of Christ and the members of the Regnum Christi, following the example of Fr. Maciel and united to him, accept and will accept always the directives of the Holy See with profound spirit of obedience and faith. We renew our commitment to work with great intensity to live our charism of charity and extend the Kingdom of Christ serving the Church. [More...]

Note: At the time of writing (12:30pm EST), the Legionaries of Christ website was down.
Update, 2:30Pm EST: the website is back up (intermittently, probably due to high traffic volume).

St. Blogs commentary and reactions:

• In Light of the Law looks at the canonical implications of this decision, as well as to what degree one can conclude Maciel's guilt from it: "... I think that the CDF directive that Maciel undertake prayerful "penance" might have greater canonical significance than meets the eye."
• Amy Welborn's posting is ground zero (per usual) for the comment wars.
• Jimmy Akin: "That the Congregation found that at least some substance to the allegations is indicated by the fact that the Congregation invited him to give up public ministry and lead a life of prayer and penance. You don't do that to people against whom baseless charges have been made, particularly at the ends of their lives. One does not lightly ask the enormity of asking a priest to have to give up public ministry, particularly if he is aged and infirm and has spent his career building an organization with a reputation for faithfulness." [More...]
• Update, Richard John Neuhaus: "The most precise statement of what has happened, I believe, is that, in the judgment of CDF and the pope, it is in the best interests of the Church, the Legion, and Fr. Maciel that he relinquish his public ministry and devote the remainder of his life to penitence and prayer. It should be noted that “penitence” in this connection does no connote punishment for wrongdoing." [More...]

The mainstream commentary and reactions:

• New York Times: "The announcement marked the first public action by Pope Benedict XVI on the sensitive issue of sexual abuse in the church. And it came against a priest with a particularly high profile: the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, 86, the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, one of the fastest growing Catholic communities, praised often by Pope John Paul II." [More...]
• Associated Press: "Benedict's approval of the sanctions showed that he is not beholden to John Paul's legacy when it comes to dealing with what he once called the "filth" in the Catholic Church _ a widely understood criticism of clerical sex abuse ... Nine former seminarians first accused Maciel in 1996 of having abused them when they were boys or teenagers during the 1940s to 1960s. Later, other alleged victims came forward.
• More from the AP: "But such a serious sanction against as prominent a churchman as Maciel _ which would prohibit him from celebrating Mass and other sacraments in public _ is a clear indication the Vatican found at least some validity to the charges, experts said...The Vatican investigated Maciel in the 1950s for alleged drug use, trafficking and misuse of funds but not for sexual misconduct. He was suspended from his duties as head of the order then reinstated after being cleared of all allegations."[More...]
• Reuters: "The sanctions against Maciel made him one of the most prominent persons to be disciplined for alleged sexual abuse and could be devastating for the order and its lay branch Regnum Christi, which claims tens of thousands of members." [More...]
• Update, CNA: "Favreau added that one of the accusations against Father Maciel was that he absolved in confession people who were his accomplices in sexual sins and that this is punishable by automatic excommunication." [More...]
• Update, the AP: Pope Shows Independence in Priest Penalty: "Even as he was dogged by claims of sexual abuse, the founder of the Legionaries of Christ religious order remained a favorite of Pope John Paul II. On Friday, Pope Benedict XVI showed a bold willingness to correct his beloved predecessor by disciplining the Mexican priest. It's the latest move by Benedict away from John Paul's legacy." [More...]
• Update, Brian Mershon has pre-released his upcoming article for The Wanderer.

I'll repeat my previously-related personal story: "When I had the opportunity of meeting Cardinal Levada last summer, a friend of mine who was with me had the gumption to ask him if he would be pursuing the Maciel case when he took up his duties at CDF. Needless to say, Levada declined to respond... well, now we know."

[tags: Maciel, Legionaries of Christ]

Happy Catholic's Anniversary!

Go visit her and wish her many happy years to come! :-)

Off topic: Navy scuttles Aircraft Carrier to create artificial reef off Florida

From the AP:

PENSACOLA, Fla. - Navy divers got the first underwater look at the USS Oriskany on Thursday, reporting that the retired aircraft carrier had settled upright on the ocean floor to become the world's largest manmade reef.

The Navy blew holes in the ship Wednesday, sending it to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, where it will attract divers and marine life.

The Oriskany (pronounced oh-RISK-uh-nee) was the first warship sunk under a pilot program to dispose of old Navy vessels by making them into artificial reefs. The $20 million project was delayed for nearly two years by hurricanes and environmental permitting problems. [More...]

I was a bit of a WWII navy buff as a kid. I find this a much more appealing alternative to stripping old decomissioned warships for scrap and then letting the rest rot. Life from death, eh?

You can view a slideshow of images showing the detonation and sinking here.

Statement on Maciel expected tomorrow

From the AP:

The Vatican said Thursday it would issue a statement on its investigation into allegations the Mexican founder of the conservative order Legionaries of Christ sexually abused seminarians decades ago.

The statement is expected to be issued Friday, Vatican officials said. [More...]

Amy's original post on this story has about 70 comments so far. Not all that many Catholic blogs are covering the story, which is somewhat suprising to me. My original post is available here.

BlogAds reminder

A two week blog advertisement here at AmericanPapist will net your product/service/etc with between 25,000-30,000 page views in that time. Plus it helps me cover the expenses I incur in running this site. Many thanks!

Cardinal Pell on Sex Abuse Scandal: "Obviously Connected with Problem of Homosexuality"

It always seems that Cardinal Pell news travels in pairs...

FRONT ROYAL, VA, May 18, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Australia's Cardinal George Pell, was in Front Royal, Virginia over the weekend celebrating Mass and giving the Commencement address at Christendom College...

LifeSiteNews: Recently the church has seen corruption enter into its own walls in the form of the sex abuse scandals. What do you think the root of that problem has been, and how does it relate to the culture at large? Do you think that the culture at large has played a big factor in that, or is it just a separate problem in and of itself?

Cardinal Pell: "Human nature is always weak, but I do believe that the problem has been worsened considerably because of the moral confusion in society: the weakening of the faith, the absence of clear moral lines.

"As you know most of the abuse, at least in the English speaking world, that is most of the clerical abuse, is not in the strictest terms pedophilia, but what's called ephebophilia, and that is with young fellows as adolescents after puberty. And what is significantly different, which you would also probably be aware, is that 80% of the abuse is with young boys. So I mean it's obviously connected with the problem of homosexuality.

"I also think it's connected remotely with false views of conscience, where people come to think that all truth is relative, and that you can choose for yourself, especially when the pressure is on. It's not too difficult to deceive yourself morally. That's especially true in matters of sexuality. Of course now there's a very organized push to entice people into the world of active homosexuality.

"All these factors have impinged on the Church life, and made it more difficult. I think we've made very, very considerable strides in addressing the problem of pedophilia. But we've also got to be aware that we don't allow problems to develop with homosexuality just between adults within the church. We've got to see that this is not tolerated amongst clergy and religious orders."

Tell it like it is, your Eminence.

Benedict speaks to Australia's new Envoy, and about WYD

A busy day in Aussie news. Benedict spoke today to the new ambassador of Australia to the Holy See. Here's what he had to say about WYD 2008 in Sydney:

More than an event, World Youth Day is a time of deep ecclesial renewal, especially among the young, the fruits of which will benefit the whole of your society. In countries such as yours, where the disquieting process of secularization is much advanced, many young people are themselves coming to realize that it is the transcendent order that steers all life along the path of authentic freedom and happiness. Against the tide of moral relativism which, by recognizing nothing as definitive, traps people within a futile and insatiable bid for novelty, the young generation is rediscovering the satisfying quest for goodness and truth. In so doing they look to both Church and civil leaders to dispel any eclipse of the sense of God and to allow the light of truth to shine forth, giving purpose to all life and making joy and contentment possible for everyone.

And concluded:

For her part the Catholic Church in Australia continues to support marriage and family life, and to uphold the Christian foundations of civic life. She is much involved in the spiritual and intellectual formation of the young, especially through her schools. Additionally her charitable apostolate extends to immigrant communities and those living on the margins of society and, through her mission of service, she will respond generously to new social challenges as they arise.

Your Excellency, I am sure that your appointment will further strengthen the bonds of friendship which already exist between Australia and the Holy See. As you take up your new responsibilities you will find that the various offices of the Roman Curia are most ready to assist you in the fulfillment of your duties. Upon you, your family and your fellow citizens, I cordially invoke the abundant blessings of Almighty God. [More...]

Spokane Diocese Sex Abuse Deal Rejected - AP

From the AP:

SPOKANE, Wash. -- A federal judge rejected a $45.7-million settlement Thursday for 75 people who have filed sex abuse claims against the bankrupt Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Patricia Williams threw out the agreement during a telephone conference hearing, according to lawyers who took part. The judge urged the dozens of lawyers representing the diocese, victims, parishes and other parties to enter into mediation.

The judge, noting that bankruptcy law calls for settlements to be "fair and equitable" to all parties, decided the deal favored the 75 people over other alleged victims, lawyers for both sides said.

A typicially driveling quote from SNAP:

... David Clohessy, national director of SNAP, said by e-mail from St. Louis that the judge's rejection of the diocese's offer will hurt victims who thought they would be compensated.

"Our hearts ache for the dozens of deeply wounded and still hurting victims who thought a deal with the bishop was a deal," Clohessy wrote. "Equality is a valuable goal, but so too is healing and closure." [More...]

When all else fails, try using sex to sell the Da Vinci film

From the UK Daily Mail (quotes):

Their prayers, it seems, have not been answered.

So with appalling reviews ringing in their ears, the stars of The Da Vinci Code decided to do what Hollywood does best: turn on the glamour.

The red carpet in Cannes was positively groaning with sequins, slashed necklines and daring hemlines as they strutted and smiled at last night's premiere.

...

They were followed by the French contingent of Audrey Tautou, gamine with short hair and even shorter cream dress, and co-star Jean Reno.

Eva Herzigova didn't have much to do with the movie at all. But that didn't stop the model's megawatt smile and killer dress adding a little sunshine to a relatively sombre evening.

...

Thanks to their critical mauling, the stars seemed keen to walk down the red carpet in double quick time.

Amy tells us what we can learn from the Da Vinci Drama

Says Amy Welborn:

I hope we've learned that
1) Given the right push and inspiration, people will discover an interest in the historical core of Christianity.
2) There is widespread, abysmal ignorance about that historical core among the general public as well as among Christians.

... and much more that is good and useful to consider.

Benedict approves restrictions on Fr. Maciel, Legionaries of Christ founder

Via Amy, breaking news from John Allen:

Capping a decade-long on-again, off-again investigation of accusations of sexual abuse, the Vatican has asked Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado, the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, to observe a series of restrictions on his ministry.

In effect, Vatican sources told NCR this week, the action amounts to a finding that at least some of the accusations against the charismatic 86-year-old Mexican priest are well-founded.

Maciel has not been laicized, but the restrictions issued shortly before Easter by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith limit Maciel's public activity, such as his capacity to celebrate public Masses, to give lectures or other public presentations, and to give interviews for print or broadcast.

The restrictions have been approved by Pope Benedict XVI, and the Vatican is expected to issue a brief statement shortly.

Vatican sources stressed that the action against Maciel should not be read as an indictment of the Legionaries of Christ or its lay branch, Regnum Christi. [More...]

Sources I trust say the evidence is very damning against Maciel.

A little personal story: when I had the opportunity of meeting Cardinal Levada last summer, a friend of mine who was with me had the gumption to ask him if he would be pursuing the Maciel case when he took up his duties at CDF. Needless to say, Levada declined to respond... well, now we know.

Update: CNA has a short summary of the situation.
Update 2: The Washington Post has published its coverage.

Cardinal Pell on the signs of hope among young conservative Catholics

Via Curt Jester, Cardinal Pell telling it like it is (again):

Catholicism in Australia: facing the challenges of Western secularism

A couple golden quotes:

"... the sociological evidence from Europe, the USA and Australia clearly demonstrates that the more conservative religious groups attract greater numbers of followers. It is groups which resist compromise who flourish most successfully in a climate of uncertainty."

"Generally speaking, liberal Catholicism in Australia [and, I would add, America] has been unable to inspire young people to join it. The public protest meetings following the 1998 Statement of Conclusions (issued in Rome after a meeting between the Australian archbishops and curial cardinals) were attended by few, if any, under the age of fifty. Almost as disturbing is the fact that supporters of the Pope have not done spectacularly better among the young. However, the minority of young Catholic adults who are enthusiastic participants are strongly orthodox." [More...]

Really, Really - go read it. Orthodox Catholicism in America and Australia have a common leader and shepherd in Cardinal Pell. What a gift he is for the English-speaking Church.

*splat* - The sound of movie critics tossing tomatoes at the Da Vinci Code

Via Dawn, a delightful way to watch the pile of steaming ... tomatoes being thrown at the Da Vinci movie get larger and larger: Rotten Tomatoes giving it a Rotten rating.

A free sample:

"You know a movie's a dud when even its self-flagellating albino killer monk isn't any fun."

Clever people.

"No new statement on condoms likely, Vatican expert says" - CWNews

From CWNews:

May. 18 (CWNews.com) - Despite many published reports to the contrary, the Vatican is not preparing a document on the use of condoms to curb AIDS infection, according to a consultor to the Holy See.

Msgr. Michel Schooyans, a Belgian theologian and consultor to the Pontifical Council for the Family, told the I Media news agency that been discussed a statement on the topic, but that statement "never saw the light of day, and I don't think that it will ever appear."

I really should pony up and purchase subscriber access to CWNews ... Oh well, I'm sure the story will eventually be picked up by one of the other Catholic news sources.

Bett Co. are having their baby today!

Hop on over and offer your prayers and congratulations!

(hmm, I wonder if they have a "Thomas" in their family yet.... or a "Thomasina" for that matter.)

Update: It's a girl!!!

Against the Grain on all your "Just War" theory needs

The Catholic Just War Theory gets the complete Blosser treatment.

(the part on preemptive war I need not add is especially relevant to the Iraq and possible Iran war.)

Moving to my summer residence today.

More to follow...

McKellen says the Bible, not the Da Vinci Code, should have a "Fiction" Disclaimer

Via Jimmy Akin, this revolting little video clip.

A taste: "With the camera focused on McKellen, one could hear a distinctly nervous laugh in the background, seeming to come from either actor Tom Hanks or director Howard. McKellen's stunning bit of blasphemy is likely to test the adage that all publicity is good publicity."

What gets me also is how uncomfortable the entire cast looked as they are lined up in this video taking questions. Why so akward, boys?

Update: Drudge just picked up on this newsbusters story. McKellen really stuck his foot in it this time.

The Da Vinci Bomb Fallout - Day Two

A little jaunt through today's news stories:

From the AP: "Director Ron Howard had a suggestion Wednesday for people riled by the way Christian history is depicted in "The Da Vinci Code": If you suspect the movie will upset you, don't go see it."

But dear Ron, if disgrunted Christians don't go see it - who will?

From Rueters: "I'm very happy to believe that Jesus was married," [Ian McKellen] said. "I know the Catholic Church has problems with gay people and I thought this would be absolute proof that Jesus was not gay."

Gandalf, have you been at the longbottom leaf again? Don't answer that.

From Rueters: "Echevarria, the current prelate or head of the group, said he had not read the book because "I don't have time to waste with this kind of novel."

Instead he daily prays for Dan Brown. I'm with him on that one.

From the New York Times: "When a cryptographer and a symbologist get together, it usually ends in tears."

I'd say the same for Ron Howard and 10-cent fiction plots...

Wuerld-Wind Winds Down, for now...

A short recap of the second day commentary on Washington's next Archbishop:

• Dappled Things: "One interesting factoid about Mons. Wuerl is that, for many years as a young priest, Wuerl was personal secretary to John Cardinal Wright, the former Bishop of Pittsburgh and later head of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy. At the time, Cardinal Wright occupied the highest post that an American had ever held in the Roman Curia."
• Diogenes bemoans some biased reporting by USA Today.
• Get Religion tries to survey the mainstream media reports and figure out exactly who this man is (I would recommend Michael Barber's post as the best place to find out).
• Whispers lavishes praise on the reporting of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and gives us a hint at what Cardinal McCarrick will do next: "In retirement, Cardinal McCarrick will be taking up residence in the Neocatechumenal Way's Redemptoris Mater seminary in Washington. A suite has been kept there for his use. (McCarrick, it should be noted, also brought the Neocats to his previous assignment, the archdiocese of Newark.)The paper noted that "The cardinal intends to learn to speak Arabic in his retirement to 'keep me thinking,' he said and noted that he hates it when he is in a Middle Eastern country and he can't read the street signs."
• Update: The Washington Times has a good piece that delves a bit more into Wuerl's history in Seattle. A good read.

"Liberals most likely to believe Da Vinci tale" - CNA

I appreciated this story from CNA (mostly because of its headline):

Liberals most likely to believe Da Vinci tale

New York, May. 17, 2006 (CNA) - Data from recent surveys indicate that liberals and people who are not regular churchgoers are more likely to believe the tales proposed in The Da Vinci Code about Jesus having children with Mary Magdalene, said Catholic League president William Donohue.

“There is an inverse correlation between religiosity and belief in the Da Vinci Code’s thesis,” explained Donohue in a press release. “The more likely one is to attend church, the less likely he or she is to believe the book’s thesis.”

According to Donohue, a Barna Group survey found that liberals were twice as likely as conservatives to have altered their religious beliefs after reading Dan Brown’s book. [More...]

Too funny not to post - 10 Things I Hate About Commandments

This might stretch the comfort zones of some readers, but it is simply too funny not to post.

"10 Things I Hate About Commandments: A comedy 3,000 years in the making."

*warning* The end of the video includes the infamous f-bomb.



I found it especially funny because I watched the movie The 10 Commandments dozens and dozens of times as a kid. Plus I think I'm still "plugged-in" enough to pop culture to get most of the other references...

The Da Vinci Bomb: Cannes Film Festival Premier a Joke

We'll see if this gets the same news coverage as everything else Da Vinci does:

CANNES, France - "The Da Vinci Code" drew lukewarm praise, shrugs of indifference, some jeering laughter and a few derisive jabs Tuesday from arguably the world's toughest movie crowd: critics at the Cannes Film Festival. [source]

But it's not just Cannes, practically everyone who has previewed the movie agrees it stinks (Variety, Associated Press, Reuters). I'm going to waste a little more of my time on this sad tale and catalogue some of the juiciest quotes dismantling the movie. In reading through them, I get the sense that no reviewer wants to be remembered as that one person who actually thought the film was good - because it just is not:

"a stodgy, grim thing"

"conspired to drain any sense of fun out of the melodrama, leaving expectant audiences with an oppressively talky film that isn't exactly dull, but comes as close to it as one could ... result[ing in] perhaps the best thing the project's critics could have hoped for."

" it is impossible to believe that, had the novel never existed, such a script would ever have been considered by a Hollywood studio."

"It's esoteric, heady stuff, made compelling only by the fact that what it's proposing undermines the fundamental tenants of Christianity, especially Roman Catholicism"

"What one is left with is high-minded lurid material sucked dry by a desperately solemn approach. "

"It's a film so overloaded with plot that there's no room for anything else, from emotion to stylistic grace notes." [source]

"I didn't like it very much. I thought it was almost as bad as the book. Tom Hanks was a zombie, thank goodness for Ian McKellen. It was overplayed, there was too much music and it was much too grandiose."

"Several whistles instead of applause were all that greeted the end of Ron Howard's 125-million-dollar film, and worse than that, the 2,000-strong audience even burst out laughing at the movie's key moment."

"Thus book's detractors will no doubt be comforted to hear that when Hanks reveals who is supposedly the last surviving descendant of Jesus, the Cannes audience couldn't hold back their laughter."

"I kept thinking of the Energizer Bunny, because it kept going and going and going, and not in a good way," said James Rocchi, a film critic for CBS 5 television in San Francisco and the online outlet Cinematical. "Ron Howard makes handsome films. He doesn't make bad ones, but he doesn't make great ones."

"One especially melodramatic line uttered by Hanks drew prolonged laughter and some catcalls, and the audience continued to titter for much of the film's remainder." [source]

"Nothing really works. It's not suspenseful. It's not romantic. It's certainly not fun," said Stephen Schaefer of the Boston Herald."

"It seems like you're in there forever. And you're conscious of how hard everybody's working to try to make sense of something that basically perhaps is unfilmable." [source]

A good film could have fooled people into swallowing the Da Vinci lies, but happily enough, it appears to be a bad film, and nothing ugly can convince people to accept what is at heart a tangle of ugly lies in the first place.

Where does this leave the opening weekend? I think the movie will still have a strong showing, just on the number of presale tickets. However, we can now guess that most of those people will come out of their theater feeling fairly ticked off and let down and - dare we suggest it - a little taken in. Well ... good. They should feel that way. Now, let's all take a deep breath and forget this silliness - there are far more important things to talk about.

(admittedly, I must fight the temptation to gloat over this media bubble burst...)

Remember, you can still vote in this week's AP poll: Are you going to see the Da Vinci Code movie?

An episcopal glut (of news, that is)

Rocco, who is batting around .999 today, makes his next prediction:

"Next stop on the Appointment Express is the 1.5-million member archdiocese of Detroit, where Cardinal Adam Maida awaits Rome's call. Maida turned 75 last February. The cardinal, who has served as archbishop of Detroit since 1990, will celebrate his 50th anniversary as a priest in early June. The naming of his successor is expected to follow shortly thereafter."

Well, okay, maybe this one isn't all that earth-shattering. But for what it's worth...

Maida himself, if memory serves, has denied rumors of an imminent retirement.

Your Papist-Picture-of-the-Day, Tuesday May 16

"In a novel approach to deciding new bishop appointments, the apostolic nuncio Pietro Sambi suddenly asked the convened bishops to reveal what color card they had received with their registration. Luckily for Bishop Wuerl, his shade of green sent him to Washington, D.C. (a lighter shade of green would have sent him to Anchorage, Alaska...)."

[photo credit: Brendan McDermid/Reuters]

Bishop Double Header: Sartain to Joliet IL from Little Rock AR

Not to get lost in today's "Wuerl-wind" of coverage surrounding Washington's new Archbishop-elect, the diocese of Joliet IL also received a new bishop today (replacing Bishop Imesch), Bishop Sartain of Little Rock AR, as I buzzed about yesterday:

VATICAN CITY, MAY 16, 2006 (VIS) "The Holy Father appointed Bishop James Peter Sartain of Little Rock, U.S.A., as bishop of Joliet in Illinois (area 10,920, population 1,768,390, Catholics 636,862, priests 293, permanent deacons 178, religious 779), U.S.A. He succeeds Bishop Joseph L. Imesch, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit."

More statistics for the diocese of Joliet, Illinois and for Bishop Sartain.

A short biography of Bishop Sartain, from the Couple-to-Couple League 2006 conference, which he is scheduled to attend beginning June 25:

Bishop Sartain was ordained and installed as Bishop of the Diocese of Little Rock in 2000. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1978.

At the Athenaeum San Anselmo, Rome, Italy, S.T.B. he studied Dogmatic Theology, with specialization in Sacramental Theology. He studied Theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rose, Italy, S.T.L. He earned a B.A. in English at St. Meinrad College and attended Memphis State University.

Before being appointed Bishop of Little Rock, he was Vicar General of the Diocese of Memphis. Prior to that he held numerous administrative and advisory positions as Diocesan Administrator, Pastor, Associate Pastor, Judge on Marriage Tribunal, Moderator of the Curia, Chancellor, Director of Vocations, Academic Dean, Chaplain, Regional Chairman for USCCB, Chairman of Bishops’ Advisory Committee, and a Member of Bishops’ Catechesis Committee for the USCCB. [source]

St. Blogs commentary:

• Whispers: "A sacramentalist trained at the Benedictine Academy at Sant'Anselmo in Rome, Bishop Sartain, 54, has served as head of Arkansas' lone diocese since 2000."
• Jimmy Akin has a nice photo of him with Sartain and has this personal story to relate: "I was also impressed with Bishop Sartain. He's a Tennessee boy, and before the service I went up to him to make sure I was going to pronounce his name correctly during the service (that's something that's important to me, the way my last name gets mangled). Turns out his is pronounced SAR-tan, though he says he'll answer to other things. While I was waiting to ask him the question, he was telling some folks about a hunting trip he went on with friends down in Mississippi, so that scored him points in my book."
• Dennis of Vita Mea also has a personal story to tell: "At the end of the mass, Bishop Sartain told everyone how happy the Church was that Shaun was answering his vocation, and that the people should continually pray for vocations, and encourage any young men or women who might have a vocation to religious life. Then he asked the seminarians from the Diocese of Little Rock to raise their hands. The congregation applauded. Then he pointed out that about a dozen of Shaun's schoolmates from St. Meinrad had come and asked us to raise our hands. They applauded. Then he said, "One of them is a seminarian from the Diocese of Memphis, Dennis Schenkel, and he was one of my parishioners before I came to Arkansas. He had more hair back then. Then again, so did I." Big laugh from the congregation. Much redness on my face. All the guys from St. Meinrad gave me some teasing mixed with admiration after the mass. Also, I was the first person to receive Shaun's blessing, now that he's a member of the clergy. It was cool."
• Argent by the Tiber posts a short meditation by Bishop Sartain.

Media coverage:

• Catholic News Service: "In addition to various parish assignments, then-Father Sartain served the Memphis Diocese as director of vocations, secretary for priests and deacons, vicar for temporal administration and for clergy personnel, chancellor and moderator of the curia, and vicar general."
• Chicago Tribune: Joliet bishop steps down: "Sartain was installed in Little Rock on March 6, 2000, after Little Rock bishop Andrew J. McDonald retired. He is the sixth bishop in the Little Rock diocese's 163 years, leading Arkansas' 90,000 Catholics.He grew up in Memphis, the son of a pharmacist and a Catholic school secretary. He has four sisters.When Pope John Paul II named Sartain as bishop of Little Rock, he had been a priest in Memphis for 22 years. Sartain has been vicar general of the Diocese of Memphis and pastor of St. Louis Church since 1992. He was ordained a priest in 1978." More...
• Associated Press: Pope names replacement for Joliet bishop: "Sartain appeared at a press conference Tuesday morning in Romeoville, saying he looks forward to learning about the Joliet diocese, which includes 620,000 Catholics in seven counties south and west of Chicago. "My first task is try to be a good bishop," said Sartain, 53." More...

Official Statements, etc.:

• Diocese of Joliet announcement: "During a press conference held at 10:00 a.m. at St. Charles Borromeo Pastoral Center, Bishop Imesch announced Bishop Sartain’s appointment as Fourth Bishop of Joliet. The ceremony of installation is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 27, 2006."
• Bishop Sartain's column for the Arkansas Catholic
• Bishop Sartain's book, "Of You My Heart Has Spoken", a collection of his most widely-read weekly columns for the Arkansas Catholic, has proven very popular it seems.

A Da Vinci Flameout?

Say it is so, Bo. Say it is so!

LIVE Q&A @ 2pm EST about Cardinal McCarrick/Bishop Wuerl

For anyone who is reading the blog over the next hour:

Thomas P. Melady, former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican and currently senior diplomat in residence at the Institute for World Politics, will be online Tuesday, May 16, at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the resignation of Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick as Archbishop of Washington, the appointment of Pittsburgh Bishop Donald W. Wuerl as his successor and what the change will mean. CLICK HERE.

Submit your questions and comments before or during the discussion.

Update: the Q&Ais running now but you can still submit questions if you want. I doubt any of mine will get answered... I guess I'm too inflammatory. ;-)

Update 2: I take it back, he already took one of them:

Detroit, Mich. [ME]: Will Archbishop-elect Wuerl have a different position on giving communion to pro-abortion politicians than Cardinal McCarrick did?

Thomas P. Melady: I'm a lay person. I would say that Cardinal McCarrick followed the church position and was guided by church policy. I predict that there'll be a continuity in the position of Archbishop-designate Wuerl with the decisions and policies of Cardinal McCarrick.

Update 3: I take it double back:

Ann Arbor, Mich. [Also ME]: Will Archbishop-elect Wuerl continue his duties at the USCCB?
Will he take a greater interested in the Catholic University of America?

Thomas P. Melady: In regard to Catholic University, I believe that the Archbishop of Washington also becomes the chancellor of the university so almost automatically he will become more involved in the policies and activities of the Catholic University of America.

Update 4: I'm three for three. They should just have me do the interview:

Detroit, Mich. [ME, again]: What sort of political effect could Wuerl's appointment have - especially during the fall election campaigns? i.e., is the Vatican making any particular statements by appointing Wuerl?

Thomas P. Melady: Oh, I don't think politics enters into the situation at all. Bishop Wuerl was chosen to lead the Archdioces of Washington and it's just by accident that his coming here coincides with the coming elections.

Da Vinci Code undermines faith, survey claims (+ my suggested antidote)

From MSNBC:

“The Da Vinci Code” has undermined faith in the Roman Catholic Church and badly damaged its credibility, a survey of British readers revealed Tuesday as tensions over — and hype for — the forthcoming film reached a fever pitch.

As its stars off headed to walk the red carpet at Cannes, where the film was set to debut Wednesday before a worldwide release Friday, at least two countries limited the film's release.

The British survey, released by a group of prominent Catholics, revealed that readers of Dan Brown's blockbuster novel are twice as likely to believe Jesus Christ fathered children and four times as likely to think the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei is a murderous sect. [More...]

If you want a good one-stop resource for Da Vinci Code apologetics, visit Da Vinci Facts: "A guide to accurate facts about The Davinci Code movie and book, the history of Christianity, and the Catholic Church."

Irish augustinians unreservedly apologize for "ecumenical" Mass fiasco

Remember those "ecumenical" augustinians?

Well, it looks like they've come clean:

The three Augustinian priests who concelebrated Mass with a Church of Ireland rector in Drogheda on Easter Sunday, in commemoration of the 1916 Rising and the Battle of the Somme, have apologised unreservedly to Catholic Church authorities and given an undertaking not to do so again, writes Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent.

A statement released by the Augustinian Order last night read: "The Irish Province of the Augustinian Order deeply regrets the pain, confusion and damage caused as a result of the Easter Sunday Eucharistic celebration at its church in Drogheda.

"The three Augustinians involved - Fr Richard Goode, Fr Ignatius O'Donovan and Fr Noel Hession - having reflected on the seriousness of their actions, have written to the Archbishop of Armagh, Archbishop Seán Brady; to the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto; and to Fr Robert Prevost, the Prior General of the Augustinian Order, who is resident in Rome. Their letter apologises unreservedly for the ill-considered celebration and gives an absolute commitment as to future conduct in matters liturgical.

"In an effort to bring closure to the issue, neither the Augustinians involved nor the Augustinian Order, will be making any further statement in relation to the matter." [More...]

Good news indeed.

Down boy!

[h/t: Curt Jester]

Update: Dom Wants More.

Cardinal Ruini confronts Italian Bishops on Ethical Issues

From CNA:

Rome, May. 16, 2006 (CNA) - Cardinal Camillo Ruini, Vicar for the Archdiocese of Rome opened yesterday the assembly of Italian Bishops Conference, at the Vatican. Cardinal Ruini took the opportunity to recall the Church's strong commitment on ethical issues.

...

He then went through the situation of Italy, particularly “the compromise for human life, from the first moments of its conception until its natural end, and legitimate families founded upon matrimony.”

Cardinal Ruini listed the important issues to which the Church remains deeply committed such as “the rejection of abortion, an abominable crime, that remains an intrinsically illicit act, that nobody, under any circumstances, aim or human law, can justify, as with Euthanasia, and the manipulation of human embryos.”

“We equally oppose the idea to give an inappropriate and non-necessary juridical status to forms of unions who are radically different from the family, and who therefore undermining its social role, and only contributes to destabilize society.,” the Cardinal declared.

Cardinal Ruini pointed out to those “non negotiable” principles, the Pope referred to when he addressed the European People’s Party in March 2006, foremost for their ethical weight. More...

Go Ruini!

Regarding the Da Vinci Code he said, "... the church should seek to use the occasion of the release of the film to "enlighten consciences" and embark on "a deep work of Christian instruction".

Wuerl Winds up in Washington: Roundup of the Coverage

As earlier buzzed, Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh has been named to replace Cardinal Theodore McCarrick as archbishop of Washington, DC. [Learn about the live Q&A here.]

Here is the official Vatican annoucement in Italian:

"Il Santo Padre ha accettato la rinuncia al governo pastorale dell’arcidiocesi di Washington (U.S.A.), presentata dall’Em.mo Card. Theodore E. McCarrick, in conformità al can. 401 § 1 del Codice di Diritto Canonico." McCarrick goes out...

"Il Papa ha nominato Arcivescovo Metropolita di Washington (U.S.A.) S.E. Mons. Donald W. Wuerl, finora Vescovo di Pittsburgh." ... and Wuerl comes in.

The Vatican Information Service announcement reads:

"Appointed Bishop Donald W. Wuerl of Pittsburgh, U.S.A., as metropolitan archbishop of Washington (area 5,447, population 2,630,894, Catholics 578,796, priests 1,166, permanent deacons 187, religious 1,677), U.S.A. The archbishop-elect was born in Pittsburgh in 1940, he was ordained a priest in 1966 and consecrated a bishop in 1986. He succeeds Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same archdiocese, the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit."

St. Blogs commentary:

• Bettnet: "After years of being mentioned for a promotion every time a bigger see opened up, Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh has finally been asked to step up to the plate". More...
• Whispers: "The archbishop-elect will be installed in Washington on 22 June. The following week, in recognition of the see of Washington's metropolitan status, he will receive the pallium from Benedict XVI in St Peter's Basilica on the solemnity of Ss. Peter and Paul." More...
• Whispers talks about the close tie between Wuerl and Catholic University of America.
• Michael Barber has a personal story about Wuerl as well as an excellent roundup that goes far in introducing the rest of us to the Bishop's personality and previous work: "... Wuerl has been one of the most outspoken pro-life bishops in the country. In sending him to Washington, D.C. it is clear that Pope Benedict is lobbing a grenade into the hub of America's political discourse." More...

Official statements, etc:

• Archdiocese of Washington press release
• Statement of Cardinal McCarrick
• Diocese of Pittsburgh press release
• Statement of Archbishop-designate Wuerl.
• Summary of Archbishop-designate Wuerl's pastoral letters
• Statement from the President of CUA on archbishop-elect Wuerl

"Archbishop-designate Wuerl is in Washington this morning for a 10:00 a.m. press conference. There will be a press conference this evening for local [Pittsburgh] media with Bishop Wuerl at 6:00 p.m." [I'll see about finding audio/video of both press conferences...]

Media coverage:

• The Washington Post has extended coverage.
• Catholics News Service: "Appointed an auxiliary bishop of Seattle in 1985, he also served as a seminary rector for five years and worked at the Vatican for 10 years under Cardinal John J. Wright, a former bishop of Pittsburgh who headed the Congregation for the Clergy.In his new post, Archbishop Wuerl will be spiritual leader of a Catholic population estimated at 579,000 in a total population of 2.6 million. The Pittsburgh Diocese has some 800,000 Catholics in a total population of more than 1.9 million." More...
• Catholic News Agency: "Archbishop-designate Wuerl has served on numerous national and international bodies, is chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Catechesis and is active on a number of boards including The Catholic University of America, the North American College in Rome, the National Catholic Bioethics Center and the Pope John Paul II Intercultural Forum. In 2006, he was named chair of the National Catholic Educational Association board of directors." More...
• Rueters short update: "The post of archbishop of Washington is one of the most influential in American Catholicism because of the regular contacts the prelate has with the White House and other branches of U.S. government." Wuerl speaks Italian, French and Spanish. More...
• New York Times: "Bishop Wuerl was born in Pittsburgh and educated at Catholic University in Washington and the Gregorian University and the University of St. Thomas in Rome. He was ordained a priest in 1966, and served as an assistant bishop in Seattle before taking up his post in Pittsburgh."
  "He is the host of a television program, "The Teaching of Christ," which is broadcast on CBS, the Christian Association cable channel and through national syndication, according to his official biography on the Diocese of Pittsburgh web site. It said that his catechism of the same name has been in print for 30 years. Bishop Wuerl's most recent book, "The Catholic Way," was published in 2001." More...
• Catholic News Service: "Moving 250 miles east and south from Pittsburgh to Washington will in many ways bring Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl, the new head of the Washington Archdiocese, into a different world. He's moving from one of the country's traditional industrial centers to the nation's center of political power. ... Replying to questions about what he would do about Catholic politicians who support keeping abortion legal, Archbishop Wuerl echoed that theme: "The first task of a bishop is to teach. When Jesus sent his apostles out, he sent them to teach." More...
• New York Times: "Pope Names Pittsburgh Bishop to Washington, D.C., Post"
• Update: Life Site News: "New Washington DC Archbishop Favours Intelligent Design in Schools" (also discusses the Bishop's strong stance against embryonic stem cell research, with links.)

Audio/Video:

• Update: Via Rocco, here is video from the press conference this morning in D.C.
• Update: Washington Post has a photo gallery of Cardinal McCarrick
• Bishop Wuerl holding up a green card to speak during a USCCB meeting.
• AFP making a gaff and confusing pictures of McCarrick and Wuerl (I don't think Wuerl has his Palium yet!)
• Archbishop-elect Wuerl at this morning's press conference
• Archbishop-elect Wuerl at this morning's press conference (2)
• You can listen to and read the texts of Bishop Wuerl's The Teaching of Christ right here.
• Archbishop-elect Wuerl and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick shake hands at today's press conference.
• Archbishop-elect Wuerl and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick shake hands (close up).
• A very happy looking Archbishop-elect Wuerl at today's press conference.

Publications by Bishop Wuerl:

From what I've heard, this lo