What, Sioux Falls has a Bishop? (It does!)

Remember my little rumor of a fortnight ago?

Well, lo and behold, the prayers of the 130,000 Catholics of Sioux Falls have been answered:

Il Santo Padre Benedetto XVI ha nominato Vescovo di Sioux Falls (U.S.A.) il Rev.do Mons. Paul Joseph Swain, finora Vicario Generale di Madison.

(Amy has the rest in Italian.)

In English:

The Holy Father has named as the new Bishop of Sioux Falls, South Dakota (USA), Monsignor Paul Joseph Swain, up to now Vicar General of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, and Rector of the Cathedral.

Bishop-elect Swain was born into a Methodist family. He received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Ohio Northern University in 1965, a Master of Arts in Political Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1965, and then (after serving in the Vietnam) a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1974. He served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1971 as an Air Intelligence Officer and earned a Bronze Star. As a lawyer, he served as Legal Counsel, League of Wisconsin Municipalities and later as Legal Counsel to the Governor of Wisconsin, Lee Sherman Dryfus, from 1979 to 1983.

In 1982 he was received into the Catholic Church and in 1983 entered the seminary, attending Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts, where he earned a Master of Divinity. He was ordained a priest May 27, 1988, and has served in various parochial and diocesan positions.

• Rocco adds more: "Bishop-elect Swain must be ordained and take possession of the diocese of Sioux Falls (comprised of "East River," South Dakota) within four months of this morning's appointment."
• Diogenes notes some interesting things about Bishop-elect Swain: "Bishop-elect Paul Swain was raised as a Methodist and trained as a lawyer. He came into the Catholic Church while serving as counsel to the Governor of Wisconsin, then left that job to enter the seminary. Long before that, he served in Vietnam, where he won a Bronze Star."
• Catholic Explorer of Illionois has coverage as well.

Well, you heard it here first... kinda.

And as Dom notes, the Vatican is still having a bit of trouble keeping the diocese of Sioux Falls straight in its mind (confusing it this time in its press release with Sioux City of Iowa). Oh my.

Two Snazzy Pope Benedict Wallpapers

Via Ignatius Press:

Click images for full-size versions.

What's Tuesday without a little Colbert?

Not a fun Tuesday, says I:



"Kneel before your God, Bablyon!"

Your PPOTD! Monday, August 29th

"Flight to Rome: 129 euro

Black Business Dress: 149 euro

Receiving a box of candy from the Pope: Priceless."

Bp. John Myers of Newark to take-over Detroit after Maida?

That's the flavor-of-the-day down at the ol' rumor mill:

"Back in June, over late-night drinks with a visiting bishop, the topic of our many vacant sees came up... and then we got to Detroit." Oh, it's John Myers," he opined, going on to say, "at least, that's what he's telling everybody." Further research yielded the confirmation that, indeed, the 65 year-old archbishop of Newark tops the buzzmill in the race to succeed Cardinal Adam Maida as head of the church in Detroit and its 1.5 million Catholics." [More from Rocco...]

The New Jersey Star Ledger has more on this story, while Diogenes points out a possible red flag.

After the August lull, things are certainly starting to heat up bishop-wise ... and it should be an especially interesting few months for Michigan. Lansing also needs a new guy.

Gabriel Amorth claims Hitler and Stalin were possessed

From the UK Daily Mail:

Adolf Hitler and Russian leader Stalin were possessed by the Devil, the Vatican's chief exorcist has claimed.

Father Gabriele Amorth who is Pope Benedict XVI's 'caster out of demons' made his comments during an interview with Vatican Radio.

Father Amorth said: "Of course the Devil exists and he can not only possess a single person but also groups and entire populations.

"I am convinced that the Nazis were all possessed. All you have to do is think about what Hitler - and Stalin did. Almost certainly they were possessed by the Devil.

"You can tell by their behaviour and their actions, from the horrors they committed and the atrocities that were committed on their orders. That's why we need to defend society from demons."

According to secret Vatican documents recently released wartime pontiff Pope Pius XII attempted a "long distance" exorcism of Hitler which failed to have any effect.
Father Amorth said: "It's very rare that praying and attempting to carry out an exorcism from distance works.

"Of course you can pray for someone from a distance but in this case it would not have any effect.

"One of the key requirements for an exorcism is to be present in front of the possessed person and that person also has to be consenting and willing.

"Therefore trying to carry out an exorcism on someone who is not present, or consenting and willing would prove very difficult.

"However I have no doubt that Hitler was possessed and so it does not surprise me that Pope Pius XII tried a long distance exorcism." [More...]

Did Amorth really mean that the devil can possess "entire populations"? Or did he mean "influence?" Because if he meant "entire populations" that's just silly.

As for these "secret Vatican documents" claiming a long distance exorcism of Hitler by Pius XII that failed ... is that another claim of Amorth's? What is the source for this claim?

Either way, this is an extremely wierd statement for Amorth to make, and not a little embarassing to Catholics and exorcists because it confuses what we do believe about possession.

I know many people have enjoyed Amorth's books on exorcism, but not everyone. Ed Peters, for instance, has a good take on the problems in Amorth that I'd recommend reading.

Update: Ed Peters blogs this story: "Fr. Amorth's latest contribution to confusion."

In-between homes this weekend ...

... but as soon as I'm settled in for my new school year there will be some exciting changes & updates made to AmericanPapist. Stay tuned!

"Da Vinci code fans wreck church window in Holy Grail hunt"

From the UK Daily Mail:

Until recently, the 14th century church was a place to enjoy some peace and contemplation.

But now things have radically changed for St Luke's Church in the village of Hodnet, Shropshire, with visitors lured by claims that it is linked to the Holy Grail mystery.

And some, it seems, will go to any lengths to discover the beautiful church's secrets - even if it means taking a hammer and chisel to the walls.

The Reverend Charmian Beech blamed a pair of 'Da Vinci Code-style' treasure hunters for causing thousands of pounds worth of damage as they searched for clues to help them find the Grail.

Stonework was chipped off in four areas inside her church as the offenders tried to remove blocks from the walls to see what is behind them, she said. [More...]

The supposed reason for the vandalism?

In the wake of the hype surrounding the worldwide bestseller and the recently released film version, St Luke's has become a magnet for Grail hunters because of its 150-year-old stained glass window which features a feminine looking St John.

An excellent insight into the hypocrisy of Plan B

Via Amy, Victor of Cinecon sums it up:

• A daily dose of from 0.05 to 0.15 mg of levonorgestrel requires a prescription.
• Requiring that a 1.5 mg dose of levonorgestrel must have a prescription is patriarchal tyranny over women's bodies, sexphobic anti-scientism and the precursor to a HANDMAID'S TALE-like theocracy.

Victor has more elaboration on this revealing (and damning) train of thought.

Tropical Depression 5: the one to watch

(click image for full-size)

The Sun Sentinel reports: "The fifth tropical depression of the 2006 hurricane season has formed in the eastern Caribbean Sea this afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center. Tropical Depression Five is located about 150 miles southwest of Martinique and is packing winds of 35 mph. The storm is moving toward the west at 22 mph. The storm is expected to become Tropical Storm Ernesto over the next day or so, and to pose a threat to Jamaica over the weekend."

View map of computer models.
View satellite map of Wave 5.

Soon-to-be Ernesto could be one to watch... (Debbie no longer poses a threat to land.)

Bringing out the big guns: Israel adds 2 nuke-capable subs

From the AP:

JERUSALEM - With the purchase of two more German-made Dolphin submarines capable of carrying nuclear warheads, military experts say Israel is sending a clear message to Iran that it can strike back if attacked by nuclear weapons.

The purchases come at a time when Iran is refusing to bow to growing Western demands to halt its nuclear program, and after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map."

The new submarines, built at a cost of $1.3 billion with Germany footing one-third of the bill, have diesel-electric propulsion systems that allow them to remain submerged for longer periods of time than the three nuclear arms-capable submarines already in Israel's fleet, the Jerusalem Post reported.

The latest submarines not only would be able to carry out a first strike should Israel choose to do so, but they also would provide Israel with crucial second-strike capabilities, said Paul Beaver, a London-based independent defense analyst.

Israel is already believed to have that ability in the form of the Jericho-1 and Jericho-2 nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, which are buried so far underground they would survive a nuclear strike, he said.

"The Iranians would be very foolish if they attacked Israel," Beaver said. [More...]

The Jerusalem Post reports that "Israel may 'go it alone' against Iran".

Bishops with backbone spreading to Canada?

It's a good day for standing up for the truth ... even in Canada:

Hamilton, Ontario, Aug. 24, 2006 (CNA) - After receiving complaints from across Canada, Bishop Gerard Bergie, is encouraging Catholics to boycott an upcoming fundraiser at which former President Bill Clinton is speaking.

Bishop Bergie, who is an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Hamilton in Ontario, says that Clinton is an inappropriate guest speaker for a $500 per seat fundraiser being held by the Catholic Family Counseling Centre, The Kitchener Record reports. [More...]

Plan B authorized for over-the-counter sale by the FDA

From CWNews:

Washington, Aug. 24 (CWNews.com) - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized over-the-counter sale of the "morning-after" pill, with the proviso that non-prescription sales of the drug known as "Plan B" will be limited to consumers over the age of 18.

The FDA decision, coming after months of heated debate, is a severe setback for pro-life activists in Washington. Judie Brown, president of American Life League, remarked that she was "overwhelmingly disappointed" with the announcement.
"Even more troubling," Brown observed, "is the fact that President Bush most likely helped to speed this approval with his recent comments suggesting that prescription sales were only necessary for women under 18." At an August 21 press conference the President had said that Plan B "ought to require a prescription for minors."

“Let there be no mistake about it," said Father Thomas Euteneuer, the president of Human Life International; "today’s decision lies at the feet of President Bush and has created a lasting rift with the Catholic faithful who compromise a large part of his support base. His statements at this past Monday’s press conference in support of over-the-counter sales set the stage for this morning's decision."

A year ago, the FDA had declined to authorized non-prescription sale of the abortifacient drug, in spite of heavy political pressure. But in late July, the President's new nominee as FDA commissioner, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, announced that the decision was under review. That announcement-- which came the day before the FDA nominee was due to face Senate confirmation hearings-- led to a general expectation that the FDA would authorize over-the-counter sales.

As I reported before, Plan B is most certainly abortifacient and so Bush's approval of its distribution has everyone scratching their heads. He opposed the hugely popular embryonic stem cell research bills and yet caved-in on this proposal. What gives?!

"Extra day added for Pope's visit to Turkey" - CWNews

Not sure if that means anything. Oh well, for what it's worth I guess.

Update: I was sure there had to be more to the story: "Rome, Aug. 24, 2006 (CNA) - Pope Benedict XVI will extend his planned trip to Turkey, from three days to four, in order to celebrate Mass with Turkish Catholics and pay a visit to Hagia Sophia, the former seat of the Church of Constantinople, which was transformed into a mosque and is now a Turkish Museum, Italian news service APCom has reported today." [More...]

I'm very pleased to hear that he is visiting the Hagia Sophia.

American Bishops deciding enough is enough. Case in point? Abp. Dolan

In follow-up to Ed Peter's insight that American Bishops may be starting to feel that enough is enough, comes this most-welcome letter from Abp. Dolan to dissenter Dan Maguire (via Jeff and Dom):

As the bishop of the archdiocese where you reside, I am obliged to reply to your circular form-letter, sent to the bishops of the country on June 19, 2006.

The opinions expressed in the two pamphlets enclosed in that correspondence are totally at odds with clear Church teaching. Sacred Scripture, the Magisterium, and Natural Law are consistent in opposition to abortion and so-called same-sex marriage.

You speak of your duty to dissent. Well, at least call it such. To claim that support for abortion and same-sex “marriage” is consonant with Catholic moral teaching is preposterous and disingenuous.

I, too, have a duty: to teach what the Church clearly believes. Your opinion on these two matters is contrary to the faith and morals of the Church.

Dom and Jeff both have more on the background and follow-up to the story. It should be remembered that this Dan Maguire character most-recently surfaced on AmP coverage trying to claim St. Antoninus was a "pro-choice" Catholic saint. What rubbish.

Well, apparently Archbishop Dolan agrees and is willing to say so.

Love it or hate it, Pluto is not a Planet

From the NYT:

Pluto got its walking papers today.

Throw away the placemats. Grab a magic marker for the classroom charts. Take a pair of scissors to the solar system mobile.

After years of wrangling and a week of bitter debate, astronomers voted on a sweeping reclassification of the solar system. In what many of them described as a triumph of science over sentiment, Pluto was demoted to the status of a “dwarf planet.” [More...]

Dan Brown and Abp. Milingo to join forces?!

Talk about a match made in hell:

Aug. 23 (CWNews.com) - Vatican officials fear that the renegade Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo may join forces with Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, the Universe newspaper has reported.

The troubled African prelate was reported to have reached a tentative agreement to assist Brown with a future novel about exorcism. [More...]

TotalCatholic.com supposedly has more information, but I can't get the link to work myself.

So, speaking of recurring headaches, how long before Milingo gets what he deserves?

Are American Bishops deciding enough is enough?

Ed Peters thinks they might be.

I hope so.

A safe way to harvest embryonic stem cells?

So goes the new claim:

Biologists have developed a technique for establishing colonies of human embryonic stem cells without destroying embryos, a method that, if confirmed in other laboratories, would seem to remove the principal objection to stem cell research.

"There is no rational reason left to oppose this research," said Dr. Robert Lanza, vice president of Advanced Cell Technology and leader of a team that reported the new method in an article published online by the journal Nature.

But critics of human embryonic stem cell research raised other objections, citing the possible risk to the embryo from using the technique, and the fact that it depends on in-vitro fertilization, the generation of embryos outside the womb from a couple’s egg and sperm.

...

Critics, however, have a range of objections to the research. Catholic bishops, in particular, oppose both in-vitro fertilization and P.G.D. testing, and therefore still object to the research, even though the cells would be derived from an embryo that is brought to term.

Richard Doerflinger, deputy director for pro-life activities at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the church opposed in-vitro fertilization because of the high death rate of embryos in fertility clinics and because separating procreation from the act of love made the embryo seem "more a product of manufacture than a gift."

...

Dr. Leon Kass, former chairman of the President’s Council on Bioethics, said, “I do not think that this is the sought-for, morally unproblematic and practically useful approach we need.” He said the long-term risk of P.G.D. testing is unknown, and that the present stem-cell technique is inefficient, requiring blastomeres from many embryos to generate each new cell line. It would be better to derive human stem cell lines from the body’s mature cells, he said, a method that researchers are still working on.

Scientists welcomed the new development, but also expressed concerns. Dr. Irving Weissman, a stem cell expert at Stanford University, said the new method, if confined to P.G.D.-derived blastomeres, would not provide a highly desired type of cell, those derived from patients with a specific disease. [full NYT article.]

More sources:

• Embryos spared in stem cell creation - USA Today
• US firm makes "ethical" embryo stem cells - Reuters
• New method makes embryo-safe stem cells - AP

IVF? P.G.D.? Sorry, try again folks. Or better yet, try adult stem cells.

Tropical Storm Debby

Related links:

• National Hurricane Center
• AP: Tropical Storm Debby forms in Atlantic
• NYT: Fourth Potential Hurricane Gathers Strength

The Achilles Heel of Liberals: The "Fertility Gap"

From the Wall Street Journal's editorial page:

The Fertility Gap

Liberal politics will prove fruitless as long as liberals refuse to multiply.

"...But the data on young Americans tell a different story. Simply put, liberals have a big baby problem: They're not having enough of them, they haven't for a long time, and their pool of potential new voters is suffering as a result. According to the 2004 General Social Survey, if you picked 100 unrelated politically liberal adults at random, you would find that they had, between them, 147 children. If you picked 100 conservatives, you would find 208 kids. That's a "fertility gap" of 41%. Given that about 80% of people with an identifiable party preference grow up to vote the same way as their parents, this gap translates into lots more little Republicans than little Democrats to vote in future elections. Over the past 30 years this gap has not been below 20%--explaining, to a large extent, the current ineffectiveness of liberal youth voter campaigns today."

...

"Alarmingly for the Democrats, the gap is widening at a bit more than half a percentage point per year, meaning that today's problem is nothing compared to what the future will most likely hold. Consider future presidential elections in a swing state (like Ohio), and assume that the current patterns in fertility continue. A state that was split 50-50 between left and right in 2004 will tilt right by 2012, 54% to 46%. By 2020, it will be certifiably right-wing, 59% to 41%. A state that is currently 55-45 in favor of liberals (like California) will be 54-46 in favor of conservatives by 2020--and all for no other reason than babies."

"...It would appear liberals have been quite successful controlling overpopulation--in the Democratic Party."

"...all things considered, if the Democrats continue to appeal to liberals and the Republicans to conservatives, getting out the youth vote may be increasingly an exercise in futility for the American left."

Democratic politicians may have no more babies left to kiss. [read the whole article.]

Well, at least it looks like the future readership of AmP is secure...

A Battle Lost: President Bush supports Plan B

From LifeSite News:

WASHINGTON, August 21, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - For his pro-life supporter base, President George W. Bush stepped into one of the biggest political landmines of his Presidential career today with his approval of over the counter status for the abortion-causing morning after pill Plan B.

A press release by Human Life International underscored the seriousness of the move as it was titled, "President Bush Files for Divorce with Catholic Base." Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, president of Human Life International commented, "President Bush's implied support for the abortion-causing drug Plan B is completely inconsistent with his recent veto of the embryonic stem cell research (ESCR) funding bill. What the president apparently fails to realize is that Plan B kills the same innocent unborn children that the ESCR process does."

At a White House press conference this morning, the President was asked by Bill Sammon a reporter from the Washington Examiner about Plan B and his new FDA commissioner who supports its over the counter status. "Mr. President, some pro-life groups are worried that your choice of FDA Commissioner will approve over the counter sales of Plan B, a pill that, they say, essentially can cause early-term abortions," said the reporter. "Do you stand by this choice, and how do you feel about Plan B in general?"

The President replied, "I believe that Plan B ought to be -- ought to require a prescription for minors, is what I believe. And I support Andy's decision."

Andy, as the President referred to him, is the new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach. Pro-life groups last week called for von Eschenbach's resignation over his deal with a drug company to make a high-dose of a drug (Plan B, a morning-after pill) available without a prescription to women 18 year of age and older.

Concerned Women for America (CWA) blasted the decision noting that it is ludicrous to allow Plan B without medical supervision when a low-dose of the same drug (birth control pills) requires medical oversight to protect women from serious health complications. [More from LifeSiteNews.]

From CNA: 'FDA Commissioner Dr. Andy von Eschenbach has said he would support making the abortion drug available without a prescription to women, aged 18 and up. Pro-life groups called for his resignation last week over his support for the drug." [More CNA coverage.]

Domenico Bettinelli posts his comments here.

Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, has called on President Bush to rescind Dr. [Andy] von Eschenbach’s Nomination to Head the FDA.

The USCCB has a statement out opposing Plan B: "The Bishops' conference continues to oppose making Plan B available without medical supervision, whether to minors or adults," said Ms. McQuade, Director of Planning and Information at the Secretariat." [read the full statement.]

LifeSiteNews suggests voicing your concerns by emailing Vice. Pres. Cheney: vice_president@whitehouse.gov

My take: This is a clear move backwards for pro-life causes in the U.S. ... Plan B, by all accounts, can act as an abortifacient. For President Bush to support over-the-counter distribution of this drug is completely at-odds with his previous decision to veto legislation against embryonic stem cell research. Politically speaking, he doesn't have to worry about being re-ellected, so why alienate the conservative Catholic voting base for the next guy?

My contribution to the story: the Plan B website claims on its front page that "Plan B is not RU-486 (the abortion pill); it will not work if you are already pregnant." Well, don't be fooled.

As much as the Plan B website claims that it "will not work if you are already pregnant", it can only say that by redefining what "pregnany" is: "Plan B® works like a regular birth control pill. It prevents pregnancy mainly by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary, and may also prevent the fertilization of an egg (the uniting of sperm with the egg). Plan B® may also work by preventing it from attaching to the uterus (womb). It is important to know that Plan B® will not affect a fertilized egg already attached to the uterus; it will not affect an existing pregnancy. "

The "it" in the underlined sentence is a fertilized egg - a human being. By preventing the fertilized egg from attaching to the uturus, Plan B kills the fertilized egg.

Update: LifeSiteNews has a longer treatment of this story here.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the tracks, it could be the end of the world

Not to dampen your Monday spirits:

Is Tomorrow Doomsday?

While no extra safeguards are in place, U.S. law enforcement are not ignoring the possible significance of tomorrow's date, August 22, a date that marks an important historic event on the Islamic calendar.

Internet websites have been full of speculation that it could be a target date for terrorists in commemoration of the return of the 12th imam, a supposed day of reckoning for Shiites.

August 22 was rumored by intelligence experts to be a possible date that the London plotters would blow-up passenger planes headed towards the United States, though it is not known if the suspects were Shiite extremists.

This year, August 22 marks the holy day on the Islamic calendar that is the day of reckoning for Shiites. Some Shiite sects believe that August 22 could correspond to the end of the world. And just today, after much hype, Iran has announced that it will continue to develop its nuclear program. To followers of Iranian President Ahmadinejad, this is a well-timed affront to Israel, the United States and the world. The United Nations had given Iran until the end of the month to respond, but Ahmadinejad had made it clear to all Iranians and the world that he intended to respond on the eve of August 22.

Whether or not this announcement is the end of Ahmadinejad's plans for August 22, one expert says we will have to wait and watch.

"The only thing we can know is that the date was not chosen by accident," said Robert Spencer, Director of Jihadwatch.org and an adjunct fellow at the Free Congress Foundation, a conservative think tank. "It does seem very likely, very probable, that he has something major in mind, whether only a major announcement or a major attack, we will soon see." [source.]

Fear-mongering and unlikelyhood aside, I still dislike that Shiites seem to think that the Apocalypse is up to them personally.

And just to combine two downers in one post: Pat Buchanan's next book, State of Emergency (Amazon is having problems today), will discuss the "thirld world invasion and conquest of America" reports Drudge. As I said, don't let it dampen your spirits...

Before you begin work this Monday - listen to what the Pope says

Without further ado:

Pope: Don't work too hard

Castelgandolfo - Too much work can be bad for you, even if you are the pope, Pope Benedict said on Sunday.

Speaking during his Sunday address at his summer residence south of Rome, the pope quoted from the writings of St Bernard of Chiaravalle, who lived in the 11th and 12th centuries.

"We have to guard ourselves, the saint observed, from the dangers of excessive activity, regardless of the office one holds, because too many concerns can often lead to hardness of heart," the pope said.

"This warning is valid for every type of job, even those concerned with the government of the church," he said.

The 79-year-old Benedict noted that the saint had written to the pontiff of the times, Eugene III, warning him of the dangers of working too hard.

Benedict said one should always make room for "prayer and contemplation". [source.]

A bit more on what the Pope had to say from AsiaNews.

And remember, Leisure the Basis of Culture is still the go-to book for the how-to of Christian leisure.

So have a great Monday, everybody ... I mean, it is summer! :-)

Oh Please! Anyone but Hillary

Time Magazine: Hillary Gets Ready to Run

Update: professor named in WSJ article speaks out

In this interview with Tom Monaghan conducted by the Wall Street Journal, one paragraph in particular stood out: "Faculty reported the [Ave Maria] college's administration to the Department of Education for fraud involving financial aid in 2002... And now one of those professors has been told that he must recant his testimony to department officials if he wants his contract renewed. (A university official acknowledged this was true, which may leave the school open to criminal conspiracy charges.)"

Well, that professor named in the WSJ article has now spoken out at the Fumare blog:

"I can at last say openly that I am the professor in question. And not just a professor: a departmant chairman and dean, as well. The reality of the situation was much worse than Ms. Riley summarized in her article."

Read his full statement here.

Well, I guess that depends on your definition of "Mom"

Then again, maybe I'm just a stickler for details?

Sunday Comedy Video: Evangelism Linebacker

"God loves ya! Get off the floor and go door-to-door!" LOL.



I remember seeing this some other places before, but I snagged it this time through Pillar and Foundation of Truth. It's a Christian take-off on Office Linebacker. Funny funny stuff.

WSJ interviews Tom Monaghan about AMU

The Wall Street Journal has an extended (and very revealing) interview with Tom Monaghan:

NEW YORK--"To get as many people into heaven as possible." That is Tom Monaghan's (arguably immodest) goal. I sat down last week with Mr. Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza, to find out how he planned to accomplish it. Since selling his delivery empire in 1998 for an estimated $1 billion, he has given over his life to philanthropy. A trim man with a soft voice, he explains his "philosophy of giving."

...Over the years, Mr. Monaghan has indulged in his share of vanity projects--such as purchasing the Detroit Tigers. But he also consistently gave to the church. Well, not directly. Rather than simply supporting existing institutions, he has made a habit of starting his own.

... Mr. Monaghan announced in 2004 that "you won't be able to buy a Playboy or Hustler magazine in Ave Maria Town. We're going to control the cable television that comes in the area. There is not going to be any pornographic television in Ave Maria Town. If you go to the drug store and you want to buy the pill or the condoms or contraception, you won't be able to get that in Ave Maria Town."

The ACLU threatened a lawsuit, and Mr. Monaghan backed down. He tells me he consulted his lawyers and realized "that some of the things I'm talking about we may not be able to prevent. We never ever intended to break the law." (But Mr. Monaghan seems to tailor his message to his audience. In June, he told a Catholic gathering in Denver that "our plan is that no adult material will appear on the town's cable system and the pharmacy will not sell contraceptives.")

...Some law school faculty have fought the move away from Ann Arbor, saying that the school is not just a plaything that Mr. Monaghan can move at will. He says he is often accused of being "too much driven by numbers, that I'm a hard-nosed, insensitive, results-oriented person." But he adds that the people who know him tell him, "You're not that way." The Ave Maria Foundation is responsible for the bulk of the school's revenue and Mr. Monaghan is head of the foundation. "I'm in favor of the law school moving to Florida, and I think it would be a good thing for the university to have a law school on its campus." He adds, as if to counter the charge of capriciousness: "If I vote for the law school to move to Florida, it's because I believe the law school is better off in Florida."

The law school faculty, students and alumni disagree. Most of them are unhappy with the process by which the board has undertaken the decision, such as commissioning a second feasibility study when the first one suggested moving was a bad idea. But mostly the students, faculty and alums just don't want the school to go South. They like Ann Arbor, and being surrounded by people of all stripes. One professor, Stephen Safranek, echoed the sentiments of faculty members: "We have a very robust notion of Catholicism and we're out to show its value not only for Catholics, but society in general. Having the law school in Ann Arbor captures what we're all about."

... The battles between Mr. Monaghan and the Ave Maria faculties have become vitriolic. Some have even tried to unionize. When I ask if he sees a contradiction in trying to block such a move, even though unionization is supported by the Catholic Church, he says, "I think that [the church] hierarchy doesn't know as much about those things as they do about their theology."

A number of professors have resigned; some have launched lawsuits; the contract of a prominent emeritus professor from Notre Dame was not renewed. Faculty reported the college's administration to the Department of Education for fraud involving financial aid in 2002. (The school denied any wrongdoing, but paid back about $300,000; the investigation hasn't been concluded.) And now one of those professors has been told that he must recant his testimony to department officials if he wants his contract renewed. (A university official acknowledged this was true, which may leave the school open to criminal conspiracy charges.)

Mr. Monaghan takes all this in stride. In Ann Arbor, he played racquetball with some academics and determined they liked to "complain about the most meaningless things." And board members of his schools have rushed to agree with him, suggesting, as theologian Michael Novak did recently, that "if it weren't Monaghan, it would be dissatisfaction with whomever."

Given how carefully the faculty for Ave Maria were chosen, and how fully they had to agree with the Monaghan vision, this seems unfair. Henry Kissinger said that the battles in academia are so bitter because the stakes are so low. But at religious universities, the stakes are higher. After all, your mission is getting people to heaven.

Still, Mr. Monaghan does not see much difference between this venture and his previous ones: Higher education is "90% like business." To deal with the 10% that is unique to higher education, he has enlisted the help of administrators and board members. "I've always believed in hiring people smarter than I am. I should be the dumbest one in the room." He's not.

The comment boards are buzzing over at Fumare.

More Charlie Rice drama at AMSOL

Advocatus Militaris reports: "It seems that Dean Dobranski is so terrified of Professor Rice showing his face on campus, that he took the liberty of packing up his office and sending it UPS Next Day Service to beautiful Mishawaka, Indiana! These pictures recently obtained from the investigative journalists at FUMARE show the boxes at the Rice Homestead. More than that, they weighed a total of 146 pounds. Let's see 146 pounds x UPS Next Day Service Rate...well...it totals a decent chunk of change out of the school's money." [click here for pics]

Thoughts on Sec. of State. Bertone

Rocco has a collection of coverage and adds his own sources. A good read.

Sacred Heart's new rector announced: Msgr. Jeffrey Monforton

From the Sacred Heart Major Seminary website:

"Msgr. Jeffrey Monforton is the new rector/president of Sacred Heart Major Seminary. Ordained in 1994, he has served the Detroit archdiocese as a parish priest, teacher, and personal secretary to Cardinal Maida. Msgr. Monforton says he is "both humbled and honored" by the appointment. He succeeds Fr. Steven Boguslawski, O.P., who was named acting director of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center." [Read Sacred Heart's full press release here.]

From Msgr. Monforton's "Rector's welcome":

"I am both humbled and honored by the trust Cardinal Maida has placed in me as Rector/President of Sacred Heart Major Seminary. I leave a parish family I dearly love and now embrace the role of leading a seminary very close to my heart. While the 'simple way' of St. Thérèse of Lisieux has guided me in the role as pastor, the selfless love of Jesus' Sacred Heart galvanizes me to the mission of preparing our future priests and others pursuing a host of responsibilities in the Catholic Church."

Msgr. Monforton received a Bachelor's of Arts in Philosophy at Sacred Heart, and a Bacherlor's, Licentiate and Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Msgr. Monforton served (among other capacities) as Cardinal Maida's secretary for seven years, and has been a member of the Sacred Heart faculty since 2002. Msgr. Monforton was also an Apostolic Visitor during the recent Visitation of U.S. Seminaries. [Read his full biography here.]

Msgr. Monforton sounds like an excellent choice for Sacred Heart's new rector. I'd love to hear (via email or in the comments box) what other people have heard about him. Sacred Heart Major Seminary is the school where I am studying for my Master's degree (as a lay student), so needless to say, I'm very interested. Thanks!

Miracle report helps Archbishop Fulton Sheen's sainthood cause

From the National Catholic Register:

VATICAN CITY (National Catholic Register) – Andrea Ambrosi has overseen and completed the causes of hundreds of holy men and women in the church, leading to their recognition as blesseds or saints. Few have been as compelling as that of Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

“His cause is one of the most interesting that we’re dealing with,” said Ambrosi. “There’s enormous interest in this cause on all levels.”

The cause advanced this summer when a report containing a miracle was signed in late July by Church officials. The miracle allegedly took place in 1999 and involved a 72-year-old woman in Champaign, Ill., who was miraculously healed of a life-threatening tear in her main pulmonary artery after undergoing lung surgery.

Her husband prayed for two hours, continually invoking Sheen’s name. The woman is still alive today.

Ambrosi, postulator of the cause, has now sent the 500-page report and supporting documents to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints for review. [More...]

Video: Guiness gives us its take on evolution

Frankly, I think it's a pretty compelling argument.

Baby don't cry! (Il) Papa's here!

Before.

After.

'Nuff said.

The distressing situation of Catholic Charities San Francisco

Others have linked to this article in CWR, which gives a good overview of the situation:

"Earlier this year, former San Francisco Archbishop William Levada, now prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine for the Faith, instructed Catholic Charities of San Francisco to end its policy of placing children for adoption in homosexual households. Current San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer responded to the Vatican order, albeit vaguely. In light of Rome's direction, he told the press, "we currently are reviewing our adoption programs," before quickly adding, "We realize that there are people in our community, some working side by side with us to serve the needy in society, who do not share our beliefs, and we recognize and respect that fact."

The conclusion of this review is now known: a muddled policy that may wind up causing as much scandal and controversy as the one it replaced. In an attempted compromise that moral theologian Monsignor William Smith described to CWR as a "distinction without a difference," Archbishop Niederauer announced in early August that Catholic Charities would no longer supervise the "direct placement" of adopted children, including to homosexual households, but would send three staff members to work in Oakland for Family Builders By Adoption, an organization that specializes, according to its Web site, in helping "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender {LGBT} families" adopt children. (Catholic Charities will also provide the group with resources and assist the state's department of social services.) [More...]

Thanks to St. Peter's Helpers for reminding about this topic.

Click here for more commentary from St. Blogs.

"Will clinic staffer be charged with homicide for disposing of live infant?"

Reader StubbleSpark writes:

"I remember a while back you posted about the possibility of aborn-alive infant being murdered in an abortion clinic. Well, the consensus seems to be that the child was born alive and was murdered outright at the clinic in question. This is an interesting article that goes into more detail about the owners' shenanigans. It is worth checking out."

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51549

Bertone Il Papa's choice for Sec. of State. from the start?

So claims Il Riformista: "Benedict XVI would already have chosen Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone as Secretary of State a few months after his election to the Pontifical Throne, even though the announcement was made only a few weeks ago."

More details tomorrow.

Archdiocese of Detroit desktop wallpapers

For my local readers, a snazzy official AoD desktop wallpaper:

{update: proper credit: © Archdiocese of Detroit, created by: Jason G. Pelc, Graphic Art Director}

Available in 3 sizes: [1024x768] [1200x800] [1800x1280]

"Support your local diocesan structure!" ;-)

... and feel free to add links to your own cool wallpapers below. Let's all update our desktops today!

Suspicions confirmed: St. Antoninus not a "pro-choice Catholic saint"

Amy Welborn called upon the resources of her readers in her own post and has now published some answers to the questions I posed earlier:

From The Soul of the Embryo: An enquiry into the status of the human embryo in the Christian tradition by David Albert Jones, London: Continuum Books, 2004; ISBN 0 8264 6296 0.

"The first Christians followed the Jewish ethical principle that 'we do not set aside one life for another.' However, they faced a difficulty in accepting that 'her life takes precedence over its life', for they saw the life of the unborn child as equally inviolable. The practical question of what to do in a situation in which a woman's life was threatened by her pregnancy was therefore extremely problematic for Christians. It is not altogether surprising that in the first thousand years of the Church's history, theologians preferred to pass over this difficulty in silence and to speak of abortion in circumstances where they were clear that it was sinful. It was not until the late Middle Ages that Christian theologians begin to address directly the question of abortion to save the woman's life."

"One of the first to discuss this case was Antoninus of Florence. He declared that it was neither legitimate to kill the woman to save the child (by Caesarean section) nor to kill the infant to save the woman (by abortion). If the only way to save someone is by killing someone else, it is better to do nothing. However, he made one exception to this rule. Citing fellow Dominican John of Naples, he argued that before the soul was infused into the embryo (which, following Thomas Aquinas, he regarded as occurring at 40 days for males and 80 days for females) it was legitimate to abort the embryo to save the mother's life. This was not homicide, strictly speaking. However, an act that destroyed the early embryo and so prevented a child from coming to be was very close to homicide, therefore it could only be justified to save the mother's life. Furthermore, it it were doubtful whether or not the embryo possessed a human soul then it was not to be harmed. Antoninus only permitted abortion of the pre-ensouled embryo to save the mother's life. Nevertheless, it was very significant in explicitly allowing an exception to the traditional prohibition. Antoninus had great authority and was followed by several theologians such as Sylvester Prierias (d. 1523) and Martin Aspilcueta (1493-1586), more commonly known as Doctor Navarrus." [pp. 178-179; emphasis added]

- and -

"... a principle that was accepted as early as Antoninus of Florence: it there is uncertainty as to whether the soul has been infused, then it should be assumed for practical purposes that it has. It is unethical to risk homicide." [p. 188]

[Amy adds more from Mirror of Justice:]

"The book to consult on this issue is John Connery S. J.'s book "Abortion: The Development of the Roman Catholic Perspective" (Loyola University Press 1977). Father Connery explains that Antoninus relied on the distinction between the animated and unanimated fetus that was prevalent before the process of fetal development was understood. Antoninus condemned abortion of the animated fetus in all cases. For the unanimated fetus, Antoninus allowed abortion to save the life of the mother. According to Father Connery, this was completely dependent on the distinction between the animated and unanimated fetus and so I don't think it is fair to cite Antoninus as supporting a pro-choice position. Later commentators who defend "abortion" to save the life of the mother (removal of a cancerous uterus) do so not because they defend the direct, intentional killing of a human life but because they regard the death of the fetus in such circumstances as incidental."

"It is true that there have been individual Catholics who defend a "pro-choice" position (I suppose Daniel MaGuire, who has used the example of St. Antoninus, is one example). I don't think this supports the view that the Magisterium has taken conflicting views on the moral permissibility of abortion. And, I don't think it fair to use St. Antoninus's views on abortion to support the view that the Church has taken different views on this question. From Father Connery's account, St. Antoninus sounds more like Pope John Paul in Evangelium Vitae than Daniel MaGuire."

I think we can safely lay this issue to rest. A big 'thank you' to everyone who contributed comments to my original post on this topic. Faulty claims just can't stand up to good research and logic.

The final score:

Dan MaGuire, USA Today, et al. - 0.

St. Antoninus, The Truth, et al. - 1.

Charlie Rice isn't going down without a fight

More developments over at the Ave Maria School of Law.

First, on August 11th, Dean Bernard Dobranski essentially fired Dr. Charles Rice.

Then, on August 15th, Dr. Charles Rice responded.

Keep it tuned to Fumare for more on the situation as it happens.

Carlson not long for Saginaw?

As much as everyone keeps saying so, I still don't like it:

Rocco: "In related matters, an eerie vibe has led more than a few in the diocese to believe that Carlson's not long for the place.... And he's only been there 18 months next week."

On the other hand, there are three archdioceses in the U.S. that are due for a new guy (and where would Carlson go, if not up?). And one of those archdioceses is rather close to home for me (it's also the most likely of the three, happily enough).

In other news, Rocco reports, "Carlson's ordaining the first permanent deacon Saginaw's seen in 25 years this weekend....As one of the troopers notes, '25 years aligns just about right with the time period between Ken Untener's arrival and death.' Interesting."

*In best Ned Flanders voice* "In-deed-a-diddly."

Prince Caspian to begin filming in January and release 2008 (plus Voyage of the Dawn Treader confirmed!)

Here's some happy news for fans of the Chronicles of Narnia and the film version that was recently released of the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe:

"... The Hollywood Reporter spoke with producer Mark Johnson and confirmed that the next Narnia film, Prince Caspian, will begin filming in the forests of Europe in January 2007. The film will hit theatres in Summer 2008."

"The magazine also added director Andrew Adamson and Johnson will produce the third filme, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, a year after Prince Caspian..." [source.]

It should be fun to see Eustace get turned into a dragon, even if I have to wait until 2009 ... hey, I guess that means I have plenty of time to reread the whole series before it hits theaters. :-)

A clever public service message in Latin

Seen in a local parish office (in the washroom, to be precise):

"OPORTET MINISTROS

MANUS LAVARE

ANTEQUAM

LATRINAM RELINQUENT!"

... and in a vaguely similar vein: this.

The plight of girls in India (especially preborn ones)

From AFP:

Indian premier calls for end to killing of unborn girls

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called on parents in India to stop seeing girls as an economic liability and to end the practice of killing unborn female foetuses.

Singh's appeal on India's 59th Independence Day came four days after the grisly discovery of 25 female foetuses from a private clinic in northern Punjab state, which has the country's lowest sex ratio due to rampant female foeticide.

"We must end the crime of female foeticide. We must eliminate gender disparity," Singh said in an address to the nation.

"We have a dream of an India in which every woman can feel safe, secure and empowered. Where our mothers, sisters and daughters are assured a life of dignity and personal security," he added.

A study by British medical journal The Lancet said this year that India may have lost 10 million unborn girls in the past 20 years, but Indian experts say the figure is not more than five million.

Under Indian law, tests to find out the gender of an unborn baby are illegal if not done for medical reasons, but the practice continues in what activists say is a flourishing multi-million dollar business.

Premier Singh urged parents not to neglect their girl children.

"It should be ensured that every young woman is educated and skilled and capable of guiding a new generation," he said.

Punjab state has 798 girls for every 1,000 boys under the age of six while the national average is 927 -- still well below the worldwide average of 1,050 female babies.

Girls in India are often considered a liability as parents have to put away large sums of money for dowries at the time of their marriage.

Centuries of tradition also demand that couples produce at least one male child to carry on the family name.

Many grooms demand dowry well beyond the means of families of their spouse -- demands which often result in the killing of newly-married women.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, India in 2004 posted 19 dowry-related deaths every day but women's organisations say the actual figure is 10 times higher.

And of course, it's not just India ... China is probably no better.

"What? You don't have a bishop?!"

I normally don't pass along rumors. But on the eve of this Tuesday (the traditional day that new bishop appointments are announced) this story struck me as being so comical that it might actually be true:

On - *ahem* - deep background, comes the tale of a member of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota calling the Vatican regarding a somewhat related topic. Towards the end of the conversation there is a sudden pause on the other end, and then in a surprised tone, "What? You don't have a bishop? We thought you did!"

The Diocese of Sioux Falls, it should be remembered, has been vacant since December of 2004 (since Bishop Carlson was moved to Saginaw) - longer than any other diocese in the U.S.A.

As I said, so comical that it just might be true...

In the meantime, we can join the 130,000 Catholics of Sioux Falls in their Prayer for a New Bishop.

USA Today claims Abp. Antoninus is "pro-choice Catholic saint"

Behold this "informative" article in USA Today titled "Where does God stand on abortion?" Complete with the tagline: "Each side of this divisive issue claims the divine knowledge of what is right and wrong in the eyes of the Almighty. As with any hot-button issue, it's not that simple."

But what really grabbed my attention about the article is this helpful infomatic on the sidebar titled "Religions say..."

"The major world religions are pluralistic on abortion, with some authorities permitting abortion and some forbidding it. A sampling of views within various faiths:

Roman Catholicism:
The popes have taught that abortion is always forbidden, and the church hierarchy has held to a doctrine that strongly opposes it. Even so, grounds for permitting abortion exist in the Catholic tradition, and many Catholic theological authorities permit abortion in a variety of situations. There is even a pro-choice Catholic saint, the 15th century archbishop of Florence, St. Antoninus. He approved of early abortions when needed to save the life of the mother, a huge category in his day. There is thus no one Catholic view."

Now, to say there is "no one Catholic view" is a claim that stands or falls completely on your definition of "Catholic." If anyone can decide that they are "Catholic", then yes it stands. If being "Catholic", however, actually depends on whether you follow the teachings of "the popes" and the Magisterium, then it falls. Simple enough.

But what about this Saint Antoninus, and his (claimed) status as a "pro-choice Catholic saint"?

From a quick google search, it is obvious that he is often touted as being "pro-choice"as this helpful letter to the New York Times by a professor of moral theology at Marquette University reveals (there are many other examples readily to be found online):

"On Abortion, Church Teaching Isn't Absolute

To the Editor:

In a recent statement, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops described abortion as a fundamental threat to the health of civil society (news article, Nov. 19). In fact, the church's ban on abortions is a novelty of this century. Pro-choice and no-choice positions have co-existed throughout the church's history. St. Antoninus, Archbishop of Florence, the 15th-century Dominican who wrote the first treatise on abortion, taught that early abortion to save a woman's life was moral.

... Moreover, the Catholic teaching of Probabilism says that ''where there is doubt, there is freedom.'' Probabillism permits disagreement on serious moral matters, and so allows people to be free from unwanted intrusion into the sanctuary of informed personal conscience on decisions like whether to have an abortion.

DANIEL C. MAGUIR

Milwaukee, Nov. 19, 1998"

Alright, the rubbish about Probabillism aside, there is a historical claim here about the writings and thought of Saint Antoninus. I'm almost positive the relevant text is located in his Summa Theologiae Moralis, which is considered in its totality to be a substantial contribution to the development of moral theology in the middle ages.

I will attempt at my next opportunity to find a copy of the Summa Theologiae Moralis and discover what Saint Antoninus actually said. What I expect to find at most is a qualified provision for extreme cases (perhaps based on faulty contemporary biology and the dangers of childbirth at the time). After all, the most USA Today tries to factually claim is that Antoninus allowed for early abortions in order to save the mother's life. And such a limited provision would hardly earn him the approval of NARAL.

Make no mistake, however: the idea that the Church's elevation of Saint Antoninus to sainthood included an endorsement for his expressed views on these life issues is obviously false. Further, the idea that Saint Antoninus is a "pro-choice Catholic saint" is convincing only to poorly informed (or agenda-driven) individuals. Sadly, these individuals also write religion stories for USA Today.

If anyone else has already researched this issue and found the relevant sources to refute what USA Today and others are claiming - by all means, save me some time and send me an email or post in the comboxes. Thank you.

Update (8/16): St. Blogs finds the sources that debunk this false claim.

The MSM tries to make sense of Pope Benedict's take on humor

The Drudge Report is currently linking to and quoting this article from the associated press:

On a more personal note, Benedict said that he is "not that lonely" at the Vatican, given the number of visitors and meetings every day, and that he tries to a maintain a degree of spontaneity even as Pope.

Asked if he likes what he does, and if it's not a burden, Benedict answered: "That would be saying a bit too much, because it really is tiring. But in any case, I try to find joy here too."

Perhaps more surprisingly for a man known for being a rigorous theologian and intellectual, Benedict spoke of the importance of being joyful in life.

"I'm not a man who constantly thinks up jokes. But I think it's very important to be able to see the funny side of life and its joyful dimension and not to take everything too tragically," he said. "I'd also say it's necessary for my ministry." [source.]

It still suprises me to realize that much of the world sees Catholicism and humor as somehow opposing realities. In the same response that is mentioned by the AP article, Pope Benedict quotes a line ("angels fly because they take themselves lightly") from a man who himself typified the ideal union between joy and faith: G.K. Chesterton.

Gee, first Deus Caritas Est and now the same Pope admits he sees joy and humor as "necessary for [his] ministry." What's next? Happiness and faith being intertwined? Perish the thought! :-)

An amazingly beautiful and candid interview with our Holy Father

Amy once again has the scoop.

My favorite two questions:

On Young People:

Pope Benedict: Young people are very generous but when they face the risk of a life-long commitment, be it marriage or a priestly vocation, they are afraid. The world is moving dramatically: nowadays I can continually do whatever I want with my life with all its unpredictable future events. By making a definitive decision am I myself not tying up my personal freedom and depriving myself of freedom of movement? Reawaken the courage to make definitive decisions: they are really the only ones that allow us to grow, to move ahead and to reach something great in life. They are the only decisions that do not destroy our freedom but offer to point us in the right direction. Risk making this leap, so to speak, towards the definitive and so embrace life fully: this is something I'd be happy to communicate to them.

"... What role does humor play in the life of a pope?"

Pope Benedict: I'm not a man who constantly thinks up jokes. But I think it's very important to be able to see the funny side of life and its joyful dimension and not to take everything too tragically. I'd also say it's necessary for my ministry. A writer once said that angels can fly because they don't take themselves too seriously. Maybe we could also fly a bit if we didn't think we were so important.

[More good words here.]

Peace in Israel and Lebanon finally on the horizon?

The AP reports:

JERUSALEM Aug 11, 2006 (AP)— Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has accepted an emerging Mideast cease-fire deal and informed the United States of his decision, Israeli officials said Friday.

Olmert will recommend that his government approve the deal in its meeting on Sunday, the officials said on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief journalists on the internal discussions.

It was not immediately clear whether Israel's expanded ground offensive would be frozen. Defense officials said it appeared the campaign would be halted.

This AP story has more details on the adopted resolution (which includes, among other things, authorization for the "deployment of 15,000 U.N. peacekeepers to help Lebanese troops take control of south Lebanon as Israel withdraws...").

Why Al Gore is full of non-biodegradable excrement

Peter Schweizer bursts Al Gore's apocalyptic enviromental bubble:

Al Gore has spoken: The world must embrace a "carbon-neutral lifestyle." To do otherwise, he says, will result in a cataclysmic catastrophe. "Humanity is sitting on a ticking time bomb," warns the website for his film, An Inconvenient Truth. "We have just 10 years to avert a major catastrophe that could send our entire planet into a tailspin."

Graciously, Gore tells consumers how to change their lives to curb their carbon-gobbling ways: Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs, use a clothesline, drive a hybrid, use renewable energy, dramatically cut back on consumption. Better still, responsible global citizens can follow Gore's example, because, as he readily points out in his speeches, he lives a "carbon-neutral lifestyle." But if Al Gore is the world's role model for ecology, the planet is doomed.

For someone who says the sky is falling, he does very little. He says he recycles and drives a hybrid. And he claims he uses renewable energy credits to offset the pollution he produces when using a private jet to promote his film. (In reality, Paramount Classics, the film's distributor, pays this.)

Public records reveal that as Gore lectures Americans on excessive consumption, he and his wife Tipper live in two properties: a 10,000-square-foot, 20-room, eight-bathroom home in Nashville, and a 4,000-square-foot home in Arlington, Va. (He also has a third home in Carthage, Tenn.) For someone rallying the planet to pursue a path of extreme personal sacrifice, Gore requires little from himself.

Then there is the troubling matter of his energy use. In the Washington, D.C., area, utility companies offer wind energy as an alternative to traditional energy. In Nashville, similar programs exist. Utility customers must simply pay a few extra pennies per kilowatt hour, and they can continue living their carbon-neutral lifestyles knowing that they are supporting wind energy. Plenty of businesses and institutions have signed up. Even the Bush administration is using green energy for some federal office buildings, as are thousands of area residents.

But according to public records, there is no evidence that Gore has signed up to use green energy in either of his large residences. When contacted Wednesday, Gore's office confirmed as much but said the Gores were looking into making the switch at both homes. Talk about inconvenient truths.

Gore is not alone. Democratic National Committee Chairmen Howard Dean has said, "Global warming is happening, and it threatens our very existence." The DNC website applauds the fact that Gore has "tried to move people to act." Yet, astoundingly, Gore's persuasive powers have failed to convince his own party: The DNC has not signed up to pay an additional two pennies a kilowatt hour to go green. For that matter, neither has the Republican National Committee.

Maybe our very existence isn't threatened.

Gore has held these apocalyptic views about the environment for some time. So why, then, didn't Gore dump his family's large stock holdings in Occidental (Oxy) Petroleum? As executor of his family's trust, over the years Gore has controlled hundreds of thousands of dollars in Oxy stock. Oxy has been mired in controversy over oil drilling in ecologically sensitive areas.

Living carbon-neutral apparently doesn't mean living oil-stock free. Nor does it necessarily mean giving up a mining royalty either.

Humanity might be "sitting on a ticking time bomb," but Gore's home in Carthage is sitting on a zinc mine. Gore receives $20,000 a year in royalties from Pasminco Zinc, which operates a zinc concession on his property. Tennessee has cited the company for adding large quantities of barium, iron and zinc to the nearby Caney Fork River.

The issue here is not simply Gore's hypocrisy; it's a question of credibility. If he genuinely believes the apocalyptic vision he has put forth and calls for radical changes in the way other people live, why hasn't he made any radical change in his life? Giving up the zinc mine or one of his homes is not asking much, given that he wants the rest of us to radically change our lives. [source]

I really want to meet someone on the street who still believes Al Gore. I know they're out there.

Friday offbeat: Man Missing After Pulled Into Ocean By Turtle

Friday's news of the wierd:

A graduate student from the University of Central Florida is missing after he was pulled underwater by a large sea turtle, according to Local 6 News.

Officials said the man vanished Thursday afternoon about three miles north of the Sebastian Inlet and 400 yards out to sea, sheriff's officials said.

The student was apparently tagging turtles as part of a UCF research project.

"The person was onboard a Boston Whaler with other students when a large turtle pulled the victim underwater," Local 6's Bob Frier said.

The Coast Guard from the Fort Pierce, Fla., station is conducting the search with assistance from the Brevard County sheriff's helicopter.

[click here for video.]

"Suspected London Plane Terrorists Have Al Qaeda Connection"

Hit 'em fast and hit 'em hard:

LONDON — Police arrested 40 people in cities throughout Italy in raids on Muslim gathering places in a security crackdown after Britain thwarted an alleged terror plot, the Interior Ministry said Friday, as Pakistani intelligence agents claimed there was an Al Qaeda connection with ties to Afghanistan to the group of suspected terrorists arrested Thursday.

The arrests in Italy were made Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence, Naples and other cities on Thursday and Friday "as part of an extraordinary operation that followed the British anti-terrorist operation," the ministry said in a statement.

Twenty-eight people were arrested for violating rules on residence permits and 12 were arrested for property crimes, the statement said. The raids were made on "Islamic gathering places, including call centers, Internet points and money transfer" offices, the ministry said[.]

In a statement, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said the arrests underscored "the very important role that has been played by Pakistan in breaking this international terrorist network." It said there were "indications of Afghanistan-based Al Qaeda connection" in the case, but did not elaborate. [More...]

Israel-Lebanon conflict update

Pope Benedict sends a personal envoy to Lebanon:

Vatican City, Aug. 11, 2006 (CNA) - The Holy See announced today that Pope Benedict XVI is sending a special personal envoy to Lebanon. The Holy Father has tapped Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, to head into the war-torn country.

...

The visit, according to the Vatican, is of an “essentially religious nature.” Cardinal Etchegaray will meet with Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, Patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church and visit with members of the Catholic population there. The two cardinals plan, if possible, to concelebrate Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon, in Harissa.

The press release noted that the cardinal’s prayers for peace will be joined spiritually by a Mass celebrated at the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Israel. The Holy See’s representative to Israel and Palestine, Archbishop Antonio Franco and Archbishop Michel Sabbah, Latin Patriarchy of Jerusalem will concelebrate the Mass.

Meanwhile, Catholic Relief Services and Caritas Lebanon are busy:

Baltimore, Aug. 11, 2006 (CNA) - Officials from the Maryland-based Catholic Relief Services announced last week that they, along with their oversees partner Caritas Lebanon, are leading a massive effort to provide aid to the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese displaced or cut off by the ongoing battle between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah group.

While many are calling the humanitarian situation in Lebanon dire, CRS stressed that their efforts are continuing to move at full power. The group announced that they have provided aid to over 85,000 so far and hope to be able to help 130,000-140,000 more in the coming weeks and months.

Finally, Israel has expanded its land war in Lebanon once again:

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - World powers said on Friday a deal on a U.N. resolution to end Israel's war with Hizbollah guerrillas was in sight, but Israel ordered its month-old offensive to be expanded in case diplomacy fails.

"We said two days ago that we would stop the fire, either militarily or diplomatically," an Israeli political source said. "We see that the ceasefire deal ... is not making the required progress, and therefore we have authorized the military action."

Israeli tanks forces were preparing for orders to sweep into Lebanon after the wider offensive was approved, Israeli TV said. But Israel said the move did not exclude a diplomatic solution. [More...]

Outrageous: "Feminists attack Catholic University over rector’s offer to adopt unwanted baby"

From CNA:

Buenos Aires, Aug. 11, 2006 (CNA) - A group of 30 feminists led a march to the Catholic University of La Plata on Tuesday attacking it’s rector for offering to adopt a baby who was saved from abortion last week.

...

The 30 feminists met on Tuesday at the Cathedral in La Plata and marched toward the university campus, where they shouted insults at the rector, distributed pamphlets and even painted graffiti on buildings used by the Department of Law. Fences were later put up around the Cathedral and its rectory in order to keep them from painting graffiti there as well.

A large group of students staged a counter protest by praying the rosary, Emilio Nazar Kasbo, a La Plata lawyer told CNA. Pamphlets distributed by the women echoed the pro-abortion slogans made popular by pro-abortion forces in the US, such as, “Get your rosaries off our ovaries.” Although the leaflets listed a number of organizations as participants in the protest, only some 30 activists participated in the march.

Sick: Latest beauty fad is unproven [embryonic] stem-cell therapy

From CWNews:

Aug. 10 (CWNews.com) - Expensive beauty salons are promising women that they can erase facial wrinkles with injections of stem cells taken from human embryos, the London Daily Mail has reported.

Although there is no scientific proof that the treatment is effective, women are paying from £150 ($283) up to £20,000 ($37,775) to receive the stem-cell treatment in salons scattered around the world, an investigator report for the Daily Mail found. Although the treatment is illegal in England, women can obtain the treatment in unregulated clinics in several other countries.

McCarrick in Lebanon, says situation a "lesson in frustration"

From CNS:

ROME (CNS) -- Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, arrived in Lebanon in early August, visiting Catholic aid projects, church and government leaders and getting what he described as "a lesson in frustration."

His Aug. 10 meeting with two Muslim leaders in Beirut was canceled after Israeli planes dropped leaflets on the city warning of new bombardments."

It scares the heck out of people," he said of the leaflet drops. "And if they don't leave, they can be killed. But it's awful; they get word to leave their homes because they are going to bomb in the next hours."

In an Aug. 10 telephone interview from Beirut, the cardinal said his visit was meant to be a sign of solidarity with the suffering people of Lebanon, the same kind of visit he has made in the past to Israel in the wake of terrorist attacks."

I have concerns for the poor people of Lebanon. I'm not making any judgments on what political things are happening, but I know that even now there are people in some villages that are totally blocked off by the war and they have no bread, they have no water and they have no medicine. And that has been going on for almost two weeks," the cardinal told Catholic News Service. [More...]

Pope's intercession on behalf of Indonesian Catholics successful!

First Sodano sent a note on behalf of Pope Benedict:

Vatican City, Aug. 11, 2006 (CNA) - Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State of the Holy See, has penned a letter in the name of Pope Benedict XVI, requesting clemency for three Catholics scheduled to be executed today.

In a letter made public today, Sodano requested from Susilo Ydhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia, a stay of execution for Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva, and Marinus Riwu. The three were sentenced to death in 2001, after being found guilty of leading a Christian mob in an attack which killed more than 200 people at an Islamic boarding school during Muslim-Christian clashes in Central Sulawesi's Poso region.

Sodano wrote, “In the name of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI I turn to you again, Your Excellency, to seek your intervention on humanitarian grounds, and in light of the particularity of the case, in order that an act of clemency might be granted to these three Catholic citizens of your nation.” [More...]

Then the Indonesian government responded:

Aug. 11 (CWNews.com) - The Indonesian government has announced a stay of execution for 3 Christians who were scheduled to face a firing squad on August 12, the AsiaNews service has reported. The reprieve for the condemned men is said to be for at least one week.

Pope Benedict XVI had sent a last-minute appeal to Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, asking for a "an act of clemency" to stop the scheduled execution of three Christian men sentenced in connection with the religious violence that swept the eastern Sulawesi region in 1999-2001.

The Pope's appeal-- contained in a telegram from Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican Secretary of State-- cited both "humanitarian grounds" and "the particularity of the case." The message also reminds the Indonesian leader of the Vatican's consistent opposition to the use of capital punishment. [More...]

Both links provide more background information on this situation. Here's a tidbit:

The government of Indonesia-- the world's most populous Muslim nation, with 85% of the people embracing Islam-- had been under pressure from militant Islamic groups to proceed with the execution, especially in light of the pending execution of terrorists convicted of the Bali bombing. A week-long reprieve for the Christian men would still leave open the possibility that they could be put to death before the scheduled execution of the Bali bombers on August 22.

Christians in Indonesia have welcomed the government's decision to postpone the executions, but continue to organize prayer vigils and public demonstrations asking for a new, fair trial for the 3 men.

recently "ordained" women now compounding their crimes...

From Canon Lawyer Ed Peters:

The pseudo-ordinations that a number of women around the world, and lately in the United States, have attempted are, to borrow Leo XIII's phrase, "absolutely null and utterly void". Last summer explained how such affronts to divine and canon law can and will result in excommunication, although, as I argued, not by the automatic process that many simply assumed would apply to such cases. Here I need to make a different point.

To no one's great surprise, some of these women have gone on to attempt to celebrate the Eucharist. Canonically speaking, what they have done is to simulate the Mass, which action is a distinct crime under canon law. [More...]

Overview: The UK Police stop terrororist aircraft-bombing plot

The links:

• FOX News: London Police Disrupt Terrorist Plot to Blow Up Aircraft in Mid-Flight
• MSNBC: U.K.: Plot to bomb U.S.-bound planes foiled
• CNN: UK foils aircraft terror plot
• BBC News: 'Plot to blow up planes' foiled
• Brietbart: British Police Thwart Major Terror Plot
• Reuters: US raises security threat level to "severe"
• SkyNews: Passengers Facing Chaos

Score one for the good guys it seems. About 20 suspects have been arrested in the London area. From initial reports it seems that they planned to smuggle liquid explosives aboard planes bound for the U.S. and detonate them while in flight. More details will be released later today.

Your PPOTD! - Thursday August 10

Pope Benedict delighted this week's Wednesday audience with an impromptu rendition of his favorite dance - the Papal Two Step (also known as the "picking your way past relativism" dance).

You can even catch a glimpse of his boombox in the background!

[photo: REUTERS/Tony Gentile (VATICAN)]

"Iranians among Hizbollah combat dead: [Israel] TV" - Reuters

Reuters reports:

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard have been found among Hizbollah guerrillas slain by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, Israel's Channel 10 television reported on Wednesday citing diplomatic sources.

It said the Iranians were identified by documents found on their bodies, but gave no further details on how many were discovered or when. Neither the Israeli military nor Hizbollah representatives in Beirut had immediate comment on the report.
Iran, like fellow Hizbollah patron Syria, insists its support for the Shi'ite guerrilla group is purely moral.

Israel says many of the rockets being fired against its civilian and military targets are Iranian made, and that Hizbollah fighters taking on its forces trained in Iran. Washington also accuses Tehran of actively funding Hizbollah.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards are traditionally very close to fellow Shi'ite Muslims in Hizbollah and were deployed in south Lebanon in the 1980s.

Stop the Israel-Lebanon photo doctoring insanity!

From Reuters:

LONDON, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Reuters withdrew all 920 photographs by a freelance Lebanese photographer from its database on Monday after an urgent review of his work showed he had altered two images from the conflict between Israel and the armed group Hizbollah.

Global Picture Editor Tom Szlukovenyi called the measure precautionary but said the fact that two of the images by photographer Adnan Hajj had been manipulated undermined trust in his entire body of work. [More...]

Basically, Hajj (obviously) photoshopped more smoke into pictures of an Israeli air raid in Beirut. But that's just the tip of the iceberg it seems: blogs are having a feeding frenzy discovering other major news sources carrying doctored/phony/photoshopped/misleading pictures of the war in Lebanon:

• AP Beirut photo faces questions
• Down the Rabbit Hole (New York Times)

The common thread? Making Israel look worse than it is in its war on Hezbollah.

(For a humorous take on the situation, check out the "You Can Be a Reuters Stringer Too! Karnival.")

Update: Michelle Malkin has an uber post that exposes the "Fauxtography" of the New York Times' "Lebanese pieta" and the cover photo of last week's US NEWS & World Report. Really, the discoveries are almost coming in faster than bloggers can report... how sickening it is that so much photographic reporting from the Middle East is now being shown to be completely false.

As others have quoted, William Randolph Hearst told a Cuban reporter in 1897, "You provide the pictures, and I'll provide the war."

Seeing the blogged compilations of obviously staged photographs- women mourning "their" destroyed homes, childrens' toys deliberately placed in frames with rubble, etc. - it's not hard to believe that the same yellow journalism is still with us today.

I've often heard that much video and photographic material out of the Middle East is tampered with in some way, but credit the blogosphere with documenting the evidence that proves beyond a doubt that yellow photographic journalism is in fact a huge problem.

I have to wonder if it is always the defender in a war that is favored by the manipulations ... or if that is just the case this time around.

Archbishop Dolan gives Kathy Vandenberg a fair heads-up before the excommunication comes through

From CNA:

Milwaukee, Aug. 09, 2006 (CNA) - Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan attempted to reach out to and reason with a Wisconsin woman who recently took part in an invalid attempt at ordination to the Roman Catholic priesthood.

In a letter released this Sunday, Archbishop Dolan told parishioners at Kathy Vandenberg’s former church that he was disappointed at the decisions she had made. Vandenberg, the 64 year-old resident of Waukesha, Wisconsin, took part in a small ceremony two weeks ago to protest the Catholic Church’s doctrine on ordination to the priesthood. Vandenberg was drafted by a group called Roman Catholic Womenpriests to join them in reenacting a modified ordination ceremony aboard a boat and declaring themselves Catholic priests.

...

Dolan says that it is now his duty as archbishop to notify the Holy See of Ms. Vandenberg’s decision. “If the past is any guide, I would anticipate that the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith in Rome will soon inform the participants in this exercise that, sadly, they are excommunicated from the Church.” [More...]

I like how Rich Leonardi suggests Dolan's letter to the Holy See could read:

Dear CDF,

Please take the appropriate action in the case of Kathy Sullivan Vandenburg, a sixty-four-year-old member of my diocese under the mistaken impression that she is a Catholic priest.

Cheers,

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan

Hehe.

Anyway, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has more on Kathy Sullivan Vandenberg's reaction to the news. She is famously quoted as saying, ""Excommunication is simply a punishment. That doesn't mean I'm excluded from the church. Only I can exclude myself."

She goes on to say, "I want to always be respectful of the church and the bishop," she said, "but there are times when you have to be obedient to God and not the bishop."

Oh golly.

Update: Ed Peters will be discussing this issue today on the Drew Mariani Show at 6:15 EST. You can listen live right here.

Your PPOTD! - Wednesday, August 9th

Traditional female monastic headdress in China chose a very different path than its Western counterpart.

[photo: AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia]

Michigan Primary report: pro-choice Republican Joe Schwarz out

From GOP Progress:

In his [Schwarz's] speech, he pointed to his unwillingness to compromise his principles, when "pandering [to arch-conservatives] would have been easy."

...

He said that there were no excuses for his moderate supporters not having turned out, and that Walberg had won the election in areas dominated by "hard conservatives". The loss was, he said, the result of moderates failing to come out to vote.

He pointed to the trend of the party slipping further to the right, but said that there was always a tomorrow, and ended by congratulating Tim Walberg on having won tonight by turning out his voters. [source]

The other side of this story, however, is that Joe Schwarz is a pro-abortion Republican.

His opponent who just won, Tim Walberg, says right up front on his campaign page: "I am strongly pro-life and endorsed by Right to Life of Michigan. Joe Schwarz supports abortion on demand and received $10,000 from Planned Parenthood, America’s largest abortion provider."

In an article entitled Abortion at heart of Republican race (published in the Jackson Citizen Patriot) I found this nice quote from Joe Schwarz: "I am pro-life and I am anti-abortion," Schwarz said then. "I'm a practicing Roman Catholic and a pro-life person." However, Joe also says, "in the end, in the final analysis, that decision [to abort a child] should not be made by a bunch of middle-aged, gray-haired men like myself. It should be made by the woman herself." [source.] Sorry Joe, either you are pro-life or you aren't. And you aren't.

Anyway, a step forward for the pro-life cause in Michigan, as well as the conservative side of the GOP, since parties are looking at these primaries as testing grounds for national platforms in the future.

The Lunchbox Conservative adds some more perspective: "This was one of the nation's most-watched congressional primary and saw varried speical interest groups spend more than $3 million in what was Michigan's most pitch GOP primary in some time." [sic.]

Cool. I'm glad our boy Tim Walberg came through.

Proof that Dubai has more money that it can spend

update: Like this post? You'll love: Picture/Report: Dubai to build world's largest arch bridge by 2012


Yep, that's one big man-made island. The AP reports:

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - With 14,000 laborers toiling day and night, the first of Dubai's three palm-shaped islands is finally about to get its first residents.

The Palm Jumeirah, a 12-square-mile island group, is part of what's billed as the largest land-reclamation project in the world, the product of five years of brute hauling of millions of tons of Persian Gulf sand and quarried rock.

On Nov. 30, the palm will open to some 4,000 residents, said Issam Kazim, a spokesman for Dubai's state-owned developer Nakheel.

When fully complete by 2010, the Palm Jumeirah will be an offshore city, with some 60,000 residents and at least 50,000 workers in 32 hotels and dozens of shops and attractions, Nakheel said.

...

Nakheel's four island projects, the world's largest land reclamation effort, are reshaping Dubai's stretch of the Gulf coast.

The $14 billion project is a key part of this booming city's ambitions to rival Singapore and Hong Kong as a business hub, and surpass Las Vegas as a leisure capital.

...

Reports from those who have wandered through the island's giant homes describe them as cheaply finished and set uncomfortably close to one another. Nakheel rejected an Associated Press request to visit the island. [full article.]

More Dubai links:

• The official website of the Palm Jumeirah project (great pics)
• Another Dubai Island project - this one shaped like a scaled map of the entire world
• Wikipedia's entry on Dubai
• Slideshow of Dubai construction pictures (including graphics for Dubai's tallest-tower-in-the-world project ... really, the pics have to be seen to be believed ... Dubai is one busy place).

Some amazing facts about Dubai from Wikipedia:

"Dubai is the fastest growing city in the world, one-third of the cranes in the world are currently being used to build in Dubai."

"A new project was announced on May 1, 2006 by the authorities. It is named Bawadi and will consist of a 27 billion US-dollar investment intended to increase Dubai's number of hotel rooms by 29,000, doubling it from the current figure offers now. The largest complex will be called Asia, Asia and will be the largest hotel in the world with more than 6,500 rooms."

"Expatriates of various nationalities have been pouring capital into Dubai in the past several years, greatly contributing to the city's prosperity. Iranian expatriates alone are estimated to have invested up to US-$ 200 Billion in Dubai."

"Emaar Properties is currently constructing what will become the world's tallest structure, the Burj Dubai. The final height of the skyscraper is a closely guarded secret - an indication of the developer's resolve to attain the title of the world's tallest building and its intention to hold on to it for as long as possible - but estimates so far point to a height upwards of 810m. Burj Dubai is expected to be completed in 2008. Burj Dubai's neighbour is another behemoth under construction: the world's largest shopping mall - the Dubai Mall."

If you want an example of the Arab world catching-up fast with the West, I give you Dubai.

It's the next New York.

Update: More on Dubai from the UK Daily Mail here.

Hard drive failure and various technical challenges ...

... have kept me glued to computers for the past two days, but unable to update as such until now. Look for a resumption of the normal papist coverage sometime this afternoon. Hasta pronto!

Update: nevermind, I see stuff I want to blog about now. :-)

Your PPOTD - Sunday, August 6th (+the Pope's interview)

"Despite a general atmosphere of familiarity and ease, the Pope did of course have to observe the usual 'safe distance protocols' for audiences with professionals of the mainstream media (as dictated by Gaudium et Spes #94)."

... In all seriousness, this was an important interview and deserves some attention. The AFP has a short summary of it and Amy Welborn has more.

[photo: AFP/HO/Arturo Mari]

Cardinal George not quite past complications yet

Cardinal George had a minor setback today, and had to undergo another operation which will probably push back his time of discharge from the hospital. However, he is still on-track to make a full recovery. If you want all the medical details, click here.

In the meantime, we should all keep the good Cardinal in our prayers.

Situation in Middle East looking no better (if not worse)

The AP reports:

Israel, Hezbollah Seek to Inflict Maximum Damage as U.N. Demands Cease-Fire

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Israel and Hezbollah sharply intensified fighting Saturday with airstrikes, rocket attacks and brutal ground fighting — an apparent bid to inflict maximum mutual damage even as the United States and France agreed on a draft U.N. resolution calling for a halt to the violence.

Even if the U.N. Security Council adopts the resolution early next week as expected, the task of winning agreement from the warring parties portended a far more bumpy diplomatic road than the one already traveled.

As it became clear a U.S.-French agreement on the text was drawing near, Israeli-Hezbollah fighting grew particularly intense over the past few days. [More...]

(Latest MSNBC coverage here, and CNN here.)

Finally, Chris Blosser has a Part IV up to his coverage of the Catholic response to this situation.

Iran admits to supplying missiles to Hizbullah

From the Jerusalem Post:

Iran admitted for the first time on Friday that it did indeed supply long-range Zelzal-2 missiles to Hizbullah.

Secretary-general of the "Intifada conference" Mohtashami Pur told an Iranian newspaper that Iran transferred the missiles so that they could be used to defend Lebanon, Channel 1 reported.

The extent of Iran's intimate involvement in Hizbullah attacks is starting to emerge. According to the defense establishment, the reason Hizbullah has not fired long-range Iranian-made Fajr missiles at Israel is due to Teheran's opposition [Teheran is the capital of Iran]. Israel now understands that without direct orders from the ayatollahs [info on ayatollahs], Hizbullah is not allowed to use Iranian missiles in attacks against Israel.

The IDF also believes that it seriously damaged the long-range rocket array in the first night of air strikes almost three weeks ago and impaired Hizbullah's ability to fire the rockets.

The longer-range Zelzal missiles, manufactured by Iran and capable of reaching Tel Aviv, have also not been fired at Israel, and the IDF believes this is because it destroyed almost two-thirds of these in the Hizbullah arsenal.

Canadian bishops in for a scolding during their Ad Limina visits?

LifeSiteNews reports:

All is Not Ok With Canadian Church

TORONTO, August 2, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Toronto Star, Canada’s largest circulation daily newspaper, published an Aug. 3 story, “Bishops expect papal scolding”, that has been receiving international attention. The article implies that Canada’s Catholic bishops are seen by the Vatican under Pope Benedict XVI as having been negligent in their duty to evangelize in an increasingly secular Canada.

The Ontario Catholic bishops are expected in Rome for their “ad limina” visit, the meetings with the pope made every five years by bishops from around the world. The Star’s Stuart Laidlaw says the bishops are expecting to be pushed for greater evangelization by Benedict and scolded for the growing secularism within the Church and the nation.

The star quotes Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops (OCCB) president Bishop Richard Smith who states he “wouldn’t be surprised,” if the Pope were to touch upon the secularism theme. Smith, however, takes the usual tack of Canada’s Catholic bishops in brushing over any suggestion of serious problems within the Church itself.

“It is something that is part of our reality in Ontario as well," Smith told the Star. “In the church there are many people of faith who love the church and are deeply committed. But it is a society as a whole that is tending toward a secularist outlook.”

The Star cited Pope Benedict’s admonition to the Atlantic bishops in the spring during their ad limina, about the need to evangelize and the dangers of rampant Canadian secularism, a statement which was taken in the press as a public dressing down.

Despite Bishop Smith’s bland assertion that all is well within Canadian Catholicism, however, recent events indicate a very different conclusion. In statements, actions and inactions, the Canadian Catholic institution has shown itself to be among the most secularized in the world. The indifference or even hostility of Catholic officials to Catholic teaching, particularly on life and family issues, is axiomatic among faithful Catholics in Canada.

-large part snipped-

Ultimately, the solution to the severe problems in the Catholic Church in Canada may be from the faithful laity. They have so far been far too timid about their Catholic right to insist that abuses be corrected, to appeal to their bishops to do the job for which they have been consecrated, and to withhold donations until needed changes are made. Most wrongly think they are not supposed to do such things. Church history, however, is full of examples where lay Catholics have prayerfully acted and turned wayward bishops back in the right direction.

[full article.]

Lawyers fight to get more records in LA abuse cases

From the AP:

LOS ANGELES -- Lawyers sparred in court Friday over access to records held by the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese, and the outcome could impact hundreds of pending molestation cases involving current and former southern California priests.

The documents, personnel files and other materials at issue are being sought in the first three of nearly 600 sexual abuse lawsuits filed against the archdiocese. The trials are scheduled to begin in November.

Donald Woods, an archdiocese attorney, told Superior Court Judge Haley J. Fromholz that lawyers representing accusers wanted to go fishing through 75 years of church archives, including bishops' desk calendars, archdiocese newspapers and parish bulletins.

"This is absurd," Woods said. [More...]

And yet, it's looking like the lawyers will get most of what they want.

Your PPOTD - Friday, August 4th

Peter: "Hey, Benny, do you remember where I put the silver key?"

[photo: REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi (VATICAN)]

John Allen's All Things Catholic for Aug. 4

This week's topics:

• Gambian theologian gives voice to the South
• The pope's intervention for Africa
• Benedict continues appeal for peace
• Reader reacts to 'dove' label
• Poland and the death penalty
• A priest disappears
• A note for Knights of Columbus

All topics.

Of all the nerve... Madonna invites Pope to see her "crucified" on stage

I had decided to ignore the story about Madonna's stupid attention-getting ploy, but this new development really gets me (h/t - PapaRaziPost):

Madonna Invites Pope To See Her Crucified On Stage

Madonna has invited Pope Benedict XVI to be the guest of honor at her Rome, Italy, Confessions concert on Sunday, which features the mock crucifixion of the singer. Religious leaders in Italy and The Vatican have united to publicly denounce the singer's controversial stage act, in which she is 'crucified' on a diamante-studded cross, while wearing a crown of thorns.

Ersilio Cardinal Tonino, speaking on behalf of The Pope, said yesterday, "This concert is a blasphemous challenge to the faith and a profanation of the cross. She should be ex-communicated. To crucify herself during the concert in the city of Popes and martyrs is an act of open hostility."

Madonna's spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg tells the New York Daily News, "I think the Pope would enjoy the show and would applaud her performance. He has an open invitation to see for himself the eloquence and beauty that Madonna expresses for humanity while performing her poignant song 'Live To Tell.'" [source.]

Doing something stupid is one thing, but rubbing it in the Pope's face? I don't like that. Not one bit.

Some good thoughts on "Global Warming"

Dom has 'em.

Related: My updating post on (now tropical depression) Chris.

Israelis & Christians: Hezbollah hits two birds with one stone

Disturbing (but by no means suprising news) from Christian Solidarity International:

Washington DC, Aug. 03, 2006 (CNA) - Recent reports indicate that Hezbollah is using Christian villages to shield its attacks against Israel.

According to Christian Solidarity International, Hezbollah is hiding among civilian populations, mostly in southern Lebanese towns, such as Ain Ebel, Rmeish, Alma Alshaab.

Launching attacks behind human shields is in violation of the Geneva Convention's provision for the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts, which prohibits the use of civilians as military shields.

This is not a new strategy for Hezbollah. Col. Charbel Barka, a former South Lebanese Army commander, says Hezbollah is repeating what it did in attacks against Israel in 1996.

A Christian from the village of Ain Ebel, who requested to remain nameless for fear of a reprisal from Hezbollah, reported that he found Hezbollah fighters setting up a launcher on his rooftop. Hezbollah fighters ignored his pleas to stop and fired the missiles. He immediately gathered his family and fled his home, which was bombed 15 minutes later by an Israeli air strike.

Hezbollah has also attempted to stop Christians from fleeing their villages. According to Christian Solidarity International, on July 28, Hezbollah fighters fired upon several Christians fleeing Rmeish with their families, wounding two.

Sami El-Khoury, president of the World Maronite Union, adds that media reports about Christian support for Hezbollah are inaccurate.

"Contrary to Western press reports, indicating high percentages of Christian support for Hezbollah, 90 percent of Christians, 80 percent of Sunni and 40 percent of Shiites in Lebanon oppose Hezbollah," El-Khoury told Christian Solidarity International.

Christian Solidarity International has called for the United Nations to establish a politically independent commission to investigate Hezbollah's contravention of international law. The group has also urged the UN Security Council to deploy immediately an international force in Lebanon to facilitate a ceasefire, to stop the flow of arms from Syria to Hezbollah, and to assist the Lebanese government in fulfilling its obligation to disarm Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has been the ruling power in the south since Israel withdrew from Lebanon six years ago. Christian villages suffer from extensive neglect of infrastructure under Hezbollah rule. Once the majority, the Christian population in Lebanon has declined to under 40 percent due to pressures by Islamic militias supported by Iran and Syria. [source.]

Amy Welborn has a long post on this topic.

Whenever extreme Muslims are allowed to do as they please in the Middle East - Christians suffer and die. Meanwhile, Israel also had it's bloodiest day today as it continues to try to root out Hezbollah and the leader of Hezbolla, Hassan Nasrallah, has threatened to bomb Tel Aviv in retaliation.

Joseph Pearce follows-up on the RR's Beer Blessing

Yesterday on the First Things blog (in follow-up to this post):

Joseph Pearce writes:

In the healthily rambunctious spirit of Michael Novak’s posting yesterday (I refer to his “Beer Blessing” in ecclesiastically resplendent Latin), I was reminded of Belloc’s immortal lines in praise of the place of ale in Western civilization. I apologize in advance for the questionable quality of my response to his words of wisdom.

• Whenever the Catholic sun doth shine,
• There’s always laughter and good red wine.
• At least I’ve always found it so.
• Benedicamus Domino! —Hilaire Belloc

(followed by:)

• But when the Catholic sun doth sink,
• There’s stench of Hitler, Stalin’s stink.
• We hate to say we told you so.
• Gulag Archipelago! — JP (with apologies to HB)

(ugh! This was a bit of a formatting nightmare. Sometimes blogger can be quite annoying.)

Pope Benedict to give "unprecedented" interview to German TV

Via Amy:

MUNICH - ­ Pope Benedict XVI is to give an unprecedented interview Saturday to four German TV journalists invited to his summer residence, Castel Gandolfo, with the discussion set to air worldwide on August 13.

The German-born pope has already given a couple of one-on-one television interviews in his year-long papacy, but no head of the Catholic church has ever gone before the cameras to handle a panel of questioners for a full hour.

"Nothing like this ever occurred with Pope John Paul II," recalls Father Eberhard von Gemmingen, head of the German section of Vatican Radio, who is to be one of the four interviewers. [More...]

Cardinal Arinze's video podcast on Theology of the Body

From the Curt Jester:

"The latest Cardinal Arinze Podcast has a video Podcast with the subject being Pope John Paul II's The Theology of the Body. If you don't already subscribe to this podcast, I would recommend at least that you get this episode."

"...I have also recently started listening to another of Familyland's podcast called the Weekly Roman Observer has guests like Mike Aquilina to discuss weekly events and highlights of the L'Osservatore Romano. Highly recommended."

... ditto! :-)

Book Memed! (and the favor returned in kind)

Mulier Fortis has book memed me! Since it's a meme I'm not putting a whole lot of consideration into my choices - just whatever comes to mind quickly:

• 1. One book that changed your life. Leisure the basis of Culture by Josef Pieper was the first book I had to read for college. Everyone should read it.
• 2. One book that you've read more than once. I was addicted to The Swiss Family Robinson as a kid - read it five, six times? Robinson Crusoe at least three times...
• 3. One book that you'd want on a desert island. (lol, I hadn't read this question when I was answering #2). Anyway, I'll steal a thought from G.K. Chesterton when someone asked him this same question: Thompson's Guide to Practical Shipbuilding.
• 4. One book that made you laugh. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. What else?
• 5. One book that made you cry. A Key to the Doctrine of the Eucharist. Theology should make you cry when it's done right. Abbot Vonier does it right.
• 6. One book that you wish had been written. More books in the Lord of the Rings universe, perhaps a book about events that take place simultaneously but removed from the drama of the trilogy, a la The Horse and His Boy in the Narnia series (my favorite, by the way).
• 7. One book that you wish had never been written. Almost any book by Zane Gray. I've repressed the memory of whatever book of his I had to read when I was in a book club, but it occupied some of the most miserable and boring hours of my life.
• 8. One book that you're currently reading. Actually, I've been reading parts of Lee Silver's Challenging Nature, but I don't recommend it. Here's why.
• 9. One book you've been meaning to read. Russell Kirk's The Conservative Mind. A huge gap in my political-reading formation.

Wow, this was a challenging little meme - and very thought provoking (for me at least). Let's see what Jimmy Akin has to say (if he has free time for memes). Hmm, dare I tag Advocatus Militaris also?

Magister: evolution under the microscope at Castle Gandalfo

Direct from the big M:

Professor Ratzinger goes back to school. After Islam last year, Darwin topic this year

by Sandro Magister

"Evolution will be the focus of the upcoming seminar between the pope and his former students in Castel Gandolfo. Meanwhile, Jesuit scholar Christian W. Troll has updated his analysis of progressive Muslim thinkers."

Pope Benedict gives some special advice to altar servers

Pope Benedict said some wonderful things to altar servers today about their service (again, via CNA):

Pope Benedict XVI used much of his General Audience today to greet the thousands of altar servers who are visiting Rome as part of the international pilgrimage of altar servers, sponsored by Coetus Internationalis Ministrantium. He told the many servers gathered that they should be open to the call of the Lord and be prepared if he is calling them to serve as priests.

The Holy Father began his remarks by recalling his first year serving Mass in 1935. Pope Benedict, assuring them that he would keep his comments brief due to the heat, told the altar servers that he wished to offer a message, “that can accompany you in your life and your service to the Church.”

Benedict spoke of the Apostles and their great friendship with the Lord as well as their service to him and the Gospel.

“Today, as a look out at you standing here in St. Peter’s Square,” the Pope told the many altar servers, “I think of the Apostles and feel the voice of Jesus who says to you, ‘I no longer call you servants, but friends, remain in my love and bear much fruit.’ I invite you: listen to this voice. Christ did not just say this 2000 years ago, he lives and speaks to you now.”

The Pope called the servers to be open to their Vocations, “Perhaps to some of you the voice is saying, ‘I want you to serve me in a special way, as a priest, becoming my witness, being my friend and introducing others to this friendship.”

Benedict told the servers to listen faithfully to the voice of Jesus and that, while the Vocation of each person is different, He desires friendship with all.

The Pope told the servers that they are, “in a real way, already apostles of Jesus,” when they serve at the altar. Benedict told them that by the way they serve, by their reverence and participation at the altar, they are providing a witness to others.

“The bond of friendship with Jesus flows forth from and finds its culmination in the Eucharist. You stay very close to Jesus in the Eucharist, and this is the greatest sign of his friendship for everyone of us,” Benedict said.

Benedict told the young people not to let themselves fall into familiarity with their service at the altar - letting it become merely a function or habit. “But,” he said, “rediscover everyday that what is happening is something great, that God is coming in the midst of us and that you are able to be close and assist, that His mystery can be celebrated and might touch the people.”

The Pope challenged the young servers to take the fruits of goodness and service and carry them to all areas of their life, this he said, would make them true apostles and friends of Jesus. [read the full article.]

Fantastic words for anyone who has served or is preparing others to serve.

Update: CNA on the new director of the JP2 Center

From CNA:

Washington DC, Aug. 02, 2006 (CNA) - The Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., has a new interim director. Fr. Steven Boguslawski, a Dominican priest, began in his new post Aug. 1st. The 50-year-old cleric had served as rector of Detroit’s Sacred Heart Major Seminary since 2003.

Having concluded his tenure at Detroit’s seminary, Fr. Boguslawski was assigned to his new post after conversation with the Eastern province Dominicans and the directors of the Center. Fr. Boguslawski will also become regent of studies for the St. Joseph Province, a roll which he will conduct from the Dominican House of Studies. Both the Cultural Center and the House of Studies sit on the edge of The Catholic University of America. Fr. Boguslawski’s will remain at the JP II Cultural Center while a search continues for a long-term director. [More...]

My original post on this transfer. Hopefully Sacred Heart gets a good replacement.

Tropical Storm Chris forms in Atlantic (updated 1, 2)

Related links:

• National Hurricane Center
• PublicAdvisory #5

Update #1:

• Chris May Become 1st Hurricane of Season
• WIRE...
• COMPUTER MODELS...
• TRACK MAP...

Looks like Chris is headed straight into the Gulf...

Update #2:

• Tropical storm is expected to grow: It could turn into hurricane, affect gulf oil operations - Bloomberg News

A Blessing for Beer from the Rituale Romanum

I'd seen this before and was happy when Michael Novak reproduced it over at the First Things blog:

Bene+dic, Domine, creaturam istam cerevisae, quam ex adipe frumenti producere dignatus es: ut sit remedium salutare humano generi: et praesta per invocationem nominis tui sancti, ut, quicumque ex ea biberint, sanitatem corporis, et animae tutelam percipiant. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Bless, O Lord, this creature beer, that Thou hast been pleased to bring forth from the sweetness of the grain: that it might be a salutary remedy for the human race: and grant by the invocation of Thy holy name, that, whosoever drinks of it may obtain health of body and a sure safeguard for the soul. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Video: Colbert has fun with Wikipedia

For anyone who finds themself using Wikipedia more and more and is plagued with guilt about it:

This week's Catholic Carnival...

... is up (and "Improving with Age").

Sandro hints: darwinism and Islam on Pope's summer agenda

From CNA:

Rome, Aug. 01, 2006 (CNA) - In a column to be released this Wednesday, renowned Vatican analyst Sandro Magister of the Italian weekly “L’Espresso” says the Pope’s summer agenda at Castel Gandolfo will focus on Darwinism and Islam.

According to Magister, this summer the Pontiff will host another of his study circles with his former students that he began decades ago and which he has maintained during his pontificate.

This time discussions will focus on “Christianity and Evolution,” although the subject of Islam, which was the focus last year, will also be on the agenda.

Magister will reveal in his column the name of the individual who will lead the discussion on evolution and which texts will be analyzed during this year’s sessions.

The complete column will be published on Wednesday at www.chiesa.espressonline.it

Text: Mel Gibson's direct apology to the Jews

Here it is (with explicit Christian parts underlined by me):

There is no excuse, nor should there be any tolerance, for anyone who thinks or expresses any kind of anti-Semitic remark. I want to apologize specifically to everyone in the Jewish community for the vitriolic and harmful words that I said to a law enforcement officer the night I was arrested on a DUI charge.

I am a public person, and when I say something, either articulated and thought out, or blurted out in a moment of insanity, my words carry weight in the public arena. As a result, I must assume personal responsibility for my words and apologize directly to those who have been hurt and offended by those words.

The tenets of what I profess to believe necessitate that I exercise charity and tolerance as a way of life. Every human being is God's child, and if I wish to honor my God I have to honor his children. But please know from my heart that I am not an anti-Semite. I am not a bigot. Hatred of any kind goes against my faith.

I'm not just asking for forgiveness. I would like to take it one step further, and meet with leaders in the Jewish community, with whom I can have a one on one discussion to discern the appropriate path for healing.

I have begun an ongoing program of recovery and what I am now realizing is that I cannot do it alone. I am in the process of understanding where those vicious words came from during that drunken display, and I am asking the Jewish community, whom I have personally offended, to help me on my journey through recovery.

Again, I am reaching out to the Jewish community for its help. I know there will be many in that community who will want nothing to do with me, and that would be understandable. But I pray that that door is not forever closed.

This is not about a film. Nor is it about artistic license. This is about real life and recognizing the consequences hurtful words can have. It's about existing in harmony in a world that seems to have gone mad. [source.]

Can one really ask anything more from the man? That's an apology if I ever saw one. I really hope Mel's hollywood haters start feeling a little guilt for the pile-on they've been creating since the story broke.

Report: Mel Gibson was "really on the verge of suicide"?!

Taken from the ApocalyptoWatch:

Nikki Finke reports: "I'm told by a source intimate with his situation tonight that Mel Gibson "was really on the verge of suicide because he felt he was helpless to alcohol and didn't know what to do about it. That's why he was driving around 90 miles an hour. This was a death wish. If that cop hadn't stopped him, this guy was going to be wrapped around a pole."

[The Apocalypto Watch adds:] "Keeping in mind that this report hasn't been confirmed ... if you take another look at Mel Gibson's mugshot - doesn't that look like someone who has just been through a traumatic experience and isn't that the smile of someone who is very happy to still be alive? You can see how bloodshot his eyes are. That could be from alcohol, but it could also be from crying tears..."

"The final piece of the puzzle? Mel's own words from his statement: "I take this opportunity to apologize to the deputies involved for my belligerent behavior. They have always been there for me in my community and indeed probably saved me from myself."

[Read the full report here.]

I think we're all still far from finding out what really happened to Mel Gibson that night... this theory might also explain why the police have been so reluctant to nail Mel for his comments and behavior: doing those things while drunk is one thing. But doing them while suicidally depressed? That's a different story.

God or the Girl is out on DVD! (+links to related cool stuff)

Amy announces that A&E's God or the Girl is now available on DVD (and less than $22!).

A quick look at Amazon's product page reveals that the combined running time for the five episodes is 225 minutes, plus a mini-episode with an additional cast member (who I know through a friend), deleted scenes, and "Priestly Wisdom from Father Mark."

Amy also points out that A&E has a page up with Youth Event Guides and other resources for those who want to use God or the Girl for various youth/discernment programs. Go check it out!

*cool multimedia alert* Oh yeah, you can also download the song by TenPointTen used with the God or the Girl program guide: MP3 of "Lead Me - TenPointTen" (Legaleeze: "Download and single burn is permitted for use with this series only.")

Before you ask - no, this song isn't the same as the theme song for the actual God or the Girl show. That song is "Flood" by Jars of Clay, considered by many to be their breakthrough title. More about Flood:

"[Flood] was released in 1995 on their self-titled debut album, Jars of Clay. The album remained in the top 60 albums for much of the year and remained in Billboard's Top 200 albums for the entire 52 week cycle. The album went 'gold' and shortly after attaining platinum status. The debut album has now sold around 2,000,000 copies." [source]

And - yes, you have to purchase it. Or (if you haven't heard it yet) you could listen to the first 30 seconds of it in Windows Media Player here and RealOnePlayer here. But frankly, the samples don't do the song much justice.

Vatican news might be light this next month...

... since practically the entire month of August is vacation time for Rome:

NEW YORK, JULY 30, 2006 (Zenit.org).- After a summer break, ZENIT will resume its weekday news service Wednesday, Aug. 16. The Weekly Analysis feature returns Aug. 19.

-and-

VATICAN CITY, JUL 31, 2006 (VIS) - As previously advised, VIS will be closed during the entire month of August. Service will resume on Friday, September 1.

Meanwhile, I have to work like a dog if I want to be able to purchase any books for school come next semester. Sheesh. It's hot over here, too, ya know? ;-)

Your PPOTD - Tuesday August 1

Tee-hee! This next line will really bug those pesky "liturgical innovators" ...

[photo: AP Photo/Plinio Lepri]

Things are looking good for Cardinal George...

From the UPI:

Doctors say Roman Catholic Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, whose cancerous bladder was removed last week, will not need radiation or chemotherapy.

His doctor and surgeon told a news conference at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill., Monday that pathology tests showed the cancer was contained and had not spread to his lymph nodes.

"There is no evidence of any spread outside the bladder," said Dr. Myles Sheehan, George's personal physician.

Doctors said a tumor was within the tissues of the right ureter, which was partially removed along with his bladder, prostate gland and lymph nodes in an extensive five-hour operation on Thursday.

Sheehan said the 69-year-old cardinal was out of bed walking and would be hospitalized at least a week. His surgeon, Dr. Robert Flanigan, said George had a 70 percent to 80 percent likelihood of surviving five years.

"We don't know if the cardinal is cured or if he is definitively cancer-free," said Sheehan. "He is a cancer survivor with no evidence of cancer in his system." [source]

Good news ... the man has been through enough this year...

Update: Rocco adds that Cardinal George's first words upon hearing the good news were, "Oh, thank God." (Amen on that one!) Rocco further points out that the AofC website has a statement.