Chicago Archdiocese gets *100* tickets to see Pope In NYC

Reported today by the Chicago Tribune:

Before you plunk down your plane fare to New York and make a reservation at the Ritz so you can celebrate mass with Pope Benedict XVI, make sure you’re one of the 100 lucky winners to score a ticket.

That’s approximately how many Chicago Catholics will be admitted to see the pontiff in Yankee Stadium on April 20. Even fewer are expected to get into the Nationals Park mass in Washington, D.C., on April 17.

Pastors at each of Chicago’s 363 parishes have been asked to submit four nominees to Cardinal Francis George, whose office will conduct a lottery to choose the winners. Entries must include the priest or parishioner’s name, date of birth and address as well as a guarantee that, if chosen, they will go. Guests must also be prepared to show a photo ID at the stadium entrance. The deadline for pastors to submit names is Feb. 8.

I will update my frequently-updated post on how to get tickets to see the Pope with this information.

My complete coverage of Pope Benedict's April visit to the USA is available here.

Flash: Pope Benedict *will* tour in popemobile during Washington DC visit

*FLASH*

Buried deep in the story, but it originates from a knowledgeable source:

Susan Gibbs, communications director for the Washington, D.C., archdiocese, said there will be plenty of other chances to see the pope. She said Vatican officials this week agreed to take the "popemobile" out for a spin several times while the pontiff is in the nation’s capital, making papal sightings more possible for the crowds expected to line the streets. The routes have not yet been released, Gibbs said.

This update reverses earlier reports that there would be no popemobile touring during the visit. Hoorah!

My complete coverage of Pope Benedict's April visit to the USA here.

Information on how to secure tickets to attend the Papal Masses here.

Legionaries of Christ founder Marcial Maciel dies

update 1, feb 1: Amy notes:

I’m struck by the fact that at least up to this point, there is no telegram made public from the Holy Father sending condolences to the group for the death of their founder, an act that is otherwise standard practice.

Agreed. Remember that I said originally in this post that one should watch to see the Vatican reaction to his death. In this case, I would claim that even a lack of activity can be taken to mean something. The official LC response, similarly, is significantly terse (and it looks like I got my translation of their announcement accurate).

update 2, feb 1: The Associated Press has reported that Maciel died in Houston, Texas.

original post: ABC News gets right to the point:

A well-connected Vatican insider who was accused of molesting young priests in training has died. Father Marcial Maciel never faced a trial nor was he punished by the Vatican despite the fact the church had asked him to stop all public ministry appearances.

The Vatican City AP wire is a bit more accurate:

The Rev. Marcial Maciel, a Mexican priest who founded the Legionaries of Christ religious order and was disciplined by Pope Benedict XVI after sex abuse allegations, has died in the United States, his order said Thursday. He was 87.

Maciel died Wednesday of natural causes, the conservative religious order said on its Web site. It did not say exactly where he died.

{update 2, feb 1: The Associated Press has reported that Maciel died in Houston, Texas.}

The Legionaries website announces (In Italian) essentially that their "beloved Founder and Father, MARCIAL MACIEL DEGOLLADO, has passed to his celestial native home, on the 30th of January, etc..."

(Again, my rough translation:) "By the wish of Fr. Maciel, the funeral will take place in an atmosphere of prayer and celebrated in a simple and private manner."

CNA specifies that the funeral will occur in his hometown of Mexico, date unpublished.

Associated Press: "Religious Order Leader Maciel Dies"
Reuters: "Mexican Catholic leader accused of sex abuse dies"

God rest his soul.

Watch for: 1) Vatican reaction at the news of his death. 2) Official Legionaries of Christ reaction.

Related posts:

• File photo of Maciel with John Paul II
• May 22: "ZENIT's objectivity about the Maciel decision doubteful?"
• May 20: "Fr. Maciel removed from ministry: Day Two"
• May 19: "Fr. Maciel removed from ministry: reactions & commentary"
• May 18: "Pope Benedict approves restrictions on Fr. Maciel, Legionaries of Christ founder"

Arch. of Milwaukee facing $3M deficit, forced to cut personnel & programs

Bleak times for the City of Festivals.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is facing a $3 million deficit in its current budget and will need to make substantial cuts in staffing and services for the fiscal year that begins July 1, partly because a deal to sell the Cousins Center fell through, an archdiocesan spokesman said Wednesday.

[The letter from Archbishop Dolan and] other information also have been posted at the archdiocese's Web site, http://www.archmil.org/, as part of Dolan's effort to share information with the region's 675,000 Catholics.

A clarification included for Milwaukee residents:

"... the archdiocese's ongoing $105 million Faith in Our Future capital campaign would not be used to balance the budget or to pay sexual abuse costs. It is intended to fund new programs and endowments at the archdiocesan and parish levels, and its funds will be held in a charitable trust outside the assets of the archdiocese."

An reminder not included for Milwaukee residents today, but published by Rod Dreherin 2002:

Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee, the most liberal bishop in America, has been disgraced by the revelation that he paid $450,000 in hush money to buy the silence of an apparent former male lover.

... Weakland wears his dissent as a badge of honor.

"Members of the Roman Curia often referred to me as a 'maverick,'" the archbishop wrote in his archdiocesan newspaper column last May.

"The best compliment I received, then, came from a religious superior in Rome who said: 'Rome does not know what to do with Weakland. He is a free man.' I feel I have been able to maintain my own dignity and identity through it all."

... In the last few months, Weakland defied an order from the Vatican to halt his $4.5 million dollar extremely modernistic renovation of Milwaukee's historic cathedral, which was left ravaged by the procedure. One puzzled Catholic described the new stripped-down space as akin to "a fancy Baptist church with a very large communion table." (National Review Online, 5/24/02)

As Rod points out:

Neither Weakland nor the money-grubbing Marcoux are victims. The Catholics of Milwaukee are. Their archbishop's arrogance and selfishness in the seedy Marcoux matter has cost them nearly half a million dollars. But in truth, the intangible cost is much higher.

I would argue that the tangible costs of Weakland's dishonesty and parasitism, if today is any example, are also still rising much higher. This from a man who reserved a website for himself (at least in 2006).

Maybe adding a donation button to help out his beleaguered ex-diocese would be in order, for a start.

Levada confirms CDF working on bioethics document

Briefly, from CNA:

"This morning, Pope Benedict XVI asked the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to focus on "the difficult and complex problems of bioethics." More specifically, the Pontiff drew the teaching body of the Church’s attention toward issues associated with reproductive technologies, explaining that some of them violate human dignity."

...

Among the "new problems" that require a re-evaluation are "the freezing of human embryos, embryonal reduction, pre-implantation diagnosis, stem cell research and attempts at human cloning," Benedict XVI said.

CWNews expands:

The Pope defended the Church against critics who treat the faith "as if it were an obstacle to science." In fact, he said, "the Church appreciates and encourages progress in the biomedical sciences." The pastoral task for the Church, he explained, is to "enlighten everyone's consciences so that scientific progress may be truly respectful of all human beings."

John Allen reports that this document will essentially be a follow-up to Donum Vitae (1987).

Allen also notes that the document may resolve a long-standing debate in bioethics:

Levada’s reference to frozen embryos suggests that the congregation may take up the controversial question of so-called “embryo adoption,” which has been much debated in pro-life circles in recent years. Essentially, one side believes that even though these embryos should never have been created, now that they exist, women should be encouraged to bring them to term, allowing them to develop as human beings. Another party, however, regards that as cooperation in a fundamentally immoral act, and worries that promoting adoption may simply encourage artificial creation of embryos.

The full text of the Holy Father's speech is available here on the Vatican website, in Italian.

AmP Tip: How to get tickets to see Pope Benedict XVI in April

This post provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on how to get tickets for Pope Benedict XVI's public Masses when he visits the U.S. this April.

{Last updated Feb. 2 - Arch. of Baltimore}

There are only three opportunities for the general public to see the Pope, listed here in order of seats available:

• 1) Yankee Stadium in New York City on Sunday, April 20th ~ 65,000 seats
• 2) Nationals' Stadium in Washington DC on April 17th ~ 45,000 seats
• 3) Youth/Seminarians Rally at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers on April 19th ~ unknown

How do you get a spot? Read on....

Tickets to Yankee Stadium - Official Website

• Archdiocese of Boston residents only: 3,000k tickets available - CLICK HERE. Must apply by February 11th @ 5pm, small groups favored. (ph/t: Bettnet)
• [update] Archdiocese of Baltimore: "very limited number" - CLICK HERE - Tix made available starting Feb. 6th @ 9am; must pay $53 bus fare. Learn more here. (ph/t: WatcheroftheMorn)
• Diocese of Kansas City/St. Joseph: ~100 tickets - CLICK HERE. Must apply by Feb. 13th @ 5pm. (ph/t: Chad Toney)
• Archdiocese of Chicago: 100 tickets total to NYC Mass. Pastors have been asked to submit four nominees, then a lotto will take place. Deadline for submission is Feb. 8th. (ph/t: Chicago Tribune)
• Anyone may apply: ~100 tickets available from the Diocese of Charlotte - CLICK HERE. Must apply by February 6th, 2 ticket maximum. (ph/t: Charlotte Observer, News14)

Tickets to Youth Gathering in Yonkers - Official Website

• From the official website: "[tickets] will be distributed to young people, seminarians and individuals in formation for religious life in the Archdiocese of New York through Catholic schools, parish catechetical programs, parish youth groups, Seminaries, etc. Information on tickets for this event will be available in early February."

General information: Ticket allocations for dioceses outside of the Archdiocese of New York were mailed January 25th. Ticket information for individuals in the Archdiocese of New York will be made available "in early February." In general, tickets will be distributed through your local parish (so if you aren't registered, now would be a good time!). For those outside the Archdiocese, tickets will be distributed through your local Bishop's office. Priority will be given to the archdioceses of Boston, Philadelphia and Louisville, who are celebrating their bicentennials. Links: [Yankee Stadium]

Tickets to Nationals Stadium - Official Website

• Archdiocese of Chicago: less than 100 tickets. Pastors have been asked to submit four nominees, then a lotto will take place. Deadline for submission is Feb. 8th. (ph/t: Chicago Tribune)
• Ticket distribution has not been finalized yet, although "in the past, the custom for major events has been to distribute tickets primarily through ... parishes, dioceses and [Catholic] organizations." Updated info will be made available "by mid-February."
• Clergy of the Archdiocese of Washington may already register for the Papal Mass here.

General information: In general it appears that Washington is lagging behind New York in its organization. Mid-Feburary is the presumed date for notices to be sent out. Priority will be given to the archdiocese of Baltimore and the diocese of Arlington. More information, per usual, as I see it. Links: [Washington Nationals Ballpark]

From what I know, the best way to get tickets is to personally contact your local bishop's office. That way, if the lottery is not made public, you have a better chance of being selected. Prayers help too. It's going to be tight.

*Please feel free to email me additions & corrections. Thank you.*

(Also, digging this post will allow other folks interested in this information more easily find it.)

Boston Catholics - Get your tickets to see Pope Benedict in NYC!

Bettnet drops us the tip:

If you’re a Catholic living in the Archdiocese of Boston and you want to attend the papal Mass in Yankee Stadium on April 20, you’re in luck. The Archdiocese has been allocated 3,000 tickets and you can put your name in the lottery by going to the Archdiocese’s Bicentennial web site and signing up.

Demand is expected to outstrip supply so make sure to get your name in. Tickets are free, but non-transferable (you won’t see them on eBay) and there is fee for transportation as well.

NOTE: "All requests for tickets must be received by February 11, 2008 at 5:00pm."

He adds more details:

Obviously Baltimore will get tickets to events in Washington, DC, but Boston, Philadelphia, and Lousville, Kentucky, will get tickets for New York.

Okay, now you know. I'll be posting later this week with more details on how to get tickets to see the Pope, so check back, and in the meantime, peruse the archives.

Your PPOTD! Wednesday, January 30th

"From the eyes of babes..."

[photo: REUTERS/Chris Helgren (VATICAN]

By the end of today, a significantly clarified presidential race

Florida's role as a political weathervane has once again been confirmed.

Last night, John McCain overcame Mitt Romney 36-31 and won all 57 of Florida's delegates.

Guiliani's dismal 3rd place showing confirms the end of his campaign, and the beginning of the ignominy.

The AFP indulged in some classic media "20-20 hindsight-ism" in its remarks on Giuliani's exit:

In retrospect, Giuliani had few options.

As a thrice-married pro-abortion, pro-gay rights baron of liberal New York, he was always an odd fit with the religious conservative Republican base that swept Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush to power.

That's nice to hear, after months of being told his positions didn't matter. I guess they maybe did.

Giuliani is expected to endorse McCain. McCain is now the man to beat on Super Tuesday (in 6 days). This even more so because Thompson has dropped out, and Huckabee is broke. Romney has enough personal income to campaign, but he is now facing a long, uphill fight. He really needed to win Florida.

On the Democrat side, in a surprising decision, John Edwards is also getting out of the race.

Surprising not because anyone thought he had a chance of winning, of course, but instead because many folks were widely expecting him to stick in the race in order to win delegates and stay influential in the convention. His exit, it would seem, will help Obama in Super Tuesday more than Clinton.

Ron Paul has vowed to continue campaigning.

So, to recap: Hillary vs. Obama (with some added Edwards support) and McCain trying to push out Romney (with Paul doing his thing in the wings, and Huckabee looking for a place back at the table).

update: as a little more grist for the comment mill, Rob Vischer at Mirror of Justice notes some complimentary things about McCain. Meanwhile, Rasmussen tracks McCain ahead of both Hillary (8%) and Obama (6%) in a potential general election match up.

Pope Benedict Receives "Holy Grail" of Gifts: Beer.

Of course, it took an Anglican to have enough guts (and circumspection) to go through with the idea. Shame on us papists for not thinking of it first!

It could have been the moment the world was waiting for - the Holy Grail being hand-delivered to the Pope.

But that is exactly what the Archbishop of York did when he made his historic visit to Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican.

Dr John Sentamu took the Pontiff some quintessentially Yorkshire gifts - including a bottle of Holy Grail beer and Black Sheep Ale from the Black Sheep Brewery.

The Archbishop also presented the Pope with an illustrated history of York Minster, and a cut-glass beer tankard from the Minster. He said the gifts were chosen to reflect the Pope's appreciation of Bavarian beer. - UK York Press

The UK Daily Mail adds more:

Following their 15-minute chat in the Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura, believed to be the burial place of St Paul, Sentamu said: "I told the brewery I was meeting the Pope and they made a special brew for him. I heard he'd been given some Black Sheep ale and liked it. So I brought that and the Holy Grail."

The gifts pleased the Pope, who is Bavarian by birth and prefers beer to wine and water.

"I was very impressed by the Pope," Sentamu said. "He cares about human beings. He is such a deep theologian, it drives him to compassion. He is not a starchy person, but people look at his writings, they are very precise, and think he is like that ... but he is very warm."

... no doubt. In case you were wondering, "The Archbishop of York is the second-highest-ranking prelate in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury", says CNA.

I'm guessing this must have been a nice change of pace from the usual dignitary gift exchange.

Pope Benedict, of course, as Cardinal Ratzinger, was no stranger to the suds:

In fact, not only is there an (unofficial) German Papst-Bier ("Pope Beer"), there is an (official) blessing for beer in the Roman Rite of Blessings .... prost!

This episode got me thinking that it would be nice to have a one-stop web source for all the captured images of Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict enjoying the lesser-known fruit of human hands....: Voila!

(Submissions welcome. While you must be over 21 to drink in the U.S., all ages can enjoy the photos.)

And finally, while we're ostensibly on the topics of beer and ecumenical dialogue, I submit for your consideration the following Facebook group: "Evangelicals and Catholics [Drinking] Together"

I'm a member.

Of course it was him, I would expect nothing less

"It is not every day you see a bishop leading the faithful in procession through the streets of a major city: Hundreds join pro-life procession through streets of San Diego". - California Catholic Daily

How did I know the individual in question had to be Auxiliary Bishop Salvatore Cordileone? Because his reputation is that good.

More: "On Sunday, Jan. 20, more than 700 faithful gathered at San Diego’s St. Joseph’s Cathedral for prayer and a procession to condemn 35 years of legalized abortion in the United States. The procession was led by Auxiliary Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, and was blessed with the presence of the famous International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima."

It's been about an even six months since I mentioned Bp. Cordileone (and that's too long).

How Long, O Lord, How Long?!

Exclusive: Pictures of Pope Benedict's DC Mass pulpit, lectern & chair

Today the winning design for the pulpit, lectern and chair that Pope Benedict will use for his public Mass at DC's Nationals stadium during his April visit was unveiled.

I was able to tour the exhibit this afternoon and take a few photographs of the chosen models. Enjoy!

The complete set of photos is available on the AmP Flickr page.

From the CUA press release:

Washington DC - Student Winners of Papal Design Contest Announced at CUA

The winning architectural design by two Catholic University students for a 10-by-4-foot papal altar and a pulpit, lectern and chair that Pope Benedict XVI will use when he celebrates Mass in Washington, D.C., was unveiled today at The Catholic University of America, D.C., in partnership with the Archdiocese of Washington.

The model by John-Paul Mikolajczyk, of Staten Island, N.Y., and Ryan Mullen, of Manchester, N.H., both candidates in the master's program at Catholic University's School of Architecture and Planning, shows an altar with a substantial top, a repeating pattern of decorative parabolic arches beneath it and a smaller base.

...

At the unveiling, Most Rev. Donald W. Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, said that the design is "a tribute to this school of architecture, Catholic University and the quality of students here.

Twenty-one entries were submitted for the design competition, or charrette, which was held last week at CUA's Edward M. Crough Center for Architectural Studies, where the winners were announced.

The top award for the design competition will receive a $1,500 prize. The second-place winner will receive $1,000 and five honorable-mention winners will each receive $500. The proposed designs will be displayed at the Crough Center for about a week.

More information from the press release:

The front of the pulpit (or ambo), where the Holy Father will read the Gospel, is adorned with images of the Bible and the Holy Trinity. The tall chair back is decorated with Pope Benedict XVI's papal coat of arms.

Mikolajczyk and Mullen will work with architecture faculty and the Archdiocese of Washington to fine-tune the design and actually construct the altar and the other furnishings at the Crough Center. The four pieces will become part of the sanctuary for the Mass that Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate April 17 at the city's new baseball stadium, Nationals Park. Following the Mass, the pontiff will give a major address on Catholic education at CUA.

Students, working individually or in teams of up to four people, prepared their models and drawings over an intense few days of work between Jan. 18 and Jan. 23. The entries were judged on Jan. 24.

Catholic University's School of Architecture and Planning is the largest in the Washington, D.C., area. The school offers a bachelor of science in architecture, master of architecture and master of architectural studies and its graduate program concentrations include cultural studies/sacred space, design technologies, digital media, real estate development and urban design. For more information see
architecture.cua.edu.

[Above photo credit: Tony Fiorini, CUA - "Ryan Mullen and John-Paul Mikolajczjk and their winning papal design." All other photographs: Thomas Peters, AmericanPapist blog.]

So, what do you think of the chosen design?

What really angers the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy

Amid news that, in preparation for Brazil's Carnival celebrations, the government will be handing out millions of free condoms, Reuters indulges in some editorializing:

Recife city also plans to distribute morning-after contraceptive pills -- a move that has angered the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy.

The church opposes Brazil's much lauded anti-AIDS campaign on the grounds that it promotes contraception.

Wait a minute. How exactly does the morning-after pill prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS? That's right, it does not. Therefore, the distrubtion of morning-after pills can in no way be taken as being part of an "anti-AIDS campaign."

Furthermore, the church does not oppose anti-AIDS campaigns "on the grounds that it promotes contraception." This is a woefully inadequate account of the Church's position. The quotation from Bp. Duarte sheds some light on the situation:

"... while the church was not against people having fun in Carnival, the morning-after pill and condom campaign "will only serve to diminish inhibitions and encourage orgiastic behavior."

... and that's just a start. After all, the President of Brazil (whom the article notes, is known as a"gregarious character" who "enjoys a drink") has been on the radio asking people to not go overboard, and "His dour warning appeared to be partly prompted by a rise in deaths and accidents from drunken driving during the Christmas holidays."

So, to review: when the President tells people to behave more responsibly while simultaneously distributes condoms, it's a wonderful government innitiative. When a Catholic Bishop speaks out and notes how giving people the means towards a bad end does not help the situation, he's out to lunch.

It's going to be a long Lent.

"This is a very good custom" Pope says of Jesuit vow renewal

Zenit:

During the audience Father Nicolás handed an envelope to the Holy Father in which he renewed in writing his obedience to the Pope, fulfilling a Jesuit tradition for newly elected superiors-general of the Society.

In addition to this tradition for those leading the order, obedience to the Pope in missionary matters is the fourth vow that all Jesuits make alongside the traditional three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

"The Pope opened the envelope right away and read the vows," reported the Jesuits. Then he said, "This is a very good custom."

Hint, hint.

Open Thread: Romney vs. McCain

Tomorrow Florida will host its Republican primary.

Mitt Romney and John McCain are tied, both in the state, and in national polls.

So, from a papist perspective, what are your thoughts, good/bad/indifferent?

Call for Submissions: World's First Pro-Life Film Festival, Cinema Vita

This news should be of special interest to some readers. Marjorie gives us the goods:

"The Cinema Vita Film Festival has been established to encourage young, emerging filmmakers and to showcase movies about contemporary issues concerning the meaning and value of life. Coordinated by the San Francisco Archdiocesan Office of Public Policy, the Oakland Diocesan Respect Life Ministry, Marriage for Life, and Ignatius Press, the festival is based on the recognition that art, especially the medium of film, shapes the popular imagination and has a tremendous influence on culture."

They are looking for submissions spanning 3-5 minutes in 3 categories: high school, college and open. For each there is a cash prize of $250 and a Canon HG10 High Definition Camcorder (value $1100).

Read the submission criteria here. Entries must be postmarked by February 14, early entries encouraged.

Here, again, is the official website.

More details:

The winning films will be shown at the festival on March 7, 2008 at the Delancy Street Theater in downtown San Francisco, along with the award-winning feature film After the Truth, a provocative look at a fictional trial of Dr. Josef Mengele, the notorious Angel of Death at Auschwitz.

Ignatius Insight has an extensive article explaining the motivation and goal of the festival.

Any questions? Marjorie, blogging at Deal W Hudson is point-lady for blog outreach and news.

This is exactly the sort of innitiative I love prompoting at AmP. Get to it, you young media-savvy papists!

Sticky: AmP's March for Life Coverage (Essential Links)

Welcome to any new visitors. I'm a Catholic young adult, studying and working in Washington DC, who is providing exclusive on-the-ground coverage of the 35th Annual March for Life. Here's what I offer:

• All March-for-Life related posts are collected here (includes event schedules & info)
• My photographs will be uploaded to this Flickr page (currently almost 100)
• My videos will be uploaded to this YouTube page (about 10 from the march)
• New: My special report on the March has been published at InsideCatholic.com

Collections of my other news stories are available on this page.

To contact me with with tips, information or media requests:

"thomas [at] americanpapist [dot] com"

March for Life exclusive content:

• March for Life (5): March for Life Videos
• March for Life (4): March for Life Pictures (1 of 2)
• March for Life (3): March for Life Pictures (2 of 2)
• March for Life (2): Blogs4Life Videos
• March for Life (1): Blogs4Life Photos

Also, InsideCatholic (Crisis Magazine) has published my thoughts on the March for Life here.

And please, join me in praying for an end to abortion, and for its millions of victims and survivors.

Related coverage: Washington Post, Washington Times, Washington Times Blog, Get Religion, America Magazine, National Review Online, News Busters, AOL News, USA Today, Associated Press, AFP, UPI, BBC News, National Journal, Fox News, Baltimore Sun Blog, BloggersNewsNetwork, AOL News Bloggers, Los Angelas Times & ... no NYT coverage?!

A weekend double dose of CanonLawBloggery

First up, that story of the uppity St. Louis Coach that is trying to play hardball with Archbishop Burke:

I'm not making this up.

Jesuit-run St. Louis University's basketball coach Rick Majerus (yes, a basketball coach) is telling St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke (yes, the canonist archbishop), to mind his own business regarding Majerus' outspoken support for (get ready for it) abortion and experimentation on embryonic humans! If it weren't that expressing support for such deeply offensive conduct is so deadly serious, I'd be laughing. Read more about it at here.

Next, the Code of Canon Law for the Roman Catholic Church turns 25 today. Many happy returns!

The psalmist sings "Happy is the man . . . whose delight is the law of the Lord; on his law he meditates day and night." (I: 1,3). The Psalmist is right.

Twenty-five years ago today, Pope John Paul II promulgated the apostolic constitution Sacrae disciplinae leges and with it the revised Code of Canon Law for the Roman Catholic Church. It is a marvelous achievement, all the more so, I suggest, because it was developed during one of the most intense periods of antinomianism the Church ever suffered. Read more about it here.

Your PPOTD! Friday, January 25th

"I'm in a Roman Church," he thought to himself, "Eventually, the Pope has to walk by!"

[photo: REUTERS/Dario Pignatelli (ITALY)]

New Jesuit Superior denies any tension between himself, Benedict XVI

CNA:

At his first official meeting with the press, Fr. Adolfo Nicolas S.J., the new Superior General of the Society of Jesus, strongly denied any contradiction between the Jesuits and the Vatican.

During the meeting held at the General Curia of the Jesuits in Rome, Fr. Nicolas read a prepared statement and took no questions from the some 50 journalists present at the press conference.

...

"There has never been and there is not opposition between the Pope and the Society of Jesus, between the Jesuits and the Vatican," Fr. Nicolas said in his statement.

"It is not true that there is a theological distance between the new General of the Jesuits and Pope Ratzinger," he added.

"I am an unknown and therefore newspapers are not finding anything about me, so they search and sometimes they invent," he also said.

And yet, quotations along these lines keep appearing, this one reported by CWNews:

The new Jesuit leader told journalists that his own views on religion have been heavily influenced by his years in Japan. Before serving in Asia, he said, he had firm and unyielding views about what constitutes proper religious faith and practice. In Japan, he reported, such attitudes are seen as intolerant; the Asian approach accepts a wide diversity of views. "In Japan," Father Nicolas said, "I discovered that true religion goes much deeper."

CNS adds:

The new general did not answer questions from the press because, he said, he will take his orders from the decisions of the General Congregation, which will continue to work at least until the end of February.

"What is important for me now is to listen to what the General Congregation wants, how we will respond to the conversation and challenges the Holy Father addressed to us and which we are taking very seriously in our reflections, how to respond to help the church, not ourselves," he said.

The article ends with this quotation:

Father Nicolas said he hoped the Jesuits would follow the principles of Mohandas Gandhi, "who said that when you speak of something you must first ask, 'Is it true?' because if it is not true, then it is not interesting. Second, 'Is it gentle, charitable, kind?' and third, 'Is it good for others?'"

Ah yes, important guiding principles for an order founded as the Society of ... Ghandi?!

Local Event: Abp. Timothy Broglio installed to U.S. Military Archdiocese

The notification from the U.S. Military Archdiocese website:

The Most Rev Timothy Paul Broglio (biography in Word document) is appointed the new Military Ordinary by His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.

Mass of InstallationFriday, 25 January 2008

Basilica of the National Shrineof the Immaculate Conception

DCTel: 202.526.8300

Public Mass begins at 2:00 PM. Please arrive no later than 1:00 PM.

The Mass will be broadcast live on EWTN (streaming).

More information from Whispers.

AmP mentioned in Knoxville diocesan newspaper

Here Ye, Here Ye:

"When we send this issue to press I’ll catch up with coverage of the march and associated events online. One excellent news source is the blog American Papist, run by the 20-something Thomas Peters, who has a master’s degree in theology and works in D.C. Thomas’s enthusiasm for life is obvious, and throughout the day he’ll be posting text, photos, and video from the march."

Thanks to the writer for the kind mention. I normally hear about these local citations long after they have passed into digital obscurity, so please, don't hesitate to drop me a line if my coverage is cited.

The Diocese of Knoxville today provided Southern Missouri with it's next (promising) Bishop.

Dominican Leaders rebuke problematic proposal of Dutch Dominicans

Dominicans in The Netherlands (which today made AmP news for having one its chapels converted into a "modern and stylish apartment") today received a firm rebuke from their leaders in Rome:

World leaders of the Dominican order have issued a correction to three Dutch Dominican theologians who issued a popular pamphlet arguing that parish communities could celebrate the Eucharist without a priest, the French newspaper La Croix reporters.

The Dominican officials criticize the Dutch theologians for promoting views that contradict fundamental Church doctrines, according to La Croix. But the report issued from Rome stops short of disciplinary action against the theologians involved in the Dutch pamphlet.

... The report from Rome, dated January 23, does not call for disciplinary action against the Dominicans responsible for the pamphlet. But it directs the Dutch Dominicans to publicize the response in all the parishes where the original pamphlet was circulated last year-- as many as 1,500 parishes.

Personally, I wish these sort of disputes were settled the way things were done back at the University of Paris in the 13th century - public debate between chosen masters where they would employ their best arguments.

Or, in place of that, a cage match with hard-bound copies of the Summa.

The final paragraph leaves something to be desired, however:

The author of the Roman response, the French Dominican Hervé Legrand, does express some sympathy for the Dutch Dominican theologians on one issue: the question of priestly celibacy. On that issue "there must be a debate," the document says, noting that "the current situation for priests is not the only one possible."

Actually, the current situation for priests *is* the only one possible in the Roman rite.

But at least this is some progress.

Now to address the far more serious causes of the vocations crisis in Europe....

To provide an informative counter-point on this issue and related ones, see In the Light of the Law today:

In the course of answering some questions about "presiders" at liturgies, Fr. Edward McNamara, LC, made an interesting, but I think controvertible, statement: "Only an ordained minister can, strictly speaking, preside at any liturgical act." That sounds inconsistent with the language used in several authoritative sources.

...

Obviously [well, not to some Dominicans in The Netherlands. - AmP], certain liturgies can only be presided over by the ordained [i.e., Mass! - AmP]. Even in those liturgies that can be led by laity, however, ordained presiders, being more closely configured to Christ the High Priest, bring to their role a greater disposition for liturgical ministry, they offer a more perfect sign of our communion with one another under a hierarchic governance, and they are usually permitted a greater degree of solemnity in the celebration of the liturgy than are lay celebrants.

[Read the rest.]

Hint: The Book of Blessings!

Pics: A chapel converted into a "modern and stylish apartment"

Talk about social commentary....

In the Netherlands a firm called Zecc has taken the chapel of the former Friars of Utrecht (which in the mid 1900's housed 217 friars), moved the remaining elderly thirteen of them to a nursing home, and converted the complex into 40 "modern and stylish" apartments - including the chapel.

The first picture is of the original, and then the adaptations:




From freshome:

"The design team chose to keep many of the original features like the high gothic stained glass windows and the original choir organ. To allow more light to enter the space, they cut a Mondrian-inspired glass window into the front of the house facing the street perhaps paying homage to Rietveld’s nearby infamous Schroder House. The entire living area has been whitewashed, while the private spaces above were painted dark. In conclusion this place might be controversial, but it looks very modern and stylish."

Yatzer adds: "The character of the little chapel has been respected and enhanced were possible."

For the very interested, this PDF file contains more pictures and design notes (in Dutch).

To adapt a line from Shakespeare's 73rd Sonnet:

"Modern, Stylish apartments, where once the bare ruin'd choirs stood."

And lest you think this is an isolated phenomenon, The Cool Hunter (in a piece titled "Immaculate Renovations"):

Here at TCH, we’ve been noticing architects around the world are transforming church buildings into various types of structures including houses, retail stores, libraries, and well, cooler churches.

I'll let you form a final conclusion, and leave you with this example:

In Maastricht an 800 year old Dominican church was transformed into the newest addition to the Selexyz book store chain – the Selexyz Dominicanen – housing an impressive collection of books not only in Dutch, but in English as well.

The challenge for the Amsterdam based architects Merkx + Girod was staying true to the original character and charm of the church, while also achieving a desirable amount of commercial space. A multi-storey steel structure that houses the majority of the books was constructed and placed along the central nave of the church under the vaulted ceiling.

This, friends, is the architectural facade of creeping materialism. Sometimes beautiful, always deadly.

blogback: "The resulting whited sepulcher is indicative of the state of the Church in the Netherlands." - Will Cubbedge

Video: Cardinal Arinze on NFP and "overlapping of rosaries"

From the Cardinal Arinze Webcast YouTube channel:

More information at their website.

James Vann Johnstone to Diocese of Springfield - Cape Girardeau

The Diocese of Springfield - Cape Girardeau, which serves Catholics in Southern Missouri, had a new priest appointed to serve as its bishop today, as the Vatican bulletino announces:

The Holy Father appointed Msgr. James Vann Johnston of the clergy of Knoxville, U.S.A., chancellor and moderator of the diocesan curia, as bishop of Springfield - Cape Girardeau (area 66,586, population 1,248,000, Catholics 64,900, priests 128, permanent deacons 13, religious 222), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Knoxville in 1959 and ordained a priest in 1990. He succeeds Bishop John J. Leibrecht, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

Msgr. James Vann Johnston was born in Knoxville, TN, is 48 years of age, has been a priest for 17 years, and was ordained by Bp. Anthony O'Connell of Palm Beach, FL [source: C-H]. Local coverage from the News-Leader.

CNA reports that he is a Canon Lawyer, which is not surprising considering he was in charge of the diocesan curia (maybe having your JCL is even a necessary prerequisite to the post?).

{edit: thanks to Seth for finding us a nice picture of the Bishop-elect.}

Excerpts from a short interview with Fr. Johnston from 2005:

Q: What are you most thankful for?

A: How God has revealed how good and extraordinarily generous he is to me personally and really to everyone.

Q: How will you celebrate your anniversary [to ordination to the priesthood]?

A: I’ll probably offer a Mass of thanksgiving and have dinner with my family.

Q: Who inspired you to become a priest?

A: One would be my mother, in part because of her faith, her generosity, her service, and her love for God and for the church. The other person, significantly, was Pope John Paul II. . . . His whole way of presenting the priesthood was an inspiration to me.

Q: What did your parents think when you first broached the subject of the priesthood?

A: My mother was pleasantly surprised. My dad was surprised, but he had reservations because I had graduated as an engineer and had a very good job with a company in Texas.

He sounds like a fine choice to me. His ordination is scheduled for March 31.

David Cheney of C-H says in the combox that Archbishop Burke is a likely (but not confirmed) consecrator.

In other episcopal news, Rocco reports that Archbishop Daniel Buechlein, OSB, of Indianapolis has been diagnosed with cancer (Hodgkin’s). You can send the Archbishop a prayer intention here. I did.

update: Rocco provides more info on Msgr. Johnstone (and also found a better picture of him). Notable:

A veteran hiker and nature buff, the bishop-elect made the news in 2005 when, on an expedition, he and two friends helped rescue a family who came perilously close to being taken down a steep waterfall at Montana's Glacier National Park. For their courage, the three -- all clerics -- received the Department of the Interior's Citizen Award for Bravery at a DC ceremony.

Much more data available here on the Diocese of Knoxville website press release.

CNA: "Chess champion Bobby Fisher requested Catholic burial in Iceland"

CNA reports:

Legendary chess player Bobby Fischer, who made history by dethroning the Soviet chess king Boris Spassky in 1972, asked to be buried as a Catholic, according to officials of the Catholic Church in Iceland, where he had been living since 1992.

The famous and eccentric chess player, who died last Thursday at the age of 64, was buried Tuesday in Iceland during a private Catholic ceremony.

...

“I don’t know if he converted to the Catholic faith, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t,” said Father Rolland, in reference to the reserved manner in which Fischer discussed his private life and his personal decisions.

More from Reuters and AP.

I cut my chess teeth on his book, Bobby Fisher Teaches Chess.

God rest his troubled soul.

update: Carl Olson has a very thoughtful piece on Bobby Fisher posted at Insight Scoop.

Brief respite

Blogging will be on the sparse side as I recover from the strenuous schedule of activities I attended during the March for Life events. Also, my computer crashed this evening so I spent most of the duration repairing and restorying backups. No worries, to take two steps forward, sometimes it's necessary to take one backwards.

AmP quoted in National Catholic Register today

Today's headline piece in the National Catholic Register, "Ron Paul Draws Passionate Support", by Charlie Spiering features two quotations from yours truly:

Paul stands alone among the Republican presidential candidates as one who voted against the Iraq war, stating that it was unconstitutional, since it never received a congressional declaration of war. If elected president, Paul promises to withdraw troops from Iraq.

Thomas Peters, who runs the blog American Papist, contributes to a blog called Catholics for Ron Paul. He noted that since the Vatican hasn’t spoken magisterially about the Iraq war, Catholics can continue to debate the issue. “He [Paul] has philosophical and rational reasons for why he thinks that American involvement isn’t the best choice,” said Peters. “He examines the question using principles of just war theory, specifically speaking about the Christian tradition of a just war,” he added.

Paul mentioned the Vatican’s comments regarding the Iraq War when paying tribute to John Paul II’s legacy. “The Pope’s commitment to human dignity, grounded in the teachings of Christ, led him to become one of the most eloquent spokesmen for the consistent ethic of life, exemplified by his struggles against abortion, war, euthanasia and the death penalty,” he said on the floor of the House of Representatives on April 6, 2005, four days after the Pope’s death.

Although initially a supporter of the death penalty, Paul changed his position after studying the issue throughout his political career.

Some religious voters remain skeptical about a vote for Paul, as his strict interpretation for the Constitution pits him against federal legislation to ban prostitution, drugs and homosexual “marriage.”

Peters said, “Ron Paul voted against the marriage amendment, but only because he thought it was non-constitutional, not because he doesn’t think marriage isn’t a union of a man and a woman.”

Ron Paul addressed the March for Life yesterday, but sadly I missed it. There were several Ron Paul supporters at the March, some of them carrying "Ron Paul for Life" banners.

Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade) endorsed Dr. Paul for President yesterday.

AmP's special report on the March for Life

My report on this year's March for Life has been published at InsideCatholic (Crisis Magazine) here.

March for Life (5): March for Life Videos

Here are two of my exclusive videos taken today at the 2008 March for Life.

The rest (8) are available on the AmP YouTube channel.

First, enthusiastic marchers perform one of their pro-life chants for my camera:


Second, an eagle's eye view of the march from the Blogs4Life conference room:


Complete AmP Coverage of the March for Life collected here.

March for Life (4): March for Life Pictures (1 of 2)

Here are my exclusive photos taken today at the 2008 March for Life.

The rest (60) are available on the AmP Flickr page.










Complete AmP Coverage of the March for Life collected here.

March for Life (3): March for Life Pictures (2 of 2)

Here are my exclusive photos taken today at the 2008 March for Life.

The rest (60) are available on the AmP Flickr page.










Complete AmP Coverage of the March for Life collected here.

March for Life (2): Blogs4Life Videos

Here are some exclusive vidoes taken this morning at the Blogs4Life conference.

The rest will soon be made available on the AmP YouTube channel.

Senator Sam Brownback answering a question from the audience:



Random footage of the Blogs4Life conference and participants:



Complete AmP Coverage of the March for Life collected here.

March for Life (1): Blogs4Life Photos

Here are some exclusive photos taken this morning at the Blogs4Life conference.

The rest are available on the AmP Flickr page.








Complete AmP Coverage of the March for Life collected here.

Back from the March for Life...

... and let me say, it was incredible. Now to begin a marathon of uploading pictures and video (4GB!).

LiveBlogging from the FRC at Blogs4Life

Excellent conference so far. Just heard from Senator Brownback. I'm sitting next to Dawn Eden. Also listened to a presentation this morning by Jill Stanek. Several folks here are live blogging the event, so search around.

There is a live-feed of the conference broadcasting right here. More info this afternoon, probably.

My Itinerary for the March for Life

Tomorrow morning I will be at the Blogs 4 Life conference hosted at the Family Research Council.

By noon, I will be on the National Mall marching with the Dominican Friars, by kind invitation. If you see me at any time during the March, please - by all means - walk up and introduce yourself. I'd love to meet you.

Around 3pm, I will probably return to the Blogs 4 Life conference, in their special rented room complete with wi-fi access and a eagle's-eye view of the marchers coming up the hill to the Capitol. I may or may not be able to post a mid-day selection of pictures and vidoes at this time. Hopefully someone is feeling generous.

I may also stop by the Blogger's Tea Party, hosted at the Catholic Information Center, time allowing.

At 5pm, I will be attending the Champions for Life Award Reception, and documenting it officially.

To wind down, I will probably stop by the Dubliner Irish Pub, a long-standing March tradition, before heading home to post my pictures and video, as well as recap the day's news stories and blog postings.

And Wednesday morning ... a surprise!

Oh, and more videos from today are now available on the AmP YouTube Channel, so give them a look-see.

Second Report: Vigil for Mass Pre-Gathering (pics & video)

An abbreviated report this time, due to technical issues (now resolved) that precluded coverage of the Rock For Life event.

I do however have a few pictures from the Vigil Mass pre-gathering uploaded to the AmP Flickr page.

There are also two new (HD-quality!) YouTube videos which capture how full-past-capacity the Basilica becomes for this Liturgy (scroll down to see them embedded in this post).

The originals are available on the AmP YouTube channel.

Related headlines:

CWNews: Pro-lifers converge on DC for Roe anniversary

LifeNews: West Coast Walk for Life Sees Record 25,000 Pro-Life People Participate

Zenit: Pro-Lifers March on West Coast

WTOP News: Annual 'March' Will Close City Streets

LifeNews: Pro-Life Advocates: Roe v. Wade Support Weak as Abortion Case Reaches 35

Here is the first high-definition short video of the interior of the Basilica from this evening:

A second video, taken from the front of the Basilica, is available on the AmP YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, seminarians were keeping a close watch on the sanctuary while preparing for the liturgy:

To switch gears quickly and end with an observation, the metro has been mobbed all day by March for Life walkers. I went on several trips as I criss-crossed the district assembling my coverage, and each time I was able to strike up a conversation with someone sitting near me by saying "So, are you here for the March?" "Yes!"

It would be almost impossible for the average DC metro dweller to not notice the throngs of young kids and chaperones on every car and at every station. They are very orderly groups(ticket mishaps aside) and far more outgoing than the daily commuters you normally encounter. A very fine witness, right there.

And remember, this is all pre-coverage to the March itself tomorrow! Stay tuned....

Related: All AmP postings on the 2008 March for Life.

First report: Cardinal O'Conner Conference (pics & video)

I'm just returning from the Cardinal O'Connor Conference long enough to upload some pictures and videos. Full report to follow. Next on the itinerary: Rock for Life Training & Activism.

Here is a photograph of Deirdre McQuade's keynote address at the O'Connor Conference:

New pictures from the Conference have been uploaded to the AmP Flickr page.

It was my first time using the camera, so the output was a little sketchy. It does very well with outdoor and up-close photos, however, and those will predominate in tomorrow's March for Life coverage.

Here is an embedded YouTube video of an excerpt of Deirdre McQuade's response to a question asked by an audience member after she had given her keynote address:

Here, next, is a sample from one of the conference's "break-out" sessions, this one by Fr. Kevin T. FitzGerald, SJ, MD on the topic of "the future of stem cell research", and also available on the AmP YouTube channel:

Related news:

• All AmP postings on the 2008 March for Life.
• CWNews: Pro-lifers converge on DC for Roe anniversary

Weather forecast for the March for Life predicts possible rain & snow

Even the lions at the Smithsonian National Zoo here in DC don't quite know what to do:

The current forecast for Tuesday the 22nd, the day of the March, is as follows:

• 6-9AM: Partly Cloudy, 23-28 degrees
• 12-3PM: Scattered Snow & Showers, 36-38 degrees
• 6-9PM: Cloudy, 37 degrees

So dress warmly!

Also, the Catholic Information Center is offering complimentary coffee and donuts to walkers starting at 9AM, and the Cafeteria below the National Basilica is offering the same from 6:30-8AM.

[photo credit: AP Photo/Smithsonian's National Zoo, Mehgan Murphy]

Tip: EWTN's live streaming of March for Life events

The schedule (all times EST):

Here is the link to watch the programs streamed live.

Media contact: Deirdre McQuade on behalf of U.S. Bishops

From the press release:

WHAT: 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade Supreme Court abortion decision.

WHO: Deirdre McQuade, chief spokesperson on pro-life issues for the Catholic bishops of the United States, is available for interview and comment for abortion-related stories/programs on Roe v. Wade anniversary.

Deirdre A. McQuade, MA, MDiv

CONTACT: Gene Tarne at 202-347-6840 / cell 571-331-7018; usccbprolife@comcast.net

Ms. McQuade will be very active over the next few days. She is giving the opening keynote address at the Cardinal O'Conner Conference in Georgetown tomorrow morning at 10:15. I plan to attend.

More background from when she was named Spokesperson for Bishops’ Pro-Life Secretariat.

She's even made it to a popular online quote repository.

Ignatius Insight has an excellent interview with her posted.

And of course, if you can't get ahold of her, I check my email practically every hour, on the hour.

March for Life: Jan 21 Schedule of Events (+update)

As part of my ongoing coverage of the 35th Annual March for Life, here are the events that are taking place tomorrow, January 21st (Monday). The actual march takes place on Tuesday the 22nd.

From the LifeSiteNews listing:

• 8 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Cardinal O'Connor ConferenceSee. Speakers include Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of Knights of Columbus, Helen Alvare esq., of Catholic University of America, and others. I will be attending at least the morning sessions of this event.


• 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Rock for Life Training & Activism Weekend. I may attend this event briefly.


• 7 p.m. Huge National Prayer Vigil for Life at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Starts with Mass attended by thousands of pro-lifers and several hundred clergy and religious. Following the Mass there will be prayers throughout the night until morning for those able to participate. Mass will be celebrated by Cardinal Regali.


• 10a.m. - 4 p.m. March for Life Convention Sessions II + III at The Hyatt Regency, D.C.


• 7:30p.m. Local theology-on-tap in Alexandria, VA with speaker Dawn Eden. More info here.

Related news:

• Gerald has done a great job photo-blogging San Francisco's West Coast March for Life on his blog, The Cafeteria is Closed. I was especially pleased to see the local Dominican friars out in force, cappa and all.
• CNA: 25,000 attend West Coast Walk for Life, event continues to grow
• CNA: President Bush proclaims National Sanctity of Human Life Day (full text)
• CNA: Opposition to abortion is a non-negotiable requirement of Catholics, says Bishop Aquila

And, as you can see, the pilgrims are already appearing, in greater numbers, at local events:

this post will be updated throughout the day....

update: News from and about the blogs:

• "Why We March" by Joe of Life At The Frontier, and will also be at Blogs4Life.
• Causa Nostrae Laetitiae will be at the Blogs4Life conference as well as the March.
• BlogsforTerri, finally, also gives the Blogs4Life conference a healthy plug.
• Bishop Lori of Bridgeport, meanwhile, will be "alongside a large number of pilgrims from our diocese." There's an endearing comment from a young man posted in response.
• MOJ: Change of Attitude Toward Abortion

A single observation about the movie Cloverfield

This afternoon I took a break from by preparations for this weekend's pro-life activities to unwind a bit by sitting in a darkened movie environment immersed in dolby digital surround.

I chose the movie Cloverfield, which currently sits comfortably at the top of the weekend box office. I don't have much to say about the movie, per se, because frankly there isn't much to say about it.

Without giving anything away, one little scene did strike me.

The movie is filmed from the perspective of a young man's home movie camera, with him providing a live voice-over narration. During an intense near-death experience, the young man begins blurting out a series of profanities, but tucked away within the stream of cursing is a single, very sincere remark:

"Oh God, I'm so sorry."

And that's it. But it got me thinking: what is it about human nature that causes us, in our moments of greatest fear and with the prospects of eternity proximately looming, to fixate on two things: one, God, and second, contrition.

The young man, in the drama, is not notable religious, he's your quintessential average joe. Neither are the producer, director or script writer, to my knowledge, particularly "religious." But that's the point: you don't need to be. They are simply acting as good artists, trying to capture an emotional moment vividly and realistically:

"Oh God, I'm so sorry."

Amp's Primary "Super-Saturday" wrap-up

The results are in. Mitt Romney won the Nevada caucus for the Republicans handily, aided, no doubt, by a large contigent of Mormons in the state and by the fact that he actually campaigned there, unlike the other candidates. Ron Paul, it should be noted, managed a distant second.

On the Democrat side, Clinton won the popular vote, while Obama actually received more delegates. Obama is rather favored to win next Saturday's South Carolina Democratic primary, which might give him enough boost to stay viable for Super Tuesday in February. Nonetheless, Hillary's political machine is getting into the groove of delivering results, and I think it's time to seriously start preparing for her general election candidacy.

In South Carolina, McCain won 33% to Huckabee's 30%. McCain has now won the first primary in the nation (New Hampshire), and the first primary in the south. This gives him good prospects for the next arena - Florida, on January 29th. Thompson managed a distant third with 16%. He was hoping for a first place finish, urgently required a second place, and even a close third might have kept him alive, but frankly, with a distant third, I think he's all but had it. This was a southern state right next to his Tennessee, and all he managed to do was take some evangelicals away from Huckabee. It wouldn't surprise me to see a resignation announcement in the next few days, but not before then.

Romney was close on Thompson's heels with a 15% 4th place. He does have money to fight in Florida, where he is already active, as well as Super Tuesday. Ron Paul came in a 5th, while Guiliani trailed with only 2% of the vote. 2%! I think he's bye-bye as well, and only a first place or strong second place in Florida will save him.

To conclude: I think we're looking at the solid prospect of a McCain-Clinton general election.

A political "Super Saturday" of sorts

Lest we forget (or not care), from ABC's The Note blog:

Three contests in two states separated by 2,000 miles make for an extraordinary Saturday in the race for 2008, in a day that's likely to shrink the Republican field and give a Democratic frontrunner a distinct edge.

Call it Shootout Saturday, since it's time to break some ties. With Republicans voting in suddenly snowy South Carolina, and both parties holding contests in Nevada (on and very far off of the Vegas Strip) the day will determine [several questions, click here.]

Mitt Romney is already the declared winner of the Republican Nevada caucus. Ron Paul, Huckabee and McCain, it appears, are all fighting for second place as the returns trickle in.

Meanwhile, the Democrat Nevada caucus and the Republican South Carolina Primary are taking place today and the polls close (I believe) at 5PM EST and 7PM EST respectively. So check back.

Ya know, it could be mildly important....

Complete Coverage: Jesuits elect new superior Adolfo Nicolás, 71

From the website for Jesuits in the United States:

"After four days of prayer and personal conversation known as murmurationes, the 217 Jesuit electors gathered in Rome from around the world have chosen Adolfo Nicolás, SJ as the 30th Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

He was the President of the Jesuit Conference of East Asia and Oceania and the former Provincial of Japan.

He is now Father General to nearly 20,000 Jesuits worldwide, including 2,900 in the United States, and the 29th successor to St. Ignatius Loyola who founded the Jesuits in 1540."

Catholic News Service reports:

Spanish-born Father Adolfo Nicolas, moderator of the Jesuit Conference of East Asia and Oceania, was elected superior general of the Society of Jesus Jan. 19.

The 217 voting delegates to the Jesuit General Congregation elected Father Nicolas, 71, on their second ballot. He succeeds Father Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, 79, who had asked to resign because of his age.

Pope Benedict XVI was informed of the election of Father Nicolas before the Jesuits announced it publicly.

...

Father Nicolas was ordained to the priesthood in Tokyo and is the former Jesuit provincial of Japan. He also had served as director of the East Asian Pastoral Institute in Manila.

Interviewed in December about his hopes for the work of the General Congregation, Father Nicolas said, "I have a feeling, still imprecise and difficult to define, that there is something important in our religious life that needs attention and is not getting it.

"We have certainly been diligent in addressing our problems whenever we have seen them," he said, noting the focus of past General Congregations, "but the uneasiness in the society and in the church has not disappeared."

In the interview, with the Province Express, the newsletter of the Australian Jesuits, he said, "The question for us is: Is it enough that we are happy with our life and are improving our service and ministry? Isn't there also an important factor in the perception of people ('vox populi') that should drive us to some deeper reflection on religious life today?

..."How come we elicit so much admiration and so little following?" he asked.

He concluded by telling the newsletter that he hoped the General Congregation would begin "a process of dynamic and open reflection on our religious life that might begin a process of re-creation of the society for our times, not only in the quality of our services, but also and mostly in the quality of our personal and community witness to the church and the world."

Mark Brumley finds an additional interview with Fr. Nicolas from earlier last year.

A brief biography of Fr. Nicolas from CNS:

Born April 29, 1936, in Palencia, Spain, Father Nicolas entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1953. After earning a degree in philosophy in Spain, he was sent to Japan to study theology. He was ordained a priest in Tokyo in 1967.

After earning a master's degree in theology from the Jesuit-run Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, he returned to Japan and taught systematic theology at Sophia University in Tokyo.

In 1978-84 he was director of the East Asian Pastoral Institute in Manila. In 1991-1993 he was rector of the program for Jesuit scholastics in Japan, and in 1993 he was appointed provincial for Japan.

Before being named moderator of the Jesuit Conference of East Asia and Oceania in 2004, he spent three years working in a poor immigrant parish in Tokyo, living with and ministering to Filipino and other Asian immigrants.

Father Nicolas speaks Spanish, Japanese, English, French and Italian

Rocco Palmo files his report on the election here and notes:

Unlike the vast majority of those tipped for the post, the new Father-General comes short on Roman experience -- a former provincial of Japan, the theologian spent three years of study at the Gregorian University before a three decade run as a professor at Tokyo's Sofia University. He turns 72 in late April.

John Allen's coverage. Some excerpts that give insight into what Fr. Nicolas is reputed to represent:

... Though Nicolás, 71, was not among the most commonly mentioned candidates in the run-up to today’s vote, Jesuit sources said he represents a fairly bold choice – something of a blend between the mild personal manner and diplomatic skill of Kolvenbach, and the prophetic emphasis on justice, peace, and church reform associated with former General Fr. Pedro Arrupe.

... A former director of the East Asian Pastoral Institute in Manila and head of the Jesuit Conference of East Asia and Oceania, Nicolás is said to be particularly close to the church in Japan. In broad strokes, Jesuit observers say he represents the theological outlook associated with the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, with emphasis on inter-religious dialogue, advocacy for justice and peace, and “inculturation” of church teachings and practices.

...Nicolás himself knows the alarms such views can sometimes set off in Rome. A Jesuit source in Rome said that several years ago, Nicolás was under consideration as Rector of the Gregorian University, but the Vatican expressed doubts about the appointment on the basis of concerns about the role he played as a theological advisor to the Japanese bishops during the 1998 Synod for Asia. During that session, prelates from across Asia, including a particularly strong push from Japan, argued for greater collegiality, or decentralization, in church authority.

These paragraphs are somewhat disheartening when you compare them with what has been said recently by Pope Benedict, Cardinal Franc Rode, and other noted observers.

Brief coverage in the Associated Press published here.

John Allen informs us that Fr. Nicolas will "lead the Jesuits in a Thanksgiving Mass tomorrow, followed by a reception at the Gregorian University. On Monday morning, he will take over leadership of the General Congregation as it begins charting a future course for the Jesuit order."

Guide them, O Holy Spirit.

Your PPOTD! Friday, January 18th

Demonstrating students? Please. Pope Benedict isn't even scared of the Alien Queen!

(I'm sorry, but that's what it brings to mind. See what I mean?)

[photo: REUTERS/Dario Pignatelli (VATICAN)]

CNS on "incredible shrinking field of Catholic presidential candidates"

A fascinating story by Nancy Frazier O'Brien:

The incredible shrinking field of Catholic presidential candidates

Whatever happened to the crowd of Catholics vying for the presidential nomination in 2008? Less than a year ago, nearly a dozen Catholics -- Republicans and Democrats -- had either declared as candidates for president, started an exploratory committee or been widely mentioned as likely candidates.

...

Although many Catholic presidential candidates have come and gone over the years, Shaffer said you'd have to look back several election cycles to find someone who might have had the right qualities to succeed.

"To see a Catholic candidate who could have run with the right attributes -- charisma, message, speaking ability -- you have to go back to Mario Cuomo," the former New York governor who flirted with the idea of a run for the presidency in the 1980s and 1990s but never declared himself a candidate.

(psst! you hearing this, Bobby Jindal?)

California scientists create clones, earn swift Vatican rebuke

Associated Press:

Scientists in California say they have produced embryos that are clones of two men, a potential step toward developing scientifically valuable stem cells.

...

"I found it difficult to determine what was substantially new," said Doug Melton of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. He said the "next big advance will be to create a human embryonic stem cell line" from cloned embryos. "This has yet to be achieved."

Dr. George Daley of the Harvard institute and Children's Hospital Boston called the new report interesting but agreed that "the real splash" will be when somebody creates stem cell lines from cloned human embryos.

"It's only a matter of time before some group succeeds," Daley said.

CWNews covers Bp. Sgreccia's response:

Reports of the first successful human cloning have drawn a quick protest from the Vatican.

Responding to a claim that the California-based Stemagen Corporation had produced a cloned human embryo, Bishop Elio Sgreccia said that such as step would be "the worst type of exploitation of a human being."

Speaking on Vatican Radio, Bishop Sgreccia, the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said that human cloning would "rank among the most morally illicit acts" possible.

...

Samuel Wood, the chief executive of Stemagen, said that his company's research was aimed exclusively at stimulating medical research. Wood-- whose skin cells were combined with an ovum in the cloning process-- said that he is opposed to any research that would allow the cloned embryos to be born. "It's unethical and it's illegal, and we hope no one else does it either," he said.

The reported success of the Stemagen cloning experiment has not yet been confirmed by other scientists.

I've said before and I'll say again, it would certainly be helpful in these situations if the Catholic response to these announcements was more than "this is unethical" and went onto explain the exact reasons - however briefly - why cloning is wrong. There is an answer and it deserves to be communicated.

Related links:

• Catholic Culture: Human Cloning
• Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, U.S. Catholic Bishops' Conference: Human Cloning
• Sr. Terese Auer: Cloning, A Catholic Moral Evaluation

Pope Benedict drafts modification to Good Friday prayer in '62 Missal

The lowdown from Rocco:

In a significant "extended hand" for the future of Catholic-Jewish dialogue, B16 has reportedly decided to change the 1962 Missal's controversial Good Friday prayer for the conversion of the Jews.

Reported today by the well-connected Andrea Tornielli of Il Giornale, a formal announcement of the move is expected "within days" -- the Triduum is, after all, but nine weeks away.

...

According to the daily, Benedict himself prepared the draft of the decision, which will be released through the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. While the passages deemed viscerally offensive will be struck, the prayer's original emphasis on conversion is to be retained.

The Pope would hope to visit the Holy Land in 2009, provided the current wrinkles in Vatican-Israeli relations are smoothed out.

Reuters' take here.

Pope Benedict discusses challenges to Catholics living in Arab regions

Today's Vatican bulletino reports:

This morning in the Vatican, Benedict XVI received prelates from the Conference of Latin Bishops in the Arab Regions (CELRA), the president of which is His Beatitude Michel Sabbah, patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins.

In his talk to them, the Pope recalled how their episcopal conference "comprises many different situations in which the faithful, natives of many different countries, often live in small communities within societies chiefly composed of believers from other religions".

The Holy Father gave assurances that he shared "the concerns and hopes" of the people of these regions, noting how "the constant cycle of violence, insecurity and hatred makes coexistence very difficult, and can give rise to fears for the survival of your communities".

This situation, he told the prelates, "represents a serious challenge for your pastoral service and motivates you to strengthen the faith of believers and their sense of fraternal cohesion, so that everyone may experience a hope founded on the certainty that the Lord never abandons those who turn to Him".

March for Life News - Jan. 18th

First off, reader Eric informs us:

"I spoke to Sister Teresa Mary at the Basilica a moment ago and she informed me that a TLM will be said both days in the Lourdes Chapel. On Monday the Mass will be said at 2PM On Tuesday the Mass will be said at 9:30 A.M. The priest is of the Diocese of Rockford."

A call for volunteers at the Verizon center rally:

Young Adult Volunteers Needed for 2008 March for Life Youth Rally!

With less than one week before the Rally, we could still use some dedicated volunteers to help pull off such an important event!! The one area we could still use help with:

1) Outside team - Since the Verizon center gets to maximum capacity by about 9 am, we will need to have people stationed outside the Verizon center to give directions to the buses and "walkers" as to where they can go to participate in one of these overflow Masses. These folks will need to be at the Verizon center between 7:45 & 8 am and will probably be able to leave by 10:30 or 11 am.

Again, please reply to yam@adw.org, if you are interested in volunteering for this event!!

The Catholic Information Center's schedule of events:

Monday, January 21

1-1:45 p.m. - Showing of I Was Wrong, presented by Joyce Zounis.

2:30 p.m. - Joyce Zounis interviews Millie Lace about her story, which appears in the book Real Abortion Stories.

Tuesday, January 22

9 a.m. - CIC opens early. Coffee and donuts for March-for-Life participants.

3-6 p.m. – Blogger tea party hosted by Dawn Eden [more info at her blog.]

Related (and recommended): "Ten Challenges for the Pro-Life Movement in 2008" by Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, President of Human Life International.

Update: from the comment box:

I'm in a bind... I have 45 teens and chaparones that are in need of a place to stay. We would prefer a parish hopefully close to the metro outside of the District as our bus driver can only drive 12 hours in a 24h day so he won't be able to drive us around the area. If anyone can help or has any suggestions, I would really appreciate the help.

If anyone can help or has ideas, post it here. thanks!

this post to be updated as the day progresses...

AmP to use Web2.0 features to report March For Life!

In order to, among other things, provide better mutimedia coverage of this year's March for Life I've purchased a Kodak V1253 Digital Camera.

In addition to taking pictures up to 12 megapixels in size, the V1253 is also the first commercially-available camera (as I understand it) to offer HDTV-quality video recording. To my way of thinking, 100,000+ catholics marching for life in near-freezing temperatures deserve to be represented well, especially when the mainstream media demonstres a hypocritical tendency to ingore their efforts.

My long term plan with this purchase is to provide more exclusive pictures and audio/video content of local Catholic events, and the March for Life seems like a perfect place for that plan to take shape concretely. This way, by the time Pope Benedict XVI visits in April, I should have a bit of experience in covering these sorts of events under my belt. And of course, if anyone wants to send a correspondent to World Youth Day in Sydney this summer.... I haven't yet unpacked my bags from the last one.

In terms of "web2.0" features, I'll be uploading my videos to the AmericanPapist YouTube channel (which has already been viewed 133 times, somehow?) and uploading the still images to the AmericanPapist Flickr page (over 15k views!). That updating will begin this weekend, once I have a chance to attend several of the March for Life-related events.

Needless to say, I'm footing the bill for all this myself, and I have no regular sponsors to compensate the time I spend blogging and covering these events. To that end, and specifically with another semester of books, lodging, internet access, transportation and (above-all) tuition to cover, any free-will offering would be most welcome. The little Paypal donate button on the sidebar is a good place to start.

Also, the timing has never been so opportune as now to place an AmP Blog advertisement, especially if you are trying to promote a pro-life product or service. I'm expecting a large uptick in daily visitors during the upcoming weekend and throughout the March for Life, so do take note.

After all, with over 1.35 million visits to AmP since its founding, it's clear folks are watching.

Okay, time to get down to business: this promises to be a wonderful weekend - stay tuned!

P.S. And if any of you are wondering, a redesign of the AmP blog is in the works, but still far off.

Discovery: 2,500-yr-old Jewish seal which confirms claim in book of Nehemiah

Darn cool:

A stone seal bearing the name of one of the families who acted as servants in the First Temple and then returned to Jerusalem after being exiled to Babylonia has been uncovered in an archeological excavation in Jerusalem's City of David, a prominent Israeli archeologist said Wednesday.

The 2,500-year-old black stone seal, which has the name "Temech" engraved on it, was found earlier this week amid stratified debris in the excavation under way just outside the Old City walls near the Dung Gate, said archeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar, who is leading the dig.

According to the Book of Nehemiah, the Temech family were servants of the First Temple and were sent into exile to Babylon following its destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BCE.

The family was among those who later returned to Jerusalem, the Bible recounts.

...

"The seal of the Temech family gives us a direct connection between archeology and the biblical sources and serves as actual evidence of a family mentioned in the Bible," she said. "One cannot help being astonished by the credibility of the biblical source as seen by the archaeological find."

Why so astonished? I rather expect this sort of thing.

Public reading of Pope's lecture at La Sapienza results in standing ovation

Zenit reports:

The rector of Rome's Sapienza University announced that he will re-invite Benedict XVI to visit the institution.

Renato Guarini affirmed this after the inauguration ceremony today that was supposed to have included a lecture given by the Pope. The Vatican announced Tuesday that the visit would be postponed, due to what the Pope's secretary of state called a lack of the "prerequisites for a dignified and tranquil welcome."

A small protest that eventually reached the point of several students occupying the rector's offices motivated the Holy See to cancel the visit. The protestors called the Pope "hostile" to science and took issue with a 1990 speech by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger on the Galileo case.

The 1990 speech in its entirety showed the protestors to have taken Cardinal Ratzinger's words out of context.

Guarini said, "I will offer a new invitation to the Pope, Benedict XVI." He said the invitation would "be in accord with the desire of the majority of Sapienza's academic community."

During the inauguration ceremony, a professor read the discourse the Holy Father had prepared for the occasion. A standing ovation and students' shouts of "Long live the Pope" followed the reading.

Report: "Human/animal hybrid embryos will be created 'within months'"

UK Times:

Experiments to create Britain’s first embryos that merge human and animal material will begin within months after a Government watchdog today approved two research teams to carry out the controversial work.

Scientists at King’s College London and the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne will now inject human DNA into empty eggs from cows, to create embryos known as cytoplasmic hybrids that are 99.9 per cent human in genetic terms.

Related:

• Bioethics essay: "Human-Animal Hybrids and the Catholic Response"
• Sep 06: Pres. of Pont. Acad. for Life reacts to UK hybrids
• Sep 03: Human-animal chimeras given go-ahead in the UK
• June 27: Stem cells and Chimeras/Embryos; Legislation and Papal/Episcopal witness

Updated: Laicization in Phoenix provides opportunity for precision in language

But sadly, that opportunity was missed by the diocesan spokesman, says Ed Peters:

The Diocese of Phoenix is dealing with an unfortunate situation brought on by one Msgr. Dale Fushek. I know nothing about the case beyond what I've seen on-line, but the steps taken by the bishop seem reasonable to me. Still, a comment by diocesan spokesman Jim Dwyer concerning an associate of Flushek, one Fr. Mark Dippre, who abandoned ministry and married civilly a few years ago, caught my eye: "Dippre has never been formally laicized, Dwyer said, but the diocese considers him 'functionally laicized' because he has not been in ministry and has had no ties to the diocese for several years."

I think that kind of description is going to confuse people. Describing AWOL priests as "functionally laicized" or as "permanently inactive" or as "resigned from ministry", and so on, might seem more palatable to the public, but it masks a serious problem: none of those categories exist canonically, and easy resort to such labels, in my opinion, just puts off dealing with the problems.

[Learn more about Laicization here.]

update: And - *wow* - as if on cue, this story breaks today:

Archbishop Burke seeks laicization for renegade Polish priest

Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis, Missouri, has begun formal proceedings to defrock a priest connected with a schismatic Polish Catholic community.

The archbishop is seeking the laicization of Father Marek Bozek, a Polish native with a checkered history. In 2005, Archbishop Burke had excommunicated Bozek, a priest of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau diocese, for his involvement in St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, a congregation in St. Louis that has rejected the archbishop's authority. - CWNews

Why *wow*, you ask?

Because Ed Peters called it back in December of 2006:

"Fr. Bozek should stop and think"

Fr. Bozek needs to know something here: contumacy for an excommunication imposed for an act of schism is itself punishable, this time, by penal dismissal from the clerical state (1983 CIC 1364 § 2). Moreover, once imposed, penal dismissal from the clergy--not being a censure (1983 CIC 1336 § 1, 5°)--is not reversible by what amounts to offering a sincere apology. Indeed, reinstatement of a "defrocked" priest is reserved to Rome (1983 CIC 293) and is so rare as to be non-existent. - In the Light of the Law

And that, my friends, is one of the many reasons why it pays to read blogs....

Bertone explains Pope's cancellation of appearance (+ full text of address)

CNA fills us in:

Due to this planned disturbance, the Secretary of State wrote to the rector that “the prerequisites for a dignified and tranquil welcome were not present” and that “it was judged opportune to postpone the scheduled visit in order to remove any pretext for demonstrations which would have been unfortunate for everyone concerned".

Cardinal Bertone also explained why the Pope decided to send his address to the university’s rector. In the letter, the cardinal relates that since the majority of professors and students wished to hear "a culturally meaningful word, whence to draw stimuli for their own journey in search of truth, the Holy Father has instructed that the text he prepared for the occasion be sent to you".

CWNews provides us with a copy of the full text.

The Associated Press has decent coverage of this story.

Meanwhile, in related news, the UK has decided to treat anti-Pope Benedict posters as a hate crime.

Finally, a brief letter to the editor published in the NYT notes: "How ironic that those in opposition should resort to threats of violence to suppress, in the putative interest of science, a discussion of religion. Viva Galileo! Viva Benedict XVI!"

At least we're not the only ones who are making the connections.

update 2: LifeSiteNews offers coverage.

Decided: Pope Benedict won't attend Quebec's Eucharistic Congress

Canwest News Service:

QUEBEC - Pope Benedict XVI will not come to Quebec City this summer for the 400th anniversary celebrations, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec said Thursday.

Marc Cardinal Ouellet, archbishop of Quebec and primate of the church in Canada, has been lobbying for weeks for the pontiff to attend the International Eucharistic Congress slated for June, one of the biggest events of the city's 400th birthday bash.

But Ouellet said in a brief press release that the Pope has chosen to send a representative to the congress that will bring together some 15,000 delegates and 50 cardinals from 60 countries.

A group of Quebec citizens had also launched a petition to encourage the Pope to attend the event that will culminate with a giant outdoor mass on the historic Plains of Abraham.

This news must be disappointing to Catholics in Canada, I'm sure. The trip had been on the table for a very long time. Still, with the Pope's mid-April visit to the states, turning around and coming back in June might have proven too challenging for him, especially considering his expressed reservations about cross-atlantic trips.

Schedule of Events: The 35th March for Life (AmP Complete Coverage)

As I blogged earlier, the 35th Annual March for Life will be happening in my backyard of Washington, DC next Tuesday, January 22nd. There are also many related events scheduled in the days leading up to the March.

This is the link you want to bookmark for upcoming March for Life posts.

I'll be personally walking with the local Dominican Friars, as well as attending as many private events and public conferences as I can swing. According to Wikipedia, this is the most attended annual march in Washington D.C. (100k+) so there is plenty happening.

I also hope to have a flickr slideshow of exclusive images and several high-quality youtube videos up throughout the long weekend, so stay tuned!

*Notice: March for Life Buses *must* purchase a DC permit*

To get started, let's take a look at the important events coordinating with this year's March for Life:

• Official schedule of events from the USCCB (beginning with Jan. 21 Vigil Mass)
• MarchForLife.org - the organizers of the even
• StudentsForLife.org - they host a pro-life conference in DC on the 20th.
• Cardinal O'Connor Conference for Life - Takes place at Georgetown on the 21st.
• 2008 Rally for Life & Youth Mass - Jan 22nd, by the Archdiocese of Washing & Abp. Wuerl
• The American Life League is hosting Rock for Life, a training & activism weekend for youth.
• Blogs For Life Conference - A must for St. Blog's community members, hosted by the FRC
• Priests for Life has a list of events listed here and here (focusing on Fr. Frank Pavone).
• LifeSiteNews offers its schedule of 2008 Conferences and Activities here.

I'm planning on attending Abp. Wuerl's Mass for Life on Sunday evening, and much of the Cardinal O'Connor Conference for Life on Monday. I don't think I'll make it to the Youth Rally on Tuesday morning, but I will be at the Blogs for Life Conference a couple times when I'm not walking with the Dominicans. In the evening I'm currently planning on attending the ICL, Champions for Family Reception.

Now, let's take a look at recent stories about or mentioning the March for Life:

• Last year, President Bush called the Marchers for Life and gave them encouragement. CNS: "Culture of life means changing hearts, president tells March for Life"
• Dawn Eden informs us that the Catholic Information Center is doing several things to help Marchers, including discounts, free wireless internet and a tea party! She'll also be at Blogs for Life.
• This year, CNS reports, "Founder says walk to Capitol Hill still the top March for Life event"
• LifeSiteNews announces that the entire student population of Christendom college is coming.

We should not forget to mention the West Coast March for Life, taking place on Saturday the 19th. The fourth French Pro-Life march in Paris will take place on the 20th, last year they assembled 10k people.

(And I would be remiss to not mention that every of age Catholic pro-lifer warms up at The Dubliner Irish Pub after the cold day of marching. I'll be there. In fact, I'll probably be switching between "The Dub" and Kelly's Irish Times.)

The Dominican Friars posted videos on YouTube from last year's March: [Part 1] - [Part 2].

The March for Life website has provided video from the 2007 pre-march rally:

The best places to find up-to-date pro-life news is the ProLifeBlogs aggregator, as well as Jill Stanek.

Notice: Readers are more than welcome to submit information to this post by posting it in the comments!

Warning: March for Life Buses *must* purchase DC permit

Fr. Joe is trying to spread the word:

Pass the word as quickly as possible… WARNING!!!

March for Life: Important Information on Buses - If your parish or school plans to take a bus to the Rally & Mass, or March for Life, please note that the District of Columbia now requires that any charter bus (even a school bus not owned by your school) must obtain a Trip Permit to enter the city. The permit costs $50. The bus operator can obtain the permit online at http://dmv.dc.gov/info/trippermit.shtm (click on “Trip Permit”). Failure to do so may result in a $500 fine or 180-day jail sentence for the bus owner. We look forward to seeing you on January 22.

Can anyone confirm or deny this requirement? Thanks.

update: confirmation from several sources, including AmP reader Mary:

[From the Archdiocese of Baltimore website:] Riding the Bus to D.C. for the Pro-Life Youth Rally and Mass? STOP and Read This Notice.

The District of Columbia now requires that any bus from any state or country used in the transportation of a chartered party obtain a trip permit. This permit costs $50.

For more information and to obtain the permit visit http://www.dmv.dc.gov/ and click on "trip permit."

There you have it. Please spread the word as the application takes time to process.

update 2: A tip from the comment box:

"Yeah, the easy way around this is to off load in VA or MD and have your crew take the subway to and from the march." - Will Cubbedge

Here is a map of the DC metro, and here is the metro homepage.

Entrance Poll: Romney & McCain split Catholic vote in MI

CNN's exaustive entrance poll reveals that Catholics who voted in the GOP Michgin primary chose:

• Romney, 38%
• McCain, 36%
• Huckabee, 8%
• Guiliani, 7%
• Paul, 4%
• Thompson, 4%

By comparison, here are the over-all numbers:

• Romney, 39%
• McCain, 30%
• Huckabee, 16%
• Paul, 6%
• Thompson, 4%
• Guiliani, 3%

From these statistics, one can roughly observe that McCain overperformed among Catholics somewhat, as did Guiliani, while Huckabee underperformed, and so did Paul.

The aftermath of the Michigan Primary

What a mess.

Romney pulled it off, beating McCain 39%-30% (and interrupting McCain's concession speech to boot).

That means that in the past three Republican primares ... each have posted a different winner.

In 3 days, S. Carolina will have it's GOP primary. And while McCain is leading in the current polling, that doesn't reflect the momentum shift that might take place after his loss to Romney. In fact, there's a 3-way squabble for second place already going on.

Florida's primary, which takes place on January 29th, is polling a 4-way tie right now.

What a mess.

Recap: Black eye for La Sapienza, good day for Catholic free speech

The day-after reactions to the news that Pope Benedict would not, after all, attend the inauguration of the academic year at La Sapienza university because of protests have been, on the whole, critical of those in the University who attempted to curtail the Pope's right to free speech.

Zadok, who has been ground zero on this story from the start, has this to report:

The Italian press is reporting that that Cardinal Ruini, the Pope's vicar for the Diocese of Rome, is encouraging the faithful to give a large show of support for the Pope by attending the Papal Angelus at noon on Sunday. Needless to say, there's no way I'm missing that.

Mainstream political opinion in Italy is almost entirely in support of the Pope with reference to the whole Sapienza debacle. Even those who do not agree with him see this as a defeat for the principle of free speech. Amongst ordinary Italians there tends to be an attitude of great embarrassment that the Pope seems to be more welcome in Turkey than he is in the country's largest university. Some of the signatories of the notorious letter which opposed the Pope's attendance are also trying to nuance their position. They claim that the letter should have been private and that it was 'used' by the protesters in a way that was not intended. The rector of the university is speaking of a 'defeat for reason and secularism.'

Catholic students from the Sapienza university were also prominent at today's Papal audience. They were showing that if the Pope couldn't come to them, then they were going to go to the Pope.

They appeared both at his general audience today in the Paul VI hall, as well as the outdoor segment.

AsiaNews reports:

"Freedom, Freedom!": the shout raised by a group of university students of the Communion and Liberation movement, at the beginning of today's general audience, met with warm applause from the six thousand persons present in the Paul VI audience hall, and was an echo of the decision Benedict XVI took yesterday not to go to the La Sapienza university of Rome. The decision was due to opposition from a small group of teachers and students, against the invitation that had been extended to him to participate in the inauguration of the academic year. "So there are three places where the pope cannot go: Moscow, Beijing, and the university of Rome", commented one of the young people present at the audience. "If Benedict does not go to La Sapienza, La Sapienza comes to Benedict", read one of the banners that the young people raised.

The pope did not mention the affair, not even in the greeting that he addressed to the students.

Here are images of the supporters:

Even a Moroccan women's group has voiced public support of the Holy Father's freedom of speech.

Of course, there's still plenty of jerks weighing-in on the situation, such as "infoshop news" which touts itself as an "indipendent news service." They titled their report "Pope Scared off by Threat of Loud Music" and continue:

Students had threatened to blast dance music at the pontiff, and also to dress up as nuns. Pretty scary stuff.

But then as a cardinal, Benedict once attacked rock and pop music as the "work of the devil."

And nuns, well, what Pontiff wouldn't be afraid?

They can have their laugh, from today's events it is clear that this tale is far from finished.

Here's how the LA Times tried to hype it:

It's a big deal when the pope agrees to speak at an event that isn't church-related.

It's an even bigger deal when public protest forces him to cancel.

Veteran Vatican-watchers said they'd never seen anything quite like it. Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday abruptly called off plans to speak at Rome's prestigious La Sapienza university, after students and professors rallied to proclaim him pontiff non grata.

... Italy lives in the shadow of the Vatican, and mainstream politicians rarely challenge or criticize the pope.

But still reports:

Officials in both the government and the opposition were quick to lament the protests that waylaid Benedict.

Prime Minister Romano Prodi expressed "solidarity" with the pope and condemned the "unacceptable attitudes of intolerance."

The left-wing minister for family policy, Rosy Bindi, who has clashed with the church on reproductive health and similar issues, said she was "very saddened" by the episode. "This is not a pretty day for our democratic republic," she said.

"You don't have to agree with what he says, but the right to speak must not be denied to anyone," Universities Minister Fabio Mussi said, according to the Italian news agency Ansa.

Pier Ferdinando Casini, head of a main Christian Democratic party, said that with professors like this, "we must fear for the future of our children."

One of the (many) staggering ironies of this whole thing?

La Sapienza was founded 700 years ago by ... Pope Boniface VIII.

I guess this just reveals how far back the tradition of Papal anti-intellectualism can be found.

Uh-huh, sure.

[photo credits: AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, Handout]

update: CNA on Cardinal Ruini's rally cry in support of Pope Benedict this Sunday:

"Cardinal Camillo Ruini, the Pope’s Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, has called on the faithful to gather this Sunday in St. Peter’s Square during the recitation of the Angelus to show their support for Pope Benedict XVI after his visit to La Sapienza University in Rome was cancelled amid protests from students and faculty."

update 2: CNA reports:

"I don't come to impose the faith, but to ask of you the courage for the truth," these were the opening words of Pope Benedict's speech that he was supposed to deliver tomorrow at La Sapienza University in Rome.

Other follow-ups:

• ABC News: Students show support for Pope after protests
• LifeSiteNews: Students Flock to Pope's Wednesday Audience After Speech Cancelled over Protests
• CathNews: Chanting students support Pope after canned visit

Michigan Primary Open Thread

update, 9:05pm: Fox has called the primary for Romney, with McCain 2nd and Huckabee 3rd.

Ron Paul might get 4th....

==========

This post will be updated later once the returns are announced. In the meantime - it's open season.

"Who do you favor among the republican candidates, and why?" might be a good place to start....

My previous posts on the 2008 Presidential Race might also prove apt fodder for this sort of thing.

update 2: You can watch live, streamed video of the returns on CNN right here @ 8pm EST.

update 1:

• Yahoo! Photos slideshow of the Michigan primary
• Yahoo's interactive political dashboard for Michigan
• MSNBC: McCain, Romney in tight race as Mich. votes
• FOX: Angling for Gold, Mitt Romney Makes Final Plea in Michigan

Topical links:

• Rasmussen reports helpfully tell us Michigan is a toss-up between McCain and Romney.
• Meanwhile, Huckabee probably has a lock on 3rd, and Ron Paul might grab 4th ... Thompson and Guiliani somewhere in there at 5th/6th - how dismal.
• RealClearPolitics offers national polling numbers for the Republican canditates. McCain surging.

Media coverage:

• Romney Makes Final Michigan Pitch
• Independents Help McCain in Michigan
• National Review: The Real McCain Record
• NYT blog: An Uncommitted Vote?
• MSNBC blog: Romney's Mo' In Michigan
• USA Today: Romney seeks to place first in his native state
• U.S.News&WR: Romney Loves Michigan; Will It Love Him Back?

Oh well, one of those intense nail-biters that ... will be decided despite all our efforts in 24 hours anyway.

Blog Bits - Jan 15th

A few stories that I haven't been able to fit in anywhere else:

• Mirror of Justice: "Wombs for Rent"
• CNA: President Bush proclaims “Religious Freedom Day” from Saudi Arabia
• CNA: Georgetown AIDS prevention study called inaccurate, biased against Catholic ethics
• CNA: Jesuits to elect new superior on Saturday
• CNS: Bishop [Olmsted] warns Catholics to avoid services started by Life Teen founder

Photo: "The Pope is Against the University."

The poster, I believe, reads "The Pope is Against the University."

So against the Univesity, in fact, that he has spent most of his life studying and teaching in them.

[photo credit: AFP/Filippo Monteforte]

Breaking: Pope's visit to Sapienza U. cancelled due to protests!

Zadok in Rome reports:

It seems that as part of the protests, the Rector's offices were occupied by students today.One has to imagine that security concerns and the dignity of the Holy Father were the primary concern here. One suspects that many at the Sapienza University are ashamed what the actions of their colleagues have brought about.The Pope will, however, be sending the text of his proposed address to the Sapienza.

The report comes from Ansa.it (in Italian).

update: the AP has confirmed:

Pope Benedict XVI has canceled his visit to a Rome university following protests by professors and students, the Vatican said Tuesday.

"It was considered opportune to skip the event," the Vatican said in a statement about Benedict's planned visit and speech Thursday at La Sapienza, a public university.

Instead, the pope will send his speech to the university, the Vatican said.

AP full coverage here. Notable: "He said 63 instructors – out of a total of 4,500 – had signed the letter. He had said students would have been allowed to gather in a designated area Thursday during the pope's visit."

I'm guessing this visit was nixed due to security concerns. This AGI report quotes the Rector of the University saying that "Should there be tension, that will be due to infiltrations." Apparently there was some concern that non-students would show up and cause trouble. Earlier today, "About 100 students ... occupied a building at Rome's La Sapienza university", CWNews reported. Yahoo! News has a slideshow of related images.

Reuters reports that instead, the Pope will send the text of his address to the University.

I hope it opens with something along the lines of "Dear beloved blockheads..."

When this story broke, I had just finished writing this previous post on the same topic: "The ugly, ignorant face of anti-papism on display".

It's dissapointing to see these protesters "get their way" and prevent the Pope from visiting. They should really be ashamed of themselves, but I'm not holding my breath to see their actions condemned by tonight's media recounting of the situation. At any rate, if the Pope's safety was in jeopardy, that's another thing entirely.

But really, what does it say about the academic community in Italy if they can't even provide for the safety of one of the most staunch defenders of the free exercise of reason. Doesn't anyone remember Regensburg?!

Picture/Report: The ugly, ignorant face of anti-papism on display

It's not only the intolerance and double-standards that outrages me, it's the laughable and pathetic ignorance of history and what the Church actually teaches and is that these people are demonstrating.

Just give this EuroNews report a read (also features video):

"A planned visit by Pope Benedict to Rome's most prestigious university has unleashed a wave of protest. The Pontiff is due to speak at La Sapienza on Thursday at a ceremony launching the 2008 academic year. But defending science as secular, some students and members of staff want his invitation withdrawn. More than 60 professors have written to the university rector, saying they are offended and humiliated by the Pope's views.

At the forefront of the protest, Professor Marcello Cini said: "As teachers of this university, we all have different backgrounds and cultures and we cannot accept an outside authority coming here to tell us what is right and wrong."

[AmP: This statement sounds like the plaintive whinings of a 2-yr-old. And I'd really like to see Prof. Cini explain what he means by the Pope telling folks what is right and wrong. Does that means he forces them? (He can't) Does that mean he claims unique scientific knowledge (He doesn't) ... really, what a sloppy nonsensical statement from this brave defender of human reason and academic pursuit!]

A speech made by the Pope nearly two decades ago has sparked anger among academics. They say it shows the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger favoured the Church's heresy trial against Galileo in the seventeenth century, for teaching that the Earth revolved around the sun."

[AmP: Let's pause for a moment here. Are these folks actually protesting the Pope's visit because they believe Pope Benedict ... is a modern geocentrist?! Is that the most sophisticated objection the entire posse can latch upon? A 20-yr-old lecture where the Pope could be construed as supporting .... my goodness, it's not even worth completing the sentence. I'm sure it's not so simple.]

Anyway, the mind boggles at this type of public farce.

And to return briefly to the Galileo charge, I find it recurrently illuminating about the nature of the anti-Catholic project that they always must go back hundreds of years and exhume the ghost of Galileo's trial controversy whenever they try to caste the Church as "anti-reason." Really, is that the best they have?

I think it's revealing that the ultimate answer to my question is - yes, that's really the best they have.

[photo: AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia]

Notice of Complete Coverage: March for Life in 7 Days

The 2008, 35th Annual March for Life will be happening in my backyard of Washington DC's National Mall on January 22nd, with numerous activities taking place in the days leading up to it, which I'm now in the process of compiling into a one-stop list.

I also plan to provide exclusive audio/video coverage of these important events, so bookmark AmericanPapist, start your preparations and then check back soon!

CWNews: "Canadian Catholic magazine faces legal attack for criticizing homosexuals"

"Catholic magazine in Canada faces severe legal attack and possible censorship after a complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Commission alleged it made derogatory comments about homosexuals.

In February 2007 Rob Wells, a member of the Pride Center of Edmonton, filed a nine-point complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission alleging that Catholic Insight had targeted homosexuals as a powerful menace and innately evil, claiming it used inflammatory and derogatory language to create a tone of “extreme hatred and contempt." - CWNews.

And many more cases to come, if the laws in Canada remain unchanged.

A little light on the Israel-Vatican diplomatic horizon

CWNews:

Israel has set a new policy expediting the process of granting visas to Catholic priests and religious, the country's embassy to the Holy See has announced.

The Israeli government has agreed to give high priority to visa requests from Catholic Church workers from Arabic countries. The new policy is intended to address the problems of priests and religious who travel frequently between Israel and Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the Palestinian territories. Many of these clerics have been forced to apply for an entry visa to return after each trip outside Israel.

The visa restrictions were a major problem for the Latin-rite Catholic patriarchate of Jerusalem, which covers territory in Jordan and Cyprus. Many of the priests and seminarians of the patriarchate are natives of Arab countries, who have been subject to the strict visa requirements. A similar situation has handicapped the activities of Eastern Catholic churches in the Holy Land.

This has been causing Vatican/Israel friction for some time, so it's good to see progress being made.

There's still plenty to do.

Article: "Catholic evangelization with Youtube [and Facebook]"

A nice little article by Alicia Ambrosia over at Western Catholic Reporter.

"Because people are turning to the Internet to find the answers to life's big questions, the Catholic Church, as well as other Christian denominations, are trying to make sure Internet surfers can find the answers they seek on-line."

Of course, AmP readers have been living the dream for a couple years now. Long may this prosper.

Ph/t: CNS News Hub.

Sen. Obama and New Jersey Jesuits collaborate

Two forces meet and do the expected (not to mention, dissapointing):

Catholic College in New Jersey is coming under fire from a pro-life group for allowing pro-abortion Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to hold a rally there last week. On Wednesday, St. Peter’s College, a Jesuit Catholic institution, allowed Obama to address a large crowd there.

Media estimates indicated Obama greeted more than 4,500 people at the rally, but Patrick Reilly, the president of the Cardinal Newman Society, said the college was irresponsible for giving a pro-abortion politician a forum there.

“It’s irresponsible for a Catholic college and its leadership to host a political rally for an aggressively pro-abortion candidate,” he told LifeNews.com in a statement Monday.

[More from LifeNews.com]

Update: "Obama appearance at Catholic college sparks protest" (CNA).

Exclusive: Advance photos and summary of Dominican diaconate ordination

As I mentioned previously, this past Saturday I was able to attend an ordination of seven Dominican friars to the transitional diaconate. The Mass was held in the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception here in DC, and was celebrated by Archbishop Emeritus of Louisville, Thomas Kelly, O.P.

Here is a picture of the seven newly-ordained deacons (vested in gold).

Here is a photo of the ordination Mass taken by a professional photographer:

And here is a Flickr set of 20 more pictures of the event which capture it well. (Just to be cruel, I'm barely visible in one of the pictures. Props to the first person to spot me, that is, if Where's Waldo? is your idea of fun.)

Anyway, as you can see from the photos, it was a beautiful and reverent celebration.

The first reading was very appropriate considering the fact that there were seven candidates, viz., Acts Chapter 6:1-7, which tells the story of the first seven deacons to be ordained by the apostles in the early church.

My favorite off-the-cuff moment took place after the solemn presentation and election of the candidates. Once Fr. John Langlois, the Student Master of the Dominican House of Studies had read the names of the seven candidates and declared them fit for ordination, and Abp. Kelly had recited the formula acceptance and acknowledgement, he went on to add, "So John, really - are they ready?". Fr. Langois was quick to respond, "Oh yes, they are."

Abp. Kelly went on to say that, having lived in the community of Dominican friars at the Priory of the Immaculate Conception for many months, he would happily vouch personally for each one of the candidates.

And in related news, their new $18M Academic Center and Theological Library is quickly taking shape:

The roof panels have since arrived and are now being fitted to the visible steel lattice work.

update: The Dominican Friars now have another slideshow of images available for viewing.

[photo credit: Kristian Grabosky, All Rights Reserved.]

[photo credit: Dominican Vocations Blog, All Rights Reserved.]

Far MORE than 1/3 of Catholics believe in the Real Presence

Or so a new report from The National Catholic Reporter (yes, yes, I know...) concludes:

"81 percent say that “belief that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist” is essential in their understanding of the Catholic faith. Keep in mind that the survey is of a cross section of the 65 million Catholics in the U.S. (although Latinos are greatly underrepresented). Among the more highly committed Catholics, it is reasonable to assume that belief in the Real Presence is considerably higher than 81 percent. This is worth keeping in mind because some years ago a clumsily worded question in a survey came up with the conclusion that only one third of Catholics believed in the Real Presence, and that “finding” still crops up in discussions on the state of Catholicism. Among active Catholics, belief in the Real Presence, as also in the Incarnation, the Virgin Birth, and the Resurrection of Jesus, edges up toward unanimity."

[Read more at FirstThings.]

Ph/t: Jimmy Akin.

CWNews: "Pope celebrates Mass ad orientem, speaks on Baptism"

A yearly favorite of mine:

Pope Benedict XVI baptized 13 infants, the children of Vatican employees, in keeping with a Vatican tradition on the feast of the Baptism of Christ.

he Holy Father used the ad orientem posture, facing in the same direction as the congregation, using the magnificent altar of the Sistine Chapel rather than portable altar that had been set up in previous years. This provoked widespread comment, with many journalists reporting that the Pope had revived an old liturgical tradition. (In fact, the ad orientem posture was never abolished.)

[More from CWNews.]

This choice of the Holy Father has subsequently generated a huge amount of comment around St. Blogs.

Try this link (which searches only Catholic blogs) to get started on the reactions if you are interested.

Local Event: "Iconographer to visit CIC this Wednesday, 1/16/08"

The press release from the Catholic Information Center:

Noted iconographer Sister Eliseea Papocioc will be visiting the Catholic Information Center on Wednesday, January 16th. Sr. Eliseea is a Romanian Orthodox nun and hermitess who lives outside of Bucharest. Her work has been featured at the Smithsonian and at the John Paul II Cultural Center.

The program will be begin at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 16. Sr. Eliseea will speak about her icons, which will be displayed. There will also be a question-and-answer session. The event will end at 7:30 p.m.

To learn more about Sr. Eliseea and her work, see this article in The Catholic Virginian.

Related: I especially love St. George Icons, like this Russian one. A google gallery of them here.

Controversy: "Senator's Inquiry Into Megachurch Money Hypocrisy Sparks Church-State Showdown"

Something to get us all depressed and cynical on a Monday morning:

The New Testament reports that Jesus rarely used fancy modes of transportation to get around. He walked most of the time, although Matthew and other gospels mention that he once rode a borrowed donkey into Jerusalem, where he burst into the Temple and tossed out the money changers.

Nearly 2,000 years later, some who claim to speak in Jesus' name are taking a different view. Consider Bishop Eddie Long, who pastors a megachurch in Lithonia, Ga. With a salary approaching $1 million a year and a nine-bathroom mansion situated on 20 acres, Long's choice of vehicles reflects his opulent lifestyle: He drives a $350,000 Bentley.

Far from casting out money changers, Long is likely to join them. In a 2005 profile in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he defended his high-flying ways, insisting, "I pastor a multimillion dollar congregation. You've got to put me on a different scale than the little black preacher sitting over there that's supposed to be just getting by because the people are suffering."

Long's lack of humility has probably done him no favors.

[Read the full story.]

I'm not sure when else I'll ever get to fit this in, but that Joel Osteen guy [picture] really irks me. Anyone who uses a BA in television production as his sole credentials to preach is begging the question, if you ask me.

And it's not only the "lack 0f credentials," but also his constant posturing as a preacher-healer with next to no scriptural content, rarely mentioning sin, and constantly dealing in platitudes. This is no true help.

Report: "Pope set to face 'sonic siege' during visit to Rome university"

Anti-Catholic proponents of tolerance act ... not just intolerantly, but positively bestially:

Students at Rome's main La Sapienza university plan to disrupt Pope Benedict XVI's planned visit to their campus later this week with blasts of loud rock music.

The group of left-wing physics students on Monday launched an 'Anti-Clerical Week' of events ahead of Benedict's scheduled arrival on campus on Thursday.

'In a university which should be ... a place of cultural growth, research and conscientious and secular criticism, La Sapienza Rector Renato Guarini has instead decided to invite Pope Joseph Ratzinger to inaugurate the academic year,' the students said on their website, referring to Benedict's name before his 2005 election.

Benedict as pontiff 'condemns centuries of scientific and cultural growth by affirming anachronistic dogmas such as Creationism, while attacking scientific free-thought and promoting mandatory heterosexuality', the students, who use the name, Physics Collective, said.

Featured events included screenings of a film on the life of Galileo Galilei - the Italian Renaissance scientist whose theories on astronomy provoked the ire of the Catholic Church - as well as debates on topics such as evolution and homosexuality.

The protests are set to culminate with a 'sonic siege' involving music played from loudspeakers mounted on a truck in the campus' main square during Benedict's main address, students said.

[Read the whole story.]

Update: And sadly, you can't even count on the academic "adults" to set a good example:

• TimesOnline: "Scientists protest against Pope"
• John Allen: "The pope, modern science, and a canary in the coal mine"
• Commentary from Jeff Miller.

Your PPOTD! Monday, January 14th

Surprising fact: Nuns provide better security than the Secret Service.

[photo: David Furst, AP - ph/t: The Deacon's Bench]

Milingo arrives in Rome, is promptly denied Communion

This Italian priest knew his duty, (and wasn't afraid to perform it) as CNS reports:

At the start of a visit to Italy, excommunicated Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo was denied Communion when he attended a Mass at a local parish church near Naples.

The former Zambian archbishop and his wife, Maria Sung, attended an early evening Mass at a local church in Pompeii Jan. 10, one day after his arrival in Italy from South Korea.

When the archbishop approached the celebrant -- Father Francesco Soprano -- he refused the Eucharist to the archbishop, who then reportedly blessed the celebrant and lightly touched his head, according to Italian media reports.

Why is Milingo in Rome?

In response to reporters' questions upon his arrival in Rome Jan. 9, the archbishop said he was in Rome also to work on another new book and a DVD "that talks about my life." He said he had doctors' appointments to check on a knee that was operated on a few years ago and an eye exam for a possible cataract removal.

Related: Previous AmP posts on excommunicated Milingo.

[picture: source.]

Attending a Dominican transitional diaconate ordination at the Basilica today

From the Dominican Friars vocations blog:

On Saturday, January 12, seven of our brothers will be ordained to the Diaconate at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The program for the ordination Mass is available by clicking here [PDF]. The brothers to be ordained are: Br. Peter Hoàng Ðo, O.P., John Son Thanh Hoàng, O.P, Br. John Gregory Schnakenberg, O.P., Br. Vinod Bruno Mary Shah, O.P., Br. Joseph Anthony Giambrone, O.P., Br. Jacob Thomas Petri, O.P., and Br. Jonah Francis Pollock, O.P. Please pray for these brothers as they prepare for their ordination.

The announcement graphic:

I certainly can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday morning!

Please keep these men in your prayers today.

Dirty Italian Politics Slings Mud at Pope's Observation of Rome's Degradation

Like that title? Well, it's an odd story, to be sure....

Yesterday, Pope Benedict, in keeping with his role as the Bishop of Rome, met with local Roman officials and made some pointed observations about problems plaguing the eternal city, including the continuing poverty and overall "urban decay." All valid observations prompted by old problems and exacerbated by recent events.

To anyone who has been to Rome, there's nothing inflammatory about noting that the city is sub-par compared to other European cities in terms of cleanliness, etc. Well, what do you expect? It's Italy. Pope Benedict may have lived in Rome for over twenty years, but I'm sure he hasn't forgotten his Bavarian standards of spick n' span.

Anyway, back to the narrative: Roman and Italian politicians had a field day with the Pope's comments, as CNS reports, to which the Vatican expressed surprise and dismay, as reported by Zenit. Furthermore, Lombardi issued a clarification in today's Bulletino, and