Photo Caption Call - 9/30/08

Add your captions below in the comment box!

Winning Caption: "Yes, we really did catch a fish this big, but that blasted devil duck swooped in and ate it! Honest." - yyyyyy

[Source: Flickr user "Zippythesimshead"]

View the winning caption from the last Photo Caption Call here.

Told you....

.... that I wasn't kidding when I said today would be a clearing house day. And that wasn't even everything. As you can see, there is plenty to be done, but the first step is knowing what is happening.

Catholic Students v. Honoring Pro-Aborts

Cardinal Newman Society:

Less than two weeks after The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) broke the story that pro-abortion Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is the intended recipient of the Fordham-Stein Ethics Prize, Fordham University students are working feverishly to collect signatures petitioning President Rev. Joseph McShane, S.J. to rescind the honor. The Fordham Respect for Life club penned an open letter to Father McShane, and is now asking the general public to join them in their petition.

At the request of Respect for Life, an electronic petition has been added to The Cardinal Newman Society website. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to add their support. All names and emails submitted will be presented to Fordham President, Rev. Joseph McShane, S.J. by Respect for Life.

Good for them!

See also: "Sup. Court Justice behind partial-birth abortion to be honored by Fordham Law"

Priestlessness vs. Sunday Obligation

CanonLawBlog.com:

A news story out of the Diocese of Fairbanks in Alaska describes an upcoming "priestless Sunday" wherein priests will be away from their parishes to serve remote missions, leaving their parishioners without Sunday Mass that weekend. I can see arguments for and against this unusual action and I don't think that outsiders are in a position to conclusively support or reject the basic idea.

One point in the news article, however, needs to be corrected: After noting that Communion services will be celebrated in most parishes left without pastors, the article asserts that such services are "not Mass but will satisfy the Catholic obligation to attend Mass."

That's wrong. (See why.)

PP v. Our Money

LifeNews:

The head of a pro-life philanthropic firm is calling for a federal government probe of Planned Parenthood. The call for an investigation comes after Planned Parenthood affiliates in California were accused of overcharging the state by millions for birth control.

The accusation came in March, when P. Victor Gonzalez, a former Planned Parenthood official, filed a lawsuit against its affiliates in California saying they overcharged the state hundreds of millions of dollars on birth control.

Gonzalez says his own internal audit estimates that Planned Parenthood overcharged California taxpayers for purchasing birth control by at least $180 million.

Gonzalez says the abortion business fired him because he raised concerns about the illegal practices.

Not surprised.

YouTube v. Decency

HeadlineBistro:

YouTube Allows Videos of Eucharistic Desecration

People can find a video of almost anything on YouTube: babies’ first steps, Saturday Night Live skits, news clips, concerts and now – to the shock of Catholics everywhere – desecration of the Eucharist.

YouTube has long been a destination for Catholics seeking video clips of Masses, apologetics lectures or devotions, but now Catholic outrage is growing as the site has become home to a string of videos depicting acts of Eucharistic desecration, including flushing a host down the toilet, putting one in a blender, feeding one to animals, shooting one with a nail gun and more.

Evil.

Vatican v. Catholic Higher Education

Cardinal Newman Society:

Last week the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education reformed its guidelines governing certain Vatican-approved institutes of “religious sciences.” The document, titled “Reform of the Higher Institutes of Religious Sciences,” was approved by Pope Benedict XVI last June.

..."This latest promotion of ecclesiastical institutes, and especially their rigorous standards for both faculty and students, may appeal to U.S. bishops seeking alternatives to dissenting theology faculty at many Catholic colleges," said Patrick J. Reilly, President of the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS).

Google v. Marriage

Google has decided to take a stand on gay marriage - in favor:

However, while there are many objections to this proposition -- further government encroachment on personal lives, ambiguously written text -- it is the chilling and discriminatory effect of the proposition on many of our employees that brings Google to publicly oppose Proposition 8. While we respect the strongly-held beliefs that people have on both sides of this argument, we see this fundamentally as an issue of equality. We hope that California voters will vote no on Proposition 8 -- we should not eliminate anyone's fundamental rights, whatever their sexuality, to marry the person they love. (Google's Official Blog)

So much for not being evil.

Related: Google opposes anti-gay marriage measure

Ph/t: AmP reader Daveko.

Obama v. Catholics

Obama's Catholic Outreach is coming ... to Saint Joseph's Catholic University.

Vicar General v. Canon Law

CanonLawBlog.com:

Monsignor Robert Reardon, the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cardiff, is apparently slated to be the next bishop of Menevia in Wales. But there's a hitch; word is getting out that, in 1979, Reardon officially participated in the civil wedding of an AWOL priest (my term for a priest who abandons ministry without obtaining dispensation from the obligations of the clerical state, including celibacy).

Reardon apparently admits the deed, but adds "If someone can show me the church law I am supposed to have broken, I would be interested, but I'm not aware of it." Does the archdiocesan vicar general really not know what church laws would have been broken by such conduct? (More.)

Obama v. Babies

If you are looking for a simple, succinct, chilling overview of Obama and the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act controversy, see Hadley Arkes.

Meanwhile, Jill Stanek fact checks factcheck.org, which as I said in my last post on this topic, makes the best possible attempt at a counter-claim.

BornAliveTruth.org is also asking for support to spread its message.

As Hadley Arkes mentions above, the Obama camp is playing very aggressively on this issue (almost for broke), trying to make reverse political profit on it.

UK v. Catholic Schools

UK Times:

A Roman Catholic school is refusing to allow 12 and 13-year-old girls to be immunised against cervical cancer on its premises.

The move, by St Monica’s High School in Prestwich, was condemned as irresponsible by the Department for Health, which began its programme to immunise girls against the sexually-transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) this month.

In a letter to parents, the school says that the vaccine has been proved neither safe nor effective, that girls who took part in a pilot programme last year suffered side-effects and that the vaccine could “interfere with the body’s natural defences”. It concluded: “We do not believe that school is the right place for the three injections to be administered.”

Ph/t: William Newton.

Abp. Hughs v. Rep. LaBruzzo

Outrageous:

Archbishop of New Orleans Alfred C. Hughes has criticized a Louisiana lawmaker’s proposal to pay poor women to sterilize themselves, calling it “seriously wrong,” “blatantly anti-life,” and a “form of eugenics.”

Louisiana’s Rep. John LaBruzzo, a Republican from Metairie, last week said he is studying a plan to pay poor women $1,000 to have their Fallopian tubes tied.

His proposal would also cover other forms of birth control, such as vasectomies for men, and could also encourage tax incentives for college-educated, higher-income people to have more children, the Times-Picayune reports. (CNA)

India v. Christians

From the Jesuit Conference of the United States:

The Society of Jesus in the United States is increasingly alarmed by the continuing outbreaks of violence in the India state of Orissa against Christians and other minorities by Hindu extremists. With many of our American and Indian Jesuits in the region ministering to the people of Orissa, we are extremely concerned for our brothers’ safety and the safety of the people they serve. The violence has spread and is occurring in other states throughout India, only increasing the need for greater protection by the government.

“As soon as we received the urgent plea from our Jesuits in the area, we were called into action and joined them in solidarity against these attacks,” said Jesuit Father James Stormes, secretary for social and international ministries of the Jesuit Conference of the United States. “The Jesuits have consistently worked for peace and reconciliation in the area and are horrified by the sufferings of the ordinary people who always pay the price for these kinds of conflicts.”

Jesuits in the U.S. have been in touch with the Department of State and the Indian Embassy to raise awareness about the violence and to call for protection of Christians and minorities. More than 26 Christians and minorities have been killed in the preceding three weeks, more than 50 places of worship have been attacked, 15 churches and convents have been destroyed and more than 4,000 homes of Christians in villages in the Kandhamal district have been burned. The distinguished Jesuit-run Xavier Institute of Management was threatened when mobs passed through the city of Bhubaneswar in the Jamshedpur Province.

Previous AmP posts on this topic here.

Canada v. Catholicism

An anonymous reader writes:

I have an important and troubling story for you too perhaps write about and bring wider attention to. In Quebec, a french speaking province in Canada they have passed a law requiring all schools to teach a mandated course that will force Catholic schools to no longer be able to teach distinct Catholicism outside of social constructivism. It requires schools to observe and note other religious holidays regardless of the tradition of the school.

I have attached an article but the article is really quite tame in explaining it. In the curriculum it advances a very distinct culture of death. Here is a link to from lifesite news as well.

This move by the Quebec government is quite literally the most dangerous regression of religious rights in North America. Because it is occurring in a French province in Canada it has not gotten the press it deserves,l it should serve as a canary in a mine. In one of the secondary school text books it states that Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and Henry Morgenthaler, a Canadian Abortion doctor who fought for abortion rights in Canada are some of the three greatest men of the 20th century.

Sacramento v. Dominicans

CanonLawBlog.com:

The Diocese of Sacramento is suing the Western Province of the Dominicans for payment of what the diocese asserts is the religious order's fair share of a civil judgment entered against the diocese in regard to a sexual misconduct case involving a Dominican priest then working in the diocese. (More)

Controversy Tuesday!

When it rains, it pours. For several days a whole slew of controversies have been pouring into my inbox, and I've decided to publish them spread out during the course of the day, this last day of September.

Seriously, it's "pick your cause" day, there's so much happening.

Don't experience burn-out as you read this, AmP readers are simply helping me broaden my coverage of current events.

With that said... here's what's going on right now.

Co-Creating with God conference a success!

I've heard a few on-the-ground reports - all of them favorable - about Sacred Heart Major Seminary's "Co-Creating with God: Humanae Vitae Today" conference (previous AmP posts about it here).

Evidently they had several hundred participants, which is a phenomenal turn-out. The local Free Press also noticed. At least one group of folks came from several states away, after seeing the event advertised here on AmP.

Be sure to check back here in case SHMS decides to post a follow-up press release about the even - I'll be sure to give that a mention. As the organizers said, "Although this is a one-time event, we hope it will bear lasting fruit in the lives of those who attend." Amen!

Related: "Canadian Bishops Issue Pastoral Letter Encouraging Faithfulness to Anti-Contraception Encyclical Humanae Vitae" (LifeSiteNews)

Video: The failed vote, and Pelosi's partisanship

Plenty of people (rightly, I would say) are pinning a large part of the blame for today's failed vote in the House on Nancy Pelosi's flagrantly-partisan, bald-faced-profiteering speech given just prior to the vote.

Her beginning:

“Madam Speaker, when was the last time someone asked you for $700 billion? “It is a number that is staggering, but tells us only the costs of the Bush Administration’s failed economic policies—policies built on budgetary recklessness, on an anything goes mentality, with no regulation, no supervision, and no discipline in the system.

Her ending:

“Today, we will act to avert this crisis, but informed by our experience of the past eight years with the failed economic leadership that has left us left capable of meeting the challenges of the future. “We choose a different path. In the new year, with a new Congress and a new president, we will break free with a failed past and take America in a New Direction to a better future.”

The full video:

Worst speaker of the house ever? I'm beginning to think so. Especially when you consider the history I've pointed out. She really should take that retreat in San Francisco which she's been offered, and accepted....

24 Days, 13 Hours, 38 Minutes....

AmP quoted first in NCR article on Catholic blogging

This article ("No blog is an island -- A guide to the Catholic blogosphere") was published on the 19th, but I didn't notice it until now. I don't really keep track of the National Catholic Reporter, except for John Allen.

Let me say at the outset that I bear no ill will towards its author, Patrick Gallagher, with whom I enjoyed a fruitful correspondence as he wrote the article. I do, however, have some substantial disagreements with his assessment of the Catholic blogosphere, and I have made no secret about my opinion of NCR's editorial bias in general.

One of my first disagreements: Catholic blogs certainly have more than a "modest" impact. Bishops read them. You read them. The service that Catholic blogs provide indirectly, if not directly, serves the life of the Church and our common service to the truth as internet witnesses and active participants in the battlefield of ideas.

One of my biggest disagreements with the article:

"A majority of Catholic blogs are “traditional” or “orthodox,” resisting changes in the church since the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and seeking a restoration of pre-Vatican II liturgy, architecture and common devotions."

Especially considering the next lines refer to me and this blog, I can't help presume I'm being described above:

Frequently, these blogs are also politically conservative. Thomas Peters of “The American Papist,” a blog celebrating the pope and reporting on and analyzing Vatican happenings, speaks for many of these bloggers when he says, “I blog because I believe that the truth is fundamentally on our side.”

There's plenty to respond to here, so I'll take it point-by-point, in order:

• "traditional" and "orthodox" do not mean rejecting Vatican II, it means (at minimum) rejecting the false implementation of Vatican II which were contrary to its letter and spirit. It means embracing V2.
• "traditional" and "orthodox" Catholics may seek a "restoration of pre-Vatican II liturgy, architecture and common devotions" because in many cases they were falsely tossed aside in the first place and as a result the authentic continuity that was always intended to remain was severed. And you know who else seems to favor a restoration of these forgotten treasures? Pope Benedict XVI.
• While it is true that the majority of positions and candidates I find myself admiring, and which I believe represent in general a more prudent application of Catholic social teaching than the alternatives, could be descibed as "conservative," I dislike this straitjacket term and generally find that it ends up confusing more than enlightening my readers. But this isn't a major sticking point.
• My full response when asked "Why do you blog" was this: "I blog because I believe that truth is fundamentally on our side. Whether one is providing information or debating contrary views, blogging is a wonderful way of testifying to the truths of the faith. It also puts you in touch with a wider audience of Catholics, Christians and non-Christians. Online "communities" have been made possible by the Internet, and this new territory urgently needs missionaries. If I can serve it that capacity, so much the better." I think that sounds a bit more full and less "triumphalist." But oh well, I don't retreat from the claims made in my first statement in the least, because it's not "my" truth, it's the deposit of faith.

I'll leave-off commenting on the rest of the article. Overall I wasn't displeased with the treatment, but I'd hope that readers poke around themselves to create their own informed opinions about Catholic blogging.

And to all the new folks visiting - you're most welcome here.

Arcbishop Burke: Democrats becoming "party of death"

Archbishop "Pulls-No-Punches," well, doesn't:

The Democratic Party in the United States "risks transforming itself definitively into a 'party of death,'" said U.S. Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, prefect of the Vatican's highest court.

An interview with the former archbishop of St. Louis was published in the Sept. 27 edition of Avvenire, a daily Catholic newspaper sponsored by the Italian bishops' conference.

... "At this point the Democratic Party risks transforming itself definitely into a 'party of death' because of its choices on bioethical questions as Ramesh Ponnuru wrote in his book, 'The Party of Death: The Democrats, the Media, the Courts and the Disregard for Human Life.'"

Archbishop Burke said the Democratic Party once was "the party that helped our immigrant parents and grandparents better integrate and prosper in American society. But it is not the same anymore."

Pro-life Democrats are "rare, unfortunately," he said.

On denying communion to pro-abortion politicians:

Archbishop Burke also was asked about being one of a few U.S. bishops to publicly ban Catholic politicians who hold positions contrary to church teaching from receiving Communion.

"Mine was not an isolated position," the archbishop said. "It was shared by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver, by Bishop Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte (N.C.) and by others."

"But it is true that the bishops' conference has not taken this position, leaving each bishop free to act as he believes best. For my part, I always have maintained that there must be a united position in order to demonstrate the unity of the church in facing this serious question," he said.

"Recently, I have noticed that other bishops are coming to this position," he said, especially after Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., "while presenting themselves as good Catholics, have represented church teaching on abortion in a false and tendentious manner."

Ka-boom.

update: for those who are interested, the book Archbishop Burke mentions: "The Party of Death: The Democrats, the Media, the Courts, and the Disregard for Human Life"

For those interested in finding the bishops to whom Archbishop Burke is referring, see: "Joe Biden" in recent AmP posts.

Also, I have cross-posted this to CatholicVote.com, which is doing well.

Photo credit: "Geerlingguy"

Video: Chaput discusses Catholics & Politics at length

Archbishop Chaput sat down for a five-part interview with Peter Robinson for NRO's "Uncommon knowledge." Watch it here.

Here are summaries of the individual segments and links if one interests you particularly:

• Part 5: Archbishop Chaput says Catholic Democrats have an obligation to change their party’s platform on abortion, just as Catholic Republicans are responsible for keeping their party pro-life. Moreover, he says the Catholic position on abortion need not be just a Catholic position, but an American position.
• Part 4: Archbishop Chaput has written that “The logic behind abortion makes all human rights politically contingent.” For example, Chaput explains that if our leaders can decide when life begins, they also can make determinations about when life should end. Overall, Chaput describes what is a coarsening of the value of life in the Western world.
• Part 3: Archbishop Chaput describes the relationship between Jesus and Caesar, or between Catholics and the state: First, Jesus acknowledged his responsibilities to Caesar. Second, Jesus demoted Caesar, making clear that “God is God and Caesar is not.” Third, Jesus remained silent about what belongs to Caesar and what belongs to God, allowing for individual determinations on the duties of citizens.
• Part 2: Archbishop Chaput describes Vatican II as the “primary grace of God to the Catholic Church in the 20th century.” And yet, since Vatican II, the Catholic Church in America has suffered greatly. In particular, the numbers of Catholic seminarians, priests, and nuns have plummeted. Chaput explains why this is, and is not, a dilemma.
• Part 1: Archbishop Charles Chaput corrects House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has said the Catholic Church’s teachings on abortion aren’t clear. On the contrary, Chaput says the Church has long held that abortion is always and in all circumstances wrong. He also says Sen. Joe Biden’s position on abortion — that people should not impose their beliefs on the subject on others — is highly flawed.

Aside from taking on some current topics, it appears the Archbishop has closely followed the structure and primary points illustrated in his recent NYT-bestsellar, Render Unto Caesar.

Pope Benedict on the Holy Angels

From today's Vatican bulletino:

"Recalling that today marks the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, the Holy Father said: "let us trustingly invoke their help, and the protection of the Guardian Angels, whose feast we will celebrate in a few day's time, on 2 October".

"The invisible presence of these blessed spirits", he said, "brings us great help and consolation: they walk at our side and protect us in all circumstances, they defend us from danger, and to them we can turn at any moment. Many saints established bonds of real friendship with the angels, and numerous episodes testify to their assistance on particular occasions. Angels are sent by God 'to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation' as the Letter to the Hebrews says, hence they are a real help to us on the pilgrimage towards the heavenly homeland".

Photo credit: "Archangel Michael conquering the Devil"

Video: SNL's take on the Palin/Couric interview

Here ya go:

Todd Aglialoro, meanwhile, points out the obvious one-sidedness of SNL now and in the past.

Adam and Eve were vegans?!

So concludes Cindy Wooden over at the CNS blog, citing as her authority the Pontifical Biblical Commission.

I'm not really sure what sort of theological import such a theory might have, but it certainly seems like biblical fundamentalism to me. For instance, couldn't one argue that because man was given dominion over animals, humans ought to authentically be allowed to slay them for a higher purpose (i.e., feeding Cain & Abel post-fall)? Why do we think Abel was a shepherd - just the milk and wool? I don't think the human race had to wait until Noah to be permitted the consumption of meat.

Some other considerations: the human organism in its current state cannot survive on a diet of roots and berries. Humans naturally have incisors which omnivores possess, not herbivores. Jesus, as a good Jew, would have eaten meat during feast days. St. Peter was told to eat (more) meat in a very famous episode. Is there any intrinsic spiritual benefit to avoiding meat besides a penitential one? I don't think so. We are only to give up good things in penance, after all, and so clearly eating meat is a good thing.

Bottom line: I'm not sure how sound an argument there is for the claim that adam and eve were vegans (I'd have to see what the PBC says), and there doesn't seem to be any real substantive argument that vegans have chosen a higher path then the rest of us mundane BBQ-lovers.

Why am I rambling on? Mostly because I intend to eat buffalo wings for lunch today. Yum.

Palin Jitters

I'm sad to agree with Brian Saint-Paul's assessment. I think the coaching that Sarah Palin has been receiving to prepare her for Thursday's VP debate is hurting, not helping her ability to perform well under pressure.

Related: Breaking Sarah?

also Related ... this sick scheme: "Donate to Planned Parenthood in Palin's name."

Ph/t: AmP Reader Jake.

Papist Quote of the Day

Deal Hudson on pro-Obama Catholic Doug Kmiec's new book:

"It doesn't contain anything new, but it does make the best argument that can be made for a proposterous position."

Deal suggests reading this article by Deacon Keith Fournier for a thorough review and refutation.

I pointed out a serious error in Kmiec's book last week here.

Related: Doug Johnson on the Obama Abortion Reduction Scam

Brave Bishop Soto

The first headlines I read:

• "Bishop Soto stuns national homosexual ministries conference"
• "At least five members of the audience walked out"
• "It is sinful"

So what did Bishop Jaimi Soto, the coadjutor bishop of Sacramento, do that was so bad?

He simply stated Church teaching.

Rod Dreher introduces the situation succinctly:

"Bill Cork brings us a real Daniel-in-the-lion's-den story about a Catholic bishop acting like a Catholic bishop should. The occasion was the annual meeting of the National Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries, an organization whose existence is, shall we say, at cross-purposes with Catholic teaching on sexuality. California Catholic Daily reports that there were concerns among orthodox Catholics that when Sacramento Coadjutor Bishop Jaime Soto agreed to speak to the group, he would somehow legitimate them -- but that's not what happened."

"Surprised by truth! Good for Bishop Soto, not only for having the courage to speak Catholic truth to this group, but for having the grace to stick around and listen. Both were acts of charity and witness. It's rather telling that a board member of the heterodox organization was shocked and scandalized that a bishop showed up and taught what the Church teaches. As a Catholic priest friend writes this morning, "One has to ask why it is that so many dioceses have gay and lesbian ministers who are dissenters from Church teaching." Yes, one does."

Bill Cork:

The National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries met in San Diego last week and got a surprise: Bishop Jaime Soto, coadjutor bishop of Sacramento, “courageously but gently” reminded them of Christian teaching on human sexuality.

“Sexual relations between people of the same sex can be alluring for omosexuals, but it deviates from the true meaning of the act and distracts them from the true nature of love to which God has called us all,” Bishop Soto said. “For this reason, it is sinful. Married love is a beautiful, heroic expression of faithful, life-giving, life-creating love. It should not be accommodated and manipulated for those who would believe that they can and have a right to mimic its unique expression.”

Some walked out. Most sat in silence. A tiny few applauded. Afterwards, there was time for response and questions. 80% expressed their disappointment with Soto.

You can read the full text of the bishops comments here. Extensive CNA summary here.

I profiled Bishop Soto briefly back in October 2007 when he "escap[ed] out from Bishop Tod Brown."

"Virginia State Police chaplains resign over ban on ‘Jesus’ words"

Secularization-sense ... tingling:

At least five Virginia State Police chaplains have resigned after being told they must refrain from using words like "Jesus" and "Christ."

Superintendent W. Steven Flaherty, reportedly concerned about offending people of other faiths, directed the agency’s 17 chaplains to begin delivering neutral or nondenominational prayers at functions such as trooper graduation ceremonies and its annual memorial service for fallen officers, the Richmond Times-Dispatch says.

"The department recognizes the importance of a state government agency to be inclusive and respectful of the varied ethnicities, cultures and beliefs of our employees, their families and citizens at large," Flaherty said in a statement.

Flaherty cited as justification a recent ruling by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals which upheld a Fredericksburg City Council ban on sectarian prayer. Flaherty’s office denied that Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine’s administration was behind the decision.

Five members of the state police’s 29-year-old chaplaincy corps have quit their ministries in protest. All of them being sworn officers, they remain on staff as such. (CNA)

Marriage Advice from Pope Benedict

Especially to those couples going through a crisis in their relationship (underlining mine):

Meeting with participants of the Retrouvaille Association, Pope Benedict XVI explained that when a marriage is suffering, the spouses are facing an opportunity that "will help them to grow." Guided by Mary and with the help of the Lord, their love will be purified, deepened and strengthened.

This morning at the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, the Holy Father received 300 participants of the Retrouvaille Association, an international movement which aims to assist married couples in crisis. In his meeting with them, the Pontiff recalled how the group was formed in Canada in 1977, by husband and wife, Guy and Jeannine Beland, "to help couples in serious crisis to face their problems with a specific program aimed at rebuilding their relationship, not as an alternative to psychological therapies but following a different and complementary route."

The Pope then stressed that though the members are not professionals, they are married couples who have faced similar marital difficulties and have "overcome them with the grace of God and the support of Retrouvaille."

The Holy Father also said that serious marital crisis "is a reality that has two faces. On the one hand, and especially in its most acute and painful phase, it appears to be a failure; this is the negative face. But there is another face, one we are often unaware of but that God sees. In fact, as nature shows us, each crisis is a passage to a new phase of life. At the moment of break-up," he told his audience, "you offer couples ... a positive reference to which to entrust themselves in their desperation."

In this way "your meetings offer a 'handhold' so as not to lose the way altogether and gradually to climb back up the slope."

Finally, the Pontiff concluded by emphasizing the need to carry out this mission of helping married couples in crisis while nourishing "your spiritual life continually, to put love into what you do so that contact with difficult situations does not cause your hope to run dry or be reduced to a mere formula." (CNA)

Let's take a moment to say a quick prayer for all those couples experiencing difficulties in their marriage.

The American Bishops are working on a new postoral letter on marriage due by November.

Video: What Caused Our Economic Crisis?

It may generate some heated debate, but this video has become very popular (6ook+ views) and makes the case that the current economic woes can be directly tied to democrat-mandated programs under the Carter and Clinton administrations which forced banks to issue faulty loans to people who could not repay them.

The video, while clearly partisan, does not contradict, for instance, the situation described by this 1999 New York Times article.

A root question about this economic downturn must be "what caused it"? Right now, democrat-proposed legislation to force the availability of "affordable home loans" to those who could not repay them seems high on the list of likely causes. Not the exclusive cause, mind you, but an important one.

Okay, have at it....

Pope Benedict's third encylical to be published September 30th

At least it sure appears so, via Amazon.com and other online retailers.

Ignatius Press is once again the publisher, and summarizes:

Pope Benedict's third encyclical, Love in Truth("Caritas in Veritate"), applies the themes of his first two encyclicals --love and hope (God is Love, Saved in Hope) -- to the world's major social issues. Drawing on moral truths open in principle to everyone (the natural law) as well as on the teaching of the gospel (revelation), Pope Benedict addresses Catholics and non-Catholics alike, challenging us all to recognize and then to confront the social evils of our day.

The first part of the encyclical examines the dynamic teaching of Benedict's predecessors, Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II. Both men contributed greatly to the body of doctrine known as "Catholic social teaching". Both men challenged the simplistic division of political perspectives into "conservative" and "liberal", and "right" and "left". Both men were convinced that the natural moral law and the teaching of the Gospel were indispensable for a world in desperate search of hope and meaning.

In part two, Benedict surveys the social issues that confront the human race today--assaults on the dignity of the human person such as the attack on human life, poverty, issues of war and peace, terrorism, globalization, and environmental concerns. Benedict provides sound moral principles to address these social and economic problems, and to promote a culture of life and genuine peace.

Far from being a partisan political tract, Love in Truth avoids the posturing that dominates so much political discourse, yet without compromising the truth or love. In this outstanding work, Pope Benedict shows us why so many observers regard him as the world's leading moral voice, and one of the most insightful and profound social/political thinkers of our day.

Reserve your copy today!

Slideshow: The Evolution of the PopeMobile

This has to be one of the coolest posts ever. I love the popemobile, and was thrilled to find out someone has scoured the internet for photos and information about them, through the years. A good example:

"The 300D Landaulet was the first new Popemobile in thirty years, with Mercedes spanning the gap during the tumultuous period. The 300D was stretched some 450 mm, with hard top up front and soft top in the rear layout of the Landaulet body style allowing El Papa to take in the sunshine and wave to the crowds. This car retained the single-throne seat setup in the rear, but added amenities like air conditioning and a two-way radio to the driver."

More popemobile goodness here.

Mark your calendars! It's Synod Time!

Well, October 5th will be:

"The Synod of Bishops is coming up - commencing in Rome on October 5. (The last Synod was on the topic of the Eucharist, in the fall of ‘05) Here’s the Vatican webpage for the Synod, with all of the preparatory documents. And here is a good page that’s being published by Ascension Press - ScriptureSynod.com. Good resources, promises to be continually updated. Here’s the FAQ page, for example." - Amy

This synod's topic: "THE WORD OF GODIN THE LIFE AND MISSIONOF THE CHURCH."

Participate in the Catholic Thing

I find the quality of essays over at the Catholic Thing to be excellent. After "numerous requests" (which would have included me if I weren't too lazy), you can now comment on the articles much like other blog-format websites. Hopefully the authors will find a chance to be active as well.

Prayers ...

... for Carl Olson, his family, and Elanor.

Photo Caption Call - 9/27/08

Add your captions below in the comment box!

Winning Caption: " The new Patriarch of Oshkoshtinople makes his first public appearance." - B. Lewis

[Source: Flickr user "BoazImages"]

View the winning caption from the last Photo Caption Call here.

Papist Picture of the Day - 9/26/08

[For today's blog topics, scroll down or click here.]

Eric was happy that the crowd had decided to cheer for his new shoes.

[source: REUTERS/Tony Gentile (VATICAN)]

On promoting abortion in South Dakota

Blogger Cara for Feministe announces that she "will be leaving bright and early tomorrow morning for Sioux Falls, South Dakota."

Using money given to her by Planned Parenthood, she is heading out there "for a Live Action Camp, where [she'll] be fighting Measure 11, the ballot initiative aiming to outlaw abortion in the state."

In other words, she's off to promote abortion.

Well, we can help her fail.

Read up on the situation at CNA and then head on over to http://www.voteyesforlife.com/

Flash: Benedict enacts significant papal liturgies shake-up

Pope Benedict often displays a tact in the way he makes significant changes that allows him to escape the radar of even close observers. Case in point today (underlining mine):

Pope Benedict XVI has made a low profile but significant move in the direction of liturgical reform by completely changing his liturgical consultants.

A hardly noticed brief note from the Vatican Press Office on Sept. 24 {link} announced the appointment of new consultants for the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff. It did not mention, however, the importance of the new appointees.

... Also relevant to the appointments is the fact that all former consultants, appointed when Archbishop Piero Marini led the office of Liturgical Celebrations, have been dismissed since their appointments were not renewed. (CNA)

Did you see that? All former consultants - gone. And the new set of consultants are heavy-hitters.

Wow.

Friday Wierd: Bees are eating Lichfield Cathedral

The Victim:

The Culprit:

The Story: Bees are eating Lichfield Cathedral (UK Times)

Tip: Submit your live chat questions to Abp. Chaput today!

Got a tip for ya:

"Archbishop Chaput will be answering questions live on [his new book] Render Unto Caesar today from 5-6 p.m. EST in an online bookclub discussion"

You may already submit a discussion question here.

I already submitted a question. =)

And of course, if you haven't bought his book yet, I consider it required pre-voting reading.

On L'O.R. adding its two cents to US economic woes

I'm not sure what all to make of this. But I'm trying to come to terms with it [my comments in brackets]. I'd love to start a conversation about this:

The current financial crisis pummeling the United States and beyond is a sign that the so-called "new economy" and its risky investments have failed, the Vatican newspaper said. [I think what failed was unsound speculation, widely practiced and condoned.]

The booming growth of financial markets did not correspond to real growth or concrete development for society because it created an artificially robust gross national product, said a Sept. 24 article in L'Osservatore Romano. [I don't know about this one way or the other, but I'm prone to admit it.]

The only real growth registered in this crisis has been "the commissions, profits of the banks and bonuses for the managers," it said. [That's fairly obvious.]

The article, with the headline "A costly illusion," was written by Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, an Italian economist and professor of financial ethics at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, Italy.

The U.S. financial meltdown has been blamed on "the greed of managers and lack of regulations. But curiously, no one ever refers to the indirect responsibility of the government's economic policy" which, he wrote, tried to cover the lack of any real economic development with a booming Wall Street. [I agree with this.]

He said the U.S. government's proposed bailout may stave off any worst-case scenario for its troubled financial markets, but it will not repair the root causes of the crisis. [Well sure, that's apparent.]

"Despite various attempts, the Western world does not know how to map out a model of development that is capable of guaranteeing stable wealth," the article said. [I disagree with this. I think we did very well for quite some time. It was departing from free market principles and introducing heavy government regulation that turned things sour.]

The West has "not succeeded with its new economy project, it did not succeed with accelerating growth in Asia by transferring low-cost production (there), and it did not succeed after inventing a boom in the GNP through risky financial models that were poorly conceived and badly regulated," it said. [Sure, but that does not mean the West doesn't know what it's doing, it's just losing its way, and badly.]

"In order to maintain this sham GNP, the banks financed things that were not guaranteed" and that should not have been financed, like the subprime loans, it said. Financial institutions created an "economic growth out of debt and, therefore, (created something) very risky," it added. [Yep, I'm with this.]

The article said the lesson to be learned is that nations cannot build a healthy economy or experience real development if it is not based on "balanced demographic growth." [Ah, now that's an excellent point. Demographics are hugely important - but what would the author say about the situation in Italy/Europe?!]

It said the world economy also needs to be run responsibly and transparently with precise rules. [Sure, sure, but good luck.]

Okay, it's Friday. If anyone has some time on their hands, feel free to educate the rest of us.

On Hope in these (and all) times

Stefan McDaniel of First Things with the bon mot of the day:

No one should trivialize the current economic crisis, which poses a real threat to the well-being of people around the world. But “crisis” quickly moves from being an unpleasant fact that we must face to a poisonous climate of anxiety that we breathe. In order to maintain perspective, I’ve shut myself off from the unremitting commentary, speculation and polemic generated (especially in the blogosphere) and turned to the writings of Benedict XVI.

As far as I know, Benedict has not said much about our present troubles, but in The Yes Of Jesus Christ he suggests that the periods of intense panic that occasionally wash over us are symptoms of the godless modern worldview.

... At moments of crisis like this, when it seems our god has failed, we sharply and suddenly lose our modern “hope.” Benedict writes:

Optimism is only the facade of a world without hope that is trying to hide from its own despair with this deceptive sham. This is the only explanation for the immoderate and irrational anxiety, this traumatic and violent fear that breaks out when some setback or accident in technological or economic development casts doubt on the dogma of progress.

Doubt is very much in the air. If, heaven forbid, things get much worse, we will see whether it is in God or in Western prosperity that we have really placed our trust.

Hope: always needful.

Want to know why? Two headlines:

• WaMu Fails, Is Sold Off to J.P. Morgan - Biggest Banking Collapse in U.S. History; Government Arranges a Deal to Safeguard Huge Thrift's Deposits, Branches
• AP: Bailout deal stalls as Republican lawmakers revolt

Obama or McCain? Try Starbucks or Walmart.

NPR:

Even though the two candidates are viewed favorably by about the same number of people, there are some big cultural splits. Of people who get their coffee at Starbucks, 52 percent favor Obama while 39 percent prefer McCain. Of people who frequent Wal-Mart, 58 percent favor McCain while 33 percent prefer Obama.

Actually, espresso trumps politics in my consumption habits.

Ph/t: Todd M. Ahliaro of IC.

Bp. Vigneron to take over Detroit?

Tucked at the bottom of a posting on Oakland's new Cathedral opening, Whispers drops non-too-subtle hints that Bishop Vigneron might be coming back home to take over Detroit after Cardinal Maida retires:

On an in-house note, with Cardinal Adam Maida approaching his 79th birthday early next year, there are those who maintain that today's rites won't just open the doors to Oakland's new mother-church, but the long-delayed appointment of a new archbishop of Detroit... since today's a day to celebrate what is, though, more on the rest later.

Just so you know the latest. I've lost track of the number of times I've heard rumors about Cardinal Maida's appointee being announced. Bp. Vigneron would make sense on several levels however ... we'll see.

Video: Friday Funny

"Jesus is my friend"

And because He is, well, that's the only reason I'm not going to say anything about this.

Ph/t: Aggie Catholics.

Goldman Sachs kneels to Pelosi

I'm not making this up, from Politico:

And when Democrats left after the meeting to caucus in the Roosevelt Room, Paulson pursued them, begging that they not “blow up” the legislation.

The former Goldman Sachs CEO even went down on one knee as if genuflecting, to which Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.) is said to have joked, “I didn’t know you were Catholic.”

That's funny, Madame Speaker, I wasn't sure you were, either.

The"Freedom of Choice" Act: A wolf waiting in the shadows

Barack Obama promised a group of prominant abortion advocates that his "very first" act as President would be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act into law.

Such a law, it has been predicted, would result in many, many more abortions in America each year:

FOCA is usually reported as “codifying Roe v. Wade,” but it is much more. Since the Webster and Casey decisions in 1989 and 1992, the Supreme Court has allowed states to limit abortion somewhat by such things as requiring parental involvement and informed consent, prohibiting government funding of most abortion, and more recently outlawing most partial birth abortions.

Specifically, if FOCA is passed it will increase abortions by 125,000 more per year in the United States. Since 2004, Dr. Michael New has published studies with the Heritage Foundation showing that a large reduction in abortions can be attributed to these three kinds of laws. (LifeNews)

Such grim statistics really put the lie to the claim that the democrat platform intends to reduce the overall number of abortions in America each year. As much as their social plans may reduce the occurance of abortion incedentally, it is a known fact that their legal proposals will increase the occurance of abortion directly and dramatically.

The American bishops are aware of this fact as well, and Cardinal Regali, the chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities has written to congress:

Cardinal Justin Rigali sent the letter to Congress on Friday and warned against enactment of the proposed bill (S. 1173, H.R. 1964).

“Despite its deceptive title,” he wrote, “FOCA would deprive the American people in all 50 states of the freedom they now have to enact modest restraints and regulations on the abortion industry."

He added: "FOCA would coerce all Americans into subsidizing and promoting abortion with their tax dollars. And FOCA would counteract any and all sincere efforts by government to reduce abortions in our country.”

Cardinal Rigali, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, wrote that, under FOCA, “abortion on demand would be a national entitlement that government must condone and promote in all public programs affecting pregnant women.”

While some have said the bill would simply codify the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, he added, supporters of FOCA say it “would sweep away hundreds of anti-abortion laws [and] policies” that are now in effect because they do not conflict with Roe.

These include bans on public funding of abortions as well as “modest and widely supported state laws” protecting women’s safety, informed consent and parental rights.

With his letter, Cardinal Rigali enclosed a legal analysis by the bishops’ Office of General Counsel documenting the extreme legal impact of FOCA. (LifeNews)

You can read the cardinal's letter here (PDF) and the legal analysis here (PDF). Zenit provides a summary.

More ignorance than I care to point out

How the consensus arose that people who hold pro-life views are ignorant, biggoted and nasty - I'll never know. Certainly posts like "The Zygote Vote: You're doing it wrong" seems to fit the bill for all three of these. But here's the thing - it's by a pro-choice feminist named Jessica.

She writes for a blog that promotes websites that scare women into thinking they'll all be thrown into jail if abortion were to be made illegal, for starts.

Jessica asks "Can I just say how totally sick I am of anti-choice orgs putting out weird [crap] that implies zygotes and fetuses can do things like vote and carry election signs?"

She's referring to this picture over on the left, which hardly - to any rational mind - would make one think the people who drew the picture honestly believed fetuses can actually hold signs and vote.

I mean, ever seen a cartoon of a penguin holding a "stop global warming" sign? It doesn't mean the cartoonist thinks penguins actually carry signs.

Jessica is more distressed that some people seem to think unborn infants can "sport war gear." Hello Jessica, that website/product is actually an anti-Christian website. You just made fun of ... your own kind, so to speak. Or at least people who join you in rideculing those who regard unborn human life as deserving protection.

She then claims the pro-life organization behind the t-shirt has its fingers in its ears (as if they are the ones ignoring realitY), and follows that up by just getting plain nasty:

"Those pesky things that carry fetuses around? They're called women, and unlike fertilized eggs, fetuses, or any other part of said women's bodies, they can actually vote. You may want to remember that next time you make a t-shirt."

The ironic thing is that most the people in the pro-life organization are probably women trying to safeguard unborn life. And does Jessica seriously think an unborn child is just a part of women's bodies? Pregnant women can have two blood types, two heart beats, different sleep patters, etc, etc.

Ignorant? Check. Bigoted? Check. Nasty? Double-check.

Video: Doubt Trailer

I don't immediately find this trailer offensive merely for its subject matter (some endorsement, huh?):

Margaret Cabaniss at IC tells us why I might think that.

Curiouser and Curiouser

Diogenes has a head-scratcher about this Washington Times piece on this book, and its shunning.

Mike Maher releases new CD!

Matt Maher just released a new CD. As I've mentioned before, he is an up-and-coming Catholic musician from Canada who now lives and records in Arizona.

He just released his fourth album, Empty and Beautiful.

His most popular album, Overflow, is available on Amazon.

You can read a 2006 inteview with him here.

Ph/t: Duc in Madison.

Why you have to love World Net Daily

I mean, where else can you read stories like this?

"New experiments in genetic engineering could open the doors for the return of fearsome "giants" described in the Bible – the offspring of human women and fallen angels – warns author Thomas Horn in his best-selling book, "Nephilim Stargates: The Year 2012 and the Return of the Watchers."

In the Book of Genesis, beings of great stature called "giants" appear, which some biblical scholars believe came into existence after powerful angels known as 'Watchers' descended to earth and used women (or their biological matter) to construct bodies of flesh, which they used to "extend" themselves into the material world."

I for one welcome our new Nephilim overlords....

Recreating the bible in our own (green) image

Doesn't this little scheme speak volumes? It did to me:

"Now there is a Bible trying to make gardeners of us all. On Oct. 7, HarperCollins is releasing The Green Bible, a Scripture for the Prius age that calls attention to more than 1,000 verses related to nature by printing them in a pleasant shade of forest green, much as red-letter editions of the Bible encrimson the words of Jesus." (Time)

I don't think it was so much the idea of green highlights for nature-references, as the idea that previous generations would highlight the words of Jesus in red, that got to me.

How far we've truly developed as a people of God.

Cartoon: From the Anti-Papist Archives

Odd how not all that much has changed since this cartoon was drawn.

Your local priest's blog

I often receive kind notes from parish priests who are doing yeoman's labor through keeping an active blog.

In addition to their many duties at the parish, they post their sermons online, keep in touch with parishioners, undertake evangelization, and provide a window into their own prayer life and devotions open for the people they serve.

Fr. Anythony Ho in the Archdiocese of Vancouver is just one example of this phenomenon.

Let's take a quick moment today to pray for all our courageous priests! Do you have a favorite priest blog? Especially one that is aimed primarily to the members of his parish? Drop it in the comment box!

The shadow of Dubai's skyscrapers

Regular readers know I have a bit of a fixation of Dubai, the most rapidly-expanding metropolis in the world. My images of Dubai have actually made it to the front page of numerous Google image searches. I refer to the city, somewhat comically, as the modern-day Babel. And you can see why:

In one important way, however, Dubai is a modern-day Babel: it is an example of impressive human achievement that is made possible through the exploitation and de-humanization of its laborers.

Laurance Alvarado over at IC has a good post on the situation, and how it is deteriorating.

Anglican leader Rowan Williams accepts authenticity of Lourdes

My apologies for not covering this story more closely, it is highly news-worthy, even unprecedented:

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, was today branded a ‘papal puppet’ after he became the first leader of the Church of England to accept visions of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes as historical fact.

He asserted that 18 visions of Our Lady allegedly experienced by Bernadette Soubirous in 1858 were true.

His words shocked millions of Protestants worldwide because they not only signified a break with Protestant teaching on the Virgin Mary but also Dr Williams’s personal acceptance of the Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, which is explicitly linked to the apparitions.

The archbishop made his remarks during a three-day visit to the shrine in the French Pyrenees - the first ever by a leader of the Church of England. In a homily he preached at an international Mass there, Dr Williams spoke about the apparitions without any qualifications.

... He also praised the lives of the saints, another devotion seen as distinctively Roman Catholic.

... The archbishop’s pilgrimage comes just a week after Pope Benedict XVI made his own pilgrimage to the shrine.

He was invited to the shrine by Jacques Perrier, the Catholic Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes.

Dr Williams was joined there by the German Cardinal Walter Kasper, the president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, who celebrated the international Mass.

He was also joined by an unprecedented pilgrimage of 10 Church of England bishops, some 60 Anglican priests and about 400 Anglican lay worshippers, a number of whom are considering becoming Catholics in protest at the decision of the General Synod in July to pave the way for the creation of women bishops. (UK Mail Online)

The rest of the story recounts how Dr. William's actions and words have a whole set of people really, really steamed. What courage Dr. Williams has shown for following-through on the pilgrimage he set out on.

What does this mean in the broader context, in terms of the Anglican communion and Anglican-Catholic relations? Time will tell, but I'd appreciate any good commentary people have come across. Drop a link in the comment box!

Humane Society endorses Obama, dislikes Palin

And they included these comparison pictures between Obama and Palin:


The Weekly Standard blog explains:

"All Animals Are Equal, But ... wolves are more equal than caribou, says the Humane Society in its endorsement of Barack Obama. The Humane Society Legislative Fund's president writes that the group has never before endorsed a presidential candidate, but Sarah Palin simply poses too great of a threat to animals."

Maybe they didn't hear that Obama has gone spearfishing before - and enjoyed it! McCain fishes catfish.

It's a good thing popes have never needed the endorsement of the HS because I'm fairly sure most of them have hunted live game at some point in their life. Can anyone back up my hunch (say, with a photo)?

Breaking: Pelosi meeting with Abp. Niederauer?

I'm hearing that FOX News just reported that.

If it's true, than Pelosi only took about 20 days to get it done.

Stay tuned...

update: I'm hearing ambiguous reports as to whether a) the meeting actually happened, b) the meeting has been scheduled or c) nothing has happened and FOX just noticed the story late.

Meanwhile, the Pelosi counter keeps ticking away....

Not giving an inch to reporters who err about church teaching

When I read this NYT article last week ("Abortion Issue Again Dividing Catholic Votes"), I remember this paragraph being particularly lacking:

"After the 2004 election, progressive Catholics started to organize and appeared to win some victories. In 2006, the bishops’ conference all but banned outside voter guides from parishes. And last fall, the bishops revised their official statement on voting priorities to explicitly allow Catholics to vote for a candidate who supports abortion rights if they do so for other reasons. And it also allowed for differences of opinion about how to apply church principles. The statement appeared to leave room for Democrats to argue that social programs were an effective way to reduce abortion rates, an idea the party recently incorporated into its platform." (underlining mine)

That Catholics may vote for a candidate who supports abortion rights simply "for other reasons" is simply untrue. In fact, they may only do so under certain circumstances, for truly grave moral reasons. In fact, the clear move in recent voting guides has been towards placing a greater emphasis on the gravity with which one must decide to vote for a pro-abort politician, not the reverse (as the article claims).

Today the NYT published a letter to the editor penned by Bishops William Murphy and Nicholas DiMarzio:

Actually, the bishops said candidates who promote fundamental moral evils such as abortion are cooperating in a grave evil, and Catholics may never vote for them to advance those evils.

A Catholic voter’s decision to support a candidate despite that gravely immoral position “would be permissible only for truly grave moral reasons, not to advance narrow interests or partisan preferences or to ignore a fundamental moral evil.”

This standard of “grave moral reasons” is a very high standard to meet. The bishops added that “a candidate’s position on a single issue that involves an intrinsic evil, such as support for legal abortion or the promotion of racism, may legitimately lead a voter to disqualify a candidate from receiving support.”

Keep it up. Keep. It. Up!

Ph/t: Whispers.

Papist Picture of the Day - 09/24/08

[For today's blog topics, scroll down or click here.]

In answer to your question: that is how the pope rolls.

[source: AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito]

Chuck Colson on "God & Wall Street"

Consider these my three quotes of the day, Chuck Colson on the economic downturn and the Christian response:

"Today we have an opportunity to see how the Acts 4 church really works—where Christians help one another through tough times and reach out lovingly to our neighbors."

"Michael Novak, the great theologian, has said that Western democratic capitalism is like a three-legged stool, resting on political freedom, economic freedom, and moral restraint. Take away moral restraint, and the stool collapses."

"Above all, remember this: God is on His throne. Maybe the “eat, drink, and be merry” attitude of Americans needed a little adjustment—as does the spiritually casual attitude of the Church."

Read his full column here.

40 Days for Life kicks-off tonight!

This is probably the most effective pro-life grassroots campaign currently in operation. My housemates and I here in DC hosted a kick-off party last weekend for the DC participants where the founder of 40 Days, David Bereit, was generous enough to stop by.

Here is their promotional video:

Learn more about how to get involved at their website.

Volunteering at a pro-life crisis pregnancy center is also a fantastic committment, I must add.

Madison Theology on Tap Appearance

Last Thursday, as I mentioned, I was invited to give the Theology on Tap talk for the Cathedral Parish of Madison, Wisconsin on the topic of "Faith in the Ballot Box: Catholic Conscience in the Civic Arena."

It was a wonderful chance to systematically think through and then present the huge range of material AmP has covered in recent months on the relationship between our Catholic faith and our involvement in American politics.

I drew most immediately upon Abp. Chaput's new book on the topic, as well as the most recent voting guide of the U.S. Bishops (Faithful Citizenship - PDF), as well as their excellent 1998 version, Living the Gospel of Life. Obviously these documents themselves rest on Sacred Scripture, the Catechism, Documents of Vatican II, Encyclicals, etc.

The Cathedral Parish is a tech-savvy setup, so you can already access an audio of the talk and the subsequent Q&A session through this link. It's amazing how fast an hour-and-a-half flies by when you get going. I also posted the photos that were taken to this AmP Flickr photo set.

A special surprise came with the appearance of local bishop Robert Morlino to hear my presentation. As AmP readers may remember, Bishop Morlino set aside his prepared homily on the Sunday that Joe Biden spoke his foolishness in order to set the record straight.

Since Bishop Morlino made his clarification, he's been facing a bit of local backlash from the liberal element in Madison, but appears to be weathering the storm just fine.

I'm happy to say that it appears he enjoyed the talk, and as long as I don't receive an excommunication in the mail shortly, I can presume safely that I didn't manage to confuse the issues too badly. ;-)

Special thanks go to Monica Freng, who invited me and was a wonderful hostess, as was her husband Ryan (er, "host"). Please keep them in your prayers as they have their first little one on the way. My gratitude also to Msgr. Kevin Holmes, pastor of the combined "Isthmus Catholic area", for his hospitality throughout my stay.

Mr. Brock Heinz and his wife were also extremely generous to me over the weekend. I would urge all WI-area readers to check out the excellent Men of Christ conference and their various hosted events. You can already sign up for the 2009 conference, for instance.

Thanks, finally, to all the AmP readers who made an appearance at the talk, participated actively in the before-during-and-after debate, and even stood me for a pint or two as the evening wore on!

It's always such an excitement for me to meet readers in person. Blogging can be a very impersonal affair at times and it means so much to me whenever I get the chance to meet folks in person with whom I've been corresponding!

Papist Picture of the Day - 9/23/08

[For today's blog topics, scroll down or click here.]

Some days the Holy Spirit isn't very subtle.

[source: AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito]

Shame, or something unlike it

It appears that "Take Care Down There", the most offensive Planned Parenthood online initiative to date, has removed the most offensive content from the website since I first noted it in July. This decisions follows an outcry that went up once the story made it into mainstream news outlets.

If I had to guess, the Dawn Patrol or American Life League might have more details for us soon.

Once again, let's all remember that PP received 336.7 million dollars of our taxpayer money last year. So we can be happy in knowing we probably helped pay to create, then take down, this offensive material.

update: Mike Hitchborn of ALL adds:

"Score one for the Good Guys!!! Because of the wide-spread attention you gave our ALL Report on Planned Parenthood's DISGUSTING website, the story made its way onto the main-stream media. You can see our ALL report on it here or here.

The resulting bad publicity forced Planned Parenthood to remove ALL of the offensive videos!This is the New Media in action! When you draw as much attention as you did to the nastiness of Planned Parenthood, the drive-by media can no longer ignore what's going on."

A press release should be forthcoming. Keep it up!

Joseph Bottum sums things up

Joseph Bottum, editor of First Things, has an excellent piece in the UK Weekly Standard that sums up well about twenty or so stories that AmP has been covering in recent months regarding catholics and American politics.

I urge you to read the whole article, but if don't have time, at least note his conclusion (underlining mine):

"And yet, there remains that question of abortion. Things have tightened over the last few years, the Catholic position is firmer in the public's mind--firmer in the Catholic mind, for that matter. McCain was a long way from the pro-lifers' first choice for a Republican nominee, but the Democrats this election cycle are determined to force the issue. They've pushed, and they've pushed, and they've pushed, until Catholics are falling off the cliff. Poor Doug Kmiec and his sad question, "Can a Catholic Support Him?" As a matter of good conscience, the answer looks increasingly like no, a Catholic can't support Obama. And as a matter of political fact--well, that's starting to look like no, as well, isn't it?"

Of course, it's better to earn this conclusion after following Bottum's extended analysis.

If you don't agree with Bottum's conclusion, please at least read the entirety of his piece before objecting.

Canadian Bishops release 4-page voting guide

Our American version, by comparison, is roughly 42 pages (PDF here).

The Canadian 4-pager is here, again in PDF format. It has four principles:

• Respect for life and dignity of the human person
• Preferential option for the poor
• The war in Afghanistan
• Environment

Biden bad, Palin good, for Catholic vote

Biden bad - the author claims that 55 bishops have responded to Biden thus far?!

Palin good - note that regular Mass attendees choose against Obama more often.

Obama's official faith tour ... flops?

The Christian Broadcasting Network had the scoop on the plan:

An official with Barack Obama’s campaign tells The Brody File that beginning next week the campaign will start an official faith tour in key battleground states called “Barack Obama: Faith, Family and Values Tour”. The subheading of the tour is as follows: “Voting ALL Our Values”

The Brody File is told that top faith surrogates will hit the trail for Obama. Some of those high profile figures include Former Indiana Congressman and pro-life Democrat Tim Roemer, Catholic legal scholar Doug Kmiec, and author Donald Miller.

But the early word from one source is that only 15 people showed up for the first event.

Can anyone add any details to this picture?

SSPX Singles?!

Not to poke fun, but... LOL.

Curt Jester: "I can understand the reason for the site. It is annoying to advertise yourself as SSSPXWF (Single Society Saint Piux X White Female) in the local newspaper in their singles section."

Open thread: the economy

I figured on this bleak Tuesday I'd bring the topic up as I draft other stories.

... so what are folks thinking?

update: over at IC, Elizabeth Scalia talks about praying for economic and social wisdom, while the Anchoress says "prayer is not just okay, it is imperative" in situations like these.

Honestly, if we are to pray for something as general as "world peace," then "economic well-being at home" seems equally needful.

update 2: as some more food for thought, this is the best single post I've read about the past, present and future of the crisis. Inform thyself!

update 3: oh, and today CNA tells us that "Leading Catholic entrepreneur [has written] book on how people should relate to money". Interested? Here it is on Amazon.

Photo: Largest nun veil ever?

I can't remember ever seeing a bigger veil than this....

Source.

Japan's next prime minister is Catholic

BBC News: "Members of Japan's ruling party have selected a bluff conservative, Taro Aso, as their new leader, meaning he is almost certain to become the next PM."

He would be the first Catholic PM in Japan's history.

More about Taro Aso on his Wikipedia page. He also loves comics, was quickly profiled by Time, faces a tough future, is a very big departure from previous PMs, and appears to be quite the renaissance man.

Now, here's my question: presuming he wasn't born Catholic (which would surprise me), when/how did he convert? Can anyone find out?

Archbishop Myer's Sci-Fi novel "Space Vulture" released

I hope you've had your morning coffee.

As I mentioned way back in early 2007, Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark has been working on a sci-fi novel (or more accurately, "space opera") in his spare time called Space Vulture. He co-wrote it with his friend, Gary K. Wolfe, who is also the creator of Roger Rabbit....

No, I'm not kidding. See for yourself....

And read for yourself, if you feel so inclined:

The product description:

After a lifetime of friendship, two small-town boys who grew to have very different lives and careers have teamed up to travel back in time and conquer the universe. Determined to recapture the science fiction of their youth-not as it was, but as it should have been-Gary K. Wolf, the creator of Roger Rabbit, and his best friend, John J. Myers, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, now transport readers to the far reaches of the galaxy. There, the mere mention of the pirate known as Space Vulture strikes fear into every heart. A hardworking colonist's only hope is that the dauntless lawman, Marshal Victor Corsaire, will rocket to the rescue. Come along for the ride and discover all the adventure, suspense, wonder, and fun that Wolf and Myers first found in science fiction fifty years ago, and now share with everyone in this rollicking tale of the spaceways.

(Someone should tell the Sci-Fi Catholic to pen a review for us.)

There is an entire website devoted to the book and its authors: http://www.spacevulture.com/

Rocco posted on this story when it first was made public, and over the weekend.

Jeff Diamant conducted an extended interview with Abp. Myers. The accompanying photo to the story?

Yes - it's real, too.

I really wonder if this is how an archbishop should spend his time .... Diogenes sure doesn't think so.

Anyone have a counter-point to add?

update - I really can't help but wonder how Space Vulture would do against Prince of Space?

update 2 - CNA reports.

Two Monday morning reads

I'm easing back into the stream of things here after a busy, wonderful weekend (report to follow)....

In the meantime, Amy points out "My First Son - a Pure Memory" and Ross points out "Back in Iraq, Jarred by the Calm". The first is very moving and personal. The second is illuminating and hopeful.

Photo Caption Call - 9/20/08

Today's Top Story: "Doug Kmiec's lesson learned, and mine."

Add your captions below in the comment box!

Winning Caption: "Fr. Bob Ross takes the time to sign a wedding certificate making sure to add a lovely evergreen tree in the margin." - J Madden

[Source: Flickr user "Sarah Pants"]

View the winning caption from the last Photo Caption Call here.

In Madison and Milwaukee this weekend

Tonight I'll be giving the Madison Cathedral Parish Theology on Tap talk on the topic of "Faith in the Ballot Box: Catholic Conscience in the Civic Arena" and then this weekend I will be in Milwaukee to attend the wedding of a close friend. Blogging and email-reading on the road will be sporadic, but not impossible. Regular coverage will resume Monday. Please pray for my speaking appearance and for safe travels. Thank you much!

Photo Caption Call - 9/18/08

Today's Top Story: "Doug Kmiec's lesson learned, and mine."

Add your captions below in the comment box!

[Source: Flickr user "Sarah Pants"]

View the winning caption from the last Photo Caption Call here.

Bishops invite presidential candidates for a sit-down

They're saying "stop on by!":

Leaders of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have invited both major party presidential candidates to meet with them before the election, reportedly to discuss social issues. The bishops who would attend any such meeting are chairmen of USCCB committees on pro-life issues, education, migration, international affairs and communications.

A spokeswoman for the McCain campaign told the Wall Street Journal that the Republican senator wants to accept the invitation, but does not know if he can fit a meeting into his schedule.

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, Media Director of the USCCB, confirmed to CNA that neither candidate has accepted the invitation yet. (CNA)

As I've noted before, McCain has squeezed-in meetings with several bishops during his journies across the states. Obama? Not-a-one (that I've seen reported, anyway).

Again, this really makes me wonder about the sincerity of Obama's Catholic outreach, when he himself refuses to pursue a meeting with our bishops and the head of his Catholic outreach committee refuses to debate any notable Catholic representatives.

Basically, it makes me think they just want our votes, not our input.

Video: Palin's glasses designer likes Obama

"Plumbing the Depths of Irrelevance"

That should be the theme of the reporting team who came up with the Palin's Japanese Glasses story.

CNN stretching a story to promote Obama. What a surprise. I almost lifted an eyebrow.

Doug Kmiec's lesson learned, and mine

I'm going to make this post as simple as possible so hopefully it will retain a sharp focus.

Doug Kmiec, the most notable Catholic with a previous pro-life record who publicly supports Barack Obama, has published an excerpt from his new book about voting for Barack Obama as a Catholic. This excerpt tells the story of an event that took place in April where he was denied communion for his public support of Barack Obama.

I'm not going to get into that here, because others have already done so.

At the end of telling his story, Kmiec concludes (underlining mine):

"Perhaps there was a Providential hand at work using [this event] to teach a lesson to a larger congregation. The lesson? Any Voter Guide even hinting at a Catholic duty as a matter of faith and morals to vote against Senator Obama is seriously in error."

Now that is quite a claim.

Kmiec himself admitted, in his famous coming-out-for-Obama article in Slate:

"Beyond life issues, an audaciously hope-filled Democrat like Obama is a Catholic natural."

Now hold on a second. "Beyond life issues"? That should give us pause. Kmiec is of course referring to Obama's extreme stance on abortion rights, embryonic stem cell research, etc. But do the American bishops also say Obama's positions should give us pause? Do they hint at it? Let's see....

First, Faithful Citizenship (PDF), the most recent Voting Guide from the American bishops, says:

"A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, such as abortion or racism, if the voter’s intent is to support that position." (#34)

Okay, so already above we have one example of the official voting guide of the American bishops describing a way in would be a Catholic duty, as a matter of faith and morals, to not vote for Senator Obama. So does that mean the American bishops are "seriously in error"? Maybe not...

Second quote from Faithful Citizenship:

"A candidate’s position on a single issue is not sufficient to guarantee a voter’s support. Yet a candidate’s position on a single issue that involves an intrinsic evil, such as support for legal abortion or the promotion of racism, may legitimately lead a voter to disqualify a candidate from receiving support." (#42)

Here now is a second situation in which the official voting guide of the American bishops describes a situation (applicable here) where one may "legitimately" disqualify Obama. So here the American bishops, to use Kmiec's words, "hint" at what could be a Catholic duty. So would Kmiec consider the American bishops "seriously in error" for even hinting this?

Third quote from Faithful Citizenship, from their "Goals for Political Life" (p. 29):

We hope Catholics will ask candidates how they intend to help our nation pursue these important goals:

• Address the preeminent requirement to protect the weakest in our midst—innocent unborn children—by restricting and bringing to an end the destruction of unborn children through abortion.

Note that the first question they teach Catholics should ask their candidate is how they intend to protect innocent unborn children by means of restricting or bringing an end to abortion.

Obama would actually repeal current restrictions (by signing the "Freedom of Choice" act as his "first act as President") and has committed himself, in pursuing the platform of the DNC, to never bring an end to abortion. He fails 2 out of 2.

Therefore, one could reasonably argue, the official Voting Guide of the American Bishops more than "hints" that it might be a Catholic duty as a matter of faith and morals to vote against Senator Obama, making them, by Kmiec's own conclusion, "seriously in error."

I know what the response to the above argument will be: "But the Church will never choose parties, candidates or tell us who to vote for!" That's right, but they sometimes hint. If they didn't even hint, we would have absolutely no guidance for how to vote, but we do. Stating a general principle that (incidentally but obviously) applies to a particular candidate is hinting.

Kmiec could have played it safe, but he didn't. He may have learned his lesson, but it's a wrong one.

Oh, and for good measure, one could also make the case that this Voting Guide gives hints that McCain could be an unacceptable candidate (e.g., for his support of embryonic stem cell research).

As I hope is clear, this is not an anti-Obama post. This is an anti-Kmiec-sophism post.

So what lessons did I learn? Kmiec thinks the Voting Guide of the American bishops is seriously in error, and Kmiec's support of Obama has forced him to propose more and more untenable arguments.

update: and just to take one example of a local bishop also making the sort of "hints" that Kmiec would claim are "seriously in error", see this Voting Guide (PDF) issued by Bishop William Lori, Diocese of Bridgeport, CT and Chair of the USCCB Committee on Doctrine:

"... while Faithful Citizenship acknowledges that one may vote for a politician who supports pro-abortion policies “only for truly grave moral reasons,” a conscientious voter must question what grave moral issue rises to the level of nearly 49 million lives lost to the evil of abortion."

And there are many, many others like this.

Where is Kmiec getting his lessons?!

Google settles out of court, will allow pro-life ads

LifeSiteNews:

Internet giant Google has settled out of court with The Christian Institute and will now allow religious groups to place factual and campaigning ads on the subject of abortion.

The Christian Institute, a pro-life and pro-family Christian lobbying and education organization, took legal action against Google after it rejected an ad in March with its search-related advertising system, AdWords, which read: "UK abortion law: Key views and news on abortion law from The Christian Institute.

Google rejected the ad because its former policy disallowed the advertising of sites that mixed "abortion and religion-related content."

The Christian Institute took Google to court in April, saying the refusal constituted discrimination on the grounds of religious belief, a violation of Britain's anti-discrimination laws, the Equality Act 2006.

The feminists are angry (big surprise), because they mind these pro-life groups "lying about the procedure and spreading misinformation."

Really, is there any need to make things up when it comes to alerting people to the horrors of abortion?

Abp. Chaput asks politicians, "what about comprehensive immigration reform?"

CNA reports:

What happened immigration reform as an issue in the 2008 presidential election? That’s exactly what Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver is asking in his weekly column in the Denver Catholic Register, as he calls for an end to raids by customs agents and pushes for comprehensive reform.

“Here’s the surest sign of an election year: Certain hot potato issues—the kind that nobody in either major party really wants to deal with in a tight race—mysteriously disappear,” writes the archbishop.

Do note that this is the same Archbishop who was the first to respond to Speaker Pelosi and Senator Biden. So much for those who have claimed hi mto be a "single-issue" or "partisan" defender of human dignity.

Sarah Palin's personal email hacked, published

Of all the low, dirty...

"In the latest of a series of invasions into Sarah Palin’s personal life, hackers have broken into the Republican vice presidential candidate’s private e-mail account, and a widely read Web site has published screen grabs from it.

An article Wednesday in Gawker.com posts family photos and snapshots of e-mail exchanges the Alaska governor had with colleagues. Gawker says the-email account has since been shut down, but it will leave the images up on its site for all to see." (Fox News)

Apparently they didn't read Jeff Jacoby's editorial in the Boston Globe. These stunts help her:

Yet the more [Palin] has been attacked, the more her support has solidified. In the latest Fox News poll, Palin's favorable/unfavorable ratio is a strong 54-27. She is named by 33 percent of respondents as the candidate who "best understands the problems of everyday life in America," more than those naming Obama (32 percent), McCain (17), or Joe Biden (10). Among independent voters, Palin's lead over Obama on this measure widens to 13 points. In a recent Rasmussen poll, 51 percent of voters said the press was trying to hurt Palin through its coverage, versus just 5 percent who thought it was trying to help - a 10-1 disparity.

Millions of Americans, not all of them conservative, instinctively identify with Palin. That is why the left's scorching assault, so ugly and unhinged, is backfiring. The longer it goes on, the more it undermines the Democratic ticket - and the more support it builds for McCain, and his refreshingly normal running mate.

Keep it up, boys.

update: sed contra, sorta. Meanwhile, the best Sarah cartoon so far, and a close race.

Photo Caption Call - 9/17/08

Today's Top Story: "Take a hike, Bill Maher."

Add your captions below in the comment box!

Winning Caption: "One of the highlights of Liturgical Fashion Week was this absolutely smashing cassock, great for dining or casual services..." - Gerald E.

[Source: Flickr user "Kees Verwe"]

View the winning caption from the last Photo Caption Call here.

Take a hike, Bill Maher.

I just rejected an advertisement that had been submitted to me for Bill Maher's offensive "Religulous" movie. It wasn't a small add buy, either. $68 would always be welcome around here. But clearly Bill Maher's promotion agency doesn't read my blog, or know what it stands for, or realize that it can't be bought.

Here's a taste of what the advertisement would have looked like:

Clearly it was a no-brainer to reject this offensive image, for an offensive movie. I want no part in promoting it.

I've seen the trailer for Religulous, in which Maher extends his bloated solipsism and egoism (if that's possible) by tracking down inept representatives of various faiths, editing their comments out of context (clearly) and then claiming to have somehow "disproved religion" in the process.

I wonder if he's ever appeared in a forum that he doesn't directly control.

This is a fools quest, undertaken by a man I pray never has to fully realize how much of a fool he is making himself out to be, and who is sadly countenanced and enabled by his producers and viewers. Don't get me wrong, I hope and pray that he comes around, but it will be painful considering the path he has chosen. Well so be it.

This is the same Bill Maher, of course, who is the host of HBO's "real time" and has said "I have hated the Church way before anyone else" and claimed the pope "used to be a Nazi" and has also said "If you have a few hundred followers, and you let some of them molest children, they call you a cult leader. If you have a billion, they call you 'pope.'" (source)

Now, I know why AmP was solicited to promote this movie: to make such a film a commercial success (which is their bottom line, of course), they need to get religious people angry enough to begin talking about it, condemning it, organizing a boycott, etc ... but each of these actions just play into their game.

This would all be free advertising for them , and makes us appear that we are threatened by its (truly laughable and elementary) arguments. But we are not scared - we are just going to be smart about how we beat this pathetic "mockumentary" and quickly relegate it to the dustbin of its predecessors.

So I'm not talking any more about it. It's garbage and not worth any thinking person's time.

And it's certainly not worth 68 bucks.

update: I sent the link for these remarks to the publicist who tried to make the blog ad buy. I'd be happy to explain the situation to Bill Maher directly if he/they want, but I somehow doubt they want that kind of press.

Breaking: Has McCain "softened' his position on embryonic research?

Deal Hudson points out this Wired article published yesterday claiming that McCain has taken a "Sharp Right Turn on Stem Cells".

Hudson credits McCain's "shift" to the tireless work of Senator Sam Brownback. I directly asked Sen. Brownback about these ongoing efforts earlier this year, and wrote-up his answer here.

I think the jury is still out on this one, but judging by the reaction of pro-embryonic stem cell research scientists, I think there are more encouraging signs than before.

Therefore when someone from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute says that he reads McCain's statement as a "bad omen," I hear "good omen."

The substance of the Wired article is based on a single paragraph response that McCain recently made to the Sciencedebate 2008 forum on the question of stem cells (scroll down to question #8).

In a nutshell, McCain's position remains that he opposes the creation of new embryos for research purposes, but supports the use of already-existing embryos (for instance, "discards" from IVF-treatments).

What is new in McCain's position, or at least features prominently, is this language: "clear lines should be drawn that reflect a refusal to sacrifice moral values and ethical principles for the sake of scientific progress." That's the qualification that has all the scientists skittish, along with McCain's reminder that he voted to outlaw a form of cloning currently allowed (SCNT).

Again, when the pro-ESCR scientists say stuff like this...

"McCain cannot be trusted to be a supporter of embryonic stem cell research," said University of Pennsylvania bioethicist Art Caplan. "He is moving toward a straight pro-life stance and this sort of answer can only be read as such."

... I hope to heaven they're right.

Reminder: This weekend, Co-Creating with God Conference

This Saturday my alma mater Sacred Heart Major Seminary is hosting a conference to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of the encyclical letter Humanae Vitae entitled "Co-Creating with God: Humane Vitae Today".

If you are free this weekend and live near Detroit, please consider attending!

Description:

"Sacred Heart Major Seminary hopes through this conference to give witness to our confidence that human experience and divine wisdom demonstrate the truth of Humanae Vitae.

Featuring 8 nationally known speakers on life issues, it is aimed at those who already embrace the document and wish to understand it more deeply, and to those who are skeptical about it."

You may register online here (walk-ins also welcome). I have more information in my first post.

Picture: The Obama bumper sticker you won't see

Jeff Miller heard about the Obama campaign rolling out a line of "faith merchandise", and added his own:

And that's just a sample.

Papist Quote of the Day

From the President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, when asked if the Roman Catholic Church would issue an apology to Darwin like the Anglicans have done:

"Maybe we need to abandon the habit of issuing apologies and treating history as if it were a court always in session," Ravasi said. (EarthTimes)

Here, here.

More:

[Ravasi] was speaking to journalists about a conference entitled Biological Evolution: Facts and Theories. A Critical Appraisal 150 years after The Origin of Species due to be held in Rome from March 3 to 7, 2009.

The congress has been organized by the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, United States, and will include scientists, philosophers and theologians from around the world.

Ravasi stressed that, unlike many Protestant Christians, the Roman Catholic Church never condemned Darwin nor was his book, the Origin of the Species, placed on the church's list of banned books.

... "Science can purify religion of superstition, but religion can purify science from false absolutes," Ravasi said, quoting John Paul.

In 1992, Pope John Paul II publicly expressed regret on how the Catholic Church in the 17th century dealt with Italian scientist Galileo Galilei who was forced to retract his observation that the Earth and the other planets revolved around the Sun.

Texas High School Student Told Rosary Is 'Gang Symbol'

Offbeat:

"Tabitha Ruiz was stopped by security guards at Seagoville High School in Dallas last week and told to take off the silver and ruby beaded rosary, a gift from her mother. On Monday, the same thing happened when she again came to the school wearing the beads.

"I went to school, walked through the metal detectors and they told me to take it off," the teen said. "I asked them why and they said because it's gang-related." (Fox News)

I disagree with this analysis completely....

Rosaries aren't gang signs, they're dangerous weapons against sin.

AmP Topics

Most recent posts ...

• Video: Born Alive Truth (+ links/commentary)
• Not surprised: National Catholic Reporter promotes Feuerherd to editor-and-chief
• Hope: Catholics attend Mass in Ike-ravaged Houston
• Faith & Politics: Obama campaign rolls out line of "faith merchandise"
• Commentary: Yes, the DNC changed their abortion platform - they made it worse.
• Alert: Sup. Court Justice behind partial-birth abortion to be honored by Fordham Law
• Pictures: Oakland's "Cathedral of Christ the Light" open to the public
• Commentary: My latest for CatholicVote.com
• Video: SNL on Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton
• Humor: Photo Caption Call

[FAQ]

• My email: thomas [at] americanpapist.com (I read every email)
• Advertise on AmP: Click here for BlogAds or contact me directly.
• Have a story or link to submit? Post it here or send me an email.
• Connect: Join the Facebook fanpage and subscribe to the YouTube channel.

"Why the Democratic Abortion Strategy is Worse"

For a very even-handed treatment of the question, read Mark Stricherz in America magazine.

Ph/t: Margaret Cabaniss of Inside Catholic.

Video: Colbert interviews Peter J. Gomes

Video: Born Alive Truth (+ links/commentary)

BornAliveTruth.org is trying to spread awareness about Obama's record of voting (four times) against the Illinois Born Alive Infants Protection Act. BornAliveTruth just released a $350,000-funded TV spot:

I thought it interesting that the partial-birth abortion survivor's name is Gianna. Saint Gianna Beretta Molla is perhaps the most famous pro-life saint of the 20th century. I wonder if there is a connection.

Jill Stanek, who is deeply involved in this issue, updates us on the initial Obama-camp response:

"We're hearing from the media Obama's people are telling them they have no comment on the Gianna ad, that Obama didn't vote for Born Alive because it would undermine Roe. Even if that were true, which it is not, am I hearing Obama admit he supports infanticide if it would otherwise interfere with legalized abortion."

By way of comparison, note this observation by the TV spot's accompanying press release:

"Legislation identical to the proposed Illinois law was passed by the U.S. Senate (before Obama became a US Senator) by a vote of 98-0. This included even the most adamant pro-choice Senators."

Obama has tried to claim that the Senate legislation was not "identical", but the facts simply do not support his claim, as I blogged previously. In fact, he went so far as to call those who disagree with him about this factual matter "liars." Calling truth-tellers "liars" never wins points in my book.

Jill Stanek isn't letting Obama's media team confuse the issue, and says "Stick to the Obama/Born Alive talking points." Until they respond to those forthrightly they simply haven't got a case. We're still waiting on that one.

Now, in the interest of fairness - because I do believe the facts are on BornAliveTruth's side when it comes to this contested issue - Reproductive Health Reality Check mounts the best defense it can. (RHRC is ultra-liberal in its promotion of abortion, contraception, etc.)

I contend, however, that all RHRC succeeds in doing is to demonstrate that Obama vigilantly safeguards abortion rights in any and all circumstances. The supreme "right" to abortion-on-demand is a core value of his that trumps all other human rights issues, and it is, moreover, an issue intimately wrapped-up in the "politics as usual" of the Democrat party that he constantly claims to have moved beyond.

Either way, BornAliveTruth makes an important point.

update: thanks to a reader who notes that FactCheck.org also vetted this controversy extensively. From my reading, it seems to me an unfair claim to say that Obama "supports infanticide." I do think, however, that it is clear he is prepared and committed to defending abortion to its extreme limit (e.g., you can kill a child as long as it has not yet taken a breath outside its mother's womb).

Moreover, FactCheck.org does point out that Obama and his surrogates have essentially switched their explanation in regards to the motivations and details surrounding Obama's votes.

What happened? My take: A junior state senator played local Democrat party politics to the advantage of the moment and is now trying to retroactively gloss-over his decisions when appearing in a national spotlight, with a national election at stake.

Again, either way, BornAliveTruth makes an important point.

update 2: Stanek responds:

"... if you listen to the audio recently released [link includes transcript] of Obama's 2002 SenateFloor speech on Born Alive, you can come to no other conclusion than that he supports infanticide.

In the clip he admits babies may survive abortions but a 2nd physician shouldn't be called to assess and resuscitate the baby because it would place a "burden" on the "original decision" of the mother to abort. What else is that if not supporting infanticide?"

Obama's point is this (and it takes some effort to glean what he is saying): providing a safety net of a second doctor to ensure that children accidentally born alive during partial-birth abortions would "burden" the women's decision to abort her child ("how?" one might ask). What Obama is worried about preserving is the absolute "right" of the woman to not have a live child on her hands, one way or the other, once she has decided to have an abortion.

The darker insinuation one could make is that in fact Obama does not want a second doctor around keeping a watchful eye out to ensure that the original doctor does not break the law by withholding life-sustaining treatment from a live-born infant.