Good: Church of Scientology convicted of fraud in France

This couldn't have happened to a nicer, ponzi-schemed "religion":

"A Paris court convicted the Church of Scientology of fraud and fined it more than euro600,000 ($900,000) on Tuesday but stopped short of banning the group as prosecutors had demanded.

The group's French branch immediately announced it would appeal the verdict.

Olivier Morice, lawyer for civil parties in the case, said the verdict was "historic" because it was the first time in France that the Church of Scientology has been convicted of organized fraud.

... Belgium, Germany and other European countries have been criticized by the U.S. State Department for labeling Scientology as a cult or sect and enacting laws to restrict its operations." (AP)

Evidently those countries have more common sense than our state department.

Huh? Sweden outlaws home schooling?!

As a proud product of home-schooling, I find this decision deeply disturbing:

The founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association says home schooling in Sweden will soon be banned altogether, with a few minor exceptions.

Mike Farris says that Sweden will ban all home schooling except for children with medical exemptions and foreign workers with the appropriate work visas.

"That's it. People who have religious convictions or are home schooling for religious reasons will not be given one of these very rare exemptions," he points out. "And so for all intents and purposes, home schooling is going to be banned in Sweden. They're following the German statute, following the German model."

In Germany, parents face stiff penalties if they are caught illegally home schooling their children. The Romeike family recently left Germany and is seeking asylum in the U.S. after facing stiff fines and the potential loss of custody rights for home schooling their children. The Home School Legal Defense Association is offering them legal help. (OneNewsNow)

Whatever other intentions a country may have when they outlaw home-schooling, the bottom line is that it undermines the fundamental right of parents to be the primary education of their offspring.

By the way, if you are homeschooling in the United Stares or are considering it, you need to know about the Home School Legal Defense Association. They are your friends.

Lessons to be learned from a woman who sailed the "abortion boat"

Last October I was first made aware of the Dutch "abortion boat", a project of "Women on Waves" that attempted to spread awareness of abortion (and abortifacient pills) in countries that still have laws against these things.

Now I come to find out from a Netherlands news source that the "abortion boat" is putting down anchor for the last time. Steve Ertelt at LifeNews has a summary of an interview conducted with a member of the organization that ran the boat, Rebecca Gomperts.

I found snippets of the interview interesting. It's a rare chance to see an abortion advocate dis-engaged from the fight and speaking frankly about their opinion on what is happening.

"The abortion boat is a myth," says Gomperts. "There are people who think we provide practical help all over the world. Of course it's a pretty sight: a ship entering a harbour full of women saying: abortion is a right. And then there will always be people wanting to stop the boat. The result is a symbolic fight that speaks to the imagination." 

Insight: abortion advocates over-sell their accomplishments. In my first reporting of the story, I can't remember Women on Waves ever trying to dis-abuse people about their actual activities not including abortions.

... But in [Gomperts'] personal life there has been a drastic change. The woman who ten years ago said she had made a conscious decision to remain childless, is now the single mother of a three-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl. 

Insight: Life catches up to you. You can make yourself think almost anything you want, but as you grow older, some human desires can't be totally forever. She's a mother, even if it has changed her views.

"The other day I was giving a lecture at a school in the Bijlmer [a heavily immigrant part of Amsterdam, Ed.] I was shocked by the anti-abortion sentiment among young immigrant girls there. And the youth activities of the Evangelical broadcasting corporation draw tens of thousands of visitors. These are signs that lots of things are changing in our society. Opposition to abortion is growing." 

Insight: Good news, indeed. Some things ought never be taken for granted: abortion on demand is one of them. The world wasn't always this way, and it can change back, if people's hearts change.

Have you become more understanding towards your opponents over the years?

"If you believe that every life has to be protected I can imagine that you would be very passionate about that. Uncompromising. But it bothers me that they have no respect for people who think differently. Anti-abortion activists feel that everybody should act the way they think they should."

Insight: Does Gompert then believe every life ought not be protected? At least she is consistent, in a horrible sort of way. I don't see how I am supposed to respect the view that all innocent life ought not be protected.

And this most interesting of all....

Is a rapprochement even imaginable?

"No, I think it is impossible for proponents and opponents of abortion to ever come together. We're talking about two entirely different philosophies here. There is no room for discussion. To me, the fact that they want to limit other people's ability to make their own decisions will always be unacceptable." 

Insight: Gompert is speaking honestly here. Her statement further confirms a lurking suspicion of my own that common ground initiatives proposed by ardent pro-aborts will come to nothing. There is simply no common ground between those who think innocent lives may be killed and those who think they may never be killed.

What must happen on the part of pro-aborts is a change of mind and heart. Helping this conversion take place is what we must commit ourselves to accomplishing, and I believe one important step in that process is to hold fast to our position in support of life. Only from that high ground can we begin to reach out.

Picture: Medieval Catalan Pantocrator Art

The Blog of the Courtier has an interesting post on the history of the Pantocrator theme in the art of the Catalan Pyrenees in the medieval ages. My favorite:

More here.

Of course, my personal favorite Pantocrator is in Florence, Italy. I took a photo of it when I had the opportunity of seeing it in person a few years ago, and subsequently turned it into a desktop wallpaper. If only the shot hadn't turned out slightly fuzzy. I am rather pleased it somehow is featured on the first page of Google Image search when you look for "Catholic wallpaper." I think it's a good entry.

Has anyone else discovered beautiful Catholic desktop wallpapers? Drop a link in the combox!

Pope Benedict in France: Weekend Edition

I'm on the fly today, but here's where I would start reading:

• Whispers has plentiful coverage
• John Allen is also posting up a storm
• AP: Huge crowd turns out for pope's visit to Paris
• AP: Pope in Paris condemns love of money, power
• Images are being now added to this AP photostream

And remember, the essential links:

• The apostolic journey's info page on the Vatican Website
• The apostolic journey's day-by-day program of activities
• EWTN's live internet TV streams and schedule of coverage

Tweet.

Regensburg Part II: Benedict to address "Crisis of Faith" in France

Make no mistake about it, Pope Benedict's upcoming trip to France won't be a sleeper visit:

Pope Benedict XVI will give an address to Muslims and representatives from the world of culture Sept. 12 — exactly two years to the day since his lecture at the University of Regensburg, Germany, which caused uproar in the Islamic world.

The address, to be given at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris, is being billed as the Pope’s most important discourse during his short, but intense, visit to France, which runs from Sept. 12-15. Papal spokesmen Fr. Federico Lombardi said Benedict XVI spent much time working on his speech, which is expected to focus on the crisis of faith in a secularized culture.

The address will have clear relevance for France: the Catholic Church sees Christianity on the verge of “collapse” in the country despite its deep Catholic roots. (Newsmax)

I'll be keeping track.

Pope Benedict is Pro-French

Well, no one's perfect:

If, in some weird parallel universe, Pope Benedict XVI were to be a candidate this fall for President of the United States, he could mount a serious run. Polls say Benedict enjoys a 75 percent approval rating after a successful visit last April, he packs obvious appeal to "faith and values" voters, and it would be hard to question his international experience. In an election in which the Republican nominee is 72, even the pope's advanced age wouldn't necessarily be a drawback.

In terms of the red meat of American politics, however, he would have at least one problem: He's far too pro-French.

[More from John Allen.]

This is to prepare for Pope Benedict's upcoming visit to Lourdes from September 12th-15th.

On Egg Donation and Cultural Narcissism

Stories like this one by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, which point out the demographic implosion taking place in the west because of sub-replacement level birth rates, are popping up more and more often. What's surprising is that they have now reached the awareness of such online liberal strongholds as The Huffington Post and New York Times Magazine.

Nicely enough, when the Rabbi begins to diagnose the problem, he begins with a point made by Pope Benedict:

... Pope Benedict summed it up best. "Europe is infected by a strange lack of desire for the future. Children, our future, are perceived as a threat to the present."

While the article blames the falling birthrate on poor government policies that do not enforce maternity leave or subsidize post-natal care, as well as inflexible working conditions for women, a far more important reason is growing Western narcissism. As the west becomes richer it is also becoming more self-absorbed.

Children consume time and resources both of which young adults would rather focus on themselves. Better to have the availability, and the cash, to jet to Paris for the weekend then push a kid on some dumb swing. Not that we don't love kids any more. We do, but in an abstract as-long-as-it-doesn't-interfere-with-our-freedom kind of way. Having them in our thirties, and about one or two max, minimizes the disruption.

... The Western cult of narcissism is spoiling our kids, making us neglectful of our elders, spawning an out-of-control material insatiability, and destroying us -- quite literally -- by having us die off without a replacement generation.

And of all the many remedies available that might free us from our growing self-absorption, having one more baby than we originally planned for our marriages is the best remedy of all. (HP)

The most one commentor can do in response is trot out some outdate overpopulation predictions that have long since been disproven. And wouldn't you know it? LifeSiteNews today reports: "Communist Government in Indian Province Proposes Crippling Sanctions against Having a Third Child"

And on a similar note, more women are choosing to donate their eggs as a way to make spare income:

Now more than ever, women are donating their eggs to make ends meet.

So, who's doing it, and how easy is the process?

Melissa, who declined to give her last name, admitted the main reason she's donating eggs is because she's struggling financially.

... At the Center For Egg Options in Illinois, the number of women donating has increased significantly since April.

"There's no reason to think that suddenly there's 30 percent more people who have suddenly had this inner feeling to help out people and what's changed, it’s the economy," said fertility specialist Ed Marut. (Fox 5 Vegas)

And so when a narcissist decides to have a child, they don't even have their own. Now that's self-destructive.

Photos: Inappropriate advertisements help finance Church upkeep in Italy

Reader Joe writes:

My daughter just returned from a semester in Rome. She was with a group of students and seminarians, mostly from Saint Thomas University in Minnesota, all of whom enjoy your website. She shared some of your humorous captions with me, so I thought you might like to see a couple of photos that I took recently in Milan.

The first place I went was the famous Gothic cathedral. You can imagine how shocking it was to find large (40-50 foot) billboards plastered on the sides of the cathedral! One of them reminded me of a 'B' rated sci-fi movie from the 1950's-the Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman. Apparently, in Italy, many churches are actually owned and maintained by the government with the stipulation that the faithful can continue to worship at these sites. Scaffolding space is rented out to advertisers when renovations are underway. That is because the Church can't afford to maintain all of the priceless artwork and architecture.

I couldn't agree more with this gentleman's reaction. When I was in Milan several years ago to see the Milan Cathedral, these advertisements were not in place. I do remember, however, often seeing inappropriate advertisements featured to the scaffolding at other Catholic Churches in Italy (and Austria).

I wonder if these Churches could think up some sort of workaround. For instance: how about starting a fund to buy out the advertisement space with Catholic ads? Parishioners and tourists could add money to this fund, which would enable Catholic outfits to compete against the mainstream promoters. I'd have gladly donated a couple euros to such a fund when I was visiting.

Anyway, it's the first solution that came to mind. What do you think?

German bishops choose liberal Zollitsch over conservative Marx

Okay, that headline paints it very black and white, but here's the gist:

Germany's Catholic bishops elected Robert Zollitsch, 69, archbishop of Freiburg in the south-west of the country, as their new spokesman and chairman.

... The bishops passed over another, more conservative candidate, Reinhard Marx, 54, who has been freshly enthroned as archbishop of Munich.

... Observers said the choice also indicated a continued mood of independence among the 69 bishops towards Pope Benedict XVI, the German-born conservative theologian Joseph Ratzinger.

... The Vatican's response may be gauged by the time it takes to award Zollitsch a cardinal's hat. - DPA

CWNews, which normally presents salient points accurately, says:

During his tenure as chief spokesman for the German hierarchy, Cardinal Lehmann found himself in tension with the Holy See on several disputed points, such as allowing Communion for Catholics who are divorced and remarried, priestly celibacy, and the policies of church-run counseling centers regarding abortion referrals.

Just what Germany needs: dissent on marriage proscriptions, priestly celibacy, and life issues. Ouch.

Bland coverage from the AP here. Terse coverage from Zenit here. Deutsche Welle confirms DPA's take here.

Dominican Leaders rebuke problematic proposal of Dutch Dominicans

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

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

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

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

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

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

The final paragraph leaves something to be desired, however:

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

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

But at least this is some progress.

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

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

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

...

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

[Read the rest.]

Hint: The Book of Blessings!

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

Talk about social commentary....

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

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




From freshome:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I made it into CNS!

Gee, maybe I should start wearing a nametag.

Last week I attended Cardinal Danneels lecture at Catholic University of America and posted a lengthy summary of it (with a little commentary).

Today, Catholic News Service published its report of the talk, and singled out my question from the other ones that were asked during the Q&A:

In a brief question-answer session after his talk, the cardinal was asked to comment on Pope Benedict XVI's recent decision to permit wider use of the of the Tridentine Mass in Latin. In his decree, the pope said the Tridentine Mass celebrated according to the 1962 Roman Missal should be made available in every parish where groups of the faithful desire it. He also said the Mass from the Roman Missal in use since 1970 remains the ordinary form of the Mass, while celebration of the Tridentine Mass is the extraordinary form.

Cardinal Danneels said he thought the pope did so in the hope that giving wider access to the pre-Vatican II version would draw some Catholics attached to that rite, especially the followers of the schismatic late French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, back into the church.

He said he has no objections to permission for wider use of the rite -- although "in Belgium it was superfluous; people are not asking for it" -- as long as those seeking it accept other teachings of Vatican II, such as those on religious freedom.

I guess I would probably come off as flippant if I were to note that it doesn't seem to me that people in Belgium are asking for any sort of liturgy, let alone the Tridentine. Mass attendance in Belgium is well under 5% after all, and most of those are elderly folks, as Oliver from Belgium informs us.

St. Peter's is Primarily for Prayer, says Pope

Alliteratively speaking: "I put great trust in you and in your ministry, that St. Peter's Basilica may be a true place of prayer, adoration and praise for the Lord. In this sacred place, where every day thousands of pilgrims and tourists arrive from all over the world, more than elsewhere it is necessary that ... there should be a stable community of prayer guaranteeing a continuity with tradition and, at the same time, interceding for the intentions of the Pope in the Church and the world today." [source]

What is causing the depopulation in Russia?

This no longer qualifies as an "offbeat" story. The following is a demonstration of the critical depopulation situation in Russia caused by rampant contraception, sterilization and abortion (there are, for instance, more abortions than live births in Russia each year - 13:10).

Reuters:

The governor of a central Russian province urged couples to skip work on Wednesday and make love instead to help boost Russia's low birth-rate.

And if a woman gives birth in exactly nine months time -- on Russia's national day on June 12 -- she will qualify for a prize, perhaps even winning a new home.

"It's normally something for the home -- a fridge or a television set," Yelena Yakovleva at the Ulyanovsk regional administration press office, said.

"It doesn't matter if it's a girl or a boy."

...This year a record 78 babies were born on June 12 at the main hospital in the regional capital of Ulyanovsk, beating the 2006 total of 26, said chief doctor Andrei Malykh.

...A mass wedding and special lessons for children at school on how to deal with having a brother or sister are also planned in Ulyanovsk city, which is about 900 km (560 miles) from Moscow.

At the town's central post office, a sign urges locals to write love letters for free to anywhere in Russia, with postage pre-paid.

This week First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, a possible successor to President Vladimir Putin, said he wanted to stabilise the population at about 142 million by 2015 and boost it back to 145 million by 2025.

But I ask you, to what factors does Reuters attribute the problem of underpopulation?

Russia wants to reverse a trend in which the population is shrinking by about 700,000 people a year as births fail to outpace a high death rate boosted by AIDS, alcoholism and suicide.

This is what the AP says:

Russia's population has dropped since the 1991 Soviet collapse, fed by declining birth rates, a low life expectancy, a spike in emigration, a frayed health care system and other factors. The country — the world's largest — now has just 141.4 million citizens, making it one of the most sparsely settled nations. And experts estimate the population could fall below 100 million by 2050.

At least this paragraph mentions "declining birth rates", although it fails to explain the causes for this phenomenon that I mention.

How bad is the situation?

Last year, President Vladimir Putin called the demographic crisis the country's most acute problem and announced a broad effort to boost the birthrate, including cash subsidies for couples giving birth to more than one child. Women who give birth to their second or third child receive $10,000 vouchers to pay for education or home repairs.

More acute than global warming? My, that's saying something.