Monday, June 21, 2004
I pity the fool...
(thanks to Mr. T...)
I avoided the Clinton "Look at Me!" party on 60 Minutes last night, because I've just had the man up to here. But the promos gave me a little reminder of his personality and a statement he made keeps echoing in my mind:
"Only a fool does not look to explain his mistakes."
After I untangled the negatives in that sentence, I came up with "A wise man explains his mistakes." Is that right? Doesn't a wise man APOLOGIZE for his mistakes?
In contrast is St. Gerard Majella who when falsely accused by a young woman of fathering her child, remained silent when brought before his superiors. He could have denied it, whether or not he was believed, but silent he remained, for two years, when at last his accuser repented and recanted her story. When asked why, he responded "How could I, my Father? Does not the Rule forbid me to excuse myself and to bear in silence whatever mortifications are imposed by the Superior?"
I own (hell, I hold the copyright on) the sin of defending myself. Our society promotes a vigorous victimhood and self-defense. I pray to St. Gerard to open myself to the good suffering of pride battered by the world, receiving the blows as Christ did, in silence.
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posted by Therese Z at 21.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Uh, does this seem a little over the top? (It´s too late for April Fool´s Day)
The Archdiocese of Toronto, Oregon Catholic Press and EWTN have been exposed for promoting artwork filled with satanic pornography. Michael A. Calace (pronounced Ca-LAH-Chay), film producer of motion picture company Silver Sword International, uncovered the scandals, which are distributed via the Internet and in the hymnals, missals and calendars utilized in a multitude of Catholic Churches.
Mr. Calace, an American Catholic and visual artist, used his expertise in deciphering artistic imagery, noting that several images were quickly recognizable, and others purposely camouflaged. He uncovered the trend while in the process of arranging the feature film "Intimate Fear" in Toronto.
"Everything from sexual poses, phallic symbols, profanity, 666's, demonic faces, and well-known occult symbols are present in the pictures, which include the use of children," Mr. Calace said.
Dr. Wilson Bryan Key, famed author, world-renowned professor, and the definitive word on such imagery, examined Calace's findings, giving full corroboration. Upon verifying the images, Dr. Key said that there is "no question it's present" and added, "They're using this to recruit kids and corrupt them."
Sure, I believe the Church is using subliminal messages to entice children (excuse me why I leave the room to have a laugh attack).
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posted by Robert Duncan at 21.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
e-mail seeking suggestions for Catholic radio
Don´t know too much about this, but received this e-mail and thought I´d post it in case anybody wants to contact the person ...
Hello!
Looking for suggestions please.
I have 25 + years of radio experience. My Pastor agrees to let a Parish Committee start a Cathoic radio station. It will be "part 15." Part 15 refers to the FCC rules that allow LOW POWER (1 miliwatt) UNLICENSED operation. The station will have about a mile radius and serve 4000 people.
The Parish/station is in a neighborhood turning Hispanic so the programming will be BI-LINGUAL.
Also - it will not be 100% PREACHING, There will be music - but how much Catholic to how much secular - and what TYPE of music would YOU like to hear? Please give me your ideas. What should be programmed all night? All news? Elevator music? LOUD music? What would YOU do?
Why I'm writing is to ask YOUR suggestions. I don't want to pipe in Mother Angelica 24 hours daily. I have some ideas (otherwise I wouldn't be doing this - right?) but I'd like to hear what YOU would put on a Catholic radio station.
Have you heard the "Starboard" stations, Radio Maria, etc.? What do YOU think of them? Inquiring minds want to know! Thanks!
You can contact me tfji2k.com.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 21.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Saturday, June 19, 2004
A "funny thing" happened ...
Yesterday I wasn´t able to confess with my normal confessor, nor the "normal" substitute. I asked my spiritual director if he had any suggestions, to which he said, why didn´t I try such-and-such church where there plenty of priests, etc. all confessing at the same time.
So I went to such-and-such church late in the evening after a long day at work. Upon entering the church though, thre was a wedding, which meant all the stalls for confessing were empty.
I waited around for a few minutes, not knowing what to do, when I noticed a priest leaving the church. I followed him out, and stopped him on the street to ask about the hours for confessing. To which he then told me that due to the weddings, there were no hours this evening for confessiong ... but he added, that if I didn´t have a problem with confessing on the sidewalk, right where I was, he´d be more than willing to hear my confession.
And that´s what happened, which for me was truly a first. Confession on the sidewalk.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 19.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Friday, June 18, 2004
They just can't leave Mel Gibson alone.
This article, linked by the Drudge Report, starts off this way:
Jesus' story makes Mel No. 1
Then, the first few lines of the article:
Who says you can't achieve fame and fortune with an independent movie, filmed entirely in Aramaic and Latin?
"The Passion of the Christ" did just that for actor-director Mel Gibson.
First, the dominant media tried to shoot down Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" by, as we all know by now, claiming the movie is anti-semitic, and that it would arouse violence against Jews. Of course, there may have been some isolated, nut-case incidents, but certainly not the widespread increase in anti-semitism that we were warned would occur. Thankfully, all the media-manufactured controversy only helped to send more people to the box office.
Now the goal, I think, is pretty obvious: discredit Mel Gibson after the fact as someone who only used Jesus in a self serving grab at achieving "fame and fortune". Notice the word "achieve" in the article. You know, if you really think about it, Mel Gibson was already famous and already extremely wealthy prior to this movie. Would he really need to do this to "achieve fame and fortune?"
Lets keep Mel Gibson and his detractors in our prayers, strength for Mel, and conversion for his anti-Christian detractors.
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posted by Tom at 18.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
I think there´s a lesson here...Chinese Catholics found; 50 Yrs without a priest
For me this is one of those stories that inspire, and especially is worthy of consideration given all the talk about priest shortages...
Hu, a Drung ethnic, also said that local Catholics have not only maintained their faith, they have also evangelized. During winter time when there was no farm work to do, he explained, Catholics would go in groups of two or three to visit and preach to non-Catholic villagers at their homes.
Given the many different ethnic minority groups in the county, Hu said it was hard to use the Bible to evangelize in that area because the Bible is available only in Chinese, Tibetan and Lisu. That is why Catholics here use hymns as a medium to spread the Good News instead, he pointed out. According to Hu, his own 100-year-old father has led other lay leaders in organizing catechism classes in Chinese, Lisu and Tibetan every winter.
Father Paul Chen Kaihua of Kunming diocese in the same province said that after learning about the community from one of his diocese’ faithful, he has been visiting them twice a year since January 2002. Father Chen said he was impressed by their faith. Despite the absence of a priest, he said the number of churches has grown to 15 from the three established before the communists came to power in 1949. The number of Catholics also grew from 1,000 to 5,000, thanks to the laypeople's evangelization endeavor. French missioners served the area before 1949.
The priest recounted that the blessing of two new churches there on May 30 has encouraged the Catholics to continue expanding their community, much as they have been doing in recent years. Father Chen celebrates Mass and administers sacraments each time he visits.
Father John Fang Ping from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China visited Gongshan in August 2002 after a Xinjiang parishioner working in Yunnan told him about the Catholics. Father Fang says it is one of China's poorest counties. "The villagers seldom see a priest. Occasionally, priests from other places pay short visits. So the Catholics usually gather by themselves to pray."
But now, thanks to their efforts, there are two nuns and a minor seminarian studying in Kunming, the provincial capital, and four seminarians studying in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, 1,200 kilometers northeast of Gongshan.
When Father Fang visited the county in 2002, the villagers told him they had just built two new churches but could find no priest to consecrate them. So he blessed the new churches, which are situated above the snow line. He also celebrated Mass with them in Putonghua (Mandarin), the national language, and lay parishioners translated into ethnic languages for the villagers
How much is your faith worth?
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posted by Robert Duncan at 18.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Living Holy Lives
As some of you know from previous posts, one of my chief concerns these days is the future of my children and the homosexual agenda that is having a lot of success these days. I worry about the kind of freedom they will have in the future. Will they be able to practice their Catholic faith freely, openly? Just how demanding will the homosexuals be? Will they require mandatory "diversity" training for everyone in the country, no exceptions? If anyone decides they won't be "trained", will there be penalties such as fines, prison, or maybe even taking your children away from you since teaching them to "hate" may be considered child abuse?
Maybe it will be impossible to get a job unless you sign some government mandated form saying not only that you'll keep your mouth shut, but that you actually approve of their "lifestyle". Maybe we'll be boarded on trains and shipped off to "re-education" camps. I know this sounds radical, and you know what? I hope it is radical. I hope and pray none of this ever comes to fruition.
Today's Gospel Canticle in the Liturgy of the Hours Morning Prayer really caught my attention.
"Let us serve the Lord in holiness, and he will save us from our enemies."
I think it is important always, but especially these days to live our lives in holiness serving the Lord. This gives me great consolation and peace, and if you have the same concerns, I hope this brings consolation and peace to you as well.
God bless you!!
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posted by Tom at 17.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
You are right, these aren´t the Vacation Bible schools I went to
Even churches using Bible school programs designed by publishing companies often add a little flair.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church leaders next week plan to transform their building on West 146th Street in Carmel into a jungle -- complete with erupting volcanoes -- as they feature Lava Lava Island, a program produced by Colorado-based Group Publishing Inc.
Last year, participants walked into the mouth of a whale, said Bible school organizer Sharon Carlstedt. However, her favorite Bible school moment occurred a few years ago when the topic focused on Moses. Organizers used numerous oscillating hoses to recreate the parting of the Red Sea.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 17.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Some famous politicians ... common thread
What do all these people have in common?
Abigail Adams*
John Adams*
John Quincy Adams
Ethan Allen
Chester Bliss Bowles
Harold Hitz Burton
John C. Calhoun
Joseph S. Clark
William S. Cohen
Paul H. Douglas
Emily Taft Douglas
Thomas H. Eliot
Edward Everett
Millard Fillmore*
Benjamin Franklin*
Horace Greeley*
Hannibal Hamlin
Thomas Jefferson*
Edward S. Mason
Wade Mc Cree
Maurine Neuberger
Lucius Paige (1802-1896)
Thomas Paine
William J. Perry
Paul Revere*
Josiah Quincy (1722-1864)
Elliot L. Richardson
Leverett Saltonstall
Francis George Shaw
Col. Robert Gould Shaw
Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965)*
William Howard Taft*
Daniel Webster*
Well, according to this Unitarian site ... they were all Unitarian Universalists (yes, this is a continuation from Therese´s Women, men and goats.
Now, my next question is this...if the above is true, then why do so people many speak about the US Founding Fathers as being Christians, and founding the nation on Christian principles ... or should that be read "christian" (small "c") as in a "gentleman."
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posted by Robert Duncan at 17.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Who do you wish was alive?
Do you wonder what Martin Luther King, Jr., would have achieved, or not achieved, had he lived? I think about him and about others in public life who died too soon. Others that intrigue me are
- Rod Serling
- John Lennon
- Robert Kennedy
There are others who died young or youngish that I think would have not have achieved anything more, like
- Judy Garland
- John Belushi
- President John Kennedy
(Sorry for the emphasis on celebrities, but they're jumping to mind quicker than historical figures.)
Not counting your relatives or any martyrs, who would you like to resurrect? Who can stay dead?
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posted by Therese Z at 16.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Moral automatons Vs "Primacy of Conscience"
If Pell´s words were put into action, that would get maybe once and for all get rid of the Internal Forum problem ... While I at first agree with the gist of the statement, is there a danger of creating moral automatons? Ideas?
"My basic object is twofold: a) to explain that increasingly, even in Catholic circles, the appeal to the primacy of conscience is being used to justify what we would like to do rather than to discover what God wants us to do; and b) to claim that conscience does not have primacy. One should say that the word of God has primacy or that truth has primacy, and that a person uses his conscience to discern the truth in particular cases. Individual conscience cannot confer the right to reject or distort New Testament morality as affirmed or developed by the Church. To use the language of Veritatis Splendor, conscience is 'the proximate norm of personal morality' whose authority in its voice and judgement 'derives from the truth about moral good and evil'"
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posted by Robert Duncan at 16.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
If you see some strange things ...
--- please bear with me, I´m finally getting around to adding a better logo, sizing it, etc. ---
Also, I know the logo/banner on the Homepage isn´t centered. I´ll get that fixed later, but in the meantime, you might want to keep an eye on the Links and News Feed Page where some progess is being made along the line toward a Catholic mini-portal. More newsfeeds, links and buttons, etc. are on the way there. But the main thing is that the page is already working, and at a glance you can see tons of news items from all over St. Blogs...enjoy!
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posted by Robert Duncan at 15.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Imagine if we had Kerry in office at this time.
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posted by Tom at 15.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
I got a question. If the Vatican has pointed out that dropping birthrates is also a byproduct of people getting married later as a related to career-first decisions, what are you parents doing about it?
I´m in my 40s, and with three wee ones. I would have liked to have had my children at a younger age - and I certainly think I would have had more energy for them. Sometimes it even depresses me to think that if they are anything like me, I just might never get to meet my grandchildren. On the upside, we are probably more financially sound than if I would have had children when I was in my 20s (but I don´t think economics should ever come into play - after all, my parents were able to get us kids all raised.)
That said, how do parents balance teaching their children to get good grades, and schooling, and university, which could mean a doctorate, and at the same time have a family?
Is this a silly question? Just curious ...
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posted by Robert Duncan at 15.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Outsourcing - prayers to India
I saw this item about prayers being outsourced to India (which I posted on the News Feed blog), and I don´t know, but this just seems, well kind of strange. Sure, it´s great that we can pray the world over for each other, but am I missing something here - like is there nobody at home willing to pray?
Still, if it´s true that this is coming from the Vatican, then I have to believe there´s a good reason and I´ll try to forget that outsourcing often has to do with cost cutting ...
Priests in India are handling Mass for special "intention" or requests for services to remember deceased relatives and thanksgiving prayers.
In Kerala, which has one of the largest concentrations of Christians in India, churches often receive intentions from overseas.
The Masses are conducted in Malayalam. The intention - often a prayer for the repose of the soul of a deceased relative, or for a sick family member, thanksgiving for a favour received, or a prayer offering for a newborn - is announced at Mass, the New York Times reported.
The requests are mostly routed to Kerala's churches through the Vatican, the bishops, or through religious bodies. Rarely, prayer requests come directly to individual priests
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posted by Robert Duncan at 15.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
How are you bearing that Cross?
We´ve all got Crosses that we must bear. No person is exempt. But it isn´t the size of the Cross that matters, but how we bear it ...
Grant me, Jesus, the Cross with no Simon of Cyrene to help me. No, that's not right; I need your grace, I need your help here as in everything. You must be my Simon of Cyrene. With you, my God, no trial can daunt me.
But what if my Cross should consist in boredom or sadness? In that case I say to you, Lord, with You I would gladly be sad. - "The Forge," 252, Saint Josemaria.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 15.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Monday, June 14, 2004
Women, men and goats
Until very recently, marriage was more about the worth of goats than it was about love.
So says the Unitarian Universalist Association's new handbook on same-sex marriage planning.
I keep this site bookmarked because I have family members who are Unitarians, and I keep hoping that the UUA will do something so dumb that it will insult my relatives' intelligence. Not yet, but I can dream, can't I?
Note that the guide parallels the change in marriage to the development of democracy, as though marriages existed only for the purposes of nailing down one's assets (pardon the pun, now that I look back at it) since 1776. It also infers that marriage "changed" to "become heterosexual." These flights of fancy occur just on page one. I was thinking of fisking it, but I would cry and I have to work. Read it for yourself.
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posted by Therese Z at 14.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Need info on Diocese of Gary, IN
My wife and I are toying around with the idea of moving to Portage, IN which is part of the Diocese of Gary, IN. Does anyone have any information on this Diocese? Does it have a good reputation or a bad reputation as far as orthodoxy and obedience to the Holy Father?
The parish in that town is named Natvity of Our Savior. Does anyone know anything about this parish and it's reputation?
If the reputation of either of the above is not good, please be as charitable as you can in your reply. I'm not looking to launch a flame on either this diocese or the parish.
Thanks in advance for any help anyone may be able to offer.
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posted by Tom at 14.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Eucharist miracles and Corpus Christi
This Sunday, during Mass, the priest spoke of a eucharist miracle that happened in Escorial, to the north of Madrid. I´ve been searching the Internet, and haven´t quite found the same story ... which went something like this: Three Protestant soldiers entered the Chapel at Escorial, and fired shots at the altar, hitting the Consecrated Host, which began to bleed. When the soldiers saw what had happened, they converted to the Roman Catholic Church, and became priests.
I have to admit, I´d never heard of this story, and can´t find it in the Internet... but I did find something similar:
Miracles of the Eucharist of Spain: Three Miracles of the Eucharist in Spain. Daroca: a Miracle of the Eucharist which gave Spanish troops courage to defeat the Moslems. Cebrero: in the mountains. A Miracle of the Eucharist which defeated apathy. El Escorial: a Heretic stomped on a Consecrated Host, causing It to bleed.
Anybody know anything more?
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posted by Robert Duncan at 14.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
A few more changes, and update
I´ve made a few more changes on the website, with links and newsfeeds going to a separate page.
On the Homepage, I´ve left a new message and a few updates ... here are a few snippets ...
So with that in mind, I thought why not give some quick updates on the site. Obviously you´ve seen that I´ve been playing around with things and trying to make it slicker, although I am still using HTML coding. At a future date I´ll probably change that, but for now - or until somebody out there wants to lend a hand - it seems to be working.
I say that it seems to be working, judging that in just over two full months in operation we´ve had almost 7,500 people visit 11,800 pages on this upgraded site, which includes sites also in Spanish.
That said, the most popular sites continue to be those in English, and in particular the Santificarnos blog in English. Still, I have great hopes for the Santificarnos blog in Spanish, and indeed I continue to be talking with some people about the possibility of their incorporating. Let´s see how that plays out.
With respect to the Homepage, I have decided to remove most of the links from this page, and create a separate page, Links, that not only includes links to interesting sites, blogs, etc., but also this page now has several "newsfeeds" from various bloggers. I intend in the near future to have this entire page designed so that a person could at a quick glance see what people thoughout St. Blogs are post. If you have a blog, and RSS or Atom feed, and would like to be included in that page, please let me know. Who knows, maybe in the future - yes it´s still a bit rough right now - this Links page would make a great homepage for St. Bloggers?
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posted by Robert Duncan at 14.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
A Modern-Day Parable?
I was walking outside, where the sun is really boiling down. As I neared an intersection two gypsy men approached, the smaller one was pushing a shopping cart burdened with scrap metal scrounged from dumpsters, and that will later be sold for a pittance. The other, larger man was walking along beside listening to his partner.
The smaller man was complaining about the heat, and the heavy load that he was pushing all by himself.
To which the larger man responded: "If you can´t do the work, then why did you volunteer to help?"
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posted by Robert Duncan at 14.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Sunday, June 13, 2004
My daughter and Mary
I´ve mentioned before that my youngest daughter, who is now 2 1/2 was born very premature and with serious complications. And she also has a special attraction for the Virgin.
For those of you who didn´t know, I´ll make a quick recap, since it relates below to my question: She was supposed to be born in February, but decided in the previous November to come into this world. After breaking water, my wife spent almost all of November in the hospital with tubes feeding her full of liquids, just trying to "hold on." December 3 my daughter was born, with the doctors telling us at first that she wouldn´t live. She was born without oxygen, no heartbeat, and there was brain damage. As the weeks progressed, the doctors began to be more "hopeful," first by telling us that she´d live, but that she would never talk, and walk. All of those "prophesies" are wrong. Today, she talks, walks, and fights with her brother and sister.
And she has a special attraction to the Virgin Mary. I don´t know if it´s something that we have projected, or if it´s something else...
Let me explain. When my daughter was born, I rushed up to the care unit to see her. They were still trying to "reanimate" her. I asked that Holy Water be placed on her. And I prayed to the virgin, dedicating my child to her. I was still officially an Anglican although I was attending with the family the RCC. But in that moment, like many other parents I suppose, I tried to make a bargain. I know it doesn´t work that way. But I was a desperate parent, and I´m just sharing with you. Let´s forget the theology for a moment. I told the Virgin that my daughter was in her hands, and asked that as a mother, if she couldn´t do something. I also promised that I would convert to the RC. I´d already decided a while back that I believed what the RC taught, but who knows, maybe I needed a push.
I then asked for the papers to register my daughter, who wasn´t but 15-minutes old. And wrote her name: Maureen Rose. Maureen for the Virgin (all my children have Gaelic names) and Rose, for the St. Rose of Lima.
As my daughter is getting older, we´ve noticed that she is especially attracted to the Virgin. In our home, she throws kisses to figures of the Virgin, and often comes and leads us by hand to look at a crucifix of Christ in our bedroom.
Sometimes her attraction is even more evident. Such as today in Mass, when she couldn´t keep her eyes off the giant figure of Mary in the altar, and was literally shouting: "Mamma, Mamma! Maria, Mamma." (and no, the "mamma" wasn´t directed to us...she was calling Mary "mamma"). But, to put it into child language, she also looked at the figure of Christ on the Cross, and said, "Ow." Still, she would continually turn back her gaze to Mary.
After Mass, we often go to kiss the Virgin and Christ. And my daughter also ran up to place a very wet kiss on the Mary.
So is it imitation, or is it real. Or do we even need to worry about the difference.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 13.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
For Sale?
This past weekend we´ve taken the decision (more or less) to put up our apartment in the center of Madrid for sale.
It´s a decision that hurts. We´ve done a lot of work on the place, and we are very happy here. It´s an old Victorian style apartment built in the 1890, with around 2,000 square feet and 10-feet heigh ceilings. It´s just off a beautiful plaza with terraces, and playgrounds.
We´ve done tons of work, from putting in heating, to redoing floors, etc., with the main aim at trying to keep the style of apartment to the original.
And now, after three years, we´ve decided it´s probably best for us to sell.
Why? So the children can be closer to their schools. As it stands now, the children have to spend an hour in the morning, and then again in the evening, in school buses. We´re spending close to $1,000 per month just to send the kids to school via bus. Add to that, most of their friends live near their schools, and it seems like a logical decision.
The main problem, however, is that the pricing in the area we are looking averages over 1 million dollars - and I´m not made of gold. I have a well-paying job, but not that well.
But we´ve found out something. Right now, there is a real estate bubble, with the price per sqare meter more expensive where we live, than in the area near our children´s schools. That means, there is a possibility that we could sell at three times what we paid, and which would allow us to buy something.
It´s pretty scary, when looking at numbers.
That said, I think the answer lies in what my wife said_ "We´ll just leave it in the Virgin´s hands."
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posted by Robert Duncan at 13.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Friday, June 11, 2004
A slight modification...and check out News Feed
Since I have a bad habit of posting too much, and that in turn moving some of the more insightful comments from Therese, Tom and Henry, I decided that my general posts and links will go onto the News Feed.
If you look on the right-hand column, you´ll see what I mean. There is a section that says "NewsFeed" with various headlines, that I´ve selected from. If you click on those, you´ll go to a blogspot page, with a bit of the article and the links to article...
I think this format will work, and in fact it´s something that will help me clear things up on some of the other pages. But please let me know what you think.
By the way, if anybody else wants to do something similar it´s actually quite easy. First get the blog´s RSS feed. If it´s a Blogger feed, then convert it at 2RSS.Com
For example my News Feed is on blogger, and it´s Atom feed is http://www.centerleft.blogspot.com/atom.xml which in the 2RSS.Com converter becomes: http://www.2rss.com/atom2rss.php?atom=http%3A//www.centerleft.blogspot.com/atom.xml
With that code, then go to Blogharbor where there is a Javascript generator ...
Insert the above converted RSS/Atom feed into the converter, and you´ll get a generated code, that you can then insert into your blog´s template ...
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posted by Robert Duncan at 11.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
nykola.com | bothering people since 1981
I have found a very interesting blog and added it to my blogroll. Here is the post the first took my fancy: Tools of the 21st Century. The proprietress of this blog is a very articulate and opinionated young lady with all the right instincts and ideas.
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posted by Henry Dieterich at 11.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Moral Monsters: Lack of decency and a throwaway society
Do we have ourselves to blame? Is there any excuse for things that go on around us. Can we just shut our eyes?
I´m tired. Tired of being bombarded by images, like the young girls in the office or the shops that insist on wearing trousers that hit them below their bikini lines. How is a fellow supposed to keep his head clear. Not to mention having Holy thoughts while placing an order. And what is it with these fashions, that stess not only a lack of decency, but a lack of anything finite. Materialism rules.
Coupling a lack of decency with a throw-away philosophy is dangerous. It creates moral monsters.
Like the person who threw a baby in a dumpster outside of Madrid. People were even more shocked when it was found out that the baby´s mother was a young Spanish woman, 20-years old, from a well-off family and attending university.
It appears that she didn´t tell anybody that she was pregant. Nobody knew. Supposedly not even her boyfriend. According to her own testimony, she had the baby in the bathtub, thought it was dead, so she wrapped it up in a plastic bag and put the baby the bottom of her closet. Then she went to sleep. The next morning she went to the university just as if nothing had happened.
Police expressed surprise at her lack of emotion when telling what she´d done. They also say there was plastic in the baby´s mouth, as if trying to prevent it from crying, and it had abrasions. The mother says the baby "dropped."
So I ask again: Do we have ourselves to blame? Is there any excuse for things that go on around us ... or can we just shut our eyes?
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posted by Robert Duncan at 11.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Following on yesterday Word-of-Faith post ...
A big thanks to Ad Limina Apostolorum for sending us a link related to "Word of Faith" theology, and following on yesterday´s post: Word-Of-Faith: We are gods?...
In the wake of publicity associated with a "crusade" to be led by American tele-evangelist Benny Hinn in Brisbane later this month, the city's Archbishop John Bathersby has said he is "disappointed" by people attracted by signs and wonders holding unreal expectations.
"The Church would come down on us like a tonne of bricks if we made outlandish statements proven false because Rome carefully investigates acts of wonder or awe," Archbishop Bathersby told the Courier-Mail.
Faith healer Hinn's Orlando Christian Centre ministry, founded two decades ago, earns up to $100 million a year and is said to have a weekly world TV audience of more than 50 million.
His visit, along with that of fellow millionaire faith healer Kenneth Copeland next month, have been pre-empted by Australian church authorities who believe claims of miracle healings should be investigated by government.
Australian Catholic University theology professor Tony Kelly said despite the church almost accepting a long history of craziness on the fringes, "all types of snake oil" should be treated with extreme caution.
Check out the rest of the article: Archbishop comments on lure of unscrupulous evangelists or the Courier Mail´s article: Churches want faith-healer's claims tested
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posted by Robert Duncan at 9.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Polygamy in heaven?
From a site I just discovered, Happy Christian, there is this link from an en ex-Morman:
Mormonism has a narrow, literal approach to most religious issues, and is authoritarian in the extreme. For example, Mormon theology holds that:
-Mary was a virgin in the sense that she "knew" no mortal, but a physical, anthropomorphic God the Father caused her pregnancy in the usual fashion;
- Christ's resurrection literally occurred and he then literally visited certain people in the Americas who had already established Christian communities here;
- The Garden of Eden is a literal place, located in Jackson County, Missouri;
- Joseph Smith spoke face to face with a physical God the Father and the physical, resurrected Christ, and was commissioned by them to set up the one "true" church, which is the Mormon church;
- God the Father and Christ told Joseph Smith that all of the other churches were "wrong", that their beliefs were an "abomination", and their pastors were "corrupt";
- God was once a man as we are, and we can become gods just as He is;
Infants have no need of baptism because they are not responsible, and every human will have a full chance either in this life, or in the next, to fully understand Christ's message as presented by the Mormon Church, and choose to either accept or reject it;
- Only those who accept the Mormon message will be able to live with God in the highest realm of heaven, known as the Celestial Kingdom;
- Marriage and family bonds will exist beyond death, but only for those who accept Mormonism and qualify to live with God in Celestial Kingdom; and
- In the Celestial Kingdom, polygamy will the dominant if not only form of marriage since more women are likely to qualify for that exalted state than men.
So, why does so much of this have to do with sex?
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posted by Robert Duncan at 9.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
God´s diet?
Malkmus, who said he is not currently affiliated with a specific church, has no formal scientific training. But he does employ a researcher who determined that the Hallelujah diet was deficient in vitamin B-12.
"This shocked me, that God's perfect eating plan could have a flaw," Malkmus said. "But we realized that fruits and vegetables back then were more nutritious because of the topsoil."
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posted by Robert Duncan at 9.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Prayers and Venus (the planet)
"Sukra's (Venus) position made us all organise the puja as it is the planet of prosperity and well-being. We are praying for all the people of the country as this is a rare event and we did not want to miss the opportunity," said Nitai Pandit (Chakraborty), waving a swanky mobile quite conspicuously as he pointed at the sun.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 9.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Faith-based ... prisons
When God Is The Warden
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posted by Robert Duncan at 9.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
A Couple of Items on Southern Baptists
25 years later, passions still strong on Southern Baptists' conservative takeoverIf not for the 1979 meeting, Southern Baptists “would be battling the same issues of the Episcopalians and the Methodists and the United Presbyterians. We would have basically marginalized and homogenized the Southern Baptist Convention into a liberal, moderate denomination with very little impact,” said the Rev. Jack Graham, the convention’s president and pastor of the 22,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.
Allen, then the convention’s president and pastor of the First Baptist Church of San Antonio, sees it differently.
“I’m sad for the fact that the Baptist witness had a golden moment in which we were at our fullest strength, and both our image and the reality was that we were a caring group of people enthusiastic about sharing the message,” said Allen, now 76 and retired in Georgia. “Now, we are at a time when the word Baptist means squabbling and judgmentalism.”
And...
Some Southern Baptists criticize investment in cruise company hosting 'Gay Days' cruise
A Southern Baptist medical and retirement fund for pastors is being criticized within the denomination because it holds $14 million worth of stock in Carnival Cruise Lines, which is hosting a “Gay Days” voyage later this month.
“The Baptists don’t believe in gambling, liquor or pornography, or gays,” said Don Allmon, a deacon at First Baptist Church of Dyer, Tenn. “When I say that, we love gays, but we don’t like their lifestyle.”
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posted by Robert Duncan at 9.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
PBS Portrays Angry Priest As Hero
He´s a slum priest, and proud of it. He says that´s where Christ would be, and he might be right. But he also says some pretty harsh words for the Church, and has some "interesting" ideas regarding Buddha and Muslims...
What's so unique about this scene is, the kids are praying to Buddha in a Catholic school. But that's just fine with Father Joe Maier, who says he doesn't care if the children say their "Hail Marys" to a statue of Buddha as long as they know some prayers to help them deal with life. They live in Klong Toey, amidst poverty, drugs, gang violence, and child sex abuse. Father Maier came here more than 30 years ago and never left.
I´m still trying to figure out the context of the next phrases...
Father Joe went to Thailand with two assignments.
Fr. MAIER: To become a missionary priest and to work with the people and to convert them to Christianity and become holy, I guess. They converted me, though.
JONES (To Fr. Maier): Who converted you?
Fr. MAIER: The Buddhists and Muslims. I've only learned to be a Christian by learning from the Muslims and Buddhists: tolerance and calmness and peace.
I thought maybe I had misunderstand the above, but...
Fr. MAIER: They don't even know Buddhism exists, and Islam, and all these things. Please quote me on this. What are they going to do? Make me live in the slums of Klong Toey with people who kill pigs? Live with AIDS people?
Ms. HALLACY: The Church, the hierarchy in Thailand as well as in the Vatican, think Father Joe is a bit of a loose cannon, a wild card, a fiery, spontaneous guy that's out here, a quintessential slum priest.
Now all that´s missing is the movie...
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posted by Robert Duncan at 9.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
NHL Hires New Commissioner
The NHL has announced the firing of Gary Bettman and the hiring of Tom (Good Form) as its new Commissioner. Tom's first move was to implement the following changes:
1. Any state that does not know what pond hockey is shall have their NHL team disbanded.
2. Any state that does not know what a snowmobile is shall have their NHL team disbanded.
3. Any state that does not know what a salt truck is shall have their NHL team disbanded.
4. Any state that does not know what a wind chill factor is shall have their NHL team disbanded.
5. The NHL Stanley Cup shall never reside in any state that has Palm Trees.
6. The Neutral Zone Trap is henceforth an illegal defense.
7. The Left Wing Lock is henceforth an illegal defense.
[The alarm goes off, and Tom wakes up.] 
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posted by Tom at 8.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
From "The Blog from the Core"
A disquieting & informative, and therefore important, essay by Steve Wood, St. Joseph's Covenant Newsletter, March/April 1998:
I was a Protestant for twenty years before I became a Catholic. Working as a youth leader, campus and prison evangelist, and church pastor, I led many people — including friends and relatives — out of the Catholic Church. Unfortunately, it was surprisingly easy. My formula for getting Catholics to leave the Church usually consisted of three steps....
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posted by Robert Duncan at 8.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Word-Of-Faith: We are gods?
I was raised evangelical, with a strong influence from Assemblies of God, but I have to admit I´d never really heard of Word-Of-Faith theology. Sure, I´d heard of Benny Hinn, Kenneth Hagin and others, but I hadn´t heard this specific of some of their theology....
The other day I was playing around on the Spero Forum and something caught my eye. One of the posters was commenting on how "we are Gods." So I left a comment...and another poster left me a very interesting rundown of Word-Of-Faith theology, which I´d like to share with you...
Kenneth Hagin:
"[Man] was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God's presence without any consciousness of inferiority...God made us as much like Himself as possible...He made us the same class of being that He is Himself...Man lived in the realm of God. He lived on terms equal with God...[The] believer is called Christ...That's who we are; we're Christ" (Zoe: The God-Kind of Life, 1989. pp. 35-36, 41).
Kenneth Copeland:
"God's reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself...He was not a little like God. He was not almost like God. He was not subordinate to God even" ("Following the Faith of Abraham," tape 01-3001, n.d.).
"You don't have a god in you, you are one" ("The Force of Love," tape 02-0028, 1987).
Benny Hinn:
"I am a 'little messiah' walking the earth" ("Praise-a-Thon" on TBN, November 6, 1990).
John Avanzini:
"[The Spirit of God]...declared in the earth today what the eternal purpose of God has been through the ages...that He is duplicating Himself in the earth" ("The End Time Manifestation of the Sons of God," Morris Cerullo World Evangelism tape 1).
Morris Cerullo:
"Did you know that from the beginning of time the whole purpose of God was to reproduce Himself?...And when we stand up here, brother, you're not looking at Morris Cerullo; you're looking at God. You're looking at Jesus" ("The End Time Manifestation of the Sons of God," Morris Cerullo World Evangelism tape 1).
Charles Capps:
"God duplicated Himself in kind!...Adam was an exact duplication of God's kind!" (Authority in Three Worlds, 1982. p.16).
Paul Crouch:
"I am a little god! Critics, be gone!" ("Praise the Lord" program, July 7, 1986).
So this intrigued me a bit more...with the result that following are several more links...
- 1: Word-Faith teachers are famous for the "name it and claim it," "confess it and possess it" theology of greed. Word in Word-Faith does not mean the Word of God, the Bible. It means the words of men, who are in their view, gods. These teachers claim that the spoken words of believers, whether truly Christians or not, activate God. When we do not use our words to activate God, He cannot help us. When we use our confession according to the proper formulas, He is then bound to act on our behalf. Copeland goes so far as to say, "Faith is God's source of power" (Freedom From Fear, 1983. p. 12. emphasis original). Frederick Price says, "Yes! You are in control! So, if man has control, who no longer has it? God" ("Prayer: Do You Know What Prayer Is...and How to Pray?," The Word Study Bible, 1990. p. 1178).
-2: REASON FOUR: It elevates man to equality with Jesus.
A consequence of the 'Jesus-died-spiritually' doctrine is that all born-again Christians stand in the same place of power and authority as Jesus - not by virtue of their unity with Him, but in themselves, as men filled with the Spirit. This would mean that we have already been resurrected from the dead and it only remains for us to gain 'knowledge' of our new condition in order to discard the trappings of the fleshly body and begin living as spiritual gods on earth!
Thus, the Christian walk is one of education in using the same spiritual laws as Jesus in order to dominate the circumstances and do miracles. In Word-of-Faith teaching, believers do not depend on God's own power, nor submit to His will, but feel they have the right to develop their own powers, and to discover the laws governing creation and dominion on the earth.
3: AN EXAMINATION OF THE WORDFAITH MOVEMENT
-4: From Apologetics Index
Also known as "Name-in-Claim-it," "Health and Wealth Gospel," "Positive Confession," "Word of Faith," etc.
Word-Faith teachers owe their ancestry to groups like Christian Science, Swedenborgianism, Theosophy, Science of Mind, and New Thought--not to classical Pentecostalism. It reveals that at their very core, Word-Faith teachings are corrupt. Their undeniable derivation is cultish, not Christian. The sad truth is that the gospel proclaimed by the Word-Faith movement is not the gospel of the New Testament. Word-Faith doctrine is a mongrel system, a blend of mysticism, dualism, and gnosticism that borrows generously from the teachings of the metaphysical cults. The Word-Faith movement may be the most dangerous false system that has grown out of the charismatic movement so far, because so many charismatics are unsure of the finality of Scripture
John Mac Arthur, Charismatic Chaos, p. 290
There are many perculiar ideas and practices in the Faith theology, but what merits it the label of heresy are the following: 1) its deistic view of God, who must dance to men's attempts to manipulate the spiritual laws of the universe; 2) its demonic view of Christ, who was filled with "the Satanic nature" and must be "born again in hell; 3) its gnostic view of revelation, which demands denial of the physical senses and classifies Christians by their willingness to do so; and 4) its metaphysical view of salvation, which deifies man and spiritualizes the atonement, locating it in hell rather than on the cross, thereby subverting the crucial biblical belief that it is Christ's physical death and shed blood, which alone atone for sin. All four of these heresies may be accounted for by Kenyon's syncretism of methaphysical thought with traditional biblical doctrine"
D.R. Mc Connell, A Different Gospel
-5: And this item, which was something that I had noted similarities in the Spero Forum
Word Faith Theology and Mormonism
In his tape, Following the Faith of Abraham, Copeland asserts, "You don't think God created man in His image and created the earth in some other image, huh? There's nothing under the whole sun that's new-This is a copy of home-a copy of the mother planet. Where God lives, He made a little one just like it and put us on it."
Evidently to Copeland, God lives on a big earth just like the smaller one humans live on, since everything images the things of God.
There is a striking similarity here to Mormonism which teaches that "God is supposed to have lived on a planet near a mysterious star called Kolob" (Bruce Mc Conkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 428).
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posted by Robert Duncan at 8.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
It's the reverence that'll get them
Evangelizing is quite the hoot. I had no plans at all to ever evangelize anyone, but it just keeps happening.
There's a dear woman in our office, a true sweet heart, who is a member of a missionary Baptist church of some sort. She does a lot of administrative work for me, and sometimes I'll sit down and help her fold and stuff envelopes or some such, and we often talk about a life of faith, living morals based on belief in God in a forum of simple Christianity. She's obviously been told a bunch of lies about Catholics that she is far too polite to reveal, but she's gotten comfortable talking to me about faith in Jesus, and now the questions have started coming. I can find quotes in Scripture about things, which makes her comfortable. Once we were talking about praying for people who don't seem to change, and I got to tell her about St. Monica, concentrating on the episode in which Augustine sneaks off in the boat, while St. Monica stands on the wrong dock at the wrong time.
The other day a few people in the office, her included, got into a big lively discussion about God, and if He forgave us or understood us. One of the members of the discussion was a Indian (from the continent of India, I mean). I could hear the discussion, but didn't take part.
Eventually, she brought up the discussion, and I realized she didn't know our office mate was Hindu, so I gave her my half-penny version of what Hindus believe about God, and gods. She was dumbfounded and interested. So our talks continue, always rejoicing in the goodness of God.
Well, she went to a wake last weekend for a friend's grandfather, also black. He turned out to be Catholic and a Knight of Columbus, and there was some sort of honorary Knights thing during the wake. A priest came, talked about the late man's goodness and faith, led some prayers, and the Knights did a ceremonial salute, bowing to a crucifix and to the casket in pairs.
First I had to explain the Knights and their keen outfits to her. That was easy; by the way, Fred Flintstone and Ralph Kramden come in very handy when trying to explain fraternal organizations. Then, she found it touching that there were so many white people there, and the white priest seemed to love the deceased so much. I got a chance to say that the parish is our family, and, although we are all sinners, Catholics are Catholics, not matter whether they're white or black. A little touch of the universality of the Church went there, and we went for the home stretch.
Here's the evangelizing kicker: she couldn't get over the reverence, the bowing, the sign of the cross, and best of all, the fact that all the Catholics knew all the prayers, knew what to say, and said it in the same rhythm, starting and ending together. From offhand questioning, I think there was an Our Father/Hail Mary/Glory Be sequence said, Scripture was read beginning with "The Lord Be With You/And Also With You" and ending with "The Word Of The Lord/Thanks Be To God." Impressed isn't the word, she was mesmerized even retelling it to me, all those people praying in unison. How did we KNOW how to do that? I got to explain that I could go to church in France, and even if I didn't understand the language, I knew what to say, because we'd been saying it for centuries. I even got in a little Latin history lesson.
Not one bit of this did I have to study to know. I didn't have to image Scott Hahn in my mind, or St. Thomas Aquinas either. That's important for us to know: we don't have to be experts, with a bunch of answers memorized.
I doubt I brought her any closer to the Church, that really wasn't my goal, but I know I am toppling over every "statue-worship" domino in her head. Tee hee, amen.
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posted by Therese Z at 8.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Are In Vitro Children At High Risk?
This is something that I´ve wondered about for some time...
Leaving to one side for the moment the fact that one can also have a child by adoption, it is strange that no thought is given to the fate of the children conceived in this manner IVF, as though once the horror of spare embryos has been overcome, a child conceived in a test tube is comparable to one conceived normally.
Obviously, I am not referring to emotional differences: a child is always a child, regardless of the way he was conceived. However, we wish to consider if the risks of IVF are such as to impose at least some caution.
Q: What are the risks for children conceived in vitro?
The conclusions verify that "Children who are underweight at birth run the risk of incapacity and death. The use of IVF implies an increase of children who are underweight at birth in the U.S. because it is associated with a high rate of twin births. Until 1997, IVF was the cause of 40% of triple births. Likewise, studies show that there are more underweight children at birth by IVF than in normal pregnancies" [Citation from Schieve, L.A. et al: "Low and Very Low Birth Weight in Infants Conceived with Use of Assisted Reproductive Technology," The New England Journal of Medicine, 2002; 346:731-737].
"Our study suggests that children born by IVF have an increased risk of developing cerebral problems, in particular cerebral paralysis" [Stromberg B. et al: "Neurological Sequelae in Children Born after In-Vitro Fertilization: A Population-Based Study," The Lancet, 2002; 359: 461-5].
"Children conceived with the use of 'Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection' (ICSI) or IVF run a double risk of presenting a greater defect at birth in relation to the general population" [Hansen, M. et al: "The Risk of Major Birth Defects After Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection and In Vitro Fertilization," The New England Journal of Medicine, 2002; 346 (10): 725-30)].
These studies were used in other pediatric journals that emphasized: "In February of 2002, a team of Uppsala, Sweden, referred to a retrospective work on 5,680 children born by IVF: it showed that in general, children born by IVF have greater need for rehabilitation centers in relation to the normal population and the risk (OR) of cerebral paralysis is 3.7. The greatest difference is observed among children of single birth, while the risk of those born as twins is similar to that of the normal population. In an Australian study, 8.6% of children born by IVF had greater defects at birth, double that of the control group" [Koren, G.: "Adverse Effects of Assisted Reproductive Technology and Pregnancy Outcome," Pediatric Research, 2002].
The risk of having a handicapped child by opting for IVF is 11% compared to 5% by normal conception [NN: "Neurological Sequelae and Major Birth Defects in Children Born after In Vitro Fertilization or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection," European Journal of Pediatrics, 2003; 162:64].
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posted by Robert Duncan at 8.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Olympics and Human Trafficking
I would never have associated the Olympics with child trafficking, but according to the Swiss-based Terres des Hommes there is indeed a risk of an increase in child trafficking in the upcoming Greece Olympics, with the children coming from Albania.
Greece has long been a destination for children trafficked by gangs from its poorer northern neighbour, although action by non-governmental organisations and both governments has reduced the phenomenon in recent years, the group said.
In case you didn´t know, global human trafficking is a big problem that brings with it big bucks...
"Global Human Trafficking has assumed the third largest form of illegal trade generating an annual profit between US dollars 5 to 7 billion with a minimum of 700,000 persons trafficked each year.
In Spain human trafficking is usually related to prostitution and the sex industry, with most of the victims being young women that are promised jobs and brought into Spain. Once in the country, the women´s passports are taken from them, and they are told that they have "to work" off debts related to the price of bringing them into the country.
One of the things that I´ve always found very ironic about this, is that it is usually the people from the victims´ very own countries that are "selling" their countrymen. No where is this more evident than in the case of illegal immigrants arriving from sub-sahara Africa.
I remember talking with Red Cross directors last year in the south of Spain, and they mentioned that there has been a sharp rise in women being smuggled across the Straits of Gibraltar.
Often the women were pregnant.
People who don´t know any better claim these women are trying to enter Spain to have children, thinking that their chances of remaining in Spain once the child was born would be much higher. While that may be the case for some, it is actually not what is happening in the vast majority of cases.
Quite often, these women start out their trip wanting to make it to Spain. The trip is expensive, and the human traffickers charge by asking sexual favors, or rape in the worse of cases.
There´s another way illegal immigrants fall into the clutches of traffickers - language. Often illegal immigrants don´t have a grasp on their new language, and so there is a natural gravitation toward people who speak the same language. In other words, there is a natural confidence that is being violated by the traffickers, using common culture, etc., to suck people into trafficking rings.
Here´s a horrific story that shows just how heartless the traffickers can be...
SUZANNE SMITH: It is a chilling fact that traffickers are often the first people to arrive at natural disasters, looking for vulnerable young women for their secretive trade. Here, at the devastating earthquake at Bam, traffickers were there looking for new recruits.
BRIAN ISELIN, INTERNATIONAL LAW ADVISOR TO UN: So they go out of their way to look for places where people are exposed and vulnerable - armed conflict, natural disasters such as the earthquake at Bam. We know traffickers were in within several days getting children out to feed into other trafficking chains, to feed into as adoptions for example.
SUZANNE SMITH: Once here in Australia, their perilous induction into sex slavery begins. Many women are trafficked into legal brothels like these in Melbourne. Former prostitute, we'll call her Nikki, worked alongside a trafficked woman from Russia. She says the life of a bonded sex slave is harrowing.
'NIKKI', FORMER PROSTITUTE: The worst story I heard was of a woman who was 19. She was told she was coming here to do Thai massage. But when she arrived here and realised what she had to do, she refused and so was locked in a room and she was ganged rape for several days by six men. During that time she became infected, as in urinary infection.
She was bleeding and very upset and she still refused to work, so they basically left her alone in a room and they starved her and she had nothing to eat or drink for 10 days and she finally succumbed and did as she was told.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 8.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Monday, June 07, 2004
Religion, Protestants, Politics - Latin America Vs Canada
Here´s a very interesting read on Latin America, and the rising influence of evangelicals in the political world. (Registration required - but worth it)
In countries throughout Latin America, evangelicals such as Vieira are stepping out from the shelter of their churches to enter the fractious world of secular politics. These Protestant Christians are increasingly speaking out, teaming up and getting elected in a region that remains overwhelmingly Roman Catholic.
Their influence extends from that of small-town mayors in the Brazilian interior to the governor of Mexico's Chiapas state. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, although a Catholic, meets regularly with an evangelical pastor to read the Bible and pray.
The sortie into politics follows years of growth among evangelical Christians, especially charismatic and neo-Pentecostal groups, in Latin America. In Guatemala, for example, up to 40% of the nation's 13.3 million people are evangelical Christians. In neighboring El Salvador, nearly a quarter of the 6.3 million people there describe themselves that way.
Now, compare the above to the following item ...
As Mc Gowan has written, the tradition of refraining from religious expressions guarantees a candidate's religious freedom. Declaring one's faith "forces the electorate to consider the acceptability of a candidate's religion, in addition to political philosophy."
While there's nothing wrong with Martin proclaiming he is a believing Roman Catholic or Harper saying he's a devout Protestant, the problem is that voters who pay attention to this sort of thing have narrowed candidates' religious moorings down to church affiliation or patterns of worship, says Clemenger. "We need to probe more what motivates them. How does their faith help them make decisions?
"I think anyone who engages in public life is going to be driven or motivated by something. Call it religion, a world view, an ideology. That's what needs probing. We all agree we are our brother's keeper. The question is, how do we do that?"
Some political leaders, like former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, have gone to great lengths to assure they would never allow their personal religious convictions to cloud their vision or influence their decisions. ("I am a Catholic and for abortion," Chrétien said last year).
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posted by Robert Duncan at 7.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Colombia kidnappers sink to new lows ...
I read this story in Spanish this weekend, and just couldn´t believe it. It sounded like something out of science fiction, and the harvesting of body parts.
This truly is an expecting mother´s nightmare ...
A female kidnapper approached Ms Angela Cartagena as she left a clinic in Central Colombia and offered clothes for her unborn baby and gave her something to drink.
'I didn't think of anything,' Ms Cartegena said. 'I drank it and I felt my eyes getting heavy.'
She woke up in a wooded area near the town of Girardot, 150km south-west of Bogota.
'When I felt my belly, it was empty. And the baby was crying and crying,' Ms Cartagena, speaking faintly from her hospital bed, told local television.
'The last thing I saw, although my vision was blurred, was when she (the kidnapper) left with the baby all wrapped up.'
Police said a group of criminals had cut open her womb with a kitchen knife. The baby boy was eight months developed.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 7.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Catholic Investing: Blessed?
Since its inception three years ago, the no-load value fund ($1,000 minimum initial investment) has outperformed the Standard & Poor's 500 Index by betting on companies that don't violate the core teachings of the Catholic Church. That means staying away from companies involved with abortion, birth control, distributing pornography or whose policies undermine the sacrament of marriage. Companies that provide nonmarital partner benefits, regardless of whether the partner is of the same or opposite sex, are off limits.
The Catholic Values fund generated annualized returns of 10.4 percent for the three-year period ending May 31, vs. annualized loses of 2.1 percent for the S&P 500. The fund, which rates five stars from Morningstar, continues to outpace the broad market this year, returning 6.4 percent through Thursday vs. a 1.1 percent return for the S&P 500.
"Some of our shareholders say we're very blessed," says George P. Schwartz, president of Schwartz Investment Counsel, the fund's manager.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 7.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Police break up demonstration in Barcelona Cathedral
This past weekend around 2,000 illegal immigrants "took" refuge in two churches in Barcelona, including the Cathedral.
The purpose was to force the government to legalize their situation. A few years ago, immigrants staged a similar demonstration for around 45 days, and which included a 10-day hunger strike. That time, authorities reviewed the case of over 30,000 workers, and granted close to 900 illegal immigrants papers.
But this time, things worked out different.
The police first got permission from all the major representatives of the various immigrant groups - and then from the Archbishop´s office as well. Around 3 AM Sunday morning, the police then entered the Cathedral and forced the around 1,500 immigrants (as well as in the other church) to leave.
It appears that only a few of the illegal immigrants were detained. The immigrants have given the government three days to find a solution with respect to the work papers - or they say they will camp out on of Barcelona´s main squares.
It is estimated that there are around 1 million illegal immigrants living in Spain.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 7.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Saturday, June 05, 2004
Pope Swiss Visit: Sounds like the "in-favor" outweighed "nays"
Thousands of young Roman Catholics from across Switzerland gathered in the country's capital Saturday to welcome Pope John Paul II, while several hundred other youths staged a protest.
John Paul, who arrived Saturday for a 1 day stay in Bern, received a rapturous welcome from 10,000 Swiss Catholic youths Saturday evening in a hockey arena. Most were Swiss, but several groups traveled from neighboring Germany and France.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 5.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Bush awards Pope John Paul II Presidential Medal
U.S. President George Bush thanked John Paul II for being a "strong symbol of freedom" able to "change societies and ... the world."
The American chief executive addressed these words to the Pope when awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, at the conclusion of Bush's visit to the Vatican today.
"I bring greetings from our country where you are respected, admired and greatly loved," Bush said.
"I also bring a message from my government that says to you, Sir, that we will work for human liberty and human dignity in order to spread peace and compassion; that we appreciate the strong symbol of freedom that you have stood for and we recognize the power of freedom to change societies and to change the world," he added.
Bush wished to read personally the citation that went along with the Medal of Freedom.
"A devoted servant of God, His Holiness Pope John Paul II has championed the cause of the poor, the weak, the hungry, and the outcast," the president read from the text.
"He has defended the unique dignity of every life, and the goodness of all life. Through his faith and moral conviction, he has given courage to others to 'be not afraid' in overcoming injustice and oppression," Bush added.
"His principled stand for peace and freedom has inspired millions and helped to topple communism and tyranny," he continued.
"The United States honors this son of Poland who became the Bishop of Rome, and a hero of our time," the President concluded.
Receiving the honor, the Pope thanked Bush "for this thoughtful gesture."
"May the desire for freedom, peace and a more humane world symbolized by this medal inspire men and women of good will in every time and place," the Holy Father added. "God bless America!"
Last November, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bipartisan resolution encouraging Bush to award the honor to the Pope.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 5.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Reagan Dies: A few thoughts from my hazy memory
I admit I wasn´t, and am still not, a Reagan fan. Forgive me if I´ve offended anybody, but let me explain ...
Maybe it has something to do with my being a college student when he was president, and finding that my student aid was cut. To finish university I had to take out a ton of student loans, which in the end took me almost 18 years to pay off.
That said, he didn´t strike me as a bad person. Just mistaken when it came to issues relating to social welfare, and my welfare as a student.
Maybe I should just chalk it up to being a college student - college students tend to be anti-administration.
Or maybe my opposition to him had something to do with military spending. It´s funny, but now after twenty-years my memory is a bit hazy.
And while I might not have been a big fan of Reagan, I still didn´t feel like he was personally against me. Maybe it had something to do with growing up and watching TV, and remembering him from Death Valley Days.
In fact, he seemed like a nice grandfatherly type figure. And the great thing about grandfathers is that you can disagree with them, but at the end of the day, you know they are still decent people.
May he rest in peace.
Ronald Reagan (news - web sites), the cheerful crusader who devoted his presidency to winning the Cold War, trying to scale back government and making people believe it was "morning again in America," died Saturday after a long twilight struggle with Alzheimer's disease (news - web sites). He was 93.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 5.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Sorry for light posting ... changes made
Sorry for the light posting, but I´ve been working on the template, trying to clear up some small glitches, etc.
I´ll post more on that, but the main changes involve the Articles page - which I think if you click over there you´ll see the major changes. In a nutshell, I´ve made the page ... well go look and tell me what you think ...
Also, the actual articles I think are a bit spiffier...
The major downside, is that this will change the links to any of the features that you might have linked to. At a future date, the articles date will rotate items off into an archives page.
Also, please check out Herb Ely´s contribution: Workplace Spirituality.
And if you want to see something else that I´m working on, then check out the Beta homepage, which I´m rejigging to include RSS and news feeds from various bloggers, etc. If you´d like your blog´s feed included, then please drop me a line!
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posted by Robert Duncan at 5.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Friday, June 04, 2004
David L. Alexander has all the news on Ave Maria College/University/Pizzaria Saga
The Ave Maria Chronicles: Lawyers, Pizza, and Money
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posted by Robert Duncan at 4.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Sad news
Methodists may split over gays
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posted by Robert Duncan at 4.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
A Bible for all ...
God, Modimo, uZimu, uThixo and uNkulunkulu - these are some of different names attributed to the Almighty and found in a special Bible now moving from congregation to congregation.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 4.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Pope Asks Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church to Be Patient
John Paul II shares the hopes of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church to be established as a patriarchate, but he asks for patience while the proposal is studied.
The Pope is also taking into account the "evaluations" of the Orthodox Churches.
He expressed this today when receiving in audience Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, archbishop major of Lviv of the Ukrainians, with the members of the Permanent Synod of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church.
"I share your aspiration, well-founded in the canonical and conciliar discipline, to have full juridical and ecclesiastical configuration," the Holy Father told his guests.
"I share this aspiration in prayer and also in suffering, waiting for the day established by God in which I will be able to confirm the mature fruit of your ecclesial development as successor of the apostle Peter," he said.
"Meanwhile, as you well know, your request is being seriously studied, also in the light of the evaluations of other Christian Churches," the Pope added.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 4.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
"Devout Catholic" Prime Minister Martin Dares Harper to Surpass Him in Abortion Support
"I think it would be very good if Mr. Harper declared himself personally on a woman's right to choose. Is he in favour, or not? I have already stated my position." These are the words of Paul Martin, the Prime Minister who claims to be a devout Roman Catholic, taunting Steven Harper to out-do him in support of abortion. Martin made the comments after conservative MP Rob Merrifield called on the government to adopt mandatory counseling for women about to undergo an abortion. Informed consent laws are routinely and vigorously opposed by pro-abortion activists
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posted by Robert Duncan at 4.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
So now we know the real reason Bush is meeting Pope John Paul II
He´s after the Catholic vote...if you believe stories like this:
When President George W. Bush visits Rome today, he'll have an audience with Pope John Paul II. But the real audience will be at home, where Bush is battling Democratic Sen. John Kerry for the votes of American Catholics.
Three factors combine to make Catholics a potentially pivotal bloc in the 2004 elections: They're the country's largest religious denomination, with 65 million members; they're a major presence in election-battleground states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania, and they're split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, the only denomination so closely divided.
Pulling them to the left are economic concerns that have long bound blue-collar, ethnic, big-city Catholics to the Democratic Party. Pulling them to the right are concerns over such social issues as abortion and same-sex marriage that draw culturally conservative Catholics to Republicans.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 4.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Thursday, June 03, 2004
Is Tony Blair a "secret" Catholic?
I posted the other day a comment on how some journalists are picking up on the Kerry-Catholic issue and equating that some how to an issue revolving around the UK´s PM Tony Blair possibly having received communion from the hands of Pope John Paul II.
Ad Limina Apostolorum had also noted this trend, and had some speculations. In fairness, I started to leave a comment, and then thought it would be best if I just threw the whole thing out there (and understand I´m not into conspiracy theories, I´m just posting what some fellows - some fringe sites - have been saying)...
If it is true that Tony Blair received communion from the Pope, is the reason because the PM is a Catholic in "secret."
So here are what some sites have said about this issue:
1: An interview with Gore Vidal:
Also among the born-again category, not that kind of protestant, is Tony Blair, who has become likes his wife, Roman Catholic, which is difficult for a British Prime Minister, since the Prime Minister is supposed to be an Anglican what we would call Episcopalian -- as he picks the Bishops of the Anglican Church, so you can¹t have a Roman Catholic picking Anglican Bishops, but he is. So now we have two boys who think "Jesus wants them for sunbeams," who are willing to put at risk -- I¹m extrapolating on my own just from the evidence at hand. This is mostly humorous
2: BLAIR ´SET TO BECOME A CATHOLIC´
Tony Blair is expected to become a Catholic when he steps down
as British Prime Minister, according to a report in Saturday´s London Daily Mirror.
Senior figures in the Catholic Church in England, and friends of the Blairs, say he has wanted to convert for some time but will wait until he leaves office.
Downing Street said his religious leanings were a "private matter". But some figures in the Catholic Church privately say Mr Blair must make a choice - remain an Anglican or convert to Catholicism.
Mr Blair´s wife Cherie and their four children are Catholics. A source close to the Blairs told the Daily Mirror: "He worships with them at Catholic churches."
3: BLAIR SET TO BECOME A CATHOLIC
4: Act of Settlement 1701
But Prime Ministers have more freedoms. They may profess any faith they wish, or none, and remain in office. The current Prime Minister Tony Blair, while notionally a Protestant, is married to a Catholic and has shown an interest in possibly converting to Catholicism himself. This would put him in the curious position of having responsibility for making decisions about the spiritual leadership of a church in which he not only does not believe, but with which the church to which he has so publicly turned has profound doctrinal differences on matters such as apostolic succession and transsubstantiation.
5: The spirit moves him - and cash does too A very interesting read!
6: And this article which says Blair has a history of taking communion at the RCC: The special relationship between Blair and God
The Prime Minister takes from Christianity only those parts that suit him. The trait is illustrated by an episode before the 1997 election. As an opposition MP Tony Blair was accustomed to take communion at his local Roman Catholic church of St Joan of Arc in Islington. But doing so conflicted with rules forbidding non-Catholics from taking part except in cases of ‘grave and pressing spiritual need’. The fact that the non-Catholic in this instance was a likely future prime minister caused Cardinal Basil Hume to write to Tony Blair asking him to desist. It was Blair’s reply that was so striking. He indicated that of course he would comply, but showed dissent by adding, ‘I wonder what Jesus would have made of it.’ The Prime Minister’s biographer, John Rentoul, judged that this letter ‘revealed a theological presumption greater even than Margaret Thatcher’s lecture to the Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1988’.
7: Brittania rules again Blair and abortion
8: Cardinal Acquires No 10 Adviser As Press Secretary Unexpectedly Quits From Ian Paisley no less
9: Row over Anglican Blair's bid to become Catholic - The Times Of India
10: Campbell bans Blair from talking about his religion
AND THAT, my friends is all I´m going to post. That should be enough material to get all of you conspiracy buffs going. And yes, I know there are a million articles out there that suggest otherwise. I just post these articles, to mention that maybe there´s another reason Blair received communion, especially as there is some background chatter. Me, either way, it´s not an issue. I believe it could have been a blessing, and it could have been an "act of faith." Who knows, maybe that was Tony Blair´s not-so-secret conversion ...
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posted by Robert Duncan at 3.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Lotsa confession?
I have the opportunity to go to Confession twice this month, two weeks apart. The sessions are special extra Reconciliations being held during Eucharistic Adoration at my parish, which will occur on First Friday and also on the Feast of the Sacred Heart. It will probably be the same confessor both times, because he's so generous with his time in the confessional, so I won't experience a different "confessor style."
Since I have a short adult track record for Confession, going once a month for just about two years now, I could use a little advice from you more-frequent goers.
I will go this Friday, then let's presume for the moment that in the next two weeks, I will not commit any mortal sin or even any outstanding new venial sin. My life is just not that exciting. Just the same old tired disgusting mean-spirited humiliating sins. How can I make Confession more meaningful? Do I keep track of numbers and kinds more precisely? Or what? Trends or tendencies aren't sins, so they're not confessable. How can I search my conscience more completely in the two weeks between Confessions to make it more meaningful?
It's a scandal how much I love the Eucharist and how much I dislike Confession, and they are both Sacraments. I want to love Confession, and this might be a chance to grow in that love.
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posted by Therese Z at 3.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Live and in person....Jesus!
I know that Jesus is made physically present in a special way in the Eucharist: Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. I know it intellectually and I am grateful to know it in my whole being, with faith and with the help of God's Grace.
But the point is made more forcefully some days at Mass. This morning, I happened to be looking intently* at Father right after the Sign of Peace and he held the Host up a little way from the altar, looked deeply at the Host and said "Lamb of God..." and I realized that Father was talking directly to Jesus, just like he'd look me right in the eye and say my name.
Knocked me spiritually flat in awe. Thank you, Lord, for your continuing love of me, that you teach me your Truth in radiant little bits. I cannot imagine the Splendor of all the radiant bits assembled together in One Great Big Truth in Heaven.
* I think St. Paul would be motioning with his hand here. Why does Scripture repeat so often "looking intently" and "motioning with the hand?"
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posted by Therese Z at 3.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
I´ve posted two new articles ...
I´ve posted two new articles over on the English Articles page ...
"THE END, IS JUST THE BEGINNING: CHAPTER TWO: God Exists, Because I Say So..." Which is my conversion story, and which I´ve serialized. And if that doesn´t grab you - My mom said she enjoyed this month´s item.
"Abortion: A Reconsideration Of "Life Is Tough" Stance" By Matthew G. Collins from Trust the Truth
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posted by Robert Duncan at 3.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
WWJDAAG? What would Jesus do at Abu Ghraib?
I Was in Prison and You Abused Me
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posted by Robert Duncan at 3.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Bare shoulders causing split in Anglican Church
This article talks about problems in an Anglican church with respect to woman not wearing clothing that covers "vital" parts of the body ...
"I do not see anything wrong in wearing fit and trendy clothes to church, except the priests want us to cover our bodies like the Muslims," Miss Angela Ugwueze, of Archbishop Vinning Memorial Church, Ikeja, said.
According to her, it is not what people wear that defiles them but their lifestyle.
The priests should be more concerned about members leading an upright life, she said.
Ugwueze added: "Most ladies wear wedding clothes that are current; nobody wants to wear a 1970 kind of design because you want to satisfy the church.
"But if it means covering the shoulder for the priest to conduct the wedding, I will obey." Miss Uche Egbuna, a member of the Guild of the Steward of St. Michael, St. Paul's Anglican Church, Lagos, argued that ladies wore what they put on, particularly on their wedding day, as it behoved them to look their best on that day.
She pointed out that ladies who wore skimpy clothes to church were only copying the Western mode of dressing, and observed that most ladies wanted to be current in their dressing.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 3.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Tell me how times you go to church, and I´ll tell you how you vote
Or at least that is the basis of this article
Voters who say they go to church every week usually vote for Republicans. Those who go to church less often or not at all tend to vote Democratic.
Forget the gender gap. The "religion gap" is bigger, more powerful and growing. The divide isn't between Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Gentiles. Instead, on one side are those of many faiths who go to services, well, religiously: Catholics who attend Mass without fail, evangelical Christians and mainline Protestants who show up for church rain or shine, some Orthodox Jews. On the other side are those who attend religious services only occasionally or never.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 3.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Prince Charles May Marry Camilla Says Former Archbishop Carey
I had heard last week that the Anglican Church was going to allow Prince Charles to marry Camilla, and just didn´t believe it.
But it certainly looks like I should have given a bit more credit to my source, because things in that area are at least appearing to be heating up.
Prince Charles should be allowed to marry his divorced companion Camilla Parker Bowles, a former archbishop of Canterbury said in comments published yesterday — a milestone in the couple's journey to official respectability.
George Carey, who led the world's Anglicans from 1992 to 2001, praised the "strong loving relationship" of Charles and Parker Bowles.
"He is heir to the throne and he loves her," Carey told the Times newspaper. "The natural thing is that they should get married."
Marriage is a sensitive issue because Parker Bowles is divorced and her former husband is still alive. Charles would be the supreme governor of the Church of England if he took the throne, and some Anglicans remain opposed to remarriage of divorcees.
Carey´s statement was in response to rumors that current Archbishop Rowan Williams could drop objections to the two getting married. The fact that the more conservative Carey´s opinion was asked does show that some people do find this troublesome.
Which makes me suspect somebody sending up a trial balloon to see what the general reaction was. And indeed, there were reports that Williams had finally agreed to allow Charles to wed ... which today´s Guardian shoots down.
Senior Lambeth Palace sources last night authoritatively denied that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has given approval for Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles to marry within the Church of England.
In a report in today's Times newspaper it was claimed that "a friend of the prince authorised to speak on his behalf" - usually code for his former assistant Mark Bolland - had suggested the couple were actively considering marriage and that the church would not object, even though both partners are divorced and, in Mrs Parker Bowles's case, with her former husband still living.
A source very close to the archbishop denied that he had changed his mind or offered the couple any prospect of a church marriage in the immediate or long-term future.
Since both Charles and Camilla are both divorced that could raise some sticky thorns with respect to the monarchy and the Anglican Church, given that if Charles were to be allowed to ascend to the throne, the Anglican Church would then have as it´s head a divorced and remarried King (and I´m not sure the Henry VIII line will work on this one).
Anyway, here´s a bit more from the Guardian article...
There have long been suggestions - always denied - that the prince might choose to remarry in the Church of Scotland, like his sister the Princess Royal, or quietly near his Gloucestershire home. The matter is constitutionally sensitive because Charles will one day be supreme governor of the Church of England.
He has previously made clear that marriage to his long-term partner does not arise and has not been discussed.
Evangelical bishops remain sceptical about the wisdom of allowing the couple to marry, though the rules on the remarriage of divorcees were altered two years ago to permit remarriage in certain circumstances during the lifetime of ex-spouses, provided that the partner remarrying was the innocent party in the breakdown of the earlier marriage.
It was said yesterday that evangelical conservatives would waive their objections provided there was clear repentance by the couple - a highly unlikely eventuality.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 3.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Saudi Police Torture Indian Catholic for His Faith
A Catholic Indian citizen was arrested and tortured in Saudi Arabia because of his faith, according to L'Osservatore Romano.
The semiofficial Vatican newspaper, quoting sources of the Fides missionary agency and the Indian bishops' conference, said that Brian Savio O'Connor was imprisoned about six months ago by the Mutawa, the Saudi religious police.
Taken to the Ali Hira prison in Riyadh, the accused was threatened with death if he did not convert to Islam, his brothers, Raymond and James, said.
The O'Connor brothers confirmed that Brian "has been incarcerated for six months and tortured with the intention of obliging him to abjure his faith," L'Osservatore Romano's Italian edition reported today. Sources said the accused is now in the Olaya prison.
"Officially the Mutawa has accused O'Connor of using drugs and praying to Jesus Christ, accusations which imply he runs the risk of being punished with the death penalty," the Vatican newspaper stated.
"The family says that the proofs of his use of drugs have been fabricated by the police, while it does not deny that Brian is a good Christian," the newspaper added.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 3.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Poll Says Dem Catholics More Catholic Than Republican Counterparts?
You know, this whole thing is really starting to stink, where all politicians are playing the religion card. It just seems to be a vicious circle, which has no led to some people crowing about how they are more in-step with the Church than others.
Don´t get me wrong, I think politicians need to be consistent, and vote if they are Catholic vote in-line with the Church. But creating a survey and checklists?
"To suggest ... that the issue of taking innocent human life is on par and has the moral equivalency of how many television stations somebody owns in Erie, Pennsylvania, is a deliberate attempt to confuse and obfuscate what is the true teaching of the church," said Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa. "They are not morally equivalent issues."
Santorum is a Catholic who stood with the U.S. Conference of Bishops' issues listed in the survey just 40 percent of the time. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, D-Mass., supported the Catholic issues cited in the survey more than any of the other 23 Catholic senators, almost 61 percent of the time. Ranking a close second was Durbin, whom Kerry tapped in April to be a Democratic National Committee co-chair tasked with spreading Kerry's campaign message.
"This is a selective attempt to make John Kerry and a bunch of liberal Democrats who disagree with the church's teaching to look like faithful Catholics," Santorum said.
While Durbin's study weighs each of the issues equally, it notes that the Catholic Church does not: "The (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) has noted that `the defense of human life and dignity is not a narrow cause,'" a preface to the study noted.
Kathie Sass, a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Springfield, Ill. - Durbin's hometown - reiterated that in reaction to Durbin's survey: "This bishops say there are a whole range of issues you must consider. It also says some issues are more important than others, and these are the life issues."
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posted by Robert Duncan at 3.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Church's Freedom in U.S. Threatened, Says Cardinal George
Thank God for Cardinal George. Check out his comments to the Holy Father. The Church's freedom is not only threatened, but rapidly diminishing.
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posted by Tom at 2.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Three of the new priests came from our children´s school!
Bishop Echevarría Ordains 37 New Priests
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posted by Robert Duncan at 2.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Cool!
Amsterdam to See Its First Eucharistic Procession Since 1578
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posted by Robert Duncan at 2.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Kerry's Catholicism: Checked at the door
Now, 44 years later, another Catholic is about to become the Democratic nominee for president. I wish I could be as proud and enthusiastic about that as I was in 1960. Instead, I am embarrassed. Given his beliefs and his voting record, I wish John Kerry professed another religious faith or none at all. I would rather have an agnostic or an atheist in the White House than a person who proclaims himself a Catholic but tosses overboard those parts of Catholic doctrine that are politically inconvenient.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 2.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Bishop Burch argues for inclusiveness ...
"Finally, … Jesus did not teach for three years, and then on the night before he died give us something new … Jesus' whole message was that God lives in, gives life and existence to, everything and everybody. … Not that we must obey his (or the church's) directives in order to get the prize of heaven, but that we already have heaven. Not that God will love us if only we do what is prescribed, but that God already does love us. Not that we shall have eternal life, but that we do. Jesus mission was to help us to see that ... And so, Jesus gave us the Eucharist as a physical reminder of all that he had been teaching his whole ministry. We do not have to make ourselves "worthy" to approach and receive the body and blood of Jesus. The very gift of this sacrament is a statement that we - all of us - already ARE worthy."
"Thus," wrote Bishop Burch, "everybody is worthy, and everyone may receive the sacrament of the Eucharist."
Yes, but does everybody meand "EVERYBODY," or "everyone"?
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posted by Robert Duncan at 2.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
It´s the same everywhere ...
Speaking yesterday at the close of the Ministry's 8th Annual Conference held at itas central church in Paynesville, Apostle Jallah said, Liberians who professed to mean well for the country are all even the most corrupt individuals today.
The Pentecostal prelate said during the reign of president Charles Taylor, many people cried about the monopoly on cement; no pay for civil servants; Lebanese business men taking over the country's economy and the increase in foreign travels amongst others, yet since the departure of Mr. Taylor, corruption in the country has become more than the falling dew.
Expounding on the theme: "The Same Old People", with text drawn from St. John 12, Apostle Jallah said, "those same people are still around."
He said as the country moves through a transition, Liberians who went to Ghana to form a government of inclusion and unity, are the same people who said Taylor was the most corrupt man and that they could bring a change. Yet they are just old wine in new bottles and now in authority.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 2.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Questions the Holy See Is Asking About the Eucharist from Zenit
So start filling out your questionnaires...
A questionnaire sent out by the Holy See to prepare for next year's Synod of Bishops will serve to evaluate how the baptized celebrate and live the Blessed Sacrament.
The questionnaire begins with these three questions: "What importance does the celebration of the Eucharist have in the life of your communities and of the faithful? What is the participation in the Holy Mass on Sundays, on weekdays, in the great feasts of the liturgical year? Are there any approximate statistics in this regard?"
The text constitutes the last chapter of the "lineamenta," or outline, whose answers will be used by the secretariat of the Synod of Bishops to write the working document that will provide the basis for the debates of the synodal assembly.
The assembly, scheduled for Oct. 2-29, 2005, is entitled "The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church."
The introduction to the outline said the document is designed to encourage "episcopal conferences, the Eastern Churches 'sui iuris,' the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, and the Union of Superiors General to invite the participation of all in the Church so that they can enter into discussion and take a pastoral inventory."
The laity can present their answers through their local bishops.
"To properly prepare for the next stage in the synod process, these responses should arrive at the General Secretariat before 31 December 2004," the outline indicates.
Below is the full text of the questionnaire.
* * *
QUESTIONS
1. The Eucharist in the Life of the Church: What importance does the celebration of the Eucharist have in the life of your community and that of the individual believer? What is the frequency of participation at Mass on Sundays? On weekdays? On the major feast days of the liturgical year? Could you supply statistics -- even approximate -- in this regard?
2. Eucharistic Doctrine and Formation: What attempts are being made to transmit the teaching on the Eucharist, whole and entire, to your community and the individual believer? Specifically, how are The Catechism of the Catholic Church, nn. 1322-1419, and the Encyclical Letter "Ecclesia De Eucharistia" being utilized by priests, deacons, consecrated persons and the laity involved in pastoral work? In what way is the formation of faith in the Eucharist being ensured in initial catechesis? In homilies? In the programs of ongoing formation for priests, permanent deacons, and seminarians? Of consecrated persons? Of the laity?
3. The Understanding of the Eucharistic Mystery: What is the prevailing idea on the Eucharist among priests and the faithful of your community: sacrifice?, memorial of the Paschal Mystery?, the precept of Sunday Mass?, fraternal meal?, act of adoration? Other ...? Practically speaking, is any one of these ideas prevalent? If so, what is the reason.
4. The Shadows in the Celebration of the Eucharist: In the Encyclical Letter "Ecclesia De Eucharistia" (n. 10) the Holy Father mentions "shadows" in the celebration of the Eucharist. What are the negative aspects (abuses, misunderstandings) existing in Eucharistic worship? What elements or actions done in practice can obscure the profound sense of the Eucharistic mystery? What is the cause of such a disorienting situation for the faithful?
5. The Eucharistic Celebration and Liturgical Norms: In an attempt to be personal and avant-garde, do priests manifest any attitudes in their celebration of Mass which are explicitly or implicitly contrary to the liturgical norms established by the Catholic Church (cf. The General Instruction on the Roman Missal, Chapter IV; Instruction for Applying the Liturgical Prescriptions of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches)? In your estimation, what are the underlying reasons for such behavior? What elements or actions during the celebration of Holy Mass, and also in Eucharistic worship outside of Mass, according to their respective norms and dispositions, should receive attention so as to highlight the profound sense of this great Mystery of the faith hidden in the gift of the Eucharist?
6. The Sacrament of the Eucharist and The Sacrament of Penance: Conversion is necessary to participate fully in partaking of the Eucharist. What is the faithful's understanding of the relationship between the Sacrament of Penance and the Sacrament of the Eucharist? Holy Mass is also the celebration of salvation from sin and death. For the return of sinners, above all on Sundays, what is provided so that the faithful can celebrate the Sacrament of Penance in time to participate in the Eucharist? Do Christian communities often display a casual approach to receiving Holy Communion or do they unjustifiably refrain from receiving it? What is being done to assist the faithful to discern if they have the proper dispositions to approach this great Sacrament?
7. The Sacred Character of the Eucharist: The Eucharist is the mystery of the Real Presence of God-among-us; at the same time, it is an unfathomable mystery. How should its sacred character be acknowledged? How do priests and the faithful manifest this sacred character in their celebration of Holy Mass on Sundays, weekdays, and major feast days and at other liturgical times during the year? What cultural attitudes and practices obscure this sacred character?
8. Holy Mass and the Celebration of the Word: In parishes awaiting a priest, how widespread is the practice of celebrating the Liturgy of the Word with the distribution of the Eucharist, over which a lay person or Eucharistic minister often presides? What specific formation do those responsible receive? Are the faithful able to understand the difference between such celebrations and Holy Mass? Do they have an adequate knowledge of the distinction between an ordained and non-ordained minister?
9. The Eucharist and the Other Sacraments: To what measure and with what criteria are the other sacraments celebrated during Holy Mass? When the sacraments and sacramentals are celebrated during Holy Mass (Matrimony, Funerals, Baptisms, etc.) with non-practicing Catholics, non-Catholics and unbelievers present, what steps are taken to avoid a casual attitude or even carelessness towards the Eucharist?
10. The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist: Have the faithful in your parishes preserved faith in the Lord's Real Presence in the Sacrament of the Eucharist? Do they have a clear understanding of the gift of the Lord's Real Presence? Do situations exist in Eucharistic Liturgies or the Worship of the Eucharist which might lead to a diminished regard for the Real Presence. If so, what might be the reasons?
11. Eucharistic Devotion: Does the Worship of the Most Blessed Sacrament have a due place in parish life and communities? What importance do pastors give to adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament? To Perpetual Adoration? To Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament? To personal prayer before the tabernacle? To processions on the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ? To Eucharistic devotion in parish missions?
12. Holy Mass and the Liturgical-Devotional Life: Do the faithful understand the difference between Holy Mass and other devotional practices like the Liturgy of the Hours, the celebration of the sacraments and sacramentals outside of Mass, the Liturgy of the Word, processions, etc.? How is the substantial difference shown between Eucharistic celebration and other liturgical and para-liturgical celebrations?
13. Dignity at Eucharistic Celebrations: Is attention given in your Churches to the liturgical environment for Eucharistic celebrations? What is the artistic-architectural setting in which the Eucharistic liturgy is celebrated both on solemn occasions and on weekdays? Do the surroundings give a clear indication that the Eucharistic banquet is truly a "sacred" banquet ("Ecclesia De Eucharistia," 48)? How frequently and for what pastoral reasons is Mass celebrated outside of this place of worship?
14. The Eucharist and Inculturation: To what measure must attention be given to inculturation in the celebration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist so as to avoid a misunderstood creativity which leads to peculiar and strange practices. What criteria are followed in inculturation? In the Latin Church, are the norms proposed in the Instruction "De Liturgia Romana et Inculturazione" given adequate consideration? What is the experience of the Eastern Churches in the inculturation of the Eucharist?
15. The Eschatological Aspect of the Eucharist: Is the eschatological aspect of the Eucharist given sufficient emphasis in catechesis, in ongoing formation, in homiletics and in liturgical celebration? In what way is the eschatological tension flowing from the Eucharist present in pastoral life? How does the celebration of Mass manifest "the Communion of Saints," a foretaste of the eschatological reality?
16. The Eucharist, Ecumenism, Interreligious Dialogue and the Sects: Considering the ideas on the Eucharist held by our separated brothers and sisters in the West and the challenges of other religions and the sects, how is the mystery of the Most Blessed Sacrament preserved and presented in its entirety, so as not to cause confusion or misunderstanding among the faithful, particularly at ecumenical and interreligious meetings?
17. The Eucharist and Ecclesial "Intercommunion": "The celebration of the Eucharist cannot be the starting-point for communion" ("Ecclesia De Eucharistia," 35). How are the norms of intercommunion applied (cf. The Code of Canon Law, canon 844)? Are the faithful aware of the norm that a Catholic cannot receive the Eucharist in communities which do not have the Sacrament of Orders (cf. "Ecclesia De Eucharistia," 46)?
18. The Eucharist and the Moral Life: The Eucharist provides growth in the moral life of the Christian. What do the faithful believe about the necessity of sacramental grace for living according to the Spirit and becoming saints? What do the faithful think about the relation between the reception of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and other aspects of the Christian life: personal sanctification, moral obligations, fraternal charity, the construction of an earthly society, etc.?
19. The Eucharist and Mission: The Eucharist is also a gift for mission. Are the faithful aware that the Sacrament of the Eucharist leads to the mission they have to fulfill in the world, according to their state in life?
20. More on the Eucharist: What other aspects of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, not contained in the preceding questions, should be considered in preparing the Instrumentum laboris which will be discussed during the synodal assembly?
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posted by Robert Duncan at 2.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Pakistani Christian dies after prison beating
For the second time in a month, a young Christian in Pakistan has died of injuries after being beaten by fundamentalist Muslims, the Fides news service has reported.
Catholic World News reports that Samuel Masih died on Friday, after spending several months in a coma after he was savagely beaten by a Muslim jail warden.
Masih was serving a prison term after his August 2003 conviction under the terms of Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 2.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Caught between sparring nations, and all I want is a valid certificate!
Just found out that Spain really is refusing to recognize my marriage to my wife.
Not the marriage in the Church, but as the desk-herders tell us, "that doesn´t help you much."
Nope, what we are talking about here is, our civil wedding. And why might Spain not recognize that marriage? Well, because we got married in Gibraltar - You know, the same place John Lennon and Yoko Ono got married? Sean Connery too was married there.
You see, the problem is that on our wedding certificate, which bears the Apostille from The Hague, and recognized in about 99.99% of the world, also just happens to have in writing that we were married in the "Country of Gibraltar."
I should have known better.
We had problems once before along this line, where we ordinary Joes get caught up in the ongoing political cat-fight between Gibraltar and Spain. The last time that it happened to us, though, was a few years back when we tried to buy a place that was in Spain, but was registered in the "Country of Gibraltar."
So what is the solution? Well, in the apartment scene just mentioned, we had to have new forms issued that said "Gibraltar, a province of the UK," stamped of course with stamps that also say "province" vs "country."
The Madrid desk-herders tried to convince us todday that we had to get married yet again before a Spanish judge, although now they seem to be leaning a bit toward the aforementioned solution. But that of course, that will depend if the British embassy is kind and reissues us a marriage certificate as per the Spanish request.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 1.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
I would have been shocked if he wasn´t ...
Dalai Lama says shocked by prisoner abuse
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posted by Robert Duncan at 1.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Ain´t the tele great?
The fictional version here is directed with great flair by John L'Ecuyer. (It is written by Kent Staines.) He turns the tale into a feel-good, frolicsome tale with a point about tolerance and being Canadian. Deftly using pop colours and dreamy special effects, L'Ecuyer creates a world where the teens are tolerant and the adult, Catholic establishment represents the confused freaks.
As Marc, young Aaron Ashmore is marvelous, a happy kid until he runs into the stonewall of Catholic authority. (The entire cast is great and Tamara Hope as Marc's best friend is excellent as a shrewd, feisty youngster.) There's a marvellous early scene where he tells his parents that he's gay. His mom and dad (Marie Tifo and Jean Pierre Bergeron) look a tad embarrassed that he's brought up the obvious. Marc says, "The thing is, I'm gay." And his mother gently replies, "Your hair. It's blue. And you have a poster of Celine Dion on your wall. We know."
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posted by Robert Duncan at 1.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Excavation begins at synagogue near Auschwitz; seeks artifacts kept from Nazis
Archeologists began excavations Monday at the site of a synagogue near the former Auschwitz death camp, looking for a Torah scroll and other objects missing since the Nazis burned down the building in 1939.
Malgorzata Grupa, the archeologist leading the project, said the only clue guiding the excavation was the account of a Jewish survivor who saw members of his community burying the religious objects in hopes of saving them from destruction by the Nazis.
"We don't have any other information apart from the knowledge that the Torah scroll and the objects were buried in boxes in September 1939 and that an eyewitness is still alive," the PAP news agency quoted Grupa as saying
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posted by Robert Duncan at 1.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Secret UK plan to woo young Muslims gets catcalls
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posted by Robert Duncan at 1.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Shields says contradictions. I say wasn´t this proven false?
In the midst of Mark Shields article Catholic contradictions and politics, we find this gem...
These bishops apparently consider themselves "more Catholic than the Pope."
That's right, "more Catholic than Pope John Paul II." The Holy Father in a private mass at the Vatican last year personally gave communion to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is not only not a Catholic (he's Anglican) but who is also pro-choice.
Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles may have had that Vatican event or a larger Catholic political and social agenda in mind when he recently commented to the National Catholic Reporter that John Kerry would be welcome to receive communion in at his masses, adding: "I'm puzzled by people rattling sanctions at the moment. That has not been our tradition over the years."
And that got me thinking, as I seemed to remember that this was proven false, that Blair instead received a blessing. Blair´s wife and children are Catholic, and it has been said that Blair plans on converting. That said, in a muddled state I also remembered reading an article that said Blair did receive communion, since he was given a dispensation as there are no Vatican churches in the Vatican (Uh, really? How strange is that? Is there a Baptist church in the Vatican?)
So, I really don´t know what the answer is, although this site claims to know ... Did the Pope Give Communion to Tony Blair?
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posted by Robert Duncan at 1.6.04 links to this post 0 comments
Monday, May 31, 2004
Another view of abortion, from Trust the Truth
... I am sometimes asked if I have ever considered the reasons women seek abortions, as if I have no understanding of the tragic circumstances life can involve. I dare to ask them how many babies they've seen die. I've seen hundreds. How many babies have they seen with horrific deformities that defy imagination? I've seen hundreds. How many babies weighing less than 2 pounds have they seen? I've seen hundreds. It is as if I have to present my "I know life can be tough" credentials to them before I am allowed to have an opinion.
While I believe my "I know life can be tough" credentials are significant, they really have very little to do with my opinion about abortion. My opinion is based on the truth of the babies' humanity and the principle that killing people is wrong, even if it means that life is going to get really, really, messy.
My experience in the NICU only serves to confirm the conviction that was already there.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 31.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
European politicians and communion
John Allen has some interesting points in his May 28 The Word from Rome with respect to the different "treatment" Catholic politicians receive from European bishops, as compared to their counterparts ...
In January 2001, Rome's outgoing mayor, Francesco Rutelli, was the candidate of Italy's center-left "Olive Tree" coalition to be the country's next Prime Minister. (Rutelli went on to lose to Silvio Berlusconi). Rutelli's political background was in the Radical Party, which had led the battle for legalized abortion in Italy. As he moved into the mainstream, Rutelli took the classic position of left-leaning Catholics in public life: personally opposed to abortion, but not willing to impose his stance through law.
On Jan. 6, Rutelli and his wife Barbara, who are regular Mass-goers, attended the final act of the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year: the closing of the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica. Despite what in the United States would be termed his "pro-choice" stance, Rutelli came forward for Communion and received it from Pope John Paul II himself.
By itself, the episode does little to indicate the right answer to the communion controversy currently raging in the United States. But it does reflect a striking aspect of the debate, which is that so far it is an exclusively American phenomenon.
Across Europe, there are many Catholic politicians who differ from church teaching on issues such as abortion, gay rights, euthanasia, and stem cell research. One clear example comes in Germany, where Christa Nickels is a deputy in the Bundestäg with the leftist Green Party, which favors marriage rights for homosexuals. Yet Nickels is also a practicing Catholic and the spokesperson for environmental and bio-ethical questions for the Central Committee of German Catholics, a state-sponsored body. To date, no German bishop has suggested denying her communion.
Similar examples can be found in every European parliament. In Austria, the Social Democratic Party supports abortion rights, and features a number of practicing Catholics. In Belgium, the Christian Democratic Party includes Catholics who clash with the church on homosexual marriage and euthanasia.
So why is it just the Americans talking about sanctions?
I put this to Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, who was in Rome May 25 for his ad limina visit to the Holy See. He and I sat down for an interview at the North American College. The full text can be found here: George Interview.
"That's a very good question, and we've raised it ourselves, even with the Roman Curia," George said.
"Of course they're not going to talk about another conference, that's not their job, anymore than they would talk about us to the Belgians or the Spaniards. But they listened, and they noted the fact," he said.
How does George explain it?
"First of all, we're the only country that has said there is a constitutional right to abortion," he said. "Other countries have passed it as a matter of legislative procedure, and therefore they can work with it more easily.
"[Attempts to limit abortion are seen as] against the freedom of women, and freedom is our most important value. We'll kill for freedom, we do it all the time. That's a peculiar cultural situation in our country.
"We also have a political situation that changes culture and laws by crusades. You have ideological movements that are much more single-minded in some ways. Given that, you also have groups eager to capture whatever authority they can from the church, and so you have a politicization of the internal conversation in the church herself that you wouldn't have elsewhere. Not about doctrine, but about pastoral practice.
"For all those reasons, I think we have a unique situation in America, for good or for ill, and you can't easily make the comparison to other places," George said.
I asked if Europe's experience of anti-clericalism also played a role. Perhaps European bishops are more sensitive than Americans to the risk of backlash if the church is perceived as too explicitly political.
"That's an interesting idea. I'd have to think about that, but it makes sense," he said. "I'm somewhat aware of the history of anti-clericalism in France, in Italy, and in Spain, and while I'm not sure what you say is true, it might well be."
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posted by Robert Duncan at 31.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
You heard it here first (like about two months ago)
The NYT has finally noticed the following story ...
Spain's new Socialist government is clashing with the Roman Catholic Church over the administration's plans to allow gay marriages, speed up divorce and make abortion easier to obtain in this traditionally Catholic country.
Like several other European countries, including Germany and France, some regions in Spain already allow "registered cohabitation," which gives same-sex couples some of the same benefits under the law as marriage, according to the Gay and Lesbian Intergroup of the European Parliament. Belgium and the Netherlands allow gay couples to wed, and Finland and Sweden allow "registered partnerships," which confer nearly the same rights as matrimony, the group said.
With regard to abortion, a 1985 law allows women in Spain to seek an abortion in cases of rape or fetal deformity or if the pregnancy endangers the woman's health.
A ban on divorce was lifted after the death of Franco in 1975. But Justice Minister Juan Fernando López Aguilar said Tuesday that he planned to push Spanish law much further. He told a parliamentary committee that the ministry would seek to make gay marriages legal, giving same-sex pairs "the same rights and faculties," like pensions and inheritance, granted to heterosexual couples. The government appears to have the support in Parliament to pass the measures.
What the article fails to mention, is that the same legislation with regard to abortion, will NOT allow a doctor to refuse to perform an abortion ... and indeed could bring fines, and losing license to practise. And if that isn´t an attack on religious beliefs, I don´t know what is ...
As I´ve written here before, with respect to the same-sex marriages, the Socialist party (government) argues they are just legalizing something that is already happening throughout society. And as there are already some provinces where same-sex couples have children, they also believe the same "parenting" rights should be extended to such couples.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 31.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Church of Greece makes move to end Orthodox dispute
The Greek Orthodox Church has taken the first step to repair brittle ties with its mother church in Istanbul, with a compromise move that could spell the end of a 10 month turf war over a number of dioceses.
The Church of Greece and the once powerful but now withering Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul were seen as flirting with schism only a few weeks ago as they fought over who holds sway over 36 bishoprics in northeast Greece.
The simmering row turned into open conflict in late April when head of the Greek Church Archbishop Christodoulos elected some new bishops for the region in a move some called "a coup against Patriarch Bartholomew".
Bartholomew ruled the elections void and stripped Christodoulos of some of his liturgical rights in retribution.
The Greek government became caught up in the fight as a go-between and pressing for a reconciliation.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 31.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Syndicate Us
Just a quick note, on the right-hand in the links section, you´ll find info if you´d like to receive Santificarnos via Atom and RSS or Yahoo.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 31.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
long-distance calling
Anthony Arinze Aduaka's journey to the priesthood, which began in an African parish, ended this weekend at a Cathedral in Lexington.
As 250 worshippers looked on, Catholic Bishop Ronald Gainer ordained the 32-year-old Nigerian immigrant and anointed the new priest's hands with oil.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 31.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Catholic Monks Venture into E-Commerce
The monks had an idea. They could purchase generic printing supplies, then sell them at their own cut-rate prices. The results were astounding. When Laser Monks.com first started two years ago, the business made only $2,000. This year, they're on target to earn between $2 million and $3 million
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posted by Robert Duncan at 31.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Sunday, May 30, 2004
An icon of an Icon
I was reading a book today that dealt with Orthodox Christians, when I came across an idea that I thought was appropriate enough for today ...
The subject was on the theology of icons, and the author noted that for Orthodox Christians an icon isn´t just an image, but is a vehicle that allows us to be closer to God. And in that sense, the Holy Spirit is also an Icon.
In fact, since we are called to be "little" Christs here on earth, I guess that means we are called to be "icons of the Icon."
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posted by Robert Duncan at 30.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
It was just "one" of those masses ...
I have to admit, going to "Children´s Mass" at times really is "bearing my Cross." Enough said ....
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posted by Robert Duncan at 30.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Is it SICKLY, or sickly
The 19th century German nun whose blood-soaked visions of Jesus's death inspired Mel Gibson's film "The Passion of The Christ" will soon be put on the path to sainthood, Catholic Church officials have said.
Anne Catherine Emmerich, a sickly mystic who lived from 1774 to 1824, has already reached near cult status among traditionalist Roman Catholics for her book that gave Gibson the grisly details the Gospels did not provide.
The Vatican says Pope John Paul II will beatify Emmerich for her virtuous life, not her best-selling book, but the Oct. 3 ceremony will further publicize her Passion accounts that some critics denounce as medieval and anti-Semitic.
Oh, thank goodness it "wasn´t for her bestselling book," otherwise we´d have to probably include quite a few other bestsellers out there...Saint Stephen King just doesn´t have the same ring to it for me ...
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posted by Robert Duncan at 30.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Is it just me, or is this headline misleading ...
Doesn´t seem to match this: A panel of U.S. Jewish and Roman Catholic leaders said this month that religious educators should not use Mel Gibson's ``The Passion of the Christ'' alone to teach young people about the Crucifixion.
The Catholic-Jewish Consultation Committee said teachers also should use educational material, such as the U.S. bishops' guidelines on how to depict Christ's final hours, to explain the ``complex historical context of the Passion narratives that no single film could fully convey.''
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posted by Robert Duncan at 30.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Saturday, May 29, 2004
Words I wish I had the nerve to use
Either I can't pronounce them reliably or I can't retain their meaning. An article below (darned if I can find it again) made me assemble a short list of Troublesome Words:
dour (ugly sound, but it's precise)
err (ditto - errrrrrrr)
ebullient
coiffure
ontology (can't get the meaning clear)
hegira (just plain nifty)
concupiscence (much more loaded than just "sinful")
quixotic (can't find a good place for it)
kudos (using the word properly as singular sounds pretentious)
metastasis (I struggled with "aluminum" until I was an adult, too)
For one shining moment in college, I understood the meaning of the phrase
Ontegeny recapitulates phylogeny
but it's gone. Can't even think why I need this, but I can't forget it. It's stuck in the same spot in my brain as ALL the lyrics to "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?" and the Frito Bandito song.
What word is poised awkwardly on the tip of your tongue?
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posted by Therese Z at 29.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
A new meaning for "protester"
Gay Roman Catholics and their supporters will have to get past David Pence on Sunday if they want to take Holy Communion on Pentecost at the Cathedral of St. Paul.
The former 1960s peace activist turned orthodox church layman intends to block the path of people wearing the sashes associated with a gay Catholics group. Pence said he hopes 10 to 20 Twin Cities men will join him.
He calls his protest an "extraordinary measure" to "defend the Eucharist from being publicly attacked." He said he is committed to nonviolence and does not plan on "tackling anyone."
Members of the Rainbow Sash Alliance in the Twin Cities plan to wear sashes to Mass on Sunday. Members of the worldwide movement want "a conversion of the heart" toward the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Catholics.
"At Catholic Charities, anybody who is hungry gets fed," said Pence, a radiation oncologist from Mankato. "But the Eucharist isn't like that. The Eucharist is a restricted meal. The Church has always said you don't come to Communion unless you believe in Christianity the way the Catholic Church has transmitted the tradition."
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posted by Robert Duncan at 29.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Friday, May 28, 2004
Cardinal Arinze explains tough stand on Eucharist
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posted by Robert Duncan at 28.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Another example of attacks on religion
A watchdog group asked the IRS on Thursday to revoke the tax-exempt status of the Roman Catholic diocese in Colorado Springs over the bishop's threat to withhold communion from those who disagree with the church.
Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, said the church should lose its tax-exempt status because it used church resources for political purposes.
Bishop Michael Sheridan wrote in a Catholic newspaper this month that Catholics should not receive communion if they vote for politicians who disagree with the church by backing abortion rights and other topics.
"I believe that Bishop Sheridan, by issuing this document in a church publication in his official capacity as head of a religious organization, may have violated federal tax law and jeopardized the tax-exempt status of the Diocese of Colorado Springs," Lynn said in a letter to the IRS.
So, let´s get this straight ... a bishop shouldn´t be allowed to speak in a church publication, nor in official capacity... because that will violate federal tax laws?
In other words, bishops (and any religious leaders) should only be allowed to speak in private, which I suspect would make Lynn quite happy, since then that would make life just so much simplier, since we wouldn´t have to worry about deeper, moral questions.
And in a related story ...
About 71 percent of American voters believe U.S. Roman Catholic bishops should not publicly pressure Catholic politicians on abortion, according to a survey released Thursday.
And 85 percent said their view of Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) was unchanged by bishops' recent criticism of the Catholic presidential candidate for his support for abortion rights, according to the Quinnipiac University poll.
When broken down by Catholic voters, 66 percent said the bishops should not publicly pressure Catholic lawmakers and 87 percent said the bishops' comments would not influence their vote in November
According to this article, nobody is paying attention anyway to what the bishops are saying, so maybe Lynn shouldn´t be so concerned.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 28.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
I believe this headline needs correcting
President Musharraf Urges For Religious Intolerance
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posted by Robert Duncan at 28.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
I had no idea ...
"I think the finger will protect me through the pains of life," Luk said, adding that most people aren't blessed with the chance to see such a sacred relic.
Beijing flew the finger to Hong Kong on Wednesday -- when locals were celebrating Buddha's birthday -- for a temporary display that critics call a cynical gesture to score political points.
But China's officially atheistic Communist government also may have created a brief surge in spirituality in Hong Kong, which has seen its confidence shattered through several years of sluggish economic growth.
"I'm here to feel the peaceful atmosphere, which is very different from all the noise and disputes in Hong Kong," said 48-year-old accountant Kerwin Leung.
Looking for peace in Buddha's finger Oh, and notice anything about the author´s last name?
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posted by Robert Duncan at 28.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
And from Australia ...
CATHOLIC CHURCH WELCOMES GAY MARRIAGE BAN
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posted by Robert Duncan at 28.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
But aren´t movies supposed to be fantasy?
When star Dennis Quaid, playing a hunky paleoclimatologist, solemnly warns that a massive storm unleashed by global warming is going to plunge the Northern Hemisphere into a new Ice Age — within days! — the real experts nudge each other and snicker.
When helicopters freeze midair and the Atlantic Ocean swamps Manhattan, peals of laughter erupt.
And this from people who firmly believe the movie's underlying contention is true: That climate change is real and will alter the face of the planet.
"If it raises awareness of the issue, I guess it's a good thing," climatologist David Battisti said, searching for a broader meaning after the lights came up on the advance screening Wednesday.
Then he chuckled. "It's so absurd, I don't think anybody will take it seriously."
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posted by Robert Duncan at 28.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Annulment Q & A
I´ve been reading a bit over on the Spero Forum (and commenting a bit), and there are some questions relating to annulments. It struck me that we´ve got plenty of material here. So I decided that I´m going to re-post the links to that material here to make it easier for people to find. Think of this post as a reference tool. I´ll fill this SAME post in over time, and then provide a constant link on the sidebar for those who are interested...
Annulment of a Marriage in the Catholic Church
Procedure for obtaining an Annulment
Important Issues
Annulment process overview
Ten Questions About Annulment
Let's review.....Annulments 101
Annulments as a way to witness?
Witnessing and witnesses
I Want My Sacrament Back!! - Part One
I want my Sacrament back! - Part Two
Annulments as a way for Church to make money?
Annulments And Cost
Catholic Marriage Nullity: I Lived Through It
Chastity
Pure Love
Chastity
Predictors of an ugly divorce
Children of Divorce, Separation or Annulments
The Unhealed Wound: The Damage of Divorce to Children
Divorce and Annulment Support Ministry
Divorce, American-Style
Divorce Statistics Collection
Fun facts about annulments
HOW CAN A MARRIAGE BE DECLARED NULL?
Internal Forum: A valid approach?
David Alexander at Man With Black Hat has got a great post..
Calling Pete Vere...And a few personal thoughts
REVISITING THE "INTERNAL FORUM" QUESTION
The Internal Forum
So is it worth it?
Looking for the ex
Marriage prep
Preparation - what preparation?
Marriage Preparation I
Marriage Preparation I Ia
Questionnaire and Form Examples
20 (million) Questions
More Questions from the Tribunal of Joliet Questionnaire
The last questions from the Tribunal of the Diocese of Joliet
Sample letter to Respondent
Release form for Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Social Worker
Witness statement
Well, this is how an annulment decision reads......
Visiting the psychologist
Reliving the Experience
The Bridegroom and His Bride
Too many annulments?
Santificarnos and Annulments
Catholic Divorce Mills?
More on Henry VIII and annulments
"Why do annulments take so long? Or, how long does it take to get an annulment?"
Convalidation
So what is this thing called "convalidation"...
"Buyer Beware?" Carlos, where are you?
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posted by Robert Duncan at 27.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Fish oil, not papaya? PJPII endorses zone diet?
The Spanish magazine Epoca (in Spanish and subsription required) has an interview with Barry Sears, the founder/creator of the Zone Diet.
In the sidebar, "No Era La Papaya," Sears says it isn´t papaya that has helped Pope John Paul II, but rather high doses of fish oil, which have "powerful anti-inflammatory properties."
According to Epoca, Sear has a close working relationship with the Pope´s medical staff - and not only suggested the Pope try the fish oil, but he also recommended the Holy Father follow the Zone Diet.
Is somebody working for an endorsement here?
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posted by Robert Duncan at 27.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Methodist church playing dirty?
The largest Methodist church in metro Denver is spending thousands of dollars on newspaper ads this week to counter Colorado Springs Roman Catholic Bishop Michael Sheridan's stance connecting voting to Communion worthiness.
The copy shouts, "All Are Welcome at Christ's Table!" and is signed by three clergy and a lay leader from St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Centennial, which draws more than 1,000 worshipers a week.
While the ad makes no mention of Sheridan or Catholicism, senior pastor Harvey Martz said it's a response to the bishop's statement this month that Catholics may not take Holy Communion if they vote for candidates who disagree with Catholic teaching on select issues.
So if it´s a response, doesn´t that mean this ad is meant to sway Catholic voters. Does that then mean Methodists have a special insight into Catholic theology?
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posted by Robert Duncan at 27.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
What´s this all about?
"As soon as I got the "J" word out it was Katie bar the doors. You don't have to run away from Jesus," said Rev. Flip Benham from Operation Save America.
School officials say it wasn't talk of Jesus that forced them to call the police. They say the group made anti-catholic statements to the students. Many of those kids are catholic and were very upset. Police say the group was also violating a city ordinance.
"You can't have a motorvehicle, not in a public park such as Avenue Park," says Capt. Dave Higdon from the Hutchinson police.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 27.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Of course, some people will suggest that the bishops are being used by Fidel
Poor Cuban families will suffer most under new U.S. measures to tighten an economic embargo and price increases imposed by the Cuban government, Cuba's Roman Catholic bishops said Wednesday.
"It hurts us to see that the measures announced by the United States and those taken by the Cuban government affect, directly or indirectly, the poorest families of our nation," Cuba's Bishops' Conference said in a statement released to reporters.
Both governments have taken steps that "inflame the already anguished situation (of Cubans) and aggravate the separation of those who live in Cuba and the United States," the bishops said.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 27.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
You see, it´s not just in the US
The Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales is urging voters to judge candidates for the local and European elections on their moral stances.
The call comes in the church's new pamphlet, Cherishing Life, which warns of a slide towards a culture of death.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, the church's leader in England and Wales, said voters should draw on religious teaching when they come to vote.
The new pamphlet particularly opposes abortion and euthanasia.
It recommends voters ask candidates about their views especially on issues "where innocent lives are at risk".
But as this article is written by the BBC, it of course has to ad a bit more ...
Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris, a member of the National Secular Society, said it was right for the church to get involved in political issues.
But he told Today: "I don't think religion has a monopoly on morality.
"In fact, as far as homosexuality goes, I think the Catholic church's position is immoral, I think it discriminatory and it's unfair...
"Their approach on the use of condoms in Africa I think is causing death actually, rather than proclaiming life because they have a doctrinal position."
Religious groups' concerns should not be given primacy in political debates, argued Dr Harris.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 27.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
I guarantee that ...
The person who came to this site looking for "naughty catholic girls" probably didn´t find what they were looking for ...
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posted by Robert Duncan at 27.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
The "Ave Maria Pass" Revisited
From David Alexander, The Man with the Black Hat ...
Following the unveiling of plans to build an iconoclastic glass structure for a chapel, and a town that is effectively an automobile-dependent "Catholic suburb," three architecture students from Notre Dame came up with an alternative.
The overall site plan proposed by the students, breaks up the suburban monotony into neighborhoods scaled more to people than to cars. Access from residential to commercial to educational usage is more apparent, and more typical of how towns -- specifically college towns -- develop.
The chapel, designed by Matthew Enquist, applies a style of architecture more suited to the climate and heritage of the region. "[O]ur architecture should evolve from the Spanish mission style, which can be found as a regional architectural type... We really enjoyed exploring what kind of architecture and campus environment would reflect the culture and tradition of a Catholic university in Florida," said Enquist."
Besides, it even looks like a church. Duh
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posted by Robert Duncan at 27.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Let's serve the holy popcorn
I am hosting our small Christian Community (SCC) on Sunday evening June 6th. As the host, I get to pick the topic of discussion. We have at least three new attendees, so I am particularly interested in making the subject appropriate for a group that includes people who are immersed in prayer and people who never pray, people who love Jesus and people who refer to "that which you call God," and other extremes.
Our best topics in the past have been prayer and taking faith to work.Our worst topics have somehow drifted into discussion of morals and that goes just horribly with this group, since some are very defensive about what they're doing and are not (yet) interested in discussing Church teaching on life issues.
So, I thought I'd duck the issue this time by showing a video, which we've never done before. I figure we can talk about the video afterwards. Can you suggest any type of Catholic videotape that you've enjoyed seeing? I only own one tape, about prayer and contemplation, but it is a little too quiet and meditative for this crowd. I figure there are two categories:
1. The provoking-discussion kind. Faith, morals (eeek), social justice, the role of Mary, the role of prayer....
2. The purely historical kind. Early Church fathers, lives of saints.
Suggestions? Do I sound a litle desperate? I don't mind discussion, but I don't want any more contention and we've had too much lately.
I'm okay ordering and paying for a tape, if you know of one. I'm made of money.
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posted by Therese Z at 26.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
A coming chastisement?
I'm sorry to sound apocolyptic here, but a thought hit me last night. I have been very concerned as of late over this whole "gay marriage" issue. Couple this with "hate crime" legislation and how it is being used in Canada, and it's not too hard to see a very dim future for Catholics and other Christians here in the USA. Basically, it is going to be illegal to say anything at all against homosexuality.
Well, it occurred to me last night that as the homosexual agenda makes progress, it seems like the peace and security of our country, actually of the whole world gets to be more and more on thin ice. Take a look at this article about growing concerns over terrorist attacks this summer using chemical, biological, or radiological weapons. We're talking about weapons that can wipe out massive amounts of people with one swoop.
Could it be that God is getting ready to chastise the USA because of our growing paganism, and especially because of the aggressive homosexual agenda spreading itself like a cancer across our great country? Could terrorism be the instrument of this chastisement?
Your thoughts?
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posted by Tom at 26.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Looking for a new job? Be very careful before answering that advert
SOS Interpreting LTD and Titan Systems Corp. work under contract with
the U.S. army to supply professional linguists throughout the
world. Based on an initial review of your resume, we would like to
consider employing you. If you are interested in a high paying
salaried position, excellent benefits, and like to travel extensively,
and perhaps re-locate, then please call us for further details.
I like that part about travelling extensively... such as travelling to an infamous foreign prison?
The Army report said that Mr. Israel's statement of ignorance ran contrary to the testimony of several witnesses. It also said he did not have a security clearance, and recommended that he be disciplined.
But if the failure to hold a secret or top-secret security clearance is a prosecutable offense, almost every translator working in Abu Ghraib would be found guilty. The Army records show that, of 15 Titan or SOS translators working at Abu Ghraib prison last fall, only one held a security clearance. Nearly all of them are foreign-born American citizens, and most come from backgrounds that have nothing to do with the sort of government work that would require a security clearance.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 26.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Did you know ...
Remember Dr Carlo Urbani? He was the 47-year-old World Health Organization doctor and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 for his work with Medecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), who discovered the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus in January 2003, only to die just three months later from the disease. His widow, Giuliana Chiorrini, speaks to Inside the Vatican about her husband and his work and the honor of being chosen by the Pope to carry the cross in the Via Crucis on Good Friday in Rome last year
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posted by Robert Duncan at 26.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Bishops regret release of draft Missal text
Bishop Mark Jabalé, Chairman of the Department for Christian Life and Worship, issued the following statement today, in response to the publication by the Tablet of ICEL's first draft translation of the Ordo Missae.
The Department for Christian Life and Worship is disappointed that the Tablet has chosen to publish a confidential draft translation of the Order of Mass.
The confidentiality of the consultative process with such texts is intended to help Bishops consider the matters away from a spirit of controversy fuelled by speculation in the Catholic and secular press; any attempt to cloud this process is therefore to be deplored.
In preparing for their plenary meeting the Bishops consulted widely amongst their diocesan advisers, both clerical and lay.
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posted by Robert Duncan at 26.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
There´s something about the name Catholic ...
There must be something about that word "Catholic." Why else are there so many non-Catholic groups that like using the term in their names? Such as in this article: PROGRESSIVE CATHOLIC DIOCESE TO ORDAIN A WOMAN (Does that mean the others are "regressive?")
The Catholic Diocese of One Spirit is part of a group of ecumenical Catholic faith communities across the nation that celebrate the richness of Catholic spirituality and its traditions. As a generic (i.e., not "Roman," "Coptic," "Orthodox" or other rite) Catholic faith community, One Spirit honors the Pope and other religious leaders, but is not under their jurisdiction nor subject to their canon law nor the guidelines of the Roman or any other individual portion of the Catholic Church. Although One Spirit shares a common Catholic theology and liturgical tradition, it differs significantly in many of the disciplines and rules that govern the Roman rite of the Catholic Church.
One Spirit practices a generically Catholic model of Christianity - as the early Christians practiced it. One Spirit welcomes all Christians to communion and the sacraments. It welcomes divorced and remarried people without the need for annulment, and gay and lesbian people. One Spirit ordains married men and women, and does not dictate what people must believe. The Diocese currently has two bishops and four priests, with others in discernment for ordination.
Funny thing in the corporate world this would probably be an infringement on a copyright of some sort
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posted by Robert Duncan at 25.5.04 links to this post 0 comments
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