National Pagan Reporter
At noon each day, a cannon shot resounds in the Eternal City. It is a reminder to Romans and all Italians of their victory over the papacy and the birth of the Italian Republic more than 150 years ago. Prego.
Closer to our own times, another secular victory approaches in a country no less Catholic than Spain. In late April the lower house of the Spanish parliament gave its preliminary approval -- 183 to 136, with six abstentions -- to a bill that would make Spain the third country in Europe to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry and adopt children. Bravo.
The proposed language of the new civil law would include the phrase: “Matrimony shall have the same requisites and effects regardless of whether the persons involved are of the same or different genders.”
A reformulation of marriage doesn’t come much simpler or clearer. It is another step forward in the global progress of human rights for gay and lesbian people. Spain has come a long way. During the Spanish Inquisition, for instance, while Jews were expelled, “sodomites” were burned at the stake as autos da fe, or “acts of faith.” Only 30 years ago, a fascist dictator ruled Spain. This Spanish turnabout to liberty, represented by the eventuality of gay marriage, is truly remarkable.
When the Spanish Senate votes to approve the measure, Spain will join the list of two other European countries, Catholic Belgium and the Netherlands, which have already legalized marriage equality.
Undoubtedly the impeding reality of Spanish gay marriage is a big defeat for Pope Benedict XVI, formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
Usually the National Catholic Reporter hides their dissident views under a verbiage that obscures a direct rejection of the magisterium of the Church. This outright hawking of same sex marriage and calling it "global progress of human rights for gay and lesbian people" just brings out to the open what they tried to hide under the guise of balance in the past. Do the readers of NCR really need to be reminded that Pope Benedict XVI is the former Joseph Ratzinger? After all they are probably still attending therapy since that event.
All this Catholic ugly talk about gays -- iniquity, virus, moral violence, deeply offensive to morality -- really should not surprise anyone. They are voices from the echo chamber of then-Cardinal Ratzinger and his Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican’s doctrinal enforcement agency.
Meanwhile, let the Roman cannon shot be heard and celebrated in Spain and all around the world [Source]
Of course when a referendum to liberalize IVF in Italy was soundly defeated after both the Pope and the bishop's spoke out against it, I don't remember a similar NCR editorial about a shot heard round the world. This article was written on the 16th of June. Since then the bill was voted down with a 131 to 119 vote in the Senate shortly after a week of demonstrations. You can read an account of one large demonstration by Robert Duncan here. Unfortunately Spain's Senate does not have the power to veto a law and reportedly it will be voted on in the Parliament on June 30th, the same Parliament that already overwhelmingly supported it before.
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I have to ask: why even bother reading the National Catholic Distorter?
Because that's where he gets his "inspiration" (or is it desparation).
I can't beleive this is in a Catholic Newspaper. I knew they held some pretty anti-Catholic views but this seems to outright spit in the face of "then-Cardinal Ratzinger and his Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith," who isn't even referred to as Pope or Holy Father in the article.
Ridiculous.
At what point can someone (who???) step in and not allow the paper to call itself Catholic anymore? I know the Bishop's Conference, f'rinstance, has publicly stated that Catholics for a Free Choice is not Catholic and cannot call itself such. Frances Kissling hasn't changed the name, of course, but it's at least one record that it is not a Catholic group. It seems the same principle should apply here.
"let the Roman cannon be heard"
Hee, hee! Good one... Ah, yes - how does it go?
"Te igitur clementissime Pater..."
It's interesting to read that the Catholics make ugly and demeaning remarks about gays and lesbians. Sometimes the truth is ugly, and it hurts. But then what are these lies from "ugly" reporters? At least Pope Benedict XVI has the courage to define gay lives for what they are. Yet these reporters, lie, distort, and misrepresent almost everything that comes out of the vatican. No one wants the truth. To live and sin in a lie, sanctioned by the government. How comforting.
Anything that gives comfort to homosexuals [perverts] in their lifestyle only makes it difficult for them to leave the road to destruction.
"Let the Roman cannon shot be heard and celebrated in Spain and all around the world." The cannon shot represents breaking away from the Church, i.e. heresy and schism. It's nice to know that a Catholic magazine is condoning, even advocating, breaking away from the Magisterium. These are wolves in sheep's clothing.
In my happily somewhat limited experience, gays and lesbians often make ugly and demeaning remarks about practising Catholics. In fact, they even make floats lampooning them (us) and their (our) beliefs in the annual gay mardi gras in Sydney. Maybe that's why they nearly had to cancel the last one re lack of finance... We live in hope here!
With respect to Barry C. I DO easily believe the article was written and printed in a "catholic newspaper", and for exactly the reasons you cited... It's not for nothing that the main one here is called the "Catholic Weakly" by the few discerning readers it still has. Or our local Diocesan rag (which is all it's useful for; you don't want the dye to run onto you if you keep it in the toilet...) entitled "Aurora" for some reason - it's a fitting name I guess, there being nothing catholic in it in either title or content.
In any case, give Benedict a break, you reporter curds; exactly HOW long has he been in the job??? And how long must we wait until catholic publications have to be annually registered by a Vatican agency for permission to use the word Catholic as such, registered AND monitored by grim appointees of the Holy Father...
It's also a pity Spain seems to be in trouble hierarchy-wise. Less spinelessness thanks, from the only country that's so far managed to fight off the muslim infidel invaders all on its own.
Chuck Colbert is a longtime Massachusetts homosexual activist, and one with a larger than normal chip on his shoulder. See the first article in the link below:
http://www.faithfulvoice.com/canton.htm
The NCRep is a cheerleader for the sexual zeitgeist, and Colbert's shaking his pom-pons for the gay fans. As soon as pedophilia gets more social acceptance, the Reporter will hire somebody to cheerlead the lowering of age of consent laws. Maybe even this guy: http://mcj.bloghorn.com/605
You know--yet another blow for equality and stick to the eye of the ol' Roman Tyrant.
Do all their heros shout: "Sic semper tyrannus!"?
The daily Roman cannon shot represents the founding of the KINGDOM of Italy under slovenly Savoyards, not a republic, which didn't come in until 1946. They can't even get the data right.