John Allen Jr. provides some good analysis on the Popes trip to Cameroon and how the coverage was disparate from the actual reactions to his visit from Africans. Especially interesting is the Pope’s prudent rebuke of former seminarian and strongman who is Cameroon’s President Paul Biya.
Sometimes bad reporting on the Catholic Church is just plain funny for being so bad.
And nowhere is the full impact of the Knights of Columbus’ efforts felt than in the fight against awarding same-sex couples marriage rights.
In what turned out to be the largest total contribution from a single organization, $1.4 million of the Yes on 8 campaign’s coffers came from the tax-exempt Knights of Columbus, based in New Haven, Connecticut. The Catholic Church operates its legislative efforts through the little understood entity, of which nearly all Catholic bishops and priests are members.
Whaaat? “The Catholic Church operates its legislative efforts through the little understood entity”? I guess there is a red phone for the special line between the Pope and the Supreme Knight to discuss their strategies for legislative efforts.
Obscure Catholic group
On its Web site the group proclaims itself as “the strong right arm of the Catholic Church.”
To LGBT activist Jerry Sloan, the group is “an obscure and uniquely tax-exempt insurance company acting under the guise of a fraternal order.”
Rather, one IRS qualifier for the tax-exempt code states, “membership must be limited.” Like the priesthood, the Knights of Columbus membership is restricted to Catholic men. (Oh No! But rather ironic criticism from a male homosexual activist) Among those men are “almost every, if not all, bishops and most priests,” explained Korten.
I don’t know the percentage of Bishops/Priests are part of the KoC, but this sounds like hyperbole.
NOTRE DAME, Indiana, March 20, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – White House Secretary Robert Gibbs stated today that Obama will give the commencement address at Notre Dame University this year. The school confirmed the announcement, stating on its website that Obama will also receive an honorary doctor of laws degree at the University’s 164th University Commencement Ceremony at 2 p.m. May 17 in the Joyce Center on campus.
In 2004, the United States of Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved a policy statement called “Catholics in Political Life,” which says, with reference to pro-abortion politicians, “They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.”
President Obama has been called the “abortion president” by pro-life activists, and his appearance at the university would appear to violate the USCCB’s policy against honoring pro-abortion politicians.
One alumnus from the university has already expressed his displeasure in an open letter sent today to the president of Notre Dame, Rev. John Jenkins.
William Newton, a D.C. area attorney, wrote, “As an alumnus of Notre Dame Law School, I am deeply offended that you would invite President Barack Obama to speak at Commencement this year.” [reference]
As I quipped on Twitter, the only degree Notre Dame should be giving him is the “third degree” for his murderous executive orders. You have to wonder who in the world they could think this was a good idea. Though their annual production of the Vagina Monologue I guess leads to the Obama Monologue for the most radically pro-abortion president in history. To give an honor to a person who recently signed the death warrant for human embryos is pure scandal.
Update: Cardinal Newman Society has setup www.NotreDameScandal.com which includes an online petition to Notre Dame president Rev. John Jenkins, CSC, and contact information for the university
Fr. Philip Powell, OP writes a post to seminarian–diocesan or religious–who is being forced to complete a course in Clinical Pastoral Education and says This post is intended to incite a rebellion.
Last October I read Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle’s Inferno
and really enjoyed it. Though I have been a fan of both of them since the seventies. Inferno is based on Dante’s Inferno and follows a Science Fiction writer who dies and winds up in the Vestibule on the outer edge Hell and is taken through Hell by a guide. They follow Dante’s topography of Hell closely, though do add in some modern elements. They wrote this book back in 1976. I was happy to find at the time that they were writing a sequel and it was released last month.
I just got done reading the sequel “Escape from Hell
” and certainly enjoyed it except for some minor caveats. Again it follows fictional Science Fiction writer Allan Carpenter as this time he tries to further understand the purpose of Hell and to guide people out of it. The whole “Escape from Hell” idea is the bad theology of the book, but it makes for an interesting story. The people they meet in Hell along the way mostly include more modern names and it is rather interesting some of the people they put into Hell and the reason they are there especially one very famous popularizer of science.
Even looking at the books via the lens of Catholic theology they stand up pretty well and the authors did go to some effort to do this as they mention in the notes at the end of the books. I know Jerry Pournelle was raised Catholic, but don’t know if he still practices his faith. Though it was Larry Niven who originally suggested doing the first book. The book is nowhere as theologically rich as C.S. Lewis’s “The Great Divorce” in describing Hell and why people are there. The book though sticks to Hell as seen through Dante’s poem and so they do stick to what the reactions would be in a Hell with that topology and the actual punishments as described by Dante. Plus of course the authors were using this as a vehicle for fiction, not theology.
There is a bit of mention of the priestly abuse scandal in the book, but there are also much more positive examples of priests – even if they were in Hell for another reason. Promoters of junk science and ecological doom were depicted much harsher. There are certainly some interesting historical characters that join Allan Carpenter on his goal to escape Hell that really add to the book.
I did find the mention of Vatican II to be annoying.
“It changed things in Hell?”
“Yes, quite a lot. Many doctrines changed. They came close to abolishing the idea of heresy. Ecumenism everywhere. That’s why we have to organize for new trails. The whole notion of sin and heresy was changed.”
They go on to mention Dignitatis Humanae as if it changed things. Rather silly view for a non-dogmatic council that restated existing doctrine and addressed how the Church is to interact in the modern world. At another point though they point out that the Church does not create new truths, but only reveals what already exists. I had hoped better from Mr. Pournelle who I know is rather conservative generally.
Otherwise, as a book of fiction it was quite enjoyable.
On a side note I bought this book via the Amazon Kindle store to read on my iPod Touch. Recently they added a free Kindle app for the iPhone/iPod Touch that allows you to read books bought from the Amazon Kindle store. The price of the book was much cheaper than the hardcover version that just came out and I had no problem reading it on the iPod Touch’s screen.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently told a group of both legal and illegal immigrants and their families that enforcement of existing immigration laws, as currently practiced, is “un-American.”
The speaker, condemning raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, referred to the immigrants she was addressing as “very, very patriotic.”
“Who in this country would not want to change a policy of kicking in doors in the middle of the night and sending a parent away from their families?” Pelosi told a mostly Hispanic gathering at St. Anthony’s Church in San Francisco.[reference]
This happened 10 days ago. Well glad she can speak for the human dignity of immigrants. Though I would disagree that enforcing our laws is un-American. I thought liberals hated people questioning others patriotism?
Though when it came to the unborn she voted to prevent the ban on partial birth abortion. What value system is that?
She called gay marriage ruling in California as ‘milestone’ What value system is that?
She was thrilled to be at signing of embryonic stem-call research executive order by President Obama. What value system is that?
She wanted to put contraception in to the Stimulus bill. What value system is that.
Whatever value system that is – it isn’t Catholic.
Diogenes responds to those defending the parish worker fired by Bishop Morlino. The parish worker whose thesis called for women priest.
1. Kolpack’s contention that she was not allowed to defend herself is refuted by her claim that Morlino was prepared to let her keep her job if she professed Catholic doctrine. That’s to say, if she was falsely accused of heterodoxy, she could have cleared things up to everybody’s satisfaction by a profession of faith.
2. Kolpack’s “accusers” are likely to be CCD students who came home from her classes with ideas distressing to their parents. Does she really think those eleven or twelve-year-olds should be brought in to confront her?
3. Morlino is obliquely criticized for using Kolpack’s Master’s thesis as a gauge of her convictions. But Kolpack denied the accusations of heterodoxy. Well, child-abusing priests characteristically deny the accusations of abuse. So should a bishop throw up his hands, call it a stalemate, and go home? No, he looks further for impartial testimony. In this case, Morlino was able to refer to an objective and undeniable record of Kolpack’s opinions: her own writing.
4. Morlino has a doctorate in moral theology from Rome’s Gregorian University. While he might well have asked Kolpack to recant her thesis, he would not have asked her to “denounce” it (which is subliterate) or to “refute” it (which is absurd).
5. Kolpack claims that a recantation would put at risk “her reputation as a scholar and academician.” What reputation? A Google search draws a total blank. The fact that she calls herself an academician rather than an academic (which is what she meant) proves that she is neither. There’s nothing wrong with that, but as a motive for her refusal to renounce heresy it’s far-fetched to the point of disingenuousness.
This is getting oh so boring and predictable.
“It is my belief believe that the most effective presence on the front in the battle against HIV/AIDS is in fact the Catholic Church and her institutions. … The problem of HIV/AIDS cannot be overcome with mere slogans. If the soul is lacking, if Africans do not help one another, the scourge cannot be resolved by distributing condoms; quite the contrary, we risk worsening the problem. The solution can only come through a twofold commitment: firstly, the humanisation of sexuality, in other words a spiritual and human renewal bringing a new way of behaving towards one another; and secondly, true friendship, above all with the suffering, a readiness – even through personal sacrifice – to stand by those who suffer”.
So of course we get headlines like “Pope’s attack on condoms sickens Aids campaigners.“
In the past we have got many charges of the pope being responsible for millions of deaths in Africa. I would simply say “Name one country that reduced the HIV infection rate by promoting condoms.” Beeeeeeeep – Time out. The example of Uganda being the only country to reduce infection rates by promoting abstinence and fidelity is a story not allowed to be mentioned.
Mark Shea posted this a couple years ago.
The West’s commitment to sexual promiscuity is a religion that people will both kill and die for.
AIDS victims in 1987: Philippines 135 / Thailand 112
In 1991 the WHO predicted the Philippines would have 80,000 to 90,000 cases and Thailand 60,000 to 80,000 AIDS victims.
Thailand promoted the use of condoms in massive campaigns where Catholic Philippines promoted ‘Abstinence’ and ‘Be faithful’.
The prognosis of the WHO was wrong for both countries:
1999: Philippines 1,005 / Thailand 755,000 AIDS victims
Source: British Medical Journal, volume 328, April 10th 2004
As the Pope mentioned it is certainly not just slogans that will help. Saying be abstinent and be faithful will do little if any good if everything else in the society is saturated with sex and selling sex. Abstinence education in schools in not very effective when the media blares a discordant message 24/7. When the whole society is oriented towards a contrary message we can hardly expect any education to be effective. The Pope’s twofold advice will pretty much go unfollowed as people follow the false and deadly idol of sex without consequences.
As is usually the case the American Papist has excellent coverage.
Amy Welborn also has an in depth post on the subject.
Via Patrick Madrid is this excellent video with Catholic writer Joanna Boogle.
Diogenes posts:
The Association of Compassionate Christian Caregivers today severely criticized traditional Catholic teaching on marital “love” and called upon the churches to encourage wife-beating Africans to take the “prudent, practical steps” to reduce the risk of HIV infection when assailing their spouses.
“The science is not in doubt” says Fizzy Osbourne, spokesman for the International Planned Widowhood Federation, “all the evidence shows that bare fists used to pummel infected spouses cause skin ruptures that increase the rate of transmission to the uninfected partner.”
AIDS experts advise uninfected wife-beaters to don leather bag-mitts — ideally on top of and in addition to standard latex gloves — before striking their HIV-positive wives. Knuckle abrasion and random laceration can be reduced by as much as 94%, which significantly decreases exposure of the aggressor to contaminated blood. ..
Professor Robbie George writes a much nicer letter to Professor Douglas Kmiec than I would be capable of doing. Recently Kmiec made the error of taking what President Obama said about cloning as actually meaning that cloning would not be allowed. I guess that is an easy mistake if you don’t realize that he was talking about reproductive and not so-called therapeutic cloning (clone and kill).
His letter is a nice reminder this Lenten season to not ascribe to malice what might be just ignorance. Though I guess I will have to see the rest of the email volley between to two to make up my mind about that.
Via Blog by the Sea
VATICAN CITY, 16 MAR 2009 (VIS) -This morning in the Vatican the Holy Father received members of the Congregation for the Clergy, who are currently celebrating their plenary assembly on the theme: “The missionary identity of priests in the Church as an intrinsic dimension of the exercise of the ‘tre munera'”. . . .
Benedict XVI highlighted the “indispensable struggle for moral perfection which must dwell in every truly priestly heart. In order to favour this tendency of priests towards spiritual perfection, upon which the effectiveness of their ministry principally depends, I have”, he said, “decided to call a special ‘Year for Priests’ which will run from 19 June 2009 to 19 June 2010”. This year marks “the 150th anniversary of the death of the saintly ‘Cure of Ars’, Jean Marie Vianney, a true example of a pastor at the service of Christ’s flock”. . . .
and
VATICAN CITY, 16 MAR 2009 (VIS) – “Faithfulness of Christ, faithfulness of priests” is the theme of the Year for Priests announced today by the Holy Father, according to a communique issued by the Holy See Press Office.
The Pope will inaugurate the Year on 19 June, presiding at Vespers in St. Peter’s Basilica where the relics of the saintly ‘Cure of Ars’ will be brought for the occasion by Bishop Guy Bagnard of Belley-Ars, France. He will close the year on 19 June 2010, presiding at a “World Meeting of Priests” in St. Peter’s Square.
During the course of the Year, Benedict XVI will proclaim St. Jean Marie Vianney as patron saint of all the priests of the world. A “Directory for Confessors and Spiritual Directors” will also be published, as will a collection of texts by the Supreme Pontiff on essential aspects of the life and mission of priests in our time.
The Congregation for the Clergy, together with diocesan ordinaries and superiors of religious institutes, will undertake to promote and co-ordinate the various spiritual and pastoral initiatives which are being organised to highlight the role and mission of the clergy in the Church and in modern society, and the need to intensify the permanent formation of priests, associating it with that of seminarians.
Cool – on of my favorite saints and the patron saint of parish priests. During the Year of Priests the Pope has asked us all to only eat potatoes just liked St. John Vianney did. Well not really – we don’t want to have all of our teeth fall out also via malnutrition.
One of my favorites books is the one Fr. Rutler wrote called The Cure D’Ars Today: St John Vianney