Punditry

A reader sent me the following article.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Episcopal Church, threatened with losing its place in the world Anglican fellowship in a feud over the Bible and sexuality, is putting its future in the hands of a new leader.

On Saturday, Katharine Jefferts Schori was to be installed in the Washington National Cathedral as presiding bishop, becoming the first female priest to lead a national church in the nearly 500-year-old Anglican Communion.

Jefferts Schori, 52, was bishop of Nevada when she was elected at the Episcopal General Convention in June. She hopes to revitalize Episcopal parishes after years of declining membership and advance the church’s fight against poverty and other social ills at home and abroad.

But internal conflicts are likely to consume much of her time.

The 2.3 million-member denomination, the U.S. wing of Anglicanism, sparked an uproar when it consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, three years ago.

Most overseas Anglican archbishops believe same-sex relationships violate Scripture and they want the U.S. denomination to adhere to that teaching or leave the communion.

By contrast, conservatives are a minority in The Episcopal Church, yet their protests here have had some impact. They have chipped away at the authority of the denomination by withholding money and building alliances directly with like-minded Anglicans overseas.

It will fall to Jefferts Schori to try and reconcile The Episcopal Church with its critics — a job complicated by her personal outlook on sexuality.

Jefferts Schori unapologetically supports ordaining gays and allowing blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples, and she voted to approve Robinson’s election in New Hampshire.

…Jefferts Schori decided to pursue full-time ministry after federal funding for her scientific research dried up. She was ordained in 1994.

Wow, now this is an arguments for Federal funding of scientific research if I ever saw one. The term Anglican Communion is getting more ironic by the day, perhaps Anglican Diaspora would be more accurate.

Gerald posts on the "Catholic-Christian community" of Corpus Christi in Aliso Viejo in the Diocese of Orange, California having a Halloween Mass. Where the parishioners are invited to wear costumes. Afterwards they are planning to carve a "Fred-o-lantern." The following is my favorite part of their notice.

Our God is
not threatened by carved vegetables

Sounds like something for a hymn.

Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
Our God is
not threatened by carved vegetables
Our God is an awesome God

Now it might be one thing if they had specified that they come dressed up as saints, but even that reduces the Mass to that of something less than worship. The idea of a Communion line with witches, ghosts, Jasons, and assorted super heroes and monsters is pretty scary though.

Catholic Church Conservation plays "What it is?" My first thought was a fancy tootsie pop. My second thought was that they were setting up the ball sport played in Battlestar Galactica.

Via Diogenes.

Check out this ad from Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good:

Some things ARE as simple as RIGHT and WRONG

Abandoning the poor is WRONG
45 million Americans without health insurance is WRONG
Torture is WRONG
Government corruption is WRONG
War without a plan for peace is WRONG

Notice anything missing?

It’s always sad when people feign an interest in subjects that bore them. Think of the progressive Christians you know: is there a single one of them who doesn’t convey the attitude that religion is an irritating interruption of more important business?

I guess they now have their own five "non-negotiable" principles now. Once again though they are pointing out things that no politician is running a campaign on. Who is running on a I am for government corruption campaign or where they say vote for me and I will abandon the poor. I missed the campaign of somebody advocating war without planning. "I’m John Doe and I approve this message supporting torture " was an ad I missed.

It seems that the words "Common Good" are the progressive’s latest phrase. I see it used now almost everyday. I guess it replaces the "Seamless Garment", but to the same effect. These magical words turn things like the minimum wage to be the same moral weight as abortion. That healthy young people who normally don’t want to pay for heath care is the same problem as scientists killing human embryos for experiments. They are ruining the phrase common good the same way they ruined the phrase social justice.

If you conducted a Turing test where you had to differentiate between the DNC’s talking points and the talking points of most progressives would it be humanly possible to tell the difference?

JOLIETTE, QC, November 1, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Diocese of Joliette has issued a press release after the mainstream media erroneously reported that the Vatican had given permission for a Catholic priest who supports abortion and homosexual ‘marriage’ to run for public office.

Both a Canadian Press story, published in several papers, and a CBC story claimed that the Vatican granted Fr. Raymond Gravel special permission to run for politics. Gravel is representing the Bloc Quebecois, a separatist party which is also known for its support of abortion and homosexual ‘marriage’.

The first line of the press release from the diocese states: "No ‘green light’ was given by the Vatican." It continues, "The Bishop of Joliette did not receive any permission from Roman Authorities regarding the plans of Fr. Raymond Gravel."

Of course I truly doubt that there will be as many news stories correcting storiest saying the priest had Vatican permission as there were to assert this.

The openly gay Gravel, 54, is a former male prostitute who decided to enrol in a Catholic seminary after suffering a beating that left him near death.

He also supports legalized abortion and the ordination of homosexuals (in 2005, he told a Montreal magazine that 50 per cent of priests in Quebec are gay and that priests in general don’t take their vow of celibacy seriously).

He also once received a disciplinary letter from a cardinal named Joseph Ratzinger, better known these days as Pope Benedict XIV.

The outspoken Gravel, who has also run afoul of his church because of his support for gay marriage, wants to run for the Bloc in Repentigny, a staunchly sovereignist riding just off the eastern tip of the Island of Montreal.

The Star was unable to reach Gravel for comment, but he told Radio-Canada that if the Catholic authorities objected to his desire to run, he would continue in his current vocation.

To have believed the original stories in the first place means that you are also probably corresponding with someone in Nigeria concerning a windfall financial transaction. This premise of the story was so ridiculous in the first place and it just shows you how stupid the MSM is. Sure they have editors, but wouldn’t a story like this require that someone check with the Archdiocese first?

Fr. Gravel saying he would continue in his current vocation is Church authorities objected is a not unsurprising lie. At the time he already knew not that there was no way he was ever to get such permission. Or that he lied about the Vatican permission in the first place is the sure sign of a dissenter. On this rock I will build my Church, sorry it was not on this Fr. Gravel I will build my Church. Even though every dissenter considers themselves infallible.

Update: Diogenes comments on the story and asks the obvious questions.

Unlike I guess every other blogger and their dog I have not yet commented on Kerry’s statement.

First off go over to Happy Catholic for some good comic relief on this subject.

I certainly don’t buy any of Kerry’s excuses or his apology after he said he would not apologize. I have experienced this sort of military sneer first hand in my own life. When I joined the Navy in very liberal Portland, Or the reaction by some was that I must have been forced by a judge or that I didn’t have any other job opportunities. My High School electronics teacher who was the quintessential liberal (though so was I at the time) often made comments to me how I was throwing away my life away and that I would be doing nothing but mopping the deck. I also spent six months as a recruiter where my tires were spiked and our office vandalized in Washington state.

I think this attitude is quite prevalent among many liberals. When Richard Belzer appeared on the Bill Mayer show earlier this year they both disparaged the reason people joined the military and Belzer said "They’re 19 and 20-year-old kids who couldn’t get a job," These statements were welcomed approvingly by the audience, but being a Bill Mayer audience that does not say much. Then there was Donna Shalala who said that "the best and the brightest sons" did not go to Vietnam. Though maybe with John Kerry she had a point.

"I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member, or American who was offended."

So I guess now us military types are to stupid to correctly interpret what he said. I guess some of us must be dumb after all to not get the nuance of his statement. Maybe if I studied the French I would get it. A "retired Army guy" at Michelle Malkin’s site has the same opinion about this part of the apology.

Maybe those serving in Iraq should feel themselves honored instead. After all he didn’t accuse them of cutting off heads and acting like Genghis Khan this time around. He was also slightly nicer than last year when he said "And there is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women,"

Now that I think of it John Kerry is actually making real progress. Going from calling military personnel beheaders acting like a Mongolian warlord, to people who terrorize women and kids, and finally to just people who lack job opportunities is progress indeed.

Another "moral theologian" at Marquette University home of Daniel C. Maguire.

..Father Bryan Massingale, an associate professor of moral theology at Marquette University, wrote a lengthy essay in which he struggled with the idea that "the amendment, read in its entirety, poses a dilemma for many faithful people."

I am too cynical to believe that anytime the word struggled is used with regards to moral theology to think it was much of a fight – especially since you know it is always dissent that wins out. When I hear struggle in these cases I think of Mike Tyson versus Pooh Bear.

"The amendment upholds certain beliefs about the uniqueness of marriage," he wrote in the Sept. 21 issue. "But it does so at a cost, namely, potentially damaging impacts upon the welfare of individuals and their children."

He also dealt with the issue of homosexuality.

"Too often, discussions of this issue treat ‘those’ people – specifically, gays and lesbians – as if they were an alien species," he wrote. "They are not. They are our sons and daughters; our sisters and brothers; our aunts, uncles, and cousins; our friends, neighbors, students and co-workers; our priests, ministers and parishioners. ‘They’ are us!"

Massingale concluded that "voting ‘no’ on the marriage amendment, in my judgment, is the best way to respect all of our Catholic beliefs and values."

A reprint of Massingale’s opinion piece was distributed in bulletins at several local churches.

…Massingale said he believes he retains the archbishop’s respect.

"If he had any concerns about anything I’ve written he would have expressed them to me directly and not done anything through any intermediary," he said. "In fact, he just spoke to me this afternoon (Thursday) and was talking about me speaking at some other engagements here in the archdiocese."

I wouldn’t trust Fr. Massingale in reference to Archbishop’s Dolan. But the following does not look good.

Milwaukee Archdiocese spokeswoman Kathleen Hohl said Massingale is free to speak out on the issues and to share his views at local parishes.

…The Milwaukee Archdiocese Priests Alliance, a grass-roots organization of 140 members, issued a statement this month in which it concurred with Massingale’s analysis, although the organization fell short of calling on voters to reject the amendment.

…In an Oct. 19 letter to the Catholic Herald, Massingale responded to some critics and concluded that "one can believe in what is called ‘traditional’ marriage – and even ‘defend’ it – without supporting this amendment. Indeed, we must not reinforce the institution of marriage through a measure which carries the risk of endangering human well-being."

As Kevin Miller said:

I think that Archbishop Dolan needs to do something major. This is very bad.

GRANADA, October 25 (CNA) – Archbishop Francisco Javier Martinez of Granada has decided to pull his seminarians out of the local Jesuit-run theology program, claiming that "the situation of the Church in the current cultural context requires that our seminarians receive formation in a center run by the diocese."

I think that translates from Bishopese into "My seminarians out outta there."

The archdiocese’s seminarians will now be receiving theological instruction at the diocesan institute named after German theologian Hans Urs Von Balthasar and will be housed in one of the wings of the diocesan seminary.

The transfer of theology students out of the Jesuit-run program completes the transfer of all Granada seminarians into diocesan-run schools. First and second year seminarians had already been moved into Archbishop Martinez’s newly created Edith Stein Philosophy Institute.

The Dean of the Jesuit run School of Theology of Granada, Ildefonso Camacho, told the Efe news agency that the archbishop explained in his letter that he would formally notify the Grand Chancellor of the School of Theology of Granada, Father Peter Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

The Dioceses of Malaga and Almeria have also pulled their students out of the school in recent years and placed them in their own diocesan institutes, although they are under the supervision of the School of Theology of Granada, which is responsible for certifying their theology degrees.

Dean Camacho said he was surprised and saddened by the archbishop’s decision and that the Jesuit school would not supervise the Granada seminarians, since the archbishops’ decision seems to indicate "he does not consider our formation to be adequate."
[Via Angry Twins]

Here is letter by Bishop Michael Sheridan, S.T.D. on Amendment 43 and Referendum I relating to same-sex marriage in Colorado. His letter is very forthright, as he usually is. Though some of it seems more like a blog post than an pastoral letter. He uses Wrong!, Wrong again!, and Wrong yet again in his letter.

The Commonweal blog wasn’t pleased so you know the letter reflected Church teaching.

It is well known that the Bishop has threatened to deny Holy Communion to Catholics who vote for candidates who support same sex marriage, same sex unions, abortion, or euthanasia. Curiously, the Bishop does not support denying Holy Communion to Catholics who vote for candidates who support the death penalty, torture, or unjust war.

Have you ever met anybody that supported unjust war? They also say that the bishop does not support withholding Communion for candidates who support torture. What do they base this charge on? He has never said no such thing. Has there been a Catholic politician in his diocese advocating torture for him to react to? I bet that since his short list on withholding Communion does not include torture that this is their evidence. By this lousy reasoning the bishop also does not support withholding Communion for politicians who support racism, genocide, rape, and murder. Since there post talks only about "death penalty, torture, or unjust war." I guess that proves that this writer does not support withholding Communion from Candidates who want to nuke Iran.

When will progressives learn that to bring up the death penalty whenever abortion is mentioned only shows their ignorance and that by doing this they will not be taken seriously.

There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia.

From that little known theologian Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger who I think had his name change. I agree with what Pope John Paul II wrote in The Gospel of Life, but progressives do little to advance a culture of life when they engage in moral relativism.

A reader sent me a link to NCAN – Nutty Coalition of American Nuns. Well actually replace Nutty with National – but you get the idea. By their links ye shall know them.

* Call to Action
* FutureChurch
* Quixote Center
* The Vatican
* Women’s Ordination Conference
* Women-Church Convergence

How did the Vatican instead of the U.N. slip in there? Yes the typical dissenting I-want-to-be-a-priest nuns.

Now owing to the fact that progressives are always talking about dialogue you would expect to see a comment box on their typepad powered blog. Sorry no dialogue box to dialogue in. In their post on world violence I wanted to bring up the fact that the cheapening of life via abortion, ESCR, etc, and factors like broken families leads to a culture of violence. Especially since they listed such lame factors as separation of church and state contributing to world violence. As if the United States becoming more secular will stop world violence. Yes governments that banned religion like the old Soviet Union, North Korea, and China really contributed to world peace – which is a hard sell to the way over the hundred million that died at the hands of these regimes. They also listed not using the mediation powers of the U.N. – Rwanda anyone? U.N. Observers observing genocide and not doing anything about it is really helpful. Of course they also have the boilerplate "use of inflammatory language by religious leaders of all faiths" I remember the Amish declaring a Holy War, don’t you? Or Catholics demanding that people who slander the Pope be beheaded. And don’t forget Billy Graham and his crusades. Number one on their list is "The ready access to guns" So I guess the Swiss with such a high gun count per capita including some 420,000 assault rifles in private homes makes it the most violent country in the world?

But at least they have taken a firm stand on Bottled Water.

In their post Facts That Cannot Be Ignored

* A single Mother with two children working full-time at the minimum wage of $5.15 an hour makes $10,700 a year which is $6,000 below the poverty level.

* The federal minimum wage has been the same since 1997. In those years the salaries of Senators have been raised seven times. These salaries have gone up about $35,000 or three times the yearly income of a minimum wage worker.

* Raising the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour adds up to more than one year of groceries, over 9 months of rent, and full tuition for a community college degree.

Why only $7.25 an hour? This would come to $15,080 which would still be according to them 1,000 dollars below the poverty level. So they are advocating a minimum wage below the poverty level. I really wonder what state you can get 9 months of rent, over a year of groceries and community college tuition for only $4,380? Community colleges averages more that $2,000. So I guess they are talking about a place where rent is way below 200 dollars so that you still can get those grocery prices into that calculation. Facts that can’t be ignored? How about facts that can’t be take seriously. How about the fact that only 2.2 percent of working adults earn the minimum wage and of those 76 percent of those are not heads of households. Anybody who is still making a minimum wage more than likely has a problem other than the setting of the minimum wage.