Bishop displeased with pope's leadership

By Matt C. Abbott

(RenewAmerica) I very recently asked Bishop Rene Henry Gracida, bishop emeritus of Corpus Christi, Texas, the following question:

Would you say that this pontificate [of Pope Francis] has thus far been more heterodox and confusing than orthodox and edifying?

Bishop Gracida's answer:

Yes!

He added:

Most Catholics are unaware that there have been instances in Church history when a pope either taught heresy, or failed in his duty to suppress heresy. And if it happened before, it can happen again.

For example: Pope Nicholas I said that baptism was valid whether administered in the name of the Three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity or in the name of Christ only. In this Pope Nicholas was mistaken. Baptism in the name of Christ only is not valid.

Pope Honorius, in order to justify a compromise with heretics, said in 634: 'We must be careful not to rekindle ancient quarrels.' On this argument, the pope allowed error to spread freely, with the result that truth and orthodoxy were effectively banished.

St. Sophronius of Jerusalem, almost alone, stood up to Pope Honorius and accused him of heresy. Eventually the pope repented, but died without repairing the immeasurable harm he did to the Church due to his compromising principle. Thus, the Third Council of Constantinople cast its anathema upon him, and this was confirmed by Pope St. Leo II... (continued)

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Pope says baptism is for everyone, even Martians

Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis on Monday declared that everyone has the right to be baptised, even aliens should they come knocking on the church's door.

Christians cannot "close the door" to all those who seek baptism even if they are "green men, with a long nose and big ears, like children draw," the pope said at his daily mass, according to Vatican Radio.

"If tomorrow, for example, an expedition of Martians arrives and some of them come to us... and if one of them says: 'Me, I want to be baptised!', what would happen?" Francis said in another display of his lively sense of humour.

The Argentine pontiff known for his down-to-earth style has often used colourful and humourous expressions to make his points on the direction of the Roman Catholic Church.

On baptism Francis has stressed that it should not be refused, especially to children whose parents may be breaking Church rules such as living together as an unmarried couple.

As for his humour, the first Latin American pope showed it from the beginning right after being chosen leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics in March last year. 

"It seems that my brother cardinals have gone to the other end of the world to get one! But here we are," he told the crowd gathered in Saint Peter's Square.

He later joked with the cardinals over dinner: "God forgive you for what you've done!"

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• Pope says baptism is for everyone, even Martians

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• Pope at Mass: The Holy Spirit makes the unthinkable possible

Mormon church blocks whistle-blower’s access to baptism data

(Tribune file photo) Helen Radkey is a researcher who has publicized the LDS Church's proxy baptisms of Holocaust victims and Catholic Saints. In this 2009 photograph, she goes through some of her numerous boxes of research files on the baptisms that take up part of an extra bedroom in her home.

'In an effort to block posthumous rebaptisms by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Catholic dioceses throughout the world have been directed by the Vatican not to give information in parish registers to the Mormons' Genealogical Society of Utah." - CNS

(The Salt Lake Tribune) A technological crackdown, telegraphed by Mormon leaders, has effectively blocked the pre-eminent whistle-blower of controversial proxy baptisms from accessing the LDS Church’s database that chronicles so-called baptisms for the dead...

Radkey, who surreptitiously uses the account information of Mormon confidants, says the recent names she uncovered — and the swift backlash the news stirred — "shook church officials." Besides Frank, Gandhi and Pearl, the slain Wall Street Journal reporter, Radkey revealed that the deceased parents of famed Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal had been baptized by proxy in Mormon temples.

"Obviously, they have been very concerned about the data that has been coming out and said, ‘We have do something about it,’ " Radkey says, adding "of course" they are targeting me...  (continued)

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• Mormon church blocks whistle-blower’s access to baptism data

Related:

• Mormon Leaders Warn Followers To Stop Controversial Baptisms
• Vatican letter directs bishops to keep parish records from Mormons
• Mitt Romney: Jesus Will Reign in Missouri and Jerusalem
• Congregation For the Doctrine of the Faith:  Response to a 'Dubium' on the validity of baptism conferred by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, called Mormons

Mormon Leaders Warn Followers To Stop Controversial Baptisms

by Howard Berkes

(NPR) Mormons around the world are getting this warning Sunday: Stop posthumous baptisms of "unauthorized groups, such as celebrities and Jewish Holocaust victims."

"Our preeminent obligation is to seek out and identify our own ancestors," says a letter to be read in every Mormon congregation. "Those whose names are submitted for proxy [baptisms] should be related to the submitter."

Mormons who continue to embarrass the faith by submitting the names of celebrities and Holocaust victims for the proxy baptism rite will lose access to the Mormon genealogical records, the letter warns. "Other corrective action may also be taken," it says.

The letter is signed by church President Thomas Monson and his two "counselors" in the Mormon First Presidency, the top leadership of the faith...

The controversial practice has even touched the presidential campaign of Republican Mitt Romney, a faithful Mormon. Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel called on Romney to denounce inappropriate baptisms after discovering Wiesel family members had been posthumously baptized.

Romney's campaign referred questions about Wiesel's statement to the Mormon Church...

Mormon policy, as the letter restates, is to confine the baptisms to ancestors, but as recently as 2009, one of the highest-ranking leaders of the church indicated otherwise.

Quentin Cook is one of the faith's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the group at the top of church leadership. During a tour of a new Mormon Temple in Draper, Utah, Cook described the posthumous baptism practice and belief.

"We concentrate first of all on our ancestors and then for the people in the world at large," Cook told NPR...

Link:

• Mormon Leaders Warn Followers To Stop Controversial Baptisms

Related:

• Mitt Romney: Jesus Will Reign in Missouri and Jerusalem
• Vatican letter directs bishops to keep parish records from Mormons 
• Congregation For the Doctrine of the Faith:  Response to a 'Dubium' on the validity of baptism conferred by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, called Mormons

Princess Diana posthumously baptised as a Mormon

(Monsters & Critics) Britain's late Princess Diana has been posthumously baptised a Mormon.

The royal - who was killed in a Paris car crash in August 1997 - was 'baptised' by the church after her death, even though she didn't belong to the religion.

Diana - former wife of heir to the throne Prince Charles - was listed by her maiden name, Diana Frances Spencer, with her address as the family seat of Althorp, Northamptonshire.

Her file also includes her birth and death date, according to the Daily Mail newspaper.

Other late stars to have been 'baptised' posthumously include Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth.

The Mormon Church believes that in the afterlife no one is beyond redemption, no matter how evil they were, so the list also includes Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

Helen Radkey has been investigating the Mormon Church - which is one of the world's fastest growing religions with 14 million followers, almost half in the US.

Using a computer log-on passed to her by a disaffected follower, she researched the databases in the Church's Family History Library and found that the names of hundreds of thousands of dead people had been logged, so they could be baptised as Mormons.

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U.S. Atheists Reportedly Using Hair Dryers to 'De-Baptize'

(Fox News)  American atheists lined up to be "de-baptized" in a ritual using a hair dryer, according to a report Friday on U.S. late-night news program "Nightline."

Leading atheist Edwin Kagin blasted his fellow non-believers with the hair dryer to symbolically dry up the holy water sprinkled on their heads in days past. The styling tool was emblazoned with a label reading "Reason and Truth."

Kagin believes parents are wrong to baptize their children before they are able to make their own choices, even slamming some religious education as "child abuse." He said the blast of hot air was a way for adults to undo what their parents had done.

"I was baptized Catholic. I don't remember any of it at all," said 24-year-old Cambridge Boxterman. "According to my mother, I screamed like a banshee ... so you can see that even as a young child I didn't want to be baptized. It's not fair. I was born atheist, and they were forcing me to become Catholic."

Kagin doned a monk's robe and said a few mock-Latin phrases before inviting those wishing to be de-baptized to "come forward now and receive the spirit of hot air that taketh away the stigma and taketh away the remnants of the stain of baptismal water."

Ironically, Kagin's own son became a fundamentalist Christian minister after having "a personal revelation in Jesus Christ."

"One wonders where they went wrong," he chuckled to the TV show.

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Converts' search brings them to Catholicism

By Charita Goshay

CantonRep.com staff writer

Posted Apr 11, 2009 @ 10:10 PM

Last update Apr 11, 2009 @ 11:40 PM

---

If local converts to Catholicism require an example, they need look no further than their own bishop.

As a little boy, Bishop George V. Murry was raised as an African Methodist Episcopal, but was so impressed by his experience at his Catholic school that he convinced his parents to allow him to convert. Eventually, they too, became Catholic.

In the Diocese of Youngstown, 406 converts have joined the Church just in time for Easter. On Saturday, 169 people received the Sacrament of Baptism, and 237 who were baptized in another denomination received the sacraments of confirmation and the Holy Eucharist.

Adults who want to become Catholic must enter a months-long education process known as RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. They undertake classes in which they learn about Catholic beliefs and liturgy. Each person has a “sponsor” or mentor.

SPIRITUAL SEARCH

For Ruth DeFranco of Alliance, a divorce, the death of her only child and her father’s illness took a spiritual toll.

“I questioned my faith, with God,” said the former Methodist and Lutheran. “I was lost and had questions and felt alone. I had friends that were Catholic and attended church with them. I wanted to learn more about the Catholic faith.”

Upon becoming godmother to a Catholic friend’s grandchild, DeFranco enrolled in RCIA classes at St. Peter Church in Canton under the tutelage of Rita Kingsbury.

“It’s a great process,” Kingsbury said. “Everybody learns from one another. Most people have a rich life in God that they bring with them. Everybody becomes richer.”

One of DeFranco’s sponsors is the Rev. David Delargy of Ireland, a member of the recording group, The Priests.

For Emily Studeny, becoming a Catholic just made sense for her family. Her husband, Mike, is a lifelong Catholic, and last summer the couple baptized their baby daughter into the Church. A former United Methodist, Studeny has been attending St. Peter since 2003.

“At Christmas time, I decided it was definitely something I wanted to do,” she said. “One reason it took so long is, my family is very involved in the United Methodist Church.”

Once her mother and family gave their blessing, Studeny went ahead, saying, “It’s something you need to pray about. It’s something you have to do wholeheartedly.”

NATURAL FIT

On Saturday, the Rev. John Zuzik of Little Flower Catholic Church in Plain Township led 12 converts to the faith. Zuzik said whenever he’s approached by someone about converting, he tries to discern their motive.

“I ask them if they’ve prayed about it, and why do they feel called to become Catholic?” he said. “There’s usually a couple of reasons. One is marriage to a Catholic. A lot of people like to start off their married life with the same religion as their spouse, though it’s not required in the Catholic Church.

“We have non-Catholics who’ve come (to Mass) every week for years, then one day, they come to me and say, ‘I’ve prayed about it; it’s time.’ Other times, it’s because of a traumatic experience in their life. As they say, there are no atheists in foxholes.”

At 15, Leah Wilson is one of this year’s youngest converts. The bright and personable McKinley High School freshman said she grew up attending a United Methodist church but was never baptized.

“I learned about Catholicism in the fifth grade, through some of my friends who were Catholic,” she said. “Last summer, I decided I wanted to become Catholic. I’m very excited, and my family is happy for me.”

Wilson advises the curious to do some homework.

“It’s forever,” she said. “It’s not to be taken lightly.”

With a Catholic father and an Amish-turned-Methodist mother, Leslie Foster said she felt destined to be Catholic.

“I always felt more comfortable with Catholicism than Methodism,” she said. “I feel like I’ve always known I was going to make my Confirmation.”

“I was thrilled, very excited,” said Foster’s fiancé, Joe Cole, a “cradle” Catholic. “My mom was a Protestant who always wanted to convert, but with raising kids, there just wasn’t time.”

Cole became a sponsor for his mother, and now, Foster.

“I’ve learned more about my own faith as a result,” he said.

“It sounds kind of corny, but it felt very spiritual, falling in love,” Foster added. “It just seemed a natural fit.

“I found a peace within myself and the answer I’d been searching for,” DeFranco said. “... I believe that the Catholic faith is the biblical form of Christianity and most united with Christ. They are a community that remembers Jesus.”

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Jewish group wants Mormons to stop proxy baptisms

NEW YORK - Holocaust survivors said Monday they were abandoning negotiations with the Mormon church over its posthumous baptisms of Jews who were killed in Nazi death camps.

Survivors claim elders of the Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have refused to systemically search for and remove the names of Holocaust victims from their master genealogical database and have failed to prevent "zealots" from adding thousands of new Jewish names to the list in recent years - including thousands lifted from Yizkor books of Jews massacred at Berdichev in Ukraine.

"We are not going to continue meeting with the Mormon Church," said Auschwitz survivor Ernest Michel, head of the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, who has spearheaded efforts to scrub the Mormon lists since discovering in the 1990s that his parents were among 380,000 Holocaust victims having been baptized into the Christian faith.

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Pope Benedict XVI Ad Orientem Mass

From Una Voce Carmel:

"This footage is from the Mass offered by HH Benedict back in January 14, 2008 in the Sistine Chapel. The Holy Father baptized 13 infants of Vatican employees on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord..."

Rome: Gender Neutral Baptismal Formulas Invalid

By Hugh McNichol
Pewsitter.com

Vatican City - Feb 29, 2008 - The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a correction today and, in simple terms, reaffirmed the Trinitarian formula that constitutes a valid baptism in the Catholic Church.

Responding to a formal inquiry about using modified forms of the Baptismal Rite that replace the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with other descriptions such as Creator, Liberator and Sanctifier the Holy See simply stated that Baptisms that were conducted without proper Trinitarian form were...simply invalid.

Additionally the Holy See through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith also affirmed that the form to be used in the administration of Catholic Baptism is, "in forma absoluta."

Clearly this declaration by the Congregation with the approbation of the Holy Father shows the Church's desire to eliminate the rise of feminism within the celebration and completion of our sacramental mysteries. Hinting further this point was not based upon anti-feminist sentiments; the Holy See indicated that the proper form for the celebration of Baptism is scripturally reinforced in Matthew's Gospel, with the mandate to baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

This is certainly a setback to pro-feminist supporters in the Catholic Church that believe all of our sacramental and liturgical expressions should be gender neutral. Thank God that the Holy See is making true gender identification easily tangible with the restoration of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Now perhaps we can get past all of the politically correct, inclusive nonsense and acknowledge the true masculine gender identity of God as Father, Jesus as Man and Son and without any defamation acknowledge Mary as Mother.

END

*And from CNS:

"'I think if you are over the age of 45 to 50 you have nothing to fear' regarding the validity of baptisms, said Father Tom Weinandy, a Capuchin Franciscan who is executive director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat of Doctrine. Those in the younger generation shouldn't 'have a huge amount of fear' either, he added."

"If the baptism is invalid, so are the other sacraments the person may have received, such as matrimony. 'If you are not validly baptized,' and thus not validly married, 'a person needs to get rebaptized and remarried,' explained Father Weinandy."

• Rome: Gender Neutral Baptismal Formulas Invalid
• U.S. Officials: Vatican Statement Clarifies Validity of Baptisms
• Congregation For the Doctrine of the Faith: Responses to Questions Proposed
  
• Are Riance and Woody Really Baptized?
• Feminist Formula Makes Baptism Invalid, Vatican Rules
  

Benedict XVI "Opens Heaven" for 13 Babies

Pope Imparts Sacrament on Feast of Christ

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 13, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI baptized 13 babies, giving them the sacrament that he said opened heaven for them.

Amid the crying of eight baby girls and five baby boys resounding in the Sistine Chapel, the Pope expressed his joy at imparting the first sacrament of Christian life to the newborns, "one of the most expressive moments of our faith."

In his homily for the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Holy Father reflected on the "mystery of life": of the human life represented here by the newborns and the divine life that God gives to the baptized.

The children's parents, employees of Vatican City, were accompanied by the babies' godparents and a small group of relatives.

Noting Michelangelo's paintings in the chapel, the Pontiff spoke of "the experience of life and what is opposed to it, namely, the reality of death."

He said: "In baptism, the little human being receives a new life, the life of grace, which makes him capable of entering into a personal relationship with the Creator, and this forever, for all eternity.

"Unfortunately, man is capable of snuffing out this new life with his sin, closing himself up in a situation that sacred Scripture calls ‘second death.'

"While in the other creatures, who are not called to eternal life, death means only the end of existence on earth; in us, sin creates a precipice that we run the risk of falling from forever, unless the Father who is in heaven takes us by his hand."

God's hand

This is the mystery of baptism, Benedict XVI explained: "God wanted to save us by going himself into the very depths of the abyss of death so that every man, even he who has fallen so deep into the abyss as to no longer see heaven, can find the hand of God by which he can climb back up out of the darkness to see the light again for which he is made.

"All of us feel, all of us interiorly perceive that our existence is a desire for life that invokes a fullness, a salvation. This fullness of life is given to us by baptism."

Turning to the babies' parents, the Pope said, "Certainly to grow healthy and strong, these children will need material care and much attention; but what will be more necessary for them, indeed indispensable, is to know, love and faithfully serve God, to have eternal life."

The Holy Father celebrated the Eucharist at the ancient altar placed against the wall beneath the painting of the Last Judgment, instead of on the platform with an added altar "so as not to alter the beauty and harmony of this architectural jewel," a Vatican note explained.

That placement of the altar, added the note, implied that in some moments the Pope "had his back to the faithful and his gaze upon the cross, orienting the attitude and disposition of the whole assembly in this way," though he did not use the 1962 missal.

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