Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Christian Ramadan Fastbreakers are Threatened with Years of Incarceration in Algeria
"Two Algerian Christians were observed in the fast month of Ramadan as they drank water and are now going to stand before the court. They are threatened with 36 Months of confinement.
Two Christians from Algerian must answer to the court, because they were observed drinking water during the Islamic month of fast, according to "Spiegel".
On August 13th of this year the two, one 34 and the other 44 years old were apprehended at the construction site where they were working. During the Ramadan fast, they were observed drinking water. The Courts have introduced a charge of neglecting the State Religion, and the state prosecutor seeks 36 months of incarceration for both Christians..."
Two Christians from Algerian must answer to the court, because they were observed drinking water during the Islamic month of fast, according to "Spiegel".
On August 13th of this year the two, one 34 and the other 44 years old were apprehended at the construction site where they were working. During the Ramadan fast, they were observed drinking water. The Courts have introduced a charge of neglecting the State Religion, and the state prosecutor seeks 36 months of incarceration for both Christians..."
Medjugorje 'seers' to speak at Cardinal Schonborn's Vienna cathedral
The Catholic Herald - Two of the alleged Marian seers from the Bosnian town of Medjugorje have been invited to speak at Vienna’s Catholic cathedral.
Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti and Ivan Dragicevic will speak tomorrow at the Stephansdom in Vienna as part of a peace initiative organised by the Community “Oasis of Peace”. They are two of the six seers who have reportedly had Marian apparitions since 1981. Miss Pavlovic-Lunetti allegedly receives messages from the Virgin Mary every month. Since the first sighting, she has reportedly appeared to the seers over 40,000 times, imparting hundreds of messages.
The authenticity of the Marian apparitions in Bosnia-Herzogovina is currently under review by the Vatican. A report in July from the Italian news agency ANSA said that the commission, established in March this year and run by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, was considering interviewing the alleged seers.
Annually about one million pilgrims travel to Medjugorje even though the place has not been declared a shrine and “official” pilgrimages are forbidden by the Vatican. The 1991 Zadar declaration, made by the bishops of former Yugoslavia, ruled that the apparitions were “not established as supernatural” and could therefore not be authenticated.
Earlier this year, the Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, caused some controversy after travelling to Medjugorje and celebrating Mass there. He said his visit was in part to “de-dramatise” the “Medjugorje phenomenon”. He said the alleged Marian apparitions were secondary to the “school of normal Christian life”.
He said he had gone to Medjugorje to see the tree which bore fruits such as Cenacolo, a community which helps rehabilitate drug users.
Cardinal Schönborn, who leads the Austrian bishops’ conference and is a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), said he did not want to pre-empt the Vatican’s ruling by visiting.Bishop Ratko Peric of Mostar-Duvno is strongly opposed to the phenomenon and expressed his dismay at the cardinal’s visit in January.
The event at St Stephen’s Cathedral also includes Sister Elvira Petrozzi, the founder of the Cenacolo community, and will be followed by Mass and Eucharistic Adoration. Organisers expect hundreds of young people to attend.
Cardinal Schönborn took part in the event last year and told the press he was moved by the number of people who had come to the cathedral, to rediscover the sacraments.
The Medjugorje Commission, appointed by the CDF, includes the Slovakian Cardinal Jozef Tomko, retired prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo, Cardinal Julian Herranz, and Archbishop Angelo Amato, prefect for the Congregation for Saints’ Causes and former secretary of the CDF.
Link
- Cardinal Schonborn rebuked by Vatican for criticism of ex-Secretary of State Cardinal Sodano
- Cardinal Schonborn shares Iby’s concern about celibacy
- Fr. Fessio's Update on Cardinal Schonborn
- Schonborn Attacks Sodano and Urges Reform
- Cardinal Schonborn Brings Sufferings to His Church - Again
- Cardinal Schonborn's Mass
- The Bitter Pill's Bizarre Report on Medjugorje & Cardinal Schonborn & The Pope
- VaticanRadio: Cardinal Schonborn apologizes re: Medjugorje Visit Uproar
- The Letter of Cardinal Schonborn to Bishop Peric
- Cardinal Schönborn issues apology to bishop of Medjugorje
- Pope Benedict to Cardinal Schonborn: Be careful about Medjugorje
- "Common Courtesy Between Bishops....."
- Medjugorje bishop says Cardinal Schönborn’s visit brings greater suffering to his diocese
- Mark P. Shea - "Medugorje bishop to Cdl. Schonborn: Thanks for nothing"
Meant to Be
by Mary Kochan
On September 22, 1290 Bilbo Baggins was born. The year given for his birth, of course, is in Shire Reckoning: The Shire being that happy part of Middle-Earth inhabited by those sensible and unpretentious folk called “Hobbits.”
To that salt-of-the-earth Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, there comes one day an amazing summons. The call to participate in an adventure. And thereby hangs a tale and indeed a trilogy.
In the course of his adventure, Bilbo will come into possession of the “One Ring” of power. On September 22, 1401, his eleventy-first birthday, Bilbo will bequeath the ring to his nephew Frodo, who will bear the ring into places of forbidding evil in order to free the peoples of Middle Earth from its bondage.
Groaning under his burden, with the weight of the world on his small shoulders, Frodo cannot help but ask why such evil has come to his time. Why did his uncle find the ring? Why is he, conscious to the depths of his being of his inadequacy, the one who must bear the burden of it? The one who must undertake the perilous mission to destroy it? And the answer is given to him by Gandalf: “I can put it no plainer than by saying that Bilbo was meant to find the ring…. In which case you were also meant to have it. And that may be an encouraging thought.”
Bilbo was meant to be born, meant to find the ring. Frodo was meant to be and to be the ring-bearer. They were meant to engage the challenges of their time.
But meant by whom?
We might glibly answer that it was all meant by the author of the story, J.R.R. Tolkien, but in the context of the story itself, there is certainly another answer. There is a Providence, there is an unseen Benevolence. To be sure there is an unseen malevolence too — for even the dark Lord Sauron is himself a mere servant. But it is Goodness that is the source of all and hence the source of being and of meaning.
Tolkien considered himself to be a “sub-creator” and the act of myth-making to be sub-creation. If telling a story is sub-creation, then Creation itself must be a kind of story. And so it is. It is a story with an Author, and it is a story with meaning.
When we wonder why such evils have come to our time and why we are the ones who must bear the particular burdens of our world. When we feel keenly our inadequacy and smallness — then we should remember that we are meant to be.
And that is certainly an encouraging thought.
To that salt-of-the-earth Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, there comes one day an amazing summons. The call to participate in an adventure. And thereby hangs a tale and indeed a trilogy.
In the course of his adventure, Bilbo will come into possession of the “One Ring” of power. On September 22, 1401, his eleventy-first birthday, Bilbo will bequeath the ring to his nephew Frodo, who will bear the ring into places of forbidding evil in order to free the peoples of Middle Earth from its bondage.
Groaning under his burden, with the weight of the world on his small shoulders, Frodo cannot help but ask why such evil has come to his time. Why did his uncle find the ring? Why is he, conscious to the depths of his being of his inadequacy, the one who must bear the burden of it? The one who must undertake the perilous mission to destroy it? And the answer is given to him by Gandalf: “I can put it no plainer than by saying that Bilbo was meant to find the ring…. In which case you were also meant to have it. And that may be an encouraging thought.”
Bilbo was meant to be born, meant to find the ring. Frodo was meant to be and to be the ring-bearer. They were meant to engage the challenges of their time.
But meant by whom?
We might glibly answer that it was all meant by the author of the story, J.R.R. Tolkien, but in the context of the story itself, there is certainly another answer. There is a Providence, there is an unseen Benevolence. To be sure there is an unseen malevolence too — for even the dark Lord Sauron is himself a mere servant. But it is Goodness that is the source of all and hence the source of being and of meaning.
Tolkien considered himself to be a “sub-creator” and the act of myth-making to be sub-creation. If telling a story is sub-creation, then Creation itself must be a kind of story. And so it is. It is a story with an Author, and it is a story with meaning.
When we wonder why such evils have come to our time and why we are the ones who must bear the particular burdens of our world. When we feel keenly our inadequacy and smallness — then we should remember that we are meant to be.
And that is certainly an encouraging thought.
Titanic sunk by steering mistake, author says
LONDON (Reuters) – The Titanic hit an iceberg in 1912 because of a basic steering error, and only sank as fast as it did because an official persuaded the captain to continue sailing, an author said in an interview published on Wednesday.
Louise Patten, a writer and granddaughter of Titanic second officer Charles Lightoller, said the truth about what happened nearly 100 years ago had been hidden for fear of tarnishing the reputation of her grandfather, who later became a war hero.
Lightoller, the most senior officer to have survived the disaster, covered up the error in two inquiries on both sides of the Atlantic because he was worried it would bankrupt the ill-fated liner's owners and put his colleagues out of a job.
"They could easily have avoided the iceberg if it wasn't for the blunder," Patten told the Daily Telegraph.
"Instead of steering Titanic safely round to the left of the iceberg, once it had been spotted dead ahead, the steersman, Robert Hitchins, had panicked and turned it the wrong way."
Patten, who made the revelations to coincide with the publication of her new novel "Good as Gold" into which her account of events are woven, said that the conversion from sail ships to steam meant there were two different steering systems.
Crucially, one system meant turning the wheel one way and the other in completely the opposite direction.
Once the mistake had been made, Patten added, "they only had four minutes to change course and by the time (first officer William) Murdoch spotted Hitchins' mistake and then tried to rectify it, it was too late."
Patten's grandfather was not on watch at the time of the collision, but he was present at a final meeting of the ship's officers before the Titanic went down.
There he heard not only about the fatal mistake but also the fact that J. Bruce Ismay, chairman of Titanic's owner the White Star Line persuaded the captain to continue sailing, sinking the ship hours faster than would otherwise have happened.
"If Titanic had stood still, she would have survived at least until the rescue ship came and no one need have died," Patten said.
The RMS Titanic was the world's biggest passenger liner when it left Southampton, England, for New York on its maiden voyage on April 10, 1912. Four days into the trip, the ship hit an iceberg and sank, taking more than 1,500 passengers with it.
One True Refuge - One True Church III
From Sanctus Belle at Our Lady's Tears:
"The innovators have been challenged several times to produce a text of Sacred Scripture which would prove the existence of the invisible church they invented, and we are unable to obtain any such text from them. How could they adduce such a text when, addressing His Apostles whom He left as the propagators of His Church, Jesus said: "You cannot be hidden" [Matt 5:14].
Thus He has declared that the Church cannot help but be visible to everyone. The Church has been at all times, and will forever be, necessarily visible, so that each person may always be able to learn from his pastor the true doctrine regarding the dogmas of faith, to receive the Sacraments, to be directed in the way of salvation, and to be enlightened and corrected should he ever fall into error. "
St. Alphonsus D. Ligouri
Posted by Sanctus Belle
Detail of the Polytriptich of the Resurrection by Titian
"The innovators have been challenged several times to produce a text of Sacred Scripture which would prove the existence of the invisible church they invented, and we are unable to obtain any such text from them. How could they adduce such a text when, addressing His Apostles whom He left as the propagators of His Church, Jesus said: "You cannot be hidden" [Matt 5:14].
Thus He has declared that the Church cannot help but be visible to everyone. The Church has been at all times, and will forever be, necessarily visible, so that each person may always be able to learn from his pastor the true doctrine regarding the dogmas of faith, to receive the Sacraments, to be directed in the way of salvation, and to be enlightened and corrected should he ever fall into error. "
St. Alphonsus D. Ligouri
Posted by Sanctus Belle
Another Priest Automatically Excommunicated Despite Bishop Olmsted’s Efforts
By John Quinn
Fr. Vernon Meyer, automatically excommunicated himself when he rejected the teachings of the Catholic Church concerning women ordination. Meyer participated in the “ordination” of Elaine Groppenbacher in Tempe, AZ last month. For Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, this is the fifth priestly excommunication for serious refusal of faithful obedience to the Catholic Church, according to The Arizona Republic.
Referring to Meyer, Bishop Olmsted states: “Actions such as these are extremely serious and carry with them profoundly harmful consequences for the salvation of the souls participating in this attempted ordination. To feign the conferral of the Sacrament of Holy Orders results in the penalty of excommunication. This penalty applies both to the person attempting the ordination and the person attempting to be ordained.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1577: “Only a baptized man validly receives sacred ordination. The Lord Jesus chose men to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry. The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ’s return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.”
This is not the first disagreement between Fr. Meyer and Catholic Doctrine. In 2004 Fr. Meyer was under obedience to Bishop Olmsted to recant a joint declaration Meyer signed which supported “full acceptance” of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered individuals in churches.
Fr. Meyer apparently told The Arizona Republic that he signed the declaration “after making sure it did not conflict with Catholic positions.” This statement contradicts the actual declaration, which states:
“Homosexuality is not a sickness, not a choice, and not a sin.” Two sentences later, the declaration proclaims that all aspects of the homosexual lifestyle should have “full acceptance and inclusion.”
Despite the pastoral efforts of Bishop Olmsted, Fr. Meyer is now a United Church of Christ minister and is the Director of the Arizona Center for Theological Studies, which he founded...
Fr. Vernon Meyer, automatically excommunicated himself when he rejected the teachings of the Catholic Church concerning women ordination. Meyer participated in the “ordination” of Elaine Groppenbacher in Tempe, AZ last month. For Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, this is the fifth priestly excommunication for serious refusal of faithful obedience to the Catholic Church, according to The Arizona Republic.Referring to Meyer, Bishop Olmsted states: “Actions such as these are extremely serious and carry with them profoundly harmful consequences for the salvation of the souls participating in this attempted ordination. To feign the conferral of the Sacrament of Holy Orders results in the penalty of excommunication. This penalty applies both to the person attempting the ordination and the person attempting to be ordained.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1577: “Only a baptized man validly receives sacred ordination. The Lord Jesus chose men to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry. The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ’s return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.”
Fr. Meyer apparently told The Arizona Republic that he signed the declaration “after making sure it did not conflict with Catholic positions.” This statement contradicts the actual declaration, which states:
“Homosexuality is not a sickness, not a choice, and not a sin.” Two sentences later, the declaration proclaims that all aspects of the homosexual lifestyle should have “full acceptance and inclusion.”
Despite the pastoral efforts of Bishop Olmsted, Fr. Meyer is now a United Church of Christ minister and is the Director of the Arizona Center for Theological Studies, which he founded...
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Noodling the Theology of the Body
By Mark Shea
"...The first thing we all need to know about the Theology of the Body is that, while interesting, it is not magisterial teaching. In short, the whole argument is about a fascinating and potentially useful constellation of ideas that do not form part of the essential teaching of the Faith. John Paul articulated the TOB in the early 1980s in a series of audiences. What is notable about this is that, having done so, he never returned to the subject in his magisterial teaching. There is no encyclical on the TOB. That should command our attention, because it means that the quarrel is about something that, while interesting, is not particularly binding on anybody as a Catholic.
Now, I don't believe in Minimum Daily Adult Catholicism, so I don't think we have to play the game of "If it's not magisterial, we should just ignore it." I think the late Holy Father has some interesting and profound things to say in his teaching on the TOB and that we can profit from it. But precisely because it is not magisterial, I also think we can dial back the rhetoric about Who's a Bad Catholic if there is controversy and ferment concerning this teaching. It could be (and I think obviously is) the case that people on all sides of the argument about TOB are typically good Catholics, all trying to live and practice the Faith.
So what does the TOB say? An excellent question, and one that pertains directly to the passionate partisanship of the arguments, since (ahem) very few of the people who are zealous proponents and opponents of the TOB in the comboxes of St. Blog's have actually read John Paul II. What they've read (or heard about) is Christopher West's presentation of the TOB.
That's the first big problem. If we haven't read John Paul's description of a boojum and have never seen a boojum ourselves, we are powerless to know if Christopher West is accurately describing a boojum. The most we can do is say, "I like that boojum Christopher West describes," or "I hate that boojum Christopher West describes." Or, we can say, as I do, "I'm largely indifferent to that boojum Christopher West describes, though West seems to be trying to serve the Church, albeit imperfectly, as do we all."
The TOB, as near as I can tell, made no impact on Catholics for nearly two decades after it was articulated by the pope. What seems to have brought it to people's attention was the enthusiasm of George Weigel, who described the TOB in his biography Witness to Hope as "one of the boldest reconfigurations of Catholic theology in centuries," declared it a "kind of theological time bomb set to go off with dramatic consequences, sometime in the third millennium of the Church," and prophesied that it had barely begun to "shape the Church's theology, preaching, and religious education," but that when it does, "it will compel a dramatic development of thinking about virtually every major theme in the Creed."
That's heady stuff. And he may be right for all I know. But here's the thing: Once again, we are looking at the opinion of a layman. And it's that opinion, reverberating through the world of Catholic media after the publication of Witness to Hope -- not some magisterial teaching of the Church -- that largely accounts for the fact that a lot of Catholics began to get interested in the TOB early in the third millennium..."
Noodling the Theology of the Body
Related:
"...The first thing we all need to know about the Theology of the Body is that, while interesting, it is not magisterial teaching. In short, the whole argument is about a fascinating and potentially useful constellation of ideas that do not form part of the essential teaching of the Faith. John Paul articulated the TOB in the early 1980s in a series of audiences. What is notable about this is that, having done so, he never returned to the subject in his magisterial teaching. There is no encyclical on the TOB. That should command our attention, because it means that the quarrel is about something that, while interesting, is not particularly binding on anybody as a Catholic.Now, I don't believe in Minimum Daily Adult Catholicism, so I don't think we have to play the game of "If it's not magisterial, we should just ignore it." I think the late Holy Father has some interesting and profound things to say in his teaching on the TOB and that we can profit from it. But precisely because it is not magisterial, I also think we can dial back the rhetoric about Who's a Bad Catholic if there is controversy and ferment concerning this teaching. It could be (and I think obviously is) the case that people on all sides of the argument about TOB are typically good Catholics, all trying to live and practice the Faith.
So what does the TOB say? An excellent question, and one that pertains directly to the passionate partisanship of the arguments, since (ahem) very few of the people who are zealous proponents and opponents of the TOB in the comboxes of St. Blog's have actually read John Paul II. What they've read (or heard about) is Christopher West's presentation of the TOB.
That's the first big problem. If we haven't read John Paul's description of a boojum and have never seen a boojum ourselves, we are powerless to know if Christopher West is accurately describing a boojum. The most we can do is say, "I like that boojum Christopher West describes," or "I hate that boojum Christopher West describes." Or, we can say, as I do, "I'm largely indifferent to that boojum Christopher West describes, though West seems to be trying to serve the Church, albeit imperfectly, as do we all."
The TOB, as near as I can tell, made no impact on Catholics for nearly two decades after it was articulated by the pope. What seems to have brought it to people's attention was the enthusiasm of George Weigel, who described the TOB in his biography Witness to Hope as "one of the boldest reconfigurations of Catholic theology in centuries," declared it a "kind of theological time bomb set to go off with dramatic consequences, sometime in the third millennium of the Church," and prophesied that it had barely begun to "shape the Church's theology, preaching, and religious education," but that when it does, "it will compel a dramatic development of thinking about virtually every major theme in the Creed."
That's heady stuff. And he may be right for all I know. But here's the thing: Once again, we are looking at the opinion of a layman. And it's that opinion, reverberating through the world of Catholic media after the publication of Witness to Hope -- not some magisterial teaching of the Church -- that largely accounts for the fact that a lot of Catholics began to get interested in the TOB early in the third millennium..."
Noodling the Theology of the Body
Related:
- Christopher West says critics are on 'religious right, ends sabbatical with new Theology of the Body show
- Dawn Eden's Critique of Christopher West's Presentation of Pope John Paul's Theology of the Body - Her Master's Thesis Now Available Free
- Dawn Eden releases free copy of Theology of the Body thesis on CNA
- Christopher West Takes Sabbatical to Reflect on Approach
- Christopher West’s ideas on sexuality ignore ‘tremendous dangers,’ Alice von Hildebrand says (May 12, 2009)
Exorcist says Satan exists but without 'horns, wings or a tail'
“On a certain number of occasions, alone at my house or other places, I have felt an evil presence.” He continued. “I would be lying if I did not acknowledge that I felt that evil presence in an intense and powerful way.”The priest said that during one of these instances, his cat quickly scurried behind the curtains, staring at a particular spot in the room.
“It is not normal for a cat to hide, tremble and stare at a particular point,” he added.
“Although we tend to speak of the demon, in reality there are many demons, each one is different, but there is one who is head over all the demons, the most powerful one: Satan,” the priest continued...
Christopher West says critics are on 'religious right, ends sabbatical with new Theology of the Body show
.- Christopher West, the popular author and speaker whose presentation of Pope John Paul II's “Theology of the Body” has provoked controversy, will return from a six-month sabbatical with a new multimedia show this weekend. Maintaining that his goal is to correct common misconceptions of Christianity, West added that he is most often criticized by members of “the religious right.”
His upcoming show, titled “Fill These Hearts: God, Sex and the Universal Longing,” is a collaboration with the young folk-rock group Mike Mangione & The Union. West's teaching will also be illustrated visually through film and sand paintings. The show was initially developed for Sydney's World Youth Day in 2008, and performed earlier this year in New York City.
The performance at Colorado Springs' Pikes Peak Center this Saturday will be West's first public appearance since his announcement of a six-month break in April. His “personal and professional” sabbatical followed a spate of critical comments from Catholic theologians and authors, such as Dr. Alice von Hildebrand and David Schindler, who claimed that West was ignoring the weakness of human nature and presenting an overly sexualized vision of Christianity.
West was also criticized for comparing Pope John Paul II to “Playboy” founder Hugh Hefner in a 60 Minutes interview, a comparison he said was misconstrued in the television profile.
Speaking to the Colorado Springs Independent last week, West said that his motivation is not to offer a new Gospel, but “to blow the lid off the common idea of what Christianity teaches,” which he has described as puritanical and negative. “Christianity isn't an invitation to starve,” he explained, but rather “the invitation to a banquet that really feeds the hunger.”
The show, he told the Independent, is “for everyone,” including non-Catholics and the non-religious, “because it's an appeal to the longing for love that every human being has.”
However, West acknowledged that “there will inevitably be some who are offended” by his non-traditional presentation of Catholic teaching on sexuality. He specifically singled out religious conservatives --a group with which he himself has been identified, by groups such as People For The American Way-- as being the most offended by his talks.
“You'd probably be surprised as to who (the critics) are,” he told the Independent, saying that those offended by his presentations are “usually from the religious right.”
Link to original:
West ends sabbatical with new show, says critics are on 'religious right'
Related:
 "The 80-page, heavily footnoted thesis is a critique of Christopher West's presentation that reveals the substance behind recent criticisms of his approach, contains new information (including how the fathers of Vatican II condemned the Jungian phallic interpretation of the Easter Candle ritual), and makes positive suggestions for improving instruction on the TOB." - Dawn Eden |
The performance at Colorado Springs' Pikes Peak Center this Saturday will be West's first public appearance since his announcement of a six-month break in April. His “personal and professional” sabbatical followed a spate of critical comments from Catholic theologians and authors, such as Dr. Alice von Hildebrand and David Schindler, who claimed that West was ignoring the weakness of human nature and presenting an overly sexualized vision of Christianity.
West was also criticized for comparing Pope John Paul II to “Playboy” founder Hugh Hefner in a 60 Minutes interview, a comparison he said was misconstrued in the television profile.
Speaking to the Colorado Springs Independent last week, West said that his motivation is not to offer a new Gospel, but “to blow the lid off the common idea of what Christianity teaches,” which he has described as puritanical and negative. “Christianity isn't an invitation to starve,” he explained, but rather “the invitation to a banquet that really feeds the hunger.”
The show, he told the Independent, is “for everyone,” including non-Catholics and the non-religious, “because it's an appeal to the longing for love that every human being has.”
However, West acknowledged that “there will inevitably be some who are offended” by his non-traditional presentation of Catholic teaching on sexuality. He specifically singled out religious conservatives --a group with which he himself has been identified, by groups such as People For The American Way-- as being the most offended by his talks.
“You'd probably be surprised as to who (the critics) are,” he told the Independent, saying that those offended by his presentations are “usually from the religious right.”
Link to original:
West ends sabbatical with new show, says critics are on 'religious right'
Related:
- Dawn Eden's Critique of Christopher West's Presentation of Pope John Paul's Theology of the Body - Her Master's Thesis Now Available Free
- Dawn Eden releases free copy of Theology of the Body thesis on CNA
- Christopher West Takes Sabbatical to Reflect on Approach
- Christopher West’s ideas on sexuality ignore ‘tremendous dangers,’ Alice von Hildebrand says (May 12, 2009)
- The Dawn Patrol
- Dawn Eden's Full Thesis (.pdf)
- Gaits of Eden
- Book: The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On - by Dawn Eden
- Thrill of the Chaste Web Site
Archangel Saint Raphael
Monday, September 20, 2010
Obama goes to church to hear a Muslim speaker!
by Brigitte de Maubec
Did Obama attend a Protestant church on Sunday because a pro-Palestinian Muslim was invited to speak?
(Sept. 20, 2010) — Yesterday, on Sunday, September 19, 2010, the Obama family attended church for only the third time in a year. They went on foot to the St. John’s Episcopal Church situated across the Lafayette Park.
But what is widely not reported by the White House and the MSM is that on that particular Sunday in that particular church, Dr. Ziad Asali, M.D., a Muslim, founder and president of the American Task Force on Palestine, was the guest speaker...
Did Obama attend a Protestant church on Sunday because a pro-Palestinian Muslim was invited to speak?
(Sept. 20, 2010) — Yesterday, on Sunday, September 19, 2010, the Obama family attended church for only the third time in a year. They went on foot to the St. John’s Episcopal Church situated across the Lafayette Park.
But what is widely not reported by the White House and the MSM is that on that particular Sunday in that particular church, Dr. Ziad Asali, M.D., a Muslim, founder and president of the American Task Force on Palestine, was the guest speaker...
Koch Industries Lawyer to White House: How Did You Get Our Tax Information?
John McCormack
September 20, 2010 1:31 PM
..While the attention is unwanted for the Kochs, if somewhat expected, a lawyer for Koch Industries now tells THE WEEKLY STANDARD that the administration may have crossed a line by revealing tax information about Koch Industries. According to Mark Holden, senior vice president and general counsel of Koch Industries, a senior Obama administration official told reporters at an August 27 on-the-record background briefing on corporate taxes:
So in this country we have partnerships, we have S corps, we have LLCs, we have a series of entities that do not pay corporate income tax. Some of which are really giant firms, you know Koch Industries is a multibillion dollar businesses. So that creates a narrower base because we've literally got something like 50 percent of the business income in the U.S. is going to businesses that don't pay any corporate income tax. They point out [in the report] you could review the boundary between corporate and non-corporate taxation as a way to broaden the base.Holden tells THE WEEKLY STANDARD that this quotation from a senior administration official "came to our attention from different avenues. We are very concerned about why this would be said about us, particularly in this setting. We are concerned where this information would have been obtained from. We also are concerned in light of recent events that we have been singled out by the government and others as a campaign against us because of our political views..."
'Best 5 minutes of my life'
RICK SANTELLI | His '09 CNBC rant against mortgage bailouts for 'losers' ignited the Tea Party movement
BY ABDON M. PALLASCH
As a staunch capitalist and social liberal, Rick Santelli might not agree with everything being said at Tea Party rallies or this weekend's Right Nation convention in Hoffman Estates, but he's proud of what he wrought.
"People ask me if I'm the father of the Tea Party movement," the CNBC commentator said outside the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. "I was the spark ...that started it. If being the lightning rod that started the Tea Party is what's written on my tombstone, I'll be very happy."But after his five-minute "rant" on CNBC 1½ years ago suggesting a tea party in Lake Michigan against government spending, Santelli let go and never exercised any control over the movement.
"The five-minute rant was the best five minutes of my life," Santelli says. "But beyond that, really four minutes in time, it's the Tea Party. My wife pointed out to me, 'You were there for the insemination, but you were not there to raise the child.' "
Does Santelli think he created a "Frankenstein's monster" that is toppling establishment Republicans such as Delaware Rep. Mike Castle in favor of Tea Party insurgents such as Christine O'Donnell?
"No, I don't think so, but then again, how it develops from here...," Santelli said without finishing the sentence. "So far, this has been a very proud moment for America. Over time, it will get more organized and police itself -- that's the way we hope it turns out."
There's little doubt the Tea Party groups of America, which operate pretty independently, got their start from Santelli's rant on Feb. 19, 2009.
"Rick Santelli went on, and he expressed frustration at the government," Fox News commentator Glenn Beck -- the headliner at Saturday night's Right Nation event -- said on his show Wednesday. "We're rewarding what he called bad behavior [with] the mortgage bailout. He said there should be a Tea Party. Wow, he said a mouthful, because that's where it started."
Santelli is an unabashed promoter of the free market and critic of government bailouts. He rants a lot on the air, he said. But the day he slammed President Obama's plan to bail out people who couldn't pay their mortgages, he got national attention.
"How 'bout this president and administration? Why don't you put up a website to have people vote on the Internet in a referendum to see if we really want to subsidize the losers' mortgages?" Santelli bellowed on the floor of the Merc. "At least buy cars, buy houses in foreclosure, and give them to people who might have a chance to prosper ...and carry the water, not drink the water."
Turning to the traders around him, he raised his hands and called out -- like Peter Finch in the movie "Network" -- "This is America. How many of you people want to pay for your neighbors' mortgage that has an extra bathroom and can't pay their bills, raise your hand!"
The traders shouted their approval of his argument.
"President Obama, are you listening?" Santelli asked...
Benedict Wows Britain
by EDWARD PENTIN, ROME CORRESPONDENT 09/20/2010
“Pope Benedict’s declarations over the past few days have been remarkable and, in modern Britain, virtually unprecedented,” writes English columnist Stephen Glover in today’s Daily Mail. “They were delivered in the calmest, meekest and least ranting way possible, and yet they carried a great authority that largely comes, I think, from the Pope’s evident goodness as well as from the dignity of his office. Even hard-hearted cynics and skeptics could not fail to listen.”
“A very successful visit” was the general consensus in the British press this morning after Pope Benedict XVI ended his four-day state visit to Britain.
His presence brought out an estimated 500,000 people in Scotland and England as well as countless others who heard his messages in the media and on the Internet. It defied predictions and vastly exceeded expectations.
The government and the Vatican were particularly delighted with how well it had gone. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said it had been a “wonderful visit” and, above all, a “spiritual success...”
“A very successful visit” was the general consensus in the British press this morning after Pope Benedict XVI ended his four-day state visit to Britain.
His presence brought out an estimated 500,000 people in Scotland and England as well as countless others who heard his messages in the media and on the Internet. It defied predictions and vastly exceeded expectations.
The government and the Vatican were particularly delighted with how well it had gone. Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said it had been a “wonderful visit” and, above all, a “spiritual success...”
One True Refuge - One True Church I
Against the Reformers
"A church which is not one in its doctrine and faith can never be the True Church. Hence, because truth must be one, of all the different churches, only one can be the true one, and outside of that Church there is no salvation..."
Official Announcement: Catholic Coalition for Church Reform (CCCR) - The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
It has come to the attention of the Archdiocese that a group calling itself the Catholic Coalition for Church Reform (CCCR) is planning a 2010 ‘synod’ in the Archdiocese entitled, ‘Claiming Our Place at the Table’.While the agenda for the proposed synod purports to be an exploration of the role of baptized Catholics within the institutional Church of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, it is not being conducted under the auspices of the Archdiocese, the universal Roman Catholic Church, or any entity or organization affiliated with the Archdiocese or the universal Roman Catholic Church.
The Archdiocese wishes it to be known that the Catholic Coalition for Church Reform, the 2010 synod, and individuals endorsing the same, are not agents or entities of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis or the Roman Catholic Church. Moreover, the Archdiocese wishes to lovingly caution those members of the faithful participating in the ‘work/study groups’ and intending to attend the synod of the potential that the issues on which CCCR will seek reform are magisterial teachings of the Church, and are therefore to be believed by divine and catholic faith. The Archdiocese also wishes to remind the faithful of its need to shun any contrary doctrines, and instead to embrace and retain, to safeguard reverently and expound faithfully, the doctrine of faith and morals proposed definitively by the magisterium of the Church.
Pope gives sniffer dog a pat of thanks
By Rupert de Lisle
Pope Benedict XVI yesterday stopped to give a police dog an unexpected pat while thanking some of the 2,000 members of the West Midlands Police who had helped to protect him during his visit.
After meeting the seminarians of England, Wales and Scotland at Oscott College, Sutton Coldfield, the Pope saw Jake, a black Springador who acts as an explosives sniffer for the police.
Wading through a crowd of public servants the Pope was greeted by the dog, who appeared to enjoy the attention.
Assistant Chief Constable Sharon Rowe said: “It was a pleasure to meet his Holiness and very kind of him to take time to extend thanks to all the officers involved in the police operation.”
“This has been a hugely complex operation. It has involved agencies from across the public and private sector and been months in the planning. I’m pleased to say it has been a resounding success.”
The Pope expressed his gratitude “for all the hard work of preparation” for his visit before departing for Rome from Birmingham International Airport...
Russian submarines don't sail the Pacific Ocean without church blessing
Interfax - Vilyuchinsk (the Kamchatka Territory), September 20, Interfax - Leaders of the Russian Pacific Fleet develop cooperation with the Russian Orthodox Church.
"Today it is unthinkable to start a naval training for submariners or go out to the sea without a blessing of church representatives," the commander of the Joint Command and Forces in Russia's North East rear admiral Konstantin Maklov said on Sunday addressing Patriarch Kirill on the pier of the 16th Pacific submarine squadron in closed military town Vilyuchinsk not far from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
According to him, "participation of clerics in military marches of ships and submarines" witnesses to such cooperation.
Maklov also stated that submariners successfully interact with the local diocese and signed an agreement saying that the Russian Church would provide spiritual care for strategic submarine launch platform St. George the Victory-Bearer and diesel submarine St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
He reminded that acting Archbishop Ignaty of Petropavlovsk and Kamchatka first time in history of submarine fleet in Russia participated in the unprecedented passage of atomic submarine from the North Fleet to Kamchatka under Arctic ice.
"Today it is unthinkable to start a naval training for submariners or go out to the sea without a blessing of church representatives," the commander of the Joint Command and Forces in Russia's North East rear admiral Konstantin Maklov said on Sunday addressing Patriarch Kirill on the pier of the 16th Pacific submarine squadron in closed military town Vilyuchinsk not far from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
According to him, "participation of clerics in military marches of ships and submarines" witnesses to such cooperation.
Maklov also stated that submariners successfully interact with the local diocese and signed an agreement saying that the Russian Church would provide spiritual care for strategic submarine launch platform St. George the Victory-Bearer and diesel submarine St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
He reminded that acting Archbishop Ignaty of Petropavlovsk and Kamchatka first time in history of submarine fleet in Russia participated in the unprecedented passage of atomic submarine from the North Fleet to Kamchatka under Arctic ice.
Pope Benedict XVI's Stole
From RORATE CÆLI:
"In the Evensong service with Anglicans at Westminster Abbey, Pope Benedict XVI wore a stole first worn and which first belonged to Pope Leo XIII."
[Tip: Cantuale Antonianum, via Le Forum Catholique]
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Pope Benedict XVI's Address to the Bishops
From The Catholic Herald:
My dear brother bishops,
This has been a day of great joy for the Catholic community in these islands. Blessed John Henry Newman, as we may now call him, has been raised to the altars as an example of heroic faithfulness to the Gospel and an intercessor for the Church in this land that he loved and served so well. Here in this very chapel in 1852, he gave voice to the new confidence and vitality of the Catholic community England and Wales after the restoration of the hierarchy, and his words could be applied equally to Scotland a quarter of a century later. His beatification today is a reminder of the Holy Spirit’s continuing action in calling forth gifts of holiness from among the people of Great Britain, so that from east to west and from north to south, a perfect offering of praise and thanksgiving may be made to the glory of God’s name.
In thank Cardinal O’Brien and Archbishop Nichols for their words, and in so doing, I am reminded how recently I was able to welcome all of you to Rome for the Ad Limina visits of your respective Episcopal Conferences. We spoke about some of the challenges you face as you lead your people in faith, particularly regarding the urgen need to proclaim the Gospel afresh in a highly secularised environment. In the course of my visit it has become clear to me how deep a thirst there is among the British people for the Good News of Jesus Christ. You have been chosen by God to offer them the living water the Gospel, encouraging them to place their hopes, not in the vain enticements of this world, but in the firm assurances of the next. As you proclaim the coming of the Kingdom, with its promise of hope or the poor and the needy, the sick and the elderly, the unborn and the neglected, be sure to present in its fullness the life-giving message of the Gospel, including those elements which call into question the widespeard assumptions of today’s culture. As you know, a Pontifical Council has recently been established for the New Evangelisation of countries of long-standing Christian tradition, and I would encourage you to avail yourselves of its services in addressing the task before you. Moreover, many of the new ecclesial movements have a particular charism for evangelisation, and I know that you will continue to explore appropriate and effective ways of involving them in the mission of the Church.
Since your visit to Rome, political changes in the United Kingdom have focused attention on the consequences of the financial crisis, which has caused so much hardship to countless individuals and families. The spectre of unemployment is casting its shadow over many people’s lives, and the long-term cost of the ill-advised investment practices of recent times is becoming all too evident. In these circumstances, there will be additional calls on the characteristic generosity of British Catholics and I know that you will take lead in calling for solidarity with those in need. The prophetic voice of Christians has an important role in hightlighting the needs of the poor and disadvantages, who can so easily be overlooked in the allocation of limited resources. In their teaching document Choosing the Common Good, the Bishops of England and Wales underlined the importance of the practice of virtue in public life. Today’s circumstances provide a good opportunity to reinforce that message and indeed to encourage people to aspire to higher moral values in every area of their lives, against a background of growing cynicism regarding even the possibility of virtuous living.
Another matter which has received much attention in recent months, and which seriously undermines the moral credibility of Church leaders, is the shameful abuse of children and young people by priests and religious. I have spoken on many occasions of the deep wounds that such behaviour causes, in the victims first and foremost, but also in the relationships of trust that should exist between priests and people, between priests and their bishops, and between the Church authorities and the public. I know that you have taken serious steps to remedy this this situation, to ensure that children are effectively protected from harm and to deal properly and transparently with allegations as they areise. You have publicly acknowledged your deep regret over what has happened and the often inadequate way to was addressed in the past. YOU growing awareness of the extent of child abuse in society in devastating effects, and the need to provide proper victim support should serve as incentive to share to lessons you have learned with the wider community. Indeed, what better way could there be of making reparation for these sins than by reaching out, in a humble spirit of compassion, towards children who continue to suffer abuse elsewhere? Our duty of care towards the young demands nothing less.
As we reflect on the human fraility that these tragic events so starkly reveal, we are reminded that, if we are to be effective Christian leares, we must live lives of the utmoust intergrity, humility and holiness. As Blessed John Henry Newman once wrote: “’O that God would grant the clergy to feel their weakness as sinful men and the people to sympathise with them and love them and pray for their increase in all good gifts of grace’ (sermon, 22 March 1829). I pray that among the graces of this visit will be a renewed dedication on the part of Christian leaders to the prophetic vocations will then arise spontaneously, and we may be confident that the Lord will respond by sending labourers to bring in the plentiful harvest that he prepared throughout the United Kingdom (cf Mt 9:37-38) . In this regard, I am glad that I will shortly have the opportunity to meet the seminarians of England, Scotland and Wales, and to assure them of my prayers as they prepare to play their part in bringing in that harvest.
Finally, I should like to speak to you about two specific matters that affect your Episcopal ministry at this time. One is the imminent publication of the new translation of the Roman Missal. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the contribution you have made, with such painstaking care, to the collegial exercise of reviewing and approving the texts. This has provided an immense service to Catholics throughout the English-speaking world. I encourage you now to seize the opportunity that the new translation offers for in-depth catechesis on the Eucharist and renewed devotion in the manner of it’s celebration. ‘The more lively the Eucharistic faith of the people of God, the deeper is its sharing in ecclesial life in steadfast commitment to the mission entrusted by Christ to his disciples.’ (Sacramentum Caritatis, 6). The other matter I touched upon in February with the Bishops of England and Wales, when I asked you to be generous in implementing the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus. This should be seen as a prophetic gesture that can contribute postitively to the developing relations between Anglicans and Catholics. It helps us to set our sights on the ultimate goal of all ecumenical activity: the restoration of full ecclesial communion in the context of which the mutual exchange of gifts from our respective spiritual patrimonies serves as an enrichment to us all. Let us continue to pray and work unceasingly in order to hasten the joyful day when the goal can be accomplished.
With these sentiments, I thank you warmly for you hospitality over the past four days. Commending all you and the people you serve to the intercession of Saint Andrew, Saint David and Saint George, I am pleased to impart my Apostolic Blessing to you and to all the clergy, religious and lay faithful of England, Scotland and Wales.
Live Video - Oscott Chapel, Oscott College - Birmingham
Pope to call for 'full communion' between Anglicans and Catholics
AP Photo
The Pope is to make a dramatic offer to disaffected Anglicans to join the Roman Catholic Church.
By Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs CorrespondentIn a move which the pontiff views as a positive step for Christianity, he will on Sunday make a personal plea for the Churches to come together.
Pope Benedict XVI sees this as the best way to challenge the rise of "aggressive secularism" and heal centuries of division.
He will use the final speech of his historic state visit to urge for a "restoration of full ecclesial communion" between the Churches, which separated nearly 500 years ago.
Addressing the Catholic bishops of England, Wales and Scotland, he will argue that his offer to disaffected Anglicans should not be viewed negatively, but as "a prophetic gesture".
However, the speech could undermine his efforts to build bridges with Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who confronted the Pope over the issue last year.
The plea will come at the end of his four day state visit to England and Scotland which has seen tens of thousands of members of the public attend religious ceremonies and thousands more lining the streets to see him..
It had not been expected that the German pontiff would broach the controversial subject of Anglican clergy moving to Rome. But The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that he will raise it in a meeting following the beatification.
The Pope will tell the bishops to welcome the introduction of a system – called an Ordinariate – to allow Anglicans to convert while maintaining parts of their Protestant heritage.
It could lead to the defection of thousands of Anglicans if the final plans are accommodating enough for traditionalist clergy who have become disillusioned at the increasingly liberal direction of the Church of England...
A senior Catholic source said that the speech could be viewed as an aggressive move by the Pope and said it carried particular significance because it is the last point he will make on the visit...
It is understood that he will refer to a previous meeting with the Catholic bishops in which he spoke of the need to give a "warm welcome" to Anglicans wanting to enter full communion with the Roman Church...
Prime Minister David Cameron will on Sunday pay tribute to the Pope for challenging Britain to "sit up and think".
In a speech to mark the final day of the Pontiff's historic state visit, Mr Cameron will say that he had shown that faith was still "a vital part of our national conversation".
The Pope's message has, at times, been an uncomfortable one for politicians, speaking out against what he called "aggressive secularism" and warning against the "marginalisation" of Christianity in modern Britain.
But speaking in Birmingham, the Prime Minister will tell Benedict XVI that he agrees with him about the importance of religious faith in public life.
He will use the final speech of his historic state visit to urge for a "restoration of full ecclesial communion" between the Churches, which separated nearly 500 years ago.
Addressing the Catholic bishops of England, Wales and Scotland, he will argue that his offer to disaffected Anglicans should not be viewed negatively, but as "a prophetic gesture".
However, the speech could undermine his efforts to build bridges with Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who confronted the Pope over the issue last year.
The plea will come at the end of his four day state visit to England and Scotland which has seen tens of thousands of members of the public attend religious ceremonies and thousands more lining the streets to see him..
It had not been expected that the German pontiff would broach the controversial subject of Anglican clergy moving to Rome. But The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that he will raise it in a meeting following the beatification.
The Pope will tell the bishops to welcome the introduction of a system – called an Ordinariate – to allow Anglicans to convert while maintaining parts of their Protestant heritage.
It could lead to the defection of thousands of Anglicans if the final plans are accommodating enough for traditionalist clergy who have become disillusioned at the increasingly liberal direction of the Church of England...
A senior Catholic source said that the speech could be viewed as an aggressive move by the Pope and said it carried particular significance because it is the last point he will make on the visit...
It is understood that he will refer to a previous meeting with the Catholic bishops in which he spoke of the need to give a "warm welcome" to Anglicans wanting to enter full communion with the Roman Church...
Prime Minister David Cameron will on Sunday pay tribute to the Pope for challenging Britain to "sit up and think".
In a speech to mark the final day of the Pontiff's historic state visit, Mr Cameron will say that he had shown that faith was still "a vital part of our national conversation".
The Pope's message has, at times, been an uncomfortable one for politicians, speaking out against what he called "aggressive secularism" and warning against the "marginalisation" of Christianity in modern Britain.
But speaking in Birmingham, the Prime Minister will tell Benedict XVI that he agrees with him about the importance of religious faith in public life.
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