Yet another voice joins the fray
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.): 'Just try and stop me from taking communion.'
Now Pelosi's bishop is (don't worry, not THAT California bishop) one William Levada. Besides giving a prophetic speech at the March for Life three years ago, Levada is also the author of this gem nearly a decade ago, which addressed the situation quite handily:
"It should be clear, then, that every Catholic is required to accept this teaching [i.e., that abortion is gravely immoral] as a matter of faith, and that any Catholic who would deny it would separate himself from the unity of Catholic faith and practice which is the fundamental condition for Church membership. Here I note by way of aside that Catholic "membership," unlike that of some other religious bodies, is not a matter of "enrollment" but rather of "belonging" to the Body of Christ, whose condition is the full profession of Catholic faith and the reception of Baptism as the beginning of a life of sacramental worship and moral living in accord with the teachings of Christ."
Now, Pelosi is only one part of a larger 'California problem,' which Judie Brown and cohorts have been trying to solve for some time now with a mass excommunication. Little has happened yet, obviously (although Sacramento's Bishop Weigand's 'throwing down of the gauntlet' to Gray Davis last year was certainly something), but we'll see what happens now that things are heating up.
# posted by Jamie : 1:03 PM
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Why Preaching Must Be a Priority Today
In the Archdiocese of Boston's chrism mass three weeks ago, Archbishop Sean O'Malley gave a homily with this title, the text of which has been published in the most recent (4.22) issue of Origins. There are some incisive observations in the homily, both with regard to the culture and to the importance of preaching, a few of which are worth quoting:
"The pulpit is the important arena of our martyrdom, our witnessing . . . proclaiming the word of God is the first task, the primum officium of the ordained priest . . . . Today, with religious illiteracy at an all-time high, we must toil to preach and to teach. We must preach the word in season and out of season, when convenient and inconvenient."
"Why is preaching so important today? Why is it so difficult? Our present situation makes good preaching both crucial and challenging. To me, one of the best metaphors to describe the reality of the church in the United States is the biblical notion of exile. Exile in the Old Testament is not just a geographical experience. Exile is a spiritual condition of God's people when they find themselves in a hostile, alien environment where the overriding temptation is to assimilation. The cultural pull is to accept and to conform to a dominant cultural influence that is incongruent with our faith and with our destiny. For today's world the central claims of the faith are increasingly unwelcome, and they are received, if not with hostility, at best with the yawn of indifference. Israel survived the exile because God's people resisted the twin temptation -- assimilation on one hand and despair on the other."
"A national opinion research center conducted extensive surveys with the Catholic laity and was forced to conclude that the strongest correlation of church attendance and Catholic identification for both the young people and the general Catholic population were not issues of sex, birth control, abortion and the ordination of women; rather the strongest predictor of Catholic behavior and identification was the quality of the Sunday sermon preached in the respondent's parish church. In another survey of 30-year-olds returning to the church, the two most important factors were a personal relationship with the priest and the quality of preaching. Both of these things underscore the important role of the priest in the life of the Church. The priest is irreplaceable."
Though O'Malley goes too far at points (at one instance dangerously implying that preaching is more effective than the Mass itself in the sanctification of souls), he has underlined a crucial factor -- the quality of preaching -- which has the capacity to make or break the quality of a flock. Insipid, lukewarm, and lifeless sermons have produced an insipid, lukewarm, and lifeless flock. To produce a theologically literate, biblically informed, culturally engaged, and morally upright flock, we need theologically literate, biblically informed, culturally engaged, and morally upright homilies.
# posted by Jamie : 8:17 AM
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New Bishop of Camden comes in with a bang
Bishop Joseph Galante: Days after riding into town from Texas, he hears that the local governor is planning on attending his installation mass, a 'Catholic' governor who has married outside the Church, supported abortion rights and stem-cell research. So Galante makes it known that, if the governor shows up, he won't get communion. Like that welcome wagon?!
Some of the bishop's remarks are worth quoting:
"A Catholic politician's record of voting contrary to church teachings does not automatically excommunicate him, Galante said. But the bishop said he felt obliged to respond in this situation because the public becomes confused about church teachings when bishops fail to challenge Catholic politicians on their voting records."
"If he comes to communion, I'd give him a blessing," Galante told a news conference in Camden. "In his case, he can't go to communion."
"Faith is not a membership card you put in your pocket," he said. "It has to be lived."
# posted by Jamie : 7:34 AM
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Dark deeds in Ohio
A priest of the Toledo diocese is being investigated for murdering an elderly nun, in a Satanic ritual during Holy Week, whom he had sexually molested since her youth. In an age when clergy are hardly in need of more bad press: article here (warning, graphic).
# posted by Jamie : 3:03 PM
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Here's a University you can send your kids to...
The University of St. Francis. Well, putting aside for the moment the 'peace and justice on all levels' mantra on the webpage, check out this ballsy move. Actually, kudos to Bishop John D'Arcy of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese for the 'episcopal spine' demonstration.
[UPDATE: Sorry about the bad link to the story; it's been updated.]
# posted by Jamie : 7:48 AM
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Kerry-communion drama makes USA Today
And take a wild guess at who they recruit to write the article: None other than Thomas Fox, publisher of the National Catholic Reporter.
Fox: "Unfortunately, some Catholic bishops and conservatives now fail to distinguish moral from civil law, the ideal from the real."
Again, Evangelium Vitae: "Consequently there is a need to recover the basic elements of a vision of the relationship between civil law and moral law, which are put forward by the Church, but which are also part of the patrimony of the great juridical traditions of humanity. Certainly the purpose of civil law is different and more limited in scope than that of the moral law. But 'in no sphere of life can the civil law take the place of conscience or dictate norms concerning things which are outside its competence,' which is that of ensuring the common good of people through the recognition and defence of their fundamental rights, and the promotion of peace and of public morality. The real purpose of civil law is to guarantee an ordered social coexistence in true justice, so that all may 'lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way' (1 Tim 2:2). Precisely for this reason, civil law must ensure that all members of society enjoy respect for certain fundamental rights which innately belong to the person, rights which every positive law must recognize and guarantee. First and fundamental among these is the inviolable right to life of every innocent human being" (71).
# posted by Jamie : 7:35 AM
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Wednesday, April 28, 2004
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New version of catechism?
No, not the USCCB's National Adult Catechism, but the CDF's own 'Compendium' of the CCC, which will contain "in a concise form, the essential and fundamental contents of the faith of the Church." Now this is someting to look forward to.
# posted by Jamie : 1:20 PM
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'Telling people how to vote'
Cardinal McCarrick went out of his way in a recent interview to deny that Church leaders were "telling people how to vote."
The Holy Father, however, doesn't seem to mind doing exactly this: "In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to 'take part in a propaganda campaign in favour of such a law, or vote for it'" (Evangelium Vitae 73).
Granted, EV is speaking specifically of voting for legislation, not voting for legislators (while McCarrick, it might be implied, it speaking of the latter), but certainly the two are not unrelated, especially if a legislator has promised to vote for certain legislation.
# posted by Jamie : 12:11 PM
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Bishop Gregory on Kerry-and-communion
Gregory (in a CNS story) rightly identifies the bishop's fundamental role in this regard as teaching: "When asked if he would give Kerry Communion, Bishop Gregory said, 'as a bishop, the first thing I have to do is teach. I have to teach the truth.'"
At the same time, isn't the imposition of ecclesiastical sanction a means of 'teaching the truth'? In fact, isn't that the primary purpose of an ecclesiastical sanction? We punish children to teach them (and their siblings) the difference between right and wrong, and to demonstrate that actions have consequences. Isn't this the thinking of St. Paul with regard to the incestuous member of the Corinthian congregation:
"Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened . . . But I now write to you not to associate with anyone named a brother, if he is immoral, greedy, an idolater, a slanderer, a drunkard, or a robber, not even to eat with such a person . . . Purge the evil person from your midst" (1 Cor. 5:6-13).
St. Paul hardly seems convinced that effective preaching will do the trick: "You are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord" (v. 5).
The goal is always the salvation of the excommunicant ('so that his spirit may be saved'), yet having also in mind the spiritual well-being of the faithful ('that you may become a fresh batch of dough'). Allowing a wolf to remain amongst the sheep is good neither for the wolf nor for the sheep.
In an age when confusion reigns amongst the faithful regarding what moral behavior is compatible with Catholic teaching and what is not -- confusion demonstrated by both the existence and the remarkable success of groups like 'Catholics for Free Choice' -- couldn't such confusion be effectively 'straightened out' as much by a healthy excommunication now and then, as by a good sermon? If the goal is to "abhor the sin but not the sinner," is it not a viable means to dismiss a sinner from communion, that both he and the congregation be purged of his sin?
# posted by Jamie : 7:12 AM
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Cardinal Arinze on the Eucharist
Arinze, as usual, cuts through the mucky-muck: "Objectively, the answer is clear: The person is not fit. If he shouldn't receive it, then it shouldn't be given." Unfortunately, both O'Malley and McCarrick have backed off this issue, as the article reveals, which once again deprives the Church of the united front which is so desperately needed here.
But, as should have been expected -- since when does a Vatican decree make any difference to John Kerry?
This debate accompanies the release of the long-awaited document on the Eucharist: Redemptionis Sacramentum: Full text here, Zenit's summary here.
# posted by Jamie : 7:51 AM
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How European bishops see the 'Kerry communion' drama
In a phrase, they simply don't care.
A Welsh bishop: "Great Britain would "absolutely not" take the route of announcing a ban on Communion to politicians voting contrary to church teaching."
An Italian bishop: "Our task as bishops is to state very clearly the teaching of the Catholic Church, but it would be very wrong to dictate to a Catholic politician how to vote," and (my favorite) "Faith is one thing. Legislation is another."
# posted by Jamie : 2:06 PM
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Virginia excludes gay marriage
Despite the waffling of Mark Warner. In fact, even civil unions are essentially excluded. Earlier this week, Oregon finally put a stop to gay marriages in their state, at least temporarily, which ends (for now) the 'gay nuptial binge' in the US. As of this Wednesday, gay marriage is permitted nowhere on US soil, at least unless and until there are more definitive alterations made to state constitutions.
# posted by Jamie : 12:38 PM
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Abortion rights march
Even though it seemingly happens only once a decade, and doesn't really seem much bigger, this march has gotten more media attention in the last week than the annual 'March for Life' has gotten every year since its inception.
And check out this double-speak: "This march is non-partisan, it is not political in the sense of electoral (politics)," said Gloria Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a march sponsor . . . . Planned Parenthood's Action Fund plans to endorse Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry at a separate event on Friday.
# posted by Jamie : 8:28 AM
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'Virgin Birth' reproduced scientifically!
I.e., a fatherless mouse has just been 'created.' Science has almost eliminated the need for men to exist. And it only took 600 embryos to pull it off! Who else can't wait until they try this on humans?
# posted by Jamie : 8:24 AM
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Wednesday, April 21, 2004
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New Catholic College in Phoenix
"Sporadic efforts to start a Catholic college in the Valley could be jump-started by the new bishop of Phoenix." Anyone know anything about the De La Salle Christian Brothers, who seem to be behind it?
# posted by Jamie : 8:07 AM
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Canada continues drive towards self-annihilation
"The official government agency Statistics Canada revealed on Monday that the rate at which women are having babies in the country has dropped to an all-time low." I'm sure opening the gates to gay marriage is just what the doctor ordered.
# posted by Jamie : 8:04 AM
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Cardinal Law's mansion to become football field
For Boston College, no less.
# posted by Jamie : 7:07 AM
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Romanus Cessario on The Passion
Clearly a great mind at work. Although methinks he overestimates the keenness of Mel's intellect: "He must have read Question 48 of the third part of Aquinas' 'Summa!'" I assume this is sarcasm, although it's fun to imagine 'Mad Max' hard at work exegeting the Summa in between cage matches with post-apocalyptic barbarians.
# posted by Jamie : 7:46 AM
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Polish prince canonized!
He must have been commenting on my blog from the afterlife.
And check out our next American (sort of) saint: Mother Marianne Cope.
# posted by Jamie : 7:39 AM
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African Anglican bishops in righteous indignation
Refusing to accept any funds from US Episcopal Church and demanding that the latter "repent" for ordaining a gay bishop. How's this for an example of 'episcopal spine'?" "We will not on the altar of money mortgage our conscience, mortgage our faith, mortgage our salvation."
Meanwhile, Tony Blair continues the 'homosexualizing' of the Western Anglican communion.'
# posted by Jamie : 8:05 AM
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Catholic Church 'barbaric' purveyor of 'nasty dogmas'
So says the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association at the United Nations. How dare the 'unholy axis' of the Vatican and Muslim nations stand against the international movement for gay rights?
# posted by Jamie : 8:00 AM
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Kerry meets with Cardinal McCarrick
Who will be his bishop, incidentally, if he ever makes it to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.; also the head of the USCCB 'task force' to deal with the likes of Kerry. McCarrick is also a bit soft on the whole 'church sanction' bit, or perhaps the better word is 'cautious,' so he's the perfect choice for Kerry's attempt to cool relations with the American hierarchy. Interesting that the subject of 'Kerry's Catholicism' is now making front-page news at CNN.
Inside scoop: Gregory Popcak managed to get an exclusive transcript of the conversation between Kerry and McCarrick!
# posted by Jamie : 7:24 AM
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'Left Behind' should be left behind
A publication from the bishops' conference has just slammed this shoddy series and its pretensions at theological literacy. Unfortunately, they're slamming for all the wrong reasons. Certainly there's more wrong with this series than the fact that it (1) makes America look too good, (2) promotes a 'nonbiblical fear' instead of hope, (3) takes the Bible too literally, and (4) paints a 'harsh and judgmental' picture of God. Depending on how the last three criteria were assessed, they could apply to nearly any writing in the Church's spiritual tradition (St. Ignatius' Exercises, St. Augustine's Confessions, etc.). Reminds me of Peter Kreeft's reasoning behind his choice to target his apologetic work at relativists, rather than biblical fundamentalists -- the Church simply shares infinitely more common ground with the latter than with the former.
# posted by Jamie : 2:23 PM
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ND looking good in the polls...
The rumour mill has it that Catholicism is making a surprising resurgence at good ol' Notre Dame.
"A UND alum reported that a school official is hiring some new solidly Catholic professors for the school’s Theology program, thus moving it 'to be quite orthodox, despite [prominent dissenter] Richard McBrien teaching one class and the halting support of the administration.'”
# posted by Jamie : 2:18 PM
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I'm not Cardinal Law, but I play him on TV
It's an odd phenomenon, but it seems everything of any significance (especially negative significance) that's ever happened to the Church is destined to end up as a made-for-TV movie.
"[Christopher] Plummer will bring 'authority, humanity, and an appropriately chilling detachment" to the part.'"
# posted by Jamie : 2:10 PM
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Spain joins the civilized world!
The moment has finally arrived to end once and for all the intolerable discrimination which many Spaniards suffer because of their sexual preferences," Zapatero told parliament during a debate which will end with a vote to confirm him in office.
"Homosexuals and transsexuals deserve the same public consideration as heterosexuals," he said. "As a result we will modify the Civil Code to recognize their equal right to marriage with the resulting effects over inheritance, labor rights and social security protection."
It had to follow England's lead, of course; Who's next?
# posted by Jamie : 11:55 AM
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Wednesday, April 14, 2004
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Kerry-brand Catholicism takes a hit
Want to see what a clerical spine looks like? A voice 'crying out in the wilderness' of congressional politics:
A Roman Catholic priest caused a stir on the House floor Tuesday when he urged lawmakers to let religious faith guide their votes and "be the antithesis of John Kennedy."
BTW, a new blog 'Catholic Kerry Watch,' , has effectively rendered superfluous my own habitual mockings of Kerry-brand Catholicism.
# posted by Jamie : 8:17 AM
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Wednesday, April 07, 2004
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Partial-birth abortion drama goes on...
The ban got bogged down in the courts within minutes of being passed, of course. The first hitch was a problem with evidence: The ban was partially based upon the conviction that this type of abortion is never medically necessary to preserve the life of the mother. But because abortion clinics have steadfastly refused to release medical records to courts, and have been upheld in this refusal by district courts, there is no way to prove or disprove the veracity of these claims. The second hitch is with 'fetal pain.' The ban was also based upon claims that, *gasp*, babies actually don't like it when they get chopped up and sucked up a vacuum! Which leads to the surreal headline, 'Fetuses feel pain [when killed]!'
# posted by Jamie : 7:49 AM
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GIRM Warfare?
The Register published a story the other day about the bishops' decision to begin investigating Catholic 'hymn'-books and issuing concrete norms for their regulation. Secret Agent Man is duly skeptical, and the Curt Jester has a grand idea for using the 'Gather Hymnal' to punish small children.
# posted by Jamie : 12:41 PM
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Televised abortion in UK
This is so disgusting as to be surreal. "My Foetus, to be screened this month, will show a "vacuum-pump" abortion." Even more surprisingly, the documentary is backed by both pro-life and pro-abortion advocates (not to mention the English bishops).
# posted by Jamie : 7:47 AM
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True cross in Washington!
"Several of the long-venerated relics -- from pieces of the cross, to replicas of the nails believed to have been used 2,000 years ago to crucify Christ -- are now on public display in Washington, D.C. The relics will be shown at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center through April 18." Info at ZENIT.
# posted by Jamie : 7:43 AM
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The annual foot-washing debate
Atlanta bishop insists that the rubrics be followed, despite protests of 'exclusion.'
The cited article states, "The overwhelming majority of American bishops allow women's feet to be washed in the ceremony, although the decision is left to individual bishops." The liturgy consultant at ZENIT, however, claims, "The rubrics for Holy Thursday clearly state that the priest washes the feet of men ("viri") in order to recall Christ's action toward his apostles. Any modification of this rite would require permission from the Holy See." Which makes me wonder if such permission has been routinely granted to the 'overwhelming majority' of US bishops, or if such rubrics are simply ignored.
# posted by Jamie : 7:21 AM
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If there's one man whose book on the liturgy I would love to read...
It's Cardinal Arinze's.
# posted by Jamie : 7:57 AM
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The Vatican and the Gaza Wall
'The Wall,' which the Israelis are building in Gaza, has been repeatedly and explicitly condemned by both Cardinals and the Pope himself. Even Israel's staunchest supporters in the US Congress have started to complain.
The Wall has had the effect of disrupting the life of the Catholic Church in the region: obstructing liturgical services, cutting off parishioners from their churches, preventing clergy and religious missionaries from working in the region, etc. Says the Vatican spokesman in Israel: "In the Catholic world there is a growing view that Israel has deliberately framed a policy to hurt the church."
In response, Ariel Sharon had the brilliant riposte that "Rome is full of walls, like Jerusalem, and the Vatican is surrounded by high walls."
# posted by Jamie : 7:40 AM
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California bishops on the march!
Against gay marriage, that is (and 'a Chinese funeral and marching band on Stockton Street and a steady steam of Irish fiddle tunes coming from the stage of the annual beer-and- oyster festival in Washington Square').
# posted by Jamie : 7:24 AM
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From the 'Imagine if this were a synagogue rather than a Catholic parish' files
"Gay Activists Target Catholic Palm Sunday Procession"
# posted by Jamie : 7:15 AM
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The Kerry communion drama goes on...
"Last week, a defiant note sounded from Kerry's campaign headquarters: 'Rome may not be thrilled with the Senator's position on some social issues," said an adviser, "but the Pope doesn't have a vote in this election.'"
"Last Sunday, while campaigning in Missouri, Mr Kerry preferred to miss a Catholic service rather than risk a confrontation with the formidable Archbishop Raymond Burke of St Louis."
Instead, Kerry opted for the somewhat less-than-formidable Charles Street AME Church in Boston, where he put his injured right arm to good use by, among other things, receiving communion:
"[He used] his right arm to shake hands, take communion and hold the Bible. He also used his left arm for some handshakes and to wave palm fronds during the service."
Such is our 'believing and practising Catholic.'
Meanwhile, speculation begins about Kerry's plans for Easter.
# posted by Jamie : 7:06 AM
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Kerry gets the endorsement that counts
"John Kerry will be a President pro-choice Americans can rely on. He understands that our private lives are private, and will make sure that Roe vs. Wade remains the law of the land."
# posted by Jamie : 7:05 AM
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Missing the point on the Morning After Pill
CNN headline: 'Morning after pill' doesn't alter teen sex."
Turns out, all of our worries about the 'abortion pill' were for nothing -- you can give it to your teenage daughter and sleep easy at night! That's right, distribution of the 'morning after pill' does NOT, repeat, does NOT, increase the likelihood of [unprotected] sexual activity!
Of course, the extent to which access to the pill increases the likelihood of sexual activity per se remains entirely beyond the pale of discussion. In short, teenage sexual promiscuity is simply not a concern to researchers. The only real concern is unprotected sex -- we don't mind if our teenage daughters "go out and have rampant sex," so long as they be sure to have their partner strap on a condom (as long as they do not "drop their usual methods"). Talk about moral blinders. The implied goal here is not to reduce rampant teenage promiscuity, but rather to render it innocuous through chemical abortion and disease protection.
And what annoys me most of all is the Orwellian 'double-speak': "Morning-after pills are high-dose birth control pills that can be taken soon after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy. They work by blocking the implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus." Since when is 'pregnancy' anything other than coming-into-existence of a fertilized egg?
# posted by Jamie : 12:45 PM
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Bush signs UVVA
That's 'Unborn Victims of Violence Act,' and this marks the end of a five-year bureaucratic process. A small step for man...
It goes without saying, of course: "Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., Bush's opponent in this fall's election voted against the bill."
# posted by Jamie : 12:40 PM
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More on Kerry and communion
"According to other sources inside the Kerry camp, aides are attempting to identify a Catholic diocese, and perhaps even a specific priest and church, where Kerry could attend a Mass with reporters present, and be turned away at the altar attempting to receive communion."
Now, information from unnammed 'sources' is generally not worth listening to, much less citing, and I should probably just ignore this altogether. But it is not inconsistent with Kerry's character as displayed thus far. Apparently the idea would be to paint Kerry as a good, churchgoing Catholic just trying to follow his conscience ('Personally Opposed, But" [TM]), turned away at the communion line by a conservative, oppressive Church. A 'martyr complex,' if you will. If it's true, it's sick.
# posted by Jamie : 9:50 AM
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A Saintly 'Grudge Match'
I've just become aware of what may be a regular feature on 'A Saintly Salmagundi': A 'Grudge Match.' This week it's between Saint Anthony of the Desert and Saint Simon the Stylite. The comment box, of course, is where the action is.
# posted by Jamie : 8:34 AM
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Looking for a Gay-Friendly Parish?
Look no further. Of course, I don't know what their criteria are, other than self-identification.
# posted by Jamie : 8:32 AM
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Bio on Archbishop Buechlein
Sounds like a great bishop. And he has VOTF's vote of [dis-]approval: "I'm not sure he handles dissent very well."
# posted by Jamie : 8:07 AM
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Hasn't this issue already been settled?
A Swiss Synod resurrects the dead horse of women's ordination, so that the bishops can continue to beat it.
# posted by Jamie : 8:01 AM
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The anti-Malthusian crisis
As yet another country offers cash incentives to parents willing to have large families, in order to slow a plunging birth rate and rapidly aging society. Toss some of those incentives this way, fellas.
# posted by Jamie : 7:49 AM
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Marriage amendment efforts commit moral suicide
Marriage is defined as between a man and a woman -- at the cost of permanently enshrining homosexual unions in the state constitution. In the course of a year, sodomitic unions go from a punishable offense to a state-santioned constitutional right.
Thus the wonderful state of Massachussetts. If the Federal Marriage Amendment lapses into the same 'double-think,' it would raise questions of whether or not a Catholic could even vote for it in good conscience.
On the other hand, we could just imitate England and give homosexuals full marriage rights.
# posted by Jamie : 7:38 AM
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Return of the Gestapo
Germany joins France in banning all public display of religious symbols. (Drudge story). This 'creeping secularism' is on its way to spanning the Western hemisphere -- how long 'til the U.S. ponders similar legislation?
# posted by Jamie : 7:35 AM
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If you thought Clinton was a wanna-be...
Kerry is so desparate to be 'hip' that it makes me cringe.
"I'm fascinated by Rap and Hip-Hop" said Democratic presidential candidate, John Kerry during an MTV Choose or Lose forum. Offering up a heavy dose of street credibility, Kerry defended gangsta rap, freedom of speech and the realities of street life.
Calling rap a "reflection of life", Kerry empathized with the struggles reflected in the music. "I'm still listening because I know that it's a reflection of the street and it's a reflection of life, and I understand all that."
I'm curious as to how a Massachussetts multi-millionaire Senator has ever, in his life, been able to sympathize with the 'stuggles' and 'realities of street life.'
# posted by Jamie : 7:30 AM
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Clarification of Holy See's position on War in Iraq
"The Holy See is not pacifist," [the Vatican foreign minister] said. "It is a peacemaker."
# posted by Jamie : 7:20 AM
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