What did our bishops expect? High-fives?
America in danger of adopting a "soulless vision of life,' Pope warns U.S. bishops at their ad limina visits.
# posted by Jamie : 2:07 PM
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Haven't heard from JC in a while
Here's one actor we can count on never selling out.
# posted by Jamie : 10:49 AM
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Anything you ever wanted to know about Annulments
Just in case you have too much time on your hands. From Sanctificarnos.
# posted by Jamie : 10:21 AM
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Well, that's one problem we'll never have to face
Bishop withdraws candidacy as primate of Canadian Episcopal Church due to breast cancer.
# posted by Jamie : 9:32 AM
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From the mouths of...
I've always said that the only people in the world who have any sense are Catholics and fundamentalists. But at the moment it seems that the Evangelicals are seeing things more clearly than many Catholics. Courtesy of HMS.
# posted by Jamie : 3:45 PM
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Showdown in St. Paul
Actually, this is something I've always thought would be kinda cool. A 'liturgical militia,' as a spontaneous gesture of Eucharistic piety among the lay faithful, to defend the Eucharist from sacrilege.
Pence said his actions will be "somewhat of a disruption, which I don't like. I think our Eucharist is sacred, but we're not disrupting it. They are disrupting it."
The bishops don't want to turn the altar into a "place of confrontation." How about an all-out battlefield?!
# posted by Jamie : 2:59 PM
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'That is not Catholicism.'
The American mainstream liberal Protestant church takes another step forward in its progressive self-definition as the 'United Church of Self-Affirmation.' They really should learn to put big quotation marks around "Communion" though.
"It's any Christian's concern when somebody takes so exclusive a view of who the church is, because Jesus was just the opposite," [Methodist Pastor Harvey] Martz said. "We're not trying to be anti-Catholic, we're not trying to attack other people. What we're really trying to say, 'This is who we are.'"
Last month, the General Conference of the 10 million-member denomination approved a document urging pastors to alleviate fears about unworthiness, saying people "are assured of the forgiveness of their sins"in the act of taking Communion [?].
Colorado Methodist Bishop Warner Brown: "By saying that, I do not intend to make critical observations about anyone's else's understanding [especially not local Colorado Catholic Bishop Michael Sheridan]. I'm only speaking affirmatively about our own."
Says Sheridan's assistant: "If in the Methodist church anybody can approach the table doing whatever they want to do in their lives, then that's Methodism. That is not Catholicism." Bingo.
# posted by Jamie : 11:42 AM
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Head coverings at mass
In response to Heather's question about head coverings:
When all else fails, go to EWTN.
The short answer: This was canonically obligatory under the 1917 Code (although even there exception was allowed for particular, or cultural, circumstances), but the obligation was dropped in the 1983 Code, and hence no longer applies. Since it does not reflect the eternal moral law, but only upholds a particular cultural expression of that law, it stands to reason that when the culture undergoes a significant shift, the rule can shift with it. The practice certainly continues, especially in places which have not undergone such a radical cultural shift as has the West, and this is certainly an honorable practice, but it can no longer be considered obligatory. It would seem illegitimate for any parish to refuse communion on the basis of it.
I mean, really, if you're going to give communion to a baby-killer, you really ought to cut some slack to a poor woman without a head covering.
# posted by Jamie : 7:57 AM
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Rainbow Sash Movement finds a home
At Our Lady of the Angels Cathedral in Los Angeles.
Maybe they'll run into John Kerry while they're there.
Funny, the RSM's can't decide if they love Mahoney or hate him. What? You mean there might be a connection between inviting sodomites to demonstrate in your cathedral and protecting child-sodomites among your clergy?
# posted by Jamie : 10:43 AM
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Boston diocese gutted
This is so sad, on a very human level. Putting aside for the moment all of the nonsense that's gone on in Boston for the last couple decades, the fact is that lots of good, pious Catholics are having their parishes shut down because a few paedophile priests couldn't keep it in their pants.
Thirty parishes is the number being thrown around. I wonder if there were even that many parishes total in my own home diocese.
UPDATE: Make that 65 parishes.
# posted by Jamie : 4:29 PM
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Straight Tribbin'
From Tru Dawgma. Be sure to check out his lyrics.
Portiuncula mentalities be waxin'
Straight tribulation factions gaining esoteric traction
No apology, my strict epistemology
Will influence doxology and put you in a quandary
Damn straight.
Straight tribbin', that is.
# posted by Jamie : 1:50 PM
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Putting the smackdown on the homosexual gestapo
Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, setting the pace.
Says Mark Shea, "What are they putting in the bishops' water these days? There seems to be an unprecedented number of vertebrae growing all of a sudden."
Of course, the utter lack of a united front by the bishops, which the 'Rainbow Sash' gestapo point out in this article, is almost as painful to see as no front at all, as it presents the image of a divided, uncertain, and ambivalent Church of Christ. We're seeing a widening fissure in the American Catholic Church, and everything seems to depend upon who's wearing the mitre in your diocese at this particular moment. I suppose that's the way it's always been in the history of the Church, of course; we saw that in with the Peter-Paul dispute in Antioch (Gal. 2:11-21). One can hardly blame the Son of God for picking an ineffective model of governance when He appointed twelve apostles to lead His Church.
# posted by Jamie : 11:45 AM
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This woman will get her gold in heaven...
"Tasha Danvers-Smith, the No. 6-ranked, 400-meter hurdler in the world last year, has announced she will not participate in the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, because of an unexpected pregnancy."
"'[T]he thought [of abortion] did cross our minds as an option,' she said, before citing Mark 8:36. 'But this line from the Scriptures kept coming into my head: 'For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?''"
Say a prayer for her too. (link here)
# posted by Jamie : 8:13 AM
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What a feat!
Head of Christian Coalition in Alabama swims across Tiber River.
Say a prayer for him when you read this. He'll need it.
# posted by Jamie : 8:06 AM
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New bishop for Richmond
The Richmond diocese, which suffered long under the sceptre of a 'progressivist' bishop, got a new shepherd today, Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo. DiLorenzo sent mixed messages to the media last week, indicating that, even if he's no Michael Sheridan, he's certainly a step up from his predecessor. Richmond was hard hit by the sex scandals, and DiLorenzo's predecessor did little to help things, and he gave homosexual activists and rampant ecumenists a little too much play in the governance of his diocese. DiLorenzo, on the other hand, even if he is reluctant to step into the Kerry-and-communion feeding frenzy, he certainly seems to be towing the line when it comes to Church teachings on abortion and homosexuality. Again, he's no Bishop Sheridan. But we're working on the 'incremental approach'; to quote DiLorenzo himself in the latter article, "you have to figure out which [episcopal] candidate and his platform do the least amount of evil."
# posted by Jamie : 4:04 PM
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Kerry Starts New, Pro-Choice Catholic Church
Said Kerry, "We haven't really started working through a lot of the theological stuff, but we are committed to the concept that progressive views on abortion, divorce, homosexuality, the role of women in ministry, and various other social issues should never come between Americans and their religious beliefs."
"The response from the Vatican has been somewhat predictable: "This is like landing on the 'Get Yourself Excommunicated' space on the Monopoly board of life. Do not pass the offering plate. Do not collect communion," said Francis Arinze.
(Just to nip this one in the bud, this is a joke, people. Courtesy of The Holy Observer)
# posted by Jamie : 12:03 PM
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Brilliant idea!
From a letter written in to today's Washington Post:
"Deny pro-choice politicians communion? Why stop there? Why not deny everyone who has ever disagreed with the Catholic Church? Include Friday meat eaters, large families that use birth control, divorcees and a list of others too long to add. Include any sexual sinner the church has a whim to include, such as those who go to certain movies or read certain books."
Pretty good for someone who is "ashamed to be Catholic."
Well, in all seriousness, though, the author has a point, even if she is an idiot. It is a bit 'late in the game' for the U.S. hierarchy to start slapping down ecclesiastical sanctions on grave sinners, when for decades a "don't ask, don't tell" policy has been upheld for every other kind of grave sin, e.g. remarriage after divorce, contraception, doctrinal dissent, etc. To point out the inconsistency here is not to be defiant, but to be honest.
# posted by Jamie : 7:45 AM
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And seeing as it's the 21st...
Don't forget the Novena to the Holy Spirit!
# posted by Jamie : 4:13 PM
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Update on last week's Liturgical Abuse
Also runner up for 'Most Surreal Headline of the Month' Award:
"Blessed Rakes and Rakers Enjoy Miracle of Clams."
# posted by Jamie : 12:49 PM
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Why You Should Never Put Your Picture on the Internet
Just for kicks. It's Friday. Courtesy of Heart, Mind & Strength.
# posted by Jamie : 9:29 AM
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"I, as a successor of the apostles, cannot remain silent . . ."
I'm a Johnny-come-lately on this one, but I can't refrain. Yesterday I came across this reference on A Saintly Salmagundi. Bishop Aquila of Fargo Diocese in North Dakota, took the pulpit in late April to issue the most compelling pro-life homily I've ever heard (or in this case, read). The homily in full is here. Selections follow:
"In the light of the last few days and all of the media coverage regarding John Kerry's unambiguous support of abortion rights, his personal opposition to abortion, and his insistence on the separation of his Catholic faith from his professional life, I, as a successor of the apostles, cannot remain silent. I, as an apostle, must speak with the apostles and obey God rather than man and present to you the teaching of the Church . . ."
"This past week there was controversy over the photographs of coffins coming back from Iraq. They demonstrated the reality of the war, which is not a bad thing for people to see, for in any war evil is present as is death. Yet, as I looked at that photo with real sorrow for the men and women who sacrificed their lives for our country and for their families, I thought to myself, 'Imagine if the media showed thirty-five hundred to four thousand coffins a day just in the United States of those who are aborted, of those who are denied a right to life.' The outcry would be great, but because it is hidden, a so-called 'right,' there is no outcry."
"Catholics who separate their faith life from their professional and social activities are putting the salvation of their souls in jeopardy. They risk the possibility of hell. Any Catholic who stands for a law of man, most especially one which is objectively evil, before a law of God, puts his or her soul in jeopardy of salvation for they cooperate with a real evil."
"The grave error that has come about, the grave error that the Father of Lies has planted in the hearts of many is the lie of thinking that we can have one foot with God and one foot with the world. We are in the world, not of the world. We are in the world to transform the world. The only way that the world will ever have peace, the only way the world will ever live in the truth is if the world embraces Jesus Christ. I would remind Catholic politicians, clergy and all of the faithful of the words of St. Paul when he reminds the people who are not living their lives according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and yet still receive the Eucharist that they bring judgment on themselves (I Cor 11, 27-29). They bring judgment on themselves. Let those words sink in."
Anyone get chills reading that? I don't know this bishop from Adam, and its always risky making one's judgment based upon one isolated homily. But in this homily one hears the unmistakable voice of the apostles (didn't St. Paul have a friend named Aquila?) -- the iron sceptre of a king united with the tender staff of a shepherd -- which must always be the trademark of the episcopal office.
# posted by Jamie : 8:50 AM
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On May 3rd I posted about 'Rev." William Hausen and his new 'church' in Pittsburgh. An official statement was released afterwards by the Diocese of Pittsburgh, explaining why Hausen can no longer call himself a Catholic priest. The statement is relatively uncomplicated; I only call attention to it because, in no other city in the United States would the local football team be used in analogy for ecclesiastical incardination in an official church statement.
"If a player for the Pittsburgh Steelers becomes a free agent and signs with the Cleveland Browns, he is certainly free to do so," the note said. "To continue to wear a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey and claim to be a Steeler is simply false advertising."
(Also, note that the local rival, the Cleveland Browns, are utilized as a metaphor for the schismatic community.)
# posted by Jamie : 1:59 PM
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D'Archy gloriously unrepentant
That's Bishop John D'Arcy who, as I noted on April 29, had disinvited a pro-abort from Speaking at the University of St. Francis. After taking a phenomenal amount of heat for this action, the indomitable D'Arcy proceeded to disinvite another pro-abort from speaking at his own high school! Now, if only he would focus on that 'other' school in his diocese.
# posted by Jamie : 1:48 PM
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NCR
As I've said before, the National Catholic Reporter is a good read, as long as you're standing on your head. Or, occasionally, if you're in the 'Letters' section:
"I am 20 years old and attend the University of Kentucky. I am a devout Catholic. I would just like to say that I find your views, as a whole, watered-down, feel-good theology" -- Anne Kadera
"I just read your article on Kerry. Unbelievable. After 40 years, you guys still remain the rebelliious adolescents." -- Michael Dorner
# posted by Jamie : 1:45 PM
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Colorado mammonites show their true allegiance
"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also" (John 15:18-20).
As we approach the feast of the Ascension, Jesus' final words to His apostles ring out in the liturgy. The successors of the apostles, those who live out His teachings, prove these words true.
# posted by Jamie : 3:26 PM
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New Bible version
The Revised Fundamentalist Baptist Version (RFBV) is now in print, or at least portions of it, on Dave Armstrong's blog.
Some of my favorite passages, now, thankfully, purified of all Romish interpolations and other popery, so that the good fundamentalist can read in peace:
Revelation 5:8: "And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are not the prayers of the saints (because all prayers go right to God)"
Luke 22:19-20: "And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is not my body which is given for you, but only a mere symbol. Do this in remembrance of me.' And likewise the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup which is poured out for you is not the new covenant in my blood, but only wine (and you may substitute grape juice after the 19th century temperance movement makes alcohol a scandal in church)'"
1 Corinthians 7:7-9: "I wish that none were as I myself am. All have the same special gift from God. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to get married, unlike myself. Whether they can or cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be a celibate slave of Rome."
Via Curt Jester.
# posted by Jamie : 11:52 AM
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Life in an Artificial Reproductive culture
Just lends itself to the bizarre. (From Mark Shea.)
# posted by Jamie : 8:54 AM
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Exciting new stuff from Karl Keating's corner
Catholic Answers is the best thing to happen to apologetics since St. Paul. Christopher at Against the Grain has announced Keating's new forum for Catholic apologetics. I'm so excited I could wet myself.
# posted by Jamie : 8:43 AM
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One more JP2 bishop
Lord knows Canada needs one.
Actually, two more, this one in Washington, no less. Hard to get a clear read on this one, but I'm optimistic.
# posted by Jamie : 7:34 AM
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Canonist Blog
Dr. Edward Peters has been running a "Canon Lawyer's Blog" for a couple of months now. Though rarely updated, he has recently posted some observations on Cardinal Mahoney's recent comments regarding ecclesiastical sanctions. Personal comments are completely withheld. Thanks to Timmy for the link.
# posted by Jamie : 11:59 AM
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Happy Birthday to La Papa
84 and lovin' life.
# posted by Jamie : 8:16 AM
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Search for Christian priests
"The Reverend David McIlveen of the Free Presbyterian morals and standards committee tells the paper while he is open to the possibility that Catholic priests might already be Christians, he has not met one he considers to be so" (BBC).
I think I met one once. I'm not sure, though. I mean, he seemed nice. But he was into all that incense-burning and wafer-worship and such.
# posted by Jamie : 8:11 AM
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More 'ill-timed' common sense
"[Catholic World News editor Phil] Lawler writes, 'The degradation of marriage did not begin with a Massachusetts court decision late last year. It began a few decades ago, when 'ordinary' married couples… began routinely using contraceptives. At that point, the typical American marriage-- which might have looked, from the outside, very much like that beautiful old union-- was itself based on acts of sexual perversion.'"
"His suggestion for the long term solution to reversing gay 'marriage' legalization is to 'Go through your medicine cabinets, dressers, and bedside-table drawers. Gather all the contraceptives. Throw them in the trash, where they belong. If you're Catholic, go to Confession. Then, having put our own houses and homes in order, we can begin the long trek toward restoring the true meaning of marriage.'"
Brilliant. I haven't seen a common sense observation made so forthrightly in months. Buy a subscription to Catholic World News today.
# posted by Jamie : 8:07 AM
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A saint for the ages
Especially our own. Every pro-life advocate ought to begin a prayerful devotion to this heroine today. This afternoon. After lunch.
# posted by Jamie : 1:03 PM
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Archbishop Hughes:
The bishop who says what every other bishop wants to say, except that Hughes has no fear of mortal men.
# posted by Jamie : 12:59 PM
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Common sense observation 'ill-timed'
"In a message which, given the situation in Iraq, would be seen by many advocates of inter-religious harmony as 'ill timed,' the Vatican called on Catholic women to think hard before entering into marriage with a Muslim, while asking Muslims to show more respect for human rights, gender equality and democracy."
"Calling women 'the least protected member of the Muslim family,' it spoke of the 'bitter experience' western Catholics had with Muslim husbands, especially if they married outside the Islamic world and later moved to his country of origin, according to the Reuters news agency."
Of course, for 'advocates of inter-religious harmony,' Ratzinger's choice of breakfast cereals is probably 'ill-timed.'
# posted by Jamie : 10:05 AM
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Update on Ave Maria chapel
I posted a couple weeks back on Ave Maria's apocalyptic plans to build a new chapel on their grounds. Michael Rose has an update, which comes to me via the Curt Jester. Apparently some Domers have taken it upon themselves to propose alternate plans, while the folks at Ave Maria have apparently backed down a bit under pressure. At least some sort of sanity seems to be out there.
# posted by Jamie : 9:34 AM
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Life in an 'Abortion Culture'
If you dislike the simultaneous sensation of depression and fury, don't read this. Thanks to JPawn for the link.
# posted by Jamie : 8:20 AM
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More on 'sacred places'
Here are the relevant texts:
Can. 932 §1 "The eucharistic celebration is to be carried out in a sacred place, unless in a particular case necessity requires otherwise; in which case the celebration must be in a fitting place."
"§2 The eucharistic Sacrifice must be carried out at an altar that is dedicated or blessed. Outside a sacred place an appropriate table may be used, but always with an altar cloth and a corporal" (Code of Canon Law).
"The Eucharist is celebrated as a rule in a place of worship. Apart from cases of real need, as adjudged by the Ordinary for his jurisdiction, celebration outside a church is not permitted. When the Ordinary does allow this, there must be care that a worthy place is chosen and that the Mass is celebrated on a suitable table. If at all possible, the celebration should not take place in a dining room or on a dining-room table" (Liturgicae Instaurationes, 9).
"For the celebration of the Eucharist, the people of God normally are gathered together in a church or, if there is no church or if it is too small, then in another respectable place that is nonetheless worthy of so great a mystery. Churches, therefore, and other places should be suitable for carrying out the sacred action and for ensuring the active participation of the faithful. Sacred buildings and requisites for divine worship should, moreover, be truly worthy and beautiful and be signs and symbols of heavenly realities" (GIRM 288).
In sum, it appears that a 'sacred place' is, as a rule, a church. Exceptions seem to be permitted only in cases of 'real need,' e.g. if the church is too small to accomodate the congregation, and a visit from the Holy Father would certainly involve a situation like this. Any other exception seems to require permission from the ordinary.
Now, I'm not a 'rules for the sake of rules' type, although I don't get my kicks out of breaking them either. But the intent behind the rules here is clearly to ensure that the liturgical surroundings are befitting to the sacredness of the Eucharistic mystery. Primarily to avoid disrespect, or perhaps even sacrilege, to the sacrament of the alter. Secondarily, to ensure that the sacrament is not devalued in the minds of the faithful. Decades of 'dorm masses' and 'fireside liturgies,' I think, in addition to all the other liturgical abuses this generation has suffered, have had the cumulative effect of implanting a certain ambivalence or even flippancy regarding the Eucharistic celebration into the minds of the faithful, even if only subconsciously. Ensuring the proper sacredness of the surroundings of the liturgical celebration is the only means of preventing the progressive desacralization of the sacraments. I've attended 'living room masses' in the past without thinking twice, and I think most who participate in this sort of thing (first of all myself) simply don't know better. But hopefully Redemptionis Sacramentum will start to change all that.
# posted by Jamie : 7:41 AM
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Liturgical Abuse of the Week
"The celebration of the Eucharist is to be carried out in a sacred place" (Redemptionis Sacramentum 108).
I suppose this doesn't count as a 'sacred place'?
How about this or this?
Hmmm....
# posted by Jamie : 8:13 AM
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One more step towards an Orwellian future
As phrases drawn from the Bible are arbitrarily banned from print. Well, at least the good guys won this one, thanks to...wait, ACLU?
# posted by Jamie : 4:16 PM
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Most Surreal Headline of the Month Award (TM)
"Judge Orders Couple Not to Have Children" (CNN).
Now, skimming over the story, it's clear that these are hardly model parents, and this is probably one of those situations in which a certain 'prudence' might be called for, and 'well-grounded reasons' may be present (HV 16) with regard to the procreation of children (CCC 2368-2370). But government coercion is hardly the solution, as Church teaching has always held sacrosanct the family's freedom to make its own choices regarding procreation (barring, of course, the use of gravely immoral means). Paul VI's prophetic words in 1968 are worth recalling:
Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone. It could well happen, therefore, that when people, either individually or in family or social life, experience the inherent difficulties of the divine law and are determined to avoid them, they may give into the hands of public authorities the power to intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife (HV 17).
P.S. This link was blatantly stolen from the indomitable Jimmy Akin. Props.
# posted by Jamie : 8:18 AM
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Controversy goes global
The Vatican has prepared an outline on the reception of communion for the 2005 Synod of Bishops.
# posted by Jamie : 7:47 AM
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Why Kerry's Defiance is 'The Best Thing to Happen to the Church'
"The controversy is forcing the bishops in the whole Church to show what they are made of. This controversy is going to be very good for the Church in the long run; it is going to lance a boil that has festered since the (Second Vatican) Council. Bishops have avoided any firm expression of condemnation on many key issues. Now they are being forced to come out and say, 'this is wrong' without compromise, or back away from the faith altogether. There won't be any more wiggle room after this" (LifeSite).
# posted by Jamie : 7:44 AM
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Is it just me...
Or is the temperature rising in here?
"There must be no confusion in these matters. Any Catholic politicians who advocate for abortion, for illicit stem cell research or for any form of euthanasia ipso facto place themselves outside full communion with the Church and so jeopardize their salvation. Any Catholics who vote for candidates who stand for abortion, illicit stem cell research or euthanasia suffer the same fateful consequences. It is for this reason that ehse Catholics, whether candidates for office or those who would vote for them, may not receive Holy Communion until they have recanted their positions and been reconciled with God and the Church in the Sacrament of Penance."
--Michael Sheridan, Bishop of Colorado Springs, Pastoral Letter, May 1, 2004.
"You cannot have your 'waffle' and your 'wafer' too. Those pro-abortion politicians who insist on calling themselves Catholics without seeing the contradiction between what they say they believe and their anti-life stance have to do a lot more of 'practicing.' They need to get it right before they approach the Eucharistic table."
-Thomas Wenski, coadjutor Bishop of Orlando, Article (unavailable), 5/3/2004.
"Catholics who publicly dissent from the Church's teaching on the right to life of all unborn children should recognize that they have freely chosen by their own actions to separate themselves from what the Church believes and teaches. The Church cannot force such people to change their position; but she can and does ask them honestly to admit in the public forum that they are not in full union with the Church. One who practices such dissent . . . has abandoned the full Catholic faith. For such a person to express 'communion' with Christ and His Church by the reception of the Sacrament of the Eucharist is objectively dishonest."
--John J. Myers, Archbishop of Newark, Pastoral Statement, 5/5/2004.
# posted by Jamie : 1:03 PM
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This could be interesting...
Kerry is planning a trip to Denver which coincides with the next major US Bishops' meeting there. Not that it will amount to anything, of course; both the USCCB and Kerry are too media-savvy for that. What might, however, is Denver's not-so-media-savvy archbishop, Charles Chaput (bio). Chaput has had plenty to say about pro-choice Catholic politicians already; besides preaching Humanae Vitae, disinviting pro-aborts from speaking engagements, and disengaging his ministers from homosexual advocate groups.
Story in the Denver Post: "Sergio Gutierrez, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Denver, said Monday that Archbishop Charles Chaput 'would welcome' a chance to kick Kerry right where it hurts" . . . er, sorry, "a discussion on whether to give Kerry Communion."
# posted by Jamie : 7:53 AM
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Three strikes for military chaplain
Father Thomas Doyle of the Archdiocese for Military Services was removed from his post by Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien. Although the liberal media were buzzing about this being "retaliation for his work on behalf of [sex abuse] victims,' this pipe dream is a mere cover for the clerical nonsense that Doyle has been engaging in for years. For starters: (1) Doyle circulated an official statement among his superiors that communion services could be regularly held in place of daily masses, which are 'not an essential element of the practice of the Catholic faith,' and that this action required no permission from ecclesiastical superiors; (2) he denied his archbishop's juridical right to oversee and govern such practices; and (3) when he received word of his dismissal, which would sever his pension plan with the military, he enrolled as a priest with the schismatic 'Holy Orthodox Catholic Church' in order to retain his benefits.
This story ran in the May 6 'Arlington Catholic Herald' (not available on the internet). I've had trouble finding a good internet media outlet which ran this side of the story, so you'll have to take my word on it for now . . .
# posted by Jamie : 7:59 AM
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More evidence that Governor Warner is a creep
In an age where public schools are being secularized and de-intellectualized at an exponential rate, why make life harder for homeschoolers?
# posted by Jamie : 7:54 AM
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Minnesota real estate is starting to look good...
And this from the Crookston diocese.
# posted by Jamie : 7:52 AM
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Bush to visit Pope
Hey, if Kerry is going to pander to high-placed Catholic officials during election season, I suppose Bush has the same right.
# posted by Jamie : 7:49 AM
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Not that its news anymore...
But, in case you were wondering, Kerry is still a regular communicant.
# posted by Jamie : 7:47 AM
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Olmsted continues to make himself unpopular in Phoenix
Olmsted, whom I posted on just a couple days ago, is wasting no time: (1) ordering nine priests to recant their signing of a gay rights declaration, (2) suspending a priest for concelebrating the mass with a non-Catholic minister, and (3) reinstating the Tridentine mass. It seems as though he's got his work cut out for him, although, from the looks of things, he certainly knows the right medicine.
# posted by Jamie : 7:50 AM
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How to Speak Minnesotan
Bishop John Nienstedt, recently-appointed bishop of New Ulm (in Minnesota) (I had to look it up too), has shaken up local Minnesotans by publicly taking to task his late predecessor (one Raymond Lucker) for doctrinal dissent. Lucker, a proud member of Call to Action and longtime dissenter, had a collection of his writings, a veritable manual on theological heterodoxy, published posthumously, just as Nienstedt took the reigns of the 'diocese on the prairie.' Nienstedt, not to be outdone, took it upon himself to make an official statement on the book and posted it on his diocesan webpage, lest anyone read it "as though it reflects Catholic thinking." The dissenting viewpoint promoted in Lucker's book, claims Nienstedt, "places one theologically in opposition to the church and spiritually in peril of losing eternal life." The National Catholic Reporter, the mouthpiece of American dissent, published two scathing articles (not yet available on the internet) in its May 5th edition, lionizing Lucker and demonizing Nienstedt, who is accused of 'maligning posthumously' his own episcopal predecessor. One article quotes local laity and clergy in New Ulm, who are essentially quaking in their boots, 'afraid to speak up' in the face of a bishop who is a 'top-down micromanager,' a 'scolder,' and someone who seems 'to enjoy being mean.' Once again, a sign that the Diocese of New Ulm . . . is in good hands.
# posted by Jamie : 9:19 AM
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Liturgical Abuse of the Week
Brought to you by Redemptionis Sacramentorum:
[117.] Sacred vessels for containing the Body and Blood of the Lord must be made in strict conformity with the norms of tradition and of the liturgical books. The Bishops' Conferences have the faculty to decide whether it is appropriate, once their decisions have been given the recognitio by the Apostolic See, for sacred vessels to be made of other solid materials as well. It is strictly required, however, that such materials be truly noble in the common estimation within a given region, so that honour will be given to the Lord by their use, and all risk of diminishing the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species in the eyes of the faithful will be avoided. Reprobated, therefore, is any practice of using for the celebration of Mass common vessels, or others lacking in quality, or devoid of all artistic merit or which are mere containers, as also other vessels made from glass, earthenware, clay, or other materials that break easily. This norm is to be applied even as regards metals and other materials that easily rust or deteriorate.
So when can we look forward to no longer seeing crap like this and this at mass? Or, perhaps you'd prefer drinking the Most Precious Blood out of a horse racing trophy.
When can we start seeing chalices like this one?
# posted by Jamie : 10:51 AM
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Olmsted 'Just what the Vatican ordered'
Bishop Thomas Olmsted, newly-installed bishop of Phoenix, Arizona (after that unfortunate little mishap with the previous bishop) is irking local gay-friendly Newman Centers and Call to Faction groups, and being branded a member of an 'ultra-conservative branch' of the Church, which is a sign that Phoenix is in good hands. (Of course, the fact that his first act as bishop was to protest outside of Planned Parenthood could have told us that.)
# posted by Jamie : 7:56 AM
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Culture and the New Evangelization
The last edition of L'Osservatore Romano carried a report from the Pontifical Council for Culture, which has some interesting observations about modern culture as a setting for evangelization.
Militant atheism is in regresion and no longer has much influence on public life . . . . On the contrary, religious indifference as well as practical atheism are growing. Agnostics and non-practising believers account for a large part of society and indeed, live as though God did not exist and with no reference to religious values . . . . In this world of non-belief, the influence of a certain more or less organized 'elite,' including non-believers, agnostics and anti-Christians, must not be overlooked and demands a pastoral response suited to every situation.
[Proposals for the evangelization of such a culture:] To put the Gospel in touch with the forces that form culture; from school to university, to learn how to think; when confronted with a secularizing media, dispersive scepticism, intolerant liberalism and pluralism that levels everything out, to react against the tacit acceptance of the prevalent culture with a new and joyful presentation of Christian culture.
To enable the light to break through the darkness, it is important to re-establish the mind's fundamental orientation to the truth, to ensure that it is not merely content with a worldly horizon. Indeed, if this can satisfy natural curiosity, it cannot quench the thirst for truth and the desire for contemplation that are inherent in the depths of the human mind. Limited rationality imprisons in a suffocating atmosphere the men and women and society that it claims to set free.
I find most interesting the call for a presentation of 'Christian culture,' a concept that has intrigued me in the last months. What exactly is 'Christian culture'? What are its foundations, its fundamental tenets, what is its content and orientation, what is its relation to the Church and to society? In the back of my mind here are the 'two cities' of St. Augustine -- is a 'Christian culture' the equivalent of what St. Augustine called the civitas dei, a society of persons united in the orientation of their wills towards the love of God and neighbor?
What does it mean to 'present' such a culture? The Report highlights the following elements: (1) the 'pastoral care of the family,' (2) the 'reawakening [of] the sense of beauty,' (3) the 'search for a true culture of holiness,' (4) 'ecumenical dialogue,' and (5) 'prayer.'
# posted by Jamie : 2:01 PM
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Schism in Pittsburgh diocese
Well, I suppose it's not a full-blown schism until they recruit a bishop, which doesn't seem likely in this case, but it's worth watching.
Rev. William Hausen, after years of public dissent on moral/doctrinal issues, for which he earned himself a parish reassignment two years ago, earned himself (and all his new parishioners) a prompt excommunication this week by 'starting his own church,' namely, 'Christ Hope Ecumenical Catholic Church,' where he 'preaches love.' Hausen has been warned of this excommunication by Bishop Donald Wuerl, who has apparently been making attempts to reconcile Hausen and put a stop to his idiocy.
# posted by Jamie : 12:27 PM
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Santorum's bungle
The New York Times is rarely one to moralize, and I'm skeptical as a rule whenever they start digging into ecclesiastical politics. But they've exposed a major problem here. Rick Santorum, a Pennsylvanian senator who is normally as close to St. Thomas More as American Catholic politicians ever get, has played Judas Iscariot to the Catholic pro-life movement this week, stabbing a conservative abortion foe in the back in exchange for thirty pieces of silver from the abortion-loving Arlen Specter. This infuriated me as much as it surprised me, especially when it gives the New York Times a welcome opportunity to point out the inconsistencies and contradictions which have become an expected part of the pro-life movement in American politics.
# posted by Jamie : 9:10 AM
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