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The Coming 'War' Between Obama and the Church

Wed Nov 19, 2008 7:50 pm (GMT -5)

The Coming "War" Between the Obama Administration and the Catholic Church

By John-Henry Westen
Lifesite
November 19, 2008
Link to original

WASHINGTON, November 19, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The possible signing of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) by President-Elect Barack Obama would be "the equivalent of a war" an unnamed senior Vatican official recently told TIME magazine.

The startling comments make the second time this week that a Vatican official has forthrightly and in the strongest language condemned Obama's extreme policies on abortion. Speaking at the Catholic University of America a few days ago, Vatican Cardinal James Stafford labeled Obama's anti-life policies as "aggressive, disruptive, and apocalyptic," also noting that, "On November 4, 2008, America suffered a cultural earthquake" (see coverage: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08111703.html ).

With Catholic, but outspokenly pro-abortion individuals occupying two prominent positions (Joseph Biden as vice president and Tom Daschle as Health and Human Services Secretary) the specter of public excommunication or denial of communion for prominent members of the Obama Administration has arisen.

The focus of the Vatican�s concern, FOCA, is a bill that would do away with state laws on abortion, including laws mandating parental involvement, or banning partial birth abortion. FOCA would also compel taxpayer funding of abortions, and, of greatest concern to Bishops, would force faith-based hospitals and healthcare facilities to perform abortions.

Obama has in the past said that he would make signing FOCA one of the highest priorities of his presidency.

Last week at the meeting of US Bishops in Baltimore, Cybercast News Service asked Chicago Cardinal Francis George, the current president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, if voting for FOCA would bring a penalty of automatic excommunication for Catholic politicians. The Cardinal did not rule it out.

"The excommunication is automatic if that act is in fact formal cooperation, and that is precisely what would have to be discussed once you would see the terms of the act itself," responded Cardinal George. When asked for more, he added: "The categories in moral theology about cooperating in evil, which make you complicit in the evil even though you don't do it yourself, are material cooperation, which is usually remote and therefore doesn't involve you in the moral action except in a very auxiliary and minor way, and formal cooperation, which would involve you even though you are not doing it, in the way that makes you culpable.

"So we would have to take a look at each case, and at each law, to determine whether or not the cooperation is material or formal. We've never done that."

Cardinal George has, however, personally analyzed FOCA and expressed his grave concerns about the legislation. In a message to the Obama Administration at the end of the USCCB meeting George wrote on FOCA, saying it would, "outlaw any �interference� in providing abortion at will. It would deprive the American people in all fifty states of the freedom they now have to enact modest restraints and regulations on the abortion industry. FOCA would coerce all Americans into subsidizing and promoting abortion with their tax dollars. It would counteract any and all sincere efforts by government and others of good will to reduce the number of abortions in our country."

The Cardinal added: "FOCA would have an equally destructive effect on the freedom of conscience of doctors, nurses and health care workers whose personal convictions do not permit them to cooperate in the private killing of unborn children. It would threaten Catholic health care institutions and Catholic Charities." (see coverage: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08111209.html )

In light of this possible attempt to revoke conscience rights under the Obama administration, Catholic League president Bill Donohue has urged President Bush to enact regulations, already in draft for months, which would protect the rights of doctors, nurses and health workers from being discriminated against if they refuse to perform or assist in abortions, as well as other morally contentious procedures. "At stake are the religious rights of these professionals," said Donohue.

"To put it differently, were FOCA to become law (it needs to be reintroduced in the House), the culture war that the Vatican official was referring to would come to a boiling point," he warned. "In practical terms, this would mean the closure of every Catholic hospital in the nation: No bishop is going to stand by and allow the federal government to dictate what medical procedures must be performed in Catholic hospitals. Make no mistake about it, the bishops would shut down Catholic hospitals before acquiescing in the intentional killing of an innocent child. Were this to happen, it would not only cripple the poor, it would cripple the Obama administration."

Donohue concluded: "It is for reasons like these that the Catholic League urges President Bush to move with dispatch in instituting rules protecting the religious rights of all health care workers. If Obama wants to undo them, it will set up a confrontation he will surely regret."

See the TIME article:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1859856,00.htm...

See the Cybercast News article:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=14369

Ancient Mass comes to Anchorage

Wed Nov 19, 2008 6:09 pm (GMT -5)

Click Logo To Link Original

Ancient Mass comes to Anchorage
By Patricia Coll Freeman
11/18/2008
Catholic Anchor (www.catholicanchor.org)

Anchorage, AK (The Anchor) - Ethereal chant, incense and perhaps even an ostrich-feathered liturgical fan will soon waft through Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage.

Beginning Dec. 6, the ancient Dominican rite Mass will be celebrated in Latin every first Saturday of the month at noon.

The successful emergence of the Dominican rite locally is keeping tradition alive, and perhaps fueling organic development of the liturgy into the future.

By early 2009, the Anchorage Archdiocese is also hoping to provide regular celebrations of the Tridentine Latin Mass, which was the standard Roman Catholic liturgy before the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).

A question of rites

Within the universal Catholic Church, there are 22 different rites, such as the Roman, Byzantine and Coptic, that incorporate different traditions into the Mass.

When it comes to forms of the Mass, �often we think of the Masses as �pre-Vatican II� and �post-Vatican II,� and it was more complicated than that,� said Father Vincent Kelber � a Dominican priest at Holy Family Cathedral, where he is preparing to celebrate the Dominican rite.

In 1570, the Council of Trent codified the Tridentine Mass as �the Mass for all time,� he explained. It then served as the main form of the Mass for the Latin Church until the Second Vatican Council.

The Council of Trent, however, allowed for the celebration of those rites which, at the time, had been in existence for at least 200 years, Father Kelber said.

That meant the Dominican order and others like the Carthusians, Cistercians and Carmelites could continue celebrating their own rites, alongside the principal Tridentine Mass.

Father Kelber explained that by the 1200s, it was clear that the Dominicans needed a common liturgical expression for the order�s many priests who preached and celebrated Mass in varied communities across Europe. Thus, the Dominican rite was established.

While the Tridentine Mass is sometimes criticized for being antiquated, it is actually pretty new compared to the medieval Dominican rite, noted Father Kelber. The Tridentine is really �the beginning of the modern era,� he said.

At Vatican II, the Tridentine Mass was replaced by the �Novus Ordo� or �new Ordinary of the Mass� as the principal form of the Mass. In that form, which most Catholics are accustomed to today, prayers are said in the local language.

Ancient is new again

Those familiar with the Tridentine Mass will find similarities in the Dominican rite. Both are celebrated in Latin, which for centuries was the sacred liturgical language of the Catholic Church, Father Kelber said.

Additionally, in both the Tridentine and Dominican rites, priests face the same direction as the congregation � toward the altar.

The point is to be �oriented towards the one God,� said Father Kelber. The Eucharist is always central, he added.
Priests also wear special vestments in the Dominican rite, but since the Dominicans �pre-date lace,� explained Father Kelber, they are not as ornate as those in the Tridentine rite.

Catholics may also notice that the Dominican rite contains many signs of reverence, such as bowing, Father Kelber explained.

A penitential prayer, which the priest leads at the start of the Mass, is said before he enters into the sanctuary, �the holy of holies,� Father Kelber said. Also, communicants receive Communion kneeling.

�Every movement in the Mass is purposeful and prayerful; it is embodied worship,� he said.

�Rite� for the times

While Vatican II ushered in many needed changes, the continued use of the Dominican rite helped provide stability amid the flux.

�We realize now and Pope Benedict realizes that some of the changes of the Second Vatican Council were good, but some of them were too fast, some weren�t explained, some were poorly implemented and some weren�t according to the documents,� Father Kelber said.

The ancient Masses �helped people to cope,� he added.
As part of the patrimony of the church, the ancient Mass is worth preserving, Father Kelber continued.

�It�s okay to have this kind of diversity,� he said.
Father Kelber said it is especially important to appreciate the �ethos� of a pre-reformation tradition, such as that of the Dominicans.

�There is a lot that the medieval times can offer,� he said. �They weren�t in the dark ages at all. They lived a life that we can see today is something worth emulating in many ways, because it was before the busy-ness of the modern world. They knew what contemplation was, they knew what silence was, and we don�t.�

An ancient rite blooms

In the 1980s interest in the Dominican rite grew among the young friars of the Dominicans� Western Province, said Father Kelber. Interest �bloomed again in a new way� with friars, such as Father Kelber, who were ordained in the late 1990s and early 21-century.

With no formal training on how to celebrate the ancient Mass, Father Kelber said he read about the Mass and worked with other priests familiar with it.

�Preservation work is personal,� he said. �It has to be handed-down. It can�t be just gotten out of a book.�

Now, given the growing interest in the Dominican rite, the Western and Eastern Provinces of the Dominican order are planning instructive conferences for its friars. The first takes place August 2009 at St. Albert�s priory in Oakland.

Here in Anchorage, with permission from his provincial director and Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz, Father Kelber has been perfecting his practice of the Dominican rite on his days off.

�There are people all over the United States and the world excited about the old rite � excited about Gregorian chant,� he said. �It�s not just one person here saying �Well, I miss the old days.� It�s not just something looking back, but something looking forward and a gift for these crazy times.�
_________________
IN CORDIBUS JESU ET MARI�

SECRETMAN

California�s First Lady says she�s �a Cafeteria Catholic�

Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:27 am (GMT -5)
�I pick and choose�
California�s First Lady says she�s �a Cafeteria Catholic�

California Catholic Daily
November 19, 2008
http://calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=0e25ff67-0752-4363-aadf-7f3799cd39de

�I start every one of my days praying,� says Maria Shriver, wife of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. �I go to church every week. I went to Catholic schools my entire life.� But, says Shriver, when it comes to Church teachings, �I pick and choose� I think I�m probably a �Cafeteria Catholic.��

Shriver�s comments came during a lengthy interview on the Washington Post�s video blog �On Faith,� taped during an Oct. 22 women�s conference at the Long Beach Convention Center. Shriver, wearing a rosary around her neck, was interviewed by Washington Post columnist Sally Quinn and co-host Jon Meacham of Newsweek. Portions of the interview were posted Nov. 17 on �wowOwow,� a web site that says it is �run and written by Lesley Stahl, Peggy Noonan, Liz Smith, Joni Evans, Mary Wells, Sheila Nevins, Joan Juliet Buck, Whoopi Goldberg, Julia Reed, Joan Ganz Cooney, Judith Martin, Candice Bergen, Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner, and Marlo Thomas.�

Shriver and the governor are members of St. Monica�s parish in Santa Monica, and she told Quinn and Meacham during the interview, �My pastor (Msgr. Lloyd Torgerson) is a huge part of my life.� But her closeness to her pastor, her regular church attendance and her Catholic education don�t seem to have discouraged her from taking positions distinctly at odds with the magisterium. �I have a dispute with a lot of the Catholic Church,� said Shriver in the interview. �Even though I consider myself a Catholic in good standing, I disagree with a lot of the teachings of the Church.�

Shriver spelled out some of her disagreements: �I don�t believe that if someone�s divorced they shouldn�t get Communion; I don�t believe that people who are gay shouldn�t be accepted into the Church� I�m pro-choice, I believe women should have that right.� She also said �women should have a larger role in the Catholic Church.�

What she does like about Catholicism, said Shriver, are its teachings on �compassion� and �social justice.�

Bishop Prays Obama Not Impose the Intrinsic Evil of Abortion

Wed Nov 19, 2008 8:49 am (GMT -5)
Bishop of Fargo North Dakota Prays that Obama will "Not Impose the Intrinsic Evil" of Abortion

By John-Henry Westen

FARGO, November 18, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A newly released column from Bishop Samuel Aquila begins by congratulating President-elect Barack Obama on his election, but then moves quickly to address his support for the "intrinsic evil" of abortion.

In the column, the Bishop says he will pray "for the conversion of his (Obama's) heart and mind to recognize the dignity of human life from the moment of conception until natural death and the truth that no government has the right to legalize abortion."

"I pray that President-elect Obama will listen when it comes to the question of the unborn and not impose the intrinsic evil of abortion on the consciences of so many who know the truth that abortion is the destruction of a unique innocent human being," he added.

The Bishop notes that, in light of Obama's election, "the Church, and most especially bishops and priests, will need to make the teaching of the Church known to every Catholic." Aquila says that he has been "surprised and saddened at how little some Catholics know and accept the teaching of the Church on the matter of abortion."

He corrects the most serious misperception saying, "Some believe that it is possible to be a faithful Catholic and be pro-choice. This is impossible. Abortion is an intrinsic evil, which means that in no circumstance is it permitted nor may it ever be supported, even as a means to a good end. No Catholic can be faithful to Jesus Christ and the Church and support an intrinsic evil."

Catholics who support such evils put themselves outside the Church, says the Bishop. "Thus Catholics, be they judges, politicians, or voters, who support Roe v. Wade or �assisted suicide� by any type of legislation or candidate, place themselves outside of the law of God and the Church each time they vote in support of so-called abortion rights or rights to die."

See the full column by Bishop Aquila here:
http://www.fargodiocese.org/bishop/Homilies/SupportDignityOfHumanLife.pdf

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08111810.html

Pope: Catholic Politicians Must Remain Coherent To the Faith

Wed Nov 19, 2008 8:45 am (GMT -5)
Pope Reiterates Catholic Politicians Must "Remain Coherent To the Faith They Profess"

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

VATICAN CITY, November 18, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI told an assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Laity on Saturday that where "the authentic quality of human life in society is implicated," Catholics involved in political life must "remain coherent to the faith they profess, uphold their moral rigour, capacity for cultural judgement, professional competency and passion for service of the common good."

The Holy Father's statement reaffirms his commitment to promoting religious freedom within the realm of public life. In his address to the UN earlier this year the Pope stated that the human right of religious freedom includes the right to make political decisions that are informed and directed by faith.

"Human rights, of course, must include the right to religious freedom,� he said. �It is inconceivable, then, that believers should have to suppress a part of themselves - their faith - in order to be active citizens. It should never be necessary to deny God in order to enjoy one's rights.� He concluded, "The full guarantee of religious liberty cannot be limited to the free exercise of worship, but has to give due consideration to the public dimension of religion, and hence to the possibility of believers playing their part in building the social order."

During his meeting with the Bishops of the United States in April Pope Benedict also addressed the "particular problem" of secularism in America, which, while allowing profession of belief in God, "can subtly reduce religious belief to a lowest common denominator," thereby creating a separation "of faith from life: living 'as if God did not exist'."

The Holy Father lamented that some Catholics believe they have "a right to pick and choose" in the faith, "maintaining external social bonds but without an integral, interior conversion to the law of Christ."

The Pope stressed that the intrinsic bond between faith and reason, "the intrinsic relationship between the Gospel and the natural law," was the means by which the "sound understanding of freedom, seen in positive terms as a liberation both from the limitations of sin and for an authentic and fulfilling life" could guide Catholics in political life.

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08111809.html

So-Called Pro-Life Obamites Say Banning Abortion Failed

Tue Nov 18, 2008 2:19 pm (GMT -5)
So-Called Pro-Life Advocates Who Backed Obama Say Banning Abortion Failed

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 18, 2008
http://www.lifenews.com/nat4581.html

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The so-called pro-life advocates who promoted pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama are now saying efforts to ban abortion have failed. They are now working with abortion advocates on efforts to help pregnant women that authentic pro-life advocates have been doing for decades.

Douglas Kmiec, the infamous law professor who was one of the leading Catholics promoting Obama during the campaign, talked with the Washington Post about the next steps.

He's joining with so-called pro-life groups who backed Obama, like Catholics United and Sojourners, to work with abortion advocates and persuade pro-life advocates to drop efforts to ban abortions because of the Obama victory.

"If one strategy has failed and failed over decades, and you have empirical information that tells how you can honor life and encourage women to make that choice by meeting real needs that are existing and tangible, why not do that?" he told the Post.

However, the strategy to ban or limit abortions legislatively has not failed.

As the Alan Guttmacher Institute, a former Planned Parenthood affiliate, noted in January, the number of abortions is at historic lows.

Research from University of Alabama professor Dr. Michael New shows states that have passed the most pro-life laws to reduce abortions have seen the biggest abortion declines.

And pro-life advocates say that President Bush appointed two Supreme Court justices who will likely vote to overturn Roe v. Wade -- making the high court one vote away from allowing states to protect unborn children.

They say Kmiec and his colleagues sabotaged that effort by putting Obama in the White House, where the incoming president has pledged to only appoint pro-abortion judges who will vote to keep unlimited abortions legal another 35 years.

Joe Scheidler, founder of the Pro-Life Action League, responded to Kmiec and said he and the National Association of Evangelicals and others who are urging pro-life advocates to give up on providing legal protection for unborn children are doing a disserve to the pro-life cause.

"It's a sellout, as far as we are concerned," he told the Post. "We don't think it's really genuine. You don't have to have a lot of social programs to cut down on abortions."

The people and groups involved in the "pro-life, pro-Obama" effort say not enough has been done to provide help for pregnant women.

Yet, pro-life advocates have put together a network of over 3,500 crisis pregnancy centers that have been providing tangible pregnancy assistance to women for decades.

Kmiec and his colleagues appear to take a disingenuous position with regard to helping pregnant women because Obama will likely support a bill that could put some pregnancy centers out of business or place onerous restrictions on them.

Some of the groups involved in the pro-Obama effort are also supporting a bill that would increase the funding for Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business.

They're backing the so-called Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act, sponsored by Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, a former NARAL staff member.

As LifeNews.com has previously profiled, Ryan and the bill have come under fire from pro-life advocates because it has become a measure that would likely promote abortions.

Sodomites to Christians: 'We're Going to Kill You'

Tue Nov 18, 2008 1:03 pm (GMT -5)
This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows.
To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=81310

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

VIDEONETDAILY
WorldNetDaily
Watch sparks fly as 'gay' activist mob swarms Christians
Residents of homosexual district: 'We're going to kill you. We know who you are'

Posted: November 17, 2008
10:16 pm Eastern
By Chelsea Schilling
WorldNetDaily

Hundreds of homosexual activists rushed out of bars and swarmed a group of Christians who were singing songs in San Francisco's Castro District – and some even threatened to kill the worshippers.

A group of Christians had been singing and praying in the "gay" district for several days, but they never expected an angry mob would run them out. However, that's what happened Friday night.

One woman who was attacked told her story with Pastor Lou Engle at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. She said the group's fellowship had been peaceful for several nights before the riot.

"People would come stand with us and join us," she said. "We got to pray for some people."

But then angry men began yelling profanities and warning the Christians to leave the district.

One asked, "Why are you here?"

The leader of the group said, "We're here to worship God, and we're here because we love you."

A group of men approached the Christians and covered them with a large cloth, backing them into a corner. Then the angry mob began swearing and growing larger. The bars began emptying out, and a crowd completely surrounded the Christians.

The worship group began singing "Amazing Grace," while an estimated 500 "gay" advocates sang, "We Shall Overcome."

The woman said she and her friend were doused with hot coffee. One man took a Bible from her friend, hit her on the head with it, pushed her to the ground and began kicking her. People began lunging at the Christian group, blowing whistles in their ears.

"They started saying, 'We're going to kill you,'" she said. "They started taking our pictures and saying, 'We're going to kill you. We know who you are."

Then she said a man jumped through the crowd and pushed her forehead.

Just then, a squad of police officers arrived in riot gear, surrounding the Christians and forming a protective human wall.

She said the police told them, "You have to leave if you want to make it out."

When the group continued praying, an officer came back and said, "You don't have a choice anymore. We're going to escort you out."

The officers then took the Christians to their cars. The angry mob began lunging at them through the riot gear and chanting "Shame on you!"

Some yelled, "We are going to follow you all the way home!" Others called the Christians "hypocrites."

One man screamed into a camera, "We don't ever want them coming back. Do you understand that, other Christians? Do you understand that, other Mormons? I'm talking to you, people. Yeah, you. Stay out of our neighborhood if you don't like us. Leave us alone!"

Learn about the intimidating tactics and brilliant marketing techniques being used by "gay rights" activists – read David Kupelian's controversial blockbuster, "The Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised as Freedom."

The woman said her group had merely organized a peaceful fellowship and wasn't there to condemn homosexuals.

"We hadn't preached," she said. "We hadn't evangelized. We worshipped God in peace, and we were about to die for it."

"Their rights were respected," Joe Schmitz, an opponent of Prop. 8, told San Francisco's KTVU Channel 2. "They got a chance to go ahead and pray on the sidewalk, and I had the opportunity to express my freedom of speech, which is telling them to get out of my neighborhood."

The following day, approximately 20,000 people marched in San Francisco to protest passage of California's Proposition 8 protecting traditional marriage. Several thousand people conducted other protests around the nation in cities such as Manhattan, Chicago and Los Angeles. According to reports, many protesters feeling emboldened by the recent election chanted, "Yes we can!" – a slogan popularized by the Barack Obama campaign.

Evangelical-Catholic Dialog Studies Meaning of Christ's Aton

Tue Nov 18, 2008 11:44 am (GMT -5)
Evangelical-Catholic Dialogue Studies Meaning of Christ's Atonement, Redemption

USCCB News Release
November 17, 2008
http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2008/08-178.shtml

WASHINGTON�The Evangelical-Catholic Dialogue issued a statement on the meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus at the conclusion of its October 17-19 round of discussions. The dialogue has included as many as seven Catholic scholars and 15 theologians from Evangelical and Pentecostal traditions and has met annually since 2002, at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.

On the final day of their meeting, participants adopted a consensus statement on the death of Jesus as an atoning sacrifice. The doctrine of the atonement is the teaching held by most Christians that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross brings about the reconciliation of sinful human beings with God. The statement calls the cross "the saving mystery of God's plan for the ages."

Drawing on beliefs of their religious traditions, the Catholic and Evangelical scholars agreed that "Christ's death on the Cross is the propitiatory sacrifice that satisfies the wrath of God against sin and the expiatory sacrifice that cleanses sin and shame." They said the understanding of atonement is one of the "life-giving truths" of the Gospel, but acknowledged that the two sides have yet to agree on how these truths should be lived by Christians in their worship and piety.

The dialogue also included discussions of papers presented by members of the two teams. Gerry Breshears, Ph.D., of Western Seminary, Portland, Oregon, explored the multi-faceted accomplishments of the cross as propitiation, expiation, and triumph over sin and death. He located the meaning of Jesus' sacrificial death within the entire Gospel account of Jesus' birth, ministry, and passion-resurrection.

David Fleischacker, Ph.D. of the University of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne, Indiana, spoke from the Catholic position. He placed Christ's redemption in the context of creation and the fall of Adam and drew on the Old Testament to show the historical preparation for the Kingdom of God as revealed in the Incarnation. References to the Old Testament manifest the constant emergence of the stages of fulfillment in the divine plan of Redemption, he said.

Fleischacker said that Jesus' offering of himself on the cross and in the Eucharist transcends and yet fulfills the animal sacrifices of Israel's temple worship. He said the Ark of the Covenant is fulfilled in the life and faith of Mary and that the Church comes "to house the holy of holies" where humanity is restored in baptism and nourished by the Eucharist.

Father Arthur Kennedy, co-founder of the dialogue and Rector of Saint John's Seminary, Brighton, Massachusetts, reviewed the historic development of the theology of the atonement from scriptural teachings and St. Anselm's theology of the atonement as "satisfaction."

Bishop John Gaydos of Jefferson City, Missouri, and Bonn Clayton, staff of the National Association of Congregational Christ Churches, co-chaired the meeting.

Catholic participants included Bishop Gaydos, Ralph Del Colle, Ph.D., Marquette University, Milwaukee; Fleischacker; Father Michael Keating, University of St. Thomas; and Father Kennedy.

Evangelical participants included Clayton; Glen Menzies, North Central University, Assemblies of God; Dennis Jowers, Faith Evangelical Seminary, Korean American Presbyterian; Breshears, Baptist; W. Paul Freeman, The Salvation Army; Steven Hoskins, Trevecca Nazarene University, Church of the Nazarene; Duane Fisher, Waite Park Wesleyan Church, The Wesleyan Church; Michael Salmeier, Life Pacific College, Church of the Four Square Gospel; and Jeff Staub, Central Baptist Seminary.

Father James Massa, Executive Director of the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, was also in attendance to thank the participants for seven years of fruitful ecumenical scholarship. "It is my expectation," he said, "that the papers of this exemplary dialogue and the consensus statement on the Atonement of Christ adopted at this recent meeting will be documented in book form in the coming years."

Buffalo Diocese pleased with sales of churches

Tue Nov 18, 2008 11:40 am (GMT -5)
Diocese pleased with sales of churches

By Jay Tokasz
BuffaloNews Staff Reporter
11/16/2008
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/495196.html

Five former Catholic churches are being reused for worship by other religious groups, a couple of them have been turned into museums, and several are being converted into living spaces.

Since its restructuring effort began in 2005, the Diocese of Buffalo has sold about a quarter of the 77 worship sites that have been closed or are slated to close.

The diocese so far has sold 18 churches. Four other properties are under contract to be sold, and a couple more are nearing a deal, according to diocesan spokesman Kevin A. Keenan.

�Things are going very well. The bishop has been very pleased with the number of properties that have been sold,� Keenan said. �It has exceeded our expectations to this point.�

The sales are helping neighborhoods around the former churches and, in some cases, putting properties on the tax rolls, he added.

Thirty-five properties are currently on the market. In addition, six sites that are no longer being used for worship are not for sale, and a handful of others are being leased.

New uses still await sites where parish mergers haven�t been completed.

The diocese is hosting a symposium Tuesday in the former St. Barbara Parish center on Caldwell Street in Lackawanna to discuss further possibilities for closed churches, including those located in impoverished areas of Buffalo, Lackawanna and Niagara Falls.

Bishop Edward U. Kmiec is particularly interested in exploring how nonprofit agencies could redevelop facilities to meet human services needs in the community, said Keenan.

Representatives from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal will be on hand to explain possible federal and state funding for adaptive reuse projects.

There will also be discussion of state and federal historic tax credits.

Sales of churches so far have generated more than $2 million for remaining Catholic parishes.

Sale prices have ranged from a low of $12,000 for the former Sacred Heart Church in Angelica, Allegany County � an 1851 clapboard structure that was one of the oldest continuously used buildings in the Buffalo diocese � to $300,000 for the former Immaculate Conception Church on Edward Street in Allentown, purchased in 2006 by developer the Plaza Group.

Immaculate Conception and St. John the Baptist, which sold for $160,000 in 2006 to the Plaza Group, remain vacant and are back on the market.

The huge sell-off of properties had caused alarm that empty buildings would end up in disrepair and stripped of valuable interior architectural features. Community groups also worried that closed churches would contribute to neighborhood instability.

Others expressed concern about whether the diocese would do enough to determine if potential buyers could afford the buildings, some of which are costly to maintain and repair.

Some previously closed Catholic churches suffered badly from neglect, years after the diocese sold them off to other congregations or nonprofit groups without the wherewithal to care for the spaces.

But Keenan said the diocese has been careful about whom it sells to.

�It�s not a fire sale,� he said. �We have had some potential buyers who could not financially meet the needs, so we did not sell to them.�

Vacant churches are primarily the responsibility of any merged parishes that are part of the closings.

Those parishes receive the proceeds of any sale, but also end up having to pay any carrying costs, such as utilities and, in some cases, property taxes.

St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Lovejoy, for example, has received city property tax bills for St. Agnes Church and Visitation Church, both of which have been empty since October 2007.

The buildings have been exempt from property taxes for decades because of their religious purpose. But state law dictates that such properties get taxed when they�re no longer being used by a church.

The new parish already has spent about $150,000, mostly to heat the buildings to a minimum, according to the Rev. James Monaco, pastor.

�We�re hemorrhaging right now with the carrying costs,� he said.

But the parish soon may see some relief: A Buddhist group has proposed purchasing both former Catholic churches for use as a meditation and prayer center.

�They really have a great vision for it,� said Monaco.

Kmiec speech at St. John�s Seminary attracts prolife protest

Tue Nov 18, 2008 8:25 am (GMT -5)
�Obama and the bishops are talking the same platform�
Kmiec speech at St. John�s Seminary attracts pro-life protesters

California Catholic Daily
November 18, 2008
http://calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=9bd09d02-6302-4eb5-947c-869b38407479

About 50 pro-life protesters held signs and conducted a candlelight prayer vigil on the sidewalk outside the gates of St. John�s Seminary in Camarillo a week ago today as Pepperdine University law professor Douglas Kmiec, a prominent Republican and Catholic who endorsed Sen. Barack Obama during the presidential campaign, spoke inside.

A press release from one of the pro-life organizations represented at the sidewalk protest stated: �Obama is the most radical pro-abortion member of the Senate and will be the most radical pro-abortion president� It was wrong for Kmiec, a supposedly pro-life Catholic, to support him. It was wrong for Cardinal Mahony to pal around with Kmiec and invite (or permit his underlings to invite) Kmiec to a Catholic seminary to spread his moral sophistry and betrayal of Catholic teaching.�

Kmiec was introduced to the audience of about 300 by Fr. Richard Benson, C.M., academic dean of St. John�s. Professor Kmiec elicited laughter by mentioning the reaction of people in other parts of the country to the name of his home parish: Our Lady of Malibu. He also established his �Catholic credentials� by mentioning his past work as a professor and dean at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. After a few more jokes, Kmiec noted, �American Catholics have chosen the popular vote winner for the last 10 presidential elections.� This means, Kmiec explained, that �we are not in anybody�s pocket� and that �we have given real meaning to [Pope] John Paul�s wonderful [teaching] where he said that Catholicism is not an ideology; it transcends political parties.�

Later in the talk, Kmiec described meeting Obama at a forum for �faith leaders in Chicago.� Kmiec described how he had challenged Obama about his statement that the senator wouldn�t want his daughter to be �punished with a baby.� Kmiec recounted: �So I said to him: �What in the world are you thinking?� [He asked me] ��how many children do you have?� I said �five.� He said, �When your wife first told you that she was with child, how did you feel?� I said �great.� Then he said: �There are some people who don�t have� [much], who don�t have a husband, who are� just barely knowing where they�re going to eat� and the announcement to them of a child coming is� [not great].��

Kmiec described another exchange at the same meeting in which Franklin Graham (son of famed Protestant evangelist Billy Graham) asked Obama whether or not the senator believed that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Obama paused, said Kmiec, and responded: �No, I believe He�s my way.� Graham shook his head and asked again, �Is He the Way?� After another pause, Obama mentioned that the person who had been a �great Christian witness� in his life was his mother, and she never practiced [traditional Christianity]. Yet, he believed, God would find a way for her to be saved. In response to that exchange, Kmiec said, �I never doubted the senator�s faith again.�

Kmiec described another exchange he had with Obama: �I think Obama ought to accept� [the pro-life argument from Natural Law Theory]. I told him as much. And his reply is to say: �I see my duty as wider than just your faith tradition. I respect your views, but I also have to respect theirs [those who don�t believe abortion is wrong].� And so he finds himself in this far left secularist position� to respect the choice of the mother.�

Kmiec said attempts by past Republican presidents to appoint justices friendlier to the pro-life cause to the Supreme Court have met with failure. He mentioned justices O�Connor, Kennedy, and Souter -- all appointed by Republican presidents and who voted to affirm Roe vs. Wade. He did not mention justices Scalia, Thomas, Alito or Roberts. Kmiec�s point was that using legal means to advance the pro-life cause was not succeeding, so our time and attention would be better spent on cultural and economic means of reducing abortion.

The biggest division among the bishops, said Kmiec, was �over the question of whether the protection of human life must come only from cultural and economic resources or only from legal approaches.� And, he continued, �Cardinal George, the president of the Bishops� Conference said, �Let�s do both.�� Kmiec said that �except for the abortion issue, Obama and the bishops are talking the same platform.�

After a brief break, Kmiec took three questions from the audience, one of which mentioned Obama�s support for the Freedom of Choice Act. Kmiec responded, �Most of what I�ve been told by members of Congress is that that bill will never make it out of the House��

According to a report on the lecture from Catholic News Agency, a priest in the audience proposed a hypothetical situation in which Kmiec has a telephone conversation with Pope Benedict. The priest asked whether Kmiec would ask for further explanation of the letter to the U.S. bishops concerning proportionality in voting decisions. Kmiec responded that, if the pope said, �Doug, you�re wrong,� he would then have to tear out the first 174 pages of his pro-Obama book (Can a Catholic Support Him?) and stand with the magisterium.

Mass. Bishops: "Thou shalt not commit adultery"

Tue Nov 18, 2008 8:21 am (GMT -5)
Mass. bishops blast Web site
Threat to marriage seen on �dating� site

By Bronislaus B. Kush
WORCESTER (MASSACHUSETTS) TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
November 18, 2008
http://www.telegram.com/article/20081118/NEWS/811180635/1008/NEWS02

The state�s four Catholic bishops have blasted an advertising campaign in Massachusetts for a nationwide online dating service for married people contemplating adulterous relationships. The bishops charge that the Web site erodes basic human values and sends a wrong message to the young.

�This wrongful enterprise threatens not only the oldest and most foundational of human institutions but also the common good of all,� said the prelates in a statement issued through the Massachusetts Catholic Conference.

The missive was signed by Cardinal Sean P. O�Malley of Boston and Bishops Robert J. McManus (Worcester), Timothy A. McDonnell (Springfield), and George W. Coleman (Fall River).

The statement is a reaction to a $500,000 advertising blitz on radio stations such as WAAF and WBCN, which traditionally attract younger audiences. Television spots are expected to air next month.

The advertisements, which promote the Web site www.AshleyMadison.com, have sparked a slew of stories in newspapers and on television, including a piece published in the Sunday Telegram by columnist Dianne Williamson.

Noel Biderman, AshleyMadison.com�s chief executive officer, told Ms. Williamson that infidelity has been around longer than his dating service.

�It�s called the human condition,� he said. �In our DNA, we�re not meant to be monogamous.�

The bishops said that as pastors and teachers, they were compelled to speak in support of marriage in light of the recent publicity. They said marriage requires honesty, loyalty, trust, self-sacrifice, personal responsibility, respect and commitment.

�Marriage is a vocation that benefits all of society by building and strengthening human relationships within the family home and beyond with relatives, neighbors and one�s community,� the bishops wrote. �Marriage is the basis for the family, the fundamental human society.�

They said marriage ensures the well-being of children, creates social stability and improves the quality of life for all.

The bishops, through the statewide conference, issue statements from time to time on subjects such as abortion and same-sex marriage. But it�s rare for the prelates to target a particular private endeavor or entity.

The ad campaign �was just so over the top that the bishops had to respond,� said Edward F. Saunders Jr., executive director of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference. �This �in your face� effort is an attack on society itself. Marriage shouldn�t be trivialized.�

Mr. Saunders said that common sense says that it�s wrong for spouses to cheat and for individuals �to make a buck� on the �pain� of couples suffering marital woes.

He said publicity about the dating service �took off� after the Boston Herald showcased AshleyMadison.com in a Page One spread last week.

�Frankly, the media was suckered into the story,� said Raymond L. Delisle, a spokesman for Bishop McManus. �The story was all over the place, driving more and more people to the Web site.�

Mr. Delisle said the church places special focus on marriage as a sacrament and noted it is involved in an 18-month campaign in Massachusetts to strengthen the institution.

He said it�s difficult for many couples to make a go of it today, given financial and other stresses, and he noted that the church works to help people with marital problems through special programs.

�Even if one views marriage strictly in secular terms, the institution still involves a contract or a vow,� said Mr. Delisle. �These people are preying and profiting upon individuals who have expressed frustrations in their marital relationships.�

"New generation" political education a must: Pope

Mon Nov 17, 2008 6:28 pm (GMT -5)

Published: November 18, 2008

Link to original

Formation for a new generation of "lay Catholics involved in politics" is urgent and vital, Pope Benedict has said.

Catholic News Service reports Pope Benedict told a meeting of the Pontifical Council of the Laity that the Church must strengthen its efforts to educate lay Catholics to play their proper role in building a world of justice, charity and protection of human rights.

"In a special way, I reaffirm the necessity and urgency of the evangelical formation and pastoral accompainment of a new generation of Catholics involved in politics, that they would be coherent with their professed faith, morally upright, professional and passionate about serving the common good," he said.

Lay people are called to fulfill their mission as followers and witnesses to Christ in government, social life, workplaces, schools and families, the pope said.

"Every environment, circumstance and activity in which we hope will shine the unity between faith and life is entrusted to the responsibility of the lay faithful, moved by a desire to communicate the gift of encountering Christ and the certainty of the dignity of the human person," the pope said.

Pope Benedict also praised the Council for the laity's commitment to promoting the dignity and participation of women in the Church and in the world.

"Man and woman, equal in dignity, are called to enrich each other in communion and collaboration, not only in marriage and family life, but also in society," he said.

"One can never say enough about how much the Church recognises, appreciates and values the participation of women in its mission of spreading the Gospel," the pope said.

In a world where so many people are not aware of the beauty of the truth and the joy of being Christian, he said, the Church relies on lay people to share "the treasure of grace and holiness, charity, doctrine, culture and works that make up the Catholic tradition."

Marshals Nab Pervert Ex-Priest Outside Church in San Francis

Mon Nov 17, 2008 6:23 pm (GMT -5)
Marshal's Office Nabs Perverted Arizona Ex-Priest Outside Church in San Francisco

By Ray Stern
Phoeniz New Times
Mon Nov 17, 2008
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2008/11/marshals_office_nabs_perverted.php

When Wilputte Alanson "Lan" Sherwood (pictured) blew off his lifetime probation in Arizona three years ago and went into hiding, those who knew about this case must have cringed.

Sherwood, a former Catholic priest who just spent 10 years in prison for sexual conduct with a minor, apparently "kept extensive logs and video tapes of many of his sexual encounters with numerous underage boys," says a press release put out today by the U.S. Marshal's office in Phoenix. The sheer numbers in the case are astounding:

It has been reported Sherwood targeted over 3,600 individuals for sexual interludes spanning 12 years and five different parishes. It is estimated Sherwood had over 1,800 sexual affairs resulting from Sherwood roaming the streets of Phoenix targeting hitchhikers and runaways.

Law officers including deputy marshals and task force members from Phoenix and northern California finally caught up to Sherwood yesterday as he was leaving services at the Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in San Francisco [emphasis added] ...

Maryknoll priest facing excommunication will appeal

Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:03 pm (GMT -5)
Ga. priest facing excommunication will appeal

By ELLIOTT MINOR
Associated Press Writer
November 14, 2008
http://ktar.com/?nid=45&sid=990890

ALBANY, Ga. (AP) - A Georgia priest facing excommunication for supporting the ordination of women said Friday he plans to visit the Vatican with a contingent of fellow priests and a bishop to appeal the decision.

Roy Bourgeois, 69, a Maryknoll priest and nationally known peace activist, ran afoul of Vatican doctrine by participating in an Aug. 9 ceremony in Lexington, Ky., to ordain Janice Sevre-Duszynska, a member of a group called Roman Catholic Womenpriests. Recent popes have said the Roman Catholic Church cannot ordain women because Christ chose only males as apostles.

"Who are we as men to say to women that our call to the priesthood is valid, but yours is not?" Bourgeois said in a telephone interview. "As Catholics we profess that the invitation to priesthood comes from God, and I believe that we are hampering with the sacred when we say that women must be excluded from being priests. That invitation is from God."

Bourgeois said the toughest part of the ordeal was informing his 95-year-old father, a devout Roman Catholic. He said he drove to his family's home in Lutcher, La., near New Orleans, to tell him, and that his father shed tears and then told his family that God had protected Bourgeois before, and would continue to today.

"When he said God will take care of him, I wept," said Bourgeois.

Bourgeois' excommunication likely would be automatic, requiring no further action from the Holy See, said the chief Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi. Excommunication is the most severe penalty under church law, cutting off a Catholic from receiving or administering sacraments. The ordained woman, Sevre-Duszynska, also faces excommunication.

Bourgeois said that he recently received a letter from the Vatican's doctrinal watchdog, the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, offering him a chance to recant within 30 days to avoid excommunication. But Lombardi said he did not know of such a letter, and Bourgeois said he has informed the Vatican he will not repent.

Bourgeois, a Vietnam veteran, served as a missionary in Bolivia and El Salvador. Concerned by what he had witnessed, he returned to the United States and formed School of Americas Watch, a group that holds annual demonstrations against a Fort Benning school that is now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. He lives in an apartment outside Fort Benning's main gate.

The deadline for his excommunication is Nov. 21, Bourgeois said _ just one day before the start of the 19th annual protest at the school by the group. Even if he is excommunicated, Bourgeois said he will remain active in SOA Watch and the church.

"I won't be able to say Mass in Catholic churches, but my ministry in SOA Watch and speaking at colleges and churches will continue," he said.

Vatican allows traditionalists to keep holy days

Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:28 am (GMT -5)

Click Logo To Link Original

Vatican allows traditionalists to keep holy days
By Anna Arco
14 November 2008

The Vatican has told traditionalists they have the right to celebrate major feast days according to the older calendar even where they have been transferred to the Sunday by the bishops.

This appears to contradict a statement made by the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales earlier this year.

Responding to a dubium (query) by the Latin Mass Society, the Ecclesia Dei Commission, which deals with the implementation of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, said the older calendar is legitimate. Unlike the new calendar, in which the feast moves to the Sunday if the bishops' conference transfers it, the rubrics for the 1962 calendar allow for the obligation to be transferred to the Sunday without moving the feast.

The statement says the use of the 1962 missal also includes the legitimate use of the calendar that accompanies it.

Also, while the bishops can legitimately transfer the Holy Days of Obligation to the nearest Sunday, it is equally legitimate to celebrate the Mass and Office belonging to that day on that day, provided that it is made clear there is no obligation on that day. Furthermore, in accordance with the rubrics accompanying the 1962 Missal, "it is appropriate to celebrate the external solemnity of Holy Days on the Sunday to which they have been transferred by the Episcopal Conference".

According to one expert, the use of the word "appropriate" could mean that those attached to the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite would not be required to celebrate the transferred feast on the Sunday at all, but could do so in a public Mass if it were considered appropriate. The Sunday Office would remain the same.

In May, traditionalists expressed dismay after the bishops announced that Holy Days of Obligation which had been transferred to the Sunday should be the same in both the new and the old calendars. In 2006 the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales removed the obligation for Epiphany, Ascension and Corpus Christi and the feasts were transferred to the nearest Sunday. Some Catholics continued to celebrate them on the original days in the extraordinary form.

For Catholics who continued celebrating the feast days according to the older calendar this meant that they were no longer doing so with the bishops' permission.

A statement by the bishops earlier this year read: "Following a request for information, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales submitted a dubium to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei which confirmed that in the Roman Rite, whichever form of the liturgy is being celebrated, the Holy Days of Obligation are held in common. Where the obligation has been removed and the Holy Day transferred to the Sunday, the Epiphany of the Lord, the Ascension of the Lord and Corpus Christ, this is to be followed in both ordinary and extraordinary celebrations of Mass."

The bishops did not release the full text of Ecclesia Dei's reply to their query.

Mgr Andrew Summersgill, general secretary of the bishops' conference, told The Catholic Herald in May that the bishops had wanted to clear up the question about which calendar should be followed, a question initially raised by a publisher of the 1962 Missal. "Since these Holy Days are to be observed by all the faithful, priests who celebrate according to the 1962 Roman Missal for the benefit of the faithful attached to the Latin liturgical tradition should also celebrate these Holy Days on the prescribed Sundays," said Mgr Summersgill.

The liturgical scholar Dr Alcuin Reid said: "This new ruling takes into account the calendar and rubrics of the 1962 Missal and allows for the possibility of celebrating feasts on Sundays.

"For one thing this is building bridges between the bishops and those attached to the older form of the Mass. It is important to have legitimate diversity in practice while maintaining the unity in faith which the Church has known for centuries. It is also important to note that this clarification is also building bridges towards reconciliation with the Society of St Pius X because it shows that the older liturgy's integrity is being respected."

Julian Chadwick, the chairman of the LMS, said: "This ruling is very important. It confirms that the calendar for the extraordinary form is integral to the rite and cannot be suppressed or altered by bishops' conferences. It also confirms the right of those attached to the extraordinary form to continue to celebrate the traditional feast days."

A spokesman for the bishops' conference was unavailable for comment as The Catholic Herald went to press.
_________________
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SECRETMAN

(N.Z.)Christchurch youth celebrate Catholic heritage

Sun Nov 16, 2008 10:46 am (GMT -5)

Click Logo To Link Original

Christchurch youth celebrate Catholic heritage
Monday 17 November 2008
by NZ CATHOLIC staff

CHRISTCHURCH - Young people who could not attend the recent World Youth Day in Sydney were able to take part in a Juventutem Weekend in Christchurch from October 17 to 19.

Juventutem is an international movement of young Catholics associated with the Tridentine Mass. It began before the Cologne WYD in 2005 and was revived for the Sydney WYD.

Its title comes from the Latin Mass prayers at the foot of the altar: "Introibo ad altare Dei ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meum" (I will go to the altar of God, to God who gives joy to my youth).

With the encouragement of Bishop Barry Jones, the local group planning the weekend came up with a mix of talks, teachings (including Gregorian chant), Masses, compline and holy hours.

Presentations were given by Bishop Basil Meeking, Fr William Define (provincial superior of the Fraternity of St Peter from Sydney), Sr Deidre of the Sisters of the Holy Faith and Ken Joblin from the tertiary chaplaincy.

"It was an informative, rewarding and highly successful weekend bringing to life the extraordinary form of the Mass, a treasure chest rich and satisfying for the soul," said one of the group, Christine Ashley.

"It was exciting to learn about our Catholic heritage and culture, rather like the Maori people who embrace and welcome their heritage."

The group will continue with occasional follow-up programmes next year.
_________________
IN CORDIBUS JESU ET MARI�

SECRETMAN

Vatican cardinal: Obama is 'Aggressive, Apocalyptic...

Sat Nov 15, 2008 8:31 pm (GMT -5)
Vatican cardinal: Obama is 'Aggressive, Disruptive and Apocalyptic'

Saturday November 15, 2008
Categories: Bishops, Catholic, Church , Politics, Pope

Father Newman (see below) may have at least one big gun on his side, rhetorically if not canonically or theologically. According to the student newspaper of Catholic University of America ( http://www.cuatower.com/2008/11/14/cardinal-at-cua-obama-is-'aggressive-disruptive-and-apocalyptic'/ ), Cardinal Francis Stafford, a longtime American in the Roman Curia, on Thursday night painted an apocalytpic picture of the America he sees in the wake of Obama's victory:

His Eminence James Francis Cardinal Stafford criticized President-elect Barack Obama as "aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic," and said he campaigned on an "extremist anti-life platform," Thursday night in Keane Auditorium during his lecture "Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II: Being True in Body and Soul."

"Because man is a sacred element of secular life," Stafford remarked, "man should not be held to a supreme power of state, and a person's life cannot ultimately be controlled by government."

"For the next few years, Gethsemane will not be marginal. We will know that garden," Stafford said, comparing America's future with Obama as president to Jesus' agony in the garden. "On November 4, 2008, America suffered a cultural earthquake."

Cardinal Stafford said Catholics must deal with the "hot, angry tears of betrayal" by beginning a new sentiment where one is "with Jesus, sick because of love."

The lecture, hosted by the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, pertained to Humanae Vitae, a papal encyclical written by Pope Paul VI in 1968 and celebrating its 40 anniversary this year.

Stafford also spoke about the decline of a respect for human life and the need for Catholics to return to the original values of marriage and human dignity.

"If 1968 was the year of America's 'suicide attempt,' 2008 is the year of America's exhaustion," said Stafford, an American Cardinal and Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary for the Tribunal of the Holy See. "In the intervening 40 years since Humanae Vitae, the United States has been thrown upon ruins."

This destruction and America's decline is largely in part due to the Supreme Court's decisions in the life-issue cases of 1973, specifically Roe v. Wade. Stafford asserted these cases undermined respect for human life in the United States.

"Its scrupulous meanness has had catastrophic effects upon the unity and integrity of the American republic," said Stafford.

Wow. I bet that wasn't the tenor of Obama's chat with the Pope the other day. Then again, lieutenants are there to do the dirty work so the white cassock stays clean.

Comments (22)
Filed Under: abortion, aggressive, apocalyptic, Cardinal Stafford, CUA, Obama, presidential election

posted by David Gibson @12:57pm
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Catholic professor draws protesters

Sat Nov 15, 2008 8:57 am (GMT -5)
Catholic professor draws protesters
Conservative voted for Obama

By Tom Kisken
Ventura County [California] Star
Thursday, November 13, 2008
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/nov/13/catholic-professor-draws-protesters/

Pepperdine professor and Obama supporter Douglas Kmiec faced criticism at a Camarillo event Tuesday.

... protest Kmiec's speech in Camarillo. Kmiec's support of President-elect Barack Obama, who is in favor of abortion rights, spurred the protest.

More than 50 protesters with anti-abortion signs recited the rosary outside St. John's Seminary because inside a politically conservative Catholic was explaining why he voted for Barack Obama.

The Democratic president-elect supports abortion rights. And though Douglas Kmiec, former constitutional law counsel for presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, is adamantly opposed to abortion, he not only voted for Obama but campaigned for him and wrote a book about his reasons.

That support might have helped Obama reach some voters, but it also caused a Catholic priest in April to deny Kmiec Communion. And Tuesday night, as the Pepperdine professor explained his reasoning in a lecture series at the Camarillo Catholic seminary, protesters at the front gate viewed the church's teaching on abortion as a clear-cut directive in the voting booth.

"Our message is that you can't in good conscience support Obama because of his stance on abortion," said Gary Schuberg, a protester from Camarillo.

Inside the seminary's Prayer Hall, Kmiec told the nearly 300 people gathered that exit polls indicated about 54 percent of Catholics supported Obama.

He argued that the president-elect's stance on the economy, immigration, the uninsured and other social issues nearly mirrors the statements of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"Except for the abortion issue, Obama and the bishops are talking the same platform," he said.

Kmiec objected to characterizations of Obama as a supporter of abortion rights, preferring the label of pro-choice. He said the president-elect has expressed his personal opposition to abortion and has pledged support for programs that could reduce the frequency of the procedure.

The president-elect has also said the law should not reflect a specific religion's doctrine and has supported a woman's right to choose, Kmiec said.

In a statement released last year on the political responsibility of Catholics, U.S. bishops urged people not to be single-issue voters but also said topics as grave as abortion could legitimately lead a voter to disqualify a candidate.

At the seminary lecture, there was debate involving writings by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger � now Pope Benedict XVI � and over the scenarios in which Catholics can vote for a candidate who supports abortion rights.

"It would really be hard for me to see a circumstance where I would," said 26-year-old Josh Kruse of Ojai.

He echoed the sentiments of many at the lecture. They argued that the magnitude of supporting abortion outweighed virtually everything else, with one protester comparing the act to the Holocaust.

But as Kmiec addressed whether Catholics were a house divided, there was evidence of a split in the audience. A mother and daughter from Camarillo argued that people shouldn't allow one issue to dictate votes. Jim Bukowski of Agoura Hills wore an Obama button and argued religion and politics should be kept separate.

"I was embarrassed that some Catholics felt they couldn't vote for him," he said.

Kmiec emphasized his own opposition to abortion. He explained his vote by making references to the importance of other dignity of life issues like the war and poverty. He praised Obama for being forthright and deeply committed to faith. He conveyed how the president-elect's convictions had touched him.

Obama, Kmiec concluded, was "somehow calling me to find the best of myself."

Ex-archbishop admits he put abusive priests in jobs

Fri Nov 14, 2008 10:08 pm (GMT -5)

Ex-archbishop admits he put abusive priests in jobs
By Marie Rohde of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Nov. 12, 2008
http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/34335169.html#

Retired Archbishop Rembert Weakland admitted in a video deposition released Wednesday that he transferred priests with a history of sexual misconduct back into churches without alerting parishioners.

The former archbishop acknowledged that he did so because "no parish would have accepted a priest unless you could say that he has gone through the kind of psychological examination and that he's not a risk to the parish."

While similar allegations have been made for years as the scandal rocked the Catholic Church across the country, Weakland's statements give a rare glimpse of how a top church leader dealt with allegations of sexual misconduct by priests.

"I have never heard a bishop discuss openly the inner workings of this essentially secret handling of sex abuse cases," said Peter Isely, a spokesman for SNAP, a national support group for victims of clergy sex abuse. "I haven't seen anything like this anywhere in the country."

A church spokesman said Weakland's comments should not be broadly applied.

"Archbishop Weakland is able to comment on what he knew, but many if not all of those involved in these cases are dead," Jerry Topczewski, speaking for the archdiocese, said Wednesday. "We'll never know fully what happened or the intent of these people and their actions that date back 20, 30 and 40 years."

The release of the heavily edited portion of Weakland's deposition, which was taken in June, came in response to a contention last month by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee that the deaths of key people involved in the church's coverup of sexual abuse allegations had thrown into question the fairness of a pending trial, and that if the archdiocese lost the pending cases, it could face bankruptcy.

Jeffrey Anderson, a lawyer representing those suing the church, said Weakland's comments vividly show that the trial would be fair because Weakland's testimony showed that a coverup existed.

David Muth, a lawyer representing the archdiocese, said Weakland's statements do not change what is at the heart of the case: Is it appropriate to bring a case to court after decades have passed and many of those involved have died?

"Memories fade," Muth said. "That's why we have a statute of limitations."

Weakland, who has largely been out of the public eye since he retired in 2002 in the midst of another scandal, was questioned under oath for more than a day by Anderson. Portions of that deposition were released - a common practice in court cases - in which Weakland acknowledged that he never reported any suspected abuse while he headed the local church. He also testified that he never directly asked accused priests whether allegations were true and that he never discussed what he knew about instances of sexual abuse with his successor, Archbishop Timothy Dolan.

The war of words is a side skirmish in a lawsuit, being fought in the courtroom of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Jean DiMotto, in which seven men and women contend they were assaulted by clergy decades ago.

The cases are expected to go to a jury trial in June or July 2009.

The cases are going to trial because the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled last year that the church could be sued by victims on fraud charges if they could show that the church knew about the misconduct and deliberately attempted to cover it up. In a ruling on the cases in her court, DiMotto dismissed actions against the church's insurance carrier, saying coverage did not apply to intentional acts.

That means that if the church loses in DiMotto's court, it will bear the full brunt of any financial award. John Marek, chief financial officer of the archdiocese, said in a Web page article last month that such a decision could "push the archdiocese toward bankruptcy."

Anderson said he was releasing the video that was taken as a part of the court case to rebut arguments that the deaths of witnesses would affect the outcome.
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Vatican will not recognize Kosovo

Fri Nov 14, 2008 6:06 pm (GMT -5)
Vatican will not recognize Kosovo

Serbiana.com
November 14, 2008
Link to original

Vatican has no plans t recognize Kosovo nor will it tackle that question says the state secretariat at the Holy See.

Kosovo separatist media reported on Friday that a Vatican representative at the Un allegedly told Skender Hyseni that it will consider recognizing Kosovo.

�We believe that the question [of Kosovo] is still open, it is discussed at the UN. New proposals are still set forth and plans that need to be implemented,� government of Vatican was quoted as saying.

Vatican seeks to improve its relationship with the Orthodox Church and views the Serbian Orthodox Church as an ally with who it can continue with the Ecumenical dialogue.

�Position of the holy See on the independence of Kosovo is known, and that position Vatican will not change,� says the government.