By Domenico Bettinelli, Jr.
Showing most recent 200 items by this author.
What the Supreme Court said
Much has been said and written in various media trying to explain how the Supreme Court justices decided to ban the Ten Commandments from inside two Kentucky courthouses, but said it was okay for them to be outside the Texas state capital. If you read our CWN story, you can see one attempt at...
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Vocation of the Catholic journalist
CWN's editor, Phil Lawler, gives an interview at Ignatius Insight on his background and on his vocation as a Catholic journalist. I will readily admit that most of what I know about being a Catholic journalist, I learned by working for him over the past 9 years. I anticipate that some of his...
The Coming Conclave
In December 2003, we published in Catholic World Report, a series of articles on the coming conclave that remain relevant, especially today obviously, as the Catholic Church prepares to elect a successor to Pope John Paul II:"The Coming Conclave" tells us what to expect from the conclave, what...
Catholic living wills
With the death of Terri Schiavo today, many people are asking where Catholics can turn to find out how to make sure that they are not treated in similar fashion if they become similarly incapacitated. Look no further than the National Catholic Bioethics Center, an orthodox organization helmed by...
When is Last Rites just anointing of the sick?
Several media outlets, most notably CNN, were reporting breathlessly earlier this evening that Pope John Paul has "received Last Rites," as if it meant his death were imminent. What they don't understand is that what they call "Last Rites" is most likely just the sacrament of the anointing of the...
How did your Rep vote on Terri Schiavo?
While the Senate passed the Terri Schiavo bill on Sunday unanimously, the House was divided. So how did your congressional Representative do? You can find out on the House's web site. We've added this link to the story in our archives as well. It's good to hold your political...
Re: Pro-lifers dismayed by UK bishops
In regard to Diogenes' entry below about the UK bishops giving the OK to participation in the annual charity event Comic Relief (also called Red Nose Day), the controversy over Catholic participation is not new. We ran a report in Catholic World Report in July 2003 on this very same matter....
To boycott or remain silent?
When should we speak up against public offenses against the Church and when should we remain silent to avoid giving them credibility they don't deserve? So-called shock entertainers thrive on making people mad so do we give them what they want? The old saw says there's no such thing as bad...
Inside look at the Pope's health crisis
Speaking of the recent health scare for Pope John Paul, our colleagues at Inside the Vatican have an insider's view of the events of February 1 based on their own reporting and Italian news reports. According to one source they quote, the Holy Father was ten minutes from death when he was brought...
Mandatory papal retirement?
While some have been talking about a possible papal retirement, based on the Holy Father's most recent health scare (including us here at CWN: see the link below), there has also been talk recently of creating a mandatory papal retirement age, like that which is in effect for bishops. Canonist Ed...
The 10 challenges for liberal Catholic politicans
From the same diocesan website that gave you a gay pride rainbow flag on its gay/lesbian outreach pages, the Diocese of Cleveland's Secretarat for Education and Catechesis lists Ten Challenges for Catholic Leaders in the Aftermath of the Presidential Election. Among these challenges are the...
Beyond the headlines
This is why it pays to go beyond the headlines. This one says, "Study: Parental Consent Laws Affect Teen Sex." We might be tempted to say "Good" until we realize that it doesn't mean that it will encourage them to abstain. The first sentence says: Laws that require federally funded clinics to...
Merry Christmas
From all of us here at Catholic World News to all of our readers, we wish you a happy and blessed Christmas. May the blessings of the Christ Child be with you and your family on this holy...
Can death camps be far behind?
When they legalized euthanasia in the Netherlands, they said it was only for those who specifically requested it. Then they started killing those who couldn't ask for it themselves, calling it "mercy killing". After sometime they proposed lowering the age of euthanasia to 12 years old or even...
Why's he still there?
In regard to the Brisbane matter, I'm left wondering why Fr. Kennedy is still pastor of the parish? He's shown a complete lack of understanding of the Catholic faith and a penchant for preaching heresy even when his archbishop corrects him. So why is he left in the position to continue to lead the...
Those wacky CTA types
If it weren't for Call to Action and the National Catholic Reporter, we'd be a grim lot, But when you read NCR writing about CTA, you can't help but laugh at the silliness of it all. For instance, there's this piece about the recent CTA convention. The theme was "Sex, Science, and the Sacred."...
A pro-abortion attorney general?
It's not an auspicious start to Bush's second term. Fox News is reporting that White House counsel Alberto Gonzalez is being tapped to replace pro-life John Ashcroft as attorney general. That's bad news for pro-lifers. When Gonzalez was on the Texas Supreme Court, he wrote the opinion that...
The November issue of Catholic World Report is now out!
The November issue of Catholic World Report is now on newsstands and in mailboxes and here's what you'll find inside: Saving Terri's Life: Terri Schindler Schiavo cannot survive without feeding tubes, and her estranged husband wants those tubes removed. As CWR goes to press, American courts were...
The October issue of Catholic World Report is now online
The October issue of Catholic World Report is now available on the Catholic World News site. Articles from that issue include an appraisal of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process four years later; more on the thorny issue of pro-abortion Catholic politicians; the restoration of a revered icon to...
A few thoughts on the election
First, I am gratified to see that marriage referenda passed by large margins in all 11 states (including Oregon!) where they were on the ballot, but I'm disappointed to see that California has pledged to spend $3 billion to kill unborn children to harvest their stem cells for medical researc for...
Re: Wiggle room
A reader who is a priest in Massachusetts copied me on the response he sent to that South Carolina newspaper editor that Phil remarks on below:You know what annoys me? Being styled "an ideological automaton" because I happen to have thought through and agree with what our Church teaches on...
Rabid pro-abort on National Review Board
Last month, at CWN, we reported that Pamela Hayes, a member of the US Bishops' National Review Board, was one of three members who have donated money to John Kerry. Of course this isn't news: I reported on her political donations, all the way back in July 2002 when she was appointed to the...
Problematic
I saw this headline in today's VIS Bulletin, the official daily press bulletin of the Vatican: "Cloning Embryos For Stem Cells Is Ethically Problematic." Problematic? Wearing white after Labor Day is problematic. Cloning and then killing children to harvest their cells is EVIL. Why can't they...
The August/September issue of CWR is now online!
The August/September issue of Catholic World Report is now available on the CWNews.com web site. Articles from that issue include an interview with Fr. Joseph Fessio regarding controversies over Ave Maria University; the controversy over what Cardinal Ratzinger said and Cardinal McCarrick said he...
The October issue of Catholic World Report is now out!
The October issue of Catholic World Report is now on newsstands and in mailboxes and here's what you'll find inside:Politics and Communion: With many prominent Catholic politicians flouting Church teachings on crucial moral issues, American bishops are struggling with their disciplinary duties....
The Kerry Communion Watch: The Home Game
Beliefnet.com is providing a convenient Kerry Communion Watch, detailing whether John Kerry goes to Mass every Sunday, where, and whether he receives Communion. Now you can play in the at-home version of everybody's favorite game show—The Canon Law Follies! Try to predict whether canon 915...
Kerry's impassioned defense of ... gay marriage
Now that John Kerry is running for president, he wants you to think that while he supports "equal protection" for gay and lesbian couples, he’s opposed to gay marriage. His record says otherwise. In fact, John Kerry has previously made statements showing he’s a radical liberal in favor of the...
Kerry Communion Capers continue
John Kerry and Teresa Heinz stopped for Mass in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sunday. They reportedly received Communion. I wondered what the local bishop had said about pro-abortion politicians receiving Communion. Albuquerque is in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, and the ordinary is Archbishop...
The August/September issue of Catholic World Report is now out!
The August/September issue of Catholic World Report is now on newsstands and in mailboxes and here's what you'll find inside:Puzzling Exchange: Are the US bishops "very much in harmony" with Vatican instructions on receiving the Eucharist? Disputes Among Friends: The plan to develop a major new...
July's Catholic World Report is now online
The July issue of Catholic World Report is now available on the CWNews.com web site. Articles from that issue include a look at the meeting between President Bush and the Pope; a look at the latest trends in religious education; a review of the Pope's trip to Switzerland; and more. Click here for...
Not much "brotherly love"
A group of college-age pro-lifers, sponsored by the American Life League, are walking from Maine to Washington, DC, this summer to bring attention to the pro-life cause. (This is similar to the older Crossroads group that walks across the country, west to east.) Along the way, the...
Bishop makes orthodoxy diocesan policy
Bishop Francis DiLorenzo of Richmond is getting a running start in his new diocese. Last month, he appointed a new diocesan theologian, part of whose job is to approve those who may speak at parishes. He's also dismissed the "sexual minorities" commission that advised his predecessor on gay and...
Cardinal v. cardinal
There's an interesting controversy in play in Germany with Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne crticizing Cardinal Karl Lehmann of Mainz, the president of the German bishops' conference, for inviting dissident theologians to address a major conference last month.Cardinal Meisner accused Lehmann of...
The July issue of Catholic World Report is now out!
The July issue of Catholic World Report is now on newsstands and here's what you'll find inside: Bush In Rome: The President States His Case: Before a June meeting between George W. Bush and John Paul II, observers on both sides of the Atlantic predicted that the Pope would renew his public...
Catholic colleges' new "bind"
The media are acting as if the bishops' statement last week on pro-abort politicians has put Catholic colleges in a difficult position suddenly. The statement had warned schools that they shouldn't be hosting openly dissenting Catholics or other speakers who oppose the Church's teachings on...
Re: out of mind
Diogenes, Regarding the blindness toward victims and inability to see them as real flesh and blood people, perhaps an explanation can be found in the psychological understanding that a key component of the homosexual disorder is a deep...
Kerry Mass Watch
In this week's installment of the Kerry Kommunion Kapers, the Boston Globe reports that Kerry attended Mass near one of his wife's many homes, this one outside Pittsburgh. He did not receive a warm welcome, no not from the priest or local bishop, but from a couple of pro-life women:Kerry not only...
Francisco, Diego, Monica, Antonio?
The cast of the Spanish-language version of "Friends"? No. Those could be the new names of San Francisco, San Diego, Santa Monica, and San Antonio. A group of law professors are saying that now that secular activists have been successful in removing creches and monuments from public property...
Defending religion
Another secular newspaper editorial comes out in defense of the practice of faith. USA Today says there's a difference between government establishment of religion and letting religious people express their faith in public, even in on public property like parks and the grounds of government...
A little disclosure with your celebrating, please
Perhaps while "May is celebrating" Fr. Andrew Greeley's 50 years of priesthood, as Diogenes notes below, it can also persuade him to come clean about what he knows of an alleged Satanic child-abuse/murder ring of clerics. Matt Abbott reprints a letter from an attorney asking Greeley to do just...
The June issue of Catholic World Report is now out!
The June issue of Catholic World Report is now on newsstands and here's what you'll find inside: Strange Alliance: CWR probes the Vatican's curious enthusiasm for the United Nations. John Mallon reports that for years a powerful faction within the UN has been aggressively promoting “sexual and...
Do the math
It was inevitable that conspiracy theories would multiply when Archbishop Sean O'Malley announced large-scale parish closings in Boston. The usual kooks are complaining that the closings were designed to target them. Among them are Voice of the Faithful who note that eight of 46 Boston parishes...
Catholics and their political responsibilities
Women for Faith & Family has put together an excellent resource that brings together in one place everything that Pope John Paul, the Vatican curia, the USCCB, and individual bishops have said on Catholics and their political responsibilities. A very good reference, especially for those who are...
His own special Communion
This week's Kerry Kommunion Kaper: John Kerry "took" Communion on Sunday in a Pittsburgh Catholic church. (N.B. One doesn't "take" Communion. One "receives" it. To take implies that one has a right to it. To receive implies a gift, which is what the Eucharist is. Loose language gives a glimpse...
How soon they forget
Looks like there's a papal nuncio who needs recalling to Rome. Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro, the nuncio to Spain, gave a speech to the country's bishops in which he said that, while we shouldn't call gay unions marriages, the state should grant them certain civil rights. Excuse me, Your...
The May issue of Catholic World Report is out!
The May issue of Catholic World Report is now on newsstands and here's what you'll find inside:"My Baby!": A crisis-pregnancy center in Massachusetts reports that ultrasound examinations can play an enormous role in turning women against abortion. A carefully documented study of that influence...
Kerry Mass Watch
A semi-regular new feature on Off the Record will be seeing what new and innovative ways presidential candidate John Kerry finds to practice his Catholic faith on Sunday. Will he receive Communion at the local Paulist center or is this a week where giving a political speech sprinkled with...
Kerry Mass Watch
Since John Kerry is perhaps the highest profile lay Catholic in the US right now, and because he has such "creative" views on the Church's teachings, how he practices his faith is of some interest, especially the question of where and whether he goes to Mass (as opposed to his penchant for...
Clarifications of Kerry's marriage situation
An article by a Washington Times White House correspondent on John Kerry's marriage situation reveals some details. For one thing, it shows his proclivity to leech off rich women and use his personal romantic life as a means to further his political ambitions. More specifically for our purposes,...
The April issue of Catholic World Report is out!
The April issue of Catholic World Report is now on newsstands and here's what you'll find inside:History? … Or Does The Scandal Continue?: A comprehensive report evoked different perspectives on the sex-abuse problem and the American bishops' response. Phil Lawler explains why the crisis still...
Speaking of John Kerry
Is John Kerry planning on seeking out a parish where he can be photographed being refused Communion so he can be seen as the heroic dissenting Catholic standing up to the Church? So says the American Spectator.The Kerry campaign was said to be surprised at the coverage their candidate received for...
Time's Kerry goof
Time magazine has a major profile on John Kerry's Catholicism in a recent issue, in which he tries to emulate his idol John F. Kennedy by saying his putative faith won't encumber his ability to vote for abortion and other problematic issues. He also throws the gauntlet down to Archbishop Burke of...
So much for retiring in disgrace
You know when you're forced to retire after it's revealed that you misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars to give it to your gay lover, you'd think you'd have enough shame not to set up your own web site. But that's not Archbishop Weakland, is it? When will Paul Shanley's web site go...
The February issue of Catholic World Report is now online
The February issue of Catholic World Report is now available on the Catholic World News web site. This issue's special topic was "Evangelizing Hollywood" and includes articles on The Passion of the Christ, The Return of the King, Therese, and The Matrix. John Allen's "Metaphor of the Physical"...
The promotion train
In the rush of Vatican appointmets of US bishops today, we have to recognize that two of the four were for the dioceses of Worcester and Springfield in Massachusetts. What's most interesting is that neither of the two posts were filled by auxiliaries from Boston. One of the bishops is an auxiliary...
Re: Wall Street tolerance
For those who are not subscribers to the Wall Street Journal, they can read the op-ed by Christopher Hitchens that Phil references below at Opinion...
There's that elephant in the living room again
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and Bob Bennett, of the National Review Board, were on NBC's "Meet the Press" yesterday and in the whole discussion there was exactly one tangential mention of "the lifestyle that dare not speak its name" while several minutes were devoted to mandatory celibacy. Here's...
The March issue of Catholic World Report is out!
The March issue of Catholic World Report is now on newsstands and here's what you'll find inside: AIDS in Africa: Are pharmaceutical companies to blame?: Vatican officials charge that multinational corporations are increasing the death toll for the African epidemic, by refusing to lower the costs...
"It is history"
Bishop Wilton Gregory said on Friday, as he released the study of the scope of the Scandal over the past 50 years, "The terrible history recorded here today is history." If ever there was a sign that the leaders among the US bishops don't get it, here it is. On the one hand, yes, it is history,...
Silence of the bishops
Fr. Rob Johansen discusses whether there is a "different 'level of communication'" among priests, as alleged by Amy Welborn. I think he misunderstands what Amy is talking about, but his response does include some very important truths. Regarding the former, having lived with priests, I can...
Boston's rally in defense of marriage
I attended the rally yesterday afternoon on Boston Common to defend marriage and to demand the state government allow the citizens to vote on it, rather than have it imposed from above by unelected judges. I've posted my own reflections and some photos on my web site. I have a feeling that you'll...
Ponder this
The Diocese of Cleveland issues a warning to Catholic parishes that seeing a movie, The Passion of the Christ, which illustrates the events of the Gospels, may lead to the rise of anti-Semitism in churchgoing Catholics. Meanwhile, a local Catholic university allows the production of the "Vagina...
The Passion: anti-Semitism & violence
The daughter of Holocaust survivors is the actress who portrayed Mary in The Passion. She says there is nothing anti-semitic in the film. "If there is a message, it's more about how people can be manipulated by their leaders, Maia Morgenstern said." Meanwhile, Barbara Nicolosi discusses the...
The February issue of Catholic World Report is out
The February issue of Catholic World Report is now available on newsstands and here's what you'll find inside:Evangelizing Hollywood: Christian Themes In Current Films: In a survey of contemporary films, John B. Allen judges Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ against the aesthetic standards of...
Once again...
What is the lesson we learn from the kerfuffle over whether the Pope gave two thumbs up to Mel Gibson's movie? Once again, we learn that it's not the crime, it's the cover up. If only the Vatican had let the thing stay as it was, the comment would have faded into history. But now, with Peggy...
Fr. Groeschel update
For those wanting to keep up with Fr. Benedict Groeschel's condition following his traffic accident, here is an update from his order's web site. He is not out of the woods yet, and so many prayers are asked for him. The attitude of the friars is great: they are using the tragedy as an opportunity...
Only a bishop could say it
As they say, the devil is in the details. The policy adopted by the US bishops in Dallas in 2002 may look good on paper, but how it's implemented is the tricky part. Case in point: One Kentucky diocese says a priest had a credible allegation against, paid out a settlement, and suspended him. But...
A rational basis for marriage
Mary Ann Glendon and Hadley Arkes have an op-ed in the Boston Herald today (it's not online) that provides a brilliant alternative to the Hobson's choice provided by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on same-sex marriage. Pro-marriage legislators and the governor have been saying that the...
Big news coming out of Washington
Sources tell me that a big story will be coming out of the Archdiocese of Washington on Wednesday. A law firm representing at least ten clients has sent the archdiocese a letter demanding it "accept responsibility" for "a history of abuse and negligent supervision comparable to that of Boston."...
The December issue of Catholic World Report is now online
The December issue of Catholic World Report is now available on the Catholic World News web site. In this issue, you'll find our special report on how a papal conclave will work and who the influential players will be in the next papal election, not just those who might be Pope, but also those...
The January issue of Catholic World Report is out
The January issue of Catholic World Report is now on newsstands and here's what you'll find inside:Same-Sex Unions And The Meaning Of Marriage: A new revolution is brewing in America, with the action again beginning in Massachusetts, where a court's decision has forced reluctant politicians to...
A play on the cardinal's words
A Chicago theater is producing a play based on the depositions of Cardinal Bernard Law. The repertory theater is presenting "Sin: A Cardinal Deposed," which features the depositions provided word for word."He's taken the deposition and laid it out in a theatrical format," said Bailiwick Artisitic...
Acting out
Quoting Cardinal Mahony from Diogenes' post below:"Sometime in late 1986, Baker disclosed to me that he had problems in the past of acting out sexually with two minors. " Acting out. Not sexually molesting. Not engaging in fornication or, more generically, sexual sins. Acting out. That's the...
"It is as it was"
According to Catholic writer Peggy Noonan, Pope John Paul II has seen "The Passion of Jesus Christ" and given his approval. He relayed five words to the makers of the film: "It is as it was."John Paul II, who even with the challenges of his current illness has more good sense than many of his...
Sympathy for the 'devil'
A curial cardinal in Vatican didn't just plead for Saddam's life against the death penalty; he also castigated the US for its "mistreatment" of the Butcher of Baghdad. Cardinal Renato Martino called Saddam a tragic figure and criticized the videotaping of him by US forces.Cardinal Martino said on...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: Fr. Rob Johansen stays on the Terri Schiavo case, telling us that the Florida courts don't seem to care about the rules of evidence or of proper judicial behavior. He also notes a statement from Terri's family's lawyer on the...
I'll take some popcorn
Just a few thoughts in reply to Leila's comments about "The Passion." First, I don't think it's yet fair to question the content without having had the opportunity to see it. Will it be glorified violence a la Braveheart or will it just depict the violence done to the Lord as related by the...
Catalog of sins
Abercrombie & Fitch is going to discontinue it's pornographic magazine disguised as a catalog. I wouldn't leap for joy thinking that this is a victory for decency and morality. It's more likely that it's no longer selling as well, that it has become too tame, it no longer shocks and titillates,...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: Mark Shea notes that Mary Magdalene has become this year's poster girl for everyone undermining the Church's Christology. Peter Vere finds a role model for a certain kind of Catholic politician in Pontius Pilate. Fr. Bryce Sibley...
November issue of Catholic World Report is now online
The November issue of Catholic World Report is now available on the CWN web site. Articles include a look at the Pope's 25th anniversary, the 30 new cardinals, Terri Schiavo's case, an examination of the new National Adult Catechism, a story of a US bishop who left the priesthood, and two views of...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: Mark Shea expounds on his belief that Israel is not above criticism for some of the ways it has dealt with Palestinians and that not all Palestinians are evil fanatical Muslims bent on murdering Israelis. He also gives his take on the...
Keep telling yourself: lust is good
When you define away traditional morality, there usually comes a point when you just start calling a sin a virtue. That's what happened in this guest editorial in a Seattle newspaper.Responsible lust is healthy and normal, providing the driving force for passionate love and joy. Rather than...
Still hoping for the best
Just received word that the first Talking about Touching review meeting for the Archdiocese of Boston will take place tomorrow. (In case you hadn't heard, Archbishop Sean O'Malley has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Richard Malone to form a committee to review the program, a committee that will include...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: Mark Shea notes that while the creators of the Lord of Rings movies have created what many call a masterpiece adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's book, they reveal themselves to completely misunderstand his beliefs by concluding that the...
The December issue of Catholic World Report is out!
The December issue of Catholic World Report is now and newsstands and here's what you will find inside:The Coming Conclave: What to expect from the next papal election. CWR examines the powers and personalities, voting blocs and individual prelates who could shape discussions at the next conclave....
Update on Talking about Touching
Here's some news about the status of Talking about Touching in Boston. Archbishop Sean O'Malley has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Richard Malone to form a committee to review the program, a committee that will include opponents and proponents of the program. Eight meetings have been scheduled,...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: Mark Shea discusses whether Pacific Islander converts should start wearing clothes, notes Hollywood's destruction of the works of Dr. Seuss, and has suspicions about a lawyer who defended a diocese...
It wasn't what you think
You know, the Mass. Supreme Judicial Court didn't do what so many people said it did. It did not reverse the discrimination that prevented homosexuals from getting married. In fact, homosexuals have been able to get married all along; no law prevented that. That's because marriage is the union...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: Mark Shea notices a new survey that finds most Christians don't think it's necessary to convert non-Christians. Mark Windsor has an extensive analysis of why the war in Iraq fits the just war criteria, even though weapons of mass...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: Tom Fitzpatrick looks at some of the recent announcements by Archbishop Sean O'Malley of Boston. He's setting himself apart from a fellow bishop on the same-sex unions issue and says he's going to meet with Voice of the Faithful. Good or...
Crime or a sin
From a report on the US bishops' meeting:But the study that has the bishops most on edge is a survey by criminologists at John Jay College of all known allegations of sexual abuse of minors by priests in the past 50 years. Bishops have expressed concern that false accusations would be lumped in...
Archbishop O'Malley clarifies position on gay marriage
Archbishop Sean O'Malley is working to clarify his own stance on gay marriage. After the debacle of a couple of weeks ago when the Massachusetts bishops let Bishop Reilly of Worcester speak for them at the Legislature, it's high time for Archbishop O'Malley to speak out. What he has to say...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: Mark Shea notes that Leftists who have thrown God out of the mix have elevated politics in His place. And when you do that, all kinds of bizarre motives and arise. Bryan Baldwin discusses an article that warns of the effects of too...
Support Catholic friendly movies
Want to see a good Catholic movie that's being stifled by movie studios? No, it's not "The Passion." It's "One Man's Hero," starring Tom Berenger. It's the story of Irish Catholics in America in the 1840s who got fed up with anti-Catholicism in the US and moved to Mexico, a country that was...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: David Morrrison relates a story from California about two women who have been declared the "natural" parents of a baby girl. One donated the egg and the other carried the baby to term and an anonymous donor gave the sperm. So now a court...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today (it's a long list considering the weekend and the feast days just concluded): Mark Shea warns that the toppling of despotisms in the Middle East paradoxically could lead to difficult times for Christians in those countries. Also,...
The November issue of Catholic World Report is out!
The November issue of Catholic World Report will be hitting newsstands any day and here's what you'll find inside:Preparing for the Crucial Decision: With the appointment of 30 new members to the College of Cardinals, Pope John Paul has prepared the Church for the inevitable discussion: Who will...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: Fr. Rob Johansen is a priest from Michigan who went to Florida to provide spiritual assistance to the family of Terri Schiavo. He's now the man on the spot who provides better information about Terri's situation than CNN or the New York...
The Michael Schiavo: Victim tour begins
This guy's a real gem. Michael Schiavo told Larry King last night that the only reason that Terri's parents are putting up a fight against him is to get their hands on what remains of the $1.3 million malpractice settlement that Michael's been spending on lawyers trying to starve his wife to...
Should not have been treated as "things" in the first place
The wisdom of the Church in prohibiting artificial means of conception is clear. Read the article linked below. While I admire the women's desire to bear their children to birth and their view that the frozen embryos are not just clumps of cells, but are human beings, if they themselves had not...
A bishop undermines the Church's teaching
I don't get this. The Bishop of Worcester, Mass., tells the state Legislature that legalizing gay marriage would be wrong, but granting same-sex couples legal rights reserved for marriage aren't. What's the difference? In that case it's quibbling over the name of something. And Bishop Dan Reilly...
There is no link. There is no link. Is there a link?
A priest in the Worcester, Mass., diocese is under indictment for allegedly embezzling $250,000 from his parish. Now investigators are looking into whether he gave some of that money to a prison inmate. William Lamontagne is serving a 12 to 15 year sentence for-- you guessed it--child rape and...
Dick Morris tells the Stupid Party to drop those square right-wing Christians
Dick Morris, the paragon of morality, the Clinton mercenary, advises the GOP to give two taps behind the ear to its Christian supporters. Seems the man once known as the toe-sucker and the guy on the other end of the line from Bill and Monica (don't ask), thinks the GOP ought to say "thankee" to...
Victory, for now at least
The Florida Senate passed Terri's Law, Gov. Bush signed it, and he ordered her feeding tube restored. But the battle isn't over yet. I'm sure the law will be immediately challenged in court. After all Michael Schiavo still has money left in Terri's medical fund with which to pay his hired gun...
Sure he's the Son of God, but what about his unfulfilled potential?
If you think the mass media's coverage of the Pope's anniversary has been a little, shall we say, less than focused on his accomplishments and more focused on liberal complaints, then Mark Shea offers up what he thinks the media template would be for Jesus' 33rd...
Advent music
The Brotherhood of Hope is a great new religious order of men with a charism of ministering to young adults, especially on college campuses. In fact, they have a significant presence at Boston University. They are a great group, very full of life and the Spirit, and the times I have met any of...
What lavender mafia?
The Lavender Mafia strikes out at one who spoke up. A priest in Palm Beach, Florida, is being removed from his parish, essentially silenced, because ha dared repeat the Church's teachings that homosexual acts are sinful. Now, the diocese doesn't say that. What the vicar general said was this:When...
Clarifying his status
Diogenes has been commenting on the case of the murder of a young man on Cape Cod and the connection with two priests. The status of one of the priests, Father Donald Turlick, is unclear and news reports have not helped. So I called the Diocese of Bridgeport and talked to its spokesman. The...
Boston pastor refuses to implement Talking about Touching
A pastor in the Archdiocese of Boston has bravely informed Archbishop Sean O'Malley that his moral duty as a pastor of souls compels him to refuse to implement "Talking about Touching" in his parish because he thinks it is evil. Bravo Fr. David Mullen. This isn't the first contact with the...
More links between "Talking about Touching" and prostitution and homosexuality
WorldNetDaily has an article on "Talking about Touching" that adds more information to my article on the same program. Mary Jo Anderson shows why the links between the Committee for Children, which created the curriculum, and pro-gay, pro-prostitution groups should make you nervous. Basically,...
Men and women and pastoral work
Maybe I'll be thought a bit odd in some circles, but I don't have a problem with altar girls. This article examines the expanded role in liturgy and formal pastoral work for women since Vatican II. Mostly it talks about altar girls. As it points out, being an altar boy was once a major part of...
The new issue of Catholic World Report
The October issue of Catholic World Report should be hitting newsstands and mailboxes any day now, and here's what you'll find inside:Political Tests: Church-state conflicts were both frequent and intense during the summer months, particularly in North America. In Alabama, a dispute over display...
All of them are liberal? He ensured election of a liberal pope?
I think the editorial writer at the Washington Times has gone off his meds. This editorial claims that not only are the 30 new cardinals appointed by the Pope not conservative ... every single one is a liberal. Or so they say. Archbishop George Pell, for one, is demonstrably orthodox, and probably...
A disappointed Aussie
The Bishop of Canberra, Australia, is disappointed that Archbishop George Pell of Sydney was named a cardinal. (On the other hand, I'm thrilled.) Bishop Pat Power calls himself a "progressive" who thinks the "spirit of Vatican II" has been betrayed by the current Pope and his like-minded...
An abuser unafraid of the consequences?
The Scandal continues in western Massachusetts with an investigation in Richard Lavigne, a priest who went to jail for molesting two brothers. The question being asked is when Diocese of Springfield leaders knew about Lavigne's abuse. A confidant of the former bishop says the diocese knew back in...
Poor Clare nuns to be deported?
Here's a weird story. Two Korean sisters living in a cloistered convent in Cleveland may be forced to leave the country by the Dept. of Homeland Security. Their request for visas as religious workers has been denied. (Stories making this out to be an anti-terrorism thing and focusing on the...
He deserved it?
Ah, now we know what the legal defense for the guy who killed John Geoghan in prison will be: He deserved it. Joseph Druce's lawyer says his client was sexually abused by three men as a child, including "a man with a religious affiliation." And, get this, these three guys will testify on Druce's...
Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos likes "The Passion"
There is an English-language translation now available at National Review Online of the Italian-language interview with Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos regarding Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion." The cardinal gives his personal endorsement of the movie and debunks claims that it is...
Unfair stereotypes?
This is interesting. A gay advocacy group says the secular media has "unfairly" stereotyped homosexuals in its coverage of the clergy sex-abuse scandal. The researchers claim that homosexuals are not more likely to commit child abuse than heterosexual men. Of course, that claim obscures the...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: The always hilarious Jeff Miller gives his take on the eternal question: What if Adam had a blog? Leon Podles has an unusual recommendation regarding mandatory clerical celibacy and it has to do with Catholic priests for whom celibacy...
Whither thou loyalty?
Your Catholic Voice is a new grassroots political organization designed to "motivate, educate, and activate Catholic citizens for political and social participation." The group's president is Ray Flynn, former mayor of Boston and former Clinton ambassador to the Vatican. In an article on the...
Punishing an innocent man?
A New Hampshire priest reinstated to his parish has no kind words for Bishop John McCormack. Father Paul Gregoire says it was the Vatican's insistence on his rights and on conducting a fair investigation that led to his exoneration from accusation that he abused a woman in the 1970s. The priest...
Angels with dirty faces
A third Maine priest has been identified for his participation in the St. Sebastian's Angels web site. The other two had been known for years, but this one was identified by a member of, surprisingly, Voice of the Faithful who compared a list of email addresses of Maine priests with email...
The Scandal heats up in Ireland
The Scandal in Ireland has now taken on a heavy political cast. The head of an independent commission set up by the government is accusing the government of Prime Minister Bertie Ahern of rendering her inquiry powerless. For Ahern's part, he says that part of the problem is that there has been...
Bishops respond to priests' talk about celibacy
Bishop Wilton Gregory has responded to the Milwaukee priests who called for consideration of optional celibacy. I think his letter, which you can read in full here does an adequate job of upholding the Church's teachings and makes several key points, including the obvious one that married clergy...
Ave Maria and the new Eden
The Boston Globe has a story today on the opening of Ave Maria University in Florida this week. It gives the short version of the story of its founding, talks about Tom Monaghan, interviews some local kids who are going there. But then, for some reason, the reporter has to find a negative take. I...
The learning curve, continued
A priest of the Diocese of Portland, Maine, has been removed from his parish for cavorting with nude minors at a camp in the 1980s. Father John Harris was serving at Our Lady of the Lakes Parish in Oquossoc at the time of this removal. Father Harris may be familiar to readers of Catholic World...
No Mas(s)
Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a Catholic school, has capitulated to the forces of secularism without a shot even being fired. The university said it will end the practice of Mass being said in the new dental school building, which was partially funded by state and federal money,...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: Mark Shea points out that usually the Protestants who are getting all worked up over the Ten Commandments monument in Alabama would be castigating Catholics for having statues of saints in their churches and homes. Speaking of the Ten...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: Mark Shea says he's with the Pope in generally opposing the death penalty, but acknowledges, as the Pope does, that when the system can't keep killers from killing again then perhaps execution is necessary. Has the John Geoghan murder...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on blogs today: Mark Shea doesn't belong to a "heterosexual community" and doesn't care if you know it. He also says he's not trying to "impose the closet" on gays. Tom Fitzpatrick notes that despite...
Weigel on hymns that should be banned
George Weigel has a half-serious proposal for an Index of Forbidden Hymns. I couldn't agree more. So many hymns sung in Catholic parishes are either insipid, heretical, or just plain bad. The first hymns to go should be hymns that teach heresy. If hymns are more than liturgical filler, hymns that...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: Tom Fitzpatrick has calculated the cost to the Archdiocese of Boston and the other diocese of New England caused by the clergy sex-abuse scandal. The numbers will stagger you. Dale Price gives a hysterical-- and deadly accurate--...
Episcopal brawling
A Kenyan bishop reports that he was attacked on the street in London--by two Church of England clergy!--for opposing the election of a gay bishop in the US. Ah, the beauty of diversity and tolerance. So glad to see it alive and well among our liberal...
Misquote
Terry Mattingly writes about Andrew Sullivan and bloggers in his latest column. What's strange is he quotes Fr. C. John McCloskey as talking about Sullivan here. I didn't remember Fr. McCloskey being quoted here or being a contributor to OTR so I looked it up. It turns out it was actually a...
Mark Steyn on the gay "Bishop" Robinson
Syndicated columnist Mark Steyn discusses in a recent column the Episcopal church's newest bishop, V. Gene Robinson, and the narcissism involved in his election. Steyn sees the election of, not just a gay bishop, but a bishop who "celebrates his sexuality" by saying that gay sex is a sacrament and...
CBS News twisting the truth again
So CBS News must have heard all of us reading them the riot act for their biased and erroneous reporting on the 1962 Vatican document. Because today they took the extraordinary step of running another report, this time defending their earlier story. But of course, they couldn't refrain from...
Don't forget
Don't forget to sign up for CWN's new weekly newsletter that will provide a round-up of the week's news and accurate analysis. This newsletter will be available to both subscribers and non-subscribers and is completely free. The first edition should go out this weekend. If you're a subscriber,...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: Mark Shea, in the context of discussing Mel Gibson's "The Passion," debunks those who would use the Gospels to either call Jews Christkillers or to completely absolve the Jews of any culpability (or any of us for that matter), using the...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: Amy Welborn's blog has a new name and a new location: Open Book. Lane Core offers some suggested reading for Episcopalians troubled by the recent developments in their church. Tom Fitzpatrick notices that Michael Rose has written an...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: John Mallon at Mallon's Media Watch blog is back up and running after some hassles with Blogger/Google. You should make him one of your daily blog stops. Mark Shea discusses blogger Andrew Sullivan's temper tantrums over the Church's...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's interesting on Catholic blogs today: A reader of Mark Shea's blog recounts an experience a friend had in the classroom of a well-known Jesuit scholar who denies that Jesus is God. Tom Fitzpatrick at Recta Ratio notes the American politicians who mistake their American rights for...
The new issue of Catholic World Report
The August-September issue of Catholic World Report should be hitting newsstands and mailboxes any day now, and here's what you'll find inside: The Rapture: A Catholic Perspective: Was Jesus a failure? Carl Olson, a fundamentalist convert to Catholicism, examines prophecies about the rapture and...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting in Catholic blogs today: RC at Catholic Light mentions news that there may have been a Eucharistic miracle in India in Syro-Malankar rite church. Also, at the same blog John Schultz discusses parish-shopping and sacramental SWAT teams who stand at the ready to...
Re: It took a non-Catholic
Regarding Phil's mention of this the other day, Massachusetts civil rights lawyer Harvey Silverglate's critique of state Attorney General Tom Reilly's report in the Wall Street Journal is available on Opinion...
More on AG Reilly's report
Diogenes, Lawyer and friend Tom Fitzpatrick has a different perspective on Reilly's report. Writing on my web site, he says that Reilly has actually done the archdiocese a favor, if perhaps unintentionally. Granting, the report's deficiencies, one thing it does is remove an excuse for the...
The commercial the abortion industry doesn't want you to see
GE Medical Imaging Systems has a new ultrasound technology called 4-D Ultrasound. Now GE has made a television commercial showcasing the technology available on its web site. GE has been bombarded by the abortion industry and activists who protest that the images will lead people to have a...
The Passion trailer online
For those interested in getting a sneak peek at Mel Gibson's new movie about the Passion of Jesus can find online here. If the whole movie is as moving as these few scenes are, it will be a blockbuster. I'm looking forward to seeing it now more than...
Abortion not for me, but for thee
The Mennonite Church, USA, has officially said that abortion is wrong, but "who are we to force our Christian standards on you?" The group said it doesn't support laws against abortion because it's wrong to force someone to comply with our morality. If abortion is the intentional killing of...
No more parental rights
In a CWN story today, we read that Florida's Supreme Court struck down the state's law that required parents be notified before their daughters under 18 years old could have an abortion. The court said the law violated the girl's privacy rights. Under that reasoning, what rights do parents have...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's making news on Catholic blogs today: Mark Shea asks whether a faithful celibate man who struggles with same-sex attraction can be ordained. Readers reply in the comments and Mark prints some other replies as well. John Schultz discusses the "boutique parish,"...
Not completely silent
There hasn't been complete silence from the Right on the Supreme Court's Lawrence decision, although much of it focuses on Justice Scalia's dissenting opinion. George Neumayr at the American Spectator web site talks about "Sodomy in the Age of Oprah." And Rod Dreher writes along much the same...
Judge a man by his enemies?
I've heard some good things about Archbishop-elect Sean O'Malley, although you'll excuse me if I wait to render final judgment to see if his "orthopraxis" lives up to his reputation for "orthodoxy." However, I'm given further hope as I see that the ubiquitous Fr. Richard "Where's my collar"...
The new issue of Catholic World Report
The July issue of Catholic World Report should be hitting newsstands and mailboxes, and here's what you'll find inside:Croatia in the Balance:Croatia maintained deep cultural ties to Catholicism, despite centuries of pressure from powerful Orthodox and Islamic neighbors. Now the Balkan country...
Well, it's done
The Supreme Court has struck down the Texas sodomy law 6-3. I don't even have to look at the official statement to know that the three were Rehnquist, Scalia, and Thomas. Now does anyone doubt the importance of judicial nominees? The Democrats certainly do or they wouldn't be fighting tooth and...
The donuts of yesteryear
Leila, Now we're talking about an important subject! You reminded me of a small donut shop that used to be in Canton, MA, when I was a wee lad. I can't even remember the name of the place--it closed before I was 10 years old because of the Dunkin Donuts that opened literally next door--but I...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new and interesting on Catholic blogs today: Mark Shea offers some cautions (here and here) on the wrong kind of reaction to Bishop O'Brien's arrest. Jeff Miller finds an article in a New Jersey newspaper that profiles Archbishop John Myers and...
Sobran on Affirmative Action
Black males dominate professional sports, but not because anyone pitched underhand to Jackie Robinson to atone for slavery and segregation. -- Joseph Sobran, "Those Dizzy Feminists," January 8th,...
Around the blogs today
Here's what's new at selected Catholic blogs today: Mark Shea notes news coverage that tries to make a moral equivalence between Eric Rudolph, a supposed "Christian terrorist," and Islamic terrorists. Jeff Miller comments on a Newsweek article about the Legion of Christ and its subtle (and...
Around the Blogs today
Here are some interesting posts on various Catholic-related blogs:
Mark Shea mulls the Phoenix situation, especially why Rome really let Bishop O'Brien stay in office (as opposed to what some sources say), and the strange Clintonian parsing by the bishop in his recent public statements.
The June issue of CWR is coming
The June issue of Catholic World Report should be wending its way through the US Postal Service to mailboxes right now and here's what you can expect to find: Our cover story: "Still No Progress On The Scandal" In Boston, a controversial and mandatory child-abuse prevention program in parochial...
Around the Blogs today
Here's what's happening at Catholic blogs today: G. Thomas Fitzpatrick discusses Phoenix Bishop O'Brien's immunity agreement and how it remains binding on his successors. Some canon lawyers question whether O'Brien has the right to agree to that. The Mighty Barrister notices how CNN always...
Around the Blogs today
Here are some interesting posts at several Catholic blogs today: Fr. Rob Johansen discusses Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos' Tridentine-rite Mass in Rome recently and the prospects for a universal indult to celebrate the old rite for all priests, everywhere. A reader at Mark Shea's blog writes...
Talking about Touching
It seems everybody is talking about "Talking about Touching," the controversial new, mandatory program the Archdiocese of Boston is setting up in parochial schools and parish religious education. Although, I broke the story on my web site, it's been getting lots of play in other media, which is a...
Around the Blogs today
Catching up with a long weekend's worth of blogging, here are some things that caught my eye on various Catholic-related blogs: Mark Shea sees the reaction of a sex-abuse victims' advocate to the news of an accused priest's suicide and finds it disturbing that the advocate is only sorry the man...
Re: EarthSpirit
Father, in reading about Sister Miriam and her journeys to Ireland where she composed the bit about the waterfall, I noticed her disdain for the "commerical, industrial model" and wondered how she actually traveled to Ireland. Did she take a nice environmentally safe sailboat or one of those big...
Wait a minute! That's Catholic doctrine you're preaching!
Who would have thought that a cardinal proclaiming the Church's teachings on the family at a Catholic university's commencement would be controversial?Ed Ingebretsen, a professor of English at Georgetown and a priest in the American Catholic Church, said Wednesday that Arinze's remarks are in line...
Around the Blogs today
Here's a round-up of interesting posts on Catholic blogs today:Fr. Rob Johansen discusses the importance of a renewed Catholic culture to the reform of the Church. (The direct link to the first part of the blogpost is here, but may not work. Otherwise, click on the first link.) Mark Shea notes...
Pope has Parkinson's
OK, that's not exactly news although this is the first time anyone at the Vatican has officially admitted it. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re confirmed that the Pope has Parkinson's to a reporter in a story on the Pope's 83rd birthday tomorrow. CWN should have more on this story on Monday as part...
Lavender revolt in Altoona-Johnstown
A group of anonymous, homosexual priests in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, Penn., sent an open letter to their bishop demanding he immediately stop publicly defending the diocese against lawsuits and settle them all out of court. Are they afraid that such defense would be a further harm to...
Cardinal Maida's smackdown
Cardinal Adam Maida of Detroit, who has sometimes been whacked for not doing enough to combat heresy in his archdiocese, gets supreme kudos from me for his order to a pastor to cancel a lecture by a Call-to-Action, former priest type. The neo-"Spirit of Vatican II dissidents response is just...
Yet more on removing bishops
Cheshire, a canonist friend sent this along as well:Dom, basically, the more likely possibility would be that Rome appoint a co-adjutor or apostolic administrator, and give him full administrative power. This would then have the effect of making the diocese more or less ungovernable for the bishop...
Re: removing bishops
Valid examples, Fr. Wilson, but Lefebrve violated canon law and the others presumably acceded to the request to resign their sees. But what about the bishop who does not violate canon law and only shows incompetence or negligence, yet will not step down? I'm thinking of the Dallas case where a...
Removing bishops
Good comments, Fr. Wilson and Cheshire, but I have a question. Can the Pope remove any bishop on any pretext if that bishop hasn't reached retirement age, isn't incapacitated, and hasn't violated canon law or Church doctrine? Can you recall any case in the modern era where that's happened? In...
Priest on the run
One of our stories today is about an Ecuadorian priest who has been suspended from ministry after he skipped town to avoid a corruption investigation. Go ahead and read the whole story before continuing. Now ask yourself what would have happened if the situation had involved an American priest...
Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated
The indispensable web site, The Smoking Gun, which exposes all kinds of public and not-so-public, but humorous documents has stumbled on a CNN boo-boo. Like most news organizations, CNN prepared a set of mock-up pages of obituaries for famous figures Among them were obituaries for Dick Cheney,...
The Lidless eye of the Boston Globe turns our way
The Boston Globe published its latest paean to Voice of the Faithful on Sunday. Amid its usual praise of the group and defense of it against all comers, there was a surprising reference to us here at Catholic World News.A Pembroke woman, Carol McKinley has started an anti-Voice of the Faithful...
Re: quick Masses
I don't have a problem with short Masses, per se, Fr. Wilson, as long as they are reverent. The Carmelite chapel at the mall in nearby Peabody, Mass., has short Masses that don't seem at all irreverent. And it's been years since I've been to St. Anthony's in Boston. It's just that the guy in...
Quick is the most important thing
In Sunday's Boston Herald there was an article about the renovations to Boston's St. Anthony's Shrine, a Franciscan chapel serving the downtown area. (I don't have an online link to it.) It has long been a popular place for working folks to attend lunchtime Masses or go to Confession. The...
Re: Tax help, please?
It does seem silly at first, Phil, but it was placed there by one of the few remaining Republicans in Mass. state government. Since so many liberals were opposed to reducing the state income tax in a ballot question a few years ago, this was an opportunity to let them put their money where their...
Busy weekend
Make sure you read "Off the Record" entries for Saturday and Sunday. (Just use the handy date menu up above.) There are some excellent entries, including detailed information on political donations by Catholic Charities workers to pro-abortion politicans; the looting of Baghdad's museums and whose...
But it didn't...
Cardinal Ratzinger gave an interview to an Italian news agency about the war in Iraq. It starts:"The war could have gone differently. Today's arms can destroy many people, as has already happened", said Cardinal Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. Yes, but it didn't...
Unity by division
Catholic Charities in Boston has decided to defy Bishop Richard Lennon and accept a donation from Voice of the Faithful. It is not the first time they have defied the order by their local ordinary not to accept a gift from VOTF. What is the bishop's response? Will he fire the board members? Will...
Quite a turnaround
Wasn't it just last year that Cardinal Mahony of LA was castigating Cardinal Law for failing to open his files and cooperate with authorities and that if he had been guilty of that kind of coverup he'd resign his office? Just yesterday the state of California passed legislation that stalls the...
Shame!
Rod Dreher in National Review's The Corner relates this email he received from a reader: "I'm writing to relay a story from my mother-in-law who lives in El Paso, Texas. As you might know El Paso is home to Fort Bliss where some of our POW's were stationed. Well due to the shortage of priests at...
What if...
Listening to the denial of reality in the press conferences of the Iraqi information minister (not unlike the press conferences of some US bishops), I was struck with wondering what a similar press conference would sound like, perhaps the press conference of Sauron's information minister after the...
re: Bishop vs. VOTF
To be fair, Diogenes, I think the Boston Herald oversimplified a bit. What the archdiocesan spokesman implied was that by encouraging Boston Catholics to boycott the Cardinal's appeal and instead give to the VOTF Fund so that they could attach strings to it, VOTF is making itself a middleman...
Diogenes sighting?
A friend who is a policeman sends this note along: "I pulled over a van three days ago while working, for going through a red light. When I saw the first name on the persons license I decided not to write him a summons. His name is Diogenes. The driver did know that Diogenes was a philosopher but...
Re: reversed causality
Another strange statement from Archbishop Tauran was his insistence that soldiers be lumped in as "innocents," too when we say that the injury of innocents in the war should be avoided. Are these the same "innocents" fighting from within hospitals, firing mortars into crowds of civilians, posing...
Archbishop also addresses military chaplains today
Archbishop Edwin O'Brien of the US Military Archdiocese sent a letter to Catholic military chaplains for today's feast day: As our preoccupied Nation struggles through the volcanic sights and sounds of war, portrayed live and graphically, a universal prayer is raised for a quick end to...
Pessimism from the pulpit
Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua of Philadelphia has issued a statement concerning the war with Iraq. It is a very defeatist sounding statement. I don't dispute that war has grave consequences, especially for innocent victims. And he does offer prayers for servicemen and women and President Bush. But...
World War
Cardinal Etchegaray says says the war in Iraq is a world war because its impact touches the whole world. He's right but about the wrong war. The third world war started on Sept. 11, 2001 and that war really does touch the whole world. The war in Iraq is just one campaign in that greater...
Consecrating Iraq
Iraq's Chaldean bishops are asking the world to join them in prayer at 10 am EST as they consecrate the country to the Virgin Mary, Our Lady Queen of Peace. See the full information at the Catholic Light...
Homosexuality as a gift?
David Mills at the Touchstone blog (look for the 5:15 pm entry from today) reveals that the Diocese of Baton Rouge, LA, is sponsoring a pro-homosexual retreat. Now this isn't simply an occasion where the teachings of the Church will be muddled a bit, but a straight on rejection of them. You could...
Archbishop O'Brien responds to Bishop Botean
Archbishop Edwin O'Brien of the US Military Archdiocese has responded to Bishop Botean's statement that forbids members of the Romanian Byzantine-rite Catholic Church in America from participating in the war. Archbishop O'Brien says Bishop Botean contradicts the US bishops' conference, and says...
War coverage
An interesting blog for following one war correspondent's journeys in Iraq is Kevin Sites' blog. Sites is a correspondent for CNN who is traveling in Iraq and offers his impressions and photos of what's going on in a fashion you won't get on the networks. Check it...
Reminder and introduction
I just want to remind readers to make sure they click on the menu above to see comments from yesterday and other days. This blogs may work differently than other blogs you may have seen on the Internet. I guess I should also define what a "blog" is. A blog is a "web log," a kind of informal...
re: trouble for just-war apologists
Phil, But Bush also made the point that waiting for a madman with WMD to strike first is not self-defense, it's suicide. I think the difference is that Soviet Union, for all that it was evil, was not unstable. In other words, it's leaders knew that to strike was to invite self-destruction....
Re: Botean
Phil, I agree with you about Botean's statement. I'd also point out Ed Peter's analysis that Botean creates a situation where the Vatican will either have to ratify or overrule the statement since it places Romanian Catholics in an ambiguous position vis a vis every other Catholic in the...
Why do they hate us so?
Archbishop Martino's comments yesterday about the war ratcheted the rhetoric up another notch. He told Vatican Radio, a war against Iraw "a crime against peace that would cry out for God's vengeance." Now that would be fine if the criminal he was talking about was Saddam, but it's not. It's the...
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