Bulgarian Orthodox Leader Affirms Desire for Unity

VATICAN CITY (Zenit.org) - A Bulgarian Orthodox prelate told Benedict XVI of his desire for unity, and his commitment to accelerate communion with the Catholic Church.

At the end of Wednesday's general audience, Bishop Tichon, head of the diocese for Central and Western Europe of the Patriarchate of Bulgaria, stated to the Pope, "We must find unity as soon as possible and finally celebrate together," L'Osservatore Romano reported.

"People don't understand our divisions and our discussions," the bishop stated. He affirmed that he will "not spare any efforts" to work for the quick restoration of "communion between Catholics and Orthodox."

Bishop Tichon said that "the theological dialogue that is going forward in these days in Cyprus is certainly important, but we should not be afraid to say that we must find as soon as possible the way to celebrate together."

"A Catholic will not become an Orthodox and vice versa, but we must approach the altar together," he added.

The prelate told the Pontiff that "this aspiration is a feeling that arose from the works of the assembly" of his diocese, held in Rome, in which all the priests and two delegates from every Bulgarian Orthodox parish took part.

"We have come to the Pope to express our desire for unity and also because he is the Bishop of Rome, the city that hosted our assembly," he stated.

Initiatives

After the bishop, Luka Bebic, speaker of the Croatian Parliament, addressed the Holy Father, inviting the Pontiff to visit his homeland and thanking him "for the support the Holy See has given our people since independence, during the war back then and now in the process that will lead Croatia to enter the European Union."

Benedict XVI next greeted members of the Association Rondine Cittadella della Pace [Citadel of Peace], which promotes dialogue and peace by bringing together students from conflict areas to live and study in community.

They shared with the Pope a concrete proposal titled "14 Points for Peace in the Caucasus" that was developed at an international congress the association organized in May.

The proposal was also distributed to the ambassadors of the Caucasus countries and to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Young people of all the ethnic and religious groups of the Caucasus were also present at the audience.

Members of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Cardinal Sancha, whose founder, Cardinal Ciriaco María Sancha y Hervas, was beatified Sunday in Toledo, Spain, also greeted the Pontiff. Headed by their superior, Sister Maria del Carmen Dominguez, the religious expressed to the Holy Father their commitment to be faithful to their original charism "of service to the poor, orphans and the elderly."

***

While dissenters are busy destroying the Church, Pope Benedict XVI and our separated brethren are working towards full unity.

Catholic cartoon has it better.

Bedrock of Liturgical Innovators / Abusers?

Why, you might ask, I asked that question?  Because a friend-priest who is enrolled in the Institute told me a story about how its Director, Fr. Anscar Chupungco, OSB, instructed them about the Eucharist.  He said something like this "If you want the full effect of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, then CHEW the host well.  It is a bread!"

It was told to me so I am just passing it along. So don't get too excited. That is why I asked that question.

To chew or not to chew that is the question.

Do you need to chew on the Bread of Life to get the full effects of the Blessed Sacrament? NO! NO! NO!

Christ is present, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharistic Species. Whether you chew Him, let Him melt in your mouth, no matter the size of the Host, He is truly present and you receive Him fully!

Here are other liturgical innovations I heard from a priest I know who got "miseducated"...

...do not place candles on the altar because it is the Table of the Lord where we eat the Meal of Love. Because when you go into a banquet, candles are not placed on the table.

...Since it is the Meal of Love, the chalice and the paten must not be purified on the altar but on the credence table, because you do not clean your plate in front of your guests.

This mindset is so typical of liturgical innovators who mask themselves as Catholics but who are every inch Lutheran in their view of the Mass.  Probably the same reason why they cease calling the altar "Altar" and instead calls it "Table"  and why they face the people instead of face God when worshipping.

Hey, its a meal for them not a sacrifice!

Question:  If it is a meal, where is the spoon and fork?  WHAT?  NO DESSERT?


 So, according to THAT institute, Pope Benedict is WRONG!

Yeah...right...

They have this program being offered to priests.  I got this from their website.

Pastoral Liturgy for the Clergy- is a continuing program for diocesan and religious priests who wish to update their knowledge, understanding and practice of the liturgy.

I think  I just smelled something bad here.  For all I care, this is pushing the panic button since it known of how Pope Benedict is teaching us by word and deed of the reorientation of Catholic worship, an organic development and not some fabricated liturgy like the Misa ng Sambayanang Pilipino, which thanks be to God, the Holy See has left gathering dust.

So whether you know liturgy or not, just ask yourself.

In terms of liturgy, who would you listen to?


A.  Anscar Chupungco, OSB

or

B. as in Benedict XVI

***

Maybe the Philippines needs its own Pastoral Visitation from Rome...

And please add that theological school in Quezon City named after Mary.  Why you might ask?  18 of their faculty members supported Fr. Tissa Balasuriya when the priest was under investigation by Rome for the charge of heresy because of what he wrote in his book "Mary and Human Liberation". I should know.  Some of my friends finished thelogy in THAT school and you'll be surprised that they do not even know the Credo.  They are so "updated" they know "Feminist Hermeneutics", Feminist Theology, Personality Development and Human Sexuality, Women Liturgies...

*sigh*

Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio...

Supreme Knight to receive Rome’s Lupa Capitolina award in honor of Knights of Columbus' service

Rome, Italy, Oct 28, 2009 / 04:06 am (CNA).- Supreme Knight of Columbus Carl A. Anderson on Wednesday will receive the city of Rome’s Lupa Capitolina (The Wolf of the Capital) award in honor of the nearly 90 years of service of the Knights in Rome.

Anderson will receive the award from Rome mayor Gianni Alemanno on Wednesday evening on the Campidoglio, one of the Seven Hills of Rome.

"I am honored to receive this award from the City of Rome for the great work the Knights of Columbus have done there for nearly a century,” Anderson said in a Knights of Columbus press release.

“As both the 'eternal city' and the center of the Catholic Church, Rome has a special place in the hearts of the Knights of Columbus, and we look forward to another 90 years of service in this great city.”

In 1920 a delegation of Knights led by then-Supreme Knight James Flaherty met with Pope Benedict XV. The Pope asked the Knights to expand their work in Rome.

During the 1920s the Knights opened several sports facilities for the free use of the youth of Rome. Another facility opened in the 1950s. The Knights continue to operate four of these facilities, which are regularly used by Roman youth.

The Knights also donated a new shortwave radio transmitter to the Vatican in 1966 and presently pay for the costs of a satellite uplink for major worldwide telecasts from the Vatican.

In the 1980s the Knights funded construction on several chapels and sponsored the restoration of the façade of St. Peter’s Basilica. In the 1990s the Knights provided financial support for the repair of the roof and restoration of the mosaics in St. Peter’s Blessed Sacrament Chapel, as well as the restoration of the Maderno Atrium and its massive bronze doors in preparation for the Jubilee 2000 celebration.

In the last decade the Knights have sponsored several academic conferences and other efforts in restoration work. The order also sponsored the Concert for Reconciliation between Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, held in the Vatican in 2004 in the presence of Pope John Paul II.

The Lupa Capitolina award is named for the wolf that suckled the legendary founding brothers of Rome, Romulus and Remus. The award is a miniature version of a famous statue of the wolf nursing the two infant brothers.

Last year the honor was given to Italian-American actor Al Pacino.

***

All because of...

CHARITY
UNITY
FRATERNITY
PATRIOTISM

So instead of joining Masonry, which you risk your soul in return...
Or joining other social organizations...

Be a Knight of Columbus and discover what chivalry in the name of your Faith means!


VIVAT JESUS!

RH stand cost bishop CBCP presidency: WHAT?!

When I read this report, I knew I had to comment event though it was a long article.

taken from abs-cbnnews.com

***

MANILA - Reproductive health (RH) as an issue may not make or break a presidential campaign in next year’s elections, but it already cost the presidency for a high-ranking member of the Catholic Church. [the writer is giving the impression that he has the info to back this up.]

Because of his liberal stance on reproductive health [you'll see later if it is indeed liberal] and engagement with the national government on the issue, Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma lost the presidency of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to a more conservative bishop.

The incoming CBCP president is Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar, replacing Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo.

Elected in 2005, Ledesma was vice-president to the now outgoing CBCP President Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo. It was both their first terms in office, and tradition dictated that they get to be elected for a second term. CBCP officials have a two-year tenure in office, or a total of four to include the second term.

Also, the vice-president succeeds the president by tradition. Although they are equals, to be elected as CBCP president is considered an honor and peer acknowledgment of one’s skills—personal and managerial.

Outside of the CBCP, the CBCP president is now considered as the most influential church official, with the possible exception of the cardinals in Manila and Cebu. [True.]

Election for a second term in the CBCP is only procedural, with the incumbents getting a fresh second term. But in 2007, the leaders of the Catholic Church, the bastion of conservatism and tradition, broke its own unwritten rule.

In a surprise vote, Ledesma was ousted as CBCP vice-president, and elected instead was Odchimar.

Political and reproductive views

Two sources of abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak, who are privy to the bishops’ affairs, said one of the reasons for Ledesma’s loss was connected to his political views. [now watch out.]

Ledesma was one of the few bishops critical of President Arroyo, [I am too!] and those sympathetic to her [and how many are they may I ask?] purportedly wanted to replace him as vice-president, realizing that he would assume the presidency after Lagdameo steps down.

Lagdameo himself is critical of Arroyo’s government, and his harsh statements on Arroyo's governance did not sit well with some bishops. [I agree but not because of  his criticism but because Abp. Lagdameo spent most of his time in CBCP criticizing the government rather than doing more for the Church's more pressing issue like pro-life, liturgy, silent apostasy of dissidents...]

But the same sources also said that Ledesma’s open-minded view on reproductive health contributed to his downfall.

Asked to confirm if his position on reproductive health cost him the CBCP post, Ledesma said, “that’s possible.” 

He refused, however, to categorically confirm the observation, saying “you have to ask the other bishops on that.”

Ledesma is one of the few Catholic bishops actively engaged in promoting family planning the natural way. [THE NATURAL WAY!  He is helping in family planning but not by promoting artificial birth control!  I know most Pinoy bishops are not admirable in diocesan governance but good grief they are not that stupid to vote against Abp. Ledesma simply because he is promoting natural family planning!  Is this writer implying that majority of Filipino bishops are against family planning in WHATEVER way, be it artificial or natural?  This is preposterous!]

He is an ardent supporter of the modern and scientific natural family planning (NFP) methods, specifically the Standard Days Method (SDM). [which my wife and I practice.  This is not against the natural law nor contradictory to Humanae Vitae!] The SDM, like the rhythm method, is based on the women’s menstrual cycle. However, instead of calendar or charting, cycle beads are used to determine a woman’s fertility.

In Ipil prelature in Zamboanga del Sur where he was previously assigned, the NFP project he started there was so successful that it was expanded to other scientifically approved NFP methods.

When he was appointed archbishop of Cagayan de Oro, Ledesma brought his NFP advocacy there. He collaborated with the local governments in promoting NFP instead of artificial methods. [which is the Church is promoting!]

It was then that rumblings began. [because some bishops are not working on natural family planning?]

Collaboration with government

On Oct. 24, 2006, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Population Commission (Popcom) executive director Tomas Osias met with Lagdameo, Ledesma, and Archbishop Paciano Aniceto, who chairs the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, to seek the engagement of the Church in the Responsible Parenting Movement, which would supposedly only promote NFP.

This was followed by another meeting in November with the CBCP permanent council. The proposal for Church-government collaboration, however, was put on hold and was set to be discussed first in the CBCP plenary in January 2007.

Before the CBCP could make a collective stance, Ledesma already sought to have a partnership with the government for the joint promotion of NFP. In his diocese in Cagayan de Oro, he pushed the laity and Catholic groups there to partner with the Department of Health (DOH) and Popcom offices in promoting NFP. [I think he did the right thing.  Why wait for some incompetent people at the CBCP to write papers and pronouncements which end up gathering dust in the bookshelves when you can do something more concrete to help control the population growth, the NATURAL WAY!]

In making available all modern NFP methods as against traditional NFP methods, Ledesma argued in one letter that “we are for enabling couples to make an informed and responsible choice, based on the formation of a right conscience.” [as long as it is not against the laws of God, the Church and nature!]

This invited the critical eye of the conservatives within the Church and the laity. [conservatives?  really?]


Report to the Vatican [Now this is for Dan Brown's new book!]

Representatives of the Family and Life Apostolate in Mindanao, in a letter sent to Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, chair of the Pontifical Commission on Family, raised the issue of Ledesma’s active promotion of SDM. It questioned his advocacy and his collaboration with the DOH and Popcom.

Fr. Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, told abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak that dioceses and the laity are discouraged from collaborating with government on reproductive health in any manner because it could put the Church in an uncomfortable position. [now where in the world did this come from?  If this were true, why are some bishops not uncomfortable receiving donations from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (the government corporation running casinos nationwide) and the PCSO (the operator of the national lottery)?  Don't deny this!  I know one bishop who remained silent of reported human rights abuses because his benefactor showers him well!  Oh, wait... Make that 3 bishops!  I heard from MORE trusted sources that bishops who are not critical of Gloria Arroyo are SURE to have received donations from Pagcor and PCSO.]

In the case of NFP, Castro said they have gathered reports that in the promotion of SDM, “artificial methods are being introduced as a back up plan in case it fails.” Another high-ranking bishop confirmed that in his diocese, “while the initial agreement was to promote NFP methods only, artificial methods are being introduced when no one is looking.” [now I would want to see that report.  This is serious accusation!]

Castro said that “while we love Archbishop Ledesma and respect him, he has a different position when it comes to reproductive health.”

In his reply to the Vatican complaint, Ledesma said the SDM is not only scientifically proven but also is attuned with Catholic teachings. As for his collaboration with the DOH and Popcom, he argued that the agreement promotes NFP exclusively and not in combination with artificial methods. [do I sense a smear campaign here?]

Ledesma argued that the Church has three options: 1) to continue to criticize and remain suspicious of government; 2) to work separately from government on NFP promotion; or, 3) to critically collaborate with government.

“We have actually tried the first two approaches—with minimal results. Trying out the third approach may incur some risk of failure and misuse, but perhaps the greater risk is not to try at all,” he said.

Ousted as VP

A few months after he agreed to collaborate with the government on reproductive health, the collegial body of bishops held its bi-annual elections, and it resulted in the stunning ouster of Ledesma as CBCP vice president. Had he been reelected, he would have assumed the presidency after Lagdameo’s term. Lagdameo’s term ends on December 1, 2009.

A bishop, who asked not be named, said there were a number of conservative colleagues who find Ledesma’s reproductive stance objectionable, and were thus wary of putting him in line for the CBCP presidency. “There were also reports that he gets funding from international organizations that promote population control, “ the bishop said. [Where's the proof?]

Ledesma, however, strongly denied this.

as of 10/29/2009 10:36 AM

***

If the report is true that the bishops believed in reports that Abp. Ledesma is promoting artifical birth control clandestinely without a VERIFIABLE report to back it up, then I am not surprised at all if this was indeed the basis for their vote of no confidence.  Acting without factual basis is the same as not swimming in the Lochness because you still believe that the monster is still lurking in the water.

But...

Pinoy bishops have this attitude of going with the flow.

I know how they reacted to Summorum Pontificum and why only one Pinoy bishop so far has celebrated the EF Mass publicly.  Because this is how they think!  If others are doing it, then it must be right!  If others are not doing it, then it must be wrong!  Go with the flow!  Its the latest fashion!

Since we are in the topic of population control, ask your bishop...Aside from criticizing the RH Bill, what measures have you done in your diocese to help control the population?

....................... (cricket........cricket.......cricket........)

On the other hand, this writer is painting a picture that the Church tells us that we cannot use ANY method of family planning and that even the Vatican agrees to this nonsense!

What the Church is against is this...

• artificial birth control

and

• ABORTION

There is certainly other reasons why Abp. Ledesma did not get the CBCP presidency even though, according to "tradition", he is to succeed the outgoing president.  But I can bet on it, that his work on NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING is NOT the reason why his brother bishops in the CBCP did not vote for him as president.

To even imply that the Church is not advocating responsible parenthood and even bringing this foolishness in the election halls of the CBCP... this writer must have the same brain waves as Richard McBrien, Hans Kung and Dan Brown.

Do I smell another Da Vinci Code novel Filipino style in the horizon?

Special Report: Five Myths about the Pope’s Anglican Ordinariates

a beautifully written article written by Taylor Marshall of Canterbury Tales that appeared in catholic.org
***

As a former Anglican priest myself, I am profoundly grateful for our Holy Father’s generous proposal toward Anglicans, 'that they all might be one' (Jn 17:21).


DALLAS, TX (Catholic Online) - On October 20, 2009, the Holy See made an unexpected announcement: the Holy Father will be issuing an Apostolic Constitution (the highest form of papal document) through which he will erect personal ordinariates for Anglican clergy and laity wishing to enter the Catholic Church. While rumors about this have been stirring since 2007, the recent decision came as a surprise to most Catholics and Anglicans.

Those who remember their high school history might recall that Pope Gregory the Great sent missionaries to England in the late sixth century to establish the Catholic Church in England. In A.D. 598, Pope Gregory the Great designated the township of Canterbury as the nation’s principal see. There were hiccups along the way (Norman conquest), but England remained under the pastoral oversight of the Pope until 1534 when King Henry VIII declared himself caput ecclesiae anglicanae “Head of the English Church.” Henry VIII never shook his devotion to the old rites. He demanded priestly celibacy, Latin Masses, and prayers for the dead. He did however have an appetite for the wealth of the monasteries. When Henry VIII died in 1547, he left his son Edward VI as king. As a Protestant, Edward approved a Protestantized English ritual which became known as the Book of Common Prayer in 1549.

The liturgies found in the Book of Common Prayer and subsequent editions reveal a careful blend of medieval Catholic piety mixed with subtle Protestantism. Henry’s daughter Queen Elizabeth fully realized this compromise between Catholicism and Protestantism—perhaps the cleverest grab for political power in history. As England colonized the world, she spread her national Anglican church. In America, she became the Episcopal Church. The new worldwide conglomerate of national churches became known as the Anglican Communion. Since those days, the Anglican Communion has been divided into roughly three camps: High Church (more Catholic), Low Church (more Protestant), and Broad Church (liberals who bless the political and cultural mores of society—something going all the way back to Henry’s desire for a second marriage, and then a third marriage, and then a fourth…you know the story).

In the last twenty years, the Broad Churchmen emerged as victors in the Anglican Communion as they secured the ordination of women in the 1980s and 1990s. The past decade has been embroiled in debates about homosexuality as it touches on marriage and clerical ordination. The disaffected conservatives (High Church and Low Church) are looking for options. Clearly, the High Church movement is open to the Catholic Church and many bishops, priests, and lay people have appealed to the Pope for help. The Pope has now provided an an answer: “Come home! Rome opens its doors to you!”

The New York Times, the London Times and almost every known newspaper has printed articles about this new announcement. The blogs are ablaze. However, there is a lot of misinformation churning around out there. I have collected five common misconceptions about the Holy See’s announcement. Each myth merits an informed and measured response.


Myth #1 The Pope is sheep-stealing 

The Pope’s alleged “sheep-stealing” been the most popular subject within the secular media. To them, the Holy Father has launched a media campaign to kick the Anglican Communion while it’s down. The poor Archbishop of Canterbury is struggling to keep things together and then “Bamm!” the Pope surprises everyone with a bid for Anglican souls. However, we must remember that it was Anglicans who pursued the matter with the Holy Father—and we’re not talking about just one or two Anglicans. We are talking about thousands and thousands of Anglicans: bishops, priests, deacons, and laity. Anglican bishops from several nations have sent private letters to the Holy See. Much of this is confidential. They want a way out. They want to become Catholic. The Pope is responding to souls looking to him for guidance. The pope is not stealing sheep—He is holding out his pastoral staff to those sheep looking for protection.


Myth #2 Rome is preparing the world for a general married priesthood

The media also sunk its teeth into the fact that the new Anglican ordinariates would preserve the already recognized discipline of allowing married former-Anglican priests to be ordained as married Catholic priests. This is nothing new. Pope John Paul II approved this measure in 1980 as the “Pastoral Provision.” The new personal ordinariate structure does not change anything. In this regard, nothing is new. I have seen with my own eyes the CDF document from the mid-1980s penned by none other than Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger himself. The document clearly states that the Pastoral Provision is approved so long as it does not undermine the Roman discipline of clerical celibacy. Since the man who wrote that statement is now the Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Catholic Church, I doubt that he is prepping everyone for a change in clerical celibacy. Moreover, convert clergy from Anglicanism will be re-ordained, since Rome does not accept the validity of Anglican ordination.

Myth #3 Rome has reconciled itself to the Protestant Reformation

This myth is based on the liturgical norms accepted by Rome for use by Anglican converts. It goes like this: the Anglican Book of Common Prayer is a book of Protestant worship. Rome is now allowing use of its liturgies; therefore, Rome has capitulated to Protestantism. This argument fails to mention that then-Cardinal Ratzinger heavily oversaw the production of the Book of Divine Worship—the approved set of liturgies for Anglican convert parishes. Protestant elements were expunged (e.g. Thomas Cranmer’s consecration prayer), and good elements were retained. The Book of Divine Worship is a “sanitized” version of the Book of Common Prayer, and I suspect that future revisions will be even more traditional in their formulas.


Myth #4 The Anglican Personal Ordinariates will be like Opus Dei (or it will be like the Eastern Catholic Churches)

In canon law, Opus Dei is constituted as a personal prelature. A personal prelature is headed by a prelate (Bishop Javier Echevarria in the case of Opus Dei) and it does not have geographic limits (unlike a local diocese which does have geographic limits), but includes persons who are associated—this is why it's called “personal.” Moreover, it envelops both clergy and laity. It's not a religious “order” because it has a lay element.

A personal ordinariate, on the other hand, is similar but different. It is headed by an ordinary (who can be either a bishop or priest). It too is “personal” meaning that it does not have geographic boundaries like a diocese does. It can also include both clergy and laity like a personal prelature. A personal ordinariate differs from a personal prelature in that an ordinariate is reckoned as a “particular church.” This means that these Anglican ordinariates will not be a ritual churches like the Eastern Catholic Churches (e.g. Maronite or Melkite). The Anglican personal ordinariates will remain under the Roman Rite as expression of its liturgical diversity.


Myth #5 We already know everything about the Anglican personal ordinariates

We do not know much at all about the Anglican personal ordinarates. All we have is the press release from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Here’s really all we know at this juncture: 1) The Pope wants this to happen fast; 2) The Pope is issuing an Apostolic Constitution soon; 3) The Apostolic Constitution will establish the canonical structure of personal ordinariates; 4) The Pope wishes to continue to allow married convert-clergy to serve as priests; 5) The Pope values the “Anglican patrimony” of music, liturgy, reverence, and architecture. This sums up about all we can know at this point.

Here is what we do not know. First, is this a permanent or temporary solution to an ecumenical problem. Will the ordinariates be a ten year, twenty year, or one hundred year project? Related to this question is the concern for how future clergy would be educated and ordained. Would the seminarians training for the ordinariate attend a designated seminary? Moreover, who will serve as the “ordinaries” of the ordinariates if married priests cannot be bishops? Will former Anglican bishops be the first ones considered by the Holy See? What will happen to the current Anglican Use Catholic parishes? Will they be rolled into the new arrangement? And of particular interest to Anglicans, what will the liturgical norms look like? Can the current Book of Divine Worship be revised? The answers to these and other questions await the publication of the actual Apostolic Constitution.

This move by the Holy Father is simply a continuation of his work with Anglicans in the 1980s and 1990s. He understands them, and he is responding to them. We do not even know how many Anglicans will respond to the ordinariate proposal. It could be giant wave of world-wide conversions…or a trickle. Let us pray for the tidal wave.

As a former Anglican priest myself, I am profoundly grateful for our Holy Father’s generous proposal toward Anglicans, “that they all might be one” (Jn 17:21). My journey form Anglicanism to Catholicism has been difficult but it was at the same time a via mirabilis—a miraculous way, as John Henry Cardinal Newman described it. I know many Anglican friends who will take up the Holy Father on his offer. Sadly, I know that others who will not. Regardless of how the cards fall, Catholics should recognize that the Holy Father’s announcement stands in full agreement with the ecumenical agenda that he articulated when he became Pope. In conformity to the Sacred Heart of Christ, he seeks to reconcile all who call on the name of Christ. Let us continue to pray with the Holy Father and encourage those Anglicans who seek a new home.

-----

Taylor Marshall is a former Anglican priest and the author of The Crucified Rabbi: Judaism and the Origins of Catholic Christianity. He is currently a Doctoral Student and Instructor of Philosophy at the University of Dallas. (please visit: www.taylormarshall.com)

Just wondering...

Throughout the Catholic blogosphere, the news of the Anglican Personal Ordinariate is the top news.

BUT...

If you visit the website of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines...

WHAT DO YOU GET?

Try visiting the CBCP's website and see the news they feature.

Here are some...

• Prelate tells new deacon to shy away from partisan politics
• Pagadian City to give P200K cash reward for info on abducted priest
• Lack of concern for sanctity of life due to lack of catechesis says prelate
• Legazpi residents up in arms vs casino
• Columbans reiterate trust on crisis committee over rescue efforts
• Task Force Sinnot still facing a blank wall
• Palawan Vicariate hosts IP Sunday Celebration
• Asian Church leaders in Davao for assembly
   

Just wondering...

Are the bishops of the Philippines more inclined towards environmental protection and being active in the political arena?

Are these issues more important in their agenda rather than Summorum Pontificum and Christian Unity?

Just wondering...

What should a bishop ought to do?
What is his Job Description?

***
A "diocesan bishop" is entrusted with the care of a local Church (diocese). He is responsible for teaching, governing, and sanctifying the faithful of his diocese, sharing these duties with the priests and deacons who serve under him.

To "teach, sanctify and govern" means that he must oversee preaching of the Gospel and Catholic education in all its forms;  oversee and provide for the administration of the sacraments; and legislate, administer and act as judge for canon-law matters within his diocese. He serves as the "chief shepherd" (spiritual leader) of the diocese and has responsibility for the pastoral care of all Catholics living within his ecclesiastical and ritual jurisdiction.  He is obliged to celebrate Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation with the intention of praying for those in his care, assign clergy to their posts in various institutions and oversee finances.  A bishop is to have a special concern for priests, listening to them, using them as counsellors, ensuring that they are adequately provided for in every way, and defending their rights set forth in the Code of Canon Law.  Latin Catholic bishops also must make regular ad limina visits to the Holy See every five years.

Only a bishop possesses the power to confer the sacrament of Holy Orders.

On Holy Thursday Latin Catholic bishops preside over the Mass of the Chrism. Though Oil of the Sick for the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is blessed at this Mass, it may also be blessed by any priest in case of necessity. Only a bishop may consecrate Chrism.

Only a bishop or other ordinary may grant imprimaturs for theological books, certifying that they are free from doctrinal or moral error; this is an expression of the teaching authority, and education responsibility of the bishop.

Prior to the Second Vatican Council, it was also the prerogative of the bishop to consecrate the paten and chalice that would be used during the Mass. One of the changes implemented since the Council, is that a simple blessing is now said and it may be given by any priest.

***

Hmmmm....  Guess to much "EXTRA curricular activities" that Pinoy bishops "forget" their primary job description?

Nothing wrong with speaking out

...in defense of human rights...
...protection of the environment...
...justice and peace...
...clean and honest elections...
...good civil governance...

BUT WHAT ABOUT GOOD CHURCH GOVERNANCE?

Just asking...

Just wondering...

Rethinking...

I once posted that Tony award-winning Filipina, Lea Salonga, made a PSA for the victims of the flooding in Manila and Northern Luzon.  I posted there that he was a "proud Pinoy and Catholic:.  I might think twice with the title proud Catholic as she is supportive of the Reproductive Health Bill being pushed in Congress.  Thanks to Josemaria Lazaro Paulo Jeronimo Martin Carvalho-von verster for alerting me to her PSA in support of the RH Bill.

As Catholics, we ALL should be against any form of artificial birth control.

So that makes Lea Salonga in my Pro-life watchlist.

GUESS WHAT ANSWERS

After more than 24 hours, here are the answers:

 Yup!  These girls are "animating" the Mass.  Animating meaning = liturgical dance meaning = the priest gave a boring homily because he did not prepare well and asked these girls to dance to make the Mass more "lively".  If you went to Mass to be entertained and not to worship Christ, then this is the one for you.

And to save the greatest disaster of them all...

That one up there is.... a nun.  Yup!  She is "Sister" Donna Quinn, O.P..  She is an ultra feminist, pro women's ordination and (hold on to your seats....) PRO ABORTION.  She serves as an escort in a local abortion clinic.

For dissenters who cannot stand the teachings of the Church, why force the issue?  Your brand of Christianity and Catholicism has no room for even the most humane and civil of society?  ABORTION?  You don't have to be pro-life to understand that it is MURDER!  Shun all pretenses MS. QUINN.

Leave the Church! You are obstinate! Mercy was shown to you yet you continue to side with evil!

For more of this evil woman, read here

SNAPSHOT: Guess what these kids are doing...

Guess who and what this woman is?

BENEDICT XVI: POPE OF CHRISTIAN UNITY

From Fr. Z of WDTPRS.
 
***
  

 

 

 

 Whose Ecumenism?

Liberals are beginning to twit.

They are just warming up, but soon it will be a grand mal twit.

They are panicking about Pope Benedict and his provisions for Anglicans who, after their long nightmare with liberal on their side of the Tiber, may want unity in the Catholic Church.

Be alert.

The liberal Catholics will try to pull a sleight of hand. They will attempt to get you to believe that what Pope Benedict is doing is not true ecumenism.

They will claim to be the sole arbiters of true ecumenism.

They will claim that conservative Catholics, traditional Catholics are not interested in true ecumenism.

Do not accept their definition or their premises.

I want to invite all you readers into a project.

My idea is that we should start to refer to Pope Benedict XVI as …

... the Pope of Christian Unity. [BRAVO! HUZZAH!]


It becomes clearer each year that Benedict goes beyond his immediate predecessors, but always in continuity with them, in promoting Christian unity.

His efforts in this direction can be seen on several fronts:

1) with the Orthodox in general, and the Russian Orthodox in particular;
2) with the SSPX;
3) with the Anglicans.

I can hear it now.

"But Father! But Father!", my liberal readers will say, squirming. "Pope Benedict’s efforts with the SSPX and with the Anglican trads are not really about ‘Christian unity’! They aren’t even endorsed by many high-ranking Catholic prelates or conspicuous newspaper theologians!"

Exactly.

That is precisely why Pope Benedict is preeminently the Pope of Christian Unity.

Pope Benedict has been struggling against forces within his own fold to achieve Christian unity.

His is decidedly not the unity that liberals (Richard McBrien, Gerald O’Collins) have in mind when they think of Christian unity, with its watered-down version of Roman primacy, liturgy, catechesis, sexual ethics and church discipline. In other words, a Christian unity without a Christian identity (christian with a small ‘c’). 

No, Benedict’s unity is real unity, true unity that costs something, that stretches people, but that does not compromise what is essential to the Church.

This is not Rahner’s "world church" where anything and anyone goes. It is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ Jesus.

Benedict’s true ecumenism is consonant with everything we are as a Church.

People are going to be stretched, but absolutely nothing essential will be given away.

You see where I am going with this.

Liberals want ecumenism only with those whom they want in their sort of church.

They want ecumenical dialogue with those who agree with the manifestos of, for example, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. [a forgettable group of 'nuns' in pants who have a trouble with male leadership]

But true ecumenism is not about compromise on essentials, giving away fundamental elements of our Catholic identity.

True ecumenism requires that we be stretched, to be sure, but that we submit. We stretch, but we give nothing essential away.

The liberal model of ecumenism gives nearly anything for the sake of bringing in their sort of compromised Christian.

Pope Benedict is the true ecumenist.

He is the Pope of Christian Unity.

***

Just one of the gazillion reasons why I am an avid follower of Fr. Z!

Thoughts on why Anglicans/Episcopalians leave their church

From a post a few years ago from freerepublic.com why an Episcopalian left.  Old post but still valid.  Just an excerpt.

***

 ...The core issue in why we left is not women's leadership. It is not "Episcopalians against equality," as the headline on a recent Post op-ed by Harold Meyerson put it. It is not a "leftward" drift in the church. It is not even primarily ethical -- though the ordination of a practicing homosexual as bishop was the flash point that showed how far the repudiation of Christian orthodoxy had gone.

The core issue for us is theological: the intellectual integrity of faith in the modern world. It is thus a matter of faithfulness to the lordship of Jesus, whom we worship and follow. The American Episcopal Church no longer believes the historic, orthodox Christian faith common to all believers. Some leaders expressly deny the central articles of the faith -- saying that traditional theism is "dead," the incarnation is "nonsense," the resurrection of Jesus is a fiction, the understanding of the cross is "a barbarous idea," the Bible is "pure propaganda" and so on. Others simply say the creed as poetry or with their fingers crossed.

***

And here's another one from here...

One example of the depth and destructive nature of revisionist belief and teaching is this: Many in the Episcopal Church, including the Presiding Bishop, openly and publicly deny the assertion of Jesus, recorded in John 14:6, where he says “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In the Episcopal Church, at the very top of it’s clergy leadership and in direct contradiction to Scripture, Jesus is now being presented as one of several ways to reach God. This assertion flies in the face of long-held Christian beliefs and could not be overlooked by this body of Anglican believers.

Yet that is but one of several examples of a church that has abandoned the historic, orthodox faith and was increasingly pressuring everyone to adhere to these ungodly teachings. Another example—and a particularly insidious one—is the Bible being presented and augured as a man-written book, which can be modified as the church see fit. Again, from some in that church leadership, we read comments such as “Man wrote the Bible, man can change it.” This is a gross misunderstanding of Holy Scripture and is unacceptable teaching in the Christian belief system. This congregation, now Holy Trinity Anglican Church, continues to receive the Holy Scriptures as “God-breathed and inspired by God Himself. Not only do we, this congregation, make that assertion but our own Articles of Religion state that “Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation; so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation.”

***

Aren't these issues raised by former Episcopalians as the reasons for their leaving their church, the very same reasons dissident theologians like Richard McBrien want the Catholic Chruch to infuse in our teachings as a way of "updating"?  Isn't this proof that the Anglican Communion and the dissidents' praise of their type of "collegiality" that is now breaking up the Anglican Communion?

Now why in the world would dissident "Roman Catholic" theologians still push the issue?

Faithfulness to the Orthodox teachings of the Church...
Obedience to the Successor of St. Peter...

How hard can it be?

Anglican Ordinariate: from a Canon Lawyer

Here is an interesting and educational post from Ed Peters of In Light of the Law about the Apostolic Constitution on the Anglican Ordinariate.

***

First thoughts on an Anglican ordinariate

An interesting announcement today from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith alerts us to an upcoming apostolic constitution establishing a "personal ordinariate for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church". Till the document itself is published, only a few observations can be offered.

An "apostolic constitution" is the form of document used by the Holy See to make the most significant canonical and disciplinary provisions for the Church. It is not, then, a simple "decree" (1983 CIC 29 etc), say, or an "instruction" (1983 CIC 34).

The establishment of a "personal ordinariate" will be something of an innovation in modern canon law, although this ordinariate is apparently going to be similar to "personal arch/dioceses" such as those used for the military (1983 CIC 368 and ap. con. Spirituali militum), or to personal prelatures (1983 CIC 294-297), with Opus Dei being the only example thereof to date. One wonders, though, why both of these structures were apparently found to be inadequate for the reception of Anglicans, and why a third way was invented? We'll have to see. [Hmmm.  Good point.]

In any case, the idea of a "personal ordinariate" is another sign of the (I think) inevitable trend away from purely territorial jurisdictional units in the Roman Church and toward greater use of personal jurisdiction. This trend has been evident in western canon law at least since the late 1960s (see, e.g., 1967 Synod of Bishops, "Principles Guiding the Revision of Canon Law", no. 8) and is reflected in the 1983 Code (e.g., 1983 CIC 372, 518). Provided this shift is pursued in an orderly manner, I think it a step in the right direction for people who are coming to see themselves as less identified with various locales, and more with social groupings. Certainly several other groups in the Church will be watching the Anglican project with an eye to applying innovative structures in their own spheres. [Another good point.]

Lastly, it strikes me as a bit odd that CDF is, at present, the lead dicastery in this matter. [Yeah.  Where is Cardinal Kasper?  Seems like there is something in this.] Provisions for "particular churches" usually come from the Congregation for Bishops (ap. con. Pastor bonus 75-76), not CDF. While theological issues (and there are some here, of course) are better addressed by doctrinal experts in CDF, organizational issues (which are numerous here) seem better left to administrative experts in the Cong. for Bishops. But, I'm sure someone has already thought of that.

I'll keep my eyes open for more on this one. It is, as I say, interesting. +++

***

We really have to wait for the document before we can comment. And I better leave the expert opinion to the experts.

As usual, the post of Ed Peters is really educational.

REAL ECUMENISM AT WORK!

 "Come in. We're open. 24/7!"

VATICAN CITY, 20 OCT 2009 (VIS) - In a meeting with journalists held this morning in the Holy See Press Office Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Archbishop Joseph Augustine Di Noia O.P., secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, presented a note on a new measure concerning "Personal Ordinariates for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church".

Commenting on the English-language note, which has been published by his dicastery, Cardinal Levada explained how, "with the preparation of an Apostolic Constitution, [the most authoritative document the Church can issue.] the Catholic Church is responding to the many requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion. [Alleluia!  This is the true work of ecumenism!  To seek those who are lost and bring into the one fold of Christ, shepherded by his Vicar!]

"In this Apostolic Constitution the Holy Father has introduced a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow former Anglicans to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. Under the terms of the Apostolic Constitution, pastoral oversight and guidance will be provided for groups of former Anglicans through a Personal Ordinariate, whose Ordinary will usually be appointed from among former Anglican clergy.

"The forthcoming Apostolic Constitution provides a reasonable and even necessary response to a worldwide phenomenon, by offering a single canonical model for the universal Church which is adaptable to various local situations and equitable to former Anglicans in its universal application. It provides for the ordination as Catholic priests of married former Anglican clergy. Historical and ecumenical reasons preclude the ordination of married men as bishops in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The Constitution therefore stipulates that the Ordinary can be either a priest or an unmarried bishop. The seminarians in the Ordinariate are to be prepared alongside other Catholic seminarians, though the Ordinariate may establish a house of formation to address the particular needs of formation in the Anglican patrimony".

"The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church, particularly through the efforts of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The initiative has come from a number of different groups of Anglicans" who, said Cardinal Levada, "have declared that they share the common Catholic faith as it is expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and accept the Petrine ministry as something Christ willed for the Church. For them, the time has come to express this implicit unity in the visible form of full communion".

The cardinal further indicated that "it is the hope of the Holy Father Benedict XVI that the Anglican clergy and faithful who desire union with the Catholic Church will find in this canonical structure the opportunity to preserve those Anglican traditions precious to them and consistent with the Catholic faith. Insofar as these traditions express in a distinctive way the faith that is held in common, they are a gift to be shared in the wider Church. The unity of the Church does not require a uniformity that ignores cultural diversity, as the history of Christianity shows. Moreover, the many diverse traditions present in the Catholic Church today are all rooted in the principle articulated by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: 'There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism'.

"Our communion", the cardinal added in conclusion, "is therefore strengthened by such legitimate diversity, and so we are happy that these men and women bring with them their particular contributions to our common life of faith".

***

St. John's Valdosta blog has an excellent post regarding the work of True Ecumenism:

According to Catholic doctrine, these Communities do not enjoy apostolic succession in the sacrament of Orders, and are, therefore, deprived of a constitutive element of the Church. These ecclesial Communities which, specifically because of the absence of the sacramental priesthood, have not preserved the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic Mystery cannot, according to Catholic doctrine, be called “Churches” in the proper sense.
-Benedict XVI
Responses to some questions regarding certain aspects of the doctrine on the Church

The Council states that the Church of Christ "subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him..."

The Catholic Church, both in her praxis and in her solemn documents, holds that the communion of the particular Churches with the Church of Rome, and of their Bishops with the Bishop of Rome, is—in God's plan—an essential requisite of full and visible communion.
-John Paul II
Ut unum sint

So, Venerable Brethren, it is clear why this Apostolic See has never allowed its subjects to take part in the assemblies of non-Catholics: for the union of Christians can only be promoted by promoting the return to the one true Church of Christ of those who are separated from it, for in the past they have unhappily left it.
-Pius XI
Mortalium Animos

If those about to come back to their most loving Mother (not yet fully known, or culpably abandoned) should perceive that their return involves, not indeed the shedding of their blood (at which price nevertheless the Church was bought by Jesus Christ), but some lesser trouble and labour, let them clearly understand that this burden has been laid on them not by the will of man but by the will and command of God. They may thus, by the help of heavenly grace, realize and feel the truth of the divine saying, "My yoke is sweet and my burden light" (Matt. xi., 30).

And for a like reason St. Augustine publicly attests that, "the primacy of the Apostolic chair always existed in the Roman Church" (Ep. xliii., n. 7); and he denies that anyone who dissents from the Roman faith can be a Catholic. "You are not to be looked upon as holding the true Catholic faith if you do not teach that the faith of Rome is to be held" (Sermo cxx., n. 13). So, too, St. Cyprian: "To be in communion with Cornelius is to be in communion with the Catholic Church" (Ep. lv., n. 1). In the same way Maximus the Abbot teaches that obedience to the Roman Pontiff is the proof of the true faith and of legitimate communion. Therefore if a man does not want to be, or to be called, a heretic, let him not strive to please this or that man...but let him hasten before all things to be in communion with the Roman See.

No one, therefore, unless in communion with Peter can share in his authority, since it is absurd to imagine that he who is outside can command in the Church. Wherefore Optatus of Milevis blamed the Donatists for this reason: "Against which ages (of hell) we read that Peter received the saving keys, that is to say, our prince, to whom it was said by Christ: `To thee will I give the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the gates of Hell shall not conquer them.' Whence is it therefore that you strive to obtain for yourselves the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven-you who fight against the chair of Peter?" (Lib. ii., n. 4-5).

Let all those, therefore, who detest the wide-spread irreligion of our times, and acknowledge and confess Jesus Christ to be the Son of God and the Saviour of the human race, but who have wandered away from the Spouse, listen to Our voice. Let them not refuse to obey Our paternal charity. Those who acknowledge Christ must acknowledge Him wholly and entirely. "The Head and the body are Christ wholly and entirely. The Head is the only-begotten son of God, the body is His Church; the bridegroom and the bride, two in one flesh. All who dissent from the Scriptures concerning Christ, although they may be found in all places in which the Church is found, are not in the Church; and again all those who agree with the Scriptures concerning the Head, and do not communicate in the unity of the Church, are not in the Church" (S. Augustinus, Contra Donatistas Epistola, sive De Unit. Eccl., cap. iv., n. 7).
-Leo XIII
Satis cognitum

The most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics, can have a share in life eternal; but that they will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless before death they are joined with Her; and that so important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body that only those remaining within this unity can profit by the sacraments of the Church unto salvation, and they alone can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgivings, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Christ, can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church.
-Eugenius IV
Cantate Domino

We declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.
-Bonficace VIII
Unam Sanctam

There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved.
-Innocent III
Fourth Lateran Council

The logic of the Nobel Peace Prize

Nobel says they belong to the same league

Hey Dan Brown! Read this!

Relic of St. Mary Magdalene to Visit U.S. 

Irondale, Ala., Oct 16, 2009 (CNA).- A French priest has brought a relic of St. Mary Magdalene [the skull on the right is of the saint] on its first visit to the United States to share the story of the relic and the saint who is recorded as the first witness of the Resurrection. [Maybe....after reading Da Vinci Code?  He followed the trail?  And...and...found the HOLY GRAIL!!!!]

Fr. Thomas Michelet, a Dominican priest, is touring with the permission of Bishop Dominique Rey of Frejus-Toulon, the relic’s home, EWTN reports.

A letter of authentication from Bishop Rey reports that the relics were hidden at the time of the Saracen invasions and rediscovered in 1279, from which date they have been venerated without interruption. [Were they as scholarly as Dan Brown with how he wrote Da Vinci Code?  Maybe not.  Brown says his book is scholarly written.]

“They are presently kept by the Dominican priests in the cave of St. Baume, a part of my diocese. A new reliquary has been constructed to allow one of the relics, a piece of the tibia, to travel to different countries for veneration by the entire Church.”

Fr. Michelet will appear on a special EWTN Live with Fr. Mitch Pacwa on Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 10 p.m. Eastern Time.

“EWTN is honored that the relic will be coming to the Network and that viewers will be able to not only see one of the relics, but to listen to Fr. Michelet discuss its storied history,” commented EWTN Executive Vice President Doug Keck.

***

Remember the hype that the book and movie created?  I saw an interview of Dan Brown on cable TV, forgot is its Discovery or NatGeo.  He was asked if the elements of the book are real.  Brown says the characters and events are not but the sites and the history behind those sites ARE.  Which means... that Christ married the Magdalene, bore children and that His descendants are still alive.  AND... that the body of the Magdalene was hidden by the Crusaders.  Then...Langdon follows the Rose Line and finds the location of the Holy Grail, buried under the pyramid in the Louvre. He then kneels above Mary Magdalene's tomb as the Templar Knights did before him.  That my friends Dan Brown says are all FACTUAL as he claimed in the book.

Look at the picture below.  Brown says there is a secret chamber below the pyramid at the Louvre.  The chamber houses the tomb of the Magdalene.  Dan where's the chamber?

Now where in the world did these relics come from?

Oh..oh.. I hear Brown saying....  "Medieval hoax!"

Bah!

***

More of the relics of the Magdalene here and here and here.

Pro-life Advocate Attacked Near Abortuary

Fresno, Calif., Oct 20, 2009 (CNA).- A Latino pro-life advocate participating in the 40 Days for Life campaign outside a California abortion clinic was assaulted last Thursday by a pro-choice woman who cut his arm while going on an obscene tirade. Video of the attack has been posted on YouTube.

Victor Fierro, director of Latinos4Life, was outside the Planned Parenthood Mar Monte affiliate in Fresno, California when a woman passed by and shouted obscenities at him. She also called him a “fascist” who “hates women’s rights.” [Right to murder?  That is not being fascist?]

According to audio of the off-camera incident posted on YouTube, one man chuckled in reply, saying “Thank you very much and God bless you.”

Soon after, the woman returned. She cut Fierro's arm with an unknown object, drawing blood, before returning to her car and fleeing the scene. The attacker’s face and license plate were captured on camera.

Asked by someone if these attacks happened often, a man replied, “That’s the first time this year.”

A police report was filed concerning the incident.

Right to Life of Central California (RLCC) condemned the attack and alleged there is a pattern of threats and intimidation against pro-life volunteers.

“We’re just trying to hold a peaceful prayer vigil out here. We’re law-abiding citizens, standing on a public sidewalk, with the full support of the Fresno Police Department, and yet several pro-abortion-choice people have been harassing us since day one. Now it’s turned physical,” said RLCC Education Director Josh Brahm.

RLCC said that another police report has been filed concerning another individual who has stolen signs and made threatening remarks.

Further, a man called the Fresno Right to Life office on Friday, trying to link the protesters with those who “go and shoot doctors.”

“Why don’t you just die,” he reportedly said, alongside several obscenities.

Brahm insisted that Fresno Right to Life has “a long and undeniable history of peaceful pro-life activism, which we will proudly continue even in the face of bullying and intimidation.”

RLCC charged that local media ignored the story of the assault. KMPH Fox 26 told Brahm that they would not cover the story because Fierro “wasn’t stabbed, just scratched.” [Yeah right.  Obama swats a fly.  That's news. Puft!]

***

Well what do you expect from Hitler?  From Mao?  From Idi Amin?

Thank God I came from a DIFFERENT Notre Dame

 Fr. Jenkins Re-elected President of Notre Dame as Catholic Identity Questions Linger

South Bend, Ind., Oct 19, 2009 (CNA).- The Board of Trustees of the University of Notre Dame has elected Fr. John I. Jenkins, CSC, to a second five-year term as university president. While Notre Dame officials praised him for his commitment to the Catholic character of the school, others have questioned the direction of the prestigious school. [Either the ND officials are on drugs or are practicing self-hypnosis.]

Fr. Jenkins’ tenure has featured continued controversy over the school’s Catholic identity, especially concerning the invitation to President Barack Obama to speak at the university's commencement ceremony and to receive an honorary degree. [Hey it's a fad.  Obama did not write any laws, just a book praising himseld, he gets an honorary degree.  He just said "Stop Nuclear Armaments.", he gets a Nobel Peace Prize.  As one lady put it, "He gets the Nobel for just being not George W. Bush"  BAM!  Right on the jaw!  Wow next time he opens his mouth, brace yourself!  You'll never know what will happen.]

Critics had charged the action violated the U.S. Catholic bishops’ 2004 instruction in “Catholics in Political Life” which held that university honors are not to be given to pro-abortion politicians. [And what has happened?  Were they penalized? Were made to answer for their actions?  None.  Just talk.]

Trustee Chairman Richard C. Notebaert said in his Oct. 16 announcement of Fr. Jenkins’ re-election said that the priest has demonstrated “inspiring and innovative” vision and leadership. [Innovate towards perdition.]

“Building upon the foundation set by his Holy Cross predecessors, [Good grief!  The venerable fathers must be turning in their graves.] he is making the aspirations of this University a reality. The Fellows and Trustees look forward to continuing our work with him in service to Our Lady’s University,” he stated.

The trustees in a separate resolution spoke of their “respect and full confidence” in Fr. Jenkins, saying he has advanced the university’s mission to “attain the highest standards of excellence in teaching, scholarship and research in a community of learning where truth is informed by belief and where, specifically, the Catholic faith and intellectual tradition are celebrated and lived.” [Maybe these guys are PR agents, eh?  Great spin.]

The Fellows of the University expressed their “appreciation” for what they said was Fr. Jenkins’ commitment to the “Catholic character of the university.”

Fr. Jenkins said he was “humbled” by the re-election. [And the Church is humiliated.]

“With the support of our Trustees, I will continue pursuing the goals I cited at my inauguration four years ago – offering an unsurpassed undergraduate education, becoming even more pre-eminent as a research university, and ensuring that our Catholic character informs all that we do,” he commented. [See?  Told yah?  Great spin.  We lost it when Obama came and took it.  Support a pro-abort president and your still Catholic?  Why don't just shed the pretense and join the Episcopal Church where they let it all out!]

Patrick J. Reilly, president of the Manassas, Virginia-based Cardinal Newman Society (CNS), was critical of Fr. Jenkins’ re-election.

“Notre Dame has suffered terribly in recent years because of a lack of leadership and commitment to its Catholic identity,” he commented, charging that Fr. Jenkins has displayed “public disrespect.” [Towards the US bishops and the Church as a whole.]

In Reilly’s view, Fr. Jenkins has allowed “repeated scandals” such as the honors for President Obama and the performances of The Vagina Monologues. The CNS characterized Notre Dame’s bestowal of an honorary degree upon President Obama as being in “direct defiance” of the U.S. bishops.

Bishop John M. D’Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend published a pastoral reflection in the August 31 issue of the Jesuit-run America Magazine concerning both the Obama degree controversy and the controversy over the Vagina Monologues.

"Although he spoke eloquently about the importance of dialogue with the president of the United States, the president of Notre Dame chose not to dialogue with his bishop on these two matters, both pastoral and both with serious ramifications for the care of souls, which is the core responsibility of the local bishop," he wrote. [Indeed!  And he is still not talking with those who protested including an elderly priest who was jailed!]

"Both decisions," Bishop D’Arcy revealed, "were shared with me after they were made and, in the case of the honorary degree, after President Obama had accepted."

The bishop also criticized the university’s Board of Trustees for saying “nothing” about the Obama controversy at its spring meeting. [And about Amb. Gleadon's refusal of the Laetare Medal. Spin doctors just as I said.]

“When the meeting was completed, they made no statement and gave no advice. In an age when transparency is urged as a way of life on and off campus, they chose not to enter the conversation going on all around them and shaking the university to its roots,” he wrote, urging the board to “take up its responsibility afresh, with appropriate study and prayer… with greater seriousness and in a truly Catholic spirit.”

***

When do these dissenters shown the door?  Anglican and Episcopalians pews are waiting for your Fr. Jenkins, ND Board and McBrien.  Cutie has been waiting for you.  Already reserved seats for you guys.

Where are the bishops when you needed them?

Two Million March for Life in Madrid

Madrid, Spain, Oct 19, 2009 (CNA).- Organizers estimate that two million Spaniards took part in the March for Life on October 17 in the Spanish capital of Madrid to express opposition to a new abortion law proposed by the government of President Jose Luis Rodriquez Zapatero. [Obama wannabe?]

Former Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar, as well as a number of officials from his administration, were present at the event as were representatives from various religious organizations.

No Catholic bishops were in attendance. [Oh brother. Where are they when you REALLY NEED THEM.]

The march began at 5 p.m. under a sunny Madrid sky, as the large crowd walked from the Puerta del Sol to the famous Puerta de Alcala carrying signs, banners, balloons and flags.

Organizers called on participants to donate one euro each to help cover the more than 130,000 euros needed to organize the march.

The massive crowd gathered at the Puerta de Alcala to listen to music and speakers, including reporter Javi Nieves, who called the march “the largest protest in the history of Spain.” Mexican actor Eduardo Verastegui addressed the crowd as well, and a period of silence was observed in memory of the victims of abortion.

The manifesto of the march, read by three pro-life leaders, urged the government to withdraw its plans to reform the country’s abortion laws, which would leave “the two victims of abortion completely unprotected: the unborn child, who would lack all legal protection, and the woman, doomed to abortion without any possible alternatives.”

Organizers said the new law “would deprive women of their right to maternity,” “would do nothing to avoid abortions and would quantitatively expand the immense failure that abortion always represents.”

***

There are more pressing issues that need to be addressed other than abortion, right?  Like...Global Warming, Religious Extremism/Terrorism, Global FInancial Crisis born out of Capitalist Greed...

Then why in the world would governments be so in a hurry for Tax Funded and Sanctioned Mass Murders?

Are we going down the road of perdition?  Is this the un-civilization of mankind as we know it?

I just don't get it.

Religion of Peace?

Just asking...

Pope Pays Tribute to Persecuted Priests

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI is paying tribute to priests, nuns and other missionaries persecuted as they spread the Catholic faith.

Benedict cited the example of a Brazilian priest who was recently slain in Brazil. [Stigmatine Missionary Father Gisley Azevedo]

Speaking to pilgrims Sunday in St. Peter's Square, the pontiff also called attention to the plight of the Rev. Michael Sinnott, a 79-year-old ailing Irish priest who was kidnapped in the Philippines a few days ago.

Bishops from Africa, where the church is enjoying vigorous growth thanks in part to missionaries, are meeting at the Vatican this month, and the pope recalled that they have spoken of extreme sacrifices made by faithful on that continent.

Some representatives from Africa have told of recent killings of Catholics in Sudan.

***
The Holy Father is reminding all of us to stand for the Faith, even to the point of shedding one's blood.  Missionaries after Vatican II have completely forgotten the real purpose of Christian missionary activity, that is "to go into the whole world and preach the Gospel.  Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Before, missionaries brave harsh missionary lands to convert people to the Faith, with the ultimate purpose of:  ETERNAL SALVATION OF SOULS!

I once heard one missionary in the South who said "We came not to convert but to make them good Muslims." WHAT?!  A Catholic priest teaching a Muslim on how to become a good Muslim?  What does he know about Islam?

Rubbish ecumenism from dissenters who re-interpret Vatican II.  This is the evil spirit that permeates.

This movie comes to mind...




The good old days.

Pope to end world hunger: LESS TALK, MORE ACTION!

ROME – The world must take "determined and effective" action against hunger after the global economic crisis pushed the ranks of the undernourished to a record 1 billion, Pope Benedict XVI said Friday.

Developing countries need more investments, especially in agriculture, to ensure their populations don't go hungry, the pope said in a message to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization on World Food Day.

"This crisis requires governments and the members of the international community to make determined and effective choices," Benedict said in the message read at an FAO ceremony. "Access to food is more than a basic need, it is a fundamental right of individuals and peoples." [Just as the right to life!]


Benedict has frequently spoken out on the crisis, calling for a new world financial order guided by ethics and urging the world not let its poorest and most vulnerable inhabitants suffer the consequences of the downturn. [So much for the world's need , but not for a few powerful's greed!]


The crisis "is especially serious for the agricultural world, where the situation becomes dramatic," Benedict said in his message. "Agriculture must have at its disposal enough investments and resources." [Here in the Philippines, sons and daughters of farmers leave the field to become nurses or call center agents, while farms are being converted into housing projects, malls or golf courses!  And as I know from sources, because of powerful businessmen and politicians.  Their solution to low food production?  Instead of supporting local farmers, they allow imported goods to come in.  So what does the poor farmer who is not earning enough going to do?  Sell the field.]

The FAO said this week that aid and investment in agriculture have been declining over the past two decades, contributing to increased hunger. [Yet America's and the world's richest and powerful have more obese people!  No offense meant.]

This year, the number of hungry people around the world reached 1.02 billion amid high food prices and the global financial meltdown, according to the Rome-based agency.

The FAO says global food output will have to increase by 70 percent to feed a projected population of 9.1 billion in 2050. To achieve that, poor countries will need $44 billion in annual agricultural aid, compared with the current $7.9 billion.

Earlier Friday, among other events to mark World Food Day, the FAO named five new goodwill ambassadors including track and field great Carl Lewis and fashion designer Pierre Cardin.

***
The UN IMHO is turning out more papers than actions.  Hmmm.... sound familiar.  We need more concrete actions.  Lives are at stake.  Some countries have an excess of food that they use it for "fun" like the annual tomato festival where people waste tons of tomato just for....tradition and fun.  I am a conservative traditionalist.  But this is one tradition that must STOP!

Here in the Philippines, people are so hungry they eat food straight from the garbage cans!

If a picture says a thousand words, then see this picture below.  (Thanks topitikbulagdokyu.blogspot.com for the photo.  No copyright infringement intended.)

***

And here is what I expect critics would say...

Pro abortion and contraception: "It's the Catholic Church's fault for the world's growing population!"

A so-so comedienne: Sell the Vatican to the feed the hungry!

Miss Saigon, Lea Salonga's PSA for Typhoon Victims

Lea Salonga is a proud Pinoy and Catholic. She won the Tony Award for playing Kim in the Broadway Musical, Miss Saigon.

Please help the typhoon survivors.

Please pray for a kidnapped priest's safe release...

Please pray for Father Michael Sinnott, a Columban missionary working in Mindadao.  He was kidnapped by what is mostly believed as Muslim bandits/extremists.

PAGADIAN CITY, Philippines (UCAN) -- The head of the Columban missioners in the Philippines has ruled out payment of any ransom for kidnapped confrere Father Michael Sinnott, while admitting there is still no news of the priest's whereabouts.


"We don't know yet who has taken Father Sinnott, we don't know where he has been taken and what are the circumstances and demands," Father Patrick O'Donoghue, Regional Director of the Missionary Society of St. Columban, told UCA News.

Father O'Donoghue said he would like to appeal to the kidnappers to return the priest, who has a heart condition and is without his medication.

"I would say to you, you have made a mistake," said Father O'Donoghue. "I don't know what your motives are ... if you want glory, you will get great praise from everybody if you realize the mistake you have made, if you can release him so that he can come back to his community. So please, please release him."

The priest was speaking at the St. Columban's Residence in Pagadian City, southeast of Manila, where armed men forced their way in on Oct. 11 and seized 79-year-old Father Sinnott. They bundled him into a vehicle and later headed out to sea with the priest.

The Zamboanga del Sur provincial governor's office on Oct. 15 released sketches of three suspects based on witnesses' accounts.

Father O'Donoghue said his society would not give in to ransom demands, if made. "The Church has always maintained the policy that we do not pay ransom ... from the Columbans' point of view, we do not pay ransom. The Church has never, never paid ransom," he said.

The priest also responded to comments on some blogs saying that the missionary society had been "foolhardy" with the safety of its missioners. "I think there is unfairness with that," he said.

"For us the value of service, the gift of ourselves to mission, entails risks. We don't take unnecessary risks. When we are in any danger, we would do our best to guard ourselves," he stressed.

"Nobody I've spoken to in the last few days here ever believed that in this center of Pagadian City, in our compound ... there would have been any danger of this kind."

Father O'Donoghue also spoke of his initial horror when he found out about the crime.

"Initially, in shock, I was thinking this will all be over in an hour, but when I realized there was a big problem I called Father (Daniel) O'Malley, who was living with Father Sinnott but was on vacation in Ireland.

"He informed Father Sinnott's family because I did not wish them to hear it from media," he said.

Father O'Donoghue said the kidnapping has been traumatic not just for his order but for everyone who knows Father Sinnott. "His life has been about giving himself to others -- children with learning disabilities, with hearing impairments and many others, including Muslims, have shown appreciation for this.

"Yesterday I went to the school (that Father Sinnott was working in) and I realized just how much that man is loved and I just find it so hard to understand how he could be taken, a man whom everybody in this diocese respects deeply."

The Columbans are working with authorities and Father O'Donoghue says he is happy with the quick response from law enforcement agencies. "I believe they are doing what they can," he said.

He and other senior Catholics had emphasized to the authorities that the priority has to be the health of Father Sinnott.

"There are about eight kinds of medicines he should be taking. We have to ensure his health is taken care of, then we would try to work for his release ... We should be able to facilitate getting medication to Father Sinnott."

The Missionary Society of St. Columban was founded by Irish Father Edward Galvin in 1918. Its history in the Philippines dates back to 1929, when three Columbans answered an urgent plea for priests in the country. Over the next 10 years, more Columbans were sent, initially training catechists, rebuilding war-damaged churches and later establishing schools.

In recent years they have been training lay leaders for basic Christian communities in remote areas of the country.

Richard McBrien and Cardinal Mahony

The dissident theologian who wants to make his own Catholic Church, Richard McBrien has posted an article about the visit of a prelate who is not so much unlike him, Roger Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles, in a recent speech the cardinal delivered at......(drum roll please) Notre Dame.

Z Style as usual

***

Cardinal Roger Mahony, archbishop of Los Angeles, spoke recently at the University of Notre Dame on the topic, “Fostering the Baptismal Priesthood in the Year for Priests.”

He departed from his prepared text at the outset, referring to Notre Dame as “the premier Catholic university” [huh?!] in America. His standing-room-only audience gratefully applauded. [You get the feeling that you are in a Hollywood sound stage, eh? With the matching blinking Applause sign?]

The cardinal’s gracious gesture came relatively soon after some 80 fellow bishops -- a minority, [McBrien should be in the White House along White House press secretary Gibbs.  Still the numbers game, eh?] to be sure, but a large one -- had publicly criticized the university for inviting the President of the United States to deliver this past May’s Commencement address and to receive an honorary degree.

Indeed, Cardinal Mahony’s very appearance at Notre Dame served as a message, [OH HELL YEAH!  Showed his real colors even more!] not only to the university but to the Catholic church at large, that he and the majority of U. S. bishops did not agree with the criticisms mounted by that large minority of bishops. [Huh?!]

In doing so, Cardinal Mahony took a more indirect approach than had been taken a month earlier by Archbishop Michael Sheehan of Santa Fe, in an interview with Tom Roberts, editor at large of the National Catholic Reporter (“Bishop decries ‘combative tactics’ of a minority of U. S. Bishops,” 8/12/09).

Archbishop Sheehan pointed out that he had told his fellow bishops at their June meeting that more can be accomplished through collaboration and seeking common ground than through confrontation–something he had learned from the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. [And as if Cardinal Bernardin is an example of orthodoxy.  For those who do not know it, Cardinal Bernardin was one of the champions of Communion in the Hand in the US!]

He cited his own experience in discussions with New Mexico’s Governor Bill Richardson. In part because of these discussions, the Governor reversed his long-standing support for the death penalty. “We need to be building bridges, not burning them,” the archbishop insisted. [and murdering babies, and celebrating clown masses...]

Asked if there were any other bishops who agreed with him, Archbishop Sheehan replied, “Of course, the majority.” [And they are...................]

Indeed, there has been a persistent rumor that the papal nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, privately chastised the bishops for the actions of some, lest the Catholic church in America be regarded as politically partisan. [Oh really... Now McBrien is working for TMZ!]

There is a stark contrast between the behavior of the minority of U.S. bishops with the posture adopted by the Pope and the Vatican generally. President Obama was received cordially by Benedict XVI in early July, less than two months after the Notre Dame graduation. [And what did the pope do?  "Benedict gave Obama with a copy of a Vatican document on bioethics that hardened the church's opposition to using embryos for stem cell research, cloning and in-vitro fertilization." ]

Suffice it to say, Cardinal Mahony gave an excellent presentation at Notre Dame that emphasized the sacrament of Baptism that binds everyone in the Church -- laity, religious, and clergy alike -- as the basis of our common priesthood. One hopes that the complete text will be published soon. [Oh yeah I'll be waiting for it.]

For those who would like to probe the cardinal’s thinking on the subject more deeply, I would strongly recommend his pastoral letter on ministry, “As I Have Done for You,” written in collaboration with his priests and lay ministers [or maybe EMHC?] and published in Origins nine years ago (5/4/00).

The letter insisted, as did the cardinal’s remarks at Notre Dame, that an emphasis on the priesthood of all believers is not a “stopgap measure.” Even if there were once again an abundance of vocations to the ordained priesthood, “there would still remain the need for cultivating, developing and sustaining the full flourishing of ministries that we have witnessed in the church since the Second Vatican Council.” [Wow this cardinal is really delusional!  Ever since Vatican II seminaries in the US and Europe are closing and even congregations are going extinct!]

Unfortunately, the cardinal pointed out, it has taken the grave shortage of priests to awaken the church to an appreciation of the great variety and value of its lay ministers.

“Both ordained and baptismal priesthoods share in this one priesthood [of Christ]. ... What emerges from the Second Vatican Council is a clear theology of the laity rooted in an understanding of the church as the people of God, in the universal call to holiness and in an appreciation of the diversity of the nature of the church both hierarchical and charismatic.”

Following the lead given by Pope Benedict XVI in his encyclical Caritas in veritate (Love in truth), and connecting its concerns with this Year for Priests, Cardinal Mahony noted in his Notre Dame address that “the ordained priest best serves his people by promoting their royal priesthood. ...”

The priest is not to focus only on his own spiritual life or the uniqueness of his ministry, “but on how ... he might teach and guide, assist and encourage his parishioners. ...” [where is the sacrificial nature of the ordained priesthood?]

Pastorally important words from an important pastoral leader. [since when?]

***

Well, what do you expect?

This article reminds me of this...

Hate to be rude but I can't help it.  Mahony has done more harm to the Church with these...

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (aka Taj Mahony), built after the Cathedral of St. Vibiana was destroyed by an earthquake.  Reapirs for the cathedral would cost $180M.  So he decided to build a new cathedral costing $250M.  Now that is more economical!  A friend nun calls it, the Museum.  Couldn't agree more!  Does that look like a church to you?

 Religious Education Congress, where the most notorius of liturgical abuses happen every year!


His debates with Mother Angelica over traditional views on the Eucharist...

His sneering of the Traditional Mass...

His sin of omission in the sex abuse scandal...

The list goes on...