Setting the record straight in the case of abusive Milwaukee priest Father Lawrence Murphy

Read it from the judicial vicar of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Fr. Fr. Thomas Brundage, JCL, who handled the case of Fr. Murphy, which the rabid anti-Catholic media pins the blame on our dear pope.

Here's a quote:

My intent in writing this column is to accomplish the following:

To tell the back-story of what actually happened in the Father Murphy case on the local level;

To outline the sloppy and inaccurate reporting on the Father Murphy case by the New York Times and other media outlets;

To assert that Pope Benedict XVI has done more than any other pope or bishop in history to rid the Catholic Church of the scourge of child sexual abuse and provide for those who have been injured;

To set the record straight with regards to the efforts made by the church to heal the wounds caused by clergy sexual misconduct. The Catholic Church is probably the safest place for children at this point in history.

To read the entire article, click here.

Oh I can just hear Richard McBrien say that Fr. Brundage wrote the article "out of obedience" and "ecclesiastical pressure".

Did you know that Richard McBrien, the so-called "theologian" of Notre Shame was a consultant of the Dan Brown movie "Da Vinci Code"?  Speaks a lot.

So...Nuff said.

Nut case McBrien is at it again

The nutty professor is jumping for joy at the media attacks against the pope and here is his "scholarly" work on the effects of the scandal to the reforms of Benedict XVI.  This was published in Newstweak er...Newsweak er...Newsweek.

WARNING:  Prepare to lose your breakfast, lunch and dinner!  A barf bag is advised.  Advil for those with chronic tension headaches or migraine.

***

The child sex-abuse scandal in the Catholic priesthood [is it only in the Catholic priesthood?  some scholar this guy is!] —and the worldwide cover-up that seems, at least indirectly, to have involved Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger [slick play of words.] before he was elevated to the papacy—has embarrassed the Catholic Church and angered parishioners. It's a good bet Pope Benedict XVI won't resign under pressure; [hell yeah!] it's not his style [since when did you know his style?] and, more importantly, nobody can compel him. But that doesn't mean the scandal will simply go away. Benedict brought a clearly conservative moral agenda to the Vatican, [which you do not like!] and he has gone about implementing it slowly. Yet until he comes clean on what he knew—and fires bishops who mishandled abuse cases—his changes are likely to stall or fail altogether. [Doomsday prophet!]


The pope's ideas about the church [It is not his alone but a sound teaching that is faithful to Tradition and not the swivel chair theology the likes of you and Hans Kung love to spread!  Filth!] include his belief that interpreters of Vatican II overly weakened the church's teachings on salvation outside the church (that is, they relaxed the message that only Catholic dogma can lead to salvation), [NO!  It was those who interpreted Vatican II!] ecumenical relations with other Christian communities, abortion, homosexuality, and contraception, for example. [and you expect the Church and the Pope to go lenient on these teachings? Duh!] There is already an air of widespread indifference, if not outright opposition, [which you and your lot alone whine!] to some of Benedict's objections, such as those related to human sexuality and reproduction. [barf!]

But the pope's minority agenda [MINORITY?!  HA!] is avidly supported by various high-ranking officials in the Curia Romana (the papal "cabinet"), many cardinals and bishops around the world, and a number of conservative organizations like Opus Dei and the Legionaries of Christ. [So being right is a numbers game, eh?  It is soooo Obama.] With Benedict at the helm, this group—many of whom implicitly regard the Second Vatican Council's reforms of the liturgy and the way authority is exercised in the church, from the bottom up rather than the top down, as a serious mistake and hope to repeal them—obviously has much greater clout than it otherwise would have.  Through the pope's forceful personality [forceful?!  This guy is really a classic!  My spiritual director was close to Cardinal Ratzinger back when he was still actively involved in the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and he said that Cardinal Ratzinger is one of the gentlest beings you'll ever meet in the planet!]  and the adroit control of the Vatican's administrative machinery, [because he is more of a hands-on administrator unlike Pope John Paul II who travels a lot and thus less time in the Vatican.] Benedict has made headway in his rollback, especially in the appointment and promotion of like-minded bishops and curial officials, in his efforts to reverse some of the changes made at the 1965 council. [Sooo.  McBrien is feeling the crunch.  No wonder he is very afraid.  His lot is dying.  He has the same feelings as the nutty liturgist of the Philippines!  HAH!]

Now, though, the pope's moral authority is very much in doubt. [You alone doubt it.  Not me and not most of the Catholics around the world!] Especially if additional cases surface, his teaching on moral matters will hold much less sway among ordinary Catholics. [*barf*] The indifference to his agenda would probably expand into outright rejection. [You do not need the sex abuse scandal McBrien to feel this way.] And Benedict would likely be less able to draft undecided Catholics to his side, except perhaps the most conservative. [Most of the undecided Catholics already made their decision.  So stop insinuating.]

Damage to Pope Benedict XVI's moral authority would also probably affect his capacity to impose his conservative liturgical initiatives on the worldwide Church. [Bingo!  There is the heart of it all!  He hates the liturgical reforms.  So here is McBrien's equation.  Pope Benedict loses credibility because of the sex abuse scandal...Conservative teachings on morality, theology and liturgy also follow.  Wow!  That is something for NASA!] Vatican II and the late Pope Paul VI were adamantly opposed to having two liturgical rites, [NO! NO! NO!  I challenge you Richard McBrien to show me proof that that is so!  There is no such thing!  Paul VI nor even Vatican 2 abrogated the ancient liturgical rites!  Never!] functioning side-by-side in the Roman Catholic Church—one in the vernacular for the majority of Catholics, and one still in Latin for a deeply conservative minority. [minority...see the numbers game?  He likes to paint the picture of us who are attached to the ancient rite as somewhat "abnormal"]  The Vatican II's reforms also led to the turning around of the altar in order to enhance what the council and Paul VI called "the active participation" of the laity in the church's main act of worship. [So you see the priest smiling back at you at the other side of the table (that's what they call them!) and the laity has participated actively?!  I do not have a degree in theology but this guy really makes you wonder if he is a theologian or even a Catholic!] But to Bendict, [sic.  He cannot even spell the name of the pope!] these are anathema, [he did not say so but I think the pope would love the term.] and he had hoped to turn the alter [sic..again] back away from the congregation, encourage the celebration of mass in Latin, promote eucharistic adoration (a devotion outside of mass that focuses one's attention and prayer on the consecrated Host), [McBrien stupidly wrote against Eucharistic Adoration and the great Fr. Z wrote a great defense of this devotion showing how an idiot this old guy is.] and support new and controversial translations of the texts for the mass and the other sacraments that many find overly literal and stilted. [which liberals and nutcases like McBrien hate.]

Each of these changes—they are often referred to as a "reform of the reform" by church insiders—requires political capital and widespread respect, even if it comes grudgingly. [well respect will never come from your lot especially since it threatens your life's work!] Yet with every day and every revelation, the pope has suffered a little more injury, and the collateral damage is a proportionate injury to his agenda. [really?] And with that would follow the sinking fortunes of the conservative Catholic minority, [you are the one who is already down there!] in the curia and beyond, who would like nothing better than the effective repeal of Vatican II. [unlikely but oh yeah!  you got that right!]

In the Catholic Church, conservatives have been riding high since 1978, when Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope John Paul II. [Now why would conservatives are riding high?  Because the Holy Spirit guides the Church and protects Her from harm and that is the reason why Benedict is pope and you are slowly losing your job!] Five years ago, with the election of Benedict XVI, [which is a grace from God!] their power was reaffirmed, and conservatives have benefited, [so you see the Church as a mere political institution and not something that Christ Himself protects and you call yourself a theologian.] as noted above, from appointments to crucial posts and bishoprics. Now, with sexual-abuse scandals reaching the very highest office, [oh McBrien is jumping up in the air!] their control is suddenly in jeopardy. [really?  I doubt it.] If Benedict does not find a way to put down the controversy, their power will finally begin to ebb. [May the Lord find a way to...]

***

In ancient Sparta, the one that makes the most noise wins his case.  Not because he talks sense, but that he makes a lot of noise.

This poor guy has been making a lot of noise, spreading filth for a number of years, the word amnesty would not be fair game for him.  He is obstinate and I only pray and hope that he retires silently, stops talking against the Church and stops writing.  I hope he just spends his retirement in prayer and penance.

Yeah, he has been making a lot of noise along with his friends at the New York Slime, Newstweak...but it does not mean that they won the case.

We are not in ancient Sparta.

Why there is an obvious conspiracy against Pope Benedict XVI and the Church

Here is an interesting blow-by-blow account of the real facts which the New York Times aka New York Slime aka Hell's Bible refuses to acknowledge with regards to the sex abuse scandal which according to them the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger tried to hide and let the sexual predator go scott free.

***

A Response to the New York Times    by Fr. Raymond J. de Souza

The New York Times on March 25 accused Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, of intervening to prevent a priest, Fr. Lawrence Murphy, from facing penalties for cases of sexual abuse of minors.

The story is false. It is unsupported by its own documentation. Indeed, it gives every indication of being part of a coordinated campaign against Pope Benedict, rather than responsible journalism.

Before addressing the false substance of the story, the following circumstances are worthy of note:

 • The New York Times story had two sources. First, lawyers who currently have a civil suit pending against the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. One of the lawyers, Jeffrey Anderson, also has cases in the United States Supreme Court pending against the Holy See. He has a direct financial interest in the matter being reported.

 • The second source was Archbishop Rembert Weakland, retired archbishop of Milwaukee. He is the most discredited and disgraced bishop in the United States, widely known for mishandling sexual-abuse cases during his tenure, and guilty of using $450,000 of archdiocesan funds to pay hush money to a former homosexual lover who was blackmailing him. Archbishop Weakland had responsibility for the Father Murphy case between 1977 and 1998, when Father Murphy died. He has long been embittered that his maladministration of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee earned him the disfavor of Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, long before it was revealed that he had used parishioners’ money to pay off his clandestine lover. He is prima facie not a reliable source.

 • Laurie Goodstein, the author of the New York Times story, has a recent history with Archbishop Weakland. Last year, upon the release of the disgraced archbishop’s autobiography, she wrote an unusually sympathetic story that buried all the most serious allegations against him (New York Times, May 14, 2009).

 • A demonstration took place in Rome on Friday, coinciding with the publication of the New York Times story. One might ask how American activists would happen to be in Rome distributing the very documents referred to that day in the New York Times. The appearance here is one of a coordinated campaign, rather than disinterested reporting.

It’s possible that bad sources could still provide the truth. But compromised sources scream out for greater scrutiny. Instead of greater scrutiny of the original story, however, news editors the world over simply parroted the New York Times piece. Which leads us the more fundamental problem: The story is not true, according to its own documentation.

The New York Times made available on its own website the supporting documentation for the story. In those documents, Cardinal Ratzinger himself does not take any of the decisions that allegedly frustrated the trial. Letters are addressed to him; responses come from his deputy. Even leaving that aside, though, the gravamen of the charge — that Cardinal Ratzinger’s office impeded some investigation — is proven utterly false.

The documents show that the canonical trial or penal process against Father Murphy was never stopped by anyone. In fact, it was only abandoned days before Father Murphy died. Cardinal Ratzinger never took a decision in the case, according to the documents. His deputy, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, suggested, given that Father Murphy was in failing health and a canonical trial is a complicated matter, that more expeditious means be used to remove him from all ministry.

To repeat: The charge that Cardinal Ratzinger did anything wrong is unsupported by the documentation on which the story was based. He does not appear in the record as taking any decision. His office, in the person of his deputy, Archbishop Bertone, agreed that there should be full canonical trial. When it became apparent that Father Murphy was in failing health, Archbishop Bertone suggested more expeditious means of removing him from any ministry.

Furthermore, under canon law at the time, the principal responsibility for sexual-abuse cases lay with the local bishop. Archbishop Weakland had from 1977 onwards the responsibility of administering penalties to Father Murphy. He did nothing until 1996. It was at that point that Cardinal Ratzinger’s office became involved, and it subsequently did nothing to impede the local process.

The New York Times flatly got the story wrong, according to its own evidence. Readers may want to speculate on why.

Here is the relevant timeline, drawn from the documents the New York Times posted on its own website.

15 May 1974

Abuse by Fr. Lawrence Murphy is alleged by a former student at St. John’s School for the Deaf in Milwaukee. In fact, accusations against Father Murphy go back more than a decade.

12 September 1974

Father Murphy is granted an official “temporary sick leave” from St. John’s School for the Deaf. He leaves Milwaukee and moves to northern Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Superior, where he lives in a family home with his mother. He has no official assignment from this point until his death in 1998. He does not return to live in Milwaukee. No canonical penalties are pursued against him.

9 July 1980

Officials in the Diocese of Superior write to officials in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee about what ministry Father Murphy might undertake in Superior. Archbishop Rembert Weakland, archbishop of Milwaukee since 1977, has been consulted and says it would be unwise to have Father Murphy return to ministry with the deaf community. There is no indication that Archbishop Weakland foresees any other measures to be taken in the case.

17 July 1996

More than 20 years after the original abuse allegations, Archbishop Weakland writes to Cardinal Ratzinger, claiming that he has only just discovered that Father Murphy’s sexual abuse involved the sacrament of confession — a still more serious canonical crime. The allegations about the abuse of the sacrament of confession were in the original 1974 allegations. Weakland has been archbishop of Milwaukee by this point for 19 years.

It should be noted that for sexual-abuse charges, Archbishop Weakland could have proceeded against Father Murphy at any time. The matter of solicitation in the sacrament of confession required notifying Rome, but that too could have been done as early as the 1970s.

10 September 1996

Father Murphy is notified that a canonical trial will proceed against him. Until 2001, the local bishop had authority to proceed in such trials. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is now beginning the trial. It is noteworthy that at this point, no reply has been received from Rome indicating that Archbishop Weakland knew he had that authority to proceed.

24 March 1997

Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, Cardinal Ratzinger’s deputy at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, advises a canonical trial against Father Murphy.

14 May 1997

Archbishop Weakland writes to Archbishop Bertone to say that the penal process against Father Murphy has been launched, and notes that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has advised him to proceed even though the statute of limitations has expired. In fact, there is no statute of limitations for solicitation in the sacrament of confession.

Throughout the rest of 1997 the preparatory phases of penal process or canonical trial is underway. On 5 January 1998 the Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee says that an expedited trial should be concluded within a few months.

12 January 1998

Father Murphy, now less than eight months away from his death, appeals to Cardinal Ratzinger that, given his frail health, he be allowed to live out his days in peace.

6 April 1998

Archbishop Bertone, noting the frail health of Father Murphy and that there have been no new charges in almost 25 years, recommends using pastoral measures to ensure Father Murphy has no ministry, but without the full burden of a penal process. It is only a suggestion, as the local bishop retains control.

13 May 1998

The Bishop of Superior, where the process has been transferred to and where Father Murphy has lived since 1974, rejects the suggestion for pastoral measures. Formal pre-trial proceedings begin on 15 May 1998, continuing the process already begun with the notification that had been issued in September 1996.

30 May 1998

Archbishop Weakland, who is in Rome, meets with officials at the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, including Archbishop Bertone but not including Cardinal Ratzinger, to discuss the case. The penal process is ongoing. No decision taken to stop it, but given the difficulties of a trial after 25 years, other options are explored that would more quickly remove Father Murphy from ministry.

19 August 1998

Archbishop Weakland writes that he has halted the canonical trial and penal process against Father Murphy and has immediately begun the process to remove him from ministry — a quicker option.

21 August 1998

Father Murphy dies. His family defies the orders of Archbishop Weakland for a discreet funeral.

— Father Raymond J. de Souza is a chaplain at Queen's University in Ontario.

***

Socon or Bust too has interesting analysis of the systematic lying of the New York Slime.

To begin with, the New York Slime is the ultra liberal, ultra anti "Do not tell me what to do" book of evil in the world so it is expected of this smut of a paper to direct its efforts against the Pope who has been very vocal against moral relativism, anti-abortion, anti same sex marriage and anything to place the moral authority of the Catholic Church in a world that has slowly but surely worked itself towards "whatever makes you happy, then do it" attitude.

The battle line has been drawn:  to undermine the moral authority of the Pope and the Catholic Church.

Pray...

DO NOT FORGET!

 
The Novena of the Divine Mercy starts this Good Friday.

The Novena can be found here.  After praying the prayer for each specific day, pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy which you can access here.

Just a reminder.

Full news article about Card. Schoenborn's defense of Papa Benny

This came from the BBC!

***

A senior Austrian cardinal has defended Pope Benedict XVI's record on tackling child abuse within the Church.

Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn said efforts by the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to investigate a 1995 case were blocked by then Pope John Paul II.

Cardinal Schoenborn said the Vatican had argued an investigation would generate bad publicity.  [It is now!  Some of the old boys at the Vatican then were concerned of the negative publicity of the investigation and not the bigger negative publicity of the abuse.]

The cardinal's comments follow a week when the Vatican's record on child abuse has been intensively scrutinised.

Cardinal Schoenborn told Austrian television that the current Pope tried to establish a Church investigation into abuse allegations against a previous Archbishop of Vienna, Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer.

The Austrian Church was rocked by allegations in 1995 that Cardinal Groer had molested youths at a monastery in the 1970s.

But it was not until 1998 that, on Vatican orders, Cardinal Groer relinquished all religious duties and sought exile in Germany. He died in Austria in 2003.

At the time of his resignation, Cardinal Groer, in a statement released by the Church in Vienna, asked for forgiveness but made no admission of guilt.

At the time, the Vatican drew sharp criticism from many Austrians for taking three years to act against Cardinal Groer.

Negative publicity
Cardinal Schoenborn, who replaced Cardinal Groer as Archbishop of Vienna in 1995, said Joseph Ratzinger was blocked in his efforts to confirm if there was a case to answer. [Cardinal Schoenborn was privy to this information.]

According to Cardinal Schoenborn, Vatican officials persuaded Pope John Paul II that the allegations were exaggerated and that an investigation would open the Church up to negative publicity.

"I can still very clearly remember the moment when Cardinal Ratzinger sadly told me that the other camp had asserted itself," Cardinal Schoenborn told ORF television.

"To accuse him of being someone who covers things up - having known the Pope for many years - I can say that is certainly not true," he added. [Cardinal Schoenborn was a former student in Regensburg of Fr. Joseph Ratzinger.]

This is not the first time that Christoph Schoenborn has intervened in the scandal currently confronting the Church.

Earlier this month, he said clergy celibacy should be examined in trying to uncover the causes of abuse by priests. [hu-hum!]

***

I am no fan of this "maverick" cardinal but his latest statements in defense of the Pope, I really do admire.  Have you seen this in other media organizations being reported?

It is like the Philippine Eagle.

Getting very rare.

Online visit to Pilgrim Churches

MANILA, March 29, 2010—Don’t have the chance or enough time for the traditional “Visita Iglesia” [Spanish literally meaning Visit of the Church] this Holy Week? Do it online.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines reached out to the digital generation again with the launch of their “online Visita Iglesia” to help them reach people with the Scripture.

The website, a creation of the CBCP’s Media Office, allows faithful to visit seven famous churches in Metro Manila where they can carry out the fourteen Stations of the Cross. It maybe accessed at www.cbcponline.net [actually this is the direct link http://cbcponline.net/visitaiglesia/]

Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, CBCP Media Director, said the portal is only intended as an “alternative” on an “extreme situation” that someone cannot make the church visit for some valid reason. [well, couch potatoes and the "excusables", those who went to have a good time at the beach during the Holy Week would find this an excellent excuse for doing two things at the same time.  In the corporate world, they call it "multi-tasking"]

“There is no liturgical activity that is not communitarian. But there are exceptions such as in the case of OFWs working in a non-Catholic country,” added Quitorio.

“For the sake of our brothers and sisters who are out of the country, the OFWs and the others, or those who are sick and homebound, we are offering this online visita iglesia,” Quitorio said.

The Visita Iglesia is a traditional Filipino custom of visiting at least seven churches on Holy Thursday.[NO!  It is a Roman custom adopted throughout the universal church since not everyone can possibly visit the seven pilgrim churches of Rome.  So evidently the writer does not know anything about our Catholic heritage.  Well...I guess most do not which includes some of our brothers, sisters, priests and bishops. *Sigh*  And this practice is probably not too popular in other places in the country like Mindanao.  Last year, I was in Mindanao to observe Holy Week and there are not enough nearby churches to make it to 7.  Peace and order are also a major concern in the island so it is not easy for Catholics to practice this devotion.]

Among the churches featured in the portal include the Manila Cathedral and San Agustin Church in Intramuros; Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo; San Lorenzo Ruiz Church and Santo Nino de Tondo Parish in Tondo, Manila; Nuestra Senora de Remedios in Malate, Manila; and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Shrine in Parañaque City.

“All one has to do is click on the churches presented in the web pages,” said Quitorio.

One may also click on the audio and accompany the praying of the station of the cross, he added, or simply read the text of the Via Crucis. (Roy Lagarde)

In defense of the Holy Father

Damian Thompson has an excellent blog entry in defense of the Holy Father...

Pope John Paul II ignored Ratzinger's pleas to pursue sex abuse cardinal

Head over to his blog and read the revealing story about what Ratzinger attempted to do and what John Paul II failed to do with regards to the sex abuse scandal rocking the Church. And why, not surprisingly, the media is not picking up the story.

Disrespect for Passion Sunday?

MANILA, March 28, 2010—Church leaders have called on the attention of a television network that aired a summer-themed variety show, where performers wore skimpy swimsuits, on Passion Sunday—an important day in the Catholic Church’s calendar that signals the start of the Holy Week. [I heard that the segment was taped weeks ago but the timing of the airing of the program is...tasteless to say the least.]

According to Msgr. Pedro Quitorio III, media director of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, he has received a text message from a colleague who aired disappointment over ABS-CBN’s “ASAP XV in Boracay” variety show, where actors and talent personnel donned swimsuits and skimpy wardrobes that they described as an inappropriate way to usher in the Holy Week.

Quitorio was referring to Msgr. Gaspar Balerite of the Diocese of Catarman, Northern Samar who said that media—whether used in entertainment or public service—should be sensitive to the Catholic Church’s Holy Week observance. [Well secularism is creeping into Philippine society too and there is no such thing as religious sensitivities especially if is about the Catholic Church.  My proof?  Sales of anything related to tourism spikes up during the Holy Week.  Reason?  Not pilgrimages.  By the way, this attitude is not surprisingly being promoted ]

“Since you’re in the media, kindly bring this to the attention of the media—that they be sensitive to the Holy Week, that they should respect this Catholic observance. Just this noon, Channel 2 showed a beach scene with girls on skimpy bikinis and it is Passion Sunday,” Balerite’s message to Quitorio reads.

Quitorio added that Balerite said that by advertising beach resorts as destination for the Holy Week, ABS-CBN has portrayed the upcoming week of repentance, abstinence and fasting as a time for intended for merry making and leisure.[True!]

“I hope beach resorts should not be advertised [in the way they did] because [this] vacation [is meant] for the Holy Week observance,” the message reads further.

For his part, Quitorio said Balerite’s grievances should also remind other television stations and other media outfits to be sensitive on the contents and messages that they air or publish during Holy Week and other Catholic and non-Catholic observances.

“Since most of this media networks are catholic, I think this is also a barometer of how Catholics regard their very own catholic observances and traditions—which pose a bigger challenge to church leaders by the way they educate their own constituents. But catholic or not, media should be very particular with religious sensitivities,” Quitorio said. (Kris Bayos)

***

Filipinos, Catholic or not are so into the American culture.  For example, if it is summer, you should bask in the sun and get a tan!  My golly, we are Asian for Pete's sake!  Our skins are already tan, why get an extra tan?!  We also heard of the American "June Bride".  Yeah, it is great to have a wedding in June and have in the garden because it is spring!  Nice breeze and the trees and flowers serve as wonderful backdrops for a wedding... but in the Philippines?!  It is typhoon season in June!  But we still have brides dreaming of being a June bride, even if they have to brave the rains.

So, with the younger generation taking the Holy Week as an opportunity to spend more time in the beach than in the church, it says a lot of how the older generation is teaching the younger ones of what to value most in life.

Muslim converts pray for the Pope

ROME (AsiaNews) – For this Lent we are inviting our readers to devote a special prayer for Pope Benedict XVI. The idea came to us from a number of Muslim converts to Christianity who wrote to AsiaNews launching a novena for the Pontiff.  [Hope those nut cases at the National Catholic Reporter get some sense into their coconut!]

They see in Benedict XVI as a “defender of the weak” and “a sign of Jesus’ love” in a world that is trying to attack him every which way. ["NOT FOR US" - Hans Kung and friends] As new converts they too are among the weak, forced to hide their conversion even from their family. Moreover, the Pope himself had asked for a special prayer.

On the day the Church celebrated the Chair of Peter (22 February), Benedict XVI spoke to pilgrims in St Peter’s Square during the Angelus, asking them to “accompany me with your prayers so that I may faithfully accomplish the high task Divine Providence has placed upon me as Successor to the Apostle Peter” and bishop of Rome. Indeed, the Church is “called to fulfill a special service for the People of God as a whole.”

We all know how difficult ecumenism, the struggle for Christian unity, can be. Every step the Pope takes is met by coldness, indifference and prevarication from other Churches. [and more often from within!] Here is one example among many. Despite Benedict XVI’s many prayers and attention, the new Orthodox patriarch of Moscow said, a day after his election, that a trip by the Pontiff to Moscow was not possible for the foreseeable future. [I have more choice words for the Russian Orthodox Church and most of it came from someone who came back home to the Catholic Church FROM Moscow.  But I think, I'll reserve them.]

The Pope’s search for unity also suffers from trying to hold together various Catholic strands, still too much divided (perhaps confused) between “progressive” and “traditionalists”, “North” and “South”, “rich” and “poor”, each missing the chance of respecting one another other, and acting as one in bearing witness to the faith in a world that is increasingly becoming atheistic.

The lifting of the excommunication on Lefebvrist Bishop Williamson gave many politicians, big and small, an opportunity to accuse the Pope of anti-Semitism, [stupid lot!] without getting their facts straight or realising that Benedict XVI is the one who build a strong relationship with the Jewish world over the years. [true!] It is almost as if everyone got together to cast stones against the scapegoat of the week. [of the millenium! The Catholic Church has been the favorite ever since the Masons spread!] In fact Benedict XVI is one of the few voices saying that humans cannot be bought by politics or that the state must serve the public good. [Hah!  The capitalists say otherwise.]

In a continent like Europe where plans are underway to introduce euthanasia and eugenics, the Pope has insisted that “Man will always be greater than all that which makes up his body.” He has slammed the mindset that views life and personal dignity as “based [only] on one's own desire and individual freedom,” giving precedence to the “active faculties, to proficiency, to physical perfection and beauty.” [DIY morality. DIY Church. DIY society!]

In all these “incidents” there may have been some errors or clumsiness by the Roman Curia, but in the “war” against Benedict XVI there is above all an attempt to stifle those who tell everyone that there is an absolute value in human beings.

As crises overtake ideologies and economies, overwhelming the world, this is the latest attempt to get rid of God as if he was a final burden. [In a anthropocentric society, this is it!]


***

Here is the actual news report about the converts praying for the Pope


After a group of Muslims from North Africa and the Middle East, young converts from Kashmir join in the prayers for the pope launched by AsiaNews for this Lent. The three converts are offering their suffering and marginalization, together with the sacrifice of their father Bashir, murdered by Muslim extremists because he had converted to Christianity. There is also participation from Italy, where the humiliations suffered by John Paul II are also being remembered.


Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Some young former Muslims who converted to Catholicism are joining in the prayers for the Pope this Lent. Shabnam (21), Saira (17), and Adil (16), together with their mother Ameena, who still lives in Kashmir, want Benedict XVI to know that they are praying for him and offering their sufferings and humiliations for his mission. "We pray that he may be strong," Shabnam he says, "and may continue to be the beacon of truth and love for the whole world." [I hope the Holy Father gets this message.  I better tweet this.]

The three young people and their mother are participating in the proposal made by AsiaNews yesterday, that during Lent Christians should pray for the pontiff, who is at the center of a media "war" against his ministry. The proposal originated from a suggestion sent to AsiaNews by a group of several hundred former Muslims in North Africa and the Middle East, who have launched prayer novenas for the pope, whom they see as a "sign of Jesus' love and a defender of the weak." [The suggestion came from former Muslims who came from the Middle East and Africa!  We Catholics at birth should be ashamed!]

Adil, the youngest son, who this year will take his final year school exams, sees a profound unity between the sufferings and humiliations of converts from Islam, and the humiliations suffered by the pope: "I was baptized when I was very young, and it has always been very difficult: criticism, sarcasm, threats, discrimination, and social ostracism have caused us great suffering. But every suffering teaches us something, and our faith is strengthened, we rely on Christ and it is he who guides us in difficult times."  [All courtesy of the Religion of Peace!"]

"Holy and beloved Father, never lose sight of your mission, do not forget the reason why God chose you, guide the generations to truth, and may God always be with you."

Bashir Ahmad Tantray, the father of Shabnam, Saira, and Adil, was killed by Islamic militants in November of 2006, in broad daylight. He had converted to Christianity in 1995, and had fled from his village after being threatened by Islamic extremist groups. [We may use all kinds of euphemisms here but that religions REALLY teaches that death must come upon those who converted!  They are just following orders from their book!] Years later, he had gone back there to care for his dying father, and was killed. [A Martyr for our Faith!  Pray for us and the Holy Father!]

Bashir was an engineer for the J&K Power Development Dept, and regional coordinator of the Global Council of Indian Christians in Kashmir. "Ever since the death of our father," Shabnam recounts, "it has been horrible. Few can understand our suffering and sense of abandonment. We fled to Mumbai, but our mother is still in Kashmir. We see her only during vacations. For her, every day is a constant struggle and a constant suffering."

Among the expressions of support for the proposal to pray for Benedict XVI sent to AsiaNews is one from an Italian woman, Paola.

"I join the initiative without reservation," Paola writes, "I will pray for the pope, as I have always done since 1978."

And she recalls that John Paul II was also frequently attacked (and still is today, even after his death): "In order to proclaim to humanity that it is only in Christ that man rediscovers himself, in order to seek unity among Christians, Pope Wojtyla did not hesitate, even at the last limits of his strength, to confront exhausting journeys, almost impossible encounters, even criticisms on the part of those who were close to him. Did we ever ask ourselves how much pain he felt in the face of the accusations from Küng, or from the Lefebvrists? And what can be said about the radical attacks and his isolation amid his countless appeals against war, against abortion, against the dangers of a humanity without God?"

"Yes," she concludes, "I will pray for Pope Benedict XVI; even more than this, I will entrust him the intercession of his 'little-great predecessor', but I also urge more fervent prayers that the appeal of 'Santo subito' [the immediate canonization of John Paul II] may come to fruition."

***

Even the man who occupies the holiest office on earth still needs our prayers and salvation.

Do it now!

My first Traditional Holy Week

It's a mixture of feelings.

Excited because it is my FIRST time to attend Holy Week service in the Extraordinary Form at Sikatuna Village.

Lonely, because my wife and kids cannot join me.  They are in the province.

Furious, because the devil is working double time against the Church, with the NYT and NCR attacking our dear Holy Father and dragging his name into the sex abuse scandal rocking not only the Church but also other institutions, both civil and religious, as well...worldwide!

Hopeful, because of Christ's promise.

Praying that all my dear TPC readers and visitors may have a meaningful and blessed commemoration of our Lord's Passion, Death and Resurrection!

The "Yes" That Set Humanity Free

Here's a beautiful reflection about the Yes of Mary, a fitting one for the Annunciation.

***

STUBENVILLE, Ohio, MARCH 24, 2010 (Zenit.org).- "You have heard, O Virgin, that you will conceive and bear a son; you have heard that it will not be by man but by the Holy Spirit. The angel awaits an answer; it is time for him to return to God who sent him. We too are waiting, O Lady, for your word of compassion; the sentence of condemnation weighs heavily upon us.

"The price of our salvation is offered to you. We shall be set free at once if you consent. In the eternal Word of God we all came to be, and behold, we die. In your brief response we are to be remade in order to be recalled to life."

These words of St. Bernard of Clairvaux bespeak the historical, global, and eternal significance of the response of a 15-year-old virgin for the salvation of the entire world. The price of our salvation is indeed offered to her, and her "yes" will set us free, because it will set the Redeemer free.

St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that Mary's fiat is a "yes" which is uttered in the name of humanity in general: a willingness of human beings to use their free will to cooperate with God in the saving of souls, beginning with our own.

From the ancient Church of the second century, St. Irenaeus tells us that the obedient Virgin of Nazareth becomes the "cause of salvation for herself and the whole human race." A contemporary version of the same truth is found in the words of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta: "Of course Mary is the co-redemptrix. She gave Jesus his body, and the offering of his body is what saved us." The Letter to the Hebrews confirms both the early Apostolic Father and the modern Apostle to the Poor: "We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews 10:10). From whom does Jesus receive his body, the instrument of his redemption?

Free cooperator

Any erroneous idea that Mary was simply a "physical channel" and not a free, moral cooperator in this event of salvation does harm to the authentic revelation and image of an infinitely loving Father, a God who does not use people or their bodies against their will. Mary was a free, personal, and feminine cooperator in God's plan of salvation. It was not a Pope, nor a bishop, nor a priest, nor a layman who joined the New Adam in redeeming the world by her fiat and consequent lifetime of fiats. It was a woman who became a mother. This was neither an accident nor accidental to divine providence. It was God's perfect will to grace the human race with a new "Eva" or mother of the living.

The Immaculate Virgin's fiat was indeed a lifetime yes to cooperating with Jesus in the Father's mission of Redemption. Gabriel does not re-appear at Calvary, offering the same Virgin a second invitation of being spared from the climax of the cross of her vocation, which was to share in the horrific immolation and redeeming death of the victim born of her ("Lumen Gentium," No. 58). Mary's yes to the greatest human suffering along with her Son was already given some 33 years earlier.

Is this not the same for many of us, who have given our "fiats" to a priestly vocation, to perpetual vows of religious life, to an indissoluble bond of matrimony many years ago? When "personally historic" parish conflicts, community divisions, or dark nights of marriage enter our lives, we should not expect (and in fact must be most wary) of any apparent "second option" which might appear to spare us the great suffering that always comes with a lifetime vocation of working intimately with the Redeemer.

Jesus always abundantly blesses and sustains those who work and suffer intimately with him. He does so most of all by his accentuated presence for those who give him more time in prayer during times of great vocational trial, especially during times of Eucharistic adoration, where we can all directly experience the fruit of Mary's yes in the Incarnate Jesus present in the Eucharist. As we strive to persevere with Christian faith and hope in our lifetime vocations, Jesus floods the soul with daily graces and eternal merits far beyond our needs and our imaginings to remain steadfast in our life vocations.

And he did nothing less in daily grace and eternal merit for his mother in her lifetime vocation as the co-redemptrix with him.

One heart

"Is the Annunciation a 'Jesus' feast or a 'Mary' feast?" This well-intentioned question recently posed by a caller on a live radio program nonetheless reflects a false dichotomy. Perhaps the more compelling question is how could either Jesus or Mary be left out of this solemnity?

John Paul II reminds us in "Redemptoris Mater" that there are two inseparable Christian mysteries: the Incarnation of the Word made flesh, and the Divine Motherhood of Mary. St. John Eudes confirms that the Hearts of Jesus and Mary are so completely united in love, will, and purpose that one could rightly speak of "one single heart" between the two. St. Bridget of Sweden records the following words of Jesus in her Church approved and lauded Revelations: "My Mother and I saved man as with one heart only, I by suffering in My Heart and my flesh; she by the sorrow and love of her heart."

Jesus, uncreated grace and source of all grace; Mary, the mysterious mediatrix. The sublime Annunciation solemnity must celebrate both, as these two lovers of humanity cooperate like none other in bringing saving graces to a world of sinners, of whom we all are all members.

Benedict XVI reflects this essential Catholic doctrine in his most recent March 21, 2010 Sunday Angelus: "Dear friends, let us learn from the Lord Jesus not to judge and not to condemn our neighbor. Let us learn to be intransigent with sin -- beginning with our own! -- and indulgent with people. May we be helped in this by the Holy Mother of God, who, free of every fault, is the mediatrix of grace for every contrite sinner."

World War 2 Vatican documents go online!

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 25, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The Vatican announced today that official documents spanning more than 40 years are now available online.

The entire collection of the of the Actae Sanctae Sedis (A.S.S.) and of the Acta Apostolicae Sedis (A.A.S.) -- i.e., the official Acts of the Holy See from 1865 to 2007 -- are now available in pdf format.

Also available is a multi-volume collection of acts from World War II, (Actes et documents du Saint-Siège relatifs à la Seconde Guerre Mondiale), published by order of Paul VI starting in 1965, and edited by a specialized group of four Jesuit historians.

The project of putting the information online was supported by the New York-based Pave the Way Foundation.

A statement from Pave the Way noted the collection -- with its more than 9,000 pages -- describes the contents of 5,125 documents that are still not catalogued in the Vatican Secret Archives, and consequently, still not open to the public. These documents have been at the heart of controversy as researchers seek to settle debate over the role Pope Pius XII played in saving Jews from the Holocaust.

Gary Krupp, president of the Pave the Way Foundation, said the research project is "extremely important."
"To date, most of the research done in this area has been selective in nature. By opening these documents up for worldwide study, we hope to bring the truth of this controversial period to light," he said.

The foundation enlisted Israeli photographer Ardon Bar-Hama, whose work includes the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Codex Vaticanus, in order to deliver the highest quality fully searchable digital images of the documents.

Elliot Hershberg, chairman of the Pave the Way board, observed, "We felt that it was necessary to open these records, which are certainly not a substitute for the full opening of the war year archives. However, together with Pope Benedict XVI’s ordering of the opening of the Secret Archives up to 1939, we now have a clearer historical picture of the secret actions of Pope Pius XII and his attitude towards the Jewish people, his hatred of Hitler, and his secret work to defeat the Nazi regime.”

***

Here is the direct link:  www.vatican.va/archive/atti-ufficiali-santa-sede/index_en.htm

To all you anti-Pius XII and anti-Catholic %#$%@&*, here is your chance to look for something to incriminate the Church and Pius XII.  Good luck because we all know you will find, NOTHING!

Pinoys at the Pope's Weekly General Audience

Mabuhay ang Papa!

CNN rips Obama and the Democrats!

Now this is rare!

CNN lashes out on Obama.

Thanks to Kathy for the tip!

Robin Williams: About Episcopalians and Catholics

I am a die-hard Superman fan.  Since the very first Superman movie in 1978 until the 2006 Superman Returns, my admiration for the character has not waned.  In fact, I can't wait for the next Superman movie to come out.  I heard that producers at Warner Bros. were disappointed with the modest haul Superman Returns had.  With over $200M of production budget, the movie got more than $300M.  Well, if the producers woke up with my bank account in their hands, I'll bet they'll consider jumping out of the Empire State Building!

Why, who hasn't dreamed of flying off to another country in a few seconds?  Imagine that?  No long lines and no excess baggage!

So as a fan, I was spending a few...ehm, hours surfing the web researching anything about the Man of Steel.  I was reading the history of the character, the film franchise, the so-called Superman curse and those involved in the movies.  By the way, Superman creators have implicitly characterized our hero as somewhat like our Lord.  Only son came to save the world and stuff like that.  Read more here to see my point.

I particularly read about Christopher Reeve, the actor who played Superman in 1978 and probably defined how Superman should look like in the movies.  He broke his neck in a horrible accident that left him a quadriplegic.  He advocated embryonic stem cell research for spinal cord injury regeneration which I was not a fan of, obviously.  I also learned that he is a good friend of comedian Robin Williams.  So one thing led me to another and so I also read the profile of Robim Williams, who is among my favorite comedians of all time.  By the way, he was married to a Filipina.

I learned that Williams is an Episcopalian. In a comedy routine, he described his religion as "Catholic Lite —; same rituals, half the guilt."

Well I am trying to be a stand-up comedian...in the company pantry among my co-workers... so here is my rebuttal, as a Pinoy Catholic, to Mr. Williams' joke.

"Episcopalian Church - looks Catholic, but get half of the benefits."

Jordan, drives, shoots and scores!  That's all she wrote, folks!

Cardinals galore!

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 23, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Two cardinals turned 80 last week, bringing the total number of cardinals eligible to vote in a possible conclave to 109.

Cardinal Adam Joseph Maida, the retired archbishop of Detroit, turned 80 on March 18, and New Zealand's Cardinal Thomas Stafford Williams, the retired archbishop of Wellington, turned 80 on Saturday.

The College of Cardinals is currently made up of 182 members, with 73 of them being 80 years old or older, and thus ineligible to vote in a conclave.

By the end of the month, the College of Cardinals will have only 108 electors, and 74 non-electors.

Spanish Cardinal Julián Herranz will celebrate his 80th birthday on March 31. Cardinal Herranz is the retired president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.

The next consistory of cardinals, which is expected to take place this fall, could allow for the creation of some 27 new cardinals. [which I don't expect a Filipino to be numbered, honestly.] That number would increase the number of cardinals beyond the maximum of 120, [which was set by Paul VI.] but would also take into account 16 other forthcoming birthdays.

Seven more cardinals will turn 80 this year: Cardinal Theodore McCarrick in July; Cardinal Paul Poupard in August; Cardinals Salvatore De Giorgi, Ignace Moussa I Daoud, and Michele Giordano in September; Cardinal Christian Wiyghan Tumi in October; and Cardinal Janis Pujats in November.

In 2011, nine more cardinals will be 80: Cardinal Bernard Louis Panafieu in January; Cardinals Ricardo Jamin Vidal [of Cebu], Agustín García-Gasco y Vicente, and Camillo Ruini in February; Cardinal William Keeler in March; Cardinal Sergio Sebastiani in April; Cardinals Bernard Law and Adrianus Johannes Simonis in November; and Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-Suk in December.

Can Matrimonies be held during Lent?

From Legionary of Christ Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university who I trust more than the Filipino liturgist "who shall not be named!" Hmm... sounds like Harry Potter-ish


***

Q: Last Saturday I participated in a wedding Mass. As I remembered that there is no wedding celebration in the Lent, I asked the presider about this. He answered, "Holy matrimony is a sacrament so we can celebrate it even in Lent." Is this true? -- N.T., Houston, Texas

A: The precise answer to this question is yes, no and it depends.

There is no universal rule that would prohibit celebrating the sacrament of matrimony during Lent.

The ritual for matrimony foresees this possibility (No. 32 in the Italian ritual) but indicates that pastors should inform couples so that they take the nature of the season into account. This would usually mean moderating the external elements such as flowers and decorations in the church. On some days, it might also mean that the ritual nuptial Mass would not be allowed and that in some cases the priest would have to celebrate the wedding in violet vestments.

Weddings are forbidden on Good Friday and Holy Saturday. According to the Congregation for Divine Worship's 1988 Circular Letter Concerning the Preparation and Celebration of the Easter Feasts:

"61. All celebration of the sacraments on this day [Good Friday] is strictly prohibited, except for the sacraments of penance and anointing of the sick. Funerals are to be celebrated without singing, music, or the tolling of bells.

"75. On this day [Holy Saturday], the Church abstains strictly from celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass. Holy Communion may only be given in the form of Viaticum. The celebration of marriages is forbidden, as is also the celebration of other sacraments, except those of penance and the anointing of the sick."

In cases of imminent danger of death, even these restrictions on the celebration of matrimony could be lifted.

Therefore, the universal laws do not forbid weddings during Lent but nor are they particularly enthusiastic in promoting it.

Some dioceses have gone further than the universal laws and have established rules that range from encouraging pastors to dissuade couples from scheduling weddings during this season, to actually forbidding weddings.

For example, after its diocesan synod in 1993 the Diocese of Rome for all practical purposes forbade the celebration of weddings during Lent. Exceptions can be made but only for very good reasons, and the celebrations have to be sober.

This is more a pastoral question than a doctrinal one. The decision regarding the Lenten celebration of matrimony depends on many factors, including local traditions and culture. The Roman synod's decision probably stems from the great difficulty in persuading couples and their parents to tone down the typically pompous and ebullient external elements associated with a wedding.

Other places and countries, with diverse traditions and customs, might see no need to make such restrictions on the celebration of matrimony during Lent.

Anti-Popes and Dangers of a Parallel Magisterium

Very interesting article from Monsignor Giampaolo Crepaldi

This article appeared in Zenit.org

 ***

ROME, MARCH 22, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The attempt of the press to implicate Benedict XVI in the question of pedophilia is only the most recent sign of the aversion that many have for the Pope. [The Western media will stop at nothing to put down the Church!  And I won't be surprised if you find one fingerprint of a Mason somewhere in the fray.]

It is necessary to ask oneself how this Pontiff, despite his evangelical meekness and honesty, the clarity of his words joined to the depth of his thought and of his teachings, arouses in some places sentiments of disgust and forms of anti-clericalism that it was believed had been surmounted. [I had a parallel experience.  How come some people are so repulsive when they see you wearing an article of Faith like a Miraculous Medal, a Brown Scapular, St. Benedict Medal and a Crucifix?  What is it in these items that ticks them off?  Only the devil hates these items.  I am not implying anything.  Just asking.  Same line of argument with the above, eh?] And this, it must be said, causes even greater astonishment and also distress when those who do not follow the Pope and criticize his alleged errors are men of the Church, whether theologians, priests or laymen. [Here goes the list!  Hold on!]

The unheard of and clearly forced accusations of theologian Hans Kung [classic whack job!] against the person of Joseph Ratzinger, theologian, bishop, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and now Pontiff for having caused, according to him, the pedophilia of some ecclesiastics through his theology and magisterium on celibacy profoundly distress us. [This is the kind of theologians some priests I know sooo idolize!  It's like if you are sick and you consult a veterinarian!  That is his lot!  Everybody is always wrong except himself.  Why not just excommunicate this unrepentant loon!  He refuses to be Catholic!  He only owes his obedience towards his corrupted conscience!] It never happened before that the Church was attacked in this way. [Not since Martin Luther which is praised by Filipino liturgists Anscar Chupungco by the way!]

To the persecutions against many Christians, crucified in the literal sense in many parts of the world, [mostly Catholics!] to the many attempts to uproot Christianity in previously Christian societies with a devastating violence on the legislative and educational plane, and to customs that cannot be explained by good common sense, has been added for some time a fury against this Pope, whose providential greatness is before everyone's eyes.

These attacks are echoed sadly by those who do not listen to the Pope, also among ecclesiastics, professors of theology in seminaries, priests and laymen. [And most call themselves Catholics!  Look at what is happening in the USA.  Look at what is happening in a theology school in Quezon City!  Breeding grounds of dissent!] Those who do not accuse the Pontiff openly, but are deaf to his teachings, who do not read the documents of his magisterium, who write and say exactly the contrary of what he says, give life to pastoral and cultural initiatives, for example in the area of bioethics or in that of the ecumenical dialogue, in open diverge with all that he teaches. The phenomenon is very grave as it is very widespread. [It is!  You always here: "But that is so old!"  "That is not the trend today!"  "That is not what Vatican 2 did!"  Oh, it's everywhere and priests, nuns, brothers and even bishops themselves are tearing down the Church from the inside!]

Benedict XVI has given teachings on the Second Vatican Council that many Catholics reject openly, promoting forms of counter-formation and of systematic parallel teaching, led by many "anti-popes"; [I like the term.  You do not have to be a delusional Catholic claiming "to restore the Church" so to call a conclave of 12 people, some involving his own parents as cardinal-electors to be proclaimed a pope!  Ever heard of Pope Michael or Pope Pius XIII?  A Wikipedia search would give you something that Dan Brown would love to write and Tom Hanks would love to star in his new movie!  These dissenters are the new anti-popes!  These people tell you, "Don't listen to the pope. Listen to me!"]  he has given teachings on "non-negotiable values" which very many Catholics minimize or reinterpret, and this also happens on the part of theologians and famous commentators guests of the Catholic press in addition to secular press; he has given teachings on the primacy of the apostolic faith in the wise reading of events and very many continue talking of the primacy of the situation, or of the practice, or of the data of human sciences; he has given teachings on conscience and on the dictatorship of relativism but very many put democracy or the Constitution before the Gospel. For many, "Dominus Iesus," the Note of 2002 on Catholics in politics, the 2006 Regensburg address, "Caritas in Veritate," is as if they had never been written.

The situation is serious, because the gap between the faithful who listen to the Pope and those who do not is spreading everywhere, even in diocesan seminaries and Institutes of Religious Sciences, and animates two pastoral programs that are very different in themselves, so that they almost no longer understand one another, as if they were the expression of two different Churches, causing insecurity and error in many faithful. [It is true.  The battle lines are drawn!  It is not about traditional and liberal.  Not about pro-life and pro-choice!  It is about BEING FAITHFUL and being DIY!]
 
In these very difficult times, our Observatory feels the duty to express our filial closeness to Benedict XVI. We pray for him and remain faithful in following him.

[Translation by ZENIT]

* * *
Here are my Horror Rolls of New Popes!

Dissident Theologians as embodied by Hans Kung

This nun actually accompanies women to an abortion clinic!

***

I need a break for the day's blogging.

Writing about these people made me nauseous.

Pray...for these people that they convert before that time...

Pray...that the whole world converts!

Pray...that we remain faithful.

SNAPSHOT: Pinoy Knights March for Life

Maybe they noticed!

The CBCP News website is back up!

CBCP Website administrator sleeping on the job?

I visited the CBCP website today to get the latest updates.

And this is what I found out.

This means only one thing.

The one on top of this ministry in the CBCP, who is obviously a bishop, forgot to monitor that the domain is up for renewal!

If you are working in a private company and this happens, you know what's coming.

Is ABS-CBN Anti Life?

I was just wondering...

I monitored the news coverage of the March for Life organized by the Knights last Saturday.

I scanned the TV channels that have primetime newscast for that night.  ABS-CBN, NBN and GMA.

ABS-CBN has TV Patrol Sabado.

GMA has 24 Oras.

NBN has Teleradyo.

Only the last two networks covered and broadcast the event during their primetime newscast.  NBN gave it more air time.

ABS-CBN?  Zilch. Nada. Zero. Nothing!

Is ABS-CBN taking sides in this issue?  Did the news editors of ABS-CBN find the March not newsworthy?

Anyone from ABS-CBN care to answer this?

The Vatican is now tweeting!

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 21, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The Vatican made its foray into the social networking platform Twitter this weekend by launching a feed in six languages.

Twitter is a free, micro-blogging service that allows users to send or receive brief messages -- or "tweets" -- through a computer or smartphone.

The English channel is named news_va_en. The other languages are Italian (news_va_it), Spanish (news_va_es), French (news_va_fr), German (news_va_de) and Portuguese (news_va_pt).

Through these Twitter channels, Vatican Radio and the other media sources of the Holy See will diffuse information about the publication of news and multimedia content of special interest for the life of the Church.

The Vatican also launched a new Web page (www.resources.va) on which it will offer multimedia information on current topics.

The launch of the two new Internet resources coincided with Benedict XVI's Letter to the Catholics of Ireland Regarding the Clerical Sexual Abuse Crisis.

For more than a year the Vatican has also had its own Youtube channel (www.youtube.com/vatican) in 4 languages.

***

Here's the Vatican's twitter feed  http://twitter.com/news_va_en

Here's a screnshot

Church and government spar over public crucifixion

QUEZON CITY, Philippines (UCAN) — San Pedro, scene of stage crucifixions each Good Friday, has this year banned foreigners from taking part in the ritual which is frowned on by the Church. [This is confusing. The journalist starts his lead with Quezon City then he is actually writing about a story in San Pedro, Pampanga a town more than 60 kilometers North of Quezon City!]

Councilor Jimmy Lazatin said the move was designed to keep the ritual’s “solemnity.” He said a tourist last year had made fun of the “rites.” [When did a public crucifixion become solemn, huh?  Even in Christ's time it was not.  Only in the eyes of Christ's beloved who were at the foot of the cross was the event moving and solemn!]

Despite its popularity, the archdiocese frowns on the tradition known as the Cutud. [Well, of course it would!]

“The Cutud is a tourist activity drawing thousands of people yearly but does nothing for the teachings of the Church,” said Auxiliary Bishop Pablo David of San Fernando, Pampanga province.

“The archdiocese tolerates the Cutud, but would rather it not take place.

“It is folk religiosity but not one we favor at all,” he said.

“Whether or not foreigners take part in the ceremony is no concern to us [diocesan Church officials],” Bishop David said. He added that crucifixion is “not good” for anyone.

Public crucifixions in San Pedro Cutud village, 70 kilometers from Manila, began in 1962 when aspiring faith healer Artemio Anoza, acting as Christ in a play had himself nailed to a cross.

On Good Friday, officials of San Pedro in San Fernando organize the Cutud festival attempting to reenact the passion and death of Christ.

Thousands watch and take part in various forms of Holy Week “penitentiary rite” including flagellation, carrying a cross up a hill and being nailed to it.

Father Arnulfo Serrano, parish priest of Santo Nino parish near San Pedro, told UCA News his parish has no interest in Cutud and focuses on liturgical celebrations of the Church.

“The Church does not sanction these private pious acts” and parishioners know it, the pastor said.

“When some of my parishioners join the scourging on Holy Thursday, most cover their faces so we would not recognize them,” he said.

He notes some flagellants believe they are doing “penance” and strengthening their faith.  [Has anyone heard of a better and less bloody option called Sacrament of Penance / Reconciliation?]

Priests make themselves available for extra hours hearing confessions and inviting Catholics to fast and do charitable work, he said.

“Some of our practices for Lent and Holy week have a rich tradition here, such as Dakit Kordero,” Father Serrano pointed out.

“We use all the official rites of the Church as well and do not need the Cutud,” the parish priest said.

The Dakit is a reenactment of the Last Supper.

***

The Church cannot do anything about this as it is a private pious devotion done in the streets which is ironic.

The government has no plans of outlawing it since:  it is the right of the penitent as a freedom of religious expression and, here's I think is for them the better part, draws a lot of tourists to their place.

Onward Knights against immorality! Onward for Life!

Brother Sir Knights in last year's March for Life

MANILA, March 19, 2010—The country’s biggest organization of Catholic men is ready for marches in several Philippine cities on Saturday to protest the government’s aggressive campaign for the use of contraceptives, organizers said.


Demonstrations and contraceptive boycotts are planned from across the country by the Knights of Columbus (KC) – Philippines calling for an end to such State policy.[This is consistent with the Knights resolve to be faithful to the Magisterium, not the one in that dreadful movie, The Golden Compass.]

A year ago, thousands of “knights” packed the streets of major cities from Luzon to Mindanao in a massive show of their clout.

The latest rallies come as lawmakers in Congress were debating on a measure that seeks to control the country’s growing population through the promotion of contraceptives like condoms and pills.

Government legislation that would have created what it touted as a measure on maternal health care failed last year because the Congress ran out of time to deliberate on the matter.

This year, protest organizers expect participation to be higher than the last in Metro Manila alone.

“We challenge the government to redefine its attitude to contraceptives,” said Alonzo Tan, KC Luzon Deputy, which is organizing a rally in Manila.

Tan said he expected some 5,000 to 6,000 protesters to march from Intramuros to Rajah Sulayman Park in Malate on Saturday morning, “but it’s difficult to say at this stage.”

The “Walk for Life” will kick off with a 6 a.m. concelebrated Mass at the San Agustin Church to be presided by Bishop Honesto Ongtioco of Cubao.

He said simultaneous rallies will also be held by KC followers in Baguio, Bayombong, Tuguegarao, Tarlac, San Fernando (Pampanga), Cebu, Iloilo and Davao.

The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic men organization with over 1.7 million members around the world. In the Philippines, it has around 250,000 members.

The government’s health department is currently pushing the use of pills and condoms to prevent unwanted pregnancies as well as to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and unwanted pregnancies. [The Health Department NEVER pushed for education campaigns.  So who would benefit from the condom drive?  I used to work for and am working with government agencies and I know the "standard operating procedure" when dealing with government people.  Does the Health Secretary wants us to believe that there are no kickbacks in this purchase of millions worth of condoms?  Cut as some slack!]

“Like what others are saying, we believe that there’s no such thing as safe sex,” Tan added. [There is!  Within marriage and with your spouse only.  Now that is SAFE!  No worries. Just be faithful!]

“Widespread and indiscriminate promotion of condoms is an immoral and misguided weapon in our battle against AIDS,” he also said. (Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews)

***

I am proud to be a Knight.

If you are interested, do contact me @ thepinoycatholic@gmail.com

Holy Week Celebrations: Traditional Latin Mass Community of Quezon City

SCHEDULE OF HOLY WEEK CELEBRATIONS

IN THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE ROMAN RITE

AT THE PARISH OF THE LORD OF DIVINE MERCY,

1 MAAMO STREET, SIKATUNA VILLAGE,

QUEZON CITY, THE PHILIPPINES

March 28, 2010 PALM SUNDAY

1:00 pm Solemn Blessing and Procession of Palms / Mass

March 29, 30, 31, 2010 HOLY MONDAY, TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY

8:30 am Mass

April 1, 2010 MAUNDY THURSDAY

10:00 am Mass of the Last Supper

April 2, 2010 GOOD FRIDAY

10:00 am Celebration of the Lord's Passion

(Mass of Catechumens, Adoration of the Cross, Holy Communion)

April 3, 2010 BLACK SATURDAY

April 4, 2010 EASTER SUNDAY

12:00 midnight Easter Vigil

 

Courtesy of Fr. Jojo Zerrudo of Sense of the Sacred

SNAPSHOT: The Pope's secretary

"Your Holiness, my dermatologist says to keep this on! Hormonal imbalance, I guess."

No wonder the pope has that blank stare.

Bishops: No donations from politicians

MANILA, March 17, 2010—Catholic bishops vowed never to receive donations from politicians who are running in the May 10 elections.

Bishops Martin Jumoad of Basilan, Carlito Cenzon of Baguio and Dinualdo Gutierrez of Marbel are one in saying that they will decline any donations from politicians.

Jumoad said it’s not proper for the church to accept financial donations from political bets at the height of the campaign period. [Sense of propriety.  Very rare these days.]

“I will not accept any donations especially from politicians. It’s not right,” said Jumoad over Church-run Radyo Veritas.

According to Cenzon and Gutierrez, it’s not prudent for the church to be accepting money from politicians who are seeking various government posts.

“We are not going to accept it especially if we know that it came from bad sources,” Cenzon said.

The three bishops made the statement Wednesday as the Catholic Church prepares for the nationwide celebration of “Alay Kapwa” on March 28.

Alay Kapwa is a fund raising campaign program during the Lenten season for the purpose of helping the needy during emergency cases and calamities.

The campaign is implemented in all dioceses and requires the Catholic faithful to share their resources, time and talent with their neighbors.

Cardinal Ricardo Vidal of Cebu earlier admitted, however, of receiving cash donations from the some politicians who asked for his blessings. [Uh-oh.]

But the cardinal clarified that the financial contributions he accepted were for Caritas, the Church’s social action arm, and not for his personal account.

He also emphasized that he does not endorse candidates, saying he’s preserving his non-partisan status.
Jumoad called on politicians to donate their money directly their money to other charitable institutions.

“I challenge them. If they are really sincere in being one with the Church’s Alay Kapwa (program), they should give help directly to those who are needy,” he said.

Alay Kapwa, the Mindanao bishop said, is a sacred program of the Church for the poor. “They should realize that,” he added.

“I am appealing also to our politicians not to use Alay Kapwa to make it appear that they are for the poor,” Jumoad said. (Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews)

***

Here's what I know.

Three bishops from the south whose neutrality with this presidency has been in question since they have been recipients of a lot of development projects.  I know personally know the three.

Here in the capital, a mayor gave ALL priests of a diocese custom made chalices with matching patens as a "gift for the Year of the Priest."  Sense of propriety?  I think he does not have those.  It's election season and he is fighting hard to stay in power even fielding his own son for a second run as...[I'll stop.  I'll be giving away too much.]  The mayor is being ganged up by big names in politics of the city who were once in power.

My take?

Hope all priests and bishops be like Bishops Martin Jumoad of Basilan, Carlito Cenzon of Baguio and Dinualdo Gutierrez of Marbel.

Just say no!

Laity says no to condom drive of government

MANILA, March 16, 2010— More people are taking the streets to decry the State’s promotion of contraceptives, breaking the impression that contraception is only a battle between the Catholic hierarchy and the government. [Seriously, I am enjoying this!]

In Cebu City, a group of doctors, parents, students and professionals are still vehemently opposed to condom use, despite the health department’s ambitious AIDS prevention campaign.

In a protest rally Tuesday, the demonstrators also called for a total ban on condom advertising to protect children from early exposure to sex. [Exactly!  Bull's eye! Right on the kisser!]

Dr. Josef Bullecer, national director of the AIDS-Free Philippines, said that they would continue resisting condom use because it promotes underage sex and immorality. [Right on! They are on a roll!]

“We are here to bring to our sentiments. Remember condoms on the first place are never proven to prevent HIV,” said Bullecer. [Never, ever, ever!  In Thailand, it caused even more the spread of the dreaded disease!]

“In fact, countries whose government openly promotes condoms, one can see skyrocketing cases of HIV/AIDS instead,” he said. [Just as I stated.]

According to Bullecer, most of the protesters represent themselves as concerned parents and taxpayers who are against the DOH’s “anti-Catholic, and immoral propaganda.”

“Condom is a multi-million dollar industry. This is a battle now between the concerned citizens and taxpayers versus DOH,”

Last Friday, a group of parents brought the debate on condom use to the doorstep of the DOH in Manila.
About 60 members of the Alliance of Concerned Parents slammed the DOH’s pro-contraceptives policy, saying that “there’s no such thing as safe sex.” [What is the world is safe sex if you are faithful to your spouse, if you do not practice premarital sex?  Safe sex is only for those who are living a promiscuous life!]

They also called on the government to implement measures that do not offend “morality” to stop the spread of HIV and avoid unwanted pregnancy. (Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews)

***

I dare say this.

IT WAS NEVER PROVEN THE CONDOMS PREVENT THE SPREAD OF AIDS.

The government is hell bent on purchasing millions of pesos of condoms which would be given for free instead of spending the money for a massive media campaign and education about the dreaded disease.

There are other, more productive ways, on how to spend the budget of the Health Department.


It is election season and we all know where this immediate purchase would lead to.

Makes you think?  How much will you get in return Madame Secretary?

The attacks on Benedict XVI intensify

The sex abuse scandal is hurting the Church and the Her enemies are having a field day!

Not surprisingly, Hell's Bible aka the New York Times runs this headline:

German Priest Close to Pope Is Suspended in Abuse Case

I read varying reports about this priest known only as H who has been tried and convicted of sexual abuse.  He is NOT close to the pope as the NYT article wants to insinuate.  The NYT even names the priest even though others refuse to divulge the name of the priest.

And now they are trying to tie the transfer or what they call "a systematic attempt to conceal the truth" about the sex abuse scandal to our beloved Holy Father.

Even a 2001 document which the then Cardinal Ratzinger, the head of the CDF, penned is being resurrected by the necromancers known as SNAP and the Media.

Seeking out justice is every victims right.  But to witch hunt is a different matter.

The Church MUST make a decisive and more results oriented approach to handling priests suspected sexual abuse.  

The Church MUST also put safeguards against dubious claims of abuse.  

The hierarchy MUST do what it MUST do.  Action is needed.

Things like this call to mind our parish priest who is living a double life.  No wonder he loves to construct and renovate a lot of things even though there is no need to do so.  It is costing our parish, not thousands, but millions of pesos!  His superior already knows about this, but he is busy twiddling his thumb and thinking of the latest liturgical trends in creativity.  I cannot go any further.  I am giving away too much details.

But one thing I hate with this superior.  He does fit the word.   The guy has no *alls!  Why he got elected to the post I just wonder.  But I digress.

With the intensified attack on the Church by the media, we cannot completely blame the accusers for the hatred.  The hierarchy has failed miserably to handle their own.  Remember the scandal in Ireland and of how Cardinal Bernard Law run Chicago?

This one must be dealt not in the pulpit by the bishops, but by the power of their crozier!  With all the symbolisms of the shepherd's staff, it is time to put it to good use.

Stop talking.

Pray and work.  That is the Benedictine way!