More Proof That More U.S. Catholic Bishops Are Leading the Charge in the Abortion Battle

After the dreary wilderness years of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, when many Catholic bishops in the United States practiced a kind of know-nothingism in their silence and lack of real, out-front leadership on life issues, such as abortion, things are quickly changing. Individually and corporately, the American bishops are starting to lead the Church in the right direction: the battlefront.

Everyone knows that abortion is the white-hot center of this generation's pitched battle against evil. Abortion is this generation's equivalent of slavery, which was the primary social evil 19th-century America. Good triumphed over evil when the horror of legalized slavery was abolished and eradicated. And today, the evil of legalized abortion is an even more wide-spread, more urgent menace to a truly free society.

Catholic bishops are no longer silent in the face of this national tragedy. They are throwing off the shackles of silence and timidity. In increasing numbers, stalwart bishops are leading from the front, showing the way forward and, by their own example of fearless engagement of today's pro-abortion extremists, they are sounding a clear trumpet note for Catholics to rally. "For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?" (1 Cor. 14:8).

The pro-abortion extremists know this, and their consternation is palpable and rising. A good example of this is the most recent attack on the U.S. Catholic bishops, this time by Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, of Kennedy Clan fame (she is RFK's eldest child).

Not only can the Catholic bishops who are leading from the front and taking a courageous stand on this issue take satisfaction in Ms. Kennedy Townsend's shrill hectoring here, they can take hope in the fact that, as their efforts prove more and more effective in turning the tide of this long-standing struggle for human rights for unborn children (human rights which Ms. Kennedy Townsend and the other pro-abortion extremists she is inveigled by and beholden to), this rising clamor of agitated "Catholic" voices, like Kennedy-Townsend's, is clear evidence that they — the pro-abortion extremists — are deeply worried that they will not carry the day, now that the Catholic bishops have stepped into the fray.

Watch this battle scene from the superb movie "Glory." Starting at the 4:00 minute mark, you will see depicted in that Civil War battle what we are beginning to see now from an increasing number of good bishops, men who are valiantly leading the charge in our generation's equivalent of the War Against Slavery — the War Against Abortion.

Onward, Christian soldiers. You are fighting the good fight.

On health care, the bishops have lost their way

By KATHLEEN KENNEDY TOWNSEND | 12/8/09 4:56 AM EST

The Roman Catholic bishops need more time. That is the recent word from Sen. Ben Nelson — news reports noted that before he introduces his amendment to restrict women’s access to coverage under health care reform, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops needs more time to review it.

Why is it that the bishops are more concerned with restricting millions of American women from making health care decisions that are best for them and their families than they are with ensuring that millions of Americans — women, men, children, immigrants, the poor, the middle class — get much-needed health insurance?

As a Catholic, I dare say it’s because the Conference of Catholic Bishops has lost its way. For example, in Missouri, the Catholic Conference issued an e-mail alert urging “those who are opposed to health care reform but are also pro-life” to “stay focused on the abortion issue and get the Stupak-like amendment adopted in the Senate.”

Really? As Catholics, are we so laser focused on the issue of abortion that we are willing to join tea partiers and the like to bring down the health care reform bill? And at the enormous expense of millions of Americans who suffer every day because they can’t afford to get checkups, because they must choose bankruptcy in order to save the life of their loved one?

Not this Catholic. As someone who was raised by a family absolutely committed to public service and to making sure that our nation provides health care to the least among us, I am devastated that the bishops are using their influence to try not to increase access to health care for the millions of people who don’t have insurance. Where is their passion for the families who need health care?

I hope that members of the U.S. Senate will defeat Nelson’s amendment when it’s introduced and keep the health care reform efforts moving forward. There is already a carefully crafted, reasonable and abortion-neutral compromise in the Senate health care reform bill. It is neither pro-abortion rights nor anti-abortion. It is simply pro-health care. . . . (etc., etc., etc.)

The 6 Weirdest, Scariest Processed Foods

Okay, I have to admit that, at one time or another, over the years, I've managed to consume all but one of the things on this list, the exception being avocado-free guacamole. (That reminds of the once-popular I Can't Believe It's Not Butter "breakfast spread product.") Luckily, it's been ages since any of these items passed my lips. In this, I'm probably like most contemporary Americans, because most of us have eating this stuff for years, at least until we read the labels and figure out what kind of weird stuff is in them and then stop eating them.

I shudder to image what foods we routinely eat today will end up on some "scariest foods" list 10 years down the road.

Once upon a time, some brave scientists had a noble dream of ridding our food of the plague of nutrients.

Today, at the start of the 21st century, the miracle of food processing has brought that dream closer to reality than ever before. From vitamin-free "blueberry bits" to spray-can cheese to avocado-free guacamole, food scientists have worked tirelessly to bring us new and exciting foods that contain as little nutrition as possible. Even apparently "healthy" foods such as soups have been ingeniously overloaded with so much salt you feel as if you’re eating French fries.

In this article, we’ll provide a handy guide to six uniquely unnatural processed foods that will hopefully serve as a blueprint for humanity’s eventual triumph over the tyrannical fist of Mother Nature. . . . (continue reading)

Benedict XVI cautions against dangers of Marxist liberation theology

In a meeting with a group of Brazilian bishops on Saturday, the Holy Father warned of the dangers of Marxist liberation theology and noted its grave consequences for ecclesial communities.

During the ad limina visit, the Pope recalled that “last August marked 25 years since the Instruction “Libertatis nuntius” of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on certain aspects of liberation theology. The document "highlights the danger involved in the uncritical absorption, by certain theologians, of theses and methodologies that come from Marxism."

The Pope warned that the “more or less visible” scars of Marxist liberation theology, such as “rebellion, division, dissent, offenses, anarchy, are still being felt, causing great suffering and a grave loss of dynamic strength in your diocesan communities.”

For this reason, he exhorted all those who in some way feel attracted or affected by “certain deceitful principles of liberation theology” to re-visit the instruction and be open to the light that it can shed on the subject. (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=17965)

Spain's King Juan Carlos Faces Excommunication if He Assents to Abortion Bill

The Spanish press is highlighting the dilemma faced by Juan Carlos, king of Spain, a Catholic, who may be called upon to sign into law a bill that, if passed, would further liberalize abortion.

On November 25th, Spain's Catholic bishops warned that those politicians who vote in favor of the law will have excommunicated themselves, having put themselves in an "objective state of sin." The bishops wrote that "while the situation lasts," politicians who vote in favor of the law "may not be admitted to Holy Communion."

However, the Spanish Constitution of 1978 stipulates that new laws must be promulgated by the king, who is head of state, but who now faces possible excommunication if he gives royal assent to the bill.

Prominent Spanish Catholics are calling on the king to refuse to sign the law. In an article appearing on the website Religion en Libertad, titled, "The King should not sign the abortion law," the head of the lobby group HazteOir, Nacho Arsuaga, said the country could be heading for a constitutional crisis over the bill.

"The king of a democratic state under the law cannot sign a law approving the right of a few to kill other human beings. With this law, the government is de facto destroying the validity of the Spanish constitution, which stipulates in its Article 15 the right to life." Arsuaga called on the king either to refuse to sign or to abdicate.

Javier Maria Perez-Roldan, president of the Thomas More Law Center, said that the law would "contradict the principle of monarchy," which "loses all authority if it is exercised against the common good."

Arsuaga's article quotes politicians and the heads of a number of Catholic organizations who have called on the king to abdicate in imitation of King Baudouin of Belgium, who in 1990 temporarily renounced his throne rather than sign his country's law liberalizing abortion. They also cited the more recent case of Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, who refused last year to sign the duchy's law legalizing euthanasia and who may be stripped of his constitutional powers as a result.

Milian Manuel Mestre, a businessman and politician and Member of the Congress of Deputies, called it "incomprehensible from the ethical point of view," that the government could pass a law that establishes abortion as a right.

"As a believer and a citizen of this country it does not seem appropriate for the King to sign into law the Act ... Neither the king nor the government nor the Spanish Courts may violate principles of fundamental ethics," Mestre said. (continue adding)

CBS Earns Yet Another Millstone Fitting for Its Neck

Quite by accident, I happened to see this the other day as I was changing channels, and I simply couldn't believe my eyes. It's repugnant and infuriating what these people at CBS are doing, in the name of "humor," to destroy whatever vestiges of innocence might remain among American children and youth today (cf. Matthew 18:6).

A video advertisement on CBS's Web site that "mashes" material from the iconic "Frosty the Snowman" Christmastime cartoon with two of the network's comedy series is offensive and should be pulled, media analysts told FoxNews.com.

The video ad, "Frosty the Inappropriate Snowman," takes authentic dialogue from CBS' "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two and a Half Men" and dubs it on top of the cartoon classic, changing well-known "Frosty" scenes to contain suggestions that the snowman and his friends visit a "strip club."

The mash-up also discusses Frosty's "porn collection" and contains repeated mentions of prior sexual conquests. The ad is intended to promote the network's upcoming broadcasts of "Frosty the Snowman" and "Frosty Returns."

Colleen Raezler, a research assistant for the Culture and Media Institute, a division of the Media Research Center, said the spot is "highly inappropriate," and improperly uses a Christmas special to promote an adult-oriented comedy. "The ad introduces children to the idea of strippers and pornography," Raezler told FoxNews.com. "The people in charge obviously thought this was funny, but the question they should ask themselves is if this is appropriate, not if it's funny." (continue reading)

Heading Home for the Holidays? Here's a "Family Get Together Survival Kit"

Here come those Christmas dinners with family and friends. And here come the seemingly inevitable jibes, digs, and even overt challenges aimed at your Catholic beliefs, sometimes from those you love most, perhaps including children returning from college who think they’ve “outgrown” the Faith. You can get prepared for these conversations with this "Crash Course" in how to explain, share, and defend your Faith.

Get a copy of my book Search and Rescue and a copy of Envoy Magazine FREE (plus the cost of S&H).

How in the world did I get into this situation?

Ever find yourself in the middle of something you never expected to happen?

I'll Be Speaking in Stamford, CT, December 11-13 — Come if You Can!

Good Times: My First Chance to Hold Killian

Last night, Nancy and I went to Children's Hospital to visit our precious little grandson, Killian Patrick, (grandchild number 7) and, for the first time, I was able to hold him. Here are some pictures of that happy experience.

P.S. Thanks be to God, Mr. Kilpatrick continues to do well, and he's been packing on the ounces, day by day, and is now about 3-and-a-half pounds (he weighed just 2 lbs., 2 ozs. when he was born, three months premature). We really appreciate all the prayers that many of you have been praying for Killian. Thank you.

Visualize This: the US/China Trade Relationship

Dire Predictions About the Destruction of the Dollar

Rock-a-bye baby, in the tree top.

When the wind blows, the cradle will rock.

When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,

And down will come baby, cradle and all.

(Courtesy of Father Steve Leake)

The Devil Never Goes on Vacation

(St. Francisco Borgia performing a deathbed exorcism, by Francisco Goya)

There is a particular reason why we Catholics invoke the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary when we say, "Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen."

In addition to Scripture's repeated reminders that the devil is actively seeking the spiritual destruction of as many men and women as he can possibly destroy, many of the great saints (too many to be numbered here) have attested to the fact that the evil one is allowed by God to harass people with all kinds of temptations and even, in some cases, to make a final, furious, frantic attack on someone who is dying. St. Anthony of the Desert, St. Benedict, St. Dominic, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Anthony Claret, St. John Vianney, Blessed Padre Pio, and many others warn about this, as does the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

This is why, in addition to prayer, the sacraments, cultivating virtue, and frequently invoking the intercession of Mary and the saints, we must always remember, trust in, and live according to this glorious truth about God's love for us:

"Little children, you are of God, and have overcome them; for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

With all that in mind, I bring you the following audio clip from my "Open Line" radio show yesterday in which I took a call from Kathy, who wanted to know about whether the devil and his demonic helpers were in the habit of harassing people on their deathbeds. She asked because of something she herself had seen as she attended her own mother in her dying days. Take a listen . . .

If this is not the single most annoying Christmas gift, I don't know what else would qualify

From Russia With Love: Patriarch Kyril Publishes Pope Benedict's Speeches

This is a hopeful sign! I'm not sure exactly what it portends, but it's cause for hope.

Evidence of "possible cooperation" between the Vatican and the Russian Orthodox Church continues between Rome and Moscow. And the playing filed on which they meet remains the struggle for the affirmation of the Christian roots of Europe "threatened by secularism.

The latest episode that gives hope for a real climate of greater proximity between the two Churches, is the presentation (today in Rome) of "Europe Spiritual Homeland", a bilingual volume in Italian and Russian collecting the speeches that Joseph Ratzinger - Benedict XVI dedicated to Europe over the past decade. The novel aspect is that for the first time the publisher of the book is the patriarch of Moscow. The introduction to the volume is by the Chairman of the Department for External Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archbishop Hilarion of Volokolamsk. The editorial initiative was taken by the Department of External Relations of the Patriarchate in cooperation with the International Association "Sofia".

The publication takes place on the eve of the visit by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to the Vatican where he will meet the Pope. The leader of the Kremlin will arrive December 3 in Italy on the occasion of bilateral Summits of Heads of State and Government of both countries. In diplomatic circles linked to the Vatican, for the past few months there have been rumours that Russia will open an embassy to the Holy See. A few months ago, Medvedev himself had mentioned, to the Italian press, this possibility. . . . (continue reading)

More Thoughts About Why Catholics Should Not Court/Date/Marry Non-Catholics

Here's the audio clip of my interview today on Relevant Radio's "Drew Mariani" show, in which I discuss my earlier comments (seen and heard on this blog) about "My Advice to Catholic Parents: Don't Let Your Kids Date Non-Catholics."

It's good that we were able to unpack this issue more on Drew's show, given that we had upwards of 40 minutes to discuss it and even take a few calls. There is plenty more that could have and should have been said in defense of my advice, but this is a helpful start, I think.

Take a listen, and let me know what you think.

All Eligible Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts has okayed its clergy to marry "all eligible couples."

You've seen those slo-mo videos of buildings being demolished by planned detonation, like the one above, right? Watch how it implodes, floor by floor, into an unrecoverable shamble of rubble and dust. Watch and learn. Why? Because, see below, here's one of the floors detonating before your eyes . . .

As of Nov. 29, clergy of the diocese may solemnize marriages for all eligible couples, Bishop M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE has announced.

The decision comes after a long discernment process leading up to and continuing after the action of General Convention this past July allowing that “bishops, particularly in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage is legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this church.”

The full text of Bishop Shaw’s statement follows.

Advent I, November 29, 2009

Christian marriage is a sacramental rite that has evolved in the church, along with confirmation, ordination, penance, and the anointing of the sick, and while it is not necessary for all, it must be open to all as a means of grace and sustenance to our Christian hope.

I believe this because the truth of it is in our midst, revealed again and again by the many marriages—of women and men, and of persons of the same gender—that are characterized, just as our church expects, by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, and the holy love which enables spouses to see in one another the image of God.

In May of 2004 the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court opened civil marriage in our state to same-gender couples. That ruling set up a contradiction between what civil law would allow and what our church’s canons and formulary state, which is that marriage is between a man and a woman. And so, for more than five years now, while faithfully waiting for the General Convention of the Episcopal Church to act in response, we in the Diocese of Massachusetts have been living at some cost with an imperfect accommodation: Our clergy have not been allowed to solemnize same-gender marriages, but they have been permitted to bless them after the fact.

In July of this year, the 76th General Convention adopted resolution C056, “Liturgies for Blessings.” It allows that “bishops, particularly those in dioceses within civil jurisdictions where same-gender marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships are legal, may provide generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this church.”

Your bishops understand this to mean for us here in the Diocese of Massachusetts that the clergy of this diocese may, at their discretion, solemnize marriages for all eligible couples, beginning Advent I. Solemnization, in accordance with Massachusetts law, includes hearing the declaration of consent, pronouncing the marriage and signing the marriage certificate. This provision for generous pastoral response is an allowance and not a requirement; any member of the clergy may decline to solemnize any marriage.

While gender-specific language remains unchanged in the canons and The Book of Common Prayer, our provision of generous pastoral response means that same-gender couples can be married in our diocese. We request that our clergy follow as they ordinarily would the other canonical requirements for marriage and remarriage. And, because The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage in The Book of Common Prayer may not be used for marriages of same-gender couples, we ask that our priests seek out liturgical resources being developed and collected around the church. We also commend to you the October 2008 resource created by our New England dioceses, “Pastoral Resources for Province I Episcopal Clergy Ministering to Same-Gender Couples,” available at www.province1.org.

We have not arrived at this place in our common life easily or quickly. We have not done it alone. This decision comes after a long process of listening, prayer and discernment leading up to and continuing after General Convention’s action this past summer. Our Diocesan Convention recently adopted a resolution of its own expressing its collective hope for the very determination that your bishops have made. Even so, we know that not all are of one mind and that some in good faith will disagree with this decision. Our Anglican tradition makes space for this disagreement and calls us to respect and engage one another in our differences. It is through that tension that we find God’s ultimate will.

We also know that by calling us to minister in the context of this particular place and time God is again blessing our diocese with a great challenge by which we might enter more fully into that ethic of love which Jesus speaks to us through the New Testament. It is an immeasurable love given for all. We are being asked to live it, all of us, children of God, each with equal claim upon the love, acceptance and pastoral care of this church, so that the newness and fullness of life promised through word and sacrament might be for all people and for the completion of God’s purpose for the world.

/s/ M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE

Mitt Romney arguing FOR abortion, even for underage girls without parental permission

Here's a campaign commercial attacking Gov. Romney's record on the issue of abortion. It raises interesting issues that I'd like to see clarified, once and for all.

"And they will mock him, and spit upon him, and scourge him" (Mk 10:34)

This Jerusalem Post article is sure to raise eyebrows, and perhaps tempers, among Jews, Catholics, and anyone else who thinks it's wrong and ugly to spit at someone because of his religious beliefs. This report says that Catholic and Orthodox priests and religious are regularly assaulted by Orthodox Jews who spit at them in a show of contempt.

Clearly, terrible things (far worse than spitting) were done by Christians to Jews over the centuries. No one (in his right mind) disputes this. But surely, modern Jews should have at least a dim collective memory of something very similar that started up in earnest against them in Germany, during the 1930s, right?

One would think.

With regard to this disturbing situation of religious Jews spitting on religious Christians, one of the underlying, and probably insoluble, problems here between Israeli Christians and the Jews who spit at them is that Judaism has historically followed the "eye for an eye" lex talionis (Exodus 21:22-27, Leviticus 24:18-20), while Christians are commanded by Jesus Christ to follow His injunction to "turn the other cheek" and to "do good to those who hate you" (Luke 6:27).

Anyway . . .

Mouths filled with hatred

Nov. 26, 2009
Larry Derfner , THE JERUSALEM POST

Father Samuel Aghoyan, a senior Armenian Orthodox cleric in Jerusalem's Old City, says he's been spat at by young haredi and national Orthodox Jews "about 15 to 20 times" in the past decade. The last time it happened, he said, was earlier this month. "I was walking back from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and I saw this boy in a yarmulke and ritual fringes coming back from the Western Wall, and he spat at me two or three times."

Wearing a dark-blue robe, sitting in St. James's Church, the main Armenian church in the Old City, Aghoyan said, "Every single priest in this church has been spat on. It happens day and night."

Father Athanasius, a Texas-born Franciscan monk who heads the Christian Information Center inside the Jaffa Gate, said he's been spat at by haredi and national Orthodox Jews "about 15 times in the last six months" - not only in the Old City, but also on Rehov Agron near the Franciscan friary. "One time a bunch of kids spat at me, another time a little girl spat at me," said the brown-robed monk near the Jaffa Gate.

"All 15 monks at our friary have been spat at," he said. "Every [Christian cleric in the Old City] who's been here for awhile, who dresses in robes in public, has a story to tell about being spat at. The more you get around, the more it happens."

A nun in her 60s who's lived in an east Jerusalem convent for decades says she was spat at for the first time by a haredi man on Rehov Agron about 25 years ago. "As I was walking past, he spat on the ground right next to my shoes and he gave me a look of contempt," said the black-robed nun, sitting inside the convent. "It took me a moment, but then I understood."

Since then, the nun, who didn't want to be identified, recalls being spat at three different times by young national Orthodox Jews on Jaffa Road, three different times by haredi youth near Mea She'arim and once by a young Jewish woman from her second-story window in the Old City's Jewish Quarter.

But the spitting incidents weren't the worst, she said - the worst was the time she was walking down Jaffa Road and a group of middle-aged haredi men coming her way pointed wordlessly to the curb, motioning her to move off the sidewalk to let them pass, which she did.

"That made me terribly sad," said the nun, speaking in ulpan-trained Hebrew. Taking personal responsibility for the history of Christian anti-Semitism, she said that in her native European country, such behavior "was the kind of thing that they - no, that we used to do to Jews."

News stories about young Jewish bigots in the Old City spitting on Christian clergy - who make conspicuous targets in their long dark robes and crucifix symbols around their necks - surface in the media every few years or so. It's natural, then, to conclude that such incidents are rare, but in fact they are habitual. Anti-Christian Orthodox Jews, overwhelmingly boys and young men, have been spitting with regularity on priests and nuns in the Old City for about 20 years, and the problem is only getting worse.

"My impression is that Christian clergymen are being spat at in the Old City virtually every day. This has been constantly increasing over the last decade," said Daniel Rossing. An observant, kippa-wearing Jew, Rossing heads the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations and was liaison to Israel's Christian communities for the Ministry of Religious Affairs in the '70s and '80s.

For Christian clergy in the Old City, being spat at by Jewish fanatics "is a part of life," said the American Jewish Committee's Rabbi David Rosen, Israel's most prominent Jewish interfaith activist.

"I hate to say it, but we've grown accustomed to this. Jewish religious fanatics spitting at Christian priests and nuns has become a tradition," said Roman Catholic Father Massimo Pazzini, sitting inside the Church of the Flagellation on the Via Dolorosa.

These are the very opposite of isolated incidents. Father Athanasius of the Christian Information Center called them a "phenomenon." George Hintlian, the unofficial spokesman for the local Armenian community and former secretary of the Armenian Patriarchate, said it was "like a campaign." . . . (continue reading)

We Now Have DEFINITIVE Proof that Mark Shea Actually Supports Torture

I knew it! I knew it. I just knew it.

Even given all his florid protestations to the contrary, and all his glowing "at-a-boy!" praise for my own personal denunciation of torture notwithstanding, and in light of his constant grinding on literally anything that moves — if it has even the tiniest tincture of support for torture about it — all of Mark "Torture Is Eeeeeevil" Shea's claims about how he's all against torture and stuff have just gone up in smoke.

Gun smoke, that is.

And I seriously doubt the old dude on the floor was ever even Mirandized.

(Courtesy of the illustrious and slender Father Shane)

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained. Here's My Wish List

For those who might wish to help me acquire some of the tools I really need for my work in apologetics, my theological studies, etc., here is my Amazon "Wish List." God bless any of you who are feeling generous today!