MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — David and Bridie Craig's daughter, Siobhan, was married last month — a big deal for any parent, but for the Craigs, there was more to it.
With the Year of the Eucharist about to begin, it was a reminder of how prayer before the Blessed Sacrament can increase religious vocations.
Father Kevin Reilly, who was ordained in May 2003, officiated at the wedding, held in St. Sebastian Church in Middletown, Conn. “From my wife's and my perspective, he was the first product of our adoration-for-vocations program,” Craig said. Father Reilly also was the first priestly vocation in the 75-year history of his parish.
Craig was referring to an apostolate he and his wife started in the Diocese of Norwich, Conn. The program calls for perpetual Eucharistic adoration chapels in the diocese to dedicate one week of every month in rotation exclusively to prayer for vocations. The chapels use a monstrance blessed by Pope John Paul II specifically for perpetual adoration for vocations.
Norwich, the first diocese in the country to have such an apostolate, has five perpetual adoration chapels. Craig hopes to spread the idea to other dioceses — nationally and internationally — especially during this Year of the Eucharist, which begins at the Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Oct. 10. He shipped a similar blessed monstrance to the Diocese of Owensboro, Ky., in anticipation of the start of a program there. A member of the Regnum Christi movement, Craig noted that in the diocese of Lexington, Ky., the movement “just ordered a monstrance to be blessed by the Holy Father.” And the Archdiocese of Atlanta will soon kick off a diocesan-wide campaign, as well, he said.
“The Holy Spirit is raising those chapels up,” Craig said. “We're trying to capitalize on the fact there are already these perpetual adoration chapels and committed adorers there going once a week. All we're doing is adding one hour out of the month to pray for vocations.
Additional Blessings
Pope John Paul II has agreed to bless six additional monstrances at the end of November, Craig said. Adoration for Vocations, along with the website Vocation.com, is holding a convention in Rome at that time.
Father Brian Higgins, vocation director for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, is going to pick up the special monstrance for Atlanta when he visits Rome in November. He said the archdiocese will use Craig's model for the most part. “It's a program we want to begin in October in correlation with the Year of the Eucharist,” he said.
Already, the archdiocese has experienced the power of adoration for vocations. “People ask me all the time, .You have 50 seminarians, what's your secret?'” Father Higgins said. “There is no secret. It's prayer. You pray for vocations. You go to our Lord. There is no greater source than going to Christ directly. You pray before the Blessed Sacrament every day.
“Jesus didn't put up billboards,” he continued. “He invited people.” In Norwich, Father Reilly knows that adoration for vocations is powerful. “As a priest, I've experienced the effects of adoration,” he said. “I know the people were praying for me during my discernment and my years in the seminary, and it was a highly grace-filled time.”
Adoration for Vocations, which is promoted independently, is also the heart of Vocation.com, an apostolate of the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi, which has logged more than half a million visitors in two years. The website includes a related link, The Hands That Bring Us Christ. This companion campaign is a way of pledging an hour or more of Eucharistic adoration for a particular priest or bishop and a way of sending an e-mail to them.
“In honor of their own priests,” campaign coordinator Laura Kelly said, “the idea is to offer that hour in thanksgiving for their own priest's vocation, for his intentions and for an increase of vocations in general.”
Kelly said people log onto the site on their computer and enter the name of their priest and the times they will spend in adoration for him. As of mid-September, people from 41 countries pledged and completed more than 45,000 hours for priests and bishops toward a goal of 100,000 hours by the campaign's end, set for mid-October.
Kelly said the priests have been “profoundly grateful” for the support of their parishioners.
Various Fruits
In the Diocese of Norwich, a territory with about 228,000 Catholics, more candidates are showing interest in the priesthood. Father Mark O'Donnell, diocesan director and promoter of vocations, and another priest are working with eight men who have expressed interest.
In addition, eight priests have come from Poland, and the diocese may pick up some seminarians at Holy Apostles Seminary, which is located within the diocese and educates priests for various dioceses and orders.
Also, a number of men have applied to the permanent diaconate, and two women have entered religious life. One just received her habit with the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Father O'Donnell notes that her parish was the first to have perpetual adoration in the diocese.
Not only does perpetual adoration for vocations work, but it's poised to take off during the Year of the Eucharist.
Because Father Reilly knows the fruits of prayer, he said he hasn't let people “off the hook.”
“I still have them praying for me,” he said. “It's an open-ended prayer request with no statute of limitations.”
Joseph Pronechen writes from Trumbull, Connecticut.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Joseph Pronechen ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Like Campaigns, Catholic Voters Disengaged From Immigrant Issues DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:PHOENIX, Ariz. — Although the bishops of the United States have called on Christians to care for immigrants, the problem of immigration does not seem to be on the radar screens of most Catholic voters this year.
Even Margarita Williams, a newly naturalized immigrant from Mexico who works at the Diocese of Phoenix, does not consider it to be a major issue in her discernment of which candidate will get her vote Nov. 2.
“I'm more interested in international politics,” said Williams, a Mexico City native. If the president “has a good international strategy, then the situation that will surround his decisions will be better for the other countries. If these international decisions affect my country in a good way, then we won't have as many” immigrants.
Although both major-party candidates have put forth similar proposals for immigration reform, they seem to have backed off the issue completely.
In January, President George Bush floated the idea of a guest-worker program, and Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry has promised amnesty-type legislation for foreigners working here illegally.
Yet, in spite of continued massive illegal immigration, neither Kerry nor Bush mentioned immigration in their acceptance speeches at the national party conventions.
“One of the issues politicians on both sides have a hard time touching — especially in an election year — is the whole issue of what to do about illegal migration,” said Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando, Fla., chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration.
“Both President Bush and the Democratic Congress have advanced proposals for immigration reform,” he said. “Both sides are headed toward the same direction.
“There is a pragmatic recognition that some remedy has to be provided for these people, a remedy that would permit them to regularize their status and to remain in the United States,” Bishop Wenski said.
Polls show that most Americans oppose giving amnesty to those who sneak across the border. However, amnesty is a top priority with many Hispanic leaders who preside over the nation's fastest-growing minority population.
Desert Hazards
That message rings true for Catholic Charities USA, an umbrella organization for 1,400 agencies and institutions nationwide. The group focused its national conference in late September on the immigration issue.
The plight of refugees and those seeking entry to the United States has worsened since Sept. 11, 2001, according to Jesuit Father Christopher Lockard, legislative counsel for Catholic Charities USA.
Recently, there have been reports that Al Qaeda terrorists may be crossing into the United States through Mexico. Strict monitoring along zones of the border has squeezed job-seekers trying to enter illegally into the harshest part of the desert.
“There've been at least 300 deaths this year,” Father Lockard said. “People are going to continue to come as long as the economic differential is so great. The unintended consequence of locking down on the border has resulted in people passing through the desert trying to make it through, many dying.
“Many of the immigrants are, in fact, Catholic. Many of the Catholics have hired them. These are the people that take care of the elderly in nursing homes, take care of children in day cares; they clean our lawns and sweep our streets,” Bishop Wenski said. “The more salient issue is that these people are human beings.”
Often transported by professional smugglers called “coyotes,” immigrants are often subject to poor working conditions and exploitation at the hands of their employers.
But that kind of abuse would be a thing of the past under President Bush's guest-worker program, according to Bush-Cheney spokes-woman Sharon Castillo.
“The program would grant all the undocumented aliens temporary-worker status to prevent exploitation — and they would be issued a temporary-worker card,” she said. “It will also allow them to travel back and forth between their home and the U.S. without fearing being denied entry or being deported. Those are two of the most important things for our (Latino) community.”
The program, unveiled in a White House ceremony in January, would match willing workers with willing employers. Participants would be able to apply for permanent resident status and then full citizenship under the existing process.
Kerry's plan would grant amnesty to illegal aliens. He has also vowed to sign the bipartisan AgJobs bill, which would grant legal residency status to undocumented farm workers.
But Castillo cast doubt on Kerry's experience with the issue, saying he wrote only two bills dealing with immigration in his 20 years in Congress.
“And those…have nothing to do with legalizing anybody or a temporary-workers’ program,” she said. “They have to do with adoption…. He's done nothing about it.”
The Kerry campaign fired back that, during his Senate career, the Massachusetts senator sponsored or co-sponsored at least 55 pieces of legislation dealing with immigration. “John Kerry has a strong record of supporting earned legalization, restoring benefits to legal immigrants, family reunification, refugee/asylum protection and strengthening our borders,” said Kerry spokesman Jin Chon.
People Not a Problem
Bishop Wenski, however, says support for immigration reform is widespread, with support from both the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and organized labor.
“When you have business and labor both agreeing that the immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed, there's a convergence of interest,” he said.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ election-year document, “Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility,” calls on Catholics to care for those in need, whether or not they have legal documentation.
“While affirming the right and responsibility of sovereign nations to control their borders and to ensure the security of their citizens, especially in the wake of Sept. 11, we seek basic protections for immigrants, including due-process rights, access to basic public benefits, and fair naturalization and legalization opportunities,” the bishops said. “We oppose efforts to stem migration that do not effectively address its root causes and permit the continuation of the political, social and economic inequities that contribute to it. We believe our nation must remain a place of refuge for those fleeing persecution and suffering exploitation — refugees, asylum seekers and victims of human trafficking.”
The document also says America should adopt a more generous immigration and refugee policy, including a legalization program, and encourages “addressing the root causes of migration.”
The crux of the bishops’ position is that no human being should be considered a “problem,” Bishop Wenski said.
“By making a class of human beings a problem, we offend their dignity; then we look to apply solutions” to the problem, he explained. “If we think an unborn child is a problem, then the solution is abortion…. If we think the undocumented alien is a problem, then the solution can be locking them up or deporting them.”
For an immigrant like Alfredo Abolio, “we don't understand what the (immigration) problem means.”
“It is something we will have to learn to handle,” the Venezuela native and naturalized citizen said. “The problem isn't that foreigners come into the (United) States, because it was founded by foreigners. They give a big boost to the economy.”
Still, immigration is not high on the list for Abolio in his voting decision this year. The parishioner of Christ the King Parish in Ann Arbor, Mich., recognized as a “charismatic parish” by the Diocese of Lansing, sees abortion as the No. 1 issue, followed by the things the government spends taxpayer money on, what he sees as the irresponsible exercise of judicial power, and the war in Iraq.
With immigration reform pushed to the back burner, Bishop Wenski said he believes Congress will act on legislation no matter which candidate is elected.
Said the bishop, “Hopefully, after the election, both sides will be able to negotiate something that will be better than the present situation.”
Patrick Novecosky writes from Ann Arbor, Michigan.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Patrick Novecosky ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Pro-Life Advocates Continue to Warn of Plan B Dangers DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:WASHINGTON — Whether the federal Food and Drug Administration will hold another round of public hearings on allowing young women 16 years and older to purchase an “emergency contraceptive” without a prescription isn't known. But Janet Smith knows one thing: The proposal is “an abdication of adult responsibility.”
Smith is professor of life issues at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and a long-time apologist for Pope Paul VI's much-maligned 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae (On the Regulation of Birth).
Teen-agers, she said, “are in a delicate point in their reproductive growth, medically speaking, and putting all of these alien hormones in their body cannot be good for their development. Morally, adults are putting a huge stake in the hands of adolescents, when we are very careful about everything else in their lives.”
Duramed Pharmaceuticals Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Barr Pharmaceuticals, filed an amended application with the FDA July 22, asking that the company's Plan B emergency contraceptive pill — also known as the “morning-after pill” — be available over-the-counter to women 16 years and older.
The revised submission came after the FDA concluded May 6 that Duramed's supplemental new drug application was unacceptable because the company did not provide “adequate data to support a conclusion that Plan B can be used safely by young adolescent women for emergency contraception without the professional supervision of a practitioner licensed by law to administer the drug.”
The agency is scheduled to make a decision by mid-January 2005.
According to the FDA letter, Barr Research Inc.'s clinical study included 585 subjects. Only 29 of them were between 14 and 16 years of age, and no one was under the age of 14.
In its response to the FDA decision, Duramed submitted additional clinical information specifically for the age group, which the company says supports the safe sale and marketing of Plan B over-the-counter to women 16 and older. Duramed currently markets Plan B as a prescription-only product and, according to the FDA, the emergency contraceptive has been used safely since coming on the market in 1999.
‘Semantics Game’
Plan B consists of two pills of the drug levonorgestrel (a form of progesterone, a female hormone involved in conception), 0.75 milligrams each. Duramed recommends that the first tablet be taken as soon as possible within 72 hours of intercourse and the second pill 12 hours later.
According to Duramed, the regime works essentially by preventing ovulation or fertilization. If fertilization occurs, the drug may prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb. If the fertilized egg is implanted prior to a woman taking the contraceptive, Plan B will not work. In that way, Duramed says that Plan B does not cause abortion, as pro-life critics charge.
A “fertilized egg,” however, is actually an embryo, a child in the first eight weeks of conception — a unique boy or girl with his or her own DNA, life expectancy and right to life.
Cathy Cleaver Ruse, director of planning and information for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, maintains that supporters of Plan B would argue that pregnancy begins at implantation and not at conception or fertilization. “It has become a game of semantics, unfortunately,” she said. “Their drugs do not interrupt a pregnancy that is under way after the point of implantation. Many medical texts today go with the new — and what I say is ‘politicized’ — definition of pregnancy which ignores the first 10 days of human life.”
Ruse also said the pill has been associated with an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy. Some of the side effects that the company warns of — such as nausea and abdominal pain — also are symptoms of ectopic pregnancy and women who take Plan B may think their reactions are normal, she said.
Making the morning-after pill more easily available also concerns Dr. Gene Rudd, associate executive director of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations and an ob/gyn clinician.
“Every drug you take into your body has some potential side effects,” he said. Those of levonorgestrel “are probably not significant, in terms of direct physical harm to the individual who is taking them unless — and we don't know this — there is significant repeated use.
“We feel comfortable that pregnancies that inadvertently get exposed to birth control pills don't seem to have any short- or long-term side effects,” he said. “You're talking about considerably more progesterone hormone in morning-after pills. If someone is in an early pregnancy and takes one regimen and then decides a few days later that she needs another one, we don't know what the five-, 10- or 15-year impact is on that unborn life.”
Missing Element
Those in favor of lowering the bar for Plan B say women need faster access to the drug, especially in situations such as a weekend sexual encounter when doctors may not be available. Rudd's primary concern is that women who have prescriptionless access to Plan B would be less likely to see their physicians, especially since the leading reason young women see a doctor is for advice related to reproduction.
“My No. 1 concern is that we are removing the patient from their very best chance to get health care and protect their mental health and physical health, in terms of their sexuality,” Rudd said.
Rudd also cited a recent study from the University of North Carolina and the Kaiser Family Foundation, which surveyed 500 young people between 15 and 17. The report found that while the majority of respondents were familiar with birth control pills, more than one in four of that majority didn't know that oral contraceptives offer no protection against sexually transmitted diseases.
By making Plan B available overthe- counter, he adds, “we're pouring kerosene on the fire.”
Whether the availability of Plan B will alter teens' sexual activity will be up for debate. Dr. David Grimes, vice president of biomedical affairs at the North Carolina-based Family Health International, cites recent research — three randomized, controlled trials and one non-randomized controlled trial, all conducted within the past four years — that addresses the potential impact of providing teens with easy access to advanced pregnancy prevention.
“All of (the trials) are in concert that there is no adverse effect and that it does not promote risky sexual behavior. To suggest that it does, I think, is derogatory to women,” Grimes said. “Rarely in clinical medicine do we have an important question in which we have quick, rapid, high-quality responses to lay that issue to rest.”
Grimes also is critical of the FDA's May decision to postpone its ruling on Barr's over-the-counter proposal. He asserts that the regulatory agency ignored the favorable recommendations of its advisory committees — including a 23-4 vote in favor of the over-thecounter proposal — and succumbed to political considerations, rather than heeding the medical evidence.
“The science is clear and incontrovertible,” Grimes said. “No one woman anywhere in the world has ever been seriously hurt or killed by this product.”
Grimes said the same cannot be said for aspirin, which is available over-the-counter to anyone — including children — who can potentially buy a lethal quantity of aspirin with no questions asked. “So, why did the FDA hold this medicine to a different standard?” he asked. “Why? Because it relates to sex, and it relates to women.”
But Janet Smith said that if a family is facing a possible pregnancy, part of the responsibility is accepting the consequences of one's actions, and abortion is “never the right thing to do.” Adoption or raising the newborn within the family are the most appropriate options.
The over-the-counter proposal is “off balance,” she said. “Girls need their parents' permission to get their ears pierced,” but now can get abortions and emergency contraceptives without their parents' permission: “What's wrong with this picture?”
Wayne Forrest writes from Providence, R.I.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Wayne Forrest ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Bishops Tackle Issue of Communion for Politicians DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:WASHINGTON — As America headed into the last month of the presidential race, Catholic leaders and thinkers continued to push the issue of equal protection for unborn children. And bishops and others have made some of the strongest statements yet on whether a Catholic candidate who supports abortion, embryonic stem-cell research or euthanasia should be allowed to receive Communion.
Continuing the debate that began last spring, bishops across the United States weighed in on how Catholics should decide their vote on Nov. 2.
Writing Sept. 17 in The Wall Street Journal, Archbishop John Myers of Newark, N.J., said a candidate's stand in favor of abortion cannot be outweighed by any other issue.
Bishop John Yanta of Amarillo, Texas, said in a column for The West Texas Catholic newspaper that any newspaper that any Catholic politician who continued to support keeping abortion legal after pastoral counseling should be denied Communion.
In Atlanta, Archbishop John Donoghue said a vote intended to “restrict insofar as possible the evil that another candidate might do if elected” could have “a good purpose.” Earlier, he issued a joint letter with two other bishops, telling Catholics “whose beliefs and conduct do not correspond to the Gospel and to Church teaching” not to come to Communion.
And canon law became a hot topic at the National Press Club here, as leading Catholic thinkers took turns tackling the question of refusing Communion to pro-abortion Catholic politicians. The Sept. 16 conference, called “Public Witness/Public Scandal: Faith, Politics and Life Issues,” was broadcast on C-SPAN.
Speakers parsed the implications and impact of enforcing Canon 915, which states: “Those…who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to holy Communion.”
Franciscan Father John Coughlin, a civil and canon lawyer, said Church law obliges bishops to deny Communion to politicians who obstinately refuse to budge from a public position upholding legal abortion despite warnings and efforts to educate them on why their view is contrary to Church teaching. But he said there may be good pastoral reasons for not doing that during an election campaign.
Father Coughlin, a professor at the University of Notre Dame Law School, said recent Vatican documents make it clear that Catholic politicians are in “manifest grave sin” if their voting record “shows a definite pro-abortion or pro-euthanasia position.”
He cited this summer's statement of principles, “Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion,” by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The statement, he said, is a key document spelling out the theological and canonical principles for the determination that Catholic politicians who support legal abortion are in manifest grave sin, as well as the procedures to be followed by Church authorities for dealing with those politicians.
The cardinal sent the statement in a confidential letter to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, head of a task force of U.S. bishops examining that issue, shortly before the bishops’ June special assembly, at which the question was discussed. In early July, the Vatican cardinal's statement was leaked to an Italian magazine.
Attendees at the National Press Club conference agreed that the media misinterpreted part of the statement to support the view that the Church allows Catholics to vote for pro-abortion candidates as long as the voter does not share the candidate's support for abortion rights and there are “proportionate reasons” to support the candidate.
In his column, Archbishop Myers said he found no issue to be proportionate with the 1.3 million abortions performed yearly in the United States, “plus the killing that would take place if public funds were made available for embryo-destructive research.
“What evil could be so grave and widespread as to constitute a ‘proportionate reason’ to support candidates who would preserve and protect the abortion license and even extend it to publicly funded embryo killing in our nation's labs?” the archbishop wrote.
“Certainly, policies on welfare, national security, the war in Iraq, Social Security or taxes, taken singly or in any combination, do not provide a proportionate reason to vote for a pro-abortion candidate,” he added.
Not Just a Catholic Issue
Robert George, McCormick professor of American jurisprudence at Princeton University, laid down some basics in his speech at the conference: “The position that all human beings equally possess fundamental human rights, including the right to life, is the definitely settled teaching of the Catholic Church.”
He reminded the audience that public officials are not obligated to enforce the teaching of the Catholic Church, but to “fulfill the demands of justice” that flow from the principle that every member of the human family, beginning with the embryo, has inherent and equal dignity. The embryo is a person — unlike the sperm and the egg. … Being vulnerable and weak, it needs protection. It deserves the right to life, just like a human being.
“The Church also teaches that it is the solemn obligation of legislators and other public officials to honor and protect the rights of all,” George continued. Those to whom the care of the community is entrusted — above all, those who participate in making the community's laws — have primary responsibility for ensuring that the right to life is embodied in the laws and effectively protected in practice.”
George pointed out that Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry belongs to a school of thought that concedes embryos are human beings because life begins at conception, but denies that all human beings are persons. George referred to an interview this summer in which ABC News anchor Peter Jennings asked the Democratic presidential candidate, “If you believe that life begins at conception, is even a first-trimester abortion not murder?”
Kerry responded, “No, because it is not the form of life that takes person-hood in the terms that we have judged in the past. It's the beginning of life. Does life begin? Yes, it begins.”
In George's analysis, besides being contrary to Catholic values, the contrived distinction between human beings and persons “makes nonsense” of our commitment to the principle that all human beings are equal: “To believe that some human beings are human non-persons is to reject a core teaching of Catholicism. It is quite literally to break communion with the Church. For someone who has thus broken communion to present himself at the Communion table is … to make of holy Communion a sham.”
To Enforce or Not?
So what should leaders of the Church do about politicians who claim to be in communion with the Church, yet promote abortion?
Newsweek reporter and author reporter and author Kenneth Woodward was the most cautious speaker at the conference, which was hosted by Ave Maria School of Law and Our Sunday Visitor Foundation. Acknowledging that “it is long overdue” for the Church to confront pro-abortion Catholic politicians, he urged the clergy to use a “one-on-one” approach in counseling them.
Woodward does not think the Church should “make public declarations and invent rules” in the middle of a presidential election. More than most speakers, he was concerned about public-opinion polls and perception if Church officials appear to act too “blunt” in sanctioning pro-abortion politicians.
Father Coughlin said “it is a source of scandal for all devout believers” to see politicians receive Communion when they publicly oppose Church teaching on abortion. But he offered a defense of bishops who may not seek to bar dissident politicians from Communion immediately.
“The present absence of agreement among the bishops” could lead a dissenting politician to conclude that the law in question is a lex dubia, or doubtful law, and there is a longstanding canonical principle that a doubtful law does not bind, he said.
He also said that “a sudden enforcement of Canon 915,” after many years of non-enforcement, could give an overall impression of arbitrariness, causing pastoral harm.
“Canon law was never intended to influence an election,” so it might be pastorally prudent to wait until after the upcoming elections to begin the process of educating and warning dissenting politicians. He reminded the audience that when Archbishop Burke acted in Wisconsin, it was not during an election period.
“A bishop must consider the effect on his diocese,” he said.
Noting that Kerry comes from Boston, he said that with the Church in Boston embroiled in two years of turmoil over the clergy sexual-abuse scandal, Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley “could reasonably conclude that it was not realistic at this time” to begin the process to bar the Democratic presidential candidate from Communion.
He suggested bishops might begin to give dissident politicians notice that “after a certain time” they are going to begin enforcing the provisions of Canon 915 — “outside the context of an election contest” and in the pastoral context of seeking to get dissenting politicians to understand and accept the Church's teaching.
Father Richard John Neuhaus, editor of First Things, declared this to be the most fundamental issue facing the Church in the United States today. He said it is a longstanding scandal that most bishops have tried to evade their responsibility in calling Catholics to account in years past.
“That's the job of bishops,” he said, “to be concerned about spiritual welfare and to make sure the Church's teaching is not fudged or compromised in public.”
Victor Gaetan writes from
Washington, D.C.
CNS Contributed to this report.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Victor Gaetan ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: At the Threshold of Peter DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia was joined by the bishops of Pennsylvania and New Jersey in an “ad limina” visit to Pope John Paul II Sept. 11. Bishops make these visits every five years to the Vatican to report on the state of their dioceses.
The cardinal, who spent many years in Rome as a student, professor and Vatican official, was archbishop of St. Louis from 1994 to 2003 before his appointment as archbishop of Philadelphia.
He spoke to the Register's Rome correspondent, Edward Pentin, about his visit with the Pope.
How helpful has the “ad limina” visit been to you?
It's been a wonderful experience of communion with the Holy Father and with the other bishops. All of us are very, very thrilled to have this experience, and we have been buoyed up by this visit, to come to the tombs of the apostles and to be with the successor of Peter. Also very important and helpful were the individual meetings with the Holy See and heads of the various dicasteries.
What, to you, were the most important matters discussed?
Usually, the discussions with Holy Father himself, and the individual topics which concern each bishop and his diocese, are not topics we announce. It's important that we all discuss, as a common denominator, the pastoral good of the local churches and how issues there relate to the universal Church. It's always beneficial to meet prefects of the congregations and other department heads at the Holy See who are trying to help us, as bishops, to help serve people of good will. We discuss what is of interest, challenges, problems and needs. They are there to help us, they bring their observations, and we bring ours.
What is your position on the issue of administering holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians?
Every bishop has a challenge to deal with his flock, whether they be 100% Catholic or straying. This is a role which each bishop tries to fulfill in accordance with the teaching of the Church. The Holy See is totally committed to helping individuals to help the bishop fulfill his role. This doesn't only go for one area, but also for various areas of the Church.
Some Catholics are disappointed with what came out of the bishops' meeting in Denver in June, saying that the bishops needed to be firmer and clearer. Some even have gone so far as to question whether the American bishops are serious about protecting the Eucharist from scandal. What do you say in response to that?
What we have to realize is that the Lord, in his infinite mercy, gave his body and blood to be our food and drink in our sinful condition, but at same time, in order to participate in the banquet of life, he has challenged us to conversion, and this is a condition for everyone in his Church. As St. Paul magnificently points out, everyone must examine himself and not take lightly the body and blood of Christ. We are calling all people to conversion, to realize that before we receive holy Communion that we are in a state of grace. As St. Justin wrote, we are only in communion and only receive if we are in agreement with what the Church teaches.
As Catholics, we believe what the Church teaches. This is our commitment. Now, various people are confused; there is bad will, there is good will, there are all kinds of dangers of confusion. We don't want the sacrament to be abused in any way; we want politicians to love and serve life and not to do anything contrary to serving life. But anyone of good will who is looking at the Church knows what the position of the Church is and is careful not to impute a motivation that is not correct.
But, in order to allay some of this confusion, some would argue that the bishops could be clearer.
The bishops have proclaimed the teaching of the Church in and out of season, and for people of good will, this is very, very clear. Everyone is called to follow this teaching. Now, at what point in the life of the Church, in the apostolic community or the community as a whole, does the Church put people out, or excommunicate them? At what point does the Church declare that belonging to the Church must cease?
The Church is a community of people called to conversion, but also of those who are sinners. And part of the sinful condition is to be confused, and many people are confused about different things here on earth, though we won't be confused in heaven. Our job is to proclaim the Gospel, constantly challenging everyone to be consistent, and to receive the Eucharist because we belong to a community of faith, of charity — the communion of the Church.
How is the English Mass translation progressing?
As you know, the International Commission on English in the Liturgy has prepared a first draft of the Ordo Missae (Order of the Mass), and that has gone through various revisions and has been sent out for observations to bishops' conferences. But it's just that, a draft. People have said there are deficiencies, but this applies to all drafts, so it's true, there are some, but no one ever says that first editions will please everyone. People must realize that this is a first draft, but it is a draft that has clear ideas of what the translation involves. Our imperfection as human beings means that we're not able to reach perfection straight away. But we have Liturgiam Authenticam (the 2000 Vatican instruction on translation of the Latin Mass), in which there are two very important criteria: fidelity and proclaimability.
The Holy See is trying to lead the way, and the International Commission on English in the Liturgy is made up of experts who are endeavoring to accept this criteria. They're putting forth their best effort, in writing the draft, making observations, as more suggestions come in and a final text is presented. Therefore, tremendous work has been done; it's a work of scholarship. Is it perfect? No, but we just have to be patient; it has to go through the process. People who criticize it should be offering positive suggestions, and every suggestion should take into account the essential principles and criteria. A good start has been made, there's a lot of work to be done to get the final goal, and it's a very arduous road.
Was the issue of fostering vocations raised in your discussions?
As I said, individual discussions with the Pope and with the heads of dicasteries are not areas we publicize. But you can imagine the tremendous interest there is within the Holy See, as well as among us bishops, of vocations to the priesthood. Fostering vocations is paramount, and if you read the discourses of the Pope and the documents of the Holy See, you'll see this confirmed. So it's no surprise that the Holy See would see immense interest in vocations to priesthood.
Have there been any developments concerning the mandatum?
This is an ongoing topic in the life of the Church. No one thinks the question of the mandatum has been exhaustively treated, and it remains part of (the) law of the Church and the structure of the Church. Everyone is committed to it; the bishops are committed to applying its principles as faithfully and as rapidly as possible. The bishop must be the judge of the local situation and be able to size up the local situation and act accordingly.
What is your opinion on the apparent trend towards legitimizing the killing of individuals who are mentally incompetent and not “brain dead” in the sense that the Church defines the term?
The Church is so vitally interested in protection of human life — from conception to death, but that passes through difficult ways and involves complicated problems. But always, the Church is there to remind the world of the value of every human person and also the primacy of God in what concerns human life. For the rest, we want to make it absolutely sure that no one is denied the right to life, and no one is killed and yet might be in an impaired condition. Also, the Church proclaims the value of the human person, and the value of the defenseless human person who is suffering and cannot defend himself or herself.
Would you like to say anything more?
For the bishops, the “ad limina” is a wonderful opportunity for bishops to experience the community of Church but also to make explicit our proclamation of our faith in Jesus Christ, son of the eternal father, son of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the savior of mankind, and the celebrations at the basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul help us to return to our diocese with renewed vigor to proclaim the core of our faith, Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Edward Pentin writes from Rome.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Inperson -------- TITLE: McGreevey Headed for Stem Cell Institute? DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey, who announced in August that he is resigning over a homosexual affair, recently became the center of controversy regarding the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey.
The Jersey City Reporter said in late August that McGreevey may be appointed to a top-level position with the institute when he leaves office. The newspaper quoted an undisclosed source as saying that McGreevey's chief counsel, Michael DeCotiis, was looking into what positions may be available to the governor at the institute after he leaves office.
McGreevey promoted creation of the institute with the help of the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
The governor announced Aug. 12 that he would step down on or before Nov. 12. Speculation was that McGreevey's successor, state Senate president Richard Codey, would appoint McGreevey to an institute post. Codey is to serve the remainder of McGreevey's term through 2006.
McGreevey's office has denied there is any movement afoot to gain a position at the institute. Attempts to reach his office for comment were unsuccessful.
The possibility of Democrat McGreevey joining the institute raised the ire of New Jersey Republicans, as well as opponents of the institute.
New Jersey's conflict-of-interest law prohibits members of the state Assembly from taking a publicly funded state position created by laws passed during their terms. Republican Assemblyman Bill Baroni this month introduced legislation to amend the conflict-of-interest law to formally include the governor's office under the same two-year moratorium that applies to assemblymen.
“We're not even sure the acting governor will appoint” McGreevey, said Assembly Republican leader Alex DeCroce. “We just wanted to put the brakes on any consideration of the appointment should it be thought of at this point.”
First in Nation
The Stem Cell Institute would be the nation's first state-funded research facility dedicated to such research.
The Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, where there are some 26 stem-cell researchers on site, is actively recruiting senior scientists and physician scientists for the institute. Preliminary blueprints have been completed on the approximately 150,000-square-foot facility adjacent to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Groundbreaking is expected before the end of this year, with completion within three years.
The state allocated $9.5 million to the institute. The institute's managing partners, Rutgers University and the University of Medicine and Dentistry — both state-funded schools — will contribute $1 million each, bringing the total to $11.5 million.
Dr. Ira Black is the founding director of the Stem Cell Institute and professor and chairman of the department of neuroscience and cell biology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He says the institute plans to pursue “basic stem-cell research and biology simultaneously with clinical application, so that we certainly plan to have basic science discovery that is translated into bedside, therapeutic approaches.”
Black defended stem-cell research, pointing to successes with the use of adult stem cells from bone marrow to treat brittle bone disease in children. “With the use of adult bone-marrow stem cells, four out of five young patients have been able to walk with support,” he said. “In addition, they are beginning to grow normally.”
Bone-marrow transplant also is common practice in the treatment of leukemia.
“The potential benefits are quite remarkable,” Black said. “We are talking about the replacement of dead, dying or dysfunctional cells. We envision being able to treat a number of degenerative neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, as well as stroke and spinal cord injuries.” He also cited preliminary success in the area of cardiac disease in animal models.
The Washington Post repoted in June that Alzheimer's is “among the least likely to benefit” from embryonic stem-cell therapy.
But the use of embryonic stem cells is where the debate begins, and it has energized the Catholic Church in New Jersey and the state's Right to Life organization.
Right to Life lobbied against creation of the institute, as well as McGreevey's possible appointment. Marie Tasy, public and legislative affairs director for New Jersey Right To Life, said there were “very obvious signs” that McGreevey joining the institute could be a possibility.
His hiring, the group asserts, would mean the outgoing governor would profit from the project he promoted and have “unfettered access to secure funding year after year (from) which he would personally benefit.”
The New Jersey Catholic Conference, on behalf of the state's bishops, has said the facility would permit research “involving the derivation and use of human embryonic stem cells derived from ‘excess’ human embryos stored at in vitro fertilization clinics or from cloning or somatic cell nuclear transplantation.”
Executive director William Bolan Jr. said the bishops have “great compassion for those who suffer from illnesses and look to such research to cure or otherwise treat their disease,” adding that the group does support research on adult stem cells.
“I am somewhat troubled by unreasonable expectations by those folks who are suffering from diseases and believe that embryonic stem-cell research will cure them, if you will,” Bolan said. “The success has been in adult stem-cell research.”
In its appeal to New Jersey law-makers to oppose the institute, the conference wrote that “the creation and destruction of human embryonic stem cells violate the sanctity of human life (and) violate a central tenet of all civilized codes on human experimentation … These acts approve doing deadly harm to a member of the human species solely for the sake of potential benefit to others.”
Black said one goal of the facility is to determine “which stem cells are most effective for which diseases for which patient under which circumstances.” While that question remains unanswered, he adds that one of the “outstanding questions is to determine what the potential is of so-called adult stem cells versus embryonic stem cells.”
“I can say categorically: We will never clone a human being, nor is this related in any way whatsoever to abortion,” he said. “We are simply talking about obtaining cells so we can compare embryonic cells, fetal cells, neonatal cells and adult cells to find out how each performs and which would be better for which diseases. There is no connection to abortion; there is no connection to the destruction of embryos.”
But the conference points out that the embryo is a human being as soon as the male sperm cell fertilizes the ovum of a female and the union results in the zygote or embryo.
A human embryo is a child in the first eight weeks from conception, a unique boy or girl with his own DNA, life expectancy and right to life.
The institute will partner with multinational pharmaceuticals and biotechnology companies in the private sector. Black said it is too early to discuss which companies may join the venture.
Wayne J. Forrest writes from Providence, Rhode Island.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Wayne Forrest ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Media Watch DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:It'll be Bush-Carey, Not Bush-Kerry
ASSOCIATED PRESS, Sept. 16 — Former President George H.W. Bush and former New York Gov. Hugh Carey will be the headline speakers at the Archdiocese of New York's 59th annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner Oct. 21, the Associated Press reported.
The arrangement breaks with the tradition of inviting the major presidential candidates to the dinner, which raises money for health care.
Archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling said that issues in this year's campaign “could provoke divisiveness and disagreement and could detract” from the spirit of the dinner, which is seen as a light-hear ted tribute to Smith, the first Catholic to run for president from a major party. Zwilling did not identify specific issues.
The wire service said “the relationship between the Catholic Church and the presidential candidates was put into focus” after Vatican Cardinal Francis Arinze announced that Communion should be denied to Catholic politicians who support abortion.
The Bush and Kerry campaigns did not comment on what the Associated Press referred to as “the dinner snubs.”
No Smiling About Procter & Gamble Position
The Times reported that the groups are angry at a statement on the company's internal website opposing a law in Procter & Gamble's hometown of Cincinnati that exempts homosexuals from special civil-rights protection.
A spokesman for Procter & Gamble said the company opposed the Cincinnati statute but not a separate effort to amend a ban of same-sex “marriage” in the Ohio Constitution. “The issue that these organizations are trying to put in our laps is one that we have not taken a position on,” the spokesman said.
Focus on the Family's James Dobson told The Times, “For Procter & Gamble to align itself with radical groups committed to redefining marriage in our country is an affront to its customers.”
Story Gets Worse for Deal Hudson
Hudson resigned as an unpaid adviser to the Bush campaign when an Aug. 19 story in the National Catholic Reporter raised allegations of sexual misconduct a decade ago. Anger over that story, according to The Times, drove the columnists to demand Hudson's resignation.
The Reporter called its Hudson piece a “profile,” but The Washington Times referred to it as an “exposé.” Hudson plans to be involved with fundraising for CRISIS.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Primary in Massachusetts Shows Marriage Issue Still Hot DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:BOSTON — In primary elections Sept. 14, Massachusetts voters went to the polls for the first time since homosexual “marriage” was imposed on the citizenry by the state Supreme Judicial Court, and a half-measure amendment that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman but calls for civil unions for homosexuals emerged from legislative deliberations.
The aftermath of the primary found both sides claiming victory. The website of the Article 8 Alliance, which is promoting an effort to remove the four justices who decided in favor of same-sex “marriage,” highlights the victories of six of seven representatives who support traditional marriage and faced a primary challenge.
Conversely, the website of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus also claims victory. Its website quotes co-chairwoman Arline Isaacson as saying, “The work MGLPC put into the primary elections paid off big time. Working in coalition with many other organizations, MGLPC and our volunteers re-elected every single incumbent who voted with us against the anti-constitutional amendment.”
According to Brian Camenker of the Article 8 Alliance, his organization is claiming a victory because “the gays put enormous resources into these seven races. They brought in a lot of people from out of state and out of district. They must have done two or three mailings a week … all mailed from the same place with the same bland kind of message.”
Asked if that message included anything regarding gay “marriage,” Camenker replied, “No, anything but.” The homosexual-rights lobby is actively involved in targeting pro-traditional-marriage politicians, but endeavors to mask its agenda when it is to its political advantage to do so, he said.
Camenker maintains that in those races where incumbents who support traditional marriage were able to make gay “marriage” an important issue, traditionalists did very well. “The gay ‘marriage’ thing is sort of an undercurrent. Where we were able to expose it, it (the voting) worked out very well.”
‘Stop It’
The representative who is perhaps the most vocal in his opposition to same-sex “marriage” is Democrat Emile Goguen of Fitchburg. He won his primary with 71% of the vote.
“I think some of the legislators that were on the opposite side are going to get a real scare in the November elections if they didn't have an opponent in the primary,” he said.
Goguen said he has been a frequent guest on radio programs around the country because of his sponsorship of the bill of address to remove the justices. “All these people are calling in and wishing me well. The feeling out there is ‘Stop it before it spreads to the rest of the country.’”
He vowed to make the bill of address succeed “if it's the last thing I do.”
In one of the closest races, targeted incumbent supporter of the bill of address Vincent Ciampa (D-34th Middlesex) was narrowly defeated (by 100 votes) by Carl Sciortino. Sciortino made news during the marriage debates when he and his homosexual “partner,” among others, disrupted Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston by turning their backs on the altar during the reading of a Church statement on marriage. Reportedly, some protesters kissed each other inside the cathedral.
The Article 8 Alliance's website has this commentary: “The Ciampa campaign was reluctant to have us do an educational mailing to inform the voters, and as a result many voters did not know about Sciortino's activities.” This fact supports Camenker's contention that where the marriage issue was highlighted in the targeted races, traditionalists fared well.
Ciampa, asked for a reaction to his loss and his immediate plans, said, “I'm trying to weigh what has happened in the precincts.”
He confirmed the accuracy of what the Article 8 campaign said about his not making an issue of Sciortino's actions in the cathedral. “I felt my campaign was a positive one,” he said. “I tried to keep it issue-oriented.”
Asked to comment on Sciortino's actions, Ciampa said, “That was the start of a staged performance that led all the way to the primary where they brought in MassEquality and other (homosexual-rights) groups. His only motive was that this is all about Carl Sciortino and not about the district. In other words, he is going to promote gay ‘marriage.’”
Difficult to Discern
Voter backlash against gay “marriage” was difficult to discern in the overall results. All the incumbents who oppose defining marriage as one man/one woman won. The most impressive victory was garnered by Jay Kaufman (D-15th Middlesex District), who won his primary with 79% of the vote. A legislative aide, Joanna Lieberman, said Kaufman's opponent was “definitely taking issue with Jay's stance on gay ‘marriage.’” But she emphasized that “there are a lot of other issues that Jay stands for that people were supporting.”
Although the Article 8 Alliance was pleased with the results in the primaries on which they focused, not all defenders of traditional marriage said the day's returns warranted much celebration. Larry Cirignano, executive director of Catholic Citizenship, which is helping the Massachusetts bishops educate Catholic voters on public-policy issues, said that “good people did nothing and evil prevailed.”
“Turnout was terrible,” Cirignano said. “Many of the churches have not done voter education.”
He said Catholic Citizenship, which earlier this year retained former Boston mayor Ray Flynn as a spokesman, is trying to get people to register to vote. “People need to pay attention,” he said. “Our point is not be for or against candidates or parties, it is to be for or against issues. Our goal is to have candidates on both sides be pro-life and pro-family.”
John Moorehouse is the editor of Catholic Men's Quarterly (www.housepntghemoor.com), based in Bernardston,
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: John Moorehouse ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Pope's Youthful Poems Describe Heartache of Losing Mother DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:ROME — In youthful, sorrowful poetry just translated from Polish, Pope John Paul II pays tribute to his mother, who died when he was 8 years old.
The Italian publishing house Edizioni Studium on Sept. 15 issued Karol Wojtyla: The Youthful Poems, a collection of verse, translated into Italian, that the young Pole who was to become pope wrote at age 19.
At the time, Wojtyla was enrolled in Jagiellonian University in Krakow, studying philosophy, the Polish language and literature. It was 1939, at the outbreak of World War II.
During the Nazi occupation of Poland, which began in September of that year, he was forced to leave the university and work in a quarry and chemicals factory while studying for the priesthood. In an underground seminary, he became involved in the theater as an actor and a playwright.
“A multiplicity of ideas, presentiments and visions were born and matured in the youthful poems,” the introduction to the new collection says. “The young Wojtyla felt fully aware of being a poet, of having a poetic vocation.”
All the poetry, including a cycle of 17 sonnets and a Magnificat, is infused with a sense of Wojtyla's strong religious faith.
The collection opens with a poem to his mother, Emilia Kaczorowska, who died 10 years earlier in 1929 at the age of 45, a week before her son's ninth birthday. In the poem, entitled “On Your White Tomb,” he wrote:
On your white tomb I kneel with my sadness O, how much time has passed already And yet today it seems little to me.
On your white tomb O Mother — love extinguished — My mouth whispers exhausted:
Give eternal repose.
Amid gathering fears of a German invasion of Poland, Wojtyla wrote a poem called “The Early Morning Song” in which he said: “And when the gigantic Goliath arises/to shatter my youth/I beseech Zion, Pestilence:/Come with salvation.”
The invasion came in September 1939. In a poem dated “Autumn 1939” and entitled “And When David Arrived at His Motherland,” Wojtyla wrote:
“O land, my land! You have given me the tithe/in precocious song and in youth;/I am satiated with your bread, I delight in your wine/until the wind of autumn cuts off my desires/as with a rush, in a blow of the sword.”
This isn't the Pope's first book of poetry.
In 2003, he wrote a personal and pastoral recollection of his years as bishop and archbishop of Krakow. Get Up, Let Us Be Going! came out in Europe in May, and an American edition is to be published this fall.
Collections of later poems, plays and essays on philosophy and theology written by John Paul before he was elected pope in 1978 also have been reissued in recent years.
His best-selling work is Crossing the Threshold of Hope, a long interview on theological questions with Italian journalist Vittorio Messori, which came out in 1994 and sold 20 million copies worldwide.
John Paul is reported to be working on another book to be published next year on the two totalitarian movements of the 20th century — Nazism and communism.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Peggy Polk ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Media Watch DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:Israel to Resolve Visa Problem, Vatican Reports
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Sept. 15 — After months of complaints from Church officials about delays in obtaining visas for Arab clergy, Israel assured the Vatican in early September that the issue will be resolved.
Church officials in Jerusalem said the delays have undermined Church operations in the Holy Land, the Associated Press reported. Israel's interior minister Avraham Poraz met with Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Angelo Sodano before Poraz traveled to Castel Gandolfo, Italy, for talks with Pope John Paul II.
Poraz gave assurances “of having given the necessary instructions for a satisfactory solution” to the visa situation, the cardinal said in a statement issued after the meeting. The statement also said the two discussed negotiations regarding the tax status of the Church in Israel, the wire service reported.
Earlier this year, Israel's interior ministry said Arab visa applications were undergoing special scrutiny, resulting in some of the delays.
French Catholics Help Pay for Pope's Trip
REUTERS, Sept. 17 — A large deficit left after Pope John Paul II's visit to Lourdes, France, in August has already been paid off by contributions from local faithful.
Pilgrims eager to get good seats for the Pope's outdoor Mass on Aug. 15 rushed past the collection boxes, leaving only about $247,000 in contributions, Reuters reported. Officials had hoped to solicit contributions from those in the long lines outside the shrine grounds, but many passed through security without noticing the collection boxes. Shrine officials soon discovered they had $1.6 million left to pay to cover the Holy Father's trip.
Bishop Jacques Perrier of Lourdes appealed to the local faithful for the funds and said he had no doubt they would come through, the wire service reported. “Today, the deficit is covered. What a relief,” shrine officials said in a statement Sept. 17, noting that thousands of people sent in checks with an average contribution of about $100.
Remember Human Dignity, Pope Tells Bankers
CATHNEWS.COM, Sept. 20 — Bankers should be motivated to uphold the “higher values of human living” and not be guided solely by profit, Pope John Paul II told an audience of bankers Sept. 17.
“Your presence in society can become an instrument of true progress,” the Holy Father told 25 representatives of the Italian banking group Capitalia, “offering support for valid initiatives of individuals and groups who come to you for their legitimate financial and economic needs.”
According to CathNews.com, John Paul's remarks were a summary of ideas in his 1991 encyclical Centesimus Annus (On the Hundredth Anniversary of Rerum Novarum), where he noted “the legitimate role of profit as an indication that a business is functioning well.”
“But profitability is not the only indicator of a firm's condition,” the encyclical said. “It is possible for the financial accounts to be in order and yet for the people — who make up the firm's most valuable asset — to be humiliated and their dignity offended.”
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Christ Suffered for the Sake of Mankind DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:Register Summary
Pope John Paul II met with 13,000 pilgrims in St. Peter's Square for his general audience on Sept. 22. He continued his series of teachings on the psalms and canticles of the Liturgy of the Hours’ evening prayer with a reflection on 1 Peter 2:21-24, an early Christian canticle.
“The suffering face of Christ is vividly outlined before our eyes,” the Holy Father noted. He pointed out that the canticle echoes the well-known fourth hymn of the book of Isaiah, which describes the Servant of Yahweh, the mysterious man of suffering, whom Christians see as prefiguring Jesus the Messiah since it describes Jesus’ passion so vividly and profoundly. Pope John Paul II pointed out that Christ suffered with patience and without recrimination or complaint. “This was not some act of blind and passive resignation,” he said, “but a courageous act of trust, which became an example to all his disciples who journey on the dark path of trial and persecution.”
“Christ is presented as the savior, in solidarity with us in his human ‘body,’” the Holy Father said. “By being born of the Virgin Mary, he became our brother. That's why he is able to be by our side, share our pain and bear our sickness, ‘our sins.’ But he is also and always the Son of God and this makes his solidarity with us radically transforming, liberating, expiating and saving.
“So, this is how our impoverished humanity is snatched from the twisted and perverse ways of evil and is brought back toward ‘justice,’ which is to say, God's beautiful plan,” John Paul concluded. “The last line in the hymn is particularly moving. It says, ‘By his wounds, you have been healed’ (verse 25). Here we see the great that Christ paid for our healing!”
Listening today to this passage in the form of a hymn that appears in Chapter 2 of the first letter of St. Peter, the suffering face of Christ is vividly outlined before our eyes. This is what those who read this letter in the early times of Christianity experienced, and this is what people have experienced throughout the centuries as the Word of God was proclaimed in the liturgy and in personal meditation.
Though its setting is within the body of the letter, this song has liturgical overtones and seems to reflect the atmosphere of prayer of the early Church (see Colossians 1:15-20; Philippians 2:6-11; 1 Timothy 3:16). It is also characterized by an imaginary dialogue between the author and his readers, throughout which the personal pronouns “we” and “you” alternate: “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps…. He himself bore our sins in his body … so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds, you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:21, 24-25).
But the pronoun that is most emphasized throughout the original Greek text is the pronoun hos (in English “he”), ringing insistently at the beginning of each main verse (see verses 22, 23 and 24). “He” is the suffering Christ: He who has not committed sin; He who, when insulted, did not react by crying for vengeance; He who bore the weight of the sins of mankind on the cross in order to wipe them away.
The Suffering Servant
Just like the faithful who recite this hymn, particularly during the evening prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours in the Lenten season, Peter's thoughts turned to the Servant of Yahweh who is described in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. He is a mysterious figure that Christianity has interpreted in a messianic and Christological light because he foretells the details, as well as the meaning, of Christ's Passion: “Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured…. He was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins…. By his stripes we were healed…. Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:4, 5, 7). The description of sinful humanity, depicted in the image of a flock that has gone astray, in a verse that is not included in the liturgy for evening prayer (see Peter 2:25), also originated in this ancient prophetic song: “We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).
Christ's Absolute Trust
Thus, two figures cross in Peter's hymn. First and foremost, there is He, Christ, who sets out on the arduous road of the Passion, without opposition to its injustice and its violence and without recrimination or complaint; rather, he entrusts himself and his painful undertaking “to the one who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). It is a pure and absolute act of trust that will be sealed on the cross with the famous last words, cried out in a loud voice as an act of extreme abandonment to the work of the Father: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit!” (Luke 23:46; see Psalm 31:6).
This was not, therefore, some act of blind and passive resignation, but a courageous act of trust, which became an example to all his disciples who journey on the dark path of trial and persecution.
Christ is presented as the savior, in solidarity with us in his human “body.” By being born of the Virgin Mary, he became our brother. That's why he is able to be by our side, share our pain and bear our sickness, “our sins” (1 Peter 2:24). But he is also and always the Son of God and this makes his solidarity with us radically transforming, liberating, expiating and saving (see verse 24).
God's Perfect Plan
So, this is how our impoverished humanity is snatched from the twisted and perverse ways of evil and is brought back toward “justice,” which is to say, God's beautiful plan. The last line in the hymn is particularly moving. It says, “By his wounds, you have been healed” (verse 25). Here we see what a great price Christ paid for our healing!
Let us conclude by listening to the Fathers of the Church — to our Christian tradition that has meditated on and prayed with St. Peter's hymn.
By weaving together one form of this hymn with other biblical allusions, St. Irenaeus of Lyon portrays the figure of Christ the savior in the following way in a passage from his treatise Against the Heresies: “There is only one Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who through his passion has reconciled us with God and has risen from the dead, who is at the right hand of the Father and is perfect in all things: He was buffeted but did not return the blows, .when he suffered, he did not threaten,' and when he suffered cruel violence, he asked the Father to forgive those who had crucified him. He has truly saved us — he who is the Word of God and the only begotten of the Father, Christ Jesus our Lord” (Contro le eresie, III, 16, 9, Milan, 1997, p. 270).
(Register translation)
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Visiting Rome? Plan on the Pope DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:VATICAN CITY — Ah, Christmas in Rome! The Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square, choral concerts at St. Ignatius Church and special events with the Pope.
Pilgrims can still count on all three, say Vatican officials. Despite his age, Pope John Paul II doesn't plan to take it easy this Christmas.
The Holy Father plans to preside at the Christmas liturgical celebrations, as well as the other key liturgies, the Holy See reported.
The “Calendar of Liturgical Celebrations of the Holy Father,” published this month by the Vatican press office, includes the long Christmas vigil Mass on Dec. 24.
The Vatican announcement confirms that the Pope will follow the agenda of previous years. Here are some highlights of the Pope's schedule for the next few months:
Pope Honors Popes
On Sept. 28, John Paul II planned to preside over a 6 p.m. Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for the eternal rest of his predecessors Paul VI and John Paul I.
John Paul II has called Paul VI an “unforgettable pastor” and said the Church should always “treasure his example and his teachings.” He has also singled out for praise Pope Paul's first encyclical, 1964's Eccle-siam Suam (His Church), on the mission of the Church in the modern world. “In that memorable document, Paul VI traced the lines of his plans for his pontificate,” John Paul II said.
John Paul II did the same with his own first encyclical, 1978's Redemptoris Hominis (Redeemer of Man).
He has called Pope John Paul I's brief pontificate “an abundant outpouring of love.”
Year of the Eucharist
On Oct. 17 at 5:30 p.m., the Pope will open the Year of the Eucharist during a Mass in St. Peter's. It will be accompanied by Eucharistic adoration and Benediction. The ceremony will take place on the occasion of the closing of the International Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The Holy Father has named October 2004 to October 2005 the Year of the Eucharist. In his 2001 apostolic letter “At the Beginning of the New Millennium,” he asked the Church to develop powerful new ways to promote Sunday Mass, confession, prayer and community service. He has written an encyclical on the Eucharist and an apostolic letter on confession, and declared a Year of the Rosary.
College Kick-Off
On Oct. 22, the Pope will preside at a Mass in St. Peter's for the opening of the academic year of Rome's ecclesiastical universities. These include the seminary schools of various countries such as the North American College and the Irish College, new schools like the Legionaries’ Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University and ancient schools like the Gregorian and the Angelicum. These schools are largely for seminarians, but it is not uncommon to see lay people attending them. The Mass is a traditional part of the Pope's schedule.
Immaculate Conception
On Dec. 8, John Paul plans to go, as he does every year, to Piazza di Spagna in Rome to render homage to Mary. This is the 150th anniversary of the dogmatic definition of her Immaculate Conception.
In 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed: “We declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which asserts that the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, savior of the human race, was preserved free from every stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and, for this reason, must be firmly and constantly believed by all the faithful.”
College Mass
On Dec. 14 at 5:30 p.m., the Holy Father will celebrate a Mass in St. Peter's for university students of the city of Rome.
It is an opportunity for John Paul to express two of his great loves: youth and learning. In the past, it has also been an occasion for the Pope to call on Catholic schools to strengthen their religious identity and resist the temptation to water down their studies to meet secular standards.
Christmas and New Year
Mass on Dec. 24 will begin at midnight in St. Peter's Basilica, and the Pope will preside. At midday on Christmas Day, John Paul will deliver his message and impart the blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city of Rome and the world) from St. Peter's Square. On New Year's Eve at 6 p.m., the Pope will preside at vespers and at the praying of the “Te Deum” in thanksgiving for the year ending.
(Register staff)
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Population Boom or Bust? DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:The population of the world is increasing so fast that if something isn't done about it, scarce resources will threaten lives.
Isn't it?
No, says Dr. Joseph Chamie, director of the United Nations’ Population Division. The Population Division is separate from the U.N.'s Population Fund, which has drawn criticism from watchdog groups that question its “ideological” use of data.
Chamie has worked with demographic numbers for 28 years. Prior to his work at the United Nations, Chamie and his wife served in the Peace Corps in India. He spoke with Register staff writer Tim Drake from his office in New York.
For the past 20 years, all we've heard about is the coming population explosion. Your recent data suggesting low birth rate and fertility decline seems to fly in the face of all the previous media coverage. What's going on?
I'm fortunate to be a demographer at this point in history. It's like being a sailor in the 15th century, traveling with Columbus. It's the most exciting period in demographic history.
The period of rapid population growth is not over. The second half of the 20th century was record-breaking with how many people we added. On the average, we're adding about 77 million people every year. Ninety-nine percent of that is occurring in the developing world. Twenty-one percent of that is occurring in India.
In ancient times, we had high births and high deaths. Religious leaders said, “Go forth and multiply.” There were no antibiotics. Life was harsh, and people died. In order for your family and community to survive, you had to have lots of births. We were able to make great scientific achievements in bringing down mortality. After World War II, that spread to the developing world. Life expectancy at the beginning of the century was around 30. By the end, it was at 65. I consider that humanity's greatest achievement. You can see your wife survive child-bearing, and see your grandparents and great grandparents in old age. Low mortality is agreed to by every country and culture. It's a precondition for development.
The gap between births and deaths is now closing. It's a part of modern life. We now have low deaths and low birth rates. We're now moving to more countries having low fertility.
In fact, isn't there a new problem — fertility rates that are too low?
One in three countries has fertility below replacement levels. This is increasingly a concern in countries like Italy, Korea and Japan. If you have no immigrants, you will get smaller and older quickly. Neither rapid population growth nor rapid population decline are sustainable for any length of time.
Which countries face the biggest crisis?
We estimate that by mid-century, there will be 43 countries that will be smaller than they are today, some substantially. The Baltic countries could have a decrease of 30% or more. Italy will have 20% less. Hungary will decrease by 25%. Japan is likely to have a 14% decline. In Switzerland, it will be 20%. In Cuba, 10%. In Germany, 5%.
Why is this troubling?
The population aging and decrease is the result of voluntary choices made by millions and millions of couples. This is the first time in modern history that we've had this, so it's uncharted waters.
Can immigration make up for the loss?
Immigration can make a big difference in labor force, but it cannot solve the aging problem. If fertility is low and you bring in immigrants, it changes the composition of the receiving country. The U.S., Canada and Australia have a history of dealing with this. Japan, Italy and Korea have not had that experience.
If Italy would like to keep its population constant, it would need to bring in 250,000 people every year for the next 50 years. If it would like to keep its labor force constant, it would have to bring in 372,000 annually. If it wants to keep the ratio between the working-age population and those over 65 constant, it would have to bring in 2.3 million every year. If we wanted to keep the ratio between working age and those over 65 constant in the U.S., we would have to bring in 12 million each year. That's really not feasible.
Are you a lone voice at the U.N.?
In the early 1950s, population was considered a subject outside the realm of U.N. debate. They felt it should be discussed not in the general assembly, but in the general bedroom. This changed in the 1960s. In our office, we study the entire world. That means those countries that are growing, as well as those that are declining. Some interpret that as political, and the message often gets politicized. They think that I am taking sides. I'm trying to present a comprehensive picture.
What does the future hold in terms of worldwide population?
The future is uncertain. We have a certain range where we expect population to be in the future. Things cannot remain as they are today indefinitely, because some countries would become unreasonably large and some would become unreasonably small. These rates have to come back into balance and harmony.
Next week: “Small Catholic Families.”
----- EXCERPT: U.N. Numbers Cruncher on the Overpopulation Myth ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Media Watch DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:Pope Blesses Ireland on Anniversary of His Visit
Archbishop Sean Brady of Armagh read the blessing at a remembrance ceremony attended by 2,000 people in Clonmacnois in County Offaly, The Mirror newspaper reported.
“The Holy Father prays for renewed vigor and a fresh dedication to the faith,” the blessing said. “He prays especially that, through the intercession of St. Patrick, the people of Ireland will set an example to others of Christian life in this new millennium.”
The ceremony in Clonmacnois isn't the only event marking the anniversary of John Paul's visit. A Mass was scheduled for Oct. 3, when a statue of the Holy Father will also be blessed, according to the Galway Advertiser.
Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, apostolic nuncio, was scheduled to attend the Mass, along with the bishops of Ireland.
Rwandan Priest Boycotts His Own Trial
Father Athanase Seromba was among 44 detainees at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, located in Tanzania, who planned to boycott their trials to protest plans to move detainees and case files to Rwanda, The Australian reported.
The priest turned himself in two years ago and has pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him, the paper said. He is alleged to have prepared and supervised, along with local authorities, the April 1994 massacre of more than 2,000 Tutsis who had sought refuge in his church from Hutu killers.
His lawyers will argue that although he was present at the time of the killings, he was powerless to intervene.
The Vatican stands behind the priest, saying there is no evidence of Father Seromba's guilt.
Spain Set to Approve Homosexual ‘Marriage’
REUTERS, Sept. 19 — Saying “people have to be in charge of their own destiny,” a leader of Spain's Socialist Party said the government planned to approve homosexual “marriage” at an Oct. 1 cabinet meeting.
The reform would then have to be approved by the country's Parliament, Reuters reported. According to a recent survey cited by the wire service, about 70% of the Spanish people approve of homosexual “marriage.” About 95% of the country is Catholic.
Church officials in Spain and Pope John Paul II have criticized the agenda of the new Socialist government, which was installed earlier this year. Church officials have called the new homosexual “marriage” law “dangerous,” according to Reuters, and the Holy Father warned the country's prime minister earlier this year of the decline in morality in Spain.
On Sept. 17, the Spanish government approved a law to make divorce quicker and easier. The government also has said that sometime in the four-year term, it plans to look at making abortion more accessible.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Prayer Campaign DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:Who wins the election is important. But there's something far more important.
Religious people can fall into two different traps when it comes to politics.
The first: Many make the mistake of putting too many of their hopes in politics. This has been a problem since the dawn of Christianity, when two disciples walked away from Jerusalem disappointed by Christ's crucifixion and resurrection because, “We were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel.”
The sign of Christ's victory wasn't political power but crucifixion. How many are tempted to despair today when their candidate doesn't win an election? Christ doesn't need any politician to save the world. He's done that himself.
The second trap for religious people is being unconcerned about politics. No, Christ's Kingdom can't be reduced to the merely political. But the political can't be excluded from its interests, either.
History teaches this lesson whenever Christians fail to be concerned about politics. Could the Catholics of Rwanda — or those who ignored their pleas — have done more to stop the terrifying slaughter of hundreds of thousands there? How about the citizens of Germany in the crazy time leading up to World War II? What about the Christians in Russia during Stalin's murderous reign? All of these countries saw atrocities that were contrary to the morals of nearly all of their populace, but their citizens allowed them to occur by turning away from their responsibilities, in greater or lesser degrees.
America may not have state-sponsored atrocities to fear. But we need to be vigilant in the political realm always, not just when it's too late. Besides, we too have crucial issues at stake in the next election. Abortion kills more than a million unborn children a year. The institution of marriage is in jeopardy of being redefined in a way that will be disastrous for families.
Can Catholics fail to be concerned about a presidential election in which these two issues are the most important difference between the two candidates?
Starting on Aug. 31, Priests for Life organized a special novena of nine weeks of intense prayer ending on Election Day.
It isn't too late to join those who are already praying.
The intentions: that in this year's elections, our nation will embrace the moral values of a culture of life; that America will reclaim her founding principles of faith and dependence upon God in public life; that believers will reject apathy and take an active role in the elections by registering to vote and actually voting; that candidates will understand their responsibility to serve the people, to protect life and family, and to adhere to the law of God.
Here's the prayer to say:
A Prayer for our National Elections
O God, we acknowledge you today as Lord, not only of individuals, but of nations and governments.
We thank you for the privilege of being able to organize ourselves politically, and of knowing that political loyalty does not have to mean disloyalty to you. We thank you for your law, which our founding fathers acknowledged and recognized as higher than any human law. We thank you for the opportunity that this election year puts before us, to exercise our solemn duty not only to vote, but to influence countless others to vote, and to vote correctly.
Lord, we pray that your people may be awakened. Let them realize that, while politics is not their salvation, their response to you requires that they be politically active.
Awaken your people to know that they are not called to be a sect fleeing the world but rather a community of faith renewing the world. Remind them that the same hands lifted up to you in prayer are the hands that pull the lever in the voting booth; that the same eyes that read your Word are the eyes that read the names on the ballot and that they do not cease to be Christians when they enter the voting booth. Awaken your people to a commitment to justice, to the sanctity of marriage and the family, to the dignity of each individual human life, and to the truth that human rights begin when human lives begin, and not one moment later.
Lord, we rejoice today that we are citizens of your Kingdom. May that make us all the more committed to being faithful citizens on earth. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Letters DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:Santorum's Defense
I was deeply disappointed when I read Sen. Rick Santorum's defense of Arlen Specter in his letter to the editor, “Sen. Santo-rum Replies” (Sept. 19-25). His fundamental assumption seems to be that Pat Toomey would have had no chance of winning the general election, and therefore Santorum had to ensure he was defeated in the primary in order to preserve the Republican majority. In fact, Toomey would have had a very good chance in the general election, especially with a popular senator like Santorum supporting him.
Also, Santorum defends Specter by pointing out that he voted for Clarence Thomas, without mentioning the fact that he only did so because he was soon up for re-election and he later called Thomas “a disappointment.” Specter also worked with Ted Kennedy to torpedo the nomination of pro-life judge Robert Bork.
I have no reason to believe that, if Specter is re-elected, he will work with the pro-life Republicans in any way. And I cannot believe that Santorum continues to defend his terrible decision to support him.
SHAWN GRUBBS
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Icon Intrigue
“The Pope, the Bishop and the Lost Icon of Moscow” (Sept. 19-25) failed to provide accurate information about the Blue Army's role in returning the icon to the Russian people. The Blue Army was not unaware of the icon's identity or value, as suggested in the interview with Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.
When I served as executive director of the Blue Army USA, I was told that the icon had been found in England and authenticated by a Russian Orthodox bishop in exile. It was said that a Russian Orthodox community in California had attempted to purchase the icon, but their funds for this purpose were stolen. John Haffert, co-founder of the Blue Army, then raised donations from Blue Army members to ransom the icon for the exclusive purpose of keeping it safe until it could be returned to Russia. The return of the icon was envisioned after the end of atheistic communism there, as promised in the message of Fatima. It was first taken on a tour of the United States and then kept in a strongly locked viewing case in the chapel of Domus Pacis, the Blue Army International pilgrim center in Fatima.
Pope John Paul II asked for the icon of Kazan and the Blue Army immediately gave it to him — first, because he is Pope, but secondly, because it was clearly more fitting that the Pope return the icon to Russia than that it be returned by a Catholic lay association. Its great value to the Russian people seemed to require this.
From the start, the Holy Father had no other intention than to return the icon of Kazan to Russia, and he expressed this desire to Bishop James Sullivan, then president of the Blue Army USA. The Holy Father hoped to return it personally, which would have been fitting. Unfortunately, this did not turn out to be possible, and so he eventually had to return it through emissaries.
The Russian Orthodox patriarch's response to the Holy Father seems to indicate that he doesn't realize or appreciate the sacrifices made by so many Roman Catholics to preserve and ultimately return this precious icon.
E. WILLIAM SOCKEY III Venus, Pennsylvania
Lip Service
Regarding “Kerry's Record Speaks for Itself” (editorial, July 18-24):
In a mind-boggling exercise in pandering, John Kerry recently said in an interview in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald: “I oppose abortion, personally. I don't like abortion. I believe life does begin at conception. But I can't take my Catholic belief, my article of faith, and legislate it on a Protestant or a Jew or an atheist … who doesn't share it.”
If Kerry had been running for president in 1860, would he have proclaimed that he was personally opposed to slavery, but he didn't want to impose his belief on Southerners who didn't share it or seek to overturn “settled law” as defined in the Dred Scott decision or amend the U.S. Constitution, which defined blacks as three-fifths of a human being?
So Kerry only gives lip service to his Catholic faith? He believes in the Church and its rules, but he votes opposite of what the Church teaches as a U.S. senator? If Kerry does not legislate his beliefs, pray tell, on what did he base all his votes? Someone else's personal beliefs, as in “the devil made me do it”?
Laws against murder are not based on religion. Even atheists oppose murder. And if you believe that life begins at conception, then you must believe arbitrarily ending that life is wrong.
DANIEL SOBIESKI
Chicago
Communion Controversy Continues
Thank you for publishing the leaked memo from Cardinal Ratzinger regarding the norms for denial of Communion to Catholic politicians (“Memo: ‘Obstinate’ Politicians Must Be Denied Communion,” July 18-24).
I'm writing with the hope that your paper can seek further clarification from the cardinal's office regarding a passage in that memo that is becoming a source of confusion among Catholic voters. The passage from the memo is: “When a Catholic does not share a candidate's stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.”
Without clarification, the statement can suggest that a Catholic can vote in good conscience for even the most extreme pro-abortion candidate if the voter makes a mere interior note that he is not voting for the politician's stand on life issues, but is voting for the candidate's other issues. Can the cardinal really be advancing a moral loophole that can be invoked to permit a voluntary severance of intention in the act of voting when it comes to abortion and the other life issues?
A commentator recently used this passage to suggest just as much by announcing that Catholics can vote for Kerry in good conscience. However, this commentator ignored the qualifying clause of “in the presence of proportionate reasons,” upon which the whole moral teaching hinges.
This minor clause has rather major implications for Catholics reflecting on the moral effects of voting for pro-abortion politicians.
MICHAEL SULLIVAN
Chicago
Unfit = Unwanted
In “Couples Ask: What's Wrong With In-Vitro Fertilization?” (Aug. 8-14), Register staff writer Tim Drake points out the Church's opposition to in-vitro fertilization, which is centered around her desire to protect the dignity of the human person, warning against domination over the origin and destruction of the human person. A glaring example of such heinous domination is taking place here in the Midwest.
In the tradition of Nazi human experimentation on those deemed “unfit,” the Chicago-based Reproductive Genetic Institute recently announced that they are engaged in what Pro-Life Wisconsin recognizes to be modern-day eugenics. The clinic has announced that they have sacrificed “genetically flawed human embryos” by extracting their stem cells to begin 12 new stem-cell lines (the first to be formed from embryos with specific diseases), as reported by the Associated Press in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on June 14.
This is accomplished when multiple human beings are illicitly formed through in-vitro fertilization. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis is then performed and the dysgenic embryos are sorted out. Those identified as “unfit” are unwillingly subjected to deadly stem-cell extraction. Stem-cell lines are attempted to be derived with the hope of finding a cure for the exact diseases for which these particular embryonic people are discarded. In Chicago, the sacrificed human embryonic children were found to have genes identified to cause seven different diseases, including muscular dystrophy, blood disorders and a form of mental retardation.
The bottom line is that human beings are being formed for the express purpose of sorting the fit from the “unfit” and using the “unfit” for the perceived good of society. In-vitro fertilization has set us on an inhumane course toward this type of utilitarian treatment of individuals, which can never be tolerated in a civilized society.
PEGGY HAMILL
Brookfield, Wisconsin
The writer is director of Pro-Life Wisconsin.
Carl Olson Fan Club
Carl Olson's thoughts are always so well stated, but, without question, “Holy Cloud!” (Spirit & Life, July 11-17) was extraordinary. His personal touch in taking his faith back to his (evangelical-Protestant) family after his conversion to the Catholic faith could not be more touching or memorable for this reader.
Eliot, Chesterton and Thomas Aquinas are some of my favorite faith writers, and Mr. Olson really rounded off a great contribution by teaching and inspiring with their excellent writings.
BILL MCCUEN
Doylestown, Ohio
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Governing God DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:I am writing to disagree with the editorial “When Only God Is Censored” (July 11-17), which argues that the stripping of religious symbols from the public square intrudes on the rights of Christians to worship.
Take the 10 Commandments displayed in the Alabama state courthouse by Judge Roy Moore. This display is an endorsement of not only monotheism, but specifically Judeo-Christianity. One does not need this government endorsement in order to worship in their beliefs. Hindus don't need a display of Vishnu in a courthouse to practice their beliefs. The government shouldn't be advocating for a certain god or certain beliefs.
That should only be between a person and his god, if he or she has a god.
Second, your editorial stated that “religion is key because America is a system of self-government.” One doesn't need to be religious to be moral or a good citizen. One can be an atheist and be moral; one can be an atheist and be immoral. One can be a Christian and be moral or immoral. What is necessary in a system of self-government is that people respect the rights of others.
JEROME MCCOLLOM
West Milwaukee, Wisconsin
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Courageous Evil DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:Recently, Karl Keating sent out an e-letter in which he noted his concern about “the attitude, so prevalent among political conservatives (most of whom are religious conservatives), that there are no limits in defensive warfare: If the other guys started the fight, they deserve whatever they get.”
Not surprisingly, he drew quite a bit of harsh criticism for his remarks. In discussion of the nuclear annihilation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that Keating's letter provoked on my blog, somebody wrote: “If I was never forgiven for this by my God, I believe I can honestly say I would sacrifice my own soul so that Japanese deaths (as well as American) could be reduced.”
What strikes me about a statement like this is how much it reminds me of Milton's Satan. There are certain temptations to wickedness that present themselves under the guise of noble self-sacrifice. Different flavors of humans see different forms of (mark this) grave rebellion against a holy God under the delusional appearance of courage and selflessness.
But the underlying temptation is always the same: We persuade ourselves that we are being, not rebels and sinners, but heroes.
Leftist rebellion against God, obsessed as it is with “pelvic issues,” often takes the route of cloaking its rebellion in the garb of Forbidden Love Standing Against Authority: “If loving you is wrong, I don't wanna be right” — the theme song of every degenerate, stalker, pedophile and adulterer in the world. It sings brave, self-glorifying songs about defending sexual freedom and choice while it pursues the death of innocents for a higher cause. To normal, healthy people, the prideful self-delusion is obvious. These people are not heroes. They simply want what they want. God can go to hell, for all they care, if he stands in the way of their desires.
Meanwhile they see themselves as great, romantic heroes. Such is sin's power to blind.
But the problem of prideful self-delusion is not simply found on the Left. To those on the Right, the temptation to cast God as Perverse Authority Opposed to the True Good tends to happen more in the arena of anger than in the arena of lust. And so, we get the spectacle of Internet Catholics courageously declaring (after the beheading of Paul Johnson by terrorists):
“If I were the governor of New Jersey (where Johnson lived), and I heard about the tape that announced the threat to Johnson's life, I would mobilize the National Guard around a mosque in Newark or Jersey City, roust the Muslims in that city out of their homes and businesses, transport them to the mosque — and say that, if Johnson is beheaded, the mosque will be destroyed by tank and mortar fire, and everyone inside will be killed. That is the only language these Muslim bastards understand.
“If I were a member of the Johnson family and I heard about the threatening tape, I would abduct the local imam and his family, and threaten to do to them what the terrorists threatened to do to Johnson. Then I would do it.
“Yes, I would go to jail, probably even be executed. I don't care. It would be worth it.”
Think about this perspective. An alleged disciple of Christ seriously proposing that the way to do what is good and right is to defy God and murder innocent people such that his own soul could very well be accursed for all eternity.
We may well tremble as we contemplate the question: “If professing Catholics can think such things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Some will argue that St. Paul described how he could wish himself accursed and separated from Christ for the sake of his brothers, “my kin according to the flesh” (Romans 9:3). But he meant he was willing to suffer the torments of Christ, who did not sin, yet became sin for our sake. He did not mean, “I'm willing to annihilate a mosque full of innocent men, women and children — or a gymnasium full of Russian children — in an act of mass murder for the sake of a higher cause.” He did not propose, “Let us do evil that good may result.”
Indeed, he darkly warned that those who said and lived such things deserved the condemnation they would get (Romans 3:8).
In short, Paul was saying, “I would offer myself as an innocent sacrifice, if I could,” not “I will commit sins as black as hell and earn the eternal wrath of God, for the good of the fatherland.”
So it's not just the Left in the Church that often seems to see God's justice as a system of rules which must be sometimes broken by heroes who must defy the Old Man Upstairs for the sake of their Own Heroic Vision of the Good. The Right can also fall into this deadly trap.
And in making that choice, they can even become what they hate: champions of the ruthless murder of innocents for a higher cause. The One Ring can corrupt even (and perhaps especially) the Bold Men of Gondor.
So what gives me the right to pontificate about all this? Do I think I'm immune from such temptation?
On the contrary, as C.S. Lewis remarked about the temptations he chronicled in The Screwtape Letters: “My heart (I need no other) sheweth me the wickedness of the ungodly.” I hope that, should the choice be thrust upon me, I could do what is right and not deliberately seek to destroy innocent human life. But I hope even more that God will hear my plea, “Lead us not into temptation.”
Mark Shea is senior content editor for CatholicExchange.com.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Mark Shea ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: Beauty Will Save the World DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:Near the end of the 19th century, Fyodor Dostoevsky perceived that the frameworks of human society were crumbling.
Church, state, the family, academia, the sciences — all of them would lose their authority with future generations. With prophetic clarity, he wrote that, as all other conduits of meaning lost their power, “Beauty will save the world.” Why? We must figure this out, because the answer will give us the energy to make the sacrifices that the restoration of beauty in the Church will demand.
What does beauty have to do with salvation, and what should it mean to the Church's composers, musicians, artists and pastors?
In his great fable Till We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis includes a haunting passage that tries to get at the way beauty feels in us. The young princess, Psyche, tells her sister that beauty fills her soul with something that is both happy and sad.
She says, “It was when I was happiest that I longed most. It was on the happy days when we were up there on the hills, the three of us, with the wind and the sunshine … where we couldn't see the village or the palace. Do you remember? The color and the smell, and looking across at the Grey Mountain in the distance? And because it was so beautiful, it set me longing, always longing. Somewhere else there must be more of it. Everything seemed to be saying, ‘Psyche, come!’”
This kind of longing is itself a religious experience. The Holy Father noted in his 1999 “Letter to Artists” that the yearning that proceeds from an encounter with beauty is the unique source of a vital and saving “enthusiasm.” This sense of enthusiasm comes from the original Greek meaning of the word for moments in which the gods literally took possession of certain people, empowering, energizing and animating them with a divine vision. The Pope notes, “People of today and tomorrow need this enthusiasm if they are to meet and master the critical challenges which stand before us. Thanks to this enthusiasm, every time it loses its way, humanity will be able to lift itself up again and set out on the right path.”
There is a desperate need in the Church for works of art that can summon and foster this kind of holy longing and saving enthusiasm. From the hymns that we sing, to the homilies that are preached, to the environment around the worshipping community — all of these should be evaluated from an aesthetic standard, as well as from theological and canonical ones. The arts can connect people to God and each other with a potency that exceeds theological or catechetical study. Woe to us as a Church if we fail to harness their power.
A commitment to beauty is meaningless without a requisite commitment to the things that beauty demands. If we are going to ever have beautiful things in the Church again, we have to change a number of things in the way we operate. The Church will not be the patron of the arts again without a bit of elitism and sacrifice.
Beauty is rare and exclusive. And the next conclusion is unavoidable: The people who can produce beautiful art are also rare. Artistic talent has nothing to do with the qualities of a person's heart or the level of their devotion. For most pastors, the most difficult aspect of leading the movement to restore beauty in the Church won't be writing checks, but will be confronting those very nice people who should never be allowed anywhere within 100 feet of an open microphone.
I once belonged to a parish that was tortured weekly by two of the nicest Catholic folks you might ever meet. “Tone-deaf Charlie” and “Tempo-free Doris” had been strumming their guitars, banging their tambourines and trilling dreadfully at the Sunday-morning liturgy for as long as anyone could remember. In my nightmares, I still hear Doris chiding all of us wide-eyed sufferers, “Come on now, you all know this song: ‘Awaaaaaaaaaake from your slumber! Ariiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiise from your sleeeeeeeeeeep!’”
They were quite awful. Finally, a group of us parishioners recruited a sponsor and a few music grad students from the local university to stop the insanity and bring some beauty to our Sunday Mass. But when we brought the fully funded proposal to our pastor, he killed it. “I would never want to offend Charlie and Doris. Maybe their voices aren't that good, but their hearts are pleasing to God.”
This was nothing but cowardice wearing a mask of charity. It isn't charity to spare the feelings of two people while flaying the sensibilities and pastoral needs of hundreds of others.
Beauty is in the harmonious selection of details. In a liturgical sense, it means things like getting the lighting just right and having flowers that are, well, alive, and tastefully arranged. It means vestments that are cleaned and ironed, and vessels that are polished. It means all the elements should be coordinated to be either beautiful in themselves, or at least so well-ordered that they will not attract any attention from the beautiful things going on at the heart of the liturgy.
This is why hi-tops and wrinkled vestments on the altar servers are not acceptable. These things, in their inappropriateness, have a jarring effect and take the people out of the liturgical moment.
Beauty is expensive to produce. “You get what you pay for” is nowhere more true than in the choir lofts of most churches. My sister is a professional opera singer. She gets $100 a week to cantor at the local Episcopalian church, which has an endowed chair for a mezzo soprano. At our church, they want her to sing for free and, as she has said to me with a shrug, “They want me to sing crap.” The music in our churches will continue to be abysmal until we make paying for it as much a reflex as paying for the lights and heat.
It's a matter of adopting a new priority. There will never be beautiful music at Mass by accident or coincidence.
But even having talented people is not enough. Beauty requires lavish investments in time and patience, too. There is only one way to deliver a homily that will work on people as a powerful piece of oratory. There is only one way for a lector to get to the point of proclaiming the Word of God so that the hearers can absorb its deepest meanings. There is only one way for an organist to be able to deliver a haunting melody and a singer to trill the right note in the right tempo. Rehearsal, rehearsal, rehearsal. We have to get it through our heads that we aren't just paying our artists to perform at the 10 o'clock Mass. We are paying them for all the time they need to invest to perform at the 10 o'clock Mass. Again, a rethinking is required.
In terms of liturgical environment, a commitment to beauty will mean the overall setting for the liturgy tends to help the people get past their distractions and enter into a climate of prayer. Admittedly, this will be nearly impossible in the church-in-the-round buildings that have proliferated in the past 30 years.
In its buildings, the Church could at least take a cue from the secular side. There's a reason the best theaters and opera houses aren't built in the round. The point is to gather the audience's attention toward the action for which they are paying. No one who goes to see Shakespeare wants to be distracted by the audience. Why would this dynamic be less in effect for people who come to encounter the divine?
Beauty is not necessarily just found in old things, but many old things are beautiful. The best notion is from the Scriptures, “Blessed is he who can bring forth from his storehouse both the old and the new.”
In my years with the nuns, we used to have the custom at the motherhouse of saying the rosary outside together from May to October. Altogether, we would be about 100 nuns, walking in rows around the convent's grounds. We'd end by chanting the Litany of Mary. I used to love it best in the Latin. (I had studied Latin for two years, so it was more than just the texture and the sounds; it was the meanings, too.) I will never forget the power of those times of prayer: the coolness of the summer evenings, the colorful flowers in the garden out of which rose the life-size marble statue of the Madonna, the voices of the sisters, some of them adding spontaneous harmony.
I used to feel my heart swelling with the psalms, “How good it is for us to be here!”
I imagine that, had it been photographed, that image of the group of us, all looking the same in our habits and chanting the same old words, would be horrific to some people. It would smack of the loss of individuality and spontaneity. But I didn't find that ritual diminishing. I found it comforting. There was something so steadying in the knowledge that, for 50 years, our sisters had been singing together on a hill outside Boston, calling down God's love and mercy on all the hoards of people of the city and of the world.
Some old things are very, very good.
We need to be clear that the people of God do not attend the liturgy as people going to watch a performance. They are not the audience, but rather the players. The members of the community who organize the liturgy are simply and humbly serving the work of art that is the joint creation of the people of God. The goals of their efforts are to rouse the assembly to reverence plus compunction.
In the closing of the Pope's “Letter to Artists” are words that should intently be applied to the work of the progression from beauty to wonder to enthusiasm:
In this sense, it has been said with profound insight, “beauty will save the world.”
Screenwriter Barbara Nicolosi is the director of Act One: Writing for Hollywood.
She writes from Los Angeles.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Barbara Nicolosi ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: Love and Etiquette DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:The Internet has become, among many other things, a kind of guide to life.
The Bible is out; Internet advice is in. The problems we now face in the early years of the 21st century are those for which sacred Scripture, presumably, has no answers.
A case in point is the awkward problem of meeting same-sex in-laws. The TV sit-com “It's All Relative” explores the conflict between a girl whose parents are homosexual WASP dads and their relationships with her “conservative” Boston in-laws. Although critics complain that the show panders to stereotypes (“gays are fussy, straights are slobs”), they are pleased to see that both sets of parents are “loving” and “responsible.” Love is apparently all we need.
Jenny is a real 25-year-old daughter of two male homosexuals. Dan is her fiancé. Bill, who is Dan's Catholic, blue-collar father, is more than uncomfortable about his future in-laws. “I don't want to validate the gay partnership by treating them as any other couple,” he protests, “and the thought of even being in the same room with them makes me sick.”
At this point, Dave Singleton, author of the Internet-posted article “Meeting the Gay In-Laws,” tells us how to categorize Bill's attitude. It is, he casually informs us, an unfortunate example of “religion-based homophobia.” Such an attitude, of course, is never to be approved, tolerated or accepted. “Younger people are much more accepting,” says Dan. Jenny agrees, adding, “Normal to them is when people love each other.” These judgments are rather severe and pretty much relegate Bill to the status of a moral troglodyte.
Singleton is not stingy about using such non-morally neutral expressions as “love,” “be kind,” “care deeply,” “right to make different choices” and “the best for him or her.” There can be little doubt that he is a moralist who is not timid about distinguishing between right and wrong.
Yet, the level on which he preaches is not the world where real love operates. It remains on the surface of human relationships, confined to the thin veneer of etiquette. We expect comedy from a sit-com, not moral insight. What we often get, however, is a form of propaganda that aims at reducing morality to etiquette. And what is etiquette other than the fine art of being nice?
“The greatest kindness one can render to any man,” St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, “consists in leading him to truth.” Would sophisticated modern society be able to endure such random acts of kindness? To love is to will and promote the real good of others. If we do not know what that good is, we cannot love. Love and kindness are not mere polite responses but revolutionary acts.
Love is transformational. Because of this, many find it terrifying. “Meeting the Gay In-Laws” (with its “nine simple rules”), and other like pieces that are posted on the Internet, invite us to exchange the Bible for the Book of Etiquette. But the former commands us truly to love one another, realistically and courageously, while the latter merely advises us to minimize the discomfort we might inflict on others during the social encounter. This is a worthy aim, but not a lofty one.
In addition, since the Bible enjoins us to love everyone, even Bill would remain in the loop. The worst thing we could say about being guilty of “religion-based homophobia” (if there is such a thing) is that one is guilty of a sin. Yet Christ commands us to love sinners. We would still have to love Bill and refrain from ridiculing him and exiling him in a social limbo. But what happens to the person who is, as T. S. Eliot once said, “fixed and formulated in a phrase”? Inevitably, he must be banished from “liberal” and “tolerant” society, to be discussed only as a museum piece that belongs permanently and irrevocably to the pre-enlightened, post-modern world.
We will not be saved or redeemed or reformed by etiquette, but only through love. And love is not what we learn from either sit-coms or politically correct Internet postings. The God of love is also a God of truth. Where there is no truth, love cannot take root. Love without truth, in fact, is no more reliable a guide to life than a TV sit-com.
Donald DeMarco is adjunct professor at Holy Apostles College & Seminary.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Donald DeMarco ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: Francis' Way DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:Looking for St. Francis? Go to Assisi and look anywhere.
Rarely does an entire geographical region resonate with the presence of a person who walked its way long ago.
But in Assisi, Italy, you can feel the company of not one, but two former citizens everywhere you go. Never mind that Saints Francis and Clare died in the 13th century.
Of course, seeing a profusion of Franciscan priests and religious in their familiar brown or gray robes — and, always, their sandals — helps to remind you that this is no ordinary place. And that Francis, whose feast day is Oct. 4, was no ordinary man.
The fragile-looking Francis, as depicted by Giotto and other artists throughout the centuries, is hardly ever depicted as the dashing knight he was before Christ called him to “rebuild my Church, which is falling into ruin.” At first, Francis thought God wanted him to repair the chapel in San Damiano in which he'd received the mysterious calling via a large, painted crucifix. But gradually he came to see that his mission was much bigger — at which point he exchanged all he had, including his belongings and his bright future in the secular world, for a life of uncompromising commitment to Christ. Soon, he was known as Father Francis to his band of like-minded brothers. To the people of Umbria, he was il poverello, the “little poor one,” who went about preaching the Gospel more with how he lived than with what he said.
For a brief refresher course in Francis’ life, as well as a look at some of the early Renaissance's finest art, start with the upper church of the Basilica of St. Francis. You'd never know it today, but in1997, a powerful earthquake devastated the Assisi area. Lives were lost, and thousands were left homeless. Many buildings were ruined and, along with them, priceless works of art. The basilica itself was dealt a heartbreaking blow when Franciscans lost their lives and some of the finest frescos became a heap of rubble. Dedicated, brilliant restorers have reconstructed many of the damaged frescos and the basilica reopened in time for the Jubilee year 2000.
After basking in the brilliance of the stained glass and the majesty of the columns, follow the cycle of frescos, from the school of Giotto, which depicts 28 episodes from Francis’ life. Among the best known are Francis giving away his cloak, listening before the San Damiano crucifix, renouncing all worldly goods, creating the Christmas crib, preaching to the birds and receiving the stigmata.
Now visit the beloved lower church, which seems only the more precious for the damage it suffered in the earthquake. Your eye is likely to catch on a familiar face beaming out at you from a fresco by the great Cimabue (Chee-ma-BOO-ay): Francis with halo and stigmata alongside the Madonna and Child. Here, too, are scenes from the Nativity and Flight into Egypt (school of Giotto) that you may also want to look for in reproduction in the church's gift shop. The magnificent artistry of Simone Martini shines from a polyptych that includes Francis, an ethereal Clare and others.
In the Chapel of San Martino, an exquisite painting of Saints Clare and Elizabeth, along with the life of St. Martin, are among Martini's gems.
Close by, the tomb of St. Francis is moving in its Franciscan simplicity: There lie the mortal remains of the seraphic saint.
Touching Tunic
Other Franciscan sites lie outside the town, but before leaving its heights, stop at St. Clare's cathedral — where, if you are fortunate, cloistered nuns will be singing. Here you'll see the famous San Damiano crucifix, the most famous of all painted crucifixes for what it communicated to Francis. Relics of the two saints — including the tunic she embroidered for him, and her own — are touching remembrances, and in the crypt, the wondrous Clare herself was buried.
Less than three miles away, on the plain below Assisi, the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels houses one of the most holy places in St. Francis’ life. You may wonder what is special about this large church at first, but inside you will see the Portiuncula, or the “little portion,” enclosed for its protection. This small chapel and its grounds, once owned by the Benedictines, were given to Francis and his initial 12 followers. Alongside the little chapel, on each side, the brothers built huts for themselves. From here, they went daily out to the road to preach the Gospel.
Outside the Walls
It was to this clearing that St. Clare, 18-year-old daughter of a noble family, fled to join this new movement of Christians. The brothers led her by torchlight through the woods to a convent, where she lived until the Poor Clares order was founded.
Nearby stands the Chapel of the Transito, containing the original hut that served as an infirmary. St. Francis spent his last hours here and died on Oct. 3, 1226, after being placed on the bare ground, as he had wished.
Outside Assisi's walls, in the hills, stands San Damiano. This is where Francis prayed passionately for guidance, and a voice from the crucifix (now in St. Clare's) told him to repair the Church. Later, at San Damiano, Francis received the stigmata and composed the “Canticle of the Creatures.” By then, he was nearly blind.
Built against the rock of Mt. Subasio, this peaceful hermitage saw Francis and his followers often, in prayer and meditation. This hermit-age or retreat may make you feel that way, too. Bring along a little book of his prayers, which take on a life of their own here.
The mystical love that created Franciscan Assisi still touches us today. The “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22) seems to echo in all Francis’ works and words: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Within this setting, it is difficult to imagine the good earth trembling so that even part of the main basilica in Assisi collapsed.
Perhaps, as one of the friars suggested, God is again asking us to rebuild his Church.
Barbara Coeyman Hults is based in New York City.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Barbara Coeyman Hults ----- KEYWORDS: Travel -------- TITLE: Closed Church, Open Hearts DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:In my heart, Our Lady Help of Christians will always be my spiritual home. Even now that I'm no longer a member. And even when it's no longer a church.
Let me explain. Recently, Archbishop Sean O'Malley announced the closing of 65 parishes in my home area, the Archdiocese of Boston. Among them is the parish I grew up in. Since 1948, it has been a source of so many blessings.
In 1952, Father John Scollan broke me in as an altar boy at the parish. Vesting for Mass, he would kiss the stole, cincture and other vestments with such reverence that I became filled with wonder over what, exactly, was taking place before me. On Jan. 30, 1954, my dear friend and mentor, Father Scollan, suffered a heart attack and died on a Saturday afternoon while hearing confessions. At the time, I was crushed, but I have never forgotten him or ceased asking him to intercede for me and my loved ones.
How could I ever forget Madeline Ryan, who was a daily communicant at Our Lady's and a pillar of the church? One time, she chastised me and my fellow altar boy, Jim McMullen, for giggling on the altar during Mass. Miss Ryan was a wonderful person, someone I admired greatly as I grew older.
In 1969, a fire destroyed Our Lady's. I remember rushing to the church in the dead of winter and standing in the freezing cold and darkness, watching the flames light up the sky. I remember asking myself, “How could Our Lady let this happen?” Within months, the church was rebuilt and, soon enough, the fire became a distant memory.
As a boy, I could look out our dining-room window and see Our Lady's. I remember how hard it rained on the Saturday in May when I proudly put on an all-white suit and received my first holy Communion. Now I could go to Mass with my dad every day and receive Our Lord in the Eucharist daily.
I was confirmed at Our Lady's by Bishop Jeremiah Minihan, a great college football player at Georgetown who at one time served as chancellor of the Archdiocese of Boston. Through him, I received the grace to become a mature Christian — a soldier of Christ, as we were taught.
How could I ever forget the ringing of the Angelus from Our Lady's steeple? Three times each day, the solemn bells would toll, announcing the Annunciation. As a youth, especially if I was in a particularly wistful mood, I would briefly stop, listen to the bells and ponder what I was hearing. “What is this mellow sound that speaks so clearly of mystery?” I would subconsciously ask myself. Then I would go about the business of getting to the ball field for another game of pickup baseball.
Today, many are saddened by the closing of Our Lady Help of Christians Parish, which is located in a historic suburb of Boston. Our hearts go out to the pastor, Father Austin Fleming, and the current parishioners of Our Lady's.
Change is never easy. Yet we Catholics must push forward with hope and expectant joy in our hearts. There are new frontiers ahead, new souls to be evangelized, catechized and encouraged daily while it is still “today” (see Hebrews 3:13). The challenges are many, and the Church is so much more than a single parish, or even the sum of all its parishes.
Meantime, Our Lady Help of Christians will never die — not in my heart nor in the hearts of generations of faithful Catholics who came to Christ before her altar.
Wally Carew, author of A Farewell To Glory, writes from Medford, Massachusetts.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Wally Carew ----- KEYWORDS: Travel -------- TITLE: Weekly TV Picks DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:SUNDAY, OCT. 3
Rutan's Race for Space
Discovery Channel, 9 p.m.
This exciting documentary charts the preparation, from design to flight testing, for the first non-government, privately funded, manned flight into space. Investor Paul G. Allen of Vulcan Inc. and alternative flight pioneer Burt Rutan spearheaded the project. Early in the morning of June 21, 2004, the dream became reality as Mike Melvill piloted SpaceShipOne into space, 62 miles above the Mojave Civilian Aerospace Test Center. Rutan says they wanted to prove that it doesn't take billions of dollars to reach space.
MONDAY, OCT. 4
St. Francis of Assisi — Perfect Joy
Familyland TV, 9:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.
This half-hour show documents the timeless true story of 13thcentury St. Francis, from his youth to his conversion and on to the rest of the magnificent life he spent for Christ.
TUESDAY, OCT. 5
Donut Crazy
Travel Channel, 6 p.m.
This hour-long documentary takes us back to 1920 to show us how Adolph Levitt invented his automatic doughnut machine.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 6
The Teammates
ESPN Classic, 1 a.m.
All Boston Red Sox fans will want to tape this baseball special. It chronicles more than a half-century of friendship between former Sox greats Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr, Johnny Pesky and Ted Williams, the last man to bat .400 (he hit .406 in 1941).
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 6
Gate of Heaven: Solemn Consecration
EWTN, 10 p.m.
Pray along as Bishop Raymond Burke (now St. Louis archbishop) celebrates a Tridentine Latin Pontifical High Mass and consecrates beautiful St. Mary's Roman Catholic Oratory of the Immaculate Conception in Wausau, Wis., on May 31, 2003. The Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, has restored the 1893 church and has charge of it. Re-airs Saturday at 1 p.m. and next Sunday at 10 a.m.
THURSDAY, OCT. 7
D-Day: The Lost Evidence
History Channel, 8 p.m.
Heroism and the high cost of war are on view as this two-hour documentary uses special software to bring to life low-level aerial photos, previously seen by few people, of the Allied landing at Normandy on June 6, 1944. Advisory: TV-PG.
FRIDAY, OCT. 8
Fall in New England
Travel Channel, 9 p.m.
You won't want to miss this spectacular tour of the autumn scenery. The foliage is expected to be even more brilliant than usual this year, thanks to the relatively cool and wet spring and summer.
FRIDAY, OCT. 8
Presidential Debate
PBS, 9 p.m.
At Washington University in St. Louis, pro-life President George W. Bush (Republican) and pro-abortion challenger John Kerry (Democrat) go toe to toe on the issues.
Dan Engler writes from Santa Barbara, California.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Daniel J. Engler ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Now Playing DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:1 SHALL WE DANCE? (Miramax) Director: Peter Chelsom. Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Saran-don. (PG-13)
Take One: U.S. remake of a popular Japanese film stars Gere as a world-weary lawyer whose spirit is stirred by the daily sight of an elegant young dancer glimpsed from his commuter train in the window of a dance school. Soon he's secretly taking classes and discovers that one of his coworkers is also a regular student.
Take Two: Deprived of the rigid social code of the original Japanese setting, the story can't make narrative sense of motivations and behavior, and characters act in unconvincing ways. Macho attitudes about dancing lead to jokes involving negative attitudes toward homosexuality, which are basically harmless until a very brief last-minute sop to homosexual viewers. Some profanity and offensive language; suspicion of infidelity.
Final Take: Despite flaws, the film's ultimately romantic view of a long-standing marriage of an older couple (and climactic wedding bells for another character) is winsome and could make for an okay date movie for mature viewers.
2 SHARK TALE (Dream-Works) Director: Bibo Bergeron et al. Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renée Zellweger. (PG)
Take One: So there's a shark who doesn't eat fish. Shark Tale is as different from Nemo as the Shrek flicks are from the Toy Story movies. Set in a coral-reef Times Square, it's breezy, satirical and allout anthropomorphic. Smith plays a broke young street fish who works at a whale wash but wants to make it big and gets tangled up with a loan-shark mob boss (De Niro).
Take Two: With its hip-hop milieu and Angelina Jolie's bad-girl piscine temptress (think of sultry Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit), this Tale may be inappropriate for youngsters. There's some crude humor and, while it avoids Shrek 2-style cross-dressing jokes, adults may not appreciate (though kids won't notice) themes involving a sissy shark who at one point “dresses” like a dolphin as a disguise, to his macho father's chagrin.
Final Take: High-energy storytelling with jokes and culture references every five seconds, and decent messages about not needing riches to be someone, the foolishness of get-rich-quick schemes and gambling, telling the truth and taking pride in oneself and one's family make Shark Tale a good bet for 'tweens and up.
3 THE FORGOTTEN (Columbia) Director: Joseph Ruben. Julianne Moore, Dominic West, Gary Sinese. (PG-13)
Take One: What the father-son bond was to Frequency and the marital bond and doctor-patient relationship were to The Sixth Sense, mother love is to this Twilight Zone/X-Files—“esque thriller with a pro-life twist. Moore stars as a grieving mother who lost her son in a plane crash and is now inexplicably losing every sign that he ever existed.
Take Two: The Forgotten has a great premise and a couple of terrific “gotcha” moments, but in the end, the story turns on a “black box” plot device that exists solely to explain away improbable goings-on, but which can't itself be satisfactorily explained. At least the story plays fair with its secret, tipping its hand early enough to avoid an abrupt last-reel genre switch (a la Vanilla Sky). Some violence, profanity and offensive language; and sexual references.
Final Take: Despite gaps in narrative logic, the emotional power of the premise and Moore's performance make The Forgotten far more enjoyable than other recent thrillers (e.g., The Village). And pro-life viewers will cheer a climactic moment that turns on a mother's bond with her child preceding birth, in which the memory of life growing inside her gives the heroine strength to hold on.
4 SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW (Paramount) Director: Kerry Conran. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Angelina Jolie. (PG)
Take One: A wide-eyed tribute to the pulp-adventure era of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon, Sky Captain puts real actors into a beguilingly unreal computer-generated world. It's a soft-focus, retro—“sci-fi dream of the 1930s, with dirigibles and pulse blasters, intrepid girl reporters and dashing ace-pilot heroes, giant robots and doomsday devices.
Take Two: Sky Captain entertains and impresses, but never really engages; unlike Raiders or Star Wars, its heroes never become more than types. And why, in a tame PG action film that could easily have been fine family entertainment, did the filmmakers add a gratuitous lewd remark and a few suggestive elements glaringly inconsistent with the nostalgic milieu?
Final Take: More or less must viewing for golden-age Hollywood buffs and computer-imaging enthusiasts; others may enjoy it if they keep their expectations in check.
5 THÉRÈSE (Luke Films) Director: Leonardo Defilippis. Lindsay Younce, Defilippis, Linda Hayden. (PG)
Take One: Catholic actor-director Defilippis's reverent, uplifting, straightforward biopic covers the major events in the life of Thérèse of Lisieux, portraying her not as a typical movie saint, off-puttingly otherworldly and ethereal, but an ordinary girl, if a pious and devout one, who gets hurt feelings and struggles with math.
Take Two: The film offers little insight into Thérèse's teaching, little exploration of her “little way” of spiritual childhood. In its zeal to honor her virtue, it neglects the natural obstacles she had to overcome. As a result, there's little sense of why she is reckoned modernity's greatest saint — let alone only the third female doctor of the Church in 2,000 years.
Final Take: Despite its flaws, it's sweet, inspirational movie-making that will be enjoyed by Catholics who love the Little Flower, or who are open to learning about her. It lacks the psychological depth and spiritual insight that attracts non-Catholics to Story of a Soul. But nominal or lapsed Catholics could be moved by its simple portrait of devotion and piety.
Steven D. Greydanus is editor and chief critic of DecentFilms.com.
----- EXCERPT: A Register's-eye view of five current box-office leaders ----- EXTENDED BODY: Steven D. Greydanus ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Weekly DVD/Video Picks DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999) Eagerly anticipated after a 16-year hiatus, the first installment in a new trilogy of Star Wars “prequels” has justly been both praised and derided. No Star Wars film is more flawed — and no film has taken us to imaginary worlds at once so boldly conceived and so grandly realized.
Character design is worthy of the legacy of Darth Vader and Jabba the Hutt, from Vader forerunner Darth Maul, cutting a satanic figure as a horned, red-skinned Sith lord tough enough to fight two Jedis at once, to obese, spluttering Boss Nass and pratfalling Jar-Jar, to a host of wacky creatures intended, like Ewoks, to appeal to kids. Unfortunately, these kid-centric elements aggravate other problems. Why is the tone so serious and weighty, the dialogue so formal and devoid of lighthearted banter?
Despite its flaws, The Phantom Menace remains an enjoyable film, one that establishes the foundations of the Star Wars universe for the rest of the films.
Content advisory: Stylized sci-fi battle and combat violence.
Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones (2002)
Though it still doesn't recapture the charm of the original trilogy, Attack of the Clones improves on its predecessor, The Phantom Menace, combining more enjoyable characterizations and dialogue and better-paced storytelling with even more dazzling imagery in its continuing tale of the lad who grows up to be Darth Vader. Once again, spectacle is paramount, and Clones offers a more satisfying look at the astounding worlds only glimpsed in Phantom Menace. There's a lot of action, of course, including two sequences (a dizzy aerial chase scene and a big coliseum sequence) that, more than anything in Star Wars history, evoke the series’ matinee inspirations, Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon.
Clones also offers intriguing moral implications. Marriage and celibacy are both depicted as valid institutions (the Jedi are celibate, and there is a wedding, complete with two witnesses), and the film even touches, on its pulp level, on concerns about human cloning that promise great benefit but end in dehumanizing reality.
Content advisory: Stylized sci-fi battle and combat violence.
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)
Who but Ernst Lubitsch could have pulled off a winning romantic-comedy classic starring Jimmy Stewart that dares to include tragic undercurrents as a frank subplot involving adultery, attempted suicide and the collapse of a marriage?
The delicacy and sureness of the “Lubitsch touch” may never have been more crucial to the success of any picture than The Shop Around the Corner, a delightful film with an excellent ensemble cast and a classic mistaken-identity premise that has inspired a number of lesser films.
The shop in Shop is Matuschek & Co., a retail shop inexplicably set in Budapest, where the largely American cast have names like Kralik (Stewart), Klara (Margaret Sullavan) and Matuschek (Frank Morgan). Head clerk Kralik is Matuschek's right-hand man, but he gets off on the wrong foot with the unemployed Klara, who's looking for a job and surprises Kralik by getting herself hired by Matuschek. From the get-go Kralik and Klara rub the other the wrong way in person — yet they soon connect anonymously via a lonely-hearts ad, and unwittingly discover that there's more to the other than meets the eye.
Content advisory: An offscreen extramarital affair; a thwarted suicide attempt; romantic complications.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Steven D. Greydanus ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Campus Watch DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:Scared of Science?
CHRONICLE.COM, Sept. 14 — The Biological Society of Washington has publicly distanced itself from a paper, published last month in its journal, that challenges Dar winian evolution, saying that the paper, which suppor ts intelligent-design theory, should not have appeared in the journal. However, it did not retract the paper.
The ar ticle was written by Stephen Meyer, director of the Center for Science and Culture at the Discover y Institute in Seattle. It was accepted by the journal's previous editor, Richard Sternberg, a fellow of the International Society for Complexity, Information and Design, which promotes the idea that nature has a purpose.
Meyer's paper contends that current evolutionary theory cannot explain how new animal forms developed in the distant past. It advocates intelligent design, which holds that biological systems are so complex that they could have arisen only through the action of an intelligent force.
Trinity University
ASSOCIATED PRESS, Sept. 10 — Trinity College has been renamed Trinity University, reflecting its growth and expanded programs.
In 1897, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur founded Trinity in Washington, D.C., as one of the nation's first liberal ar ts colleges for women.
The undergraduate liberal ar ts college will keep the name Trinity College and continue as an all-women's school.
Catholic U. Stands Tall
The university said its action is in accord with the teaching of the nations' bishops that Catholic colleges are not to give “awards, honors and platforms” to those who oppose the church's fundamental positions, par ticularly on abor tion.
A 2003 Tony Award nominee, Tucci is best known for starring in the Italian-restaurant film Big Night. He is also a member of Planned Parent-hood's “celebrity coalition.”
Anonymous $Million
LORAS COLLEGE, Sept. 16 — The liberal-ar ts college of the Archdiocese of Dubuque announced that it has received an anonymous gift of $1 million.
Jim Collins, president of Loras, said half of the gift would be allocated to the “For the Glory” campaign for a new athletic and wellness facility, while the other $500,000 would be used for scholarships.
Earlier in the year, the college also received a $1 million donation from Eldon and Marge Herrig of Dubuque.
Eligibility Dispute
The coach said that he had been given an incorrect list of eligible players and that his firing ended a simmering feud with the Jesuit college's athletics director, William Stein.
Kochman said he had written at least two letters to the college's provost to complain about the management of the athletics program.
Stein said the firing was strictly about the eligibility issue.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: Faith and Science on Speaking Terms DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:In his 1998 encyclical
Legionary of Christ Father Rafael Pascual, director of the program, spoke with Zenit news service about how to foster a “harmonious relationship” between scientists and theologians.
What can be done to encour age greater cooperation between the person of faith and the person of science?
I think that it is necessary to overcome what is commonplace. The time has arrived to re-establish the dialogue, called for in Fides et Ratio, between the world of reason and that of faith. Just as the Church is not afraid of science and its developments, so science should not be afraid of the Church.
Dialogue does not mean “absorption,” but reciprocal respect. As early as the First Vatican Council, there was already talk of two orders of knowledge: that of reason and that of faith. But as Fides et Ratio reminds us, they are not “separate”; therefore, dialogue is possible. There are many points of meeting and questions of limits. Neither one can pretend to explain everything. Each one of the two has something specific to say about the world, about man and about God.
What is the objective of your upcoming discussion on scientists and believers?
The idea is to help people understand, more with facts than with speculations, that there can be a harmonious relationship between the person of science and the person of faith. In fact, there have been many people who have had no difficulty at all in combining both dimensions, without falling into a sort of mental schizophrenia.
It is not true that science is incompatible with faith. It is not true that there is incoherence in the fact that a man is concerned with science during the week, and then goes to Mass on Sunday. Again, the key is found in recognizing that there are two orders of knowledge and that neither one of the two must seek exclusivity.
With this course we “scientists and believers” wish to show that dialogue between science and faith is not only a theoretical question, but that it is really possible and that there have been, and still are, many men and women who have no problem in living their scientific vocation and their life of faith in full harmony and without breaks of any kind.
When one looks closely at the life of a scientist such as Galileo, who revolutionized physics in his time and who lived with the spontaneity and clear head of his faith, one sees the concrete possibility of being able to reconcile these two orders of knowledge to avoid an epistemological dichotomy which is not good either for the believer or for the scientist. A trivialized and linear evolutionist view already forms part of common thought. In reality, accredited scientists, including nonbelievers, maintain that such a theory shows many deficiencies and is certainly different from the way it has been popularized.
You have a specific course on the theory of evolution and the doctrine of the Church. Could you explain briefly what the Church's point of view is and in what way it differs from Darwin's theory of evolution?
Faced with certain questions, science can arrive at a certain point but cannot go beyond, and it is necessary that scientists be honest and recognize their own limits, derived, for example, from the experimental method.
Obviously, science cannot say anything about something that cannot be experimented with empirically, and if it does say something, it can only do so incompetently, because it has gone beyond its own limits.
The doctrine of the Church states that, in general, the theory of evolution would not be in conflict with the truth of creation, unless it was presented from a materialist and anti-finalist perspective — and both positions are not scientific, but rather philosophical, and must be so treated.
Moreover, there are “firm points” that must be kept in mind, especially when contemplating the question of the origin of man: His soul is created immediately by God — it cannot arise from matter because it is spiritual — and man, being made in the image and likeness of God, is called to eternal life and has a dignity that must be respected.
A master's in science and faith invites many questions. To whom is it directed? What are the topics you reflect on and develop? What kind of formation do you offer? What topics will be addressed in public conferences?
The master's is directed to all those who wish to engage in the dialogue between science and faith — scientists, science professors, scientific journalists and the like, as well as clergy, philosophers and theologians, religion professors, catechists and pastoral-care agents.
The topics we study, as can be seen in the master's program, are all those that in one way or another are related to the dialogue between science and faith. … To foster this dialogue, additional courses are offered, such as “Physics for Philosophers” and “Biology for Philosophers.” The lectures will especially address all those topics that will enable us to cover the most significant questions, led by experts in specific fields, many of whom are points of reference and direction at the national and international level.
Thus, the master's, which has also opened a collection of publications on these topics, is offering its original contribution, in keeping with the invitation in Fides et Ratio and other interventions of John Paul II, to this dialogue — always fruitful, but not always easy — between science, philosophy and faith.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: Behold the Queen, a Humble Handmaid DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORD: A SCRIPTURAL JOURNEY WITH MARY by Jeanne Kun
The Word Among Us Press, 2003
177 pages, $12.95
To order: (800) 775-9673 or www.wordamongus.org
Because she is the quintessence of humility and faithfulness, the Virgin Mary is a role model par excellence for those who want to actively develop those two virtues. In much the same way — specifically, by presenting the milestones of Mary's life as recorded in the Bible — this Scripture study can do a great deal to increase its readers’ faith and humbleness of heart.
That would be an especially noble aim to set for oneself Oct. 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
Author Jeanne Kun presents the key events that have come to define Mary through the ages in 10 sections: The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity, The Presentation, The Adoration of the Magi, The Flight into Egypt, The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple, The Wedding at Cana, At the Foot of the Cross, and Pentecost.
Although Kun calls the sections “Reflections,” each includes a breadth of material that seems to take it beyond that. Beginning with a telling verse from the Bible account, Kun adds a pithy quotation from a prominent Catholic writer or theologian. These introductory quotes are printed over a softly screened black-and-white image of the Virgin's beautiful face, enlarged from the color reproduction of Gerard David's The Rest on the Flight into Egypt that graces the book's cover. Gazing at that iconic face is itself an act of meditation.
Next is a lyric poem in which Kun meditates on the subject at hand. These lines are from “Anna's Heir”:
“I stand, Lord, keeping eager watch/as Anna did in distant times before me,/filling the full measure of her years/secluded in the temple/in adoring expectation./Now I am heir to her post,/a sentinel/still waiting through the long darkness/for the dawn of your return.”
Now, the reader tackles the full Scripture narrative. “Reflecting on the Word” adds historical background, commentary on related Bible passages, and interpretations by well-known scholars and historians, such as St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Venerable Thomas of Jesus, Pope John Paul II, Sister Wendy Beckett, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Romano Guardini.
“Pondering the Word,” the next portion, is an opportunity to write in responses to questions about the particular event in Mary's life. “Living the Word,” a similar activity, helps readers apply the truths of Scripture to their own lives.
Most books designed for Bible study and meditation end with the author's questions to the reader.
Kun includes two additional gems. “Rooted in the Word” offers, as Kun explains, “brief comments on various attributes of Mary, as well as of others in the Bible — among them Ruth, Hannah and Abraham — that are modeled in the corresponding scene. Additional Scripture texts further illustrate the virtue or character trait highlighted in the particular section. A selection from a Catholic writer — ancient or modern — concludes each chapter. These excerpts, under the heading ‘Treasuring the Word,’ are indeed treasures from the Church's rich Marian heritage.”
Kun works with Christian renewal communities and movements all over the world, giving retreats and seminars. This is her first book for The Word Among Us Press, whose stated goal is to encourage people “to come to know the love of the Heavenly Father more deeply.”
“We accompany Mary through the crucial events of her life,” writes Kun, “and she accompanies us on our pilgrimage of faith.”
As pilgrims encounter deep communion with all three persons of the Trinity, they will reach a clearer understanding of why the Church has given such honor to the mother of our Lord. May this book also guide them to faith and humility sufficient to discover their own Marian “movements that stir the heart.”
Ann Applegarth writes from Roswell, New Mexico.
----- EXCERPT: Weekly Book Pick ----- EXTENDED BODY: Ann Applegarth ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: Dakota Disciple DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:Priest Profile
When Father Jason Lefor was in his last year of college, he began to believe that God was calling him to become a priest. What was his response?
“I did the obvious thing,” he recalls. “I ran away.”
He left the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks before his final semester and moved to Oregon, where he operated a bike shop, worked on a hay farm, and coached high-school basketball, track and tennis teams.
“I did all these things part time,” says the priest. “I ran from God full time.”
Like the prophet Jonah, who went to the far ends of the earth to escape God's call, the young priest-to-be found that running only brought him deeper into the arms of God. He returned to school, earned a degree in English and psychology in 1993 and served as a chaperone for 23 high-school students attending Pope John Paul II's World Youth Day that August in Denver.
“The day after we returned from the trip,” he says, “I found myself on the doorstep of Cardinal Muench Seminary in Fargo, North Dakota.” He spent two years there studying philosophy and Latin before graduating and enrolling at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis for four years of theology.
He was ordained in 1999 for the Diocese of Fargo. Now 33, he cannot imagine a happier, more fulfilling life. After a year at a parish in Grand Forks, and another year working in the St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center at the University of North Dakota, where he had been active as a student, Father Lefor became the pastor of three rural parishes. His main parish is St. Brigid of Ireland in Cavalier, spiritual home to 175 families. His two mission parishes are Saints Nereus and Achilleus in Neche, with 48 families, and St. Anthony's in Bathgate, with 12 families.
Father Lefor also serves as spiritual director to the Bethlehem Community, a small group of families and consecrated lay-persons who starting living a communal life when they were Baptists and entered the Catholic Church together in 1993. The community publishes traditional children's books under the Bethlehem Books logo and answers the toll-free customer service number for Ignatius Press.
With roots deep in North Dakota soil, Father Lefor is comfortable in a rural setting. His last name, he says, rhymes with heifer, “which is appropriate because I grew up on a dairy farm milking 65 cows twice a day.” His hometown is likewise named Lefor, after his great-grandfather, who settled in the area with four of his 17 brothers.
Verbal on Vocations
Seasoned by his own foot race from — and, finally, to — the priesthood, Father Lefor is not shy about promoting vocations among young people today.
“He talks about vocations,” says Cindy Miller, director of religious education at St. Brig-id's. “He's not afraid to encourage (young people), even strongly encourage them, to attend youth rallies, diocesan days at the seminary and trips to the seminary in St. Louis.”
Miller appreciates the positive influence Father Lefor has on young people. He teaches religious education to all the high-school students, including her three teen-agers.
“I see Father relating to the kids where they are, in their own setting and ways of thinking,” she says. “As a parent, I can see how much he can affect the way they think and view the world, that everything is related to love of God and neighbor. He really has a gift of working with young people.”
Father Lefor also is involved in the diocese's marriage-preparation program. While at the Newman Center, he helped develop a curriculum based on Pope John Paul II's “Theology of the Body,” which sees the proper expression of human sexuality as a sign of God's love in the world.
“He has a great understanding of the Pope's teaching and can make it accessible not only to married or engaged couples, but to students as well,” says Kathy Call, a teacher in the marriage-preparation program. “Father Lefor is able to connect the ‘Theology of the Body’ to all branches of theology so that there is one cohesive teaching coming from the Church.”
For his part, Father Lefor says the greatest joy he receives as a priest is bringing people “into the intimacy of God's love” and then stepping back to let the Holy Spirit take it from there.
“If someone asked me why I became a priest, I would say simply that my small mind could not conceive of a more joyful way to exist in this world,” he adds. “If God would have me, then I am very eager to serve him.”
Stephen Vincent writes from Wallingford, Connecticut.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Stephen Vincent ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Modesty Rocks! DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:Get a group of grown-ups talking about teen fashions, and it's only a matter of minutes before someone stops the conversation cold with a terrifying question:
What will they come out with next?
Enter Ella Gunderson. Remember her? She's the preteen Catholic from Redmond, Wash., who made headlines last spring by writing executives of Nordstrom, the respected retail chain. Suddenly the hand wringing paused as millions of ears inclined to hear what the youngster had to say.
“Your clerks suggest that there is only one look,” she wrote. “If that is true, then girls are supposed to walk around half-naked. I think you should change that.”
Much publicity followed, including an appearance on NBC's “Today Show” with Katie Couric. The most intriguing development came when Nordstrom and many others in the teen-apparel industry publicly promised that this fall's styles would trend more toward modesty than in years past.
Fall's here. Have they made good on their pledge?
“I actually did notice that the girls’ section was more appropriate this year,” says Sherianne Ricks of Seattle, Wash., mother of 10-year-old Danielle.
“Last year, I really had to search to find clothes that wouldn't show so much, but this year, we found jeans that weren't so low and tops that were long enough to cover her belly. No spaghetti straps anywhere to be seen. We even found some floor-length denim skirts.”
Some others were not as impressed.
“When I first heard that the trends were leaning toward more modest styles, I thought, uh-oh, what am I doing here?” says Charity Miller of Salbrook, Calif., proprietor of Far Above Rubies, a newly established online clothing business aimed at providing teens and young women with fashionable, modest alternatives to current skin-baring styles. “But then I realized that the looks they are calling ‘modest’ are wool sweaters or tweed blazers paired up with teeny, tiny miniskirts. They are only halfway there.”
A dearth of modest fashion options for young women was what propelled Miller to start her business (online at www.faraboverubies.com). Many of her current customers are young women and parents who are unhappy with the fashion industry's definition of “modest fashion.”
Indeed, when asked about this year's more modest styles, Gigi Solis Schanen, the New York-based fashion editor for Seventeen magazine said, “If modesty is what you are looking for, it's going to come full force in the fall. The ’50s sexy-librarian look is in.”
Sexy?
“This is just what the Holy Father was talking about when he referred to a ‘culture of death,’” says Father John Gerth, a teen mentor known as “Father J” on the website of the Catholic youth group Life Teen.
“We need to move away from a popular culture that turns people into objects. Lately, there's been a rise in the acceptability of magazines like Maxim and FHM that promote immodesty and the objectification of human beings. The culture takes a living, breathing human being and turns her into an object.
“When we dress immodestly, we do that same thing to ourselves,” adds the priest. “Other people are not seeing our humanity, only our form.”
Father Gerth believes that, when it comes to encouraging young people to make appropriate fashion decisions, parents are more powerful than they realize.
“Be convicted,” he urges parents of teens. “Our young people will probably never say it, but they really do want strong parents. There are so many other voices in the world trying to steer them away from the truth. Peers and television tell them, ‘Wear this’ or ‘This product will make you happy’ — but parents are the voice that young people need to hear the most. Catholic parents should not be afraid to take a stand against things contrary to their faith.”
Rules Rule
Theresa Kuhar, a mother of six in Philadelphia, is not afraid. Not only does she bar her own teen-age sons from wearing the offensive-slogan and suggestive-picture T-shirts popular with boys — but she also makes her “house rules” clear to their friends.
That's not to say that they're not welcomed with Christian hospitality.
“If any of the guys who come to spend the weekend come in with inappropriate clothing, they are offered one of the boys’ T-shirts and a room to change in,” she says. “If they decline, they are asked to leave and shown the door. In general, they know the rules and are glad to obey them in return for a comfy couch, a stocked fridge and a full complement of video games.”
Kuhar has developed a unique way of helping her kids to recognize a poor choice on their own. When her 15-year-old son recently asked to purchase T-shirts celebrating drunkenness, she asked him if he would feel comfortable wearing them to Mass. He admitted that he wouldn't, and he didn't buy them.
“I almost always frame my answer in the context of Mass, and it solves the matter on the spot,” she says. “If you can't be seen in church wearing it, it doesn't belong in our house.”
Father Gerth applauds mothers who, like Theresa Kuhar, take a strong stand on the importance of appropriate dress. And he emphasizes the importance of a father's involvement as well, particularly with regard to a daughter's clothing choices.
“So much about what is wrong with women's fashion has to do with women seeking to meet the expectations of men,” he explains.
“A dad is so important because he can give his daughter a male perspective on the matter,” he adds. “He can tell his daughter what he remembers about the ‘type’ of girls who would dress immodestly when he was younger. He should tell her, I don't want you to be a ‘type’ of girl. I want you to be a child of God.”
Ultimately, according to Father Gerth, a person's fashion decisions and outward appearances matter because they are a reflection of who a person is on the inside. As a result, he finds the suddenly ubiquitous verbiage on the rear-ends of girls’ shorts and sweatpants particularly distasteful (not to mention the recent explosion of tattoos on girls’ legs and lower backs, along with jewelry affixed to their bellybuttons).
“Why be a walking billboard for Company X?” he asks. “We are called to be a walking billboard for Christ. Don't strive to be popular — strive to be saved. Don't worry about making lots of friends. Worry about leading (yourself and) others to Christ.”
“Sometimes,” he says, “that can be as simple as changing your clothes.”
Danielle Bean writes from Center Harbor, New Hampshire.
----- EXCERPT: Fall fashions in focus ----- EXTENDED BODY: Danielle Bean ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Under the Microscope DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:Family Matters
Is it my imagination — or are more and more parents getting criticized by others for disciplining their kids?
If it's just your imagination, then you and I share the same fantasy life.
A mother once called my radio show with the following scenario. She and her two daughters (12 and 14 years old) were attending a pool party. Come dusk, the hostess asked the parents to shepherd the kids out of the pool. Several parents took up negotiating positions poolside and began to ask, nag, beg and cajole their kids to get out and dry off. More than one promised a reward in exchange for compliance.
Mom said she walked to the pool, caught her daughters’ attention and wordlessly motioned with her hand for both to exit the water. The girls followed her direction without a fight. Mom said that, upon observing this peculiar “obedience” phenomenon, the other parents made her the talk of the party.
What do you think the parents talked about? If you surmise something like, “How did she do that?” you would be as wrong as I was on the air. The general tone of the feedback Mom heard was: “It's not normal for kids that age to be so cooperative. What could be going on in their home for the kids to be so submissive toward their parents?”
It couldn't be that the girls were learning, through appropriate discipline, to respect and obey their mother's God-ordained authority. Oh, no — anything but that. It had to be that the parents had psychologically intimidated their children into becoming Stepford kids, walking in robotic lockstep to their tyrant-parents’ dictates.
How in the world did so many adults get such a warped perception of healthy discipline? Let us count the ways. No — we don't have space for that here. Let's just take a whack at the lowest-hanging fruit on the tree.
First, there are “the experts.” As a group, these well-meaning teachers have preached for decades that the modern, enlightened means to elicit kid cooperation is through words and reason. If that fails, discipline is a last resort — and it must be applied in a benign way. This mindset has permeated “proper” childrearing. Thus, those who are strong parents have come to be seen as psychological throwbacks, parenting barbarians who don't realize the havoc they are wreaking on their kids’ delicate psyches.
Then there is the popular culture. As a society in general, we are far less respectful of authority than we were a few generations ago. Anyone in a position of authority — parents, teachers, police, military, employers, clergy — is viewed as a suppressor of personal autonomy and expression. The legitimacy of authority is always open to question, particularly when we're being told to do something we don't want to do — or not to do something we do want to do.
And then there are the child-development theories constantly bandied about in the media. Merely because of their age, for example, adolescents are supposed to be uncooperative, moody or obnoxious. So says modern childrearing theory. Therefore, any kid who becomes more likable as she makes her way into and through teenhood — still respecting her folks and enjoying their company — is likely to be considered an oddity. Not quite normal, somehow.
You need look no further than at lots of home-schooled kids who, because they are far less soaked in peer-group mentality, seem to become “typical teens” in strikingly smaller numbers.
So, no, it's not all in your head. Good discipline isn't so universally admired as it once was. Be confident that you're on the right track even when others single you out for scrutiny. Your children will provide indisputable evidence that yours was the right way, after all.
Dr. Ray Guarendi is a father of 10, a psychologist and an author. For more of his wit and wisdom, go to DrRay.com.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Dr. Ray Guarendi ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: All Sizes Succeed DATE: 10/03/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 3-9, 2004 ----- BODY:Facts of Life
Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved injections of a drug that can make short kids taller. The decision was based partly on the belief that short stature is emotionally disabling for children. “Bunk!” says a study published in the September issue of the medical journal Pediatrics. Researchers found that height plays no role in the number of friendships very short children have or in their adjustment to life. Ditto for kids deemed “too tall.”
Register illustration by Tim Rauch
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Terri's Life In The Balance DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:In this family photograph Terri Schiavo (r) is shown before she had a heart attack and suffered severe brain damage in 1990 in Gulfport, Fla. “Terri's Law,” enacted earlier this year by Govenor Jeb Bush, was designed to keep Terri alive but the Florida Supreme Court recently ruled against it.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The family of Terri Schiavo is hoping a court will give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she would choose life for herself.
In the wake of a defeat at the Florida Supreme Court Sept. 23, the Catholic family of the brain-damaged woman is arguing that Schiavo, 40, would want to follow Pope John Paul II's direction and continue receiving food and water, even if they are delivered through a tube.
Schiavo's estranged husband, Michael Schiavo, maintains that she once told him she would not want to be kept alive “artificially.”
Terri Schiavo has been at the center of a bitter six-year legal battle over whether she should die by dehydration and starvation. The state Supreme Court unanimously struck down “Terri's Law,” the emergency bill passed last fall by the Florida Legislature that gave Gov. Jeb Bush the power to keep Schiavo alive by the reinsertion of her feeding tube. In ruling that the law was unconstitutional, the justices said it violated the state Constitution's separations-of-power doctrine and gave the governor illegal policy-making authority.
The court acknowledged the emotional issues in the case.
“We recognize that the tragic circumstances underlying this case make it difficult to put emotions aside and focus solely on the legal issue presented,” Barbara Pariente, the chief justice, wrote. “We are not insensitive to the struggle that all members of (Schiavo's) family have endured since she fell unconscious in 1990. However, we are a nation of laws, and we must govern our decisions by the rule of law and not by our own emotions.”
Terri Schiavo suffered heart failure and severe brain damage in 1990. The courts have found her to be in a “persistent vegetative state.” Her parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, disagree.
She is not in a coma and can breathe on her own. Her family believes she might recover if given proper therapy. They also dispute the contention of her husband and legal guardian, Michael Schiavo, that Terri told him she never wanted to be kept alive by artificial means.
A series of court decisions gave Michael Schiavo, who has two children with his girlfriend, the right to remove the feeding tube last fall, which would have allowed Terri to starve and dehydrate. Terri's family appealed.
But the latest court decision — on the law enacted to protect her and others in her situation — means the governor has two options to get the ruling overturned, said Ken Connor, representing the governor in the legal battle.
One is to ask for a rehearing before Florida's Supreme Court justices, he said. The deadline for that request was Oct. 4. The other is to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case, in which case the governor's lawyers have 90 days from the date of the ruling to file a petition.
Pope's Relevance
Once the Schindler family exhausts all routes to save Terri, her feeding tube will be removed, said George Felos, Michael Schiavo's attorney.
Several days after the ruling, Terri's parents and one of their lawyers appeared on CNN's “Larry King Live” to talk about the case. They mentioned other legal means they are pursuing to try to save their daughter. The parents are seeking to have Michael Schiavo removed as Terri's guardian, and they are also asking a judge to consider Pope John Paul II's statement earlier this year regarding withholding food and water.
In March, speaking to a group of physicians and medical ethicists from around the world, the Holy Father said: “The administration of water and food, even when provided by artificial means, always represents a natural means of preserving life, not a medical act. Its use, furthermore, should be considered, in principle, ordinary and proportionate, and as such morally obligatory, insofar as and until it is seen to have attained its proper finality.”
The Schindlers say their daughter would want to follow the Pope's directive. They went before a circuit court Sept. 30 to ask the judge to uphold not just Terri's religious liberty rights, but “the religious liberty rights of all people,” David Gibbs, the Schindlers’ attorney, told CNN's Larry King.
The state Legislature may provide another avenue to save Terri's life, said Burke Balch, the director of medical ethics for the National Right to Life Committee. He pointed to a bill, called the Florida Starvation and Dehydration of Persons with Disabilities Prevention Act, which, if passed, would make the general presumption that people who can't speak for themselves would want food and water.
Balch made the analogy that people who need to get their tonsils removed are told of the dangers of the surgery and then give their informed consent. The bill acts in the same way, he said: Those who want to deny themselves water and food, according to the bill, should give their informed and express consent that they know cutting off sustenance will result in their death.
“As long as that law becomes law while Terri is still alive,” Balch said, “it would be changing the standards for the future, including for her future, and it would not have become a constitutional problem that the Florida Supreme Court said that Terri's Law did.”
Disabled Woman ‘Terrified’
Meanwhile, supporters of the fight to save Schiavo were dismayed by the latest court ruling — and the potential consequences it may have on people with disabilities.
“It means that the federal and state governments are going to wipe their hands clean of any concerns about our rights: our rights to live,” said Mary Jane Owen, director of Disabled Catholics in Action. “I'm literally terrified by this. This case opens the door to a holocaust for people who are disabled. They're easy prey. In the utilitarian society, which is becoming more and more utilitarian, there is no room for compassion for those of us who are seen as less than perfect and less than producers.”
Owen has partial hearing and uses a wheelchair.
She added that cases such as Schiavo's show the United States is returning to a time of eugenics. She said Nazi doctors practiced eugenics on patients “out of compassion.”
“None of us becomes disabled without also going through a period of shock,” Owen said. “Then we find out that life is sweeter than death. And life with disability is one more challenge.”
Judie Brown, president of the American Life League, wasn't surprised by the Florida Supreme Court's “devastating” decision. The courts, she said, have been using their judicial activism for years in “destroying innocent human beings.”
“What this tells us, and should tell us in the pro-life movement, is we absolutely must have an amendment to the United States Constitution which protects these people from the time their life begins, because there is no other solution,” Brown said. “We cannot depend on the courts to do a thing.”
She also referred to the time of Nazi Germany in talking about Terri's husband's purported compassion.
She said, “As Flannery O'Connor once wrote, when compassion is divorced from the cross of Christ, the gas chambers are not far behind.”
Carlos Briceno writes from Seminole, Florida.
----- EXCERPT: Florida Supreme Court Overrules Feeding Tube Law ----- EXTENDED BODY: Carlos Briceno ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Catholic vs. Catholic in Colorado DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:DENVER — Although her second cousin is running for the U.S. Senate, Darlene Letey campaigns against Ken Salazar every chance she gets. But she claims to have Salazar's best interests in mind.
“Every day, I pray for his political loss in November because, in the end, it would be a spiritual win,” Letey told the Register. “I love him, and I care about his soul.”
The reason for her concern? Salazar, Colorado's Democratic attorney general, vows to fight for continued legal protection of abortion and for embryonic stem-cell research. Letey hopes he returns to the faith-guided principles he grew up with.
The Colorado Senate race, in fact, is one between two self-professed practicing Catholics— Salazar and billionaire beer baron Pete Coors — a Republican who says he's against abortion in all cases.
Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput began admonishing pro-abortion politicians in the 2004 primaries and most recently used his Sept. 22 column in the diocesan newspaper, The Denver Catholic Register, to explain that politicians “make a deal with the devil” when they support abortion rights.
Democrats believe the election may be their best chance nationally to take over a Republican seat, because of the moderate nature of Colorado Republicans, the state's 1 million independent swing voters and the appeal of Salazar among his fellow Latinos— who comprise nearly 20% of the population. The Senate seat has been held for the past 12 years by retiring Republican Ben Night-horse Campbell.
Republicans hope Coors’ name recognition and deep pockets will give them an edge in the tight race.
“With the Senate divided between 51 Republicans, 48 Democrats and one independent, the fate of the Colorado seat could determine control of the next Senate,” said a recent analysis in The Economist.
Catholicism has been central to the race since early in the primary season. Archbishop Chaput wrote a column in April that said politicians who claim to be Catholic but support abortion “may try to look Catholic and sound Catholic, but unless they act Catholic in their public service and political choices, they're really a very different kind of creature.”
Though Archbishop Chaput hasn't named Colorado leaders, Salazar is the highest profile pro-abortion Catholic politician here, and all major media have reported the archbishop's comments as direct challenges to the senatorial candidate. In June, at a retreat near Denver, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops passed an interim resolution, influenced heavily by Archbishop Chaput, which said bishops should confront pro-abortion Catholics who serve as public officials.
“I love the archbishop,” Salazar told the Register when asked to respond to Archbishop Chaput's actions. “I love my Church. I would hope that, as the country moves forward on this very divisive issue concerning abortion, we can find common ground that will make abortions rare.”
Family Values
Salazar said Archbishop Chaput has spoken with him about the sanctity of human life on several occasions in recent years. However, he vows to continue protecting what he calls “a woman's right to choose” and said nobody has tried to stop him from taking Communion.
At the time Salazar's pro-abortion views were in the spotlight, Coors battled criticism from Republican primary contender Bob Shaffer — a former congressman with a 100% pro-life voting record who imposed his own term limit. Shaffer, a Catholic from Fort Collins, questioned Coors’ commitment to Catholic family values because of the Coors Brewing Company's sexually exploitative ads and policies that extend benefits to same-sex partners of employees.
Later, it was discovered that the brewery's employee health plan covered the cost of abortions — something Coors said he knew nothing about and vowed to correct.
“I just have to take Pete at his word on that and trust that he didn't know the details of his company's health insurance plan,” said Shaffer, who threw his support to Coors one day after the primary. “The outcome was good, as it is resulting in a change of company policy.”
That change, however, resulted in new political turmoil for Coors when executives at his company publicly criticized him for undoing the brewery's employment policies. In order to run for office, Coors turned over management of the company to Leo Kiely, a Catholic who serves as chief executive officer.
Coors told the Register he takes full responsibility for the sexually explicit nature of the company's past ad campaigns.
“A lot of those social conservatives don't particularly like the product we sell, either,” Coors said. “Have we stepped over the line a time or two? Perhaps. But we're not selling popsicles and marshmallows here. We sell an adult beverage, and we need a message that appeals to them. If we had a product that we could sell only to Catholics, we'd approach it much differently.”
Salazar is quick to criticize Coors for promoting himself as a solid Catholic while profiting from racy ads. “I find some of the advertising troublesome,” he said. “The advertising uses women essentially to sell beer.”
Today, the company's ads feature none of the racy images they did in the past. Under Kiely's direction, the newest ads feature ice-cold beer and not much else.
“That had nothing to do with my campaign,” Coors said. “I saw the new advertising, and I was surprised.”
Focus on Hispanics
Though the company has taken heat from Shaffer and his most loyal supporters, most of whom were Catholic, the Coors campaign's official platform adheres strictly to Catholic doctrine on sanctity-of-life issues, including opposition to embryonic stem-cell research. Coors’ wife, Marilyn, is a renowned pro-life bioethicist who has spoken about genetics and faith for the Respect Life office of the Archdiocese of Denver. She is a presidential appointee to the National Human Genome Institute's board of directors.
Coors also is an ardent supporter of the federal marriage amendment, while Salazar opposes it.
Salazar, a member of Denver's Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, said his views have been shaped largely by John F. Kennedy — the only Catholic to serve as president of the United States.
“I think it's important for us to recognize one of the underpinnings of our democracy, which is freedom of religion and separation of church and state,” Salazar said.
But Archbishop Chaput, in his Sept. 22 column, sharply criticized Kennedy for creating a template for Catholic politicians that dictates: “Be American first; be Catholic second.”
Salazar grew up in a large, poor, farm family in Colorado's pristine San Luis Valley, a rural area populated mostly by Catholic Hispanic farmers and white Mormons. The family had no modern amenities — no television or radio — and didn't have electricity until the 1980s.
Letey, the second cousin, grew up next to the family farm and said she's saddened by Salazar's anti-life stands. She has confronted him frequently at family gatherings.
“That family prayed the rosary on their knees in the kitchen every day,” Letey said. “This is how Ken was raised. But he believes a Democrat can't be elected on a pro-life platform.”
Letey said her family was immersed in traditional Catholic values. However, she said, in the San Luis Valley, Catholicism is instilled by the culture without much formal religious training. “Cultural Catholicism” works great, she said, until one leaves the community behind and migrates to urban life.
“Suddenly, you encounter comfort and money, and the world entices you with things you were never exposed to,” Letey said. “It becomes a real personal battle to adhere to your faith, because it isn't based in formal catechism. It's based in culture and community and family traditions that aren't there for you in the outside world.”
Salazar said most Hispanic voters in Colorado are Catholic and support traditional family values and education. He doesn't know how he'll fare in the election with Catholics — Hispanic or otherwise.
“I don't have any specific plans to reach out specifically to that demographic group of people,” Salazar said. “I would hope the issues I care about — like education for children, health care and jobs, and all the rest of my platform — would appeal to Catholics.”
Shaffer said Salazar can afford to dismiss Catholic values because few Catholics take their faith into the voting booth and many Hispanics don't know he's pro-abortion.
“Every single Sunday, I'm invited by Protestant pastors to speak to traditional-values audiences,” Shaffer said. “Protestant clergy are interested in informing their congregations about the issues, and Catholic clergy simply are not. I go in and quote from Centesimus Annus (the 1991 encyclical, The Hundredth Year), and it goes over great. I wish I could do that at my own parish.”
Last spring, Denver's Rocky Mountain News found overwhelming support for Salazar among Hispanic Catholics in his parish. When religion editor Jean Torkelson asked them about Salazar's pro-abortion platform, however, she found few parishioners knew about it. Several said they could not support him with knowledge of his stand.
“They assume that because he's Catholic that he's pro-life. He's counting on the fact that Catholics are ill informed about candidates,” Shaffer said. “I'm telling you, most Catholics don't know where the candidates stand because Catholic leadership isn't interested in informing them.”
Letey knows it's true.
“I know that many of Ken's aunts and uncles and cousins don't know about his pro-abortion position,” she said. “My dad didn't know until he told me he was headed to the polls to vote for Ken in an attorney general's race.”
Wayne Laugesen writes from Boulder, Colorado.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Wayne Laugesen ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: What They're Teaching Johnny DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:NEWTON, Mass. — L. George Chedid wants his eldest son to learn about math and science and all the rest of the academic subjects that children learn in elementary school. But he draws the line at his boy learning about same-sex “marriage” — especially at the impressionable age of 7.
Chedid's son was in first grade at Burr Elementary School in Newton, Mass., last spring when the principal announced over the intercom that the state was officially recognizing same-sex “marriages.” The school then sent several of its homosexual teachers to various classrooms— from kindergarten through fifth grade — to explain what this meant and to herald the law as a wonderful civil-rights advancement, said Chedid, an engineering professor at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston.
“A kid at that age looks at anything the teacher says as absolute truth,” he said. “The teacher comes in and tells that 7-year-old, ‘It's okay for Johnny to wear a skirt. It's fine for Peter to marry Paul.’… It's indoctrination of these kids that flies in the face of the principles and morals that I'd like to institute in my child.”
The resulting uproar in the town pitted parent against parent, with a generous use of epithets such as “bigots” and “homophobes,” Chedid said.
Chedid and his wife, both practicing Maronite Catholics, decided over the summer to put their eldest son in a nearby Catholic school. They also placed their next-youngest child, who was entering kindergarten, in Catholic school, where Chedid said they are “a lot safer from gay propaganda.”
Chedid said homosexual activists are making marriage a civil-rights matter and completely taking the religious aspect out of it.
In mid-May, forced by a Massachusetts high court, the Bay State became the first in the union to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Earlier this year, legislators passed an amendment that would ban same-sex “marriages” while legalizing civil unions. Before it can become part of the Massachusetts Constitution, however, the amendment has to pass another session of the Legislature before voters can decide the fate of the issue, which should occur in 2006.
In the meantime, same-sex “marriage” and homosexual lifestyles are coming into discussions in school settings and classrooms, parents and teachers said.
Just before the official date that same-sex couples could obtain marriage licenses, the superintendent of the Boston public school system sent a memo to his staff, urging respect for the new law and reiterating a “zero-tolerance” policy regarding any acts that could create an “intolerant” climate in the schools.
“It behooves us, whatever our position may be on this issue, to use this opportunity to help our students understand it as a vital manifestation of some of the principles that have shaped our system of government … as well as another step in our continuing efforts to create a more just society for all of our citizens,” wrote superintendent Thomas Payzant.
Opt-In, Not Opt-Out
As director of Project PARENT— Parents Advocating Responsible Education Not Turmoil — R.T. Neary has been leading the fight in Massachusetts to pass a bill that would give what he believes is justice to parents. The bill would require parents to give written consent before their child attended human sexuality classes. Current state law allows parents to “opt-out” their children: If a parent doesn't contact school officials and ask that the child not participate, the child attends the classes. Neary's group advocates giving parents the power to review course materials; if they object, the child is not required to take the class.
The bill stalled earlier this year, but Neary plans to bring it back to legislators in December so that it can possibly be up for a vote next year, he said.
“It's the civil right of parents to be the prime determinants of the moral values of their youngsters,” said Neary, a public high-school teacher for more than 30 years. “And it's been usurped by the schools.”
Neary's statement is consistent with Catholic doctrine and principles, especially that of subsidiarity, a Catechism principle that, applied to families, requires that “larger communities should take care not to usurp the family's prerogatives or interfere in its life.”
In his 1981 apostolic exhortation, Familiaris Consortio (on the family in the Modern World), Pope John Paul II talked about the importance of the parents’ role in educating their children about sexual matters.
“Sex education,” wrote the Holy
Father, “which is a basic right and duty of parents, must always be carried out under their attentive guidance, whether at home or in educational centers chosen and controlled by them.”
One organization that doesn't support the “opt-in” legislation — the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, which offers sex-education curriculum materials to schools— believes it's important for sex to be discussed in the classroom.
“We believe that sexuality education is an important part of health education in general,” said Erin Rowland, the league's spokes-woman, who added that the legalization of same-sex “marriages” in the state has not led Planned Parenthood to change its sex-education curriculum.
“And so a bill that would put a barrier and make it harder for schools to provide comprehensive sexuality education, from our point of view, is a negative. It doesn't help public health. It doesn't help get accurate information out there. It doesn't help young people learn how to protect themselves (and) how to build self-esteem and have positive relationships.”
Planned Parenthood Federation of America made more than $90 million from abortion in 2002, according to STOPP International, a division of American Life League.
Schools in Massachusetts don't need a classroom to present views on homosexual relationships. A substitute teacher in the Medfield school district, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal, described an assembly last spring at Medfield High School, in which freshmen and sophomores were invited to listen to a female comedian.
The comedian, a lesbian who spoke for about a half-hour, talked about how she had to hide her homosexuality during her high-school years in Massachusetts, but was pleased that the climate had changed so much that now homosexual couples could marry — and she cited her upcoming marriage as an example, the teacher recalled.
He said her talk — which, in his estimation, was “advocacy” of her lifestyle — was “disappointing” to him as a “taxpayer, as a Catholic, as a Christian.”
Providing Alternatives
Catholic teachers who may have to deal with a curriculum that leads to discussions about homosexual topics have to walk a fine line in their jobs — while also living their faith, said Peter Cataldo, research director at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Boston. If, for example, a Catholic teacher has to discuss a book that deals with homosexual “marriage,” he should also present materials in opposition or that offer critiques from the standpoint of natural-law ethics, he said. That would allow the teacher to avoid cooperating in providing “immoral ideas and values to the children and, at the same time, it should also avoid using specifically religious ideas in the classroom,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Massachusetts bishops are formulating an “across-the-board” response to issues that have come up surrounding the same-sex “marriage” law, said Daniel Avila, associate director for policy and research at the Massachusetts Catholic Conference.
“We think that the claim that same-sex ‘marriage’ is no different than traditional marriage and this is a constitutional right is an untruth,” Avila said. “And it will be an untruth that, when promulgated by official institutions like public schools, will do great harm to people who are seeking the truth and especially to families and parents concerned about the well-being of their children.
“They will be confronted with the claims that same-sex ‘marriage’ is a constitutional right and is a good thing,” he continued. “It will force them to come to grips with what their faith and their values mean. It will be a difficult process. Because kids will come home and say, ‘Gee, this is what everyone in school is saying, and how come we're different?’ It will be a challenge and an opportunity, I think.”
Carlos Briceno is based in Seminole, Florida.
----- EXCERPT: Massachusetts: First Marriage Laws, Now Grade Schools ----- EXTENDED BODY: Carlos Briceno ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Macfarlane vs. No Fault DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:CLEVELAND — In an attempt to save her marriage and keep her family together, Marie Macfarlane is using Church law and teaching to battle the civil legal system.
She's in a fight against what she refers to as a “pro-remarriage” movement.
Macfarlane, known as Bai (pronounced “Bay”), and her husband, William (Bud) Macfarlane Jr., are founders of the Mary Foundation, a Catholic apostolate that has become well-known for distributing free tapes and CDs about the Catholic faith. Bud is also known for his work with “e5 Men,” a group that fasts for their wives as described in the fifth chapter of Ephesians in an attempt to bring their wives to holiness and to accelerate the husbands’ conversions.
But Bud moved out of the house in the summer of 2003 and filed for a divorce. And in Ohio, where the Macfarlanes live, the courts routinely grant a no-fault divorce after one year of separation, no matter what the circumstances are, Bai said.
“The culture wants everyone to believe that the children can be raised by Susie Government; as long as there is day care and activities and (keeping the kids) busy, then they're being raised as ‘fine,’” Bai said. “‘What's wrong with you, Mrs. Macfarlane? You're going to get a job; you have an engineering degree from Notre Dame. You have all this experience. What are you complaining about? Your kids are going to be fine.’”
She differs with the secular viewpoint.
“I know that God's plan for life and how people are supposed to know about the world is through the family,” she said.
But her family is being torn apart. On Sept. 13, after a hearing requested by Bud, an Ohio judge ordered that, because Bai is defying an earlier court agreement to stop home schooling two of her four children, Bud should be the legal custodian and primary residential parent “for school purposes” of the children, who range in age from 3 to 12 years old. The judge also said Bud should take immediate “possession” of the children, which Bud has already done.
Bud did not respond to an e-mail request for an interview; his lawyer, Tom LaFond, did not return two phone messages.
In a motion filed in late August, Bai's lawyer reminded the court that the couple had gotten engaged in 1990 and participated in a preCana marriage preparation program that is customary for couples who marry in the Catholic Church.
By marrying in the Church, the couple agreed to follow the teachings of the Church, including doctrines and canon laws, the motion said.
Referring to Canons 1153 and 1692 of the Code of Canon Law, the motion stated that, a spouse has to contact the local bishop before moving out or filing for divorce, although if there's danger or an unsafe situation arises, then a spouse can separate on his or her own authority. The lawful reasons for leaving, according to Canon 1153, include when a spouse causes “grave danger of soul or body to the other or to the children, or otherwise makes the common life unduly difficult.”
After the bishop weighs the “particular circumstances” involving the couple, according to Canon 1692, he can decide if there is an acceptable reason for a separation, or he may allow the spouse to approach the civil system — but only if he is assured that no civil court orders will contradict divine law.
Forced no-fault divorce would contradict God's plan, Bai said.
Home-Schooling Issue
Bai said she has been a loyal wife, doesn't have any addictions and is not abusive.
Ben Nguyen, the chancellor of the Diocese of La Crosse, Wis., and a canon lawyer, submitted an accompanying affidavit, arguing that the Catechism states that a couple that enters into marriage is introduced into “an ecclesial order of spouses,” which “creates rights and duties in the Church between the spouses and towards their children.”
The affidavit concluded by saying that the Macfarlanes “have de facto an antenuptial (prenuptial) agreement to adhere to the rights and duties proper to the order of spouses, as governed by the canonical laws of the Roman Catholic Church, including those of separation of the spouses.”
Because Bud was in violation of the couple's prenuptial agreement by moving out without first contacting the ordinary — Bishop Anthony Pilla of Cleveland — Bai's attorney, Robert Lynch, asked in his Aug. 23 motion that the court's temporary orders be dismissed and jurisdiction of the matter be transferred to the Church's tribunal or local bishop.
One of the court orders involves the Macfarlane children's education. Bai said the court appointed a psychologist to interview her, her husband and their children to determine what was in the children's best interests. The psychologist recommended that the two older children not be home schooled, while the two younger ones should be home schooled until the third grade. Both parents have been public proponents of home schooling for years, Bai said.
At the time, Bai said, she didn't know she was allowed a hearing about home schooling, so she believes she was “coerced and intimidated” into agreeing to the recommendation. Currently, she added, the children are wards of the state, but she defied the order and continued to educate her children at home.
But the law is now on Bud's side, saying that the children should be taken away from Bai, with the two oldest boys attending a Catholic school that Bud enrolled them in. Another may be enrolled in Catholic school, too, if Bud wishes, the court said. Bai said all the children want to continue to be home schooled.
Helping Others
In doing research about divorce, Bai said she found many Catholics think there's “nothing wrong” with getting a divorce — even though the Catechism says that “divorce is a grave offense against the natural law.”
“You have to take advantage of the graces that God promised to give you when you made your vows,” she said.
To inform others about what she's been discovering, Bai founded a website, www.marysadvocates.org, about divorce and Church teaching. She is critical of organizations and people that she says promote divorce and remarriage and dissent from Church teachings.
Irene Varley, executive director of the North American Conference of Separated and Divorced Catholics, one of the groups that Bai criticizes on the website, said her organization exists to address the pain that's caused by divorce.
“As an association, we first of all recognize the sanctity of marriage, and we do not encourage divorce,” she said. “What we offer them is the spiritual healing that needs to take place that they desire.”
Nguyen, the La Crosse diocesan chancellor, is also the “defender of the bond,” a tribunal job that entails finding reasons why an annulment shouldn't be granted. He skimmed through some of the criticisms on Bai's website and did not find any “dissent” in the organizations she criticizes.
“What I am seeing is probably a bit of a loose mentality,” Nguyen said. “The mentality is not so much denial or dissent, but a slouching toward, or a looser application, in the name of ‘pastoral sensitivity.’”
Nguyen added that the temptation tribunal officials sometimes succumb to is “a misguided pastoral sense” when granting annulments.
“It would be easy to say ‘leave and get on with their lives,’ and that's encouraging to the people who hear it,” he said. “But it's not really defending the bond. It's not really defending the sacrament. It's not encouraging the married life and family life.”
Robert Vasoli, retired professor of sociology at Notre Dame University, said he agreed with Bai's assertion that there exists a pro-divorce and remarriage culture within the Church.
“Absolutely,” said Vasoli, author of What God Has Joined Together: The Annulment Crisis in American Catholicism. “One can say that in the American Church, divorce and remarriage in the Church is a very prominent reality by virtue of the ease with which annulments have been granted.”
Pope John Paul II has spoken out forcefully against the divorce mentality.
“It could perhaps seem that divorce is so firmly rooted in certain social sectors, that it is almost not worth continuing to combat it by spreading a mentality, a social custom and civil legislation in favor of the indissolubility of marriage,” the Pope said in a speech to the Roman Rota, the Church's central appellate court, on Jan. 28, 2002. “Yet it is indeed worth the effort! Actually, this good is at the root of all society, as a necessary condition for the existence of the family. Its absence, therefore, has devastating consequences that spread through the social body like a plague.”
Carlos Briceno writes from Seminole, Florida.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Carlos Briceño ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: The Passion Made Him Angry ... Then Catholic DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:Michael Coren is one of Canada's best-known radio and television hosts and columnists.
“Michael Coren Live” airs on Canada's CTS-TV, and Coren has a talk-radio program on Friday evenings. He is the author of 10 books, including biographies of G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis.
After 10 years outside the Church, Coren announced in a recent Toronto Sun column that he returned this past July. The news came as a shock to his evangelical Christian friends.
Coren spoke with Register staff writer Tim Drake recently from Toronto about his reversion to the Church.
Tell me about yourself.
I come from London, England.
I was born in 1959. My dad, who passed away a couple of years ago, was a taxi driver. My mom was a homemaker. I have one sister who is older than me. I was a journalist in Britain. I met my wife while at a conference in 1987 on G.K. Chesterton at the University of Toronto. She was in the audience. She fell for me, and I came to live in Canada when we got married.
What was your religious background?
I grew up in a typical working-class English home. There was no religion in the home, and I had very little religious upbringing. My family was predominantly Jewish. Three of my grandparents were Jewish. My parents’ attitude wasn't one of secular humanism, but that of working people — do your best and try to be nice. They had a suspicion of organized hypocrisy.
I first became Catholic about 20 years ago when I was writing the biography of G.K. Chesterton. It was an intellectual conversion, and it didn't stick. I was given very little support and fell away quite quickly. As a Christian, I found myself a reluctant convert. When I met my wife, we were married in the Catholic Church.
Ten years ago, I had a genuine conversion experience — a Holy Spirit encounter — where I found myself absolutely convinced. I wanted the closest possible connection to Christ, so for 10 years, I worshiped in various Anglican and progressive evangelical churches.
You were originally quite critical of the film
I thought it was a medieval Catholic blood cult. I was really, really against it. Not because it was antiSemitic. It wasn't. When I first saw it, I wondered why it was so historically inaccurate. I wondered why the Jewish leaders were wearing skullcaps, why were the Romans speaking Latin rather than the Greek of the eastern empire. Why were women allowed into the place of punishment, why Jesus was carrying the full cross. My reaction was extraordinarily angry. I think that my reaction was that part of me preventing me from returning to the Church screaming. I was in the death throes.
In reaction to my column on the film, I received thousands of angry e-mails from readers calling me every name in the book. The movie was explicitly Catholic — it's a story of the Mass, the Eucharist and the place of Mary — but the evangelicals were the ones making the most noise.
Had you been considering coming back to the Church prior to seeing the film?
No, prior to the film, I was probably more opposed to it than I had ever been. A couple of months after seeing it, I began to feel that a thread was being pulled.
You wrote recently about your return to the Church. How did that come about?
The months following the film were a very dark time. I came out of it feeling really confused and empty. I felt that I couldn't really satisfy myself in evangelical worship.
My reversion came about for various reasons — the Mass, the Eucharist, the early Church Fathers and the Pope. It was an argument with history that I kept losing. First-century Judaism would have recognized the Roman Catholic Mass and wouldn't have recognized an evangelical service. I viscerally missed Communion. While the appearance of communal sharing among evangelical Anglicans was very moving, I wondered what was really going on. It seemed to have very little meaning. I had a physical longing to be in the Catholic Church. I kept coming back to the idea that I had tried, as an evangelical, to be as close as I could to the very beginning of Christianity. The cleaner and emptier the religious service, the closer I thought I was to that beginning, but eventually I found that the closer I was to the Mass, the closer I was to the early Church.
When I looked at the barriers to Catholicism, they didn't seem very high, so I phoned up a priest and told him I needed to talk to him. I asked my wife, “How would you feel if I came back to the Church?” She was very excited. I spent time asking and answering questions with the priest, and eventually I returned to the sacrament of reconciliation on July 5 and went to Mass after that.
You also wrote about how seeing
When I saw the film again on DVD, it was like seeing it anew. I saw it through very different eyes. I realized that the film's two central points — the centrality of the Eucharist and the presence of Mary— had been my biggest problems with the film. I felt like I had to correct what I had done with my original column on the film.
I understand that you've had some speaking engagements canceled since news of your conversion hit the press?
Yes, after being outed as a Catholic, I received two e-mails from evangelical churches where I was to speak. One of them wrote to ask me to clarify my position with regard to the Catholic Church. I told them, “I'm in it.” Promise Keepers also canceled me. They told me if they had a Catholic on the platform, it could threaten their fund raising.
I was very disappointed. They were telling me that they couldn't have me on the platform because I worship Jesus Christ in the Roman Catholic Church. They were all canceling me for who I am, not for what I was going to say. The talks had been prepared months before, and none of them were denominational. One was on being a Christian in the workplace.
Thankfully, the very day that Promise Keepers canceled me, a Catholic home-school group in Alberta invited me to come speak, and the Ontario Real Estate Association also invited me to speak, so I feel very taken care of. This is nothing compared to the people in the world who are dying for their faith.
Do you have any plans?
I'll continue to do what I do. Being Catholic has been wonderful. My wife and I went up to the Jesuit North American martyrs shrine together, and we are going on a retreat at a monastery. Just going to Mass together as a family has been remarkable. We're extraordinarily lucky to have the Oratorian community close by.
Tim Drake writes from St. Cloud, Minnesota.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: New Focus on Franciscan Martyrs of North America DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:AMARILLO, Texas — He's the first Catholic martyr in what is now the United States — and hardly anybody knows who he is.
But now Franciscan Father Juan de Padilla, who joined the Spanish exploration into North America in the 16th century, may leave the haze of history and be raised to the altars.
This is the hope of Bishop John Yanta of Amarillo, whose study of Franciscans in the New World led him to the rediscovery of the friar who traveled north from Mexico on an expedition with the Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. Father Padilla died in 1542, about 100 years before the Jesuit martyrs of North America.
Father Padilla was the focus of an international symposium held in September by the Amarillo diocese on the topic “Franciscan Presence in the Borderlands of North America.” The symposium featured addresses by more than 20 scholars and a Mass celebrated in the scenic Palo Duro Canyon, where Father Padilla is believed to have offered a Mass of thanksgiving on the feast of the Ascension, May 26, 1541.
“Father Padilla, being the proto-martyr, should be well known,” said Bishop Yanta in an interview. “I didn't even know him when I was a priest and auxiliary bishop in San Antonio. It's high time we recognize him for what he is.”
The Franciscan order has “verbally pledged” to Bishop Yanta to pursue his cause for canonization, the bishop said.
In the late 1520s or early 1530s, during the Spanish conquest of Mexico, Father Padilla followed the missionary impulse to the New World and was working in the area of Michoacan. From there, he joined an expedition led by Beltran Nuño de Guzman, who tried to surpass the exploits of his archrival, Hernan Cortez, the conqueror of the Aztecs. Guzman was arrested and delivered back to Spain for his mistreatment of the Indians, but Father Padilla remained behind.
“Records don't reveal this, but I suspect that the friar may have rebelled against the excesses of Guzman,” said symposium organizer Felix Almaraz, a history professor at the University of Texas-San Antonio.
Father Padilla then joined Coronado on a new northward expedition to find the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola and, in particular, a mythical place called “Gran Quivira.” In 1537, another Franciscan priest, Marcos de Niza, had traveled north and reported the distant sighting of a golden city, but he was afraid to enter it because his companion, a Moorish slave, had been assassinated near there.
The Coronado expedition was huge, composed of some 300 soldiers, a contingent of several friars, including Father Niza, and wives of soldiers who served as cooks and laundresses, Almaraz said.
“Professor Herbert Bolton called it a ‘pageant in the wilderness,’” he said. “They all went with great expectations that they would come back wealthy men.”
They were initially disappointed, as the “golden city” proved nothing more than a dusty adobe Indian pueblo. When the soldiers began making threats against Father Niza for deceiving them, Coronado dispatched him to Mexico City under guard for his protection, and Father Padilla took his place as chief of chaplains, Almaraz said.
The expedition traveled east to the Rio Grande, followed it north and established a winter camp north of what is now Albuquerque. From there, Coronado sent forth smaller expeditions. Father Padilla traveled with Coronado's group, which went east across the Pecos River, and ascended Cap Rock, from which they could see endless miles of flat prairie. They continued their search for Gran Quivira, proceeding across the Texas panhandle, stopping at Palo Duro and veering north to what is now Oklahoma and Kansas.
He Went Back
Finding no treasure, the group admitted defeat and returned to Mexico City. But on the way, Father Padilla decided to go back to the Plains area, where he could evangelize the natives. Coronado advised against it, but as chief of chaplains, Father Padilla was free to decide, Almaraz said. Remaining with the priest were some natives who followed the Franciscan rule, two other friars and a Portuguese soldier.
They were not there long before they were attacked, either by the Indians they were evangelizing or an enemy tribe.
“When the marauders approached the place of camp, Father Padilla urged the others to flee for safety, and he would stay,” Almaraz said. “He became then the victim. From the witness accounts, he seemed to be welcoming the celestial crown that was awarded him.”
He knelt to receive the arrows, which pierced him “like a pincushion,” killing him. Later, he was buried in a hole covered with a loose pile of stones. Whether he was buried by the natives or his own companions is not clear in the accounts.
Very little of Father Padilla's character is known, except for some complaints that he was stubborn and cantankerous, Almaraz said.
Franciscan Father Barnabas Diekemper, a Latin American historian whose address was the keynote at the symposium, said many details of Father Padilla's life have yet to be confirmed, but may yet be discovered from the archives kept in Mexico City or Spain.
“It would be good to have more research, even if it's negative knowledge — ‘there ain't nothing’— that's also knowledge,” he said.
Father Padilla was one of the earliest martyrs in the Western Hemisphere, since his 16th-century death preceded more widely known martyrdoms in Central and South America during the 17th century. The first North American martyrs are three children — Cristobalito, Juan and Antonio — who were killed at the ages of 12 and 13 by pagan natives in 1527 and 1529 in Tlaxcala, Mexico.
“It's important to keep this level of consciousness up high, because it points out that the Catholic Church in the United States did not start on the East Coast, and the Catholic Church is universal,” Almaraz said.
Just as the Texas symposium was meeting, a new Catholic association promoting awareness of five other Spanish Franciscans who lost their lives in North America was announced. The Friends of the Georgia Martyrs was established in the Diocese of Savannah to promote the cause of canonization of Father Pedro de Corpa and four companions. They were killed in 1597 by Indians near Darien, Ga., after Father de Corpa insisted that those who had been baptized abandon polygamy.
Bishop Yanta has his own reasons to honor the proto-martyr Father Padilla and the Franciscan order. Just prior to the Jubilee Year 2000, the bishop traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico, to recruit friars and religious to his priest-starved diocese. Today, seven Franciscans serve in Amarillo, including the former Guadalajaran provincial.
Ellen Rossini writes from Richardson, Texas.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Ellen Rossini ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Media Watch DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:Abortion Advocacy ‘Incompatible’ with Public Office
COX NEWS SERVICE, Sept. 26 — Supporting abortion is a stand that should exclude a person from public office, said Father Frank Pavone, reported Cox News Service. Father Pavone, national director of Priests for Life and president of the National Pro-Life Religious Council, spoke at a Christian Coalition workshop in Washington, D.C., “Road to Victory 2004.”
The conference, held Sept. 23-25, brought together more than 50 representatives from various religious denominations — and even atheists — and pro-life groups. Father Pavone compared politicians who support abortion rights to individuals that support terrorism.
“By gathering a group of people that is very diverse politically, philosophically, ethnically and religiously, we are aiming to destroy the stereotypes under which many labor, namely, that opposition to abortion must come only from one's religious or political affiliation,” Father Pavone said, according to LifeSite News.
“Because abortion is an act of violence that destroys an entire segment of the public,” Father Pavone said,” no one who ignores the victims of abortion is worthy to hold public office.”
Father Pavone also announced a pro-life voter education campaign that Priests for Life was set to launch a month before Election Day. The campaign will target Christians who attend church and favor pro-life candidates, the story said.
Globe Columnist Defends Kerry's Catholicism
Carroll worships at the Boston church where Kerry is a parishioner and believes Kerry to be a devoted Catholic whose “faith is informed by the spirit of the great renewal that occurred with Vatican II.”
In the essay, Carroll charges that Catholics, “including many bishops,” who repudiate the theology of the Second Vatican Council are “the ones most determined to stop Kerry from being elected.”
Carroll wrote that Kerry should be viewed as one of a growing number of devout Catholics who view moral theology as “an ongoing quest for truths that remain elusive.”
Father Appeals Conviction in His Daughter's Death
Frances Kelly, the youngest of 13 children, died after she was left in the family van for seven hours on a warm day in May 2002. Kelly was sentenced to seven years of probation and one day in jail yearly. He was also ordered to accept random Social Services investigations of the family home.
Kelly's attorney argues that prosecutors “failed to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, as required by Virginia law, that Kelly was aware…his conduct could result in injury to Frances, and nevertheless proceeded consciously with reckless indifference to the consequences of his behavior.”
In a press release, Kelly asked for donations for the Kevin Kelly Family Legal Defense Fund (Account #5134131200, BB&T Bank, 9201 Church St., Manassas, Va., 20110).
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Flynn Would Rather Fight Than Switch DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:BOSTON — It's just hours before Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry will give his acceptance speech before a crowd of 10,000-plus at the Democratic National Convention and a television audience of millions. The speech could make or break his dream of becoming leader of the free world.
What's bothering Kerry at this moment, however, is the fact that working-class hero Ray Flynn said he won't be there for the speech. His absence will be noticeable. He's a popular former Boston mayor, the highest vote-getter in the city's history and the only known politician to win every precinct and ward in a major American city. He's an integral part of the Massachusetts Democratic machine.
Kerry calls and begs Flynn to come.
Flynn was instrumental in putting Kerry in the U.S. Senate in 1984, mobilizing 8,000 volunteers for the campaign. That was long before Kerry voted to support partial-birth abortion, Flynn points out.
Flynn told the Register that he took Kerry's call and told him, “You know how strongly pro-life I am, and I'm disappointed by your stance on abortion.”
But Kerry talked him into attending.
Welcome to the conflicted life of Ray Flynn — a Catholic father of six who, as one-time U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, traveled extensively with Pope John Paul II. He spent the past year as president of Your Catholic Voice, an organization designed to spread Catholic social doctrine.
He is a political man who clings desperately to the hope that his Democratic Party might someday drift his way again — away from the pro-abortion stance it espouses in its platform.
“Most Catholic Democrats, as we all know, have been reduced to summing up their abortion stance with the statement, ‘Personally, I'm opposed to it, but I believe in separation of church and state.’ I've said that statement is absurd,” Flynn said. “It assumes abortion is a religious issue, and it's not. It's an issue of the common good, and it goes to the foundation of our society.”
Catholics need to “stop being political spectators and stand up for the moral teachings of the Church,” he said. “But until Catholics put themselves together again as a legitimate voting bloc and prove that you can be pro-life and be elected as a Democrat, nothing will change.”
Undecided Catholics
If they can do it before November, Flynn said, they can sway the election. For the first time in modern history, he said, polling indicates that undecided Catholic voters in swing states — such as Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania — stand to decide the presidential election.
And in spite of the party platform, the sentiment is there in the rank-and-file to change the party. A Zogby poll taken before the convention revealed that 42% of registered Democrats agree that abortion “destroys a human life and is manslaughter.”
Kristen Day, executive director of Washington-based Democrats for Life, says the party's pro-abortion platform is driven by cash.
“It all has to do with the amount of money that Planned Parenthood and NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League) channel into the Democratic Party,” Day said. “There is a growing pro-life movement in the Democratic Party, but the abortion industry is paying the party to defend abortion rights.”
Flynn said Catholic Democratic voters are largely to blame, because they've made it clear they don't vote based on Catholic principles. By contrast, pro-abortion activists are motivated entirely by their views on abortion. And the vast majority of politicians, he explained, care only about winning.
“Democratic, Catholic politicians are mostly good people,” Flynn said. “But they need to get elected. If Catholics can prove to them that they can be elected by being pro-life, then they'll be pro-life. What they see now, however, is that the pro-choice people are more motivated by their stand, better financed, and they appear to have the media behind them. Given that, politicians are going to choose the political course that gets them elected.”
Education Important
Urging Catholics to vote pro-life is good, said Republican Alan Keyes, a U.S. Senate candidate in Illinois. What he doesn't hear, however, is any condemnation of Kerry by Flynn, or any advice to Catholics to vote for someone else.
Flynn refuses to denounce Kerry, no matter how much he decries the Democratic Party's abortion stance.
“No. I don't tell people how they should vote,” Flynn said. “I won't.”
Nor will Flynn say whom he's voting for.
“That's sad,” said Keyes, who campaigns almost entirely on a pro-life platform and insists that it's evil to vote for politicians who favor abortion. “If you're going to have the courage of your faith, you have to apply it in every aspect of your citizenship. Society cannot benefit from the fruits of your faith if you don't apply your faith.”
But Day said Flynn has worked fearlessly and tirelessly to educate Democrats about the need to defend the unborn. He was the keynote speaker at the Democrats for Life convention dinner.
“Ray has been such a supporter and a leader of the Democratic pro-life movement, which is growing by leaps and bounds, that I can't even begin to quantify the effect he is having,” Day said. “He is unwaveringly pro-life, he has the heartfelt respect of most Democrats, and he's out there telling them they need to defend the unborn. And they're listening.”
If Flynn won't tell pro-life Democrats to vote Republican, Day said, it's because he wants to change the Democratic Party— something he can't do by driving members away.
“Pro-life Republicans support what we're doing, but they're also afraid we'll succeed,” Day said. “Our success will result in taking from Republicans a huge number of voters who vote Republican because of the abortion issue alone. But we really are Democrats and for a lot of reasons that are important to our members. It has to do with our views on the war, on health care and on workers’ rights.”
One reason Flynn won't tell people how to vote is that he is heading a new organization in Massachusetts called Catholic Citizenship. The organization was established to carry out the Faithful Citizenship initiative, launched by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops with a 2003 statement that calls on Catholics to “participate now and in the future in the debates and choices over the values, vision and leaders that will guide our nation.”
Working with Catholic Citizenship, Flynn and other volunteers are encouraging Catholics to “become more informed and actively involved in the civic life of their community and Church,” according to a statement by Archbishop Sean O'malley of Boston.
“We register Catholics to vote, and we help them inform themselves on the issues,” Flynn said. Life issues are the most fundamental and primary issue in Catholic teaching. It is our central issue, and we make that very clear.”
Wayne Laugesen writes from Boulder, Colorado.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Wayne Laugesen ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Pope Directs Aid to Haiti After Jeanne DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:VATICAN CITY — Pope John Paul II dedicated $100,000 to fund relief efforts in flood-stricken Haiti.
Through the Vatican's charity arm, Cor Unum, the Pope earmarked the money to help Caritas Haiti purchase drinking water, food and medicine after the string of powerful tropical storms and hurricanes that recently hit the Caribbean.
The Holy Father's gift was announced by the Vatican Sept. 27 after Caritas Internationalis launched a major appeal for funding relief efforts in Haiti. Caritas is seeking $900,000 in funding and donations to provide supplies to tens of thousands of people left homeless by Jeanne, then a tropical storm. Mudslides triggered by heavy flooding killed more than 1,600 people and injured 100,000 more in Haiti after the storm hit the island in mid-September. At least another 1,000 people are reportedly still missing and feared dead.
“The hardest-hit region is the city of Gonaives and the surrounding area…. The damage was catastrophic for residents, all of whose homes and buildings were flooded, some beyond repair,” the Caritas appeal said.
The United Nations World Food Program estimated some 175,000 people in Haiti have been left without food, water and electricity.
Caritas said the emergency funding would supply kitchen utensils, sleeping bags, tents, medicine, chlorine and clean drinking water to 2,000 families in three different parts of Haiti. A Caritas emergency response team also has been dispatched to help local Caritas officials assess further needs.
Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ international relief and development agency, has provided $500,000 to purchase food and health and hygiene supplies, said Sheyla Biamby, the agency's spokeswoman in Haiti. In a telephone interview, Biamby told Catholic News Service that security was a major issue in Gonaives, with aid trucks being looted before reaching the poor.
Water and hunger also were issues as a result of the lack of security and poor condition of the roads. Most of Gonaives remained under three feet of water, she said Sept. 27.
About 1,000 Haitians fled to the cathedral in Gonaives, 400 to the home of Bishop Yves-Marie Pean of Gonaives and another 300 to the Caritas compound in Dolan, outside Gonaives, she said.
Though not as powerful as other hurricanes and tropical storms this year, Jeanne has been the deadliest and is considered to be the worst tropical storm to have swept across the Caribbean in more than a decade.
Haiti has been especially hard hit this year; in May, floods killed more than 1,000 people and destroyed many towns and villages. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere; 80% of the nation's people live below the poverty line.
Recent hurricanes and tropical storms caused extensive property damage in the United States, but without the loss of life caused in Haiti, noted the head of the U.S. bishops’ international policy committee.
“Hurricane Ivan did great damage in my Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, as in other parts of this country, but nothing can compare to the devastation and loss of life suffered by the people of Gonaives,” Florida Bishop John Ricard said in a letter to Archbishop Hubert Constant of Cap Haitien, president of the Haitian bishops’ conference.
Bishop Ricard noted that while aid agencies, such as Caritas and the U.S. bishops’ Catholic Relief Services, have moved quickly in responding to the Haitian disaster, more aid was needed.
The bishop said it was essential “that neighboring countries, and especially the United States, urgently provide the financial and material resources required at this time.” He added, “We call on our government to go well beyond the limited aid thus far announced.”
Stephen Steele in Washington contributed to this story.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Carol Glatz ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Seek Christ Constantly on the Path of Faith DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:Register Summary
Pope John Paul II met with over 15,000 pilgrims in St. Peter's Square during his general audience on September 29. He offered his reflections on Psalm 45, originally a wedding ode for a Jewish king that Christians see as a premonition of Jesus, the Messiah. The Holy Father's teaching was a continuation of his catechesis on the psalms and canticles of the Liturgy of the Hours.
“The portrait of the royal bridegroom is depicted in a solemn manner,” Pope John Paul II noted. The beauty of the bridegroom, he added, “is a sign of inner splendor and of God's blessing: ‘You are the most handsome of men.’ Based on this verse, our Christian tradition has portrayed Christ as a man who is perfect and who is worthy of attention.” Our contemplation of the beautiful face of Christ, the Holy Father said, should help us to leave behind the ugliness of sin and begin our ascent towards divine perfection.
Pope John Paul II pointed out that there is a relationship between beauty and justice. The king, he noted, is a just king. “Beauty must be combined with goodness and holiness of life so that the luminous face of God, who is good, wonderful and just, will shine brightly in the world,” he said. It is in this way that we catch a glimpse of the goodness, the wonder and the justice of God.
“I sing my ode to the king.” These words at the beginning of Psalm 45 give the reader an idea of the fundamental nature of this hymn. At the very beginning, the court scribe who composed it reveals that it is an ode in honor of the Jewish king. Indeed, as we read through the verses of this composition, we realize that it is an epithalamium, that is, a nuptial song.
Scholars have made attempts to identify the historical coordinates of this psalm based on certain clues, such as the connection between the queen with the Phoenician city of Tyre (see verse 13), but they have not been successful in identifying the royal couple in any precise way. The fact that the psalm focuses on a Hebrew king is important because it has allowed the Jewish tradition to transform this text into a song to the Messiah-king and our Christian tradition to interpret this psalm in Christological terms and also in a Mariological perspective due to the presence of the queen.
In evening prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours, we use this psalm as a prayer, dividing it into two parts. We have just heard the first part (see verses 2-10), which, after the introduction of the scribe, who is the author of this text to which we have already referred (see verse 2), presents a splendid portrait of a king who is about to celebrate his wedding.
Divine Beauty
For this reason, Judaism has recognized Psalm 45 as a nuptial song that exalts the beauty and intensity of the gift of love between a bride and a bridegroom. The woman, in particular, is able to repeat these words from the Song of Songs: “My lover belongs to me and I to him” (see Song of Songs 2:16 and 6:3).
The portrait of the royal bridegroom is depicted in a solemn manner, using all the finery from a scene at the court. He is wearing military insignia (Psalm 45:4-6), to which sumptuous and fragrant robes are added, while in the background palaces shine forth with their grandiose ivory-paneled halls where melodies resound (see verses 9-10). His throne rises in the center and reference is made to his scepter, both signs of power and of royal investiture (see verses 7-8).
At this point, we would like to highlight two elements. First of all, there is the beauty of the bridegroom, which is a sign of inner splendor and of God's blessing: “You are the most handsome of men” (verse 3). Based on this verse, our Christian tradition has portrayed Christ as a man who is perfect and who is worthy of attention. In a world often marked by ugliness and degradation, this image is an invitation to redis-cover the “via pulchritudinis” [the way of beauty] in faith, in theology and in social life in order to ascend to divine beauty.
Beauty and Justice
However, beauty is not an end in itself. The second element we wish to highlight refers precisely to the encounter between beauty and justice. Indeed, the king “rides on triumphant in the cause of truth and justice” (see verses 4 and 5); he “loves justice and hates wrongdoing” (see verse 8) and his scepter is a “scepter for justice” (see verse 7). Beauty must be combined with goodness and holiness of life so that the luminous face of God, who is good, wonderful and just, will shine brightly in the world.
According to scholars, the word “god” in verse 7 was addressed to the king himself because the Lord had consecrated him and he was, therefore, in some way part of the realm of the divine: “Your throne, O god, stands forever.” On the other hand, it might be invoking the one supreme king, the Lord, who protects the king-Messiah. What is certain is that, when applying this psalm to Christ, the Letter to the Hebrews does not hesitate to acknowledge the full — and not merely symbolic — divinity of the Son who has entered into his glory (see Hebrews 1:8-9).
Christ's Blessing for Us
Following the example of this Christological interpretation, let us conclude with some words from the Fathers of the Church, who attributed ulterior spiritual values to each of these verses. Thus, when commenting on the phrase of the psalm that says “God has blessed forever” the king-Messiah (see Psalm 45:3), St. John Chrysostom applied it in this way to Christ: “The first Adam was filled with a very great curse, the second Adam, on the other hand, was filled with a long-lasting blessing. The first Adam heard, ‘Cursed be the ground because of you!’ (Genesis 3:17), and elsewhere, ‘Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord remissly’ (Jeremiah 48:10), and ‘Cursed be he who fails to fulfill any of the provisions of this law’ (Deuteronomy 27:26) and ‘God's curse rests on him who hangs on a tree’ (Deuteronomy 21:23). Do you see how many were the curses? Christ has freed you from all these curses by making himself a curse (see Galatians 3:13). Just as he humbled himself to raise you up and died to make you immortal, he became a curse to fill you with blessings. What can ever compare with this blessing when through a curse he lavishes you with a blessing? Indeed, he had no need of blessing, but he presents it to you” (Expositio in Psalmum, XLIV, 4: PG, 55, 188-189).
(Register translation)
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Vatican Official to U.N.: Iraq War Didn't Slow Terror DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:VATICAN CITY — Addressing the United Nations, a leading Vatican official said the war in Iraq did not make the world safer and that defeating terrorism will require multilateral cooperation that goes beyond short-term military operations.
Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, the Vatican's top foreign affairs official, made the remarks Sept. 29 in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly. The text was released at the Vatican Sept. 30.
Archbishop Lajolo offered a far-ranging review of Vatican positions on peace and justice issues, saying global poverty must be the No. 1 priority for the United Nations and for all international agencies.
“The urgency of the situation cannot tolerate delay,” he said. He noted that hundreds of millions of people are living below the threshold of what is necessary, and tens of millions of children are under-nourished.
Turning to Iraq, Archbishop Lajolo said the Vatican's opposition to military action in Iraq in 2002-2003 was well known.
“Everyone can see that it did not lead to a safer world either inside or outside Iraq,” he said.
Under the present circumstance, he added, the Vatican believes it is imperative to support the provisional Iraqi government as it tries to bring the country to normality and establish a political system that is “substantially democratic and in harmony with the values of its historic traditions.”
He called terrorism an “aberrant phenomenon, utterly unworthy of man” that today threatens all countries.
While every nation has the right to protect its citizens, he said, “it seems obvious that terrorism can only be effectively challenged through a concerted multilateral approach … and not through the politics of unilateralism.”
“No one is in any doubt that the fight against terrorism means, first and foremost, neutralizing its active breeding grounds. But the underlying causes are many and complex: political, social, cultural, religious,” he said.
For that reason, he said, even more important is long-term action directed at terrorism's roots and designed to stop it from spreading.
Archbishop Lajolo addressed several other major international issues:
• On disarmament, he called for severe and effective international controls on the production and sales of conventional weapons. He praised U.N. efforts to date, but said “huge economic interests” remain as obstacles.
Weapons of mass destruction and their possible use represent a separate problem, the archbishop said. But he reminded the assembly that conventional weapons are being used in “numerous armed conflicts that stain the world in blood” and in terrorism.
• The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, he said, will require not only justice but also mutual forgiveness, which requires greater courage than the use of weapons. He called on a return to the “road map” peace plan, which has been formally accepted by both parties.
• African conflicts in Sudan, Somalia, the Great Lakes region, Ivory Coast and elsewhere call for greater international attention and authoritative intervention by the African Union, he said.
• The right to life has special application in the human cloning issue, Archbishop Lajolo said. The United Nations is scheduled to debate it this fall. The archbishop reiterated the Vatican's call for a comprehensive ban on human cloning; he said the Vatican supports procurement of adult stem cells as opposed to cells taken from human embryos.
Archbishop Lajolo also raised the question of U.N. internal reform aimed at increasing its peacekeeping effectiveness around the world. In general, he said, the United Nations needs more room to operate before conflicts begin.
He suggested that the United Nations be given “special prerogatives to facilitate action to prevent conflicts at times of international crisis, and also, when absolutely necessary, ‘humanitarian intervention,’ that is, action aimed at disarming the aggressor.”
Quoting Pope John Paul II, the archbishop said U.N. effectiveness will also depend on whether it can rise from “the cold status of an administrative institution” to the status of “a moral center” where all the nations of the world feel at home.
The Vatican's position was echoed in the pages of an important Rome magazine.
Although Islamic terrorists have been unable to reach major objectives, they have kept up a steady stream of vicious attacks ranging from Spain to Saudi Arabia to southern Russia, said the magazine, La Civilta Cattolica, in an editorial to be published in its Oct. 2 edition.
The journal's commentaries are considered reflective of Vatican thinking because they are approved before publication by officials at the Vatican Secretariat of State.
The editorial said a “tragic line … the line of Islamic terrorism” runs from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States through subsequent attacks in Indonesia, Tunisia, Spain, Turkey, Morocco and Moscow. It said the most recent addition was Beslan, Russia, where proChechen rebels killed more than 400 people in a school.
That does not count the innumerable attacks in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places of open conflict, the editorial said.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: John Thavis ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Small Catholic Families DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:Dr. Joseph Chamie knows the world like the back of his hand.
As director of the United Nations’ Population Division, he's been examining demographic numbers from around the world for 28 years. The Population Division is separate from the United Nations Population Fund, which has been criticized by watchdog groups for “ideological” use of data.
Prior to his work at the United Nations, Chamie and his wife served in the Peace Corps in India. He spoke recently with Register staff writer Tim Drake from his office in New York.
How did you get started studying population?
I was born in the Detroit area. My father was an autoworker. He and my mother were immigrants from Lebanon. I received my undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan. President John F. Kennedy's announcement of the Peace Corps inspired me to join. I served in India between1967-69. When I came back, I attended graduate school and graduated with a Ph.D. in sociology, specializing in population studies.
In the 1950s and ’60s, the conventional wisdom was that fertility had to do with religion. U.S. behavior showed that the biggest population differential showed Catholics at the top and Jews at the bottom, but that data was being confounded by immigration.
I did research for my thesis in Lebanon. Lebanon is home to 16 religious groups; therefore, it provided an ideal laboratory to test what impact religious upbringing would have on fertility behavior. In Lebanon, I could control for immigration. What I discovered was that the differences in fertility are transitory. As each group passes through modernity, it follows a pattern of low fertility.
I subsequently published my research as a book, and after finishing a post doctorate, I began working for the U.N. For the first five years, I worked in Jordan and Beirut. In 1981, I came to New York and worked my way up. I became director in 1993.
Did you find that religion plays a part in population?
When I began studying this in the early 1970s, there was a myth that there was a religious differential and that Catholics had more children. We dispelled that myth. Now we're dispelling the myth that Muslim countries are having more children. The Islamic Republic of Iran has a population rate of 2%. In Tehran, it is below that.
Why are numbers so important?
Demographics have political dimensions. Around the world, issues of demographics are coming up. Ever since Adam and Eve, the tribe has mattered. In a democracy, demography counts. If you had gone with the coalition to Iraq, you would have seen political reorganization based on demography. Demography also has a bearing in the U.S. elections. Once President Lincoln gave votes to blacks, it had an immediate effect. After women got the vote, politicians started talking about women's issues. Today, we're seeing that happen with Hispanics. Those groups that are larger get more attention.
Why are people having fewer children?
There are many reasons for the decline: urbanization, education, cohabitation, contraception, abortion and divorce. When the death rates come down, you don't need a large population in order for people to survive. Children have a role on the farm, but in the city, they don't. Urban life brings smaller quarters. We've moved away from the family being a safety net to the government being the safety net.
Modern birth control has also had a dramatic impact. Contraceptive prevalence has doubled between the 1950s and today. Today, 61% of all women are using some method of contraception. In Brazil, we estimate that 40% of married women have been sterilized by choice.
We also know from studies that female education has brought down fertility. Women stay in school longer, thereby postponing marriage and the first birth.
What are countries doing to try to combat low fertility?
Some countries are trying to facilitate the dual-career couple to have children. France, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Korea and Russia are enacting child-friendly policies such as giving priority for housing to couples with children. In France and Italy, the government has tried financial incentives. Singapore is trying to make childbearing more compatible with modern-day employment. In England and Australia, they are using tax breaks. A treasurer in Australia has developed the motto: “Have three children. One for mom, one for dad and one for the country.”
Can such policies make a difference?
It will make some difference, but not enough to raise the birth rate up to two (children per couple). There are too many forces operating on men and women.
Tim Drake writes from St. Cloud, Minnesota.
----- EXCERPT: Population Boom and Bust? Part Two ----- EXTENDED BODY: Tim Drake ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Bush vs. Kerry - Why Marriage Matters DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:Homosexual “marriage” is a key difference between the two presidential candidates. And it's a hard issue for many Americans.
First, the difference: President Bush has encouraged a movement to amend the federal Constitution to put the ages-old definition of marriage into law.
In 1996, John Kerry voted against the federal Defense of Marriage Act in the Senate. In 2002, he vigorously opposed a Massachusetts constitutional amendment that would have protected traditional marriage. And just this summer, he wouldn't even vote to allow the federal marriage amendment to be debated in the U.S. Senate.
While the difference is clear, many Americans feel uncomfortable about the homosexual “marriage” issue. They have been told the issue is all about homosexuals who are struggling with discrimination and simply want to be treated fairly.
Many Americans know homosexuals, or have relatives who are homosexuals. Others are influenced by the stories they've heard of homosexuals suffering from discrimination. But when considering homosexual “marriage,” we can't afford to forget the most typical stories about homosexuals. Stories like Peggy's.
You read about Peggy on page one of the Register last month. She was molested as a child by an adult male and grew up alienated from men, believing them interested only in sexual exploitation. She turned instead to sexual companionship from those of her own gender. Statistics show homosexuality often starts with childhood abuse.
Peggy spent 12 years in a committed relationship with another woman. “We really kept up with the Joneses,” she said. “We had a great joint income. Both of us were in the professional world. We had beautiful cars and traveled. We built a new house. I had everything I thought I wanted. Then one day I was sitting in the family room of the new house, and everything came crashing down. I thought, ‘I am spiritually and emotionally dead inside.’”
She discovered another truth about homosexuals that isn't often mentioned: They suffer disproportionately from depression and suicide — even in countries where homosexuality is perfectly acceptable and homosexual “marriage” has been legal for years. It seems that the homosexual disorder most often is born from pain and ends in pain.
Peggy abandoned the homosexual lifestyle four years ago and was reconciled to the Church. “I might still struggle with loneliness, but even if I never marry,” she said, “I know a peace and a freedom I never knew before.”
She was lucky. The cycle of homosexual despair doesn't always have a happy ending. Often it becomes a path of excess and obsession.
The sexual excess of the homosexual lifestyle is no secret. In one article, Toronto homosexual John McKellar was asked if homosexuality, wasn't, at some level, fundamentally about love. “Our lifestyle is very much about party, pageant, parade and promiscuity,” he answered. “We want to have our cake and eat it, too. There was an article in the gay press last year titled, ‘How to Stay Married and Still Be a Slut.’”
The first homosexual cable channel in Canada was dying from low ratings — until it became a homosexual pornography channel and did very well.
As the Catholic Church found out in its recent study of sex abuse by clergy, the homosexual culture's sexual appetite can go quickly from unhealthy to criminal. Eight out of 10 cases of abuse were homosexual.
From the Village People song “YMCA” to the Showtime television show “Queer as Folk,” homosexual culture has long celebrated sex with underage teens. In “The Gay Report,” by homosexual researchers Karla Jay and Allen Young, the authors report data showing 73% of homosexuals surveyed had at some time had sex with boys 16 to 19 years of age or younger.
Does this mean all homosexuals are predators? Not at all.
Catholic teaching gives us the best way to respond to homosexuality. “This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial,” says the Catechism (No. 2358). “They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.” And to respect them, we have to help them bear their disorder — not exacerbate it.
On Nov. 2 don't be afraid that you have to choose between tolerance and bigotry on the marriage issue. True charity means wanting what's best for the other — and giving approbation to a dangerous lifestyle choice isn't what's best for homosexuals or for our society.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Letters DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:Families Bear the Brunt
Three cheers for the Aug. 8-14 letter “Women at Work” by Vincent J. Schmithorst, Ph.D., concerning his doubts on the “New Feminism.” As Suzanne Venker's book 7 Myths of Working Mothers points out, children and (most) careers just don't mix. I do not believe there is any way to change that. It is not possible to effectively “serve two masters.” There are only so many hours in a day.
I consider myself extremely pro-life. Having children is one of the most important tasks. At the same time, I cannot help but be irritated by the women in my husband's office who get pregnant and go on maternity leave — and then decide they want part-time work, or leave altogether, after my husband has devoted much time to training them. Guess who has to pick up the slack and work extra hours, delaying his return home at the end of the day and causing him to work on Saturday mornings (so far almost every Saturday this year) and miss time with his own kids? My husband. Why? He is a man. That is reality.
In every family, someone must work in the marketplace to put food on the table, and it seems that men/dads are the best choice to do this — but because of “The Fall,” there is a cost involved. Most people do not seem to understand that men can't effectively serve two masters, either. A man can't be a corporate heavyweight and attend his children's Little League games or soccer practices. Children need their dads around. It has been noted time and again that the children of “great men” are frequently less than great themselves. I know one man who is a “great man” and, as far as I am able to discern, his children and grandchildren are not quite what he expected them to be. They are not bad people, but they are troubled. I am convinced this is so because of his absence during their “formative” years.
It seems to me that the “new feminists,” by insisting that women can mix corporate careers with childrearing, are only succeeding in ratcheting up the cost for the “average family man.”
KATHRYN J. GROENING
Midland, Michigan
Lockout Box
Regarding “Eerie Silence? Convention Speakers Avoid the ‘A’ Word” (Aug. 8-14):
Review the list of prominent speakers at the Democratic Party's recent national convention. It's telling that not one single faithful Catholic who believes and publicly supports the Church's long-held teachings on human-life issues was allowed anywhere near a microphone. This, in spite of the fact that Catholics comprise a very large segment of the Democratic Party.
Obviously, the litmus test used to select speakers was designed to filter out loyal Catholics. Has any national gathering ever shown such disdain, bordering on hostility, toward the deeply held beliefs of so many of its own members? Would any other group tolerate such intolerance?
JOSEPH COSTA
Murrieta, California
Christ Chose Celibacy
Regarding “Stamp Out Celibacy” (Letters, Aug. 8-14):
It was God's will that the sins of man, committed in their human nature, must be expiated through the human nature of the divine Person, Christ. Knowing that Christ had a human nature, we know that he had the will to choose for or against celibacy. Wonderfully for us, Jesus, in his fully human nature, chose to do God's will and went freely to the cross (“not my will, but thine be done”).
The divine Person Jesus, son of Mary, fully possesses two natures — the hypo-static union — the incarnation. To claim that Jesus, in his human nature, didn't (or couldn't) freely choose celibacy or anything else is to deny the incarnation, i.e., the reality of the fullness of human nature and divine nature in the one divine Person, Christ.
RICHARD KOENIG
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Hours Online
Regarding “Simply Divine Office: The Liturgy of the Hours Makes a Comeback” (August 8-14):
This is a very interesting and informative article. In addition to the website mentioned, www.liturgyhours.org, readers interested in praying from an online page or printing the relevant pages out each day may go to www.universalis.com. It offers a painless way to learn to pray the different hours, including the Office of Readings. This is the most useful overall website I have found on the liturgy, including the readings for the Mass each day and the liturgical calendar.
Although I myself pray from the four-volume set (in French), I often access this site when I am traveling and am unable to carry two volumes during periods of overlap. I also access it to share readings in English with a friend who does not read French. I highly recommend it for ease of use (and thus ease in praying).
Visitors to the Universalis website include priests, laity, the young and the old. They come from all denominations. Some have not heard of the breviary before, some cannot afford the books, and some are blind and cannot use them. The users of Universalis retrieve more than 40,000 pages a week from the site. The core content of the Universalis site is now also available through mobile telephones that support the new WAP protocol for information retrieval.
CORAZON M. SIDDAYAO
Arlington, Virginia
Alabama Getaway
In “Going Mobile: Exploring the Catholic Roots of Alabama's Port City” (Sept. 19-25), Lorraine Williams led a very interesting tour of Mobile, Ala.
She mentioned the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and Visitation Monastery, but omitted any mention of Spring Hill College, a Jesuit institution founded in 1830 and an important presence in Mobile. The campus and the chapel are beautiful.
This omission might not have bothered me if she had not ended the article by saying, “to complete the tour.” I am sure this was an unintentional omission, but she did not complete the tour, so to speak.
The article brought back memories of my years at Spring Hill.
MARY JANE CROWE
Wilmette, Illinois
Canonical Courage
The CNS article “Memo: ‘Obstinate’ Politicians Must Be Denied Communion” (July 18-24) is indicative of the “hide-and-seek” position so often taken by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The point in question is the authoritative guidance from Rome on the denial of holy Communion to those Catholic politicians who promote the continuance of the sin of abortion.
Cardinal Ratzinger is clear on the denial of the Eucharist to those who engage in the public endorsement of grave and serious sins. As he so eloquently points out, “it is not a punishment or the passing of judgment on ‘subjective guilt’ but rather a reaction to an individual's public unworthiness to receive the Eucharist due to an objective situation of sin.”
Clear to you and me, but as before, the USCCB resorts to its escape clause of “pastoral discretion” to muddy the waters of authoritative instruction. The operative word here is “pastoral” — how to present clearly defined doctrine to an ill-informed and vocal minority? The answer for the bishops is twofold: First, address John Paul II's encyclical on the Eucharist (Ecclesia de Eucharistia), in which he declares, “In cases of outward conduct which is seriously, clearly and steadfastly contrary to the moral norm, the Church, in her pastoral concern for the good order of the community and out of respect for the sacrament, cannot fail to feel directly involved. The Code of Canon Law refers to this situation of a manifest lack of proper moral disposition when it states that those who ‘obstinately persist in manifest grave sin’ are not to be admitted to Eucharistic communion.”
Again, clear and concise instruction that, combined with the bishops’ authority, leaves no question on the action to be taken. The next step is the courage to use said authority and prepare oneself for the volley of criticisms by those ensconced in secular theology. In the end, the light of truth must be your guide — not the ease of appeasement.
HUMBERTO J. BROCATO
Monument, Colorado
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Shoulda Been an Anti-Catholic ContendaMy Journey From Pro-Choice To Pro-Life DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:Regarding “Anti-Catholic Films Meet Their Match” (Aug. 8-14):
I could not disagree more firmly with the recent list of anti-Catholic films chosen by various authors. The movie The Godfather not only wasn't the No. 1 anti-Catholic movie, but it didn't even make your list.
The title of the movie is, in fact, an insult to Catholics because of the violent nature of the movie. One scene that exemplifies my point is during the baptism of Michael's child. As a priest performs the sacred ritual, the scene changes to a person being murdered, as ordered by Michael. “Do you reject Satan?” A shotgun blast. “In the name of the Father.” Someone else killed. “And the Son.” Another murder. “And the Holy Ghost.” Yet another killing.
How could a person write a scene that would be any more anti-Catholic than that?
JOHN R. DIONNE
Woonsocket, Rhode Island
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: John R. Dionne ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: My Journey From Pro-Choice To Pro-Life DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:When I returned to the Church in 1984, it wasn't as though a decade of unchecked sinful habits and behaviors fell by the wayside.
The mighty struggle to replace vice with virtue continues to this day. After all, “denying myself” and “turning the other cheek” don't come naturally.
I also had to convert on intellectual matters. I was fresh out of law school and something of a constitutional law scholar, having sharpened my legal teeth on Roe v. Wade jurisprudence. That year, Mario Cuomo, the poster child of “I'm personally opposed, but” politics, captured my imagination with a stirring keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.
So, when I first came back to the Church, I brought my pro-choice ideology with me.
Of course, I was “personally opposed” — so much so that, even then, I would have gladly adopted a child rather than see him or her aborted.
But I wasn't where I needed to be in terms of fully accepting the Church's coherent pro-life ethic. It took a year of prayer, study and conversations with friends before I realized that I needed to repent and do penance for my dissident views.
Pope John Paul II has said the current age is characterized not by a “crisis of charity,” but by a “crisis of faith.” We never hear about sins against faith, but if indeed we're living through such a crisis, it stands to reason that sins against faith happen — and happen frequently.
When it comes to sins against charity, we're usually able to come up with an excuse (e.g., “I was just letting off steam,” “My boss is a jerk,” “He shouldn't have criticized my work,” “I didn't think she'd take it personally”). At the end of the day, though, I think we all admit to sinning fairly regularly against charity. We realize that we hurt somebody, and so we try to reconcile as best we can with God and neighbor. Surely there are plenty of sins against charity to go around these days, and we do well to use a “charity scorecard” when examining our consciences.
Sins against faith are seemingly “victimless” sins. Not only that, it takes a rare humility today to admit that we're wrong about anything. And when it comes to religious convictions — true, false or just plain weird — our society takes a “to each his own” approach.
Thus, in many Catholic circles today, rejection of Church teaching brings into play many fancy concepts, such as diversity, tolerance, plurality, religious freedom, lived experience and primacy of “conscience.” But no mention of sin.
In its treatment of the First Commandment, the Catechism of the Catholic Church devotes three paragraphs (No. 2087-89) to sins against faith. The catechism says the First Commandment “requires us to nourish and protect our faith with prudence and vigilance, and to reject everything that is opposed to it.” I suspect all of us can do a better job of nourishing and protecting our faith.
The catechism also identifies several sins against faith, including voluntary doubt, incredulity, heresy, apostasy and schism. None of these sins is a four-letter word, but they may as well be, given the deliberate avoidance of these terms today.
Scripture frequently speaks of the necessity of faith for salvation. Indeed, without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
Faith entails the acceptance of all that Our Lord has revealed through his Church, based on his own authority as the Son of God. Mere agreement is not the same as faith, because then we're putting Christ's teachings through an approval process, rejecting anything that seems unacceptable to us.
But even acceptance of the person and teachings of Jesus Christ isn't enough. We need to do what the Lord says (Luke 6:46). We must bear witness to our faith in our daily lives:
“So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33; see Catechism, No. 1816).
When we cultivate doubt or dissent, the result is spiritual blindness. Our choices are no longer guided by objective standards of moral conduct, and the Word of God ceases to be a light for our path.
We cannot be indifferent to the personal dimension of the “crisis of faith” in our midst, perhaps writing off those who seem to be set in their dissident ways. Yet, reaching out to those who struggle with sins against faith is a vitally important task— indeed, a spiritual work of mercy.
I'm very grateful that some people, whose charity was surpassed only by their patience, called me to conversion on the abortion issue.
Leon Suprenant Jr. is president of Catholics United for the Faith and Emmaus Road Publishing and publisher of Lay Witness magazine, all based in Steubenville, Ohio. leon@cuf.org.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Leon Suprenant Jr. ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: Do You Have el Día de la Raza Off? DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:On Columbus Day, more than 35 million Hispanic Americans will celebrate el Día de la Raza. English speakers call it Hispanic Heritage Day.
Outside of the Hispanic community, who can we expect to attend celebrations honoring Hispanic culture?
I think we will see President George Bush and Sen. John Kerry making a toast to Hispanic culture somewhere on Columbus Day. It's not hard to figure out why. Of the 271 electoral votes needed to win the presidency, 208 come from 10 states with very large Hispanic communities.
For example, millions of Hispanics live in California, Texas, Illinois, Florida and New York. Over the past 10 years, in places like North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, the Hispanic population has more than tripled. All of this means the Hispanic vote could play a deciding role on Election Day.
The rapid growth of the Hispanic population in the United States influences not only American politics, but also our food, music and commerce. For instance, grocery stores across the nation now stock a variety of Latin American foods. In fact, Americans spend more money on salsa than any other condiment. On the economic front, the Hispanic market possesses about $383 billion in purchasing power, says the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
For U.S. businesses, there's more good news. Hispanic consumers are young. They have an average age of 26 compared to 36 for the general population. This means this lucrative market will be around for a while.
From a cultural viewpoint, many Americans now accept the use of the Spanish language in public places as an integral part of the American lifestyle. Go to a restaurant, airport, train station or mall, and you will probably hear Spanish spoken.
Turn on the radio and you can dance to vibrant Latino music, or hear the news and other programs in Spanish. The same holds true for television. After English, Americans speak Spanish more than any other language. Many label this entire cultural phenomenon as the Hispanization of American culture.
This cultural phenomenon causes a lot of uneasiness in some Americans.
Many wonder what lasting effect Hispanic culture will have on American culture. They want to debate primarily this question: Will the Hispanization of America add or subtract to the patrimony of American culture?
I think I can accurately answer this question. For me, beyond any doubt, Hispanic culture will tremendously enrich American culture.
I don't say this because of the political clout that Hispanics now possess nor for the economic benefits that the United States reaps from Latino purchasing power. My judgment rests primarily on the strong moral values that Hispanics contribute to American culture. Let's take a look at these values.
Take, for example, the fact that 53% of Hispanics say they “strongly believe” in God, according to the Program for the Analysis of Religion Among Latinos.
A strong belief in God represents the first great value of the Latino community. A just society will respect the legitimate role of religion in the public sector since religion is justice practiced towards God. When a society encourages justice towards God, it lays the foundation for a healthy culture by respecting the highest value — God. With American culture drifting towards agnosticism and atheism, Latinos’ strong belief in God can only help our ailing culture.
After God, Hispanic culture values, above all, the family. The traditional family of a man, a woman and children still remains at the heart of Latino culture. Hispanic families foster their most cherished values within the family: love for life, respect for others, happiness, generosity and moral perceptiveness.
Hispanic culture loves children, since children represent the gift of life. For this reason, Hispanic families tend to be larger than families within the general population. No one denies the fact that contemporary American culture no longer sees the traditional family as a natural institution given by the Creator.
Thanks to deceptive social ideologies, many people simply don't know what a family is anymore. Many think it's just a group of people living under the same roof. The fall of the traditional family will continue to produce a dysfunctional culture closed to values of life, solidarity, mutual respect and moral discernment. I think the deep-rooted love for the traditional family held by Hispanics can help save the most basic and important institution within our culture — the family.
All the strong moral values of the Hispanic community originate from one incalculable gift: the Catholic Church. Since colonial times, Hispanics have been overwhelmingly Catholic. The majority of Hispanics in the United States continue to embrace the Church founded by Jesus Christ.
They hold to an orthodox Catholicism that has provided the Latino community with a deep spirituality expressed in popular devotions. In fact, the Catholic Church tends to contribute to the spiritual, social and cultural development of any ethnic group.
Think about the Church's schools, universities, colleges, hospitals, homeless shelters and food banks, committed to serving everyone in the name of Christ. For this reason, Hispanic Catholics love the Church. It brings out the very best values within their culture. The Church can do the same for American culture with the help of Latino Catholics who take their faith seriously.
I have only one thing to say to my Hispanic brothers and sisters living in the United States on Columbus Day: Gracias!
Father Andrew McNair is professor at Mater Ecclesiae College of Liberal Arts in Greenville, Rhode Island.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Father Andrew McNair ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: What Straight Divorce Has To Do With Homosexual 'Marriage' DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:Opinion polls show the vast majority of Americans oppose legalizing same-sex “marriage.”
Yet that same public seems unwilling to go to the mat over the issue. What accounts for this reticence? I believe the issue of divorce is lurking in the background of the debate.
Most Americans consider no-fault divorce a done deal: Feminists have effectively trashed the dreaded 1950s when divorce was considered a scandal. Few public opinion leaders are willing to link divorce to the arguments for heterosexual marriage. But we can't win the fight for heterosexual marriage without confronting the issue of divorce. It's not a losing strategy, far from it. We can only win if we bring the divorce issue out of the closet.
Divorce is in the background of the homosexual “marriage” debate in at least three ways.
First, homosexual “marriage” is the end of the trend that no-fault divorce began. The legal innovation of unilateral divorce began to reduce marriage to nothing but a temporary association of individuals. If marriage is merely a free association of individuals, there is no principled reason to exclude homosexual couples, or even larger groupings of sexual partners. The permanence of marriage was one of the key features that distinguished it from an ordinary contract.
Second, the high divorce rate and the resulting non-permanence of marriage made the institution of marriage more attractive to same-sex couples than it otherwise would be. If marriage still meant one-to-a-customer for life, I seriously doubt that we'd be hearing about same-sex “marriage” today. Homosexual couples evidently have a more relaxed concept of both permanence and fidelity than do heterosexual couples. Homosexual activists would be much less likely to invest time and energy working for the right to marry, if divorce were available only for adultery or cruelty.
Most importantly, the high divorce rate has made it difficult to articulate opposition to homosexual “marriage.”
People who have been divorced may feel hypocritical if they voice opposition to a system they felt they had to use. People who secretly fear they may need a divorce someday are reluctant to bad-mouth the easy availability of divorce. People who are not confident in their own ability to keep their marriage together for a lifetime won't speak out against the culture of divorce. A significant subset of such people will be reluctant to voice their opposition to homosexual “marriage.” People who have lost confidence in marriage as an institution of exclusivity and permanence are simply not going to have the heart for a fight over homosexual “marriage.”
Homosexual activists instinctively know this.
It is surprising how often the topic of “straight” divorce comes up in the discussion of homosexual “marriage.” The arguments go something like this: “No-fault divorce has cut the link between marriage and permanence. Everyone accepts this. Easy divorce has also called into question the idea that marriage is an institution for the good of the kids. A society that accepts unilateral divorce is a society that is willing to sacrifice the welfare of children to the comfort and happiness of adults, at least to some extent. Since straight people are unwilling to give up no-fault divorce, you can't very well claim that heterosexual ‘marriage’ is about permanence and children. So how can you justify excluding homosexuals from marriage?”
This rhetorical move ends the argument. The opponent of homosexual “marriage” is cowed into silence, for fear of being viewed either as a hypocrite or a bigot. But we need not be shamed into silence on this point. It is just that the alternative response requires us to look the divorce issue squarely in the face.
Admit that unilateral divorce has undermined marriage. Agree that straight people have already done a lot of harm to marriage. The divorce rate is too high. Our attitude toward divorce is too casual. Current law often does reward irresponsible behavior, on the part of men and women alike.
We need to work to change all that. We don't have to accept unilateral divorce as a fixed feature of the universe. Divorce — even when people think it is the only way — is painful and difficult for men, women and children. Current divorce law allows people to divorce for any reason or no reason, so lots of marriages dissolve against the wishes of one person. Many divorced people in our country could be described as reluctantly divorced.
When people have gone through a divorce, their response is not, “Hey, that was fun. Let's do that again.” No one aspires to have their children get divorced when they grow up. People would certainly prefer to learn how to avoid divorce. Figuring out how to live more comfortably with the person you married, figuring out how to keep love more actively alive, making a wiser choice of partner in the first place: All these areas need work. Individuals and institutions, laws and customs, all have room for constructive change. And society needs to reform itself in all these ways, regardless of what homosexual people do or don't do, regardless of what the law says or doesn't say, about homosexual “marriage.”
Of course, there is much more to be said about homosexual “marriage,” and about divorce, too, for that matter. But let's not kid ourselves. The current demand for homosexual “marriage” and the sad prevalence of heterosexual divorce are part and parcel of the same trend toward reducing marriage to a loose association of sexual partners. All of us need marriage to be more than that.
Jennifer Roback Morse is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Jennifer Roback Morse ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: When Faith Falters DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:Growing up in an evangelical Protestant home, I recall my parents occasionally lamenting the defection of a recent convert. In some cases, they had spent months, even years, making new Christians — only to have some of them return their old ways of life.
This puzzled me. How could people leave the Truth? Why would anyone want to?
The seemingly clear vision of youth, inevitably tested, either dims or deepens. The way and the why of how faith comes, goes, withers or grows is a mystery. And the theological virtues of faith and hope can be fragile, just as the desires and secrets of the human heart can be elusive.
In Bible college, I became friends with Ben, a brilliant student with a passion for learning and for truth. We talked, prayed, laughed and cried together, sharing our passion for Jesus. We discussed our common love for art and literature, and Ben introduced me to the work of great authors, including Walker Percy, the Catholic novelist.
Today, Ben is not a Christian. After Bible college, he moved to London, earning a doctorate in philosophy. Out of touch for a while, we reconnected through the Internet and email. Both of us were walking away from evangelical Protestantism. I was on the path to Rome, and he was on the road to doubt. He began to openly scoff at the doctrine of the Trinity and the historical validity of much of the Bible.
Distance and sporadic correspondence made it difficult to gauge what was transpiring in Ben's life. Then, after another long silence, he emailed me, his bitterness obvious: He was getting divorced. Soon thereafter, he flatly stated: “I am no longer a Christian.” He added: “While no longer holding to the dogma of Christianity, this is not because I wish to deny its claims, but merely because I am not swayed by them.”
What had happened? How could Ben leave the truth? His faith, so vibrant years before, had died.
Two years ago, I met Bob and Susan, a young couple who had walked a long, tortured path in a short amount of time. They attended an evangelical Bible college together, married and then, inexplicably, in the midst of a personal crisis, embraced Wicca. After two years, they returned to Protestantism, but flirted with Judaism and Eastern religions.
Then, dramatically, they decided upon the Catholic faith. But on the cusp of entering the Church, they began doubting the validity of Vatican II and the Church's ecumenical endeavors. At the last moment, they changed their minds back again and became Catholic. But six months later, they began attending a Society of St. Piux X parish, explaining to bewildered friends that they had found the “true Church.” For whatever reason, Bob and Susan cannot fully embrace and hold onto the gift of faith.
As an apologist, I find it easy to think of an endless list of reasons to be Christian. As a convert, I know arguments why the Catholic Church is the true Church of Christ. But while faith and reason are not enemies, faith is ultimately a gift, a grace. And the cares of the world — fear, bitterness, pride — eat away at that precious gift.
Pride is often the strongest enemy of faith. Once humility and gratitude are trampled down, the temptation to rely on our natural abilities begins to swell. But the human mind and heart are dark without the supernatural light of faith. “We walk by faith, not by sight,” writes St. Paul. That doesn't mean life is easy, but it makes eternal life possible.
Carl E. Olson is co-author, with Sandra Miesel, of The Da Vinci Hoax.
----- EXCERPT: Spirit and Life ----- EXTENDED BODY: Carl E. Olson ----- KEYWORDS: Travel -------- TITLE: Argentine Abundance DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:One of the oldest churches in Argentina — indeed, in all South America —
Built with its bell tower topped by a cupola, this colonial Baroque basilica rising over the La Plata River was built by Spanish Franciscan missionaries. Upon completion in 1732, it was devoted to the Virgin of the Pillar. The moniker comes from a Spanish tradition holding that the Blessed Mother appeared to St. James as he went about his missionary work in Spain. While standing on a jasper pillar, Mary encouraged the apostle to build a chapel in her honor.
It's been rebuilt several times since its initial construction, but it still has much of the same character
as the mother church it was modeled after the 1600s-era Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza, Spain.
Upon entering the Buenos Aires basilica, you're greeted by a striking statue of a beloved Spanish Franciscan friar, St. Peter Alcantara. It was his community that founded this sanctuary. The Franciscans had custodianship of it until the 1820s, when it was designated a parish of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires.
In 1936, Pope Pius XI elevated the church to a basilica. Then, in 1942, the Argentine government designated it a national historical monument.
Over the years, beginning about 50 years after the church was built, the city of Buenos Aires sprawled out along the river. As a result, the basilica is now located in the middle of the city. Its beauty attracts visitors from far and wide.
Then, too, many are drawn here by the cemetery. Built over the vegetable garden of the Franciscan missionaries, the burial ground is the final resting place of Eva Peron. She rose from poverty to become wife of the military dictator Juan Domingo Peron, commanding a huge political following as she virtually ran the ministries of health and labor before dying at 33 in 1952. Her story was immortalized in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical and movie Evita. (Its most popular song was “Don't Cry For Me, Argentina.”) As a result, there is a constant stream of visitors to her tomb, which is rarely wanting for flowers.
To be sure, the basilica itself takes greater pride in other chapters of its colorful history. Not least among these was the Eucharistic congress in October 1934 that was attended by Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli. Less than five years later, he became Pope Pius XII.
Memorable Museum
Physically, the basilica is a simple structure with a nave and no side wings. On each of the two sidewalls, there are carved wood altars, which reflect both the Baroque period and the somewhat folksy Franciscan flair.
Looking to the right from the entrance, I was taken by a statue of Jesus in a sitting position — a rarity. This is the alcove of el Señor de la Humildad y la Paciencia (Our Lord of Patience). Alongside is a statue of one of the greatest Franciscans, St. Anthony of Padua.
The second alcove on the right is dedicated to St. Ann. A third honors Our Lady of Solace. Next to this is a large crucifix. Across the church, along the left wall, are alcoves dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St. Joseph and Our Lady of Lujan— patron saint of Argentina.
Elsewhere are statues of St. Francis of Assisi holding a cross and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Alongside this is a painting of the Immaculate Conception. The Stations of the Cross lining the walls are especially ornate.
Dating from 1715, the Cloisters Museum, which is connected to the basilica, comprises three rooms in which the missionaries lived while their church and friary were under construction.
The first room, it is believed, housed five friars. The second room is where the friars kept their supply of food. The third room was for study and prayer. The original structure has been maintained, but now the three rooms house religious art from both South America and Europe.
I was attracted to a huge book of Gregorian chant. Because the chant books had to be painstakingly written by hand, all the friars sat around the one volume and read from the same book.
The entrance to the museum's second room, where foodstuffs were kept, has a conspicuous hole in the bottom of the door. I learned that this was for use by the cats that were brought in to keep the rat population in check. Those friars thought of everything!
Among other artifacts, including a number of carved wood statues, the museum features a Bible that was illustrated by Gustav Dore, who was known for his lithographs. Also on display are ancient vestments embroidered in silver and gold, along with monstrances and chalices, also in gold and silver, imported from Peru.
This is a fitting place to wind up your visit, as it will remind you of the constancy of the Mass in the face of so much change through the centuries— evidence of which is all around you here and throughout the city.
Would the original missionaries recognize this place as theirs if they could return today? Maybe, maybe not. But none would doubt that they would take to their knees, like St. Francis himself, when a modern-day celebrant takes the host and says, “This is my body.”
Joseph Albino writes from Syracuse, New York.
----- EXCERPT: Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Buenos Aires ----- EXTENDED BODY: Joseph Albino ----- KEYWORDS: Travel -------- TITLE: Weekly TV Picks DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:SUNDAY, OCT. 10
Homes of Our Heritage: Homes on the Range Home & Garden TV, 5 p.m.
Step back into the Wild West of yesteryear as you visit the beautiful and historic homes of frontiersman and showman William Frederick Cody (Buffalo Bill), novelist Laura Ingalls Wilder and entertainer and commentator Will Rogers.
MONDAY, OCT. 11
Roger Maris: Reluctant Hero ESPN Classic, 11 p.m.
Roger Maris (1934-1985) was a good Catholic husband and father, a Knights of Columbus member — and a great right fielder for seven New York Yankee and St. Louis Cardinal pennant-winners in the 1960s. The only two-time Most Valuable Player not yet in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Maris hit 61 homers in 1961 (with only 67 strikeouts) to break Babe Ruth's cherished record.
TUESDAY, OCT. 12
American Eats: History on a Bun A & E, 8 a.m., 2 p.m.
This two-hour documentary digs into the real stories behind pizza, hot dogs and other American favorite foods, looks into their history and seeks to discover their actual inventors.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 13
TIPical Mary Ellen Home & Garden TV, 8 a.m.
Want your children to take an interest in your family's heritage? Host Mary Ellen Pinkham supplies tips on how to do just that. She also offers useful suggestions about buying meat and about how to become an accomplished household handy-woman.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 13
Presidential Debate PBS, 9 p.m.
This year's third and final debate between pro-life President George W. Bush and proabortion challenger John Kerry takes place at Arizona State U. in Tempe.
FRIDAY, OCT. 15
Modern Marvels: The Wheel History Channel, 1 p.m., 7 p.m.
Everyone agrees that the wheel is one of mankind's most important inventions. This program asks scientists, historians and philosophers about the wheel's significance. It also interviews millers, potters, spinners and others who use the wheel in their work.
FRIDAY, OCT. 15
The Journal Editorial Report PBS, 10:30 p.m.
Trying to counter persistent accusations of perennial left-wing bias in its programming, PBS has debuted this new half-hour news and commentar y program. It features Wall Street Journal editorial page editor Paul Gigot, his staf fers Daniel Henninger, Susan Lee and Dorothy Rabinowitz, and their newsmaker guests.
SATURDAY, OCT. 16
The Great Cake-Off Food Network, 9 p.m.
The taste-tempting Accubake Unique Cake Contest takes place in Atlanta.
Dan Engler writes from Santa Barbara, California.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Daniel J. Engler ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: I, Computer DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:Since my college days studying transistors, the basic building blocks of computing, I have learned much about the “brains” of computers— technically, the central processing units (CPUs, for short). Suffice it to say that computer technology has come a long way in a relatively short period of time. A very, very long way.
What has enabled the progress is the ability to pack transistors — millions of them — into smaller and smaller units. How is this possible? Obviously, it is not humanly possible: It takes computers to make computers. Ever faster and smarter computers are leading to unforeseen breakthroughs in all areas of human endeavor.
If the progress continues apace, will computers — in the form of robots — ever have the ability to run the world, a la Terminator and I, Robot?
That all depends on how you define “robot.”
For many of us, science fiction has implanted images in our mind's eye of reliable android workers that speak in a monotone voice while otherwise evidencing very humanlike quirks and personalities. Apparently, we prefer robots we can not only use as machines but also relate to as friends.
Meanwhile, commercial and industrial robots are already very much a reality. I was surprised recently, for example, by a lawn mower I used while visiting my sister. It was self-propelled — nothing new about that, but, instead of running on one set speed, it adjusted to me. When I pushed a little harder, it sped up. And vice versa. It was “collaborating” with me.
Have you looked under the hood of your car lately? Surely you've noticed that you can't adjust the carburetor like you used to. Why? Because today's cars have their own “brains” to regulate the complex fuel-injection engines they're equipped with. They can adjust themselves to changing conditions. Anti-lock brakes, air bags, all manner of conveniences and safety features — all are controlled by a computer chip that decides from many sensor inputs what, or what not, to do. So your life may very well depend on the judgment your car makes while you are driving it.
How about “Roomba,” the robot vacuum cleaner sold at irobot.com and in stores? Place the appliance on any floor and simply switch it on. Roomba debuted in 2002 and is based on technology that has been around for two decades. Of course, it has been updated since then and is “smarter.” It decides when an area is finished and knows when it's stuck on something. Newer models even sport an “active dirt-response system.” A sonar device listens to the volume of particles being cleaned and, from this information, automatically focuses the vacuum on that spot.
Frustrated with a disobedient dog? Well, give him some competition. For a mere $1,800, you can get Sony's ERS-7 AIBO at sony. net/Products/aibo/index.html. Why the strange name? Apparently, aibo in Japanese means “companion.” It's also an acronym for Artificial Intelligence Robot. This dog can understand 100-plus words and phrases, recognize its owner's face and voice, show a multitude of facial expressions, autonomously play with its bone or play soccer with its ball, and self-charge by finding its own battery-charging station. Sony says the clever canine is “supplied with a full range of accessories that allows for both the joys of raising a robotic pet alternative, as well as the satisfaction of useful functionality.” Aibo can even communicate with your wireless home computer system.
And then there are the outer limits of where robots can serve — literally. Remember the rover that tested the soil on Mars last year? Who knows what might be next from NASA's research and development people?
A little closer to home, automated-assembly robots have been around for some time. They may not look pretty (check them out at robots.epson.com), but they get the job done. Robots, for example, are heavily used in automobile-assembly plants. I even read about a prototype U.S. Postal Service center that was totally automated — no humans needed to move the mail!
Remember the Six Million Dollar Man? Well, scientists today are working on “human augmentation robotics” technology, also known as bio-mechanics. It turns out Steve Austin, the heroic cyborg, wasn't as far from reality as we thought. For instance, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a biomechanics team has been working on developing the Active Ankle-Foot Orthosis, a robotic attachment that can reanimate a paralyzed ankle. Meanwhile, a team at Berkeley is working on the Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton. It fits over the wearer's legs and assists in carrying heavy loads over long distances. It has possible applications in defense, firefighting and rescue-and-recovery operations.
And it just keeps getting better— or scarier, depending on your point of view. Honda engineers have come up with Asimo, an incredibly convincing humanoid robot. Check him out at asimo.honda.com. Built with a human form, Asimo has flexible joints that allow him to balance himself as he moves about and completes assigned tasks. So far, he's the world's only humanoid robot that can walk independently and climb stairs.
As far as we know, Asimo is not thinking about taking over the world. Or is he?
Brother John Raymond, co-founder of the Monks of Adoration, writes from Venice, Florida.
----- EXCERPT: Just how smart will our machines get? ----- EXTENDED BODY: Brother John Raymond ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Monthly Web Picks DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:St. Paul exhorts us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Here are some sites to help us learn how to do that — even when we're online.
A good place to start is with Part 4 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Vatican site. It's the definitive statement on Christian prayer. Go to vatican. va/archive/ccc/index.htm.
Perhaps you prefer the old Q&A format of the Baltimore Catechism? If so, go to catholic.net/RCC/Cat echism/3/l28.html.
Brother Craig here at the monastery, who has a licentiate from the Angelicum in Rome in spiritual theology, has an article on contemplative prayer on our community's website. You'll find it at monksofadoration.org/contempl.html.
One of the degrees of contemplation is called the Prayer of Quiet, which you can learn more about in the online 1911 version of the Catholic Encyclopedia at newadvent.org/cathen/12608b. htm.
The Christian's Prayer, sponsored by the Vincentian Community at cin.org/kc26-7.html, is part of a longer series that is well worth reading.
It's always good to see what St. Thomas Aquinas has to say on prayer in his Summa Theologiae. Go to newadvent.org/summa/308300.htm.
EWTN has a page of devotional prayers at ewtn. com/devotionals/prayers/prayers.htm.
For more sites — many more — click on my links at monksofadoration.org/prayer.html.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Brother John Raymond ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Weekly DVD/Video Picks DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:The Question of God: Sigmund Freud & C. S. Lewis (2004)
Freud and C.S. Lewis were both haunted all their lives by a deep yearning that Freud called sehnsucht and Lewis called joy.
Freud saw in human desire the basis for projection and illusion, but Lewis argued that, like other innate human desires, this longing must have a real object — if not in this life, then in some other. The Question of God is based on Armand Nicholi's Harvard Medical School course comparing and contrasting Freud's and Lewis's views of religion (Nicholi also has a book on the same subject).
The PBS documentary blends biographical surveys of the men's intellectual journeys, panel discussions of believers and unbelievers, expert interviews (watch for Peter Kreeft) and dramatic readings with actors portraying the two thinkers. Even at four hours, The Question of God only scratches the surface of Nicholi's book. The biographical sketches offer a fine introduction to the philosophical pilgrimages of these two men, but the panel discussions are a mixed bag, with too much vague spiritual gas hardly representative of either man.
Taken as a whole, though, The Question of God offers thought-provoking fodder for conversation and debate. Available at ShopPBS.com or from online booksellers.
Content advisory: Frank exploration of belief and unbelief. Mature viewing.
The Sacrifice (1986)
The Sacrifice is a plea to mankind from Andrei Tarkovsky, cinematic poet laureate of the Russian soul. He's asking if we can abandon our self-destructive course and redis-cover our capacity for self-sacrifice. The film's theme is complicated by the joining of two originally separate story ideas, one involving a holocaust offered in satisfaction of a vow to God, the other borrowed from a pagan fertility-cult ritual. What does this juxtaposition of images mean?
One writer has suggested that Tarkovsky offers contradictory supernatural elements to deflect attention from supernatural particulars and emphasize the protagonist's self-sacrifice.
Perhaps the conflicting supernatural approaches suggest the depth and desperation of our longing for God. So grievous is the wound of original sin that, once we finally face up to it, we may try anything and everything— even conflicting therapies — to heal it. One of the 15 films on the Vatican film list in the “Religion” category.
Content advisory: A sequence involving nonmarital sex in a pagan-magical context (no nudity); murky philosophical musings. Mature viewing. Subtitles.
Andrei Rublev (1986)
In Eastern spirituality, icons are sometimes called “windows into heaven.” Even when they depict earthly events, their stylized approach is meant to evoke transcendent realities. Transcendence in art is both the subject and the method of Andrei Tarkovsky's haunting, challenging Andrei Rublev, which takes as its point of departure the life of Russia's greatest iconographer, the 15th-century painter Andrei Rublev.
Neither biography nor historiography, Rublev is a collection of loosely related episodes touching on crises of faith, brutality and chaos, and finally the response of the artist and believer. Black and white cinematography suggests the starkness of Andrei's moral crisis until the climactic full-color footage of Rublev's actual work. One of the 15 films on the Vatican film list in the “Religion” category.
Content advisory: Shadowy nudity in a depiction of a pagan fertility rite; some brutal violence involving people and animals, including battlefield violence; an extremely strong obscenity. Mature viewing. Subtitles.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Steven D. Greydanus ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Campus Watch DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:Favorite Teacher
ST. MICHAEL'S COLLEGE, Sept. 13 —Brian Lacey, a 1972 graduate of the Colchester, Vt., college, has honored the teacher who most influenced his life with a $1.1 million pledge to endow the St. Michael's Henry G. Fairbanks chair for the humanities.
Lacey, an American studies major who was St. Michael's first Rhodes Scholar nominee, is a television producer and marketer.
Fairbanks, who founded the St. Michael's humanities program, was a popular professor at the college, where he taught from 1946 to 1981.
Abbey President
A licensed psychologist, he was founder and president of ProSportDoc Inc., a company that helps professional athletes enhance their physical and mental abilities to better train and compete.
He also founded the sportsperformance training program at the Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa., and taught at Penn State University's college of medicine.
No Explanation Needed
Because Ramadan has not been given a chance to hear and address whatever concerns led to the State Department's action, “it seems to me the law's not being fulfilled,” Father Malloy told the newspaper.
The action, requested by the Department of Homeland Security, can be carried out without any formal proceedings or notification of any kind.
Distance University
CDU.EDU, Sept. 20 — The Catholic Distance University in Hamilton, Va., is offering 10 online courses for its graduate programs leading to master's degrees in theology or religious studies, the university announced on its website.
The school offers “advanced training in the faith that is loyal to the magisterium,” said Robert Royal, the university's graduate dean, in such areas as Church history, the sacraments and martyrs of the 20th century.
Information is available at www.cdu.edu or by calling (888) 254-4CDU, ext. 703.
The Good Fight
“When a Christian student was lambasted for his beliefs, Jones took it up with the university chancellor,” says Plecnik, writing in an independent newspaper of the Duke University law school. “Now that Alpha Iota Omega, a Christian fraternity, has been denied official recognition, (Jones) has returned.”
He calls Jones “a shining example of how politicians ought to represent their constituents — and UNC is not even in his district.”
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: Is Award a Window Into Loyola Chicago's Soul? DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:The eyes of the pro-life world will be on the Loyola University Chicago School of Law come Oct. 30, when it is scheduled to confer its prestigious St. Robert Bellarmine Award upon an aggressively pro-abortion, pro-“gay rights” alumnus — Lisa Madigan, attorney general of Illinois.
That evening, the Jesuit school will honor Madigan for her “outstanding achievements” since her 1994 graduation. Madigan, who once threatened to crack down on “phony” crisis-pregnancy centers for not performing abortions, is to receive the award during a reunion ceremony at the posh Westin Chicago River-North hotel.
Loyola announced the award on Aug. 3, to little notice. That changed Sept. 17, when Chicago's Relevant Radio host Drew Mariani took to the air with an in-depth discussion of the announcement. “Here was a university as prestigious as Loyola, giving an award to this woman whose voting record is so pro-death, and there was no public attention on it,” Mariani said. “I said, ‘Enough is enough.’” (Based in Green Bay, Wis., Relevant Radio operates 14 Catholic radio stations, including two in Chicago.)
Mariani turned his three-hour show over to the Loyola award. “We got flooded with phone calls,” he says. “People were outraged. Alumni said they felt shocked and betrayed.”
Some called the office of Chicago Cardinal Francis George. He, in turn, sent a personal letter to Loyola's president, Jesuit Father Michael Garanzini. The cardinal cited the alumni complaints and asked that the award not be given. To date, the school has not changed its plans.
Chicago Bishop Thomas Paprocki, an adjunct professor at Loyola's law school, sent his own letter to the acting dean of the law school, forwarding a copy to Father Garanzini. “I expressed my disappointment as a graduate, a bishop and a faculty member that they are giving this award to someone whose actions are contrary to our beliefs and moral principles,” Bishop Paprocki told the Register. “It puts Loyola in an awkward position. It gives the school a black eye.”
In their statement “Catholics in Political Life,” issued in July, the U.S. bishops’ conference wrote: “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.”
That was clear enough, but “sanctions for those who do not respond haven't been addressed,” Bishop Paprocki points out. “So what are the consequences? How would we enforce it? We may have to address this down the road. But I think the court of public opinion, of moral persuasion, is more important.”
Undaunted Defiance
Some students on Loyola's campus are counting on it, if efforts of the school's administration fail. “We were shocked when we learned of this award,” says sophomore Alicia Torres, president of PLUS, Loyola's Pro-Life University Students organization. “We knew we had to get a petition out there as a response from the students who embrace the passion for life.” PLUS sent volunteers to collect signatures on a letter to Father Garanzini and contacted other student organizations to extend their reach across Loyola's two Chicago campuses.
“If they carry out this award,” says Torres, “we plan to be there the night of the event and quietly protest outside.”
The Oct. 30 ceremony is scheduled to begin with a Mass, which Bishop Paprocki calls “incongruous, at best.”
Some think it unlikely that Loyola will reconsider this honor for Madigan, as she has proven a powerful ally and benefactor for the institution. As state senator, Madigan led a coalition of legislators and lobbyists in Springfield to help secure an $11 million grant for Loyola University from the Illinois General Assembly in the 2002 state budget.
The Register attempted to reach several members of Loyola's faculty and administration, but none responded. The school issued a one-paragraph statement, written on Sept. 17, distancing itself from the award by noting that it was the decision of the board of governors of the Law Alumni Association of the Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Accountability Gap
“Loyola is being held accountable for this award, but that's only a perception,” Nick Mariano, Loyola's manager of media relations, told the Register. “We have no control over the law-alumni association. These are alums; that's as far as it goes. No one at the university had any power over that decision.”
The Cardinal Newman Society tracks and publicizes activities on Catholic university campuses that compromise Catholic identity, and president Patrick Reilly is displeased with Loyola's disclaimer. “The university needs to take a firm stand in opposition to this,” says Reilly. “To be Catholic and not actively pro-life is to be hypocritical. If the university law school does not separate itself from this, at minimum, the school is complicit in this award.”
And that leaves people confused, says Reilly, making the matter a pastoral concern for the bishops. “A lot of faithful Catholics are asking what message is being sent by these activities,” he adds. “The bishops need to alleviate the harm done by telling anyone who will listen that this is not Catholic.”
Bishop Paprocki is doing that. “It's a ‘truth in advertising’ thing,” he says. “People paying attention want to know: ‘How Catholic is this school?’ Institutions like this have to ask themselves, ‘Who's your market?’ because, when parents out there want their students to get access to good Catholic theology, they do research and see what the individual schools stand for, what they profess and what they offer.”
Sheila Gribben Liaugminas writes from Chicago.
----- EXCERPT: Jesuit school to go ahead with honor for pro-abortion attorney general ----- EXTENDED BODY: Sheila Gribben Liaugminas ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: Where Is Mass in the Bible? DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:WORTHY IS THE LAMB: THE BIBLICAL ROOTS OF THE MASS by Thomas Nash Ignatius, 2004 300 pages, $15.95 To order: (800) 651-1531 www.ignatius.com
With a Year of the Eucharist suddenly upon us, attentive Catholics are looking for resources to form their understanding and love of the liturgy. With Worthy is the Lamb, Thomas Nash, an information specialist with Catholics United for the Faith, offers a finely crafted foundation to build on.
Starting in the Garden of Eden, Nash works his way through many events and people of salvation history. Abel, Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac and Moses all figure prominently in the story. The ancient feasts of Passover and the Day of Atonement provide crucial background on what we do in parishes every Sunday morning. Indeed, Nash shows how we stand within the culmination of all of that God-driven history every time we gather for Mass.
Nash unpacks Scripture, in particular, to present the Church's constant teaching on the Eucharist in an authoritative, yet engaging, voice. He explains, for example, what the Church means when it teaches that our celebration of Mass makes present the death and resurrection of Christ in our own time and place, but does not crucify Christ again:
“The sun does not rise anew each day like the legendary Phoenix bird, which repeatedly rises from its ashes to new life on a daily basis. Rather, the sun exists perpetually within time, and we become present anew to our earth-sustaining life source each day at sunrise, as our world turns on its axis. Similarly, Jesus the Son of God does not suffer, die, and rise again at each and every Mass, as some Protestant Christians misunderstand. Rather, the completed sacrifice of the Lamb who was slain transcends time itself and thus is celebrated forever in heaven (see Revelation 5:11-14). Therefore, every time we ‘remember’ Jesus at Mass, we are able to become present to — and re-present anew to the Father — the never-ending and eternally life-giving Offering of his Son.”
Worthy Is the Lamb also offers some fascinating insights into the Scriptural foundations of priest-hood. Malachi, for example, prophesies that “God would one day ‘purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, till they present right offerings to the Lord’ (Malachi 3:3). Under the Old Covenant … the only place that Levitical priests could lawfully offer sacrifices was in the Temple. Yet, Malachi also prophesied that one day a pure offering would be offered throughout each day among the nations, that is, the Gentiles (Malachi 1:11), further signaling that the Levitical regime centered around the Jerusalem Temple was destined to pass away. The Old Covenant law would not allow for Gentile priests. … Only a new covenant would accommodate Gentiles as transformed Levitical priests offering a new sacrifice.”
In both his style and subject matter, Nash, who holds a master's degree in theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, reminds the reader of the popular Catholic author and theologian Scott Hahn. In fact, this book is evidence that the important work that Hahn has offered the Church for the past two decades is being assimilated and developed.
Worthy Is the Lamb is an excellent resource for study and reflection. The background readings and questions for reflection and discussion that come with each chapter make it great for prayer groups or parish adult-education classes. The Pope invites us to fall deeper in love with the Eucharist during this special year. Now we have no excuse.
Barry Michaels is the author of Eucharist: The Church's Treasure.
----- EXCERPT: Weekly Book Pick ----- EXTENDED BODY: Barry Michaels ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: Pray and Play DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:No matter if we are big or small, there is a longing in our hearts to shorten the distance between God and us.
“Teach us to pray,” the disciples implored Jesus.
“Teach your children to pray,” the Church, in turn, tells parents. The Catechism makes clear that the family is the primary school of spiritual education.
And, in his 1994 “Letter to Children,” Pope John Paul II exhorted: “Jesus and his mother often choose children and give them important tasks for the life of the Church and of humanity. … The Redeemer of humanity seems to share with them his concern for others: for parents, for other boys and girls. He eagerly awaits their prayers. What enormous power the prayer of children has! This becomes a model for grownups themselves: praying with simple and complete trust means praying as children pray.”
It “is to your prayers that I want to entrust the problems of your own families and of all the families in the world,” the Holy Father continued. “And not only this: I also have other intentions to ask you to pray for. The Pope counts very much on your prayers. We must pray together, and pray hard, that humanity, made up of billions of human beings, may become more and more the family of God and able to live in peace.”
That's a tall order, so here are some reading suggestions to help the children you love find the road to a world-changing walk with Jesus.
WHEN SHOULD I PRAY? written by Nancy Elizabeth Pharr illustrated by Heidi Rose Pauline, 2003 40 pages, $8.95 To order: (800) 836-9723 or www.pauline.org/store
Picture books of old often showed children praying in repose — eyes closed, hands folded, heads bowed — with nary a glance at the world around them. While there is definitely a need for quiet time alone with God, this book encourages children to pray anytime, anywhere: “Pray in your yard or pray in your house / Pray out loud or be quiet as a mouse.” The colors are bold, the settings are real (playing, biking, doing chores). And the reasons for prayer, such as needing a friend or feeling sorry for doing wrong, will ring true with kids. Ages 3 to 8.
THE HAIL MARY/THE LORD'S PRAYER: ILLUSTRATED FOR CHILDREN illustrated by Vicki Pastore Paulist, 2002 32 pages, $7.95 To order: (800) 218-1903 or www.paulistpress.com
Two beloved prayers spring to life in this vibrant reverse-format text. Like two books in one, the first half of the text is dedicated to a line-by-line presentation of the Hail Mary. Upon “Amen,” readers flip the book over to find a separate, parallel section dedicated to the Our Father. The traditional Catholic wording is maintained, and each line is illustrated with a colorful collage graphic. An excellent tool for introducing these prayers to very young children and for helping slightly older kids to understand their meaning better. Ages 3 to 8.
MY BOOK OF THANKS written by B.G. Hennessy illustrated by Hiroe Nakata Candlewick, 2002 32 pages, $12 Available in bookstores
Thanks and petition are two important components of prayer. This book combines both in a way just right for little ones. The text begins with the words “Dear God …” and ends with “Thank you for Everything!” In between, each double-page spread presents a statement of thanks and a corresponding petition. (“Thank you for time to play. Help me to remember those who are working today.”) Upbeat watercolor and ink illustrations reflect each theme. A great book to help readers recognize blessings of every stripe. Ages 3 to 8.
A CHILD'S BOOK OF PRAYER IN ART written by Sister Wendy Beckett Dorling Kindersley Limited, 1995 32 pages, $14.99 Available in bookstores
What at first glance looks like a coffee-table art book for kids is so much more. Sister Wendy Beckett, host of the popular BBC art series, invites children to examine each of 12 classical paintings with distinctive themes such as “understanding,” “love” and “selflessness.” She explains each painting. “Stay quietly before it,” she coaches, “giving God space to enter our hearts and change them, to make them good and fill them with happiness.” A special prayer accompanies each of the paintings. Age 9 and older.
THE CIRCLE OF DAYS written by Reeve Lindbergh illustrated by Cathie Felstead Candlewick, 2002 32 pages, $5.99 Available in bookstores
Saint Francis of Assisi wrote “The Canticle of the Sun” nearly 800 years ago. Reeve Lindbergh captures in rhyme a part of the beloved saint's hymn of praise in this oversized picture book. For young readers, it is both exciting (“For fire, our brother, strong and bright / Whose joy illuminates the night”) and sensitive (“For brother sleep, and sister death, / Who tend the borders of our breath”). Outstanding watercolor and collage illustrations reveal everyday wonders from starry skies to dragonflies as the hours and seasons change. Ages 5 to 12.
ON MORNING WINGS adapted from Psalm 139 by Reeve Lindbergh illustrated by Holly Meade Candlewick, 2002 28 pages, $15.99 Available in bookstores
A celebration of God's knowledge and love for each person, Psalm 139 is translated into kid-friendly language and a series of rhyming couplets: “Lord, you look at me and know me, / Every step I take you show me. / When I rise, and when I rest, / You will always know me best.” Soothing words and inviting collage illustrations provide a reassuring reminder that God knows us intimately and is with us at every moment, all day long. Ages 3 to 8.
SPEAK, LORD, I AM LISTENING: A ROSARY BOOK written by Christine Haapala illustrated by Gus Muller Suffering Servant Scriptorium, 2004 64 pages, $12 To order: (888) 652-9494 or sufferingservant.com
The prayers, mysteries and scriptural underpinnings of the rosary are presented with beauty and simplicity in this exquisite resource. It's divided into four sections, each one focusing on a different set of mysteries. Scriptural references and the full text of traditional rosary prayers are included on each page for easy reference. Striking water-color illustrations will help readers to visualize (and pray) each of the mysteries with deeper understanding. Although written with children in mind, this beautiful text is appropriate for all ages. An excellent resource for students, teachers and Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults participants, this book will be treasured by all who desire a deeper understanding of this important devotion. Ages 8 to adult.
Patricia A. Crawford writes from Winter Park, Florida.
----- EXCERPT: Children's Book Picks ----- EXTENDED BODY: Patricia A. Crawford and Kerry A. Crawford ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Regulating Repellent Relatives DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:Family Matters
My in-laws, though decent people, are nominally Christian. I cringe every time we spend time with them because they use foul language and watch inappropriate movies and TV shows in front of my young children. I want my kids to know and love this side of the family, but I don't want them to be subjected to questionable or even immoral behavior.
This is a frustrating situation for any concerned parent. It's one thing to shield our children from poor examples in the media or steer them away from bad peer influences. But when it comes to family, we're stuck with the ones we've got.
We would not suggest cutting off contact completely with family members. After all, our kids need to be raised in the ways of the Lord, but Uncle Obnoxious and Auntie Annoying need us to bring the Gospel to them, as well. In fact, our visits may be the only exposure they ever get to Christian family life.
Prepare your children ahead of time, every time. “We love Cousin Cussalot, but sometimes he uses words that we don't allow in our family. It's not okay to say them, even if Cousin Cussalot does.” Maybe your little one will pipe up and say, “Hey, Cousin C., we don't say that word in our family.” Also, remembering that children should be taught respect for elders, be sure to point out the relative's good qualities to them. Our kids need to know that good people have bad habits and can sin. We don't want them to think he's a rotten egg altogether, just that he has some things to work on — like we all do.
Have a family policy where you have to approve all movie or TV choices, even if at a friend's house. When you get to the relatives’ house, this will be an ingrained habit. If an offensive program is being shown, your kids will be trained to look to you first for approval. You can discreetly give a thumbs up or down; if the show is inappropriate, they can go play elsewhere without much fanfare. Of course, this assumes that you are present for the visit, which is always a prudent idea. Don't put your young kids in situations where you aren't there to monitor and, if need be, intervene.
Above all, take steps yourself to correct the situation. That is, take the relative aside privately for a conversation about the behavior. It may be that Uncle O. does not even realize what he is doing and will appreciate the heads-up. This is especially true of relatives who are younger and may not yet have children of their own. It may never have occurred to them to “watch it” around the kids. Again, this is an opportunity not just to protect your children, but also to help the adult grow in virtue. If you remain silent, they may never have a reason to change.
Tom has a friend who used to take the Lord's name in vain every other sentence. Finally, Tom stopped him in mid-thought and told him he was offended by this. We've never heard him do it since.
The McDonalds are family-life coordinators for the Diocese of Mobile, Alabama.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Angels On Call DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:Prolife Profile
When a pregnancy test proved positive for 15-year-old “Laura” (not her real name), her single mother gave her two choices: Have an abortion or move out of the house.
Desperate to have her baby, the Florida teen-ager turned to her local chapter of the Gabriel Project, a nationwide Catholic crisis-pregnancy intervention based in Austin, Texas.
“The angel volunteer calmed her overwhelmed mother,” recalls Nancy Farren, coordinator of the program in southwestern Florida. “She found that the entire burden was not on her.”
With someone to talk to, the girl began to get along better with her mom, Farren says. The Gabriel Project, child care at Laura's high school and occasional help from her grandmother made a seemingly impossible situation possible. The teenager gave birth to a baby boy and was able to go on to college.
While Laura's situation had a particularly happy ending, her circumstances are not uncommon. Studies show that most women who decide to abort a child usually do so because someone else — a parent, boyfriend, friend or even husband — has threatened to withdraw support. The Gabriel Project, also called Project Gabriel, throws a lifeline to such women.
“Through the parish acting as the Good Samaritan, Mom receives the love, care and spiritual, material and emotional support she needs throughout her pregnancy and as long as needed,” says Dr. Marcella Colbert, director of the Respect Life Office for the Diocese of Galveston-Houston in Texas, where the Gabriel Project originated.
A catalyst behind the establishment of the Gabriel Project's national office in 2002, Colbert credits the birth of the apostolate to Msgr. John Perusina, late pastor of St. Michael's in Houston. In 1973, after the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide, Msgr. Perusina erected a sign outside the rectory offering help to women in crisis pregnancies. “If you will have your baby,” it read, “this parish will help you in every way.”
The initiative gained momentum when Cathy McConn, Respect Life coordinator at nearby St. Cecilia's Parish, took the idea of a wider outreach to Bishop Joseph Fiorenza in 1990. Aware of Msgr. Perusina's work, the bishop gave the project his blessing.
With a central phone number offered on signs posted outside member parishes, McConn put together a resource manual, designed a training program and, armed with a letter of endorsement from Bishop Fiorenza, recruited 50 churches within the first year.
“The ball really got going” in 1993, says McConn, after she made a presentation to Respect Life coordinators at an annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Today, Gabriel Project signs can be found in front of parishes in 13 states, Washington, D.C., the Virgin Islands and Canada.
“The Gabriel Project is our highest priority here in the Diocese of Venice (Florida),” Jeanne Berdeaux, the director of that diocese's Respect Life department, told the Register.
The U.S. bishops’ 2001 pastoral plan for pro-life activities, “A Campaign in Support of Life,” calls for parish committees to “develop or adopt, where feasible, a parish-based ministry to pregnant women and their children.”
“Gabriel is just that, a parish-based program to mentor pregnant women one on one,” says Berdeaux.
“It's truly amazing how the Gabriel Project has grown and developed,” Dr. Colbert says. “This is not just a social service, but a lay movement based on prayer. It is an outreach and an evangelizing tool.”
The apostolate takes its name from the archangel who tells the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation, “Do not be afraid” and “Nothing is impossible with God.” The Gabriel Project sends the same message to those in crisis pregnancies.
“It's a Catholic program because the training is done in a Catholic way. It's a form of evangelization for us,” says Helena Gonzales, Gabriel coordinator for the Galveston-Houston diocese. “The care we give is the care we'd give to Christ.”
“The moms need to be accepted where they are and given a chance to have the material things most of us take for granted,” says Becky Towner, Project Gabriel coordinator for Florida's Lee County. “Once this is done, we can get to their spiritual center and help them find God.”
The Gabriel “angel” coordinates the client's material needs and provides emotional support, but the whole parish participates. There is, however, a rule: “compassion without condemnation.”
Gonzales understands that concept well whenever she looks at her nephew, Aiden. While in high school, she says, her older sister confided her unplanned pregnancy. “She was crying and devastated, but she knew immediately that I was there to support her,” recalls Gonzales. “That impressed on me how important one's reaction can be. It's a human tendency to be judgmental, but we must be like Christ.”
Father Paul Felix feels likewise. Father Felix found the Gabriel Project so successful in Navasota, Texas, that he brought it to the Shrine of the True Cross in Dickinson, Texas, when he became its pastor. When he was a boy, Father Felix says, his mother offered to take in the pregnant daughter of a close family friend. “My mother already had six children,” Father Felix says, “but I learned that that's what Catholics do.”
Thanks to the Gabriel Project, thousands of women across the country are receiving help.
“The Gabriel Project is a concrete means of support for those at risk of committing an abortion,” says Father Felix. “There's a real spirit of joy and hope that springs forth. You see it in the volunteers. There's a deep-seated understanding that they're making a difference.”
Joanne Schmidt writes from Houston.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Joanne C. Schmidt ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Even Stevens DATE: 10/10/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 10-16, 2004 ----- BODY:Facts of Life
Researchers at McMaster University in Ontario found that singling out one child for positive or negative attention can throw the entire fam ily into a tizzy. Not only does the singled-out child feel pressured (if favored) or rejected (if scapegoated), but siblings also feel resentful toward favorites.
Source: Child Development, Sept. 2004
Register illustration by Tim Rauch
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Abortion Is Turning Democrats Off to Kerry DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:WASHINGTON — A new revelation by National Right to Life is timed to hurt John Kerry's standing with Catholic voters like Larry Arceneaux.
Arceneaux is a dyed-in-the-wool southern Democrat from Houma, La., who represents a vote that Kerry has seen slip from his grasp: the Catholic Democrat.
When he heard National Right to Life's revelation that the top partial-birth abortion moneymakers were contributors to Kerry's campaign, Arceneaux was saddened but not surprised.
The abortion issue was one of many that forced him to change the way he is voting this year.
“I simply came to the realization that it was impossible for me to vote for someone that is for abortion,” said Arceneaux, a retired mechanical contractor. “I'm still a Democrat, but I'm ashamed of my party. My party has let me down. I haven't switched because I want them to know that this Democrat is not voting for them.”
Kerry, the Democrats’ candidate for president, has voted six times to keep partial-birth abortion legal.
In the procedure, a baby is partially delivered. The abortionist then makes an incision in the back of the baby's head and uses a vacuum to remove the baby's brain.
Arceneaux said it's this kind of extreme position on abortion that has led him to lead a revolt. He has collected signatures from more than 6,500 Catholic voters in Louisiana, Georgia and Minnesota who have declared they will support only pro-life candidates for local, state and national office.
The revelation came to light in an Oct. 11 article in The Weekly Standard by National Right to Life legislative director Douglas Johnson.
Using Federal Election Commission records, Johnson discovered that abortionists Martin Haskell, George Tiller and Warren Hern have contributed to Kerry's campaign. Haskell owns three abortion businesses in Ohio; Tiller operates one in Wichita, Kan.; and Hern is the owner and director of the Boulder Abortion Clinic. Election commission records reveal that Haskell donated $2,000, Tiller donated $1,000, and Hern donated $4,000.
Individuals can donate up to $4,000 to a federal candidate — $2,000 for the primary and $2,000 for the general election.
Johnson said the money is not a vast sum when compared with millions spent by other groups, but added that the contributions are worth scrutinizing because of what they reveal about John Kerry.
“The Kerry campaign has readily accepted the contributions — money that might very well have originated in fees charged to perform partial-birth abortions,” Johnson said. “These are the three most notorious practitioners of late-term abortions. My conclusion is that these men must know the real John Kerry. By opening their checkbooks, they are indicating that Kerry is trustworthy.”
Reaction to the news from pro-life advocates was swift.
“Candidates like John Kerry, and those that espouse the pro-abortion philosophy, are definitely doing the bidding for those that make their living off of the killing of tiny, pre-born children,” said Peggy Hamill, state director of Pro-Life Wisconsin. “The fact that John Kerry claims that he understands that human life begins at conception makes his position of advocating for abortion even more culpable.”
Kerry, a Catholic, told ABC News’ Peter Jennings that he believes life begins at conception. Yet, he has voted against all limits on abortion during his 20 years in the U.S. Senate and has pledged to appoint to the Supreme Court only those who share his position. Both NARAL Pro-Choice America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund have given Kerry a 100% score for his voting record on abortion.
Earlier this year, Kate Michelman, former president of the National Abortion Rights Action League, told The New York Times, “Even on the most difficult issues, we've never had to worry about John Kerry's position.”
Three recent surveys have shown Catholic voters are trending toward President George W. Bush, a United Methodist, in increasing numbers.
Mark Kornblau, a spokesman for the Kerry campaign, did not return the Register's telephone calls for comment on the shift among Catholic voters.
“Clearly, President Bush's pro-family, pro-life agenda is resonating with voters in a way that Sen. Kerry's liberal record has not,” said Martin Gillespie, director of Catholic Outreach with the Republican National Committee.
Kerry didn't help matters with his comments on stem-cell research, in which embryos are created and killed for research purposes. He said early this month that Bush was willing to “sacrifice science for extreme right-wing ideology” on the question of stem cells. The problem: Bush's position is softer than the Catholic Church's (see editorial, page 8).
The Polls
A Zogby International telephone survey conducted in August discovered that 60% of Catholics in Minnesota were likely to vote for Bush, with 36% voting for Kerry.
Helen Duffy Murphy, a Catholic voter from St. Paul, Minn., is among the majority in the state.
“I find it impossible to vote for those who promote abortion,” said Murphy, who describes herself as an independent. “It is in the Democratic Party platform, and any candidate running has to support it or they won't be given support.
“We're not only voting for who the president will be for the next four years, but we're voting for who will be on the Supreme Court for the next 40 years,” she said. “The next president will have the opportunity to appoint pro-life judges to the Supreme Court.”
Similar poll results, showing Catholics favoring Bush, were seen in Iowa, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. According to Zogby data, among battleground states, only in Nevada and New Mexico were Catholics more likely to say they will vote for Kerry.
A second poll, conducted by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press, showed the president with a 49% to 39% advantage among Catholic voters. The third survey, conducted by the California-based Barna Research Group and released on Sept. 27, revealed that Catholic voters had shifted with 53% to 39% in favor of Bush.
Pollster George Barna described it as a “seismic shift,” considering that a similar survey by his firm in May showed the president behind Kerry by 42% to 48%.
“Many of the Catholics now behind Mr. Bush have traditionally voted Democratic, but have chosen a different course this time around,” Barna said.
The shift arrives on the heels of multiple efforts to educate Catholic voters. Such efforts include Catholic Answers’ Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics and an ad that ran in USA Today, Priests for Life's voter education and registration efforts, and Catholic Out-reach's booklet The Five Issues that Matter Most: Catholics and the Upcoming Election. Catholic Outreach is a Carlsbad, Calif., lay-run ministry dedicated to creating faith formation resources for Catholic evangelism.
“In this political atmosphere, there are two key issues for Catholics,” Zogby senior political writer Fritz Wenzel told Catholic News Service. “Concern about the legitimacy of the war in Iraq is being overridden by ongoing discomfort with Kerry's stand on abortion.”
Tim Drake writes from Saint Cloud, Minnesota.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Tim Drake ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Mourning Father Raises Alarm About Deadly Abortion Pill DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:WASHINGTON — Monty Patterson will not wade into the abortion issue. He will take neither the pro-life nor the pro-abortion side. What he wants is scrutiny of the abortion pill, RU-486, which killed his 18-year-old daughter on Sept. 17, 2003.
Pro-life activists are asking questions as well. They want to know: Why was the abortion pill sped through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval process? And why isn't the public being made aware of the hundreds of reported cases of adverse effects and near-death experiences women taking the drug have had?
Patterson specifically wants to know why the FDA isn't monitoring variations on the way RU-486 is administered. His daughter, Holly, a healthy young woman who had become pregnant by her boyfriend, died a week after taking the drug, an alternative to surgical abortion approved by the FDA during the Clinton administration.
Patterson traveled to Washington last month to meet with officials at the White House and the FDA about what happened to his daughter in California. He later spoke at a conference sponsored by a conservative women's public-policy group, Concerned Women for America.
“I am concerned about the health and welfare of women with the drug,” he said in an interview the week after the conference.
Patterson is trying to focus attention on the drug's impact on the mothers who take it, but any discussion of RU-486 gets bound up in the ongoing furor over the killing of children via abortion. Cathy Cleaver Ruse, spokes-woman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, said deaths resulting from RU-486 and Ortho Evra, the “birth-control patch,” are not treated like deaths from other drugs.
“Because they are wrapped up with pro-abortion politics, they're treated differently,” Ruse said. She noted that RU-486 was approved by the FDA under an “expedited” schedule normally reserved for crucial, life-saving drugs.
“They have not only put the lives of unborn children who are killed by RU-486 at risk,” she said, “they have put the lives of women at risk.”
The New York Post has reported that at least 17 women have died since 2002 from using the contraceptive patch, which is attached to a woman's skin.
Patterson, a contractor in California, said his daughter turned 18 less than a month before her death. “She was still living with us,” he said.
Patterson didn't know that Holly had become pregnant. She and her boyfriend secretly “went to the Planned Parenthood clinic in Hayward (a suburb of San Francisco) on September 10,” he said, where she was given 200 milligrams of RU-486, often referred to by the name mifepristone. “That's one-third of the FDA-approved dose,” he said.
She was then supposed to take, on her own, another drug. “Holly was told to take at home the next day, misoprostol, 800 micrograms, which is twice the FDA-approved dose, and it's taken vaginally, not orally,” he said.
‘Don't Worry, It's Normal’
Patterson said his daughter took the drug the next day as directed, though at the time, he did not know what was happening. “By Sunday, the 14th, four days after she started the regimen, she went to the emergency room,” he said. “She told them she was having an abortion through Planned Parenthood. They checked her out. They gave her a shot and some pain pills and sent her home.
“By Wednesday morning, the 17th, she was back in the emergency room,” he recounted. “I got a call, and I went to the hospital. I asked the nurse what was going on. She said, ‘I can't tell you because she's an adult.’ Holly couldn't even talk to me she was so sick. …The doctor told me it was complications from the abortion pill. She had a retained placenta from an incomplete abortion. She had a serious bacterial infection.”
That day, Holly, who had been perfectly healthy a week before, died from septic shock. No one could explain to him why she died, Patterson said.
He later found out Holly had been calling Planned Parenthood's hotline repeatedly as she became sick. “She kept calling, and they said, ‘Don't worry, it's normal,’” he said. That's one of the problems with RU-486, he said: “Bleeding, cramps, pelvic pain are normal.”
A website run by Danco Laboratories, sole U.S. manufacturer of RU-486 (under the name Mifeprex), confirms that bleeding and cramping are common side effects.
Patterson asserted that regimens other than that approved by the FDA are commonly used by abortionists. The FDA-approved regimen prescribes 600 milligrams of mifepristone followed by 400 micrograms of misoprostol taken orally two days later. Danco's website recommends that regimen and that women return to the abortion clinic to receive the second drug.
A 2001 article in Current Women's Health Reports called “The Mifepris-tone-Misoprostol Regimen for Early Medical Abortion” says that other, non-approved regimens are common. It is not illegal for doctors to prescribe off-label regimens.
“Variations studied to date include lower doses of mifepristone (200 mg total instead of 600 mg); vaginal insertion of 800 (micrograms) of misoprostol (double the oral dose); at-home self-administration of misoprostol, either orally or vaginally. …,” the article says. “Although these variations are not yet FDA-approved, many providers in the United States already use them routinely based on current evidence. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, for instance, permits its providers to use 200 mg of mifepristone followed by home use of misoprostol (Planned Parenthood Federation of America, unpublished data).”
Advocates of RU-486 claim it has a low complication and death rate, and the information that is publicly available confirms the drug falls within the range of safety used to judge similar drugs.
“Approximately 325,000 women in the U.S. have used the mifepristone and misoprostol regimen safely since its approval by the FDA in September 2000,” said the National Abortion Federation in a Sep. 20, 2004, fact sheet. “Millions of women worldwide have used mifepristone/misoprostol safely since it was first approved in France in 1988.”
Six deaths have been documented worldwide from RU-486.
Though off-label dosages and uses of RU-486 are common, the National Abortion Federation notes that is true for other drugs as well — 40-60% of drug prescriptions do not follow the FDA-approved regimen. Planned Parenthood allows its clinics to use what combinations they see fit, and abortionists rely on studies using non FDA-approved regimens to evaluate other ways of using RU-486 and misoprostol.
Asked about Holly's case, spokes-woman Erin Kiernon of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate, the Hayward clinic's parent, said, “We decline to comment based on patient confidentiality.”
No One Responsible
At the White House, Patterson said he met with a domestic-policy advisor and a legislative-affairs official. A White House spokeswoman declined to comment for the Register.
At the FDA, Patterson met with Dr. Steven Galson, acting director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “The FDA says it can't comment on an unapproved regimen,” Patterson said. Indeed, an FDA spokeswoman would only say the discussion involved “how we monitor drugs and their adverse effects.”
“If it's being used according to the label, it's safe to use,” she said.
She said she had no information on different regimens or their effects.
Patterson believes the FDA should be collecting and publishing such information. “No one's claiming to have any jurisdiction to deal with” this situation, he said. The state (of California) says, ‘We have no jurisdiction.’ The FDA says, ‘We have no jurisdiction.’”
Spotty reporting means the death toll could be much higher than the official tally of six deaths worldwide, Patterson said. For example, both Planned Parenthood and the hospital where Holly died initially failed to report the circumstances of her death, he said. The 650 reports of adverse effects in this country that have been reported to the FDA have not been made public, as Patterson would like them to be. Susan Wills, associate director for education at the bishops’ pro-life secretariat, said there have been numerous “near-death experiences” from RU-486.
Republican Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas and Republican Rep. Jim DeMint of South Carolina have sponsored bills to revoke the approval of RU-486. “The political agenda behind RU-486 was to drive abortion into mainstream medicine, to move abortion out of clinics — which have been ostracized, rightly so — into doctors’ offices,” Ruse said.
“I've given the FDA my opinion,” Patterson said. “They have not offered any conclusions.”
Joseph A. D'Agostino writes from Washington.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Joseph A. D'Agostino ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: 'Stay With Us, Lord' DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:VATICAN CITY — Pope John Paul's Apostolic Letter Mane Nobiscum Domine (Stay with us, Lord), is addressed to the bishops, clergy and faithful of the Church on the occasion of the October 2004-October 2005 Year of the Eucharist. The Letter, in Italian and dated Oct. 7, will help kick off the year of the Eucharist Oct. 17. While the document was available only in Italian at press time, the Vatican Information Service released this English summary:
Cardinal Francis Arinze, the prefect of the Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments recalled that the Holy Father announced the celebration of a Year of the Eucharist throughout the Church during Mass at St. John Lateran Basilica on the June 10, solemnity of Corpus Christi. Calling today's 30-page Letter “beautiful and incisive,” the cardinal added that it “will help guide the Church to celebrate this special year with the greatest possible fruits.”
Cardinal Arinze pointed out that “the underlying story of the Apostolic Letter is the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.”
The letter begins by quoting the Gospel of John.
“'stay with us, for it is towards evening.’ This was the heartfelt invitation that the two disciples, walking towards Emmaus the very evening of the resurrection, issued to the Wayfarer who had joined them along the road,” said Cardinal Arinze. “Filled with sad thoughts, they could not imagine that that stranger was their very Master, by now risen.”
“The Year of the Eucharist,” he added, “will see the Church especially committed to living the mystery of the holy Eucharist. Jesus continues to walk with us and to introduce us to the mysteries of God, opening us up to the deep meaning of sacred Scripture. At the summit of this encounter, Jesus breaks for us ‘the bread of life’.”
“Many times during his pontificate,” said the cardinal, “John Paul II has invited the Church to reflect on the Eucharist, … especially last year in the Encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia…. The Pope mentions two principal events that illuminate and spell out the beginning and the end of the year of the Eucharist: the 48th International Eucharistic Congress that will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico the week of Oct. 10 to Oct. 17 and the 11th General Assembly of the Synod of bishops which will take place in the Vatican Oct. 2 to Oct. 29, 2005.”
In Chapter One, “In the Wake of Vatican II and the Jubilee,” said the prefect, “the Holy Father underlines that the Year of the Eucharist strongly expresses the focus on Jesus Christ and the contemplation of his face that is marking the pastoral path of the Church, especially since Vatican Council II. In Christ, the Word made flesh, not only is the mystery of God revealed, but the mystery of man is also revealed to us.” The Pope writes, in fact: “Christ is at the center not only of the history of the Church, but also the history of mankind.
Chapter Two is entitled “The Eucharist, Mystery of Light.” The cardinal pointed out that “Jesus spoke of himself as ‘the light of the world’. In the obscurity of faith, the Eucharist becomes for the believer a mystery of light because it introduces him to the depth of the divine mystery. The Eucharistic Celebration nourishes the disciple of Christ with two ‘meals,’ that of the Word of God and that of the Bread of Life. When minds are enlightened and hearts burn, signs speak. In the Eucharistic signs the mystery is in some way open to the eyes of the believer. The two disciples of Emmaus recognize Jesus as they break bread.”
Cardinal Arinze went on to explain that in Chapter Three, “‘The Eucharist, Source and Sign of Communion,’ the disciples of Emmaus prayed the Lord to remain ‘with’ them. Jesus did even more. He gave himself in the Eucharist to remain ‘in’ them: ‘Remain in Me and I in you’…. Eucharistic Communion promotes unity among those who receive Communion…. The Eucharist also shows ecclesial communion and calls the members of the Church to share their spiritual and material goods…. During this Year of the Eucharist special importance must be given to Sunday Masses in parishes.”
In the final chapter, “Eucharist, Principle and Project of Mission,” says the prefect, “the two disciples of Emmaus, having recognized the Lord, ‘left without delay’ to communicate the good news. The encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist drives every Christian to give witness, to evangelize the Church. We must thank the Lord and never hesitate to show our faith in public. The Eucharist compels us to show solidarity towards others, becoming promoters of harmony, peace, and, especially, of sharing with the needy.”
In the Conclusion, states Cardinal Arinze, “the Holy Father prays that this Year of the Eucharist will be for everyone a precious occasion for a renewed awareness of the incomparable treasure that Christ has entrusted to his Church…. The Holy Father does not ask for anything extraordinary, but rather that all initiatives be marked by great spiritual intensity. Priority must be given to Sunday Masses and to Eucharistic adoration outside of Mass.”
Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino, the secretary of the congregation, expounded on the historical reading of John Paul II's text.
In the first part of his talk, “Begin again from Christ,” the archbishop recalled that “the Church depends on our faith in Christ. In other historical periods, but perhaps even more today, the temptation of man is to reduce the Master to one's own dimensions. Sometimes with the best intentions for dialogue, we risk ‘diminishing’ Christ, undermining the faith in its mystery in the Word made flesh.” In explaining the second point, “A contemplative Christianity,” he spoke of the signs of regression in spirituality in modern times and he said that “in this new historic situation, the Pope has emphasized the urgency of making the Christian community aware of the treasures of Christian contemplation.”
In his last point, “The urgency of example,” the archbishop affirmed: “The Pope is concerned about reminding the Christian community that the faith must be translated into witness…. We must not be surprised that an apostolic letter on the Eucharist does not touch upon the contemplative and celebratory aspects but makes strong statements about the Christian commitment in history, especially in building up peace and in service to the needy.”
Msgr. Mauro Parmeggiani, secretary general of the vicariate of Rome, spoke about initiatives organized by the Church in Rome in order to celebrate the Eucharistic Year. From Oct. 1 to Oct. 10, he said, a mission of young people, aimed at their peers, is taking place in downtown Rome, entitled “Jesus downtown.” He also noted that the catechesis this year will focus on the rediscovery of the importance of the Eucharist. Other initiatives will include Masses, Eucharistic adoration and confession in St. Agnes in Agone in Piazza Navona.
Msgr. Parmeggiani indicated that in all the patriarchal basilicas there will be Eucharistic adoration in one of the side chapels.
----- EXCERPT: Eucharistic Plea ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Diocese Teaches Abstinence DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:ORLANDO, Fla. — Students in Orlando who are saying No to sex before marriage soon will have an opportunity to reach for the STARS.
Thanks to a $2.4-million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Community-Based Abstinence Education Project, the Orlando Diocese's ThinkSmart program soon will launch after-school clubs called “Students Today Aren't Ready for Sex” — STARS, for short.
“What was impressive about ThinkSmart as a program is that it has both an in-school and after-school element,” said Wade Horn, Health and Human Services assistant secretary, who on Sept. 15 presented the Diocese of Orlando with an $800,000 check — the first of three installments over three years.
“I do think it's important that young people get the message in a variety of consistent ways that abstinence is the surest way to protect against sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies. The more they hear this message, the more they incorporate it into their attitudes and behavior,” Horn said.
Health and Human Services is awarding $70 million this fiscal year to 50 programs designed to support adolescents’ decision to delay sexual activity. The agency's “Special Projects of Regional and National Significance” enables community and faith-based organizations to apply to the federal government for funding.
Though there seems to be a trend toward greater government promotion of such programs via faith-based initiatives, grant recipients may not use the money to proselytize.
Criteria to receive funding included the capacity of an organization to provide abstinence education, the degree to which young people understand abstinence until marriage, the presence of a reasonable approach for evaluating program impact and the ability to interact with a large number of youths.
STARS is designed to reach a minimum of 2,500 youths in its first year, Horn said. “If they're able to achieve their goal — that 70% of those 2,500 commit to being abstinent — just think of the human suffering and even human lives that are going to be saved because of this.”
Not everyone is in favor of abstinence-only education, however.
“No matter what side you're on, you can agree that abstinence is the only way to remain 100% safe from sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy. But the disconnect occurs when you stop there,” said Bill Barker, press secretary of Advocates for Youth, a national, nonprofit organization that, according to its website, “creates programs and supports policies that help young people make safe, responsible decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.”
“State-based and CDC (Centers for Disease Control ) research shows that abstinence-only programs aren't working. There are short-term effects on attitudes toward remaining abstinent, but those attitudes don't tend to last beyond early teen years. We should give young people comprehensive sexual education that includes contraceptives and other information to protect themselves in the long run when they do decide to become sexually active.”
Common Values
But Pam Mullarkey, president of the Florida Abstinence Education Association, said programs like ThinkSmart are making a difference.
For 11 years, Mullarkey has been director of Project S.O.S., an abstinence education program near Jacksonville, Fla., that has reduced teen birth rates in six counties in northeastern Florida by 43% over six years. “It's working. We've got a lot of people trying to get rid of abstinence funding because it's hurting their budgets. When teen-agers stop becoming sexually active, then some organizations that cater to pregnant teens are in financial trouble.”
Diane Brown and Deborah Stafford-Shearer created ThinkSmart after learning of the staggering number of sexually transmitted diseases among younger children. Brown, who used to work at Jewish Family Services, and Stafford-Shearer, director of the Respect Life office in the Diocese of Orlando, met six years ago while working on an interfaith symposium for the aging and decided they wanted to work together on a different project to promote life. They applied for funding and received a Title V grant from the state of Florida to create an abstinence education program in the diocese for children ages 9 to 14.
Brown and Stafford-Shearer teamed up with the Orange County Health Department, Orange County public schools and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to target children in high-risk areas.
“During the first few years, we stood back from diocesan schools because we didn't want it to be known as just a Catholic program. The values taught in this program are values that belong in any religion,” said Brown, who is Jewish. “There are enormously strong forces out there that say abstinence is the best way —but — since you're going to be doing it, anyway, here's a condom. I absolutely don't believe in that. I have more faith in teens than that. They're capable of making decisions; they just have to see the possibilities for their future.”
Building Character
The program emphasizes character building and critical-thinking skills to identify and employ age-appropriate refusal skills for high-risk behaviors including violence, tobacco, alcohol and drugs. Local schools invite ThinkSmart instructors for five consecutive days to do one-hour presentations on abstinence at each grade level. The program also provides after-school and summer programs for Boys & Girls Clubs, and includes a component called “Can We Talk?”, a program designed to reinforce the role of parents as the primary educators for their children.
Schools had to be sold on the concept of ThinkSmart programming at first, Brown said, but, by the time school started in 2003, all 10 instructors were booked through December. Last year, 73% of the students who participated in ThinkSmart were willing to sign a card pledging to be abstinent until marriage.
Stafford-Shearer said although they have recently made greater attempts to promote the program in diocesan schools, only about two or three of the 15 schools that participate are Catholic.
“I guess they think that because they have a curriculum that does integrate human sexuality in religion classes, that that's all they need to do, but Catholic schools don't have a parent component, and it is doing an injustice to the kids to not have that dialogue,” Stafford-Shearer said. She added that she does not believe Catholic teaching needs to be compromised in a public-school setting; only the wording changes.
“We don't talk about morality explicitly, but we do consider ThinkSmart a Catholic program,” she said. “Is it created by or infused with doctrine or dogma? It's not. Because it's a government-funded grant, we can't do that. However, it's Catholic in the sense that the content is consistent with Catholic social teaching and the concepts of promoting the sacredness and respect for all human life, whether unborn or of the individual person, and with themes such as self-discipline, respect for yourself and others, and self-worth. We say the same things; we just don't talk about God or religion.”
Leading by Example
Alexandra Veintidos feels it's so important to get the word out that she's become a ThinkSmart instructor. “A lot of students don't even know what abstinence means,” said the 19-year-old student at Valencia Community College. “But I explain to them that I personally have chosen to remain abstinent until I'm married. I want to be healthy, live a long life and make the right choices. One small choice can have so many consequences.”
The recent grant will enable ThinkSmart to start abstinence clubs at each school the instructors visit. It also has made possible new collaborations with community organizations, such as the Center for Drug-Free Living.
“We're trying to promote good ideas that can bring about good consequences,” said Coadjutor Bishop Thomas Wenski of the Diocese of Orlando. “TV sometimes presents casual sex as being without consequence, but young people need to see that bad ideas lead to bad consequences. It's also a means of helping parents fulfill their obligations to raise their children.”
Bishop Wenski said he is proud the diocese was awarded the grant to further its abstinence program.
“The government is respectful and allows us to present this program without compromising our own views,” he said. “It goes to show that government and Church, while separate, can be partners and not rivals.”
Angelique Ruhí-López writes from Miami, Florida.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Angelique Ruhi-Lopez ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Helping Fertility the Natural Way DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:Dr. Thomas Hilgers devoted his life to the study of reproductive health in response to the call of Pope Paul VI.
In addition to developing the Creighton Model of Natural Family Planning, he is founder of the Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction and has successfully treated thousands of patients with Natural Procreative Technology (NaProTechnology).
He recently published The Medical and Surgical Practice of NaPro-Technology, the first definitive medical textbook on the subject. He spoke with Register staff writer Tim Drake prior to the institute's annual conference, held in Omaha July 21-24.
Tell me a bit about your background.
I was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. I grew up Catholic. I was the youngest of three brothers. My oldest brother had gone to medical school, so I thought that if he could do it, so could I. I went into pre-med right out of high school, attending the University of Minnesota.
How did you first become interested in issues related to reproductive health care from a Catholic perspective?
I was in medical school, and the issues of contraception were of some interest to me. I had been following the papal birth control commission and had been reading and listening to what was being said. It seemed to me that the Church was going to change its position. I wasn't a vehement contraceptionist, but it seemed reasonable to me that the Church would just follow along with everyone else. I couldn't see why the Church wouldn't approve birth control.
What happened when you learned that the Church wasn't changing its position?
When the Church did not, in July 1968, instead of being surprised, I decided to get a copy of Humanae Vitae (Pope Paul VI's encyclical “Of Human Life”). I was interested in what the Church had to say, but I didn't know how to get a copy. When I approached the chaplain at the University of Minnesota Newman Center, he told me, “What do you want to read that kind of trash for?” That was my inglorious start to all of this. A couple of months later, I mail-ordered a copy from the Knights of Columbus.
Whatever deep thoughts I had on the subject started with Humanae Vitae. After reading it, I began thinking about things I had never thought about before. I was an instant convert. The things said in Humanae Vitae were not being said in the newspapers, even Catholic newspapers. I appreciated what it had to say. At its conclusion, Pope Paul VI called upon men of science and health-care professionals to become involved in this process.
It was ultimately Pope Paul VI who was the turning point for me. I figured that I should roll up my sleeves and start doing some research. In December of 1968, as a senior in medical school, I conducted my first research project.
On the day Pope Paul VI died, my wife and I turned to each other and promised to build the Pope Paul VI Institute in specific response to his call. My goal was to build a “Mayo Clinic” for the treatment of reproductive disorders that had a Catholic moral and ethical foundation. We opened the institute in September 1985.
Looking back, I realize how important Humanae Vitae was for Catholics and the whole world. If the Church had changed its position, we would have no hope of recovery. Now, at least, we have a glimmer of hope. It's a huge uphill struggle, but I really do think there is great hope.
Tell me about NaProTechnology.
NaProTechnology has the comprehensive capability to treat a whole host of women's health issues. We work with a woman's menstrual and fertility cycles to identify the underlying causes of reproductive problems and establish a form of treatment using both medical and surgical techniques developed to treat a broad spectrum of disorders. With infertility, specifically, that approach leads to much higher rates of pregnancy than do artificial methods.
The medical profession often treats conditions — such as women with irregular cycles, recurrent ovarian cysts, painful menstrual cramps or pre-menstrual syndrome and endometriosis — with birth-control pills. Birth-control pills do not treat the disease. They're a Band-Aid. That's one of its basic flaws. In my practice, I find many women who are disillusioned and frustrated by that, and can't get an answer any place, so they come to the institute.
Why isn't this the practice at most fertility clinics?
Most fertility clinics give patients fertility drugs without investigating the causes. If they do not become pregnant, they recommend IVF. By the nature of the premise upon which it is built, it skips over the abnormality. Thirty years ago, this seemed like a good idea to the medical profession. Yet, when you skip over these causes, you end up dealing with them one way or another. A hormonal problem, for example, can lead to a hostile uterine lining. Therefore, when you fertilize an egg and try to implant it in the endometrium, it may not be ready for it. If a woman still has endometriosis, the fertility rate isn't going to be very high. You'd be surprised by how many men and women are flabbergasted by this approach. They go to the fertility clinic thinking that the doctor will try to find out what's wrong with them, but they find that the doctor doesn't care. The whole process is aimed at trying to get people pregnant. Women who go to these clinics don't get their diseases diagnosed or treated, and most of the time they don't get pregnant.
Why haven't most people heard about NaProTechnology?
We haven't kept it a secret. It's been in development for 28 years, but the definitive textbook on it has only just been written.
In the past, I've turned down opportunities to speak on national television because our research wasn't complete. It's now complete, so we can introduce this technology to the world.
We are 180-degrees polar opposite to other approaches to reproductive health care. Having said that, the concepts of NaPro make common sense. This is a morally acceptable approach that will be driven by women and patients. Individual doctors may seek to be trained, but the driving force will be women who want more from their health care.
NaProTechnology appears to fit together with the Holy Father's Theology of the Body.
Yes, in fact, I wrote to the Holy Father making that very point. The Holy Father has been writing and putting together his thoughts on Theology of the Body for the last 30 years. In my view, he has put together a theological and philosophical insight which will captivate the thoughts of great minds for decades, if not centuries, to come.
At the institute, we have the privilege of studying the physical domain. Being able to combine our domain of human sexuality and reproduction with those philosophical insights is a natural. As we teach people about how their bodies work and function, we have developed a language that allows them to better understand human procreation and reproductive abnormalities. As we teach this to women, a constant refrain we hear from them is how they feel that they grow closer to God. That's the greatest testament to the Theology of the Body itself.
I understand you gave a copy of the textbook to Pope John Paul II?
The Holy Father has been kept abreast of our work through the bishops. We receive financial support, to the tune of about $50,000 annually, from The Papal Foundation. In February, I gave the Holy Father a preliminary draft of our textbook. When I told him that this work had been done because of Humanae Vitae, Donum Vitae and Evangelium Vitae, he smiled.
Tim Drake writes from St. Cloud, Minnesota.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Inperson -------- TITLE: Collection for Missions Reminds Parishioners of Need to Spread the Faith DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:LARGO, Fla. — John Ganno is certain he's given in the past to the World Mission Sunday collection, and he could only guess what the donations are used for.
He admitted it's difficult to remember what certain collections are for because there are so many of them throughout the year. “They kind of run together,” said Ganno, 26, a parishioner at St. Jerome Church in Largo, Fla.
When told the money goes to help mission dioceses, often in poor or war-torn countries — aiding their pastoral and evangelizing programs, catechetical work, education of seminarians and the work of religious communities — Ganno heartily approved.
“It's entirely appropriate that dioceses that don't have problems with strife and disorder and poverty give to dioceses around the world that are facing those problems, because I think it's part of our Catholic call to justice that we support our brothers, especially our brothers in faith,” he said.
The collection, to be held Oct. 23-24, is organized by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, one of the four Pontifical Mission Societies. Donations help about 1,150 dioceses in Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands and remote areas of Latin America, said Monica Yehle, director of development and programs for the Pontifical Mission Societies. The need for mission work is apparent by the numbers of people who haven't been evangelized yet. Yehle estimated that about two-thirds of the world still don't know the Gospel message.
The collection, she added, is a worldwide effort, a way for “Catholics to touch the world with the love of Jesus Christ,” since every church around the world is involved in collecting donations. She cited a poignant example of how even poor churches give what they can. In 1994, at the height of genocide occurring in Rwanda, parishioners from a church in that impoverished country gave $81, she said.
Meanwhile, in the United States, parishioners usually give around $18 million, a figure that has held steady for the past several years, she said. Worldwide, the collection brings in around $110 million to $120 million per year, she said.
In his message regarding the upcoming collection, Pope John Paul II said the theme is the “Eucharist and Mission.” He emphasized how the mission of the Church is a continuation of Christ's mission and, therefore, it should draw “spiritual energy” from the body and blood of Christ.
“At the end of every Mass,” the Holy Father said, “when the celebrant takes leave of the assembly with the ‘Ite, Missa est’ (‘Go, the Mass is ended’), all should feel they are sent as ‘missionaries of the Eucharist’ to carry to every environment the great gift received. In fact, anyone who encounters Christ in the Eucharist cannot fail to proclaim through his or her life the merciful love of the redeemer.”
The Society for the Propagation of Faith was formed in the 19th century by a lay French woman named Pauline Jaricot. The society's first collection was held in 1822, supporting missions in Kentucky, Ohio, China and the Diocese of Louisiana, which stretched from Florida to Canada.
Sister Marie de la Trinite Siopongco, who belongs to the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara order, also pointed out that World Mission Sunday is an important time to reflect on the needs of others who need to hear about Jesus.
“It is a time dedicated for us to remember that there is still mission,” said Sister Siopongco, who is the assistant secretary for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on World Missions. “There are still missionaries who are laying down their lives, who have left their families and their countries in order to proclaim the good news and to share their Catholic faith in other countries because they know this is the supernatural answer to the hunger that's existing in every man's heart.”
Another beneficiary of the World Mission Sunday collection is the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, which supports Eastern Catholic churches. The association receives 9% of the collection, which is forwarded to the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, said Michael La Civita, the association's assistant secretary of communications.
Eastern churches include those in the Holy Land, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and Ethiopia.
“If the Congregation (for the Eastern Churches) didn't have funding and if those churches didn't have support, many of these guys who are priests, patriarchs and the religious would not have been educated theologically,” he said.
Donations go not only to build up the Church but in some cases to rebuild it. Father Michael Moran, who spent almost 20 years as a missionary in Liberia, remembers the time in 1990 when a rocket hit St. Anthony's Church in the Archdiocese of Monrovia in Liberia, damaging the roof to his church during a time of civil war.
What might have taken months to accomplish — fixing the roof — was finished in weeks because World Mission Sunday money was available, said Father Moran, now vice provincial for the Society of African Missions in Tenafly, N.J.
He said the missionaries “really” depend on the money for help.
Father Moran added, “It's a witness to not only our faith but also our belief that we want our word spread to other people.”
Carlos Briceño writes from Seminole, Florida.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Carlos Briceño ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Media Watch DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:Bush Blocks Funds to Pro-Abortion UNFPA
LIFESITENEWS.COM, Oct. 4 — Once again, President Bush refused to release the United States' contribution to the United Nations Population Fund, commonly known as the UNFPA.
The president diverted the $25 million normally sent to the fund to a State Department initiative against human trafficking and prostitution. He has nixed the contribution to the Population Fund all four years of his presidency.
The Population Fund has supported coerced abortion, particularly in China, the Canadian web-based news service noted. The Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute at the United Nations notes that in a new report, the Population Fund praises countries that have overcome parental authority, such as Papua New Guinea, where a new law ensures that “adolescents over age 16 can access reproductive health services without parental consent.”
‘West Wing’ President Sheen Signs Pax Christi Letter
The statement, “Life Does Not End at Birth: Catholics Called to Vote for the Common Good,” was circulated by the Catholic peace movement Pax Christi USA.
“Contrary to words used in political speeches, a politician's commitment to the sanctity of life must be judged by the actions taken to defend and promote life in all its forms,” said Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Gabino Zavala, Pax Christi USA's bishop president.
Other supporters of Pax Christi's statement include Sister Christine Vladimiroff, who said: “We will not let a few well-funded groups narrow the profound breadth of Catholic teaching to a partisan agenda.” The article says a “handful” of Catholic bishops have told Democrat John Kerry, a Catholic, he would be barred from Communion in their dioceses because of his support of abortion rights.
Astute Steubenville Student Stumps Edwards
WTOV9.COM, Sept. 29 — At an “unscreened, unscripted” town meeting held by Democratic vice-presidential candidate John Edwards in Weirton, W.Va., Franciscan University of Steubenville student Gabriel Hahn took his chance with the microphone to speak of the value of life, especially unborn life,” a Steubenville, Ohio TV station reported.
“I'm asking you, Mr. Edwards,” the website WTOV9.com reported Hahn as saying, “Will you please stand up and fight for life? For everyone?”
That was all Hahn said “before the microphone was yanked away from him,” according to the story.
Edwards said he respects Hahn's view. “This is one of those issues on which good people have different views. And personally, I don't think it's the job of government to tell women what to do.”
Hahn, son of theologian Scott Hahn, was not appeased, according to the report. “It's very kind of him to say he's respectful of my point of view, but I cannot respect the view of someone who would allow innocent children to be murdered.”
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Pro-Abortion Group Files IRS Complaint DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:WASHINGTON, D.C. — A pro-abortion group purporting to be Catholic is trying to discredit at least two Catholic organizations that educate voters about life issues.
“We are looking closely at a lot of different groups who've been very active during this election cycle,” said Michelle Rinquette, communications director for the group, Catholics for a Free Choice.
Though most of its energy is focused on Catholic groups, Catholics for a Free Choice has also criticized Operation Rescue West, a nondenominational pro-life organization. It's looking closely at Catholic Citizenship — an organization sponsored by the bishops of Massachusetts and headed by former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn — which encourages Catholics to become more informed and involved in civic life.
Catholics for a Free Choice — which has been denounced by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for using the word “Catholic” in its name — filed a complaint Sept. 20 with the Internal Revenue Service against Catholic Answers Inc. of San Diego. The group charges Catholic Answers with what Catholics for a Free Choice president Frances Kissling describes in a press release as a “blatant violation of its charitable status.”
In its complaint, Catholics for a Free Choice contends that Catholic Answers violated its tax-exempt status with an Aug. 31 ad in USA Today that called on readers to “eliminate from consideration candidates who are wrong on any of the five ‘non-negotiable’ issues of Catholicism, including abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem-cell research, human cloning and homosexual “marriage.” Text for the ad was taken from the Catholic Answers publication Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics.
Under tax laws, charitable organizations with tax-exempt status are not allowed to campaign for or against candidates. The ad, however, didn't mention any candidates by name or tell readers where candidates stand on the issues. Likewise, the voter's guide mentions no candidates and merely tells readers what platforms they should look for in candidates.
In her press release, Kissling argues that the ad and the voter's guide are aimed at Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, who is pro-abortion, because of an email that Catholic Answers chairman Karl Keating sent to subscribers April 13. The email said Kerry “flunks the test given in Catholic Answers’ Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics; he is wrong on all five ‘non-negotiable’ issues listed there.”
‘Desperate’
Jimmy Akin, director of apologetics and evangelization, said nothing Catholic Answers has published violates the spirit or the letter of the IRS code in any way. He said Catholics For a Free Choice is desperate to get pro-abortion candidates elected and has decided to “viciously attack” pro-life organizations with groundless accusations.
“Their complaint is completely frivolous,” Akin said. “We have had the documents thoroughly vetted by legal experts who are the best in the business, and they indicate that we are well within the law. There's no basis to the charge whatsoever.”
That's true, said Charles Rice, a visiting law professor at Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor, Mich., and professor emeritus at Notre Dame.
“You can list issues and what the Catholic stance is on those issues, and you can even go so far as to list the issues and then list where each candidate stands on those issues,” Rice said. “What you can't do is call for people to vote for so-and-so, naming the candidate by name, or tell them not to vote for so-and-so, naming candidates specifically.”
Akin agrees that Catholic Answers could go much further in educating Catholics about politicians and still not be in violation of the law.
“We don't even talk about candidates,” Akin said. “We leave it up to voters to educate themselves on the particular candidates, and that way our voter's guide is pertinent for elections all over the country.”
Akin said the voter's guide is part of Catholic Answers’ effort to educate the public about Church teaching on a wide variety of matters, including political involvement. He calls it “issues advocacy.”
Catholics for a Free Choice also engages in issue advocacy — though they portray their position as in line with Church teaching when it is not, he said. “They are trying to undermine the teachings of the Church from within, by fraudulently calling themselves Catholic,” Akin said.
Kissling refused to speak with the Register. Communications director Rinquette, however, disputed Akin's claim as “ludicrous.”
“I'm not even sure what he means by that,” Rinquette said. “People can say that about us because much of the hierarchy of the Church isn't affiliated with us, but that's because members of the hierarchy are afraid of repercussions if they do.”
Second Attack
Kissling's group also filed a complaint Sept. 28 against The Culture of Life Foundation — a nonprofit with a mission to provide leadership and financial resources to promote a universal commitment to protect and nurture all human life, from conception until natural death.
Catholics for a Free Choice contends the foundation violated its nonprofit status by sending an email that questioned Kerry's standing as a Catholic because of his position on abortion and other life issues. It also criticizes the group for publishing an article on the Internet one week later that cited a variety of religious scholars saying Catholics should not vote for pro-abortion candidates.
“We are delighted once more to come under attack from ‘Catholics’ for a Free Choice, that rollicking band of wealthy, anti-Catholic, pro-abortion bigots,” said Austin Ruse, president of The Culture of Life Foundation.
Ruse said Kissling's group is trying to abuse IRS code “to violate our First Amendment rights to free speech and religious practice.”
Rice agrees, saying, “this is a complete effort to silence those who are taking a pro-life stance.”
As for calling Kerry a bad Catholic, Ruse said that's well within his First Amendment rights.
“He is,” Ruse said. “And so is Frances Kissling.”
Rice pointed out another wrinkle. “Nobody said anything when Bill Clinton went to the pulpit before his recent operation to campaign for the Democrats in the venue of a Baptist church with tax-exempt status,” he said. “These are attacks on free speech aimed only at those with a pro-life message.”
Wayne Laugesen writes from Boulder, Colorado.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Wayne Laugesen ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Vatican's Status Has Added Clout at UN DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:VATICAN CITY — In the weather-beaten jumbo jet that is the United Nations, the Holy See is enjoying the delights of an upgrade this fall.
After a resolution passed unanimously by the U.N. General Assembly in July, the Church's new, reinforced role within the organization came into effect in September during the opening of the 59th session of the General Assembly.
The Holy See's enhanced status includes two important “rights”: to participate directly in any debate of the Assembly without having to wait for the approval of regional groups, and to reply in debates in which it is challenged directly or indirectly.
“(It's) an important step forward,” said Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations in New York.
In a statement to the Register, the archbishop called the development a “strengthening in status” of the Holy See that “will permit a more active participation in the dayto-day functioning of the world's principal political forum.”
The changes were necessary to clarify the role of a permanent observer since the Holy See is now the only state with this status. Switzerland, the only other state to have been a permanent observer, became a full member in 2002.
According to Archbishop Migliore, specific rights for the Holy See will now include: “the right of inscription on the list of speakers under agenda items at any meeting of the General Assembly; the right to make interventions; the right of reply; the right to have its communications relating to the sessions and work of the General Assembly and of all international conferences issued and circulated directly as official documents of the Assembly; and the right to co-sponsor draft resolutions and decisions that make reference to the Holy See.”
The Holy See is still without full membership, and the reinforced role does not affect privileges already enjoyed, such as membership of U.N. agencies and being a signatory to treaties.
In addition, the Holy See continues — at its request — to have neither a right to vote, nor a seat on the Security Council, thereby ensuring it remains a moral force and not a political one.
“I wouldn't call it an enhanced role,” said one Vatican official in Rome, downplaying the changes. “It's more a concretizing of the rights which have become common practice for some time.”
Still, as the Church takes on board this more formalized status, there could be interesting consequences.
The most significant of these is likely to be greater effectiveness in rebuffing any interest groups that oppose the Holy See.
One such adversary is “Catholics for a Free Choice,” a misnomer for a non-governmental organization that is, in fact, very anti-Catholic. In 1999, the U.S.-based abortion lobby, which is headed by former abortion clinic manager Frances Kissling and which has no reported membership, called for the removal of the Holy See from the United Nations on the grounds that it was not a nation-state and that its status was unfair to other religions who did not possess the same privileges.
The “See Change” campaign failed to garner the support of a single U.N. member state and may actually have galvanized other U.N. members and affiliated groups into realizing just how necessary the moral voice of the Holy See is within the organization.
The campaign drew widespread opposition, not only from more than a thousand non-governmental organizations, but also from Muslim, Jewish, evangelical and Mormon groups. Catholics for a Free Choice has been notably silent about the Holy See's new status.
Welcome News
A leading voice against the “See Change” campaign was Austin Ruse, president of the pro-family U.N. watchdog Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute. Ruse welcomes the reinforced role because he believes it makes “clear that the nations of the world unanimously endorse the voice of the Holy See.”
However, there are other groups at the United Nations that likely will have more difficulty with the Holy See's presence, including two major U.N. agencies that promote artificial birth control and that have funded abortion-related programs: the U.N. Population Fund and the U.N. Children's Fund.
Ruse believes the strengthened role will help the Holy See in its opposition to such population-control agendas and will assist the Church in its efforts “to protect the dignity of every human being which comes under regular attack at U.N. conferences.”
For others, the new role will also help the Holy See promote other areas of concern in international relations, namely security policy and international law.
Janne Haaland Matlary, a member of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, does not believe there will be enormous practical consequences from the changes.
But, as the voice of the Holy See becomes more important, she said they will serve to underline the Holy See's “perennial importance in international diplomacy.”
It is clear, she added, that the Holy See with its Catholic social teaching “has a whole lot to contribute” to security policy. There are “no clear answers” concerning when to accept the use of military force, Matlary said, but the Holy See's extensive knowledge of both international law and ethics, together with its independence, put it in a much-needed position to clarify discussions on such matters as the “preventive war” that the United States launched against Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
And the Holy See's consistency in upholding and applying principles of international law makes it “a more and more sought-after ‘commodity’ in international affairs,” said Matlary, who served as Norway's deputy foreign minister from 1995-1997.
This Fall
Key issues on the agenda for the United Nations’ fall session are North-South concerns, conflict prevention and fighting the causes of terrorism, legitimacy for the use of military force, upholding and promoting human rights, human cloning, poverty, disarmament, HIV/AIDS and the need to reform the U.N. system.
According to Archbishop Migliore, in addressing these issues, the Holy See will now have “greater opportunity to speak on behalf of those who have no voice.” And, he said, “there is no doubt that these new rights will give the Holy See added scope to pursue its concerns in favor of all humanity.”
Edward Pentin writes from Rome.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Edward Pentin ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Media Watch DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:Vatican Discusses Iraqi Peace Conference Prospects
BRITISH BROADCASTING CORP., Oct. 4 — Vatican Secretary of State Giovanni Lajolo said if a proposed peace conference on Iraq is to be successful, the Iraqi government must agree to it, the countries involved must forge a genuine “coalition of peacemakers” to help Iraq, and the conference's agenda must be short and specific.
Archbishop Lajolo made his comments in an Oct. 1 interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, BBC's international press-monitoring service reported.
The archbishop said U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's proposal for an Iraq peace conference was “reasonable,” so long as it had the support of the Iraqi government and of other countries that are sincerely seeking peace in the country.
In the interview, Archbishop Lajolo expressed concern about the exodus of Iraqi Christians fleeing religious persecution by Muslim fanatics.
“We should not forget that there have been Christians in Iraq since the beginning of Christianity — in other words, for centuries even before Islam existed — thus they cannot be considered to be an expression of foreign Western culture in the country,” he said. “But they now need increased international solidarity.”
Greek Orthodox Leader Seeks Approval to Meet Pope
ASSOCIATED PRESS, Oct. 6 — Archbishop Christodoulos, leader of the Greek Orthodox Church, has asked the church's governing synod to support a proposed visit to the Vatican.
The visit, which would reciprocate Pope John Paul II's historic pilgrimage to Greece in 2001, is fiercely opposed by anti-Catholic factions within the Greek Orthodox Church. No date has been set for a possible trip, the Associated Press reported.
Greek Orthodox leaders who support Archbishop Christodoulos' request credited John Paul's pilgrimage with opening the path to reconciliation. During his visit, the Holy Father apologized for “sins of action and omission” by Catholics against Orthodox Christians, including the sacking of Constantinople in 1204 by crusaders.
“Divisions only lead to disasters,” said Metropolitan Apostolos, the AP reported. “The Pope came to Athens and apologized for the holy wars. What more do you want?”
Replacement Named for Disgraced Austrian Bishop
DEUTSCHE PRESSE-AGENTUR, Oct. 5 — Bishop Klaus Kung of Feldkirch, Austria, who was tapped this summer by the Vatican to investigate a sex scandal at Austria's St. Polten seminary, will become St. Polten's new bishop, the German news service reported.
In July, Austrian newspapers published photos of seminary staff in compromising positions with seminarians. It was also disclosed that police had discovered a cache of thousands of pornographic pictures, including child pornography, on seminary computers.
After his appointment by the Vatican as apostolic visitor, Bishop Kung moved decisively to clean up the scandal, ordering the seminary closed permanently in early August.
Bishop Kurt Krenn of St. Polten, who initially downplayed the compromising photos as a boyish prank, resigned in late September after a trip to the Vatican.
Responding to German press reports that he had been named as Bishop Krenn's successor, Bishop Kung said Oct. 5, ”If the Holy Father wants it, I cannot say No.”
Added Bishop Kung, “Life is a pilgrimage.”
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Vatican Conference Examines Merits of Genetic Modification of Crops DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:VATICAN CITY — As the world's population increases, so, of course, does the demand for food.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that, over the next 25 years, global food production must increase by 60% to accommodate the estimated population growth of about 2 billion people. Yet 740 million people already go to bed hungry each night.
This is why the Vatican has joined national governments and other organizations in looking at biotechnology, or genetically modified organisms. The science, which manipulates the genetic makeup of crops, is seen as a particularly effective method of increasing agricultural productivity and efficiency.
Yet, questions remain, particularly in Europe, over the ethics and safety of genetically modified organisms, also called GMOs, used widely in North and South America.
On Sept. 24, the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences brought together scientists, farmers and Vatican officials for a conference at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University entitled “Feeding a Hungry World: The Moral Imperative of Biotechnology.”
In his opening remarks, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, James Nicholson, mentioned the “tremendous potential” of genetically modified organisms and said it is essential the international community meet its obligations in combating food shortages because “hunger and malnutrition are an affront to human dignity.”
Fighting hunger, Nicholson said, is the “foremost objective” of U.S. foreign policy because it “will make our world more peaceful and secure.”
One major argument raised by Catholic critics is that the focus should be on food distribution, not food production. In other words, causes of hunger such as social injustices and restrictive trade practices, which are also an offense against human dignity, must first be addressed before resorting to this technology.
However, Dr. C. S. Prakash, professor of plant molecular genetics at Alabama's Tuskegee University, dismissed the argument as “disingenuous.” If everyone shared the wealth, Prakash agreed, there would be no poverty, but it's clear that's never going to happen. Meanwhile, not only is food demand growing as populations increase, but water is also becoming a rarer commodity.
Yet critics say there are still no assurances that the technology is sufficiently safe, with no adverse effects to the environment such as diminished biodiversity. Prakash and other speakers countered this by saying that, so far, no single case of illness resulting from consuming foods produced by genetically modified organisms has been recorded, and that biodiversity will actually be conserved and enhanced rather than negatively affected.
What's Moral?
Still, there are other ethical debates concerning the multinational corporations involved. Genetically modified organisms have patents belonging to just a few large corporations, potentially giving them enormous control over farmers.
As one commentator put it, genetic modification is “colonizing the food chain” — food is a common good needed by all to be shared, but now it is becoming another for-profit commodity.
Jesuit Father Roland Lesseps, an American agricultural scientist based in Lusaka, said that in Zambia, there are “better, cheaper, more sustainable and more suitable options for resource-poor farmers” than GMOs. Multinationals promoting genetically modified organisms are, therefore, creating an unnecessary dependency, he argued.
“Surely, a clear moral imperative for us is to research and develop these methods of sustainable agriculture,” Father Lesseps said, adding that failure to do so by these corporations is a “serious moral fault.”
But for Dr. Peter Raven, pontifical academician and director of the St. Louis-based Missouri Botanical Garden, the European opponents of GMOs are committing a much graver error when they persuade African countries to reject them. “Whatever policy might be adopted for Europe, persuading governments responsible for the lives of hundreds of thousands of starving people in Africa to forego food aid on the basis of politically or economically motivated disinformation seems to me to constitute a serious crime against humanity,” he said.
That Europeans were willing to prevent starving Africans from receiving biotech foods despite the fact that GMOs are found in European beer, cheese and drugs “seems to me to be truly obscene,” Raven said.
Farmers' Viewpoint
Arguably, the strongest presentations at the Gregorian University conference were given by two farmers. Sabina Khoza, a South African who described herself as a “very, very proud indigenous woman in agriculture” made the point that she had flown to the conference and that “if it weren't for technology, I'd still be walking to get here.”
Edwin Paraluman of the Philippines illustrated with photographs the effect of genetic modification on his maize crop.
“I was really amazed,” he said. “Since I was small, I saw so much damage, but now it is clear.”
Paraluman said the increase in quality and quantity of his yields enabled him to buy a new refrigerator one year and a motorcycle the next.
But for Father Lesseps, much more research still needs to be carried out. “We've so often done what we've thought to be okay but which turned out to be disastrous,” he said. “We only have to think of tragedies like thalidomide, DDT and CFCs. It's still too early to tell.”
Ambassador Nicholson admitted that genetically modified organisms are “not a perfect solution,” nor are they a panacea, but present the best option available.
Catholic critics of GMOs were upset that, unlike an earlier conference on the subject held by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace last November, they were not invited to give a presentation.
So far, the Vatican has been equivocal on the issue, preferring to wait until more is known. However, according to some GMO skeptics at the Gregorian University gathering, Rome is considered likely to issue a yellow flag rather than a red one — meaning “proceed with caution.”
Edward Pentin writes from Rome.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Edward Pentin ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Marriage Is a Sign of God's Love for Mankind DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:Pope John Paul II addressed a crowd of 13,000 pilgrims who gathered in St. Peter's Square for his general audience Oct. 6. The Holy Father offered his reflections on the second half of Psalm 45 in his ongoing series of teachings on the psalms and canticles of the Liturgy of the Hours. He spoke about the first half of the psalm during his general audience Sept. 29.
The second part of Psalm 45, which was written for a royal wedding celebration, describes the beauty of the resplendent bride and future queen and the joy of her maiden companions. “Because of its perspective on marriage, we can dedicate it to all married couples who live out their married life with a strong commitment and an inner zeal,” John Paul said, noting that the love of the married couple is a sign of the love of the Father for mankind and of Christ for the Church. “The vocation to marriage is a turning point in life and a life-altering event,” he added.
John Paul pointed out that the psalm exalts the beauty of the bride as a reflection of God's splendor and recalls passages from the Song of Songs, particularly chapters 4 and 7, and the wedding feast of the Lamb described in chapter 19 of the Book of Revelation. At the same time, the joy of the wedding party is also highlighted: “Genuine joy, which is deeper than simple happiness, is an expression of love, which contributes to the well being of the person who is loved with serenity of heart.”
Finally, Pope John Paul II noted the emphasis on fertility at the end of the psalm. “This is a relevant topic in our days, in the Western world that is often incapable of entrusting its own existence to the future by generating and caring for new creatures so that they might continue the civilization of peoples and fulfill the history of salvation,” he said.
The audience opened with a musical rendition of the second half of Psalm 45.
The gentle portrait of a woman, which was just presented to us, constitutes the second part of the diptych contained in Psalm 45, a serene and joyful nuptial song that is recited during evening prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. After having contemplated the king, who is celebrating his wedding (see verses 2-10), we now focus our attention on the figure of his bride and queen (see verses 11-18). Because of its perspective on marriage, we can dedicate this psalm to all married couples who live out their married life with a strong commitment and an inner zeal, which, as St. Paul suggests, is a sign of a “great mystery” — the mystery of the love of the Father for mankind and the love of Christ for his Church (see Ephesians 5:32).
However, this psalm opens up an even greater horizon. Indeed, it focuses on the Jewish king and, from this perspective, the ensuing Jewish tradition perceived this psalm as a portrait of the Davidic Messiah, while Christianity has transformed this hymn into a song in honor of Christ.
The Queen and Bride
However, let us first turn our attention to the portrait of the queen that the court poet, who is the author of the psalm (see Psalm 45:2), describes with a great deal of grace and feeling. The reference to the Phoenician city of Tyre (see verse 13) inclines us to believe she is a foreign princess. For this reason, the call to forget her people and her father's house (see verse 11), which the princess had left behind, takes on a special meaning.
The vocation to marriage is a turning point in life and a life-altering event, an idea that already emerges in the Book of Genesis: “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body” (see Genesis 2:24). At this point, the bride and queen, along with the wedding procession that is bearing gifts, advances toward the king, who is fascinated by her beauty (see Psalm 45:12-13).
Beauty and Joy
The insistence with which the psalmist exalts the woman is important: She is “all glorious” (see verse 14) and this magnificence is expressed in her wedding dress, which is threaded with gold and decorated with fine embroidery (see verses 14-15). The Bible loves beauty as a reflection of the splendor of God himself; her clothing can also be seen as a sign of an inner light that shines forth and a purity of soul.
On one hand, we can find parallels in some wonderful passages from the Song of Songs (see chapters 4 and 7). On the other, we can find parallels in the passage from the Book of Revelation that depicts the “wedding day of the Lamb,” namely Christ, with the community of the redeemed, which makes the symbolic value of the wedding garments even clearer: “For the wedding day of the Lamb has come, his bride has made herself ready. She was allowed to wear a bright, clean linen garment” (Revelation 19:7-8).
Along with beauty, joy is exalted, which can be seen in the festive procession of the “maids of her train,” the young girls who accompany the bride “with glad and joyous acclaim” (see Psalm 45:15-16). Genuine joy, which is deeper than simple happiness, is an expression of love, which contributes to the well being of the person who is loved with serenity of heart.
The Future of Mankind
Finally, in his concluding words that express his best wishes, the psalmist describes another reality that is radically inherent in marriage: fertility. In fact, reference is made to “sons” and “generations” (see verses 17-18). The future of all mankind is now assured and not just that of the dynasty simply because the married couple will offer new creatures to the world.
This is a relevant topic in our days, in the Western world that is often incapable of entrusting its own existence to the future by generating and caring for new creatures so that they might continue the civilization of peoples and fulfill the history of salvation.
A Portrait of Mary
As it is known, many Fathers of the Church have taken this portrait of the queen and applied it to Mary, beginning with the cry at its very beginning: “Listen, my daughter, and understand; pay me careful heed …” (see verse 11). This is what happens, for example, in the Homily on the Mother of God by Crispinian of Jerusalem, a Cappadocian who was one of the founding monks of the monastery of St. Euthymius in Palestine and who was custodian of the Holy Cross in the Basilica of the Anastasis in Jerusalem after he became a priest.
“It is to you that I address my words,” he says, turning to Mary, “to you who are to be wed to the great ruler; to you I dedicate my words, to you who are about to conceive the Word of God, in the way he knows … ‘Listen, my daughter, and understand; pay me careful heed:’ Indeed, the happy announcement of the redemption of the world has been confirmed. Pay careful heed and what you will hear will lift up your heart … ‘Forget your people and your father's house:’ Do not pay attention to your ties here on earth because you will be transformed into a heavenly queen. Hear, he says, how much he who is the Creator and Lord of all things loves you. Indeed, the king, he says, desires your beauty, the Father himself will take you as his bride, and the Spirit will arrange all the conditions that are needed for the wedding ceremony. Do not think that you will give birth to a human child ‘for he is your Lord and you will adore him.’ Your Creator has become your child; you will conceive him and, with the others, you will adore him as your Lord” (Testi mariani del primo millennio, I, Rome, 1988, pp. 605-606).
(Register translation)
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Former Prostitute Finds a House of Hope in Christianity DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:Linda Watson turned her back on her life in the sex industry in Australia when she found God. She now runs the House of Hope in the city of Perth for women who want to quit the sex trade, and she is also a leading campaigner against the decriminalization of prostitution.
Watson's outspoken campaign against legalized prostitution earned her recognition as Australia's “Most Inspirational Woman” for 2003, as well as a meeting in early September with Pope John Paul II. It has also earned her death threats from organized crime. She spoke last month with Register correspondent Greg Watts in London.
Has your outspokenness against prostitution made you any enemies?
Yes. The refuge has been fire-bombed. This happened because I was seen as a whistleblower. What I was doing was telling the truth about the downside of prostitution. God led me out of prostitution, and I really believe in my heart that I've been led to lead others out of it.
When did you begin working as a prostitute?
I began on Hay Street, the infamous red light district in Kalgoorlie on the Western Australian gold fields. At the time, I was 24 years old and working as a clerk for a legal firm.
Why did you become a prostitute?
I was separated with three children. My kids were sleeping on mattresses, and I had no fridge. My wages at the legal firm were a hundred dollars (Australian) a week. As a prostitute, I was earning $2,000 a week. So I thought I'd do it for two months.
How long did you stay in prostitution?
Twenty-four years. The money and lifestyle that it brought took over. At my peak, I earned $30,000 a week. I lived in a six-bedroom house, owned two BMWs and thought nothing of splashing out $3,000 for a meal in a restaurant. I loved the money.
But I hated the job. And I hated to see what I saw.
So when did you quit prostitution?
On 31 August 1997 — the day Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris. I wanted to leave the business lots of times, but the death of Princess Diana made me really think.
I was at a crossroads in my life. At the time, I was sitting beside a swimming pool at the house of a madam friend of mine. I cried out to God. I said, “I know you are there. Just change me. Get into my life, and let me turn this around.”
When I told people this, they asked me how I was going to do it. I said that God would help me.
How did you then get involved in campaigning against the legalization of prostitution?
At the time I retired, the Sunday Times announced that the government in Western Australia was going to legalize prostitution. I rang the chief of staff at the paper — but he wasn't a client — and I told him that I was angry that the government was going to do this. I asked him if he would run a story, and he said he would.
Did you get much support from the churches?
I went to many pastors and priests of different denominations and asked them to fight this war with me. I must have contacted around 200 churches and organizations, but they didn't want to know. The legalization of prostitution in Melbourne and Sydney came about through the churches. They believed it would be safer. But when Archbishop Barry Hickey of Perth read the story, he asked to meet me.
How did the meeting go?
My first meeting with him was an awesome experience. I looked at him and said, “I've never met an archbishop before.” He was probably thinking, “Well, you wouldn't have.” He asked me about the downsides of prostitution and what we could do to attack the government. I thought that this was wonderful. He's trying to do something.
How big a problem is prostitution in Australia?
Prostitution in Australia has proliferated since it was legalized in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. It's out of control. You can't clean the industry up, and you can't control something that is out of control. If you can't control it when it's illegal, then you won't be able to control it when it's legal.
And you can't make it respectable, and you can't take the damage out of it. Some politicians say that they will fix the health aspect of prostitution and make it safer for the girls, and we'll have greater control. But if something is made lawful, then what right does any government have to step in?
What is the House of Hope?
It's two houses, a residence and an assessment center. The women stay there between three months and two years. The girls might have to go on a detox program first. Afterwards, if they are serious about wanting to change their lives, we give them a room in the house and start to integrate them into society by giving them life skills. We send them to a college of further education.
The families of many of the girls have disowned them. One of my biggest projects is trying to get the families involved.
Is there a spiritual side to the project?
Definitely. The women are provided with both a spiritual and education program. Catholic priests and ministers of other denominations provide pastoral care. Archbishop Hickey has been a tremendous supporter of the project and a great mentor to me. He regularly comes to visit the women.
How many women has the project helped?
Since it was set up, the project has helped about 600 women to leave prostitution. We get between 5,000 to 6,000 phone calls a year. The referrals come through priests, doctors and psychiatrists. I also go into a local prison, where around 80% of the women have been convicted of crimes related to prostitution.
How do you see your life in the light of the gospel?
When I look at the story of Mary Magdalene and how those people were going to stone her and how Jesus forgave her, I find it an amazing story. It's a reminder that this same Jesus is doing this same work today. Jesus said, “He who has been forgiven much loves much.” And I guess I feel I have been forgiven much.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Greg Watts ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Media Watch DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:Hindu Politicians Passion-ate About Christian Voters
ASIANEWS.IT, Oct. 7 — After years of criticizing Christians for allegedly coercing Hindu conversions, some Hindu fundamentalist politicians have made a 180-degree turn: They are using images from Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ to appeal to Christian voters in the Oct. 13 elections in the western state of Maharashtra.
According to the Catholic news service Asianews, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the allied Shiv Sena party “have been distributing a poster-calendar that has images of Christ from the film The Passion. Their candidate is quoted on the calendar for having said that he would not like to be like Pontius Pilate, who washed his hands of Jesus' crucifixion.”
Asianews suggested the unexpected warmth toward Christian voters is a consequence of the devastating defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party and its Hindu nationalist allies suffered in the spring national elections.
The news service said, “After their recent debacle in the recent General Elections held in April, the right-winged Shiv Sean and BJP are now wooing the minority Christians for the seat in Vasai, a town north of Mumbai, home to around 80,000 Christian voters: The use of images of Christ in their campaign will doubtlessly carry weight with them.”
Another Brick in the Wall of Muslim Intolerance
ASSOCIATED PRESS, Oct. 7 — Muslim fundamentalists have built a brick wall to deny access to a Catholic school near the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.
The 7-foot-high wall was erected across the main gate of the Sang Timur Catholic School Oct. 3 by about 100 Muslim activists who claim the school is seeking to convert Muslims, Father Derrikson Turnip, a local priest, told the Associated Press.
Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country, is about 80% Muslim. Catholics comprise about 3% of the country's 238 million inhabitants.
Father Turnip said school officials could not prevent the activists, some of whom were armed with sticks, from constructing the wall. “It was anarchy,” he said. “They looked as if they were ready for a fight.”
Local authorities revoked the school's permission to hold services earlier this year after lobbying by local Muslim groups, Father Turnip said, but it has continued holding them.
Ugandan Anglicans Assume Control of L.A. Parishes
Bishop Kisekka said the three parishes — St. James, All Saints and St. David's — submitted their request about four months ago. The churches broke with the Los Angeles diocese over its support of last year's consecration of homosexual Gene Robinson as Episcopalian bishop of New Hampshire.
The bishop said he consulted with Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi, the primate of the Church of Uganda, who approved the move. Last November, the Anglican Province of Uganda formally severed communion with U.S. Episcopalians because of Robinson's consecration.
Said Bishop Kisekka, “They got us through the Internet, and they feel we are the most suitable diocese to take care of them.”
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Bush vs. Kerry: Stem-Cell Basics DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:There is a lot of confusion about the stem-cell issue. There needn't be.
But the presidential campaign has only added to the confusion.
Sen. John Kerry said early in October that President Bush has been too willing to “sacrifice science for extreme, right-wing ideology.”
It's a shocking statement that is highly offensive to Catholics. The U.S. bishops said that Bush's policy should have limited embryonic stem-cell research even more. Does Kerry really believe that the policy of the U.S. bishops — and the magisterium — can be dismissed as “right-wing ideology”?
Meanwhile, President Bush's policy on stem cells — to allow research on some embryonic stem-cell lines but not others — does not invite clarity, either.
The bottom line in the embryonic stem-cell debate is really very simple. A human embryo is a child in the first eight weeks from conception, already a unique boy or girl with his or her own DNA, life expectancy and right to life. If you're for embryonic stem-cell research, you are for creating and killing human beings for research purposes.
Pope John Paul II — who suffered under the Nazi occupation of Poland — is so concerned that we avoid doing this that he mentioned it in his 2001 apostolic letter setting the Church's agenda for the new millennium.
There, he wrote: “The service of humanity leads us to insist, in season and out of season, that those using the latest advances of science, especially in the field of biotechnology, must never disregard fundamental ethical requirements by invoking a questionable solidarity which eventually leads to discriminating between one life and another and ignoring the dignity which belongs to every human being” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, No. 51).
The Vatican has said it again and again: Research that kills embryos is impermissible. But one important distinction has to be made. While embryonic stem-cell research is always wrong, there is nothing wrong with non-fatal adult stem-cell research.
Quite the contrary. It needs to be pointed out that embryonic stem-cell research has produced only negative effects on patients’ health so far while stem-cell research using morally obtained adult cells has had a host of exciting curative results.
Adult stem cells have scored a long list of medical accomplishments. Among them:
— Adult stem-cell treatment, used without any other medication, improved one Parkinson's patient's health by 83% (as determined by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale).
— Multiple-sclerosis patients have benefited from adult stem-cell regenerative medicine.
— Adult stem cells helped a paraplegic patient regain bladder control and some movement.
— Mature stem cells helped treat severe immunity problems in children.
— In mice, mature stem cells have greatly improved diabetic conditions.
Unfortunately, news stories have created the myth that embryonic stem cells hold medical secrets that can save patients like actor Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson's disease.
This has changed public opinion — but it hasn't changed the sense most people have that creating and killing human beings for research purposes is wrong.
In an Aug. 16-18 poll (with a 3.1% margin of error) conducted by Wilson Research Strategies, 53% of respondents said they opposed “using tax dollars to pay for the kind of stem-cell research that requires the killing of human embryos,” while only 38% said they support this. At the same time, 74% of respondents said they “support using tax dollars to pay for the kind of stem-cell research that does not require the killing of human embryos,” while only 20% opposed this.
The two candidates have sharply different beliefs and records regarding stem-cell research.
President Bush made headlines by offering the first federal grants for embryonic stem-cell research in August. But his policy funded research only on cell lines that had already been developed. He refused federal funding for research that would kill new embryos.
While his policy was criticized by some pro-lifers and the U.S. bishops, others (including the Register) argued that it was the most pro-life tactic available to him.
John Kerry has recently been campaigning in support of embryonic stem-cell research, saying, “I will stop at nothing to get stem-cell research moving in this country.”
This editorial is one in a series about Catholic issues facing voters in the November election.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Letters DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:Mission Board Helping Sudan Nurse
I saw the front-page article “Uprooted” (Sept. 12-18), on Katie Gesto, the nurse-practitioner volunteer who has been in the Sudan for the past two years. I would like to point out that she was sent under the auspices of the Catholic Medical Mission Board's Medical Volunteer Program. We provide her travel expenses, a monthly stipend of $350 and full health insurance, in addition to Medivac, malpractice, life and liability insurance coverage. CMMB has even supported her with some medical and other supplies. This information was not included in the article, even though it was quoted that it cost her $4,500 to live there.
I don't mean for that to be made a point of, but was disappointed no indication of our organization's support was made.
ROSEMARY DECOSTANZO
Catholic Medical Mission Board
New York City
Fellowship Nurtures Students
I appreciate the college pull-out section about the Catholic colleges and universities (Sept. 26-Oct. 2) who require their professors to have the mandatum and those who take the Oath of Fidelity. I have served in Catholic campus ministry for over 11 years, and it is a critical time of growth (or decay) for the faith in the hearts and minds of our Catholic young adults. It is where the future of our Church and culture are coming of age and choosing whom they will follow. The importance of this battleground can hardly be overemphasized.
I would like to add one addendum to your great reporting and research. Many of your readers may not be able to afford a Catholic university education at one of the faithful institutions that you listed. For them, I would strongly recommend attending a school that has a Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) chapter on campus. The missionaries of FOCUS are fantastic in planting and watering the seeds of the Catholic faith in college students. You can find out more about FOCUS and colleges where they are present at their website: www.focusonline.org.
FATHER JAMES N. DEAN
Our Lady Queen of Mercy Catholic Church
Montgomery, Alabama
Catholic School Enrollment
Regarding “Number of U.S. Catholics, Deacons Up; Priests Down” (Aug. 8-14):
You seem to have counted every aspect of the Catholic population except those children who are being home schooled. Over the past several years, this number has grown considerably, as more parents are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the education their children were getting in the parish schools, particularly in the field of religion.
It would be interesting to know just how many Catholic children are now being home schooled, many through high school, and how this affects the total number of Catholic children no longer attending the parish schools. Incidentally, I know firsthand that these children are being taught extraordinarily well, as they excel in all areas in national competitions — spelling, math and geography, for example — receive high marks by the National Merit Society and go on to do very well in college and in postgraduate studies.
MARY WHITE
River Forest, Illinois
Don't Take Us for Granted
Regarding “Eerie Silence? Convention Speakers Avoid the ‘A’ Word” (Aug. 8-14): Many issues are politicized and embraced by a particular party, only to be forgotten with the passage of time. While abortion has been widely politicized for over 30 years, it is, ironically, an issue that will not die. It may even determine the outcome of the coming election. Modern technology continues to improve our ability to see the reality of life in the womb, and the results are steadily undercutting the fundamental arguments of abortion proponents and the support of pro-abortion politicians.
The truth about abortion becomes clearer with each new advance in medical technology. For years, parents have listened to the ka-swish, ka-swish of a healthy heart while they waited for the technologist to interpret the fuzzy black-and-white images. Today, 3-D ultrasound technology needs no interpretation. Crisp, clear imaging technology allows parents to see their moving, living baby and answers the age-old question, “Is it a boy or a girl?”
This question, and the technology that answers it, reveals a truth that is irrefutable. The fetus, far from being an indiscernible “mass of cells,” has a sex, heartbeat, head, arms and legs. The fetus also carries its own unique DNA, making it an individual human in every sense of the word. Making this little life within the womb dependent on the mother's body, but not a part of the mother's body.
Truth, having been rejected, is sometimes difficult to see and even harder to acknowledge. Occasionally, our Supreme Court and politicians have failed to recognize truth, as was the case with slavery. Yet, just as the truth about the horror of slavery ultimately prevailed, so will the truth about abortion. Thomas Jefferson eloquently wrote, “We find these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Abortion cannot stand as a woman's right, because it ignores the fact that the fetus is a living human being. With every heartbeat, the fetus cries for the right to be born, just as slaves cried for the right to be free. There is also another truth: Politicians who support abortion cannot win the votes of an ever-growing number of people who recognize that the life within the mother's womb is a baby, a baby who has the right to be born!
MARK KNIEPMANN
Melbourne, Florida
Flynn ‘Overlooks’ Too Much
I read the article “Democrats for Life Had Silent Presence in Boston” (Aug. 8-14) which said, “The group Democrats for Life of America was in Boston for the Democratic National Convention, but members were not inside the Fleet Center as a visible group.”
Then I read that Ray Flynn, the former mayor of Boston and ambassador to the Vatican, was there. The fact that Ray Flynn was being quoted in the article aroused my curiosity. I don't know if I am the only one who caught it, but isn't that the same Ray Flynn that was pictured with his grandkids in Time magazine this month (Time, 8/2/04, page 42). He said, “I campaigned harder for Kerry than for myself. Because of his sacrifice for his country, I could overlook a lot of things.”
I will tell you that Ray Flynn may not have been visible at the Democratic convention, but I'm willing to bet that if Kerry is elected to the White House, Flynn will be visible in the Kerry administration. I was also wondering, if Ray Flynn was ambassador to the Vatican, does anyone think he just overlooked what the American bishops had to say about supporting pro-death candidates like Kerry? Ray Flynn tells the truth, that's for sure. He said he overlooks a lot of things, and he does!
JOHN BEDARD
Springfield, Tennessee
Santorum Should Recall
Senator's Vote on Judge Bork
It is always important to look at the facts that someone leaves out when defending a position in a debate, as well as the ones which they use to bolster their case. Hence, it is noteworthy that in Sen. (Rick) Santorum's letter, “Sen. Santorum Replies” in your Sept. 19-24 edition, defending his support of Arlen Specter in the recent Pennsylvania senatorial primary, he tells us that Specter supported the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. Whether Senator Santorum has a short memory, or he deliberately left it out, it is relevant to note that Specter was a key vote against the nomination of Robert Bork to the same court.
MARK GRONCESKI
Warren, Ohio
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Movie About Thérèse an 'Extraordinary Accomplishment' DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:I think Steven Greydanus’ review of the film Thérèse was off the mark. Movies are a powerful medium that affects us and the culture at large in a very profound way, so for Catholics, isn't it important that films not only be analyzed technically but that their spiritual value be looked at as well?
As both a father and someone who loves going to the movies, I was very excited about bringing my 10-year-old son to see this film on opening weekend. We had his three same-age cousins with us, and the event was one I won't soon forget. As every parent knows, children will tell you the truth, and although I was hopeful that the kids would enjoy a film about a saint, I had my doubts. What a joy it was to see my doubts disappear as it became apparent that they were enjoying this beautiful film as much as the parents. The little girls were fascinated by the beautiful clothes and mannerisms of the Martin sisters and their life in late 19th-century France. My all-boy son agreed, saying he really liked the movie, and to top it off, the kids asked in all sincerity if any more movies about saints were going to be made. All four of the children, along with the adults, had a lively discussion about the film during the drive home, rich in talk about God, family, saints and heaven. When was the last time any of us has had that experience?
We Catholics are called to change the culture and much depends on our success. Like it or not, movies play a big part in forming our culture, and they are an important part of the modern mass media that our Holy Father is urging us to embrace and utilize for the sake of the Gospel. Rather than lamenting the possible lack of Thérèse's general market appeal, Mr. Greydanus would have served the Church better by saluting Catholic filmmaker Leonardo Defilippis's extraordinary accomplishment and encouraging all to support it. In bringing the life of Thérèse to the big screen, Mr. Defilippis has created something that will no doubt bring a great deal of grace into many lives. Far more than the next “appealing” Hollywood blockbuster.
ALAN NAPLETON
President, Catholic Marketing Network
Irving, Texas
Editor's Note: In his review, Steven Greydanus’ major regret about the movie wasn't technical. It was that it didn't delve deeply enough into the spiritual dimmension.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Pope's Call Answered in Thérèse DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:How refreshing to see the topic of pro-Catholic movies (“Anti-Catholic Films Meet Their Match”) addressed in your Aug. 8-14 issue, as well as a much-needed discussion of the popular anti-Catholic trend in movie-making from Hollywood. What dismayed me a great deal, however, was your final analysis in your own editorial, questioning the future of pro-Catholic movies and your “hope that a new generation will yet answer his (the Pope's) call.” Hello! This call has been answered!
How come no mention was made of Luke Films’ Oct. 1 release of the pro-Catholic movie Thérèse? The Register has, over recent years, generously tracked the making of this movie, to include a page–one interview with actor/director Leonardo Defilippis, various ads for the movie, as well as articles on the lead actress portraying St. Thérèse. The work of Luke Films has even been featured in your “Weekly Video Picks.”
Perhaps part of the problem of the promotion of quality Catholic media lies within our own Catholic world, our own media, and/or the tendency to forget?
CARLOS GONZALEZ
Shreveport, Louisiana
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Will Media Survive An Audience Of Fact-Checkers? DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:A long, long time ago, in the mists of early time, I gave a speech at my high school graduation ceremony.
I wasn't the valedictorian, although I ranked pretty close to the top of the class. I think they asked me to speak because I was in the drama club and some of the really smart kids refused to get up in front of a crowd.
I wanted to talk about how upset I was that the school administration had suspended one of my classmates for growing a beard, but that plan fell victim to censorship by the same administration. Instead, I talked about the news media, questioning whether they could be trusted.
Doubtless I would have forgotten about this, but Grandma saved the speech in a drawer with mothballs and reminded me of it some years later, after I had been named editor of a small newspaper in the Chicago suburbs. She suggested that if the media couldn't be trusted, now it would be my fault.
By that time, I was more concerned about whether the government could be trusted than the honesty of the media. But my skepticism toward both institutions was linked (should I say, “seared in my memory”?) by the events of 1968.
My parents moved the family to Chicago that year; I was a junior in high school. That summer, the Democrats held their presidential convention in Chicago.
It was a mess. The actual convention was a cacophony of various factions and interest groups. Outside, protests against the Vietnam War turned violent. Watching the coverage on television, it was difficult to tell who was doing what to whom. Long shelves of books have been written, none adequately, explaining those difficult times.
The protest chant of those days was, “The whole world is watching.” That tried to sum up the protestors’ desire that people everywhere would see the opposition to the war, the violent suppression of protests by the police and the need for the American government to somehow end the war and immediately usher in a new society of love, flowers and whole-grain muffins.
In those days, the media were much less complicated, much less diverse than today. Major newspapers depended on their own reporters and correspondents from a handful of wire services (so called because they sent their stories to newspapers via a phone line connected to a typewriter-like printer). Television consisted of the three major networks and PBS. Cable was in its infancy and had developed primarily to serve people in remote or mountainous areas who could not get regular reception. These early cable services didn't have the multitude of offerings of today's networks, let alone things like premium movies, sports channels and MTV.
Newsrooms did not have computers. Many reporters still used manual typewriters, as opposed to electric models. In fact, newspaper reporters still used carbon paper to make copies of their work as they typed — photocopiers were rare, extremely expensive and cumbersome to use.
But more important than all of this, the Internet didn't exist. No news sites … no search engines … no blogs … no chat rooms … no Drudge … no Google … no personal computers.
If the whole world was watching, it was watching through a narrow set of lenses — those of CBS, ABC, NBC and the local newspaper. (Radio was mostly music in those days — the phenomena of all-news and talk formats had yet to be established.)
If the media were manipulated by the government or protestors, the whole world was watching the manipulation. There weren't options. I got my insight from the evening news.
Folks today have options. If you don't think Dan Rather is telling it to you straight, you can tune in various cable alternatives. You can access virtually every newspaper in the world via the Internet. And you can view various alternative news sources, blogs, opinion sites, advocacy sites and discussion groups. You can find expert opinions about darn near anything.
Of course, the Dan Rathers of the world will argue that they bring experience, judgment and perspective to the reporting of the news. Perhaps … but can the mainline media be trusted?
That's the question I asked three decades ago — and I remain cynical about the answer. But today, as Dan Rather recently learned, “the whole world is watching” has taken on a new meaning.
If CBS (or the government or a politician) isn't totally honest, the Internet's millions of observers are going to find out and tell.
In 1968, if I didn't like the way television covered the convention and anti-war protests, I could complain to my friends and family, write a letter to the editor or give a speech in a hot, crowded gymnasium.
Today, you can search for other points of view, email people around the world, set up your own information site, link to articles in dozens of publications, create your own online magazine, post videotape of events you attend, watch videos and express any and every point of view.
Getting information has become more messy and complicated. Yes, you have all those exciting options — but you have to work at it. If the mainline media could be trusted, it would be so much simpler. But until that day comes, the whole world is watching.
Jim Fair writes from Chicago.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Jim Fair ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: Senior Living: Count Your Blessings DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:I'm a blessing counter. I don't mean I go around counting other people's blessings; I mean I count my own!
My unusual hobby began during the summer of 1936. It was a time when two men — one athletic and black, the other crippled and white — were very much in the headlines.
Jesse Owens was stealing the spotlight at the Olympic Games in Berlin while Franklin Delano Roosevelt was campaigning for the second of his four presidential terms. And thanks to a multi-syllable sickness, I was running an improbable fever of 108 degrees. Three doctors told my parents not to expect their 7-year-old son to make it through the night. But what those doctors didn't take into account was that Mom and Pop would spend that night talking to God.
More than 25,000 days and nights have gone by since Jesse Owens, FDR and I thumbed our collective noses at Adolph Hitler, Alf Landon and three red-faced doctors. The way I figure it, that's 25,000 blessings. Take it from a guy who collects them: I cherish each and every one.
But those thousands of blessings aren't the only ones in my collection — not by a long shot. When you consider yourself one of the luckiest and happiest men alive, your blessing book seems to grow bigger and better every day.
Thanks largely to loving, caring parents, I had a happy, fun-filled childhood. I was 21 when I met Mary Lou Rush on New Year's Eve in 1949. She was my best friend's blind date. Two weeks later, I lost my best friend, but it was a good trade: His blind date soon became the greatest wife and friend a man could hope for.
I was a struggling young sportswriter when we met and, next to her, sports and writing were my big loves. She encouraged me to continue my career, and I went on to spend the next 55 years getting paid for doing what I love so much.
I have so many fond memories of my writing career; they alone make my blessing book bulge at the seams. Perhaps my proudest moment came one September evening in 1959 when I was sports editor of The Daily Item in Port Chester, N.Y., and was honored by hundreds of readers and fellow sportswriters. The very title of the testimonial dinner was enough to make a man's head spin: “Arn Shein Honor Night — A Champion in the Cause of Sports and Sportsmanship.”
Sitting at the head table were my proud parents. Ida and Lou Shein were to pass away within the next few years, but on that evening, my father was popping his buttons and my mother's already ample chest was more ample than ever.
Five years after our marriage, Mary Lou and I were told by doctors we would never have children of our own. It was my turn to talk to the Lord, and nine months later, Lindy was born. Stacey joined the family in 1962, and Kelli came on the scene 16 months later. Three daughters, three blessings.
We had a big scare on Lindy's sixth birthday when we took her to New York Hospital where we hoped doctors could discover what was making our oldest daughter so sick the past few months. After weeks of testing, we learned that Lindy had severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. As bad as her case was, though, even that was a blessing. Of all the boys and girls on that infamous children's floor of New York Hospital (most of them suffering from leukemia), our daughter was one of only two who would leave there alive.
She still has rheumatoid arthritis, but today Lindy is a vibrant mother of two handsome young men. As for Stacey and Kelli, they are beautiful young ladies who have blessed us with five more grandsons and, finally, a granddaughter. Eight grandchildren, eight more blessings.
A funny thing happened on the way to my 39th birthday party in 1967. My world seemed to go haywire and, during the next 37 years, I was hospitalized 34 times and underwent 26 operations. I've been jabbed by so many needles since then, my understanding wife has disposed of every pin cushion in our house. And I have long been on a first-name basis with some of the nicest ambulance drivers, doctors and nurses in New York and San Diego.
Thanks to two lens implants and the amputation of two toes, I have literally been operated on from head to toe. In between, I've had four total hip replacements, surgery on five fingers and a meniscus bone removed from my left knee. A coronary angiogram in 1982 proved to be a life-saver since it revealed a fistful of severe blockages and led to a tricky little six-bypass heart operation.
A good chunk of my health problems stems from a severe case of psoriatic arthritis throughout my system. But I've also had phlebitis, two detached retinas, glaucoma, reflux esophagitis, Legionnaires’ pneumonia, bronchitis, two cataracts, cellulitis, bursitis, angina, a heart attack, a hiatal hernia, tennis elbow, hemorrhoids and a partridge in a pear tree. And what decent red-blooded American would possibly exclude the heartbreak of psoriasis? Certainly not I.
My adventures also include 10 hip dislocations, which might help explain why a person with the customary quota of two hips would require four total hip replacements.
Admittedly, there were times during those adventure-filled 37 years when I was tempted to feel sorry for myself. But whenever I did, I simply looked at other patients in doctors’ waiting rooms or peeked through the doors of hospital rooms and realized how fortunate I was. Wherever I looked, there were a great many people far worse off than I.
Besides, I consider each of my 26 operations successful. As for those 37 hospitalizations, I always left feeling a whole lot better than when I entered. And don't believe everything you hear about hospital food.
I love it!
You discover also how important good friends are, particularly in a life-threatening situation. When I had my six-bypass surgery, I was supposed to be hospitalized two weeks. They sent me home after less than a week, partially because I made a speedy recovery; partially because I was a disruptive influence.
When I left Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, Calif., the nursing staff estimated that I had more than 300 visitors, phone calls, get-well cards and gifts. It reached the point where my confused roommate thought he was lying in the middle of New York's Madison Square Garden during a rock concert.
How do you adequately express your appreciation to so many wonderful people for their kindness and warmth? There's really no way you can. You simply thank God, sit down, open your ever-growing blessing book — and make another entry.
Fifteen months after the heart surgery, I lost four close friends in as many months and, for the first time in my life, suffered through a stage of depression. Each day for weeks, my wife tried to talk me into attending a local creative-writing class in San Diego. And each day, I resisted her pleas. After all, it had been 10 full years since my sickness forced me into early retirement as sports editor and columnist. But when she finally twisted my arm and I walked into the writing class, the old juices began to flow. So did the words!
It wasn't long before I began sending my nonfiction writing to upper-echelon magazines. As always, I felt my manuscripts were Pulitzer Prize material. The editors didn't necessarily agree with my assessment: Over the next four years, my writing was rejected 96 straight times.
I didn't give up! After all, what else did I have to do? And besides, what's 96 rejections to a guy who survived 26 major surgeries?
My slump was broken in February 1988 when Guideposts published one of my inspirational articles. Then came sales to the world's two largest circulation magazines, Modern Maturity and Reader's Digest. My byline has since appeared almost 350 times in more than 50 national magazines, more than half of them to the religious/inspirational market. In addition, I now teach creative-writing classes and am a regular on the lecture tour.
I was 7 when I almost died in 1936. Although I turned 76 in September 2004, I'm busier and happier than I've ever been. After all, counting 25,000 blessings takes a great deal of time!
Arn Shein writes from San Diego.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Arn Shein ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: What's a Curves Member to Do? DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:Randy Cohen is an ethicist who writes a question-and-answer column for
Louise Dustrude explains that she is thoroughly enjoying her trial membership in a physical fitness chain that goes by the name of Curves. She has discovered, apparently to her horror, that the founder and CEO of Curves, Gary Heavin, is not only pro-life, but makes sizeable contributions to the pro-life effort. Her question is this, now that her trial membership is coming to an end and she must decide whether to pay for a continuing membership: “I am pro-choice. Do I have a duty to give up my Curves membership?”
Louise is obviously a woman who wants to do the right thing, even if it requires her to give up an activity she loves. By the tone of her letter, she seems well disposed to heed whatever her ethical advisor might suggest. According to Cohen, her decision hinges on what she most values: “your reproductive rights or your figure?”
It is, of course, widely assumed that if abortion is a legal right, it is also a moral right. In addition, it is assumed — equally widely — that “reproductive rights” also include the ability to have a child on the mere basis of having a “right” to have one. The first assumption denies morality; the second believes the impossible.
Nonetheless, our Times ethicist could have pointed out to his questioner that there is no conflict between being “pro-choice” and retaining membership in an organization run by someone who is pro-life. Nowhere in Cohen's response does he explain that a “pro-choice” position, by its very nature, must include a respect for all choices, even the choice, however politically incorrect, of being pro-life. Is it impossible these days for a “pro-choice” person to understand that choosing life is a choice? Are pro-life people compelled to be pro-life, whereas those who choose abortion do so freely?
Apparently, choosing life is choosing to be anti-choice! Such is the twisted, convoluted, curvaceous logic of pro-choicers.
Moreover, the second term of the false dichotomy, “your figure,” is also problematic. Evidently, Ms. Dustrude is not pleased with her figure and that is why she is in a fitness program. There is no guarantee, however, that Curves will ever provide her with the figure she desires. She is told, then, to resolve her ethical dilemma by choosing between a set of ideological assumptions and a mere hypothesis. This is hardly helpful advice. What it does, rather than providing light, is simply reinforce her prejudices.
Cohen offers some comfort for his questioner's concern when he points out that similar “conflicts” have arisen over the allegation that Curves supports abstinence programs. Although he probably would not admit it, Cohen is less an ethicist than a moral segregationist. He would like to see a perfect harmony throughout the business world between the moral values of the consumer and those of establishment owners.
Cohen agrees that Curves offers a “great workout in a woman-friendly setting, and that many owner-operators are women.” But it is not enough. Its CEO is pro-life and therefore Curves should be boycotted by all people who believe in “choice,” even if they do not grasp the meaning of the word “choice” because what they really mean is “abortion.”
There are now people, including “ethicists,” who see being “pro-life” as such an unforgivable social faux pas (certainly worse that killing your own unborn children for any reason whatsoever) that it negates every other virtue a pro-lifer might possess. This is a most extraordinary kind of scrupulosity. Or is it guilt on overdrive? We do not talk about the ethics of abortion but, like receding galaxies, race to the extreme edges of political correctness for an ethical discussion to be reassured that we are indeed people of high integrity. We ignore the core and tinker at the perimeter.
One could, if he looked long enough and hard enough, find some repellant fault in anyone. Consumers, by and large, are not particularly discerning people and are easy prey to the fantastical machinations of Madison Avenue advertising. If the taint of being pro-life is as unforgivable as some people say it is, then one wonders if there is any profession or party — or even place on the planet — for them.
Neither Dustrude nor Cohen, presumably, would be so aggrieved if the CEO of Curves also ran an abortion clinic, was an ex-convict, a former drug dealer, a reformed alcoholic, a philanderer or a pornographer. Liberals are such forgiving creatures! But their willingness to overlook a myriad of indiscretions has its limit. Being pro-life is intolerable. And yet, one is tempted to think that what a pro-choice person finds truly intolerable is removing the mask of “choice” and facing his complicity in deadly violence against the unborn. It is Dorian Gray looking at his true image and being utterly horrified.
Dr. Donald DeMarco is an adjunct professor at Holy Apostles College & Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Dr. Donald DeMaarco ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: The Pope on the Eucharist DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:Pope John Paul II says in his 2003 encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia that he wants to rekindle Christians’ “amazement” at the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. He writes in a very personal way about his relationship with the Eucharistic Lord.
“During the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 I had an opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist in the Cenacle of Jerusalem where, according to tradition, it was first celebrated by Jesus himself,” he writes. “The Upper Room was where this most holy Sacrament was instituted. I am grateful to the Lord Jesus for allowing me to repeat in that same place, in obedience to his command: ‘Do this in memory of me,’ the words he spoke 2,000 years ago. …
“The thought of this leads us to profound amazement and gratitude. … The priest says these words, or rather he puts his voice at the disposal of the One who spoke these words in the Upper Room and who desires that they should be repeated in every generation by all those who in the Church ministerially share in his priesthood. I would like to rekindle this Eucharistic “amazement” by the present encyclical letter. …
“I cannot let this Holy Thursday 2003 pass without halting before the ‘Eucharistic face’ of Christ and pointing out with new force to the Church the centrality of the Eucharist. From it the Church draws her life. From this ‘living bread’ she draws her nourishment. How could I not feel the need to urge everyone to experience it ever anew?”
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Holy Menagerie! DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:We enjoy a country sort of life here in woodsy New Hampshire. This is mostly a good thing from my point of view, as the woods are chock-full of wildlife and I am something of an animal lover.
Well, when it comes to most animals, anyway. Not all of my encounters with the native species have been pleasant.
Take, for example, the afternoon a couple of weeks ago when, upon entering our bathroom, I found myself face to face with a garter snake. It was perched upon the toilet, its body entwined around the hinges of the lid. Bright serpentine eyes met mine as an inquisitive tongue was flicked in my direction.
Thank goodness, my children, a troop of budding naturalists, were intrigued by our visitor and eager to help with its relocation. I like to think that the dog was responsible for bringing the snake inside because I don't like to think that there is some secret passageway leading into our house enabling reptiles to come and go as they please.
We have larger creatures, too. For starters, there is our bear. I call him “our” bear because he visits our home nearly every night, hunting for garbage and raiding our store of chicken feed. At first, we supposed that raccoons were overturning the trash cans in our driveway, but then we discovered gouging claw marks on the lids and found that our heavy-duty cans had been crushed beneath the weight of some hefty creature.
Our suspicions were confirmed one recent day when the beast showed up shortly before dark. Standing upright, the bear was the height of a large man. His coarse black fur blended with the shadows of early evening. We watched breathlessly from the living-room window as he pawed his way through garbage cans, investigated our shed and then lumbered carelessly down the driveway in search of an easier meal.
Soon after putting the kids to bed on another evening, I was drawn to the front door by our dog's wild barking. I stepped outside to the sound of violent thrashing in the brush. I watched, astonished, as an enormous moose emerged, trudging through the greenery behind our chicken coop. Though the dog ran back and forth in front of him barking ferocious threats, Bullwinkle was unperturbed. He squinted in my direction and proceeded to graze on the apple trees.
I got the children out of their beds and they stood barefoot in the wet grass, watching as the awkward animal plodded through the foliage and munched the shrubbery. We chuckled at his dim-witted expression and marveled at his enormous antlers until at last he meandered back into the woods.
As I returned the children to their beds and washed dishes at the kitchen sink, the image of the enormous, antlered animal lingered in my mind. I wondered at the vast variety and breathtaking beauty of God's sentient creatures — the big ones and the small ones, the ones we welcome into our homes and the ones that show up uninvited.
Shades of Genesis 2:19 settled in with the night air as I reached for the dish towel. Right then a small black spider scurried along the counter beside me. Instead of shrieking and swatting, I observed silently as it made its way in earnest from the counter to the wall, scuttling on eight miniature legs. It scaled the wall, paused for just a moment and then disappeared into a crack near the ceiling.
“How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures” (Psalm 104:24). Just so.
Danielle Bean writes from Center Harbor, New Hampshire. www.daniellebean.com
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Dannielle Bean ----- KEYWORDS: Travel -------- TITLE: Eugénie's English Exile DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:St. Michael's Abbey in Hampshire, England — popularly known as “Farnborough Abbey” — is a little bit of France in the English countryside.
The abbey's border-straddling story goes back to the 19th century and the emperor Napoleon III of France. This “Second Empire” was a time of glamour and style in Paris, exemplified by the famous Winterhalter portrait of the empress Eugénie, in the beautiful crinoline she helped to popularize as the fashion icon of the age.
But it all ended with France's crushing defeat in the Franco-Russian war, capped by the flight of the emperor and empress across the sea to England. Eventually, together with their son, they settled at Chislehurst in Kent and began a new life in exile.
When Napoleon III died, all hopes for the future of the dynasty were pinned on the young prince, Louis. Talented, devout and determined to make his life one of service, the prince joined the British Army and, after much pleading on his part, went with his regiment to South Africa. Britain was engaged in wars with the Zulus, and there, during a routine patrol, he and a small group were ambushed by a group of Zulus. Heavily outnumbered, they were slaughtered.
When the news reached England, it broke the empress’ heart. The young man's body was brought back and initially buried at Chislehurst, but she wanted to ensure a nobler resting place for the bodies of her husband and son, and so acquired land at Farnborough, Hampshire, near the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.
She built a fine home at Farn-borough Hill and also arranged for a splendid abbey to be built and a group of monks brought from France to serve it. The bodies of the emperor and the prince were placed in magnificent tombs in the crypt. The monks and their successors were committed to praying for the souls of the deceased members of the imperial family.
And so it remains to this day. The empress now lies near her husband and son. Her home at Farnborough Hill is now a school. The monks at St. Michael's Abbey today are English, but are proud of their abbey's history and welcome visitors who tour the crypt and learn its story.
A Community Thrives
Fascinating enough, all of that, yet there is much more to Farn-borough Abbey than dusty history. This is a thriving community: The monks run a publishing house, the Farnborough Abbey Press, while also keeping hens and bees, and, most importantly, singing the Divine Office of the Church and welcoming people for retreats and pilgrimages.
A house on the grounds, South Lodge, is available for guests. Catholic groups and organizations come for day visits or longer sojourns. Students come to learn about monastic life; confirmation candidates come for prayer, reflection and study.
The beautiful grounds lend themselves to processions, and the abbey church, with its soaring ceiling and splendid organ, makes a noble setting for a sung Latin Mass each Sunday.
A statue of Prince Louis now stands on the grounds of the Royal Military Academy, and the imperial family is also commemorated in local street names such as Empress Avenue and Napoleon Way. The town of Farnborough itself is a major center of the aviation industry and has a massive international air show every two years. It's quite a sight to see modern fighter jets and vintage aircraft using the spire of the abbey church as a landmark “turning point” as they hurtle around the sky.
The entrance to the abbey is hidden today behind a tall office block and, at first, the visitor may think he is mistaken. Surely there cannot be a monastery here amid the noise of traffic on the edge of a busy industrial town?
But on entering through the massive gates — operated by remote control from the abbey some way up the drive — you walk into another world. Tall, mature trees crowd together overhead and, as the abbey buildings come into view, half chateau and half red-brick college, you may be greeted by some of the monks’ pet peacocks as they strut about the grounds. Nor should you be surprised by the rabbits and squirrels darting about the woodland.
Then the church comes into view, magnificent with its gargoyles and massive oak doors. Beyond it, the grounds stretch with meadows and wooded paths. The town of Farnborough seems miles away.
Alive with Prayer
The church at Farnborough is a wonderful place to pray. A magnificent statue of St. Michael stands guard above the high altar, as if taking prayers up to God. And, because the monastic community sings the Divine Office in this church regularly throughout the day, the sanctuary seems warm and alive with prayer — even when the church is empty.
Our Lady stands in the traditional place on the right, at the foot of the sanctuary, just as she stood at the foot of the cross at Calvary. Hers is an unusually beautiful statue, and each night the monks walk in procession after Compline to sing the Salve Regina before it. Although the abbey is dedicated to St. Michael, Mary's statue has its own veneration; for pilgrims who come here, she is unofficially “Our Lady of Farnborough.”
At Christmas, a small Nativity scene is erected near Our Lady's statue on the lower altar steps, a delight for children and grownups alike.
This is a thriving Benedictine community and, on Sundays after Mass throughout the year, locals and visitors gather at the abbey door to buy fresh eggs, laid that morning by the monastery's hens. Honey from the comb and beeswax candles are also popular.
Many people linger to browse in the abbey's bookshop. One of the monks is available at set times to take people on a tour of the imperial crypt and tell the abbey's amazing story.
Joanna Bogle writes from London.
----- EXCERPT: St. Michael's Abbey, Farnborough, England ----- EXTENDED BODY: Joanna Bogle ----- KEYWORDS: Travel -------- TITLE: Weekly TV Picks DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:SUNDAY, OCT. 17
All American Festivals
Food Network, 2:30 p.m.
Everything's big in Alaska, and that includes the king salmon, the halibut and the king crab. We can sample them all, or at least wish we could, as we take this guided tour of the Kodiak Seafood Festival.
MONDAY, OCT. 18
Uncorrupted: The Story of Rose Prince
EWTN, 5 p.m.
Rose Prince (1915-1949), a member of the Carrier Nation, studied and taught at the Lejac Residential Indian School near Fraser Lake, British Columbia. This documentary interviews her associates and notes that she was found incorrupt two years after her death at age 33.
MONDAY, OCT. 18
Fort Niagara: The Struggle for a Continent
PBS, 10:30 p.m.
Because it controlled the gateway to the Great Lakes, Fort Niagara — at the mouth of the Niagara River in Youngstown, N.Y. — was fought over by the French, Indians, British and Americans from the 17th to the 19th centuries. This 30-minute documentary uses archival material, commentary and reenactments to chronicle the fort's exciting history.
TUESDAY, OCT. 19
Designers' Challenge
Home & Garden TV, 3:30 p.m.
Designers look at ways to make the kitchen and den more family-friendly in the home of Steve and Ellen Klinenberg, who have two little girls and a baby on the way.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 20
Quest for the Phoenicians
PBS, 9 p.m.
This “National Geographic Special” investigates the ancient seafarers of Phoenicia and their widespread commerce. Explorer Robert Ballard uses a robotic vessel to find shipwrecks, a Spanish archaeologist searches a cave at the bottom of the Rock of Gibraltar, and a geneticist uses DNA to trace the Phoenicians' sphere of influence.
THURSDAY, OCT. 21
Life on the Rock
EWTN, 8 p.m., live
Father Francis Mary's guest is Christopher West, an expert on Pope John Paul II's theology of the body. Re-airs Friday at 1 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Sunday at 11 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCT. 22
Classroom: Edgar Allan Poe
A&E, 7 a.m.
This bio of poet and author Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) recounts his triumphs and tragedies. In 1845, his book The Raven and Other Poems contained a “Catholic Hymn” with the lines, “In joy and wo(e) — in good and ill — Mother of God, be with me still!”
SATURDAY, OCT. 23
2004 World Series
Fox, 7:30 p.m.
The teams weren't set as of our deadline, but no matter which teams play, you won't want to miss this opening game of baseball's thrilling fall classic.
Dan Engler writes from Santa Barbara, California.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Daniel J. Engler ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: 'Everybody Got 2 Suffer' Says Rapping Friar DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:When he is not serving the poor and needy as a Franciscan Friar of Renewal in the South Bronx, Father Stan Fortuna is making music.
On his 18 albums, he sings a variety of styles including contemporary Christian, jazz, folk and reggae, and is perhaps best known for his rap music. His recording company, Francesco Productions assists the poor. On Oct. 4, the Feast of St. Francis, Father Fortuna had the world premiere release of his new music video DVD, “Everybody Got 2 Suffer.” He spoke with Register staff writer Tim Drake from New York.
Where are you from originally?
I was born in 1957 and grew up in Yonkers, N.Y. I have a younger sister who is married and has two children. She is a school teacher. My father worked in construction and my mother was a mom. She worked in a bank prior to having children, and after we were grown she became a vice president at a bank.
Have you been playing music all your life?
Yes, I've been doing music my whole life long. In second grade, my father purchased a red electric guitar for me for Christmas. That's when my music started. I took some private lessons, but that didn't work. I noodled around with the piano and tried to start a band. Later, I asked my father to get me a bass guitar. That was my main instrument. In seventh grade the music went deep into me.
What led to your vocation?
When I was a kid I wanted to be a priest because my parish priest was my hero. At the turn of the Second Vatican Council, he left the priesthood to get married. After that, I didn't want to be a priest any more. Many years later I had a powerful conversion through the Word of God. I was a Catholic pagan. I went to Church every Sunday, but it had no connection with the rest of my life.
I had just graduated from high school and got involved in a parish-based Bible Study. In the course of my conversion, St. Francis came after me. It was the design of Providence. The Lord put St. Francis in my face and had me trip over him to get my attention. I became a Capu-chin Franciscan in 1979. Then, in 1987, I left the Capuchins and was one of eight founders who started the Franciscan Friars of Renewal.
You're well known for your rap music. How did that come about?
Rap is one of the styles of music that I sing. The rap music began while I was a young friar in formation. I would go into the inner city parishes in Manhattan and would hear this stuff before it became a cultural phenomenon. People were using it as a genre to express different expressions of life. It wasn't infested by the violence and vulgarity that infests the majority of it now.
Me being a jazz musician, trained in improvisation, I could see the spontaneity of the lyrical form, and I would bang out beats on the hood of a car. With time, my reputation preceded me. The brothers would provoke me to get on a “rap attack.” They would tell me, “Do one of those things that you do.”
The brothers were fascinated by it. I was freestyling it, talking about God just for the fun of it. However, when I read a quote from Pope John Paul II from a colloquium on secularism and the future of the faith, it put the whole thing into another place. The Holy Father was encouraging everyone to act with boldness of thought in bringing the Gospel to the heart of the culture in a way that is intelligible. At that point, this lyrical expression and genre of rhythm and rhyme took on a whole new significance. The Pope was encouraging young people in Poland to catechize with rock music because they did not have the freedom to openly and publicly evangelize. He wanted people to put sacred content into that context. He called it the Sacro Music movement. When I heard that, I realized that I needed to start taking my rap music seriously.
At that point I started singing about issues that the young people in the culture were suffering with – abortion, suicide, the deterioration of the family, the lack of mercy, and hope and prayer. These things became the target at which I aimed my word-gun. I was trying to hit them with the Gospel. That led to songs such as “Never Been Born” about abortion and “F.A.M.I.L.Y. — Forget About Me, I Love You.”
Tell me about your new music video.
The music video is for my song “Everybody Got 2 Suffer.” The video has a very professional, MTV style, but the content is very Catholic. It contains footage of President Kennedy and Senator Kennedy being assassinated, scenes of the racial wars in the 1960s, President Reagan's assassination attempt, the falling of the Berlin wall, the World Trade Center, the war in Iraq, and the assassination attempt on the Holy Father.
How have young people reacted to the song?
When I first came out with the song, I was performing at a lot of youth conferences. When the youth knew I was going to do a rap song they would get excited. Then I would sing the lyrics – “You think that you the only one that got 2 suffer? Everybody got 2 suffer.” I'm talking about the necessity of suffering. You would think that the audience would want to throw fruit, but when they heard the song and the contrast between the rich and poor, the reaction is strong.
The confession lines after that song are just swamped. The priests have told me that they've heard confessions unlike anything they had heard before. The youth tell me that the song helps to make sense of things that haven't previously made sense to them. It helps them to see that the faith is not an insignificant thing that is superimposed upon them, but that it can have a dominant place in their life and that Jesus can help them to get through difficult things. One young man told me that the song helped him to stop thinking about suicide.
Tim Drake writes from Saint Cloud, Minnesota.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Tim Drake ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Weekly DVD/Video Picks DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)
Arabian folk lore meets Greek mythology in Dream-Works’ rousing animated swashbuckler, which pits Sinbad (Brad Pitt), thief of Baghdad, against Eris (Michelle Pfeiffer), Olympian goddess of discord.
With its swashbuckling action and blend of traditional and computer animation, Sinbad recalls Disney's Treasure Planet — yet, for once, DreamWorks handily outdoes its archrival, with bravura action set pieces, a surprisingly complex romantic triangle and a remarkably thoughtful exploration of moral issues and character.
The film opens with Sinbad and his pirates out to steal a magic book that brings prosperity and security. Even when he discovers the book guarded by his childhood friend Proteus (Joseph Fiennes), Sinbad won't relent — but when the book is stolen by Eris, not Sinbad, Proteus stakes his life to give Sinbad a chance to prove himself a hero, not a thief. Even then, Sinbad's lower impulses dictate his actions until Proteus's fiancée, Marina (Catherine Zeta-Jones), gives Sinbad a selfish reason to do the right thing.
Content advisory: Mild innuendo and sensuality; a sight gag involving a tear in the seat of a man's pants; animated swashbuckling action. Possibly a bit much for sensitive kids.
The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
More homage than remake of the classic silent original starring Douglas Fairbanks, this British-made color version of The Thief of Bagdad is a beloved family adventure standard, though not quite as charming or magical as the original.
In this version, the romantic lead who falls in love with the princess is not the titular thief, but a beggar named Ahmad (John Justin) who is actually the rightful king of Bagdad, but has been deposed by his treacherous Grand Vizier Jaffar (Conrad Veidt). The thief, on the other hand, is a mischievous, resourceful lad named Abu (Sabu).
Content advisory: A few menacing and scary scenes; fictionalized Islamic setting. Possibly a bit much for sensitive kids.
The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
With its blend of Arabian Nights magic, story-book romance, mythopoeic fantasy travel-ogue and sense of wonder and fun, Douglas Fairbanks’ The Thief of Bagdad ranks as the very height of silent-era spectacle.
Taking as its theme the edifying precept “Happiness must be earned,” The Thief of Bagdad introduces Fairbanks as a carefree street thief, a cheerful infidel who believes only in taking what he wants — until his path to redemption begins when he falls in love with the caliph's royal daughter (Julanne Johnston).
Impersonating a prince to win her hand, the thief winds up scourged and humbled, ultimately seeking the advice of the “holy man” he earlier mocked, who advises him that to win a princess, he must “become a prince.”
The ensuing pilgrimage takes the thief on a storybook odyssey ranging from the depths of the sea, haunted by sirens and giant spiders, to the world above the clouds, where he finds the abode of the winged horse and the citadel of the moon.
With unprecedented special effects and colossal sets, The Thief of Bagdad is the first great achievement of cinematic fantasy mythopoeia and the forerunner to the likes of The Lord of the Rings.
DVD note: Make sure you get the Kino or Image DVD; others are inferior.
Content advisory: Fantasy depiction of divination; fictionalized Islamic setting; mild menace. Fine for kids.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Steven D. Greydanus ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Campus Watch DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:Abortionist on Board
Clarence Boone, medical director of Planned Parenthood of Northwest Indiana until about five years ago, was appointed a university trustee in July by Gov. Joe Kernan. He has since retired from the practice of medicine.
Indiana Right to Life executive director Mike Fichter said, “His presence on the board gives undue influence to an organization that operates an abortion clinic just a few blocks from the Bloomington campus.”
Truly Free Speech
The case was brought by Jason Roberts, a Texas Tech University law student who sought to speak about his view that “homosexuality is a sinful, immoral and unhealthy lifestyle,” and to do so outside the designated zone — a 20-foot-wide gazebo that can hold about 40 people.
President Resigns
Conrad Colbrandt withdrew a pledge of a $112-million gift after discovering that he and some 35 others had lost funds in an investment scam.
St. Mar y's had opened a $26-million science building in 2000, assuming that Colbrandt's pledge would cover a $15-million loan the institution had taken out to construct it.
Busted for Intolerance
That's the conclusion of a report by the U.S. Department of Education, which said the college's decision to monitor Elyse Cr ystall's English classes after the incident was “appropriate.”
However, North Carolina Congressman Walter Jones wondered “why a teacher like Ms. Cr ystall was allowed to remain and teach at UNC … after such an egregious violation.”
Good Start
BENEDICTINE COLLEGE, Sept. 27 — A gift of $750,000 was given to the college in Atchison, Kan., this fall, days before the arrival of a new president, Stephen Minnis.
The gift came as the “Catholic college is bursting at the seams with seven consecutive years of enrollment growth,” said the college's press release.
The bequest came from the estate of Orin Newton, a direct descendent of Richard Newton, brother of Sir Isaac Newton.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: The Faith of a Professor DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:J. Budziszewski has written eight books, primarily in the area of ethics, and his articles and essays have appeared in First Things, Human Life Review, National Review, World, and numerous other academic and non-academic journals and books.
Widely regarded as an expert defender of the natural law, Dr. Budziszewski came into the Roman Catholic Church this last Easter. He currently teaches Government and Philosophy at the University of Texas.
When did you convert to the Catholic faith?
I'm descended from Polish immigrants. My maternal grandfather had pastored one of the first Polish-speaking Baptist churches in America. It was he who baptized me.
The first Catholic tug came in my late teens, when I attended Christmas vigil in an Anglican church. Liturgy moved me profoundly. Not profoundly enough, I guess, because in college and graduate school I denied God and eventually denied the very distinction between good and evil.
It was during that dark time that I felt the second Catholic tug. Coming across Dante's works, I recognized the landscape of his hell. I also met Thomas Aquinas, whose theology Dante followed. These two touched me more deeply than my avatar of those days, the God-is-dead writer Friedrich Nietzsche. Around the end of that time one of my students asked, “I've been listening, and I figure you're either an atheist or a Roman Catholic. Which is it?”
When I returned from apostasy, I embraced Anglicanism. Its blend of Protestant and Catholic tradition seemed right — for a time.
You've written quite extensively on the natural law, and provided a strong, public defense of
Yes, that's correct. I think I was the only Protestant author to oppose artificial contraception in “Contraception: A Symposium,” published by First Things in December, 1998, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Humanae Vitae.
How integral was your conversion to your appreciation of the natural law teaching of the faith?
Among thoughtful Evangelicals, interest in natural law is on the rise. Unfortunately, Protestantism as a whole has neglected or even rejected it. But why? Luther and Calvin had believed in natural law, and the Bible points strongly to it. So this raised questions.
Even so, it took me a long time to accept the plain implications of natural law concerning artificial contraception. When I did, I was forced to ask why I hadn't accepted them earlier. And I knew that I was on Catholic ground.
What person, living or dead, most influenced your desire to convert?
Not counting friends who prayed for me? Among the blessed, Thomas Aquinas modeled “mind in perfect order.” Among those in this life, John Paul II made it impossible not to believe in the Petrine ministry. Then there was Mary. The awe of her “let it be unto me according to your word” grew and grew upon me.
What Catholic doctrines caused you the most trouble, and how did you overcome your concerns?
One obstacle concerned justification. I thought the Church taught that we earn our way into God's grace. As any well-instructed Catholic knows, this simply isn't true.
A greater obstacle concerned Mary's role in the economy of grace. Her intercession seemed to contradict Paul's statement “there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” But if so, what was I to make of her “They have no wine” at Cana, when he altered his plan just because his mother asked him to? I came to realize the need for distinctions. What Jesus does in reconciling us to the Father is utterly unique, but the Church has never suggested that Mary “mediates” in that sense.
We understand that you and your wife came into the Church at the same time. Can you tell us what started her on the journey?
Sandra has long been active in pro-life work. What first moved her to consider the Church was its consistency in defense of life. She was surprised to discover that the Evangelical churches had joined the battle late; when abortion was legalized, they were on the wrong side. Later she learned that the Protestant churches had flipped on another life issue too — artificial contraception — but the other way: Right up to the 1930s, they had agreed with Catholics. For standing firm in these deeply important matters, the Catholic Church is vilified the world over. It struck Sandra with great force that if there is one true Church, this is what it would look like. It would be faithful to the truth even when no one else was, and for that faithfulness would be despised.
You've written so many books, the most recent being
The book is about those foundational moral principles that everyone really knows, even if we pretend to ourselves that we don't. At that basic level, the problem isn't ignorance, but denial. So it's a book about natural law, but my first goal is to bolster the confidence of plain people in the rational foundations of their common moral sense.
What am I planning next? If we are serious about setting people free from the culture of death, then we had better understand the nature of their bondage, because the door to the dungeon is locked from the inside. I want to write more about how these people, made in the image of God, pretend that they don't know what they really do know. I want to explore why they freely choose ways of life that drive them to despair instead of ways of life that open them to joy. And finally, I want to persuade them to choose differently.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Benjamin Wiker ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: O Beautiful Church: Ever Ancient, Ever New DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM
by Glenn W. Olsen
Ignatius Press, 2004 236 pages, $14.95
To order: (800) 651-1531 or www.ignatius.com
Pope Gregory VII is a key figure in the formation of today's Western secular society.
If you're not at all curious why this statement might be true, this book will be slow going. But if you want to know more about the investiture controversy of the 11th century and how it applies to our own crisis in the Church, as well as embark on a sweeping journey through history that could change your world view, Beginning at Jerusalem: Five Reflections on the History of the Church is for you. It may prove to be an inconvenient read, though. I was constantly reaching for a red pen or yellow highlighter to mark passages, underline words, circle paragraphs and scribble notes in the margin. Halfway through, I just sat back to read, relax and soak in the author's cohesive and at times ingenious argument.
The book is notable for the way it was compiled. Edited versions of scholarly lectures rarely read well years after the fact, yet the five main chapters of the book are taken from Olsen's talks to audiences in New York City before the turn of the millennium.
A professor of history at the University of Utah, Olsen was asked by New York's Wethersfield Institute to provide a curriculum on Church history for lay audiences in preparation for the year 2000. The course, taught by various scholars, spanned five years; each year covered a different period, beginning from the early Church and ending with the Vatican II era. At the end of each yearly curriculum, Olsen himself traveled to New York to deliver the summary lecture for that period.
Thus the book's chapters trace a chronology: “Ancient Christianity and Us: The Once and Future Church,” “Late Ancient and Early Medieval Christianity: A World We Have Lost?”, “High Medieval Christianity: An Assessment from the Beginning of the Third Millennium,” “The Church in the World from Renaissance to Enlightenment” and “The Church at the Turn of the Third Millennium.” As the titles show, Olsen attempts to make connections to our day and projections for the future. Yet he takes history seriously, which is to say he does not try continually to force the facts into a pre-determined theory. Rather, he makes an honest effort to tease threads of meaning from a muddled lump of facts.
Olsen sets the tone of bold assertion and deep reflection from his first sentence: “The easy answer to explain the increasing unintelligibility and unfamiliarity of central Christian teachings and practices in our culture is that the age is opposed to them.” Why do so many Catholics not believe in the Real Presence, or apprehend in a meaningful way the Trinity or the two natures of Christ? Try explaining to the friendly couple at the parish picnic why contraception is seriously sinful, and you'll begin to plumb the depths of religious illiteracy among even church-going Catholics.
The answer to the problem, Olsen suggests, is not a new program for the third millennium, but the recovery of some things from the first. The early Church lived in radical communion, as surely as St. Luke describes the disciples laying all their goods at the feet of the apostles. This was possible because early Christians — indeed, much of the ancient world — found identity and meaning only in relation to a tribe or group. The concepts of Real Presence and one-flesh love in marriage are shrouded today in a radical individualism supported by runaway consumerism and decisions of the Supreme Court, among other influences.
How did this state of affairs come about? It may be an exaggeration to blame Gregory VII, but you'll have to read this fine book to find out why.
Stephen Vincent is based in Wallingford, Connecticut.
----- EXCERPT: Weekly Book Pick ----- EXTENDED BODY: Stephen Vincent ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: Following Joy DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:Priest Profile
It's just a half-day jaunt from the Twin Cities of Minnesota to southeastern South Dakota. But, seven years ago, Father James Mason made the trip a one-way, life-changing trek.
That day, he left behind the courtrooms of Minneapolis-St. Paul, where he'd been an assistant prosecuting attorney, to become a priest for the Diocese of Sioux Falls.
After studies at the North American College in Rome, he was ordained in 2001 and soon appointed a pastor. Today, he's the diocese's vocation director and has recently taken on additional duties as head of the new Broom Tree Retreat Center and family camp.
“I love the priesthood,” says Father Mason. “I know that's who I am, and I know that Christ has called me to be a priest for him and for his people.”
It sounds so easy now, but the road was pocked with potholes.
“Around age 19, I began to sincerely pray, ‘Your will be done,’” he explains. “At that time, I was searching, like a lot of people are. As a 19-year-old, if I didn't understand or agree with the Church teaching, I thought I was right. Then I went through the process of reading the entire Bible and Catechism on my own and was amazed by the wisdom of the Church.”
Father Mason recalls how he loved the Church — and, especially, the Blessed Sacrament — but “didn't want to give up anything. I went on a journey of careers that I thought meant something. I thought that would be enough.”
First, he practiced law. Next, he moved to Sioux Falls as director of Catholic Charities and as lobbyist for the diocese. His strong pro-life efforts included work with Operation Rescue. During a retreat, a blind Jesuit told him, “You know you're called to the priesthood, but you're not finding joy. You need to enter, but you can't be ordained until you find the joy.”
Father Mason took the advice. “The joy came at one point in Eucharistic adoration,” he says. “I was just so tired of the fight. I finally said, ‘I surrender.’ I had been basically fighting with God and not willing to give up things. The joy came at that moment, and from that moment, it began to grow.”
Father Mason's first assignment was pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church, a rural parish of 140 families in Garretson, S.D.
“You realize quickly that you are a spiritual father,” he says. “Even the non-Catholics (in town) have respect for you and call you ‘Father.’ Even my elders had a respect for the priesthood and would expect spiritual, fatherly advice. It was a great honor and humbling experience.”
Members of Charlie and Lori Holzaphel's family were among his first parishioners.
“The thing that struck me right away was the strength of his faith,” Lori says. “He was always very strong in teaching where the Catholic Church stood, for example, on life issues that today's society finds unpopular or unacceptable.”
Betty and Dan Irvine and their five children, 11 to 27 years old, found the same mixture of challenge and encouragement.
“His homilies were a course in apologetics,” Betty says. “He explained the Scriptures, took us back to the time of Jesus and tied it into our faith.” She appreciated the way he frequently challenged parishioners to become saints — and not to give up the fight despite setbacks and the seeming impossibility of the goal.
Bishop Robert Carlson of Sioux Falls calls Father Mason “an outstanding preacher who doesn't pull any punches. And yet it's so obvious he loves the Lord and loves his priest-hood that it gives him such a gentle way.”
Father Mason's approach to the priestly ministry is “very effective in people's lives,” adds the bishop.
Dan Irvine discovered this firsthand. “He will teach you the truth,” says Irvine. “He'll be concerned about your feelings, but pretty much lay it on the line to you what the teachings of the Church are.” Irvine is quick to add that he appreciated all the “good, solid answers on the Church's teachings” he received in Father Mason's confessional.
“He has a passion for the pro-life movement, a passion for the truth and sharing it very effectively with all ages,” says Bishop Carlson. “He can communicate the (Gospel) to a wide variety of people.”
Worker Harvest
“The kids love him,” Lori Holzaphel observes. “At religious education and at Sunday-morning Mass, he would greet all the kids by name, and he'd open the door for them. It meant a lot to them.”
No wonder he was the natural choice to head the diocese's new Broom Tree Retreat Camp, set to open in December.
“We knew we needed somebody who could attract young people and families,” explains Bishop Carlson, who, thanks to Father Mason's work in the vocations office, had much to go on.
“I'm impressed with who he attracts to the religious life,” Bishop Carlson says. The diocese of 120,000 Catholics has 25 men in priestly formation. And, since Father Mason arrived, seven women have entered religious life.
One is the Irvines’ daughter Laura. In September, she received her habit for Our Mother of Mercy & St. Joseph Carmelite Monastery in Alexandria, S.D., taking the name Sr. Mary Joseph of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.
That's fitting, as parishioners always learned the centrality of the Eucharist from Father Mason.
“At the end of his homily, he'd always point to Jesus Christ and finding Jesus in the Eucharist,” Betty Irvine explains.
Lori Holzaphel points out that Father Mason always encouraged everyone to appreciate Eucharistic adoration. As a result, she began to spend time in adoration chapels when in Sioux Falls.
Through all the changes, Father Mason has remained a simple, humble priest.
“When I returned to Rome, I celebrated a Mass of thanksgiving with the Missionaries of Charity,” he reflects. “After Mass, the nuns would come and kiss the palms of your hands. It was very humbling. You knew they were not kissing the hand of this man, but the hands of Jesus Christ who was using this man.
“You're reminded that all is gift,” he adds. “And the greatest gift I have received is the priesthood.”
Joseph Pronechen writes from Trumbull, Connecticut.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Joseph Pronechen ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: How to Do 'Domestic Church' DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:The domestic church. Perhaps you've heard the term and have an idea that it refers to families living the Catholic faith at home.
Right you are. But do you know what such a household should look like?
One image you can dismiss is that of a father in a cassock, a mother in a habit and kids running around dressed as altar servers. (That would be a triumph of clericalism over family life.)
Yet, just because your home does not have soaring spires and stained-glass windows does not mean that it cannot serve, in the words of Pope John Paul II, as the “Church in miniature.”
In his writings on the family, the Holy Father refers often to the domestic church as a home where the faith is practiced and passed on naturally in the course of daily life. In short, it is a household that is a safe haven for the Catholic faith, “the first school of virtue.”
“The future of humanity passes by way of the family,” the Pope memorably said in his 1981 charter on faith and family, Familiaris Consortio. These words are inspiring, but how does the average Catholic family fare in the face of threats from schools, the media, music and the culture of death in general? The reality is that there are notable successes amid enormous struggles, and sometimes the best solutions are the simplest.
“We eat dinner together as a family and say grace before meals. Most nights, we read the Gospel of the day just before we say grace, and that gives us something to think about while eating.”
This describes the heart of the domestic church for Heidi and Peter Lyons of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., the home-schooling parents of eight children.
Kayte and Tim Vesey of Modesto, Calif., who have four children adopted from four different Asian countries, also make prayer a natural part of a busy schedule. They teach in the local public school that their children attend.
“We pray several times a day with the children, on the way to school, at meals and whenever we are traveling together, whether it be a long trip or the local mall. We pray the rosary weekly on Sunday night as a family,” says Kayte. “We try to teach our children about our wonderful God by walking closely with him and asking His guidance daily.”
Small Sanctuary
Combating negative influences and seeking out positive ones is a vital and never-ending task. The four families interviewed for this article regulate TV time, but do not keep a lock on the set. The parents said there are good and educational shows, even beyond EWTN, and they don't want to cloister their children.
Kathleen and Ray Mylott, who live in New York's Manhattan with their 6-year-old daughter, are especially wary of the surrounding culture, given the city's aggressive secularism and sinful displays, from half-nude billboard models to two men kissing in public. The Mylotts make their small apartment a sanctuary, with regular prayer, meals together and religious books and videos.
“If you're a dad who comes home and flips on the television, your kid is going to suffer,” says Ray, a Wall Street lawyer.
The family also seeks out the many positive opportunities that New York offers.
“One good thing about Manhattan is that there are churches everywhere, five within walking distance of where we live,” Kathleen says. “Our parish church is just a block away, and Michaela grew up with daily Mass and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. You can't find that so easily in the suburbs.”
A stay-at-home mom who has suffered the heartbreak of multiple miscarriages, she walks her daughter about a half-mile to a Catholic school in the morning and picks her up in the afternoon.
“The city can be big and noisy, but, if you make an effort, you can find so many resources in your own little neighborhood,” she says. “In addition, you can be right on top of world events. When the hostage crisis in Beslan was going on, we went to the Russian consulate and joined people praying outside. Michaela will never forget that experience, praying for those poor schoolchildren half a world away.”
Home schooling their two sons until high school is an important part of establishing a domestic church for Diane and Daniel Lebel of Wallingford, Conn., but they do it a little differently than most. Daniel is the teacher as a stay-at-home dad and Diane goes off to work each day at the phone company in New Haven. She has worked there for more than 20 years and has excellent health-care and retirement benefits.
“It was a decision we came to based on what's best for the family, and I'm actually kind of proud of being a home-schooling father,” says Daniel. “We were both working when we decided that someone needed to stay home for the children, and I've found that a father is very capable of nurturing.”
“We turned our lives around,” Diane adds, “because at one point we were so money-centered and lived according to the standards of the world. Our children are given to us from God for a time, and we have to give them back at some point and give an accounting for the job we did.”
Diane is a leader in Familia, a movement sponsored by the Legionaries of Christ in which husbands and wives meet in separate groups to study the writings of John Paul II and support one another in remaining faithful to Church teachings.
At home, the Lebels “try to do the rosary every night and seek opportunities for Eucharistic adoration for our children,” Diane explains.
Heidi and Peter Lyons also pray the family rosary, but sometimes it's difficult to keep their eight children together for the whole time. Their oldest is a 14-year-old girl who graduated from home school to the local Catholic high school, where her father teaches religion.
“We rely on bedtime prayers,” Heidi says. “We have a routine of formal prayers, and then we go around and ask each child what he or she is thankful for that day. From all the thanks, we develop a special intention for that day. It gives them the sense that they can always place their needs before God.”
Ray Mylott said parents used to rely on Catholic-school nuns and brothers to instill the faith, but that's less often the case today. “To me, passing on the faith is a matter of love,” he says. “If you want to see your child not only in this life but forever in eternity, you better make sure that you live the faith and pass it on to your child. Otherwise, one of you is not going to make it to heaven. Eternal life is what the domestic church is all about.”
Stephen Vincent is based in Wallingford, Connecticut.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Stephen Vincent ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Lousy Stewards Need Love, Too DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:Family Matters
It seems to me that many charitable organizations act as a crutch for people who act irresponsibly, whether their problem is drugs and alcohol — or in your case, poorly managed finances. Why shouldn't I just expect people to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps?
Allow me to respond to your question by referring to the counseling work I have done, as the principles would apply to the work of other charitable organizations as well. While most who hear about our work are appreciative of our efforts to bring financial stability to individuals and families, I periodically receive comments like yours. Here is an example of one letter I received from an anonymous reader. Readers shouldn't be surprised by the negative tone of the letter. I realized a few years ago, much to my chagrin, that letters like this come with the territory.
“To Whom It May Concern: This is the dumbest organization I have ever heard of! These people got themselves into debt, they can get themselves out. They had no business using plastic credit cards to buy everything in sight knowing they could not afford it! I don't own plastic cards for that reason and, with the free will that our Lord gave me, don't buy what I can live without — boats, large TVs (big screens), going to movies that aren't worth wasting your eyesight on, etc. Get the picture?”
I believe I do get the picture. And, while I can understand what the writer is saying, it seems to me she is missing the bigger picture. Individuals and families come to me for counseling on a wide variety of situations. Some are looking for fulfillment in things, and go on spending binges in the hopes of finding happiness. Many others struggle with the basic disciplines needed to create a financial plan and live on a budget. Not a few others find themselves needing a little encouragement as they strive to raise a godly family with a parent at home full-time and, thus, only one income.
Because the root issue in each of these situations is different, I find myself being many things to many people. To the wild spender, I become a spiritual adviser and speak about the emptiness of a life focused on things while sharing the importance of entering into a deeper relationship with God. To the person who lacks discipline, I provide basic tools and stress God's call for us to be good stewards. And, for the faithful families out there struggling to live on one income, I am a cheerleader as we look for creative ways to manage a tight budget.
To suggest that we should withhold help from folks who aren't good stewards is to say that we're not our brother's keeper. But the fact is, we are called to be precisely that (see Genesis 4:9). The beautiful story of the prodigal son should be a reminder, not only of the immense love God has for each one of us, but also the responsibility we have to bring that same love to others. One way this is accomplished is through the apostolic works of charitable organizations. I would encourage you to participate in some way with charitable organizations that are making a difference in the world. God love you!
Phil Lenahan of Catholic Answers welcomes questions at plenahan@catholic.com.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Phil Lenahan ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Prolife Victories DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:Fewer Pro-Choice Voters
U.S. CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS, Sept. 24 — The 40 million people who have been killed since abortion was legalized in 1973 would likely have espoused the values of their parents and voted in a similar manner, reports Cathy Cleaver Ruse in the weekly “Life Issues Forum” that appears on the U.S. bishops' website.
Ruse bases her assessment on the analysis of Wall Street Journal reporter James Taranto, who estimates that the 2000 presidential election saw a shortfall of 13 million voters as a result of abortion, and that there will be 19 million “missing voters” this November.
As to how they would have voted, Ruse said “children tend to absorb the values of their parents, including their political views, and tend to develop the same lifestyle as their family.”
Strength in Solidarity
The Saturday program, which encourages good relationships, self-discipline and positive attitudes, invites youngsters ages 11 to 17 to support each other as they face pressures and fears associated with drugs, violence and the lure of life in a gang.
“We create a bond, and they get to talk about it,” said DeBorah Jones, youth director at Annunciation-Our Lady of Sorrows Parish. “And then they know they're not by themselves.”
Shout It from the Billboard
WorldNetDaily.com, Sept. 24 — The group Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays has sponsored a billboard advertisement with the message “Ex-Gays Prove That Change Is Possible.” It adds, “Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays Seeking Tolerance for All.”
“Homosexual activists seek total acceptance and tolerance for their decisions, but they openly discriminate against ex-gays' decisions to leave homosexuality,” said Regina Griggs, the group's executive director.
She said the billboard was erected on Interstate 64 near Richmond, Va., “so that people will know … that you don't have to be homosexual.”
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Commitment Counts DATE: 10/17/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 17-23, 2004 ----- BODY:Facts of Life
When it comes to keeping a marriage together, no dynamic is more important than commitment — it outweighs personal satisfaction and even positive communication. That's according to Child Trends, a Washington, D.C.-based research center. “It's a significant revision to conventional wisdom and research,” said Dr. Kristin Moore, lead author of the study.
Source: ChildTrends.org, Sept. 16 Register illustration by Tim Rauch
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Institutionalized, But Unique in Knights' Eyes DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:SOUTHBURY, Conn. — When Louis opened his present and saw it was a prayer book in Polish, which he could read, he was thrilled beyond words.
Louis, now 90, lives at South-bury Training School, run by the Connecticut Department of Mental Retardation. He got his gift from the Knights of Columbus, Blessed John XXIII Council, in Monroe, Conn., which has been visiting residents of Southbury every month except summers since 1970.
Their 34-year-long commitment is unmatched. But the Knights never intended to set records.
“Just by being there, shaking hands with the men, putting our arm around them, means a great deal for them,” explained Grand Knight Gary Thomas, who has been visiting the school since he joined the council 18 years ago. “The people who care for them at Southbury say that before we arrive, the men know we're supposed to be there, and they're peeking out the window.”
Tom Pleva didn't stop going either, once he made his first visit. He remembers his first night as chairman for the visits, a position he's held since 1984. “I realized I had no idea what the 48 bingo prizes we needed should be. My secretary said that her sister worked at Southbury and the guys would love anything — why not give a GE pocket planner calendar?”
Halfway through bingo, Pleva walked up behind Lenny, who had just won.
“He was holding this pocket planner in his two hands, slowly rocking in his chair, hugging the planner to his chest, and crying,” Pleva said. “I bawled on the spot.”
For the past 25 years, the Knights have visited Cottage 16. When they started, most of that cottage's 50 residents were 30 to 45 years old.
The number of residents has dropped to 21, and most are in their late 50s through 80s.
“They become an extension of the family and in a special way become good friends,” Thomas said. “The residents are very loving, and they need love and outside faces to identify with.”
Bingo games are always a hit. So are birthday, Halloween and Christmas parties.
“I enjoy everything,” said Bob, a longtime resident. “I like the soda and doughnuts. They always bring good things to eat. Playing bingo is fun, and the prizes are good.”
One on One
Scott Zeidler, the supervisor of Cottage 16 for the entire time the Knights have visited, explained that the visits go beyond food and presents because the Knights always pay personal attention to the men.
“This one-on-one attention and recognition from someone outside of their home is great for their self esteem,” he said. Zeidler described how the Knights talk to Louis about his Polish heritage because they know how important that is to him.
“These guys look so forward to seeing the Knights and getting the visits, they talk about it from the time of the last visit ‘til they come again,” said Pat Sampieri, second-shift supervisor.
“Everything is individualized,” she said, noting that the men end up with at least five Christmas presents each. “Even in the residents who aren't able to speak for themselves, you see smiles and reactions in different ways.”
Karen Kalenauskas, head of Southbury's recreation department, agreed. The Knights “look for something very moving and special for each person,” she said. “I remember one year an older man opened the box, and there was a baby-blue sweater. It was the best gift he could get.
“The council gets gifts that are really touching for the men,” she said. “If it could be the perfect gift, they have gotten it, thanks to working with the staff.”
Sometimes the smallest gift can mean a breakthrough in a resident's life. Michael Sereno, 36, a Knight for less than two years, approached one resident, invited to a party, who had not reacted to anything in the past and had not acknowledged him before.
Not this time, though. “I got her to take something from my hand, and she never did that before,” he said. “That was pretty special.”
“A number of the guys at the cottage are Catholic,” Pleva said. “We've bought angels, rosaries, religious goods.”
Gold Medals
This summer, the council marked another milestone as it celebrated 25 years of holding mini-Olympics for Southbury's residents.
Thomas explained that when the council realized hundreds of Southbury residents could not go to the regional or national Special Olympics because of their stage of development or handicap, the council decided to run their own.
Kalenauskas, who helped start it, said the May event now involves about 150 residents who compete in activities like a short-distance walk, ramp bowling and bocce.
Zeidler likens the relationship to a good marriage — in sickness and in health. “These folks have seen a lot of individuals through to their passing and through health issues they've encountered,” he said. “It's easy to give up in a situation like that. But these guys, the Knights have stuck with them. My guys appreciate it so much.”
This year, the council was recognized for its work with a certificate of appreciation from the Special Olympics, and former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland declared May 1, 2004, as Knights of Columbus from Monroe (Council) Day in the state.
But the council doesn't look for awards.
“The Knights who go there get a better appreciation of life and the gifts God has given them and how fortunate they are, and they want to share the gifts and talent they have with these men,” said Msgr. John Sabia, the council's chaplain for 24 years and pastor of St. Jude Church, the council's home base.
“It's wonderful they set aside that night to bring a little joy and happiness to those men,” he said, noting they sometimes “have to sacrifice a family event or another event to be committed to South-bury.”
By the same token, wives and children come to help with parties and the mini-Olympics, and Knights who go regularly have seen their faith enhanced.
“It gives us the opportunity for a brief moment to be Christ-like because, without any reason other than the desire to help someone in need, we do what we do,” Thomas said. “We've been doing it because the Church and Jesus ask us to help those whose needs are greater than our own.”
Pleva is no less reflective. “When I go up there, my faith is in action. You come home and you feel much closer to God and so warm about what is going on. You thank God for the opportunity to feel that.”
Joseph Pronechen writes from Trumbull, Connecticut.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Joseph Pronechen ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Media Watch DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:Flynn Calls on Kerry to Renounce Litmus Test
Flynn, who helped Kerry get elected to the Senate, excoriated the senator in an ad in The New York Times over his insistence that, if elected president, he would appoint only judges who would uphold Roe v. Wade, The Boston Globe reported.
“Removing political correctness from that statement, Senator Kerry, you have announced that you will only support people to the federal judiciary who support killing unborn children,” Flynn wrote. He asked Kerry to announce that he will not impose any abortion litmus test on candidates for the federal judiciary. He said someone like Harvard Law School professor Mary Ann Glendon, a Catholic, is the kind of jurist who would be excluded under such a standard.
The ad was funded by an organization Flynn heads — Liberty, Life and Family of Washington.
Knights of Columbus Eye Expansion of Headquarters
The 1.7 million-strong Catholic men's fraternal organization is also an $11 billion insurance organization. It is talking to the city of New Haven about erecting an office building and courtyard or park on a block the city had proposed for residential-commercial use. If the deal goes through, the city's Long Wharf Theatre, which had first eyed the site, would relocate to the old New Haven Coliseum. That would give Long Wharf more flexibility, a theater spokesman said.
The Knights' headquarters was built in the late 1960s. New Haven is also home to St. Mary's Church, where Father Michael McGivney founded the Knights in 1881, and the Knights of Columbus Museum, where the model that Michelangelo used for the dome of St. Peter's Basilica is on loan from the Vatican until January.
Cross in Southern California May be Saved
The decision puts an end to the plan by the Mt. Soledad Memorial Association to remove a 43-foot cross that has stood on the peak for 50 years. The veterans group was ready to give in to the demands of an atheist, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, who sued San Diego in 1989, saying the presence of the cross on city property violates the U.S. and California constitutions. The city, and voters in 1992, approved the sale of the land to the memorial association, but judges said the sale showed preference to a group that wanted to preserve the cross.
The city plans to put the question of sale of the land on the ballot Nov. 2, which means the new owner could decide to keep the cross where it is.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Questions of Authority Bedevil Breakaway Traditionalists DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:VATICAN CITY — The breakaway Society of St. Pius X, a traditionalist ecclesiastical group not officially recognized by Rome, is suffering its own crisis of authority.
Its leader, Bishop Bernard Fellay, sanctioned two priests after they criticized the conditions of the society's main seminary in Econe, Switzerland.
The two priests also drew attention to what they said was a high number of seminarians who fail to go on to ordination.
In response, Bishop Fellay dismissed both priests from their posts and ordered one of them, Father Philippe Laguerie, to transfer to Mexico. The French priest refused and consequently was expelled from the society.
Speaking to the Register, Bishop Fellay played down talk of a crisis and assigned all blame to Father Laguerie. “He sent a number of priests a very bad, dirty document that was defamatory with the purpose of deposing a rector by claiming that his seminary is badly run,” he said.
Bishop Fellay added that, as far as he was concerned, Father Laguerie was conducting “subversive, revolutionary” activities and producing false statistics that created turmoil and split the society. “(This) finally led or obliged me to act because things went really wild,” he said.
Father Laguerie, who still considers himself a member of the society, repeated his assertions to the Register, saying the society's seminary and vocation situation is “catastrophic” and that Bishop Fellay is engaged in an unjustified exercise of power to stifle criticism.
“If anyone criticizes the seminary, they are severely sanctioned,” he said. “I believe all the other (St. Pius X) priests in France agree with my criticisms.”
The second priest, who the society would not name, was expelled for being the “adviser” to Father Laguerie.
Bishop Fellay dismissed accusations that he was too severe on the priests as “ridiculous.”
“We are a Church society that is, of course, led by obedience, and a transfer is something that is absolutely normal,” he said.
This is apparently the first time that priests have been expelled from the organization founded by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in the early 1970s.
The society, in its current form for 16 years, aims to hold on to traditions of the Church as they existed before the Second Vatican Council. It opposes post-conciliar developments and, in particular, refuses to accept liturgical changes made after 1962. Other objections include the current form of ecumenism, which Bishop Fellay believes is weakening the faith.
Schlsm
In 1988, the society precipitated an open break with Rome when Archbishop Lefebvre ordained four bishops without the Vatican's permission. In a document issued “motu proprio” (on his own initiative) and entitled Ecclesia Dei Adflicta, Pope John Paul II condemned the consecrations as schismatic and, under Canon Law 1382, excommunicated Archbishop Lefebvre and the four bishops, one of whom was Bishop Fellay.
Several attempts have been made to reconcile the society with Rome. The most recent talks in 2000 ended in failure after the Vatican refused to accept two of the society's demands: to allow all priests to celebrate the Latin Rite Tridentine Mass and to lift the excommunication order upon the four bishops.
The society does not, however, consider itself in schism, but rather obedient to the pre-conciliar Church. This also means that when Father Laguerie wanted to appeal Bishop Fellay's decision, Bishop Fellay said he was unable to arrange a tribunal to hear it.
“The head is Rome,” the Swiss bishop said. “I cannot invent an instance of appeal [i.e. an appellate court] because I would just replace Rome, and that would mean we would go into schism.”
From Rome's point of view, the society is already exhibiting many of the characteristics of schism. John Loughnan, a former member of the society, wrote to the Vatican in 1999 seeking clarification regarding its current status. In its response, posted by Loughnan on the Internet, the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei — constituted in 1988 by the Pope to handle subsequent dealings with St. Pius X adherents — said all of the society's priests remain suspended a divinis. This means that while their ordinations are recognized as valid, they are forbidden to celebrate the sacraments.
The pontifical commission stated that while a lay person's attendance at an invalid St. Pius X Mass “does not of itself constitute ‘formal adherence to the schism,’ such adherence can come over a period of time as one slowly imbibes a schismatic mentality which separates itself from the teaching of the Supreme Pontiff and the entire Catholic Church.”
Authority Problem
Right now, the St. Pius X society is displaying a primary characteristic of schismatics — ongoing problems with authority that often accompany rejection of Rome's leadership. Indeed, both Father Laguerie and Bishop Fellay cite authority as the leading cause of their dispute: The priest accuses the bishop of abusing it, while the bishop blames the priest for refusing to accept it.
Further evidence of problems with authority has been reported in the U.S. Society of Pius X, where small, unattached congregations are reported to have formed. Bishop Fellay denied this claim and said he was “not aware” of any current problems in the United States. “I think we've got fairly good stability,” he said.
This is not the impression of the Vatican, which believes the society is already in a grave situation. Could it be encountering such problems because the society is unwilling to accept the supreme authority of the Catholic Church? “It's not the same,” countered Bishop Fellay. “It's because we want to stay Catholic, to stay obedient to what the Church has always commanded, that we are in the situation in which to we are.”
John Paul's 1988 motu proprio, which remains the last definitive Church statement on the matter, asserted that the problem lies in the society's disobedience, not its self-proclaimed obedience.
The Pope wrote, “The root of this schismatic act can be discerned in an incomplete and contradictory notion of Tradition … especially contradictory is a notion of Tradition which opposes the universal Magisterium of the Church possessed by the Bishop of Rome and the Body of Bishops” (no. 4).
The Holy Father added, “It is impossible to remain faithful to the Tradition while breaking the ecclesial bond with him to whom, in the person of the Apostle Peter, Christ himself entrusted the ministry of unity in his Church.”
Edward Pentin writes from Rome.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Edward Pentin ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Media Watch DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:Pope's Pen Still Sharp, UPI Notes
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL, Oct. 11— “Pope John Paul II has done it again,” UPI correspondent Uwe Siemon-Netto acknowledged in an article that contrasted the Holy Father's physical frailty with his still-acute intellect. “Just as news about a further deterioration of the state of his health leaked out of the Vatican, he issued a significant new apostolic letter taking on one of the most tragic deficits of contemporary Christian piety.”
The writer was commenting on John Paul's Oct. 8 apostolic letter Mane Nobiscum, Domine (Stay With Us, Lord), released just before the Church began its official celebration of the Year of the Eucharist.
Siemon-Netto cited a recent Catholic World News report that said the Pope is finding it increasingly difficult to speak because his chest and diaphragm muscles are being weakened by Parkinson's disease. But while this malady has curtailed his public speaking and private conversations, the Pope nevertheless continues to lead the Church effectively, the UPI correspondent said.
Wrote Siemon-Netto, “John Paul has stressed that he will not shirk from his suffering, just as Christ has not come down from his cross. Thus, suffering ‘in public’ is part of his apostolic mission, which he exercises primarily in writing these days.”
Irish Seek Second Papal Visit
IRISH NEWS, Oct. 12 — At the Oct. 11 Mass celebrating the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's visit to Ireland, that country's primate, Archbishop Sean Brady, prayed that a return visit would be possible.
In his homily at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Derry, Archbishop Brady compared the Holy Father to Derry's patron saint, Columba (also known as Columcille or Colmcille, “dove of the Church”), the sixth-century missionary to the Scots and founder of the monastery on the island of Iona. He said the Pope shares with the saint a “figure of powerful build,” the attributes of “scholar, poet and ruler” and a “fearless commitment to Christ.”
In 1979, the Pope was unable to visit Northern Ireland as planned. Security concerns dictate that a visit this year would have to be approved by the British government.
From Naples to Rome via Carolina
ASSOCIATED PRESS, Oct. 7 — A 1637 masterpiece by Jusepe de Ribera, “The Immaculate Conception,” now part of the collection of the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, S.C., is to be displayed at a Vatican museum next year.
“I love the company we're in,” museum director Karen Brosius said. The Vatican has also borrowed paintings from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre and the Prado for its exhibition “A Woman Dressed in Sun: Iconography of the Immaculate Conception.”
Ribera, known as “the little Spaniard,” studied in Rome and later made his home in Naples, where he enjoyed the patronage of King Philip IV. His “Immaculate Conception,” unusually cheerful for the artist, was bequeathed to the Columbia museum by dime-store magnate Samuel Kress, one of the founding benefactors of the National Gallery of Art, who gave 700 Old Masters to American regional museums in the 1950s.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Christ Has Reconciled Us to the Father DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:Register Summary
During his general audience with 16,000 pilgrims in St. Peter's Square on Oct. 13, Pope John Paul II invited the faithful to join him in contemplating the “magnificent icon of Christ” found at the beginning of St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians. The passage is one of the canticles that Catholics pray every week during the Church's evening prayer, and the Holy Father's teaching was yet another in his long series of teachings on the psalms and canticles of the Liturgy of the Hours.
The Pope described the canticle, which is a hymn of thanksgiving and praise to the Father for the blessings bestowed on us through his beloved Son, as a wonderful expression of the Church's faith and spirituality in apostolic times. “The fact that we have been chosen to be ‘holy and without blemish’ shines forth above all,” the Holy Father noted. “Nevertheless, the Father has an even greater goal in mind for us,” he added. “Through Christ, he predestines us to receive the gift of the dignity of being his sons and daughters.”
Through the mystery of the cross, John Paul explained, we have been given the wisdom to understand God's eternal plan to unite all things in heaven and on earth in Christ. “In this way, the Father brings about a radical transformation in us,” he noted. “We are creatures who have been transfigured. Our sin has been wiped away, and we fully know the Lord. Since knowledge is an expression of love in biblical language, this knowledge plunges us more deeply into the ‘mystery’ of God's will.”
The Holy Father pointed out that the glorified Lord appears not only as the head of the mystical body, which is the Church, but also as the source and center of a world that has been reconciled and renewed.
We will now examine the solemn hymn of blessing at the beginning of the Letter to the Ephesians, a work of great theological and spiritual depth that is a wonderful expression of the Church's faith and perhaps even of its liturgy during apostolic times.
The hymn is repeated four times, once during each of the weeks in which the Liturgy of Hours’ evening prayer is divided, so that the faithful might contemplate and appreciate this magnificent icon of Christ, who is at the heart of our spirituality and our worship as Christians and who is also the source of unity and meaning for the universe and for all of man's ongoing history. This blessing rises up from mankind to the Father, who is in the heavens (see verse 3), and is inspired by the saving work of the Son.
God's Eternal Plan
It begins with God's eternal plan, which Christ is called to fulfill. Within this plan, the fact that we have been chosen to be “holy and without blemish” shines forth above all, not so much on the level of ritual—as the use of these adjectives in the Old Testament in relationship to sacrificial worship might seem to suggest—but rather “in love” (see verse 4). It is, therefore, a question of holiness and of moral, existential and inner purity.
Nevertheless, the Father has an even greater goal in mind for us. Through Christ, he predestines us to receive the gift of the dignity of being his sons and daughters, by becoming his children in the Son and brothers and sisters of Jesus (see Romans 8:15, 23; Romans 9:4; and Galatians 4:5). This gift of grace is poured out through his “beloved” Son, the only begotten par excellence (see verses 5-6).
A Radical Transformation
In this way, the Father brings about a radical transformation in us: complete deliverance from evil, the “redemption by the blood” of Christ and “the forgiveness of transgressions in accord with the riches of his grace” (see verse 7). Christ's sacrifice on the cross, a supreme act of love and solidarity, pours out upon us a superabundant wave of light and of “wisdom and insight” (see verse 8). We are creatures who have been transfigured. Our sin has been wiped away, and we fully know the Lord. Since knowledge is an expression of love in biblical language, this knowledge plunges us more deeply into the “mystery” of God's will (see verse 9).
This “mystery,” or, in other words, this transcendent and perfect plan, contains a wonderful plan for salvation: “to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth” (verse 10). The Greek text suggests that Christ became the kefalaion or the cornerstone, the central axis toward which all that has been created converges and acquires its meaning. This same Greek work reminds us of another word that is so deeply cherished in the Letters to the Ephesians and the Colossians: kefale, meaning “head,” which indicates the role that Christ fulfills in the body of the Church.
Our perspective is now wider and more cosmic and even includes the ecclesial dimension that is more specific to Christ's work. He has reconciled all things to himself, “making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven” (Colossians 1:20).
A Prayer of Thanksgiving
Let us conclude our reflection with a prayer of praise and gratitude for the redemption that Christ has brought about within us. Let us do so using the words of a text that has been preserved in an ancient papyrus from the fourth century:
“We call upon you, Lord God. You know all things and nothing escapes you, teacher of truth. You have created the universe and watch over all beings. You guide those who were in the darkness and shadow of death on the path of truth. You desire to save all men and reveal the truth to them. Together we offer you praise and hymns of thanksgiving.”
The prayer continues with the following words: “You have redeemed us through the precious and immaculate blood of your only Son from all corruption and slavery. You have freed us from the devil and have granted us glory and freedom. We were dead and you gave us new birth of body and soul in the Spirit. We were stained by sin, but you made us clean. We pray, therefore, Father of mercy and God of all consolation, to strengthen us in our vocation, in our worship and in our faithfulness.”
The prayer concludes with the following appeal: “Strengthen us, kind Lord, with your strength. Illumine our souls with your consolation … Grant us to see, seek and contemplate the things of heaven and not those of earth. Thus, with the strength of your grace, glory will be rendered to the omnipotent and most holy power that is worthy of all praise, in Christ Jesus, the beloved Son, with the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen” (A. Hamman, Preghiere dei Primi Cristiani, Milan, 1955, pp. 92-94).
(Register translation)
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Trouble in the Holy Land DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:BETHLEHEM — The arrest of two Palestinian militants at a hospital that flies the Vatican flag has upset Holy Land Catholics, who have gone to great lengths to steer clear of armed conflict with Israeli civilians and soldiers.
According to a statement from the Israeli Army, two armed men, both Muslims, were arrested in the Holy Family Maternity Hospital compound on Aug. 25.
The hospital was founded in 1882 by the Sisters of Charity, who ran it until 1995. Since then, it has been administered by the Order of Malta, a 900-year-old order founded in the Holy Land.
The hospital, which serves Palestinian Christian and Muslim women and their babies, was badly damaged during Israel's military incursion into the town in 2002. Israeli shells and bullets shattered windows in the neonatal intensive-care unit, as well as the nursery and private rooms, according to hospital officials.
At the time, the Order of Malta called on the world community to condemn Israel's actions. While Israel apologized for the damage, it insisted that militants fired at its troops from or near the hospital compound.
The Order of Malta countered that “at no time were any Palestinian militants present on the ground. There has been no allegation by anyone that Holy Family Maternity Hospital has at any time exceeded its no-combative status.”
Israel said the militants arrested in August had a cache of weapons, including M-16s and Kalashnikovs. It said Adnan Abiat, head of the Bethlehem branch of the Tanzim militant group, and Ratab Ali Hasan Nabhan, another Tanzim operative, are responsible for the deaths of four Israeli civilians and four Israeli soldiers.
The army charges that the men were able to find refuge in the hospital compound for several months because they were “receiving assistance from members of the hospital staff.”
Although the hospital's director declined to comment on the allegations, Father Shawki Baterian, chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate in Jerusalem, told the Register that the militants were hiding without knowledge of the sisters. “Maybe some of the employees of the hospital were helping them,” he said. The sisters were “shocked” to learn of the men's presence, Father Baterian said.
While he acknowledged that the local Church “has no formal policy on harboring people wanted by the Israelis,” Father Baterian stressed that “nobody should exploit the convents for any reason. They are intended for prayer and for helping people, not to hide anyone. They should not involve the convent in a war.”
Israel has often accused Palestinian militants of setting up base in civilian neighborhoods, including Christian communities in the Bethlehem area. Some Christians quietly admit that since the start of the Palestinian uprising four years ago, Muslim gunmen have shot at Israeli targets — including the Jewish neighborhood of Gilo, on the outskirts of Jerusalem — from the rooftops of buildings owned by Christians.
Father Michael McGarry, director of the Tantur Ecumencial Institute, said it's important to keep such incidents in context.
“During the Israeli incursion in 2002, there were incidents of people shooting from (the village of) Beit Jala into Gilo,” Father McGarry said. “But it would be too strong to say that this was a pattern. There were only a few incidents.”
An Israeli spokesman countered that Israel entered Bethlehem “only after Palestinian gunmen and bombers from the area started attacking Israeli civilians.”
Sanctuary Abuse
Father McGarry stressed that when militants set up shop in Christian institutions or neighborhoods, such behavior must be roundly condemned as an abuse of Christianity's long history of providing sanctuary to those in need.
Referring to the gunmen holed up at Holy Family Hospital, Father McGarry said, “What we had here were some armed gunmen who hid weapons in a hospital, a place of healing, a Catholic place. It was a perfect place to hide them. Who would suspect that sisters caring for local communities would have guns?”
Father McGarry stressed that the sisters did not provide sanctuary to the gunmen.
“Sanctuary presumes there is a welcoming atmosphere,” he said. “This was not the case. Someone inside the hospital betrayed the trust of a Christian institution.”
There have been times when the local Church and its leaders have provided a safe haven, if not outright sanctuary, to people that Israel regards as militants. The most notable instance involved the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, not far from Holy Family Hospital.
When the Israeli military entered Bethlehem in April 2002 in search of militants, approximately 30 armed Muslims — as well as more than 100 unarmed civilians and clergy — sought refuge in the church. Israel laid siege to the church until the gunmen agreed to leave in return for safe haven overseas.
During the siege, a Franciscan official accused Israel of violating “every canon of human decency.” At the time, Archbishop Michel Sabbah, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said “military laws end at the walls of the basilica.”
Referring to the gunmen, Sabbah said, “They are refugees. They took refuge inside the church. For us, once they have taken refuge, they are human beings. They are no longer fighters.”
Sabbah said it was the Israeli “occupation” that forced the gunmen into the church, and they were therefore entitled to sanctuary.
“An exceptional situation was created that overrides all military codes. They should be allowed to leave unharmed and without threat of imprisonment,” he said.
Father McGarry said a distinction must be made between the two incidents. “In the Nativity church incidents, it was the incursion of the Israel Defense Forces that prompted people to enter the church,” he said. “That wasn't the case in the hospital.”
Michele Chabin writes from Jerusalem.
----- EXCERPT: Gunmen's Arrest at Catholic Hospital Stirs Controversy ----- EXTENDED BODY: Michele Chabin ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Media Watch DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:Catholic Priests Fall Afoul of French Law
REUTERS, Oct. 7 — Catholic chaplains in southern France have become unexpected targets of France's new law against religious dress in public schools.
Reuters reported that five priests have been refused entry to schools in the Var region even though they have long been permitted under French law to meet with Catholic students in state schools, diocesan spokesman Father Charles Mallard said.
In early October, a school in Toulon barred Father Antoine Galland for wearing a cassock, “the traditional black robe he wore last year without problem before the new law barring conspicuous religious symbols came into force,” Reuters said.
The French law, which came into effect this fall, was passed primarily to prevent Muslim girls from wearing headscarves in state schools. In order to avoid singling out Islamic symbols, the law banned all “conspicuous religious symbols” from schools, including headscarves, Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses.
Now, in the Toulon area, it appears that Catholic chaplains will only be allowed access to schools if they refrain from wearing traditional clerical clothing.
Said local Bishop Dominique Rey of Fréjus-Toulon, “These decisions were taken unilaterally without consulting the chaplains.”
Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Destroys Meaning of Family
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Oct. 12 — Mexican Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan gave a scathing denunciation of Spain's plan to legalize same-sex “marriage,” saying it would be similar to regarding household pets or pests as family members.
In an interview published in the newspaper Reforma, Cardinal Lozano Barragan noted that promoters of homosexual “marriage” often define families to mean people who are living together.
“They even give cockroaches the rank of family now because they live under the same roof,” Cardinal Lozano said. “If there's a cat, a dog, two lesbians and everything living there, it's a family.”
Added the cardinal, “One of the great goals of the culture of death is destruction of the family, so on all sides, not merely in Spain … there are these proposals that say that the family consists of all those who live beneath the same roof.”
Ugandan Chastity Program Takes Root in Kenya
CATHOLIC INFORMATION SERVICE FOR AFRICA, Oct. 13 — Catholic youth in the Archdiocese of Nairobi held drama competitions Oct. 9 to promote morality in society.
The event, sponsored by Catholic Relief Services, was part of the “Youth Alive” program. The program was begun in 1993 by Irish missionary Sister Miriam Duggan and is a key component of that country's successful abstinence-based program to combat the spread of AIDS.
Sister Venantius Munee, Youth Alive's Kenyan coordinator, said drama was chosen as the best means of preaching behavior change in order to get youths personally involved and to help them develop their talents.
“This is both a way of keeping the youth busy and allowing them to generate income from their talent,” Sister Munee said.
Since its inception in Uganda, the Youth Alive program was exported to Malawi, Tanzania and South Africa before coming to Kenya in 2003, Catholic Information Service for Africa reported.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- *************page 7 missing***************** TITLE: Bush vs. Kerry: The Consequences DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:John Kerry wants to be our nation's second Catholic president.
For the past several weeks, we've been looking at issues the November election will affect. But, for Catholics, there is another important aspect to this race: What consequences would we feel from a Kerry victory?
Catholic faith and voting. In his final debate with President Bush, Sen. Kerry said of abortion, “What is an article of faith for me is not something that I can legislate on somebody who doesn't share that article of faith.”
Ironically, a few sentences later, Kerry refuted his own logic when he said, “My faith affects everything that I do and choose. … That's why I fight against poverty, that's why I fight to clean up the environment and protect this Earth. That's why I fight for equality and justice. All of those things come out of that fundamental teaching and belief of faith.”
The Church agrees with his approach in the second part of his statement. The difference is that the Church includes the right to life as even more fundamental.
After the past year's vigorous debate, the Church is finally making headway against confusion caused by Catholic politicians who claim they can be “personally opposed” to evils like abortion but can only “legislate” their faith on politically correct issues.
Electing Kerry would make him the most prominent Catholic in the country — and the second most conspicuous Catholic in the world. It would give his “opposed, but …” philosophy a giant bully pulpit. This could seriously set back the Church's gains on this question.
Catholics and the Republican Party. Because of its pro-life platform, Catholics have been joining the Republican Party in record numbers. But Catholics’ relationship with the party has to be guarded, and the Republican convention in New York showed why. Many of the keynote speakers were secularists who don't agree with Catholic positions on issues like abortion — notably, lapsed or nominal Catholics such as Rudolph Giuliani, Arnold Schwarzenegger and George Pataki.
These leading lights in the GOP have a radically different understanding of morality from the Church's. Catholic are more comfortable with the Republicans’ strong religious wing, which includes George Bush.
If the unabashedly religious Bush loses, party pragmatists will likely blame not the war in Iraq, which they support, but Bush's stand on social issues, which makes them uncomfortable. Where will Catholics be left if, post-Bush, the party brass thinks pro-family issues are a loser for them?
Catholics and the Democrats. After all, we have seen the scenario of a secularist party moving away from its Catholic faithful before.
When abortion first entered the scene, the Democratic Party was the Catholic party of choice. Catholic Democratic leaders instinctively opposed abortion — they knew their philosophy couldn't embrace something so quintessentially against the little guy. But under pressure from abortion money, Catholic Democrats like Ted Kennedy abandoned the pro-life position one by one.
By the time John Kerry was voted into the Senate for the first time in the early 1980s, pro-lifers were barely tolerated in the party. Kerry quickly built a pro-abortion record, voting dozens of times to use taxpayers’ money for abortion, and voting six times to keep partial-birth abortion legal.
In the 1990s, Bob Casey, the Catholic governor of Pennsylvania, was banned from speaking at the party's conventions because of his pro-life views. Meanwhile, pro-abortion Bill Clinton was twice elected to the presidency, and by this summer's Democratic convention, it was as if the party had issued a zero-tolerance policy on pro-life issues.
If John Kerry is elected president, the effect on the Democratic Party will be predictable.
Party leaders will be convinced that Kerry's no-compromise record in support of abortion got him elected, and that it had no serious downside. This attitude will only accelerate the Catholic exodus from the Democratic Party.
What do all three of these consequences have in common? In each case, Catholics are cast in the role of capitulators, the ones who have to give up our agenda for others’. It should not be so. No matter who wins, Catholics should build on the momentum bishops have started. We should demand our politicians change the agenda to fit their faith, and not the other way around.
Our thanks to those who helped our voter information project.
Find our Voters Guide at www.ncRegister.com.
----- EXCERPT: John Kerry wants to be our nation's second Catholic president. ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Letters DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:Chilling Effect on Choices
Regarding the editorial “Bush vs. Kerry: The Conscience Issues” (Sept. 12-18):
I feel that it is very unfair of you to present the five non-negotiable issues from the Catholic Answers Voting Guide without supplying the faithful with the whole truth.
The guide specifically says: “The unborn child is always an innocent party, and no law may permit the taking of his life. Even when a child is conceived through rape or incest, the fault is not the child's, who should not suffer death for others’ sins.”
Candidates need to learn that being wrong on even one of the non-negotiable issues is enough to exclude them from consideration.
You have portrayed Bush as the perfect candidate for every Catholic to vote for. You have given information that makes it look like he is right on every issue that really counts. That is not entirely the whole truth.
As part of informing our consciences, we, the faithful, have a right to be informed of the truth, without those in places of leadership and authority in the Church covering over and pretending all is well.
It needs to be said: President Bush is in favor of abortion in the cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. President Bush is not against all embryonic stem-cell research but feels some is necessary and essential. President Bush believes that individual states should be allowed to decide what they do about homosexual marriages.
We deserve the truth and that should not be taken from us.
Wendy M. Johnson
Branchport, New York
Editor's Note: A good point. Please see Archbishop Burke's guidance on the question of two imperfect choices on the facing page.
Perplexing Priorities
I want to make an observation in response to Father Joseph O'Keefe, dean of the Lynch School of Education, Boston College, that Catholic schools must “innovate or perish.”
Since the 1960s, solid Catholic education has not been taught in our schools. We are now reaping the error of our ways. I speak from age and experience, not hearsay. The saddest fact is that this fault was being pointed out to our parish priests, bishops, cardinals and even Rome, to no avail.
The most obvious solution is to turn to God for his help. Decades ago, many parishes had daily Mass attendance for school-children. The problem is, we have lost faith in Mass and en masse. There is a frequently repeated statement attributed to an unknown non-Catholic who supposedly said, “If I believed what you Catholics believe about Communion, I'd crawl down that aisle on my belly.”
I can't help but believe that if, for the past 40 years, all the Catholic schoolchildren had attended daily Mass, monthly confession and had at least weekly recitation of the rosary, stations or a litany, not only would our schools be benefiting from God's graces being showered on us in response to the students’ prayers, but we would have less violence, child abuse and abandonment, divorce, adultery, drugs, homosexuality, pornography and mental-health problems.
The prayers of these children could have been the saving grace for their parents’ marriage. Doesn't anyone believe that but me? If clergy and religious really believe in what the Catholic Church teaches about the Eucharist, aren't we really denying our children the optimum object of life?
If our priests don't have time to offer daily Mass to our students, then our priorities are wrong, wrong, wrong.
Joan Solms
Aurora, Illinois
Teen Beat
I love the National Catholic Register newspaper and read some of the articles every week. I like the movie reviews (naturally), the pro-life/abortion articles and sometimes I like the Inperson, if the interview is with a young adult.
I was wondering if you've ever considered having a small section of “good books for teens.” It would give a brief summary of some good, inspirational, Catholic books and where to order them. I love to read and feel like I've read a whole lot. I really would like some other suggestions. Maybe it could be from kids around the country who would write in with a brief summary of a book they'd like others to read.
If you're interested, I'd be only too happy to contribute the first book's summary!
Janie Wells
Age 16
Louisville, Kentucky
The Silence of the Singers
Regarding “Why Catholics Can Sing — But Too Often Don't” (Sept. 19-25):
In my opinion, Gord Wilson made a fundamental mistake. He asked two music ministers for their opinions. He should have asked a dozen people in the pews.
I travel much and attend Mass in many churches. Time and time again, I witness the music leader singing all alone, while the congregation suffers in silence. Why? Because the melodies are so bad, to put it in gentle words.
I have written the Oregon Catholic Press twice about this, but they take the attitude that they know best. Well, they don't! I have little problem with the lyrics, but the melody really prohibits any of us common people from wanting to join in. And the leaders haven't a clue. Perhaps they prefer singing solo.
John Peacock
Fremont, California
Fatally Flawed Founding?
Regarding “Prayer Campaign” (Editorial, Oct. 3-9):
(You urge your readers to pray that) “in this year's elections, our nation will embrace the moral values of a culture of life; that America will reclaim her founding principles of faith and dependence upon God in public life.”
The “founding principles” included the legalization of slavery, and the near-total elimination of the population of Native Americans and their beliefs, established long before Christianity appeared! More need not be said!
Louis J Mihalyi, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
California University System
Editor's Note: You are mistaken. Abolitionists, Indian-rights activists and civil-rights reformers were able to gain their victories by championing our founding principles. As articulated in the Declaration of Independence, these include the equality of all people and the right to life.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Might of Mass Depends on Truth in Translation DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:Regarding “New Mass Translation: Not Stalled, But No Final Text Yet,” Sept. 5-11:
Msgr. Sherman is right to guard against sentimental attachments to the new English translation of the Mass since, as he said, in 75 or 100 years (when we're all gone) we will be asking for it to be improved. On the other hand, the current translation was far younger before improving it became critical, while the new one is already seen by many as needing improvement, and it is not even finished yet.
I, for one, am discouraged. Consider the translation of Et cum spirito tuo. This has only one translation: “And with your spirit.” This translation cannot be reasonably considered to be “theologically rigid.” Latin is quite capable of saying, “And with you” (Et tecum), but it does not. Therefore, the Latin must have a purpose, which is obscured by a so-called “natural English expression.”
Other languages (such as German) translate this phrase verbatim, as does the English translation of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. “And with your spirit” is therefore a universal (i.e., catholic) expression that transcends time, language and culture. Opponents of “And with your spirit” must be theologically naïve — or they are cunning and have a purpose contrary to that of the Latin. Either way, “And also with you” is simply wrong and not Catholic.
This case may seem minor but it demonstrates a principle: Bad translations debilitate the Mass and, given time, they assume the force of tradition. They impede the fullness of the spiritual power of the Mass; they impoverish it. Cardinal Arinze recently said that Mass should be celebrated with due dignity, without additions or suppressions or changes, to produce the maximum of fruits of sanctity. Bad translations can be at fault on all counts.
As far as ecumenical concerns go, the Mass is for the edification of Catholics. It is the source and summit of the Catholic faith. If the Mass is to be made a marketing tool in ecumenism, the responsibility for it, and for its effects on Catholic worship, falls to the Vatican and not to any particular translation. (The 1970 Missal did just this with little apparent benefit to either ecumenism or Catholic spirituality, so one must wonder if it is a good idea.)
Whoever says that inclusive language “often fails to communicate the meaning of the original text” makes a gross understatement. Although some uses seem innocuous, inclusive language typically perverts the meaning by hostile intent. At best, it does not reliably transmit the Catholic faith; at worst, it completely distorts it. Therefore, its use will undoubtedly debilitate the Mass and be ironically exclusionary, since it alienates people who prefer accurate Catholicism to cowardly concessions to problematic political ideologies.
The problems facing the translators seem to indicate that an English translation that is good while also being acceptable to parties with diverse agendas may not be possible. So, I am not impatient for the new translation. I hope the translators take their time and be courageous. It will cause me great pain should any of these issues above sway them. I will not be able to conscientiously participate in an intentionally debilitated Mass, nor let my family do so. We would therefore seek out a Latin Mass wherever we can find one.
Mario Coccia
Gaming, Austria
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: How Catholics Should Vote DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:INTRODUCTION (Nos. 1-4, 8) In the summer of 1982 I spent two months in Bavaria for the study of the German language as part of my graduate studies in canon law. I offered Mass daily in the parish church and got to know and respect very much the layman who cared for the sacristy of the church. Often we visited after Mass and discussed spiritual matters.
One day the sacristan opened his heart about the evils of Nazism. He was in his late teen years at the time of the rise of the Third Reich. The question which haunted him was how the people of his nation, how he, could have permitted such horrible evils to happen at all or to go on for so long. Some months ago, our conversation came to mind when another native of Germany who grew up during the Third Reich commented to me on the accusation made against a number of the Catholic bishops of Germany of the time of not having done enough to teach against the evils of Nazism.
These conversations, filled with much emotion, often return to my mind and lead me to reflect upon the responsibility which belongs to every citizen of a nation to safeguard and promote the common good. I think how much weightier the individual responsibility for the common good is in a democratic republic like our own nation in which we elect the officials of our government. As a bishop, I think of the tremendous responsibility which is mine to teach clearly the moral law to all the faithful so that, in turn, we all have a clear understanding of our civic responsibility for the common good.
As your archbishop, I write to you now regarding the fulfillment of our civic responsibility for the common good, especially by exercising our right and fulfilling our duty to vote in order to choose those representatives who will best serve the common good in government. …
Concerning the moral responsibility of voting, I, as the successor to the apostles in your midst, write to present the Church's teaching regarding our civic responsibility to promote the common good, above all by promoting the respect for the inviolable dignity of all human life. Through a clear understanding of the Church's teaching, we should all be better prepared to exercise our responsibility, in accord with the word of Christ, handed down to us faithfully in the Church. Our civic responsibility for the common good is great, especially in a society which fails to afford legal protection to the weakest and most defenseless. My responsibility, therefore, is likewise great to teach the moral law, in order to assist us in fulfilling our civic responsibility for the good of all.
Common Good and Human Life
(Nos. 20-31)
The safeguarding of human life is understandably foundational to all other precepts of the natural law. The Church's teaching from her very first years has underlined the particular gravity of taking the life of another made in the image and likeness of God, except in the case of self-defense, that is, the legitimate defense of self or others (Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, No. 52-55).
Within the considerations for the protection of human life, the protection of the life of the innocent and defenseless and of the weak and the burdened must have primacy of place. There can never be justification for directly and deliberately taking the life of those who indeed are “the least” (Matthew 25:45). Such an act is always evil in itself, intrinsically evil. Society, rather, is called to treasure its members who are weakest in the eyes of the world.
For that reason, our Holy Father reminds us that “[a]mong all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable” (Evangelium Vitae, No. 58a). In treating the evil of procured abortion, our Holy Father concludes:
“No circumstance, no purpose, no law whatsoever can ever make licit an act which is intrinsically illicit, since it is contrary to the law of God which is written in every human heart, knowable by reason itself and proclaimed by the Church” (Evangelium Vitae, No. 62d).
The Church's teaching on the intrinsic evil of procured abortion forbids the destruction of human beings from the moment of fertilization through every stage of their development. It is intrinsically evil to destroy human embryos even for some intended good. Our Holy Father, referring to the Church's perennial teaching on the respect for human life, reminds us:
“This evaluation of the morality of abortion is to be applied also to the recent forms of intervention on human embryos, which although carried out for purposes legitimate in themselves inevitably involve the killing of those embryos. This is the case with experimentation on embryos, which is becoming increasingly widespread in the field of biomedical research and is legally permitted in some countries. … [I]t must nonetheless be stated that the use of human embryos or fetuses as an object of experimentation constitutes a crime against their dignity as human beings who have a right to the same respect owed to a child once born, just as to every person” (Evangelium Vitae, No. 63a).
The Holy Father further reminds us that the solemn duty to protect human life extends also to “living human embryos and fetuses — sometimes specifically ‘produced’ for this purpose by in vitro fertilization — either to be used as ‘biological material’ or as providers of organs or tissue for transplants in the treatment of certain diseases” (Evangelium Vitae, No. 63b).
Another intrinsic moral evil which seemingly is growing in acceptability in our society is euthanasia, “an action or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering” (Catechism, No. 2277). Our thoroughly secularized society fails to understand the redemptive meaning of human suffering, while at the same time it views a human life burdened by advanced years, serious illness or special needs as unworthy and too burdensome to sustain. The secularist response contradicts totally the response of Christ — and the response of the Church throughout the Christian centuries — who treasures, above all, our brothers and sisters in most need and who is the sign of God's merciful love to them.
It is important to distinguish euthanasia from: 1) the legitimate decision “to forgo … medical procedures which no longer correspond to the real situation of the patient, either because they are by now disproportionate to any expected results or because they impose an excessive burden on the patient and his family”; and 2) the legitimate decision to use “various types of painkillers and sedatives for relieving the patient's pain when this involves risk of shortening life” (Evangelium Vitae, No. 65b-c). Euthanasia, however, as our Holy Father has confirmed, is a grave violation of the natural and divine law, “since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person” (Evangelium Vitae, No. 65d).
Another moral concern of our time touches both upon the inviolability of human life and upon the sanctity of marriage and the family, in which human life has its beginning and receives its first and most important education. The attempt to generate human life “without any connection with sexuality through ‘twin fission,’ cloning or parthenogenesis” is a grave violation of the moral law (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Instruction on Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation: Replies to Certain Questions of the Day,” Feb. 22, 1987, I, 6). Human cloning, for any reason, is “in opposition to the dignity both of human procreation and of the conjugal union” (says the same document), inasmuch as it reduces procreation to a species of manufacture and treats human life as a product of human artifice. So-called “reproductive cloning” is immoral on these grounds as is what is euphemistically referred to as “therapeutic cloning.” The latter also involves the actual destruction of cloned human beings.
Another moral concern touching upon marriage and the family, which is of particular urgency in our time, is the movement to recognize legally as a marriage a relationship between two persons of the same sex. Such legal recognition of a same-sex relationship undermines the truth about marriage revealed in the natural law and the Holy Scriptures, namely that it is an exclusive and lifelong union of one man and one woman, which of its very nature cooperates with God in the creation of new human life (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons,” July 31, 2003, Nos. 2-4). Likewise, the legal recognition of a homosexual relationship as marriage redounds to the grave harm of the individuals involved, for it sanctions and even encourages gravely immoral acts.
Among the many “social conditions” which the Catholic must take into account in voting, the above serious moral issues must be given the first consideration. The Catholic voter must seek, above every other consideration, to protect the common good by opposing these practices which attack its very foundations. Thus, in weighing all of the social conditions which pertain to the common good, we must safeguard before all else the good of human life and the good of marriage and the family.
Some Catholics have suggested that a candidate's position on the death penalty and war are as important as his or her position on procured abortion and same-sex “marriage.” This, however, is not true. Procured abortion and homosexual acts are intrinsically evil and as such can never be justified in any circumstance. Although war and capital punishment can rarely be justified, they are not intrinsically evil; neither practice includes the direct intention of killing innocent human beings. In some circumstances self-defense and defense of the nation are not only rights, but responsibilities.
Neither individuals nor governments can be denied the right of lawful defense in appropriate circumstances (Catechism, Nos. 2265 and 2309). While we must all work to eradicate the circumstances which could justify either practice, we must stop the killing of innocent unborn children and the practice of euthanasia, and safeguard marriage and the family now. One cannot justify a vote for a candidate who promotes intrinsically evil acts which erode the very foundation of the common good such as abortion and same-sex “marriage” by appealing to that same candidate's opposition to war or capital punishment.
Some Catholics too have suggested that a candidate's position on other issues involving human rights are as important as his or her position on the right to life. Our Holy Father Pope John Paul II has reminded us that, in order to defend all human rights, we must first defend the right to life:
“The inviolability of the person, which is a reflection of the absolute inviolability of God, finds its primary and fundamental expression in the inviolability of human life. Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights — for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture — is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination” (Pope John Paul II, Christifideles Laici, No. 38b).
In all of our considerations of candidates and their positions, the safeguarding of the inviolability of human life in all stages of development must be kept before our eyes.
Voting as Material and Formal Cooperation in another's sin
Nos. (36-40)
Beyond the Catholic voter's responsibility to vote for a worthy candidate, some particular cases can involve other very serious moral considerations. Candidates and their parties, at times, advocate social policies and programs which are themselves gravely immoral or they endorse laws which permit intrinsically evil actions which are gravely unjust. The question arises, then: Is a choice to vote for a candidate who actively promotes grave injustices always sinful?
Certainly, it is never right to vote for a candidate in order to promote the immoral practices he or she endorses and supports. In such a case, the voter, who assists the candidate in fulfilling his or her agenda by getting into office, intends the same evil endorsed and promoted by the candidate. According to Catholic moral teaching, assisting another to achieve evil in this fashion is called formal cooperation, which is never morally permissible.
The Church, however, also recognizes that it is sometimes impossible to avoid all cooperation with evil, as may well be true in selecting a candidate for public office. In certain circumstances, it is morally permissible for a Catholic to vote for a candidate who supports some immoral practices while opposing other immoral practices. Catholic moral teaching refers to actions of this sort as material cooperation, which is morally permissible when certain conditions are met. With respect to the question of voting, these conditions include the following: 1) there is no viable candidate who supports the moral law in its full integrity; 2) the voter opposes the immoral practices espoused by the candidate, and votes for the candidate only because of his or her promotion of morally good practices; and 3) the voter avoids giving scandal by telling anyone, who may know for whom he or she has voted, that he or she did so to advance the morally good practices the candidate supports, while remaining opposed to the immoral practices the candidate endorses and promotes.
But, there is no element of the common good, no morally good practice, that a candidate may promote and to which a voter may be dedicated, which could justify voting for a candidate who also endorses and supports the deliberate killing of the innocent, abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, euthanasia, human cloning or the recognition of a same-sex relationship as legal marriage. These elements are so fundamental to the common good that they cannot be subordinated to any other cause, no matter how good.
When considering the deliberate killing of the innocent human being, it is helpful to remember the Golden Rule which applies in every moral decision: “Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1789). In terms of the Golden Rule, we must ask ourselves whether it is fair to our unborn brothers and sisters to help put someone in office who will not lift a finger to save their lives because we favor that candidate's position on healthcare reform, education, the death penalty or some other issue. If we were in their stage of human development, would we want them to make such a decision regarding us? The question is not peculiarly Catholic but derives from the natural moral law.
Candidates Who Support Imperfect Legislation
(Nos. 41-44)
A Catholic may vote for a candidate who, while he supports an evil action, also supports the limitation of the evil involved, if there is no better candidate. For example, a candidate may support procured abortion in a limited number of cases but be opposed to it otherwise. In such a case, the Catholic who recognizes the immorality of all procured abortions may rightly vote for this candidate over another, more unsuitable candidate in an effort to limit the circumstances in which procured abortions would be considered legal. Here the intention of the Catholic voter, unable to find a viable candidate who would stop the evil of procured abortion by making it illegal, is to reduce the number of abortions by limiting the circumstances in which it is legal. This is not a question of choosing the lesser evil, but of limiting all the evil one is able to limit at the time.
In Evangelium Vitae, our Holy Father provides an example regarding the voting of a Catholic legislator, which may be helpful, by analogy, in understanding the action of a Catholic voter. He writes about the legislator who votes for legislation which limits the moral evil of procured abortion, even though it does not eliminate it totally. The Holy Father observes:
[W]hen it is not possible to overturn or completely abrogate a pro-abortion law, an elected official, whose absolute personal opposition to procured abortion was well known, could licitly support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and at lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and public morality. This does not in fact represent an illicit cooperation with an unjust law, but rather a legitimate and proper attempt to limit its evil aspects (Evangelium Vitae, n. 73c).
Thus, a Catholic who is clear in his or her opposition to the moral evil of procured abortion could vote for a candidate who supports the limitation of the legality of procured abortion, even though the candidate does not oppose all use of procured abortion, if the other candidate(s) do not support the limitation of the evil of procured abortion. Of course, the end in view for the Catholic must always be the total conformity of the civil law with the moral law, that is, ultimately the total elimination of the evil of procured abortion.
In such cases, would it be better not to vote at all? While I respect very much the sentiments of those who are so discouraged with the failure of our public leaders to promote the common good that they have decided not to vote at all, I must point out that the Catholic who chooses not to vote at all, when there is a viable candidate who will advance the common good, although not perfectly, fails to fulfill his or her moral duty, at least, in the limitation of a grave evil in society.
Clearly, the moral questions surrounding voting are complex for Catholics, especially in our totally secularized society. The teaching of the Church regarding our civic responsibility for the common good must be our guide in making prudent decisions. Only by prayer and good counsel will a Catholic voter be able to make a prudent decision regarding what best serves the common good.
Conclusion
(Nos. 48-49)
We, like the sacristan in Bavaria, must ask ourselves how it is possible that we have permitted a grave injustice to be perpetrated against an entire class of human beings by not legally protecting their lives. How is it possible that the grave evil of procured abortion has been legal in our nation for over 31 years, resulting in the deaths of over 40 million unborn children? How is it possible that so-called “mercy killing” is legal in some places in our nation? We must ask ourselves how it is possible that our nation may make the destruction of human embryos legal. We must ask ourselves how it is possible for our government to redefine the God-given gift of marriage in opposition to the moral law. We must ask ourselves how it is possible for our nation to consider the legalization of human cloning, which violates the dignity of human life and the sanctity of the marital union.
As Catholics informed by the perennial moral teaching of the Church we bear an especially heavy burden of responsibility for the attacks on human life and the family in our society. If all Catholics in our nation, both Catholic voters and Catholic government leaders, had joined those Catholics and others who upheld and continue to uphold the moral law, the grave evils which plague our society would be lessened and eventually eliminated. We cannot remain silent. We have a most serious obligation to bring the moral law to bear upon our life in society, so that the good of all will be served.
----- EXCERPT: Pastoral Letter On Our Civic Responsibility for the Common Good ----- EXTENDED BODY: Archbishop Raymond Burke ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- *************page 10 missing***************** TITLE: Hope Rises as Darkness Falls DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:One day not long ago, I was walking along a well-kept cobblestone street in the medieval German town of Münstereifel. I was making my way to a friend's apartment.
It was a glorious day, one that almost seemed taken from a stor ybook illustration. The bright noon sun pouring forth from the heavens reflected on the brook that crossed through town. The water in the fountains of the town square sparkled in the sun's radiance.
Along the way, I happened to pass a bookstore. The title of a thick, blue book in the window caught my eye: The Darkness is Rising. Somehow, that title didn't seem to go with the romantic setting of the town, and it clung to my thoughts as I strolled along. Can darkness rise, I wondered? I had heard of darkness setting in or closing in or even falling, but never of darkness going up. The sun rises, the tide rises, and even hot air rises. But can darkness rise, too? Puzzled, I kept going over the problem in my head.
Suddenly, the blare of a car horn startled me. “Aufpassen, what are you doing in the middle of the road?” snapped a stout man in a Volkswagen. The object of his ire was an elderly gentleman hobbling across the street with a cane.
A block further on, I passed some newspaper stands on the street corner. The headlines were not encouraging: “General Holds Fraudulent Elections; 100 Dead After First Protests.” “Terror Strikes Baghdad — Again.” “Kidnappers Demand $10 Million for Release of Hostages.”
As I approached an appliance store, I saw that a popular comedy was running on a dozen TV sets. At last, something to lighten my spirits, I thought. Alas, the show was interrupted by a news flash showing scenes of death and destruction in the Middle East.
Maybe darkness can rise, I thought. In fact, I noticed some clouds had begun moving in.
Minutes later, I glanced across the street and noticed two children stepping outside a shop. Each was absorbed in a double-scoop ice cream cone, and both looked quietly elated over the simple treat. Just then, the smaller of the two, who couldn't have been more than 4, tripped on the curb. He tried to regain his balance, but both scoops plopped off his cone and disappeared down a storm drain. He began to wail.
With that, I became convinced that some kind of darkness had indeed ascended to over whelm this town on this day. I was about to let out an exasperated sigh when, just like that, the cr ying stopped. I looked again at the two boys and saw that the older of the two had just handed his cone to the grieving youngster. Right at that moment, the sun peaked out from around the tip of the cloud that had moved in front of it.
As I strolled toward my destination, my whole attitude began to change. I was aware of an unexplainable joy and peace filling my heart. One boy's simple act of charity toward his cr ying brother had reminded me of another act of love that dispelled an even greater darkness long ago. That love was so power ful that it endured the cross and overcame the tomb. His light had found its way into the darkness of my soul through the kindness of a child. Hope was indeed rising.
Legionar y of Christ Father John Doyle writes from Colfax, California.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Fr. John Doyle, LC ----- KEYWORDS: Travel -------- TITLE: Powerful Pastors Paved the Way DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:“Baltimore's Powerhouse of Prayer” is what they call St. Alphonsus Church and Shrine.
My wife, Mary, and I quickly found out one reason why: There might not be another church in the country that can claim a saint and a blessed as former pastors.
The saint is John Neumann, the only canonized male saint from the United States. It was in this very church that he was consecrated the fourth bishop of Philadelphia in 1852. The blessed is Father Francis Xavier Seelos.
Both were Redemptorists, and both were pastors in the mid-19th century, when German immigrants were flocking to Baltimore and the parish was the provincial headquarters for the Redemptorist order. In fact, Bishop Neumann was pastor twice. Also, for the record, Blessed George Matulaitis visited this church once.
No wonder that, in 1994, the parish church was also named an archdiocesan shrine.
When we arrived for noon Mass, we didn't realize it was one of the days for the Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, followed by the Novena to St. John Neumann and individual blessing of the sick. After Mass, everyone went to stand by the full altar railing — who among us isn't in need of some healing? The celebrant prayed slowly and fervently as he blessed each of us.
There's also a weekly novena to St. Peregrine, known as the cancer saint. Downtown Baltimore has several hospitals with cancer centers.
We found the church in the midst of a major restoration campaign. Work on the 220-foot steeple is done. The 12-foot cross atop it has just been re-gilded and now gleams again in the midday sun. Even though the interior needs restoration, its heavenly beauty shines.
Redemptorist Relics
The church opened in 1845, we learned. To put that in historical perspective, it was already 15 years old when Abraham Lincoln became president. Since then, millions of eyes have contemplated the beautiful liturgical art and architecture. Thousands certainly did during the three hours they normally spent in long lines waiting for the kind, compassionate Father Seelos to hear their confessions.
The Redemptorists served German immigrants for nearly 75 years here. Once the Germans left — and, along with them, the Redemptorists — the Lithuanians acquired St. Alphonsus in 1917. To this day, one Sunday Mass is celebrated in Lithuanian.
We immediately knew where people focus their attention on entering this church, once called “the German cathedral” and today held as a remarkable example of southern German neo-Gothic style: the sanctuary.
The high altar in white, with all its filigrees and ornamentations, stands out in “wedding-cake” Gothic style. The tabernacle rests in the center of this celestial vision within a reredos that reaches toward the ceiling. This high altar looks like fine Carrara marble to complement other Italian marbles around the sanctuary. But we learned from Irene Mann, the church's director of development, that this main altar is really wood carved in Germany.
In the three large, arched niches near the top, an elaborate polychromed statue of St. Alphonsus, founder of the Redemptorists, looks out over the congregation. Equally detailed statues of Sts. Boniface and Martin of Tours, holding their crosiers, flank him.
This, we learned, is the altar on which Bishop Neumann and Father Seelos celebrated Mass. On Sundays and holy days, more than 100 people attend a Tridentine Mass celebrated at this altar.
A parade of saints in smaller poly-chrome statues starts around the sanctuary and continues to our Blessed Mother's altar on one side and St. Joseph's on the other. The heavenly role models are colorfully garbed and stand in individual canopied niches carved with lace-like filigrees that make the niches look like smaller decorative cakes. Their number includes saints not often encountered in statues, like Stephen, Margaret of Antioch, Louis of France, Mary Magdalene and Hedwig.
Saints Galore
We were next drawn to Our Lady's side altar, where a life-sized statue of Mary holds the child Jesus as he happily raises his hand in blessing. They're beautifully polychromed, framed by another intricate Gothic arch in the back.
The Gothic touch turns marble and wood into delicate liturgical lacework, from the frame around each Station of the Cross, to the full Italian marble Communion rail across the sanctuary, where the pattern looks like giant snowflakes, each with a golden “IHS” at the heart.
Even the church's columns, which are cast iron, have unique sprays of bold ribs that look like fountains spraying to the ceiling and gracefully supporting it.
We also visited the Chapel of the Saints, or Blessed Sacrament Chapel, where the Eucharist is exposed for adoration daily from early morning until closing time. The chapel includes many statues honoring saints — Michael the Archangel, Thérèse of Lisieux and Anthony among them. There's also the chair used for Father Neumann's consecration to bishop and a rosary made out of bread, water and hair by a woman imprisoned in Siberia.
More relics are near the gift shop in the rectory just off the vestibule. The small gift shop has Lourdes water always in supply. The rectory is quite large, as it was originally the Redemptorists’ 19th-century provincial house. In recent years, the Missionaries of Charity — more saints in the making — stayed a while in one of the buildings not visible from the street.
Next to the shop, we looked over the display of church records signed by Father Seelos when he was pastor (1854-57) and by Bishop Neumann when he was pastor from 1848-49 and from 1851-52.
During this time, Bishop Neumann was also master of novices and vice-provincial of the order. His simple room where he wrote his autobiography is open. His personal kneeler and a first-class relic for veneration are there. We felt graced to visit this simple room where a canonized saint lived — and to be reminded again why this church is “Baltimore's Powerhouse of Prayer.”
Joseph Pronechen writes from Trumbull, Connecticut.
----- EXCERPT: St. Alphonsus Church and St. John Neumann Shrine, Baltimore ----- EXTENDED BODY: Joseph Pronechen ----- KEYWORDS: Travel -------- TITLE: 'Ratings Creep' - or a Case of 'Once Bitten, Twice Shy'? DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:It looked like a classic case of “ratings creep.”
In 2002, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Nell Minow — aka the “Movie Mom” and film critic for movies.yahoo.com — went to see the PG-13 movie About a Boy. At one point in the film, Hugh Grant used an adjectival form of what the Motion Picture Association of America calls “one of the harsher sexually derived words,” often referred to as “the f-word.”
“It once was verboten,” the July 16 article claimed, “to utter (the f-word) in a PG-13 film. Then, it was allowed once — as an expletive, not to describe the sexual act.” Minow, knowing the one-use rule, thought, That's it. I won't hear that again. But then the adjective cropped up a second time. “So, now the standard changes,” Minow said. “Instead of one, you can do two. That's how it happens. It's incremental.”
Maybe not. Consider this: All the way back in 1987, Adventures in Babysitting featured not one, but two emphatic uses of the f-word, not as an adjective but as a non-sexual verb, in back-to-back lines of dialogue. It also featured drug references, adolescent boys ogling porn, crass sexual references and young children in recurring life-threatening peril from mobsters. And it got a PG-13. In 1987.
In fact, far from the f-word being off-limits in a 1980s PG-13 film, back then you could actually get away with it in a PG film, both before PG-13 (Sixteen Candles) and after (Big; Eight Men Out).
What ratings creep?
Real or imagined, ratings creep is all the rage lately, in the wake of a recent study by Harvard Kids at Risk Project researchers Kimberly Thompson and Fumie Yokota, who claim that films of a given rating today include, on average, more objectionable content than similarly rated films 10 years ago.
The study has generated a flurry of stories warning parents that PG-13 is the new R, PG is the new PG-13, and G is the new PG. And there's some truth to that. But good luck finding any stories that raise any critical questions about the authors’ claims.
Many stories have reported head-to-head test cases of older and newer films that Thompson says illustrate ratings creep. One such comparison involves the original 1994 PG-rated Tim Allen comedy The Santa Clause and the G-rated 2002 sequel The Santa Clause 2, which Thompson says is more violent than its predecessor.
Does this prove ratings creep? Consider:
While Santa Clause 2 does involve some slapstick violence, the original includes a crucial early scene in which the “real” Santa slips off a roof and apparently dies. This could be much more disturbing to children than, say, the sequel's climactic depiction of Scott and Fake Santa struggling for control of the airborne sleigh. Language in the original film includes “hell” and several instances of “oh my God.” The G-rated sequel has no objectionable language of this sort.
The original film includes some mildly risqué references, including lines about sleeping “buck naked,” “freezing my nubs off” and “1-800-Spank-Me.” In the G-rated sequel, a childish bathroom expression is about as risqué as dialogue gets.
The original film includes potentially troubling themes, including marital estrangement, divorce and the legitimizing of the broken family, which for many children could be more stressful than anything in the sequel.
In spite of this, many media sources repeated some version of the claim that, compared with the G-rated sequel, the PG-rated original has less sex and nudity, violence, gore and profanity. (The Register reported on the study in “Hollywood ‘Ratings Creep’ Gets Creepy,” Aug. 29-Sept. 4).
Not that Thompson herself seems to have said anything about sex, nudity, gore or profanity in these films. Her concern was the violence, which she apparently considers to trump all other elements. In fact, Thompson's focus on violence seems to lead her to weight all violence the same, whether slapstick, stylized, realistic or what-have-you. Does this make sense? Should a graphic depiction of terrorists decapitating a hostage, say, be counted as equivalent to Aragorn slicing off orc-heads in The Lord of the Rings?
This tendency to equate all violence is also behind another much-reported one of Thompson's comparison cases: the R-rated A Time to Kill (1996) and the PG-13 The Return of the King (2003).
This comparison was challenged in one of the few articles anywhere to cast doubts on the study. In an article for TheCelebrityCafe.com (“Harvard Study Shows Ratings Creep,” July 14), writer Brian McCarthy points out, “A Time to Kill dealt with child rape, gunning down unarmed men and racial hate crimes (brick throwing, burnings). Granted, there was more killing of creatures in (Lord of the Rings), but A Time to Kill is still more violent.”
None of this is to say that there isn't a real big-picture, ratings-creep phenomenon at work. There probably is — along with counter-trends of ratings getting stricter in some areas, looser in others.
Many older films, were they released today, would in all likelihood get a higher rating if released today. For example, movies with the f-word like Big and Eight Men Out could never get away with a PG rating today. Nor could you have a drug reference in a PG film, as The Goonies did in 1985.
The ratings-creep phenomenon may well be real. However, anecdotal data offered by the study's authors are very unconvincing. And, as the Register has previously reported, questions remain about the study's data and method as well. So far as I know, the Harvard study has yet to be seriously questioned or examined.
Until more information is available, the Register rule of thumb continues to apply: Parents shouldn't count on the MPAA system to do their job for them. No matter what the rating is, parental guidance is always required.
Steven D. Greydanus is editor and chief critic of DecentFilms.com.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Steven D. Greydanus ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Weekly DVD/Video Picks DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:Ice Age (2002)
Take a lumbering, unconventional lug and pair him with a diminutive, fast-talking, wisecracking sidekick who occasionally needs rescuing. Give them a mission: someone lost or stranded, whom the odd-couple heroes must rescue and escort to some final destination, through dangers and obstacles. Throw in an antagonist with a selfish interest in the one being escorted. Then, over time, have the big lug slowly start to get attached to the one he's escorting, creating poignancy over the anticipated parting.
That's the formula used by Pixar in Monsters, Inc., by DreamWorks in Shrek and by computer-animation upstart 20th Century Fox in Ice Age.
Ice Age lacks the invention of Monsters and the satiric wit of Shrek, but it's still sprightly, funny, wholesome entertainment for (almost) the whole family, thanks largely to John Leguizamo as Sid the Sloth, who gets all the best lines.
Themes of friendship and sacrifice, though generically predictable, still carry some sincerity, and a supporting character's slow transition has moments both funny and touching.
Content advisory: Some cartoon menace and combat; offscreen deaths of some minor characters; brief toilet humor. Okay for kids.
8½ (1963)
Once firmly established in the pantheon of the greatest directors, Federico Fellini has lately fallen somewhat out of fashion, though not necessarily for the right reasons.
Self-indulgent 8½ may be, and brimming with narcissistic self-loathing and cinematic sleight-of-hand. Yet if Fellini has any greatness or interest as a director, it is for all that is Felliniesque about films like La Dolce Vita and 8½. That's not to say the naysayers don't have a point — or even that Fellini does. Style and imaginative virtuosity he has, in abundance. Yet when Fellini's semi-autobiographical protagonist, a dissolute, creatively paralyzed director, announces, “I really have nothing to say, but I want to say it anyway,” it's impossible not to hear Fellini's voice.
Roger Ebert claims 8½ “is not a film about a director out of ideas — it is a film filled to bursting with inspiration.” It's probably both. One of the 15 films on the Vatican film list in the art category.
Content advisory: Ambiguous depiction of dissolute themes including an extramarital affair and a surreal harem fantasy sequence. Mature viewing.
La Strada (1954)
La Strada is the cardinal work in Federico Fellini's oeuvre, the turning point from his Italian neorealist roots to the florid imagery and surreal narrative style that have come to be known as “Felliniesque.” The story has the simplicity and directness of a morality tale. A brutal strongman named Zampano buys a waiflike simpleton named Gelsomina to use in his sideshow act. Despite her natural buoyancy, Gelsomina is fairly miserable in her new life until her imagination is fired by the Fool, a jester-like tight-rope walker who antagonizes Zampano. The inevitable conflict leads to tragic consequences, climaxing in a moment of ambiguous self-revelation.
Straddling the two halves of Fellini's career, this is the one film that both schools can agree upon and is a popular candidate for Fellini's best film. Yet despite its critical significance, it is a difficult film, and no critical account I have yet read of the film has been persuasive to me. One of the 15 films on the Vatican film list in the art category.
Content advisory: Depiction of an abusive relationship; some violence. Mature viewing.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Steven D. Greydanus ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Weekly TV Picks DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:DAILY, OCT. 24-NOV. 2
The Doctrine of Purgatory
Familyland TV, 11:30 a.m., 8 p.m.
As All Saints' Day (Nov. 1) and All Souls' Day (Nov. 2) approach, join in this TV novena for the poor souls in purgatory and for a pro-life outcome on Election Day.
SUNDAY, OCT. 24
New Sunday Series
EWTN, various
Sunday Night Live with Father Benedict Groeschel is at 9 p.m. The Gospel of Life in Health Care, with Father Stephen Torraco, is at 5 a.m. (Re-airs at 4 a.m. Wednesdays and 10:30 p.m. Fridays.) St. Matthew: Evangelist of the Church, with Timothy O'Donnell, is at 1:30 a.m. (Re-airs at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays.) Your Vocation – God's Call in Your Life, with Father C. John McCloskey, is at 1 a.m. (Re-airs at 2:30 p.m. on Thursdays.)
MONDAY, OCT. 25
Food Finds: Religious Orders
Food Network, 1:30 p.m.
The Brigittine Monastery monks in Oregon create fudge and marshmallows. The Cistercian nuns at Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa, make caramels. The Trappists at Gethsemani Farms in Kentucky supply cheese, fruitcakes and fudge.
TUESDAY, OCT. 26
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!
ABC, 8 p.m.
“Peanuts” creator Charles M. Schulz fashioned this happy half-hour special in 1966.
TUESDAY, OCT. 26
Independent Lens: The Political Dr. Seuss
PBS, 10 p.m.
From early 1941 to early 1943, Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), famed for his illustrated books for children, drew editorial cartoons for the New York leftist newspaper PM that urged the U.S. government to enter World War II and defeat the Axis.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 27
Great Performances: Carnegie Hall Opening Night 2004
PBS, 9 p.m.
The Philadelphia Orchestra, in a 90-minute concert under music director Christoph Eschenbach, performs the Richard Strauss works “Don Juan, Op. 20”; “Four Last Songs” with soprano Renee Fleming; and “Don Quixote, Op. 35” with cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
THURSDAY, OCT. 28
Nature: Pale Male
PBS, 8 p.m.
This is the story of a red-tailed hawk that, against all odds, settled on a high-rise ledge in Manhattan in the early 1990s and established a family that survives today.
SATURDAY, OCT. 30
Decisive Battles: Cannae
History Channel, 1:30 p.m.
At Cannae, in Italy's Apulia region, on Aug. 2, 216 B.C., Carthaginians and their allies under Hannibal surrounded and wiped out eight legions of overconfident Romans by letting them plunge too deep into their center to extricate themselves. Advisory: TV-PG.
Dan Engler writes from Santa Barbara, California.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Daniel J. Engler ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- *************page 13 missing***************** TITLE: Campus Watch DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:Smoke of Sullivan
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY, Oct. 5 — A letter from the Jesuit university's theology department promoting an upcoming appearance by commentator Andrew Sullivan — a homosexual who favors same-sex marriage — was described as “a practicing Catholic” who “has challenged the Church's position on gay life.”
The department said Sullivan's talk, funded by Ford-ham's Center for American Catholic Studies, would be especially suitable for freshmen students of its course in faith and critical reasoning because Sullivan “can model for our students how a vigorous intellect can illuminate faith (and vice versa!).”
Sister President
Sister Carney said the university had “sur vived a deep wound,” caused by the athletic scandal involving eligibility requirements that ultimately caused her predecessor, Franciscan Father Robert Wickenheiser, to resign.
Sister Carney was general superior of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Providence of God in Pittsburgh before she joined St. Bonaventure as dean of Franciscan studies.
True Diversity
CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS, Oct. 5 — Michigan Federal District Judge Gerald Rosen has ordered Ann Arbor Public Schools to pay $102,738 in attorney fees and costs to the Thomas More Law Center because school officials prevented student Betsy Hansen from expressing her Catholic beliefs at a “Homosexuality and Religion” panel as part of her high school's annual “Diversity Week.”
Last December, Judge Rosen ruled that the school had violated Hansen's constitutional right to freedom of speech and right to equal protection, as well as the Establishment Clause.
The judge's 70-page opinion in favor of the student was highly critical of the action taken by the school to censor Hansen's speech.
Jesuit Joy in Alabama
Father Kolvenbach was presented with Spring Hill's first Fons Sapientiae Award, which honors those who have been an example of wisdom and faith.
The Jesuit leader urged Spring Hill to build on the fact that it was the first college in Alabama to admit black students, and to do so by deepening its commitment to solidarity, the cornerstone of Catholic social teaching.
Whither Women-Only U?
ASSOCIATED PRESS, Oct. 5 — Is a faith component necessary for an all-women's college to survive?
Could be. As recently as 1980, there were more than 120 all-women's colleges in the country. “There are now fewer than 60 all-women's colleges … and half of them are Catholic,” said Wells College sociology professor Leslie Miller-Bernal.
Miller-Bernal, the author of several books on single-sex colleges, was quoted by the wire service reacting to the decision by Wells, a secular institution, to go co-ed in the face of declining enrollment.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: American, Catholic and Registered to Vote DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC
VOTER: 200 YEARS OF
POLITICAL IMPACT
by George J. Marlin
St. Augustine's Press, 2004 420 pages, $30
To order: (800) 621-2736 or www.staugustine.net
Catholics first got their foot in the door of American political life when the Revolutionaries discovered the patriotism of men like Charles Carroll of Carroll-ton, the only Catholic signatory of the Declaration of Independence. Yet, even after vast waves of immigrants from predominantly Catholic countries changed American demographics forever, there would still be plenty of citizens intent on keeping Catholics in their place. And where was that? Out of elected office.
In The American Catholic Voter, George Marlin, a former director of the New York Port Authority and a one-time New York City mayoral candidate, shows how that's just one thing that hasn't changed, vis a vis Catholics in the public square, since the beginnings of the Republic.
Marlin's broad and enlightening overview of presidential elections in particular looks at personalities, issues and strategies, as well as the hardships Catholics have faced and the impact they have made. There are insightful looks at the political machines that grew up in Boston and New York, along with a careful analysis of the campaign run by Al Smith, the first Catholic to represent a major party in a presidential race. Responding to charges that Rome would have undue influence in Washington if a Catholic were in the White House, Smith wrote in a 1927 magazine essay: “If you can conjure up … a conflict, how would a Protestant resolve it? Obviously by the dictates of his conscience. That is exactly what a Catholic would do.”
Later Marlin retraces how John F. Kennedy took Smith's reassurances a step further when he famously promised that his decisions in office would be utterly unaffected by his faith.
The latter half of Marlin's book shows how much society has changed since Camelot — to the point where a Catholic running for high office not only has not properly formed his conscience on important life-and-death issues, but actually rejects the right choice as some “imposition of morality on a pluralistic society.”
To show the devolution from Smith onward, Marlin weaves histories of campaigns taking advantage of disenchanted Catholics, the rise of social engineering and how it was put to use in emasculating the Catholic vote, the emergence of “cafeteria Catholicism” and the ways in which political opportunists sought to assuage the feelings of succeeding generations of Nativist anti-Catholics.
Sure, JFK had a hard time running for office in the wake of yet another permutation of the old papist-hating Know-Nothing Party. But even Jesuit Father John Courtney Murray, hailed as an architect of the Vatican II vision of religious freedom, thought it was “idiocy” for Kennedy to sever any connection between religious faith and public service.
A blend of popular history and scholarship, The American Catholic Voter provides useful charts illustrating the Catholic vote in cities and neighborhoods across the decades. One point of concern here: There are numerous typographical errors in the text. Were the editors more careful about checking the statistics in the charts? One hopes so.
In the concluding section, Marlin helps answer the puzzling question of how a majority of Catholics could vote for pro-abortion tickets in recent contests. This part of the discussion could have benefited by a fuller consideration of the fast-growing Hispanic vote.
The American Catholic Voter is an important work for any principled Catholic who is contemplating public office. Ditto the Catholic voter who will bring his faith to the ballot box Nov. 2.
John Burger is the Register's news editor.
----- EXCERPT: Weekly Book Pick ----- EXTENDED BODY: John Burger ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: Trusting God Means Never Having to Fear Failure DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:Family Matters
Having worked for the same company for many years, I enjoy good job security. I support my family and make enough to put a little away in savings. But my wife says I don't try hard enough to “get ahead.” She says I have a fear of failure. I tell her that I'm just cautious. Besides, why should we men always have to be “ambitious”?
Charity will help you resist the urge to snap back: “If I feared failure, I wouldn't have married you!”
Seriously, it sounds like your wife wants you to reach a little higher. So the question is: Should you?
Your appeal to caution might imply that you carefully and prudently examine your opportunities before acting. Of course, this is wise. But it could also mean that, unless everything is perfect, you don't move. Fear of failure means you don't act because you're afraid of how the possible results will change your life or what they'll say about you as a person. The fear of failure, or kakorraphiaphobia, can indeed prevent a person from trying something new. It is a fear of all risks and, therefore, most opportunities. Often fear of the unknown is worse than failure itself.
Two characteristics are common among those who fear failure. One, they take failure personally: They confuse making a mistake with being a mistake. And, two, they see each failed effort as a wall to stop at (or reverse direction for) rather than a hill to get over or go around.
And, of course, all human fear is aggravated by original sin. For example, vanity can unduly concern us with others’ opinions of us. Pride might make us feel like we always have to be in control. And sensuality could cause us to procrastinate simply because the effort ahead seems so demanding. (As the old saying goes: A body in motion wants to stay in motion; a body at rest wants to stay at rest.)
Remember that it's nearly always less productive to attack a weakness than it is to develop its opposite virtue. Why? Simply because it's easier to do something positive than to avoid something negative. Sacrificing lovingly for others, like Christ or your wife, can defeat vanity. Knowing that you may indeed fail, but humbly turning control over to God, can undermine pride. And thinking with hope of long-term benefits can subjugate sensuality.
In order to do all that developing, what you need is an extra dose of the virtue of magnanimity — the “noble and generous disposition to undertake great things for God and for neighbor,” as theologian Adolphe Tanquerey defined it. Magnanimity is to be distinguished from ambition, which is the pursuit of egotistical goals.
Where do you go for a booster shot of magnanimity? Where else? Go to God. Make a new decision to work with him rather than in spite of (or irrespective of) him, admit your own helplessness without him and trust his power to take you beyond your limitations.
We know that, from baptism onward, God wants us to contribute great things to the building of his kingdom. That order is too tall for any of us. So we should anticipate that he will give us the ways and means. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; on your own intelligence rely not. In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
If your wife is correct — and isn't it amazing how often wives are? — and you are overly cautious, then pray for the conviction to be magnanimous. Talk to your wife, talk to your spiritual director, pray often, do your best and let God worry about the results.
Art Bennett is director of Alpha Omega Clinic and Consultation Services in Vienna, Virginia, and Bethesda, Maryland.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Art Bennett ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Prolife Victories DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:Marriage Aid
“Dual-parent upbringing produces healthier, better-educated children. That's it,” he told the Times in advance of the shows' airing.
“We imagine ourselves to be free people, but we should not be free to destroy others, especially children,” Geldof said. “We have confused freedom with the idea of choice; we have become voracious consumers, not just of stuff, but of the soul.”
Geldof's band had a hit with “I Don't Like Mondays” in 1979. In 1985, he organized the mammoth Live Aid concert to help famine-stricken Ethiopia.
Australian Anglicans for Morality
The Australians also criticized Anglicans in Canada and the United States for breaking with Scripture and church tradition on these issues.
Addressing the triennial meeting of Australian Anglicans, the Rev. Bruce Ballantine-Jones of Sydney said any sex outside marriage is sinful, “and that includes heterosexual and homosexual activity.” He said that such teaching for the church is “the basis of its moral voice.”
Voice of Experience
“He's nearly 99 and doesn't expect to see 100,” says the Portland daily in a lengthy feature on the pro-life advocate. “Yet this old-timer considers himself a warrior whose only goal for 25 years has been to protest outside the Surgicenter abortion clinic each and every day.”
“Please let your baby live,” says his sign, which can be read from both sides. “We will help you; give him or her to us.”
Seeing the Light on Population
— Starting this year, French mothers receive $1,000 for each new baby.
— In Italy, mothers now receive $1,200 for bearing a second child.
— South Korea has expanded tax breaks for families with young children.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Cheers 4 Chastity DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:Facts of Life
Teens who pledge to remain chaste until marriage have better life outcomes and are far less likely to engage in risky behaviors than non-pledgers. Domestic-policy experts who recently reviewed data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.
Source: The Heritage Foundation, Sept. 21 Register illustration by Tim Rauch
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Year of the Eucharist, Family Style DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:Pope John Paul II never tires of reminding us that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. But in this, the Year of the Eucharist — October 2004 through October 2005 — he's asking us to respond with special awe to Jesus coming to us in the flesh: body, blood, soul and divinity.
That means not just in our thoughts, but in our actions, too. And that means, first and foremost, more frequent reception of Communion — set up by monthly trips to the confessional and regular visits to the Blessed Sacrament for Eucharistic adoration.
“That's a heavenly appeal coming to us through our Holy Father,” observes Linda Bracy, director of the Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament in Plattsburgh, N.Y. “This year is a mighty move of the Holy Spirit, and the laity must become actively engaged in the evangelization of the Church and the world.”
With such tall orders, where do families begin?
“The first thing,” says Congregation of St. John Father Antoine Thomas in Peoria, Ill., “is for parents to gather their children and ask them the question, ‘What would you like to do outside of Sunday Mass to show Jesus that you truly thank him for his Eucharistic presence among us?’”
Father Thomas is a founder and international promoter of Eucharistic adoration for children at www.childrenofhope.org.
The priest says a family visit to the Blessed Sacrament every week is a perfect way to get started. For example, moms picking up their children at school might stop to visit the nearest tabernacle — or the exposed Host, if adoration is within driving distance — before heading home.
Father Thomas points out that, since most children leave school just before 3 p.m., the Hour of Divine Mercy, and Jesus is asking us to be merciful to one another, “the visit to the Eucharist should be followed by a concerted discussion on the part of all the family members to find an opportunity every day to give that Eucharistic love to another person.”
He adds: “We can focus on the Eucharist, but why does Jesus give his Eucharistic presence? It is to help us love one another with his divine love. And the fruit of this will be more Communion, more unity within the family. And then the family becomes evangelizers by the very fact of this increased love for one another.”
Really Present
Bracy notes that St. Thérèse of Lisieux's parents took her on a daily visit to church. “That little custom, that little 15-minute visit, has given us a great saint — the patroness of missions and a doctor of the church,” she says.
Families can do simple things to plant seeds. “It might be passing out a prayer card about the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist,” says Bracy.
She well remembers her own first prayer card. It featured a picture of the baby Jesus. “I put it up on a wall and felt comforted by it,” she recalls. “Little things like that instill faith and devotion and give children something to hold onto.”
At St. Maria Goretti Church in Arlington, Texas, Franciscan Father Jim Gigliotti has things well under way for the Year of the Eucharist. His parish already had daily adoration.
Because the Holy Father asked for the sacrament of reconciliation to be more readily available this year, Father Gigliotti has added confessions every first Wednesday evening, followed by Benediction. He suggests that families go together to accentuate family and married life.
And he's encouraging a family rosary at least one night a week throughout this special year.
“To get to the source and the summit, like any mountain climber, you have to prepare yourself for the climb,” he says. “To prepare the family for the climb to reach that source and summit, the encounter with Christ, we should be relying on the devotions to anchor children to our tradition. In critical times, these devotions will lead us to the Eucharist — and the Eucharist will send us out, especially to our family and the marketplace.”
St. Maria Goretti parishioners Rob and Gina Emrich try to say the rosary with their five children every night. “It's amazing what it does to your family,” says Gina.
The Emrichs are excited that their 7-year-old son, Mac, will make his first Communion in the Year of the Eucharist. The preparation is making positive ripples into the whole family. For example, because Mac has to learn the act of contrition, the family has been saying that together, as well.
Meanwhile the Emrichs are adding a morning offering and prayers for vocations because, they tell the children, “only priests can turn the bread and wine into Jesus.”
And that prayer's words, says Gina, help the children understand that, when you pray the Church's prayers, “you're joining your prayers with the Masses said around the world.”
Early and Often
The St. Maria Goretti parish also started a program for men called “That Man Is You.” Father Gigliotti encouraged parishioners to do this in honor of the Year of the Eucharist “so they can be leaders in their families and marriages and learn what it is to be the head of the household actively committed to Christ, especially in the Eucharist.”
That can mean having the family attend Mass together more than once a week this year.
“Saturday morning is a wonderful time,” Bracy suggests. “Or at least on First Saturday. That would be a real opportunity to introduce children to the scapular and First Saturday devotions. How about First Friday? Or both?”
These days bring the opportunity to talk about devotion to Jesus’ sacred heart and to join Mary with her son in the Eucharist.
Whatever the demands on their time, families should consider this simple suggestion:
“I would recommend to make the decision to arrive 10 minutes ahead of time at Sunday Mass and to make it a time of silent prayer to prepare for Mass,” Father Thomas advises. “And take five minutes of thanksgiving after Mass instead of leaving the church right away.”
You can bet the Emrichs will take that advice to heart. Even before the Holy Father declared this a Year of the Eucharist, the couple had begun instilling a love and reverence for the Blessed Sacrament — even in their 2-year-old twins. “At the time of consecration, I tell them the bread is Jesus,” says Gina. And she tells them: “Say ‘I love you, Jesus.’”
It's never too soon to start practicing that kind of childlike faith in the Eucharist. And, during the Year of the Eucharist, it's never too late, either.
Joseph Pronechen writes from Trumbull, Connecticut.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Joseph Pronechen ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: They Put a Charge into Pro-Life DATE: 10/24/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: October 24-30, 2004 ----- BODY:Prolife Profile
When the Vitae Corporation's employees gather to discuss the company's direction, the meetings are a bit unconventional. They typically take place late at night, with Steve and Ginny Thomas huddled around the family's kitchen table, sipping a cup of tea.
Given Steve's full-time job as a cabinet salesman and Ginny's work as mother and home educator for the couple's eight children, evening is the best time for the two to handle their family's credit-card and telephone-service business.
Launched eight years ago, the Vitae Corp. today offers a “Culture of Life” Affinity credit card and long-distance telephone service — and donates all profits to organizations that work to build and support the culture of life called for by Pope John Paul II.
For the Thomases, this means supporting various pro-life apostolates, such as the Billings Ovulation Method Association USA, the Family of the Americas Foundation and One More Soul. Since Vitae's founding, more than $400,000 has been given to life-supporting organizations.
The Couple to Couple League is one of the organizations that have benefited. In July, the Cincinnati-based apostolate received a check for $10,000 from Vitae.
“I've been shocked by Steve Thomas’ generosity,” says Mark Hayden, executive director of the Couple to Couple League. “We use the money to further the work of our organization and for promotion of natural family planning.” In turn, the organization has helped promote Vitae's services through their newsletter and literature.
Publicity has been a recent focus for the corporation. Prior to this year, Vitae had done very little advertising, relying mostly on word-of-mouth recommendation. After considering the possibility of selling the business, the Thomases decided to hang on and ratchet-up the brand building.
“Catholic artist and author Michael O'Brien told a Chicago group in 2003 that the true apostolate is at home with the family,” recalls Steve. “That cemented my feeling. We felt that God was saying, ‘Get it going,’ and we decided to kick the business into high gear.”
So the Thomases took out a loan against their home, created fliers and began advertising in major Catholic periodicals. While it's still too early to gauge the campaign's impact, Steve says they've had a demonstrable increase in interest.
“We're getting more than 50 calls per day, and our online activity has increased by about 500%,” Steve said.
As important as numbers are, the Thomases realize their goal is beyond the money that they raise.
“I really think that the main service we offer is to give families the ability to make the culture of life a way of life,” says Steve. “Vitae takes something as trivial as a telephone call or credit-card purchase and brings value to it. You can save points, or you can help save lives.”
Double Positive
The company's long-distance and credit-card customers find the products a painless way to donate to pro-life causes. John and Jean Gorski of Mokena, Ill., signed up for the long-distance service three years ago. They have used the credit card for four years. Last fall, they used it to purchase a new minivan.
Jean describes using the products as a “double-positive.”
“We're happy to use the products because we know that a percentage of the money goes to pro-life causes that are obedient to the Pope,” she says. “On the flip side, we know that there are many large banks and credit-card companies that give money to Planned Parenthood and other groups that are antithetical to what we believe.”
According to the Washington, D.C.-based Saint Antoninus Institute for Catholic Education in Business, large banks and credit-card companies — such as American Express, Banc One, Chase Manhattan, Mellon Bank, Meridian Bank and Wells Fargo — have a history of supporting organizations that promote and offer abortions, such as the National Organization for Women and Planned Parenthood.
Culture Card
The resuIt was Steve and Ginny's work as natural family planning instructors in the Joliet Diocese that led them to found the company.
“We were continually aware of how natural family planning was constantly struggling to obtain funds,” recalls Ginny. “So Steve came up with the idea of starting a culture-of-life credit card.”
Thomas’ first attempt to set up such a card with a small bank met with failure. Eventually, in March 1996, he signed the paperwork with Maryland-based MBNA. Today, thousands of members later, Thomas is considering the possibility of working out an agreement with another institution that might offer a better return.
Father Peter West, a priest associated with Priests for Life, says he often uses the card, rather than a check, so that a larger contribution will go to Vitae.
“The Holy Father said recently that to build a culture of life we have to do more than just denounce the culture of death,” says Father West. “We have to do positive things to change the culture of death. Why not let the use of your credit card go to promote life?
“The pro-life movement cannot be restricted to any one sector of society,” adds Father West. “It must influence the whole of society — politics, law, religion, education, medicine, journalism and business. The Vitae Corporation is using its business skills to build up a culture of life. It's a very creative idea, and I think it will make a difference.”
Tim Drake writes from Saint Cloud, Minnesota.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Tim Drake ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Abuse Board Member Is Abortion Activist DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:NEW YORK — A member of the U.S. bishops’ National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People says she's proud of her efforts to promote and expand abortion through political action.
But counselors who work with teens say that her position is incompatible with the protection of children. In abortion, not only are unborn children abused — they say teen mothers are, too.
Attorney Pamela Hayes is one of twelve members who were appointed to the National Review board formed by the bishops in 2002. It oversees compliance with sexual abuse and child protection policies.
“I've contributed to a lot of pro-choice candidates, and so what? So what?” Hayes told the Register. “What are they going to do about it? If they don't like it, then don't put me on the board. If they've got a problem with that, you tell them they've got a problem.”
She spoke in harsh terms about U.S. bishops who have suggested that Catholics vet the abortion platforms of politicians before voting and expressed enthusiastic support for the promise of fetal stem-cell research to “expand life of living.”
Hayes was responding to a recent report that said she had donated to Emily's List, the single-issue political-action committee whose sole purpose is to elect pro-abortion politicians. The story also revealed $2,000 in donations to the John Kerry for President campaign and two $250 gifts to pro-abortion Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.
Hayes said the story also failed to mention numerous other pro-abortion causes and candidates to which she has contributed.
“They haven't a clue how much money I've given to her,” Hayes said of Clinton in an interview Oct. 21. “I've given her way more than that, and I mean a lot more. In addition, I was on her finance committee and raised substantial amounts of money for her.”
Hayes characterized support for abortion as the key political issue for her. “If they're pro-choice and they're Democrat, they're my kind of candidate,” said Hayes, who grew up Catholic, attended Catholic schools in Manhattan and belongs to Manhattan's St. Aloysius Parish.
Hayes expressed her pro-abortion agenda on the heels of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ announcement of five new members who will join her on the board to replace former and outgoing members Charles Keating, Robert Bennett, Anne Burke, William Burleigh and Leon Panetta.
Federal Election Commission records reveal that Bennett and Panetta also donate to pro-abortion candidates, and Panetta voted for abortion funding in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Bill Ryan, deputy director of communications for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said neither he nor other officials at the conference would comment about the pro-abortion views expressed by Hayes.
“It would be inappropriate to comment on the views of an individual board member,” Ryan told the Register.
The Register contacted the office of Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the bishops conference, and was told he was unreachable in Rome. The Register also left messages for Msgr. William Fay, general secretary of the bishops conference, and Msgr. Francis Maniscalco, director of communication for the conference, and was told both were unavailable for comment.
Abortion and Abuse
Georgette Forney, who had an abortion when she was 16, has counseled hundreds of girls who suffer from post-abortion psychological trauma.
Her own abortion led her down a path of drugs, alcohol and self abuse that she says is common today among girls as young as 12 who are getting impregnated by older men who pay for abortions.
She describes a cycle of sexual abuse perpetuated by the abortion industry, and urged the National Review Board to oppose it.
“Young girls who engage in sexual activity are looking for affirmation. Older men who want to have sex with them know how to exploit that,” says Forney, 44, of Pittsburgh. “Abortion makes this easier for the perpetrators. If the victim gets pregnant, typically she follows the perpetrator's lead and lays herself out on the table at an abortion clinic, completely clueless as to what's about to happen to her. At 16, I had no idea they were going to put a vacuum hose in my body and suck a baby out. They just did it.”
Molly White, a post-abortion counselor in Belton, Texas, also warned that abortion and abuse are related. She tells of a girl in Texas who, starting when she was 14, was impregnated at least three times by one teacher who convinced her each time to get an abortion.
“There's no question today that the abortion industry helps facilitate the sexual exploitation of very young girls,” White said. “One would not expect someone on a board that's concerned with sexual exploitation of minors to be championing the abortion industry's rights.”
Abortion also kills a child, said Dolores Grier, president of Black Catholics Against Abortion. Grier, a New Yorker, knows the review board member personally. She said it's inappropriate that Hayes or anyone else engaged in pro-abortion activities be chosen to serve on a board for the protection of children. She says the abortion industry is rooted in racism and kills a disproportionately high number of black children who should be protected by the Catholic Church.
Asked Grier: “How can you be a Catholic, in accord with Catholic Church teachings — which are pro-life — and favor abortion rights while serving on a board that's supposed to protect children?”
Wayne Laugesen writes from Boulder, Colorado.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Wayne Laugesen ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Report Won't Stop Anglican Revolt DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:LOS ANGELES — Five hundred years ago, King Henry VIII of England founded the Anglican Church in a dispute with the Pope over issues of marriage and sexual morality. Similar issues are now threatening the internal fabric of the Anglican Church.Since the Diocese of New Westminster in Canada began “marrying” homosexual couples, and since the election of openly homosexual Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire, several parishes in the Episcopal Church have sought to align themselves with more traditional bishops, usually in Africa.
As a result, lawsuits have been filed by American Episcopal dioceses seeking to keep the property of these parishes.
The Episcopal Church is the American branch of the Anglican Church.
On Oct. 18, the Anglican Church released the Windsor Report of the Lambeth Commission, chaired by Robin Eames, Anglican archbishop of Armagh. The report outlined proposed solutions to the problems facing the Anglican Church, especially in the United States.
Reaction on all sides has been heated.
“The Windsor Report is vintage Anglicanism: It does not deal with the fundamental problem,” said Catholic apologist and author Father Peter Stravinskas. “It says both sides are a little right and both are a little wrong.”
Specifically, the report invites both sides in the controversy to express regret and calls for a moratorium on the intervention of foreign bishops, the election of openly homosexual bishops and public blessing of same-sex unions.
That provides far too much wiggle room, according to Father Christopher Phillips, a former Anglican priest who is now pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church in San Antonio, Texas. Our Lady of the Atonement is the first parish established by the Catholic Church as Anglican-use, meaning that Mass there follows a ritual similar to the Anglican service.
Father Phillips said he fears that a moratorium means that, at some point, these actions will start again.
The Rev. Jose Poch, rector of St. David's Anglican Church in North Hollywood, Calif., recently left the Episcopal Church, along with his congregation, for the Anglican Diocese of Uganda. He agreed that the report solves nothing.
“We were told that this report would have teeth,” he said, “but it has only two teeth and cannot bite.”
According to Poch, the report does nothing to reconcile parishes that have split from the Episcopal Church and does not ask for a clear solution, but rather “invites” the parties involved “to regret.”
The lack of solutions provided by the Windsor Report is unfortunate, he said, because the divisions have created “two different religions” within the Anglican Communion.
“The problems can only be reconciled if we agree that the Scriptures must be supreme. If not, we have two different religions, which is what we have right now,” he said.
Archbishop Alexander Brunett of Seattle, Wash., the Catholic co-chairman of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission, said although he had not yet read the full report, he does not expect it to resolve issues that had stalled the dialogue.
“I don't think the study, from what I've seen, has resolved the issue because … there isn't any format or structure yet present in the Anglican Church by which they can resolve these issues,” he said Oct. 20.
Although at least three, and possibly four, parishes have defected from the Episcopal Church in the Los Angeles area — and others across the nation — Bob Williams, director of the Episcopal News Service and a spokesman for the Episcopal Church, denied that there were any splits within the Anglican Communion.
“I don't know of any splits,” he said. “Individuals may leave, but parishes don't.”
When pressed on the number of parishes that have recently sought to align with African bishops, Williams cited the case of Good Shepherd Church in Missouri. There, a civil court decided that the local diocese and the Episcopal Church should have control of the parish property.
But Father Stravinskas said, “To suggest that there are no splits is to fail to correspond to reality.”
“Cardinal Newman saw (these problems coming) 150 years ago, when he left Anglicanism for the Catholic Church,” Father Stravinskas said. “With all due respect to those dissenting now, Anglicanism, of its very nature, is a religion of compromise.”
“Where were they in 1930 when Anglicanism gave the green light to artificial birth control?” he asked.
Father Stravinskas argued that the cornerstone of Anglicanism, The Book of Common Prayer, written by Thomas Cranmer in the 16th century, is the “quintessential book of compromise.”
On the issue of the Eucharist, he said, “it says everything and nothing.”
Father Phillips said the problem with the Windsor Report and Anglicanism more generally is one of authority.
“It's a problem of authority, as it has always been,” he said. “Once they left the authority of the Pope, power was up for grabs.”
Now, said Father Phillips, “all they can do is hope and plead,” which is why, he said, “the Windsor Report solves nothing.”
Agreeing with Father Stravinskas, Father Phillips pointed out that the report equally condemns the actions of the Episcopal Church in appointing Bishop Robinson, and the African bishops who have accepted American parishes under their protection.
While Father Phillips believes many Anglicans will try to stay Protestant because of their evangelical leanings, he said a good number may end up in the Catholic Church.
“Many things make people think,” he said. “They may initially come as an escape but soon become attracted to the Catholic faith.”
In fact, he said that, just before talking to the Register, he had been on the phone with a priest in his 70s who was a lifelong Anglican. In light of the lack of solutions presented by the Windsor Report, the priest told Father Phillips that he had had enough. He wants to become a Catholic.
Father Stravinskas agreed that some Anglicans might come into the Catholic fold, or to the Eastern Orthodox “if they don't want to worry about authority.” But he finds irony in the current Anglican problems and some of the changes sought by various Catholic groups.
Anglicans in the United States have been on a “precipice” since 1976, when the church began to ordain women, he said. “Since then, they have lost half of their membership. Everything they have done is what the Left has wanted us to do to save ourselves from oblivion.”
Andrew Walther writes from Los Angeles. CNS contributed to this report.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Andrew Walther ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: What Parents Want: Honor Roll Names Top Catholic Schools DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:GREENVILLE, S.C. — Parents Michael and Paula McGarry want a Catholic education for their children that is both academically challenging and Catholic — and that means having the sacraments readily available.
On Oct. 18, the school they chose was named one of the nation's top 50 Catholic high schools by the first Catholic High School Honor Roll for doing both.
The couple told the Register that living in the Bible Belt, their children are inundated by other non-Catholic denominations and challenged with what it means to be Catholic.
“We wanted to put our children in an environment where that is defended,” said Michael. “It's expensive, but you never lose sight that this is a Catholic school.”
At St. Joseph's Catholic School, faculty members each fall take an oath of fidelity to Church teachings. Now, that school is being recognized by the Acton Institute, a Catholic organization that wants to promote Catholic identity in secondary schools.
“We were thrilled by the news,” said Keith Kiser, headmaster at St. Joseph's, the only Catholic high school in upstate South Carolina. “My board chair said we've known this about ourselves for a while. It's amazing that an outside organization has recognized it as well. It's a little gift from God.”
Kiser has two tests for the school's faculty. “They need to be competent in their field and love what they are teaching, and they need to be fully committed to the Catholic Church and the truth about the human person,” he said.
An independent project of the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, the Honor Roll sought to identify schools like St. Joseph's that are educating their students effectively, integrating the Catholic faith, and preparing students for active engagement with the world.
“We felt the criteria they were looking for matched our strengths,” said Dominican Sister Elizabeth Anne Allen, principal of Mount de Sales Academy, another Honor Roll honoree, in Cantons-ville, Md.
Those strengths include academic but also spiritual. A chapel is in the center of the school building, and students regularly read papal encyclicals and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Religion classes use only those textbooks that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has identified as being in conformity with the Catechism.
Mount de Sales was one of two schools operated by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia — the “Nashville Dominicans”— to be recognized by the Honor Roll; the other is St. Cecilia's Academy in Nashville.
Catholic High School Honor Roll board member Gerard Bradley, Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame, said the Honor Roll will serve as a benchmark for all who are seeking an education informed by faith. “It draws attention to schools that are contributing in extraordinary ways to the moral and intellectual formation of young people,” he said.
The Honor Roll schools ranged from the 23-student Holy Rosary Academy in Anchorage, Alaska to St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with 2,100 students. Illinois, with seven schools selected, had the highest number of schools on the list, followed by Texas (with five), New York and Ohio (with four each). In all, schools from 25 states made the Honor Roll. A complete list of the schools can be seen at the Catholic High School Honor Roll Web site at chshonor.org.
The list included diocesan, independent, all-boy, all-girl, and coed institutions and even one that has not yet received formal approval by the local bishop.
“It reflects the diversity of Catholicism in the United States,” said Kevin Schmiesing, the project's director. “What is common to all of the schools is an outstanding commitment to the educational mission of the Church.”
Todd Flanders, headmaster of another honoree, Providence Academy in Plymouth, Minn. agreed.
“The Honor Roll is an interesting way to look for and encourage commonalities among all kinds of Catholic school experiments,” Flanders said. “We need to know that we are working together in common.”
Providence was one of the newer schools on the list. Opened in 2001, it now has 595 students in pre-K through 12th grade, and will be graduating its first class of seniors next spring.
In addition to the Honor Roll, the Acton Institute also published the top 20 finalists in three categories that it felt was important to overall excellence: academics, Catholic identity, and civic education.
Criteria
continuing front page interview
Preparations for the Honor Roll were made last fall. This spring, all Catholic high schools were invited to apply for inclusion in the Honor Roll by completing three surveys. The surveys were filled out by the principal, a teacher in the theology department and an educator in the social studies/economics area. Approximately 250 schools responded. Schools were scored by averaging the score from each of the three main criteria.
Points were awarded based on the school's commitment to or achievement in each area. For example, for the academic survey, PSAT, ACT or SAT scores over two years were averaged, in addition to points for AP course work offered.
Schools also received points for high percentages of Catholic students and faculty and for having priests on staff.
In the civic education component points were awarded for offering and requiring economics and civics/government courses.
For Catholic identity, points were awarded for use of textbooks that appeared on the USCCB's list of texts in conformity with the Catechism. To assess the sacramental character of a school, Schmiesing said the survey inquired as to the number of voluntary and mandatory Masses offered each week, as well as reflective questions regarding Catholic social teaching and magisterial doctrine.
Sister Elizabeth Anne Allen believes it's the faith life that sets Mount de Sales Academy apart.
“The chapel is in the very center of the building,” she explained. “When students leave here and go to college, they say that a chapel is the first thing they look for. You can't be that close to the Blessed Sacrament and not be affected by it. You can have both academic excellence and a sacramental life, not academic excellence instead of a sacramental life.”
The Honor Roll was not without its critics, such as the National Catholic Educational Association.
“The NCEA called with questions,” said Schmiesing. “They didn't like the idea of ranking schools or saying that some schools are better than others.” The NCEA did not return the Register's telephone calls regarding the Honor Roll.
Schmiesing said that along with the Honor Roll, the Acton Institute was also making available the questions that were asked, so that interested readers can see what they were able to measure and what they were not.
“The goal of the Honor Roll is not to identify problematic schools,” Schmiesing said. “We believe there is such a thing as excellence, and that we can strive to improve in certain areas.”
Schmiesing also admitted that early on he had heard some criticism in response to their original mailing from principals who felt that college preparatory schools would have a distinct advantage over schools with an open admission policy. Schmiesing said the Honor Roll results showed otherwise.
“Very small schools, open admission schools, and new schools made the list,” said Schmiesing. “Those kinds of schools can be just as competitive.”
“The kinds of things the Honor Roll is trying to recognize, we opened up trying to do well,” said Flanders. “Our integration of fidelity to the faith, commitment to traditional academic excellence, and commitment to civics are the kinds of things that I usually talk about at our open houses.”
Schmiesing hopes that the Honor Roll will be a useful resource for parents, students, and potential donors who want to assess the character of a school.
“Overall, the response of the schools has been one of excitement,” said Schmiesing. “They seem very pleased and are talking about publicizing this in various ways. One school hopes to produce pins that the girls at the school could wear.”
Tim Drake writes from Saint Cloud, Minnesota.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Tim Drake ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Horror Story DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — It sounds like a horror sotry written for a Halloween movie.
First, a 31-year-old man shoots himself. When doctors find that his heart is still beating, they pronounce him brain dead and remove his organs.
Then, a coroner questions their decision and rules the death a “homicide” caused by organ removal.
The latest news is the scariest part of all, say some Catholics: Organ donation advocates want the Catholic coroner fired. They say the ruling would inhibit future organ donations.
But an independent report supports the coroner. It shows there was miscommunication and sloppy documentation during the process leading up to the pronouncement of death. The Oct. 20 report by Dr. James Kelly of the University of Colorado praised coroner Mark Young for his “alert and careful review of the medical records.”
Young's review found “discrepancies” between the documentation of events surrounding William Rardin's death and Young's “understanding of the procedures for determining brain death prior to organ donation,” the report said.
But Kelly, who is involved in clinical care, teaching and research at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, affirmed the brain-death ruling in Rardin's case.
The saga began in the early evening of Sept. 26, when Rardin, 31, sustained a gunshot wound which was apparently self-inflicted with a .22-caliber handgun. However, the coroner, after reviewing hospital records, declared Rardin a homicide victim, killed by the removal of his organs.
That set off a firestorm of protest from the Catholic hospital where Rardin was airlifted from a smaller hospital, and others. In an Oct. 12 press conference, the Montrose district attorney, Thomas Raynes, announced that a group — including physicians, organ-donation specialists and coroners — had reviewed the medical records and determined that Rardin's death caused by the gun-shot wound.
The Coroner Protocol Review Committee also concluded that St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, which was founded by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth (Kan.), had followed accepted medical standards in determining Rardin as brain dead.
According to the report, the standard tests included apnea testing, which demonstrates the absence of breathing and lack of function of the brain stem, and clinical observations of the absence of brain-stem reflexes.
Officials from St. Mary's Hospital said they were pleased by the committee report and appalled by Young's “false allegations.”
“St. Mary's is asking the Montrose County coroner to publicly correct the death certificate to reflect the actual time of the pronouncement of brain death,” the Oct. 12 statement said. “We also recommend that Mr. Young work with the Donor Alliance to do everything in his power to repair the damage he has done to our state's organ-donor program.”
But Young, who has said he supports the organ- and tissue-donation program, said the report was “biased” and part of a campaign to discredit him because the committee included representatives from Donor Alliance, the organ-procurement organization that serves Colorado and Wyoming.
“It smells of a conflict-of-interest in the way the report was done,” Young said.
Independent Review
Young, who has been a para-medic for about 20 years and whose elected position requires him to determine the manner and cause of suspicious deaths, asked for an independent review of the case, including his actions, by an unaffiliated neurosurgeon.
In that report, Kelly said that after his interviews with doctors involved in the case, he concluded that the determination of brain death at St. Mary's Hospital was performed “in accordance with accepted medical standards.”
Rardin was first brought to Montrose Memorial Hospital, where a CT scan revealed “extensive brain damage from which he could not be expected to survive,” Kelly reported. “Since the severity of his injury was understood from the outset and his neurological status was irreversible, he was said to be ‘essentially brain dead’…with no further efforts to formally diagnose brain death at that time.
“He was not pronounced dead by either physician at the first hospital, even though a nurse's note indicates that he was,” Kelly said. “This may have been the result of a miscommunication at the time Mr. Rardin's care was handed off from one physician to the next at the change of shifts.”
Rardin's cardiopulmonary functions were stabilized and he was transferred to St. Mary's, the report said. There, a third physician examined him and found no signs of function in the entire brain, including the stem. The physician did not document his examination results, but Kelly said he found signs pointing to brain death, including the absence of pupillary responses to light, absence of gag reflex and absence of response to painful stimuli. An apnea test also showed no evidence of brain-stem function. He was pronounced dead at 11:45 p.m. on Sept. 26 but remained on a ventilator.
Six hours later, a fourth physician confirmed brain death using the same tests. But details of the examination also were not documented, Kelly said.
Seeking a Standard
On several occasions, the Vatican has affirmed that brain death is a legitimate standard to determine death, and that organ transplants, when done ethically, are acceptable. Pope John Paul II has said the Church teaches that vital organs can be removed only “from the body of someone who is certainly dead.” The question becomes how to determine death with certainty.
“The criterion adopted in more recent times for ascertaining the fact of death, namely the complete and irreversible cessation of all brain activity, if rigorously applied, does not seem to conflict with the essential elements of a sound anthropology,” the Holy Father said in an address to the International Congress on Transplants in 2000.
Young was concerned that different hospitals have different standards for determining brain death. In an Oct. 6 joint statement issued with Donor Alliance, he said his intent was to alert the medical community to his perception of differing and vague standards.
“The intent was not to concern the public about organ donation or the risk of donating organs,” he said in the statement. “What I want to come out of this is a defined standard. I plan to work with the right people to make that happen.”
Colorado defines legal death as the irreversible cessation of heart and lung functions or the cessation of all functions of the entire brain.
Diane Hochevar, president of the Colorado Right to Life Committee, said her group's position is that death occurs only when there is cessation of circulation, respiration and brain activity. She fears brain death being used as the criterion so organs can be harvested and costs contained. And she is concerned about what may happen if the state Legislature reviews and clarifies the brain-death issue.
“Few, if any, legislators would have the courage to seek a return to the three-part criteria,” Hochevar said. “Few legislators would be willing to say anything that appears to oppose organ donation or establish guidelines that make the procurement of organs more difficult. Many legislators will look at the cost-containment factor, and it would not surprise me if the standards were relaxed even further.”
Hochevar added that she is concerned that those who are dying are being reclassified in society's eyes. “They are not embraced as being part of those who are living,” she said. “They are just outside of that circle. The acceptance of the brain-death criterion as a definition of death was the prime factor that moved them outside of that circle.”
Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, director of education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, said it is possible that, by taking shortcuts and not doing the total number of tests required to determine brain death, physicians may conclude “too soon” that someone is brain dead when the person, in fact, is not.
“As the devaluation of human life occurs, as you decide that it's okay to expunge the life of human embryos for stem-cell research, as you decide it's okay to end the pregnancy for the convenience of the mother, as you decide at the end of life that providing care is very expensive, all of these kinds of factors do end up creating a momentum of their own, which then influences the way that people will view somebody who is in a situation that's less than ideal,” he said. “Then add to that the possible pressure for organ procurement. It's certainly more than a theoretical possibility that people will be tempted to cut corners.”
Carlos Briceño writes from Seminole, Florida.
----- EXCERPT: 'Homicide by Organ Removal' ----- EXTENDED BODY: Carlos Briceño ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Personal Battle: Faith Is Ultimate Weapon DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Vice Admiral Arthur Cebrowski in October 2001 was tapped by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to help figure out how to fight terrorism.
The director of the Office of Force Transformation is the former president of the Naval War College in Newport, R.I. A naval aviator who served in Vietnam and Desert Storm, Cebrowski commanded Fighter Squadron 41 and Carrier Air Wing Eight, the aircraft carrier Midway and the assault ship Guam.
He spoke with Register correspondent Carlos Briceño about how faith helped him fight personal battles.
Where did you grow up and what influenced your Catholic faith?
I grew up in northern New Jersey, in the town of Hasbrouck Heights. As my name implies, my parents and all four of my grandparents are Polish. It's a very Catholic family. Church and CCD were a routine part of the day.
I recall the strong adherence to the rule of going to Mass on Sunday and on holy days and to receive the sacrament of reconciliation and avoiding unnecessary manual labor on Sunday. Sunday was meant for church and family. I didn't go to Catholic grade school or high school but went to the local public school. We had a very strong and active parish in my hometown.
My mother and father are still living in Hasbrouck Heights. They passed their 65th wedding anniversary. My father is a very honest person who always treated people fairly, and there was a sense in my family that one should do the appropriate things to be a good citizen:to make commitments thoughtfully and see to it that those commitments are respected. It was a strong moral upbringing. This general attitude seemed to be quite common amongst the families in my community at the time. So we were not an isolated family. We were part of a whole community of church-going people who were quite patriotic and able to do their part as citizens. It was no surprise that I joined the Navy.
How did that happen?
After high school, I attended Villanova University and graduated with a degree in mathematics. I joined the Navy immediately. The very first day as a freshman, I signed up for the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps.
Has your faith helped you during combat situations?
I have had hundreds of carrier landings, day and night, in high-performance jet fighters. And a night carrier landing, particularly in bad weather, is very, very challenging. And there have been times, particularly when the aircraft hasn't performed well — because of equipment malfunction in heavy seas — when I've landed and been arrested by the arresting wires, taxied clear of the landing area, (and) parked the aircraft fully confident that I arrived in that position by an act of God and convinced that there were people praying for me, and the result has been success and safety. I have also had two major bouts with cancer.
You pray, and then you try to do the right thing and do the best you can.
Did your faith life waver during your bouts with cancer?
No, they were strengthening experiences. I can recall with the first bout, when I was just a junior officer, and I had a very young family. When I was told the kind of health trouble I was in, I remember going to Mass at the chapel in the hospital and just sitting there and praying. My prayer was, “God, I'm a responsible person. There's people I'm meant to be looking after here. It would be irresponsible of me to die now.” I was overwhelmed with the interior thought of “What pride. What false pride.” (God's reply was,) “Do you think you're the only way I have to look after these people?” At that point, I said, “There's no end to the ways you have to do what you do, and why don't I just relax and get on with life.”
In terms of your current position, how has your faith helped you?
In doing the kind of work that I do — whether it was operational assignments within the Navy or staff positions such as the one I'm in now — frequently, at the beginning of the day, it's difficult to see how one can have a positive outcome on all the many challenging things that you know are going to be placed before you during the course of the day. I have never been disappointed when I have asked for help from the Lord in tackling the tough issues of the day. I would start the day in prayer, not knowing how I could possibly be successful at what was before me that day, and during the drive home in the evening, realize that the day had actually turned out quite well. And that's day in and day out.
As far as what we're doing here, in the Office of Force Transformation, we recognize that the whole world, certainly the United States, is moving from the industrial age to the information age, which means there are new sources of power, there are new challenges, and it's important for the nation, for our national security, to maintain a strategic advantage, or a strong competitive position, in the national security area.
That means as new sources of power, such as those stemming from the information age, are developed, that the force move toward them and make the appropriate changes in procedures, tactics, organization and technique to take advantage of those.
At the same time, the world is changing, as far as all the various activities that go on in the world — economic and financial, the demographic changes, energy flows and the like — which create a certain imperative for a certain kind of force which we might not now have. So we try to look toward the future and make some judgments about the direction the nation has to go in regards to national security.
This comes in the form of how the force might be organized, what technologies it pursues and how it uses those technologies. This would include everything from a space system to information systems, to weapon systems to vehicles, to the full spectrum of the Defense Department undertakings. There's a compelling need for transformation.
I understand you attend daily Mass when you can. Why is it important for you to do this?
There's a story told that I heard — it's not my own story — about a man in a hospital bed who is offered Communion by a visiting priest. In the bed alongside him is a non-Catholic who turned to the Catholic and said, “You know, if I believed what you believe — but I don't — but if I believed it, I would walk a mile on my knees to receive Communion.” The fact of the matter is that we are here to move our relationship with God toward perfection. That's why we are here. I'm not here to be a success in my job. I'm not here to make a lot of money. It's like Mother Teresa once said, “We are called not so much to be successful as to be faithful.” And that's why you go to Mass — to strengthen the faith. Life is hard. Even for us who have a good life here in America, we still have our challenges. It's hard. What person in his right mind would turn down help? And it's free.
Carlos Briceño writes from Seminole, Florida.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Inperson -------- TITLE: Canada Experiencing Religious Revival DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:QUEBEC — The popular perception of religion's decline in Canada is so strong that when the decline halted and reversed four years ago, it went unreported. Editors discounted the numbers, which pollsters buried in appendices at the end of their reports.
Perhaps most tellingly, Time Canada found 27% of those surveyed last November attending church weekly, up from the 21% reported by Statistics Canada three years earlier.
But in the cover story for which the poll was conducted, Time used the lower Statistics Canada number.
“They were caught in the whole myth of inevitable secularization of Canadian society, of linear decline in church attendance. But it just isn't happening,” said University of Leth-bridge sociologist Reginald Bibby, who has been tracking Canadian religious attitudes and activity for nearly 25 years.
Speaking at the Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Quebec looked ahead to 2008, when the congress will be held in his city. He said he hopes the event will “awaken a new time, a new era.” The Church in Canada would try to use the event to renew the region's catechetical program and raise awareness of the need for religious instruction in schools, he said.
“We're going through a difficult time of secularization” in Canada, said Cardinal Ouellet, who attended this year's congress Oct. 10-17. “For some decades now, people have even been abandoning Sunday Mass; we have been losing (the) faithful. So there is a great need of evangelization.”
The selection of Quebec to host the congress is owed in part to the region's need for new evangelization, Cardinal Ouellet said.
But there are signs of hope. Even the Canadian media woke up to the resurgence — although briefly — with the publication last month of Bibby's latest book, Restless Churches: How Canada's Churches Can Contribute to the Emerging Religious Renaissance.
In it, Bibby reports not only Time's poll, but similar results from his own hitherto unpublished survey in 2003, which found 26% of Canadians attending church weekly, and a 2002 poll done for Focus on the Family-Canada, which put the number at 30%.
Though attendance in Catholic churches in Quebec continues to decline, Catholic attendance outside Quebec is up 5% from 2000 in Bibby's study, as it is for Protestants, while evangelicals are up even more.
Bibby, a Baptist, attributes the turnaround to the work of the Holy Spirit and the imitation by Catholic and mainline Protestant churches, whether consciously or not, of evangelical practices such as small prayer or Bible groups, emphasis on spirituality, and contemporary music and liturgies.
While, overall, evangelicals have not grown in the past 100 years in terms of their share of the Canadian population, they have boosted weekly attendance markedly, especially among youth, Bibby said. “Evangelical teens have climbed from 51% weekly attendance in 1984 to 70% in 2000 — I believe because of youth ministry.”
Canadian Catholic teen-agers, again outside of Quebec, increased in weekly attendance from 27% to 31% from 1992 to 2000.
“It's all about ministry,” Bibby said.
He said the “secularization myth” is accurate when applied to Western Europe, where weekly attendance ranges from 5% in Scandinavia to 10% in France and Germany, but not North America.
Dean Henderson, pastoral assistant at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Victoria, British Columbia, like Bibby, believes today's youth are open to evangelization. “You'll definitely see an increase in numbers if you put the resources into young people,” he said. The “College and Careers” group he set up two years ago, inspired by evangelical models, has grown from eight to 38.
For younger people, Henderson said Catholics rely on their schools (which are partially to fully funded by taxes in different provinces of Canada) to minister to them, but they should certainly form stronger links between parishes and schools. When schools prepare students for the sacraments, it's a good opportunity to bring not only the students into parish life, but also their parents, he added.
Steve Weatherbe writes from Victoria, British Columbia.
Catholic News Service contributed to this report.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Steve Weatherbe ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Media Watch DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Planned Parenthood Off the Hook
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Oct 19 — Planned Parenthood clinics in California will not be required to tell clients of a possible link between abortion and breast cancer, according to the Associated Press.
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a decision by the state Supreme Court that dismissed a suit by three California women. The suit alleged that Planned Parenthood clinics were withholding information linking abortion to an increased risk of breast cancer. The AP reported that the women were also ordered by the California court to pay $77,000 in legal fees under a state law requiring compensation for legal fees of “targets of meritless suits that seek to thwart free expression.”
In the past, National Cancer Institute fact sheets said links between abortion and breast cancer were “inconclusive.” A revised fact sheet posted on the institute's website in March 2003 said, “The newer studies consistently showed no association between induced and spontaneous abortions and breast cancer risk.”
Arnold Would Not Terminate Embryonic Research
Schwarzenegger, a Catholic, announced his support for Proposition 71, the measure that would include funding for research with stem cells derived from babies less than 2 weeks old. Passage would force taxpayers to foot the bill for the research, the story said.
In a related story, the Sacramento Bee reported Oct. 15 that the California Nurses Association, which bills itself as “pro-choice,” is opposed to Proposition 71. Among concerns of leaders of the 58,000-member group is that the measure might allow private drug companies to patent discoveries and benefit from the research at public expense. According to the Bee, the nurses also fear that women who voluntarily donate their eggs for research would not be fully informed about possible medical risks.
Boston Churches Set For Closure Find an Opening
The parishes are 130-year-old St. Bernard in Newton and St. Mary of the Angels in Boston's Roxbury section. St. Bernard's, which was scheduled to close Oct. 25, will remain open indefinitely to allow more meetings with parishion ers. St. Mary of the Angels, which is self-financed, will remain open two more years in recognition of its role in reducing neighborhood crime, the newspaper said.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: From Russia With Love: Red Army Serenade Stirs Anniversary Party DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:VATICAN CITY — Pope John Paul II could not go to Russia, so Russia came to him.
On Oct. 15, the eve of the 26th anniversary of his election to the papacy, the Holy Father was feted in the Paul VI Hall with a moving, historic concert performed by the Russian Army Choir and Orchestra, also known as the Red Army Choir and Orchestra.
In the years I have worked for the Vatican (and the many before that when I covered this papacy, right from its first day), there have been countless memorable moments: papal liturgies; John Paul's visit to the press office; state visits by presidents, kings and queens; the entire Jubilee Year 2000; doing the second reading at the Pope's midnight Christmas Mass in 1993; attending morning Mass in the Holy Father's private chapel; personally introducing my brother Bill and his entire family to the Pope, one by one — the list is endless.
But the Red Army in the Vatican — this is how it was billed on the official program — was surely one of the most singularly moving events of recent years. For 90 minutes, we were regaled with song and dance by the immensely well-disciplined choir and ballet corps. For 90 minutes, we experienced the melancholy, power, depth of feeling and poetry of the Russian soul, as well as the passion, energy and vibrancy of the Russian people.
And for 90 minutes, all I could think was: Just a mere 15 years ago, this evening would have been unthinkable!
Symbolism
The Pope, seated in the center aisle, was the focus of attention, not only because he was celebrating the 26th anniversary of his pontificate, but because of the immense symbolism of the evening.
John Paul II: Roman pontiff, successor of Peter, a Pole who lived under the yoke of communism and the domination of the Soviet Union and the Red Army. John Paul II: in great measure responsible for the fall of communism and the Berlin Wall in November 1989.
John Paul II: the Polish Pope who received Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to the Vatican on Dec. 1, 1989, and again a year later, with open arms and a broad smile.
John Paul II: the man who has been bishop of Rome for 26 years, listening to music performed by the Russian Army!
In October 1989, two super-powers were still facing off. A month later, November 1989, one of those superpowers was being faced down. Two months later, on Dec. 1, 1989, the Pope welcomed Gorbachev to the Vatican.
I was privileged to be in Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace on Nov. 18, 1990, when the Holy Father and Gorbachev came out of their second private meeting, exuding warmth, personal charm and friendship. As an American, a citizen of the now lone super-power, the nation that for so long faced off with the Soviets in the Cold War, it was a mind-boggling, indescribably moving experience.
The Red Army concert was transmitted live on RAI, Italian state television, and the images seen in Italian homes also appeared on an immense screen in the audience hall.
One was especially riveting. The Holy Father appeared in the center of the screen wearing, or so it seemed, a cross formed by spotlights. A woman seated next to me said: “Russia is the Pope's cross. It is a cross the Pope has to bear, the cross of lack of unity among Christians and the cross of not being able to visit Russia as he longs to do.”
Krasni, the Russian word for both “red” and “beautiful”, best describes the entire evening — from the powerful, yet warm, images conveyed by the red lighting behind the singers and musicians, to the red of the Cossack costumes, to the beautiful music of the balalaikas and dombras.
John Paul, visible to all in the hall, appeared to greatly enjoy the evening, especially the final song in his honor, a Polish melody. In both Italian and Russian, he thanked the choir and orchestra of the Russian Army for their “traditional songs and dances, a folkloristic repertoire which mirrors the most genuine spirit of the noble Russian people.” He invoked on them “the protection of the Mother of God of Kazan, whose icon recently returned to Russia, a land very dear to me.”
Déjà Vu
Spontaneous shouts of s to lat (“may you have 100 more years”), best wishes for a happy anniversary and loud applause erupted at the end of the Pope's talk and accompanied him until he left the hall. The whole time, the Red Army singers and orchestra stood at rigid attention. When they sensed they could leave the stage, they broke ranks and started waving to everyone in the auditorium — and the audience waved right back and once again applauded their appreciation.
And I had a very strong feeling of déjà vu.
I spent my junior year in college at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. During the academic year, we had numerous breaks, one of which was at Christmas when we went to Zer-matt for skiing, followed by five days in Vienna over the New Year. One of our day trips was to the Austrian-Hungarian border, which was guarded — on the Hungarian side — by Soviet soldiers, the Red Army.
It was a dark, snowy day, with no color visible for miles except for white, gray or black. We were in the middle of nowhere. The silence was deafening.
We were so awed that we could not speak. The Iron Curtain had existed since Churchill coined the phrase in 1946, but the Berlin Wall was eight months away from being built. Nothing moved — except the Soviet border guard on patrol.
All of a sudden, one of my classmates — who loved pranks but did not always think things through to their logical conclusion — made a snowball, heaved it at the guard and shouted, “Hi!”
All 30 of us were frozen in our tracks. Had we just created an international incident?
But then the most amazing thing happened. The guard put down his rifle and waved — and we waved back, and he waved again. We could not see it, but we knew in our hearts he was smiling. And we knew in our hearts that some day in the future there would no longer be such border guards.
The borders came down, with the help of Pope John Paul II. And I think the Red Army wanted to say, “Thanks!”
Joan Lewis works for Vatican Information Service.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Joan Lewis ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Media Watch DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Red Hats Discuss White Ball
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Oct. 18 — Rome's two great passions— religion and sport — have been combined in a new program on a Vatican radio station. “Not Just Sports,” which runs Mondays on 105 Live and is rebroadcast nationally, features soccer commentary from members of the College of Cardinals.
The red-hatted sports jocks have included Cardinal Fiorenzo Angelini and Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, archbishop of Genoa and sometime play-by-play announcer for the soccer team Juventus. Cardinal Angelini complained that too many Italian team members were foreigners, the Associated Press reported.
Explaining the appeal of “Not Just Sports,” show producer Luca Collodi said, “Sports is very popular with the Church. Go to any church parish, and you'll always find a gym, a basketball court, people practicing sports.” The station's program director, Sean-Patrick Lovett, added, “It's the heavenly realm meets the earthly realm.”
The greatest Italian religion-sports controversy is said to be which Roman soccer team the Pope supports. According to Collodi, “Rumors say he had a preference for Lazio.”
Vatican and Jews Assail Holy Land Bigotry
Archbishop Nourhan Manougian was spat at during a procession for the feast of the Holy Cross Oct. 10. A melee broke out, and the patriarch's 17th-century medallion was damaged. Natan Zvi Rosenthal, who claimed to be protesting “idolatry,” was arrested but has not yet been indicted. Spitting attacks on Christian clergy have become frequent in Jerusalem.
Haaretz reported that the joint statement urged “all relevant authorities” to remember the “sacred character of Jerusalem and to prevent overt and immodest actions which offend the sensibilities of religious communities that reside in Jerusalem and hold her dear.”
Albania Honors Mother Teresa
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Oct. 12 — The beatification of Mother Teresa was celebrated in Albania with a national holiday Oct. 19. The Nobel Peace Prize-winning nun, who spent a lifetime ministering to the poor of Calcutta, was declared “blessed” by Pope John Paul II in 2003, the final step before canonization.
Although of Albanian stock, Mother Teresa was born in Macedonia and did not visit Albania until 1989, when this traditionally Muslim country was oppressed by a savagely anti-religious Communist regime. Albania has since taken Mother Teresa to its heart and acclaimed her as the greatest-ever Albanian.
Tirana, the capital, features the Mother Teresa International Airport. Its primary hospital and an annex at the National Museum have also taken her name.
Pope Blesses New Statue at St. Peter's
ANSA, Oct. 20 — Pope John Paul II honored Saint Teresa de Jesus Ibars Oct. 20 by blessing a statue of her recently placed outside St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Vatican Condemns Spanish Same-Sex 'Marriage' DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:VATICAN CITY — Rarely have the policies of a new government been so roundly condemned by Church leaders.
In the latest attempt by Spain's socialist government to turn the country into a radically secular state, a draft bill allowing homosexuals to marry and adopt children was passed by the country's cabinet on Oct. 1.
The measure is likely to be approved by Spain's Parliament before January.
Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, called the move “a sad step.” Speaking to Vatican Radio, he said governments present such laws as if they “were a conquest of modernity and of democracy, but really they are falling into deep dehumanization.”
Another leading curial official, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, called the legalization of same-sex unions “one of the great goals of the culture of death” — the destruction of the family.”
“They even give cockroaches the rank of family now because they live under the same roof,” said the president of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Health Care in an interview Oct. 12 about Spain's new law with the Mexican publication Reforma. “If there's a cat, a dog, two lesbians and everything living there, it's a family.”
Father Juan Antonio Martinez Camino, spokesman of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, also pulled no punches, warning that homosexual unions are a “false notion” similar to a counterfeit currency and that allowing such a statute will unleash a “virus” in Spanish society.
Defending his government's position, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Rodriguez Zapatero argued for a clearer distinction between the Church and the state. “Spain is a democracy whose sovereignty lies in Parliament,” he told the Associated Press Sept. 30. “Church doctrine has to differentiate between the civil sphere and the sphere of private convictions.”
Father Brian Johnstone, professor of moral theology at Rome's Alphon-sian Academy, dismissed such an argument as fundamentally flawed. Not only must the Church oppose Spain's legislation because it does not accept homosexuality as a morally acceptable act, there is also the requirement that “general law be based on human reason and acceptable for all,” Father Johnstone said. In other words, every law must be based on the natural moral law.
The basic mistake made by the government, he added, is that it supposes that relationships are simply a case of personal preference. “They are not,” he said, “because they affect others.”
On additional Spanish legislation concerning the adoption of children by homosexual couples, Cardinal Trujillo explained that having parents of the opposite sex is necessary because they provide “a complementarity that is essential to the child's psychological development.”
He dismissed studies that purport to show that children are happy with same-sex couples. “That's a lie,” the cardinal said, “because we have different studies which show the contrary.”
Legislation on homosexual unions and adoption by homosexual couples is just one of a number of bills proposed by Spain's government which run counter to the Church.
Currently, abortion is allowed only when mothers’ lives are in danger, or for rape and fetal abnormality. The government hopes to extend those criteria so that pregnancies can be aborted when they would “result in personal, family or social conflict.”
On other issues, the government plans to end compulsory religious education in schools, to change the way in which the Church is funded — currently 30 million euro ($380 million) comes from the state annually — and remove religious symbols from public places. It has already greatly sped up divorce proceedings.
This is not the first time a Spanish government has drawn the ire of the Church. The advent of political liberalism at the beginning of the 19th century led to a series of conflicts between Church and state, especially over land ownership and control of education. Attempts to radically alter Church-state relations were a leading cause of the nation's 1936-1939 civil war.
And ever since a new constitution was ratified in 1979, Spain has had no official religion and, although Roman Catholicism continues to be recognized, its influence has diminished inexorably.
But is Spain's secularizing trend any different from other European countries? Father Angel Rodríguez Luño, professor of moral theology at Rome's Holy Cross Pontifical University, thinks not. But he says the reasons for the socialist government's actions are more complex than simply wishing to promote a secular agenda.
Father Luño notes that the government, which lacks an absolute Parliament majority, needs political allies. But it does not agree with all the policy proposals of these parties, so it has resorted to “politically correct” ideology where there is more common ground and less expenditure in the short term.
As a result, the government has a vested political interest in pinning blame only on the Church when it criticizes laws that the government intends to legislate. But, Father Luño said, “To twist or quite destroy the fundamental and legal institution of marriage is not an issue that only involves Christians.”
Furthermore, Father Luño said, the government has not consulted other segments of Spanish society and “stands accused of systematically silencing scientific evidence available on the complex phenomenon of homosexuality.”
Still, all is not lost on the issue. At the moment, there is a petition circulating that would oblige Parliament within months to discuss a law in favor of the family. And, Father Luño noted, there are many other pro-family initiatives “that are a cause for hope.”
Edward Pentin writes from Rome.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Edward Pentin ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Trust in God Rather Than in Earthly Treasures DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Register Summary
Pope John Paul II warned about the vanity of riches during his general audience with 19,000 people in St. Peter's Square on Oct. 20. His teaching was based on the first part of Psalm 49 and was part of his ongoing series of teachings on the psalms and canticles of the Liturgy of the Hours.
The first part of Psalm 49 describes the situation of the just man who is forced to confront a difficult situation where he is surrounded by the malice of his foes, who boast about the vastness of their riches. This experience leads him to conclude that great wealth is not an advantage. Indeed, the Holy Father noted, it is better to be poor and to be united with God than to be rich, successful and distant from the Lord.
“Profound blindness takes hold of man when he is under the illusion that he will avoid death by striving to accumulate material goods,” Pope John Paul II said. “He is convinced that he will even succeed in ‘bribing’ his way out of death by trying to corrupt it, a little like he has done in order to possess all other things, namely success, triumph over others in the social and political spheres, unpunished abuse of power, eating to his heart's content, comforts and pleasures.
“The rich man, who is attached to his immense fortune, is convinced he will also succeed also in having dominion over death,” John Paul said. “But no matter how enormous is the sum that he is prepared to offer, his ultimate fate is inevitable… Indeed, like all men and women — rich or poor, foolish or wise — he will have to go to the grave.”
The Pope pointed out that the Gospel revisits this theme when it teaches us that even the rich and powerful cannot avoid death. “Jesus poses this rather unsettling question to those who listen to him: ‘What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?’ No exchange is possible because life is a gift from God: ‘In his hand is the soul of every living thing, and the life breath of all mankind.’”
Our meditation on Psalm 49 will be divided in two parts, just as the Liturgy of the Hours’ evening prayer divides it into two parts. At this time, we will comment mainly on the first part, where the starting point for the reflection is a rather difficult situation similar to the one found in Psalm 73.
A just man is forced to confront “evil days” as his “wicked pursuers ring him round” and “boast of their abundant riches” (see Psalm 49:6-7).
The just man comes to a conclusion that is formulated as something akin to a proverb, which appears once again at the end of the psalm. It synthesizes in a clear way the predominant message of this poetic composition: “For all their riches mortals do not abide; they perish like the beasts” (verse 13). In other words, “abundant riches” are not an advantage. On the contrary, it is better to be poor and to be united with God!
Death Is Unavoidable
This proverb seems to echo the austere voice of an old wise man in the Bible, Ecclesiastes, or Qoheleth, when he describes the apparently equal fate of every living creature — which is death — that renders the frenzied attachment to earthly things altogether vain: “As he came forth from his mother's womb, so again shall he depart, naked as he came, having nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand” (Ecclesiastes 5:14). “For the lot of man and of beast is one lot; the one dies as well as the other … Both go to the same place” (Ecclesiastes 3:19,20).
Profound blindness takes hold of man when he is under the illusion that he will avoid death by striving to accumulate material goods. It is with good reason that the psalmist speaks of a loss of “good sense” that is almost like that of an animal.
However, every culture and spirituality has explored this topic and Jesus expressed its essence in a definitive way when he proclaimed: “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions” (Luke 12:15). He then went on to tell the famous parable of the foolish rich man who stored up his goods to an excessive degree without being aware of the trap that death was setting for him (see Luke 12:16-21).
The Foolishness of Wealth Indeed, the first part of the psalm is completely centered on this illusion, which has conquered the heart of the rich man. He is convinced that he will even succeed in “bribing” his way out of death by trying to corrupt it, a little like he has done in order to possess all other things, namely success, triumph over others in the social and political spheres, unpunished abuse of power, eating to his heart's content, comforts and pleasures.
But the psalmist does not hesitate to brand this pretense as foolish. He makes use of the word “ransom,” which also conveys some financial overtones: “One cannot redeem oneself, pay to God a ransom. Too high the price to redeem a life; one would never have enough to stay alive forever and never see the pit” (Psalm 49:8-10).
The rich man, who is attached to his immense fortune, is convinced he will also succeed in having dominion over death, just as he has dominated over everything and everyone with his money. But no matter how enormous is the sum that he is prepared to offer, his ultimate fate is inevitable.
Indeed, like all men and women — rich or poor, foolish or wise — he will have to go to the grave, as has been the case for even the most powerful, and he will have to leave his beloved gold on earth, along with the material goods he worshipped so much (see verses 11-12).
God Gives Us Life
Jesus poses this rather unsettling question to those who listen to him: “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Matthew 16:26). No exchange is possible because life is a gift from God: “In his hand is the soul of every living thing, and the life breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10).
Among the Fathers of the Church who have commented on Psalm 49, St. Ambrose merits particular attention because he broadened the scope of its significance, beginning with the psalmist's opening invitation: “Hear this, all you peoples! Give ear, all who inhabit the world.”
The former bishop of Milan made the following comments: “Let us recognize here, precisely at the beginning, the voice of the Lord our savior, who is calling people to the Church, so that they will give up sin, become followers of the truth and recognize the advantages of faith.” After all, “all hearts of the various generations of man have been polluted by the poison of the serpent, and the human conscience, a slave of sin, was not able to extricate itself from it.” For this reason, the Lord, “on his own initiative, promises forgiveness in the generosity of his mercy, so that the guilty one will no longer have fear but, with full awareness, will rejoice in having now to offer himself as servant of the good Lord, who has forgiven our sins and rewarded our virtues” (Commento a dodici salmi, No. 1: SAEMO, VIII, Milan-Rome, 1980, p. 253).
In these words from the psalm, we hear an echo of the invitation from the Gospel: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you” (Matthew 11:28). Ambrose goes on to say: “As one who goes to visit the sick, as a doctor who comes to take care of our painful wounds, in the same way he prescribes a cure, so that men will listen to him and so that all will run confidently and speedily to receive the remedy of healing … He calls all people to the source of wisdom and knowledge and promises redemption to everybody, so that no one will live in anxiety and so that no one will live in despair” (No. 2: Ibid., pp. 253 and 255).
(Register translation)
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: John Paul is 'Driven' by the Eucharist DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:For years, I accompanied Pope John Paul II in his Corpus Christi processions from the Basilica of St. John the Lateran to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, through the wide and long Via Merulana.
Many times, the Pope walked carrying the monstrance for about an hour. In recent years, a special car drives the Holy Father, who kneels before the Blessed Sacrament while the faithful walk ahead of him singing and praying, with candles in their hands.
I think John Paul is more and more being “driven” by the Eucharist. Certainly, what keeps him going on is not his weak and old body but his deep spiritual life — a life nourished by the Bread of Life.
The same holds true for the Church. Weakened by infidelities, persecutions and the increasing secularization of our societies, “the Church draws her life from the Eucharist,” as the Holy Father repeats in his 2003 encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia (On the Eucharist in its Relationship to the Church).
On Oct.17, the Pope inaugurated the Year of the Eucharist in St. Peter's Basilica to make that point: We draw our light, life, holiness and salvation from the sacrament of love.
“In the wake of the Second Vatican Council and of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, the Year of the Eucharist is meant to be a time of intense encounter with Christ, present in the sacrament of his body and blood,” said the Holy Father in his Sunday midday meditation.
The formal inauguration of the Year of the Eucharist later that day was “Eucharistic” — simple but deeply moving.
Thousands of people gathered at St. Peter's Square a couple of hours ahead of time. Waiting patiently for security personnel to check us before going into the basilica, we enjoyed the Roman reddish sunset that provided a perfect climate for this significant event.
The basilica was quickly packed with pilgrims from all over the world, especially from the United States and Europe. Hundreds of people stayed in the square, watching the ceremony from two big screens.
At 5:30 p.m., the Holy Father was wheeled from Michelangelo's Pieta chapel, in the back of the basilica, to the baldachino. His smiling face matched the glowing golden vestments he wore. He began the Mass sitting in his chair below the main altar, speaking with a clear, firm voice.
A few hours earlier, I had heard him reciting the midday Angelus from the balcony of his office with a weaker voice. But now his gestures and facial expressions showed a relative good health. It seems that the joy of inaugurating such a year of graces gave him special strength.
Not to tire the Pope excessively, however, Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano presided over the Eucharistic prayer.
At the end of the celebration of the Eucharist, we had exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and some time for adoration, between prayers, moments of silence and readings of the Scripture.
What a deeply spiritual and inspiring time! Thousands of people, from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, reverently adored the Lord in an otherworldly fraternal spirit.
Encountering Jesus
“The point of encounter,” the Pope said after the benediction, “is Jesus himself, really present in the most holy Eucharist with his mystery of death and resurrection, in which heaven and earth are united, and the different peoples and cultures come together.”
The Holy Father's address in Spanish after the ceremony marked the conclusion of the International Eucharistic Congress that had been held for eight days in Guadalajara, Mexico, and to which he was linked via television. As the Pope had explained in his midday meditation, in the Congress, “the Eucharist was celebrated and adored as ‘light and life of the new millennium.’ Light, because in the Eucharistic mystery shines the presence of Christ, light of the world; life, because in the Eucharist, Jesus has given us himself, bread of life.”
After the address, John Paul was wheeled back to the sacristy while he waved to the pilgrims in a rather vigorous way. He was visibly happy.
When I waved my hand back to him, I thought that the Year of the Eucharist was Christ's personal invitation to be “driven,” like his vicar on earth, by the Eucharist.
Legionary of Christ Father Alfonso Aguilar teaches philosophy at Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University in Rome.
aaguilar@legionaries.org
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Father Alfonso Aguilar, LC ----- KEYWORDS: Vatican -------- TITLE: Christian Faith Still Harshly Suppressed in Saudi Arabia DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:NEW DELHI, India — “Freedom of religion does not exist. It is not recognized or protected under the country's laws,” says the State Department's International Religious Freedom Report for 2004, released Sept. 15.
This indictment is not a reference to religious freedom in communist China or North Korea, but to the oppressive state of affairs under which 2 million non-Muslim expatriates make a living in the oil-rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“Saudi Arabia is a heaven for Muslims only, and for other religious groups, it is a hell. There was no recourse to practical Christian religious life,” recounts Babu Neelankavil, an Indian Catholic who migrated to England last month with his family after eight years of what he calls “religious slavery” in Saudi Arabia.
A devout Catholic, the 40-year-old computer professional always wore a chain with a cross but gave it up in 1996 before he took a flight to the Islamic nation on the advice of his Catholic wife, who was working as a nurse in a Riyadh hospital.
“Free from bondage” is how Neelankavil sums up his “new freedom” in England. All through his stay in Saudi Arabia — perhaps the only nation in the world without a recognized Christian church building — his three children never attended a Mass except when they went for holidays to their native Kerala in south India.
In fact, in the Muslim-majority nation with 24 million people — a quarter of them expatriates, including an estimated 1 million Christians — only Sunni Muslims have state sanction. Besides banning non-Islamic places of worship, the Saudis do not grant visas to ministers of other faiths, let alone permit them to conduct religious ceremonies inside the “holy land” of Islam.
Attempts by devout Christians and others to covertly import Bibles, rosaries and other religious articles, even recorded cassettes for personal use, have landed many in trouble at the airport. The Mutawwa'in (religious police) regularly quiz arriving passengers on their religious identity and sometimes rigorously screen their baggage — not to look for banned drugs but non-Islamic religious articles.
Though Saudi officials regularly proclaim that “religious tolerance and freedom” exist in the country for private religious practices, Neelankavil countered that “the Mutawwa'in will not permit you to practice it even in your home.”
Brian's Story
Indeed, though some Christians do arrange small prayer meetings at home in secret, there are numerous instances when those attending have been taken into custody by the religious police.
Such an act of faith may have kept Brian Savio O'Connor, an Indian Catholic, behind bars in Saudi Arabia since March of this year. O'Connor has been charged with “preaching” Christianity (and possessing liquor) and has been incarcerated and reportedly tortured repeatedly. The Saudi government has refused to respond to pleas for his release by Christian groups from India and abroad.
“We request His Majesty to take appropriate steps to see that the religious police stop the torture, and that Brian is given a fair trial and released,” John Dayal, a leading Catholic activist in India, wrote to King Fahd bin Abdulaziz al Said in early June.
However, the Saudi government has not replied or acknowledged pleas for the release of O'Connor, who allegedly has been brutally tortured in prison, with his legs chained and hung from the ceiling. According to those who visited him in detention, O'Connor has been threatened with death unless he renounces his faith.
“It is nearly four months since I wrote to them. But there has been no reply yet,” said Dayal, who last month was elected president of the All India Catholic Union, the official lay network recognized by the Indian bishops’ conference.
Apart from Dayal, several Italian and U.S. groups — including Washington-based Freedom House — have lobbied Secretary of State Colin Powell and other international leaders to press for O'Connor's release, but the Saudi regime has not moved.
The Rome-based Catholic news service Asia News has reported several cases like that of O'Connor in which Christians have been arrested and persecuted for trying to practice their faith privately. In April 2001, for example, two people from the Philippines were jailed for a month, suffering severe torture during the detention, for holding a prayer meeting inside their house. Another Filipino was executed for organizing a clandestine Mass inside a house, Asia News reported in June.
Though Saudi policy is “to allow non-Muslim foreigners to worship privately,” the State Department's 2004 Report on International Religious Freedom points out that this policy “lacks clarity” and leads to “inconsistent enforcement” by the overzealous religious police.
The most recent report noted that those detained for non-Muslim worship often are deported after lengthy trials and given lashes as punishment. It also cited the instance of an Ethiopian Christian who was deported in 2003 after an employment dispute led to investigation of his religious activities.
Besides elaborating on O'Connor's detention, the State Department cites another case in February in which a Christian was deported for providing an Arabic Bible to a citizen.
“In certain areas, both the Mutawwa'in and religious vigilantes acting on their own harassed, assaulted, battered, arrested and detained citizens and foreigners,” the report stated. “The Government requires the Mutawwa'in to follow established procedures and to offer instruction in a polite manner; however, Mutawwa'in did not always comply with the requirements.”
While the Saudi government has admitted “inappropriate conduct” by some Mutawwa'in, the International Religious Freedom Report noted that the government has “refused to provide information on the number of reported incidents or disciplinary actions.”
Catacomb Church
“The Church in Saudi Arabia is a catacomb church, an image that accurately describes the situation in which Christians live: no freedoms, absolute silence and total concealment,” Bishop Paul Hinder, auxiliary bishop of the apostolic vicariate of Arabia, told Asia News.
Added Bishop Hinder, “All that the Church can do is help the underground communities live their faith in silence and secret.”
Anto Akkara writes from New Delhi, India.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Anto Akkara ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Media Watch DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Buttiglione Protests ‘Anti-Christian Inquisition’
CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY, Oct. 19 — Italian justice minister Rocco Buttiglione, under fire for his social conservatism, accused the European Union of fomenting a “new anti-Christian Inquisition.”
Buttiglione, a Catholic politician and philosopher who is a friend and biographer of Pope John Paul II, has seen his appointment as European Commission justice commissioner threatened by a coalition of socialist, communist, Green and other leftist members of the European Parliament. He initially excited their ire by suggesting homosexuality is sinful and speaking out in support of the traditional family during an appearance in early October before the parliament's civil liberties committee.
Most recently, he was accused of bigotry against single mothers after he was quoted saying, “Children who have no father and only a mother are not children of a very good mother.”
In response, Buttiglione spoke of his “respect for those women who face the responsibility of educating and bringing up their children alone,” but added, “It is obvious that if children have a father and a mother they are better off.”
Buttiglione has threatened to resign rather than retract his comments. Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Vatican's Congregation for Justice and Peace, has come to his defense, saying Buttiglione is a victim of “powerful cultural, economic and political lobbies that are inspired mainly by anti-Christian prejudices.”
Kenyan Government Implicated in U.S. Priest's Death
Sister Nuala Brangan of Loreto Convent Msongari testified that several Kenyan women had sought Father Kaiser's help in protecting them from a series of rapes they claimed cabinet minister Julius Sunkuli was responsible for, the Nairobi newspaper reported.
The body of Father Kaiser, 72, a native of Minnesota, was found in August 2000 outside his pickup truck on a road north of Nairobi. The long-time champion of the human rights of the Kenyan people had been shot in the back in the head with a shotgun. Despite this, the Kenyan government and the FBI ruled his death a suicide.
Sister Brangan said she traveled to the scene shortly after the priest's death, noted that both sides of his truck and its front window had been smashed, and saw tire tracks of another vehicle “which seemed to have made a turn and sped towards Nairobi.” The inquest continues.
Patriarch Says God is Solution to Birth Dearth
ASIA NEWS, Oct. 19 — In an address at a forum on Russia's collapsing population, Russian Orthodox Patriarch Aleksei II declared that a “spiritual crisis” was largely to blame.
“We must again start to think of life as a gift of God and respect it for this reason,” the patriarch said. He urged the Russian government to work with the Orthodox Church to foster healthy morals and families.
Since 2000, Russia's population has fallen by 6 million to 144 million. Currently, there are 13 abortions for every 10 live births, Asia News reported, and, if trends continue, the population will fall to 50 million to 55 million by 2075.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Voter Traps DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:There's a lot at stake: the Supreme Court (up to four justices may retire), the defense of marriage, and taxpayer money for medical research that kills. Father Frank Pavone at Priests for Life warns about these voter traps to avoid.
1. One vote is meaningless.
This “I won't vote” trap overlooks the lessons of history that show how elections can be decided by a single vote or by a handful of votes. Can we forget the ordeal of the 2000 presidential election? Less well known, perhaps, are these facts:
A shift of less than one vote per precinct in a handful of states would have defeated Woodrow Wilson in 1916. A few votes per precinct in Illinois and a couple of other states would have meant no President John F. Kennedy in 1960.
In 1974, Congressman Louis Wyman was declared the victor in the U.S. Senate race in New Hampshire after a recount — by just two votes. If only a few additional people in each precinct in Ohio had voted differently in the 1976 presidential election, Ford would have beat Carter. The governor of Ohio back then won by a margin of one vote per precinct.
Your one vote counts. Use it wisely.
2. They're all bums!
This is the trap of looking for the non-existent perfect candidate. But your vote is not to canonize the candidate; it is to give him or her temporary power to do some limited good. If both choices look evil, try to see how one may be better than the other. This is not “choosing the lesser evil.” Rather, it is choosing to limit evil, and that choice is a good.
3. I can't be a single-issue voter!
First of all, most people are. It is a “single issue” that usually motivates a person to rally around the candidate who supports that issue. But if you don't want to be a “single-issue” voter, at least you can be an intelligent one and realize how the many issues are related. At the foundation of them all is the right to life; without it, no others are possible. If a politician can't respect the rights of a little baby, how is she supposed to respect yours?
4. The election doesn't matter. “We can't put our trust in worldly power. Those we elect whom we think are on our side disappoint us, anyway.” Well, no, we don't put our trust in earthly power and government, but in the Lord. But we are responsible for doing all we can to influence our world for the good — this actually shows our trust in the Lord.
5. I'll show them!
Sometimes individuals or groups vote reactively. A candidate, or a party, did them wrong, and so they want to teach them a lesson by voting vindictively. This may help to vent a personal frustration, but who suffers in the process? It would be far better to go to the gym and take out your anger on a punching bag, or go into a field and yell. But those you elect to public office will influence a lot of people — born and unborn — for a long time. Look beyond your personal problems or agendas.
6. I'll go later …
Vote first thing in the morning. If you delay going to vote until later in the day, you increase the chances that you will be distracted or hindered by some problem that arises unexpectedly. You may also become busier than you anticipated and might forget. The rule is: the earlier, the better.
7. Other voters, at least, aren't my responsibility.
True, they're not. But if you are concerned about the future of the country, why not promote the vote? Here are some suggestions:
Offer rides. Maybe you know a pro-lifer who needs a ride to the polls. Parishes or pro-life groups can organize car pools or vans to accomplish this. Perhaps someone needs assistance to watch their children. You can baby-sit, or even organize a service for a group of parents.
Email and call. Remind pro-life friends that it's voting day.
8. Overconfidence or dejection.
If the election goes the way you want, do not become overconfident or lazy. Work harder than ever to encourage and assist those whom you helped elect.
If it does not go the way you want, set your energies on challenging those who were elected to govern in a way that follows the moral law.
In any case: Pray! Pope John Paul II has called urgently and insistently for daily rosaries for peace and for the family. All Souls Day — Nov. 2 — would be a great day to start.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Letters DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Pronouncing Pessimism
I enjoy reading Father C. John McCloskey's commentary. It is always well informed and well written.
However, I do not share his optimism about the Roman Catholic Church in America (“Who Are We? Catholics Might Disagree with Huntington,” Aug. 15-21).
I think the Church is being secularized, losing its identity and conforming itself to the American world. It is extremely difficult for any sense of otherworldliness to survive in the oppressive material consensus of modern America.
But our Church will never falter. She is guided by the Holy Spirit, as is so evident in all of her teachings. Our problem in America is a lack of courage on the part of bishops and some priests to explicate these teachings.
Father McCloskey's commentary included a long, optimistic quote by Alexis de Tocqueville on the Catholic Church in America. Here is another quote from de Tocqueville's Democracy in America that speaks to my (pessimism):
“Above this race of men stands an immense and tutelary power, which takes upon itself alone to secure their gratification and to watch over their fate. That power is absolute, minute, regular, provident and mild — it would be like that authority of a parent, if like that authority its object was to prepare man for manhood; but it seeks, on the contrary, to keep them in perpetual childhood.”
Patrick J. Walsh
Boston
Moved by Morse
I have never felt the need to write someone after reading an article, but “What Straight Divorce Has To Do With Homosexual ‘Marriage’” (Commentary & Opinion, Oct. 10-16) just touched my heart. I found it to be the most insightful writing on the subject that I have read.
I agree with the writer, Jennifer Roback Morse, that we have a lot of work before us to straighten out the mess we're in.
I will continue to pray for all those who have the talent to write and aren't afraid to write the truth. God bless your work.
Joanne Coffaro
Cincinnati
Jesus Alone
Regarding “Year of the Eucharist Invigorates Adoration for Vocations” (Oct. 3-9):
When I was in the eighth grade, I went to a weekend retreat for boys at a nearby Catholic college. The first night there, we were each assigned a half-hour period for adoration in the chapel where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed.
I was given the 8-8:30 p.m. period. When I relieved the other boy and knelt down on the kneeler, there in front of me on the stand was a big card with the heading “Alone at last with my God.”
I was struck with these simple words. I am alone with God, just him and me. And all through my life, I remembered those words as I attended adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in various churches.
This afternoon as I knelt in adoration at St. Mary's, I asked myself, “Why am I alone?” Jesus is here on the altar, but where are all the people? They were all here at Mass today when adoration began. Why not now? What is more important in their lives on a Sunday afternoon: TV, sports or shopping at the mall?
When young boys and girls are driven around to all kinds of sporting events, music practices, theaters and so on, why is there not one who asked Mom or Dad to drive them to adoration? Not even an altar boy in sight.
People these days have all kinds of problems and they are trying to solve them all by themselves, yet here is where the real help is. Just come and tell the good Lord about your troubles and then listen to him. Who else can help any better?
Remember when the apostles fell asleep in the garden? Jesus asked, “Can you not watch one hour with me?” How about you? Can you spare an hour, or 20 minutes, or even five minutes? Think how lonely it must be for Jesus to sit on the altar waiting for you to come visit him. Please come.
Richard Courtney
Muncie, Indiana
Plan B Profits
In “Pro-Life Advocates Continue to Warn of Plan B Dangers” (Oct. 3-9), a sentence really grabbed me: “Those in favor of lowering the bar for Plan B say women need faster access to the drug, especially in situations such as a weekend sexual encounter when doctors may not be available.”
What came to mind was a verse from Mark 8:36-37: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” This is a rhetorical question, as there is nothing in this passing world (sex, money, power — the gold calf stuff) that is more valuable than even one eternal human soul.
It seems today a similar question should be asked: “Or what shall a man (or woman) give in exchange for the life and soul of their intentionally aborted, unbaptized child?” Is a woman's personal freedom or “right” to have a brief and possibly forgotten “weekend sexual encounter” now held to have more value than an eternal and unforgettable child's life?
Joe Marincel
Flower Mound, Texas
Afterlife Appointment
Regarding “Bishops Tackle the Issue of Communion for Politicians (Oct. 3-9):
In this life, a person may posture and falsely proclaim his “faithfulness” to all in order to effect a public image, but he still will have to answer for this blatant hypocrisy in the afterlife.
I am reminded of what my grandmother used to say when she'd hear of someone failing in family life duties or in the practice of their religion: “People forget that they have to die someday.”
Eugene Mercier
Nashua, New Hampshire
An Uneasy ‘Peace'
In “Armenian Orthodox Leader Sends Letter to Pope” (Media Watch, Aug. 15-21), you quote the Armenian Orthodox leader's letter to our Holy Father: “the centuries-long friendship and peaceful coexistence between the Christians of the East and the Islamic peoples.”
Peaceful coexistence? Of all the peoples of the East, the Armenians suffered as much as any from Islamic forces — indeed, near to total destruction at the hands of the Turks. Catholicos Garegin II is either senile or a traitor to the Armenian peoples of the world to write such an outright lie.
There has not been a time in the last 1,400-plus years when the relations between Muslims and others have been other than one of the other peoples being victims or slaves or inferior citizens (in a state of Dhimitude) of Islamic forces — or, in better times and ways, over-the-sword opponents of Crusaders and others who opposed them.
James Pawlak
West Allis, Wisconsin
Beauty and Art
Barbara Nicolosi's article in the Sept. 12-18 issue, “Art and Beauty,” addressed issues that have been bothering me for quite some time. Some of the modern statues depicting Mary are truly ugly. My question is: Who are “they” who commission this “art”? Who approves their selection to be placed in our churches?
When God the Father, in his infinite love and power, created the mother of his divine Son, he made the most perfect woman to inhabit this earth, in every way. Mary was a young beautiful Jewish woman, and certainly, among many other attributes, feminine. Why would anyone say “she is more human than strictly female”? More importantly, why is that statue in our cathedral? In my opinion, one example of beautiful, modern statues can be found in St. Jude's Catholic Church in Westlake.
I am looking forward to reading the next series by Ms. Nicolosi. Thanks for presenting outstanding articles that address a multitude of current issues. We always look forward to our next issue of the Register.
F. Saenz
Thousand Oaks, California
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Of Presidents and Judges DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Regarding “Today's Dred Scott” (Letters, Sept. 26-Oct. 2):
Mr. Dick Reeder writes that “President Lincoln totally ignored the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision.” Not entirely true. Lincoln said in his first inaugural address: “(N)or do I deny that such decisions must be binding in any case, upon the parties to a suit, as to the object of that suit.” In other words, Lincoln admitted that he was bound to enforce the court's decision as applied to the slave Scott and his “owner,” Sandford. What Lincoln denied was that the chief executive was also bound to apply the Dred Scott rule to other slaves. Moreover, he promised in his 1858 Senate campaign to vote for a law that would overturn the Scott holding.
There is an essential difference between presidents and federal judges respecting rules handed down by the Supreme Court. The court is called “supreme” in the Constitution because it is the final authority for the entire judicial branch. St. Thomas Aquinas’ correct statement that “an unjust law is no law at all” is not apropos because there is one judicial body that has constitutional authority to decide what laws are just. Lower-court judges are bound as a matter of justice to obey that final tribunal. The Supreme Court cannot, however, bind either the president or Congress since they are separate, co-equal branches.
It would not have been courageous for Judge Casey to disobey the Supreme Court — it would have been lawless and unjust. The Register's Sept. 5-11 editorial (“Judge Casey: Pro-Life, Pro-Law?”) correctly invoked St. Thomas More's remark because it was not just a single law but the rule of law itself that would have been struck down if Casey had disregarded the holding of the nation's highest court. As Catholics, we must honor the rule of law within a regime that is based on “the laws of nature and of nature's God.”
Judge Casey provided the Supreme Court with a factual record on which to reverse Carhart. Let's hope and pray that President Bush gets to name at least one new justice to use Casey's record to reverse the 5-4 Carhart partial-birth abortion holding, as well as the Roe rule — which has poisoned America's constitutional jurisprudence for more than 30 years.
Dennis Teti
Hyattsville, Maryland
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Opinion -------- TITLE: Death, War and Taxes: A Voter's Guide for Catholics DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Amid today's political jostling, Catholic citizens are wondering whether they can, in conscience, vote for candidates who support the legalized killing of human beings in the embryonic and fetal stages of development by abortion or in biomedical research.
Responding to requests to clarify the obligations of Catholics on this matter, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome — under its prefect, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger — released a statement called “On Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion.”
Although it dealt primarily with the obligations of bishops to deny Communion to Catholic politicians in certain circumstances, it included a short note at the end addressing whether Catholics could, in good conscience, vote for candidates who supported the taking of nascent human life in the womb or lab.
Cardinal Ratzinger stated that a “Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of a candidate's permissive stand on abortion.” But the question of the moment is whether a Catholic may vote for a pro-abortion candidate for other reasons. The cardinal's next sentence answered that question: A Catholic may vote for a pro-abortion Catholic politician only “in the presence of proportionate reasons.”
What are “proportionate reasons”? To consider that question, we must first repeat the teaching of the Church: The direct killing of innocent human beings at any stage of development, including the embryonic and fetal, is homicidal, gravely sinful and always profoundly wrong. Then we must consider the scope of the evil of abortion today in our country. America suffers 1.3 million abortions each year — a tragedy of epic proportions. Moreover, many supporters of abortion propose making the situation even worse by creating a publicly funded industry in which tens of thousands of human lives are produced each year for the purpose of being “sacrificed” in biomedical research.
Thus for a Catholic citizen to vote for a candidate who supports abortion and embryo-destructive research, one of the following circumstances would have to obtain: either (a) both candidates would have to be in favor of embryo killing on roughly an equal scale or (b) the candidate with the superior position on abortion and embryo-destructive research would have to be a supporter of objective evils of a gravity and magnitude beyond that of 1.3 million yearly abortions, plus the killing that would take place if public funds were made available for embryo-destructive research.
Frankly, it is hard to imagine the second circumstance in a society such as ours. No candidate advocating the removal of legal protection against killing for any vulnerable group of innocent people other than unborn children would have a chance of winning a major office in our country. Even those who support the death penalty for first-degree murderers are not advocating policies that result in more than a million killings annually.
As Mother Teresa reminded us on all of her visits to the United States, abortion tears at our national soul. It is a betrayal of our nation's founding principle that recognizes all human beings as “created equal” and “endowed with unalienable rights.” What evil could be so grave and widespread as to constitute a “proportionate reason” to support candidates who would preserve and protect the abortion license and even extend it to publicly funded embryo-killing in our nation's labs?
Certainly, policies on welfare, national security, the war in Iraq, Social Security or taxes, taken singly or in any combination, do not provide a proportionate reason to vote for a pro-abortion candidate.
Consider, for example, the war in Iraq. Although Pope John Paul II pleaded for an alternative to the use of military force to meet the threat posed by Saddam Hussein, he did not bind the conscience of Catholics to agree with his judgment on the matter, nor did he say it would be morally wrong for Catholic soldiers to participate in the war. In line with the teaching of the Catechism on “just war,” he recognized that a final judgment of prudence as to the necessity of military force rests with statesmen, not with ecclesiastical leaders. Catholics may, in good conscience, support the use of force in Iraq or oppose it.
Abortion and embryo-destructive research are different. They are intrinsic and grave evils; no Catholic may legitimately support them. In the context of contemporary American social life, abortion and embryo-destructive research are disproportionate evils. They are the gravest human-rights abuses of our domestic politics and what slavery was to the time of Lincoln. Catholics are called by the Gospel of Life to protect the victims of these human-rights abuses. They may not legitimately abandon the victims by supporting those who would further their victimization.
Archbishop John J. Myers heads the Archdiocese of Newark.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Archbishop John J. Myers ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: John Paul's Spiritual Testament DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:“Who left the door open?” asked the Pope's secretary to the few monsignori who accompanied John Paul II on his trip to Ireland in September 1979.
The Holy Father had a meeting with Ireland's prime minister and his administration. On his way through a corridor, the Pope had seen a small side room with the door open. He went in and spent half an hour inside, alone. It was a chapel. The Pope started his meeting with the Irish officials half an hour later.
“It was me who had left the door open,” Msgr. Renato Boccardo, currently a bishop and vice president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, told me. “I learned my lesson for the following apostolic trips,” he added. “The Pope has a weakness for chapels. If he sees one, he would stay for a long time, without thinking much about what's next in the program.”
In the last quarter of a century, we all have sensed John Paul's “weakness” for the Eucharist. Who hasn't seen him on TV celebrating the Eucharist or kneeling before a tabernacle?
I have attended or concelebrated many of the Holy Father's Masses. The otherworldly fervor you see in the Pope's face on the television screen becomes much more striking when you're a few yards from him. His tightly closed eyes evince somehow his mystical union with God. Nothing seems to worry him. One feels the same desire that sprang in one of Jesus’ disciples after watching his master in prayer: “Lord, teach us how to pray” (Luke 11:1).
As the autobiographical stories of his book Gift and Mystery show, John Paul's love for the Eucharist was thriving throughout his years as a student, seminarian and priest. As bishop of Krakow, Karol Wojtyla often spent hours in the chapel, preparing speeches and dealing with important episcopal work. Defying Communist authorities, he organized crowded Corpus Christi processions.
His papal lifestyle is also Eucharist-centered. The Pope begins and ends his day before the tabernacle. He reestablished the Corpus Christi processions in Rome.
“Whenever we prepare an apostolic trip,” Bishop Renato Boccardo declares, “he always tells us, ‘To me, the most important event is the celebration of the Eucharist with the people we visit. All the other meetings and activities are secondary and should be planned around the Masses.’”
These words echo the ones written in Gift and Mystery: “Celebrating the Eucharist is the most sublime and most sacred function of every priest. As for me, from the very first years of my priesthood, the celebration of the Eucharist has been not only my most sacred duty, but above all, my soul's deepest need.”
No doubt, John Paul's strength comes from his “weakness” for the Eucharist.
Karol Wojtyla's philosophical and literary works are centered on the mystery of man. Yet his anthropological concern coincides with his Christocentric spiritual life and pastoral ministry.
How come?
John Paul's favorite and most often quoted sentence from the Vatican Council explains it all: “Only in the mystery of the incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light” (Gaudium et Spes, No. 22). Man finds himself in Jesus Christ, the perfect man. “In the incarnate Word,” writes the Pope in his Oct. 7 apostolic letter
Mane Nobiscum, Domine (Stay With Us, Lord), “both the mystery of God and the mystery of man are revealed.”
The Redeemer of Man was the focal point of the Holy Father's mission to lead the faithful from the second millennium to the New Evangelization and springtime of the Church, as we find in the Great Jubilee's motto: “Christ, the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow.”
Note the connection in the Pope's writings. His first encyclical was about the person of Christ, Redemptor Hominis (The Redeemer of Man). Twenty-four years later, he published the encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia (The Church in Relation to the Eucharist).
We find the same link in the Pope's first and latest messages to the Church: from his 1978 inaugural address (“Open the Door to Christ”) to his 2004 apostolic letter (“Stay With Us, Lord”).
Jesus Christ is the “alpha” and “omega” of this pontificate.
Yes, the final point, too. We hope John Paul II will stay with us for a long time. But time goes by inexorably and, sooner or later, he will be called to the Father's house. No matter how many years lie ahead for him, he has consciously begun walking in the sunset of his pontificate.
On the Way
In the past 18 months, the Pope has taken initiatives of wide-ranging scope on the theme of the Eucharist: his 2003 encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia; his endorsement to the Vatican instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum (The Sacrament of Redemption) on certain matters to be observed or avoided regarding the Eucharist; the International Eucharistic Congress in Guadalajara, Mexico; the convocation of the 2005 Synod of Bishops on the theme “The Eucharist, Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church”; his apostolic letter Mane Nobiscum, Domine; and the proclamation of the Year of the Eucharist.
The focus on this topic is neither a break nor a novelty in John Paul's papal ministry. “A Eucharistic initiative of this kind had been on my mind for some time,” reveals the Pope in his letter, speaking about the Year of the Eucharist. “It is a natural development of the pastoral impulse which I wanted to give to the Church, particularly during the years of preparation for the Jubilee and in the years that followed it.”
In effect, John Paul II has insistently invited us to contemplate the face of Christ, particularly in his pro-grammatic apostolic letters: Tertio Millennio Adveniente (As the Third Millennium Draws Near, 1994); Dies Domini (The Lord's Day, 1998); Novo Millennio Ineunte (At the Beginning of the New Millennium, 2001); Rosarium Virginis Mariae (The Rosary of the Virgin Mary, 2002); and Mane Nobiscum, Domine (Stay With Us, Lord, 2004).
Naturally, the face of Christ is best contemplated in the Eucharist. There, the Son of God is really present — body, soul and divinity.
“Christ, ‘the living bread which came down from heaven,’ is the only one who can satisfy man's hunger at all times and in all parts of the earth,” the Pope said at this year's Corpus Christi Mass celebrated in the Basilica of St. John Lateran.
In the sacrament of love, the second person of the Trinity is, literally, the Emmanuel — “God with us.” There, he walks with us and stays with us, as he did 2,000 years ago, when two men walked toward Emmaus in the sunset of a sad, awful day.
I believe the Holy Father, aware that he is walking in his own pontificate's sunset, felt the need to leave us now his spiritual testament. Significantly, the Year of the Eucharist began the day after the 26th anniversary of his election as the Vicar of Christ.
A testament is the expression of a personal disposition of one's own belongings. Yet one may write his or her own will long before death knocks at the door. I think the Pope is writing his will, not as a goodbye declaration, but as a legacy. He is pointing out where lies the key to our triumph over our spiritual enemies, as well as to the Church's triumph over the dark process of secularization.
John Paul II has used such a powerful key throughout his life. Now, in the sunset of his life and papal ministry, he is telling us: “Stay with the Lord. He will make you understand the Scriptures. He will give you the bread of life. The Eucharist is the source of light, strength, holiness, consolation, salvation, apostolic fruitfulness. Invite the Lord to stay with you, for it is almost evening (see Luke 24:29).”
Legionary of Christ Father Alfonso Aguilar teaches philosophy at Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University in Rome. Email him at aaguilar@legionaries.org.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Father Alfonso Aguilar, LC ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: We're Catholics - Not Partisans, Just Catholics DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:The art of running a presidential political campaign today seems to be a high-stakes game of divide and conquer.
The first step involves dividing up the electorate into neatly packaged voting blocs: NASCAR dads, security moms, conservative Christians, labor union members, Latinos, conservative Caucasian soccer moms who drink coffee, etc. — groups that can be effectively targeted by specific sound bites.
In the 2004 presidential election, the most coveted remains the 65-million-strong Catholic voting bloc.
Of course, calling it a Catholic voting bloc is a bit of a misnomer, given that Catholics were evenly split between Al Gore and George Bush in the last election. (They seem to favor Bush much more now than they did then.)
Given the issues the candidates are stumping, popular opinion is that John Kerry will get the liberal Catholic vote — as he is championing predominately liberal issues — and Bush will get the conservative Catholic vote. This continues a trend evidenced from the late 1980s. It seems to quell the notion that there is one Catholic bloc, making it necessary to take the electorate dicing one step further. In future elections, the Catholic vote will be seen, if it isn't already, as two distinct blocs, both with their hot-button issues, each of which must be courted separately.
It seems then that there are two Catholic churches in America, the conservative Republican Catholic Church and the liberal Democratic Catholic Church, and that these two are diametrically opposed.
Unfortunately, many Catholics on both sides of the divide fuel this perception. In conservative Catholic circles, where Kerry is seen as something akin to the devil, many believe Kerry supporters have given up their right to be called Catholics. Likewise, in liberal Catholic havens, Bush supporters are seen as hypocritical zealots who support life in the womb and then ignore it thereafter, failing to provide adequate living wages and health care.
Rather than giving an inch, these two groups of Catholics both proclaim to speak from the convictions of the Catholic faith. For example, Mark Roche, dean of the College of Arts and Letters at the University of Notre Dame, argues that if Catholic voters would honestly look at Bush's stances on health care, the environment, just-war theory and the death penalty, they would find themselves reaffirming the traditional Catholic allegiance to the Democratic Party. Likewise, a myriad of writers on these pages has pointed out the obligation of Catholics to support candidates who are unambiguously pro-life.
The question arises: On which side of the divide do the true Catholics stand? Are they Democrats or Republicans, liberals or conservatives? The answer obviously lies somewhere in between, because both parties and both political extremes have failed to capture the fullness of the Church's teachings, a situation that has contributed to the deep divide in the Catholic electorate.
This is not to advocate that there is a moral equivalence between the positions advocated by Kerry and Bush. Missing the boat on the right to life is certainly more problematic than missing the nuances of just-war theory, capital punishment or the effects of raising the minimum wage. In Kerry's case, an error in the beginning is an error indeed.
The problem lies in the fact that the only real alternative to Kerry is Bush, who, despite his strong pro-life record, leaves many things to be desired. Quite a few Catholic voters who will be pushing the chad (or possibly the screen on a new electronic voting machine) for Bush are doing so with a heavy heart. They have misgivings about the war in Iraq, particularly the suffering and death it has caused both that country and ours. They remain convinced, as the Pope was before the war, that there was not sufficient justification for the invasion.
Many Catholics also take issue with Bush administration policies regarding social-justice issues, citing the fact that Bush policies have not lead to increased access to health care, especially for the poor and for children. At the same time, large corporations have not been held fully accountable for questionable practices that have left pension funds for their retirees bereft of funds.
In addition, Bush's support for the death penalty, particularly during his tenure as governor of Texas, is a major sore point for many Catholics. For some, like Dean Roche, the additive effect of these issues is enough for one to overlook the abortion issue and vote for Kerry. While this certainly can't be reconciled with Church teaching, neither can we give President Bush a free pass on these issues merely because he is pro-life. The words “authentically Catholic” and “politically conservative” do not go hand-in-hand, as often wrongly implied.
In the end, the truth of the Catholic faith transcends human labels. It affirms the dignity of the human person, and it requires that we care for the needs of all members of society at all stages of life. Certainly, in many instances, Catholics can disagree regarding the most effective means to accomplish this task. For example, will raising the minimum wage actually help raise standards of living in the long run? The answer is not entirely obvious and requires more than knee-jerk conservative or liberal answers.
In many ways, then, I believe when it comes to politics, the mark of a good Catholic is that it is not transparent whether he or she is conservative or liberal. My parents exemplify this position. I know they are unambiguously pro-life and proud of it. However, growing up — and still, to this day — I would be at a loss if I had to classify them as conservative or liberal, given the range of positions they have on various issues.
What is consistent in their case is that every political decision they make is informed by their Catholic faith, and I know they are hopeful that one day we will have a presidential candidate whose decisions are informed likewise.
Daniel Kuebler, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of biology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Daniel Kuebler, Ph.D. ----- KEYWORDS: Commentary -------- TITLE: Vote of Confidence DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Dear Lance,
Well, son, you may recall me making a suggestion to you from time to time. Over the 19 years you've been on this planet, I probably have made more than a couple of recommendations.
I suppose you might call these suggestions “nagging.” Look both ways before crossing the street. Take your vita-mins. Eat your vegetables. Turn on something other than car toons. Don't tease your sister. Finish your homework. Clean your room. You get the idea.
But now you are old enough to decide on your own whether to eat your green beans. And you also are old enough to vote.
Given our conversations on the subject, it is clear to me that I won't have to remind you to vote. You are excited to be voting and looking forward to your first time going to the polls. You realize that your vote can make a difference and, in a democracy, casting a vote is a cherished responsibility.
As you can imagine, I have some suggestions about how to exercise that responsibility.
First, get past the popularity surveys and media analyses of which candidate looks best on camera or speaks in the most melodious tones. Second, listen less to what the candidates say they will do than to how they say they can get it done. Third, evaluate everything through the lens of the Catholic values you grew up with, through your convictions that there are things that are right and wrong, moral and immoral. Fourth, think about how much the campaign promises would cost. Fifth, remember that government works best when it limits itself to the practical matters of maintaining security, building roads and bridges, cutting the grass in public parks and making sure the garbage is picked up. Sixth, social problems are better solved by private citizens and religious organizations than government bureaucracy.
Okay. Enough of the fatherly advice you aren't asking for. Fact is, you already know this stuff. I'm just excited about this “first” in your young life. After all, I've been around for a heap of your firsts. I remember the first diaper I changed and the first bath I gave you. I remember your baptism and your confirmation. How about that home run when you were about 12 that went over the fence and hit the garage across the street? And that 40-yard goal in the summer soccer league a couple years back? The junior prom, the senior prom, your first train. Remember how Santa stayed up all night setting everything up?
Of course, I very clearly remember your birth. When it was time to bring you and Mom home from the hospital, I was so thrilled, so proud, that I rented a limousine. I dressed up in a tuxedo and wore a silly chauffeur's hat. Then we stopped by your great-grandparents' to let them meet you. They were thrilled. You didn't say much.
And now you're going to vote. Since you are away at college, I hope you remembered to apply for an absentee ballot. But if you didn't, I'll drive to campus, pick you up, bring you home to vote and take you back. (But I won't rent a limousine this time — I have your tuition to pay for!)
I'm willing to do this for three very good reasons. I don't want you to miss your first opportunity to vote. The campus is only 30 miles from home. And you are likely to vote for the same people I vote for.
Jim Fair writes from Chicago.
----- EXCERPT: Spirit and Life ----- EXTENDED BODY: Jim Fair ----- KEYWORDS: Travel -------- TITLE: Monument on the Mighty Mississip' DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Rising over the bluffs of the northern Mississippi River, the Cathedral of St. Paul, Minn., watches like a sentinel over the neighborhoods in the valley below.
For the locals going about their business in the city, it's a reassuring sight — a symbol of strength and endurance in the face of change.
For the faithful who seek out the sanctuary as a refuge and a retreat, it's an unmistakable cue to lift hearts up to the Lord — a prompt to begin praying before they've even walked through the doors. And what a perfect place it will be to pray for our nation before heading to the polls on Election Day.
The St. Paul cathedral has been making those sorts of statements since 1886, when John Ireland, famous for his piety and leadership, was named archbishop. An immigrant from Kilkenny, Ireland, he encouraged other immigrants to move here from the poor neighborhoods of the Northeast. Opportunity abounded here, he told them, and so it did.
The influx of immigrants posed a “good” problem: too many wor-shippers for the capacity of the cathedral. The problem got so bad that, in 1904, many worshippers had to stand outside for Holy Week services. Archbishop Ireland, eager to provide for his rapidly growing flock, announced construction of a new and much larger cathedral.
And so work began, that same year, with the vision of Archbishop Ireland and the design of world-renowned architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray. The structure was completed in 1915, and the interior, with chapels and artwork ministering to the immigrant communities, was finished 25 years later. It's been making new friends ever since.
Warm Embrace
St. Paul's grand exterior soars more than 300 feet into the sky and is almost equally wide and deep. Built in classic Renaissance style, the edifice would have been right at home in Europe, circa 1500.
Its granite façade is enriched by an abundance of decorative elements — angels, saints and leaves, for starters. Especially impressive are the twin bell towers and the 120-foot copper dome.
A particularly delightful detail is hidden in the back, atop the roof over the sanctuary: an artfully cast bronze angel, hands folded in prayer, lovingly gazing toward the holy house in which Jesus — body, blood, soul and divinity — resides in the Blessed Sacrament.
On my most recent visit, I stepped inside to note how one feels embraced by the gentle curves and arches, despite the nave's mammoth size. The effect is of a powerful place filled with equal measures of peace and strength.
As I made my way to a pew for quiet prayer, my eyes were drawn to three rose windows illuminated brightly by the sun. There's one window each to commemorate the Resurrection, the beatitudes and the North American martyrs. The windows feature saints and martyrs of the Americas, many of whom were immigrants; they encourage us to live as they did. (Let's remember to thank them Nov. 1 and 2, feasts of All Saints and All Souls.)
As I looked toward the tabernacle behind the main altar, I let my eyes rest on the bold and ornate baldachin. I later learned it was designed by Whitney Warren, architect of New York's Grand Central Station. Constructed of black and gold marble, it's a stirring sight: Six columns support a bronze canopy from which two bronze angels rise over the tabernacle and altar.
I also contemplated an image of a dove flying downwards from the face of the canopy. This signifies the Holy Spirit — who, of course, descends to the sacrifice of the altar at each consecration here, changing the elements of bread and wine into the holy Eucharist and most precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Seven Signals
Around the apse are paintings of seven figures representing the gifts of the Holy Spirit: knowledge, counsel, understanding, piety, wisdom, fear of the Lord and fortitude.
Under the paintings are seven stained-glass windows showing the archangels holding a medallion of each of the seven sacraments. These artful details provided a beautiful moment of catechesis, emphasizing the high point of the Mass and the help of the Holy Spirit for our pilgrim journey.
After my prayer time, I walked about the cathedral, admiring and meditating on the numerous works of art adorning the interior. I noted “The Entombment,” a painting by Theodule-Augustine Ribot depicting Christ being taken down from the cross, along with bronze grilles showing scenes from the life of St. Paul and a fresco of the arrival of Bishop Joseph Cretin to St. Paul in 1851, done by a local artist.
In the ambulatory, I stopped to admire the Shrines of the Nations, a reminder of the universality of the Church — and of St. Paul's exhortation to the Galatians: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” These six shrines are dedicated to saints who represent a national group that settled in Minnesota: St. Anthony for the Italians, St. John the Baptist for the French, St. Patrick for the Irish, St. Boniface for the Germans, and Sts. Cyril and Methodius for the Slavs.
Archbishop Ireland, taking account of other nationalities that would settle in the city of St. Paul in the future, had the foresight to include a shrine for St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the patroness of all missions.
Descending the steps of the cathedral on the way out, I took a last look behind to survey the façade of this great church. Over the entrance is a 60-foot carving of Christ and the apostles with the Latin inscription Euntes ergo docete omnes gentes. This means “Go, therefore, and teach all nations.”
It's a fitting reminder that, just as St. Paul went out to make disciples of all nations, we, too, must go out of our way to bring Christ and his bride, the Church, to the world — regardless of the outcome of this year's important election.
Joy Wambeke writes from St. Paul, Minnesota.
----- EXCERPT: Cathedral of St. Paul, Minnesota ----- EXTENDED BODY: Joy Wambeke ----- KEYWORDS: Travel -------- TITLE: All Over the Map: Surveying New Members DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:In interviews with the Register, two of the five new members of the bishops’ National Review Board said they fully back Catholic doctrine in opposition to abortion, euthanasia, fetal stem-cell research, homosexual “marriage” and cloning. One said he's guided by Church positions on moral issues, and two declined to answer the Register's questions directly.
Bishop Gregory appointed the new members and promoted board member Nicholas Cafardi as chairman. Cafardi, dean of the Duquesne University Law School, said he suspects the new members respect Catholic teachings on abortion and other life issues.
“I know them to be good, orthodox Catholics who were carefully chosen,” Cafardi told the Register.
Cafardi described himself as an orthodox Catholic and a “Bob Casey Democrat,” referring to the late governor of Pennsylvania who was snubbed as a speaker at the 1992 Democratic National Convention because of his pro-life views.
“I worked for the Church for 13 years of my professional life, as the lawyer for the Pittsburgh Diocese, and I followed it up by coming to work for a Catholic university,” Cafardi said. “I was one of the first lay canon lawyers in the United States, and the Church is very much my life. Anybody who knows me knows that I'm pro-life.”
New members of the board are:
• Judge Michael Merz, a federal magistrate in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio. Merz calls himself an “orthodox, cradle Catholic” who has been active in the Church all his life and has been a registered Republican his entire adult life.
On abortion, euthanasia, stem-cell research, cloning and homosexual “marriage,” Merz said: “My views are orthodox on all of those.”
On support of pro-abortion candidates, Merz said: “I don't make any political contributions of any kind, because as a sitting federal judge, I'm prohibited from doing that. My voting decisions for this election are not made up. I'm trying to listen carefully to what the bishops have had to say about it, and what Cardinal [Joseph] Ratzinger has had to say, but my mind isn't made up.”
• Dr. Angelo Giardino, vice president for clinical affairs at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. He is a lifelong Catholic who attended Catholic schools for 12 years.
On abortion, euthanasia, stem-cell research, cloning and homosexual “marriage,” Giardino said: “I certainly would consider myself pro-life… I would say they're all very serious issues and all obviously hotly contested. As I form my views on those issues, I certainly do consult what the Church teachings are to help inform that decision. As the issue gets debated, I certainly take what the Church says seriously.”
On support of pro-abortion candidates, Giardino said: “I consider a candidate's stand on sanctity-of-life issues very seriously. I can't say it's my sole litmus test, because there are many other issues of similar or equal importance. It's certainly an important parameter, but not my sole parameter.”
• Joseph Russoniello, dean of the San Francisco Law School and senior counsel and resident in the law firm Cooley Godward LLP. Russoniello is a lifelong Catholic who attended Catholic schools from high school through college.
On abortion, euthanasia, stem-cell research and homosexual “marriage,” Russoniello said: “Abortion, I'm square (with the Church) on that. Euthanasia, I'm square on that. Stem-cell research, I'm square on that. Homosexual “marriage,” I'm square on that. Human cloning, I'm square on that. My views are consistent with the Church on all of those. I am a supporter of the death penalty, and I don't think that puts me in conflict with the Church.”
On support of pro-abortion candidates, Russoniello said: “I haven't ever knowingly supported a pro-choice candidate. Someone who is consciously and overtly pro-choice is not someone who endears himself or herself to me.”
• Patricia O'donnell Ewers, an educational consultant who served as president of Pace University in New York from 1990 to 2000. She is a lifelong Catholic who attended Catholic schools from kindergarten through college.
On abortion, euthanasia, stem-cell research, cloning and homosexual “marriage,” Ewers said: “One of the questions asked me at my interview (for the board) was where I took public stances in relation to the Church, and I think one of the wisest things for me to do is not to take public stances on issues outside of those with which I will be concerned as a member of the board.
“I would add to that list (of nonnegotiables) war and capital punishment — those are all major issues of concern. I think they should be on a list of any issues that Catholics who are thoughtful about moral issues of our time should consider.”
On support of pro-abortion candidates, Ewers declined to comment.
• Ralph Lancaster Jr., an attorney at the Pierce Atwood law firm in Portland, Maine. Lancaster is a lifelong Catholic who attended Catholic schools from high school through college.
On abortion, euthanasia, stem-cell research, cloning and homosexual “marriage,” Lancaster said: “There's a danger that, if a board member expresses his or her view on a particular issue, that the public interprets that as if he or she were speaking in a representative capacity. I'm going to persist in my declination to answer those questions.”
On support of pro-abortion candidates, Lancaster declined to comment.
Though Lancaster refused to reveal his position on life issues, he resigned as chairman of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Judiciary because of the association's 1992 resolution endorsing a right to abortion. At the time, he told Insight magazine, “I would not have resigned if the ABA had not adopted its resolution on abortion. The issue is so controversial that it should not be part of the ABA's agenda.”
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: News -------- TITLE: Weekly TV Picks DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:SUNDAY, OCT. 31
The Priceless Pearl
EWTN, 7 p.m.
The Association for Promotion of Religious Life in Australia produced this 50-minute program in 1995 to present the Church's teachings on religious life and to show members of active, semi-active and contemplative orders living out God's call to them. Re-airs Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 3 a.m.
NOV., VARIOUS DATES
Crater Lake, the Mirror of Heaven
PBS, check local listings
This new documentar y depicts life through the ages in this scenic area of Oregon.
NOV., VARIOUS DATES
Idaho Rhapsody
PBS, check local listings
This new special blends beautiful views of the Gem State's mountains, canyons, rivers and deserts with rich background pieces by Idaho musicians.
MONDAY, NOV. 1
Super Saints: St. Charles Borromeo
EWTN, 9 p.m.
St. Charles Borromeo (1538-1584), whose feast day is Nov. 4, is the patron saint of seminarians, clergy and spiritual directors. He sur vived two attempts on his life as he enforced the rights of the Church and the decrees and reforms of the Council of Trent. Through excommunication, he brought many officials and clerics to repentance. Re-airs Wednesday at 5:30 a.m. and Friday at 5 p.m.
TUESDAY, NOV. 2
Election Day Coverage
Most networks, evening
Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS and other networks and local stations will cover the election throughout the evening.
THURSDAY, NOV. 4
House Hunters: Baby Makes Three
Home & Garden TV, 10 p.m.
Awaiting the birth of their first child, Todd and Joanna Sara-necki seek a home similar to their current one but larger. Real estate agent Ron Toyama helps them.
FRIDAY, NOV. 5
Julius Caesar
Histor y Channel, 8 p.m.
This new documentar y chronicles the life of Gaius Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.), whose brutal conquests and hunger for power set an evil pattern for future Roman emperors.
SATURDAY, NOV. 6
The Rookie
ABC, 8 p.m.
In this 2002 family movie based on a true stor y, Dennis Quaid stars as Jim Morris, a Texas high school baseball coach and ex-minor leaguer who improbably reaches the big leagues at age 35 after his players make him promise to attend a tr yout camp if they win a division title. With a blazing fastball, Morris went 0-0 in 21 games with the Tampa Bay D-Rays in 1999 and 2000. An elbow injur y cut his new career short, but he achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a major leaguer.
Dan Engler writes from Santa Barbara, California.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Daniel J. Engler ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: My Computer, the Bookkeeper DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:About three years ago, I was made treasurer of our monastery. Lucky me.
I had a high-school accounting class. I even have a college degree in mathematics. But none of that prepared me for figuring out the perplexing rules of Form 990, which the Internal Revenue Service requires nonprofit corporations to file.
Fortunately, the IRS is lenient with nonprofits. When I took over “the books,” I discovered a number of glaring mistakes in our previous filings. We were never audited — probably because we don't make enough money to concern the IRS.
I know I am not alone when it comes to feeling exasperated with the IRS. My brother-in-law, for one, struggled mightily when he tried to figure out how to file his income tax after he purchased another house as rental property. At such times, some people turn to tax-preparation services, such as H&R Block, to file their forms for them. But even that requires meticulous record-keeping on the part of the taxpayer.
When we sold our Massachusetts monastery in 2001, we were forced to put the proceeds in multiple bank accounts so it would all be insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. And, being frugal monks, we
wanted to shop around for the highest interest rate we could find. So we kept moving our accounts around to different banks.
That same year, we moved to Florida. There was so much else to do that we seriously neglected our financial record-keeping. It was under those conditions that I took over the finances. It's an understatement to say I found our taxes difficult to deal with that year. I tried to make sense of multiple bank statements, credit-card statements, bookstore inventory, donations and so on.
On top of that, I knew nothing about Form 990. I actually read all those instructions at the beginning, rereading some parts many times. Here is where my theology training helped me. I turned to God in prayer to help me out of this seemingly impossible situation. It took another year, but he did answer my prayer — in stages.
Here's how it happened. I told a friend of the monastery about my difficulty keeping track of the finances. She gave me her original (not pirated) 1998 version of Quicken software, explaining that she no longer used it but found it helpful when she ran her own business. I loaded the program into our computer. It asked me several questions during setup, and then — presto! — I had an instant ledger for keeping track of all our finances.
Quicken, I quickly learned, can do much more than just ledgers. It lets you track your money by preset categories so you know exactly how much money you are spending and receiving. You can also follow where it's going and where it's coming from.
And you can customize financial reports, print out checks to pay bills and get reminded when bills are due.
I later upgraded to a newer version. It had modules for managing cash flow, investing, property and debt. There was a “planner” each for home purchasing, retirement, college and debt reduction, and even “what if?” scenarios to help with contingency planning (which, by the way, is a sensible part of good stewardship).
The newer Quicken also included the ability to download statements from the bank and credit-card companies; the latter could be automatically categorized. I was a little hesitant to use our computer for any online banking or credit-card access. To this day, I enter these statements manually. Even so, Quicken allowed me to cut in half the time it takes me to update records and fill out Form 990.
Then the next miracle happened. A maintenance man came to fix things on our rental house. I was telling him about the difficulty I still had trying to understand IRS instructions for filing income tax. He told me he used TurboTax for his business, insisting that it made filling out the forms “a snap.” Meanwhile, my brother-in-law had found that same program helpful in solving his rental-property dilemma.
TurboTax, I soon learned, downloads the proper IRS forms and walks you through the filing process. You can choose between printing out and mailing your forms or filing them online. Even better, it works hand-in-hand with your Quicken records since both programs were developed by the same company, Intuit (intuit. com). To top it off, they even guarantee your filing correctly, or they will pay any IRS fees. Hallelujah!
Unfortunately, my enthusiasm was a little premature. It turns out they don't support nonprofits yet. Still, even though TurboTax didn't help me, it got me searching for help with Form 990 on the Internet. I found the National Center for Charitable Statistics at form990.org. They offered free Desktop990, the equivalent of TurboTax for nonprofits. I downloaded it and said a “Thanks be to God” prayer as I worked my way through it. The software helped me fill out the form properly, making sure figures balanced correctly throughout. Instructions were readily available from both the IRS and their experts on each section. It even had a “verify” option, going through my return and pointing out any errors it discovered.
Now there are other software programs out there to help with accounting records. But for financial rookies like me, I believe these two programs are the best.
The bottom line: It's never too soon to start preparing for April 15 — or to start letting your computer do the heavy lifting on filing taxes and satisfying the IRS.
Brother John Raymond, co-founder of the Monks of Adoration, writes from Venice, Florida.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Brother John Raymond ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Monthly Web Picks DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:With all this thinking about how best to manage money, I think we should now turn our attention to the best part: how — and where — to give it. Here are some of my favorite charitable organizations:
The Catholic Worker (catholicworker.org) needs money donations, as well as warm winter clothing and blankets for the homeless.
The Catholic Medical Mission Board (cmmb.org) sends medicines, doctors and nurses to Third World countries that lack medical care.
The good works of the Selesian Missions of Don Bosco (salesiansmissions.org) are too numerous to itemize. Particularly impressive: their homes for children living in the streets of South America.
Catholic Charities USA (catholiccharities.org) does much that is both commendable and worthy of generous support.
The Columban Mission Fathers (columban.org) help the poor and hungry in many places throughout the world.
Catholic Extension (catholic-extension.org) helps home missions in many ways, including building chapels and supporting evangelization efforts.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Brother John Raymond ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Weekly DVD/Video Picks DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:The Sixth Sense (1999)
A ubiquitous tag-line and a mind-bending climactic twist made M.
Night Shyamalan's breakout hit The Sixth Sense a monster sensation — yet this deliberately paced, psychologically sensitive paranormal thriller is much more than a one-trick puzzle movie and holds up well to multiple viewings. Redemption, catharsis and coming to terms with life and death are all deftly woven into a moving character study that makes confident use of cinematic conventions even as it turns them upside down.
Despite the creepy ambiance and moments of real shock, The Sixth Sense is fundamentally a story of three relationships. Troubled child psychiatrist Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) grapples ineffectually with personal and professional crises, unable to connect with his increasingly distant wife even as he tries to connect with a sensitive, unusual little boy (Haley Joel Osment) whose secretive unhappiness and odd behavior worries his single working mother (Toni Collette).
Content advisory: Much creepy menace and fleeting gory images; some objectionable language; a subplot involving a murdered child. Mature viewing.
Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
Hayao Miyazaki, “the Walt Disney of Japan,” is one of the world's most respected animation film-makers and is known for his gorgeous paint-erly style and gentle humanistic stories. Unfortunately, many of his films, from My Neighbor Totoro to Princess Mononoke to Spirited Away, are problematic for Catholic families because of pagan themes reflecting the spiritual influence of Miyazaki's Japanese heritage. Kiki's Delivery Service is one Miyazaki that's essentially free from such entanglements. It's also one of his gentlest, most heartwarming films, appropriate for all ages.
Harry Potter skeptics may be wary to learn that the titular heroine is a broomstick-flying young witch in training — but Kiki couldn't be more different from J.K. Rowling's tales. For one thing, the only magic Kiki ever does is fly, so there are no classes in spells or potions. The story is full of charming, non-magical characters, and there are no villains. Kiki does meet some rude children, but neither she nor the film has any interest in paying them back. A thoroughly delightful film.
Content advisory: Fantasy depiction of good witches.
Horror of Dracula (1958)
The religious themes in the B-movie horror films of Hammer Films director Terence Fisher could fill a book — in fact, there is such a book, written by Presbyterian clergyman Paul Leggett, entitled Terence Fisher: Horror, Myth and Religion. Fisher, a high-church Anglican, has called his films “basically morality plays” that reflect his belief in “the ultimate victory of good over evil.” Frequent Fisher star Christopher Lee cites the films’ depiction of the ultimate destruction of evil as the reason “the Church doesn't object to these films, and why they are so popular in Ireland, Spain and Italy.”
Horror of Dracula, one of Fisher's first Hammer horrors, is his best known film and is striking for its pioneering use of Christian iconography, especially in depicting the power of the cross in quasi-sacramental terms. Where Bela Lugosi's Dracula merely shielded his face in horror from the cross, it was far more deadly to Fisher's vampires, burning them like branding irons.
Content advisory: Much macabre menace and some bloody violence.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Steven D. Greydanus ----- KEYWORDS: Arts -------- TITLE: Campus Watch DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Nobel Notoriety
A native of Kenya, Maathai is founder of a popular movement to protect the environment, improve the lot of women and fight corruption in Africa.
In a recent letter, Maathai said: “On a daily basis, I saw women working hard for higher goals and inner goals.”
Maathai holds the college's medal for alumnae “who have served others significantly in the spirit of Christ.”
Is There a Problem?
The Biloxi daily asked Sarah Nicholas, a representative for the state College Board, for her reaction to Peterson's claim. Nicholas said home-schooled students often score higher than public-school students on the SAT and other standardized tests.
“I don't know why,” Nicholas said. “But historically, students who are home schooled usually have exceptionally high scores on those tests.”
Mag Rejected
EXPATICA, Oct. 11 — A large number of secondary schools in Holland either refused to accept or destroyed copies of a magazine sponsored by the national educational ministry to promote tolerance of homosexuality, reported the Dutch news site.
The magazine includes interviews with celebrities about their positive impressions of homosexuality, a photo page depicting homosexual couples kissing and a “tolerance test.”
Christian schools and schools with large immigrant populations took the lead in rejecting the magazine.
100 Years
The accolade was part of the conclusion of centenary celebrations for the school founded just north of the city by the Ursuline Sisters in 1904.
A mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral was also celebrated by Cardinal Edward Egan, who received the college's Centennial Medal in hour of his commitment to education.
Campus Church
The new St. Thomas More Church was dedicated by Brooklyn Bishop Thomas DiMarzio in the company of the Vincentian priests who staff the university.
The church's construction was funded through a gift from alumnus John Brennan.
Largest Ever
The gift, which came from the estate of a woman who had supported several Catholic institutions, will be used primarily for the endowment fund.
Run by the Sisters of Christian Charity and the Religious of the Sacred Heart, the school sees almost 100% of its students accepted to college.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: At Notre Dame, a Sure Sign of New Springtime DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Most Catholics casually familiar with the University of Notre Dame can tell you that it's in Indiana, has a nationally competitive football team and is known more for its big-school status than its Catholic identity.
Those who keep tabs on the fidelity fallout plaguing Catholic colleges in America also know it for hosting “The Vagina Monologues” the day before Lent last year and for employing some faculty who dissent from Church teachings on faith and morality.
Few know about a bright, shining sign of the New Evangelization taking hold on the campus of the Fighting Irish: the Center for Ethics and Culture, led by Notre Dame philosophy professor Dr. David Solomon.
According to Solomon, the center takes its lead from the writings of Pope John Paul II and is not afraid to say so. “We're a committed, non-neutral center,” Solomon told the Register in a recent interview. “We try to foster an atmosphere where one doesn't have to be apologetic for one's faith commitments.”
Founded in 1998, the center runs an array of programs, including an annual conference in the fall, a series of lectures and presentations on Catholic literature, and interdisciplinary studies in ethics.
Solomon, who grew up Southern Baptist, came to Notre Dame in the late 1960s ignorant of the Catholic intellectual tradition. “I was overwhelmed by the resources of the tradition,” he recalls. As Pope John Paul II added his own stamp to Catholic scholarship through the years after his 1978 election, Solomon found himself especially impressed with the encyclicals on ethics.
“I had the sense that all the other ethics centers that had been founded in the last 30 years seemed to be on the wrong track,” he says. “They turned to Enlightenment philosophy to provide ethical guidance when religious traditions disappeared from the public sphere and the academy. I thought an ethics center that would be adequate to the problems of our culture had to draw on more than just secular Enlightenment philosophy.”
And there was the Holy Father, a sign of contradiction — and of enlightenment with a small “e.”
“His is the most penetrating and hopeful critique of modernity of any critiques around,” says Solomon. “This pope sees as clearly as anybody, without being a reactionary, what is promising and hopeful in modernity and what is disturbing.”
Of special importance in our time, he adds, is John Paul's articulation of how false views of freedom comprise the heart of contemporary liberal culture. For example, in secular liberal democracies, the emphasis on the formal values of freedom and equality have led to relativism and a shallow view of human freedom. “The notion of autonomy and freedom of women,” Solomon points out, “is turned against the dignity of the unborn child.”
The Larger Culture
Solomon sees the center as well positioned to not just analyze and apply the Holy Father's thought, but to further develop it in light of technological advances and shifting societal norms.
Many of the biggest ethical questions today should be seen, he argues, as fitting into a larger cultural framework. Asked about the issue of embryonic stem-cell research, Solomon points out: “If polls are right, a majority of Americans is willing to create human beings in order to destroy them to extract stem cells and promote the health of adults. We're consuming our children. Our attitude toward technology and the benefits of medicine are the large cultural features that make these evils possible.”
It is these “structural” issues that most interest Solomon. “We're not so much concerned about rights and particular duties or obligations,” he explains, “but rather with the larger culture.”
Solomon is conscious of how hostile secular society is to traditional believers. In his view, the center's most important work is the creation of a community of Catholics, Protestants and Jews who take traditional theism seriously. “Especially through our fall conferences, we have created a community of people who want to integrate intellectual matters and personal piety and practice, bring faith and learning together,” he says.
Raquel Frisardi, a Princeton sophomore who presented a paper at the 2001 conference and will present again this year, says the support the center provides is just as stimulating as the scholarship.
“I go to Princeton, an intellectually snotty university, and it's not popular to be deeply religious there,” she says. Notre Dame's Center for Ethics and Culture “enables me to hold on to the values I was brought up with. It helps to know that there is a core of people who are intelligent and accomplished in their fields who are working on integrating their faith into their scholarship. It's very inspiring.”
Young Minds
The center's next conference, titled “Epiphanies of Beauty: The Arts in a
Post-Christian Culture,” is set to roll out Nov. 18-20. Solomon expects nearly 400 attendees. There are 20 invited speakers, among them Notre Dame philosophy professors Ralph McInerny and Alasdair McIntyre, along with Register columnist Barbara Nicolosi (also executive director of Act One: Screenwriting for Hollywood) and Gregory Wolfe, editor of Image journal. There will also be more than 100 other presentations on topics ranging from J.R.R. Tolkien and Flannery O'Connor to the aesthetics of Jacques Maritain, to medicine, architecture and iconography. Several musicians will perform their compositions.
Nicolosi is pleased with the opportunity to contribute her expertise. “Arts are a source of theology,” she says. “The people of God have been exposed to so much ugliness and mediocrity in the last 40 years that they don't even expect the Church to inspire them in beautiful ways anymore. People don't expect it, and pastors don't provide it.”
The center's previous conferences have explored the culture of death, the culture of life and strategies for renewal of the Church.
One striking feature of the conferences is the youth of the attendees. Father Matthew Gamber, a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and a conference attendee in the past, remarked, “If you go to Call to Action or Pax Christi, all you see are gray heads. Here is where the future of the Church is.”
Solomon has noted the age of his attendees, too. “I think young people are looking desperately for a place where they can have adult conversations about their faith, where they are not condescended to, where they are given freedom to say what they think and ask questions of mature adult Christians,” he says.
“The hardest thing for young Christians,” Solomon adds, “is to find out what it means to be an adult Christian, especially when progress in the intellectual life is so often thought of as a journey away from faith.” That, he hopes, is where the Center for Ethics and Culture at Notre Dame can come in.
Tom Harmon writes from Spokane, Washington.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Tom Harmon ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: War: Lesser Good or Lesser Evil? DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:THE VIRTUE OF WAR:
RECLAIMING THE CLASSIC CHRISTIAN
TRADITIONS EAST AND WEST
by Alexander F.C. Webster and Darrell Cole
Regina Orthodox Press, 2004 252 pages, $19.95
To order: (800) 636-2470 reginaorthodoxpress.com
Is Christian just-war doctrine on the way out just as it has become technically possible to wage war morally? The authors of this book think — and fear — that such may be the case.
This useful and timely book traces the doctrine from Scripture through Ambrose, Augustine, Basil, Aquinas, Grotius, Calvin and Luther, to modern opponents who maintain that war is never just, such as pacifist John Howard Yoder, “Christian realist” Reinhold Niebuhr and, arguably, today's American Catholic bishops.
For co-authors Darrell Cole, a professor of religion at Drew University and a recent convert to Catholicism, and Alexander Webster, an Orthodox priest and U.S. army chaplain, revisionists can abandon the just-war doctrine only by ignoring the Old Testament, St. Paul, the doctors of the Church and, in Orthodoxy, the lessons of iconography and liturgy, as well.
The authors charge that the American bishops’ most recent pronouncement on the subject, 1993's The Harvest of Peace, verges “on turning peace into an absolute good — and idol — that is to be sought at all costs. The bishops, for example, are fond of referring to God as ‘the God of peace’ (and so he is), but he is also ‘the God of Hosts.’”
Of America's response to Sept. 11, 2001, the authors write, “We Americans have been crucified as a people. We need not have any moral qualms about the war against international Islamic terrorism.”
So what about the pacifism of the New Testament? The authors emphasize that the soldiers who appear in the Gospels are never told to give up their way of life, as are the woman caught in adultery and the rich young man. John the Baptist tells soldiers simply to act justly and to not abuse their power.
It is justice, grounded in mercy, that is the “virtue of war,” reasoned St. Ambrose, whom the authors identify as the founder of the Christian just-war tradition. “Man was made for the sake of man,” he wrote, “and so we ought to be of mutual obligation to one another.” From this flows the state's duty to defend its citizens with arms, and the citizens’ duty to enlist.
War must be merciful in execution as well as goals, the authors stress: Innocents must be protected as far as possible and the force used must be proportional to the outcome (ordering troops to their death in a lost cause is unjust). Thus, as they have it, the Allies fought a just war with unjust means when they deliberately bombed civilian targets in World War II. And the recent
Afghan and Iraq wars were just in ends because terrorism was the target, and in means, because unprecedented efforts were made, in the form of “smart” weapons, to minimize the unintentional killing of noncombatants.
The authors contend that going to war is sometimes the right thing — and that, when conflict is indicated, it should be conducted morally. When it is not the right thing, Christians should oppose it in principle and disobey immoral orders in the particular. And, indeed, the surest way to prevent immorally conducted wars is for Christians to shoulder their fair share of the burden of defense by military service. “Fighting honorably,” they conclude, “is hard work … The virtue of war requires nothing less from its virtuous warriors.” A rousing read for a nation at war on Election Day.
Steve Weatherbe writes from Victoria, British Columbia.
----- EXCERPT: Weekly Book Pick ----- EXTENDED BODY: Steve Weatherbe ----- KEYWORDS: Education -------- TITLE: Born to Preach DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Prilife Profile
Father Bryce Sibley began preparing for the front lines of the New Evangelization even before he was ordained for the Diocese of Lafayette, La., in 2000: While a seminarian in Rome, he earned a doctorate at the John Paul II Institute of Marriage and Family.
Today, as a 31-year-old pastor at St. Joseph Church and its African-American Mission of St. Louis — both in Parks, La. — Father Sibley brings the Holy Father's thinking to thousands. It's not hard, he says, when you let the teachings do the talking.
“The Theology of the Body speaks to people's hearts,” he says. “People respond to it. That's the thing I have been most moved by. The Holy Father has given us the seed, and now we need to develop it and apply it and make it grow.”
He does that in a weekly catechesis at his parish, with engaged couples, in talks at other churches and on CDs. And he runs a popular blog, or Internet journal: “A Saintly Salmagundi” at britius.stblogs.org.
“My own passions are beautification of the Church, marriage and family,” he explains.
Carolyn Wiltz at the St. Louis mission approves. “Father Sibley talks about the family and the strength of the family, and the more he talks about it, the more we become families in the Church,” she says. “Not just mom and the kids, but now moms, dads and the kids.”
At St. Joseph's, an appreciative Ben Boudreaux, father of five, remembers Father Sibley saying that if “the men lead as they're supposed to lead, the women will follow. If the man's there at church, the woman's there. Not the other way around.”
“Father Sibley has taken it upon himself to be an example to men in general, as men being men,” Boudreaux adds. “He seems to be very sure of his masculinity and very proud of it.”
Boudreaux appreciates hearing Father Sibley's passion for truth in homilies. “Topics most are uncomfortable to talk about, Father Sibley has no problem talking about,” he says.
This quality has always been evident to mentor and friend Father Randall Moreau, pastor of Mary Queen of All Saints Church in Ville Platte, La.
“He's fearless in preaching the truth, boldly and zealously,” says Father Moreau. He recalls the time some people complained about his own choice of sermon topics. They went to the town's other parish only to hear Father Sibley give the same messages.
Says Father Moreau, “People made the statement, ‘We have nowhere to run now.’ That made a difference in the town. That consistency makes a great deal of difference when they see that in a young priest. It's encouraging for them.”
Faith Defender
Calling himself a teacher at heart, Father Sibley believes “a Catholic cannot afford not to be educated about the truth in our contemporary society. There are so many challenges … you have to know how to defend your faith.”
To that end, he's taught philosophy at Sacred Heart High School. “I'm a firm believer in the need for philosophy,” he explains. “A lot of the young people have problems with God and faith, but the real underlying problem is with philosophy. They haven't been taught how to reason and think.”
No wonder his favorite Holy Father encyclical is Fides et Ratio (On the Relationship Between Faith and Reason).
Wiltz finds Father Sibley's interest in young people makes a major difference. “With his energy and the programs he put in place for them — not just the little ones, but the high-school ones as well — they're almost competing to be lectors, ushers and altar boys,” she says. “They're growing religiously and participating more in our church and community. And their desire to go to school and college has improved.”
Father Sibley is currently busy restoring St. Joseph Church. Some 16 large murals are going up. Executed by local artists and influenced by St. John Lateran in Rome, they'll display Old Testament scenes on one side and New Testament corollaries on the other.
One scene from Leviticus depicts the scapegoat walking out of a city. Opposite it, Christ carries his cross outside the gates. Another pairs the first Passover with the Last Supper. Such art “makes people inquisitive about (biblical events) and it beautifies the church,” Father Sibley says.
He's also adding new large paintings of saints, including Lucy, John Vianney, Stephen and Anthony. Outside, he's introducing parishioners to the newest saints with statues of Sts. Pio of Pietrelcina and Gianna Molla.
Father Sibley has started a Gregorian chant choir and has a Sunday Mass using the Novus Ordo with major parts in Latin. “We're trying to make the liturgy more traditional,” he says. “Most people really like it.”
Meanwhile, this respecter of tradition is also a technophile who is excited about the opportunities modern communications technologies present to spread the Gospel. In this vein, he's started the Cinema and Culture series at the Newman Center at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to screen films and discuss what they say about our culture.
And then there's that web-site, which gets close to 1,000 hits a day. Webster's defines “salmagundi” as “a mixture of various ingredients; a medley; a potpourri; a miscellany.” Fittingly, the blog's tagline is “Various ruminations on Catholicism, satire, esoterica, hagiography, nuttiness, culture, etc.”
Drawing inspiration from Ronald Knox's Essays in Satire and the virtue of playfulness, Father Sibley uses the digital outpost to get a gentle laugh over, not to ridicule, the fickle fashions of popular culture — and to evangelize unbelievers and catechize the faithful. “The good thing the web has done is bringing like-minded Catholics together,” he says. Many people write with questions and even ask how to become Catholic.
If all this isn't enough, Father Sibley does pro-life work as a chaplain with the Women's Center in Lafayette, and he's leading a group of young people to the next March for Life in Washington.
By teaching kids the sanctity of life and what abortion is at a very young age, “we're going to make a lot of strides in the future,” he says. “We can really catechize them and instill a respect for life and virtue in them now.” Spoken like a young man after the Holy Father's own heart.
Joseph Pronechen writes from Trumbull, Connecticut.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Joseph Pronechen ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Prolife Victories DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:United States Opts Out
INQUIRER NEWS SERVICE, Oct. 14 — The United States has declined to suppor t the United Nations' 1994 population-control program focusing on “women's rights,” a term that is little more than a euphemism for abor tion, sterilization and bir th control.
The Bush administration would not endorse the statement signed by 250 people — including leaders of 85 nations and former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Car ter — earlier this month. The statement urged the United Nations to fur ther its “action plan” for population control, including the upholding of “sexual and reproductive rights.”
The U.S. refusal is based on objections to the term “sexual rights,” which has no “agreed definition,” a State Depar tment letter said.
Canadians Trend Pro-Life
LIFECANADA, Oct. 15 — Sixty-eight percent of Canadians favor some legal protection for unborn children, with 33% of these saying that protection should be from conception, according to a poll commissioned by the Canadian pro-life organization. A similar poll taken one year ago found 63% wanted some legal protection before bir th.
The latest poll also found significant and growing majorities in favor of requiring counseling about the risks of abor tion and alternatives to it (73%, up from 69% last year) and in favor of parental consent for minors seeking abor tions (55% from 42% in 2003).
Call for Care, Not Killing
She spoke on behalf of the hospice's board of governors in agreement with a government repor t that recommends keeping euthanasia illegal in Guernsey and against a minority repor t that suppor ts limited mercy killing.
She said the hospice was keen to see the appointment of a palliative-care clinician who specializes in treating the person's pain, not the disease that is causing it.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Costume Conundrum DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Originality has never been the hallmark of the Lloyd household on Oct. 31. Greg and I have always had the kids do the saint thing.
While we realize that Halloween has gone the way of most holidays — from pagan to Catholic and back again — we still want our daughters to have a little fun.
The annual challenge is coming up with fresh ideas.
How to help your kids come up with fun costumes that not only won't scare anyone, but also could end up evangelizing the neighborhood? Maybe you can learn from our experiences — not to mention our more recent brainstorming.
The first two options that scream “pick me” when you have girls are the Blessed Mother or a nun. But I've always hesitated. Nuns are already fodder for caricature. It wouldn't do if people thought we were making fun of them. When we have done them, we've picked out specific sisters — St. Thérèse of Lisieux (complete with roses and cross) and Elizabeth Seton, for example.
When it comes to the Blessed Mother, specialization is also the key. Guadalupe and LaSalette are rich in imagery. So are the metaphoric titles in the Litany of Loretto — Gate of Heaven, Seat of Wisdom, Ark of the Covenant. (Our problem here is that we lack basic carpentry skills.)
Otherwise, there are only so many nuns, so many blue-and-white Mary bathrobes and so many generically robed saints that can be done before boredom sets in. To add to the difficulty, our possibilities are cut in half. I've tried, but none of the girls wants to play John the Baptist. And that's with or without the platter.
The Old Testament opens up a whole world of possibilities. I've always had a hankering to be Moses myself. Well, for an hour or two, anyway. It's easy enough to fashion a long beard, white hair, bushy eyebrows and the telltale stone tablets just in case the neighbors don't get it. Recycle the wig and eyebrows, and you can do Noah, with dove on shoulder and a bottomless cardboard boat carried about the hips. A little clumsy for collecting (or, in my case, handing out) candy, but very cool and very original.
Themes help. One year, we did the Fatima kids. Two girls went as Lucia and Jacinta; the other consented to go as Francisco, carrying a flute. The baby was a lamb.
Next, we rode the queen circuit. Plenty of possibilities there, starting with the biblical Esther, Elizabeth of Hungary and Zita of Austria. The pitfall is that, without precise period costumes and hair, they all look alike — even if their namesakes for the night lived hundreds of years apart.
Of course, there's always Kateri Tekakwitha. A lot of girls in our home-school group did her the year that Pocahontas costumes were in the stores. She's been fairly popular ever since. So much for originality.
One year, we branched off and did the virtues. This amounted to crafting a fairy princess based on the flower that matched the virtue (sunflower = faith, for instance). The dresses were gorgeous but, for some unfathomable reason, our adolescent found the whole thing humiliating.
The next year, we sent our kids as “occupations.” The idea was that there'd be a livelihood or station in life to match up with every patron saint. It turned out to be the first time our kids looked like the rest of the kids in the neighborhood. I still think the prospect holds promise. Want to be a street urchin? Matt Talbot's your man. A hiker? Giorgio Frassati. A pirate? Well, there must be some saint somewhere who is the patron saint of pirates. Repentant, of course.
Then the Holy Spirit threw me a lifeline. Everybody got hooked on The Lord of the Rings when the movies came out. The fact that J.R.R. Tolkien was a Catholic, along with the loosely allegorical bent of the books, was a godsend. I must admit our eldest, with her long blond hair slicked back, looked every bit the part when she dressed up as Legolas, the elven archer.
After that, we did C.S. Lewis's allegorical characters from The Chronicles of Narnia. I spied a lion costume on sale in a local department store. Aslan — a figure of Jesus, “not a tame lion” — was portrayed by our 2-year-old. It was the first Halloween costume I have ever purchased and, I must say, a blessed relief. Our second eldest was a Narnian tree spirit. The third took the part of Aravis the Tarkheena, and the fourth, her horse, Hwin. And to think I did it all with a glue gun. I offered our eldest the White Witch as a part of the theme but she chose instead to be a Narnian queen.
Looking into the future, I've already begun fermenting ideas for Halloweens to come. Thinking back to my childhood, when I one time painted a box to look like a pack of Wrigley's gum, gave me the idea of sending my children out as sacred objects. No patens or chalices, mind you. That would not be kosher. Things like an incense burner — add a little dry ice and think of the possibilities!
A friend suggested going as a soul in purgatory. A largish costume encased in “flames,” with a grimacing face barely breaking out. Sounds rather like a series of unfinished “Pieta” sculptures by Michelangelo that I once saw in Florence. Unique, imaginative and even kinda scary.
If you really want to be ghoulish, how about relics? I once was blessed by St. Fidelis’ skull. If wearing a skull with a reliquary around it provokes asphyxiation, try St. Ignatius's arm. It's in a golden arm-shaped reliquary in the Church of the Gesu in Rome.
So has all of this served the cause of evangelization? Well, one lady did recognize our midget version of St. Thérèse and was properly edified. Largely, however, nobody notices.
One year, to counter the ignorance, my husband had the girls sing “For All the Saints” at every house. They came back an hour later with seven pieces of candy. Our adolescent had even fewer. Even candy couldn't induce her to take part. That was almost our last Halloween but for the pledge I exacted from Greg under threat of torture.
We've managed, lo these umpteen Halloweens, to stick to our guns on our Catholicity — in spite of hints by our more mainstream Catholic friends that such a thing would be no fun and horribly uncreative.
Last year, the kids surprised us by asking for a return of the saints this year. They spoke of the costumes they had loved — Kateri, Guadalupe, Seton. I was floored. Just think — to them, the saints have always been fun.
Susie Lloyd, author of Please Don't Drink the Holy Water! Homeschool Days, Rosary Nights and Other Near Occasions of Sin (Sophia), writes from Allentown, Pennsylvania.
----- EXCERPT: Ideas for a Catholic-Friendly Halloween ----- EXTENDED BODY: Susie Lloyd ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Decisive Discipline DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Family Matters
What do you think of the idea that kids misbehave to get attention; therefore, if a parent ignores bad behavior, it (the behavior, not the kid) will go away?
The idea that kids misbehave to get attention was one I was educationally nursed on. Fortunately, I didn't pay much attention to it then. And now, after 25 years of observing parents and kids, I am even more convinced that it is mostly false.
Here's the gist of the “kids act bad to get noticed” theory: 1. Kids want attention. 2. They'll find ways to get it. 3. Bad attention is better than no attention. 4. Acting bad will force big people to attend. 5. Discipline is an acceptable price to pay for attention.
Plausible sounding, but faulty. Kids do want attention. They will push for as much as they can get. It does not follow, however, that the typical motive for the typical kid's misbehavior is to force attention. Most kids, as studies suggest, misbehave for one psychologically complex reason: They want to do what they want to do. Indeed, don't we all?
Motives for misbehavior are nearly endless: impulse, frustration, control, deception, manipulation, aggression. (Sounds like the promo for a new fall miniseries, doesn't it?) Most children quickly learn that getting attention is not a priority reason for acting up, especially if it comes in the form of discipline. Discipline carries too many negatives, particularly if parents are consistent.
It is more accurate to say that kids can misbehave for attention, or that they can gain from the resultant upheaval (or control, or parental agitation) caused by their misconduct. But these are effects, not necessarily motives.
The misbehaviorfor-attention notion also heaps guilt on good parents. If Talulah is misbehaving just to get attention, does this mean she's not getting enough from you? Is your parenthood deficient in this regard? Is her obnoxiousness, at root, really all your fault? You may be just too oblivious or self-absorbed to raise a good kid.
Nonsense. Good parents give plenty of attention. They may not give all a child wants, but what children want is not always good for them. Some kids are ravenous attention-seekers because they get too much to begin with.
Naturally, it follows that, if attention is not a prime motive for mis-behavior, ignoring the trouble usually won't make it go away. Most misconduct has to be effectively dealt with in order to reduce it and to teach a lesson about life.
There's a pretty straightforward law of discipline: The more passive your discipline, the longer it takes to work. You may not be yielding to the demands of a temper fit as you attempt — however vainly — to tune it out. But you are also not holding Stormy accountable for the rudeness or nastiness or violence of her fit. Discipline works more quickly when a parent is willing not to ignore, but to act decisively and firmly when called for.
One last logic problem: If Harmony is truly acting up to gain your attention, and you don't give it, why then wouldn't she just escalate her misconduct until she gets it? If 90-decibel screaming evokes no reaction from you, why not kick it up to 110 and see what happens?
Sometimes, doesn't it seem that kids act as though they're too smart for us psychologist types and our theories?
Dr. Ray Guarendi is a father of 10, a psychologist and an author.
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: Dr. Ray Guarendi ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life -------- TITLE: Number Crunch DATE: 10/31/2004 12:00:00 PM CATEGORY: Oct. 31-Nov. 6, 2004 ----- BODY:Facts of Life
You may already know that, with 65.2 million members (around 22% of the population), the Catholic Church is the largest single organization in the United States. But did you know this? The runners-up are the Automobile Association of America (45 million members, 15%) and the American Association of Retired Persons (35 million members, 12%). The second largest religious group (Baptists) has 33 million members — but they are dispersed among several unaffiliated bodies. And so to the polls.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of the Census, AAA, AARP Register illustration by Tim Rauch
----- EXCERPT: ----- EXTENDED BODY: ----- KEYWORDS: Culture of Life --------