LCWR - NOT "Sweet Little Nuns"

There is a move afoot to portray the Leadership Conference of Women Religious as hapless little victims being bulled about by the Vatican because of the well-deserved rebuke that the Vatican handed to them.  The Vortex goes into this nicely.  Click here if you cannot see embedded video.

Pepsi Ends Usage Of Cells From Aborted Babies

Almost one year ago, Children of God for Life called for a boycott of Pepsi products because they were using cells from aborted babies in the testing of their products.  I joined that boycott and I'm sure many of you did also.

Comes now the news that Pepsi has finally seen the light, thanks to phone calls, letters and perhaps dropping sales.  Children of God for Life made public the letter that they received from Pepsi.

Children of God for Life now ends their boycott of Pepsi.  Let this serve as evidence that you can and do make a difference!

Another Faithful Priest Heaved Under The Bus

On April 5th, I reported on the maltreatment meted out to Father Gerhard Swierzek of the Archdiocese of Vienna (Austria).  In a manner similar to the way Father Guarnizo was maltreated by the Archdiocese of Washington, Father Swierzek was run over by his bishop when he tried to prevent an openly gay man from sitting on his parish's council.  I closed that post by asking for Rome's intervention, saying that "there would be more".

Not one month later, that prediction rang true.  This latest incident is also from Austria.  Father Stefan Muller refused Holy Communion to a woman, Karina Rudolf, who is living with a man outside the bonds of Holy Matrimony.  As you read this account, you'll see this woman is acting in a way that's very, very similar to how Barbara Johnson reacted when she was refused Communion by Father Guarnizo.  In fact, I'd say the similarities are just too close to be coincidental.

As that other blogger wrote, "wherever old liberal bishops abound, it's open season on faithful priests".  Unless Rome acts, we'll see more such accounts.

The (Dis)Honorary Deathscort

That's what I'll call this bicycling interloper.  At about 8:20 this morning, the pro-life activist (in red shirt) was sharing pro-life information with a couple across the street from the Planned Parenthood in Silver Spring.  The bicyclist was riding by, then circled back and interjected himself into the conversation.  That's where my video picks up.  Click here if you can't see embedded video.


Clearly he had no concern for the couple nor for their unborn baby.  The next time these pro-abortion folks tell us how concerned they are for "privacy" we can just recall this fellow, for he had to eavesdrop on the conversation in order to butt in and interfere.

We never saw the couple again after the door closed behind them.  The guy cycled around us a few times before he decided that he had done enough damage for the day (or he just got bored) and rode away.  He's just another pro-abortion shill whose conscience is stung by our witness.  We hope and pray that he comes to repentance.

Innocent Casualties Of Environmentalism

I've written many times about environmentalism - not only its sheer stupidity but also the underlying anti-life mental paradigm that drives so many of its proponents.  Here is a smattering of things written in the past.  As you read them, you'll see stories of how the public education system is brainwashing our children into blind acceptance of the idolatry of environmentalism.

What are the effects of all this hype on impressionable children?  If this account is accurate, the effects are harmful.  The little girl just finished telling the reporter that "I wish we didn't exist".  Apparently the girl's rather ditzy mother was standing by, no doubt enthralled at how "sensitive" the little girl was.  Try "traumatized".  What does this say about how the little girl values her own life?  How many others are growing up wishing that humanity did not exist?  As you go through the montage of article that I wrote earlier, you'll see (particularly in the linked material) plenty of environmentalists who wished they (and the rest of humanity) did not exist.

Warren Hern, late-term abortion (and pal of Leroy Carhart) wrote that he considers mankind to be a "malignant eco-tumor destroying the earth".  Of course he, Carhart and too many others are making a killing (I mean that in all senses of the word) ridding the earth of as many babies as possible.  Perhaps it's really environmentalism that is a spiritual tumor eating away at love of God and true stewardship of His creation.

Rosa DeLauro Wastes Catholic Newsprint

Catholic News Service, the propaganda arm media outlet of the USCCB, conducted an interview of Rosa DeLauro, Democratic Congresswoman from Connecticut.  Because her name has a familiar sound to me, I looked her up on my blog.  Sure enough, I posted about her in the past.  She and a gang of other CINO pro-abortion politicians wrote an open letter to Cardinal McCarrick demanding that he not deny them Holy Communion simply because they support the murder of babies (minor matter, that!).  As I said before, they need not have bothered, but I digress!

She's taking the opportunity to rip into the budget proposed by Congressman Paul Ryan.  It seems that his budget cuts too much into the socialistic "social justice" pet projects of both the progressives in Congress and the progressives in the USCCB.  She also tears into Archbishop Dolan for his leadership in opposing the encroachment of the religious freedoms of real Catholics by the Messiah Most Miserable and his Minions Most Mindless (one of whom was being interviewed by CNS).  Perhaps some elements of the USCCB are embarrassed by the Archbishop and feel they must make nice-nice to the CINO cabal in Congress.

If the Catholic Church in the US wants to slash its expenditures and redirect them to charity, they'd do well to abolish the USCCB.  What a waste of Catholic dollars!

Mass In Front Of A Planned Parenthood

Father Joseph Hearty of the Archdiocese of Denver helped cap off this Lent's 40 Days for Life with a Mass in front of the Denver Planned Parenthood.  News of this, as well as the picture above, comes from Lifesite News.

This is so very appropriate for many reasons.  The Mass is our highest form of prayer, with the Eucharist as both source and summit of our lives.  Many of us who are out there know that we are in front of a type of calvary.  That was made all the more present and efficacious in Denver as the Sacrifice of Holy Mass was offered.  By God's providence, the parking lot across the street from the Planned Parenthood Hell Hole is owned by a pro-life couple, who graciously allowed its usage by the pro-lifers.

Also take note that this Mass was offered in the Extraordinary Form.  Other Masses have occurred in the parking lot.  I know of Masses said in places adjacent to abortuaries in this area and am told of the spiritual effects of the Masses.

God bless Father Hearty and the other Denver priests for undertaking this.  I hope this occurs in many more areas of the country.

Pelosi Targets The First Amendment

When "Pope" Pelosi isn't busy monkeying around with Catholic teaching, she delights in showcasing her ignorance of the US Constitution.  You may have heard by now that she would like to amend the First Amendment.  She thinks that big, evil corporations play too big a role in the political arena of ideas.

She gave a press conference last Thursday during which she said,   "We have a clear agenda in this regard: Disclose, reform the system reducing the role of money in campaigns, and amend the Constitution to rid it of this ability for special interests to use secret, unlimited, huge amounts of money flowing to campaigns. I think one of the presenters [at a Democratic forum on amending the Constitution] yesterday said that the Supreme Court had unleashed a predator that was oozing slime into the political system, and that, indeed, is not an exaggeration.  Our Founders had an idea. It was called democracy. It said elections are determined by the people, the voice and the vote of the people, not by the bankrolls of the privileged few. This Supreme Court decision flies in the face of our Founders’ vision and we want to reverse it."

Here it is again, with my comments in red.

"We have a clear agenda in this regard: Disclose, reform the system reducing the role of money in campaigns  George Soros, you can relax!  Somehow I'll think she'll find a way for you to wiggle your fat wads into progressive coffers! , and amend the Constitution to rid it of this ability for special interests to use secret, unlimited, huge amounts of money flowing to campaigns.  Corporations have been in existence for hundreds of years, predating by many years the American Revolution.  The Founding Fathers saw no issue with corporations.  I think one of the presenters [at a Democratic forum on amending the Constitution] yesterday said that the Supreme Court had unleashed a predator that was oozing slime into the political system, and that, indeed, is not an exaggeration.  Our Founders had an idea. It was called democracy.  Actually, their idea was a constitutional republic.   It said elections are determined by the people, the voice and the vote of the people, not by the bankrolls of the privileged few.  How many of you have seen corporations walk into the voting booth?  In all my years of voting, I've only seen human beings walk into the polls.  Boys and girls, can we say "straw man" - or "straw woman" so that we aren't sexist here!  This Supreme Court decision flies in the face of our Founders’ vision and we want to reverse it."   What she and her progressive pals want to reverse is the First Amendment.  It needs no embellishment from you, Ms Pelosi!  What you would like to do is to cripple avenues of free speech - such as the internet - so voices independent of the mainstream media (such as this humble little blog) would be gagged.   You're not getting away with this!  Naughty, naughty!

Third-Party Candidacies - A Destructive Delusion For This Election

Two weeks ago, Rick Santorum suspended his presidential campaign.  Anyone reading this blog knows that he was my preferred candidate until that time.  Unless something happens out of the ordinary, Mitt Romney will be the GOP nominee.

Now comes the time to face reality.  To wit:

• Come the first Tuesday in November, one of two men will win the election - Obama or the GOP nominee.  No other individual will win that election.  Pure and simple.  Got that?
• Anyone who runs as an "independent" or some other third-party candidate will dilute the vote of either the Democratic or Republican candidate depending on ideology.  For example, a "Green Party" candidate would likely dilute the Democratic vote to the Republican's advantage.  A conservative or libertarian "third-party" would dilute the GOP vote to Obama's advantage.

I am hearing of several conservative and pro-life "third-party wannabees" that are making disturbing noises of running in the general election.  Some of them realize that they haven't a snowball's chance in hell of winning, but they think there are other goals that can be accomplished, e.g. education, party advancement, etc.

However laudable these goals may be in and of themselves, they will be more than overshadowed by the other effect of their candidacies, that is, the dilution of the GOP vote to the advantage of Obama.  These goals, worthy though they may be in and of themselves, must be subordinated to the goal of removing Obama from the White House.  Should Obama win (God forbid), our republic may well not survive another four years for an election.  Obama shows troubling signs of assuming dictatorial powers in complete disregard of the Constitution.

I therefore implore any "third-party" aspirants to understand that if they unwittingly contribute to Obama's re-election, that any goals that they hold dear will never be realized.  Please cease your futile (and destructive) efforts and unite (at least for now) behind the GOP nominee to remove from the Oval Office the worst individual yet who has ever occupied it.

Less-Than-Stellar Faculty At Notre Dame

The Huffington Post brings news that some faculty of the University of Notre Dame are calling for the resignation of Bishop Jenky from the University's Board of Fellows for having the audacity of giving a homily that is authentically Catholic.  No doubt the notion of the Catholic faith being boldly proclaimed is abhorrent to a university that invited the Messiah Most Miserable (almost 3 years ago) to give its commencement address.  Read the text of their letter.  They "find it offensive that the bishop compared Obama's actions with "those whose genocidal policies murdered tens of millions of people".  Never mind that Obama's love affair with baby murder is a genocidal policy that today continues to murder tens of millions of people.

It was Pewsitter that alerted me to this story.  Pewsitter alerted me to another story related to Notre Dame.  In this piece, a professor named Julia Marvin is taking Notre Dame to task for "workplace discrimination against non-heterosexual employees".  Get a load of that word "non-heterosexual"!  She knows the gay lifestyle is sinful but embraces it anyway - so she tries to pretty up the language a bit, in a manner similar to cloaking the reality of baby-murder with the word "choice".  Sorry, Julia!  It ain't flyin'!!  I won't waste too much time picking apart the errors in this thing.  Suffice it to say that I had a hunch that there was a common link between this and the snit-fit against Bishop Jenky - and Julia Marvin is that link!  Go back to the Huffington piece and look at the signers and you will notice Marvin's name.

It actually makes sense.  Marvin has absolutely no respect for Catholic teaching, at least regarding sexual morality.  No wonder Bishop Jenky "offends" her; it's the truth he proclaimed that offended her seared conscience.  I suspect that if I took the time to dig a little more, that I'd find similar mindsets among the other signers of that letter.

Open Letter To Americans United For Separation Of Church And State

On Easter Saturday, Bishop Daniel Jenky of the Diocese of Peoria (IL) delivered a homily to his congregation. I blogged on it yesterday.  Now comes the none-too-surprising "news" that the usual gang of progressive suspects have their panties in a twist.  Americans United for Separation of Church and State have filed suit against the Diocese of Peoria.  Methinks there's a bit of double-standard.  I have issued the following open letter to the AUSCS.  Will I get a response?  I'm not holding my breath!   The letter follows the jump break, so ..

Bishop Jenky Lays It On The Line

Bishop Daniel Jenky of the Diocese of Peoria IL gave a homily during Easter Saturday Mass that should serve as a model for his brother bishops and all priests.  He spoke on the transformation of the Apostles after they encountered the Risen Lord, and how that transformation impelled them to proclaim the Gospel in the wake of malevolent governments and corrupt cultures.  He names plenty of names in rebukes, including Obama himself, and urges every Catholic to vote properly.  But I needn't rehash it here.  The Diocese of Peoria has the homily on mp3 podcast - please listen to it.  Yes it is downloadable.

Victim Of Another Abortion In Fairfax County Taken Away In Ambulance

On March 3rd, at NOVA Women's Health Care in Fairfax VA, a woman wound up bleeding profusely after her abortion.  This woman is one of many victims at this particular death camp.  Its owner, Mi Yong Kim, continues to operate the place after she surrendered her own medical license in 2007.  Her death mill had a history of standard-of-care violations.  In 2005, a woman died on Kim's watch.  Operation Rescue has details here, and more details can be found on abortiondocs.org; read the one for Kim herself and for NOVA Women's Health Care.

If you cannot see the embedded video on the OR page, click here to watch.

Leadership Conference Of Women Religious To Undergo Desperately Needed Reform

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops today announced that the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has called for reform of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR).  The USCCB press release is here.  That in turn links to the "Doctrinal Assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious".  I urge you to read it and to save that pdf to your own hard drives.

The CDF, in that document, spells out some fundamental anomalies that the LCWR has been exhibiting for some time:

• Dissenting speakers at various conferences
• Embrace of the erroneous concept of women's ordination
• Embrace of "social justice" issues at the expense of life issues

All in all, I think the reform process is off to a solid start.  A key to its ongoing success will be the support that the CDF receives from the US bishops, as there is sure to be some "push back" from the LCWR itself, along with other progressives who have infested the Church hierarchy.

Some of the progressives have begun their apoplectic seizures already.  From the Not-so Catholic Reporter we read that "the Vatican investigation into U.S. women religious, which began in 2009, is bearing its first toxic fruit."  (Emphasis mine).  The author goes on to express his terror at the thought of Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain leading the reform effort.  And why?  Because Sartain is a "bishop against gay marriage"!  Gasp!  Who'da thunk it??   A Catholic bishop upholding the teachings of Jesus Christ through His Church!   I realize that this is a novel concept for these progressives, but they'd better start getting used to it.  That goes also for the progressives infesting the LCWR.

More Info On Why Companeros Forfeited CCHD Funding

The situation first came into the limelight due to an article in the April 5th edition of the New York Times.  Naturally this is no less biased than is the US Catholic piece mentioned two days ago.  The article portrays Companeros's affiliation with "an immigration rights coalition that joined forces with a statewide gay and lesbian advocacy group" as being rather informal and casual.  In fact, the NY Times is so intent on this portrayal that it doesn't see fit to name either the "coalition" or the "advocacy group"!  Now why - oh, why - do they commit this omission?  After all, is this not the much-vaunted New York Times?  Do they really engage in such sloppy journalism on a routine basis (a purely rhetorical question)?  Now doesn't this just have you scratching your heads, wondering what they're trying to hide??  Well, thanks to us "conservative Catholics with the help of search engines", such glaring deliberate omissions teensy inadvertent oversights can be set aright.

The "immigration rights coalition" is Colorado Immigration Rights Coaliton (CIRC) and the "advocacy group" is One Colorado.  But CIRC itself advocates for homosexual marriage.  But let's be clear about the relationship between Companeros and CIRC.  The former is a founding member of the latter, per this donation solicitation put forth by CIRC.  In that solicitation, they complain of the CCHD funding cut-off.   To their credit, they do make clear that CCHD gave to Companeros the choice of abiding by CCHD guidelines (to which they originally assented to receive funds in the first place) or the forfeiture of the funding.  They freely chose the latter.

But let's take a very close look at that first paragraph.  This is written by CIRC to solicit donations for Companeros.  Yet the first paragraph uses "first-person" language.  CIRC is saying that they - not Companeros - had to make the choice.  CIRC says they - not Companeros - sent "a clear message" to CCHD.  That is not merely sloppy language construct.  I think whoever drafted this solicitation may have tipped their hand a bit.  (By the way, my dear trolls!  I did cache this, so don't bother to try to change it on us!)

Note that Nicole Mosher, executive director of Companeros, is a current member of CIRC's board of directors.  She has a say in the direction that CIRC takes and the activities in which it participates.  So what are some of these activities?

• Taking a stand against the Defense of Marriage Act.
• Participating in local gay pride parades.
• Supporting transgenderism
• In 2007, CIRC held a "community organizing" retreat.  It was co-sponsored by the Gay and Lesbian Fund (see page 2) and Companeros was one of several participants (see page 3)

Mosher, who is both executive director of Companeros and board member of CIRC, says "we have no reason to believe that we are in any way going against Catholic teachings" according to the NY Times article. In light of the above evidence, I find her statement to be impossible to believe.

Companeros made their decision.  Now they will accept the consequences.

Sebelius: Thanks To Obamacare, Law Student Can Mooch Off Working People

That's the real translation of this piece from CNS News.  Last Thursday, at a conference sponsored by Al Sharpton, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sang the praises of Obamacare and the mandates that are threatening the First Amendment rights of all (although the Catholic Church is in the administration's cross-hairs). She told the tale of Ashley, a 25-year-old law student who aspires to working on "social justice" for her career.  Sebelius bloviated, "she can go ahead and pursue that dream now because she no longer has to worry about getting health coverage."

Awwww!  Isn't that special??  She doesn't have to get a job to pay her own way and support herself!  She can now siphon off her parents and the rest of us who do have to work and pay our own ways - and apparently hers too, as she "pursues her dream"!   Doesn't that just warm your innards??

This young woman's dream happens to be "social justice".  Well, if what Sebelius says about her is true, she already has warped ideas about "social justice".  What she's pursing is socialism, with the blessings of Sebelius and the Messiah Most Miserable.

Progressives Pout Over CCHD Funding Cessations

My friend and colleague Stephanie Block has posted an excellent article at Spero Forum picking apart the utter lack of logic displayed by US Catholic's editor Bryan Cones in his screed against American Life League, Reform CCHD Now (of which we're a proud member) and the rest of us "right-wing pressure groups".

I need not rehash Ms Block's work here; please go and read for yourselves.  I will, however, elaborate on two points.  I quote from her article..

• My favorite bit in the Cones’ article, however, is his canard that “these witch hunts” – complaints about CCHD misappropriations of Catholic money to groups that support un-Catholic positions – are all about…sex!  Who would have imagined!  “More and more it appears that Catholics in general are so obsessed with issues of sexuality that we can't even feed the poor or shelter immigrants anymore.  This crack has been thrown at pro-lifers for decades and says a great deal about the speaker (or writer).  Abortion, of course, isn’t an “issue of sexuality” – it’s an issue of personhood and civil rights.  Same-sex marriage isn’t an “issue of sexuality,” either – it’s an issue of covenantal partnership for ends that can’t be achieved in same-sex relationships.  To reduce these issues to “sexuality” betrays that not only does the writer not understand Catholic teaching but that he is himself trapped in a Freudian construct that understands everything in sexual terms. What Peter says about Paul says more about Peter than it does about Paul.

So what is being said about "Peter" - that is, Bryan Cones?  Here's a brief biographical sketch about Cones.  So he was a high school teacher.  Even as a high school teacher he was doing quite a bit of writing.  For instance, he wrote one of several brief chapters in a book entitled "Young and Catholic in America".  I believe it's the tenth.  Here's the link, detailing a conversation he had with some students.  Read the whole thing.  He admits to being gay himself and does not accept the Church's teaching that the homosexual inclination is intrinsically disordered.  What I find particularly disturbing (although not too surprising) is the approving attitudes he meets along the way: from his bishop, pastors, etc.  At the time Cones was talking to his bishop, he did not receive from his bishop the shepherding that he needed; in other words, Cones was done a gross disservice by his bishops and later mentors.  However, Cones is not without fault here.  He knew the Church's teaching enough to dissent from it willingly.  And this, dear readers, is the history and the mental paradigm of an editor of US Catholic magazine.  Does this not explain some of the tenor behind US Catholic - when one of its leaders is living at serious variance with the Church?

Now let's look at "guilt by association".  I think we've illustrated what triggers the knee-jerk usage by Comes of that phrase.  He thinks gay unions are just fine and dandy. However, when a group like American Life League come along and point out the simple truth that homosexual relations are mortally sinful then the defense mechanism spring into action and the "guilt by association" phrases start flying.  No, Mr Comes, it's just your guilt - so why not do yourself (and your partner) a favor, break off the sinful relationship and go to Confession?  Speaking of charity and mercy, let's recognize what the Spiritual Works of Mercy (such as "admonish the sinner") are.

We find the phrase "guilt by association" in another article similar to Cones' in viewpoint and tenor.  The author writes that "Companeros decided against severing ties with CIRC, deciding that its membership in the organization was more important than giving in to CCHD's demands."  OK, that's fine.  They made a decision.  Implicit in all this whining and kvetching is a presumption that Companeros is entitled to the largess of Catholic donations without stipulation.  Not so.  The Church has not only the right but the duty to ensure that its monies are used in accordance with Church teaching.  

The article goes on to announce a new website called "withcharityforall", ostensibly to compensate for Companeros' very avoidable budget shortfall.  I freely acknowledge their right to collect these monies, provided that they are very honest with their donors as to the exact planned usage of the funds (something that CCHD has yet to learn).  At least it won't be Church money.

The site was founded by Catholics United.  As mentioned before on this blog, on that organization's board of directors is James Salt.  Read about his history here.  If there is any true "guilt by association", James Salt bears it in spades.  His resume includes "overseeing the Kansas Democratic Party's faith outreach efforts including messaging work for Governor Sebelius.."  Yep!  He helped further the career of Kathleen Sebelius, which landed her in her current position as Secretary of HHS.  Of course she used that position to foment the onerous mandate which hangs over all our heads.

Now they screech that the Catholic-donation gravy train is pulling into the station.  This train stop is long overdue.

Father Swierzek Resigns His Post

Eight days ago I posted about the situation in the Archdiocese of Vienna and Father Gerhard Swierzek, the pastor who refused to do deference to an openly gay parishioner of his.  He was overruled by the local ordinary, Cardinal Schonborn.  Catholic Culture brings us the news that Father Swierzek has resigned from that parish, saying he could not stay where people wanted their "right" at any price.  That price of course is the integrity of the Catholic moral teachings.  Father's decision was quite understandable, given the lamentable treatment he received from his Cardinal Bishop.

Speaking of faithful, orthodox priests thrown under the bus by ordinaries (who might be a little too "ordinary", if you get my drift), I have heard no recent news regarding Father Guarnizo.  I ask you to keep him in your prayers.  If any of you have contact with Cardinal Wuerl or Bishop Knestout, why not ask them?  Let them know that Father Guarnizo is NOT going to fade from your thoughts and memories.

Maryland Democrats' Horribly Skewed Priorities

I live in Montgomery County Maryland, in Maryland's 39th legislative district.  The state senator from that district is Nancy King.  It will surprise very few people to learn that every representative and senator from Montgomery County is a pro-abortion Democrat.  That includes Ms. King.  Take a look at the endorsements that she touts on her website: National Organization of Women, Emily's List, NARAL, Equality Maryland, etc - in other words, the usual gang of suspects.

Because I sent an email to her to lobby on some issue, I wound up on her email broadcast list.  Today I received an "end of session" recap of what happened during this past session.  As you read this excerpt from it, keep in mind that this is penned by a pro-abortion politician.

"Protecting Animals
This year, we continued our efforts to better protect animals from abuse and neglect by passing Senate Bill 317. This legislation will further combat the issue of puppy mills by requiring retail pet stores to initiate recordkeeping, notification, and public disclosure requirements, as well as creating remedies when a dog sold at a pet store is found to have an undisclosed disease or illness.
One animal issue that I received many, many emails on was SB 465 which would restrict the sale and possession of shark fins. The shark fin trade is largely unregulated and unmonitored. The horrible act of removing fins from live sharks and throwing them back into the water often takes place on oceans beyond national jurisdictions and fins are imported into the U.S. from countries with few shark protections in place. The best way to bring an end to this practice is through legislation prohibiting the trade. SB465 passed the Senate but unfortunately did not pass the House of Delegates. I am sure we will see this legislation again in 2013."

In other words, puppies and sharks must be protected, but it's "open season" on human babies in their mothers' wombs!  She advocated putting more diligence and disclosure requirements on pet shops than she ever would have for abortion centers.  She bemoans "the horrible act of removing fins from live sharks".  Hey, Nancy!  How about the tearing apart of babies in the womb?  At last count, this happens almost 100 times a day in the state of Maryland alone!  Oh, wait!  Never mind!  She's endorsed by NOW and NARAL - folks who get some of their donations from abortionists, so King et al are in the back pockets of the abortion industry.

I am told that other areas of the country are a bit more saner.  Let's work and pray to keep them that way and to restore some common sense to Maryland's bastions of progressiveness.

Meet "Mister Uterus" !

A pro-life group, while touring and displaying the truth of abortion on college campuses, met a young man at Florida State University who dubbed himself "Mr Uterus".  He proclaimed "no uterus, no opinion".  He then promptly fell all over himself as he tried to justify his own voicing of his opinion.  Watch the amusing spectacle here if you can't see embedded video.



With all due respect to Mr Uterus, he is not alone in his acts of buffoonery.  As we have offered Christian witness at the Silver Spring Planned Parenthood, we have met several young men who were determined to make fools of themselves; I've posted these episodes in the past.  In this one, you'll become acquainted with Bob the Fetus "god".  Then we had a fellow whom I'll call "Bimbo Boy"; you'll see why.  I know these fellows think they're making bold statements, but all they're really doing is making colossal fools of themselves.  But that's to be expected when one is so foolish as to support a lie.

Rick Santorum Ends His Presidential Campaign

It's all over the internet by now, that Rick Santorum has suspended his campaign.  In other words, it's over.  Barring some lightning bolt out of the blue, Mitt Romney is poised to take the GOP nomination and run against Obama.

While I would have preferred Santorum to Romney, I much more prefer Romney to Obama.  These are the cards that are dealt to us.  We must play them or we, as a nation, will lose.

Violation Of Holy Thursday Rubrics At St Matthews Cathedral

Last year the Holy See made plain that the ritual of the washing of feet during the Holy Thursday Mass was restricted to men.  That is, the one washing the feet has to be a priest and those getting their feet washed have to be men.  The reason is that the washing of feet originally done by Our Lord to His disciples is seen as part and parcel of the institution of the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  A good write-up is found here.  Here's another.

Michael Voris of the Vortex predicted that this would provoke some, uh, "liturgical creativity", shall we say?  Click here if you cannot see embedded video.



Here's the link to the book on the Mandatum.

This past Holy Thursday, this abuse happened at the Cathedral of St Matthew.  I'm sure it happened elsewhere in the Archdiocese of Washington.  So what makes this one so noteworthy?  Well, see for yourselves (from the Washington Times).  That's right!  Cardinal Wuerl himself is washing the feet of women.  More "pastoral style", I suppose?

In my last post, I mentioned three priests unjustly treated for their fidelity to the Magisterium - one of them by the Archdiocese of Washington.  I cannot imagine any one of these priests disobeying the Vatican on this manner.  Perhaps that is why they (at least Fr Guarnizo) are being thrown under the bus.

Good Priests And Their Lord At Calvary

Michael Sean Winters of the Not-So Catholic Reporter offered two articles yesterday that I think are supposed to have Good-Friday-related themes.  The first is entitled Wuerl's Cross.  On the Cardinal's behalf, he whines and snivels about the well-deserved reactions that the Cardinal has received owing to his despicable treatment of Father Marcel Guarnizo.  I remind one and all (even some canon lawyers) that Father Guarnizo acted correctly when he tried to prevent Barbara Johnson from incurring the guilt of the mortal sin of sacrilegious Holy Communion.  Winters calls that "Taliban Catholicism".  Faithful Catholics call that Catholicism - plain and simple.

His strange conception of the Cross is even more evident from another post of his from yesterday entitled Good Friday.  In it he states that "HIV/AIDS was the Calvary of the gay community", as he describes how AIDS decimated the work force of a Dupont Circle cafe (word to the wise - don't dine in Dupont Circle).  I'll be the last to doubt that AIDS is a horrific disease wrecking havoc upon its victims and their grieving families.  However, it is NOT analogous to the Passion and Death of Our Lord.  Let's be real - the bulk of AIDS cases come about through gay sexual relationships - always sinful.  If an alcoholic were to die from cirrhosis of the liver, would anyone have trouble linking that disease to his/her drinking?  Of course not - so let's drop the politically-correct blinders when it comes to gay folks falling prey to AIDS, who are reaping a tragic but very preventable consequence of sinful behavior.  What we commemorated yesterday was the sinless Son of God offering Himself as a sacrifice for our sins (including gay behavior).

It is when one suffers unjustly for doing good that we liken that suffering to that which Jesus endured (and even that suffering pales to the Crucifixion).  Such is the case with Father Guarnizo (yes George Neumayer and the rest of us "Taliban Catholics" have it right).  It is also the case with Father Michael Rodriguez, Father Gerhard Swierzek and many others who've been punished precisely because they are faithful.

For those who either:

• Think that a post during Triduum should be more "spiritual" or
• Think that I should stop bringing up Father Guarnizo's situation

There are other blogs offering excellent meditations on Easter; I'd suggest you read them.  However, there is a danger in letting our consciousness about Father Guarnizo's situation just fade - a danger to us as well as to him.  To my fellow St John Neumann parishioners, will we allow ourselves to be so shallow, will we allow our memories to be so little, that we won't recall the harm, the injustice that occurred in front of our faces just last month?  If so, what kind of people are we?  Will we be the ten disciples who cowed, or will we be the Marys, the Johns, the Magdalenes who at least stood by His Cross?  Of course we can and must continue to raise our voices as well as our prayers for him and for all unjustly-treated priests.

Holy Thursday - Institution Of The Sacrament Of Holy Orders

When Our Lord, at the Last Supper, uttered the words "Do this in remembrance of Me", He conferred priesthood upon the Apostles.  It might do us well to consider how the priesthood is under attack - from within.

I spent at least one month keeping before our eyes the despicable way that Father Marcel Guarnizo has (and I think, continues to be) maltreated by the Archdiocese of Washington.  I mentioned that Father Guarnizo was not the first and that he wouldn't be the last so despised.  And indeed he is not the last.

Within the past week or so we've been hearing about the situation in the Archdiocese of Vienna (Austria).  Christoph Cardinal Schonborn, the archbishop there, overruled one of his parish priests, Father Gerhard Swierzek when the latter blocked an openly gay man, Florian Stangl from sitting on the parish council.  Mind you, the Cardinal was fully aware that Stangl was gay.  Initially, the Cardinal supported his priest.  But then he back-peddled big time.  Note that he did so after he met with Stangl and his sin-partner.

As one reads this article from Renew America, they cannot help but notice the parallels between the situation in Gaithersburg and the more recent situation in Vienna.  Is it possible that Schonborn was influenced by the doings of the Washington chancery?  I know for a fact that Father Guarnizo's situation was watched from all over the world.  During the past month or so, I had many views from all over the world.  We can surmise that all the other internet sources were likewise watched.

There will be more.  Pray for Rome's swift intervention.

NCR - Where Is Easter For Those On The Cross?

That is the title of an article in the NCR - that is, Not-so Catholic Reporter.  The first tear-jerk individual is not a person.  The first 4-5 paragraphs focus on the plight of Fiona - a stray dog who was rescued.  The next several paragraphs carry on about folks who are suffering and how that suffering was brought about by mankind heaving around all those "environmental toxic pollutions".

In other words, this puff-piece is an exercise of apologetics for the pseudo-religion of environmental worship.  The question is asked, "When will the plundered earth and stripped-away rainforests have their Easter mornings of resurrection?"  The author places the "plundered earth" and "rainforests" on a par with Our Crucified Lord!

Then they start quoting a Sister Paula Gonzalez - an "environmental spirituality educator"!  Interesting title!  She invited all to "see the Earth Charter as a prayer we need to practice".

I cannot continue writing about this nonsense.  You have to read it to believe that this is the sort of crap that is being taught in supposedly Catholic media.  Part of Cardinal Dolan's efforts at cleaning up Catholic catechesis might be to shut down this NCR rag.

Humanae Vitae - Are The Bishops FINALLY Going To Teach It?

Christopher Manion wrote an excellent piece for Crisis Magazine linking the Church's present quagmire over the HHS mandate mess with the 45-year failure of the bishops to heed the message of Humanae Vitae and to teach it.   He also details how the bishops, in glomming onto the "social justice" bandwagon, abdicated their real roles in preaching the Gospel and teaching authentic morality.

In an interview within the past few days with the Wall Street Journal, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, New York Archbishop and president of the USCCB, frankly admitted this monstrous dereliction of duty on the part of the bishops over the years.  I have to give him credit for this admission.  Now the real question is, how will he rectify this episcopal short-coming?

During the past five years, a priest of my acquaintance offered a class to his parish on Humanae Vitae.  Moreover, he preached from the pulpit at Sunday masses on the topic, making plain the Church's teaching.  Needless to say, the complaints started rolling into his pastor's office and the priest was summarily shipped off to "diocesan siberia".  I can give no further details without jeopardizing Father.  Will this sort of maltreatment of good priests end?  If the situation at St John Neumann with Father Guarnizo is any indication, it will end only if Cardinal Dolan and perhaps the Holy Father himself read the Riot Act to the bishops who'd rather be politicians than shepherds, who fear a few angry phone calls more than their God.

Some Backbones Are Appearing!

Last Friday we learned that Victoria Kennedy, widow of the late Ted Kennedy and herself a rabid abortion proponent, was uninvited from Anna Maria College in Paxton, Massachusetts.  This was done at the insistence of the local bishop, Robert J. McManus.  He correctly noted that her positions on abortion, homosexuality and other life issues were in disobedience to Church teaching.  The school administration whined and pouted about it, but in the end they heeded their bishop.

In Texas, a Catholic pro-abortion state representative, Dawnna Dukes sniveled to a Planned Parenthood rally that "a local bishop" had disinvited her from speaking at her home parish of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Austin.  Below is a recording of the talk - where she claims that her great-grandmother founded the Church (at the 1:06 mark).  Then she reveals that the Church wouldn't allow her to speak because she supports contraceptives (2:50)!  The horror!  The shock!  Imagine that!  The Church is standing for its moral teachings!  And guess what?  She is mad!  Doesn't that just make you want to shake in your boots?   ROFLOL!   Ms. Dukes, get used to it, and get over yourself!

News of these bishops standing up to the politically-influential pro-aborts and standing up for Church teaching is a breath of fresh air indeed!  Hopefully that breeze will soon blow through the Archdiocese of Washington!

A Belch At The "Catholic Vote" Blog

That's the only thing I can call Mark Stricherz's post on the Catholic Vote (formerly American Papist) blog entitled "Pro-Life Activists and the Politics of Resentment".  He refers to the demonstrations staged against Todd Stave, one of the two owners (the the other being his sister) of the Germantown Reproductive Health Services baby-killing gulag in Germantown Maryland.  From the text of this post, I take it that his sole source of information is the Washington Post.  No one in their right minds holds that to be anything other than left-wing biased.  I'd go so far as to say that the Post, more and more, is dropping all pretenses of impartiality.

I submitted a comment to that post yesterday afternoon.  It doesn't appear.  Funny - no comment of mine on that blog has been published.  It's their blog so they can do whatever they wish but such suppression of my comment that does comply with their stated rules diminishes the respect that I might otherwise have for them.  However, this is why this blog exists - so that the  petulance of the Catholic Vote, Catholic Standard and others will not stifle voices of faithful Catholics who don't tow their lines.  Below (in italics) is the comment that I submitted.

Need I remind you that the Post can hardly be called "reliable" and certainly should not be one's sole source of information?  I must also take exception with your usage of the pejorative phrase "politics of resentment" when describing the pro-lifers.

If you think they “resent” something, just what do you think that is?  It's not the landlord per se that they "resent" (your term, not mine).  They are correctly upset that close to 1000 babies (to date, and counting) have been slaughtered at the Stave's place in Germantown.  They might also be a tad miffed that while they are taking a stand (with incumbent risks) and showing the truth of Stave's activities (and Stave's assault of one of them was picked up on camcorder), "armchair-generals" wag their ever-so-superior fingers at them from the comfort and safety of their computer stands.

When I wrote that, I forgot to take Stricherz to task for describing what pro-lifers did as "threats".  If his sole basis for that term is the Washington Post, I submit that he engaged in slander.  Moreover, Stave's site, Voice For Choice, links to an interview he did with Rachel Maddow.  I suggest that you watch it.  Notice at the 1:55 mark that Stave had acknowledged that the calls received were "not threatening".  That begs the question even more - where does Stricherz get the bright idea that the pro-life folks were "threatening" anybody?  I never thought I'd see the day when I'd have to give Rachel Maddow kudos instead of a Catholic blogger.  Yes, yes, I know her pro-baby-killing rants are an insult to the intelligence of the normal human being, but I do give the poor deluded dear credit where it's due.

Ostensibly Voice for Choice was started as a result of a demonstration during a parents' event at a school attended by Stave's daughter.  I wrote about that before here.  In that post I mentioned the assault on the pro-lifer allegedly committed by Stave himself.  How peculiar that Stricherz doesn't see fit to mention it - but of course he wouldn't if he relied solely on the Washington Post.  So much for "due diligence" research!

By the way - Defend Life's latest newsletter features an article about the pro-life efforts at the Germantown abortuary on pages 17-18.  On page 18 you'll see a photo of some "Voice for Choice" groupies holding a picture of Jack Ames - with Ames himself having a chuckle over it!