Bishop Brandt Blocks Expansion Efforts of Nuns who Supported Health Bill
The Sisters of St. Joseph in Baden, Pennsylvania opposed the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by supporting the Health Care Reform Bill. Now Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt of Greensburg has withdrawn his diocese’s support for their community by prohibiting the use of any diocesan media or parishes in their recruitment efforts.
“He has the right to disapprove a request from a religious community that wants to host a recruitment event when that community has taken a public stance in opposition to the Church’s teaching on human life,” said diocesan spokesman Jerry Zufelt.
“Furthermore an environment of dissent and public opposition to the positions of the U.S. Catholic bishops does not provide an appropriate seedbed for vocations.”
The Sisters of St. Joseph had signed a letter written by NETWORK, a Catholic “social justice” lobbying group, which urged members of Congress “to cast a life affirming ‘yes’ vote” to the Senate Health Care Reform Bill. The USCCB as well as countless pro-life organizations had opposed the bill as seriously flawed and as opening the floodgates to federal funding of abortion.
Afterwards, the Sisters of St. Joseph requested promotional support from Greensburg parishes for a vocations awareness program called “Explore,” which was meant to show teenage girls what it was like to be a sister. They were refused because of their signing of the letter.
Msgr. Lawrence T. Persico, the Greensburg diocese’s vicar general, wrote a letter on April 8 to diocesan priests stating that no diocesan office, the diocesan newspaper, or any parish or event would “would promote a vocation awareness program of any religious community that has taken a stance against the United States bishops by being a signatory of the Network document.”
Sister Mary Pellegrino, moderator of the leadership team of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Baden, claimed that “based on our prayerful discernment and careful research” there would be no public funding of abortion caused by the bill.
“It would not violate the doctrinal and moral teachings of the Church,” she said. Her community has requested that the diocese reverse its decision.
This article is courtesy of LifeSiteNews.com.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Stupak, 'Pro-Life' Allies Targeted in New Ad and Phone Call Campaign
$150,000 Campaign Also Praises True Pro-Life Democrats
WASHINGTON, April 6 /Christian Newswire/ -- Today the Susan B. Anthony List will launch a $150,000 radio advertisement and automated phone call campaign in the districts of Reps. Steve Driehaus (OH-1), Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-3), Brad Ellsworth (IN-9) , Alan Mollohan (WV-1), and Bart Stupak (MI-1) to inform voters that their 'Yes' vote on healthcare reform forces taxpayers to pay for abortion:
"Leading up to the fateful vote on healthcare reform, the Susan B. Anthony List was working tirelessly to build up grassroots support and encouragement for self- labeled 'pro-life' Democrats, including Rep. Stupak," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of Susan B. Anthony List. "Since these Democrats instead traded their legislative power to prevent taxpayer funding of abortion for an Executive Order that did nothing to protect the status quo and address the fundamental taxpayer abortion funding problem in the bill, we have had to change course. Now, with severe disappointment, we go back to their districts to tell voters that their representative ushered in the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade. We will make sure that their constituents understand the enormous gravity of this pro-abortion vote."
In addition, SBA List will launch a phone campaign with a message praising the true pro-life Democrats. Reps. Gene Taylor (MS-4) and Dan Lipinski (IL-3) held their resolve and stood behind their principles.
The ad running in Rep. Stupak's district includes the following narration. Ads in other districts contain similar wording:
"It was the ultimate betrayal.
"Congressman Bark Stupak told us he was pro-life. Stupak promised us he would protect the unborn. That he would stand firm...and lead the coalition to keep abortion funding out of the health care bill.
"But Bart Stupak betrayed us...and voted to spend federal dollars -- our dollars -- on abortions. He should be ashamed.
"...Tell Bart Stupak we will not forget."
Members of Congress and advocacy groups on both sides admit that President Obama's Executive Order is meaningless. On March 2, 2010, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Shultz, co-chair of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, told FOX News that "an executive order cannot change the law." The United States Conference of Catholic has said that "only a change in the law enacted by Congress, not an executive order, can begin to address this very serious problem in the legislation."
This latest grassroots campaign comes on the heels of last year's nearly $2 million effort to keep abortion out of healthcare which included targeted television and radio ads, 1.3 million automated calls, 60,000 patch-through constituent calls, 1.2 million letters and petitions to Congress and two media tours in pro-life Democratic districts.
The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of Americans, over 280,000 residing in all 50 states, dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics. Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process.
Christian Newswire
WASHINGTON, April 6 /Christian Newswire/ -- Today the Susan B. Anthony List will launch a $150,000 radio advertisement and automated phone call campaign in the districts of Reps. Steve Driehaus (OH-1), Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-3), Brad Ellsworth (IN-9) , Alan Mollohan (WV-1), and Bart Stupak (MI-1) to inform voters that their 'Yes' vote on healthcare reform forces taxpayers to pay for abortion:
"Leading up to the fateful vote on healthcare reform, the Susan B. Anthony List was working tirelessly to build up grassroots support and encouragement for self- labeled 'pro-life' Democrats, including Rep. Stupak," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of Susan B. Anthony List. "Since these Democrats instead traded their legislative power to prevent taxpayer funding of abortion for an Executive Order that did nothing to protect the status quo and address the fundamental taxpayer abortion funding problem in the bill, we have had to change course. Now, with severe disappointment, we go back to their districts to tell voters that their representative ushered in the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade. We will make sure that their constituents understand the enormous gravity of this pro-abortion vote."
In addition, SBA List will launch a phone campaign with a message praising the true pro-life Democrats. Reps. Gene Taylor (MS-4) and Dan Lipinski (IL-3) held their resolve and stood behind their principles.
The ad running in Rep. Stupak's district includes the following narration. Ads in other districts contain similar wording:
"It was the ultimate betrayal.
"Congressman Bark Stupak told us he was pro-life. Stupak promised us he would protect the unborn. That he would stand firm...and lead the coalition to keep abortion funding out of the health care bill.
"But Bart Stupak betrayed us...and voted to spend federal dollars -- our dollars -- on abortions. He should be ashamed.
"...Tell Bart Stupak we will not forget."
Members of Congress and advocacy groups on both sides admit that President Obama's Executive Order is meaningless. On March 2, 2010, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Shultz, co-chair of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, told FOX News that "an executive order cannot change the law." The United States Conference of Catholic has said that "only a change in the law enacted by Congress, not an executive order, can begin to address this very serious problem in the legislation."
This latest grassroots campaign comes on the heels of last year's nearly $2 million effort to keep abortion out of healthcare which included targeted television and radio ads, 1.3 million automated calls, 60,000 patch-through constituent calls, 1.2 million letters and petitions to Congress and two media tours in pro-life Democratic districts.
The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of Americans, over 280,000 residing in all 50 states, dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics. Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process.
Christian Newswire
Monday, March 22, 2010
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Court Victory for Pro-Life Free Speech at Ivy League Brown University
Court Victory for Pro-Life Free Speech at Ivy League Brown University: Thomas More Society Wins Dismissal of Charges Against Pro-Life Advocate Who Challenged Rep. Patrick Kennedy's Pro-Abortion Views
PROVIDENCE, RI, March 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Attorneys from the Chicago- based Thomas More Society, on the eve of the trial, won a victory in Providence municipal court this week when the city prosecutor decided to dismiss criminal charges against Christopher Young. Young, a Catholic pro-lifer who is also a Democratic mayoral candidate, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after confronting Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) about his abortion views at an advertised "open forum" on health care at Brown University last November.
Thomas More Society attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the charge of disorderly conduct, arguing that Young did not act in a disorderly fashion when he pressed tough questions to Rep. Kennedy and tossed a pro-life video on the desk in front of the Congressman, who quickly took and looked at the video. The video, Maafa 21, is a recently-released documentary on the history of the abortion industry and its targeting of African- Americans.
"This represents a victory for free speech, even when the view expressed gets an inhospitable reception. In this case, it was Young's view that even a supposedly 'unwanted' infant is clothed with an inviolable dignity and endowed with an inalienable right to life," said Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Society.
Brejcha continued, "Congressman Kennedy had opened the forum by arguing that all of us are 'children of God' who carry a 'divine spark.' Young was entirely within his rights under the First Amendment when he called Kennedy to task for supporting the mass demise of so many millions of unborn human beings -- all of whom are no less bearers of a 'divine spark' and 'children of God.'"
Brejcha concluded, "The Congressman's stubborn insistence that he remains a faithful Catholic, while advocating both for abortion on demand and the suppression of conscience rights, is nothing less than living a lie. Brown's actions also belied its claim to be a place where ideas may be freely discussed -- even the idea that human dignity is universally shared. We urge Brown to heed the message of Salman Rushdie, who lectured at Brown on the eve of Young's last scheduled court date, urging that all speakers be given the right to speak, even those whose views some find 'detestable.'"
For more information or to speak with an attorney from the Thomas More Society, contact Tom Ciesielka at 312- 422-1333 or tc@tcpr.net.
About the Thomas More Society
Founded in 1997, the Thomas More Society is a not-for- profit, public interest law firm based in Chicago and dedicated to fighting for the rights and dignity of all human beings, from conception until natural death. The Society vigorously defends clients in state and federal courtrooms around the country, addressing vital issues across the pro-life spectrum, including pregnancy discrimination, end-of-life health care, the right of conscientious objection for medical workers, freedom of speech, free exercise of religion, and peaceable nonviolent protest.
As a public interest law firm, the Thomas More Society is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, supported solely by private donations. Visit http://www.thomasmoresociety.org/ for more information.
Christian Newswire
PROVIDENCE, RI, March 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Attorneys from the Chicago- based Thomas More Society, on the eve of the trial, won a victory in Providence municipal court this week when the city prosecutor decided to dismiss criminal charges against Christopher Young. Young, a Catholic pro-lifer who is also a Democratic mayoral candidate, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after confronting Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) about his abortion views at an advertised "open forum" on health care at Brown University last November.
Thomas More Society attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the charge of disorderly conduct, arguing that Young did not act in a disorderly fashion when he pressed tough questions to Rep. Kennedy and tossed a pro-life video on the desk in front of the Congressman, who quickly took and looked at the video. The video, Maafa 21, is a recently-released documentary on the history of the abortion industry and its targeting of African- Americans.
"This represents a victory for free speech, even when the view expressed gets an inhospitable reception. In this case, it was Young's view that even a supposedly 'unwanted' infant is clothed with an inviolable dignity and endowed with an inalienable right to life," said Tom Brejcha, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Society.
Brejcha continued, "Congressman Kennedy had opened the forum by arguing that all of us are 'children of God' who carry a 'divine spark.' Young was entirely within his rights under the First Amendment when he called Kennedy to task for supporting the mass demise of so many millions of unborn human beings -- all of whom are no less bearers of a 'divine spark' and 'children of God.'"
Brejcha concluded, "The Congressman's stubborn insistence that he remains a faithful Catholic, while advocating both for abortion on demand and the suppression of conscience rights, is nothing less than living a lie. Brown's actions also belied its claim to be a place where ideas may be freely discussed -- even the idea that human dignity is universally shared. We urge Brown to heed the message of Salman Rushdie, who lectured at Brown on the eve of Young's last scheduled court date, urging that all speakers be given the right to speak, even those whose views some find 'detestable.'"
For more information or to speak with an attorney from the Thomas More Society, contact Tom Ciesielka at 312- 422-1333 or tc@tcpr.net.
About the Thomas More Society
Founded in 1997, the Thomas More Society is a not-for- profit, public interest law firm based in Chicago and dedicated to fighting for the rights and dignity of all human beings, from conception until natural death. The Society vigorously defends clients in state and federal courtrooms around the country, addressing vital issues across the pro-life spectrum, including pregnancy discrimination, end-of-life health care, the right of conscientious objection for medical workers, freedom of speech, free exercise of religion, and peaceable nonviolent protest.
As a public interest law firm, the Thomas More Society is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization, supported solely by private donations. Visit http://www.thomasmoresociety.org/ for more information.
Christian Newswire
Latest A.L.L. Report Reveals Catholic Campaign for Human Development's Pro-Abortion Connections
WASHINGTON, March 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- American Life League's latest video report, "The CCHD's Pro-Abortion Friends" details the scandalous relationship between the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) and groups advocating for abortion and same-sex marriage.
Though American Life League and the Reform CCHD Now coalition have documented and profiled at least 15 organizations actively promoting abortion and same-sex marriage, and another 31 who are members of the Center for Community Change, the CCHD has yet to address the facts.
Among the unanswered charges detailed in the video:
* CCHD grantee San Francisco Organizing Project (SFOP) was defended by the CCHD and the Archdiocese of San Francisco, even though a January report proved that SFOP helped create and pass abortion-funding health care legislation.
* Two CCHD executives served as board members (at separate times) for the Center for Community Change from 1996-2008. The Center for Community Change has a record of pro-abortion and pro-same sex advocacy going back to at least 2004.
* While the CCHD continued to adamantly deny the charges, the USCCB-sponsored "Social Justice Ministry Gathering" featured several individuals who advocate for abortion and same-sex marriage.
"Catholics will be horrified to learn that donations meant to fulfill Christ's call to support our impoverished brothers and sisters are instead supporting groups that agitate for abortion and same-sex marriage," said Michael Hichborn, host of the ALL Report. "We are asking bishops around the country to follow the lead of seven of their brothers and suspend collections for the CCHD until a full investigation and overhaul of the organization is conducted."
American Life League was cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots Catholic pro-life organization in the United States and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to natural death. For more information or press inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
American Life League: ALL Report: The CCHD's Pro- Abortion Friends (05 March 2010)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTaW60MNb_g
Reform CCHD Now: http://reformcchdnow.com/
Christian Newswire
Though American Life League and the Reform CCHD Now coalition have documented and profiled at least 15 organizations actively promoting abortion and same-sex marriage, and another 31 who are members of the Center for Community Change, the CCHD has yet to address the facts.
Among the unanswered charges detailed in the video:
* CCHD grantee San Francisco Organizing Project (SFOP) was defended by the CCHD and the Archdiocese of San Francisco, even though a January report proved that SFOP helped create and pass abortion-funding health care legislation.
* Two CCHD executives served as board members (at separate times) for the Center for Community Change from 1996-2008. The Center for Community Change has a record of pro-abortion and pro-same sex advocacy going back to at least 2004.
* While the CCHD continued to adamantly deny the charges, the USCCB-sponsored "Social Justice Ministry Gathering" featured several individuals who advocate for abortion and same-sex marriage.
"Catholics will be horrified to learn that donations meant to fulfill Christ's call to support our impoverished brothers and sisters are instead supporting groups that agitate for abortion and same-sex marriage," said Michael Hichborn, host of the ALL Report. "We are asking bishops around the country to follow the lead of seven of their brothers and suspend collections for the CCHD until a full investigation and overhaul of the organization is conducted."
American Life League was cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots Catholic pro-life organization in the United States and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to natural death. For more information or press inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
American Life League: ALL Report: The CCHD's Pro- Abortion Friends (05 March 2010)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTaW60MNb_g
Reform CCHD Now: http://reformcchdnow.com/
Christian Newswire
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Australian Anglican group 'first' to sign up to Pope's call
Melbourne, Australia (ENI). A group of "traditional Anglicans" in Australia has voted to accept the recent invitation of Pope Benedict XIV to convert to full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, whilst retaining their membership of the Anglican Church. Meeting in Melbourne, the Australian branch of Forward in Faith, which comprises many members of the international anglo-catholic grouping called the Traditional Anglican Communion, "received with gratitude" the Pope's invitation to join Rome. They decided unanimously to establish a working group to enable the process to move forward. [545 words, ENI-10-0125]
ENI Online - http://www.eni.ch/
Ecumenical News International
PO Box 2100
CH - 1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland
Tel: (41-22) 791 6088 - 6111
Fax: (41-22) 788 7244
Email: eni@eni.ch
ENI Online - http://www.eni.ch/
Ecumenical News International
PO Box 2100
CH - 1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland
Tel: (41-22) 791 6088 - 6111
Fax: (41-22) 788 7244
Email: eni@eni.ch
President Creates Need to Reject Health Care Bill, Says Fr. Pavone
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 /Christian Newswire/ -- Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, issued the following statement today in response to the release of President Obama's version of health care reform legislation.
"The American people have already made their concerns about health care reform known," said Fr. Pavone. "The President's refusal to listen now makes it necessary to reject the bill in its entirety rather than to seek to reform it any further."
Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.
Christian Newswire
"The American people have already made their concerns about health care reform known," said Fr. Pavone. "The President's refusal to listen now makes it necessary to reject the bill in its entirety rather than to seek to reform it any further."
Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.
Christian Newswire
Friday, February 19, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
PAPAL MESSAGE FOR LENT 2010
VATICAN CITY, 4 FEB 2010 (VIS) - Made public today was the 2010 Lenten Message of the Holy Father Benedict XVI. The text, dated 30 October 2009, has as its title a passage from St. Paul's Letter to the Romans: "The justice of God has been manifested through faith in Jesus Christ". The full English-language translation of the document is given below:
"Each year, on the occasion of Lent, the Church invites us to a sincere review of our life in light of the teachings of the Gospel. This year, I would like to offer you some reflections on the great theme of justice, beginning from the Pauline affirmation: 'The justice of God has been manifested through faith in Jesus Christ'.
"First of all, I want to consider the meaning of the term 'justice', which in common usage implies 'to render to every man his due', according to the famous expression of Ulpian, a Roman jurist of the third century. In reality, however, this classical definition does not specify what 'due' is to be rendered to each person. What man needs most cannot be guaranteed to him by law. In order to live life to the full, something more intimate is necessary that can be granted only as a gift: we could say that man lives by that love which only God can communicate since He created the human person in His image and likeness. Material goods are certainly useful and required - indeed Jesus Himself was concerned to heal the sick, feed the crowds that followed Him and surely condemns the indifference that even today forces hundreds of millions into death through lack of food, water and medicine - yet 'distributive' justice does not render to the human being the totality of his 'due'. Just as man needs bread, so does man have even more need of God. St. Augustine notes: if 'justice is that virtue which gives every one his due ... where, then, is the justice of man, when he deserts the true God?'
"The Evangelist Mark reports the following words of Jesus, which are inserted within the debate at that time regarding what is pure and impure: 'There is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him. ... What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts'. Beyond the immediate question concerning food, we can detect in the reaction of the Pharisees a permanent temptation within man: to situate the origin of evil in an exterior cause. Many modern ideologies deep down have this presupposition: since injustice comes 'from outside', in order for justice to reign, it is sufficient to remove the exterior causes that prevent it being achieved. This way of thinking - Jesus warns - is ingenuous and short-sighted. Injustice, the fruit of evil, does not have exclusively external roots; its origin lies in the human heart, where the seeds are found of a mysterious co-operation with evil. With bitterness the Psalmist recognises this: 'Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me'. Indeed, man is weakened by an intense influence, which wounds his capacity to enter into communion with the other. By nature, he is open to sharing freely, but he finds in his being a strange force of gravity that makes him turn in and affirm himself above and against others: this is egoism, the result of original sin. Adam and Eve, seduced by Satan's lie, snatching the mysterious fruit against the divine command, replaced the logic of trusting in Love with that of suspicion and competition; the logic of receiving and trustfully expecting from the Other with anxiously seizing and doing on one's own, experiencing, as a consequence, a sense of disquiet and uncertainty. How can man free himself from this selfish influence and open himself to love?
"At the heart of the wisdom of Israel, we find a profound link between faith in God who 'lifts the needy from the ash heap' and justice towards one's neighbour. The Hebrew word itself that indicates the virtue of justice, 'sedaqah', expresses this well. 'Sedaqah', in fact, signifies on the one hand full acceptance of the will of the God of Israel; on the other hand, equity in relation to one's neighbour, especially the poor, the stranger, the orphan and the widow. But the two meanings are linked because giving to the poor for the Israelite is none other than restoring what is owed to God, who had pity on the misery of His people. It was not by chance that the gift to Moses of the tablets of the Law on Mount Sinai took place after the crossing of the Red Sea. Listening to the Law presupposes faith in God who first 'heard the cry' of His people and 'came down to deliver them out of hand of the Egyptians'. God is attentive to the cry of the poor and in return asks to be listened to: He asks for justice towards the poor, the stranger, the slave. In order to enter into justice, it is thus necessary to leave that illusion of self-sufficiency, the profound state of closure, which is the very origin of injustice. In other words, what is needed is an even deeper 'exodus' than that accomplished by God with Moses, a liberation of the heart, which the Law on its own is powerless to realize. Does man have any hope of justice then?
"The Christian Good News responds positively to man's thirst for justice, as St. Paul affirms in the Letter to the Romans: 'But now the justice of God has been manifested apart from law ... the justice of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by His blood, to be received by faith'.
"What then is the justice of Christ? Above all, it is the justice that comes from grace, where it is not man who makes amends, heals himself and others. The fact that 'expiation' flows from the 'blood' of Christ signifies that it is not man's sacrifices that free him from the weight of his faults, but the loving act of God Who opens Himself in the extreme, even to the point of bearing in Himself the 'curse' due to man so as to give in return the 'blessing' due to God. But this raises an immediate objection: what kind of justice is this where the just man dies for the guilty and the guilty receives in return the blessing due to the just one? Would this not mean that each one receives the contrary of his 'due'? In reality, here we discover divine justice, which is so profoundly different from its human counterpart. God has paid for us the price of the exchange in His Son, a price that is truly exorbitant. Before the justice of the Cross, man may rebel for this reveals how man is not a self-sufficient being, but in need of Another in order to realize himself fully. Conversion to Christ, believing in the Gospel, ultimately means this: to exit the illusion of self-sufficiency in order to discover and accept one's own need - the need of others and God, the need of His forgiveness and His friendship.
"So we understand how faith is altogether different from a natural, good-feeling, obvious fact: humility is required to accept that I need Another to free me from 'what is mine', to give me gratuitously 'what is His'. This happens especially in the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Thanks to Christ's action, we may enter into the 'greatest' justice, which is that of love, the justice that recognises itself in every case more a debtor than a creditor, because it has received more than could ever have been expected. Strengthened by this very experience, the Christian is moved to contribute to creating just societies, where all receive what is necessary to live according to the dignity proper to the human person and where justice is enlivened by love.
"Dear brothers and sisters, Lent culminates in the Paschal Triduum, in which this year, too, we shall celebrate divine justice - the fullness of charity, gift, salvation. May this penitential season be for every Christian a time of authentic conversion and intense knowledge of the mystery of Christ, who came to fulfil every justice. With these sentiments, I cordially impart to all of you my apostolic blessing".
MESS/LENT 2010/... VIS 100204 (1480)
The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source: V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service. Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City
"Each year, on the occasion of Lent, the Church invites us to a sincere review of our life in light of the teachings of the Gospel. This year, I would like to offer you some reflections on the great theme of justice, beginning from the Pauline affirmation: 'The justice of God has been manifested through faith in Jesus Christ'.
"First of all, I want to consider the meaning of the term 'justice', which in common usage implies 'to render to every man his due', according to the famous expression of Ulpian, a Roman jurist of the third century. In reality, however, this classical definition does not specify what 'due' is to be rendered to each person. What man needs most cannot be guaranteed to him by law. In order to live life to the full, something more intimate is necessary that can be granted only as a gift: we could say that man lives by that love which only God can communicate since He created the human person in His image and likeness. Material goods are certainly useful and required - indeed Jesus Himself was concerned to heal the sick, feed the crowds that followed Him and surely condemns the indifference that even today forces hundreds of millions into death through lack of food, water and medicine - yet 'distributive' justice does not render to the human being the totality of his 'due'. Just as man needs bread, so does man have even more need of God. St. Augustine notes: if 'justice is that virtue which gives every one his due ... where, then, is the justice of man, when he deserts the true God?'
"The Evangelist Mark reports the following words of Jesus, which are inserted within the debate at that time regarding what is pure and impure: 'There is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him. ... What comes out of a man is what defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts'. Beyond the immediate question concerning food, we can detect in the reaction of the Pharisees a permanent temptation within man: to situate the origin of evil in an exterior cause. Many modern ideologies deep down have this presupposition: since injustice comes 'from outside', in order for justice to reign, it is sufficient to remove the exterior causes that prevent it being achieved. This way of thinking - Jesus warns - is ingenuous and short-sighted. Injustice, the fruit of evil, does not have exclusively external roots; its origin lies in the human heart, where the seeds are found of a mysterious co-operation with evil. With bitterness the Psalmist recognises this: 'Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me'. Indeed, man is weakened by an intense influence, which wounds his capacity to enter into communion with the other. By nature, he is open to sharing freely, but he finds in his being a strange force of gravity that makes him turn in and affirm himself above and against others: this is egoism, the result of original sin. Adam and Eve, seduced by Satan's lie, snatching the mysterious fruit against the divine command, replaced the logic of trusting in Love with that of suspicion and competition; the logic of receiving and trustfully expecting from the Other with anxiously seizing and doing on one's own, experiencing, as a consequence, a sense of disquiet and uncertainty. How can man free himself from this selfish influence and open himself to love?
"At the heart of the wisdom of Israel, we find a profound link between faith in God who 'lifts the needy from the ash heap' and justice towards one's neighbour. The Hebrew word itself that indicates the virtue of justice, 'sedaqah', expresses this well. 'Sedaqah', in fact, signifies on the one hand full acceptance of the will of the God of Israel; on the other hand, equity in relation to one's neighbour, especially the poor, the stranger, the orphan and the widow. But the two meanings are linked because giving to the poor for the Israelite is none other than restoring what is owed to God, who had pity on the misery of His people. It was not by chance that the gift to Moses of the tablets of the Law on Mount Sinai took place after the crossing of the Red Sea. Listening to the Law presupposes faith in God who first 'heard the cry' of His people and 'came down to deliver them out of hand of the Egyptians'. God is attentive to the cry of the poor and in return asks to be listened to: He asks for justice towards the poor, the stranger, the slave. In order to enter into justice, it is thus necessary to leave that illusion of self-sufficiency, the profound state of closure, which is the very origin of injustice. In other words, what is needed is an even deeper 'exodus' than that accomplished by God with Moses, a liberation of the heart, which the Law on its own is powerless to realize. Does man have any hope of justice then?
"The Christian Good News responds positively to man's thirst for justice, as St. Paul affirms in the Letter to the Romans: 'But now the justice of God has been manifested apart from law ... the justice of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as an expiation by His blood, to be received by faith'.
"What then is the justice of Christ? Above all, it is the justice that comes from grace, where it is not man who makes amends, heals himself and others. The fact that 'expiation' flows from the 'blood' of Christ signifies that it is not man's sacrifices that free him from the weight of his faults, but the loving act of God Who opens Himself in the extreme, even to the point of bearing in Himself the 'curse' due to man so as to give in return the 'blessing' due to God. But this raises an immediate objection: what kind of justice is this where the just man dies for the guilty and the guilty receives in return the blessing due to the just one? Would this not mean that each one receives the contrary of his 'due'? In reality, here we discover divine justice, which is so profoundly different from its human counterpart. God has paid for us the price of the exchange in His Son, a price that is truly exorbitant. Before the justice of the Cross, man may rebel for this reveals how man is not a self-sufficient being, but in need of Another in order to realize himself fully. Conversion to Christ, believing in the Gospel, ultimately means this: to exit the illusion of self-sufficiency in order to discover and accept one's own need - the need of others and God, the need of His forgiveness and His friendship.
"So we understand how faith is altogether different from a natural, good-feeling, obvious fact: humility is required to accept that I need Another to free me from 'what is mine', to give me gratuitously 'what is His'. This happens especially in the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Thanks to Christ's action, we may enter into the 'greatest' justice, which is that of love, the justice that recognises itself in every case more a debtor than a creditor, because it has received more than could ever have been expected. Strengthened by this very experience, the Christian is moved to contribute to creating just societies, where all receive what is necessary to live according to the dignity proper to the human person and where justice is enlivened by love.
"Dear brothers and sisters, Lent culminates in the Paschal Triduum, in which this year, too, we shall celebrate divine justice - the fullness of charity, gift, salvation. May this penitential season be for every Christian a time of authentic conversion and intense knowledge of the mystery of Christ, who came to fulfil every justice. With these sentiments, I cordially impart to all of you my apostolic blessing".
MESS/LENT 2010/... VIS 100204 (1480)
The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source: V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service. Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City
Monday, February 15, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
This time they want the Post Office to cancel a planned new stamp honoring Mother Teresa
From: Brian Burch - CatholicVoteAction.org
Date sent 02/11/2010 09:02:20 am
Subject: Who hates Mother Teresa?
Dear CatholicVote Member,
The anti-religion crusaders are at it again.
This time they want the Post Office to cancel a planned new stamp honoring Mother Teresa.
I am continually shocked by the persistence of these activist groups. They seem to never give up! Any mention or reference of God must be wiped out. The Pledge of Allegiance, In God We Trust, you name it… they want it boarded up, whitewashed, and banished from our public life.
But not this time. Not Mother Teresa.
Sign on to our group letter to the Postmaster General here – http://www.stampoutbigotry.com/
A group called the Freedom from Religion Foundation is now spreading lies about Blessed Mother Teresa accusing this holy nun of having a ‘darker side,’ and calling her a ‘polarizing Roman Catholic figurehead.’
That’s why we decided to act swiftly and make sure this anti-Mother Teresa campaign doesn’t gain any more momentum.
The groups now protesting the new stamp never protested other stamps honoring Gandhi, or even Martin Luther King, Jr. who proudly understood his fight for civil rights to be rooted in his Christian faith.
What is plain is that these groups not only dislike Mother Teresa, they despise the Catholic Church. They simply cannot stomach the thought of the United States Postal Service honoring a Catholic nun who spoke out against abortion, contraception, and against the atheistic materialism of the west.
In her famous 1994 speech at the National Prayer Breakfast, Mother Teresa closed with these words:
“From here, a sign of care for the weakest of the weak - the unborn child - must go out to the world. If you become a burning light of justice and peace in the world, then really you will be true to what the founders of this country stood for. God bless you!”
Please sign our letter to Postmaster General Jack Potter at http://www.stampoutbigotry.com/
Please send this to your friends and family too. We need to push back against this ugly campaign, and stand up for this holy nun and all that she lived for.
Mother Teresa stood up for the best of America’s ideals. Now it’s time we stand up for her.
Sincerely,
Brian Burch
President
CatholicVoteAction.org
P.S. The Post Office announced that the new Mother Teresa stamp will be released August 26th. I plan to buy hundreds of them for all our business mail at CatholicVote! Tell the Postmaster you support the new stamp by signing our petition at http://www.stampoutbigotry.com/
NOTE: This message was paid for by CatholicVoteAction.org. As a public policy advocacy group, contributions to CatholicVoteAction.org are NOT tax-deductible. Contributions to CatholicVote.org remain tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CatholicVoteAction.org, P.O. Box 2709, Chicago, IL 60690
Call us at 312-201-6559
Support CatholicVoteAction by visiting https://www.catholicvoteaction.org/donations.php
Date sent 02/11/2010 09:02:20 am
Subject: Who hates Mother Teresa?
Dear CatholicVote Member,
The anti-religion crusaders are at it again.
This time they want the Post Office to cancel a planned new stamp honoring Mother Teresa.
I am continually shocked by the persistence of these activist groups. They seem to never give up! Any mention or reference of God must be wiped out. The Pledge of Allegiance, In God We Trust, you name it… they want it boarded up, whitewashed, and banished from our public life.
But not this time. Not Mother Teresa.
Sign on to our group letter to the Postmaster General here – http://www.stampoutbigotry.com/
A group called the Freedom from Religion Foundation is now spreading lies about Blessed Mother Teresa accusing this holy nun of having a ‘darker side,’ and calling her a ‘polarizing Roman Catholic figurehead.’
That’s why we decided to act swiftly and make sure this anti-Mother Teresa campaign doesn’t gain any more momentum.
The groups now protesting the new stamp never protested other stamps honoring Gandhi, or even Martin Luther King, Jr. who proudly understood his fight for civil rights to be rooted in his Christian faith.
What is plain is that these groups not only dislike Mother Teresa, they despise the Catholic Church. They simply cannot stomach the thought of the United States Postal Service honoring a Catholic nun who spoke out against abortion, contraception, and against the atheistic materialism of the west.
In her famous 1994 speech at the National Prayer Breakfast, Mother Teresa closed with these words:
“From here, a sign of care for the weakest of the weak - the unborn child - must go out to the world. If you become a burning light of justice and peace in the world, then really you will be true to what the founders of this country stood for. God bless you!”
Please sign our letter to Postmaster General Jack Potter at http://www.stampoutbigotry.com/
Please send this to your friends and family too. We need to push back against this ugly campaign, and stand up for this holy nun and all that she lived for.
Mother Teresa stood up for the best of America’s ideals. Now it’s time we stand up for her.
Sincerely,
Brian Burch
President
CatholicVoteAction.org
P.S. The Post Office announced that the new Mother Teresa stamp will be released August 26th. I plan to buy hundreds of them for all our business mail at CatholicVote! Tell the Postmaster you support the new stamp by signing our petition at http://www.stampoutbigotry.com/
NOTE: This message was paid for by CatholicVoteAction.org. As a public policy advocacy group, contributions to CatholicVoteAction.org are NOT tax-deductible. Contributions to CatholicVote.org remain tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CatholicVoteAction.org, P.O. Box 2709, Chicago, IL 60690
Call us at 312-201-6559
Support CatholicVoteAction by visiting https://www.catholicvoteaction.org/donations.php
Catholic Coalition Petitions Bishops Conference to End Pro-Abortion Grants
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 /Christian Newswire/ -- American Life League, Human Life International, Catholic Advocate, Bellarmine Veritas Ministry and Real Catholic TV, members of the Reform CCHD Now coalition, launched a petition drive Thursday asking the bishops to suspend United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) grants.
The effort comes after repeated calls over the past three months for explanations from the USCCB in response to the discovery of CCHD money spent to support organizations promoting abortion and same- sex marriage.
American Catholics will be asked to sign the following at http://www.reformcchdnow.com/:
"To ensure no more Catholic dollars are spent to support organizations advocating abortion or same- sex marriage, I respectfully request the bishops suspend all national CCHD grants until the grants process has been reformed."
"Transparency and responsible stewardship of the money donated by hard-working American Catholics to further the mission of the Church should be a top priority for those in positions of authority at the Bishops' Conference," said Catholic Advocate Vice President Matt Smith.
A copy of the petition will be presented to the following:
• Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York and Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development
• Bishop Roger Morin of Biloxi, Mississippi and Chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on the CCHD
• Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas, Texas and Chairman of the USCCB Committee on National Collections
• Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Texas and Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities
• Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky and Chairman of the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage
CCHD donations are traditionally collected the weekend before Thanksgiving each year as one of the thirteen funds of the USCCB's National Collections program. Donations average between $7 - 9 million annually.
Below is a summary of what has transpired since information on CCHD grant recipients first surfaced in August 2009 by the Bellarmine Veritas Ministry.
* In October 2009, Human Life International, American Life League and the Bellarmine Veritas Ministry formed the Reform CCHD Now coalition. Twenty-one organizations are now members of the coalition.
* On Oct. 2 Bishop Morin announced that CCHD grantee groups Young Workers United and the Chinese Progressive Association had been defunded in response to the reports.
* In November 2009 the Reform CCHD Now coalition revealed the CCHD was supporting 31 organizations which are members of a radically pro-abortion, pro same sex marriage organization.
* Also in November 2009 another detailed report was issued by American Life League and Bellarmine Veritas Ministry implicating MIV partners, CA Partnership partners, SFOP, Preble Street, Voces De La Frontera, and many others.
* By Nov. 25, 2009 LifeSiteNews reported that five bishops had decided to discontinue the CCHD collection.
* On Monday, Feb. 1 American Life League and the Bellarmine Veritas Ministry released further information on CCHD ties to the pro-abortion, same sex marriage Center for Community Change. Two top USCCB executives involved with the CCHD have served on the board of the CCC.
* On Tuesday, February 2, 2010, RealCatholicTV.com released video evidence that within hours of the initial story breaking, the USCCB and Center for Community Change each removed any reference to the other organization from their respective websites.
* On Tuesday, Feb. 2 Catholic Advocate called upon the Catholic Campaign for Human Development to suspend its grants pending "a complete review of its awards process."
The USCCB has yet to adequately respond to any of the charges since Bishop Morin's Oct. 2 memorandum, but has instead attempted to reframe the reports as a personal attack against USCCB employees.
"We remain hopeful these issues will be addressed, potentially leading to a renewal of the CCHD, and making it an organization that is a source of unity rather than division in the Church," said Human Life International's Stephen Phelan.
Phelan added, "we respectfully ask the Episcopal leadership of the USCCB to consider the petition in good faith."
The Reform CCHD Now coalition is a group of 21 Catholic organizations concerned that funds provided to the National Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) in special annual collections continued to support organizations that advocate for abortion and same-sex marriage. For more information on the Reform CCHD Now Coalition please see http://www.reformcchdnow.com/ and contact Stephen Phelan at 540-622-5270 (sphelan@hli.org) or Katie Walker at 540-659-4942 (kwalker@all.org).
Christian Newswire
The effort comes after repeated calls over the past three months for explanations from the USCCB in response to the discovery of CCHD money spent to support organizations promoting abortion and same- sex marriage.
American Catholics will be asked to sign the following at http://www.reformcchdnow.com/:
"To ensure no more Catholic dollars are spent to support organizations advocating abortion or same- sex marriage, I respectfully request the bishops suspend all national CCHD grants until the grants process has been reformed."
"Transparency and responsible stewardship of the money donated by hard-working American Catholics to further the mission of the Church should be a top priority for those in positions of authority at the Bishops' Conference," said Catholic Advocate Vice President Matt Smith.
A copy of the petition will be presented to the following:
• Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York and Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development
• Bishop Roger Morin of Biloxi, Mississippi and Chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee on the CCHD
• Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas, Texas and Chairman of the USCCB Committee on National Collections
• Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, Texas and Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities
• Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky and Chairman of the USCCB Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage
CCHD donations are traditionally collected the weekend before Thanksgiving each year as one of the thirteen funds of the USCCB's National Collections program. Donations average between $7 - 9 million annually.
Below is a summary of what has transpired since information on CCHD grant recipients first surfaced in August 2009 by the Bellarmine Veritas Ministry.
* In October 2009, Human Life International, American Life League and the Bellarmine Veritas Ministry formed the Reform CCHD Now coalition. Twenty-one organizations are now members of the coalition.
* On Oct. 2 Bishop Morin announced that CCHD grantee groups Young Workers United and the Chinese Progressive Association had been defunded in response to the reports.
* In November 2009 the Reform CCHD Now coalition revealed the CCHD was supporting 31 organizations which are members of a radically pro-abortion, pro same sex marriage organization.
* Also in November 2009 another detailed report was issued by American Life League and Bellarmine Veritas Ministry implicating MIV partners, CA Partnership partners, SFOP, Preble Street, Voces De La Frontera, and many others.
* By Nov. 25, 2009 LifeSiteNews reported that five bishops had decided to discontinue the CCHD collection.
* On Monday, Feb. 1 American Life League and the Bellarmine Veritas Ministry released further information on CCHD ties to the pro-abortion, same sex marriage Center for Community Change. Two top USCCB executives involved with the CCHD have served on the board of the CCC.
* On Tuesday, February 2, 2010, RealCatholicTV.com released video evidence that within hours of the initial story breaking, the USCCB and Center for Community Change each removed any reference to the other organization from their respective websites.
* On Tuesday, Feb. 2 Catholic Advocate called upon the Catholic Campaign for Human Development to suspend its grants pending "a complete review of its awards process."
The USCCB has yet to adequately respond to any of the charges since Bishop Morin's Oct. 2 memorandum, but has instead attempted to reframe the reports as a personal attack against USCCB employees.
"We remain hopeful these issues will be addressed, potentially leading to a renewal of the CCHD, and making it an organization that is a source of unity rather than division in the Church," said Human Life International's Stephen Phelan.
Phelan added, "we respectfully ask the Episcopal leadership of the USCCB to consider the petition in good faith."
The Reform CCHD Now coalition is a group of 21 Catholic organizations concerned that funds provided to the National Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) in special annual collections continued to support organizations that advocate for abortion and same-sex marriage. For more information on the Reform CCHD Now Coalition please see http://www.reformcchdnow.com/ and contact Stephen Phelan at 540-622-5270 (sphelan@hli.org) or Katie Walker at 540-659-4942 (kwalker@all.org).
Christian Newswire
Monday, February 08, 2010
Friday, February 05, 2010
Omission in Planned Parenthood's Tebow Response Speaks Volumes -- Dr. Alveda King
ATLANTA, Feb. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Dr. Alveda King, Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life and niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., commented today on Planned Parenthood's response to the Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad.
"Planned Parenthood's response to the Tebow family's Super Bowl ad continues that organization's history of deception," said Dr. King. "It features two African Americans, Planned Parenthood's preferred target for abortion, talking about 'respecting' women's choices without ever mentioning the 'A' word. Spare me. If abortion is supposed to be a choice that everyone respects, why can't Planned Parenthood even allow the word to be spoken?"
Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro- life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.
Christian Newswire
"Planned Parenthood's response to the Tebow family's Super Bowl ad continues that organization's history of deception," said Dr. King. "It features two African Americans, Planned Parenthood's preferred target for abortion, talking about 'respecting' women's choices without ever mentioning the 'A' word. Spare me. If abortion is supposed to be a choice that everyone respects, why can't Planned Parenthood even allow the word to be spoken?"
Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro- life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.
Christian Newswire
Bishop Gene Robinson claims Bible does not address ‘monogamous’ same-sex relationships
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=18571
WASHINGTON D.C., February 5 (CNA) - The first openly homosexual Episcopal bishop, V. Gene Robinson, has claimed that the Bible does not address the ethics of “monogamous, lifelong” homosexual relationships. He suggested that the people of St. Paul’s times did not realize that some people were “affectionally oriented” to their own sex.
On Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., CNSNews.com spoke to Bishop Robinson about St. Paul’s condemnation in the Book of Romans of “unnatural” relations and “indecent acts” between members of the same sex. CNSNews.com asked if St. Paul was right to say homosexual acts were against nature.
The bishop said Scripture needed to be understood “in its own context.”
“We have to understand that the notion of a homosexual sexual orientation is a notion that’s only about 125 years old,” he added.
“That is to say, St. Paul was talking about people that he understood to be heterosexual engaging in same-sex acts," said Bishop Robinson.
The concept “heterosexual” also only dates to the nineteenth century, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
"It never occurred to anyone in ancient times that a certain minority of us would be born being affectionally oriented to people of the same sex,” the bishop told CNSNews.com “So it did seem like against their nature to be doing so.”
He also claimed that St. Paul was condemning the practice of his times, in which older men sexually used younger boys.
“So the real question when you look at Scripture is, ‘What did it mean to the person who wrote it?’” said Bishop Robinson. “‘What did it mean for the audience to whom it was written?’ And only then can we ask, ‘Is it eternally binding?’ And in this case, I would say, the things that St. Paul was against, I’m against, too.”
He said the question today should be the rightfulness of “faithful, monogamous, lifelong-intentioned relationships between people of the same sex.’”
According to the Episcopal bishop, the Bible “simply does not address that.”
Robinson, who was married and has two daughters, divorced his wife and is now involved in a homosexual relationship. His ordination heightened conflict between the Episcopal Church and the global Anglican Communion of which it is a part.
Bishop Robinson delivered the invocation at the presidential inaugural’s opening ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial on Jan. 18, 2009.
The bishop’s interpretation of Scripture is shared by some homosexual activists but not adhered to by most Christians. Homosexual tendencies are described as “objectively disordered” by the Catechism of the Catholic Church, while homosexual acts are “contrary to the natural law” and can “under no circumstances” be approved.
Biblical scholar and Anglican Bishop of Durham N.T. Wright has also criticized some Episcopalians’ theology for treating chastity as “optional.”
“Jewish, Christian and Muslim teachers have always insisted that lifelong man-plus-woman marriage is the proper context for sexual intercourse,” he explained in the London Times.
“This is not (as is frequently suggested) an arbitrary rule, dualistic in overtone and killjoy in intention. It is a deep structural reflection of the belief in a creator God who has entered into covenant both with his creation and with his people.”
This understanding is “the uniform teaching of the whole Bible, of Jesus himself, and of the entire Christian tradition,” he wrote.
WASHINGTON D.C., February 5 (CNA) - The first openly homosexual Episcopal bishop, V. Gene Robinson, has claimed that the Bible does not address the ethics of “monogamous, lifelong” homosexual relationships. He suggested that the people of St. Paul’s times did not realize that some people were “affectionally oriented” to their own sex.
On Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., CNSNews.com spoke to Bishop Robinson about St. Paul’s condemnation in the Book of Romans of “unnatural” relations and “indecent acts” between members of the same sex. CNSNews.com asked if St. Paul was right to say homosexual acts were against nature.
The bishop said Scripture needed to be understood “in its own context.”
“We have to understand that the notion of a homosexual sexual orientation is a notion that’s only about 125 years old,” he added.
“That is to say, St. Paul was talking about people that he understood to be heterosexual engaging in same-sex acts," said Bishop Robinson.
The concept “heterosexual” also only dates to the nineteenth century, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
"It never occurred to anyone in ancient times that a certain minority of us would be born being affectionally oriented to people of the same sex,” the bishop told CNSNews.com “So it did seem like against their nature to be doing so.”
He also claimed that St. Paul was condemning the practice of his times, in which older men sexually used younger boys.
“So the real question when you look at Scripture is, ‘What did it mean to the person who wrote it?’” said Bishop Robinson. “‘What did it mean for the audience to whom it was written?’ And only then can we ask, ‘Is it eternally binding?’ And in this case, I would say, the things that St. Paul was against, I’m against, too.”
He said the question today should be the rightfulness of “faithful, monogamous, lifelong-intentioned relationships between people of the same sex.’”
According to the Episcopal bishop, the Bible “simply does not address that.”
Robinson, who was married and has two daughters, divorced his wife and is now involved in a homosexual relationship. His ordination heightened conflict between the Episcopal Church and the global Anglican Communion of which it is a part.
Bishop Robinson delivered the invocation at the presidential inaugural’s opening ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial on Jan. 18, 2009.
The bishop’s interpretation of Scripture is shared by some homosexual activists but not adhered to by most Christians. Homosexual tendencies are described as “objectively disordered” by the Catechism of the Catholic Church, while homosexual acts are “contrary to the natural law” and can “under no circumstances” be approved.
Biblical scholar and Anglican Bishop of Durham N.T. Wright has also criticized some Episcopalians’ theology for treating chastity as “optional.”
“Jewish, Christian and Muslim teachers have always insisted that lifelong man-plus-woman marriage is the proper context for sexual intercourse,” he explained in the London Times.
“This is not (as is frequently suggested) an arbitrary rule, dualistic in overtone and killjoy in intention. It is a deep structural reflection of the belief in a creator God who has entered into covenant both with his creation and with his people.”
This understanding is “the uniform teaching of the whole Bible, of Jesus himself, and of the entire Christian tradition,” he wrote.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Just exactly what IS the USCCB?
A commentary from http://www.realcatholictv.com/ What is the USCCB and why is there always some controversy swirling around it?
Scandal-Ridden USCCB Brings Pro-Abortion, LGBT Rights Activists to Speak and 4-Day Event
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 /Christian Newswire/ -- Already embroiled in an abortion scandal, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will host a line-up of progressive leaders -- including prominent pro-abortion activists -- to their "Catholic Social Gathering" in Washington, D.C., Feb. 7-10.
The announced USCCB "gathering" conference comes on the heels of revelations the USCCB has long standing ties to the radically pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage group Center for Community Change. New evidence continues to emerge that the CCC is only a small part of a larger collaboration with organizations that promote abortion and homosexual rights agendas.
Presenting at the Social Gathering will be:
- Fr. Thomas Reese, who was forced to resign as editor of America Magazine by the Vatican for his refusal to stop publishing articles which question church orthodoxy on issues like contraception, human embryonic stem-cell research, same-sex marriage, homosexual priests, mandatory clerical celibacy, and whether Catholic politicians who support abortion rights should be given communion
- Diana Hayes, professor of systematic theology at Georgetown University and noted speaker for Call to Action, the "Catholic" dissident group. Hayes is a homosexuality activist who wrote a book espousing liberation theology, calls for women's ordination and promotes same-sex "marriage."
- Page six of the official "Catholic Social Gathering" program gives a schedule for the Catholic Labor Network Gathering. USCCB exec John Carr is scheduled to join Paul Booth on a panel discussion. Paul Booth and his wife Heather Booth (another prominent pro-abortion activist with ties to the National Organization for Women, who helped organize a group called "JANE" in 1965 which helped young women obtain illegal abortions) founded the Midwest Academy a training institute for progressive activists.
- Paul Booth and his wife have served as host committee members for the National Organization for Women's Intrepid Awards Gala.
- Currently Paul Booth is executive assistant to the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The AFSCME endorsed the pro-abortion March for Freedom of Choice, held in Washington, D.C. in 2004.
"Looking at this speaker lineup, one wonders if USCCB staff is thinking clearly about Catholic Social Teaching. Why are those who represent openly anti- life and pro-homosexualist organizations treated as experts in the field of peace and justice by Catholics who should know better?" asked Michael Hichborn, American Life League's lead researcher into the USCCB.
American Life League was cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots Catholic pro- life organization in the United States and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to natural death. For more information or press inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
American Life League: Open Letter to Tom Grenchik Regarding USCCB Cooperation With and Support for Pro-Abortion and Radical Homosexual Groups (04 February 2010)
http://all.org/article.php?id=12532
Reform CCHD Now:
http://reformcchdnow.com/
Christian Newswire
The announced USCCB "gathering" conference comes on the heels of revelations the USCCB has long standing ties to the radically pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage group Center for Community Change. New evidence continues to emerge that the CCC is only a small part of a larger collaboration with organizations that promote abortion and homosexual rights agendas.
Presenting at the Social Gathering will be:
- Fr. Thomas Reese, who was forced to resign as editor of America Magazine by the Vatican for his refusal to stop publishing articles which question church orthodoxy on issues like contraception, human embryonic stem-cell research, same-sex marriage, homosexual priests, mandatory clerical celibacy, and whether Catholic politicians who support abortion rights should be given communion
- Diana Hayes, professor of systematic theology at Georgetown University and noted speaker for Call to Action, the "Catholic" dissident group. Hayes is a homosexuality activist who wrote a book espousing liberation theology, calls for women's ordination and promotes same-sex "marriage."
- Page six of the official "Catholic Social Gathering" program gives a schedule for the Catholic Labor Network Gathering. USCCB exec John Carr is scheduled to join Paul Booth on a panel discussion. Paul Booth and his wife Heather Booth (another prominent pro-abortion activist with ties to the National Organization for Women, who helped organize a group called "JANE" in 1965 which helped young women obtain illegal abortions) founded the Midwest Academy a training institute for progressive activists.
- Paul Booth and his wife have served as host committee members for the National Organization for Women's Intrepid Awards Gala.
- Currently Paul Booth is executive assistant to the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The AFSCME endorsed the pro-abortion March for Freedom of Choice, held in Washington, D.C. in 2004.
"Looking at this speaker lineup, one wonders if USCCB staff is thinking clearly about Catholic Social Teaching. Why are those who represent openly anti- life and pro-homosexualist organizations treated as experts in the field of peace and justice by Catholics who should know better?" asked Michael Hichborn, American Life League's lead researcher into the USCCB.
American Life League was cofounded in 1979 by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots Catholic pro- life organization in the United States and is committed to the protection of all innocent human beings from the moment of creation to natural death. For more information or press inquiries, please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
American Life League: Open Letter to Tom Grenchik Regarding USCCB Cooperation With and Support for Pro-Abortion and Radical Homosexual Groups (04 February 2010)
http://all.org/article.php?id=12532
Reform CCHD Now:
http://reformcchdnow.com/
Christian Newswire
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