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Showing posts from 2019

Pope Francis abolishes the pontifical secret for sexual misconduct cases involving clerics

Pope Francis has abolished the pontifical secret for sexual misconduct cases concerning clerics, reports America’s Vatican correspondent Gerard O'Connell, a decision long called for by survivors of abuse. Pope Francis abolishes the pontifical secret for sexual misconduct cases involving clerics | America Magazine :

Hillary Clinton leaves flowers for Our Lady of Guadalupe, asks ‘Who painted it?’

During her recent visit to Mexico, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made an unexpected stop at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and left a bouquet of white flowers “on behalf of the American people,” after asking who painted the famous image. Hillary Clinton leaves flowers for Our Lady of Guadalupe, asks ‘Who painted it?’ :

Surge of new abuse claims threatens church like never before

At the end of another long day trying to sign up new clients accusing the Roman Catholic Church of sexual abuse, lawyer Adam Slater gazes out the window of his high-rise Manhattan office at one of the great symbols of the church, St. Patrick's Cathedral. "I wonder how much that's worth?" he muses. "It's not a cash grab," he said. "They want to have a voice. They want to help other people and make sure it doesn't happen again."I haven't had one person ask me about the money yet." Clearly, the Church is not the only hypocritical party in these affairs. Sadly, it's the actual victim's interests that are being neglected yet again. Surge of new abuse claims threatens church like never before - Religion News Service : (AP) —

“I utterly reject Bergoglio, so how can I remain a Catholic?” Fr. Z’s rant and beatdown.

An EXCELLENT response to someone who is thinking of leaving the Church because they do not accept Pope Francis as being a valid or legitimate Pope from someone who is certainly NOT one of the Pope's fans! ASK FATHER: “I utterly reject Bergoglio, so how can I remain a Catholic?” Fr. Z’s rant and beatdown. | Fr. Z's Blog

Italian bishops face blowback for opening to divorced/remarried Catholics

Two Italian bishops are currently making waves after issuing public statements allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive the sacraments and apologizing for having “ignored” these couples in parish life, insisting that their decisions are in line with Pope Francis’s own view. Italian bishops face blowback for opening to divorced/remarried Catholics :

Is Asia the next stop for Pope Francis' clergy reform?

... Is Asia the next stop for Pope Francis' clergy reform?   The pope has chosen the Amazon region to test moves such as ordaining married men as priests. Clearly, he sees it as a first step to lifting the obligation of celibacy for clergy the world over and not just to address 'emergency pastoral needs' in the Amazon. Is Asia the next stop for Pope Francis' clergy reform? - La Croix International :

A song with lyrics that we should all try to live by!

Clamor over Vatican II misreads church history

Decades of debate, war and secularization shaped the church's encounter with the modern world long before the council, writes George Weigel. By understanding their past, Catholics can better engage in the present while envisioning their future. Clamor over Vatican II misreads church history – Catholic Philly :

B.C. man is one of the first Canadians with dementia to die with medical assistance

When Canada's medical assistance in dying law was passed in 2016, the widespread assumption was that it excluded those with a dementia diagnosis. But Gayle Garlock decided to challenge that assumption and to test the limits of the law. B.C. man is one of the first Canadians with dementia to die with medical assistance | CBC Radio :

Amazon synod reports support, dissent on married priests and women deacons

 Judging from Friday’s reports, the Oct. 6-27 Synod on the Amazon, there’s overwhelming consensus on most points, such as Pope Francis’s call for an “integral ecology.” Yet even within that climate of basic harmony, there were also scattered notes of dissent on two hot-button questions: Married priests and women deacons. Amazon synod reports support, dissent on married priests and women deacons :

From dementia to medically assisted death: A Canadian woman’s journey, and the dilemma of the doctors who helped

To give Alzheimer’s patient Mary Wilson the death she sought, her physicians had to make a tough decision in a short time – and risked going to prison if they got it wrong. Now they’ve been cleared of wrongdoing in a decision that could have wide-reaching implications for tens of thousands of Canadians. Wide reaching implications indeed! This is another step down that infamous 'slippery slope' diminishing the value of life. Why? Because with this decision life has now been reduced to one's cognitive capabilities. That should worry all Canadians a great deal imho. Alas though, I doubt that it will. From dementia to medically assisted death: A Canadian woman’s journey, and the dilemma of the doctors who helped - The Globe and Mail :

A little sunshine for this Thanksgiving Day!

At Vatican, Pompeo says authoritarian regimes see God as a threat

"At the Vatican on Wednesday, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denounced authoritarian regimes and autocrats, naming Cuba, Iran, China and Syria as the roots of religious repression, because they fail to acknowledge a power higher than their own." I was with him until he said Iran. Maybe someone should explain the good Secretary that Iran is a full-fledged theocracy! It's because they believe that their God is the higher than the non-Islamic nations that they have organized their country into a 20/21st century version of 'Christendom' - a worldview long eschewed  by the Christian faith. Such theocracies are in dire need of their own 'Enlightenment' if they truly want to respect the full panoply of human rights and freedoms that exist in most of the world today. At Vatican, Pompeo says authoritarian regimes see God as a threat :

Pope endorsement of journal's controversial articles shines light on his view of U.S.

Pope Francis has endorsed a controversial view of the United States presented in two articles in a prominent Jesuit journal. Like them or not, if you want to understand the pope's relationship with America, you need to read them. Pope endorsement of journal's controversial articles shines light on his view of U.S.
I just came across this stunning quote in an article called Thomism for The New Evangelization: " We live in an age where there is a profound antipathy to the Catholic faith in the public square and in the media, and for good reason. There is an innate recognition among the advocates of secularism that the Catholic religion is the single most serious adversary to a secular view of the world. They sense that the depth of Catholic teaching regarding human personhood, moral realism, the reality of God, and divine revelation all challenge the status quo at a deep level. Those who take on the Church do so in an attempt to banish one of the most serious enemies to a perennial secularism." Click on the link below if you want to read the entire article. https://gallery.mailchimp.com/7822970b3e83d8bc284f4eb57/files/10b4c7f2-7f33-4b07-9697-d6ca1750a6ba/Thomism_for_the_New_Evangelization.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1KW3bdStnMa2XZDPYwMjevSQT7DfhpK5GVK9_4qpMk5GonRcL1w2thyRc

Astrophysics and The Society of Jesus

Fr. Adam Hincks, SJ, is one of 22 newly ordained priests to The Society of Jesus community. Convivium's Hannah Marazzi sits down with him to discuss his background in science and the journey that brought him to become a Jesuit priest. Astrophysics and The Society of Jesus | Convivium Magazine

Uruguay bishops divided on transsexual referendum vote

May God help us all if the Church's bishops are divided on something as straightforward as transgenderism. Given that it's predicated on two false premises: (1) That God mistakenly puts a different gendered soul into the wrong body at conception, and (2) That gender is something that is divorced from its physical expression, I cannot see how the Church's shepherds can fail to see that it stands clearly in opposition to the Church's teaching and theology. To acknowledge this in no way diminishes or discriminates against people who suffer from what heretofore was called 'gender dysphoria'. It simply accurately describes the true nature of their illness for what it is and dispels the false notion that somehow we are little more than divorced or independent spirits trapped inside an inconsequential body. Uruguay bishops divided on transsexual referendum vote

Ambrose, St. Bernard dog and evangelist, was a great grace to many people

I don't agree with much that Michael Sean Winter writes about the Church. But when it comes to dogs, we are clearly on the same page! I'll bet he likes Wendy Francisco's opus on the same subject too. Ambrose, St. Bernard dog and evangelist, was a great grace to many people | National Catholic Reporter