Where the Rubber Hits the Road

Nooooo! Dear sweet God, Nooooo.... (sob)  What the hell were the German Bishops thinking? I'm sure they didn't add the books to the list of published works, but they have a MORAL and RELIGIOUS obligation to ensure proper stewardship of the goods of the Church. They were to ensure that such crap doesn't happen. That's a big part of their job as Bishop. They are supposed to be the best and brightest among the clerics; those individuals identified as being worthy of the mantle of leadership. YIKES! If such incompetent oversight is what passes for proper stewardship among the Bishops, they should be fired. But, it is surely right and proper to ask... what the hell is with the Germans? They failed to clean up their own house when they witnessed the sex abuse scandals engulf countries around the world and chose instead to rely on policies and practices that had failed everywhere else. Now they are revealed as being among Europe's leading purveyors of porn.  It...

"In the interview, Seewald, author of “Light of the World,” described the Pope’s visit as “a small miracle” because “shortly before there was a very aggressive, anti-clerical assault by the media.” “All of this brings to mind George Orwell’s ‘1984,’ in which an imaginary enemy, a nightmare, is created in order to scare people.” “And yet,” Seewald noted, “despite all of this incredible effort by the media, an innumerable amount of people stood up and refused to be deceived.” “They said the Germans would turn their backs on him and all kinds of other stupidities. There appears to be nothing more offensive in our times than being Catholic. As the magazine ‘Stern’ said, ‘The brief euphoria at the outset was followed by an irreparable distancing between the majority of Germans and their fellow countryman.’ It’s as if they were saying that everything would be wonderful and orderly in the world if the Vatican just ceased to exist.” However, Seewald continued, “We wer...

This movie (180) is 33 minutes long and it is difficult to watch. It's really only peripherally connected to abortion. To me, it seems more a cry to remember our history so that we do not repeat the failures of the last century. If you have the time, it's worth watching. ‘It’s OK to kill a baby in the womb, when..?’ 180 movie shows pro-abortion to pro-life conversions | LifeSiteNews.com

Note in this article that the first of the 'big demonstrations' that are predicted by the media to dog the Pontiff throughout this visit numbered about 20 people. Now, let's see if the predicted 10,000 come out to demonstrate when he addressed the German parliament. The 'massive' demonstration of similar size was predicted to confront him when he visited Britain produced a few hundred protesters. I wonder if the German opponents to the Church will be any more successful in organizing and turning out protesters than were the Brits. ** (addendum) Well, we are beginning to get our answers. Here's a quote taken from a news report of the first 'mass demonstration': "It was estimated that only "several thousand" protesters ended up showing up at the capital's Potsdamer Platz, far fewer than organizers had predicted. There were no reports of any incidents." Pope acknowledges abuse scandal as German trip begins - CTV News

They (the media) keep repeating that B16 is going to face demonstrations and conflicts each time he leaves for a foreign country... and each time he has triumphed.  I was a doubter until I witnessed his winning over the crowds in Britain. I'm a doubter any longer. This visit will most likely simply become the latest in a series of diplomatic and pastoral successes he's racked up over the past five years.  The trick then becomes, how can the Church in Germany take advantage of positive impact of a papal visit? That will be the hard part. Visiting Berlin, Pope Benedict Faces a Combative Homeland - NYTimes.com

If there is one thing that has always been a foundational principle of law in our western democracy, it has been the right of parents to make decisions regarding their children. Alas, this bedrock right is now under attack. Lifesitenews is promoting a story about eight German parents who are going to jail because the held their children home from state sponsored sex education classes. It seems that in Germany, the state has decided that it possesses the right to make these decisions instead of parents. This should raise alarms throughout the western world, especially among Christians. Time and time again we are told that we do not have the right to "impose" our views on others - and for the most part, Christians have respected this societal convention. With this decision in Germany, it is clear that the forces of secularism do not believe that they need offer the same right to Christians. This is just another example of a "canary in the coal mine"; a harbinge...