Where the Rubber Hits the Road

I've been saying this for years! It is time for the church to go on the offensive in trying to answer its critics. Failure to do so is counted not in convictions or cases but in souls lost to God. At least the latest set of attacks have brought some Bishops into the public square to defend the faith and its leaders. Still not enough though. Bishops Collins (Toronto), Smith (Edmonton) and Henry (Calgary) have set the example that their brother priests need to follow. PLEASE PRAY that more Canadian Bishops will find the courage to do the same. Fr. Tim Catholics' ties to church tested by crisis

Op-Ed Columnist - Should There Be an Inquisition for the Pope? - NYTimes.com

Check, recheck and triple check » GetReligion

Catholic Culture : Latest Headlines : Pope has Canadian bishops’ ‘absolute support and confidence’

MercatorNet : Just B16

The Catholic Register - D&P, LifeSite rev up their online war

This one really makes you stop and think. God's grace is truly unmerited. God's Grace It is a shame but this message is very true. Hope you are all as blessed as I was by this story. I wonder how many people will delete this without reading it because of the title. There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak.... "I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, "What do you have there, son?" "Just some old birds," came the reply. "What are you going to do with them?" I asked. "Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. ...

Rotterdam Bishop Ad van Luyn has called for an independent investigation into the sexual exploitation of children by priests, after 200 alleged victims contacted help services. His call follows the publication of the Dublin Inquiry into the Irish Church scandals, and the revelation of allegations of misconduct in Germany and even within the ranks of the Vatican itself. Catholics in North America are all too familiar with these scandals. Repeated media reports that clerics have violated their religious obligation to celibacy and chastity have sorely tested the belief of many. Even the Bishops have not withstood the scrutiny of inquiry for they have been found culpable in the victimization of the Church’s most precious gifts - the trust of its members and the welfare of its members; actions which have brought untold suffering and confusion into the hearts and minds of many. The United States Bishops have taken one crucial step that, to date, has not been implemented by their nor...

March 29, 2010 12:00 P.M. Spreading the Big Lie:   Why did the Washington Post choose Palm Sunday to publish an ignorant and malicious piece by Sinead O’Connor on abuse in the Catholic Church? I f Irish singer Sinead O’Connor wishes to denounce her mother publicly as an abusive parent, that is her privilege. If Ms. O’Connor wishes to shred a photograph of Pope John Paul II on stage, as she did almost two decades ago, she is, one supposes, within the boundaries of “performance art.” If Ms. O’Connor wishes to  “separate” the God she believes in from the Catholic Church in which she was raised, as she put it in a March 28 article in the “Outlook” section of the Washington Post , she is free to do so. What Sinead O’Connor is not free to do is to misrepresent the teaching and law of the Catholic Church in the Post in order to buttress her claim that the Church is an “abusive organization” and that the Church threate...

At the Vatican, Up Against the World By FRANK BRUNI Of the many heartbreaking details in the latest round of outrage over child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, one stands out as particularly emblematic: a tidy window into Church leaders’ mindsets; a bracing glimpse of what went wrong. It traces back to 1975, when the Rev. Sean Brady, now a cardinal at the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, was tending to two boys who had been molested by a priest. By Cardinal Brady’s own admission, he did not report what had happened to the authorities. It was his understanding, he said, that the church would not want that. Instead, the boys  one 14, one just 10, both surely reeling  were forced to sign an oath that such notification would never be made. It is doubtful that pledge helped them heal, or that he or anyone else in the church thought it might. It certainly did not safeguard other children, many of whom the priest went on to molest. But it served a purpose and il...

The sexual and physical abuse of children and young people is a global plague; its manifestations run the gamut from fondling by teachers to rape by uncles to kidnapping-and-sex-trafficking. In the United States alone, there are reportedly some 39 million victims of childhood sexual abuse. Forty to sixty percent were abused by family members, including stepfathers and live-in boyfriends of a child’s mother—thus suggesting that abused children are the principal victims of the sexual revolution, the breakdown of marriage, and the hook-up culture. Hofstra University professor Charol Shakeshaft reports that 6-10 percent of public school students have been molested in recent years—some 290,000 between 1991 and 2000. According to other recent studies, 2 percent of sex abuse offenders were Catholic priests—a phenomenon that spiked between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s but seems to have virtually disappeared ( six credible cases of clerical sexual abuse in 2009 were reported i...

Various bloggers and online news sites have made reference today to the 'wave of rage and indignation' that is prompting spontaneous 'demonstrations' demonizing the Church. Here's a photo of the 'mob' that gathered in front of Westminster Cathedral in London that appears in the This Is Lancashire. One hopes that citizens were able to navigate their way through the gridlocked traffic caused by such a MASSIVE demonstration. Want to know what's really humorous?  Among this MASSIVE mob of demonstrators in included Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell. So the biggest crowd that a professional campaign could put together to tap into the overwhelming rage among the millions who are turning against the church (according to the article) hardly filled a frame of a close camera shot.  Hooey! the church must be trembling in its boots through the world if this is the best the anti-church forces can do. Yet.... This small and pathetic display was enough ...

A Response to the New York Times [Father Raymond J. de Souza] The New York Times on March 25 accused Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, of intervening to prevent a priest, Father Lawrence Murphy, from facing penalties for cases of sexual abuse of minors. The story is false. It is unsupported by its own documentation. Indeed, it gives every indication of being part of a coordinated campaign against Pope Benedict, rather than responsible journalism. Before addressing the false substance of the story, the following circumstances are worthy of note.... ---------------------- Thank you Fr. Raymond. It's good to know the truth. Fr. Tim

One of the best Catholic blogs in Canada today is written by Michael Brandon of London, Ontario. If you click here you can read a cross post from Fr. Dwight Longenecker on how to address the sex abuse scandals that have erupted around the church. If you are not a regular reader of Michael's "freedom through truth" blog... you should be! I consider it to be an EXCEPTIONAL blog on Catholic matters written from the perspective of a faithful, married lay member of the RC Church. Keep up the great work Michael!!

AMAZING!!! Today the NYT has published seven different articles attacking the Church. I guess it's clear whose side they're one!!

I thought it was time to introduce Mateo , my canine companion to the blog... so now he (sleepily) greets everyone who visits the site. He is a retired show dog from a breeder in the USA. Perhaps next month I'll post a picture of my feline friend ( Abraham ) as well. Life is better with friends!

If the evidence is not yet enough to convince you good reader that the War has indeed begun in earnest... I suggest a visit to the CNN (International News version) and scroll down to the the 'editor's choices'. There you will find 17 consecutive articles and video files all based upon the sex abuse scandals in Europe, the majority of which are trying to link the scandal directly to the Holy Father. If that isn't enough, check out the articles posted on the New York Times today and yesterday, including the letters to the editor and the comments that accompany these articles. Again, they all attempt to connect various scandals directly to the Pontiff. Then, take up the spiritual weapons at your disposal (prayer, fasting, charity) as well as the searching for every (NON-VIOLENT!!!) means at your disposal to mount a vigorous defense of the Church. To make use of that old typing lesson phrase: "Now is the time for all good men (and women) to come to the aid of th...

The Pope and the Wisconsin sex abuse scandal: I smell a stitch-up More evidence of a fifth column within the Church.

A Response to Christopher Hitchens' The Great Catholic Coverup (full version with references)

The NTY carries in today's web edition a story about how social media have become the conduit for bringing hundreds of people together almost instantaneously for "snowball fights, "pillow fights" and just plain old "fights". We also know that the dissidents in Iran and other movements have been using Twitter and Facebook to spread the news of various events about to take place. What I propose in my Call to Arms is that people of faith should make use of these same instruments in the furtherance of evangelical mission. For example, imagine the comments that could be generated within the threads of these types of news stories if any number of apologists and Christian activists could be immediately informed so as to be able to mount a defense of our beliefs. We know that every story that touches upon the subject of the Roman Catholic Church is going to generate a large response from our opponents. Why not join the battle in attempting to argue our case as...

The CCCB (Canadian Bishops Conference) has issued a press release decrying the recent media coverage in Canada attempting to link the Pontiff with the current abuse revelations in Germany and around the world. The evidence is mounting that we MUST take up arms in defense of the Church: the spiritual arms of prayer, mortification and love as well as using our temporal arms of argument and persuasion wherever and whenever we have the opportunity. Click here to read the story  Here is an editorial taken from today's NY Times belittling the efforts of the Pope in the wake of the European scandals.  Click here. Here's a third story of a University in the USA which is permitting and even promoting Catholic hate-speech in the form of a blasphemous and anti-Catholic play where Christ is presented as an active homosexual!! If your stomach can handle it, click here to read the report.

The forces of darkness in this world have declared war—a war that attempts to extinguish the light of faith within the Roman Catholic Church. This is not a war of our choosing. Nevertheless, it is a war in which the Church must rally every facet and weapon at her disposal. It may be the start of the famed battle foretold in Revelations, or it may be another attack from the forces of evil in the world designed to wound the faith. But it is a war. And it must be fought, and it will be won. Commentators throughout the blogosphere have been crying out a warning since the creation of the virtual world—but it has been a warning that has been too long ignored. Most decision and opinion makers within the Church have thought these cries to be the clucking of nothing more than modern manifestation of Chicken Little. Sadly, just as the forces of liberty and faith were taken by surprise by at Pearl Harbor and in Jerusalem in 1967, so too have the leaders of the Church failed to heed the warnin...

If you take a bunch of men and women at the peak of their sexual powers, tell them they must remain celibate, and then tell them they talk to God or are married to God you're going to end up with some bent individuals. What else would you expect? It's in defiance of nature, and to paraphrase Francis Bacon, 'nature is more forceful in the return...', however it may find expression. Immaturity finds many ways of expression, and believing a child is a playmate, and forgetting you're an adult is just one of them. ----------------------------------- robertbj: I think you are selling we celibates short (grin). Have you considered that a man does not take vows of celibacy until he hits 25 yrs of age (the normative age for ordination to the priesthood according to Church law)?  If he has been through any of the normal experiences of life (with all its stages of psycho/sexual development), by the time he comes to makes this commitment he should be solid in his cap...

Fr. Tim Finnigan writes on 'The hermeneutic of continuity' :  Now might be a good time to send a supportive and encouraging email. Obviously he is not going to read them all himself but it is possible that an official might let him know that there has been a number of loyal and kind messages incoming. And do remember to pray for him. One way of reminding yourself to do this is to try to gain plenary indulgences as often as possible, fulfilling the condition of praying for the intentions of the Holy Father. The email address of Pope Benedict is benedictxvi@vatican.va

To priests and religious who have abused children You betrayed the trust that was placed in you by innocent young people and their parents, and you must answer for it before Almighty God and before properly constituted tribunals. You have forfeited the esteem of the people of Ireland and brought shame and dishonour upon your confreres. Those of you who are priests violated the sanctity of the sacrament of Holy Orders in which Christ makes himself present in us and in our actions. Together with the immense harm done to victims, great damage has been done to the Church and to the public perception of the priesthood and religious life. I urge you to examine your conscience, take responsibility for the sins you have committed, and humbly express your sorrow. Sincere repentance opens the door to God’s forgiveness and the grace of true amendment. By offering prayers and penances for those you have wronged, you should seek to atone personally for your actions. Christ’s redeeming sacrifice...

To the victims of abuse and their families You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry. I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured. Your trust has been betrayed and your dignity has been violated. Many of you found that, when you were courageous enough to speak of what happened to you, no one would listen. Those of you who were abused in residential institutions must have felt that there was no escape from your sufferings. It is understandable that you find it hard to forgive or be reconciled with the Church. In her name, I openly express the shame and remorse that we all feel. At the same time, I ask you not to lose hope. It is in the communion of the Church that we encounter the person of Jesus Christ, who was himself a victim of injustice and sin. Like you, he still bears the wounds of his own unjust suffering. He understands the depths of your pain and its enduring effect upon your lives and your relationships, including your relationship with the Church. I kno...

This morning, before the Pope’s pastoral letter on Irish child abuse was published, and apparently before reporters from The Times had read a single word of it, the paper ran a story by Richard Owen and David Sharrock which began as follows: The Pope’s letter to the Irish faithful will be released today and read at Sunday Mass in an attempt to defuse the spiralling scandal over clerical sex abuse. However, the pastoral letter has already been judged a failure (italics added) by many after a week in which the Primate of All Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, apologised for his role in covering up the activities of a notorious paedophile priest. The report makes clear that the Times journalists did not know at the time of writing whether the letter would include an apology (which of course it did). Therefore it’s fair to assume that they knew nothing important about its contents. Yet they were already reporting the “failure” of its reception. Did they jump into a Tardis? I’m sorry if...

There will be much comment in the media this weekend concerning the Pastoral Letter of the Holy Father Pope Benedict to the Catholics of Ireland. The Holy Father apologizes to victims of abuse who have suffered the “grave betrayal” of these “egregious crimes”. Pope Benedict also refers to “grave errors of judgment and failure of leadership” on the part of some Bishops. May I encourage you to read the letter itself: the text is available at the Vatican website. Please remember in your prayers all those who have been victims of abuse. The Holy Father encourages the Irish Catholics to offer up their Friday penances for the coming year to Easter 2011 to beg for God’s mercy, healing and for the renewal of the Church. It would be fitting for us to join in solidarity with this spiritual proposal and to respond to his request to give particular attention to regular Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Penance. This evening I have spent a little time on the unpleasant ...

In my profile, I describe myself as being an "evangelical" Catholic priest. "Evangelical" is not a word normally ascribed to Catholic clergy as it has been, for better or worse, appropriated by those of the Pentecostal sects of the Christian family. I would like to claim ownership of this term, but the credit belongs to Fr. Jay Scott Newman, the pastor of St. Mary's Church in Greenville, South Carolina (Diocese of Charleston). I have included at the end of this post a link to Fr. Scott's excellent webpage, but I include the eight principles of what he describes as Evangelical Catholicism - with great appreciation to him for encapsulating in them the essence of what I have always held to be my model of Catholicism and priesthood. "During the nearly twenty-seven years of his pontificate, Pope John Paul the Great called the Church to the urgent mission of fulfilling the Great Commission in our time, a project he called the New Evangelization. This ev...

Speaking to the German parliament, Chancellor Angelo Merkel called for "truth and clarity" in an investigation into sexual abuse of children. Although the scandal sweeping Germany has focused on the Catholic Church, Merkel argued that a candid inquiry should not be limited to the Church but should extend to all of society's institutions. This is an example for our Canadian Bishops to suggest to civil authorities. It would provide an opportunity and forum through which the truth of the sexual abuse scandals (both the initial offenses by offending clergy and the attached scandals of cover-up in various Chancery Offices) could be brought to light. Further by promoting such an approach, the Bishops would be seen as being proactive in an area which has been marked with far too many examples of episcopal protective reactions. It is time for the Bishops to step up and confront this issue directly and cooperatively with civil authorities. Chancellor Merkel may have pointed th...

The NYT is carrying a piece about a priest who (then) Archbishop Ratzinger "permitted to work" within his Diocese. The Catholic blogosphere is replete with responses, but you won't find any in this article. Nevertheless, it is an interesting question for Church authorities to consider. The degradation of public opinion of priests is sadly evident when the question is preceded with... "she also said it was time that the church stopped hiding abuse cases and questioned why priests seemed to be held to a less strict standard of morality than ordinary parishioners (emphasis added). The 'Year of the Priest' indeed.  To think that the common consensus (at least as expressed in the NYT story) is that we as priests should be expected to produce fruits of lesser quality than what is expected of others, is a tragic stain upon the entire body of the priesthood.  A great deal of penance and suffering is being visited upon the Church and her priests that will be mea...

The Vatican has responded to the installation of a condom machine in a Roman High School. Read about it here. I wonder if the folks who were shouted down as extremists when they predicted this day would happen  when the State would circumvent all parental rights as regards to the regulation of the sexual behavior of their children are still around to see the accuracy of their forecasts. You know the people I mean... the folks from HLI and other organizations who opposed the rights of Public Health professionals to hand out condoms without parental consent in high school. HLI claimed that eventually such items would be offered without any form of adult supervision if parent committees started down this path - and they were ridiculed as being little more than religious fanatics. They were shouted down in many a meeting I attended back in the 70's and 80's when I was a social worker in the public school system. I was among those who were SHOUTING!! Now I PRAY that those who ...

I found this picture on the Crescat blog. The poster was asking for suggested caption lines to accompany it. I posted some of the best along the bottom. My favorite comment was the person who didn't question the presence of the bear - or even the fact that like Jesus, he can walk on water! "No what's really disturbing about the picture" he said "is the 'zipper' on the robe, and the 'hoodie' thrown over the shoulder!!" YIKES Throw in your two cents - what else can ya do with your money in a 'bear' market (sorry). "... and where you only see one set of footprints, it was then that I let the bear eat you." Smoky says "Jesus wants you to prevent forest fires... or is it "Jesus want you to prevent florist friars"?  He 'bears' all our sins for us  " Just 'Bear' with me for a while. I'll be back in a few years"

Friends, I ask for your prayers today. The priests of the Pembroke Diocese meet today with our Bishop, +Michael Mulhall to discuss the recent spate of sex abuse cases that have erupted in our Diocese. The event is called in large part as a result of priests calling the Diocese with concerns that the victims who brought these charges, might be re-victimized again as they process through the various criminal and civil legal actions. +Mulhall, concerned for the welfare both of these innocents and his priests, has called this day-long meeting so that the entire body of the presbytery might be able to share their thoughts and concerns with each other, and to him. He has also arranged for the presence of the legal firm that represents the Diocese in these matters so that they also might hear these same concerns. Clearly +Mulhall wishes that he (and by extension his priests) and the lawyers will speak with one, moral & just voice in response to this crisis. Please pray too that the...

Sympathectomy of the Soul : " For centuries, the Hippocratic Oath, including the admonition against abortion, assisted suicide, and euthanasia, formed the core of Western medical ethics. While the Hippocratic ideal has been eroding for decades, the most direct challenge has emerged in the Netherlands, with the cultural and legal acceptance of the right to die. The medical community and broader citizenry have so embraced the right to choose death for oneself that the Dutch parliament is currently considering legislation that would allow assisted suicide for anyone who has reached the age of seventy and has merely grown tired of living. In any other country, such a proposal might be considered radical and shocking. But in the Netherlands—the country that first legalized euthanasia—the change in the law will merely decriminalize a practice that has been occurring for decades. An examination of how this formerly conservative, tradition-bound culture could adopt what the modern Hippoc...

Live Abortion on Social Media - Catholic Online

'Top of the morning to you"... "and the rest of the day to yourself" is oft heard exchanged between the  descendants of the Irish immigrants that cleared and settled the Upper Ottawa Valley where my cottage is located. My own ancestors from my entire patriarchal line hail from such hardy peasant stock as settled and developed the Quebec side of the river, carving out along the way a small corner of 'la belle province' where English has remained the overwhelmingly dominate language and culture. As St. Paddy's Day draws closer, in church halls from one end of the Valley to the other, the sounds of fiddle and step dancing rehearsals fill the air. The 17th of March is a touchstone day for many - a day marked by sitting with family and friends in crowded bars, drinking green beer and listening to traditional Irish jigs, ballads and reels. As Fred Meilleur, local legend and hotelier from Chapeau onces said: there will always be 'spiritual' services ce...

Zenit.org published a report of an interview with Cardinal Levada, Cardinal Prefect and the 'dogmatic watchdog' of this pontificate in which he spoke extensively of the true nature of ecumenism. The interpretation he offers of Est Unum Sint is startling in its implications. His reasoning is as follows: the 'barque of Peter'  (thx M.L.) began its journey as one community of faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah.  It must be so again when Christ returns. To authentically recreate that nascent community of belief, all who profess salvation through one baptism into the paschal event of Christ as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all creation must be united in one "Catholic" Church, brought together in faith under the guidance/leadership of the petrine office. Sounds pretty closed-minded to me... which is why I continued reading with some trepidation to happily find that there is another authentic interpretation this papal encyclical. The Roman Catholic C...

There has been a great deal of coverage of a recent scandal that has erupted within the lay staff of the Vatican. It is alleged that a member of the Vatican Choir, Thomas Chinedu Ehiem, age 29 and Angelo Balducci, a Papal Gentiluomini (“Gentleman” usher who helps greet dignitaries), have been recorded discussing the procurement of gay sexual partners for Balducci, a married man. LifeSiteNews posts in its report a concern that this might be only the first of what will become all too common within the Vatican walls, now that its practiced walls of silence have been breached. "American priest and frequent media commentator, Father Thomas Williams told CBS News, "We're just scratching the surface here. There's definitely more to come"." “'We only know of these two men connected with the Vatican in some way, but obviously, they are talking about a ring, and a ring means definitely more people involved." Given the experiences of North American, Ir...

Here is an excellent model for Canada to follow. Such an investigation would serve to illustrate that, while offenses were wrongly dealt with in the past, the situation is currently not as dire as what passes as 'common knowledge' today. Speaking only for myself, I would appreciate any action which would establish the fact that the OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of all priests are, in fact, both holy and kind. Perhaps such an investigation would allow us to win anew the confidence of the faithful, many of whom have had their faith sorrily tested by the infidelity of a few priests and Bishops. Fr. Tim Dutch bishop calls for sex abuse investigation | Fort Mill Times - Fort Mill, SC

G'Day friends, I begin tonight a few days of solitude to prepare for the celebrations of Holy Week. I've brought with me along to my cottage (aside from my dog), a CD set of 15 lectures by Dr. Phillip Cary, Ph.D, entitled, "Augustine: Philosopher and Saint", and a copy of N.T. Wright's "The Resurrection of the Son of God" to feed my mind and soul in the peace and quiet that my cottage affords me. Mateo (the aforementioned dog) is not much of a conversationalist and and there is nary another person in sight, so it will be a time of silence, study and prayer. My many conversation with friends here have given me a great deal to pray about, a gift that will be remembered in prayer in the days ahead. I write simply to ask for your prayers over the. They would be gratefully appreciated. Tim

Hi Tim, The problem for gay priests is not that they must remain celibate (I am sure many are quite faithful and effective in their ministries). The problem is that they must remain invisible as gay men. That is the closet. There are elements within the Church that want a purge of all gays...whether or not they practice celibacy. In fact, your Church is actively screening for homosexuality among seminarians. I believe it is almost impossible now for an openly gay man to be ordained. It will be interesting to see where this all leads. Gay men have historically been a rich source of priests for the Church. As the Church becomes more hostile to gay men, and as secular society becomes less so...many gay men will no longer seek ordination. There are other options for them. I simply cannot imagine any balanced and self-respecting gay man signing up for a closeted and virulently hostile assignment. Perhaps some gay priests reading this blog might comment (anonymously of course) about t...

Did you ever wonder why there are no dead penguins on the ice in  Antarctica  - where do they go ?                                   Wonder no more ! ! !  It is a known fact that the penguin is a very ritualistic bird which lives an extremely ordered and complex life.  The penguin is very committed to its family and will mate for life, as well as maintaining a form of compassionate contact with its offspring throughout its life.  If a penguin is found dead on the ice surface, other members of  the family and social circle have been known to dig holes in  the ice, using their vestigial wings and beaks, until the hole is deep enough for the dead bird to be rolled into and buried.  The male penguins then gather in a circle around the fresh grave and sing:     "Freeze a jolly good fellow"   "Freeze a jolly good fellow."...