Recent news items of interest...
* The "most senior Catholic in England and Wales" has emphasized that Anglicans who enter the Catholic Church must accept the Pope's authority if they wish to convert
* A new homosexual website is threatening to publicly "out" supposed homosexual priests in the Archdiocese of Washington in an effort to intimidate them from voicing their objections to homosexual 'marriage'
* The CDC has announced that it will no longer require female immigrants to receive the controversial Gardasil vaccination [previous story here]
* Pope Benedict met with hundreds of artists in the Sistine Chapel on Saturday. In his talk, he emphasized beauty, noting that "Beauty, whether that of the natural universe or that expressed in art, precisely because it opens up and broadens the horizons of human awareness, pointing us beyond ourselves, bringing us face to face with the abyss of Infinity, can become a path towards the transcendent, towards the ultimate Mystery, towards God."
* Pope Benedict met privately with the 'archbishop' of Canterbury* on Saturday. The discussions were called "cordial." Days before the meeting, the Anglican 'archbishop' insolently criticized the Catholic Church for her (irreformable!) position against the ordination of women, a teaching which is supported by both Scripture & tradition. [Note: Click here for 'Top Reasons Why Women Can't Be Priests'] During the meeting, the 'archbishop' expressed concerns to the Pope over the handling of the recent Apostolic Constitution which he said put him in an "awkward position." Furthermore, to the confusion and dismay of many Catholics, the 'archbishop' was presented with a pectoral cross - a symbol of bishops' authority.
Just a few questions: (1) Given the mission of the Church and her constant teaching on the necessity of being Catholic for salvation, who cares if a decision of the Supreme Pontiff - a decision which could assist in the salvation of many souls - made a phony 'archbishop' feel he was in an "awkward" position? - In fact, shouldn't certain actions of the Supreme Pontiff actually be expected to make those outside the only true Church of Christ a bit uncomfortable?, and (2) given the fact that the heretical 'archbishop' of Canterbury has invalid orders - and is therefore not a bishop at all - why was this pro-homosexual, pretend prelate given a (real bishop's!) pectoral cross so that he could continue to play dress-up, now in Catholic-provided garb? Such unfortunate gestures are confusing at best.
* Reminder: Anglican 'clergy' are not true priests - their orders have been ruled invalid by the Church: "Wherefore, strictly adhering, in this matter, to the decrees of the pontiffs, our predecessors, and confirming them most fully, and, as it were, renewing them by our authority, of our own initiative and certain knowledge, we pronounce and declare that ordinations carried out according to the Anglican rite have been, and are, absolutely null and utterly void." (Pope Leo XIII, "Apostolicae Curae", 1896 A.D., emphasis added)
* Amazing: In the wake of controversy over its funding of groups which violate Church teachings, Archbishop Nienstedt and Archbishop Chaput have claimed that that the CCHD - which at one time funded ACORN and has also funded pro-abortion groups - does "much good", despite its "mistakes." [Should we tell that to babies who were killed by abortion?]
* Another writer has added to the mounting criticism of Christopher West's TOB presentations, calling some of his ideas "profoundly troubling." Previously, critics have said that his approach "totally lacks reverence" and is "vulgar and in bad taste." Earlier this year one critic, Alice Von Hildebrand, said she was "shocked and horrified" by West's words.
* A number of Catholic prelates in the U.S. have joined representatives of various non-Catholic religions in signing a document defending "the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious freedom." The declaration - "which was more than a year in the making" - includes a pledge that "no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence" and says that "we will not comply with any edict that purports to compel our institutions to participate in abortions, embryo-destructive research, assisted suicide and euthanasia, or any other anti-life act; nor will we bend to any rule purporting to force us to bless immoral sexual partnerships, treat them as marriages or the equivalent"
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