More News Highlights

Some more recent news highlights...

* For the second time, the Archdiocese of Boston has cleared a priest accused of abuse. The allegation involved alleged abuse in the early 1970's. The attorney for the alleged victim criticized the review process as 'biased and unfair'. The archdiocesan review board investigating the allegations included a retired law enforcement agent, a judge, and abuse victims

* The supposedly 'devout' Catholic president of the Philippines who supports government handouts of contraceptives to poor persons may face excommunication, according to the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. Despite the possibility of excommunication, the nation's president says his position "has not changed" [Related: Catholic teachings on contraception (Topic Page)]

* Good riddance: A dissenting Minnesota artist employed by the archdiocese has been suspended after announcing a plan to create a "piece of art" from DVDs supporting true marriage which the archdiocese mailed to Catholics. The artist, who supports homosexual 'marriage', opposed the DVD mailing. Some other misguided parishioners in the area have launched a website to collect the DVDs which they plan to return to the archdiocese [Related: Catholic teachings on homosexuality (Topic Page)]

* Here we go again: California bishops have spoken out against the death penalty in the case of a serial rapist and murderer, citing "human dignity" [Related: Death Penalty (Topic Page)]

* If only the reviews were always reliable: Mormons are now promoting Catholic movie reviews for their "moral analysis" [Related: Catholic Movie Reviews (Topic Page)]

* Not good: It is being reported that a TLM has been cancelled in San Jose due to a dispute among the faithful regarding Mass times (particularly among a "vocal group" of "influential" parish council members). The Mass was well-attended [Related: Traditional Latin ('Tridentine') Mass (Topic Page)]

* Some Anglican 'bishops'* are reportedly "having second thoughts" about entering the Catholic Church under the provisions of Anglicanorum Coetibus. Instead, they may "merge" with another group of Anglicans [* 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)]

[9/30]

Recent News Highlights

Some recent news highlights...

* A recently released Thomson Reuters analysis concluded that Catholic healthcare systems and other 'church' owned systems "are significantly more likely to provide higher quality performance and efficiency to the communities served than investor-owned systems" and that "Catholic health systems are also significantly more likely to provide higher quality performance to the communities served than secular not-for-profit systems"

* A retired "hedge fund titan" who is an atheist has donated an additional $5.6 million to the Archdiocese of New York to fund the Catholic Alumni Partnership which "helps elementary schools track down alumni and recruit them as donors." He said the Catholic schools teach the basics "better than the union-controlled inner-city schools"

* The Supreme Court of Mexico has imposed homosexual 'marriage' on the entire country by requiring that homosexual 'marriages' contracted in Mexico City must be held as valid nationwide. Cardinal Rivera of Mexico City lambasted the "aberrant" decision which "endangers the dignity and the rights of the family that constitute the common good of the society" and stated that the Church "cannot cease to call evil, evil" [Related: The End of Freedom in America?]

* The Archdiocese of Boston has become the "first" to publish an electronic edition of its newspaper for the Kindle & iPhone. Versions of the publication tailored for the BlackBerry, Android and iPad are expected shortly

* Sad: Both Italians and Latinos today may be less likely to practice the Catholic faith than previous generations. In Italy, sources report declining Mass attendance, whereas a recent AP poll notes that younger Latinos are "much less likely" to identify themselves as Catholics than older Hispanics. Both Italians & Hispanics are said to be increasingly 'less likely' to accept Church teachings

* A teacher at a Catholic girls' school has pleaded guilty to installing hidden cameras in two girls' locker rooms in Manhattan. He now faces probation or a possible 1 year jail sentence

* After an uproar, the dissenting priest in Nashville who appeared in a video on a parish website arguing for contraception and railing against priestly celibacy, papal authority, etc. agreed to remove the offending video. The bishop is reportedly considering disciplinary action against the unapologetic priest [Might we join other Catholics in suggesting his immediate removal from the parish?]

* The Catholic founder of Domino's Pizza has signed a pledge to donate at least half of his fortune to philanthropic causes. The multi-millionaire who wants to help build "quality, faithful Catholic education" said it "has long been my desire to use the material resources that I have been blessed with to help others in the most meaningful ways possible"

* Retail giant Sears is reportedly marketing p*rn*graphic posters via their website. The company apparently ignored correspondence concerning the matter and may be "digging in its heels", refusing to remove the offensive posters. An organized boycott may be forthcoming. In the meantime, concerned parties are asked to voice appropriate complaints to Sears

* Here we go again: A 'Catholic' parish in Anchorage will apparently be lent to (heretical!) Episcopalians to hold an 'ordination'* ceremony. The 'ordination' will be conducted by a female 'bishop'* [Commentary: Once again, St. Paul's instruction in Ti. 3:10-11 is flagrantly disregarded: "After a first and second warning, break off contact with a heretic, realizing that such a person is perverted and sinful and stands self-condemned."] [* 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). Furthermore, note that it is impossible for women to be priests or bishops (click here for more information)]
  

    8/14/10 UPDATE: This event has reportedly been transferred to a Protestant facility in response to Catholics' concerns

* The dissenting, breakaway St. Stanislaus Kostka parish in Missouri - which was previously "stripped of its Catholic standing" - has rejected an archdiocesan reconciliation deal

* Union leaders in Scotland have warned that union members may picket during Pope Benedict's September visit. Although it is possible that union members' actions may disrupt papal plans, it has been suggested that the threat was "merely done for publicity"

* While the release of the Lockerbie bomber has angered many persons worldwide, a Scottish cardinal has praised the "compassionate" justice system in his country and called for the U.S. to "cast out the beam from their own eye before seeking the mote in their brothers." The cardinal claimed that "there still exists in very many parts of the USA, if not nationally, an attitude towards the concept of justice, which can only be described as a 'culture of vengeance'." He also criticized the supposed "frequent exercise of capital punishment" in the U.S. and said this puts America in the "invidious company" of human rights violators such as China, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran [Commentary: How can the cardinal seriously make such a comparison? How can he fail to make a distinction between innocent & guilty persons and between vengeance & justice? What about the victims of this mass murderer and their right to justice? Is it really merciful for a legal system to deny the innocent justice and grant the guilty mercy? And if this prelate really does believe the U.S. has a 'culture of vengeance', wouldn't it be interesting to hear him speak on the justice system in some Islamic countries? Interesting indeed...] [Related: Author questions JPII approach to the death penalty]

* The recent gathering of altar servers in Rome marked the first time that the number of 'female altar boys' exceeded the number of males. The ratio was reportedly 6 girls for every 4 boys. The novelty of 'female altar boys' was rejected by the Church (for example, the Council of Laodicea prohibited women from coming near the altar in Canon 44 and Pope John Paul II approved a document stating that "Women are not, however, permitted to act as altar servers") but, due to "calculated disobedience", 'female altar boys' were later tolerated - but not required -- priests do not have to allow this, nor do dioceses. Allowing 'female altar boys' not only advances a feminist agenda, it is also known to discourage boys from serving at the altar and therefore harms vocations (since service at the altar has historically been a rich source of vocations to the priesthood). Furthermore, it may give the wrong perception concerning the proper role of women and may foster a false hope that the Church may someday allow women priests (for reasons women can't ever be priests, click here). Sadly, as TIA reports, the recent gathering of altar servers was marked by immodest feminine dress and rock music. Unfortunately, an L'Osservatore Romano article -  authored by a woman - praised the majority female turnout and claimed that "The exclusion of girls from all of this, for the sole reason of their being female, has always weighed heavily and represented a deep inequality within Catholic education." The article also criticized the Church's supposed "attribution of impurity" to the female gender and lamented a "profound inequality." [Commentary: Was St. Paul also guilty of perpetuating a "profound inequality" and an "attribution of impurity" to women when he stated that women are to remain silent in church (see 1 Cor. 14:33-35)? How about St. Peter, the first Pope, when he instructed women to be subordinate to their husbands (see 1 Pt. 3:1)? Or St. Paul when he said the same (see Col. 3:18, Eph. 5:22-24, etc.)? Does anyone hear men complaining about a "profound inequality" because they cannot give birth? Will liberals ever wake up to the fact that equal dignity among men & women does not mean men and women are to have identical roles?]

[8/10]

Death penalty for the innocent?

Catholic Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia recently wrote that the matter of executing an 'actually' innocent party is "unresolved." He says:

"This court has never held that the Constitution forbids the execution of a convicted defendant who has had a full and fair trial but is later able to convince a habeas court that he is 'actually' innocent"

He adds,

"Quite to the contrary, we have repeatedly left that question unresolved."

Imposing the death penalty in cases where a party is a guilty of a serious crime is one thing. It is quite another to execute an 'actually' innocent person. And for a Catholic Supreme Court Justice to say the matter has been left "unresolved" - is that not chilling?

[8/19]

Author questions JPII approach to the death penalty

Acknowledging Cardinal Ratzinger's (the future Pope Benedict XVI's) statement that "There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia" one author recently questioned Pope John Paul II's novel approach to the death penalty as expressed in his quotation of the late Pontiff:

"The death penalty is cruel and unnecessary and this is true even for someone who has done something very wrong"

Obviously, traditional Church teachings never expressed this view, nor is such an approach supported by Scripture or the Early Church Fathers.

Frankly, this opinion (not dogma) seems to put supposed "mercy" ahead of justice. We know that Almighty God Himself - for which "mercy and anger alike are with him" (Sirach 5:7) - both gave the fifth commandment "You shall not kill" (Ex. 20:13) and commanded the death penalty be executed in the case of certain crimes. Surely, there is a difference between the unlawful killing of an innocent person and lawfully killing a guilty person.

Of course the death penalty is not a desirable thing, but it should not be entirely ruled out either. Today's often-held view that the death penalty is "cruel" seems to overlook the fact that death penalty may (1) satisfy the demands of justice, (2) deter future crime, (3) give the guilty party an opportunity to repent (unlike his victims, if he is a murderer), (4) give the guilty party the opportunity to make due satisfaction to God for his crime, and (5) on a purely material level, spare hard-working people the heavy financial burden of constant surveillance and care for murderers & other serious criminals (some of whom would admit they'd continue to commit crimes if given the opportunity). And, of course, the death penalty protects society from the danger that a criminal may escape confinement and repeat his crime. It also makes it more concrete that serious consequences will result for serious crimes - a good lesson in light of the fact that there are serious eternal consequences for serious unrepented sin. In sum, the death penalty may help both society and the criminal.

And, although it's certainly not a direct comparison, it is true that since the Fall every single person alive is naturally subject to the penalty of death due to the crime of sin - our "human dignity" was not enough for God to spare us from this punishment. We also see in the New Testament that a "divinely conducted death penalty" against the faithful occurred two times directly in front of St. Peter (Acts 5:1-11) - there was no talk of such a penalty being "cruel" or about the guilty persons' "human dignity". The New Testament also says "But if thou do that which is evil, fear: for he beareth not the sword in vain. For he is God's minister: an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil." (St. Paul, Rom. 13:4) Again, no talk of our "human dignity" sparing us from the lawful use of the sword.

And finally, how can it be said that the death penalty - conducted by proper authorities, most likely with meticulous care to avoid horrendous suffering & possibly executed only after numerous appeals, even with benefit of the last sacraments, if desired - inflicted on a guilty party is "cruel"? One wonders if holders of such opinions might also consider hell "cruel". Or would they agree with the Just Judge that an eternal punishment of torment was actually merited by those who died guilty of (and unrepentant for) a serious crime. Let us hope they wouldn’t question the infinitely wise, loving & merciful God - who created hell.

[8/15]