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RESPONSE TO THE MURDER OF JAMES POULLION    As most people know by now, James Poullion, a well-known pro-life activist of the Michigan area, was shot to death outside of a Michigan high school where he was showing the truth of abortion.  Harlan James Drake was arrested for the murder (and one other murder that day).  He stated quite plainly that he killed Jim because he didn't like Jim's witness to the truth.

The pro-life community was quick to respond, with both prayers for the repose of Jim's soul and for repentance for his murderer.  When the notorious late-term abortionist George Tiller was shot to death several months ago, these same pro-life organizations and leaders were likewise prompt to offer prayers for Tiller's soul and to denounce that killing.  Of course, at that time, the pro-abortion groups waxed indignant at "right-wing violence".  Over this weekend, their response has been tepid at best.

The lack of response of one organization, however, has us flummoxed beyond belief.  This organization , of all the organizations, should have been one of the first to speak out against Jim's murder.  Now what is that organization, whose silence is most deafening?

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

That's right!  Sadly, this is no joke.  Go to their site and click on "life issues".  Warning: when opening this site, please have a barf bag ready, as the first thing to insult your eyes will be insufferable nonsense about the bishops welcoming Obama's statements about abortion and the "health care" bill.  If anyone can find the slightest mention of Mr. Poullion's name, please advise us, because we can't.  Really, any statement should be most prominent.  Here we have what could arguably be called the first pro-life martyrdom, and the USCCB can't be bothered to bestir themselves in the least.  What are they thinking?  Are they thinking?

When we said that the pro-abortion response was tepid, we meant that.  Obama did denounce the murder.  NARAL did likewise although they made no mention of the pro-abortion motivations behind the murder.  HOWEVER - even these weak statements were much more than was offered by those who are tasked with being Shepherds of the Church.  It's a sad, sad day when flaming pro-aborts show more class (be it ever so little) than do Successors of the Apostles.

 

 ANOTHER LOOK AT SOME OF THE NOTRE DAME PROTESTS    In the midst of the apathy and evil that we encounter, and in our zeal to correct it, we need to be careful that we are doing the right thing in the right manner.  Every one of us is human, and each one of us can stray, albeit unknowingly.   Click here to examine just where we might have erred.  Maybe this webmaster is right, or maybe wrong.  Either way, we must examine ourselves fearlessly and impartially.  We do so not for recrimination, but so that if mistakes were made, we can learn for the future.

AN ABORTIONIST’S MURDER – WHERE DO THE BISHOPS FIT IN?    At approximately 10am on Sunday, May 31, 2009, George Tiller was shot to death as he was entering his church in Kansas.  Most pro-life activists will recognize him as the notorious late-term abortionist dubbed “Tiller the Killer”.  As far as we know, he was engaged in his grisly business.  We pray that sometime before he expired, he repented of his mortal sins and experienced God’s forgiveness and mercy.  We deplore his murder and pray that his murderer likewise sees the serious error of what he did this morning and comes to repentance and conversion.  At the time of this writing, a suspect has been apprehended; we know no additional details.

 

What led to the violent events of that morning?  What motivated this murder?  Father Frank Pavone, president of Priests for Life, noted that these acts of vigilante violence against abortionists seem to occur when a rabidly pro-abortion president is sitting in the White House.  The previous murders occurred during the presidency of Bill Clinton; we pray that Tiller’s murder, during Obama’s term, is the last.  Pavone opines that when hope diminishes that the government will protect the vulnerable, that the temptation increases to take the law into one’s own hands.  There seems to be some justification for this opinion.  But…might there be additional reasons?  Might there be additional causes for diminished hope?  Perhaps so.

 

There is a saying attributed to the late President John F. Kennedy. It states, “When peaceful change is made impossible, violent change becomes inevitable.”  While it is clear that some in government are striving to stifle our voice for peaceful change (note the DHS labeling of pro-life activists as “potential terrorists” and the specter of the Fairness Doctrine), there are other hindrances to peaceful change, hindrances that are closer to us than we might care to admit.  Sadly, these hindrances reside in Catholic institutions; some of them wear miters and carry crosiers. 

 

It was a scant two weeks ago, when Notre Dame University, as an institution, played the harlot and allowed Barack Hussein Obama, the most radically pro-abortion president of this nation’s history, to besmirch Our Lady’s honor with his foul screed that extolled the pro-abortion position in the campus stadium.  Oh, yes.  There were protests galore.  Many pro-lifers spoke out fearlessly, with some valiant souls undergoing arrests and detainment.  The Center for Bioethical Reform flew planes overhead making quite clear just what the administration was planning to validate by allowing such an apologist for baby-murder to address the graduating class.  70+ bishops around the country protested (in widely varying degrees).  As of this writing, the university has forfeited at least $14 million in donations from rightly-disgruntled alumni.  There have been calls to remove Father John Jenkins as president of the university, strip Notre Dame of its status as a Catholic institution and for the suspension of the priestly faculties of Fr Jenkins.  These last two items, by the way, are clearly within the purview of Bishop John D’Arcy, of the Diocese of Fort Wayne – South Bend.

 

Now two weeks have passed.  All the fuss and hubbub has diminished.  The pro-life activists have left.  So have Obama and the graduates.  However, Father Jenkins still remains as Notre Dame president and a priest in good standing.  Notre Dame still retains its status as a Catholic institution.  Moreover, we note that while 70+ bishops made varying protests of Notre Dame’s obeisance to Obama, 200 US bishops uttered not one peep.  In other words, in the face of this most egregious insult not only to Our Lady, faithful Catholics and the unborn children, the US Catholic bishops offered only the most token of protests – and that’s it.  It appears that Notre Dame will still continue its “business as usual” mode.  The bishops have done nothing more than offer a most perfunctory slap on the risk, exclaimed “Naughty!  Naughty!” to the Notre Dame directors – and looked the other way.  In the face of such lackluster leadership, can it be any wonder that some misguided individual would have been tempted to take matters into their own hands?  The fault lies not only with errant politicians, but errant shepherds.

 

Readers, let’s be honest.  If the bishops had any calcium in their spinal columns, abortion in this country would have ended a long time ago.  If they had taken the lead in proclaiming the truths of our faith, in exercising resolute discipline of errant Catholics and in standing up to societal evil, George Tiller might very well be alive today (with a lot less mortal sin on his soul), as would be millions of babies.  Men and women would have been spared the horrible scarring of abortion and our civilization would have much less bloodguilt on its hands.

The USCCB has issued a statement condemning the murder of George Tiller and proclaiming respect for all life.  While that might be well and good, much more is required immediately.  All the bishops, to a man, must put the defense of innocent human life above all other priorities, such as immigration, poverty, etc.  They must preach incessantly the evils of abortion, contraception, gay lifestyle, abuse of embryonic people, etc – and they must order their priests to do the same.  They must be resolute in the discharging of their obligations under Canon 915.  They must forbid the honoring of anti-life personages at Catholic institutions.  They must expunge the clergy – at all levels – of those who dissent from Catholic faith and morals.  There are some amongst the bishops who are doing precisely that, and they stand out as beacons.  However, they stand out as lights in the darkness precisely because most bishops do lack the fortitude of these few.  When, and only when, the bishops stand as the shepherds that they were ordained to be, then we’ll see respect for all life become a characteristic of our culture once again.. 

 

A REAL BISHOP IN sCRANTON PA    We have noted with gratitude these last few months the courage displayed on a number of occasions by Scranton’s Bishop, Joseph Martino.  This week, he published this notice, directing his priests, deacons and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion to withhold Communion from known Catholic pro-abort politicians who might have the audacity to present themselves for reception of the Eucharist.  This comes on the heels of his public rebuke of Senator Bob Casey, Jr.  

Last week, he took an area “Catholic” college to task for hosting a gay speaker.  Read here.   He then called upon the school to dissolve its “Diversity Institute” (don’t you just cringe at that word “diversity”?) that sponsored the debacle.   During the same week, he took steps to ensure that no pro-abortion politicians would be honored in any Catholic church during the upcoming St Patrick parades.

Shortly before the November 2008 election, he showed up unannounced at a parish forum to defend the Church’s teachings on the primacy of life issues.  Some noses were put out of joint, but he stood his ground.  Read here.  Also in that article is a link to his own letter.  We note with pleasure that he makes clear that he is the ordinary of that diocese, and his role is not subject to the approval of the USCCB.

If every bishop were as conscientious and courageous as Bishop Martino, we would not be in the moral, spiritual and political mess in which we find ourselves today.  Pray that God would bless us with more such holy and courageous bishops. 

 

A GOOD PRIEST IN WEST VIRGINIA    Father William Kuchinsky of West Virginia and others like him have been lights shining in the darkness.  We call to your attention a reproduction of a recent homily here.  Now read here of his efforts for Canon 915.  Pray for these priests.  Write letters of support to them – and to their bishops. 

 

ANOTHER GOOD PRIEST THROWN UNDER THE BUS BY HIS BISHOP    This latest betrayal comes to us from California – San Diego, to be precise.  A pastor wrote a spot-on article regarding the moral mischief being wrought by Obama.  It seems like some liberal parishioner had a snit about it and complained to the bishop.  The bishop, in cool California lingo, told the priest to “cool it”.  Read here for details.  Then go here to communicate support for the good priest.  Pray that more priests will emulate his (not the bishop’s!) example. 

 

THE AUDACITY OF DOPES – PART 2    The new Congress is certainly getting down to serious business (after passing a serious $8 billion + Porkulus bill).  Fifty Catholic members of Congress, mindful of their Catholic identities (read: taking advantage of their Catholic identities) have written a letter, invoking their congressional statuses, to weigh in on the Pope’s decision to reinstate one of the members of the SSPX.  Read this dubious tome here.  By the way – did you notice that the link was to one of the signers’ OFFICIAL US CONGRESS website?  Yep!  That’s a website paid by your tax dollars.  That means that your tax dollars are funding this obvious Catholic-bashing diatribe.

Let’s observe two issues here.  First, many if not most of these signers have no allegiance whatsoever to the Magisterium, as manifested by their pro-abortion and pro-gay votes.  However, even if these individuals were the most exemplary Catholics imaginable, the second issue portends the greater danger to the First Amendment as we’ll describe below.

Let’s take a look at the United States Constitution.  One of many links is this one.  Please direct your attention to Article 1, Section 8.  This is a list of the duties of the “Powers of Congress”.  As we look therein, we see no mention of the right or duty to meddle in the affairs of religious bodies.  In fact, the First Amendment specifically prohibits such attempts.  Might this be a subtle attempt to silence the Church in the United States?  Well, in light of the incident that was outlined in our first “Audacity of Dopes” installment that occurred less than one week before this nonsensical letter, such a hypothesis is not unreasonable.

Lots of Catholic pro-abortion Representatives signed this letter – with one interesting exception!  The signature of Madame Speaker herself – Nancy Pelosi – is curiously absent!  We do, however, detect the stench of her influence all over this tome.  Make no mistake about this.  If truly Catholic members of Congress had written a letter of this type to congratulate the Pope for his defense of life, Ms Pelosi would have pitched a royal fit.  In such a case, she would have been entirely correct to do so, since the violation of the US Constitution would have occurred (regardless of content of communication).  However, in this case, Ms Pelosi is silent.  Why?  Does she approve?  Is this letter a small “shot across the bow”, to see how many will not notice the Constitutional violation?

To the suspect congresspersons who have been directed to this site: Had you written to the Pope in your capacities as private individuals, you would have been well within your rights to do so – both under the Constitution and Canon Law.  However, you began your letter “as Catholic members of Congress”, thus invoking your congressional personas.  Ladies and gentlemen, you have violated Article 1 Section 8 of the US Constitution.  Shame on you.  You not only owe the Holy Father your apologies, but you owe apologies to all your constituents and to all taxpayers.  And please, oh please, don’t think we don’t recognize this stunt for what it is: a first attempt to try to intimidate the voices of Catholics as they bring their beliefs into the public square.  The gig is up; you’ve been exposed.  You may pack it in now.  Oh, by the way – Faithful Catholics of MD/DC Inc is NOT a not-for-profit organization.  You needn’t bother to try to deprive us of any tax-exempt status, because none exists!  We apologize for disappointing your lawyers.

Thus ends our second installment of “The Audacity of Dopes”.  We hope there won’t be more – but there probably will be!  We’ve already written two of these, and this debacle of a presidential administration is less than two weeks old.  Oh my!  We might have to make “The Audacity of Dopes” its own section of this website!

 

BISHOPS BURKE AND HERMANN CHASTISE OBAMA-VOTING CATHOLICS    The Archdiocese of St Louis has had two outstanding bishops.  Archbishop Raymond Burke was the bishop of that diocese before being transferred to the Vatican to serve as the prefect of the Apostolic Signatura.  In this interview, he faults, in no uncertain terms, the USCCB document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship”.  He clearly agrees with flaws that have been discussed by many Faithful Catholics (scroll down to “Is the USCCB Intrinsically Evil” and further down to “USCCB Political Stinker”).

Bishop Robert Hermann has been the Archdiocesan Administrator since Bishop Burke departed for the Vatican.  He wrote this column in the St Louis Review.  He gives an excellent diagnosis of the mental disconnect that seems to infect the minds of too many Catholic voters.  He plainly states that President John Kennedy compromised Catholic values to attain the presidency, and that many Catholic politicians who followed him simply followed suit.  He’s absolutely correct about that.

Both statements are worthy of study by us all.  They are desperately needed by many, if not most, of the US bishops and clergy.  Moreover, those politicians who support abortion, gay lifestyles, etc must wake up, not only to the devastation they are wrecking on society, but to the terrible peril into which they are placing their eternal salvations.

 

THE AUDACITY OF DOPES    After President Barack Hussein Obama declared open season on the babies of the world by reversing the Mexico City Policy, Cardinal Rigali chastised him for this measure.  Well, that just threw the Messiah’s most worshipful nose out of joint.  He cut loose with this.  We quote: “President Barack Obama on Saturday issued a statement criticizing debate on the policy as divisive and fruitless. "For too long, international family planning assistance has been used as a political wedge issue, the subject of a back and forth debate that has served only to divide us. I have no desire to continue this stale and fruitless debate," he said. "It is time that we end the politicization of this issue."   May we attempt a translation?  Here it is!  (Drum roll, please!)

Hear ye, hear ye, ye peasants, ye rabble, ye great unwashed!  The Messiah Most Merciful, the Lord Barack Hussein Obama, speaks!  He condescends to speak sublime words of wisdom to your dense, uncomprehending minds!  Therefore, heed and adore his every utterance, for only therein will ye attain to “The Audacity of Dopes”, uh, we mean HOPE (yeah, that’s it).  Therefore, cease with your questions and debates, for they be odious, divisive and embarrassing to His Lordship Obama!  Who are ye to question the omniscience and omnipotence of the High Lord, the Messiah Most Merciful?  Therefore, all kneel, all grovel, and let all mortal flesh keep SILENCE!

 

How’s that for a new tone?  How’s that for “change you can believe in”?

Speaking of “change you can believe in”, here’s some from Italy.  From here we read of a courageous bishop. Cardinal Severino Poletto has urged Italian doctors to refuse to carry out any orders to murder a comatose woman by pulling her feeding tube.  But for some notable exceptions, such courage is lacking in US bishops.  We as a Church need that courage, though, as there will be many more occasions that require speaking out as did Cardinal Rigali.

 

IS THE USCCB INTRINSICALLY EVIL?    Our colleagues at the Defender (in West Virginia) addressed this topic on their website.  There they posted an excellent analysis; it can be read here.  It is our opinion that the organization is evil.  Note that we said “the organization” is evil, as opposed to the bishops comprising the organization.  No doubt many good bishops do not hold the USCCB in high regard.  The bishop of Scranton, PA, Joseph Martino, is one such bishop who has stood up to the nuttiness of the USCCB.  We salute him and urge all to read how he exercised his proper ministry.

The Defender does an excellent job at examining the many scandals that have arisen from the USCCB; these scandals range from the merely ridiculous to the outright schismatic.  They also seem to be never-ending.  The date of this writing is January 12, 2009; just today, we read that Cardinal George, president of the USCCB, appointed Diane Knight as chair of the National Review Board.  She donated money to Obama’s campaign.  Read here.  We won’t ask “what’s wrong with this picture”.  That’s no mystery.  Can there be anything right about it?

 

USCCB MOVIE REVIEWER DISGRACES CATHOLICS WITH YET ANOTHER GAFFE   One would thnk that Harry Forbes would have learned after the previous goof he made with “Brokeback Mountain”.  Rather, it’s his USCCB handlers that should have learned.  Perhaps they should have fired him.  Alas, they didn’t!  This latest USCCB embarrassment takes the form of a review of a movie called “Milk”.  It’s a biography of Harvey Milk, a gay activist in San Francisco’s Castro district who held local office and was murdered while in office.  Sean Penn plays the lead.  As one might expect from the gay-toadying Follyhood-Hollywood establishment, Milk is lionized in this movie, made to appear as a heroic martyr for the cause of “gay rights”.  Read this.  To read this, one might think they’re reading a review from the Washington Post, New York Times or some other leftist/atheist rag – not from a supposedly Catholic website.

To make our displeasure known, we post now our open letter to Mr. Forbes and the USCCB: (begin letter)

Mr. Forbes, how is it that you gave the movie a rating of “L” and not “O” for “offensive”?  You well know that Harvey Milk spent his career promoting and facilitating a lifestyle that is both perverted against nature and mortally sinful.  This movie advances and promotes the sin for which Milk (God have mercy on his soul) advocated.  This alone should have made you realize that this movie is not fit for viewing by any sort of audience.  Your “L” rating indicates that the movie contains content that “adults would find troubling”.  They should find it troubling for it is inherently mortally sinful.  You owe it to your Catholic readers and yes, your God, to revise that rating to “O”, and explain in no ambiguous language that homosexual behavior is not acceptable.

To Mr. Forbes’ supervisors at the USCCB: After this and the equally lame review of “Brokeback Mountain”, one might think that the USCCB answers to the gay community, not to the Magisterium.  Can this be true?  Gentlemen, our civilization is literally going to hell in a handbasket.  To your disgrace, it appears that the USCCB is willingly not only standing silent, but actually working to hasten our cultural and moral decline by allowing such drivel as Mr Forbes’ review to be published on your website.  Serious soul-searching on your part is needed.  Please begin this process by dismissing Harry Forbes and replacing him with a reviewer who is not afraid to uphold Church moral teaching in his/her review of movies.

(end letter)

We urge one and all to likewise communicate their dismay with the USCCB.

 

TWO PRIESTS BETRAYED FOR TEACHING cATHOLIC TRUTH ABOUT OBAMA   Father Jay Scott Newman, pastor of St Mary’s Church in Greenville SC wrote a letter to his parishioners detailing the spiritual ramifications of voting for Barack Obama.  He published it in the bulletin.  At first, he was supported by his local chancery, just after the election.  However, just after the semi-annual USCCB meeting, the chancery turned around and threw Father Newman under the bus.  Don’t you find that timing to be rather, uh, coincidental?  Our Catholic Media Coalition colleagues at the Les Femmes blog reproduced that letter.  Here it is.  As said, immediately after the letter was published, Msgr Martin Laughlin, administrator of the diocese of Charleston, supported Father Newman.  After the USCCB meeting, that tone changed; see the video here.  We hinted that the USCCB might be behind this attempt to cut Father Newman off at the knees.  Read this (and scroll to the bottom) for another hint at such interference.  Since the Diocese of Charleston has no bishop per se, Archbishop Wilton Gregory has final say on such matters.  Could it be that Msgr Laughlin was taken to the woodshed after his initial support of Father Newman?  Given the weird workings of the USCCB, this is a distinct probability.

Meanwhile, in Modesto, CA, Father Joseph Illo, pastor of St. Joseph’s, likewise spoke courageously and clearly the same message to his parishioners.  His bishop, Stephen Blaire (of the Stockton diocese) had this to say: “Our position on pro-life is very important, but there are other issues.  No one candidate reflects everything that we stand for. I'm sure that most Catholics who voted were voting on economic issues.  There were probably many priests, and I suspect many bishops, who voted for Obama."  This bishop is unabashedly dissenting from Evangelium Vitae.  He is clearly putting economic considerations ahead of the babies.  However, his last statement is the most disgraceful simply because it is probably accurate: that many clergy, those who received the Sacrament of Holy Orders, committed mortal sin.  Yes, we do say that.  There’s no way these men can claim ignorance; they knew full well what they did.  Thus, mortal sin is present.  Read this for the disgraceful quote.

Please contact these priests and thank them.  Also please contact their bishops/administrators and ask them to act like clear and courageous bishops – or at least stop throwing their good priests under the bus in such conniving fashions.  Please pray that more priests and bishops will remember the graces bestowed upon them when they received Holy Orders.

 

ELECTIONS 2008!   We remind one and all that Faithful Catholics of MD/DC, Inc. is not a “501c” anything.  Donations to us are not tax-deductible.  Thus, we can say anything we please in terms of endorsements.  And now we shall!  The choice is obvious.  Obama is way too dangerous to sit in the White House.  Let it be said that our enthusiasm for John McCain is, well, tepid at best (Sarah Pailin, well that’s another story!).  He’s for embryonic stem cell research and has given no indication that pro-life philosophies will govern any Supreme Court nominees.  He still is much preferable to Obama.  That’s still not saying a whole lot; many, many people would be preferable to Obama.

It stands to reason that it would be a grave matter, even a grave sin, to support Barak Obama.  In light of his radical support of abortion, there is no “proportionate reason” for any Catholic to lend his/her support to one who supports the mass-murder known as abortion.  We will speak more on this soon.  Right now, we want to point out ways in which faithful Catholics may be unwittingly supporting Obama.

We call your attention to the lead editorial that appeared in the October 10th edition of the Washington Times.  Click here.  It is an excellent synopsis of ACORN’s checkered history and its contribution to the economic mess in which we find ourselves.  It also touches upon the virtual founding of ACORN by Saul Alinsky, a Communist/ Soclalist sympathizer.  Mr. Alinsky wrote “Rules for Radicals”, a seminal piece that he dedicated to – Lucifer.  We have seen some of these “rules” lately, as ACORN offices in Missouri and Nevada have come under investigation for voter fraud.  Go here to see an excellent treatise on the problematic morals (or, perhaps more accurately, lack of morals) that underpin Alinsky’s and ACORN’s thinking.  Now who got his start as an Alinsky-ite organizer in Chicago?  None other than Barak Obama!

Now how might good Catholics be supporting such a shady outfit (albeit unknowingly)? They are doing so every time they contribute to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development.  The documentation is too extensive to enumerate here in its entirety.  We suggest that you google “CCHD ACORN” and pick from the plethora of sites that come up.  We will highlight the Archdiocese of Washington CCHD grants for 2004 here.  Note the strange priorities.  The DC and PG ACORNs received a combined total of $50,000.  Compare that with the measly $3,500 awarded to the Gabriel Project, a very worthwhile pro-life group that actually does save lives!

Fellow Catholics, we will touch more on these important matters.  For now, please understand that we must do two things in November.  First, we must defeat Barak Obama and not allow him to take the White House.  Second, we must boycott the Campaign for Human Development collection that will occur this November.  Before that collection, we hope to have available a flyer/handout that can be placed in that CCHD envelope and/or distributed to your fellow parishioners.

Note: if you do see a supporter of Obama at church (probably evidenced by a bumper strip on their car to that effect) place on that car a Wisdom on Windshields  flyer, described below.

 

EXCELLENT TREATISE ON CANON 915  Our West Virginia colleagues at Defenders of the Faith wrote an excellent article detailing the flaws of “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility..”, as well as the abysmal lack of obedience to Canon 915 by way too many of our clergy.  Read it here.  Pray for our clergy.  Meanwhile, it is up to the laity (that’s us!) to step out and set in place God’s order and the Culture of Life.  Along with prayer (as aptly suggested in the Defender article), there is the Wisdom on Windshields tool as detailed below (two articles down, in USCCB stinker piece).  Hey – if an Obamanation misguided soul can bloviate in a church hall, we can – and must – proclaim the truth.

 

MARYLAND CATHOLIC CONFERENCE EMBROILED IN DUBIOUS ALLIANCES  An organization called “Faith in Public Life” would seem to be a natural ally with which the Maryland Catholic Conference would want to join forces.  Or is it?  Appearances are deceiving.  However, as one becomes a bit more astute about such matters, one can learn to discern the warning signs that scream at us.  Let’s start with a look at the “Faith in Public Life” website.  Notice that it is ostensibly “founded by America’s diverse faith leaders”.  Whoa!  Stop right there!  We see that ubiquitous word “diverse”!  Yes, that buzz word does have the stench of things “new-age” and “progressive”.  Click on the map, then click on Maryland.  A number of organizations show up; some have web sites, some don’t.  We notice that there are the MCC, along with Catholic Charities and some individual parishes.  However, we also notice some Pax Christi and Call to Action chapters.  Both of these are dissident organizations, calling for women’s ordination, disregard of the Papacy, etc.  We also see groups such as “Disciples Justice Action Network” and “Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual”; both of these advocate for abortion and homosexual lifestyles.  From this website, you can go to the sites of these groups and read what they advocate.   Some of these links are defunct or the website to which they point hasn’t been updated in a while.  Interestingly enough, though, the link that supposedly goes to the MCC website actually goes to the Maryland State Legislature.  Now why is that?  Could it be that the FIPL folks don’t want to link to the pro-life material that is available on the MCC site???

Back up one level and look at what’s in nearby Virginia.  We see that there is a Dignity chapter.  As you know, Dignity is a dissident group that seeks to coerce the Church into accepting the sinful gay lifestyle as good and normal.  We also see another GLAD chapter.  Sadly, we see that the Virginia Catholic Conference has joined forces with these dissidents in this unholy alliance.

Our colleagues at Los Pequenos de Cristo wrote an excellent article that details the many problems of “Faith in Public Life”.  Please read it by clicking here.   Then let’s urge our state Catholic Conferences and other Catholic organizations (legit ones, that is) to extradite themselves from this web of evil.

 

USCCB POLITICAL STINKER  On November 14, 2007, the USCCB let loose with “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility..”  It can be read here.  It is horrible.  Read sections 25-29, and see how things go downhill at section 29.  Section 29 appears to be a sanctimonious screed designed to scold those who focus on the life issues, as Pope John Paul II exhorted us to do in Evangelium Vitae.

At section 42, we see displayed the confused (and perhaps dissident) thinking of powers-that-be at the USCCB.  It proclaims that “as Catholics we are not single issue voters”.  Oh yes we are, if that single issue involves the right to life.  It gets worse when it states that “yet a candidate’s position on a single issue that involves an intrinsic evil , such as support for legal abortion or the promotion of racism  may legitimately lead a voter to disqualify a candidate from receiving support.”  Notice what is in italics.  That is prima facae evidence that some at the USCCB hold racism and abortion to be of equal weight.  Granted, they are both evil, but the horrors of abortion far outweigh those of racism.

Section 87 demonstrates that the USCCB has been suckered into the global warming scam of the liberals.

In trying to remove emphasis on the five non-negotiable life issues (i.e., abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, cloning, homosexual activity), the USCCB portrays as more acceptable the liberals who dissent from the Church on the life issues, but conform with the USCCB on those issues of lesser weight.  This is unacceptable.

So what can we do about this?  Are we totally helpless in the face of this obfuscation of Catholic social teaching being force-fed to unsuspecting Catholics in the pew?  By no means – which brings us now to a tool to help combat the confusion that will result.  We call it Wisdom on Windshields.  Now here’s the official announcement that you can use if you wish to promote this.  Here goes!

Catholics!  Are you flummoxed to see Obama bumper strips on cars in the parking lot of your Catholic church?  Are you even more speechless when cars belonging to members of your parish council, teachers of the CCD or (God forbid!) clergy sport Hillary or Kerry stickers?  Perhaps the offending stickers are those of equally anti-life local candidates.  You might have wanted to take them aside to show them the error of their ways.  However, you were rushing into Mass and didn’t want to be late.  Or perhaps you didn’t know who owned the car with its offensive bumper strip (or car-top sign).   So that you can perform several of the Works of Mercy towards that individual, we are proud to announce the Wisdom on Windshields flyer.  Yes, you can download it here.  We suggest that you print it in color and carry them with you in your own car; you’ll never know when some poor ignorant soul needs a discreet dose of truth left on their windshield.  We deliberately left the name of the politician blank so that it can be used in different elections.  Don’t forget – in two years, we elect new state and county officials; we hope and pray that we elect a new governor.  Moreover, in two years, we hope to replace the entire pro-gay, pro-abortion socialistic cabal that currently infests the elected offices of the Montgomery County MD government.  This tool should help in that effort.  So again, download the “Wisdom on the Windshields”, save it to your own computers and print as necessary.

A note to our out-of-area comrades – you are free to use Wisdom on Windshields as you wish.  You may wish to use the language on different letterhead, as your local dissidents and politicians will not be inclined to pay too much attention to an out-of-area piece of literature.

We also want to recall to your attention the excellent booklet by Catholic Anwers, called “Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics”.  Download it at their site by clicking here.

 

CATHOLICs united – not!  An email blast recently went out from this group, chiding John McCain for having Deal Hudson on his election team to help in outreach to Catholics.  Catholics United tries to take a moral high ground here.  Our interest is not so much on McCain and Hudson; rather, we look askance upon Catholics United itself.  Keith Fournier took Catholics United to task for allegedly defaming Hudson (click here), but Fournier missed some real smoking guns.  The smoke is on their own web page, the one that talks of their personnel.  Note that both these men have Pax Christi affiliations.   The biography of James Salt is the most eye-opening.  We read that his background is working with “progressive peace and justice organizations.”  Right there, we have ominous hints of things amiss.  We’ve grown to hate that word “progressive”, but we digress.  It gets worse!  His experience includes overseeing “the Kansas Democratic Party's faith outreach efforts, including messaging work for Governor Sebelius”.  Yes, that is Kathleen Sebelius, the Catholic, but pro-abortion governor of Kansas – the same Sebelius who has done her best to shield notorious third-trimester abortion George Tiller (aka “Tiller the Killer”) from justice – the same Sebelius who has feted the same Tiller at taxpayer expense.

Catholics United touts its affiliation with Kathleen Sebelius on its webpage, but takes McCain to task for having Deal Hudson with him?  Is this the “pot calling the kettle black”, or what???  Does anyone else see anything wrong with this picture?  Does the word hypocrisy come to mind?

 

CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF RICHMOND VA FACILITATES BABY-MURDER  This is mind-boggling!  If you haven’t yet read the Washington Times article, read it now.   These people haven’t the first clue regarding true charity.  Whatever else it means, it certainly doesn’t mean murdering babies – or maybe they leaned theology from the Robert Lynch School of Cafeteria Catholicism (see article below).  Now doesn’t something seem strangely backwards here?  Usually, it’s the secular government that is trying to force some anti-life measures on the populace, and the Catholic hierarchy makes protest for the sake of life.  Maybe it’s a pathetically weak protest, but at least it’s some stance for life.  Not this time!  Now it’s a Catholic agency that aided and abetted murder, and the civil government is taking them to task for so doing!  Well, at least the State of Virginia got something right.  Now why did it take the State of Virginia to raise the red flag?  Where, oh where, was the supervision within the ranks of that Catholic Charity office?

This abortion happened in January.  So why are we learning of this five months later?  Well, blame it on USCCB cover-up and stonewalling.  You’d think that they would have learned their lessons after the sex-abuse cover-up fiasco.  Sadly, such is not the case.  Here’s more.  We’ll keep this website updated as we learn more – and there most likely is more still hidden under rocks!

By the way – despite all the coverage in secular papers and internet, there was nary a peep about this matter in the Catholic Standard.  They were too busy sobbing over the death of Tim Russert to be concerned about the murder of a baby at the hands of a Catholic agency.  We suspect that next week, they’ll be embarrassed into some mention of it.  Of course, the coverage will basically say, “Hey, this is just a minor glitch, but not to worry!  We got things well under control!  Smiley-smiley!”

Update as of June 30, 2008 – Again we have the Washington Times to thank for digging for the truth here.  No doubt the Catholic Standard will continue to outshine the Three Monkeys on this one.  It appears that Archbishop DiLorenzo knew of the abortion while it was in its planning phases – and yet did NOTHING to stop it!!!  Ostensibly he was told “there was nothing he could do to stop it.”  Are you as aghast as we are?  This is sheer, utter nonsense!  Are any of you employers?  If any of you was told that one of your employees, in your name, was going to commit a heinous crime but “there was nothing you could do to stop it,” would you just shrug your shoulders and leave it at that?  Of course not!  Does this bishop have any semblance of a spine?  We all know there was plenty he could have done.  For heaven’s sake – he’s the bishop!    Notify the police!  Fire the perpetrators on the spot – and excommunicate them as well!

We understand that the archbishop is “apologetic”.  Well, whoopdi-doo!!  Apologies don’t cut it here!  First he had pre-knowledge of a planned abortion, and he made no attempt to stop it.  Then he covered it up for five months.  The local CCR director likewise had this foreknowledge, but she didn’t try to stop it.  Were they really so helpless to act – or are there yet more sordid details to learn?  We fear the latter may well be the case.  The CCR is under Federal investigation for using Federal funds in violation of Virginia consent laws.  We hope and pray that the civil authorities are relentless in their pursuit of the truth; Lord knows the local hierarchy certainly isn’t.  Rather they’re hell-bent on cover-up – well, maybe not now, since the cat is out of the bag.  We hope that Virginia and Federal officials proceed to criminally prosecute the CCR fiend who signed that consent form, and any other CCR and/or archdiocesan official who had anything to do with that coverup – including Archbishop DiLorenzo!

It still boggles our minds!  A baby was murdered under Catholic auspices in Richmond – with prior knowledge of the local bishop, who uttered not the slightest protest.  Why?  Forgive us for NOT believing that lame excuse!  Let the investigation proceed!

Update as of July 3  We read from the Catholic News Agency that the bishop did forbid the abortion.  However, it still appears that he was told there was nothing he could do about it.  Poppycock!!  He remained silent in the face of murder!  As our colleagues, Les Femmes, put it, if he were told that a major donor was pulling the plug and there “was nothing he could do about it”, the good bishop would not take that sitting down!  Read their take here by clicking this link, then clicking eletters.  This is not the shepherd that the Church needs, for this shepherd literally stood by and sucked his thumb while a baby in his charge was taken to be murdered.  Go to the bottom of that site to get contact information to ask for Bishop DiLorenzo’s removal.

 

bishop ROBERT LYNCH OF sT PETERSBURG FL PRESSES CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST A PRO-LIFE ACTIVIST  If this bishop’s name sounds harshly familiar, it is with good reason.  Remember the murder of Terri Shiavo.  It happened within the diocese of St Petersburg.  Did the local bishop raise his voice on her behalf?  Au contraire!  He actually gave approval for Michael Shiavo to commence with the murder – in writing (click here for the unbelievable tome).  He forbade his priests to visit her or the Schindler family.  He left the country while she was dying during Holy Week; no bishop can leave his diocese during Holy Week, by Canon Law.  He wouldn't let any service for Terri be conducted in any church; HOWEVER - he did allow Michael to subsequently marry his shack-up girl friend in a Church.

One would think, after reading this, that anything would go, as far as this bishop is concerned.  So why is he dragging a pro-life activist into court?  What nefarious act did this pro-lifer commit that would cause Bishop Lynch, who winks at murders, to go ballistic?  Sit down, take deep breaths, for this news will surely shock you!  The pro-lifer had (Get ready for it!  Drum roll, please!) left flyers on cars in a church parking lot!   Oh, the horror of it all!  Go here to get more detail; at that site is a link to that most dastardly of flyers!  Oh, that darned First Amendment that makes possible that sort of literature, and this sort of website, too, for that matter!

We have issued to Bishop Lynch a public letter.  Read it here.  At the other blog spot is a list of contact information for the bishop.  Please contact him yourselves and don’t let him get away with harassing a Catholic pro-life activist.

 

USCCB GIVES CONDOM APPROVAL  We need not rehash the story as related by Lifesite News.  Go here for it.  We will, however, emphasize that the Catholic Relief Services is a major culprit in this blunder.  History lesson time!  Who’s on the board of directors?  Among other people, Cardinal McCarrick!  Go to the “McCarrick Watch” page to see one of his statements about condoms.  Coincidence?

 

 

WOMAN-PRIEST WANNABEES…..  In the Archdiocese of St Louis MO, two women conducted a ceremony by which they now consider themselves ordained.  It occurred on November 11th, the afternoon of the date of this entry.  Earlier, Archbishop Raymond Burke, on the archdiocesan website made clear the Church’s teaching on this matter.  He also stated regret at the excommunication that these women would incur and voiced concern for the eternal salvation of these women.  It certainly sounds like St Louis has a true bishop.  It is too early at the time of this writing to know the final outcome; we trust that this archbishop will follow through, and we join him in praying for the repentance of these women.

 

Update: the good archbishop did follow through.  We share his regret that this action had to be taken, but out of concern for their souls, he did not back down.  Here is the declaration of excommunication, as promulgated in the archdiocesan newspaper of St Louis.

 

 

Connecticut bishops approve abortifacients in catholic hospitals  On September 27, 2007, the four Connecticut Catholic bishops committed serious dereliction of duty by capitulating to the culture of death.  They have acquiesced to the CT state legislature’s pressure and are now allowing Catholic hospitals to administer the abortion-causing poison called Plan B to rape victims.  Read the treacherous statement here.  Note some of the flawed logic.  The bishops acknowledge that the law is flawed – but they’ll go along to get along!  They acknowledge doubt as to how Plan B works; thus they acknowledge that it most likely causes abortions (in fact, there is not doubt).  So why do they deem its usage acceptable?  Father Euteneuer of Human Life International offers an excellent analysis here.

 

We will post updates to this section as they occur.  Meanwhile, visit this page to get contact information for the four Connecticut bishops.  Let them know your displeasure.  Please do note that the bishop of Bridgeport, William Lori, was an auxiliary bishop in the Washington archdiocese under Cardinal Hickey.

 

 

 

bLASPHEMY AND SACRILIGE IN sAN fRANCISCO ARE NOTHING NEW, BUT ……   I never thought I’d actually see this kind of in-your-face desecration of the Holy Eucharist by the hands of a bishop!  On October 7, 2007, Archbishop George Niederaur (of San Francisco) celebrated Mass at Most Holy Redeemer Church.  The church is located in the Castro area of SF, an area notorious as a gay enclave.   The “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” is an organization of mostly gay men who promote the gay lifestyle and who make it a point to lampoon Catholic religious sisters.  Most Holy Redeemer, as a parish, has given aid and comfort to these perverts, going so far as to let them use their church hall for their fundraisers.   Click here to get more detail of the October Mass; on that site you can watch a video of the sacrilege.  Watch it closely.  You can see that the bishop knows what he is doing, since he actually has a brief exchange with the first perpetrator.  Then read his pathetic excuse of an apology.  It’s very well and good to acknowledge the insult to religious sisters, but he utters not one peep about the sin of sodomy.  

TAKE ACTION: Catholics and other concerned pro-family Americans are encouraged to voice their outrage at Archbishop George Niederauer’s action at info@sfarchdiocese.org.

Please cc the following people on your email to the Archbishop:

Auxiliary Bishop Ignatius Wang at wangi@sfarchdiocese.org
The Archbishop’s secretary at MillerL@sfarchdiocese.org.
The editor of Catholic San Francisco at morrisyoungd@sfarchdiocese.org
Communications Director for the Archdiocese of San Francisco at healym@sfarchdiocese.org

Or write to:

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
One Peter Yorke Way
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 614-5500

His Excellency The Most Reverend Pietro Sambi
The Apostolic Nuncio to the United States
The Apostolic Nunciature
3339 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008-3687
phone: 202-333-7121
fax:     202-337-4036

Cardinal William J. Levada
Prefect
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
[Secretary: Most Rev. Archbishop Angelo Amato, S.D.B.]
Piazza del S. Uffizio 11
00l93 Rome, Italy
Europe
phone: 011.39.06.69.88.33.57
phone: 011.39.06.69.88.34.13
fax:      011.39.06.69.88.34.09
email:  cdf@cfaith.va
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/

 

 

THANK ARCHBISHOP o’BRIEN!  On November 8th, Archbishop O’Brien (of Baltimore) ordered the resignation of Father Martin, a south Baltimore priest, who had invited a female Episcopal priestess-imposter to celebrate a funeral Mass with him.  Apparently, this wasn’t Father Martin’s first foray into the world of avant-garde as far as Mass rubrics goes.  However, it was his first under the watch of Archbishop O’Brien – and apparently, his last.  As one can imagine, liberals both inside and outside the Church are kvetching and waxing indignant about O’Brien’s “intolerance”.  Won’t you take a moment to make known to the archbishop your appreciation of his courage and zeal?  Drop an email to him at archbishop@archbalt.org.