Briefing.
Comments: one excellent post by Fr Finnigan directs our attention to a very good article by Christopher Ferrara on the appalling damage done to the SSPX's own cause by his remarks denying the Holocaust.
Another recounts some interesting anecdotes about the liberation of Belson, one of the camps where Jews and others were exterminated, including the description of a Mass celebrated by a Polish priest which was witnessed by Lord Molyneaux, who was one of the liberating soldiers.
The most moving experience came on the second morning as I was walking from what had been the luxury SS barracks which our troops had transformed into a hospital. My attention was drawn to two packing cases covered by a worn red curtain. A young Polish priest was clinging to this makeshift altar with one hand, while celebrating Mass. Between his feet lay the body of another priest who probably died during the night. No one had had the energy to move the body.
I had no difficulty in following the old Latin Mass, having been educated at St James's Roman Catholic School in County Antrim, and, although an Anglican, I had gained a working knowledge of all the rituals. Still supporting himself against the altar, the young priest did his best to distribute the consecrated elements. Some recipients were able to stumble over the rough, scrubby heathland. Others crawled forward to receive the tokens and then crawled back to share them with others unable to move. Some almost certainly passed on to another - probably better - world before sunset. Whatever one's race or religion one can only be uplifted and impressed by that truly remarkable proof of the ultimate triumph of good over evil.
Let no one imagine that a position within the Catholic church favourable to her traditions has any connection with the demented desire to minimise the suffering of Hitler's victims.
Briefing.
Briefing. This is a significant development. Williamson has been a loose canon for years but now reconciliation with Rome may be on the horizon the SSPX seems to be recognising it has to do something about it.
There is an apology included in this statement, which has been released by the Vatican: that is, it is addressed first and foremost to the Vatican. It does not say the Holocaust happened; it could not do so, given that argument it is using against Williamson is that he exceeded his authority by making historical claims, about which the SSPX could not in principle hold any position. It might have been better to have said that what Williamson did wrong was to make highly contentious historical claims likely to cause offence to great numbers of people; it could then have added that such claims are offensive partly because they completely lack historical credibility (and accordingly invite the conclusion that they are motivated by anti-Semitism). No one would have minded if Williamson had said that William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
From NCT, in part (their translation; see their full story): Statement of His Excellency Bernard Fellay, Superior of the Fraternity of St. Pius X
We have become aware of an interview released by Bishop Richard Williamson, a member of our Fraternity of St. Pius X, to Swedish television. In this interview, he expressed himself on historical questions, and in particular on the question of the genocide against the Jews carried out by the Nazis.
It’s clear that a Catholic bishop cannot speak with ecclesiastical authority except on questions that regard faith and morals. Our Fraternity does not claim any authority on other matters. Its mission is the propagation and restoration of authentic Catholic doctrine, expressed in the dogmas of the faith. It’s for this reason that we are known, accepted and respected in the entire world.
It’s with great sadness that we recognize the extent to which the violation of this mandate has done damage to our mission. The affirmations of Bishop Williamson do not reflect in any sense the position of our Fraternity. For this reason I have prohibited him, pending any new orders, from taking any public positions on political or historical questions.
We ask the forgiveness of the Supreme Pontiff, and of all people of good will, for the dramatic consequences of this act. Because we recognize how ill-advised these declarations were, we can only look with sadness at the way in which they have directly struck our Fraternity, discrediting its mission.
This is something we cannot accept, and we declare that we will continue to preach Catholic doctrine and to administer the sacraments of grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Menzingen, January 27, 2009
Briefing. There will be no opportunity for proper medical supervision if the procedure goes wrong. Contrary to what the abortionists like to claim, abortion is not a quick-n-easy DIY procedure; it caries great risks to the mother, both immediate and long term. However, abortionists care as little for the mothers as they do for their children.
Briefing. The film quality is superb but bizarrely they have disabled the 'embeding' facility.
From CFnews: On Friday morning Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., director of Vatican Radio, of the Vatican Television Centre (CTV) and of the Holy See Press Office, announced the creation of a new Vatican channel on YouTube, http://uk.youtube.com/vatican through which various forms of video news will be available concerning the activities of the Pope and events in the Vatican. The site will be updated with one or two news pieces each day, none longer than two minutes, he said. For the moment, the languages available are English, Spanish, German and Italian.
The web page of the new channel, he explained, contains various links via which the visitor can find more information and documentation on the Pope, the Vatican and the Catholic Church. The main links connect to the multi-lingual web pages of CTV and Vatican Radio, to the Vatican and to the new site of Vatican City State. 'Of particular importance', said Fr. Lombardi, 'is the link to H2O News which transmits other video news items on the life of the Church in the world'.
He went on: 'Further links under the main video give access to other Vatican news sources: in each linguistic sub-channel is a link to the web page of Vatican Radio in that language, to the web page of the Holy See Press Office Bulletin (with complete texts in original language), and to that language's edition of the 'Osservatore Romano' newspaper'.
In the light of the possibility offered by YouTube to exchange information, establish relationships, etc., 'we will consider how best to administer this 'global' flow of comments and replies', said the Holy See Press Office Director. 'The Pope', he concluded, 'was personally informed of our project, and gave his approval with his usual courtesy and graciousness. For us this is a great encouragement'.
[Vatican Information Service]
Briefing. This is so totally disgusting that it is hard to know what to say. Catholic stroke victimsand their families should find out whether the source of their medication is ethical and refuse to be a party to abortion (by material cooperation) if that is possible.
In the two-year trial, starting next year, four groups of three patients will be given stem cells developed by the biotech company ReNeuron in Surrey. The 'blank cells' can turn into any type of human tissue. The ones needed for the trial have been grown in culture after they were taken from a foetus's brain. The firm says it can produce all the cells it will ever need from one foetus.
ReNeuron applied to start trials in America but was turned down. It now has the go-ahead from the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.
Josephine Quintavalle, of Comment On Reproductive Ethics, said using a foetus was 'utterly unacceptable'. She added:: 'This is about one life being sacrificed for hypothetical benefits.' [Mail]
Briefing: this is no joke. Parents have got to find our what is happening in their schools and remove their children if necessary. In this context to do nothing is to consent.
Briefing.
Briefing: very good news.
Action: complaints, please, about 'Hunter'. You can see the relevant material on the internet here. Pro-lifers are portrayed an violent fanatics, kidnapping and killing children. As John Smeaton quotes one SPUC activist, 'They would never dare portray other groups in this way'. Catholics and Pro-Lifers are fair game.
Comment: it has been widely reported that the excommunications of the SSPX bishops, to which they were subject automatically on being ordained without the Vatican's permission in 1988, is to be lifted today.
Briefing.
From an email: Bishop Hugh Lindsay died on Monday at the age of 81 after a short illness. His letter-writing mania has finally come to an end. Throughout his episcopate he was the implacable foe of Sacred Tradition. But in fairness to him, it seems appropriate to recall the occasional good deed that he did. In the late 1970's a church in Jarrow was broken into - the tabernacle was opened and Communion hosts were scattered around the church. Bishop Lindsay ordered all-night Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in every church of the diocese in reparation for the sacrilege perpetrated.
Briefing.
From CFNews: BBC presenter Jeremy Vine has claimed that it is becoming 'socially unacceptable' to be a Christian in Britain. The Radio 2 host said that he feels unable to talk about his faith on his show because he fears how people would react. He argues that society has become increasingly intolerant of the freedom to express religious views. 'You can't express views that were common currency 30 or 40 years ago,' he said.
'Arguably, the parameters of what you might call 'right thinking' are probably closing. Sadly, along with that has come the fact that it's almost socially unacceptable to say you believe in God.'
His comments follow the claim from Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor that Britain is an 'unfriendly' place for religious people to live. Mr Vine, 43, is a practising Anglican, but says he would be compromised by being more open about his faith on air. 'Just blurting it out would be destructive,' he said.
In an interview with Reform, a magazine published by the United Reformed Church, Mr Vine says that he is forced to separate his personal beliefs from his role as a presenter. [Sunday Telegraph]
Briefing.
From the Christian Institute: The Government is planning to overturn a crucial free speech protection added last year to a controversial 'gay hate' law. The free speech protection was added last May to the new offence of 'incitement to homophobic hatred' after a late night victory in the House of Lords.
It makes it clear that criticising homosexual practice or urging people to refrain from such conduct will not, in itself, be a crime. But in clause 58 of its new Coroners and Justice Bill, the Government is attempting to remove the protection.
The offence of inciting homophobic hatred catches any words or behaviour which are threatening and intended to stir up hatred. It carries a maximum seven year prison sentence. At the time, campaigners argued that no genuine Christian would do anything to fall within that definition. However, there was strong concern that the new law could be used as an excuse to silence religious views about sexual behaviour.
The protection, which was added by former Home Secretary Lord Waddington, reads: 'for the avoidance of doubt, the discussion or criticism of sexual conduct or practices or the urging of persons to refrain from or modify such conduct or practices shall not be taken of itself to be threatening or intended to stir up hatred'. These are the words the Government is seeking to delete from the law.
In 2006, a free speech amendment was added to a similar law against inciting religious hatred, despite Government attempts to block it. This amendment is much more wide-ranging than the one attached to the homophobic hatred law, but no attempt has been made by the Government to remove it.
During the parliamentary debates on the homophobic hatred offence, a number of cases were highlighted to show the importance of a free speech protection.
Miguel Hayworth, 2008
A Christian street preacher in Manchester was silenced, taken into the back of a police van, questioned and detained for over an hour following a complaint of 'homophobia'.
Miguel Hayworth had been publicly reading from the Bible, from Romans 1:17-32, when a member of the public complained. The officers later released Mr Hayworth and he was permitted to continue preaching.
Stephen Green, 2006
Stephen Green, a Christian campaigner, was arrested for handing out evangelistic tracts at a gay pride festival in Cardiff. Police admitted that he had not behaved in a violent or aggressive manner, but confirmed that officers arrested him because the leaflets contained biblical quotes about homosexuality.
Mr Green was held at a police station for four hours, questioned, charged and eventually committed for trial. The case against Mr Green was subsequently dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service.
The Archbishop of Glasgow, 2006
A Member of the Scottish Parliament asked Strathclyde Police to investigate remarks made by the Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow.
The Archbishop had defended the institution of marriage and criticised civil partnerships in a church service.
Lynette Burrows, 2005
Lynette Burrows, an author and family-values campaigner, took part in a radio talk show about civil partnerships for homosexuals. Mrs Burrows said she did not believe that adoption by two gay men would be best for a child. Subsequently, a policewoman telephoned Mrs Burrows to speak to her about her comments.
The police officer said a 'homophobic incident' had been reported against her and that record of it would be kept by police. Mrs Burrows felt that the policewoman was pressurising her even though she had committed no crime.
Joe and Helen Roberts, 2005
Christian pensioners, Joe and Helen Roberts, were interrogated by police in 2005 because they had expressed their opposition to their local council spending public money on 'gay rights' projects.
After launching legal action, the couple eventually won an apology and damages from Lancashire Police and Wyre Borough Council. The police and the council also changed their procedures to avoid making the same mistake again.
Cambridge Christian Union, 2004
The Christian Union of the University of Cambridge was reported to the police following its distribution of St John's gospel to students and hosting an evangelistic meeting where the Dean of Sydney Cathedral put forward 'a traditional biblical view on homosexuality'.
The Bishop of Chester, 2003
In November 2003 the Bishop of Chester, the Rt Rev Dr Peter Forster, was investigated by Cheshire Constabulary after he told his local newspaper that some homosexuals re-orientated to heterosexuality with the help of therapy.
A complaint was made to the police that his remarks were a 'hate crime', and the Bishop was berated in the media by the Chief Constable. The police passed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service, who decided not to prosecute because the Bishop had not broken any 'current' laws. [Christian Institute]
Briefing: this is a committee mandated by a United Nations treaty and supported by the UK, which promotes abortion.
From C-Fam: (NEW YORK – C-FAM) The committee that monitors state compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) will begin a new session in Geneva next week, but even prior to the meeting six of the eight states who will be reviewed have already been questioned on abortion. In a stinging written response to the CEDAW committee’s advance questions, Cameroon fired back that “abortion is murder.”
CEDAW does not mention abortion, but the committee has courted controversy for years by pressuring over 65 countries to liberalize their abortion laws. In a written communication to the Cameroon government, the CEDAW committee asked the government to account for how they have implemented CEDAW’s previous recommendations to “review the abortion law and increase access to, and availability of, contraception.”
The government of Cameroon provided a lengthy written answer to the question and repudiated the tendency to “elevate” abortion to “the rank of a right and dignity.” Cameroon continued that abortion “is portrayed as a freedom without mentioning that the mother exercises this freedom to the detriment of the child’s.”
The Cameroon response lists the risks associated with abortion, including death, intestinal aspiration, hemorrhaging, infection, sterility, ectopic pregnancy, future miscarriage, perforation of the uterus and distress. Cameroon warned that new ideologies and scientific and technical progress “must not lead to an erosion in basic values.”
Cameroon emphasized the traditional African philosophy that “recognizes the permanent bond that links societies and families to their ancestors” and how children are a “bridge between generations past and present, while representing future prospects for communities.” Therefore, any abortion performed for any reason “other than to save the life of the mother or child, impedes the expression of this vital social dynamic.”
Cameroon also reminded the CEDAW committee of an aspect it feels is overlooked – “the tremendous joy that the possibility of having a child brings to women, as well as to men and families.” Cameroon asks the members of the committee to “Think for a moment of the anguish felt by the many couples who do not have children; think of the thousands of women and men who, in spite of their comfortable material existence, desperately want a child, even if it means adopting just one child.”
While the recommendations of the CEDAW committee are non-binding, abortion activists have brought litigation in various countries citing human rights treaty bodies, like the CEDAW Committee, in challenging laws against abortion. Such arguments helped convince the Colombian constitutional court to liberalize that country’s restrictions on the practice.
CEDAW critics will be watching the next session closely to monitor the performance of several newly elected committee members such as Violet Tsisiga Awori of Kenya and Barbara Evelyn Bailey of Jamaica, who were high-ranking members of non-government organizations that advocated for abortion rights in their respective regions.
Along with Cameroon, the CEDAW Committee will also be reviewing the country reports of Armenia, Dominica, Germany, Guatemala, Haiti, Libya and Rwanda.
Briefing: babies are routinely screened for autism and other disabilies, leading to abortion for the unlucky ones who fail the test. This screening was 'pre-implantation', meaning that group of IVF embryos were screened and the lucky one then implanted in the womb. Apart from increasing the number of embyros killed exponentially (one was lucky, eight not), an involving the couple in another unethical process (IVF itself), the use of IVF to screen for propensities for disease is counter-productive since the IVF process itself leads to numerous health problems.
From The Guardian, in part: The birth of the first British baby genetically screened before conception to be free of a breast cancer gene was hailed yesterday as a breakthrough by doctors but raised fresh questions about the ethics of creating so-called designer babies.
The baby girl grew from an embryo screened to ensure that it did not contain the faulty BRCA1 gene, which would have meant she had a 50%-85% of developing breast cancer.
Briefing: We didn' think this worth pursuing with a call for compaints, but Stephen Green has one after it and we shall see what happens. Organic farmers aren't allowed to describe their produce as more tasty than its rivals without evidence; why should the Humanist Association be able to say there is no God without argument?
In another twist to the story, a Christian bus driver has refused to drive the buses with these adverts on them.
From the Guardian, in part: The advertising regulator has received almost 150 complaints that an atheist ad campaign, proclaiming "There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life", is offensive to Christians and other religions that believe in a single God.
Stephen Green, the national director of Christian Voice, is among those who have complained to the Advertising Standards Authority, arguing that the atheist campaign broke the advertising code on the grounds of substantiation and truthfulness.
The ASA has received 141 complaints about the Atheist Bus Campaign which launched earlier this week on buses throughout England, Scotland and Wales, as well as the London underground. However, 39 of the complaints are regarding newspaper and online articles about the campaign, which the ASA has no power to deal with.
Green said: "It is given as a statement of fact and that means it must be capable of substantiation if it is not to break the rules. There is plenty of evidence for God, from people's personal experience, to the complexity, interdependence, beauty and design of the natural world. But there is scant evidence on the other side, so I think the advertisers are really going to struggle to show their claim is not an exaggeration or inaccurate, as the ASA code puts it."
The regulator has not yet decided if the complaints warrant a formal investigation to see if the campaign has broken the advertising code.
Hanne Stinson, the chief executive of the British Humanist Association, which launched the campaign, said she "pitied the ASA if they are going to be expected to rule on the probability of god's existence. However, if they do investigate we will be very happy to respond".
