A continuing series; see here for the introduction, and here for more on feminism in the Catholic Church in the UK.
From Domestic Tranquility, p192
It is a man's acknowledgment of female preciousness that gives a feminine woman power over him and makes her equal to him. Divesting her of that preciousness in pursuit of contemporary feminism's vision of sexual equivalence has left women pathetic and vulnerable, like raped female prisoners of war and the nursing mothers that our society (in what we can hope will be the nadir of our descent into decadence) sent off to serve in the Persian Gulf War. How many of our men, one must wonder, really want to be part of a society that treats its women in this fashion?
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Graglia against Feminism: 16
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Good Counsel Network needs donations
Please remember then this Advent.
From CFNews: his economic crisis does affect the Good Counsel Network in that we still have regular expenses but our income has decreased over the last few months. At the moment we are helping more than ten mothers with small amounts of food, money, baby goods and other practical help. It would be sad to think of someone having an abortion because we could not offer them the support that they genuinely need. We have also increased our advertising recently to ensure that we can compete with those who wish the young women that we help to abort their children. It is only by placing advertisements where the abortion mills advertise that we can hope to reach women who are quite set on abortion. It is surprising how quickly the decision to seek an abortion can be made. A sixteen-year-old girl phoned us yesterday asking how to arrange an abortion. When asked how many weeks pregnant she was, she said that she did not know as she had only done the pregnancy test fifteen minutes ago.
This week we have been just about able to cover most of our outgoing expenses, but we know that we will not be able to cover the expenses next week. We are therefore asking if you will be kind enough to pray a novena to St. Jude that we will receive the funding that we urgently need, and that the young girl Jane will have the courage to continue her pregnancy. We pray for all of our supporters daily in our chapel. If you would like to donate towards our work please send cheques or postal orders payable to 'The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel' to P.O. Box 46679, London, NW9 8ZT.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Sex Ed petition
Action: please sign up!
From CFNews: orman Wells of Family & Youth Concern emails : I am writing to encourage you to sign a petition on the Number 10 website calling for a full public consultation on whether sex and relationship education should be made a statutory requirement for children from the beginning of primary school - http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Parentchoice
The government has gone back on a clear commitment in the summer to conduct a full public consultation before making any substantive changes to the present arrangements concerning sex and relationship education. Instead, it has chosen to exclude parents from the entire review process. We need to send a strong message to the government that this is unacceptable and that it must honour its earlier commitment. It is likely that the petition will be referred to in a parliamentary debate tomorrow afternoon, so the more signatures we can obtain before then, the better. For more background information, please see our press release from 23 October at http://www.famyouth.org.uk
Equality and Human Rights Commission: up to no good
Update: EHRC responds: The Equality and Human Rights Commission confirmed that it had given a £35,000 grant to the atheist group this year, but pointed out that it also funds 285 other organisations that campaign for an end to discrimination in race, gender, age and sexual orientation. It said: 'The list includes nine organisations specifically focused on religion and belief from different perspectives, as well numerous other organisations that have an element of religion and belief in the work they do.'So: out of 286 organisations, 9 are focused on religion or belief: not a very high proportion. Are the atheists one of the nine? They are focused on religion, all right. Any religious group which does get money from the EHRC will be sure to be told that its beliefs should not be reflected in its work, as Hazel Blears made clear not long ago - unlike the atheists, whose beliefs are fine.Comment, 27/11/08: further to this quango using taxpayers' money to promote the negative and hate-filled agenda of the British Humanist Association, Religion Law tips us off about the full list of their beneficiaries.
Not one of these is clearly a religious organisation: not one is named after a saint, for example, or has 'Christian' in its name. Given the fact that 70% of the UK population identifies itself as Christian, and the record of Christians working for human rights (I mean, Christians invented human rights for heaven's sake: the terminology and the practice), this is pretty astounding. The groups we do see include a large number which have publicly vowed to destroy Christianity: not only the BHA but several branches of Stonewall, the extremist gay-rights organisatioin, which never misses a chance to pillory Christian leaders for their supposed 'homophobia'. In addition there are rows of gay and lesbian groups, and groups supporting the 'transgendered' agenda.
We know what these groups want: a revolution in attitudes to sexuality which overthrows traditional values. This has got nothing to do with either equality or human rights.
Neil Addison of ReligionLaw comments:
On its page about the grant awards the EHRC says
"Funding has been awarded for three priority areas: promoting good relations, promoting equality and human rights and supporting the development of legal casework."
"Funding has been awarded for three priority areas: promoting good relations, promoting equality and human rights and supporting the development of legal casework."
though I frankly cannot see how the BHA seminars fall under any of these criteria.
Or the gay groups either: they seem most intent on stirring up hatred. For example see this on Stonewall's 'bigot of the year' awards.
Or the gay groups either: they seem most intent on stirring up hatred. For example see this on Stonewall's 'bigot of the year' awards.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
King Herod hard at work in the UK
Briefing.
From CFNews: The number of women having an abortion in England and Wales exceeded 200,000 for the first time last year.
There has been an increased figure almost every year since the legalisation of abortion in 1967 - and the indications are this year's figure will be even higher.
Britain's termination rate is already the highest in Western Europe, and if trends continue it will bypass the U.S. within a decade as the place where the greatest proportion of births are terminated.
The shocking figures came just months after MPs rejected moves to restrict abortion to under 20 weeks only, in a bid to call a halt to the year-on-year rises.
The limit for social abortions stayed at 24 weeks.
Pro-life MPs say the figures prove that abortion has become so commonplace that hundreds of women are using it as a form of contraception.
Nadine Dorries, Tory MP for Mid Bedfordshire, said: 'Abortion is wrongly seen as an easy and trouble-free way of ending a pregnancy. It has moved from a resource that women turn to in an emergency and a point of crisis to becoming a form of contraception.
'This has been brought about as a result of an ill-conceived notion that it is just a minor procedure with no side or lasting effects, but this is not the case.'
The Office for National Statistics has revealed that there were 205,600 abortions last year, with 198,500 carried out on Britons and the rest on women who had travelled from other countries.
There were more than 200,000 abortions in Britain in 2007 - but there could be even more in 2008.
Most abortions - 57,000 - were carried out on the 20 to 24 age group. However, there were 4,400 on the under-16s and 700 on those aged more than 45. Some 62.7 per cent of abortions were performed within nine weeks.
In the first six months of 2008, there were 105,000 abortions, slightly more than half last year's figure, indicating the annual total is likely to exceed that of 2007.
Pro-life campaigners are also becoming increasingly concerned with the number of repeat abortions.
The most recent figures for this from 2006 show that nearly 4,000 women have had four or more abortions - and dozens have had eight or more. There were 82 teenagers on their third abortion.
Overall, the number of women having repeat abortions has reached record levels. In 2006, 59,687 abortions were performed in England on women who had already had one.
A third of terminations are now repeats, and the number has gone up by 5 per cent in two years.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Soft-porn advert for 'morning after' pill
Briefing.
From CFNews:A new advertisement from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), depicting a semi-pornographic Christmas scene is being used to tout free morning-after pills and condoms for the Christmas season.
The ad shows the lower half of a man clad in 'Santa' get-up grasping the rear of a woman in a mini-skirt whose leg is entwined around the 'Santa' figure, set against the backdrop of a typical Christmas living room scene. 'Santa only comes once a year ... but that's all it takes!' reads the ad, implying that the woman could get pregnant even if she only has sex with Santa once a year, without using contraception.
BPAS's website explains that they 'recognise that Christmas is a time when people don't think about contraception as a priority, but accidents still happen.' In order to remedy the shortened holiday schedule of family planning clinics and pharmacies, BPAS will be providing a 'Free Christmas Pack' containing a dose of the abortifacient morning-after pill, three condoms, a leaflet on 'what your options are in case the pill doesn't work' and another on general sexual health services.
BPAS, a non-profit organization, like its U.S. counterpart Planned Parenthood, is the U.K.'s largest single abortion provider.
Anthony Ozimic, political secretary for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), responded to the ad with disgust. 'It is certainly a despicable ploy which threatens unborn children, promotes promiscuity, undermines public health and insults the child-centred meaning of Christmas,' said Ozimic. 'The offensive sexual innuendo linked to Santa Claus is evidence of BPAS's morally bankrupt status.'
Ozimic also said it is revealing that the BPAS pack included information on 'options' in case of unexpected pregnancy. 'This makes us question whether not this free give-away isn't a thinly-disguised attempt by BPAS to drum up more abortion business in the new year,' he said.
'This style of promoting the morning-after pill will have an adverse effect on many young and vulnerable women,' Ozimic continued. 'It will encourage men to see females as sex objects, who can be exploited without responsibility for the consequences. The morning-after pill's promoters share in the abuse of women by misleading them about its potential effect, which, the manufacturers concede, may include causing an early abortion.'
The BPAS ad coincides with a Christmas campaign from the U.S. Planned Parenthood of Indiana, promoting gift cards to be redeemed for services such as birth control, STD testing, and abortions.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Abortion propaganda aimed at schools
Parents should be vigilant: find out what is going on in your school!
From CFNews: Schools are being urged to show girls a film that teaches them that they have the right to choose an abortion. The film puts forward the idea that it's up to a woman if she wants to terminate her pregnancy.
Made by the family planning Association (FPA, Why abortion? shows a range of scenarios in which actresses justify abortion on the grounds that they cannot afford to have a child or that it could jeopardise their relationship with parents or boyfriends. Their choices are then debated in the film by teenagers from Northern Ireland -- when abortion remains illegal -- with a majority defending a woman's right to choose.
While the FPA is launching its DVD this week, with a handful of orders already received, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children offers a pro-life presentation to every secondary school and the organisation Life gave 816 school talks during 2006-2007. A spokesman for SPUC said, 'I disagree with these things being shown in lessons. They give a very unbalanced view of abortion. They don't give any indication that it might create psychological difficulties, and a realistic alternative to abortion is not covered'.
England and Wales has the second highest termination rate in Europe, with 205,600 abortions carried out in 2007. Sex and relationships education is to become compulsory in primary schools in a drive to cut teenage pregnancies.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Policeman loses disciplinary case for believing sodomy a sin
Briefing.
From the Christian Legal Centre: A Christian policeman who objected to the aggressive promotion of homosexual rights within the Norfolk Constabulary has lost a disciplinary hearing brought
against him by his police force. Mr Cogman refutes any allegation that he is 'homophobic' as they have attempted to label him, but only sought equal space for the Christian viewpoint in the Police.
He is currently seeking further advice regarding what action to take next from CLC and we expect to announce further details early next week. Mr Cogman will not be giving any interviews to the press until then.
See also Fr Finnigan.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Taxpayers fork out to promote Atheism
Briefing.
From Damian Thompsobn: The Government is about to fund a series of conferences on religious belief - organised, needless to say, by militant atheists.
The British Humanist Association will host free public events at which Evan Harris MP (the scary Lib Dem nicknamed "Dr Death" for his pro-abortion views) and atheist philosopher AC Grayling will talk about "religion or belief in equality and human rights groups". The bill will be footed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) - ie, the taxpayer.
According to the Catholic Union, funding the British Humanist Association to provide seminars on "religious belief discrimination" is a bit like asking the Far Right to host seminars on racism. I don't think that analogy will go down well with the Association, whose President is the snooty grande dame of the wealthy Left, Polly Toynbee.
See his full post.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Everybody is Welcome - except the Pope
Action: complaints, please, to Bishop Hine(jhine@absouthwark.org) and to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The The Marriage and Family Life 'project' of the Bishops' Conference has produced a leaflet on how parishes should help homosexuals. It has very little content, apart from suggesting that the Church's usual response to homosexuality is callous rejection, but refers readers to four 'Church documents which describe the teaching of the Church and address the pastoral care of homosexual persons'. This list does not include the Church's primary catechetical document, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, nor any other document from Rome: all are documents from the English or US bishops conferences, Cardinal Hume or the Diocese of Westminster, one of them dating back to 1979. All are seriously defective; three of them have been subject to criticism by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. The attempt to direct Catholics away from documents giving the full story of Catholic teaching is remarkable, and the exclusion of papal teaching suggests an attitude approaching the schismatic.
The four documents listed the leaflet lists are:
1. Cherishing Life. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. London: CTS, 2004.
2. A Note Concerning the Teaching of the Catholic Church Concerning Homosexual People. Cardinal Basil Hume. 1997.
3. Always Our Children: A Pastoral Message to Parents of Homosexual Children and Suggestions for Pastoral Ministers. USCCB 1997
4. An Introduction to the Pastoral Care of Homosexual People. CBCEW Catholic Social Welfare Commission, 1979
The first, Cherishing Life, has a short section on homosexuality (pp51-52) dominated by the strapline 'the Church teaches that homosexual people must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.' That is also its sole quotation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The rest of the text devotes itself to playing down the notion of 'objectively disordered' ('in this precise and particular sense only') in order to assert misleadingly that 'a homosexual orientation can never be considered sinful or evil in itself.' Sins are acts, not orientations, so denying that an orientation is 'sinful' is a straw man, but in teaching that a homosexual orientation is 'intrinsically disordered' the Church is certainly saying that it is a bad thing.
The second, A Note Concerning the Teaching of the Catholic Church Concerning Homosexual People, was composed by Cardinal Hume specifically in order to 'soften the blows' of the orthodox teaching about homosexuality presented by Vatican documents (reported in an obituary here), incorporating suggestions from the dissident 'Catholic' homosexual group Quest, which rejects the Church's teaching on sexuality (see our dossier on Quest here). Quest explains:
His Observations (1993) had been sent in draft to Quest. In full, and not unpersuasive, comments, Quest urged him to give more place to aspects of the CDF's views which showed, if somewhat meagerly, some sympathy, closer to the bishops' guidelines, with the needs of homosexual people. Nor had the cardinal taken any account of the strong support given by his predecessors at Westminster, Cardinals Griffin and Godfrey, to the decriminalisation of homosexual acts between men. This deficiency was remedied with a new paragraph on social policy which reflects Quest's concern for a better Catholic attitude than the CDF had shown to civil rights legislation for homosexual people. When the Observations were revised and reissued as the more expanded Note (1995), it was not sent in draft for the same wide consultation. The introduction of new sections on friendship and human love was not at all to the mind of the CDF (where love is never confused with sex - hence a further revision of the Note two years later).(See here.)
The third, 'Always Our Children' was criticised severely when it came out (in 1998), with the remarkable statement from the orthodox Bishop Bruskewitz, bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska:
"Calamity and frightening disaster" are terms which are not too excessive to describe this document. It is my view that this document carries no weight or authority for Catholics, whom I would advise to ignore or oppose it. (See his full critique here.)
The fourth, 'An Introduction to the Pastoral Care of Homosexual People', also included suggestions from Quest. Quest itself tells us this, adding
The bishops' guidelines were not well received at the CDF where the moral basis appeared defective and some of the pastoral advice in consequence unwarranted. Accordingly, the CDF wrote more fully and instructively to bishops worldwide, correcting moral misjudgements, disallowing inappropriate pastoral methods and forbidding support of extremist homosexual organisations. On all three counts, the English and Welsh bishops had to reconsider the position of the guidelines. In consultation with Quest and others, a revised version was drafted. On two matters of crucial concern to Quest, the moral neutrality of homosexuality as a condition and the right of homosexual couples to receive the sacraments, no concession was made to the CDF. (Seehere.)
It is outrageous that the list includes neither the Catechism not the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's 'On the Pastoral Care of the Homosexual Person' (1986), pretty obviously relevant here.
The same approach can be seen with the other leaflets in the series: notably on mixed-faith marriages, and divorced Catholics.
The leaflets also promote Marriage Care (the leaflet on homosexuality wrongly calls it 'Catholic Marriage Care'), an organisation which no longer claims to be Catholic, and whose dissent from Catholic teaching has been exposed in our dossier here.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Catholic Agencies latest
Briefing.
From CFNews: Two church-run adoption agencies have changed their charitable objects to allow them to turn away same-sex couples on religious grounds.
St Margaret's Adoption and Child Care Society, a Catholic agency in Glasgow, and the Cornerstone Adoption and Fostering Service, an evangelical agency in the north east of England, will now be able to comply with new homosexual rights laws while remaining true to their religious convictions.
Their success in changing their constitutions to comply with the law and stay within the control of their respective churches has raised serious questions over why the eleven English and Welsh Catholic adoption agencies have been unable to do the same.
So far, five of these have broken ties with the bishops to become independent secular institutions and one has wound up its adoption service altogether. Two others are undecided, while those in Westminster, Birmingham and Leeds have seen their applications to change their objects turned down by the Charity Commission.
There are just six weeks remaining before the agencies must comply with the Sexual Orientation Regulations (SORs) that were brought in to ban discrimination against homosexual people in the provision of goods and services.
But there is still time for the agencies to follow the route taken by St Margaret's and Cornerstone.
Neil Addison, a barrister and expert in religious hatred law, said: 'The agencies can amend their constitutions within 24 hours if they wanted to. That is not the problem. All that is lacking is the will.'
He said the agencies were in a position to comply with the SORs and be protected under Part 2 of the Equality Act 2006 - which prevents local authorities discriminating against organisations on the grounds of their religious beliefs - and under Article 9 of the Convention of Human Rights, which guarantees the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
He said he thought that the 'real reason' why many agencies had cut ties with the Church was because they were happy to comply with the SORs.
Lawyers representing the three adoption agencies that failed in their attempts to change their objects have been in contact with Cornerstone and St Margaret's to try to find out why they have succeeded.
They had earlier hoped that by explicitly stating that the agencies dealt solely with married couples and single people they would satisfy Regulation 18 of the SORs.
This allows limited discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation by 'reason of, or on the grounds of, the provisions of a charitable instrument'.
But some experts say their approach is directly discriminatory and offers no protection under existing religious discrimination laws. The successful agencies re-worded their objects to specifically refer to their religious character. Discrimination against homosexual couples would be indirect and a consequence of observing their religious ideals.
Jane Hasnip, the chief executive of Cornerstone, based in Stockton-on-Tees, said: 'We comply with Regulation 18 of the SORs because of the way in which our memorandum has been drawn up.
'We have drawn up a statement of faith and a code of practice which basically everyone connected with Cornerstone has to comply with. Part of that code states that people who come to us should be married and marriage is between male and female. We don't actually say we don't accept same-sex couples. Instead, we set out what we believe the Bible's definition of marriage is.'
Jim Richards, the director of the Catholic Children's Society (Westminster), said the success of Cornerstone had 'given hope' to the trustees of his agency in their efforts to both comply with the SORs and to remain in the control of the Archdiocese of Westminster.
'Our solicitors will use all legal arguments open to us,' he said.
The English and Welsh Catholic adoption agencies, which together find new homes for 250 children a year, have until New Year's Day to comply with the SORs or face the prospect of legal action or the withdrawal of their funding by local authorities.
The response of the Catholic Church in England and Wales to the threat to its adoption agencies has been undermined by internal divisions.
Although the bishops were united in opposing the SORs, they have failed to achieve consensus in how their agencies should respond to the law.
The agencies, as charities in their own right, were finally given the task of tackling the problem as they saw fit.
However, they were advised by the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales not to explore legal avenues that would allow them to comply with the SORs and remain Catholic.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Religious stamps available
Good news!From CFNews: 'The 2007 Madonna and Child first and second class Christmas stamps are available to buy on the Royal Mail website. Just go to `online shop` at http://www.RoyalMail.com and choose `stamps`. Scroll down past the pantomime figures which decorate this year`s stamps and you`ll come to the beautiful images we enjoyed last year. Available in sheets of 50, delivery is free.
Bishop McMahon calls for married clergy
Udate: In a letter to The Tablet (22/11/08), Bishop McMahon seeks to clarify his position: Saying that there is no priest-shortage to justify the ordination of married men for pragmatic reasons, he goes on: 'I am quoted as saying that it is a matter of justice. Certainly some people feel that it is unfair that convert married clergymen are still being considered for ordination while the door is shut to other Catholic married men. Even if this is difficult to accept, we should always remember that ordination to the priesthood can never be understood as a right - like all sacraments, it is a gift.'
This is a bizarre re-run of the 2002 incident when his diocesan newspaper quoted him making it very clear that he supported the ordination of women. This, he claimed, was false. How on earth could The Telegraph put quotation marks round the things they did if he told them the opposite? Something very odd is going on.
Yes, it is theoretically possible for the Latin (Western) Church to adopt the Greek Church's practice of ordaining married men to the priesthood, and it has done so for the exceptional case of former Anglican clergy. But McMahon suggests there there is simply nothing to be said for the immemorial practice of the Latin Church. Saying that we could have women priests is not a denial of doctrine; saying that the theological considerations in favour of a celibate clergy have no weight is. It is an implicit denial of the value of celibacy in the priesthood. This is something which has been reiterated recently by Pope Benedict XVI:
Post-Synodal Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis (2007) 24 The Synod Fathers wished to emphasize that the ministerial priesthood, through ordination, calls for complete configuration to Christ. While respecting the different practice and tradition of the Eastern Churches, there is a need to reaffirm the profound meaning of priestly celibacy, which is rightly considered a priceless treasure, and is also confirmed by the Eastern practice of choosing Bishops only from the ranks of the celibate. These Churches also greatly esteem the decision of many priests to embrace celibacy. This choice on the part of the priest expresses in a special way the dedication which conforms him to Christ and his exclusive offering of himself for the Kingdom of God. (75) The fact that Christ himself, the eternal priest, lived his mission even to the sacrifice of the Cross in the state of virginity constitutes the sure point of reference for understanding the meaning of the tradition of the Latin Church. It is not sufficient to understand priestly celibacy in purely functional terms. Celibacy is really a special way of conforming oneself to Christ's own way of life. This choice has first and foremost a nuptial meaning; it is a profound identification with the heart of Christ the Bridegroom who gives his life for his Bride. In continuity with the great ecclesial tradition, with the Second Vatican Council (76) and with my predecessors in the papacy, (77) I reaffirm the beauty and the importance of a priestly life lived in celibacy as a sign expressing total and exclusive devotion to Christ, to the Church and to the Kingdom of God, and I therefore confirm that it remains obligatory in the Latin tradition. Priestly celibacy lived with maturity, joy and dedication is an immense blessing for the Church and for society itself.
See the Catholic Encyclopedia on clerical celibacy; more comments by Damian Thompson and Fr Ray Blake.
Bishop McMahon is often described as 'conservative', but this is only the latest in a string of unsettling outbursts and scandalous policies.
He called for women priests in his own diocesan newspaper in 2002 - so explicitly that his later claim that he had been misquoted can only be understood as a face-saving way of back-peddling. On the same occasion he called for married clergy. (See this Christian Order article.)
Briefing 10/11/08: Bishop McMahon of Nottingham, considered a candidate for the Archdiocese of Westminster, has publicly called for the ordination of married men (see the Sunday Telegraph), as a matter of 'justice' towards men who wish to marry and also to be priests, and towards the faithful suffering from a shortage of priests."
Yes, it is theoretically possible for the Latin (Western) Church to adopt the Greek Church's practice of ordaining married men to the priesthood, and it has done so for the exceptional case of former Anglican clergy. But McMahon suggests there there is simply nothing to be said for the immemorial practice of the Latin Church. Saying that we could have women priests is not a denial of doctrine; saying that the theological considerations in favour of a celibate clergy have no weight is. It is an implicit denial of the value of celibacy in the priesthood. This is something which has been reiterated recently by Pope Benedict XVI:
Post-Synodal Exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis (2007) 24 The Synod Fathers wished to emphasize that the ministerial priesthood, through ordination, calls for complete configuration to Christ. While respecting the different practice and tradition of the Eastern Churches, there is a need to reaffirm the profound meaning of priestly celibacy, which is rightly considered a priceless treasure, and is also confirmed by the Eastern practice of choosing Bishops only from the ranks of the celibate. These Churches also greatly esteem the decision of many priests to embrace celibacy. This choice on the part of the priest expresses in a special way the dedication which conforms him to Christ and his exclusive offering of himself for the Kingdom of God. (75) The fact that Christ himself, the eternal priest, lived his mission even to the sacrifice of the Cross in the state of virginity constitutes the sure point of reference for understanding the meaning of the tradition of the Latin Church. It is not sufficient to understand priestly celibacy in purely functional terms. Celibacy is really a special way of conforming oneself to Christ's own way of life. This choice has first and foremost a nuptial meaning; it is a profound identification with the heart of Christ the Bridegroom who gives his life for his Bride. In continuity with the great ecclesial tradition, with the Second Vatican Council (76) and with my predecessors in the papacy, (77) I reaffirm the beauty and the importance of a priestly life lived in celibacy as a sign expressing total and exclusive devotion to Christ, to the Church and to the Kingdom of God, and I therefore confirm that it remains obligatory in the Latin tradition. Priestly celibacy lived with maturity, joy and dedication is an immense blessing for the Church and for society itself.
See the Catholic Encyclopedia on clerical celibacy; more comments by Damian Thompson and Fr Ray Blake.
Bishop McMahon is often described as 'conservative', but this is only the latest in a string of unsettling outbursts and scandalous policies.
He called for women priests in his own diocesan newspaper in 2002 - so explicitly that his later claim that he had been misquoted can only be understood as a face-saving way of back-peddling. On the same occasion he called for married clergy. (See this Christian Order article.)
On his diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes, he invited two Anglican women ministers into the sancturary to assist him during his celebration of Mass, and encouraged pilgrims to attend their services (see this Christian Order article).
What is more serious is that he has allowed his diocesan adoption agency to secularise, and, taking the assets given to it for Catholic charitable activities with it, to place vulnerable children into the care of homosexual couples.
Finally, Bishop McMahon, who is a Dominican, he has allowed Quest (see our dossier), the dissident gay group which was excluded from the Catholic Directory by Cardinal Hume for its support for gay sex, to have weekly Masses in the Dominican house in his diocese, Holy Cross in Leicester. Nottingham Quest members gratefully report that Bishops McMahon has encouraged them. What a nice man he must be.
Why is he regarded as 'conservative'? Because he has occasionally attended the Traditional Mass? Is that all it takes? This really is grasping at straws.
Why is McMahon coming out with this while apparently being considered by Rome for the Archdiocese of Westminster? Perhaps because in these matters the influence of liberals is greater than the influence of orthodox Catholics, and he wishes to establish his credentials as a liberal.
What is more serious is that he has allowed his diocesan adoption agency to secularise, and, taking the assets given to it for Catholic charitable activities with it, to place vulnerable children into the care of homosexual couples.
Finally, Bishop McMahon, who is a Dominican, he has allowed Quest (see our dossier), the dissident gay group which was excluded from the Catholic Directory by Cardinal Hume for its support for gay sex, to have weekly Masses in the Dominican house in his diocese, Holy Cross in Leicester. Nottingham Quest members gratefully report that Bishops McMahon has encouraged them. What a nice man he must be.
Why is he regarded as 'conservative'? Because he has occasionally attended the Traditional Mass? Is that all it takes? This really is grasping at straws.
Why is McMahon coming out with this while apparently being considered by Rome for the Archdiocese of Westminster? Perhaps because in these matters the influence of liberals is greater than the influence of orthodox Catholics, and he wishes to establish his credentials as a liberal.
Elderly 'vegtables' should be killed off
Briefing: this statement from the Governments 'czar' for the elderly defies parody. What is the 'normal' lifespan? Dame Joan has already outlived her 'three score years and ten'. Her remarks about 'enormous machinery' of lifesupport indicates a completely irrational approach to the question. What difference does the size of the machines make? In any case, she is not advocating switching them off when they are no longer doing any good - something which is entirely reasonable - but giving a lethal injection to people who can no longer refuse.
From the Daily Telegraph, in part: Labour's czar for the elderly said she had made a living will that will mean she is 'not kept alive if I'm a vegetable'. She added that people should not be helped to go on living by machinery if they had outlived their normal lifespan.
The 75-year-old television presenter also called for laws that would allow terminally ill patients to be given fatal doses of drugs. The controversial call for assisted dying and allowing people with dementia to die came a week after Dame Joan's appointment as the 'voice of older people'.
It comes at a time of growing pressure from supporters of euthanasia and assisted dying for legislation to allow the elderly and disabled to be helped to die when they become too sick to look after themselves.
Dame Joan told the Daily Telegraph: 'Everybody fears becoming unable to speak, unable to communicate. 'That's a really alarming prospect and I think it is quite a good idea to give thought to it now and to write a living will and to make provision, tell your nearest and dearest what you want.'
She added: 'I don't want people to be kept alive simply because there is a lot of enormous machinery that can keep them pumped up and with all the organs going, when in fact their identity has ceased to exist.'
She called for MPs and peers to 'revisit' the Bill put forward earlier this year by Lord Joffe that would have given doctors the right to give a fatal dose of drugs to a terminally sick patient.
Dame Joan said: 'The bill is very limited in scope and you have to have a terminal illness - you really have to be within sight of the pearly gates - before anything is possible. It is not a matter of saying "you are a bit old, can you pop off?".'
But Simon Calvert of the Christian Institute said: 'Dame Joan talks about enormous machinery keeping people alive, but there is a big difference between that and Lord Joffe's bill, that would mean people could be given injections to kill them off. Dame Joan ought to know the difference and it is disappointing that she doesn't. She runs the risk of giving the impression to people with dementia that they have a duty to die.'
Dame Joan told the Daily Telegraph: 'Everybody fears becoming unable to speak, unable to communicate. 'That's a really alarming prospect and I think it is quite a good idea to give thought to it now and to write a living will and to make provision, tell your nearest and dearest what you want.'
She added: 'I don't want people to be kept alive simply because there is a lot of enormous machinery that can keep them pumped up and with all the organs going, when in fact their identity has ceased to exist.'
She called for MPs and peers to 'revisit' the Bill put forward earlier this year by Lord Joffe that would have given doctors the right to give a fatal dose of drugs to a terminally sick patient.
Dame Joan said: 'The bill is very limited in scope and you have to have a terminal illness - you really have to be within sight of the pearly gates - before anything is possible. It is not a matter of saying "you are a bit old, can you pop off?".'
But Simon Calvert of the Christian Institute said: 'Dame Joan talks about enormous machinery keeping people alive, but there is a big difference between that and Lord Joffe's bill, that would mean people could be given injections to kill them off. Dame Joan ought to know the difference and it is disappointing that she doesn't. She runs the risk of giving the impression to people with dementia that they have a duty to die.'
See the full article here.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Good Counsel Network carols
Local action: please support these if you can.
From CFNews: The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel is organising carol singing in London Tube Stations, where we can also take up a collection, on several days during December.
Every year The Good Counsel Network helps to save the lives of hundreds of unborn babies. The Guild of Our Lady of Good Counsel is a charity which supports this work and can only continue this work through fundraising events like this.
If you can sing or if you just wish to help with the collecting please reply(indicating whether you are a singer or collector) with your
availability for any of the following dates:
1st December at Oxford Circus
3rd December at Piccadilly Circus
16th December at Paddington(tube)
22nd December at Bond Street.
We will be there from 12 noon until 8pm so if you can come and help with some time it would be very much appreciated. [info@goodcounselnetwork.freeserve.co.uk]
Friday, November 21, 2008
Couple who smack may adopt
A victory for common sense and parental rights.
From CFNews: A court has ruled in favour of a couple who had appealed a decision by a local council to bar them from adopting a baby girl on the grounds that they sometimes used spanking to discipline their son. The court called the council's decision 'bordering on the bizarre' and has ordered that the couple be reconsidered for adoption.
The couple, identified only as Mr. and Mrs. A, have an adopted son and had applied to the Newham county council in east London to adopt his baby sister. They were refused when Mr. A admitted to using corporal punishment in rearing his son. The couple's barrister said that the Newham council's decision violated the family's human rights, and that their son would now unjustly grow up without his sister. The couple are experienced foster parents and have taken in children from all over London.
Mr. Justice Bennett, however, ruled that the couple's application to adopt the baby girl must be reconsidered. He said the council's decision was 'unreasonable' and 'in dangerous territory.'
The council had dismissed the findings of a review panel which described the parents as 'strong, caring, sensitive, supportive and resourceful.' Despite the fact that spanking remains legal in Britain, the council concluded that 'Mr. A does not appear to accept that corporal punishment should not be used. Such indications would normally mean an adoption application would be refused.'
Several attempts by activists in Parliament have failed to prohibit parents from using corporal punishment to discipline their children. The most recent law upholds parents' rights, only outlawing punishment which leaves 'physical marks' or causes 'mental harm.'
UN still funding forced abortion in China
Briefing.
From CFNews:The Population Research Institute, whose groundbreaking investigation in China led the Bush administration to cut funding to the U.N. Population Fund for the past seven years, stands by its accusation that the UNFPA was--and is--involved in coercive abortions in China.
'Our investigation remains valid,' says Colin Mason, PRI's media director. 'We put boots on the ground, and made the results available to anyone who wanted them. Those who would disregard our findings show an appalling lack of respect for human rights.'
Here's their video on the subject.
PRI's report, entitled 'UNFPA, China, and Coercive Family Planning,' is based on an investigation conducted by PRI researchers in China's Sihui County. Relying on interviews with over two dozen victims and witnesses, the 2001 investigation found that coercive abortion and sterilization practices were taking place in that county where the UNFPA had supposedly instituted a 'client-centered and voluntary family planning program.' In fact, PRI's investigation discovered that the UNFPA shared an office with the very Chinese family planning officials who were carrying out forced abortions.
Prompted by this investigation, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell sent his own research team to China, which independently verified the facts that PRI had gathered. As a result, Powell himself urged that the U.S. government stop funding the UNFPA. Said Powell in a 2002 letter to Congress. 'UNFPA's support of, and involvement in, China's population-planning activities allows the Chinese government to implement more effectively its program of coercive abortion.'
'President-elect Obama and his supporters blame the Bush administration for this decision,' says Steven W. Mosher, PRI's president. 'But in fact it was Colin Powell, who is no friend of social conservatives and who recently endorsed Obama for President, who made this call.'
'It would be a shame if Obama abandons both the women of China--and one of his most high-profile backers--in the name of the failed ideology of population control,' said Mosher. 'Americans don't want their money going to an organization--the UNFPA--which works hand-in-glove with China's population control police as they drag women off for forced abortions and forced sterilizations.'
The first episode of PRI's new video series on the UNFPA is available for viewing on PRI's YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/colinpri1 [PRI]
PRI's report, entitled 'UNFPA, China, and Coercive Family Planning,' is based on an investigation conducted by PRI researchers in China's Sihui County. Relying on interviews with over two dozen victims and witnesses, the 2001 investigation found that coercive abortion and sterilization practices were taking place in that county where the UNFPA had supposedly instituted a 'client-centered and voluntary family planning program.' In fact, PRI's investigation discovered that the UNFPA shared an office with the very Chinese family planning officials who were carrying out forced abortions.
Prompted by this investigation, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell sent his own research team to China, which independently verified the facts that PRI had gathered. As a result, Powell himself urged that the U.S. government stop funding the UNFPA. Said Powell in a 2002 letter to Congress. 'UNFPA's support of, and involvement in, China's population-planning activities allows the Chinese government to implement more effectively its program of coercive abortion.'
'President-elect Obama and his supporters blame the Bush administration for this decision,' says Steven W. Mosher, PRI's president. 'But in fact it was Colin Powell, who is no friend of social conservatives and who recently endorsed Obama for President, who made this call.'
'It would be a shame if Obama abandons both the women of China--and one of his most high-profile backers--in the name of the failed ideology of population control,' said Mosher. 'Americans don't want their money going to an organization--the UNFPA--which works hand-in-glove with China's population control police as they drag women off for forced abortions and forced sterilizations.'
The first episode of PRI's new video series on the UNFPA is available for viewing on PRI's YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/colinpri1 [PRI]
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Pope Benedict: Church buildings should be honoured
Briefing: wreckers, please note.
From Zenit: It is important that the community take 'special care' of the church building in which it gathers to pray, says Benedict XVI.
The Pope said this Sunday during his Angelus address for the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, which was built following the Edict of Milan in 313.
'[T]oday's feast celebrates a mystery that is always relevant: God's desire to build a spiritual temple in the world, a community that worships him in spirit and truth (cf. John 4:23-24). But this observance also reminds us of the importance of the material buildings in which the community gathers to celebrate the praises of God,' the Holy Father explained.
The feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, which for some time was only celebrated in the city of Rome, was extended to the whole Church in the 16th century.
'The honoring of this sacred edifice was a way of expressing love and veneration for the Roman Church, which, as St. Ignatius of Antioch says, 'presides in charity' over the whole Catholic communion,' Benedict XVI said.
The material temple, the Pope noted, is important because it is an expression of that 'spiritual edifice,' which is the Christian community.
'The beauty and harmony of the churches, destined to give praise to God, also draws us human being, limited and sinful, to convert to form a 'cosmos,' a well-ordered structure, in intimate communion with Jesus, who is the true Saint of saints,' the Holy Father continued.
For this reason, he added, every community 'has the duty to take special care of its own sacred buildings, which are a precious religious and historical patrimony.' [Zenit]
The Pope said this Sunday during his Angelus address for the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, which was built following the Edict of Milan in 313.
'[T]oday's feast celebrates a mystery that is always relevant: God's desire to build a spiritual temple in the world, a community that worships him in spirit and truth (cf. John 4:23-24). But this observance also reminds us of the importance of the material buildings in which the community gathers to celebrate the praises of God,' the Holy Father explained.
The feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, which for some time was only celebrated in the city of Rome, was extended to the whole Church in the 16th century.
'The honoring of this sacred edifice was a way of expressing love and veneration for the Roman Church, which, as St. Ignatius of Antioch says, 'presides in charity' over the whole Catholic communion,' Benedict XVI said.
The material temple, the Pope noted, is important because it is an expression of that 'spiritual edifice,' which is the Christian community.
'The beauty and harmony of the churches, destined to give praise to God, also draws us human being, limited and sinful, to convert to form a 'cosmos,' a well-ordered structure, in intimate communion with Jesus, who is the true Saint of saints,' the Holy Father continued.
For this reason, he added, every community 'has the duty to take special care of its own sacred buildings, which are a precious religious and historical patrimony.' [Zenit]
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Copmpulsory Sex Ed at Primary and Secondary Schools
H-T John Smeaton.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Chritianophobic hate-speach promoted at the Welsh Assembly
Action: Welsh readers should complain. 'All I preach is deicide'? The combination of ridicule of religious beliefs with with attacks on believers would make this work indefensible if the religion in question were not Christianity. It is now being promoted by the Welsh Culture Secretary in a reading at the Welsh Assembly: this is a kind of official endorsement. Email Peter Black, the culture secretary, and ">your own Assembly Member.
From Christian Voice: WELSH LIBDEMS BECOME THE 'INSULT JESUS' PARTY.
Dated 10.40am 14th November 2008
The decision by Peter Black AM to invite the poet Patrick Jones to insult Jesus Christ in the National Assembly has been condemned by a Christian prayer and lobby group.
Christian Voice described the event, due to be held on 11th December, as a disgrace to the Assembly itself. The Waterstone's bookshop in Cardiff cancelled a reading of Jones' poetry on Wednesday night. after a 24-hour campaign by Christian Voice, whose members emailed and phoned the store to complain. At no time did Christian Voice make any threat of disruption to Waterstone's, who took the decision themselves.
But Peter Black, who is the LibDem's culture spokesman, has now invited Jones, a militant atheist, to read his poems, which insult Jesus Christ and call for an end to Christian worship, in Committee Room 24 of the Assembly at 12 noon on Thursday 11th December.
On BBC Wales yesterday afternoon, after being repeatedly challenged by Stephen Green, Black eventually agreed to extend an invitation to Christians to attend. Christian Voice is now awaiting an invitation.
Stephen Green, National Director of Christian Voice, said today:
'This is a creepy event in the seat of government at which Jesus-hating AM's can swoon over poems packed with hatred for Christianity and which speak of Mary Magdalene and the poet having sex with the Lord Jesus Christ. They will also hear Jones' unfettered hatred of Christianity, which he has somehow managed to convince himself is indistinguishable from Islam.
'What they will not hear is Jones insult the prophet Mohammed. He dare not do that at all, let alone in the sexual way he insults Jesus Christ, whom he sees as a soft target.
'Christians in Wales must not take this lying down. We need to stand up for our Lord against this attack on His honour and on the Church itself by Peter Black. Black has gone out of his way to show contempt for Christians in Wales. As he is the LibDem Culture Spokesman, that means insulting Jesus Christ is now official LibDem policy. The LibDems have thus become a political party Christians can no longer in conscience
vote for or take any part in.'
NOTE: Patrick Jones emailed some of his poems to Stephen Green on Tuesday morning, then denied he had done that on BBC Radio Wales Thursday morning, then admitted it on the same station Thursday afternoon.
Waterstone's told Christian Voice they had cancelled Jones' reading at 10am on Wednesday morning, but did not email Jones to tell him until 2pm that afternoon.
The poems aren't actually much good, they hardly rhyme, they rarely scan or have rhythm, but they possibly have enough profanity and references to female genitalia to get the literati excited. One of them, to which we are taking the greatest exception, includes the blasphemous if not terribly original line: 'just like mary magdelene (sic), i f****d jesus'.
Other lines include: 'All I preach is deicide', 'today I have become a born-again atheist' and 'god does not die because he was never alive.'
One poem describes God as 'the first absent dad' who 'lorded it upstairs' while Jesus was on earth.
Another strikes at the fundamental right to hold a religious view and have freedom of worship, as Jones expresses his desire for 'prayers to be abandoned ... synagogues closed, churches morphed into pound shops' and concludes 'then they shall all be f***ing saved.'
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