June 29: All-Night Adoration at Grotto for Fortnight for Freedom

Adoration for the Fortnight for Freedom begins after the 7:00 PM Mass. For visitors, this is usually in the extraordinary form (1962 Missal) and you can find booklets on either side of the Church, near those side entrances.   It is the Feast of Ss Peter and Paul and you can find the readings in this handy printout. http://missale.heliohost.org/jun29.html 

Note that it says we will have lighted and secured parking And, there will be light refreshments in the school. 

Also, for those who may come near the end, which will conclude at 7:00 AM the next morning (likely with Benediction), there will be the weekly, Saturday Mass at  7:30 AM (also using 1962 Missal) for those who want to stay.  Often times, there is Confession offered right before.

When we did this for the last Presidential Election, there was, on average, about 40 people throughout the night.  I think it dropped to about 25 around 3 AM.  A number of people were there all night long, then they went to vote.  We are exploring something similar for this presidential election, pending the pastor's approval.

Please support religious liberty for Catholics with prayer.

The Archdiocese of Detroit has a listing of just some of the events taking place around metro Detroit (many parishes likely were unaware of this feature at the new AOD website).  Grotto's event is listed there).

http://www.aod.org/being-catholic/legislative-advocacy/religious-freedom/

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Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

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St. Augustine on St. John the Baptist

This is a very interesting quote taken from today's Office of Readings where St. Augustine talks about St. John the Baptist.

John, then, appears as the boundary between the two testaments, the old and the new. That he is a sort of boundary, the Lord himself bears witness, when he speaks of the law and the prophets up until John the Baptist. Thus he represents times past and is the herald of the new era to come. As a representative of the past, he is born of aged parents; as a herald of the new era, he is declared to be a prophet while still in his mother’s womb. For when yet unborn, he leapt in his mother’s womb at the arrival of blessed Mary. In that womb he had already been designated a prophet, even before he was born; it was revealed that he was to be Christ’s precursor, before they saw one another. These are divine happenings, going beyond the limits of our human frailty. Eventually he is born, he receives his name, his father’s tongue is loosened. See how these events reflect reality.

Zechariah is silent and loses his voice until John, the precursor of the Lord, is born and restores his voice. The silence of Zechariah is nothing but the age of prophecy lying hidden, obscured, as it were, and concealed before the preaching of Christ. At John’s arrival Zechariah’s voice is released, and it becomes clear at the coming of the one who was foretold. The release of Zechariah’s voice at the birth of John is a parallel to the rending of the veil at Christ’s crucifixion. If John were announcing his own coming, Zechariah’s lips would not have been opened. The tongue is loosened because a voice is born. For when John was preaching the Lord’s coming he was asked: Who are you? And he replied: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. The voice is John, but the Lord in the beginning was the Word. John was a voice that lasted only for a time; Christ, the Word in the beginning, is eternal.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

If only Jerry Sandusky had been able to marry, this never would have happened. Oh wait...

Jerry Sandusky leaves the courthouse after bail was revoked following the guilty verdict. 

While all Catholics are appalled at priests who would violate young people sexually, there are some Catholics who use the situation to push for married priests.


Someone was bound to make this point today, and I hand it to my friend Liza in Facebook.  On the news that Jerry Sandusky was found guilty, she writes:

"If he [Jerry Sandusky] had only been able to marry, this never would have happened. Oh wait...."

Exactly. He is married and he was still found to have raped and molested young males.


Ending the celibacy rule in the priesthood would not prevent a pervert from doing what he wills. The same people who make such an illogical argument need to remember just how many children are raped and molested by people in schools, by parents in acts of incest, and by step-parents, and live-ins.


Strength of argument: Fail.


Pray for the young men who were brave enough to come forward to testify, and for any other potential victims who could not come forward.  Also, remember that as Christians, it is good to want justice.  However, vengeance belongs only to God.   No one, not even a man who would commit sins that cry out to heaven, is beyond God's mercy and forgiveness, if he repents.  Sandusky must still must pay his debt to those victims and to society for his crimes, but we, as Christians, must pray that he repents and reconciles with God.  Pray also for his family.  As the mother of one victim said, in spite of the court victory, "Nobody wins. We all lose."

Sandusky is isolated for his own well-being at the moment, and on suicide watch.


This reminds me, if you haven't checked out Dawn Eden's new book, My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints , now is a good time. Scroll after clicking Dawn's homepage, and look at the many links to reviews, interviews, audio, video, etc.


You can also read my review of the book at Amazon.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

VIDEO: LCWR Doctrinal Assessment discussed in EWTN Roundtable with Ann Carey

I just found the video embedded at the bottom of this post, on YouTube. There is a program called, EWTN Theological Roundtable, hosted by EWTN's VP of Theology, Colin Donovan, STL. I was aware of the program itself, but not this episode.  

Here is a roughly 50 minute discussion on the LCWR (Leadership Conference of Women Religious) Doctrinal Assessment. This is not dynamic by any means; it's an objective discussion of facts surrounding the controversy (if you want dynamic, you may be interested in this) 

Noteworthy, is that among the guests is Ann Carey, the author of the 1997 book, Sisters in Crisis. Apparently, demand has shot up on this book because it was going for around $15 used, and those are now posted as $999.  Ann might want to think about re-releasing it - perhaps an updated version.  I'd buy it.   

Note: I just found the book, and purchased it, for under $14 at Aquinas and More, and it looks new.  Not sure why that price is so high on Amazon, but perhaps sellers are perceiving a demand or value on some other basis (i.e., first edition/first print) 

Here is the discussion. Colin provides background, then it shifts to the foursome.

UPDATE: I just finished watching this, and I strongly recommend that you do the same. As people ask questions, answers are provided here. Granted, if you have read the 8-page doctrinal assessment, you have some understanding of what is going on.

They start out providing history - how the LCWR came about and how it evolved. Then, they get into the meat of the doctrinal assessment, discussing examples. Near the end, I was glad they got into the "Systems Thinking Handbook." They pulled a few examples out of there to show why the CDF wants that book withdrawn. As was pointed out in the interview, it doesn't look like the LCWR is interested in doing that since it is still on their website.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Full Text of Archbishop Lori's magnificent homily, opening the Fortnight for Freedom

Below is the full text of Archbishop Lori's homily which opened the Fortnight for Freedom.  This was great.  You can follow the link at bottom to get the rest of the full text.  I was tempted to give away the ending, but I would encourage you to just take 10-15 minutes and follow it through to the end.

The formatting may make it difficult to read here, so if you prefer, follow this link to the USCCB website to read it there.

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Most Reverend William E. Lori,  Archbishop of Baltimore
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption
June 21, 2012

Introduction: The Martyrs of Tyburn Hill

A few years ago, due to inclement weather that grounded many international flights, I found myself stranded in London during the week just before Christmas.  Worse things than that can happen to a traveler but the unexpected pleasure of a week in London enabled me to visit places I hadn’t seen for many years – not Harrod’s or even Windsor Castle, but places such as Tyburn Hill, where many English martyrs laid down their lives in witness to the Faith, including St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher.

I was deeply moved to stand on the spot where, in 1535, Thomas More and John Fisher were beheaded because they refused to comply with the Act of Supremacy, a law which made King Henry VIII Head of the Church and which broke ties of communion with the Roman Pontiff.  I also visited the Parish Church in the Tower of London, St. Peter in Chains, and prayed in the crypt where St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher are buried.

The Feast Day of Thomas More and John Fisher

Tonight we have gathered here in this historic national basilica, the first Roman Catholic Cathedral in the United States of America and a monument to religious freedom. We have gathered on the eve of the feast of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, martyrs who laid down their lives rather than violate their consciences or their sacred principles. Their courageous witness of faith continues to stir the minds and hearts of people yearning for authentic freedom, and specifically, for religious freedom . . . . just as it inspired those who came to Maryland a century later in 1634,seeking not only to worship God freely but indeed to practice their faith publicly.

We do well to speak of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher in the same breath, because each in his own way symbolizes two aspects of religious freedom we are striving to protect and foster as we begin a two week period of prayer and reflection known as the Fortnight for Freedom.

St. Thomas More

What does St. Thomas More teach us about protecting religious liberty? Thomas More was a devout Catholic, a husband and a father, a learned and accomplished man, a lawyer by profession; his conscience was formed by principle and virtue at a time when both were routinely sacrificed for political expediency.

Thomas More was chosen to serve in Parliament and rose to become the Chancellor of England in the days of King Henry VIII. When called upon by the King to betray his principles and his conscience, however, More chose instead to put everything at risk, including his own life. Throughout, he defended his cause brilliantly, but to no avail. He staved off martyrdom as long as he could, but when it came, More accepted it courageously.

Blessed Pope John Paul II wrote that “…the life and martyrdom of St. Thomas More have been the source of a message which spans the centuries and which speaks to people everywhere of the inalienable dignity of the human conscience . . . .” He added: “. . . Whenever men or women heed the call of truth, their conscience then guides their actions reliably towards good.

Precisely because of the witness which he bore, even at the price of his life, to the primacy of truth over power, St. Thomas More is an imperishable example of moral integrity.” (Proclamation of Thomas More as Patron of Statesman, October 31, 2000, no. 1).

More’s witness enriches the Church’s teaching on the dignity of the human person. For as the Book of Genesis teaches, we are created in God’s image to be participants in his wisdom and love.

Because we are created in love and for love, we are endowed by the Creator with inherent rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Though only a few could claim St. Thomas More’s influence and integrity, this great saint stands for the individual believer and citizen who seeks, in the words of United States Bishops, “[to] connect worship on Sunday to work on Monday” . . .“[to] carry the values of our faith into family life, the market place, and the public square.”  (U.S. Bishops, “Everyday Christianity: To Hunger and Thirst for Justice, Introduction, 1998)

St. Thomas More could be said to represent that conscientious private employer or employee who, seeks to avoid doing or facilitating moral evil in course of daily work while striving to live and work in accord with the demands of social justice. He stands for those who go about their daily work in accord with their faith (cf., DH, 13), and those who understand how dangerous it is to the common good to separate faith from life, the Gospel from culture (CL, 212).

Until now, it has been entirely possible under federal law for conscientious owners to conduct private businesses in accord with one’s conscience and the teachings of one’s faith.  Until now, federal law has also accommodated businesses which are not church organizations but which are related to the mission of the Church.  Examples include catholic publishing houses such as Our Sunday Visitor, Catholic insurers, Legatus, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,

Catholic fraternal organizations such as the Knights of Columbus, just to name a few. The freedom of conscientious and like-minded individuals to conduct such businesses in accord with the teaching of the Church now hangs in the balance. On August 1st, less than six weeks from now, the Health and Human Services mandate will go into effect. This will force conscientious private employers to violate their consciences by funding and facilitating through their employee health insurance plans reproductive “services” that are morally objectionable.

As the United States Bishops recently indicated, the HHS mandate violates the personal civil rights of those, who “in their daily lives, strive constantly to act in accordance with their faith and values (United for Freedom, March 14, 2012).

St. John Fisher

St. John Fisher may be less well-known than St. Thomas More, but his witness of faith was no less courageous. Like St. Thomas More, he possessed great learning and virtue and was an able defender of the faith. Both More and Fisher refused to sign the Act of Supremacy and both of them paid for their principled stand with their lives.

More, of course, was a layman and Fisher was a bishop. Ordained a priest in 1491, Fisher would become the Bishop of Rochester in Kent. In the House of Lords, he strongly opposed state interference in Church affairs. At the same time, he led the Church in reforming itself first and foremost by his own spirit of learning and holiness in communion with the Holy Father, the Successor of Peter.

At length, St. John Fisher found himself at odds with King Henry VIII and with laws passed by the British Parliament which required him to take an oath repudiating papal authority and  acknowledging the King as Head of the Church.  This pastor of souls and lover of the Church refused, saying: “I cannot in anywise possibly take [the oath], except I should make shipwreck of my conscience, and then were I fit to serve neither God nor man.”

In the wake of St. John Fisher’s martyrdom, churches, monasteries, and centers of learning were seized by royal power and were either destroyed or made to break their ties with the Roman Catholic Church. The government interfered in the internal life of the Church with a cruel thoroughness John Fisher could not have imagined even a few years earlier.  He symbolizes for us our struggle to maintain religious freedom for church institutions and ministries such as our schools and charities.

Continue reading Archbishop Lori's homily...

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Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

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Fast and Furious, and Pelosi

Nancy Pelosi thinks Americans are stupid in the way that she thinks Catholics are stupid.

First, a little background.

In all probability, not many have paid attention to the news about Operation Fast and Furious - a government gun-walking program that ran from 2009-2011 under the Obama Administration. I would imagine that the name Brian Terry was not known in many households before this week's contempt proceedings against Attorney General, Eric Holder.  Brian Terry was the border patrol agent who was killed - shot in the back, at the border - with a gun that was found to be one of 2000 American weapons put into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. Fast and Furious was launched under the Obama Administration and ended after Brian Terry's death. There are estimates of between 200-300  Mexicans having lost their lives to the guns in the same operation.

Democrats and Republicans alike swore to the parents of Brian Terry they would find out who was responsible, no matter where the investigation led (See Dem Rep. Elijah Cummings in this 32 second clip in June 2011).  This meant finding out who the highest ranking government official was who authorized the program.  18 months later, we still don't know the answer to that question - something which could have taken no more than a day to figure out.

CLAIM: "IT BEGAN UNDER BUSH"

There was a similar program under the George W. Bush Administration called Operation Wide Receiver. It involved about 300-500 guns in a period that was from 2006-2007. The guns had GPS tracking devices in them and tracking was controlled and tracked, with U.S. and Mexican officials working together. When the Bush Administration saw there was a failure to track all weapons (in part, because batteries in the GPS devices in about 30-40 guns, died). The program was ended because of that, without incident.



MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "WIDE RECEIVER" AND "FAST and FURIOUS"

Operation Wide Receiver was controlled, but the controls failed. That resulted in it's abrupt ending.  Operation Fast and Furious had no controls.  The Mexican government was not even aware of the program, so there was no way for them to be involved in tracking the weapons, and there were many more weapons  in circulation.  It was failed program the minute it was launched.

There are many other differences between the Bush and Obama gun-walking programs, but the issue of control is the biggest difference.  Is it any wonder why Congress is interested in finding out what happened and who was responsible for such a bone-headed program?

PELOSI INSULTING INTELLIGENCE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

I was able to watch the contempt proceedings against Eric Holder.  For the most part, Republicans and Democrats were given turns to speak.  I noticed immediately that while Republicans spoke about facts and specifics of the case, most Democrats talked about things like gun control policies which did not have anything at all to do with the case.  My jaw dropped a number of times at the audacity of Dems to discuss the broad subject of gun control policy, when it was the Obama Administration that let criminals in Mexico have guns from the U.S!  I was even more insulted when I heard a number of Democrats accuse the Republicans, who are trying to get basic information out of the Obama administration of politicizing the issue in an election year.  This investigation began 18 months ago.  It should have ended more than 12 months ago - well before election season.

Just when I didn't think the American people could be treated like greater idiots, out comes Nancy Pelosi with this load of namby-pamby.

What? Voter suppression? First, the two things have nothing to do with one another.   Don't get me started on "voter suppression." People can't cash a check without photo ID in many cases.  States putting voter ID laws into place are providing opportunities for people to get to the Secretary of State Office to get their ID if they cannot drive.     When one person votes more than once - fraudulently, it dilutes everyone else's vote.   I still remember all too well how Eric Holder gave the Black Panthers a free pass after they intimidated voters (see video) outside of one voting precinct.  According to Holder, there wasn't enough evidence.  That form of "voter suppression" doesn't seem to bother Nancy Pelosi, et al. 

The mainstream media (MSM) would have you believe, along with certain Democrats, that the contempt proceedings were a political move aimed at making Obama look bad during election season.  Was it really?  If Eric Holder hadn't given a false statement under oath - one that he retracted 10 months later, it would not have heightened everyone's curiosity as to what really happened.  

Watch Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC).  With a dead border patrol agent and hundreds of dead Mexicans, all over an operation without controls launched.... I don't think it's the Republicans who are politicizing this.  

The parents of Brian Terry reacted to Obama resorting to Executive Privilege to keep documents from Congress.  

Here is the House Oversight Committee's website for this case: http://fastandfuriousinvestigation.com

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Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Bus Pilgrimage From Metro-Detroit to Shrines of Wisconsin; Lunch w/Cardinal Burke

Holy Trinity Apostolate is offering a pilgrimage, "Footsteps of Venerable Solanus Casey & Holy Shrines of Wisconsin."

Buses are leaving from Sterling Heights and Dearborn on July 30th and return on August 3rd, 2012.

A number of shrines and churches are being included:

• Our Lady of Guadalupe 
• St. Joseph Church (Appleton - where Fr. Solanus Casey celebrated First Mass)
• Valley of Our Lady Monastery
• St. Francis Catholic Church (Milwaukee - where Fr. Solanus was ordained)
• Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help (Yes! That Shrine... )
• Pious Union of St. Joseph in Grass Lake, MI

PRIVATE LUNCH WITH CARDINAL BURKE

A special feature of this trip is the celebration of the 4th Anniversary of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.  This will include lunch with His Eminence! 


RESERVATIONS EXTENDED TO JUN 25, 2012

See the 2-page PDF at the HTA website for details and registration form.

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Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

UPDATED: Fortnight for Freedom Begins Today!

Tonight on EWTN, there will be a Mass for the Fortnight for Freedom, celebrated by Archbishop Lori. It begins at 7:00 PM.  Then, around 8:30, Raymond Arroyo will interview Cardinal George, Cardinal Wuerl, and Bishop Morlino.

Assumption Grotto will be doing some things during this period. 

• All homilies on the weekend of June 23/24 will feature  the topic of, "Religious Freedom"
• June 29th at 7:30 PM there will be Mass, followed by All-Night Adoration until 7:00 AM the next morning (note there is a daily 7:30 AM Mass M-Sat). 
• On July 4th, there will be a Mass at 9:00 AM, followed by a public reading of the Declaration of Independence, in front of the parish church.

Other activities in the Archdiocese of Detroit can be found in this list at the AoD's website (and it is not all inclusive by any means. Assumption Grotto's info was sent several days ago and is not yet appearing and there may be others waiting, as well).  A Mass will celebrated by Archbishop Vigneron at 4:00 PM this Sunday (it's ok to go to two Masses!)

Here is a pretty good video:

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Video parody of dissenting religious sisters....

Let's get one thing straight.... This video is not a jab at faithful religious sisters. It's a parody about the activities and behavior of some religious sisters - everything from working against the bishops on Obamacare to liturgical abuses, new age practices, and support for abortion and women's "ordination". Members of the leadership, in the LCWR (Leadership Conference of Women Religious) have not exactly displayed a desire to cooperate with the CDF and Archbishop Sartain.

Veil-tip: Father Z

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Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

UDPATE: No decision on Healthcare from SCOTUS; check back next week

UPDATE: The Supreme Court is done with opinions for today.  The questions on healthcare will come next week - most likely Monday or Thursday.  SCOTUS Blog is reporting that there are 5 opinions left for the year, including the one involving health care.  We may have to wait until next Thursday for that opinion.

Follow the info below to get to the live blog on Monday or Thursday.

There was a decision released today that may be of interest to some.  There was a blow to unions in the Knox v. SEIU case and it was a 7-2 decision that went against the union.  Here is an overview of the case: http://www.nationalcenter.org/PR-Knox_v_SEIU_061812.html.  Here's a snippet:

In Knox v. SEIU, the court will decide whether the Service Employees International Union (or any union) can issue temporary hikes in union dues or issue special short-term assessments for political advocacy without 1) giving employees formal notice that they can object, and 2) whether a union should be allowed to charge interim assessments to employees who had objected during the last round of notices.

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The Fortnight for Freedom begins today and the Supreme Court's decision on the Affordable Care Act could come this morning within the next 40 minutes.

The SCOTUS Blog has a separate site set up to handle the large volume of traffic expected. They will be live-blogging as Supreme Court will begins announcing decision just before 10:00 AM ET. If it goes like it did Monday, it will last until about 10:20.

Follow them at this new page just for the live-blogging session which should start within minutes of this post: http://scotusblog.wpengine.com/

If you can't tune in now, you can go to the SCOTUS Blog later and get details and links. Be patient if it loads slowly.  Right now the homepage link will be re-directed to the live-blogging page until they are done. 

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

So much for "tolerance" as children are heckled while they sing, "God Bless the USA"

So much for "tolerance".  It's real big of adults who heckle children.  The one man is telling them to, "burn in hell." 

There comes a time when the right to exercise free speech, should be passed up (referring to the adults here). 

This took place at a school where Lee Greenwood's song was banned for their little graduation (recall, that the school was going to replace it with a Justin Bieber song, then banned that after it made national news).  Parents weren't happy.  They wanted to exercise, with their children, their right to protest that decision outside the school.  Here's what happened.

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For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

EXPOSED! Dissenting Catholics working to pit media against U.S. bishops

NOTE:  I've gotten some feedback from a few people who can't seem to set aside their disdain for Bill Donohue to look at the content of the email that was leaked to  him.  If you don't like the man, fine.  But be objective with regards to the information.  The email was leaked to him, so he is the source.  If he says 2 + 2 = 4, the objective reality is that 4 is the answer.  No matter how much one dislikes him and no matter their reason, objectivity rules.

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If you are a Catholic who has taken the time to know the teachings of the Church, you have probably been left scratching your head when you see catholic theologians quoted in a way that is contrary to those teachings.  The press always seems to gravitate to some of the same theologians who pit people against the bishops and the Church.  This is the pseudo-magisterium we talk about that so often competes with the U.S. bishops for authority.

Thanks to an email that was leaked to Bill Donohue of the Catholic League, we now see where some members of the media are getting their contacts.  It seems that dissenting catholics are trying to stack the media deck against the bishops. 


Here's the Catholic League news release:

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows (follow his embedded link to see the document):

June 21 marks the beginning of the “Fortnight for Freedom” events, the campaign for religious liberty being conducted by the nation’s bishops. Fair-minded persons may disagree with this effort, but there is something unseemly going on when those who work for a George Soros-funded group are quietly providing talking points to the media.

John Gehring is an official at Faith in Public Life, and it is his organization that lives off the bounty of the left-wing atheist billionaire, Mr. Soros. On June 7, Gehring sent a memo to his buddies in the media (a copy of which was generously leaked to me—click here) instructing them on how to handle the bishops. They should begin by questioning the prelates why the Obama “accommodation” wasn’t good enough. “You have to ask why the bishops can’t take yes for an answer,” he wrote.

Teaching them how to handle the “war on the Catholic Church,” Gehring advises, “Several bishops have used inflammatory and irresponsible rhetoric that conflates a process of working through complex policy issues with a fundamental attack on the Catholic Church.” He also frets over the politicization of the religious liberty campaign, an effort made possible, he neglects to say, because of the politicization of religion by President Obama.

Not to be outdone, Gehring presses his lackeys to victimize the victim, beckoning them to ask the bishops—all of whom refuse to prostitute their principles—“Are you willing to sacrifice Catholic charities, colleges and hospitals if you don’t get your way on the contraceptive mandate?”

Finally, Gehring provides a go-to list of Catholic activists who can be counted on to subvert the bishops’ message. It’s what we would expect from a George Soros group.

There you have it.  How much do you trust something named,  "Woodstock Theological Center" for authentic Catholic references and Catholic thought? Seriously? What a fitting name!

Just like with the HHS contraceptive mandate "accomodation," recall how the White House did not consult the U.S. bishops - the authentic representatives of the Catholic Church in the United States. Same thing here.  The press needs to recognize that the bishops speak for the Catholic Church, not any other groups of catholics who are pedaling dissent and sowing seeds of division.

I hope the USCCB will issue a statement acknowledging this now that it is out in the open.  How else is the damage even somewhat mitigated?

I have wondered how long the USCCB will take before it puts up a list of institutions which should not be used as a source of Catholic thought or reference due to their track records. I'd go so far as to say that certain theologians should be put on a USCCB "Do Not Contact" list. Certain names that appear regularly in the media, speaking as representatives of the Catholic Church (or at least perceived as such), and who sow the seeds of confusion and division among the faithful should be dealt with. Seriously.

This whole thing reminds me of something we learned as children: Watch out for those who hide behind curtains pretending to be bigger than they are.

Others covering this:

• Group funded by George Soros poised to attack US Bishops for the "Fornight for Freedom" (Father Z)
• Media Backgrounder: Theologians at Major Catholic Universities Will Help You Knock the "Fortnight for Freedom" (Matt Archbold)

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

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Atheist blogger at Patheos joining the Catholic Channel as she converts

I picked up this news on Facebook from Elizabeth Scalia and wanted to share it. A woman who has blogged at Patheos as an atheist is converting to Catholicism, and she is switching to the Catholic channel at Patheos.  She made her announcement by telling her readers, "This is my last post for Patheos atheist portal."  You can follow her on her journey through RCIA by clicking on the header below. 

 

I hadn't heard of Leah before today, so I don't know whether any Catholic writers at Patheos played a role or not.  But it is still interesting.  Please keep her in your prayers.  As with anyone converting or reverting, be patient (Rom 14:1).

She talks philosophy, which is of interest to me, so I'll be checking in.

My Thoughts on Patheos

For those who don't know, Patheos is a religion site and portal that hosts blogs of people from many faiths in what are called, "channels." It also has an atheist channel. Some object to Catholic participation in such portals, especially given that the Catholic bloggers there cannot control things like advertisements. Someone may, for example, see an ad for a Jewish dating service, or to a non-denominational Christian college.   I think those who run that portal ought to give more control on advertising to managing editors and no one should have to deal with advertisements not in accord with their faith.  Someone needs to create an advertising tool that will allow Catholic advertisers to get into Catholic blog advertisements.  That's just my humble opinion.  Lack of control is why I refuse to use  things like Google Ad Sense at this blog or other such options.

Others are concerned that Catholics who are weaker in their faith may click around the larger portal and end up leaving Catholicism.   In that case, we could make arguments against television, the web, school, and even leaving the house, where people of other faiths, and their values will be encountered.  Learning our own Catholic faith well, and it's roots in Scripture, is what keeps Catholics from going astray, and brings people home. 

So, while respecting, and even sharing some concerns, I believe that if there is going to be a religion portal that has the world's major religions represented, it needs some kind of Catholic representation in the interest of evangelization.  
Elizabeth Scalia, who blogs as The Anchoress, is the managing editor of the Catholic channel at Patheos. She has been bringing a number of popular Catholic bloggers there for some time now and they have migrated their blogs to the site.  Here is the Catholic channel at Patheos if you want to look it over.  

One of the things I lament is that it is a few more clicks to find bloggers I used to be able to reach by just typing in a few letters into the URL bar.  Now, with so many at Patheos, it has become cumbersome to get to specific people unless you have it bookmarked.  to that, I say, it is what it is.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

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Tonight: Memorial Masses for Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.

In Detroit, Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, there will be Masses celebrated for Servant of God, Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., whose cause for sainthood is being pursued.  Fr. McDermott, the postulator for the cause, will be at Assumption Grotto on June 18th.  Fr. Hardon spent  his final years at Assumption Grotto and was a spiritual director and confessor to many.

This was featured in a post at the site for Fr. Hardon's cause from Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, who led this effort while in St. Louis:

The following is a letter from Him Eminence, Raymond Cardinal Burke, which includes updates about the Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Archive & Guild. Included with this letter is Father Hardon's story about the Miraculous Medal. 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, 

On June 18th next, we recall the anniversary of both the birth and the ordination to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ of the Servant of God Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The year 2012 marks the 98th anniversary of his birth and the 65th anniversary of his ordination to the Holy Priesthood.

Continue reading Cardinal Burke's letter


Here is the announcement for all Masses.

The Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Archive & Guild invites you to attend the Memorial Masses celebrated in honor of Father Hardon's birthday and ordination anniversary this June.

Monday, June 18, 2012 - 7:00PM Carmelite Monastery 600 Flowers Avenue Dallas, Texas

Celebrant and Homilist: Rev. Paul Weinberger St. William Parish - Greenville, Texas

Monday, June 18, 2012 - 7:00PM Assumption Grotto Parish 13770 Gratiot Avenue Detroit, Michigan

Celebrant and Homilist: Rev. Robert T. McDermott Postulator of the Cause

Monday, June 18, 2012 - 7:30PM Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House 420 West Clayton Line Road Barrington, Illinois

Celebrant and Homilist: Rev. Dwight Campbell, S.T.D. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish - Kenosha, Wisconsin

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Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

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Happy Father's Day!

A photo taken last Sunday during the Corpus Christi procession

of a Grotto parishioner and his son.

See the slideshow video of the Mass and procession

Wishing all of the fathers out there a very blessed Father's Day! Let's not forget our spiritual fathers on this day. 

Grotto's pastor, Rev. Eduard Perrone speaking at the

Call to Holiness Conference in 2009

My own father who passed away in the early 90's at 59 years of age. My father's passing on of the Catholic faith, is one of my greatest treasures. Thanks dad. "Pop" was an awesome, self-taught piano player. I especially enjoyed listening to him play the many variations of the "Boogie-Woogie." I found this on You Tube last night. He played this all the time.

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Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; World Day of Prayer for Sanctification of Priests

UPDATE: Assumption Grotto has Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the parish Church today, until just before the 7:00 PM Mass in the Extraordinary Form. 

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I was just about to make a post for the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus when I received this well stated email from Andrew Rabel. I offer it here:

Dear friends, On this beautiful feast day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, this is also the day when priests throughout the Catholic Church, are asked to make an examination of conscience in regard to their ministries.

We must always keep Catholic priests in our prayers, as I believe they are particularly susceptible to temptations and attacks from the Evil One. (I believe Satan has one desire in particular, and that is to destroy the Catholic priesthood!)

From their own perspective, this is a useful aid to assist them if seeing if here and there, a bit of fine tuning needs to be done.

To all the wonderful spiritual fathers I have befriended over the years, (who I have received much good from) this is submitted in the spirit of helping you even more truly be a "persona Christi".

God bless Andrew

http://www.clerus.org/clerus/dati/2012-04/25-13/LETTERA_ai_Sacerdoti_EN.pdf

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

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LCWR: Unprofessionalism at USA Today; and, Sr. Chittisters Orwellian Double-Speak in CNN interview

Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB and Archbishop Peter Sartain

I keep saying this. When it comes to Catholic subjects, there are some in the media who would never let objectivity and facts get in the way of their bias reporting. How many of these people have read the 8 page doctrinal assessment that they keep recycling the same ridiculous distortions?

Here are some examples of bias.

First, you need to brief yourself (if you are interested in facts) on what Bishop Leonard Blair just released, in an effort to set the record straight after so many distortions of the truth made their way into news stories.  Bishop Blair was appointed to work with the CDF's delegate on the LCWR reform, Archbishop Peter Sartain of Seattle.  You can read the text, or you can watch him explain it on video.

Now, if you have read the 8 page doctrinal assessment (about 15 minutes); and, if you have watched Bishop Blair's response to distortions of fact (11:20) you are now prepared to see just how ridiculous these stories are.  In fact, you will be much more prepared than journalists who are being paid to learn facts for their stories and editorials.  It's called, doing homework.  Apparently, that is not in their job description these days.


First, there's the Cindy Lynn Grossman at the USA Today with this post.  I don't know quite what to think, other than it shows a great deal of immaturity and unprofessionalism.  If she went to journalism school, she should ask for a refund!  Look at the title of her post.

Bishop takes another swing at the sisters, nuns

Bishop Leonard Blair of Toledo is a stickler for doctrine. He's one of three bishops named by the Vatican to take over running the umbrella group of U.S. nuns and sisters called the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, is tired of bishops being blamed for beating up on saintly sisters.

He's got good cause, says Blair, who issued a column and YouTube video blasting the LCWR again this weekend. It is Blair's research that prompted a stinging report of the LCWR as dissenters who fail to live holy lives and promote true doctrine.

Blair says he can "only marvel" at the misrepesentations of the bishops' intentions.

Bishop takes a swing?!?!?  Hopefully, you just watched Bishop Blair and can discern who is swinging at who here.

Moving right along, we have Christiane Amanpour of CNN interviewing Sr. Joan Chittister.  Setting aside Amanpour's errors (i.e., "there's no more Vatican II"), Chittister offers classic Orwellian doublespeak.  I had difficult time watching this in it's entirety.

Amanpour needs to do her homework a little better, and she should, in the interest of objectivity, request an interview with one of the bishops or a representative of there choosing. If she has an ounce of objectivity, she will give the same amount of time to the Church that she has given to a representative of the pseudo-magisterium.

Perhaps Amanpour would like to interview one of the Sisters of Mercy in Alma, Michigan who recently released a statement which takes issue with the LCWR's positions in the dust-up.  Those religious sisters seem not to have a problem reconciling Catholic teaching and the hierarchical structure of the Church (and no one can challenge their Christian service work since most work in the medical field, included among them, physicians).


UPDATE:  Elizabeth Scalia has some thoughts on the Amanpour/Chittister interview, as well. And Deacon Greg Kandra doesn't think so much about any "Orwellian double-speak" as he does about Amanpour's "pitiful questioning.  Joanne McPortland laments that Sr. Joan believes, "her own vigorous self-promotion as America’s Female Pope," and, "how much she has become the vicious caricature of the American woman religious her name evokes among traditionalists." (Now, I think she has become such a caricature for faithful Catholics, in general).

Watch for further updates as I find more analyses of these things.

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Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Michigan Religious Order of Sisters Responds Sharply to LCWR

A religious order here in Michigan, the Sisters of Mercy (in Alma), have offered some criticism to the LCWR.  They have packaged part of the problem very neatly.  God bless 'em!

Catholic News Agency reports (emphasis mine in bold):

Alma, Mich., Jun 14, 2012 / 02:15 am (CNA).- Physicians who are also Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma are criticizing the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and its defenders for using an impoverished “language of politics” instead of “the language of faith” in the dialogue with the Catholic hierarchy.

“There is no basis for authentic dialogue between these two languages. The language of faith is rooted in Jesus Christ, His life and His mission, as well as the magisterial teaching of the Church,” said the physician-sisters’ statement, which was issued after a June 2 meeting on the contributions of religious women in the healing ministry of the Catholic Church.

“The language of politics arises from the social marketplace,” they said. “The Sisters who use political language in their responses to the magisterial Church reflect the poverty of their education and formation in the faith.”

In April 2012, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released the results of a four-year doctrinal assessment which determined that the Leadership Conference of Women Religious exhibited a “crisis” of belief and “serious doctrinal problems.” The audit also found that letters from conference officers suggested the presence of “corporate dissent” from Church teaching on issues like the ordination of men to the priesthood and homosexuality.

The conference is made up of leaders from 1,500 women’s religious congregations. Those sisters represent some 57,000 American women religious.

In response, the conference’s board members charged that the assessment was “based on unsubstantiated accusations” and used “a flawed process that lacked transparency.” They said the report “caused scandal and pain throughout the church community, and created greater polarization.”

Critics of the Vatican assessment have found sympathy in major media outlets, some of which have depicted the action against the leadership conference as an attack on all religious sisters and nuns.

But the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma see things differently.

Sr. Jane Mary Firestone, RSM, an internist at Sacred Heart Clinic in Alma, Mich., who helped write her religious congregation’s statement, spoke about it with CNA. She said that there is no issue with people representing their perspective to the Church and stating where they see problems.

However, she said that critics of Vatican’s assessment are taking their action into “a political arena of demonstrations” and are “garnering support in a political sense.”

“That doesn’t feel very appropriate,” Sr. Firestone said June 13. In her view, the social marketplace uses “the language of majority rule” and does not necessarily have “a regard for authority.”

“They’ve taken this into the public political arena and it no longer stays in the dialogue of faith. Representation is always possible, dialogue is always possible, but it’s with the reverence towards the hierarchical Church.”

She said that the “language of faith” expresses belief in the Church and the authority of the Church. Catholics believe that when the bishops speak, they have “a different degree of authority” than when someone else does.

“In other words, the magisterial Church does direct for us the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as religious women,” she said.

Sr. Firestone said that while Catholics do not believe the bishops are canonized saints, they are “not just ‘a bunch of men.’”

Read the rest at CNA - there are more goodies packaged in the article: Sisters of Mercy  doctors say LCWR is injecting politics into dialogue

I think this is just the beginning.  I would not be surprised to see more religious orders issuing statements.  This is just one of many examples of religious sisters who serve the poor AND ascent to the teachings of the Church.  LCWR leaders make it seem like the two are water and oil.

I should mention that Ann Carey, who has long followed the LCWR and written about them, is going to be a guest on World Over Live tonight on EWTN at 8 PM (ET).

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

Excellent Addresses from Afternoon Session of June 13, 2012 USCCB Meeting

EVANGELIZATION AND CATECHESIS; YEAR OF FAITH

Yesterday, I had an opportunity to watch part of the afternoon session of the USCCB's spring meeting of bishops. I caught the end of Bishop David L. Ricken's address on plans for the Year of Faith.  He is the head of the USCCB's Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis.  What I heard him say was very promising.  There are plans to include education on contraception.  This has been a largely neglected area. Many of us probably know  priests who were either not supported by their chanceries and bishops when they tried to convey the Church's teaching on contraception, or they were downright persecuted and shipped off to a chaplaincy or to the outskirts of the diocese when - gasp - someone complained about the teachings being upheld in Sacramental Confession.  It seems we may be exiting this troubling stage, perhaps with the "help" of some old-fashoined religious persecution.  What God doesn't will, He permits.  Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more (Rom 5:20).


Not everyone shares my optimism given decades of experience in utter silence from many bishops and priests at pulpits on everything from contraception to co-habitation, pre-marital and extra-marital sex, to name a few topics.  No wonder the confession lines are empty (and by appointment-only in some quarters).  Perhaps there will still be difficulties at some local levels (and maybe bishops can give priests a way to notify them if chanceries can't shed some old, bad habits).  I'm thinking that when you hear contraception mentioned at a USCCB meeting (and not in reference to the HHS mandate), that's a pretty good start. Brick-by-brick, people.  If you look for incremental improvements, rather than going from A-Z overnight, you'll sleep better.  (Psalm 95:10)

I regret that I was unable to find the text of his address online, but there are some materials on this page.  And, you can watch Bishop Ricken's address in the video link at the bottom of this post.

I also learned, from that talk, about this nifty version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the USCCB's website (update: or perhaps not so nifty).  We have long referenced some online versions, but they were not as user-friendly as this one.  Check it out, it's pretty cool. 

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

The bishops then saw several presentations on religious freedom. Bishop Lori who heads up the USCCB's Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty kicked off the series with his opening address. That was followed by the President of Catholic University of America, John Garvey, who spoke on Religious Freedom and the Love of God. I've been following this situation closely all these months and he shared some things I had not heard before.  I was gripped from the beginning with his opening statement:

First, More died because he loved God.Henry VIII split from the Catholic Church and had Parliament pass the Act of Supremacy (making him head of the Church of England) and the Act of Succession (making Anne Boleyn the queen).More refused to subscribe to the Acts.He tried to avoid a confrontation by resigning as Lord Chancellor, but Henry pursued him.And love for God and respect for the authority of the church compelled him to refuse the oath when it was forced on him.He died saying he was "the king's good servant, but God's first." 

Second, religious liberty is important.More's death was noble – he became a saint.It's admirable to die for your religion if there is no alternative.But it would be a better world if we didn't make people take that course.We protect the freedom of religion because we think it is wrong to coerce belief. Thomas More's story shows what can happen when these protections break down. 

Read the whole thing in that link above or watch it in the video link at the bottom.

What came next was The Church and the Global Crisis of Religious Freedom  by Thomas Farr of Georgetown University who said, with a grin: "As you may know, the incentives to think about religious freedom at Georgetown have recently been quite generous."  LOL!

Here is just one excerpt:

The Underlying Cause of the Global Crisis 

And yet, the root cause is quite similar: a belief that religious freedom is not only unnecessary for human flourishing or social development, but that it poses a threat to these and other goods. Of course, those views are not new. Modern tyrants from Stalin, Hitler, and Mao, to Mexico's Plutarco Calles, Iraq's Saddam Hussein, and Syria's Bashar Assad have sought either to eliminate religious ideas and actors altogether, or to control and suppress them in order to keep their regimes in power.

What is new, and profoundly troubling, is that we are seeing today the rejection of religious freedom not simply by authoritarian regimes in places like China, Saudi Arabia and Iran, but by democratic majorities in places like Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, and even Western Europe. These majorities seem unwilling to embrace the core of religious freedom, which is full equality under the law in private and in public matters for all religious individuals and institutions.

To be sure, religious freedom is rejected by democracies for different reasons – in Egypt, for example, the Muslim majority is loath to permit Christian Copts full equality, because it means much more than the right not to be persecuted or the right merely to be tolerated. It means the right of Copts to run for President, or to make Christian arguments in political life, or to criticize Islam publicly without fear of recrimination, or even to invite Muslims to become Christian. In Russia, the Orthodox Church allies with anti-democratic forces in order to maintain its monopoly.

Religious freedom is also increasingly being rejected in Western Europe, but for very different reasons. Here the problem is not a religious majority but an aggressive secularist majority that refuses to permit religiously-informed moral arguments into public life. Recently our Religious Freedom Project held a major conference in Oxford on the rising tensions between religious liberty and assertions of equality for homosexuals. In his keynote address, Philip Tartaglia, the Catholic bishop of Paisley, Scotland, noted that one of his priests had expressed fear after having watched a popular television program with audience participation. The audience was of one mind –once same sex marriage becomes law in the UK, they said, any dissenters should be "pursued by the law."

I could not help recalling the anti-Catholic penal laws enacted by the English in Scotland in the late 18^th century –laws that criminalized the very existence of priests and the mass, let alone the public expression of Catholic teachings. I am not suggesting that Scotland is returning to the practices of the 18^th century, but it would be foolish to assume that the growing intolerance of Catholicism in Europe cannot devolve into persecutory laws and practices. Bishop Tartaglia said that he expected one day to be standing before a judge because of his public defense of Catholic teachings. Others at the conference made it clear that they simply could not, and would not, brook any "special" consideration to religious ideas, which, they argued, had no more relevance to human beings or societies than any other idea under the sun.

In short, religion in Europe is no longer seen as intrinsic to human dignity and social flourishing. It is generally understood as merely an opinion, and, as a species, a dangerous opinion at that. While it is fine to practice your religion in churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples, democracy requires that you keep it there. To bring it into politics endangers democracy.

This malevolent idea, which was most famously championed by the American political philosopher John Rawls, is gaining considerable purchase in our own country. It gives reason for profound concern, not only for religious individuals but for the whole concept of democracy grounded in ordered liberty – both here and abroad

Bishop Shlemun Warduni then gave a Reflection from an Iraqi Bishop.  This is worth reading to understand the state of affairs for Christians in that country today, and in the wake of the war.


You might also want to watch the afternoon press conference, which dealt largely with religious freedom.

VIDEO

(UPDATED LINK) You can find videos for all archived sessions here, including those that have the conferences mentioned above. There was a problem with an earlier link I provided, so look for the June 13 afternoon sessions (now in two parts) from the list.   I recommend watching it all, even if you break if up in parts.  Let it run in the background if you have the computer in an area where you can do other things and listen.

ONGOING COVERAGE

The USCCB has a video archive page for all available sessions, so you can see the morning session from yesterday and watch for additional videos.

Much of today's session will be closed, but coverage begins again tomorrow.  The USCCB has a live-stream page, but EWTN is also streaming and they include a number of viewing and audio options, including mobile.  In the past, I was able to listen to these sessions right on my iPhone while out of the house.

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Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church;
it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.