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

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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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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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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.

Reminder: Helpers of God's Precious Infants Prayer Vigil this Saturday

Please see the post I made in late May about the upcoming prayer vigil by the Helpers of God's Precious Infants of Michigan.  It takes place this Saturday and begins at St. Basil the Great in Eastpointe, Michigan.

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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.

Catholic hierarchy stands up to distortions over LCWR

Why let facts get in the way of distortions?

Objective reporting is hard to come by these days as idealogues engage subjective journalism and withholding of facts in a way that radically skews a story. Others, like the LCWR, have "helped" journalists to go in the wrong direction. A reading of actual documents reveals the distortions.  It has not gone unnoticed by some bishops. In fact, some of the distortions are as comical as watching a three-year old explain that his hand wasn't really in the cookie jar against Mom's will, he was just getting one for Dad.

Phil Lawler, in his commentary, "Bishop Blair pounds the facts; LCWR pounds the table," provides some background, and links, to bring you up to speed.  In his article, he also discusses the Vatican statement released yesterday on the meeting between the LCWR and CDF officials.  I'll start you off with the beginning of his commentary and you can click the link above to read the rest.

You know the old lawyer’s advice to a new practitioner? “If the law is on your side, pound the law. If the facts are on your side, pound the facts. If neither the law nor the facts are on your side, pound the table.”

Liberal Catholics have been pounding the table recently in their defense of radical women religious. Today the Vatican pounded the law. Bishop Leonard Blair pounded the facts.

Two separate cases have set the liberal media to howling about a supposed Vatican crackdown on defenseless American nuns. First the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) ordered a reform of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), citing “serious doctrinal problems which affect many in consecrated life.” Then the CDF issued a warning that a book by Sister Margaret Farley contains arguments that are “in direct contradiction with Catholic teaching in the field of sexual morality.”

Do click that article link to read Phil's piece.  He captures it very well.
In the meanwhile, John L. Allen reports on CDF chief, Cardinal Levada's reaction to some things in the LCWR sphere.  It's at the National catholic Distorter, but it's written by John Allen, who is a reasonably objective reporter who happens to work at the dissident rag.  Here's a snippet (emphasis mine in bold; my comments in red):

In his NCR interview, Levada said he believes the breach between Rome and the LCWR can be repaired.

"I believe it can work," he said. "That's my hope and prayer." [It's really dependent on the LCWR.  If the LCWR is going to wait until the Church goes against her constant teachings, and against Sacred Scripture, they'll have to wait until Hell freezes over]

At the same time, Levada described the risk of a "dialogue of the deaf," saying the Vatican has been in talks with LCWR for four years, but along the way the group has made choices that, in Levada's eyes, signal it's not taking their concerns to heart. [Great way to put it because they don't hear the Church. Dialogue for dissenters means they want the Church to listen to them and they have no interest in aligning their understanding and views with the mind of the Church]

Specifically, Levada cited publication of an interview with Fr. Charles Curran, a moral theologian censured by the Vatican in the 1980s for his views on sexual morality, in a recent issue of the group's Occasional Papers as well as decisions to invite Barbara Marx Hubbard, often described as a "New Age leader," to address the upcoming August assembly meeting and to bestow an award on Immaculate Heart Sr. Sandra Schneiders, another theologian sometimes critical of Vatican policy.

Levada acknowledged he had given LCWR the go-ahead to proceed with its August assembly, but said he wasn't aware at the time of the choice of speakers or honorees, and that "I wish they hadn't made these choices." [They were given some rope!]

"Too many people crossing the LCWR screen, who are supposedly representing the Catholic church, aren't representing the church with any reasonable sense of product identity," Levada said. [Well, "product identity" is a business term - something I don't care for when discussing the faith, but remember that he is addressing an organization that uses "Systems Thinking" and "Mental Models" to arrive at their strange teachings, rather than Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium.]

Levada said while church officials cannot force LCWR to change course, if things come to an impasse, they can withdraw official recognition.

"What we can do, and what we'd have to do, is to say to them, 'We will substitute a functioning group for yours,' " he said.

He also addresses the possibility of the LCWR withdrawing itself:

"We would like to see an effective and strong LCWR," he said.

Levada also acknowledged that the Vatican cannot block the LCWR on its own from withdrawing from the official orbit and re-incorporating under civil law, but said that should the group make that choice, "the Holy See isn't going to give patronage to it."

In the short term, Levada said he would take as evidence that things are moving in the right direction if LCWR enters into "a sincere, cordial and open dialogue" with Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle, tapped by the Vatican to oversee the reform envisioned in the doctrinal assessment.

To date, Levada said, that hasn't happened. [They're too busy listening to themselves]

On other points, Levada denied that the move against LCWR was motivated by a desire to assert control over property and other assets of women's orders in America and rejected suggestions that the aim of the overhaul is to bring LCWR under the permanent control of the American bishops. [ROFL!!!!]

Rather than "conspiracy theories," Levada said, the focus should be on the substantive issues in the Vatican critique. [Oh, this was precious.  I'll bet they aren't used to be called out like that!]

"The church is a broad umbrella, and it doesn't quickly exclude people, even people who disagree on one point or the other," he said. "But ultimately, this is about a group that represents the church doing so in a way that is accountable to the teaching and tradition of the church."

Perhaps the LCWR could use some hearing aids to help them in their dialogue. 

Go read John L. Allen's entire piece: Vatican official warns of 'dialogue of the deaf' with LCWR

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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 | The "Rotten Tomatoes" site awaits your review of, "For Greater Glory"

I've heard some very good reviews of, "For Greater Glory," which I have not yet seen. In contrast, the Rotten Tomatoes site seems to have an audience that did not like it. Perhaps they need some traffic and more reviews to offset that. It looks like you can log in with Facebook and a number of other options.

Go review, "For Greater Glory" at Rotten Tomatoes.

UPDATE:  Someone just pointed out to me that the "Approved Critics" review is a 4.3 out of 10, or 17% (out of 41 reviews). Out of those 41 "Approved Critics" 34 gave it a "Rotten" status.   However, note the the average rating of 85% on the right based on an Average Rating of 4.3 out of 5 from 13,751 people.

I think we should be able to add to that number.

Here's a snapshot as of a few minutes ago.

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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.

Orchestral Mass, Corpus Christi Procession, and

The Missal of 1962 will be used at the Noon Mass today at Assumption Grotto; it shifts from 9:30 AM with the orchestral Mass. The 1962 calendar is followed (Corpus Christi was on Thursday), but there will be the annual Corpus Christi procession on the grounds of the parish. The Mass of St. Cecilia by Gounod will be featured. It's one of the most beautiful Masses I've heard.

The procession will be followed by a luncheon sponsored by the Grotto Knights of Columbus. They will offer sausage with peppers and onions, or a meatball sandwich with a drink - all for $5.00. A hot dog and drink will also be available for $3.00

Over in the Lansing diocese, I know that Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Brighton is having a procession today too. My sister in Carmel, Denise, has been advertising this on her Facebook page. It runs after the 11:00 AM Mass from 12 - 2 PM.

Archbishop Vigneron is celebrating the Corpus Christi Mass today too, and a Corpus Christi procession follows. I think it's important for bishops to share this devotion and am glad he kick-started this back up in our archdiocese. I regret that I will likely not be at the procession today and I will not be photographing. I hope to return to my photography next season.

Here is a promotional video I made last year:

A few notes about this slideshow video:

1. This took place on Sunday, June 6, 2010.  The Noon Mass was a solemn high in the extraordinary form, and it was an external celebration of Corpus Christi which fell on Thursday, June 3.  It was an orchestra Mass: Haydn's Paukenmesse.  The celebrant was Fr. Aidan Logan, O.C.s.o.
2. The photos of the Mass are few and begin at the homily because I, the photographer, was also in the choir.  I escape through the back of the risers in the back to get a few choice shots (shhhh... don't tell Fr. Perrone). 
3. Fr. Perrone was not celebrating because he was conducting the orchestra.  He had just enough time to put on his cassock, surplice, and stole, and to grab his biretta.
4. Immediately following the Mass, the annual Corpus Christi procession began around the grounds of the parish, to the altars set up by families.   
5. Regrettably, I did not have the right lens on for crowd shots of the roughly 250 who participated. 
6. I tried to find a nice Pange Lingua for the background music, or the sequence of the day, Lauda Sion.  However, nothing was of the right length for what I had.  Alas! I discovered the Sanctus in the Missa Pange Lingua by Josquin des Prez, which was nearly perfect in length, which is what you hear playing in the background.

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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.

Detroit Free Press: More than 1000 at Detroit's Religious Freedom Rally

Photo: Niraj Warikoo

I was disappointed to not be able to attend the Stand-Up Rally for Religious Freedom. There were about 160 of them happening at Noon all around the United States. If you watched most local news channels, including those here in Detroit yesterday, you never would have known this was happening. When I didn't see any coverage at the Noon news hour here in Detroit, I wondered if there were any news trucks. I was told there was one network there. When I watched their broadcast at 5 and 6 PM, there was no coverage of the rally, and no mention. I would imagine it played itself out that way in most cities. Fox News had a small blip or two on at one point during the day, but it was scarce. I don't know if other networks bothered.

I'll call it, "passive censorship." They - the TV news media - know something is happening, in large numbers, but they don't bother to cover it. The March for Life in January every year is the best example. It's gone from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands. The crowd is mostly young. There are people of all faiths there and people of no faith (yes, atheists for life). You would never know it happens on any given year. I remember seeing all kinds of news coverage of a few dozen Occupy Wall Street protestors, even on national news. I suppose that only protestors who do outrageous things get wider coverage than those who go so far as to clean up after themselves.

Here in Detroit we have a religion correspondent at the Detroit Free Press who doesn't miss these things. His coverage starts before his story. Niraj Warikoo has a Twitter account and he doesn't hesitate to use any time there is a faith event here in Detroit. When I saw nothing on the news channels at Noon, I turned to Twitter and, like usual, there was Niraj tweeting away.

Here are some samples:

1) Quoting Teresa Tomeo

2) Quoting Bishop Byrnes who stepped in for Archbishop Vigneron whose father passed away.

3) He uploaded a few pics like the one at top; and, here and here


Today, his story was released at the Detroit Free Press.  Having followed Niraj for a few years now, one thing I really like is that he simply reports the news.

More than 1,000 protesters rallied outside the federal building in Detroit on Friday to oppose the Obama administration's contraception mandate, saying their religious freedom is under attack.

The rally, organized by Catholic leaders, was one of 13 in cities across Michigan and more than 140 others across the U.S.

"Christians ... are a majority in this country," Teresa Tomeo, a Catholic author from St. Clair Shores, told the crowd. "We don't want this mandate."

The protesters, many holding signs that read "Stop Obama's HHS Mandate," listened to a range of speakers, from professors to a Catholic bishop to Protestant pastors.

"We will not comply," Professor Mary Healy of Sacred Heart Major Seminary said as the crowd cheered.

Continue reading the rest of his coverage for more quotes: Masses protest in Detroit...

I know there were other rallies around southeast Michigan - including Ann Arbor and Livonia, so that was pretty good that 1000+ showed up in Detroit.

More Coverage

Feel free to drop links into my combox to photo galleries, videos, and text with anything pertaining to these rallies.  I'm aware that there were counter protestors at many of these.  In fact, I heard two accounts about counter protestors in Detroit.  There were just two people and one told me they held up three signs.

You can look through more tweets for links to pictures and quotes from other Stand-up Rallies from around the US using these hashtags (I think you can see them even if you don't have a twitter account):  #ReligiousFreedom and #StandUpRally and #StopHHS

EWTN was also putting up pictures from around the country on the EWTN Facebook Page (June 9, 2012 if you look for it through timeline later)

The National Catholic Register has coverage, as well.

One of the more memorable addresses I've read is that of Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. in San Francisco.  I'll start you out here and you can read the rest at the blog of Richard Chonak:

In every age Christians have been challenged to stand up for what they believe. I would like to share with you the story of a little-known Saint. His name is Gaspar del Bufalo. It was 1810. He was only 24 years old, and had been ordained a priest just a short time. But now he was under arrest. Napoleon had conquered Rome and had imprisoned the pope. His intention was to close the churches and to force all the priests to swear allegiance to him.

So there Gaspar stood in front of the prefect. The prefect was a kind old gentleman, who did everything to minimize the event, downplaying it and reducing everything to a mere formality. It was just a harmless bureaucratic exercise.

The important thing was that Gaspar be put at ease, that he should not realize the seriousness of the choice to which he was being called. After all, many priests had already acquiesced and signed the oath of allegiance.

But Gaspar was not listening to the prefect, he was thinking of the blood which Napoleon had already caused to be shed. He was thinking of the imprisonment of the Holy Father, and he was thinking of the violation of liberty and the suppression of independence for the church.

So his response to the prefect was clear and decisive:

I cannot, I must not, I will not!

Just 200 years later, It is a different country and it is a different government. This time it is an American President. He has taken it upon himself to determine what is and is not religious. He has taken it upon himself to determine how I should live my faith in this time and in this place. Should I acquiesce to his demands?

I cannot, I must not, I will not!

The world health organization classifies oral contraceptives as a class one carcinogen right up there with tobacco. And the government wants me to provide this free with healthcare.

I cannot, I must not, I will not!

Women who use oral contraceptives for four years prior to their first full-term pregnancy have a 52% increased risk of developing breast cancer. And the government calls this health care and wants me to provide this for free, well...

I cannot, I must not, I will not! Oral contraceptives do horrific damage to a woman's body, and should we call this health-care? Abortion destroys human life and is it reasonable or intelligent for us to call that healthcare?

I cannot, I must not, I will not!

Continue reading the rest of Fr. Keyes' address

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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.

Divine Providence: Dog Saves Abandoned Baby

I've been watching on Facebook and shared it, I think twice. The story is so amazing, I offer it here. Many babies around the world are simply discarded in the garbage, or worse. Every now and then we hear of a miraculous recovery of a baby, still alive. This is one such story. A dog participated in God's providence for this child.

A loyal canine has earned hero status after he was found cradling an abandoned baby that he had spent the night protecting. According to authorities, a two week old child was discovered under a bridge in Winkongo, near Bolgatanga, the Upper East Regional Capital of Ghana, after being forsaken by its mother.


Left alone in a hostile environment, the baby did not have to fend for itself – it was saved by a local farm dog.

Go read the rest of this very interesting story at the Life With Dogs 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.

Religious Freedom Rally

Tomorrow there will be religious freedom rallies all across the United States, many of them led by U.S. bishops. Archbishop Vigneron was to speak at the rally here in Detroit, but his father passed away and the funeral Mass is happening at the time of the rally. I wish I could go, but I cannot attend.

Here is a webpage for locations around the U.S. These are interfaith rallies.  See the homepage.

SIGNS IN DETROIT

I got this message from Debbie Bloomfield.

Prayer and Fasting made Visible

The call by the bishops of the United States for a "Fortnight for Freedom" (June 21 to July 4) touched my soul and captured my imagination. I was drawn to the idea of prayer and fasting for religious freedom, but realized it is a "hidden work." I want to follow in the footsteps of the great martyrs for religious freedom against governments that persecuted them for living their Catholic/Christian faith. Their feast days fall during the Fortnight for Freedom: Ss. Thomas More, and John Fisher (June 22), St. John the Baptist (June 24), Ss. Peter and Paul (June 29). And I want to honor the tradition and culture of religious freedom guaranteed in the Bill of Rights' first amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which is part of our July 4th Independence Day celebration.

When I saw the design on the USCCB's special website www.Fortnight4Freedom.org, the answer was clear: print up signs for churches, yards, parades, and rallies. I added the line at the top of the design, "Pray and Fast for Religious Freedom" (see attachment). The signs will invite others to join in and at the same time announce this great spiritual work outside small prayer circles. I believe in the power of prayer and fasting, and this will help more people to join in the prayer!

I am ordering 250 of the red, white, and blue signs and hope to sell them at cost ($2.50 each) to any and everyone. Interest is growing as the word slowly spreads. Someone even called from Iowa! I suggested that he (and others who are not local) find a local printer. You can give the attached pdf file to the printer. That is all he needs. I hope that we run out and have to order more! They will be available at the Rally for Religious Freedom on June 8 in Detroit and Ann Arbor.

If you want to buy signs to place in front of your home, at your church, and for your local parade, please complete and return the order form. (We will have an entry in the Wyandotte July 4th Parade if you want to join us. It is also on the Wyandotte Fort Street sign.) You can pay when you pick up the signs in Wyandotte or another agreeable location.

Thank you!

In Christ,

Debbie Bloomfield, fortnightsigns@gmail.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

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Death of Elwin Vigneron, Father of Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron

From the Archdiocese of Detroit:

Archbishop Vigneron's father, Elwin Vigneron, passed on from this life at the age of 92.

He is survived by his wife, Bernadine; his daughter, Patricia; his sons, Allen, John (Cindy), Ron (Diane), Mark (Anne Marie) and Gary (Kimberly); 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his brother, Norman.

Visitation will be at Gendernalik Funeral Home (586-725-0177), 35259 Twenty Three Mile Road, New Baltimore. Visitation will be from 6 until 9 p.m. on Wednesday, June 6, with a 7 p.m. Scripture service; and from 2 until 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 7, with a 7 p.m. Rosary. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Immaculate Conception Parish or Sacred Heart Major Seminary.

On Friday, June 8, he will lie in repose at Immaculate Conception Church from 10:30 until his 11:30 a.m. funeral Mass. Immaculate Conception is located at 9792 Dixie Highway in Ira Township.

There is a nice article at the Michigan Catholic about the life of Elwin Vigneron.  Here is an excerpt:

“My father was a plain Christian man, who loved his family and found his greatest satisfaction in doing his duty,” Archbishop Vigneron said after his father’s passing. “His being a Catholic was an unquestioned part of his very being, and he taught that to us, mostly by his example.”

Archbishop Vigneron has thanked his parents over the years for their support for his priestly vocation. Upon his installation as archbishop of Detroit in 2009, he said, “They always made it very clear to me that they would support me in whatever I wanted to do in my life. They made it a point to never put pressure on me.” Mr. and Mrs. Vigneron were in the front pews at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit as their son was installed as the archbishop.

Upon his son being named the archbishop, Mr. Vigneron spoke about their family priorities while Archbishop Vigneron was growing up. “Religion for one thing, and being a family – (those) are what’s most important,” he said.

His other children saw his life as an example, as well. His youngest son, Gary, said his father had a tremendous work ethic and a great love for life and for others.

“More than anything he was a very hard working man,” said Gary. “He lost his dad really early in life. He loved working outside. He loved taking care of his old farm, mowing the grass. He was a very good friend to a lot of people.”

Archbishop Vigneron was suppose to speak at the Religious Freedom Rally in Detroit on June 8th at Noon, but in light of his father's passing, please keep the archbishop and his family in your prayers. Pray also for the repose of Elwin Vigneron's soul.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. 

---

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.

Fr. Gresko looks at Christopher West's, "At the Heart of the Gospel"

I'm of the opinion that certain conflicts should be looked at as an opportunity for growth among the Mystical Body of Christ.  The West-Wars is just such a conflict.  It is one that has been filled with emotion, so much so, that I believe robust discourse has been largely suppressed.  People take sides, sometime making use of the "brand equity rule," rather than looking at the arguments and the material in question.  What I mean is that bishops, priests and lay people, hearing that some take issue with West's presentation and material may very well dismiss one side or the other depending on who is on which side.  This is a dangerous practice.  Anyone concerned should do their own homework rather than accept someone else's word.  When well moderated discourse on a conflict takes place, the ultimate outcome is that which is produced in friction: A pearl.  There need not be winners or losers; rather, when all seek the truth, then all win as that truth is embraced and people move forward based on that.  Hence, even if West's critics are right, the only way West loses is if he fails to come along.

In recent years there have been a number of dust-ups between respectable theologians and others over the work of Christopher West and his interpretation of Pope John Paul II's teachings on what is commonly referred to as, "Theology of the Body."  This is not a 'liberal' versus 'conservative' issue.  It's a genuine set of disagreements between good Catholics about the interpretation and presentation of Pope John Paul II's teaching on conjugal love.

I have encountered a number of Catholics who feel the conflict is simply over West's style. They might argue that when dealing with today's young people, it's a necessary evil to "talk dirty." I disagree in that there are limits and we can never use evil to do good. I also think that we treat young people like they are too stupid to understand good rhetoric. A speaker can be dynamic and interesting without gutter talk when it comes to discussing sexual morality. I don't think there is any context that the Song of Songs should be referred to as, "the Centerfold of the Bible." For my non-english readers, most associate the word, "centerfold," with the center, unfolded page of a pornography magazine.

But, if you have read all of the concerns raised over the past few years regarding Christopher West's works, you will know that it is not a disagreement about style, but also one of substance. I was taken aback in 2006 when I found popular Catholic apologists online telling married couples they could engage in things like, 'marital sodomy' as long as the act was completed in a way that was open to life. It was always followed up by a recommendation to read one of West's books. Somewhat uncomfortable at the time, I removed a link to his site from my sidebar along with similar references. Soon after, I learned that priests I knew also had the same concerns, and then some.

Later, the "West-Wars" exploded in Catholic news and blog circles after a Nightline interview with West that went terribly wrong.  In reading all of the debates that would follow - those of critics and defenders,  I came to understand why some felt there were problems with West's understanding of concupiscence - that is, our inclination towards evil on account of Original Sin.

Over time, I developed other problems with what West was teaching, such as his presentation of the Paschal Candle as a 'phallic symbol'.  Sr. Lorraine Trouve who has edited some of West's works was good enough to explore objections to this that many made, including myself.  She offered a detailed response after looking deeply at the matter and agreed that it should not be regarded as a phallic symbol.  Her well-written post can be read at her blog here: The Wood in Water - What Does the Easter Candle Symbolize?  Unfortunately, I have not seen Christopher West correct his teachings on this subject.  I do not have his latest book so I do not know if he has addressed it there.

Fr. Gresko Offers Thoughts on West's Latest Book

This leads me to the point of my post.  Fr. Gregory Gresko has written an extensive review of some things in Christopher West's latest book, "At the Heart of the Gospel: Reclaiming the Body for the New Evangelization."

First, who is Fr. Gresko?  From his bio at the bottom of the guest column he wrote at Catholic News Agency:

Fr. Gregory Gresko is Chaplain of the Blessed John Paul II Shrine in Washington, D.C.  He earned his S.T.B. from the Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant’Anselmo in Rome and his S.T.L. magna cum laude in marriage and family studies from the John Paul II Institute of the Pontifical Lateran University (Rome).  His licentiate dissertation was entitled, “Educating to Love: Foundational Pedagogy in Light of Karol Wojtyla’s Love and Responsibility”. 

Fr. Gresko currently is working on his doctoral thesis for the same Vatican institute, on “The Consecration of the Family to the Heart of Jesus in Light of the Pastoral Ministry of Père Mateo Crawley-Boevey, ss.cc.”  He blogs at The Blogging Monk. 

Fr. Gresko’s work on the theology of love has been featured by Inside the Vatican as well as Catholic Online, including in interviews on EWTN, Catholic News Agency, and VocationBoom.

There is an introductory article at Catholic News Agency (CNA).  However, I would encourage you to invest your time reading the actual guest column at CNA.  Take your time and read slowly.  I think he does a very good job of presenting his concerns.  People are free to disagree, but they cannot say that he was "attacking" West.  The priest was quite dispassionate and looking at it rather academically.  At one point, he calls on the Magisterium to step in to protect Pope John Paul II's teachings from incorrect interpretations.  I hope the Church will take on the matter, at least to study it more deeply, rather than taking the word of this person or that. Then, to offer clarity to us all with the hope that we will grow in our understanding, rather than quarrel.  The quarreling has gone on long enough.

Go read Fr. Gresko's in-depth look at Christopher West's, At the Heart of the Gospel: The Interpersonal Communion of Hearts.  Fr. Gresko will have a followup, but it's going to appear in Inside the Vatican Magazine.  This is one of the last Catholic magazines standing and I encourage you to subscribe because it features some very good articles that are not necessarily in the "old news" category you may get with a news magazine.

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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.

June is the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

The Month of Mary just concluded and June ushers in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Few Catholics today probably know of this devotion which was promoted by the popes.  I am going to provide some links here for you to follow up with in reading this month.  Learn about it before arbitrarily dismissing it as something that belongs in the Smithsonian.

EWTN has a good overview, brief history and mediations.

 The Catholic Encyclopedia offers a detailed explanation of the doctrinal explanations. Likewise, Fr. Hardon also wrote on the doctrinal considerations on the devotion to the Sacred Heart.

Pope Leo XIII wrote the encyclical "Annum Sacrum" on the Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on May 25, 1899.

Pope Pius XI wrote the encyclical "Miserentissimus Redemptor" in 1928 on Reparation to the Sacred Heart.

Then, in 1956, Pope Pius XII wrote the encyclical, "Haurietis Aquas" on Devotion to the Sacred Heart.

Is the Sacred Heart Devotion Passé?

If you think that this is something which is passé, then you don't understand a key point about Magisterial teachings: They are timeless.  What was written by Pope Leo XIII, Pope Pius XI, and Pope Pius XII is still relevant today, if not more so.  Let's look at a few paragraphs from the last encyclical and keep in mind, it was written more than 50 years ago.

8. The Church has always valued, and still does, the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus so highly that she provides for the spread of it among Christian peoples everywhere and by every means. At the same time she uses every effort to protect it against the charges of so-called "naturalism" and "sentimentalism." In spite of this it is much to be regretted that, both in the past and in our own times, this most noble devotion does not find a place of honor and esteem among certain Christians and even occasionally not among those who profess themselves moved by zeal for the Catholic religion and the attainment of holiness. 

9. "If you but knew the gift of God."(7) With these words, venerable brethren, We who in the secret designs of God have been elected as the guardians and stewards of the sacred treasures of faith and piety which the divine Redeemer has entrusted to His Church, prompted by Our sense of duty, admonish them all. 

10. For even though the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has triumphed so to speak, over the errors and the neglect of men, and has penetrated entirely His Mystical Body; still there are some of Our children who, led astray by prejudices, sometimes go so far as to consider this devotion ill-adapted, not to say detrimental, to the more pressing spiritual needs of the Church and humanity in this present age. There are some who, confusing and confounding the primary nature of this devotion with various individual forms of piety which the Church approves and encourages but does not command, regard this as a kind of additional practice which each one may take up or not according to his own inclination. 

11. There are others who reckon this same devotion burdensome and of little or no use to men who are fighting in the army of the divine King and who are inspired mainly by the thought of laboring with their own strength, their own resources and expenditures of their own time, to defend Catholic truth, to teach and spread it, to instill Christian social teachings, to promote those acts of religion and those undertakings which they consider much more necessary today. 

12. Again, there are those who so far from considering this devotion a strong support for the right ordering and renewal of Christian morals both in the individual's private life and in the home circle, see it rather a type of piety nourished not by the soul and mind but by the senses and consequently more suited to the use of women, since it seems to them something not quite suitable for educated men. 

13. Moreover there are those who consider a devotion of this kind as primarily demanding penance, expiation and the other virtues which they call "passive," meaning thereby that they produce no external results. Hence they do not think it suitable to re-enkindle the spirit of piety in modern times. Rather, this should aim at open and vigorous action, at the triumph of the Catholic faith, at a strong defense of Christian morals. Christian morality today, as everyone knows, is easily contaminated by the sophistries of those who are indifferent to any form of religion, and who, discarding all distinctions between truth and falsehood, whether in thought or in practice, accept even the most ignoble corruptions of materialistic atheism, or as they call it, secularism. 

14. Who does not see, venerable brethren, that opinions of this kind are in entire disagreement with the teachings which Our predecessors officially proclaimed from this seat of truth when approving the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.? Who would be so bold as to call that devotion useless and inappropriate to our age which Our predecessor of immortal memory, Leo XIII, declared to be "the most acceptable form of piety?" He had no doubt that in it there was a powerful remedy for the healing of those very evils which today also, and beyond question in a wider and more serious way, bring distress and disquiet to individuals and to the whole human race. "This devotion," he said, "which We recommend to all, will be profitable to all." And he added this counsel and encouragement with reference to the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: ". . .hence those forces of evil which have now for so long a time been taking root and which so fiercely compel us to seek help from Him by Whose strength alone they can be driven away. Who can He be but Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God? 'For there is no other name under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved.'(8) We must have recourse to Him Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life."(9) 

15. No less to be approved, no less suitable for the fostering of Christian piety was this devotion declared to be by Our predecessor of happy memory, Pius XI. In an encyclical letter he wrote: "Is not a summary of all our religion and, moreover, a guide to a more perfect life contained in this one devotion? Indeed, it more easily leads our minds to know Christ the Lord intimately and more effectively turns our hearts to love Him more ardently and to imitate Him more perfectly."(10) 

16. To Us, no less than to Our predecessors, these capital truths are clear and certain. When We took up Our office of Supreme Pontiff and saw, in full accord with Our prayers and desires, that the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus had increased and was actually, so to speak, making triumphal progress among Christian peoples, We rejoiced that from it were flowing through the whole Church innumerable and salutary results. This We were pleased to point out in Our first encyclical letter.(11) 

17. Through the years of Our pontificate--years filled not only with bitter hardships but also with ineffable consolations these effects have not diminished in number or power or beauty, but on the contrary have increased. Indeed, happily there has begun a variety of projects which are conducive to a rekindling of this devotion. We refer to the formation of cultural associations for the advancement of religion and of charitable works; publications setting forth the true historical, ascetical and mystical doctrine concerning this entire subject; pious works of atonement; and in particular those manifestations of most ardent piety which the Apostleship of Prayer has brought about, under whose auspices and direction local gatherings - families, colleges, institutions - and sometimes nations have been consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. To all these We have offered paternal congratulations on many occasions, whether in letters written on the subject, in personal addresses, or even in messages delivered over the radio.(12) 

18. Therefore when We perceive so fruitful an abundance of healing waters, that is, heavenly gifts of divine love, issuing from the Sacred Heart of our Redeemer, spreading among countless children of the Catholic Church by the inspiration and action of the divine Spirit; We can only exhort you, venerable brethren, with fatherly affection to join Us in giving tribute of praise and heartfelt thanks to God, the Giver of all good gifts. We make Our own these words of the Apostle of the Gentiles: "Now to Him Who is able to do all things more abundantly than we desire or understand, according to the power that worketh in us, to Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations world without end. Amen."(13)

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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.

Surprise! Not! LCWR says Vatican critique is 'unsubstantiated'

Past LCWR-President, Sr. Joan Chittester (left) and Archbishop Peter Sartain of Seattle (right)

From Catholic World News:

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) has a Vatican call for reform of their group, saying that it has “caused scandal and pain throughout the church community, and caused greater polarization.”   

After a 3-day meeting in Washington, the national board of the LCWR issued a stinging reply to a Vatican investigation of the group’s activities. The board said that the report was “based on unsubstantiated accusations and the result of a flawed process that lacked transparency.”

The LCWR, an umbrella group that represents most of the women’s religious orders in the US, was the subject of a Vatican investigation that found “serious doctrinal problems which affect many in consecrated life.” The investigation, which reported widespread departures from fundamental Catholic teachings, prompted an April announcement from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) that a thorough reform of the group was needed, and Seattle’s Archbishop Peter Sartain had been appointed to supervise that process.

Unsubstantiated?

Let's revisit three bulleted items in the doctrinal assessment itself:

Addresses at the LCWR Assemblies. Addresses given during LCWR annual Assemblies manifest problematic statements and serious theological, even doctrinal errors. The Cardinal offered as an example specific passages of Sr. Laurie Brink’s address about some Religious “moving beyond the Church” or even beyond Jesus. This is a challenge not only to core Catholic beliefs; such a rejection of faith is also a serious source of scandal and is incompatible with religious life. Such unacceptable positions routinely go unchallenged by the LCWR, which should provide resources for member Congregations to foster an ecclesial vision of religious life, thus helping to correct an erroneous vision of the Catholic faith as an important exercise of charity. Some might see in Sr. Brink’s analysis a phenomenological snapshot of religious life today. But Pastors of the Church should also see in it a cry for help.

Policies of Corporate Dissent. The Cardinal spoke of this issue in reference to letters the CDF received from “Leadership Teams” of various Congregations, among them LCWR Officers, protesting the Holy See’s actions regarding the question of women’s ordination and of a correct pastoral approach to ministry to homosexual persons, e.g. letters about New Ways Ministry’s conferences. The terms of the letters suggest that these sisters collectively take a position not in agreement with the Church’s teaching on human sexuality. It is a serious matter when these Leadership Teams are not providing effective leadership and example to their communities, but place themselves outside the Church’s teaching.

Radical Feminism. The Cardinal noted a prevalence of certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith in some of the programs and presentations sponsored by the LCWR, including theological interpretations that risk distorting faith in Jesus and his loving Father who sent his Son for the salvation of the world. Moreover, some commentaries on “patriarchy” distort the way in which Jesus has structured sacramental life in the Church; others even undermine the revealed doctrines of the Holy Trinity, the divinity of Christ, and the inspiration of Sacred Scripture.

Continuing with the Catholic World News report:

Sister Pat Farrell, the LCWR president, told reporters that the group’s board had met in a mood of “deep, deep sadness” because of the Vatican’s stand. She said that the LCWR would not issue a full response to the Vatican’s investigation until after meeting with members during the summer and convening a national convention in August.

Among the options that the LCWR could consider is a proposal that the group might abandon its current canonical status and become an entirely independent group. That independence would enable the LCWR to escape Vatican oversight. The June 1 statement from the national board did not address that possibility.

Here, again is the link to the report at Catholic World News.  There is more offered at the bottom, including a tall stack of links.

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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.

Awesome Bible and Catechetical Software and it's Catholic!

Catholics who are filled with zeal for the faith will often enter discussion about Catholicism with friends, relatives, and others who may be more lukewarm. These conversations are most often about some of the more controversial topics in current events as opposed to discussing the significance of the Lord's Baptism or how we can see the Old Testament connections with the New Testament.   Many will struggle to grasp the gravity of some Church teaching unless they have a proper foundation.  We cannot help others to build that foundation if the only time we talk about the faith is when it involves hot-button issues.  The only way we can help others to lay a good foundation is to be well grounded in Scripture and the teachings of the Church ourselves.

CATHOLIC BIBLE AND TEACHINGS SOFTWARE

There is a software I have been wanting to get for some time.  It's called Logos, and it's Catholic. Logos has recently weaved into it's library, the Catechism.  What I find cool is how things are interlinked.  When you read the hard copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), and you find an interesting footnote, all you read is that footnote.  If you want to see it in context, you must then find that book or resource independently.  With Logos, things are interconnected in a way that allows you to see that footnote or quote in context.  If you click that link for the Catechism, you can watch a video on how this all works.

ENTER TO WIN FREE SOFTWARE!

There's one more thing.  Logos is giving away a chunk of it's software to a lucky winner.  Go drop your name in the ring and see if you can win. There's only a few days left.

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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.