Category: Current Affairs

The senators, witnesses, and Judge Alito may want to spot-check their chairs before sitting down for the upcoming hearings. The oil they may find their seats won’t be Lemon Pledge.

"Insisting that God ‘certainly needs to be involved’ in the Supreme Court confirmation process, three Christian ministers today blessed the doors of the hearing room where Senate Judiciary Committee members will begin considering the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito on Monday.

"Capitol Hill police barred them from entering the room to continue what they called a consecration service. But in a bit of one-upsmanship, the three announced that they had let themselves in a day earlier, touching holy oil to the seats where Judge Alito, the senators, witnesses, Senate staffers and the press will sit, and praying for each of the 13 committee members by name.

"’We did adequately apply oil to all the seats,’ said the Rev. Rob Schenck, who identified himself as an evangelical Christian and as president of the National Clergy Council in Washington.

"Rev. Schenck called the consecration service the kick-off in a series of prayer meetings that will continue throughout the confirmation hearing."

GET THE STORY.

Just another indication of the inherent Catholicity of human beings, even those who do not profess Catholicism. One wonders what the Evangelical Christian minister’s official position on the efficacy of sacramentals is, given his own crypto-sacramentalism.

The semiofficial Anatolia news agency of Turkey is reporting that Mehmet Ali Agca–the man who attempted to assassinate Pope John Paul II in 1981–is to be released from prision, possibly as early as Monday.

GET THE STORY.

You’re a doctor who watched the Schiavo case with interest, wondering how you too can legally starve your patients to death? Well, now you can study up on how to commit murder without forfeiting your freedom while soaking up sun in the Bahamas. As a bonus, you can also earn continuing education credit — and, for all I know, perhaps write off the cruise on your taxes.

"The assisted suicide advocate [George Felos] who was Michael Schiavo’s lead attorney during the legal battles with Terri Schiavo’s parents will be heading up a ‘euthanasia cruise’ during the first week of January. Doctors and attorneys who participate in the Caribbean cruise can earn continuing education credits by learning more about the medical and legal tactics that can be employed to end patients’ lives.

"Felos will be one of two faculty members leading a program called the ‘Advance Directives/End-of-Life Care and Neurology.’ Those participating in the five-day cruise will leave January 3 for the Bahamas, according to a North County Gazette report [sic, it’s North Country].

"James Barnhill, a physician and longtime partner with Felos in advocating euthanasia, will assist in leading the courses.

"In 1998, Barnhill saw Terri for 10 minutes and told Circuit Court Judge George Greer that he believed she had no chance of recovery. That claim was later refuted by other doctors and experts on caring for incapacitated patients but Greer allowed Michael to take Terri’s life anyway."

GET THE STORY.

It’s stuff like this that make me wonder if hell is going to be a sail on a lake of fire with happy, smiling people plotting to create hell on earth–Michelle.

Just when you thought that Quebec couldn’t get any more evil.

Turns out that there is a product being marketed up there that sells what are effectively unconsecrated hosts as SNACK CHIPS.

I am NOT kidding.

The product is known as "Retailles D’Hosties" (lit., "recut hosts")–A.K.A. in English as "Host Pieces."

"My son can eat a whole bag while he’s watching TV," Paul Saumure, a manager at another IGA store, said of his 22-year-old. "He’s had more of them outside of church than he ever did inside one."

These things have apparently been around for a while, but they are now experiencing a resurgence due to–of all things–health food concerns.

Being made from just wheat and water, they have no added salt or fat.

And if you sacrilegiously eat bags and bags of pure flour out of healthfood concerns then you deserve the diabetes that you’ll get.

Lest you think this is just a sick joke,

HERE’S AN ARTICLE ON IT FROM THE TORONTO GLOBE & MAIL.

HERE’S INFO ON ONE OF THE MANUFACTURERS.

Oh, and there’s a very interesting number of hits you get on Google if you search for "retailles d’hosties":


(CHT to the reader who e-mailed.)

For those who may not be aware, the Archidiocese of St. Louis recently received a most unwelcome Christmas present.

One of its parishes has gone into schism.

The parish in question, St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, was a personal parish for those of Polish language or heritage.

For decades the parish has acted in a manner that has been a thorn in the sides of the archbishops of St. Louis. The previous archbishop, Justin Rigali, took canonical steps to deal with the parish before his transfer to Philadelphia. The unwelcome task of having to deal with the parish then fell to his successor, Archbishop Raymond Burke.

The directors of the civil corporation of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, which have legal control of the parish under civil law, have modified the bylaws of the corporation to eliminate any reference to the authority of the archbishop or the pastor assigned by the archbishop over the parish.

Rigali and Burke have both insisted that the bylaws be amended to correct this, in accord with canon law, and the Congregation for the Clergy in Rome has insisted that they do so as well.

The directors have refused to do so and have conducted a campaign in the local media against Archbishop Burke, alleging that–among other things–the dispute is over money and that the archbishop is trying to seize the funds of the parish so that it will be unable to properly serve the faithful of the parish.

The Archbishop points out that he has no authority to seize the parish’s funds, but he does want to make sure that the funds are being properly used for the good of the faithful of the parish and that they are not being misappropriated. To that end, he has called for a public audit of the parish’s goods to prevent any misappropriation.

The Archbishop has gone to great lengths to try to reconcile the parish, including a pastoral visit by the Most Reverend Ryszard Karpinski, auxiliary bishop of Lublin in Poland and the delegate of the Polish Conference of Bishops for Polish faithful living outside their homeland.

But instead of pursuing reconciliation with the archdiocese, the parish–which has already been under interdict–has now hired an AWOL priest from a neighboring diocese to attempt to exercise priestly ministry there.

This constitutes an act of schism both on the part of the directors and the priest. Archbishop Burke, one of the most respected canonists in America, writes:

The act of schism, committed by the board of directors of the civil corporation of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, was the hiring of a suspended priest, that is a priest who is not in good standing in the Church, for the purpose of attempting to celebrate the sacraments and sacramentals at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church. The priest in question, Father Marek B. Bozek, a priest of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, has left his priestly office of assistant pastor of St. Agnes Cathedral in Springfield against the explicit direction of his bishop, the Most Reverend John J. Leibrecht, and after Bishop Leibrecht had explained to him more than once the gravity of his action and its consequences.

The fact of the matter is that only a priest who is not in good standing would agree to employment by a group of parishioners without the appointment of the diocesan bishop, that is, a group of parishioners who are breaking communion with the Church. All priests serve in communion with the diocesan bishop who serves in communion with the Roman Pontiff. When Father Bozek left his assignment without his bishop’s permission, he was rightly suspended. The penalty of suspension prohibits him from the exercise of his priestly office (cf. can. 1333, §1).
A priest, who knowingly and willingly chooses to attempt to exercise priestly ministry outside of the communion of the Church and, thereby, assists and encourages others in breaking communion with the Church, clearly also commits the ecclesiastical crime of schism. To be clear, it is not only the members of the board of directors of the civil corporation of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish who are in schism, but also the priest whom they have presumed to hire and who has agreed to be hired.

As a result of this tragic circumstance, the parties in question have automatically excommunicated themselves, and the implications are grave. Archbishop Burke spells some of them out:

The ordained priest who goes into schism, in addition to being bound by the above-listed prohibitions, is also rendered irregular for the exercise of Holy Orders (cf. can. 1044, §1, 2º). In other words, he may not exercise the Sacrament of Holy Orders which he has received. Any Mass celebrated by a suspended and excommunicated priest is valid, but illicit. To knowingly and willingly celebrate the Holy Mass, when one is legitimately prohibited from doing so, is a most grave sin. A priest under the penalty of excommunication does not give valid sacramental absolution (cf. can. 966, §1). Neither can he validly officiate at a wedding (cf. can. 1108, §1).

The celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation by a schismatic priest is invalid because he no longer has any faculty to do so, either by universal Church law or the granting of the faculty by the diocesan bishop (cf. can. 882). Baptism and the Anointing of the Sick are conferred validly but not licitly (cf. cann. 862; and 1003, §§1-2).

The faithful who approach a schismatic priest for the reception of the sacraments, except in the case of danger of death, commit a mortal sin. All of the faithful of the archdiocese should guard against any participation in the attempt to celebrate the sacraments or sacramentals at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church. Also, they should caution visitors and others who are unaware of the status of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, lest they unknowingly participate in the schismatic acts.

Finally, since the civil legal control of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish belongs exclusively to the  members of the board of directors of the civil corporation and they have chosen to lead the members of the parish into schism, I will be obliged to suppress St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish. It is not possible for St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish to remain a parish of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and, at the same time, to operate completely independently of the Apostolic See and the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

READ THE FULL TEXT OF THE ARCHBISHOP’S PASTORAL LETTER.

MORE BACKGROUND ON FR. BOZEK (WARNING: .pdf).

An additional canonical problem is pointed out by Edward Peters, one of the most respected lay canonists in the country. On his blog, he notes:

Fr. Bozek needs to know something here: contumacy for an excommunication imposed for an act of schism is itself punishable, this time, by penal dismissal from the clerical state (1983 CIC 1364 § 2). Moreover, once imposed, penal dismissal from the clergy—not being a censure (1983 CIC 1336 § 1, 5°)—is not reversible by what amounts to offering a sincere apology. Indeed, reinstatement of a “defrocked” priest is reserved to Rome (1983 CIC 293) and is so rare as to be non-existent.

Fr. Bozek should stop and think about that and let the parties to the dispute in St. Louis work out their situation in accord with law.

In other words, if Fr. Bozek does not promptly reverse himself, he could PERMANENTLY destroy his ability to minister as a priest in the Catholic Church.

GET THE STORY.

To all this, I’d like to append two additional thoughts:

1) I am aware that ethnic tensions can, over time, lead to schisms. Ethnic tension between Greeks and Latins played a major role in the Great Schism, and the same thing can happen on a small scale.

But I’m detecting that something else may operating below the surface here. Remember the public audit that the Archbishop has called for? The one to make sure that there is no misappropriate of parish funds? Just suppose that there were misappropriate of funds going on at St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish. Y’think that the desire to avoid an audit and the exposure of this misappropriation could play a role in why the directors of the parish civil corporation seem hell bent on schism despite everything that has been done to reconcile them to the Church?

If it were exposed, misappropriation of funds (or other goods) could result in a loss of power for the individual directors or fines or (for all I know) even jail time. Those could be powerful incentives NOT to reconcile with the Church and allow the audit to be conducted.

And then the directors of the civil corporation seem notably concerned with money–charging (falsely) that the Archbishop wants to seize the parish funds . . . which THEY control.

I have no proof of any wrongdoing, and I am not making any allegations of wrong doing. But my spider sense is tingling and I am suspicious.

2) In his pastoral letter, Archbishop Burke writes:

Let us, through the intercession of Our Lady of Czestochowa, implore our Lord Jesus Christ, the Divine Mercy, on behalf of the reconciliation of those who have gone into schism. Christ, Divine Mercy Incarnate, accomplishes all things. Let us place the dolorous situation of St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish into [his] all-merciful and loving heart.

Amen.

Some New York Catholic schools have cancelled plans for junior and senior proms, citing "flamboyance, extremism and affluence," among other undesirable behaviors.

"Staff at Chaminade High School — an all-boys’ school in Mineola run by the Marianist religious order — announced the cancellation Wednesday in school, and letters also were mailed to parents early Tuesday.

"’The prom culture has turned from a formal celebration to a showcase featuring flamboyance, extremism and affluence,’ the letter reads. ‘In fact, many students seek to leave the celebration early to engage in excessive behaviors, some of which are illegal.’

[…]

"Chaminade’s president, the Rev. James Williams, said yesterday that the modern prom is more about spreading peacock feathers than togetherness and farewells. ‘The prom is no longer the focus of the evening,’ Williams said, adding that most students make brief appearances in stretch limos and fancy outfits, then rush off elsewhere.

"’It’s very different than it was 15, 20 years ago,’ he added. ‘The evening is now about who will have the biggest limo, who has the biggest weekend planned. It’s beyond reform.’"

GET THE STORY.

My guess is that Fr. Williams did not frequent the proms of fifteen or twenty years ago. I graduated in 1990 and did not attend my prom, in large part because the expense was hideous and roughly comparable to the expense for a budget wedding. Between the tickets, the clothes, the transportation, etc. — all to a plush five-star downtown hotel rather than the school’s gym — there was no way the event was affordable to any but the most affluent families. In short, conspicuous consumption on prom night is not a new phenomenon.

But my feeling is that chucking the tradition of a formal dance to close out the high school experience is the wrong way to go. Junior proms can certainly be tossed — one prom per year is quite enough — but the senior prom can be a charming tradition. What’s needed is common sense: Move it back to the school gym; set a spending limit for dance hall accoutrements, formal clothes, and transportation; insist that unless there is an emergency that couples remain at the dance for a specified time period; that kind of thing. Tossing the baby with the bathwater is too easy and does not teach students anything.

Don’t tell the ACLU but the motto of Princeton University is Dei sub numine viget (Latin, "Under God’s light she flourishes"). The she likely refers to Princeton, of course, but lately it can also mean the Catholic Church. In a recent column, George Weigel spotlighted the beginnings of a Catholic renaissance on the campus of Princeton University:

"Having taught James Madison at the College of New Jersey (as Princeton was then known), the Rev. John Witherspoon has a claim to the honorable title, ‘Grandfather of the U.S. Constitution.’ What, I wonder, would a good Presbyterian Scotsman like Witherspoon make of the fact that Princeton University Chapel now has a Blessed Sacrament chapel, complete with tabernacle and icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe?

"Some might imagine the good reverend spinning in his grave at an impressive rate of r.p.m.’s. I think he’d be pleased, once he got over the initial shock. For Princeton’s vibrant Catholic community is, today, at the center of the enterprise to which John Witherspoon dedicated his life: the dialogue of faith and reason in the service of democracy and human freedom. If you’re a student looking for an intellectually challenging education and a Catholic community whole-heartedly committed to the new evangelization, or if you’re a parent looking for such a school for your son or daughter, you could do far worse than look at Princeton. Indeed, you’d be far better off with Princeton than with several high-priced institutions whose Catholicism is vestigial at best.

"The Princeton Catholic renaissance is nothing short of amazing — and heartening. It’s currently led by a marvelous chaplain, Father Tom Mullelly, who believes in leading by forming leaders. Three Sunday Masses, a well-attended daily Mass, and adoration of the Blessed sacrament keep Princeton’s Catholics eucharistically centered. The RCIA program brings new Princetonian Catholics into the Church every Holy Week — during which outdoor stations of the cross give a powerful witness to the central story of western civilization. Numerous Bible studies, ‘Catholic principles’ studies, and similar discussion groups maintain a lively conversation about Catholic truth and its application in the world. The campus ministry organizes an annual spring pilgrimage (Rome and Spain were recent destinations). Distinguished Catholic speakers are regularly invited to campus; a Gregorian chant choir offers an introduction to classic Catholic music; and Princeton’s Catholics pray Vespers every Tuesday evening with Princeton’s Episcopalians and Lutherans."

GET THE STORY.

All too often I’m asked by Catholic parents to give a list of 100-percent Catholic colleges and universities. I do my best to help them find that information, but I also caution them to be open to the possibility that there may be vibrant Catholic communities at otherwise secular universities that can act as counterbalance to a secular education. While that’s not as ideal as a 100-percent Catholic college, it’s a much better option than a nominally-Catholic university, an orthodox Catholic college that doesn’t fit a particular student’s education needs, or a secular university devoid of a Catholic presence.

It’s great to know that if your kid is Ivy-League material, Princeton offers a great Catholic environment in which he or she can flourish.

The Christian Science Monitor runs THIS article, in which American service-people in Iraq voice their perplexity at the gloom-and-doom coverage of the war.

While hardly a unique piece, it should be read by everyone with an interest in the U.S. mission in Iraq.

The current national debate is not actually about the Iraq war in particular, so much as it is about whether America has the stomach to really finish anything she starts. It is far more a test of our national attention span than a debate over the merits of the current conflict. We are the ADHD nation, the MTV nation. The truth is, many of us are just tired of hearing about the war.

GET THE STORY.

There seems to be a new understanding about what constitutes a Good War, if not a just one. Many, seemingly, will support a war in theory, but only if it meets the following requirements:

• Victory must be assured (victory being understood as universal approval from our both our allies and our enemies).
• There must be guarantees that no civilians will be harmed. Failure to achieve this makes the U.S. guilty of war crimes.
• There must be no U.S. troop casualties. Any loss of U.S. personnel will be taken as a sign that Things are Going Badly. Only bad guys should be harmed.
• We must know exactly how long the conflict will take. We are a busy people.
• There should be a clearly set spending limit. Any overage will deducted from the next war.
• We reserve the right to Change our Mind in the middle of any conflict. We consider that the above rules are binding, just not on us.

I am thinking of printing the following bumper sticker, a real morale-booster from the far left:

To Our Troops: We Support You!… even though we believe your mission is pointless and possibly evil. We hope you are home soon, you poor saps!

BIG RED DISCLAIMER: This post was NOT written by Jimmy Akin, but by me, Tim Jones, a guest poster. Combox flames should be directed solely at me, Tim Jones. Thank You.

Holland is the country of choice for tourists who want to smoke pot, shoot-up or patronize Amsterdam’s infamous red-light district.
Thailand is apparently a favorite of those interested in sex with children, along with a handful of other third-world nations along the pacific rim, including Cambodia.

Now Cambodia may be adding another category to the lexicon of sin-tourism: suicide travel.

See, apparently 57-year-old Roger Graham (from California – not that there’s anything wrong with that!) is encouraging people to come to Cambodia to kill themselves, as he has discovered that the nation has no laws regarding either assisted suicide or euthanasia. Most of its citizens have long been preoccupied with staying alive, and the whole assisted suicide debate hasn’t really shown up on the radar, yet.

He has a website, though it has been shut down once by the Cambodian government. They are not at all sure that they want their country to be known as a great place to shuffle off this mortal coil, but as yet they have found no legal mechanism to restrict Mr. Graham’s activities.

Chances are that if there is money to be made, little will be done to stop the suicide trade, even if the Cambodian government decides to outlaw the practice. Corruption is a national hobby.

Mr. Graham, who runs a coffee shop and internet cafe, says of his adopted hometown:

"Kampot is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I get to
see the sun rise and the sun set. I get people coming by and saying
hello with smiling and happy faces."

I could say the same thing about Rogers, Arkansas (where I live), but suicide is illegal here, and incurs stiff penalties (heh). If I am dead, though, what do I care about that? Why fly to Cambodia to avoid having the authorities prosecute my corpse?

I guess most of these folks are looking to be done in by a competent professional. It’s more comforting if you have someone there beside you, even if you are paying them.

Euthanasia proponents will no doubt use the situation as a justification for legalizing assisted suicide – "Look, because we are making criminals of these people, they feel it necessary to fly overseas and have the procedure done by unlicensed practitioners. If we make it legal here, the whole industry can be properly regulated (and taxed!). It is a matter of personal choice, and should be kept between a patient and their doctor. It also falls under the right of privacy secretly encoded in the U.S. constitution.".

If the same voodoo worked to justify abortion, there is nothing to stop it being used to legalize suicide, unless the balance of the Supreme Court tips in favor of life.

GET THE STORY.

A reader writes:

I have been following the lengthy comments on the arrest of the LifeTeen founder on sexual abuse charges.  I thought I might add my comment as a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of religious (in my case a Christian brother). 

It has taken me many years to deal with the effects of this.  I have also quietly observed the news and instances that have surfaced over many years.  I strongly feel that this is NOT a failing of the Catholic Church.  This is a failing of individuals.  We are all sinners. 

In hearing reports of Catholic abuse, I am profoundly saddened and where it is proven to be fact, strong measures MUST be taken, but I also hear about abuse in other Christian groups, by hockey coaches, by babysitters, and in many other circumstances.  These are all tragedies, but they are the failings of individuals who sin in an act that victimizes the most vulnerable. 

We must all be on guard to come to the aid of those in this situation – in all instances where it occurs. 

We must also understand that evil could lurk on both sides of the equation, where priests might well be unjustly accused. 

I was a Catholic then and remain a Catholic now.  I love the Church and I will not let the all too human failings of man color my understanding of the truth and authority that is Christ’s Church.

May I say that the reader shows a remarkably healthy and balanced perspective on the subject. I am certain that it has been a painful cross for him, but it is a cross that he appears to have born well.

It has long struck me that one of the most important parts of recovering from a personal tragedy (whatever the tragedy may be) is internalizing the resolution: "As bad as this tragedy was, I am not going to allow it to wreck my life." It sounds to me like the reader has internalized this.

My hat’s off to him.