extreme Catholic

CNN: Priestly author of 'zero tolerance' faces abuse charges

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- A Roman Catholic priest and expert on church law who co-wrote a document on dealing with sexually abusive priests has been charged with molesting a boy more than 30 years ago.
A criminal complaint was filed May 12 against the Rev. Gregory Ingels, who until recently was a priest at St. Bartholomew Church in San Mateo.
Ingels, 60, was charged with engaging in sexual conduct with a 15-year-old boy in 1972, two years before Ingels was ordained. Ingels was teaching at a Catholic high school in Marin County at the time, and the boy was his student.
According to the complaint, Ingels made incriminating comments in recent conversations with the victim that were tape-recorded by police.
Ingels could get eight years in prison.
Ingels was one of four experts chosen to draft a legal interpretation of the "zero tolerance" policy adopted last year by the nation's Catholic bishops toward child-molesting priests. The guide, published in March, offered recommendations on how the policy could be implemented.

It could have been worse, they could have made this priest a bishop. News items like this sometimes create a sort of credibility for the claims that the priesthood in the United States is 40-60% homosexual.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 7:01 PM Permalink

ABC News: Two Hurt on Israeli Bus

The Islamic militant group Hamas attacked an Israeli bus in the Gaza Strip with explosives Friday an apparent challenge to Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas a day after he asked the group to stop targeting Israelis.
The group told Abbas it would consider stopping attacks on civilians in Israel but would continue targeting Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel has said it would not accept a partial truce.

This morning on radio Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) said that he thought that Road Map was a good idea becuase it was new and not been presented before -- as a starting point.

Everyone should know the game by now: Mahmoud Abbas talks peace but can't control Hamas, so the terrorism continues.

Israel can't and won't negotiate only a timed-basis -- Israel does X after 6 months, Israel does Y after 12 months. Whenever this is in effect -- the Palestinians keep up the violence and play the clock counting down. What's needed is an Palestinian "Authority" that can stop the terrorism.

My own thoughts match Max Abrams in National Review Online: The �Cycle of Violence� Fallacy

Of course, it was Camp David that demonstrated the speciousness of the "cycle of violence" theory. For a combination of political and strategic reasons, Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered the house to Yasser Arafat: Israel would withdraw from 100 percent of the Gaza Strip and 97 percent of the West Bank, dismantle 63 isolated settlements, and make Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem the capital of a new Palestinian state, with the Palestinians maintaining control over their holy places and having "religious sovereignty" over the contested Temple Mount. Revisionist claims to the contrary, Israel offered to create a "viable" Palestinian state that was contiguous, and not a series of cantons. "Cycle of violence" believers predicted a commensurate Palestinian reduction of terror.
Again, just the opposite occurred. The most generous peace offer in the history of the conflict was answered with the most sustained wave of Palestinian suicide bombings in Israeli history.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 6:21 PM Permalink

NewsMax: Cardinal Arinze's Defense of Catholic Doctrine Offends Catholic Georgetown

When Cardinal Francis Arinze spoke about Catholic doctrine on the family, a professor of theology at allegedly Catholic Georgetown University flounced off the stage, some students walked out on the Cardinal's commencement address, and 70 faculty members signed a letter of protest.

I've met Cardinal Arinze a few times when he was the President of the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialog. He is now Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship. (The linked article has his former title). He is dynamic and energetic and very much echos what Pope John Paul II says and he grew up in the fault lines of Christian-Muslim conflict in Nigeria. Turning 70 this year, he is slightly less papabile than he was a few years ago.

At a conference I attended there was a very pompous and very nervous Master of Ceremonies introducing the speakers -- about the age of a veteran of World War II -- and he'd lean forward and boom into the microphone to announce each speakers name and begin the applause. He announced him as Francis (pause) Cardinal (pause) Spellman. Half the audience went huh? and the other half rolled in the aisles and laughed until they started to cry. (well, I cried). This reminded me of Jimmy Carter introducing Hubert Humphrey just a few weeks before he died as "Hubert Horatio Hornblower" at the Democratic National Convention.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 4:14 PM Permalink

Wall Street Journal: UN Lifts Sanctions

The United Nations Security Council overwhelmingly approved a resolution Thursday lifting trade sanctions imposed on Iraq 13 years ago and giving an international imprimatur to U.S.-led efforts to run and rebuild the country.
The resolution -- passed by a 14-0 vote, with Syria absent -- authorizes the victors in the war that ousted Saddam Hussein to help set up an interim Iraqi government, and, critically, to use the country's oil revenue for relief and reconstruction. It also gives foreign companies a free hand to pursue business opportunities in a country long closed to them.

It will be interesting to see what the official and unofficial Vatican comment will be now that the United States is recognized de jure as well as de facto victorious in Iraq. Perhaps the Euro-whiners will complain that the vote was not delayed as Syria urged.

Why not approval - why Imprimatur?

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 2:08 PM Permalink

RaidersNewsUpdate: Animal Sacrifice in the Catholic Mass

Father Richard Welch, President of Human Life International, Opposes The Inculturation.
Human Life International reported yesterday that some South African's are calling for ancestor worship and animal sacrifices to be included in the liturgy of the Mass. According to Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Bloemfontein, plans to include African pagan rites during the Mass is in response to the Vatican's invitation to "inculturate" Catholic rites.
Hearing that both priests and lay people were making such plans, an outraged Father Richard Welch, President of Human Life International, steamed, "In the letter to the Hebrews, Saint Paul discussed the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross with the following words: 'For it is impossible that with the blood of oxen and goats sin should be taken away�Sacrifice and oblation thou would not�Behold, I come�He takes away the first, that he may establish that which follows�we are sanctified by the oblation of the body of Jesus Christ once.'"
"This means that all animal and other such sacrifices to God ended with the sacrifice of His Son on the Cross. To distort and change that perfect oblation of the body and blood of Jesus Christ is an abomination," said Father Welch. "The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that superstition, idolatry, divination and magic are perversions of the virtue of religon. It is a sacrilege to profane the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and it is an especially grave sin when committed against the Holy Eucharist."

Other items on this web site show that it definitely draws from the conspiracy kook media. With a name like "raidersnewsupdate.com" one would expect it to be about a football team.

Fr.Thomas J. Euteneuer became president of Human Life International in December of 2000. Fr. Richard Welch CSSR was president from 1998 to 2000. So there's something odd about this being attributed to Fr. Welch in 2002 and also there's no other text of this on the web. hmmm....

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 9:02 AM Permalink

ABC News: Early Bonding - Researcher: We Recognize Mom�s Voice from the Womb

Even before we were born, we knew our mother's voice and could distinguish it from other voices.
That's one of the key findings of an ongoing research project by Canadian and Chinese researchers who are studying infant development. The research suggests that while still in the womb, our brains were learning speech patterns and laying the groundwork for language acquisition.
"Before birth, the brain is being set up to learn language," says Barbara Kisilevsky, a nursing professor at Queens University in Ontario, who conducted the research with a team of psychologists from Queens, and obstetricians in Hangzhou, China.
Maybe it just shows that those tiny humans, so frail and vulnerable, are also banging at the starting gate, well equipped for at least part of the task ahead.

It's safe to call them tiny humans only in the Science section. We will be on our way to changing hearts and minds when we see the unborn called tiny humans in the News and Politics section.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 8:45 AM Permalink

Down Democrat: Wheelchair rammed into confessional box

A wheelchair carrying lit candles was used to set fire to a confessional box in Newcastle Catholic Church.
The chair was taken from the rear of Our Lady of Assumption last Thursday.
Candles from inside the chapel were set alight and placed on the chair.
The chair was then pushed into one of the confessional boxes where the fire took hold.

A Down Democrat is not an American liberal made of fluff from goose or duck feathers. It is a newspaper from County Down in Ireland -- which paradoxically is at the North of the island.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:46 PM Permalink

Chicago Sun-Times: Gates Foundation gives $18.9 million to Catholic schools.

The success of an innovative Catholic high school in Pilsen has sparked a multimillion-dollar grant to open seven similar schools across the country, officials plan to announce today.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Cassin Educational Initiative Foundation are behind an $18.9 million grant that will build seven new high schools over the next two years--including one in Waukegan--to be closely modeled after the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School at 1852 W. 22nd

I'm not going to suspect hidden agendas out of the box about this.

Bill Gates was in Albuquerque. New Mexico to work on a primitve personal computer first computer language. He was even then an entrepreneur

In 1977 I was 23, fresh out out college, and working at Digital Equipment Corporation. By 30, I was the company's youngest consultant (it's highest technical job title), and by 40 that same company had down-sized me and then the company down-sized itself by being acquired by Compaq. DEC and HP, of course, famously turned down the idea of a personal computer, and IBM rode it to success.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 8:21 PM Permalink

So many blogs, such little time

I like the blogs that post links to stories that I like to read. In fact, starting extremeCatholic was get more out of the mainstream stories in front of readers.

It's a Mystery by James Wood is a worthy addition. (but no email link to the author and no archives)

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 7:41 PM Permalink

1010 WINS New York: Blair "Couldn't Stop Laughing" at His Own Lies

Former New York Times reporter Jayson Blair said he "couldn't stop laughing" when the newspaper corrected his fraudulent description of an American POW's home in West Virginia, according to excerpts of an interview with the New York Observer.
"That's my favorite, just because the description was so far off from the reality. And the way they described it in the Times story -- someone read a portion of it to me -- I couldn't stop laughing," Blair said in an interview scheduled for publication Wednesday.

This reminds me of Animal House

Otto: Flounder, you can't spend your whole life worrying about your mistakes! You fucked up -- you trusted us! Hey, make the best of it!

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 8:55 AM Permalink

Apocalypse Watch

Local6.com: POESTENKILL, N.Y Girl Finds Two-Headed Turtle

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 1:02 AM Permalink

Man ticketed for sitting on milk crate

Jesse Taveras says he is still baffled by the summons he got from police last Sunday. The official violation? "Unauthorized use of a milk crate."
Ray Kelly, NYPD: "I characterize it as proper behavior on the part of the police officer who was trying to correct the condition he was directed to correct by his supervisor."

Bonus: This story has a video link. Another story: a reporter called up the dairy that produces those milk crates and it is grateful to have the law enforced.

Google is full of milk crate news

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 12:56 AM Permalink

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Parma priest pleads no contest to indecency, sexual imposition

A Parma priest accused of groping two male deputies and a female hotel clerk has pleaded no contest in Erie County to misdemeanor charges of indecency and sexual imposition.
Monsignor Robert V. Yarnovitz, a 74-year-old cleric at St. John Byzantine Church in Parma, was found guilty. He faces a jail term of up to 90 days and a $5,000 fine because of Friday's plea in Huron Municipal Court. A sentencing date has not been set.
"The parish has been very supportive, and they realize that this is not a culpable matter," [Rev. Nicholas Rachford, chaplain and eparchy spokesman] said.

Let's be charitable and not accuse Fr. Rachford of being presumptious of the parish, but what's that SAT word culpable doing there? Was he forced to drink, forced to remove his pants, forced to grope? What about this isn't culpable?

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 12:44 AM Permalink

Reasons to Live in, not merely Visit New York

Bizarre subway encounters with Bill Murray

A reader writes, "A friend (claims he) was walking through the Union Square station when Bill Murray walked up to him, gave him a noogie and then whispered into his ear: "no one will ever believe you." Incidentally, this story was told because last month we came across Mr. Murray having a couple drinks at the Stanhope Park Hyatt bar (on 5th, across from the Met.)"

My last celebrity encounter was with JFK, Jr. Gee, that must be some time ago. Gawker is the place to go to get in touch with your inner yuppie.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 4:12 PM Permalink

Twin horrors: on the left a Catholic Church, on the right the poster for a film, Cube, featuring fear, paranoia, suspicion, and desparation.

What feelings does the church on the left inspire in you? Herz Jesu Kirche (Sacred Heart of Jesus Church), Munich, Germany, Built 2000, Room for 400 worshipers

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:45 PM Permalink

The Christ Clone Trilogy

The above link shows up as a "sponsored link" when you search in some search engines for Catholic

A search of "Catholic Thriller" in amazon.com will turn up some very strange books.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:10 PM Permalink

Associated Press: Pope's Birthday and Four Canonizations

Pope John Paul II celebrated his 83rd birthday Sunday with an open-air Mass and requests for prayers so he can continue his papacy -- yet another sign that one of history's longest-serving popes will press on despite his age and ailments.
Tens of thousands of people looked on under a brilliant spring sun in St. Peter's Square as John Paul elevated two Poles and two Italians to sainthood.

Where were the famous foreign correspondents of the New York Times? $3.50 for the Sunday edition, by the way. Let's see if there's a story in Monday's edition.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:55 PM Permalink

New York Times: Buzzword by Joe Bruno

Even the pope is wrong sometimes Joseph L. Bruno, the Republican majority leader of the New York State Senate, on why he differs with the Republican governor, George E. Pataki, in this year's budget battle.

But Joe Bruno is always wrong on what a Republican majority leader needs to do.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:50 PM Permalink

My first USENET post

From: sweeney@sdsvax.enet.dec.com (Patrick Sweeney)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x.motif
Subject: Non-default visual and Motif widgets
Keywords: visual
Message-ID: <18836@shlump.nac.dec.com>
Date: 11 Jan 91 15:55:31 GMT
Sender: newsdaemon@shlump.nac.dec.com
Reply-To: sweeney@sdsvax.enet.dec.com (Patrick Sweeney)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 22

Has anyone tried to use Motif (1.1) widgets with a non-default visual?
(The visual is a X Server data structure which specifies the type of colormap
is used when the server has more than one way of treating color.)

R4 of the X Toolkit allows a visual resource to be specified in the shell.

By creating an applicationShell with a non-default visual the child widgets
should inherit that visual in their windows (assuming the visual is specified
as "CopyFromParent" when created).

I can create and realize DrawingArea.

When I create and realize Label, I get "BadGC" at realize or expose time.

Are the Motif widgets not robust (ie a permanent restriction on Motif) or
is this a bug (ie non-default visuals ought to work)?

--
Patrick Sweeney
Digital Equipment Corporation

Opinions here are my own and not those of my employer

I believe I was posting before then, but this is the earliest one I could find.

The answer to my question was fixed in next release.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:06 PM Permalink