extreme Catholic 

 
Towards Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of Global Public Authority by Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Mario Toso

You can google "Caesaropapism" or "Catholic monarchists" and see the deep roots of this: a theme throughout Christian is to put faith in princes [Ps 146:3] who have the power of the sword, and not in the appeal of the Gospel to people sitting in pews through the power of the word for voluntary offering. There's nothing in Mt 28:19, the commission given by Christ to the Church about banking.

Labels: banking, vatican

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:44 PM   Permalink  

 
Disarm the Aggressor: Libya Edition

I could have sworn when the denunciation of the foreign military intervention in Libya began it fit the template of the demand by Pope John Paul II for foreign military intervention in Bosia, Somalia, Rwanda, (and those are locales I can recall).

New York Times: Pope Seeks a Disarming Of 'Aggressor' in Bosnia January 13, 1994.

So I will be reading news reports to see what's different about the circumstances in Libya.

Labels: bosnia, libya, vatican

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:33 PM   Permalink  

 
Pope condemns anti-Semitism, backs two-state solution: Catholic World News

Jerusalem, May. 11, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Israel on Monday, May 11, and immediately set the tone for his visit with an introductory statement in which he forcefully condemned anti-Semitism and mourned the victims of the Holocaust, while also clearly calling for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Holy Father landed at Ben Gurion airport outside Tel Aviv on Monday morning after having spent the weekend in Jordan. He was greeted there by Israel's President Shimon Peres, who will escort the Pontiff during his stay, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who left soon after the Pope's arrival for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Since he took office in March at the head of a new right-wing governing coalition, Netanyahu has shown no enthusiasm for the creation of a Palestinian state, and little interest in negotiations with Palestinian leaders. The Pope wasted no time re-affirming the Vatican's longstanding support for a two-state solution. In his introductory remarks at the airport ceremony he said that he-- along with "people of good will everywhere"-- wished for a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, "so that both peoples may live in peace in a homeland of their own, within secure and internationally recognized borders." The political point of the Pope's message was unmistakably clear. But a spokesman for the Netanyahu government neatly dodged an incipient controversy by observing mildly that the Pope was visiting Israel as a religious pilgrim rather than a political leader-- a point that Benedict XVI has made repeatedly himself.

The Holy Father made that point again in his first public remarks. "I take my place in a long line of Christian pilgrims to these shores," he said; "a line that stretches back to the earliest centuries of the Church's history and which, I am sure, will continue long into the future." He said that he had come primarily to pray at the shrines of the Holy Land. (Pope Benedict will begin visiting those shrines on Tuesday, May 11, when he tours the Old City of Jerusalem and meets with the Catholic bishops of the region in the Cenacle: the room where Jesus and the apostles celebrated the Last Supper.)

The status of Jerusalem's shrines has sometimes been a point of contention in talks between the Vatican and Israel, and Pope Benedict made a point of underlining the Church's insistence that these shrines should be open to the believers of all three great monotheistic religions, so that the faithful can visit them "freely and without restraint," arrange their own worship services, and ensure their proper maintenance." To further that objective, the Holy See has consistently pushed for international control over Jerusalem, to prevent political conflicts over control of the holy places.

Recognizing the unique status of the city, the Pope reflected: "Even though the name Jerusalem means 'city of peace', it is all too evident that, for decades, peace has tragically eluded the inhabitants of this holy land." In that context he made his plea for a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "The eyes of the world are upon the peoples of this region," he said, challenging them to reinvigorate the peace process.

While he prodded Israeli leaders on the peace process and on access to the shrines, Pope Benedict also expressed his support for the Jewish state in its clear recognition of the importance of faith. He suggested that their shared insistence on religious identity makes Israel and the Holy See natural allies against a trend toward secularization of public life. "When the religious dimension of the human person is denied or marginalized," the Pontiff said, "the very foundation for a proper understanding of inalienable human rights is placed in jeopardy."

The Pope noted, too, that the Jewish people have suffered more than any others as a result of 20th-century ideologies that ignored fundamental human rights. Moreover, he said: "Sadly, anti-Semitism continues to rear its ugly head in many parts of the world." He insisted that this bigotry must be eliminated through education and inter-religious cooperation.

Upon his arrival in Israel the Pope observed that it was fitting for him to visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial near Jerusalem. When he arrived there later in the day, the Holy Father delivered a short speech that was clearly designed to reassure Jewish people of his sympathy, after tensions had been raised by the controversy earlier this year revolving around Bishop Richard Williamson and his public questioning the extent of the Holocaust.

Pope Benedict's remarks centered on the 6 million names of Holocaust victims inscribed at Yad Vashem. "May the names of these victims never perish," he said, in a clear rebuke to Holocaust-deniers. "May their suffering never be denied, belittled, or forgotten!"

The Pope said that although the Nazi genocide claimed these millions of victims, it could not claim their memories:

They lost their lives, but they will never lose their names: these are indelibly etched in the hearts of their loved ones, their surviving fellow prisoners, and all those determined never to allow such an atrocity to disgrace mankind again. Most of all, their names are forever fixed in the memory of Almighty God.

Each one of these victims was precious to God, the Pope said, and beloved by their families. "I can only imagine the joyful expectation of their parents as they anxiously awaited the birth of their children." Their possessions, their freedom, and ultimately their lives were taken from them by a violently unjust regime. "Yet, try as one might, one can never take away the name of a fellow human being," the Pope observed.

Comment

Posted by: jere3812 - Today 11:51 AM ET USA This is a problem without an acceptable solution. The Palestinians deserve a homeland. Israel deserves its own nation. Palestinians under control of radical Islamists will not let Israel live in peace. Further, the more Israel is surrounded by its enemies, the more vulnerable it becomes. All the world can do is watch and pray. I do not think this matter will be resolved until hearts are turned to God. That's because God is interested in people, not nations.

My comment

"Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us" Golda Meir said that 52 years ago. They still hate Jews. jere3818, Palestinians who cheered when my co-workers died on 9/11, today fervently place themselves "under control of radical Islamists" placing their faith in the eventual destruction of Israel and not peace with Israel.

Labels: israel, politics, pope, vatican

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 8:10 PM   Permalink  

 
Pope's Swiss Guard may allow women after 500-year ban: Reuters

After more than five centuries protecting popes, the Swiss Guard may consider opening the ranks of the world's smallest army to women, its commander said Tuesday.

"I can imagine them for one role or another. Certainly we can think about this," Daniel Anrig, who took over the post late last year, told Italian television program "Studio Aperto."

"One role or another"? What is he talking about? The role of the Swiss Guard is to be a mercenary, a military guard for the Pope. If a Swiss Catholic woman meeting the other requirements wants to be a guard, I don't see what disqualifies them.

Labels: vatican

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:22 PM   Permalink  

 
Cardinal Egan: A tough tenure full of triumphs

George Marlin, New York Post

IN MAY 2000, when Pope John Paul II had to decide on a successor to the late John Cardinal O'Connor, the pontiff rejected Vatican recommendations and plucked from the ranks a man who had served him well as a canon lawyer in Rome and who had proven himself an able shepherd in the Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn., the Most Rev. Edward M. Egan, D.D., J.C.D.

I wanted to say something positive about Cardinal Egan. I think George Marlin's summary is excellent and far better than I could express it.

Labels: catholic, church, new york, vatican

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:45 PM   Permalink  

 
More on SSPX:

Catholic Culture: Vatican Lifts Decree of Excommunication of SSPX Bishops

In a letter to SSPX members announcing the decree, Bishop Fellay described the Pope's decision to lift the excommunications as "unilateral, benevolent, and courageous."

Bishop Fellay has used the code word "unilateral" which will be interpreted as "we didn't retreat an inch, they surrendered unconditionally." Furthermore, the Vatican appears to have conceded the original 1988 excommunications were its own error and this error is being reversed now.

SSPX views and Vatican views on Dignitatis Humanae and Nostra Aetate remain irreconcilable.

Labels: traditionalism, vatican

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 1:05 PM   Permalink  

 
The Holy Father is making a tough decision...

Bishop Richard Williamson is being reconciled to the Catholic Church. He was in schism by being ordained a bishop without the permission of the Pope in the Society of Pope St. Pius X.

Reuters: Pope rehabilitates Holocaust denier

This is the sort of the thing the Vatican ought to anticipate -- that Williamson has been speaking in public minimizing the Holocaust and endorsed the Protocols of the Elders of Zion -- and apart from the schism -- he would be required to repudiate those views.

There are few things that I consider beyond discussion and these are two of them. The Protocols are a ridiculous fiction originally targeted at Napoleon III and the French. (Wikipedia) and silly notion that a mere 300,000 Jews died at the hands of Nazi genocide. There seems to be no popular conspiracy theory that Bp Williamson doesn't believe.

I have a genuine concern on two levels when a person who not only holds these views privately but discusses them publicly. First, the pulpit of a Catholic bishop in fill communion with the Church is the wrong place to give to someone to propagate these views. Adding the authority of a bishop to these views helps the promoters of anti-Semitism spread these lies.

Secondly, and this is the one that gets the 20 point headlines. It is ammunition for everyone who sees that the Catholic Church is anti-Semitic. And this time, they have a point. The dismissal of these charges by the media people in the Vatican is insulting.

Asked about Williamson's comments, chief Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said they were "totally extraneous" to the lifting of the excommunications.

"This act regards the lifting of the excommunications, period," Lombardi told reporters.

"It has nothing to do with the personal opinions of a person, which are open to criticism, but are not pertinent to this decree."

Personal opinions matter and Father, you should have had a better response prepared to this issue. Those opinions cannot and should not be defended.

Labels: anti-catholic, anti-semetism, catholic, traditionalism, vatican

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 5:32 PM   Permalink  

 
AP: Vatican criticizes Obama on abortion issue

Vatican officials said Saturday they were disappointed by President Barack Obama's decision to end a ban on federal funding for international groups that perform abortions or provide information on them.

Monsignor Rino Fisichella, who heads the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life, urged Obama to listen to all voices in America without "the arrogance of those who, being in power, believe they can decide of life and death."

Fisichella said in an interview published Saturday in Corriere della Sera that "if this is one of President Obama's first acts, I have to say, in all due respect, that we're heading quickly toward disappointment."

This was expected and I think, could have been expressed better. The mistake that the Monsignor makes is belief that this is Obama's arbitrary decision. I think the comment on arrogance and disappointment is properly directly towards the 18 million Catholic American voters who voted for Obama. Obama is merely acting on the mandate given to him by the electorate.

A helpful article on the 2008 Catholic vote in Our Sunday Visitor

Labels: obama, pro-life, vatican

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 2:13 PM   Permalink  

 
Today's extreme search is "Catholic urine"

Google news search for "catholic urine"

As you might expect the usual suspects are going into their silly happy dance over a report appearing in L'Osservatore Romano that found a connection between the urine of female consumers of oral contraceptives.

One source gave it the absurd headline: Fairfax Digital (Australia): Pill link to infertile men: Pope

The pill "has for some years had devastating effects on the environment by releasing tonnes of hormones into nature" through female urine, said Pedro Jose Maria Simon Castellvi, president of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, in the report.

A more local account is from Fox which quotes AFP which quotes L'Osservatore Romano which doesn't have online text.

The contraceptive pill is polluting the environment and is in part responsible for male infertility, a report in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano said Saturday.

The pill "has for some years had devastating effects on the environment by releasing tonnes of hormones into nature" through female urine, said Pedro Jose Maria Simon Castellvi, president of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, in the report.

"We have sufficient evidence to state that a non-negligible cause of male infertility in the West is the environmental pollution caused by the pill," he said, without elaborating further.

"We are faced with a clear anti-environmental effect which demands more explanation on the part of the manufacturers," added Castellvi.

I don't think they are referring to a direct ingestion on the urine but to the urine going through the sewers and then somehow remaining biologically active in the next loop through the food chain.

I don't think that that's a significant source. The real mother lode of estrogen is in additives they give to animals to fatten them or accelerate growth. I think the greens generally own that issue.

The bigger problem is not impotence or instability but a whole set of cultural signals and economic disincentives given to women not to marry and to raise children.

It's not an exclusively Catholic concern but natural law issue that a family is not only the incubator for children but for the whole continuity of the society from which the mother and father originate, hope for the future, and economic security for the people living beyond the years where they can work.

The future, as always, belongs to families.

Consider Italy, it ranks 204 out of 220 countries (and other regions) with 1.3 children born to each woman of child-bearing age. In other words, today there is 1 grandchild for every 3 grandparents -- in two generations, there will be only 1 Italian for every 4 Italians now of child-bearing age. Self-genocide.

Update

Clearly, the science behind oral contraceptives causing male fertility is not rock solid but rather wild speculation. I think it was imprudent for LOR to print it -- if only to stop the anti-Catholics from again using the Vatican a pinata as examiner.com does here:

Those Roman Catholics are at it again. It seems they will stop at nothing to stop the production and use of contraceptives.

Labels: politics, vatican

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 9:27 PM   Permalink