extreme Catholic 

 

Lord, Have Mercy: The Healing Power of Confession by Scott Hahn Amazon Book Description An illuminating, reassuring explanation of the Catholic Church’s teachings on confession and forgiveness by the bestselling author of The Lamb’s Supper and Hail, Holy Queen. Jesus told his first clergy, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” In Lord, Have Mercy, Scott Hahn explores the sacrament of reconciliation and shows why it is the key to spiritual growth, particularly in these times of intense anxiety and uncertainty.

First I've seen of it -- recently published. I'm going to be getting it.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 9:58 PM   Permalink  

 
Reuters: Priests Calendar Causes Stir

ROME, Italy (Reuters) -- Twelve young priests have raised eyebrows in Italy by posing for a glossy calendar -- albeit somberly dressed in long, dark robes and broad-rimmed, traditional hats. The priests featured in "Calendario Romano 2004," which aims to promote tourism in the Italian capital, are photographed standing in front of famous Rome landmarks.

The article says that the profits are not going to charity. Where are the profits going anyway?

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 8:04 PM   Permalink  

 
BBC: Criminal claims help from Pope

[Julian Evans] used false references from the Pope which he bought on the internet in an attempt to get a lighter court sentence. The court heard how he had sent the offensive e-mails to staff at the T-Mobile centre in Merthyr Tydfil after he was turned down for a job there.

My dear friends in Christ, I regret that we have been unable to protect the church from this scandal in the case of Julian Robert Evans. The entire church, the bride of Christ in afflicted by this wound (crime).

We are obliged to support Julian Robert Evans, and we have done throughout these troubled times.

Julian has given an immense amount of spiritual, human and social good for the welfare of the church and humanity, yours in Christ, Pope John Paul

Blogger credit: fark.com

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:10 PM   Permalink  

 
Batchelor and Alexander WABC Radio

The 3 questions for captured Iraqi leaders

• The assasination attempt on President Bush in Kuwait
• The connection of Iraq to Al Queda
• The conspiracy to evade sanctions with France, Germany, Russia, and China

Also revealed: evidence that the UN inspectors were all compromised. The inspectors were given false information by the US as a test to see if the Iraqis would react -- meaning that the inspectors transmitted the information to Iraq -- knowingly or unknowingly.

They failed every single time -- the Iraqis reacted. So the United States never fed real information to the inspectors.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:58 PM   Permalink  

 
Hi Pakistan: Pope's coded rebuke to US

The Pope delivered a coded rebuke to Washington on Easter Sunday when he urged Iraqis to take charge of the rebuilding of their country while working closely with the international community.

In the Vatican's diplomatic lexicon, the phrase "international community" normally refers to the UN. Before the conflict started, Pope John Paul vigorously opposed the US-led assault and advocated resolution of the crisis in the forum of the UN general assembly.

I predicted this spin. I predicted it.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:37 PM   Permalink  

 
Anchorage Daily News: Big Lake pastor kills 2 men robbing chapel, troopers say

BIG LAKE -- A church pastor shot and killed two men he caught burglarizing his small chapel early Thursday morning, Alaska State Troopers said.

The pastor, whom troopers identified as Phillip Mielke, shot the men with a handgun, according to investigators still at the scene more than 12 hours later.

Troopers identified the two dead men as Christopher Lee Palmer, 31, of Big Lake and Francis Marion Jones IV, 23, of Wasilla.

Troopers declined to say whether the two dead men were armed or whether they were shot while inside or outside Big Lake Community Chapel.

A handful of locals interviewed Thursday cheered the shooting, saying it capped off a winter of unsolved break-ins and vandalism around this lakeside community of scattered residences.

I guess Rev. Mielke never heard of the Bishop of Digne from Les Miserables.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:24 PM   Permalink  

 
CNN: Aziz in custody

All the accounts of his capture note that he met with the Pope in Ferbruary. What the Vatican should do is say that they don't expect him to receive special treatment, that he's just another detained war criminal -- Waiting for a Nuremberg-like competent court to judge him.

What I expect the Vatican to do is to demand his immediate release. I'm surprised this didn't happen yet.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 4:50 PM   Permalink  

 
Santorum Controversy Illustrates Dilemma of Catholic Politicians

Religious conservatives defended Santorum yesterday as a politician who did what, in their opinion, politicians should do: carry their personal religious convictions into political life, rather than try to separate those realms.

So I gave up waiting for Sodano, Martino, and Tauran to acknowledge the success of the US/UK liberation of Iraq and the UN's failure. Now I'm waiting for someone in the Catholic hierarchy to say something affirming what Senator Santorum said -- even if they do not mention him by name.

All over the United States there are attacks on marriage -- giving the legal recognition of traditional marriage to unrelated pairs and groups of people upon application for a domestic partnership or civil union or allowing several men or women to be recorded as "mother" and "father" on a birth certificate.

It looks like Protestant Evangelicals are the only one doing the heavy lifting in this important intersection of Church and State.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 4:38 PM   Permalink  

 
The Blood of Servant of God, Cardinal Cooke

Amy Welborn wrote today (sorry, no permalinks there) of Cardinal Cooke whom I remember fondly. Here's the old story that she refers to an update of the cause for Cardinal Cooke.

Lawsuit Says Doctor Loaned Out Deceased Cardinal's Blood

NEW YORK, Apr. 23, 2001 (CWNews.com) - A former employee of a New York oncologist claimed in a lawsuit that the doctor loaned out samples of blood from the late Cardinal Terence Cooke as relics for sick patients.

Holly McMunn filed a lawsuit against Dr. Thomas Fahey and the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center where she worked for five years before being fired by Fahey in 1994 after working for him for eight months. McMunn alleges that Fahey fired her because she had breast cancer and she said he claimed the disease would keep her out of work too much.

In the suit, McMunn alleges that Fahey, who treated the cardinal for leukemia in 1983, kept slides of Cardinal Cooke's blood in his desk and loaned them out to at least one patient as a relic as they prayed for a miraculous cure. "I was more stunned by the practice, and I was very uncomfortable with the fact that I had to be the one delegated to deal with it," McMunn told the New York Daily News. "I just don't feel that handing out a body part is appropriate for someone of my level."

A spokesman for the Archdiocese of New York said Friday the archdiocese had no knowledge of the doctor's alleged actions. However, the archdiocese emphasized that Cardinal Cooke is not a saint, although his cause for canonization has been opened, and therefore the blood slides cannot be considered relics.

Catholic New York: Saintly Shepherd Cardinal Cooke (3/2003)

Canonization cause continues for Cardinal Cooke, remembered at birthday Mass

Father Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R., diocesan postulator of the cause of canonization, gave a brief report at the beginning of the Mass.

"The basic documents on the cause are complete" and will be sent to Rome this spring, he said. He noted that "the reputation and knowledge of the gifts of Cardinal Cooke have spread far and wide," and he thanked all who have assisted the cause.

"Keep praying," he told them. "I have absolutely no doubt that the providence of God and the work of the Holy Spirit are with us."

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 9:03 AM   Permalink  

 
The Desert Sun: Remind me why we need married priests

Rev. David Tyrell Moore, who led Southwest Community Church for 14 years, resigned Nov. 23 after photos surfaced of him in a hot tub with his wife and another woman. The women were topless. His resignation also came amidst questions of financial improprieties.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:47 PM   Permalink  

 
About the nude picture of the Dixie Chicks

It seems to me that it was photoshopped -- Why does Natalie Maines appear 40 pounds heavier when she's wearing clothes? All three of them may just have their faces cut and pasted over thinner models.

The unfortunate thing is that my nine year old son saw this when he was out with friends. Now I've got to explain what motivates this sort of thing. My answer: (1) They do it to get attention. (2) They want a distraction from "I'm ashamed that President Bush is from Texas".

The most bizarre reaction to this picture I saw today was on a blog: "Unless they show bush, the terrorists will have won". I'm still trying to figure that out, but it sounds funny.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:39 PM   Permalink  

 
Counterpunch: Bush's "Christian" Blood Cult Concerns Raised by the Vatican

Bush's blood lust, his repeated commitment to Christian beliefs, and his constant references to "evil doers," in the eyes of many devout Catholic leaders, bear all the hallmarks of the one warned about in the Book of Revelations - the anti-Christ. People close to the Pope claim that amid these concerns, the Pontiff wishes he was younger and in better health to confront the possibility that Bush may represent the person prophesized in Revelations.

According to journalists close to the Vatican, the Pope and his closest advisers are also concerned that the ultimate acts of evil - the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon - were known in advance by senior Bush administration officials. By permitting the attacks to take their course, there is a perception within the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy that a coup d'etat was implemented, one that gave Bush and his leadership near-dictatorial powers to carry out their agenda.

Please email me or leave a message in the comment box regarding who these many devout Catholic leaders or journalists close to the Vatican are.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 9:43 AM   Permalink  

 
What has Jerry Nadler Done for New York?

Underground News Australia: Twisted Sister is Reunited! It's a unique re-emergence onto the scene" says Mark Mendoza. "What better way than to support our troops? We'll arrive in Korea on May 1 and play shows at the bases on May 3, 4 and 5," says French. "The USO tour was arranged through the office of New York City congressman Jerrold Nadler. Originally, we were supposed to play on an aircraft carrier near Kuwait about three months ago. But then the war against Iraq became likely and the plans changed."

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 8:56 AM   Permalink  

 
First Commandment Watch

Astro Boy rendered as an idol suitable for worship. Yes -- those are diamonds, rubies, emeralds. 100 million yen is about $830,000.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 8:41 AM   Permalink  

 
Santorum discussed on Hannity and Colmes

Hannity defended Santorum in front of Congressman Jerry Nadler. Hannity said that Santorum in making the distinction between the homosexual attraction and homosexual acts was repeating the teaching of the Catholic Church.

Congressman Nadler is that bigoted? Answer: "Yes". But then the backpedaling started. This story doesn't have legs.

It's CCC 2357 for those of you who don't have it bookmarked.

If homosexual acts cannot be criminalized, then I think that you can't make a case for any consensual adult sexual behavior to be criminalized. I think the logic is inescapable: that laws against bigamy, prostitution, incest, are all going to be unconstitutional if there's a liberty declared around homsexual acts inherent in Griswold's privacy ruling.

A transcript for H&C would be $9.95, that's too much for me.

Rush Limbaugh has some details on how Santorum was actually misquoted: Senator Santorum did not use the word "gay" in his comments.

William Donohue of the Catholic League has commented as well -- stating that one man/one woman marriage should be protected.

Links for the legislative action to define and defend one man/one woman marriage: Mass. Citizens for Marriage and Alliance for Marriage

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 12:03 AM   Permalink  

 
BBC: Scottish Churches to locate Post Offices on their premises

Concern is growing over closing sub-post offices. Senior church figures have called on congregations throughout Scotland to allow sub-post offices to be based on their premises.

A report by the Church of Scotland's church and nation committee said the move would particularly help elderly and disabled people, who rely heavily on local post offices.

There are almost 2,000 sub-post offices in Scotland and according to the committee their closure has meant that "former focal points of community life have withered away".

Speaking of separation of Church and State....

I don't know the local situation in Scotland, but it's hard to imagine that there's no other retail locations for the Royal Post Office than to be located in a Church or Church hall. The article implies that operating a post office is akin to operating a charity. There's something wrong with that picture.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:15 AM   Permalink  

 
Wichita Eagle: New VHS/DVD release of film critical of the Mexican Catholic Church

Controversial, Oscar-nominated 'Padre Amaro' on DVD today Director Carlos Carrera takes on corruption and hypocrisy in the Mexican Catholic Church.

Carlos Carrera, at 40 considered one of the skyrocketing young directors of Mexico, knew he would be opening a can of worms with his Oscar-nominated "The Crime of Padre Amaro," (out on rental VHS and DVD today: Columbia TriStar, $24.95).

It concerns a naive young priest named Amaro who is assigned to a parish where one priest lives openly with his housekeeper and where others launder drug money by building schools and clinics.

I wonder if Hollywood would ever "greenlight" a movie about a contemporary heroic priest?

The last great priest movie I think was To Kill A Priest which is a fictionalized story of Fr. Jerzy Popieluszko, the Solidarity priest.

And some think highly of The Third Miracle in which the virtue of an American woman as a candidate for canonization.

I mention both of these as they star Ed Harris. In the former, a priest-killer, in the latter , a priest.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:01 AM   Permalink  

 
Batchelor & Alexander: The failure of United Nations inspections was pre-planned

There are three ways of getting a message to Saddam's Secret Service: telephone, telegraph, tell a U.N. inspector.

Iraqi scientists and former members of the Secret Service are coming forward to report the UNSCOM and UNMOVIC were thoroughly compromised. Apparently several members of the team were bribed or blackmailed. There were ZERO suprise inspections, each one was known far in advance by the Iraqis.

Blix will never be invited by the Americans or Iraqis to restart the "verification" of the destruction of WMD's.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:48 PM   Permalink  

 
Santorum Seeks to Clarify Remarks on Gays

WASHINGTON -Rick Santorum, the Senate's third-ranked Republican who is under fire from gay-rights groups and Democrats, says he has "no problem with homosexuality - I have a problem with homosexual acts."

In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press two weeks ago, Santorum, R-Pa., said he believes homosexual acts are a threat to the American family. He drew criticism from gays and Democrats after parts of the interview - during which he compared homosexuality to bigamy, polygamy, incest and adultery - were published Monday.

"I have no problem with homosexuality - I have a problem with homosexual acts, as I would with acts of other, what I would consider to be, acts outside of traditional heterosexual relationships," Santorum said during an interview taped April 7 in his Senate office.

If you thought the attacks on Dr. Laura were bad, the attacks on Sen. Satorum will be ten times worse.

Rick Santorum is a wonderful pro-life Catholic. I share a special bond with him as well: At about the same point in his wife's pregnancy and my wife's pregnancy we were informed of fetal defect that is fatal -- the same one, a closed urethra. Our doctor knew that we would not abort the child, so with trust in God, we worked with the doctors and gave our son the best short life we could. Our son, John, lived for 11 months. The Santorum's son, Gabriel, lived for two hours.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:23 PM   Permalink  

 
Albany Times Union: Details on the Assassination Attempt on former President Bush in 1993 in Kuwait

An Iraqi assassination attempt on former President George Bush in 1993 makes the planned U.S. crackdown on Saddam Hussein acutely personal for President Bush.

Bush touched on the attempted car-bomb assassination in his 25-minute indictment of Saddam at the United Nations on Sept. 12 when he told diplomats that Saddam had orchestrated an Iraqi "attempt to assassinate the emir of Kuwait and a former American president" in 1993.

Of course, the assassination of a head of state is an act of war.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 2:24 PM   Permalink  

 
Zenit: John Paul II's Easter Message

"Let There Be an End to the Chain of Hatred and Terrorism"

Peace in Iraq! With the support of the international community, may the Iraqi people become the protagonists of the collective rebuilding of their country. Peace in other parts of the world, where forgotten wars and protracted hostilities are causing deaths and injuries amid silence and neglect on the part of considerable sectors of public opinion.

With profound grief I think of the wake of violence and bloodshed, with no sign of ceasing, in the Holy Land. I think of the tragic situation of many countries on the African continent, which cannot be abandoned to itself. I am well aware of the centers of tension and the attacks on people’s freedom in the Caucasus, in Asia and in Latin America, areas of the world equally dear to me.

Some press accounts see a slap at the United States in that. I think it's a stretch.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:45 PM   Permalink  

 
New York Times: 'Let Them Arrest Him,' Tariq Aziz's Aunt Says

By DAVID ROHDE. QARAQOSH, Iraq, April 20th — She has a picture of Tariq Aziz meeting Pope John Paul II on her living room wall, but on this Easter Sunday she had few kind words for her nephew.

"Let them arrest him," Selma Dawood said dismissively. "It's not important to me. What can I do with Tariq Aziz?"

But Ms. Dawood, a striking woman with broad-shoulders, a thick gray braid and a wizened face, offered few words of charity toward her nephew. It was unclear whether it was bad blood, crotchetiness or fear of arousing suspicion that fueled her attitude.

Asked if her nephew had done anything to aid Christians, she tartly replied: "Zero. Zero. He's very, very bad." She added that he was part of a "criminal regime."

Such honesty about Iraq is rare in the New York Times. Enjoy this small bit of truth while you can.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:39 PM   Permalink  

 
Guardian (UK): Freedom of Conscience Law passed in Slovakia

The Guardian's own headline was Morality pact boosts Vatican's power in Slovakia. It seems strange to me -- since the law empowers individuals and not the Vatican.

Slovakia is planning to seal a pact with the Vatican on conscientious objection, vastly increasing the influence of Roman Catholicism in the country's schools, hospitals, courts, and security structures.

The law on freedom of conscience would be the first such pact between a European state and the papacy. It would allow doctors to refuse abortions on religious grounds, judges to throw out divorce applications because of their faith, and teachers to decline to take part in sex education classes because they offend their beliefs, as well as allowing conscientious objection to military service on religious grounds.

Such laws should seem natural in the United States. Alas, this is not the case. So few doctors in training in New York opted to be trained in abortion procedures that the state legislature required the course in killing the unborn for a OB/GYN license in New York.

Let's pray that such laws as Slovakia's are more common than New York's law.

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:30 PM   Permalink