Roman Catholic Blog

No Nonsense in Moscow!

Patriarch-Elect Kirill of Moscow

and all Russia

Sounds like a good good man. No nonsense. Here's some excerpts from an interview with him in Der Spiegel on 10 JAN 09.

SPIEGEL: It's clear to see that many Russians have adopted a liberal Western lifestyle. Sex before marriage is normal for many people, and only a small minority attends church services regularly. How firmly established are Christian values in Russia?

Kyrill:

Spirituality can't be measured with statistics. Nevertheless, we aren't afraid of comparisons. Less than 20 years after the fall of the Soviet Union, the number of churches has quadrupled, we now have twice as many dioceses, and the number of monasteries has grown by a factor of 32 -- to 700 -- today. Fifteen thousand young people are studying theology. On the other hand, even though 80 percent of newborns are baptized in Russia, only 60 percent of Russians call themselves Orthodox Christians, and less than 10 percent attend church regularly -- even fewer in some provinces. In other words, we don't have to build any new churches, but what we must do is help our people understand how important it is to adhere to Christian values. Whether we succeed also depends on whether we can rid ourselves of outside influences.

SPIEGEL:

You are referring to the liberal West. What troubles you, for example, about homosexuals marching through the streets of Moscow in a parade, just as they do in Berlin or Amsterdam?

Kyrill:

It distorts the boundary between good and evil, between sin and sanctity. Even adultery is apparently no longer considered a sin, despite the fact that every adulterer senses that he has done something wrong. But human beings have a conscience. That's something even the Marxists were unable to eliminate. They had an explanation for everything, a self-contained philosophy in which being determined consciousness -- just as your philosophers in Germany say, the conscience is the result of cultural development. But whether you are in Papua New Guinea, Munich or Novosibirsk in Siberia, the principles are the same everywhere: Thou shall not steal, though shall not kill…

SPIEGEL:

… but not everyone says: Thou shall not be gay. Why should people have to conceal their homosexuality?

Kyrill:

The Bible calls it a sin. But we do not condemn these people. The church is opposed to these people being persecuted or offended. But why should sin be propagated? The gay parade is a blatant display of sodomy. In that case, we might as well promote other sins, as has long been the case on television. This degenerates public morality. It is the church's job to call a sin a sin. Otherwise it no longer serves a purpose. Unfortunately, the tendency in today's world is to champion the freedom of choice, while freedom from evil is virtually forgotten.

Full Interview may be found at:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,527618,00.html

I wish we had more bishops like him in the Catholic Church in the USA!

 

Wheat from the chaff.....

Vatican: Comments by Holocaust denier unacceptable

Nicole Winfield

The Vatican said Monday that comments by a recently rehabilitated bishop that no Jews were gassed during the Holocaust were unacceptable and violate Church teaching.

In a front-page article, the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano reaffirmed that Pope Benedict XVI deplored all forms of anti-Semitism and that all Roman Catholics must do the same.

The article was issued amid an outcry from Jewish groups that Benedict last week lifted the excommunication of a traditionalist bishop, Richard Williamson, who has denied that 6 million Jews were murdered during World War II.

The Vatican has stressed that removing the excommunication by no means implied the Vatican shared Williamson's views.

Williamson's statements, broadcast last week in a Swedish state TV interview, "contradict this teaching and are thus very serious and regrettable," L'Osservatore said. While broadcast before the Jan. 21 document lifting the excommunication, they remain "unacceptable," it said.

See the full article at: http://www.realclearworld.com/printpage/?url=http://www.realclearworld.com/news/ap/international/2009/Jan/26/vatican__comments_by_holocaust_denier_unacceptable.html

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I don't know what the root is of this type of anti-Semitism among SOME traditionalists. It is found among the SSPX crowd here in the States too. Twenty years ago while taking a tour of their US seminary, then in Connecticut, I left mid-tour and in shock after seeing "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" for sale in their seminary bookstore!

 

St. Maximillian Kolbe, by thy powerful intercession may the Church be healed of this error too!

Niederauer's Communicant

 

Apparently, those "private conversations" Archbishop Milktoast

(er Nierderauer) has had with Speaker Pelosi have had an effect.

GADS!

 

PELOSI SAYS BIRTH CONTROL WILL HELP ECONOMY
The Drudge Report

Sun Jan 25 2009 22:13:43 ET

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi boldly defended a move to add birth control funding to the new economic "stimulus" package, claiming "contraception will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."

Pelosi, the mother of 5 children and 6 grandchildren, who once said, "Nothing in my life will ever, ever compare to being a mom," seemed to imply babies are somehow a burden on the treasury.

The revelation came during an exchange Sunday morning on ABC's THIS WEEK.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services. How is that stimulus?

PELOSI: Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So no apologies for that?

PELOSI: No apologies. No. we have to deal with the consequences of the downturn in our economy.

The Dance Macabre Begins

While the media wants us to focus on images like the one found below.... 

A very different type of dance has started......

 

From President Obama's official website:

• Supporting Stem Cell Research: President Obama and Vice President Biden believe that we owe it to the American public to explore the potential of stem cells to treat the millions of people suffering from debilitating and life-threatening diseases. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007, which will allow research of human embryonic stem cells derived from embryos donated (with consent) from in vitro fertilization clinics. These embryos must be deemed in excess and created based solely for the purpose of fertility treatment.
• Supports a Woman's Right to Choose: President Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority in his Adminstration. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case.
• Preventing Unintended Pregnancy: President Obama was an original co-sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception, health information, and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. Introduced in January 2007, the Prevention First Act will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. The Act will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims.

See: http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/women/

Ominous Introit

From President Obama's just finished Inaugural speech.

"We will return science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders..."

He was more explicit on December 20, 2008 when he said :

"Whether it’s the science to slow global warming; the technology to protect our troops and confront bioterror and weapons of mass destruction; the research to find life-saving cures; or the innovations to remake our industries and create twenty-first century jobs—today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation...."

"Because the truth is that promoting science isn’t just about providing resources—it’s about protecting free and open inquiry. It’s about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It’s about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it’s inconvenient—especially when it’s inconvenient. Because the highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us. That will be my goal as President of the United States—and I could not have a better team to guide me in this work."

Perhaps I'm being paranoid, but when I hear "science" in these absolute contexts, I immediately think of the threat to "life."

 

Caveat Forrest Gump

Hanks Bashes Mormons, Prop-8 Advocates

By PopEater

(Jan. 16) - At Wednesday night's 'Big Love' premiere party, Tom Hanks made his feelings about the Mormon Church's involvement in the passage of California's Prop 8 very clear, calling those against gay marriage "un-American."

Ironically, Hanks serves as the executive producer of HBO's controversial show, which focuses on a modern-day polygamist living in Utah with his three wives.

"The truth is this takes place in Utah, the truth is these people are some bizarre offshoot of the Mormon Church, and the truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen," he told Fox News.

"There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American, and I am one of them. I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper... A little bit of light can be shed and people can see who's responsible and that can motivate the next go around of our self correcting constitution and hopefully we can move forward instead of backwards. So lets have faith in not only the American, but Californian constitutional process," Hanks added.

'Big Love' has been a heated topic among the Mormon community. While most Mormons no longer practice polygamy, those who do say the show is an inaccurate representation of the love that these families actually have for one another.

See: http://www.popeater.com/movies/article/hanks-bashes-mormons-prop-8-advocates/309219

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Someone should warn Forrest Gump what happens to public figures who discuss gay marriage and polygamy in the same breath.

Ironically, Hanks probably wouldn't take advice from Pastor Rick Warren as given his (Hanks) schewed logic Warren is "Un-American" too!

Smoking Bishop

I wish this post were about the Olde English drink called "Smoking Bishop" immortalized in the last lines of Charles Dickens' immensely Christian work - "A Christmas Carol," but it's not.

This post is about the type of smoke, sulfurous smoke, that comes from the pit of Hell and burning brimstone.

The type of smoke Pope Pius XII reportedly mentioned when his Jesuit advisers, in the late 1940s, were trying to convince him that Opus Dei was heretical and that it's now sainted founder Josemarie Escriva should  be silenced. Pius XII reportedly shouted to the Jesuits "I smell sulfur" as he rejected their specious arguments and ordered them out of his office.

This post is about our old friend Bishop Robinson of the Protestant Episcopal Church of North America. While driving to a meeting in Sacramento yesterday, I caught an interview with Bishop Robinson on National Public Radio's show - "All Things Considered" about his upcoming inaugural prayer. You can listen to the five minute interview at:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99311912

The NPR reporter asked "Bishop" Robinson if he "found inspiration in previous inaugural prayers?"

He responded:

"What I've actually found is caution. I've read back over earlier inaugural prayers over the last 30 or 40 years and I've been shocked at how aggressively Christian they are. I intend not to invoke the Name of Jesus.....rather than insert that and exclude them (non-Christians) from the prayer. I want this to be a prayer to the god of many understandings."

"Let's face it each one of us has a different understanding of G*d. No one of us can fully understand G*d or G*d would not be G*d."

The obviously surprised reporter then quipped:

I'm not sure that the god of many understandings has ever been invoked in an inaugural prayer before?"

Robinson closed by saying:

"well I'm first in many categories."

We should all pray for our Anglican brethren.

Gay Bishop to Lead-Off Obama Inaugural

N.H. Bishop Invited to D.C. to give prayer

Robinson to speak at inaugural event

By ANNMARIE TIMMINS
Concord Monitor staff

New Hampshire Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, an outspoken, international gay rights leader, has been asked to give a prayer at one of President-elect Barack Obama's first inauguration events at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The announcement follows weeks of criticism from Robinson and gay-rights groups over Obama's decision to tap the Rev. Rick Warren, who's likened committed gay relationships to incest and polygamy, to pray on inauguration day.

Robinson, an early Obama supporter, said last month the choice of Warren left him feeling as if he'd been slapped in the face. In a telephone interview this weekend, Robinson, of Weare, said he doesn't believe Obama has included him in response to the Warren criticism. But he said his inclusion won't go unnoticed by the gay and lesbian community.

"It's important for any minority to see themselves represented in some way," Robinson said. "Whether it be a racial minority, an ethnic minority or, in our case, a sexual minority. Just seeing someone like you up front matters."

Warren, author and high-profile pastor of a California mega-church, will still give the invocation at the Jan. 20 inauguration, shortly before Obama delivers his much-anticipated inaugural address. Robinson will share his invocation prayer Sunday afternoon on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during an inaugural kick-off event.

See the full article at:

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090112/FRONTPAGE/901120347

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What I will next type may shock some of you. The most important issue in this farce is not the fact that "Bishop" Robinson is gay.

Here he is pictured with his "partner" Mark Andrews dsuring their civil union ceremony.

While I do believe that "Bishop" Robinson will be judged by his actions, as we all will, the most important issue is that "Bishop" Robinson of the "Protestant Episcopal Curch of North America" is not a Christian.

Here's the money quote:

"Robinson doesn't yet know what he'll say, but he knows he won't use a Bible.

'While that is a holy and sacred text to me, it is not for many Americans,' Robinson said. 'I will be careful not to be especially Christian in my prayer.' " (my underline)

,

,

"Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me." - John 14:6

"Dicit ei Iesus ego sum via et veritas et vita nemo venit ad Patrem nisi per me." - Iohannes 14:6

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Relatedly, Pastor Rick Warren (pic above) is the victim of a Palinesque smear campaign.

Even the article above states:

"The announcement follows weeks of criticism from Robinson and gay-rights groups over Obama's decision to tap the Rev. Rick Warren, who's likened committed gay relationships to incest and polygamy, to pray on inauguration day."

(my bold and underline added.)

Pastor Warren has never said any such thing. He has rightly said that if two persons of the same sex are allowed to civilly marry, that it is logical to assume that the argument will be put forward that three or four or more persons should be allowed to marry (POLYGAMY) or that cousins should be allowed to marry (INCEST).

New Auxiliary Bishop in Orange.

Knowing that many who read this blog are Orangensis, I noticed a link to this at Amy Wellborn's blog.

(It's from the Vatican webiste so it's in Italian.)

NOMINA DI AUSILIARE DI ORANGE IN CALIFORNIA (U.S.A.)

Il Santo Padre ha nominato Vescovo Ausiliare di Orange in California (U.S.A.) il Rev.do Cirilo Flores, del clero della diocesi di Orange, finora Parroco di Saint Anne Parish a Santa Ana, assegnandogli la sede titolare vescovile di Quiza.

Rev.do Cirilo Flores

Il Rev.do Cirilo Flores è nato il 20 giugno 1948 in Corona, California. Dopo quattro anni alla "Loyola Marymount University", conseguito il Baccalaureato, si è iscritto alla "Stanford University Law School" conseguendo il dottorato in giurisprudenza. Ha praticato la professione nell’ambito legale per 10 anni. E’ entrato quindi nel seminario di "Saint John" a Camarillo, dove ha ottenuto il "Master of Divinity".
E’ stato ordinato sacerdote per la diocesi di Orange l’8 giugno 1991.
Dopo la sua ordinazione, ha svolto il ministero in parrocchia, dapprima come vicario e successivamente come parroco. Dall’ anno 2000 è parroco di "Saint Anne Parish" a Santa Ana. Attualmente è anche membro del consiglio economico della diocesi, della commissione per le comunicazioni sociali, di quella per la carità, del consiglio pastorale e di quello presbiterale.

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Thoughts on Fr. Flores?

Cancer on the Body Politic of the Church

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Rome orders Roger Haight to stop teaching, publishing

By JOHN L. ALLEN JR., NCR Staff

Published:

Jan. 5, 2009

American Jesuit theologian Fr. Roger Haight, whose writing on Christ and non-Christian religions was censured by the Vatican in 2005 for causing "grave harm to the faithful," has been ordered by Rome to stop teaching and publishing on theological subjects.

Sources told NCR that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican’s doctrinal agency, communicated the restrictions to the Jesuits in spring 2008. They apparently came amid back-and-forth discussions involving the Vatican, the Jesuit leadership in Rome, and the order’s New York province. Among other steps, Jesuit officials in America reportedly had consulted the late Jesuit Cardinal Avery Dulles in an effort to resolve the concerns.

A Jesuit spokesperson in Rome confirmed the measures, but said that a "final resolution" has not yet been reached in the Haight case, suggesting that the bans on teaching and publishing could turn out to be interim measures.

"The process continues," said Jesuit Fr. Jose de Vera, who is finishing his term as the order’s spokesperson.

Haight declined comment, but Jesuit sources told NCR that he intends "to comply fully" with the restrictions. Those sources said that Haight has been working with his Jesuit superiors in responding to the Vatican’s concerns.

News of the recent Vatican action was reported last month by Catholic journalist David Gibson on the web site of Commonweal magazine.

In practice, the order means that Haight, a past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, will no longer teach at Union Theological Seminary in New York, where he is presently a scholar in residence. It is not yet clear what future role Haight may play at Union Theological, founded in 1836 as a Presbyterian institution which today describes itself as "multi-denominational."

In its 2005 notification citing "serious doctrinal errors" in Haight’s 2000 book Jesus: Symbol of God, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stipulated that until Haight’s positions were amended, he was barred from teaching Catholic theology. At the time, Haight and the Jesuits believed that teaching at a non-Catholic institution would satisfy that requirement; the recent action by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith makes clear that he’s not to teach anywhere.

Haight, 72, will also not be able to publish any new writings on theological topics, though he will be able to complete a project on the spirituality of St. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order.

The Vatican’s original 2005 notification did not restrict Haight’s ability to publish, and since Jesus: Symbol of God, he has produced several other works, including a three-volume study of the church titled Christian Community in History, and 2007’s The Future of Christology. Speaking on background, a Vatican official said these works largely "reiterated" the views which had triggered the earlier censure, and were part of the motivation for the new restrictions.

"We had hoped that Haight would amend his positions in light of the notification," the official said. "It’s fairly obvious that hasn’t happened."

Haight had earlier been removed from a position at the Jesuit-run Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass., by the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education.

Jesus: Symbol of God has been described by Haight as an attempt to express traditional doctrines about Christ and salvation in a language appropriate to postmodern culture. In particular, the book offers a positive theological reading of non-Christian religions and savior figures. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith asserted that the book endangered traditional doctrines on such matters as the divinity of Christ, the Trinity, the saving value of Christ’s death on the Cross, and the importance of the church.

Most observers see the action on Haight as part of a broader concern with the "theology of religious pluralism," referring to various attempts to treat non-Christian religions as vehicles of salvation in their own right. Prior to his election as pope, Benedict XVI repeatedly warned that such theologies, if pushed too far, lead to religious relativism – the idea that one religion is as good as another. In particular, critics worry that such approaches may sap the missionary energies of the church.

Since its publication eight years ago, Jesus: Symbol of God has engendered lively theological debate. Some reviewers found it an exciting new Christological approach, while others say that Haight, a past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, goes too far in jettisoning or reinterpreting core doctrines.

Whatever they may think of the theological merits of Haight’s work, some sources told NCR that they find the recent Vatican action overly "punitive."

"This is hard for us to get our minds around," one Jesuit official said, speaking on background. "It’s not clear what purpose is served by making him leave Union, since the point has already been made that his views do not represent official Catholic theology."

A Vatican spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The 2004 notification from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith:

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20041213_notification-fr-haight_en.html

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As usual, the neo-modernists at NCR soft pedal Fr. Haight's blatant heresy.

The money quote being:

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"(Fr. Haight's) book offers a positive theological reading of non-Christian religions and savior figures. "

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There is only one "Savior," He's not a figure - His name is Jesus Christ - He's the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity!

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Undoubtedly John Allen's defenders will once again rush to his defense.

Nonetheless, this is a good news.