RG: Missa_e

Wed, 07 May 2008 15:26:24 GMT

Testimony: conversion of a muslim, to christianity.... (video 20 min)

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:19:35 GMT

You don’t need a cardinal to answer that

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 11:12:51 GMT

In a satirical manner, Cardinal Arinze criticized a standard pro-abortion political argument. “To the person who says, ‘Personally, I am against abortion, but then if people really want to do it I leave them free’ you can say ‘You are a member of the senate or the congress. “‘Personally I am not in favor of shooting the whole lot of you, but if somebody else wants to shoot all of you in the senate or all of you in the congress, it’s just pro-choice for that. “’But personally I’m not in favor.’ “That is what they are saying,” the cardinal argued. “They are saying that personally, he is not in favor of killing these millions of children in the womb, but if others want to do it, he is pro-choice.”... The cardinal noted that he is often asked if a politician who votes for abortion should receive Holy Communion. He said his reply was, “Do you really need a cardinal from the Vatican to answer that?” “Get the children for first communion and say to them, somebody votes for the killing of unborn babies, and says, I voted for that, I will vote for that every time and these babies are killed, not one or two, but in millions, and that person says I am a practicing Catholic, should that person receive communion next Sunday? “The children for first communion will answer that at the drop of a hat. You don’t need a cardinal to answer that.”

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 14:08:02 GMT

In 1980 the U.S. Supreme Court, in a five-to-four decision, turned seeds into widgets...

Skin Disease May Be Linked to GM Food...biochemist Vitaly Citovsky discovered that the fibers contain a substance called “Agrobacterium,” which, according to New Scientist, is “used commercially to produce genetically-modified plants.” Could GM plants be “causing a new human disease?...Could it be that companies such as Monsanto have enough clout to effectively squash these stories? If they have enough clout to ruin countries by deceiving impoverished farmers into purchasing patented GMO seeds, and then take it a step further and force these poor people to purchase seeds year after year instead of harvesting their own, then they have enough clout to ...

Miraculous cure attributed to intercession of Cardinal Eduardo Pironio

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:43:26 GMT

Buenos Aires, Mar 4, 2008 / 04:07 pm (CNA).- The cause of beatification of Cardinal Eduardo Pironio, who died in 1998, could move ahead if the cure of 15 month-old boy who suffered from paint poisoning is declared miraculous.

The vice postulator of the cause, Beatriz Buzzetti Thomson, is responsible for investigating the complete cure of the child, whose identity has not been revealed and is two and a half years old.

According to local reporters, after the accident, the parents of the child prayed for the intercession of Cardinal Pironio. The child improved and was released from the hospital despite doctors’ assurances that if he survived, he would suffer long-term complications.

The prayer, which the parents found on the back of a holy card and has been approved by the Bishops’ Conference of Argentina, reads as follows:

God, our Father, you called your servant Eduardo Francisco Pironio to serve your Church as a priest and a bishop, comforted by the maternal care of the Virgin Mary, you made him a joyful proclaimer of hope and the cross. Grant us that, following his example, we may proclaim and give witness to our faith with a merciful and welcoming heart and, through his intercession, give us the grace that we confidently ask of you.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

His Life

Eduardo Francisco Pironio was born in the town of Nueve de Julio, Argentina, on December 3, 1920. He was the 22nd child of a family of Italian immigrants...

Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast will deny politicians Communion if they support abortion

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:24:33 GMT

Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast says he will first speak with politicians who support abortion and encourage them to convert to the pro-life perspective. But, for those elected officials who continue to advocate legal abortions, he would tell them they shouldn't be taking part in the Christian sacrament. “Given your stubbornness on this particular issue, you should not publicly receive the Eucharist until you’ve changed your mind," he told the Western Catholic Reporter about what he'd say. Archbishop Prendergast's warning would be instructional rather than condemning. “The bishop is not a policeman,” he said. “He is a father in Christ, a Shepherd of his flock.” He also encouraged Catholic parishioners to do their own part to urge Catholic politicians to follow the teachings of the Church in their public policy. “We all have to live our lives as faithful Christians in politics, in public life, in the schools and in every area of life,” he said.

Vocation inquiries increased 30 percent in 2007, survey finds

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:19:23 GMT

Religious vocation as a life choice has been off the radar screen for too long. What this crop of discerners is finding is that the option of life as a brother, sister, or priest may be the one that satisfies their heart's desire above all else

Close Up: Taking the veil

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:10:49 GMT

video (6:48)

Becoming a nun seems an archaic thing to do in this modern and increasingly secular society, and yet the order of nuns at St Anthony's in Wanganui, New Zeland, are in no short supply.

Canadian Priests for Life Head Fr. Jim Whalen Dies Suddenly of Heart Attack

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:04:53 GMT

Fr. Jim Whalen, The National Director of Priests for Life, Canada suffered a massive heart attack Sunday morning while conducting a Pro-Life Mission at Most Holy Rosary Parish in Thorold, Ontario (Near Niagara Falls)...
In the summer of 1996, Fr. Jim was asked by a group of people in the Diocese of Pembroke to take on the role of National Director for a newly created organization called Priests for Life Canada. Without hesitation, Fr. Jim accepted. When asked why he was so open to taking on this challenge, Fr. Jim answered "As a priest, we cannot 'not be involved'. We must use all the forces available to us to attack the problems of contraception, abortion, and euthanasia".

Prior to becoming a priest, Father Jim taught at all levels in the Ottawa Separate School system. In addition to being bilingual, he was serving as the spiritual director of The Senatus, the Governing Body of the Legion of Mary, Northern Ontario. He also spent thirty years as Chaplain for Native Peoples of Ottawa and was one of the founders of Odawa Native Friendship Center. Further involvement included his work assisting the Ottawa area Catholic Home Schooler's Association as Spiritual Advisor and he taught Religious Science for two years at Ottawa University.

Humanae Vitae Priests

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:55:10 GMT

We are just five months away from the 40th anniversary of the papal encyclical on birth control, entitled Humanae Vitae, and I am writing to ask your assistance in a project that I hope will impact thousands of men responsible for this marvelous teaching—our priests and seminarians. The project is simple: to send to as many priests and seminarians as possible a new email newsletter that is dedicated to educating them on the teaching of this encyclical.

Bishop Fulton Sheen- His Last Words

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:20:14 GMT

YouTube

If you but stumble into those confessional boxes, He will welcome you back...

I have never received the punishment that I deserved... and if we look into our own souls, I think we will also come to that conclusion...

Does God know what it is to suffer ?... The difference between Need Love and Gift Love....

I must be about my Fathers business.... There is your Mother...

Show me your hands... show me your feet... show me your heart...

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 18:59:09 GMT

Protest against Pope at Sapienza university was based on false encyclopedia entry

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 20:28:24 GMT

....accepting public money to perform a government-desired service does not make a private agency part of the government. Nor does it transform the government into a catechism class. But insofar as any “debt” exists in a government and religious agency relationship, it’s the government that owes the service provider, not the other way around. Obviously, if the government wants to carry the social burden it currently asks religious-affiliated groups to carry, that’s the government’s business—and so are the costs and problems that go along with it. But if religious groups do help bear the burden, often at a financial loss to themselves, then they can reasonably insist on the right to protect their own mission. The privilege of helping the government is pretty thin soup if the cost involves compromising one’s religious identity. The second and more dangerous problem with bills like HB 1080 is that they aggressively advance a secularist interpretation of the “separation of Church and state.” Whether they do it consciously or not, groups like the Anti-Defamation League seem to argue from the presumption that any public money passing through religious agency hands is somehow rendered “baptized” and therefore unable to serve the common good. Aside from being enormously offensive to religious believers, this view is also alien to American history, which is filled with examples of government and private religious cooperation to achieve common public goals. It’s certainly reasonable for government to require that religious service agencies refrain from using public funds to proselytize. But Catholic Charities doesn’t do that anyway; that’s not its purpose. In fact, the overwhelming majority of the six hundred jobs at Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Denver are already open to anyone of goodwill and competence, regardless of religious background. The relatively few positions that do require a faithful, practicing Catholic are exactly the ones that help guarantee Charities’ “Catholic” identity and its grounding in the social ministry of the Church. It’s unreasonable—in fact, it shows a peculiar hostility toward religion—to claim that religious organizations will compromise the public good if they remain true to their religious identity while serving the poor with public funds. That’s just a new form of prejudice, using the “separation of Church and state” as an alibi. Bills like HB 1080 are now occurring all over the country. The lesson here for American Catholics is this: For more than forty years, we’ve worked to integrate, accommodate, and assimilate to American society in the belief that a truly diverse public square would have room for authentically Catholic life and faith. We need to revisit that assumption. It turns out that nobody gets anything for free. If we want to influence, or even have room to breathe in the American environment of coming generations, we’ll need to work for it and fight for it—always in a spirit of justice and charity, but also vigorously and without apology. Anyone who still has an easy confidence about the Catholic “place” in American life had better wake up.

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 19:52:04 GMT

...these are both very deeply devout Catholic young people and yet their temperaments and their cultures are radically different

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:57:06 GMT

Cigarette Silence - When will the Church comment on the evils of Big Tobacco? ...Clearly there would be an impact if the Church decided to take a stand on the insidious practices of an industry whose business plan is to make it easier to turn their consumers into addicts. ...The soon-to-be-launched “Marlboro Intense” will allow smokers to cope with indoor smoking bans by taking quick, deep puffs of a shorter but more potent cigarette during a quick outdoor break. It’s an insidiously brilliant idea—and one that has global human implications to which the Catholic Church must pay attention. Philip Morris USA and Philip Morris International will become two separate companies, parent company, Altria, announced this week. By doing this, Philip Morris International will be outside of the reach of most all regulatory efforts and threats of legal liability. Even after this split from the US market, PMI will be the third most profitable consumer goods concern in the world—and will have worldwide autonomy to create products that kill. ... As a public health professional, I do not consider 485,000 premature deaths annually in the United States to be “trivial.” And I am outraged to see the ongoing marketing of cigarettes here in our country. But this week’s move by Philip Morris to go on a worldwide campaign to sell these new “sexy” types of cigarettes—to newly addict hundreds of millions more people in Africa, China, Korea, Russia and beyond—is nothing short of appalling.

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:03:26 GMT

Twins Save Mom's Life, Kick Loose Deadly Tumor From Mom's Cervix While Still in Womb

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 12:27:34 GMT

Fulton Sheen, Still a Powerful Witness: An Interview with Fr. Andrew Apostoli

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 12:05:11 GMT

That sign of hope at massive life rally.... l'arc en ciel à la fin de la manifestation pro-vie devant la cour suprême des États-Unis le 22 janvier 2008. Video YouTube

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:55:21 GMT

Acts of kindness - A senior's moment

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:08:54 GMT

" When human beings in the weakest and most defenseless state of their existence are selected, abandoned, killed or used as pure 'biological material,' how can one deny that they are being treated not as 'someone' but as 'something' "

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 10:26:27 GMT

US - 35th March for Life Washington, DC next Tuesday, January 22nd 2008. According to Wikipedia, this is the most attended annual march in Washington D.C. (100k+) so there is plenty happening.

Official schedule of events from the USCCB (beginning with Jan. 21 Vigil Mass)
MarchForLife.org - the organizers of the event (not all that useful, honestly
StudentsForLife.org - they host a pro-life conference in DC on the 20th.
Cardinal O'Connor Conference for Life - Takes place at Georgetown on the 21st.
2008 Rally for Life & Youth Mass - Jan 22nd, by the Archdiocese of Washing & Abp. Wuerl
The American Life League is hosting Rock for Life, a training & activism weekend for youth.
Blogs For Life Conference - A must for St. Blog's community members, hosted by the FRC
Priests for Life has a list of events listed here and here (focusing on Fr. Frank Pavone).
LifeSiteNews offers its schedule of 2008 Conferences and Activities here.

Last year, President Bush called the Marchers for Life and gave them encouragement. CNS: "Culture of life means changing hearts, president tells March for Life"
Dawn Eden informs us that the Catholic Information Center is doing several things to help Marchers, including discounts, free wireless internet and a tea party! She'll also be at Blogs for Life.
This year, CNS reports, "Founder says walk to Capitol Hill still the top March for Life event"
LifeSiteNews announces that the entire student population of Christendom college is coming.

We should not forget to mention the West Coast March for Life, taking place on Saturday the 19th. The fourth French Pro-Life march in Paris will take place on the 20th, last year they assembled 10k people.

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 23:52:52 GMT

George Weigel’s newest book focuses on theological roots of Islamic terrorism, gives possible solutions

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 09:09:59 GMT

How the birth control pill acts as an abortifacient youtube video

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 13:16:42 GMT

Bishop: Extremism Creating 'No-Go' Areas for Non-Muslims in Britain

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:15:35 GMT

If you take the life and suction out the pieces of an unborn child for no reason than its inconvenience to the mother, I don't think you've lived up to your Hippocratic Oath of doing no harm

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:53:05 GMT

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith - Doctrinal note on some aspects of evangelization

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 18:31:58 GMT

Pope's talks with Muslims scares al Qaeda: Vatican

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 15:33:33 GMT

Catholic confession making a comeback

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 23:00:40 GMT

When the Church inquires into a person's life with the view of proclaiming him/her a saint, evidence of heroic virtue is required. Benedict XIV thus describes this kind of virtue: "In order to be heroic, a Christian virtue must enable its owner to perform virtuous actions with uncommon promptitude, ease, and pleasure, from supernatural motives and without human reasoning, with self-abnegation and full control over ones natural inclinations." A heroic virtue, then, is a habit of good conduct that has become a second nature, a new motive power stronger than all corresponding inborn inclinations, capable of rendering easy a series of acts each of which, for the ordinary person, would be beset with very great, if not insurmountable, difficulties. Such a degree of virtue belongs only to souls already purified from all attachment to things worldly, and solidly anchored in the love of God.

"To keep ones minds intent always on God”: to put it mildly, the Founder’s aspiration is more than difficult as anyone who tries to put it into practice for even a short time becomes only too well aware. Despite our best resolve, a jumble of other thoughts and concerns jostle aside all thoughts about God and we return to our usual unreflecting way of life, reacting to events in an instinctive fashion and judging according to human standards and criteria. However, at some time or other, all of us have met people who seemed to be able to accomplish this extraordinary ‘feat’ of being at the same time both intent on God and particularly present to others. There was no contradiction or discontinuity in their lives, becoming ‘pious’ or ‘religious’ when such was expected of them and then reverting to being ‘sensible’ in all other things. Everything and everyone were seen ‘sub specie aeternitatis’ (in the light of eternity). The Founder was such a person and whilst we have divided, for convenience sake, his many letters into the ‘ascetical’ and ‘general’ category, the latter still carry the mark of his deep spirituality. In computer language, it could be said that the ‘God programme’ was always running in the background of his personality and make-up, constantly monitoring and influencing his thinking and speech and coming easily and effortlessly to the foreground as the occasion demanded.

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:17:15 GMT

Blessed Liberty: The Posthumous Miracle of Antonio Rosmini

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 11:16:50 GMT

Development and Peace is accepting donations from the Canadian public to support its partners in Mexico.

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:25:54 GMT

why am I so unhappy?

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:22:24 GMT

“In a society increasingly more secularized and consumerist, it’s not only difficult to listen to the call to the priesthood, it is also difficult to live the Christian faith consistently. God “undoubtedly calls many to the path of the priesthood.” What is needed is “silence, prayer [and] reflection to listen to his call”

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 15:13:25 GMT

In choosing to disobey, they break faith with the Church

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 20:09:44 GMT

use virtual worlds to "encourage [kids] to exercise those same values and skills we wish to see them exercise in the real world"

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:57:48 GMT

Everyone must intervene against violence

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:27:06 GMT

A film that embraces the sanctity of human life. Bella, winner of the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival’s “People’s Choice Award,” opens October 26 in 31 markets nationwide.

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 15:43:52 GMT

Blessed Mother Teresa's niece shares stories of famed nun's youth

Wed, 10 Oct 2007 15:17:55 GMT

the teaching of Islam

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 15:49:59 GMT

Now, you pro abortionist, tell me that is not a baby

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 21:21:21 GMT

23 minutes in hell

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 19:10:55 GMT

The fundamental human right, the presupposition of every other right, is the right to life itself

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 13:10:41 GMT

You people who have practiced chastity, you are the best people to teach us natural family planning because it is nothing more than self-control out of love for each other.

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:34:19 GMT

EWTN Live

Real Video
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Tue, 14 Aug 2007 12:22:12 GMT

Global warming? Look at the numbers ...

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:11:01 GMT

"Christianity, and nothing else, is the ultimate foundation of liberty, conscience, human rights, and democracy, the benchmarks of Western civilization. To this day, we have no other options [than Christianity]. We continue to nourish ourselves from this source. Everything else is postmodern chatter." Jürgen Habermas, German philosopher

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 14:28:36 GMT

China may ban Catholics from 2008 Olympics

Mon, 28 May 2007 17:55:24 GMT

It is by its fruit that we recognize the tree.

Fri, 25 May 2007 14:41:42 GMT

Mary and the Moslems by Bishop Fulton Sheen

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 04:51:17 GMT

"Christian explosion" among Chinese intellectuals, expert finds

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 16:51:19 GMT

"homophobia law" would essentially imply a legal frame for religious persecution

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 16:48:36 GMT

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary; to one without faith, no explanation is possible. ...If Amorth is telling the truth, then the world is a terrifyingly different place than most of us think. ...is far more important to the lives and experiences of ordinary Christians worldwide than the scoffers in newsrooms, on faculties and even chanceries care to recognize.

Mon, 19 Mar 2007 16:37:13 GMT

How many times have tensions been caused in your life through someone who doesn't know his or her place?

Fri, 16 Mar 2007 04:01:53 GMT

in order to receive the Eucharist in a worthy manner, one must first confess one’s sins when one is aware of mortal sin

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 23:27:00 GMT

Professor Easterbrook disputed Mr Gore's claim that "our civilisation has never experienced any environmental shift remotely similar to this". Nonsense, Professor Easterbrook said. He flashed a slide that showed temperature trends for the past 15,000 years. It highlighted 10 large swings, including the medieval warm period. These shifts were up to "20 times greater than the warming in the past century". Getting personal, he mocked Mr Gore's assertion that scientists agreed on global warming except those industry had corrupted. "I've never been paid a nickel by an oil company," Professor Easterbrook said.

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 18:22:44 GMT

Monthly Message, Medjugorje February 25, 2003 “Dear children! Also today I call you to pray and fast for peace. As I have already said and now repeat to you, little children, only with prayer and fasting can wars also be stopped. Peace is a precious gift from God. Seek, pray and you will receive it. Speak about peace and carry peace in your hearts. Nurture it like a flower which is in need of water, tenderness and light. Be those who carry peace to others. I am with you and intercede for all of you. Thank you for having responded to my call. ”

Mon, 12 Mar 2007 18:08:11 GMT

"the seasons will be altered" the change in climate is almost surely caused in part and perhaps in largest part by an increase in the sun's radiance or poorly understood cosmic factors. Let us note that according to some researchers, the planet Mars also is currently undergoing a period of warmth....those who hope for the establishment of global governing bodies -- want to see national boundaries dissolve into a new world order, or one-world government, with pagan-style spirituality -- use environmental problems as a pretext because environmental problems know no boundaries... the Vatican has taken a strong middle position -- repeatedly expounding on the need to curb environmental abuse and preserve wildlife (at least an eighth of which is currently threatened with extinction), while at the same time allowing a preacher at the Pope's Lenten retreat this year to warn that the anti-christ could come as an "ideologue" -- a person who poses as a pacifist, ecumenist, or even an ecologist.

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 17:32:04 GMT

«Je tiens encore à aborder une question délicate et douloureuse. Je veux parler du tourment des responsables de plusieurs pays, qui ne savent plus comment faire face à l'angoissant problème de l'endettement... Une réforme structurelle du système financier mondial est sans nul doute une des initiatives les plus urgentes et nécessaires.» (Message du Pape à la 6e Conférence des Nations-Unies sur le Commerce et le Développement, Genève, 26 septembre 1985.)

"Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes her laws" Meyer Rothschild

Chinese Government Studies Ithaca HOURS

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 12:13:20 GMT

Globalization is dead

L'essayiste John Saul annonce la mort de la globalisation. La mondialisation ou la globalisation, une idée proposée dans les années 70 qui faisait de l'économie la priorité, a été très populaire durant les années 80. En dressant la liste des promesses faites en 1970, qui devaient produire une richesse étonnante, John Saul prouve que le PNB et la création des richesses aujourd'hui sont somme toute moyens. Durant les années 90, John Saul a recueilli les commentaires étonnants d'intervenants néolibéraux, très critiques envers la mondialisation. C'est ce qui lui a mis la puce à l'oreille. « Les États-Unis, le pays à l'origine de cette idée, est le plus endetté », affirme l'essayiste. Conférence : le 11 avril 2006, à l'hôtel Fairmont Royal York de Toronto John Saul, Mort de la globalisation, Éditions Payot, 2006. Écoutez l'entrevue (41:57) 21 mars 2006 Radio Canada

La globalisation est une idéologie qui s'effondre.

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 14:15:06 GMT

Boston Cardinal O'Malley Cites Canada as an Example on Crackdown on Religious Freedom - Although federal politicians in Canada assured religious leaders that "gay marriage" would present no dangers to religious freedoms, a domino effect has already begun through court and human rights tribunal complaints. In November 2005, the BC human rights Commission ordered the Knights of Columbus, Canada's largest Catholic philanthropic organization, to pay $2000 damages to two women who wanted to use their hall for their "wedding" reception. Calgary's own Catholic bishop, Fred Henry, was threatened during the last federal election by an official of Revenue Canada for his forthright teaching on the meaning of marriage. The official told Bishop Henry that the charitable tax status of the Catholic Church in Calgary might be jeopardized by his vocal opposition to homosexual "marriage" during an election. Throughout Canada, marriage commissioners are facing the stark choice of either performing civil ceremonies for homosexual partners or resigning. LifeSiteNews.com reported yesterday that in New Brunswick, homosexual activists are opposing a proposed amendment to the Marriage Act that would allow marriage commissioners to refuse on religious grounds.

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 14:04:46 GMT

The children of the world usually only confess their sins on their deathbeds, even though this present life should be lived in the light of eternal life. The children of God, however, touch this truth with their very hands their whole lives.

Sat, 03 Mar 2007 15:22:07 GMT

Catch-22 ...forced to convert to Islam, which means that if he now declares himself Mandaean, the same extremists will declare him a traitor to Islam and worthy of death... convert or die?

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 03:40:23 GMT

Church-Islam dialogue: the path starts from Regensburg's Pope
by Samir Khalil Samir, sj
Benedict XVI’s speech at Regensburg received a lot of criticism but it in fact launched an effective model for Islamo-Christian dialogue: refusal of violence, love of truth, interpretation, mission. The only way to go beyond the trivially tolerant appearance of dialogue promoted by many Muslims and by a good part of the Catholic Church.

Beirut (AsiaNews) – Benedict's masterly lecture at Regensburg was seen by many Christians and Muslims as a false step by the Pope, a simple mistake, something to get over and forget, if we don't want to set off a war of religions. Instead, at Regensburg, this Pope traced, with his balanced, courageous and by no means trivial thinking, the basis for true dialogue between Christians and Muslims, giving voice to many reformist Muslims and suggesting to Islam and Christians the steps to be taken.

Still today in the West and in the Islamic world, reactions to that speech are strong. But many Muslim scholars are beginning to ask themselves: “After the tumult of initial misunderstandings, what did Benedict XVI say to us after all? He told us that we Muslims run the great risk of eliminating reason from our faith. In this case, the Islamic faith becomes simply an act of submission to God, which can conceivably degenerate into violence, perhaps even ‘in the name of God’, or ‘to defend God.’”

Violence, reason and crisis in Islam

The much-exploited and detested quotation of Manuel II Paleologus itself was important because it underlined that "God does not love blood and violence," and that violence is against the nature of God and of man. Unfortunately, being that this phrase was pronounced on September 12th, a day after the anniversary of the attack against the Twin Towers, people read it in a political key (helped by the manipulations of Al Jazeera and Western liberals).

Now Muslims themselves are wondering: "All in all, the Pope said that there is the risk of violence in Islam. And this is not true? It is not our history and our daily problem? Are we not running the risk of emptying faith by separating it from reason and from critical thought?" Even if not in public, various Islamic scholars are saying: "This separation between faith and reason is more than ever today’s danger in Islam!"

...Still today, there are Muslims who write to me thanking the Pope for what he said in Germany. Right after the speech, Abdelwahhab Meddeb of Tunisia thanked Benedict XVI because "finally someone dared to speak and point a finger at violence in Islam." For Meddeb "the seed of violence in Islam is found in the Koran," as he entitled one of his articles.

Such a statement -- on the part of a Muslim -- shines a light on the real, great problem of dialogue today: the lack of truth, the reluctance to accept discussion on critical points.

On the question of violence, all Muslims know that its seeds are in the holy Book, but everyone also tries to hide this by saying that "No, it is not true, Islam means peace, salâm, respect, non-violence,” thus denying the facts...

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 01:51:34 GMT

Oecumenism : the first duty is prayer: "By praying and praying together, Christians acquire a greater awareness of their condition of brothers, even if they are still divided; and by praying, we learn better to listen to the Lord, as we can only find the path to unity by listening to the Lord and following his voice."

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 01:49:14 GMT

Six habits of highly effective dioceses

Why are some dioceses better at attracting vocations than others? In Tim Drake’s recent story “Vocations Surge,” the National Catholic Register provided some answers to that question.

Based on what we learned, here are six questions successful dioceses all answer “yes.”

1. Is the Eucharist the center of vocation efforts?

We found that the promotion of eucharistic adoration for vocations is a decisive factor in attracting candidates. The reason is simple: It’s a vocations strategy that came from Christ himself, when he told the apostles to “ask the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers.”

Eucharistic adoration is especially effective because it draws sharp attention to the great gift that makes the priesthood so extraordinary and so needed – we have the priesthood to thank for God’s real presence in the blessed sacrament. And the dynamic of silent eucharistic adoration inevitably leads to the question, “What do you want me to do, Lord?”

Anecdotal evidence bears this out. In conjunction with the U.S. bishops, vocation.com kicked off an effort in 2005 that delivered Vatican monstrances to dioceses in order to encourage regular adoration in parishes. Program leaders, like David Craig, have been astounded to see parishes produce their first vocations ever after eucharistic adoration was introduced.

2. Is the diocese unabashed about personally inviting men to be priests?

Father Keith Stewart in the Diocese of Memphis, Tenn., counted this as the key to his vocations strategy. A U.S. bishops’ survey found that 78 percent of those being ordained said they were initially invited by a priest to consider the priesthood. Very few men were drawn to the priesthood by ads alone. One of our sources said that the seminarians he talks to say they only began to consider the priesthood the third or fourth time they were asked!

3. Is the seminary faithful to the magisterium of the church?

We’ve all heard horror stories about seminaries using theologians who try to “de-mythologize” religion, and end up denying basic truths of the faith. National Catholic Register has reported on situations where seminary instructors downplayed celibacy, offering only a sneer regarding the very sacrifices they are asking young men to make.

The seminaries that are booming, like Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md., St. Vincent in Latrobe, Pa., and St. Gregory the Great in Seward, Neb., are ones with a reputation for being faithful to the magisterium.

4. Are there many strong and faithful families to draw from?

There are beautiful exceptions, but the rule is that priests come from committed Catholic families in which the father is an active player in the family’s faith.

These families are most common, we found, in places like the South and the Midwest, where the faith is relatively new and isn’t taken for granted, or is actually under attack.

In the Northeast, there are lots of Catholics – so many that the faith seems to have become part of the scenery. But wholesome families are more common in the Bible Belt, and Catholics are in a minority. They have had to endure the strange looks and the vigorous – or even vicious – arguments of those who think there’s something strange about being Catholic.

5. Do young men know and interact with priests?

“What do priests do, pray all day?” The priest’s life is largely a mystery to young men. Unless they meet and interact with priests – at parish functions, but also at dinner with their families – it may never occur to many young men that the priesthood is a life that would appeal to them.

The Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio, is one of many dioceses involved in Project Andrew, hosting dinners with priests and young men so that they can meet – and so that the all-important invitation can take place.

For many priests, serving at the altar was the first place they first came to know men who had been called and understood what the call entailed. Parishes should make sure that boys feel welcome at the altar, and that altar serving isn’t, in effect, girls-only.

6. Did young people in the area go to World Youth Day?

The World Youth Day factor is very real. Many men in seminary trace their enthusiasm back to a World Youth Day. These events give young people with high ideals a chance to see that the Church will allow them to have a big, positive impact on the world – one that lasts for eternity.

God has never stopped calling young men to commit their lives to him. But we have sometimes stopped listening as well as we could. As more dioceses adopt these highly effective habits, the vocations surge will only get stronger.

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 13:39:49 GMT

German diocese recommends contract for Catholic-Muslim marriages

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 12:38:00 GMT

We heard from a pro-life friend of a young pregnant lady who was driving down to Madison for her appointment at the Planned Parenthood abortion center. When turning into the clinic parking lot, she saw the "I REGRET MY ABORTION" message and turned around, went back home, and made an appointment at the local crisis pregnancy center. She gave life to her baby!

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 20:24:56 GMT

Tim Berners-Lee: Let us protect the neutrality of the net.

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 00:58:25 GMT

does God truly need to be defended by man?

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 13:05:22 GMT

Jesus "true God and true man"

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 12:20:04 GMT

Save the internet !

Sat, 06 Jan 2007 15:52:29 GMT

The Messiah and his prophet. The beginning of Islam

This book was originally a thesis for a doctorate in Theology / History of Religions (Strasbourg University II, France, 2004-2005). The general title, that this study throws light on, reflects the mystery which seems to surround the origins of Islam. According to the standard discourse – based on a biography which was imposed two centuries after the supposed facts –, Muhammad is said to have been brought up in Arabian surroundings that had mysteriously remained pagan, as if he had not lived in the 7th Century AD but BC, and as if his tribe of merchants had learnt nothing from the Jews and the Christians, whom it had met regularly for a long time, at the very least for commercial reasons. Moreover, according to this discourse, he suddenly professed himself a prophet, referring to a Revelation received from God – which nobody could have understood since they were all supposed to be polytheists, having no idea whatever of God ! What does all that mean ? What is the reason for those apparent inconsistencies ? During the last thirty years in particular, studies have thrown light on various aspects of these questions, but few researchers surmised that the answers in their respective fields were convergent because theses fields were too isolated from one another. True, there was a double difficulty to overcome : on the one hand, research had to grasp and analyse the period of history before Muhammad was born – which led to reinvestigate the file of the Dead Sea Scrolls (erroneously called « of Qumrân » or « Essenian ») as well as the studies concerning what was considered as « deviating Judaism » (in fact the nazarean drift of early Judeo-christianity). On the other hand, regarding the Koran after Muhammad, it was essential to proceed to a serious exegesis of its text, beyond its obscurities and other apparent difficulties (that’s why the study had to quote or examine nearly 500 Koranic verses). It thus appeared that, in the 7th century, what was not yet called « Islam » was deeply rooted in Judaism and Christianity, not directly though : through the drift of some Judeo-christian circles of the second generation, that had transformed biblical messianism into a political ideology of salvation – they were waiting for the second coming of the Messiah inasmuch as he would dominate the earth, submitting it to power of God i.e. especially of His faithful. In spite of the difficulties or the misleading interpretations of a number of scrolls and archaeological remains – particularly those of the Dead Sea –, it is possible for the historian to follow this messianic thought which took shape in the 2d century BC, which appeared as a system of thought at the end of the 1st century AD, and, at the end of the 6th century, which gave birth to the short-lived Judeo-arabic Community which was the cradle of Islam. The research also shows why and how, later on, the Koranic text and the Islamic comment took shape, under the authority of the Caliphs of Damascus. So, this study takes into account the diverse files, while it is bound to be developed in the future and improved on points of detail ; no other approach is known to offer such a global outlook – except of course for the Islamic discourse. As a reminder, the latter essentially took shape during the 8th century (Muhammad going up to Heaven, catching sight of the Koran, having it dictated by Angel Gabriel, and so on). Let us also point out that the only sure and precise datum concerning his life is the attempt he made to conquer Palestine in 629. The standard books and articles hardly ever mention that : from the point of view of the conventional discourse, what was Muhammad doing on the way to Jerusalem – a city towards which he himself used to turn in order to pray –, when he was supposed to be only preoccupied with seizing Mecca ? Indexes and cross references (to the text or to the 1649 notes) make it possible to pass from one volume to the other. Confronting available texts (Jewish, Islamic or otherwise), archaeological or exegetical data et cetera opens out new tracks which are necessary nowadays, away from religious or political passions.

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 17:15:44 GMT

For Europe, demographic winter is fast becoming a reality

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:12:49 GMT

Man Is Rescued by Stranger on Subway Tracks

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 22:38:50 GMT

Clerical Contraception

Wed, 03 Jan 2007 22:35:15 GMT

Mary: Mother of God

Sun, 24 Dec 2006 17:45:36 GMT

Nuevo Catholics. We’re full, bursting at the seams, and so are most churches in the archdiocese.

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 14:40:10 GMT

Miracle of 'blind' man who can see

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 16:23:46 GMT

Catholic numbers rising in China

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 16:44:38 GMT

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 19:03:22 GMT

The roots of the problem - and the cure

Sat, 09 Dec 2006 03:38:17 GMT

Seminarian Rich Budd, 25, knows exactly how to reach Bishop Robert Carlson if he has any questions or concerns. “On my cell phone — on speed dial — is the bishop’s cell phone number,” said Budd. “And there’s definitely been nights where I’ve had to call him.”

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 20:54:14 GMT

Debate on Reopening the question of the Redefinition of Civil Marriage: Comment by the President of the CCCB

01 December 2006

Comment by the President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
Most Reverend André Gaumond, Archbishop of Sherbrooke

The Government of Canada has announced on 29 November 2006, that Parliament will soon be invited to vote on whether to reopen the debate on the redefinition of civil marriage.

The teaching of the Catholic Church on marriage is clear, constant and well known, and has been reiterated by the Bishops of Canada on many earlier occasions. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, citing the Second Vatican Council, states: "The vocation to marriage is written in the very nature of man and woman.... ‘The well-being of the individual person and of both human and Christian society is closely bound up with the healthy state of conjugal and family life'" (no. 1603, quoting the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et Spes, no. 47).

The Roman and Eastern Catholic Bishops of Canada uphold the exclusive union of a man and a woman as central to marriage, and thus cannot accept the civil redefinition as the union of any two persons. Our conviction is shared by many other Canadians from all religious traditions as well as those who hold no religious faith. As members of the Supreme Court of Canada noted in November 1995 in the case Egan v. Canada, "marriage is by nature heterosexual" as its "ultimate raison d'être ... is firmly anchored in the biological and social realities that heterosexual couples have the unique ability to procreate, that most children are the product of these relationships, and that they are generally cared for and nurtured by those who live in that relationship."

Our society needs to do more to encourage the committed relationship of man and woman which remains so basic to all civilizations, and has proven to be the best support for the rights and needs of children. Canadians have to reflect carefully on the social consequences involved in the redefinition of marriage, examining all that is entailed if society no longer gives a privileged place and fundamental value to the lifelong union of a man and a woman in marriage. As the keystone of society, the family is the most favourable environment in which to welcome children. At the same time, freedom of conscience and religion needs to be ensured, while also respecting the dignity of all persons, whatever their sexual orientation.

As the House of Commons prepares for its debate, the Bishops of Canada again urge that all members of Parliament be able to vote freely on this question of such ethical and social import, in accordance with their conscience.

+Andre Gaumond
Archbishop of Sherbrooke
President
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

Thu, 30 Nov 2006 15:37:20 GMT

Raising Children of Character: 10 Principles

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 12:23:38 GMT

Vatican thumbs up to 'Nativity' movie

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 14:45:33 GMT

The Elephant in the Communion Line In debates about politicians receiving Communion, one big fat fact remained unacknowledged. Catholics asked: Why should the lawmakers who enact draconian pro-abortion laws receive Communion? But they should have asked: Why are so many others receiving Communion when they shouldn’t? With their new document, “Happy Are Those Who Are Called to His Supper:” On Preparing to Receive Christ Worthily in the Eucharist,” the bishops are pointing dramatically at the elephant in the Communion line. The document reminds us not just that Communion is for Catholics only, but for Catholics who: — Went to confession in the past year, at least, or more often if they committed a serious sin. — Fasted for an hour first “refraining from food and drink (except for water and medicines) for at least one hour prior to receiving Holy Communion.” — Are wearing “modest and tasteful dress” — “clothes that reflect our reverence for God and that manifest our respect for the dignity of the liturgy and for one another.” — Are in a recollected and prayerful state of mind. The statement even spells out some common serious sins. These are sins that constitute grave matter. When we do them deliberately and with knowledge of their sinfulness, they put us in a state of mortal sin. — Abortion and euthanasia. “Committing murder, including abortion and euthanasia, harboring deliberate hatred of others.” — Any extra-marital sex. “Engaging in sexual activity outside the bonds of a valid marriage.” — Theft, including “serious fraud, or other immoral business practices.” — Slander, Hatred and Envy. “Speaking maliciously or slandering people in a way that seriously undermines their good name. … Harboring deliberate hatred of others. … Engaging in envy that leads one to wish grave harm to someone else.” — Pornography. “Producing, marketing, or indulging in pornography.” This document is a robust answer to what Pope John Paul II asked for in his 2001 apostolic letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (At the Beginning of the New Millennium). He asked for bishops to have “courage, confidence and creativity” in re-establishing the sacrament of confession in their dioceses. In 2002, when the Church was rocked with scandals, John Paul saw what the real crisis was: Catholics were allowing themselves to fall into a state of sin, weren’t going to confession and were, often enough, receiving Communion anyway. What’s the big deal with that? When priests and their flocks no longer care about sin, it’s only a matter of time before they will begin sinning in ways that shock us. John Paul wrote a Holy Thursday letter to priests in 2002 in which he said three times that people in a state of sin should not receive Communion without going to confession first.

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:50:59 GMT

The Catholic bishops of the United States overwhelmingly approved new documents yesterday, exhorting Catholics to refrain from using artificial birth control, describing gay sex as immoral, and saying that anyone who disagrees with key church teachings should not take Communion.

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 15:46:43 GMT

Miracles of John Paul II

Tue, 14 Nov 2006 11:54:25 GMT

A counter-cultural document

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 12:33:35 GMT

The Vatican calls it "reciprocity": Muslim demands for greater sensitivity from the West must be accompanied by stronger protections and rights for Christian minorities in Islamic strongholds.

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 12:23:18 GMT

Late-Term Abortion Facilities in Spain Prompt Call for EU Abortion Law by Steven Ertelt LifeNews.com Editor November 10, 2006 Copenhagen Denmark (LifeNews.com) -- The nation of Denmark wants the European Union to consider continent-wide abortion regulations. The call for an EU abortion law comes after a Danish DR1 TV channel documentary showing how an abortion center in Spain does abortions as late as eight months into pregnancy. The facility draws women from across Europe and came under fire in Malta for offering free abortions there even though the nation prohibits abortion. In the undercover investigation, a Danish journalist in her eight month of pregnancy was offered an abortion on her healthy unborn baby for a fee of 4,000 euros from Spanish abortion practitioner Carlos Morin, who heads the Clinica M.C. in Barcelona. Morin said he would inject a poison that would kill the baby and the woman would give birth to a stillborn child. According to the television report, between 50 and 75 Portuguese and French women a week have late abortions at the facility. The deputy director of the Catalan health ministry Lluis Torralba told the Portugal News that his regional health department is collecting information about the Clinica M.C. abortion business and is looking into the matter to see if it is violating Spain's abortion laws. Danish politicians are shocked by the television report. Birthe Skaarup, a member of the Peoples Party who is the head of the Danish parliamentary committee on public health, called the late-term abortions a "scandal." "We cant accept such late-stage abortions on fetuses that are otherwise completely healthy," she told AFP. "Its murder that is being committed." She is urging the Danish government to put pressure on Spain to stop the late-term abortions and end the advertising of those abortions in other nations. According to the Portugal News, a spokesman for Denmark's ruling Liberal party, Joergen Winther, said the European Union should consider new abortion regulations that all member nations must follow.

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 11:59:46 GMT

Malware Removal and Prevention: Introduction

Sat, 11 Nov 2006 22:24:31 GMT

Pray the Rosary with Cardinal Rigali
Rece el rosario con el Cardenal Rigali

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 10:41:33 GMT

US Papal Nuncio, His Excellency Archbishop Pietro Sambi will be officiating a Mass for the renewal of the United States Consecration to their Patroness, the Immaculate Conception at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in Washington, D.C., Saturday, November 11, 2006 at twelve noon.

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 04:26:38 GMT

film

Le Grand silence

Die Große Stille

/ Philip Gröning /

Quebec Premiere

9th RIDM

No.	Date/Time	Place
020	Saturday, Nov 11, 2006 19h00	Salle Claude-Jutra — Cinémathèque québécoise, 335, boul de Maisonneuve Est [Métro Berri-UQAM] Montreal
026	Sunday, Nov 12, 2006 15h15	Salle Claude-Jutra — Cinémathèque québécoise, 335, boul de Maisonneuve Est [Métro Berri-UQAM] Montreal

Allemagne / 2005 / 35mm / 162 min / français s.-t.a.

Description: From a distance, one can make out the monastery of the Grande Chartreuse, first built by Saint Bruno in 1084 in a mountain range in the French Prealps. But only from a distance, for no one has been inside the monastery save a few aspiring novices—and filmmaker Philip Gröning, who was granted permission to film in the isolated retreat nearly two decades after his initial request. The result is “a film like a cloud,” in Gröning’s words, “a film that, more than depicting a monastery, becomes a monastery itself.” Exuding an impression of heightened reality and of existence out of time, the film has moments of great visual beauty, with vast landscapes forming a counterpoint to finely observed details like a prie-dieu, a wet paving stone, and glowing embers. It has virtually no words and no music, only silence.

Filmography: The Last Picture Taken (1983), Summer (1986), The Terrorists! (1992), Victims. Witnesses (1993), L’Amour, l’argent, l’amour (2000)

Image: Philip Gröning; editing: Philip Gröning; sound design: Philip Gröning

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 04:27:02 GMT

Portugal: Church Urges "No" Vote to Abortion "It is clear that respect for life is an exigency of Christian morality" to oppose abortion," added Cardinal Policarpo. The cardinal continued: "As it is a precept of Christian morality, it is a grave sin to violate it."

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 04:21:59 GMT

Benedict XVI counseled students of the pontifical universities in Rome to spend time in silence and contemplation, so as not to fall prey to the "inflation" of words. The Holy Father said this on Monday afternoon to the university students who had gathered for the annual Mass celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica to open the academic year. Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, presided over the Mass. Pope John Paul II initiated the annual gathering of university students in the Vatican. Benedict XVI told the students: "In-depth reflection on Christian truths and the study of theology or other religious disciplines presuppose an education in silence and contemplation, as it is necessary to be able to listen with the heart to God who speaks. "Only if they proceed from the silence of contemplation can our words have a certain value and usefulness and not fall into the inflation of the world's speeches which seek the consensus of public opinion. "Therefore, whoever studies in an ecclesiastical institution must be disposed to obedience and truth, and cultivate a certain asceticism of thought and word." The Pontiff added: "This asceticism is based on loving familiarity with the word of God." "Pray: 'Lord, teach us to pray and also to think, to write and to speak,' as these faculties are intimately connected among themselves," the Pope said. Benedict XVI told the students that "apostolate will be fruitful if you nourish your personal relationship with him, tending toward holiness and having as sole objective of your existence the realization of the kingdom of God." Cardinal Grocholewski told the students to never lose sight of God, "source of our talents," which enrich us if we do not accumulate them for ourselves, but orient them to serving the community. Some 15,000 priests, seminarians, men and women religious and lay people from all over the world study in the pontifical universities.

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:13:20 GMT

"Medjugorje? Medjugorje? Medjugorje? Only good things are happening at Medjugorje. People are praying there. People are going to Confession. People are adoring the Eucharist, and people are turning to God. And, only good things seem to be happening at Medjugorje."

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:08:08 GMT

We ask the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to support a swift and complete exit of our troops from Iraqi soil, to urge the world community to deploy UN peacekeeping forces to stabilize Iraq, and to urge the United States and its allies to provide reparations for the rebuilding of the country.

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:04:54 GMT

I can pray even now for the happy death of my great-grandfather