There is an issue here that transcends the United States and is crying to the Heavens to be addressed. Father Andrew Apostoli once told me that Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said,"If the authorities don't clean up the mess in the Church, the Holy Spirit will take the broom and do the job."
From Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Priests 'In Orgy' at Seminary:
"Roman Catholic leaders in Austria called an emergency meeting today after officials discovered a vast cache of photos and videos allegedly depicting young priests having sex at a seminary.
About 40,000 photographs and an undisclosed number of films, including child pornography, were downloaded on computers at the seminary in St Poelten, about 50 miles west of Vienna, the respected news magazine Profil reported.
Officials with the local diocese declined to comment but were meeting privately on the scandal, Austrian state television reported.
It said the seminary's director, the Rev Ulrich Kuechl, and his deputy, Wolfgang Rothe, had resigned.
The Austrian Bishops Conference issued a statement today pledging a full and swift investigation."
Monday, July 12, 2004
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Good Endorsement of Amy's Book
From The Tablet:
"Among the new books that point out the errors in The Da Vinci Code is Amy Welborn's De-coding Da Vinci: The facts behind the fiction of The Da Vinci Code(Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc;, Huntington, Indiana 46750, 124 pp.). I have just finished reading it and I think it is exceptionally good. There is not space in this column to report the numerous errors that Welborn points out in Brown's novel. She has done her homework well. The book is attractively laid out and that, along with Welborn's clear writing, make the book an easy read even though it contains a great deal of information.
Amy Welborn wrote her book to help readers sort out the errors in The Da Vinci Code. She was disturbed by the enthusiasm with which this novel has been received. I am too. What to make of this phenomenon? Welborn writes the following:
"I wrote this book because I wanted to help the curious readers sort through the many interesting issues raised in The Da Vinci Code."
"Among the new books that point out the errors in The Da Vinci Code is Amy Welborn's De-coding Da Vinci: The facts behind the fiction of The Da Vinci Code(Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc;, Huntington, Indiana 46750, 124 pp.). I have just finished reading it and I think it is exceptionally good. There is not space in this column to report the numerous errors that Welborn points out in Brown's novel. She has done her homework well. The book is attractively laid out and that, along with Welborn's clear writing, make the book an easy read even though it contains a great deal of information.
Amy Welborn wrote her book to help readers sort out the errors in The Da Vinci Code. She was disturbed by the enthusiasm with which this novel has been received. I am too. What to make of this phenomenon? Welborn writes the following:
"I wrote this book because I wanted to help the curious readers sort through the many interesting issues raised in The Da Vinci Code."
Friday, July 9, 2004
The View Through The Windshield - Blog - Weblog
Check out The View Through The Windshield - Blog - Weblog:
"Reformation II? The Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon (just across the river from here) became the first Catholic diocese in the country to seek bankruptcy protection because of multimillion-dollar awards given to victims of clergy sex abuse. This action will be followed closely by Catholic dioceses and parishes throughout the U.S. and could result in drastic structural changes to the U.S. Catholic Church."
"Reformation II? The Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon (just across the river from here) became the first Catholic diocese in the country to seek bankruptcy protection because of multimillion-dollar awards given to victims of clergy sex abuse. This action will be followed closely by Catholic dioceses and parishes throughout the U.S. and could result in drastic structural changes to the U.S. Catholic Church."
Toledo to Close 24 Parishes
What is interesting if you go to the original story is the listing of how many parishioners attend each parish. The diocese has a host of parishes that have under 500 parishioners and not many that have a large amount. What has happened to the Catholic Faith in this part of the country?
From toledoblade.com:
"Two dozen of the Toledo Catholic Diocese's 157 parishes are recommended for closure as part of a realignment study designed to consolidate parishes with too few members and assign a dwindling number of priests to no more than two parishes at a time (See Diocesan statistics below).
Bishop Leonard P. Blair will announce the names of parishes involved in the recommended changes in September after a series of meetings with clergy and members of the diocese, church leaders announced yesterday. The bishop will then meet with each affected parish to explain the situation, hear feedback, and announce his final decision on the changes in March, 2005."
From toledoblade.com:
"Two dozen of the Toledo Catholic Diocese's 157 parishes are recommended for closure as part of a realignment study designed to consolidate parishes with too few members and assign a dwindling number of priests to no more than two parishes at a time (See Diocesan statistics below).
Bishop Leonard P. Blair will announce the names of parishes involved in the recommended changes in September after a series of meetings with clergy and members of the diocese, church leaders announced yesterday. The bishop will then meet with each affected parish to explain the situation, hear feedback, and announce his final decision on the changes in March, 2005."
Actor Mistaken for the Real Deal
From Ananova - Jesus actor mistaken for the real deal:
"James Caviezel has been swamped with requests to perform miracles by Mexican fans who believe he really is Jesus Christ.
The 35-year-old actor, who played Jesus in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, was on a one-week tour of the east Mexican state of Veracruz.
According to Mexican newspaper Reforma, dozens of residents from villages throughout the state, one of the poorest in the country, asked Caviezel to heal the sick and perform other miracles as he passed through.
The actor, who is himself a strict Catholic, said: 'The belief of these people really moved me.
'It was a shock for me to see how they came up to me to ask for my help. I had to explain to them that I was only an actor, and wasn't really the son of God.'"
"James Caviezel has been swamped with requests to perform miracles by Mexican fans who believe he really is Jesus Christ.
The 35-year-old actor, who played Jesus in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, was on a one-week tour of the east Mexican state of Veracruz.
According to Mexican newspaper Reforma, dozens of residents from villages throughout the state, one of the poorest in the country, asked Caviezel to heal the sick and perform other miracles as he passed through.
The actor, who is himself a strict Catholic, said: 'The belief of these people really moved me.
'It was a shock for me to see how they came up to me to ask for my help. I had to explain to them that I was only an actor, and wasn't really the son of God.'"
Catastrophic Effects?
Who will win this battle? Will Bin Laden be caught before the election or will he "inflict catastrophic effects"? And what are you and I doing about effecting that result by our prayers?
From The New York Times > Washington > Bin Laden Is Said to Be Organizing for a U.S. Attack:
"Counterterrorism officials have said for weeks that they are increasingly worried by a continuing stream of intelligence suggesting that Al Qaeda wanted to carry out a significant terror attack on United States soil this year. But until the comments of the senior administration officials on Thursday, it was not clear that Mr. bin Laden and top deputies like Ayman Zawahiri were responsible for the concern.
Another senior administration official said on Thursday that the intelligence reports - apparently drawn partly from interviews with captured Qaeda members and partly from other intelligence - referred to efforts 'to inflict catastrophic effects' before the election.
This official said that the reports did not refer specifically to Mr. bin Laden's instructions or desires, but did make clear that instructions were coming from Qaeda leaders. 'It sounds like a corporate effort,' the official said."
From The New York Times > Washington > Bin Laden Is Said to Be Organizing for a U.S. Attack:
"Counterterrorism officials have said for weeks that they are increasingly worried by a continuing stream of intelligence suggesting that Al Qaeda wanted to carry out a significant terror attack on United States soil this year. But until the comments of the senior administration officials on Thursday, it was not clear that Mr. bin Laden and top deputies like Ayman Zawahiri were responsible for the concern.
Another senior administration official said on Thursday that the intelligence reports - apparently drawn partly from interviews with captured Qaeda members and partly from other intelligence - referred to efforts 'to inflict catastrophic effects' before the election.
This official said that the reports did not refer specifically to Mr. bin Laden's instructions or desires, but did make clear that instructions were coming from Qaeda leaders. 'It sounds like a corporate effort,' the official said."
Thursday, July 8, 2004
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