Quoted here are the words of Bishop Victor Galeone of the Diocese of Saint Augustine...
From The Saint Augustine Catholic Online:
In 1962 Archbishop Joseph Rummel of New Orleans excommunicated Judge Leander Perez for attempting to block the desegregation of the school system in the archdiocese. The mainstream and liberal media applauded the archbishop’s action. Racists and segregationists attacked him vehemently. How dare he try to impose his sectarian views on those who held a different opinion on how the schools should be integrated?
In recent months, several Catholic bishops have issued directives forbidding the Eucharist to Catholic politicians who support abortion-on-demand. The media has been quick to respond with scurrilous editorial cartoons and commentaries, castigating those bishops for breaching the wall between church and state. How dare they try to impose their sectarian morality on the rest of the nation?
How does one respond to these charges? First, one should bear in mind that the right to life is not a sectarian Catholic issue – like celibacy for priests or meatless Fridays during Lent. It is a fundamental moral attribute of our humanity. We possess this right not from the state, not from the church, but from God himself. The founders of our nation acknowledged as much when they declared to the British monarch: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (emphasis mine)
Second, the right to life is the foundation of all our other rights. Just as a building without a foundation will ultimately collapse, so too, every other right we enjoy will crumble unless buttressed by this most basic right of all. So a politician of whatever or no religious persuasion at all is bound to respect the right to life of others, including incipient life in the womb.
“But the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that one cannot be sure when human life begins.” That assertion was disingenuous on the part of Justice Harry Blackmun. It’s embryology, not theology, that asserts: “Development is a continuum that begins when an ovum is fertilized by a sperm and ends at death. All the genetic information of the human adult is already present in that single combined cell, the zygote, which definitely marks the beginning of a new individual.” All that is needed for development is time and nourishment, the same components needed by a newborn child.
“Can an avid proponent of abortion-on-demand be at the same time a Catholic in good standing with the church?” I answer that question by asking another: Can an avowed racist be a member in good standing of the NAACP? For similar reasons, there are some positions so extreme that they would bar one from being considered a good Catholic, not because a specifically Catholic teaching is being denied, but because a basic tenet of the natural law is being trashed. As members of the human family, we must obey the natural law, written on our hearts: “You shall not take an innocent life.”
“Are you implying that Holy Communion should be denied to Catholic candidates who espouse abortion-on-demand?” I would hope that those candidates who consistently vote in support of abortion have enough integrity to willingly exclude themselves from receiving the Eucharist. After all, they are supporting a procedure for which the church reserves the penalty of excommunication for those directly involved. Besides, consider what St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:27: “Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in any unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.”
“What about Catholic politicians who support the death penalty? Shouldn’t they refrain from receiving Holy Communion too?” According to church teaching, the state has the right to protect its citizens from unjust aggressors through use of the death penalty. However, at present the church stresses that non-lethal means – namely life-imprisonment – are more in keeping with human dignity, thus making reasons for recourse to the death penalty almost non-existent. Still, the church does not deny that the state continues to have the right to impose the death penalty. Furthermore, although the life issues are all interrelated, not all of them are of equal importance. In 1998, the bishops of the United States issued Living the Gospel of Life, a pastoral letter that stated categorically that the right to life carried more weight than other issues because it served as their moral foundation.
“I still feel that you bishops are meddling in politics.” Abortion is a moral, not a political issue. The United States Constitution does not prohibit a member of the cloth from addressing moral issues. If it did, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would never have achieved all the good that resulted in the area of civil rights. Besides, would not our silence be similar to that of the German clergy who looked the other way while millions of innocent citizens were being herded off to the ovens? And finally, God’s word roundly condemns anyone who tolerates evil. God commands Samuel to inform Eli that his house will be punished “because although he knew that his sons were blaspheming God, he did not reprove them” (1 Sam 3:13). A very similar message is found in the prophet Ezekiel 33:7-9. The lesson from Scripture is clear: Whoever tolerates evil becomes an accomplice in that evil.
Thursday, July 15, 2004
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
The Continuing Saga of Father Christopher Clay
New bishop of Scranton says he is banned from active ministry.
From Times Leader | 07/14/2004 | Suspended or not? Accused ex-local priest's status unclear:
"A former area priest accused of sexual abuse was banned from active ministry, then given the OK to resume that work ... except he wasn't.
Confused? So is the priest's lawyer.
Attorney Greg Magarity says his client, the Rev. Christopher Clay, deserves answers. In 2002, Clay was accused of sexual misconduct and relieved of his duties. But he later received approval to resume active ministry from then-Bishop James Timlin.
Yet according to Diocese of Scranton spokeswoman Maria Orzel, Bishop Joseph Martino, who replaced Timlin last year, still bans Clay from active ministry. On Tuesday, Orzel said the ban is intact because a diocesan investigation is 'ongoing.'"
From Times Leader | 07/14/2004 | Suspended or not? Accused ex-local priest's status unclear:
"A former area priest accused of sexual abuse was banned from active ministry, then given the OK to resume that work ... except he wasn't.
Confused? So is the priest's lawyer.
Attorney Greg Magarity says his client, the Rev. Christopher Clay, deserves answers. In 2002, Clay was accused of sexual misconduct and relieved of his duties. But he later received approval to resume active ministry from then-Bishop James Timlin.
Yet according to Diocese of Scranton spokeswoman Maria Orzel, Bishop Joseph Martino, who replaced Timlin last year, still bans Clay from active ministry. On Tuesday, Orzel said the ban is intact because a diocesan investigation is 'ongoing.'"
Pope Writing New Book
From Zenit News Agency - The World Seen From Rome:
John Paul II is writing yet another book, this time on philosophical and existential reflections, says an aide.
The process of the writing "is quite advanced," said Father Pawel Ptasznik, head of the Polish section of the Vatican Secretariat of State, in an interview with the Polish Catholic news agency KAI.
Yet, "it is a long process and one must not expect the publication to be imminent," the priest said.
"In regard to the content, I can say that the news, according to which he will address above all the problems of totalitarianism, is not true," Father Ptasznik added.
"It is an open secret that for years Father Jozef Tischner" -- a philosopher and friend of the Pope -- "suggested to the Sovereign Pontiff an interview on philosophical and existential topics," Father Ptasnik said. "If I am not mistaken, this interview took place in the summer of 1984, and it was recorded."
John Paul II is writing yet another book, this time on philosophical and existential reflections, says an aide.
The process of the writing "is quite advanced," said Father Pawel Ptasznik, head of the Polish section of the Vatican Secretariat of State, in an interview with the Polish Catholic news agency KAI.
Yet, "it is a long process and one must not expect the publication to be imminent," the priest said.
"In regard to the content, I can say that the news, according to which he will address above all the problems of totalitarianism, is not true," Father Ptasznik added.
"It is an open secret that for years Father Jozef Tischner" -- a philosopher and friend of the Pope -- "suggested to the Sovereign Pontiff an interview on philosophical and existential topics," Father Ptasnik said. "If I am not mistaken, this interview took place in the summer of 1984, and it was recorded."
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Augustine Day by Day
An ongoing series at Fides, Cogitatio, Actio:
"'You who do not yet see God will, by loving your neighbor, make yourself worthy of seeing him. By loving your neighbor, you cleanse your eyes so you can see God. Love your neighbor, then, and see within yourself the source of this love of neighbor. There you will see God insofar as you are able.'
-- Sermon on John 17, 8"
"'You who do not yet see God will, by loving your neighbor, make yourself worthy of seeing him. By loving your neighbor, you cleanse your eyes so you can see God. Love your neighbor, then, and see within yourself the source of this love of neighbor. There you will see God insofar as you are able.'
-- Sermon on John 17, 8"
Survey Reveals Influence of The Passion of the Christ
Interesting, though not surprising who gave it the lowest rating.
From :
"As might have been expected, evangelicals were the most enthusiastic about the movie (89% said the movie was excellent) while the lowest ratings came from atheists and agnostics, homosexuals and liberal Democrats. Protestants were more likely than Catholics to give The Passion an "excellent" rating (78% versus 68%, respectively)."
From :
"As might have been expected, evangelicals were the most enthusiastic about the movie (89% said the movie was excellent) while the lowest ratings came from atheists and agnostics, homosexuals and liberal Democrats. Protestants were more likely than Catholics to give The Passion an "excellent" rating (78% versus 68%, respectively)."
A Seeker's Dozen: The 12 Steps for Everyone Else
Kathy Shaidle's book...
A Seeker's Dozen: The 12 Steps for Everyone Else > Relapsed Catholic Store | CafePress: "A Seeker's Dozen: The 12 Steps for Everyone Else"
A Seeker's Dozen: The 12 Steps for Everyone Else > Relapsed Catholic Store | CafePress: "A Seeker's Dozen: The 12 Steps for Everyone Else"
Cardinal Ratzinger says he, U.S. bishops 'in harmony' on politics
From CNS STORY: Cardinal Ratzinger says he, U.S. bishops 'in harmony' on politics:
"Following a rash of news reports claiming the U.S. bishops defied Vatican Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger on the question of withholding Communion from Catholic politicians whose actions conflict with church teaching on abortion, Cardinal Ratzinger said the bishops' statement on the issue 'is very much in harmony' with his recently leaked memo on the topic.
In a letter dated July 9 and made public July 12 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the bishops' June 18 statement, titled 'Catholics in Political Life,' 'is very much in harmony with the general principles (of) 'Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion.''"
"Following a rash of news reports claiming the U.S. bishops defied Vatican Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger on the question of withholding Communion from Catholic politicians whose actions conflict with church teaching on abortion, Cardinal Ratzinger said the bishops' statement on the issue 'is very much in harmony' with his recently leaked memo on the topic.
In a letter dated July 9 and made public July 12 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said the bishops' June 18 statement, titled 'Catholics in Political Life,' 'is very much in harmony with the general principles (of) 'Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion.''"
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