From Times Against Humanity O tempora, o mores!:
"Reuters reports today that the Florida Supreme Court has refused to reconsider its 7-0 ruling overturning Terri's Law, a state statute supported by Gov. Jeb Bush that put a halt to the forced fatal starvation of Terri Schindler Schiavo by her unfaithful husband.
In a 4-3 opinion, the court rejected a request by Bush's attorneys to rehear the case. The court ruled unanimously last month against the hastily crafted law that prevented Michael Schiavo from withholding food and water from his wife, Terri. She has been on life support since suffering a heart attack in 1990.
It is not known what action Gov. Bush will take next to continue to protect Terri's life from Florida's killer courts. According to Bush spokeswoman Jill Bratina, 'Our lawyers are looking at the legal options before us. We will be looking to make a decision on our next step very soon,' possibly today."
Friday, October 22, 2004
Faith and Patriotism
Archbishop Chaput in the The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Contributor: Faith and Patriotism:
"The theologian Karl Barth once said, 'To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.'
That saying comes to mind as the election approaches and I hear more lectures about how Roman Catholics must not 'impose their beliefs on society' or warnings about the need for 'the separation of church and state.' These are two of the emptiest slogans in current American politics, intended to discourage serious debate. No one in mainstream American politics wants a theocracy. Nor does anyone doubt the importance of morality in public life. Therefore, we should recognize these slogans for what they are: frequently dishonest and ultimately dangerous sound bites.
Lawmaking inevitably involves some group imposing its beliefs on the rest of us. That's the nature of the democratic process. If we say that we 'ought' to do something, we are making a moral judgment. When our legislators turn that judgment into law, somebody's ought becomes a 'must' for the whole of society. This is not inherently dangerous; it's how pluralism works.
Democracy depends on people of conviction expressing their views, confidently and without embarrassment. This give-and-take is an American tradition, and religious believers play a vital role in it. We don't serve our country - in fact we weaken it intellectually - if we downplay our principles or fail to speak forcefully out of some misguided sense of good manners.
People who support permissive abortion laws have no qualms about imposing their views on society. Often working against popular opinion, they have tried to block any effort to change permissive abortion laws since the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. That's fair. That's their right. But why should the rules of engagement be different for citizens who oppose those laws?
"
"The theologian Karl Barth once said, 'To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.'
That saying comes to mind as the election approaches and I hear more lectures about how Roman Catholics must not 'impose their beliefs on society' or warnings about the need for 'the separation of church and state.' These are two of the emptiest slogans in current American politics, intended to discourage serious debate. No one in mainstream American politics wants a theocracy. Nor does anyone doubt the importance of morality in public life. Therefore, we should recognize these slogans for what they are: frequently dishonest and ultimately dangerous sound bites.
Lawmaking inevitably involves some group imposing its beliefs on the rest of us. That's the nature of the democratic process. If we say that we 'ought' to do something, we are making a moral judgment. When our legislators turn that judgment into law, somebody's ought becomes a 'must' for the whole of society. This is not inherently dangerous; it's how pluralism works.
Democracy depends on people of conviction expressing their views, confidently and without embarrassment. This give-and-take is an American tradition, and religious believers play a vital role in it. We don't serve our country - in fact we weaken it intellectually - if we downplay our principles or fail to speak forcefully out of some misguided sense of good manners.
People who support permissive abortion laws have no qualms about imposing their views on society. Often working against popular opinion, they have tried to block any effort to change permissive abortion laws since the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. That's fair. That's their right. But why should the rules of engagement be different for citizens who oppose those laws?
"
Elderly Alabama Monk Indicted in 1970 Rape
From al.com: NewsFlash - Elderly Alabama monk indicted in 1970 sexual assault:
Grand jurors indicted an 82-year-old monk in an alleged rape in 1970 that a would-be nun said occurred at St. Bernard's Abbey but wasn't reported for decades.
Benedictine monk Ignatius Kane was arrested Oct. 10 on a charge of first-degree rape.
Defense lawyer Rusty Turner said Kane is back at the abbey after being released from jail on $30,000 bond.
"We'll mount a vigorous defense and we believe he'll be exonerated," said Turner.
Kane had polio as a child and has been confined by health problems, including a stroke. Formerly the abbey librarian, Kane is now mostly bedridden.
Anne McInnis, 55, of Memphis, Tenn., said Kane raped her in the abbey library in 1970 at a retreat to consider whether she should become a nun. She told her story publicly in The Birmingham News last year but said she did not report the assault to anyone in 1970.
Grand jurors indicted an 82-year-old monk in an alleged rape in 1970 that a would-be nun said occurred at St. Bernard's Abbey but wasn't reported for decades.
Benedictine monk Ignatius Kane was arrested Oct. 10 on a charge of first-degree rape.
Defense lawyer Rusty Turner said Kane is back at the abbey after being released from jail on $30,000 bond.
"We'll mount a vigorous defense and we believe he'll be exonerated," said Turner.
Kane had polio as a child and has been confined by health problems, including a stroke. Formerly the abbey librarian, Kane is now mostly bedridden.
Anne McInnis, 55, of Memphis, Tenn., said Kane raped her in the abbey library in 1970 at a retreat to consider whether she should become a nun. She told her story publicly in The Birmingham News last year but said she did not report the assault to anyone in 1970.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Message for the 20th World Youth Day
From Message for the 20th World Youth Day:
"The Magi found Jesus at 'Beth-lehem' which means 'house of bread'. In the humble stable in Bethlehem on some straw lay the 'grain of wheat' who, by dying, would bring forth 'much fruit' (cf Jn 12:24). When speaking of Himself and His saving mission in the course of His public life, Jesus would later use the image of bread. He would say 'I am the bread of life', 'I am the bread which came down from heaven', 'the bread that I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh'. (Jn 6: 35.41.51)."
"The Magi found Jesus at 'Beth-lehem' which means 'house of bread'. In the humble stable in Bethlehem on some straw lay the 'grain of wheat' who, by dying, would bring forth 'much fruit' (cf Jn 12:24). When speaking of Himself and His saving mission in the course of His public life, Jesus would later use the image of bread. He would say 'I am the bread of life', 'I am the bread which came down from heaven', 'the bread that I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh'. (Jn 6: 35.41.51)."
The Difference Between Pat Robertson and the Pope
One tells Bush not to go to war, the other tells him to prepare the American people for the loss of more American lives.
From CNN.com - No casualties? White House disputes Robertson comment - Oct 20, 2004:
"A White House spokesman denied Wednesday that President Bush told Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson that he did not expect casualties from the invasion of Iraq.
'The president never made such a comment,' White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.
Senior Bush campaign adviser Karen Hughes, a longtime confidant of the president, said she was 'certain' Bush would not have said anything like that to Robertson.
'Perhaps he misunderstood, but I've never heard the president say any such thing,' Hughes said on CNN's 'Inside Politics.'"
From CNN.com - No casualties? White House disputes Robertson comment - Oct 20, 2004:
"A White House spokesman denied Wednesday that President Bush told Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson that he did not expect casualties from the invasion of Iraq.
'The president never made such a comment,' White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.
Senior Bush campaign adviser Karen Hughes, a longtime confidant of the president, said she was 'certain' Bush would not have said anything like that to Robertson.
'Perhaps he misunderstood, but I've never heard the president say any such thing,' Hughes said on CNN's 'Inside Politics.'"
New Bishop for Salina
From the Vatican Information Service:
Appointed Fr. Paul S. Coakley of the clergy of Wichita, U.S.A., and vice chancellor and administrator of the Church of the Magdalen, as bishop of Salina (area 69,087, population 325,112, Catholics 48,510, priests 80, religious 219), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born 1955 in Norfolk, U.S.A. and was ordained a priest in 1983. He succeeds Bishop George K. Fitzsimons whose resignation the Pope accepted upon having reached the age limit.
Appointed Fr. Paul S. Coakley of the clergy of Wichita, U.S.A., and vice chancellor and administrator of the Church of the Magdalen, as bishop of Salina (area 69,087, population 325,112, Catholics 48,510, priests 80, religious 219), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born 1955 in Norfolk, U.S.A. and was ordained a priest in 1983. He succeeds Bishop George K. Fitzsimons whose resignation the Pope accepted upon having reached the age limit.
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