Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay has announced the end of a moratorium on local collections for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development because of policy changes aimed at preventing grants to groups whose actions contradict Catholic teaching.
"I am confident that we have the necessary checks in place that will help us to be better informed and assist us in discerning grant requests properly," Bishop Ricken said in his seven-page Feb. 16 pastoral statement.
The bishop noted "significant disagreement" about some of the campaign's grants. Though the campaign has done "much good," a few organizations that received its funds acted in conflict with Catholic teaching or had direct connections to coalitions which acted in contradiction to Catholic principles of social justice.
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he will no longer defend DOMA
President Barrack Obama has announced that he will no longer defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court, while at the same time claiming that he continues to oppose homosexual "marriage."
In a press release issued today, Attorney General Eric Holder said, "the President has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny."
"The President has also concluded that Section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional. Given that conclusion, the President has instructed the Department not to defend the statute in such cases. I fully concur with the President's determination," he added.
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In a press release issued today, Attorney General Eric Holder said, "the President has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny."
"The President has also concluded that Section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional. Given that conclusion, the President has instructed the Department not to defend the statute in such cases. I fully concur with the President's determination," he added.
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Guinness World Record Medal
Pope Benedict XVI greeted 28-year-old Jessica Cox following his March 23 general audience. Cox, a pilot, earned a Guinness World Record in 2008 for being the first woman to fly an airplane using only her feet.
Cox earned the award and official medal in October 2008. She presented the medal to the Pope "to bear witness to the value of life always and everywhere, in every condition," L'Osservatore Romano reported.
Cox was born in 1983 without arms in Arizona. Though doctors could not explain her condition, she became involved in gymnastics, dance, singing, tae kwon-do and swimming. She obtained her degree in psychology and can drive her own car without assistance.
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Cox earned the award and official medal in October 2008. She presented the medal to the Pope "to bear witness to the value of life always and everywhere, in every condition," L'Osservatore Romano reported.
Cox was born in 1983 without arms in Arizona. Though doctors could not explain her condition, she became involved in gymnastics, dance, singing, tae kwon-do and swimming. She obtained her degree in psychology and can drive her own car without assistance.
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crucifixes are acceptable in public school
Crucifixes in public school classrooms do not violate a student's freedom of conscience, a European high court ruled in a verdict welcomed by the Vatican in its campaign to remind the continent of its Christian roots.
The case was brought by a Finnish-born woman living in Italy who objected to the crucifixes in her children's classrooms, arguing they violated the secular principles public schools are supposed to uphold. The debate divided Europe's traditional Catholic and Orthodox countries and their more secular neighbours that observe a strict separation between church and state.
Initially, the Strasbourg, France-based European Court of Human Rights sided with the mother. Italy appealed, supported by more than a dozen countries including the late Pope John Paul II's predominantly Catholic Poland, and won.
Friday's reversal has implications in 47 countries, opening the way for Europeans who want religious symbols in classrooms to petition their governments to allow them.
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The case was brought by a Finnish-born woman living in Italy who objected to the crucifixes in her children's classrooms, arguing they violated the secular principles public schools are supposed to uphold. The debate divided Europe's traditional Catholic and Orthodox countries and their more secular neighbours that observe a strict separation between church and state.
Initially, the Strasbourg, France-based European Court of Human Rights sided with the mother. Italy appealed, supported by more than a dozen countries including the late Pope John Paul II's predominantly Catholic Poland, and won.
Friday's reversal has implications in 47 countries, opening the way for Europeans who want religious symbols in classrooms to petition their governments to allow them.
-Read More...
His 'Divine Glory,' Pope Benedict Explains
The Transfiguration reveals Christ's divinity and shows that he alone is the true home of the Christian, Pope Benedict XVI told thousands of Catholics gathered for the Sunday Angelus.
Speaking from the balcony of his apartment, the Pope discussed the passage from Matthew 17 in which Jesus leads Peter, James and John up a high mountain where Christ is then transfigured before them. "His face shone like the sun and his garments became white as light," the Gospel reads.
"According to the senses, the light of the sun is the most intense ever known in nature," Benedict XVI noted. "But according to the spirit, the disciples saw for a short time a brightness more intense: that of the divine glory of Jesus, which illuminates the whole history of salvation."
Speaking from the balcony of his apartment, the Pope discussed the passage from Matthew 17 in which Jesus leads Peter, James and John up a high mountain where Christ is then transfigured before them. "His face shone like the sun and his garments became white as light," the Gospel reads.
"According to the senses, the light of the sun is the most intense ever known in nature," Benedict XVI noted. "But according to the spirit, the disciples saw for a short time a brightness more intense: that of the divine glory of Jesus, which illuminates the whole history of salvation."
"This is My Body"
Since Christ Himself has said, "This is My Body" who shall dare to doubt that It is His Body?
– St. Cyril of Jerusalem
– St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Food of the Day
For prayer to be effective, our petitions should be for benefits worthily to be expected from God.
-- St. Thomas Aquinas
-- St. Thomas Aquinas
Food of the Day
A third path of repentance consists of prayer that is fervent, careful and comes from the heart. A fourth path of repentance is almsgiving, whose power is great and far-reaching. A fifth way, moreover, if a man lives a modest humble life, takes away sin.
-- St. John Chrysostom
-- St. John Chrysostom
Food of the Day
The field of battle between God and Satan is the human soul. It is in the soul that the battle rages every moment of life. The soul must give free access to the Lord so that it may be fortified by Him in every repect and with all kinds of weapons; that His light may enlighten it to combat the darkness of error; that it may be clothed with Jesus Christ. To be clothed with Jesus Christ it is necessary to die to oneself. That which comes from Satan begins with calmness and ends in storm, indifference, and apathy. In the spiritual life he who does not advance goes backward. It happens as with a boat which always must go ahead. If it stands still the wind blows it back. Fix the time, the length of your meditation, and do not rise from your place until you have finished even at the cost of being crucified.
-- Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
-- Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
Archbishop Gomez on the Pope's Book
Archbishop Jose Gomez has a piece in the latest Tidings, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, focusing on Benedict's new book. This is fantastic stuff! Would that all Catholic bishops would write to their faithful about the need to follow Benedict's example of Scripture study!
Pope Benedict's attempt to implement the Catholic biblical renewal envisioned by the Second Vatican Council will be alive and well in L.A. with a archbishop like this.
I've put in bold some of my favorite parts, but I must admit, I could have put almost the whole thing in bold!
I am starting to read Pope Benedict XVI's new book, "Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection" (Ignatius Press, $25).
This is the second volume of our Holy Father's proposed trilogy on the life and message of Jesus. It is a scholarly work that is beautifully written, deeply spiritual, and inspires meditation and prayer.
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Pope Benedict's attempt to implement the Catholic biblical renewal envisioned by the Second Vatican Council will be alive and well in L.A. with a archbishop like this.
I've put in bold some of my favorite parts, but I must admit, I could have put almost the whole thing in bold!
I am starting to read Pope Benedict XVI's new book, "Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection" (Ignatius Press, $25).
This is the second volume of our Holy Father's proposed trilogy on the life and message of Jesus. It is a scholarly work that is beautifully written, deeply spiritual, and inspires meditation and prayer.
-Read More...
Sharia Law Gains Foothold in US
Last week, Judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff, a federal district court judge in Michigan, dismissed a constitutional challenge to the U.S. Government's bailout of AIG, which used over a hundred million dollars in federal tax money to support Islamic religious indoctrination through the funding and promotion of Sharia-compliant financing (SCF). SCF is financing that follows the dictates of Islamic law.
The challenge was brought by the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and co-counsel David Yerushalmi, on behalf of Kevin Murray, a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraqi War. TMLC filed a notice of appeal immediately after the ruling and will be seeking review of the decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
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The challenge was brought by the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and co-counsel David Yerushalmi, on behalf of Kevin Murray, a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraqi War. TMLC filed a notice of appeal immediately after the ruling and will be seeking review of the decision in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
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Food of the Day
O wondrous vision, which makes us contemplate the human race in the unity of its origin in God. . . in the unity of its nature, composed equally in all men of a material body and a spiritual soul; in the unity of its immediate end and its mission in the world; in the unity of its dwelling, the earth, whose benefits all men, by right of nature, may use to sustain and develop life; in the unity of its supernatural end: God Himself, to whom all ought to tend; in the unity of the means for attaining this end;. . . in the unity of the redemption wrought by Christ for all.
-- Pius XII. Encyclical, Summi pontificatus 3
-- Pius XII. Encyclical, Summi pontificatus 3
Same-Sex Marriage Threaten Democracy
The Obama administration’s refusal to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court is “an egregious violation of the separation of powers” that “puts the future prospects of our democracy at stake,” according to Bishop Salvatore Cordileone of Oakland.
The bishop-- who leads the US bishops’ ad hoc committee for the defense of marriage-- wrote in a diocesan newspaper column that
it is a curious irony that in this moment of history, when people in a number of countries in the Middle East are agitating for change from dictatorship to democracy, here in our own country, the oldest democracy with a written constitution in the world, there is a movement of the ruling class toward taking more and more power into its own hands. The flashpoint for this movement? The hot-button issue of our day: marriage.
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The bishop-- who leads the US bishops’ ad hoc committee for the defense of marriage-- wrote in a diocesan newspaper column that
it is a curious irony that in this moment of history, when people in a number of countries in the Middle East are agitating for change from dictatorship to democracy, here in our own country, the oldest democracy with a written constitution in the world, there is a movement of the ruling class toward taking more and more power into its own hands. The flashpoint for this movement? The hot-button issue of our day: marriage.
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Crucifixes In Italian Schools
The European Human Rights Court will issue a ruling March 18 on whether crucifixes should be present in the public schools of Italy.
The European court issued a ruling in November 2009 in favor of a mother who claimed the crucifixes "weren't in harmony" with the way she wanted her two daughters to be educated.
Although the crucifix could be "encouraging" for some pupils, the court said, it could be "emotionally disturbing" for pupils of other religions or those who profess no religion. The court said the state has an obligation to refrain from "imposing beliefs, even indirectly, in places where persons are dependent on it or in places where they are particularly vulnerable."
Italy then launched an appeal against the decision in June 2010, noting that the presence of crucifixes in the classroom does not amount to government-sponsored religion.
The court will issue its final ruling on March 18.
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The European court issued a ruling in November 2009 in favor of a mother who claimed the crucifixes "weren't in harmony" with the way she wanted her two daughters to be educated.
Although the crucifix could be "encouraging" for some pupils, the court said, it could be "emotionally disturbing" for pupils of other religions or those who profess no religion. The court said the state has an obligation to refrain from "imposing beliefs, even indirectly, in places where persons are dependent on it or in places where they are particularly vulnerable."
Italy then launched an appeal against the decision in June 2010, noting that the presence of crucifixes in the classroom does not amount to government-sponsored religion.
The court will issue its final ruling on March 18.
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USCCB condemns pro-homosexual 'Catholic' group
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) warned Catholics this week against the self-identified "Catholic" group New Ways Ministry's position on homosexuality.
In a statement from the USCCB, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington and chairman of the Committee on Doctrine, condemned the group's newly published booklet entitled "Marriage Equality: A Positive Catholic Approach," written by the group's executive director Francis DeBernardo.
"In no manner is the position proposed by New Ways Ministry in conformity with Catholic teaching, and in no manner is this organization authorized to speak on behalf of the Catholic Church or to identify itself as a Catholic organization," wrote Wuerl.
Archbishop Wuerl affirmed Cardinal Francis George's statement of last year, while he was acting as president of the USCCB, regarding New Ways Ministry.
"I wish to make it clear that, like other groups that claim to be Catholic but deny central aspects of Church teaching, New Ways Ministry has no approval or recognition from the Catholic Church and that they cannot speak on behalf of the Catholic faithful in the United States," said the cardinal.
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In a statement from the USCCB, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington and chairman of the Committee on Doctrine, condemned the group's newly published booklet entitled "Marriage Equality: A Positive Catholic Approach," written by the group's executive director Francis DeBernardo.
"In no manner is the position proposed by New Ways Ministry in conformity with Catholic teaching, and in no manner is this organization authorized to speak on behalf of the Catholic Church or to identify itself as a Catholic organization," wrote Wuerl.
Archbishop Wuerl affirmed Cardinal Francis George's statement of last year, while he was acting as president of the USCCB, regarding New Ways Ministry.
"I wish to make it clear that, like other groups that claim to be Catholic but deny central aspects of Church teaching, New Ways Ministry has no approval or recognition from the Catholic Church and that they cannot speak on behalf of the Catholic faithful in the United States," said the cardinal.
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'Marriage Equality' Is Not Catholic
The U.S. bishops have said that a new booklet advocating "marriage equality" for same-sex couples by a self-identified Catholic group strongly contradicts Church teaching.
In "no manner is this organization authorized to speak on behalf of the Catholic Church," Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C. said March 11, The cardinal was specifically referring to a new pamphlet released by the controversial New Ways Ministry - an organization that claims Catholic support for homosexual "marriage."
The booklet titled "Marriage Equality: a positive Catholic approach" was authored and released this month by New Ways Ministry's executive director Francis DeBernardo.
DeBernardo argued that the "full" Catholic position on same-sex "marriage" is not represented solely by bishops within the Church.
"When dealing with lesbian and gay issues, a relatively new area of Church discussion on whichthere is so much debate," DeBernardo wrote, "the bishops may not yet be able to discern what the Catholic community believes."
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In "no manner is this organization authorized to speak on behalf of the Catholic Church," Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C. said March 11, The cardinal was specifically referring to a new pamphlet released by the controversial New Ways Ministry - an organization that claims Catholic support for homosexual "marriage."
The booklet titled "Marriage Equality: a positive Catholic approach" was authored and released this month by New Ways Ministry's executive director Francis DeBernardo.
DeBernardo argued that the "full" Catholic position on same-sex "marriage" is not represented solely by bishops within the Church.
"When dealing with lesbian and gay issues, a relatively new area of Church discussion on whichthere is so much debate," DeBernardo wrote, "the bishops may not yet be able to discern what the Catholic community believes."
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Paid For An Abortion
The Archdiocese of Barcelona announced it has opened an inquiry to "verify" whether Fr. Manel Pousa incurred automatic excommunication when he paid for an abortion.
In the book, "Father Manel: Closer to the Earth than to Heaven," which was released on Feb. 28, Fr. Manel says he previously "blessed" same-sex unions between prison inmates and that he supports "voluntary" celibacy and women priests.
He also admits that he paid for an abortion. Until now, he adds, his actions were only met with a warning from the Archbishop of Barcelona, Cardinal Lluis Martinez Sistach.
On March 8, the cardinal issued a brief statement summoning the priest to "speak personally with him about some of the content of this book and to make whatever decisions are appropriate."
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In the book, "Father Manel: Closer to the Earth than to Heaven," which was released on Feb. 28, Fr. Manel says he previously "blessed" same-sex unions between prison inmates and that he supports "voluntary" celibacy and women priests.
He also admits that he paid for an abortion. Until now, he adds, his actions were only met with a warning from the Archbishop of Barcelona, Cardinal Lluis Martinez Sistach.
On March 8, the cardinal issued a brief statement summoning the priest to "speak personally with him about some of the content of this book and to make whatever decisions are appropriate."
-Read More...
Food of the Day
Some say it is unreasonable to be courteous and gentle with a reckless person who insults you for no reason at all. I have made a pact with my tongue; not to speak when my heart is disturbed.
-- St. Francis de Sales
-- St. Francis de Sales
First Sunday of Lent
The readings for today’s Mass are exceptionally rich and could be the subject of several weeks' worth of lectures, so we will have to limit ourselves today to a few central themes.
(Disclaimer to my students: many of you have heard this before. In fact, all of this is in the tradition. I claim no originality.)
The First Reading is the account of the Fall, in which Eve, followed by Adam, gives in to temptation by eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The classic scriptural formulation of the nature of temptation is found in 1 John 2:15-16:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.
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(Disclaimer to my students: many of you have heard this before. In fact, all of this is in the tradition. I claim no originality.)
The First Reading is the account of the Fall, in which Eve, followed by Adam, gives in to temptation by eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The classic scriptural formulation of the nature of temptation is found in 1 John 2:15-16:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.
-Read More...
Food of the Day
Our wish, our object, our chief preoccupation must be to form Jesus in ourselves, to make his spirit, his devotion, his affections, his desires, and his disposition live and reign there. All our religious exercises should be directed to this end. It is the work which God has given us to do unceasingly.
--
St. John Eudes
--
St. John Eudes
Traditional Marriage Law
The House of Representatives has determined that its legal counsel will support the Defense of Marriage Act against legal challenges, following the Obama administration's announcement that it now regards the law as unconstitutional.
On March 9, a five-member House advisory panel voted to mount a defense of the law, which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
The bipartisan panel has the authority to advise the non-partisan General Counsel in taking legal action on behalf of the House of Representatives.
"After consultation with the Bipartisan Leadership Advisory Group, the House General Counsel has been directed to initiate a legal defense of this law," said House Speaker John Boehner (R - Ohio) in a March 9 statement.
- Read more...
On March 9, a five-member House advisory panel voted to mount a defense of the law, which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
The bipartisan panel has the authority to advise the non-partisan General Counsel in taking legal action on behalf of the House of Representatives.
"After consultation with the Bipartisan Leadership Advisory Group, the House General Counsel has been directed to initiate a legal defense of this law," said House Speaker John Boehner (R - Ohio) in a March 9 statement.
- Read more...
Food of the Day
Let us detach ourselves in spirit from all that we see and cling to that which we believe. This is the cross which we must imprint on all our daily actions and behavior.
--
St. Peter Damian
--
St. Peter Damian
Food of the Day
Of us God demands purity of heart, that purity which is the life of the soul. He wants besides, since we possess no virtues worthy of Him, a deep respect and true humility. Let us say to Him: " Lord I am not worthy to receive Thee. Depart from me, for I am a miserable sinner!" This conviction makes up for our shortcomings. Our Lord is content with it and, when he comes to us, He will give us all that we lack. Let us simply be faithful, humble, and confident. He will do the rest.
--
St. Peter Eymard
--
St. Peter Eymard
Officials Worry About Revolution
A Chinese woman who protested the country's strict one-child policy was re-arrested and taken to an unknown labor camp after she was initially released from a different facility one day earlier on medical parole.
Fifty year-old Mao Hengfeng, who lives in Shanghai, was seized by over 10 security agents from her home on Feb. 23 and transported to an undisclosed labor camp. The move is being seen as the latest effort by the Chinese government to suppress suspected dissidents, following online calls for a Jasmine-style revolution.
Her husband, Wu Xuewei, told Reuters that officials gave him a photocopy of a written notice that claimed his wife had taken part in "illegal activities." Wu said the charges are completely unfounded, given that in the 24 hours she was home, their house was under constant guard by the police.
"We are very worried," he added. "We don't know where she is."
read more
Fifty year-old Mao Hengfeng, who lives in Shanghai, was seized by over 10 security agents from her home on Feb. 23 and transported to an undisclosed labor camp. The move is being seen as the latest effort by the Chinese government to suppress suspected dissidents, following online calls for a Jasmine-style revolution.
Her husband, Wu Xuewei, told Reuters that officials gave him a photocopy of a written notice that claimed his wife had taken part in "illegal activities." Wu said the charges are completely unfounded, given that in the 24 hours she was home, their house was under constant guard by the police.
"We are very worried," he added. "We don't know where she is."
read more
Pro-Abortion Politicians
The bishops of New York State will not deny Holy Communion to politicians who support abortion and same-sex marriage, according to Bishop Howard Hubbard of Albany.
“Some bishops have done that but not all bishops have done that,” he said. “Quite frankly, there is a disagreement among bishops about using the communion line as a place for a confrontation. And I don’t think that the bishops of New York State feel that’s appropriate.”
Canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law states that those “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.” In 2000, the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, authoritatively interpreting the canon, declared that parish priests must deny Holy Communion to those who have remarried outside the Church if they persist in seeking Holy Communion following a warning.
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“Some bishops have done that but not all bishops have done that,” he said. “Quite frankly, there is a disagreement among bishops about using the communion line as a place for a confrontation. And I don’t think that the bishops of New York State feel that’s appropriate.”
Canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law states that those “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.” In 2000, the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, authoritatively interpreting the canon, declared that parish priests must deny Holy Communion to those who have remarried outside the Church if they persist in seeking Holy Communion following a warning.
read more
Pope's New Book
Pope Benedict XVI's new book "Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week" addresses misunderstandings about Jesus and helps renew the study of the Bible, a panel of scholars said at a March 9 preview event.
Dr. Brant Pitre, a Catholic professor of Sacred Scripture at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, La., said he was "very excited" about the "unprecedented" nature of the work.
"Never before have we had a reigning Pope write a full-length book of the life of Jesus," he commented at a March 9 telephone press conference with scholars from Catholic, Protestant and Jewish backgrounds.
The book, released by Ignatius Press on March 10, is the second volume in an intended series of three. It examines the final week of Jesus' earthly life and the historical and theological questions surrounding his death.
read more
Dr. Brant Pitre, a Catholic professor of Sacred Scripture at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, La., said he was "very excited" about the "unprecedented" nature of the work.
"Never before have we had a reigning Pope write a full-length book of the life of Jesus," he commented at a March 9 telephone press conference with scholars from Catholic, Protestant and Jewish backgrounds.
The book, released by Ignatius Press on March 10, is the second volume in an intended series of three. It examines the final week of Jesus' earthly life and the historical and theological questions surrounding his death.
read more
Ongoing Support And Assistance For Priests
This morning in the Vatican Benedict XVI received a group of prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.
Addressing them in English, the Pope mentioned the pastoral challenges confronting the country. "Among them, one of the most important is the task of ongoing catechetical formation. The deep personal piety of your people needs to be nourished and supported by a profound understanding of and appreciation for the teachings of the Church in matters of faith and morals. Indeed, these elements are required in order for the human heart to give its full and proper response to God", he said.
The Holy Father likewise called on the bishops not to fail to include "outreach to families" in their catechesis, "with particular care for parents in their role as the first educators of their children in the faith".
Addressing them in English, the Pope mentioned the pastoral challenges confronting the country. "Among them, one of the most important is the task of ongoing catechetical formation. The deep personal piety of your people needs to be nourished and supported by a profound understanding of and appreciation for the teachings of the Church in matters of faith and morals. Indeed, these elements are required in order for the human heart to give its full and proper response to God", he said.
The Holy Father likewise called on the bishops not to fail to include "outreach to families" in their catechesis, "with particular care for parents in their role as the first educators of their children in the faith".
Divorce' Registered In Mexico
The first "divorce" between a lesbian couple has been registered in the Mexican city of Piedras Negras, located on the Mexico-Texas border.
The divorce between Maria Marcela Orozco, 38, and Sandra Elvira Nava Jimenez, 45, was the first of its kind in Mexico, reported the newspaper Milenio. The Mexican State of Coahuila, in which Piedras Negras is located, legalized civil unions for same-sex couples in January 2007.
The pair divorced over accusations of infidelity and financial mismanagement.
President of the Mexican Institute on Sexual Orientation, Oscar Rivas Lozano, explained to CNA Feb. 28 that according to the organization's statistics, "Homosexual unions tend not to last as long as heterosexual ones."
One of the reasons for the high rate of break-ups among same-sex couples is that "infidelity is three times higher than among heterosexual couples," Rivas Lozano said.
The divorce between Maria Marcela Orozco, 38, and Sandra Elvira Nava Jimenez, 45, was the first of its kind in Mexico, reported the newspaper Milenio. The Mexican State of Coahuila, in which Piedras Negras is located, legalized civil unions for same-sex couples in January 2007.
The pair divorced over accusations of infidelity and financial mismanagement.
President of the Mexican Institute on Sexual Orientation, Oscar Rivas Lozano, explained to CNA Feb. 28 that according to the organization's statistics, "Homosexual unions tend not to last as long as heterosexual ones."
One of the reasons for the high rate of break-ups among same-sex couples is that "infidelity is three times higher than among heterosexual couples," Rivas Lozano said.
Cardinal Mahony: Temptations on the Internet
The Sacred Page: Cardinal Mahony: Temptations on the Internet: "With Lent fast approaching, Cardinal Mahony has an excellent piece up on the temptations of the internet. Specifically, he correlates the three temptations Jesus faced to three different kinds of temptations on the web.
This is really good stuff.
. . . The Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent always focuses upon the temptations which Satan offered to Jesus. We are all familiar with the story and the outcome.
However, if Jesus lived in 2011 and was tempted by Satan, what would be today's points of temptation? Where would Satan take Jesus today?
Exactly where he tempts us to go: Straight to the internet.
This is really good stuff.
. . . The Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent always focuses upon the temptations which Satan offered to Jesus. We are all familiar with the story and the outcome.
However, if Jesus lived in 2011 and was tempted by Satan, what would be today's points of temptation? Where would Satan take Jesus today?
Exactly where he tempts us to go: Straight to the internet.
EWTN.com - Catholic Leaders Praise Illinois Governor For Ending Death Penalty
EWTN.com - Catholic Leaders Praise Illinois Governor For Ending Death Penalty: "After weeks of indecision, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed a landmark bill on March 9, abolishing the death penalty in the state. Catholic officials praised the move as helping advance a culture of life in Illinois.
By signing Senate Bill 3539, Gov. Quinn makes Illinois the 16th state in the U.S. to repeal capital punishment. The new legislation will take effect in the state on July 1.
Gov. Quinn also commuted the death sentences of all 15 prisoners on the state's Death Row.
Catholics campaigning for Gov. Quinn's approval of the legislation lauded the move on Wednesday.
'The end of the use of the death penalty advances the development of a culture of life in our state,' read a March 9 statement from the Illinois Catholic Conference.
The conference - which had actively promoted the legislation - commended Gov. Quinn, and said that capital punishment was no longer needed to protect Illinois citizens.
By signing Senate Bill 3539, Gov. Quinn makes Illinois the 16th state in the U.S. to repeal capital punishment. The new legislation will take effect in the state on July 1.
Gov. Quinn also commuted the death sentences of all 15 prisoners on the state's Death Row.
Catholics campaigning for Gov. Quinn's approval of the legislation lauded the move on Wednesday.
'The end of the use of the death penalty advances the development of a culture of life in our state,' read a March 9 statement from the Illinois Catholic Conference.
The conference - which had actively promoted the legislation - commended Gov. Quinn, and said that capital punishment was no longer needed to protect Illinois citizens.
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