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Saturday, July 03, 2004
 
Submitted to the Catholic Answers forum "Monarchy v. Republic"

Each American is already under the direct rule of the Pope.

The current, so-called government of the United States is illegally constituted.

William Duke of Normandy promised his conquest, England, to the Pope Alexander II as a fief in 1066 since he was the Pope's agent in the deposition of excommunicated King Harold who was in defiance of the Pope.

When the unpopular King John signed the Magna Carta, Pope Innocent III declared the Magna Carta void placed England under interdict. Again, the English recognized the Pope as temporal lord and England became a fief of the Pope in 1214.

In 1534, King Henry VIII declared himself "Supreme Head of the Church in England" and illegally removed himself from the vassalage of Pope Clement VII.

Thereafter all the possessions of England are by incorporation feudal fiefs of the Holy Father. The Treaty of Paris which recognized American independence is void because the Pope did not grant his permission.

All Americans, therefore, are subjects in the temporal domain of our monarch, the Bishop of Rome.

On July 4, we celebrate independence, but only by the leave of our true temporal lord.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:23 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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AP: Dresden Church Gets New Dome

The domed copper roof and the golden cross are lifted on the top of the Frauenkirche, Church of Our Lady, in Dresden, Germany, Tuesday, June 22, 2004.

The golden cross was a donation from Great Britain and was manufactured in London. The Church of Our Lady, built between 1726-1743, destroyed by Allied firebombing in February 1945, has been under reconstruction since 1994.

The complete restoration is planned to be finished in autumn 2005. Trusts like 'Friends of Dresden' in England and the USA and otherdonors supported the restoration. (AP Photo/Matthias Rietschel)

The linked article mentions that this is restarting the debate on the military value of bombing Dresden and the morality of doing so even if made sense as a military operation.

This is one issue in which I have moved back and forth on based upon reading and seeing other people debate. So feel free to condemn (or to honor) Sir Arthur "Bomber" Harris.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 12:02 AM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Friday, July 02, 2004
 
H.W. Crocker from Trimumph on the sacking of Byzantium by Crusaders in 1204

The sacking of Byzantium is often regarded as a scandal, but viewed objectively, it is hard to see why this should be so.

One rarely hears of the "scandal" of the English Civil War, or the American War for Independence or the American War Between the Sates, though in each of these cases the combatants shared not only Christian belief of varying sorts, but the same language, the same culture, and before the fighting the same political allegiance.

In the Crusaders' attack on Byzantium, nearly none of this held true.

The Byzantines were notorious schismatics in religion.

They no longer spoke the universal Latin tongue of the West.

They were culturally and politically alien.

They demanded the benefits but would not pay the martial costs of the Crusades and had in fact been a long-standing irritant to the Crusaders.

Nor can it honestly - in terms of secular history and plain reality - be considered a "scandal" for there to be warfare between Christians, given that from the beginning of the faith Christians had been at either sword's point or sword's hilt.

Especially in the East, warfare between competing sects was common.

The scandal is not that the Crusades sacked Byzantium but that the pope did not make every effort to reinforce the Crusaders and make the Crusaders' kingdom of Constantinople the necessarily heavily armored firewall against the Turks and the Mongol.

The connects to my blog item on The Pope apologizing for the sack of Byzantium by the Crusaders in 1204

The excerpt I've given is typical of the extreme insights that Crocker offers in Triumph. You must buy this book.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:10 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Human Events. Assemblyman John Campbell. [California] Democrats Block Independence Day Celebration
In each of the 4 years that I have been a member of the state Assembly, we have had many "celebrations" on the Assembly floor. These "celebrations" are orchestrated by the Democrats who control the House and often involve singing and dancing. Every one of my 4 years have seen substantial celebrations of Cinco de Mayo (Commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla), St. Patrick's Day (for the patron Saint of Ireland) and Chinese New Year's Day, among others. But never once have we celebrated America's Independence Day, the 4th of July.

So, this year, Republican Assemblyman Jay LaSuer of San Diego arranged for Vietnam war hero Admiral Jeremiah Denton to come to California to be a part of a 4th of July ceremony. As you may know, Admiral Denton was a Navy pilot in Vietnam who was shot down and spent 8 years in a Vietnamese prison. In 1966 while in prison, he was interviewed by North Vietnamese television in Hanoi after torture to get him to "respond properly." During this interview, he blinked his eyes in Morse code to spell out the word "torture." He was asked about his support for the war in Vietnam to which he replied "I don't know what is happening now in Vietnam, because the only news sources I have are Vietnamese. But whatever the position of my government is, I believe in it, I support it, and I will support it as long as I live." Four of his 8 years in prison were spent in solitary confinement. He later wrote the book When Hell was in Session, chronicling his experience in Vietnam.

When he stepped off the plane after being released from prison in 1973, he said "We are honored to have had the opportunity to serve our country in difficult circumstances. We are profoundly grateful to our Commander-in-Chief for this day. God bless America." He was later elected to the U.S. Senate from his home state of Alabama, becoming the first retired Admiral ever elected to that body. I could go on and on about his accomplishments.

Suffice it to say, Jeremiah Denton is unquestionably an American hero.

The Democratic leadership refused to allow him on the Assembly floor and there will be no 4th of July celebration. A memo from the Democratic speaker's office said "problems have arisen both with regards to the spirit, content and participation of various individuals with regard to the ceremony." Apparently, they said that he did not believe in the "separation of church and state" and they didn't like the policies he supported as a United States Senator and therefore they would not allow him to be on the Assembly floor or to speak...

If you have friends, family, or acquaintances who are still liberals or Democrats, please pass this onto them as proof that the Democrats no longer merit the votes of Americans.

The Democrats are now the party of Michael Moore, John Kerry, Howard Dean, and Al Gore.

We need 60 votes in the Senate.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 6:44 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Fort Wayne Joural-Gazette Stopping politics at the Communion railing
The emphasis from [Bishop John D'Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend] and the rest of the bishops is on teaching, persuasion and consultation, not confrontation with pro-abortion rights Catholics. He called the recent musings of [Bishop Michael Sheridan] in Colorado Springs about denying Communion to rank-and-file Catholics who vote for pro-abortion rights candidates as “very unwise”and against church tradition.

Are these guys going to exchange Christmas cards?

The article should be called leave religion behind at the Communion railing.

It's one thing to come up with a policy towards the pro-abort politicians, it's another thing to describe teach and dialog as correct and any other approach as confrontation.

What the hell is wrong with confrontation anyway?


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:23 AM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Ann Coulter on Hannity and Colmes last night

Did anyone else see Ann Coulter go ballistic on H&C? The segment was 2/3rds over before she was asked a question.

I thought the format of the show was that Colmes was supposed to ask her a question and that never happened. Colmes kept going back to guest host Oliver North and civil rights attorney Michael Gross.

"Am I supposed to be somehow involved in this show?" she just blurted out.

I'm sorry I have don't have tape of that. I hope Laura Ingraham has that bit today on her show.

Ann Coulter could have been a little bit more on topic by saying more than "Judge Ito", which itself is a great line, but to mention the exclusionary rule, the endless ability to appeal, throwing out confessions (ie Miranda games), etc.

The American system of justice allowed OJ to walk, von Bülow, Michael Skakel, the Menendez brothers, Lemrick Nelson, Shavod Jones, etc. I could spend a day adding to this list of failures of the system of justice in the United States to punish the guilty.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 8:35 AM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Thursday, July 01, 2004
 
There's over a dozen people in Bush's cabinet

but these are the only ones that I can think of:

  • Powell in State
  • Rumsfeld in Defense
  • Ashcroft in Justice
  • Ridge in Homeland Security

Should I or anyone care that all the others are not generating headlines day by day week by week?


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:12 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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A development to watch very closely

Dennis Miller

Saddam Hussein

Reminds me of Charlie Chaplin and Adolph Hitler. Doesn't it for you?


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 8:14 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Some applied text analysis to St. Blogs

St. Blogs Parish Scored

The above link points to recently updated blogs of St. Blogs Parish. Besides noting when the blog was last updated, I checked the contents of the blog against a list of keywords I have created indicating religion or politics content.

This is not a editorial judgement. I'm just counting the frequency of certain words in the blog.

The list should be updated twice a day or so.

Feedback I'm looking for: more categories, blogs that are scored too low or too high, etc.

I think it has a high coolness factor since it can increase traffic to blogs you didn't even know existed.

Update: Elinor in the comment boxes mentioned 13 blogs:

You missed a heap of them:

  • Cacciaguida (it's there now, blogspot gave me an error on the last pass)
  • Eve Tushnet not in the St. Blogs Webring
  • E-Pression (it's there now, blogspot gave me an error on the last pass)
  • the Old Oligarch not in the St. Blogs Webring
  • Morristown not in the St. Blogs Webring
  • SummaMamas not updated in the last 10 days
  • SoDakMonk not in the St. Blogs Webring
  • Kross&Sweord not in the St. Blogs Webring
  • A Plumbline in the Wind not updated in the last 10 days
  • Mommentary not in the St. Blogs Webring
  • De Fide Oboedientia not in the St. Blogs Webring
  • Erik's Rants and Recipes not in the St. Blogs Webring
  • Flambeaux. not updated in the last 10 days

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 3:30 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Washington Times: Kerry cited in Catholic heresy case
Catholic lawyer has filed heresy charges against Sen. John Kerry with the Archdiocese of Boston, accusing the Democratic presidential candidate of bringing "most serious scandal to the American public" by receiving Holy Communion as a pro-choice Catholic.

The 18-page document was sent to the archdiocese June 14, but released to the public only yesterday by Marc Balestrieri, a Los Angeles-based canon lawyer and an assistant judge with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles' tribunal, an ecclesiastical court.

This will be ignored. A more bigger effort was undertaken by the Knights of Columbus and was ignored.

If this were to happen it wouldn't be through a petition anyway.

The media and the Kerry campaign will now turn its attention to Marc Balestrieri. I hope he has nothing in his past that he doesn't want to see made public.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:12 AM   Permalink   HaloScan


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PBS: Rebels and Redcoats
An exploration into America's War of Independence and how it divided the nation between those who remained loyal to the Crown and those fighting for liberation from England. Presented by respected British historian, Richard Holmes using first person narratives, recreations and interviews.
Watched the concluding 2 hours of this on my local PBS station last night.

It's more like a personal view of the "British North America Civil War" by Richard Holmes than the British view.

The moment when I winced was when he called Colonel Banastre Tarleton's action at the Battle of the Waxhaws an alledged massacre.

It's not as good as the earlier miniseries Liberty but this is worth watching. Just don't expect Ken Burn's Civil War which is simply the best historical documentary ever made.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 9:36 AM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Culture Watch -- Modesty Dept.

Rocky Mountain News: Style Matters: Teenagers' Britney backlash leads to 'Miss Modesty' look

Tina Wells, an executive with Buzz MG and Blue Fusion, a market-research company for teens, recently told Fox News that teens are experiencing sensory overload when it comes to body-revealing fashions.

"The next big trend I see is kids are going to look like monks," she said.

Judie: Don't count your prayer beads. Even in the new film Saved with Mandy Moore, the story of a "Jesus-centric" high school, the girls sport short little khaki skirts as part of their uniforms.

Still, Wells points out, girls are wearing camisoles under jackets, and hey . . . they're wearing jackets! Of the 200 teenage girls Blue Fusion surveyed last month, "many" said they were starting to favor more modest looks.

Evelinda: Wells attributes this to a Janet Jackson-Paris Hilton backlash. Fox News reports that young customers are actually calling department stores and demanding less-revealing clothing. Eleven-year-old Ella Gunderson took on Nordstrom in Washington, and a group of Arizona teens submitted a petition to Dillard's. Both chains have added more conservative styles. Seventeen magazine refers to this new type of "girl" as "Miss Modesty."


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 9:30 AM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Fox News: Mexican Official Wants Border Eliminated
A new man is in charge of border relations for Mexico and he has some radical ideas for change at the border with the United States.

Arturo Gonzalez Cruz, a 52-year-old Tijuana businessman, says many improvements are needed at the border to benefit trade, including creating more lanes and adding border crossings. Ultimately, Cruz says flat out, he wants to see the border disappear.

If this is such a good idea, why doesn't Mexico lead by eliminating the border with Guatemala and Belize first.

Let's see if the United States bishops get behind this policy. They already endorse instant citizenship for anyone who asks and no legal distinction between citizens and persons in the United States in violation of its laws.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 8:30 AM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Wednesday, June 30, 2004
 
Reuters, the "odd" news service is at it again

Reuters Offbeat News: Covering the Pope: Don't Wait for a News Conference

...So, is this all part of the Vatican's so-called secrecy? I don't like that word, because that is often just an excuse some people use to write stories that are not substantiated. I think the Vatican could do with a lot more opening up, but if you know where to go for information within the Vatican at various levels, then it's not that secretive.

On the other hand, some Vatican officials still distrust the media and would rather wrestle with the devil than talk to a reporter. Others find some reporters just have not done their homework about the institution or about Catholicism.

A former Vatican official who is now a bishop in the United States once said that there would be an outcry if a reporter was sent to cover Wimbledon with the same scant knowledge of tennis as some reporters who are asked to write about the Vatican have about the institution...

What sort of news wire story has "I" in it?

Actually, I think the model the Vatican has is one to be followed: Hold a press conference when you have something to say to the press.

The media is not an ally of the Holy See, or generally speaking objective. Treating it as hostile to the Holy See is only prudent.

On the other hand, Reuters might want to look up how many press conferences Hillary Clinton has had before the reporters of the state that she, in theory, represents which is New York.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 7:07 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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UK Telegraph: Pope says sorry for crusaders' rampage in 1204
The Pope delivered an emotional apology to Orthodox Christians yesterday for the Catholic plundering of Constantinople eight centuries ago, saying it caused him "pain and disgust".

He made his comments during a visit to the Vatican by Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and the head of the world's 300 million Orthodox Christians.

The Pope talks with Bartholomew I at the Vatican yesterday

"In particular, we cannot forget what happened in the month of April 1204," the Pope said, in reference to the sacking of Constantinople by crusaders. "How can we not share, at a distance of eight centuries, the pain and disgust."

I will follow up later with a quote from H.W. Crocker III's excellent book Triumph on 1204.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 4:25 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Town Hall. Paul Crespo: Does the Shroud of Turin confirm the Passion of Christ?
At the end of Mel Gibson’s movie, the “Passion of the Christ,” Jesus’ burial cloth collapses onto itself as Christ's resurrected body – having apparently dematerialized and passed through the cloth – stands beside it in the tomb.

Many believe the Shroud of Turin, held by the Catholic Church in Turin, Italy, is that burial cloth and the best evidence of Christ's scourging, crucifixion -- and even resurrection. For centuries millions have marveled at the Shroud's detailed, nearly photographic negative image of what appears to be Christ’s crucified body.

... Beyond the cloth’s historical authenticity, the question of how the images occurred is still a mystery. Despite skeptics' dismissal of the Shroud, even with 21st century technology, no one has yet replicated this unique 3-D image nor adequately demonstrated how it appeared on the cloth.

Very up to date reporting on new findings and reasons to doubt the accuracy of the 1988 carbon dating. In last 16 more evidence has been discovered that points away from forgery and towards authenticity.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 1:07 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Tuesday, June 29, 2004
 
Two Pictures I saw a few minutes apart

The group on the left is the United States 1st Cavalry.

But who is the group on the right? What is their Catholic connection?


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:58 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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New York Post. Ralph Peters: Lessons for the next time
Iraq is again a sovereign state, this time without a dictator. Despite ongoing violence, the country's moving toward democracy. And even if that democracy proves imperfect, it will still be better than anything else between Israel and India.

We have done a great thing. Now it's up to the Iraqis to make the most of the gift of freedom we gave them.

I list the points here. The linked article has the full explanations:
  • Plan for the worst-case scenario, not just the one you hope for.
  • In the wake of combat operations, always impose martial law.
  • Fight terrorists and insurgents immediately, remorselessly and comprehensively.
  • Kill terrorists, rather than taking them prisoner.
  • Don't treat an occupation as a bonanza for American contractors — hire locals.
  • Don't place blind trust in émigrés.
  • Preventive War is a concept that's here to stay.
  • The globalized media demands new rules.
  • Ignore the Left.
  • Speak softly, and carry a big stick.
  • Trust the troops.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 8:50 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Gawker: Paris Hilton vs. Darfur, Sudan
According to reporter Matt Thompson, since May 23rd the New York Times has expended 17,000 words on Paris Hilton stories and only 10,000 on stories about Darfur, Sudan. We're not that up on the news, so we're not sure who this Darfur person is, but evidently she needs a better sex tape.

see also: Poynter: Sudan: The Untold Story

Darfur is a place where there is a clash of civilization where nearly all the killers are Muslim and the killed are Christians and followers of native religions.

It is the bloody border of the clash of civilizations which President Bush denied earlier today.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 8:40 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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White House: Remarks by President Bush in Istanbul, Turkey
America believes that as a European power, Turkey belongs in the European Union. Your membership would also be a crucial advance in relations between the Muslim world and the West, because you are part of both. Including Turkey in the EU would prove that Europe is not the exclusive club of a single religion, and it would expose the "clash of civilizations" as a passing myth of history. Fifteen years ago, an artificial line that divided Europe -- drawn at Yalta -- was erased. Now this continent has the opportunity to erase another artificial division -- by fully including Turkey in the future of Europe.

I have to disagree with the President here: the clash of civilizations is real. It is not "Christian" vs. "Muslim" but "Freedom" vs. "Fascism" -- where the largest fascist movement in the world today wears of cloak of Islam.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 1:54 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Pope Pius XII

Reuters: Vatican Releases WW2 Letter on Helping Jews
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican Monday released a 1943 letter from a bishop complaining the Church was helping too many Jews -- its latest move against charges it did too little to stop Nazi persecution of Jews in World War II.

The letter, one of a number of newly released documents, was bound to add fodder to the long-running debate over whether wartime pontiff Pius XII and his Vatican had done all they could to help Jews and avert the Holocaust.

The debate has been one of the trickiest problems facing Catholic-Jewish relations over the past 60 years.

A letter voicing complaints about "preferential treatment" for Jews was contained in two volumes and eight DVDs containing thousands of documents relating to Vatican efforts to help families find prisoners of war (POW) during the global conflict.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 1:06 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Guest Blogger: Veronica Brady
After the excitement, the sense of liberation, of coming into the fullness of our Christian inheritance generated by Vatican II, a pall seems to have settled on the institutional Church as it turns its back on the complex and challenging world in which we live and retreats into an imagined past of unchanging belief and absolute notions of right and wrong.

And your problem with this is...

Read the whole thing to see how the angry aging Catholic anti-Catholics are spinning their utter defeat. It's a positive sign.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 9:30 AM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Comment on last night's news

In New York City, the only time National Hot Rod Association racing is covered in when there is a disaster like this fatal crash which I saw once, but understand is almost in a loop on some channels.

Laura Ingraham calls this tragedy TV and I think it applies to the Catholic Church today. Even beyond the sexual abuse scandal, there's so much tragedy (the priest shortage, the dissent on doctrine, the ignorance of the basics of the faith...) that the media can't help but cover it to the exclusion of the good that is going on.

The same goes for the efforts on the part of the United States to bring peace and justice to Iraq.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 8:40 AM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Monday, June 28, 2004
 
DaVinci Debunkers: Required Summer Reading

Everyone who wants to defend the Catholic faith needs to get their hands on a DaVinci debunking book and been prepared to answer questions about the issues Brown raises from friends, family, co-workers, etc. -- even if you never intend to read the Da Vinci Code.

My Amazon.com associates commission is passed through to Good Counsel Homes


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:11 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Zenit: New York Getting 2 New Auxiliary Bishops
NEW YORK, JUNE 28, 2004 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II has appointed two New York archdiocesan priests as auxiliary bishops.

The two are Monsignor Gerald T. Walsh, 62, pastor of St. Elizabeth Parish, in Manhattan, and Monsignor Dennis J. Sullivan, 59, pastor of Sts. John and Paul Parish, Larchmont.

Gerald Walsh was born in New York City. He earned a master's degree in theology at St. Joseph's Seminary, Yonkers, and a master's degree in social work at Fordham University.

He was ordained a priest in May 1967 by Cardinal Francis Spellman. He was named secretary to Cardinal John O'Connor in 1996, and in 1998, was named pastor of St. Elizabeth's.

Dennis Sullivan was born in New York City. He earned a bachelor's degree and a master of divinity degree from St. Joseph's Seminary. He was ordained a priest in May 1971 by Cardinal Terence Cooke.

I don't know anything about them. Anyone?


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 9:29 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Death of Common Sense (New York 1997, London 2004)

Catholic World News: Shrine to English martyrs faces steep financial burden

London's shrine to the Catholic martyrs of the Reformation faces closure unless it can raise $730,000 to pay for elevators and ramps for disabled visitors.

The Benedictine nuns of Tyburn Convent in central London must provide elevators and ramps to the shrine in their crypt before additions to the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act come into force on October 1.

I recalled a similiar tale from the 90's here in New York. There were some anti-Catholic bigots in the city bureaucracy who dug in their heels on this matter of an elevator. They fully expected the MC's to cave in. Even today story is often cited by anti-Catholic bigots as evidence of the evil, backwardness, cluelessness, etc. of the Missionaries of Charity.

Here are the details:

Governor George E. Pataki: Celebration of Annual Law Day at Court of Appeals May 1, 1997

In his book, "The Death of Common Sense," Philip Howard tells a story that makes the point well.

It's the story of the efforts of Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity to build a homeless shelter in the South Bronx in the Winter of 1988.

Their proposal called for a facility that would provide temporary care for 64 homeless men in what was then a four story, fire-gutted building.

Who, you might ask, could object to such a project? Who would undermine the humanitarian efforts of Mother Teresa?

The answer to that question is this: After a year-and-a half of traveling in their sandals from hearing room to hearing room, the nuns were told that their plan failed to satisfy the requirements of the building code.

The code mandated an elevator in every renovated multi-story building, and their plan had no elevator.

The nuns explained that because of their religious beliefs, they would never use the elevator, which would add $100,00 to the project.

Their plea fell on deaf ears: Their application for a waiver from the elevator requirement was denied.

And so, the Missionaries of Charity abandoned the project, explaining that the episode had--and I quote--"served to educate us about the law and its many complexities."

Being Governor has educated me, too, about the law and its many complexities--and about the crazy quilt of regulations that have come to stifle us in many areas of economic life.

For too long, our response to a perceived problem was to promulgate a detailed code of regulations to solve it.

Our mantra was that if some law was good, more law was better.

The result was a set of rules of byzantine complexity that created countless billable hours for lawyers, but often defied common sense.

Blogger Credit: Domenico Bettinelli


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 4:49 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Beliefnet: Catholic Bishops Slam HBO `Celibacy' Documentary
A new documentary to be broadcast on HBO on June 28 raises provocative questions about the role of clerical celibacy in the Catholic sexual abuse crisis. It is drawing fire from outraged Catholic bishops who say the film uses a "stacked-deck approach" to "assault" the church's sexual ethos.

A review by the bishops' Office of Film and Broadcasting say the film fails "to take seriously that following the example of the celibate Christ is a motive for priestly celibacy. Primacy is always given to motives other than spiritual."

Moreover, the film's arguments are "full of unsubstantiated, anecdotal assertions ... presented in a largely imbalanced way, with fact deferring to mere opinion in many cases," wrote staff critic David DiCerto.

Among the details that the film fails to notice, the bishops' review says, are the "wealth of vocations to the priesthood and religious life outside Western Europe and North America, and the secular polls which demonstrate that most priests are happy with their lives."

According to the bishops' review, the biggest error in the film is that it reduces "man to a ball of biological urges." And it neglects the words of Pope Paul VI, who said that "Man, created in God's image and likeness, is not just flesh and blood, the sexual instinct is not all that he has; man also has, and pre-eminently, understanding, choice, freedom."'


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 2:44 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Reuters: German Web hoax snares pilgrims
Hundreds of Muslims have flocked to a German hospital where an Internet site said the Messiah was being breast-fed by its resurrected mother.

Hospital spokesman Burkhard Buescher said on Thursday large groups of women with children were among those who had travelled across Germany and from the nearby Netherlands in the last fortnight asking porters at the Essen university clinic to let them visit the "Messiah".

"The story ended up being that there was a woman in the clinic who had given birth to the Messiah and who had died. She was later dug up and was still alive but her whole body was burned -- just her two breasts were unharmed," said Buescher.

"Allah ordered the woman to feed the child for 40 days and then die again. This crazy story was seen by people on a Turkish Internet site," he said.

On the Internet portal Turkdunya.de, chatterers discussed the story and one contributor claimed to have seen the woman.

Hospital guards had told visitors there was no such woman in the maternity clinic, and the number of visitors had dwindled since German media reported the story was an Internet hoax, Buescher said.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 2:31 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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CruxNews.com has started a daily news feed.

What I've seen looks interesting so far.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 2:28 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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It's in my blogroll, but this is another reminder to keep reading:

Catholic Kerry Watch.

I contend that the principal problem is not Kerry but the bishops washing their hands of the issue but you can keep up to date on Kerry there.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 9:33 AM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Sunday, June 27, 2004
 
Kerry Holy Communion Caption Contest

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites), D-Mass., right, greets Father Cannon, left, Francis Flaherty, second from left, and Flaherty's son Anthony, 12, foreground, after attending mass at Chapel of Our Lady of Good Voyage in Boston, on Sunday, June 27, 2004. Kerry canceled plans to address the 72nd Annual Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors on Monday which is likely to be picketed by police officers. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:52 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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Angel Tending to St. Sebastian

Angel Tending to St. Sebastian

and in other news, the Gay Pride Parade was held today in New York City.


posted by Patrick Sweeney at 11:26 PM   Permalink   HaloScan


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link to extremeCatholic.blogspot.com