Dr. Dobson steps down as chairman of Focus on the Family

Today (Fri.) it was announced that Dr. James Dobson, has resigned as chairman of the Christian group, Focus on the Family.

According to Focus on the Family, Dobson, 72, is stepping down as part of the organization’s succession plan.

"One of the common errors of founder-presidents, is to hold to the reins of leadership too long, thereby preventing the next generation from being prepared for executive authority,” Dobson acknowledged in a press release.

He continued, “Though letting go is difficult after three decades of intensive labor, it is the wise thing to do."

Dobson founded Focus on the Family in 1977 with a weekly radio address to provide advice for families. He is licensed as psychologist in California and is a licensed marriage, family and child counselor in California and Colorado.

The Christian group is based in Colorado Springs and emphasizes the importance of traditional marriage and family. It also produces Dobson’s syndicated radio program that has a significant international following

story here

Focus on the Family Chairman James Dobson Retires as Head of Pro-Life Group

Blessed Daniel Brottier

The Saint of the Day for February 28 is Blessed Daniel Brottier

Daniel spent most of his life in the trenches—one way or another.
Born in France in 1876, Daniel was ordained in 1899 and began a teaching career. That didn’t satisfy him long. He wanted to use his zeal for the gospel far beyond the classroom. He joined the missionary Congregation of the Holy Spirit, which sent him to Senegal, West Africa. After eight years there, his health was suffering. He was forced to return to France, where he helped raise funds for the construction of a new cathedral in Senegal.

At the outbreak of World War I Daniel became a volunteer chaplain and spent four years at the front. He did not shrink from his duties. Indeed, he risked his life time and again in ministering to the suffering and dying. It was miraculous that he did not suffer a single wound during his 52 months in the heart of battle.

After the war he was invited to help establish a project for orphaned and abandoned children in a Paris suburb. He spent the final 13 years of his life there. He died in 1936 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Paris only 48 years later.

Pro-Life Groups Quick to Blast Obama's Expected Removal of Bush Abortion Rules

Barry's making all sorts of friends with his pro-death administration.

Pro-life organizations were quick to respond to the news that President Barack Obama is looking at removing the rules President Bush put in place to protect medical professionals on abortion. They say Obama is disrespecting religious freedoms by putting more pressure on doctors to do abortions.

Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council said the Bush protections are needed for better enforcement of the Church, Coats, and Weldon Amendments that protect health care providers' right of conscience.

These regulations would have increased public awareness of, and ensured governmental enforcement of, these vital statutes. Without them, pro-life medical staff are in jeopardy, he told LifeNews.com.

"For President Obama to do this would be a huge blow to religious freedom and First Amendment rights," he said. "No one should be forced to have an abortion, and no one should be forced to be an abortionist in violation of their religious or ethical convictions."

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Medical Group Upset President Obama Will Remove Abortion Conscience Clause

A leading medical group is disappointed that White House officials have indicated that President Barack Obama will likely rescind the Provider Conscience Clause. That's the Bush rule put in place to provide more enforcement for laws protecting medical staff and center from having to do abortions.

David Stevens, the head of the Christian Medical Association, one of the groups seeking to stop the pro-abortion lawsuit file to overturn the regulations, told LifeNews.com the Obama administration had shown no reason for rescinding the rules.

"The Obama administration claims, without offering a shred of statistical evidence, that the regulation has 'created confusion' and will somehow hinder access to healthcare," he told LifeNews.com.

"What can be clearer than not using federal funds to force healthcare professionals to violate longstanding principles of medical ethics like the Hippocratic Oath, which guided medicine for over two millennia?" Stevens asked. Here's an excerpt:

WITH PURITY, HOLINESS AND BENEFICENCE I will pass my life and practice my art. Except for the prudent correction of an imminent danger, I will neither treat any patient nor carry out any research on any human being without the valid informed consent of the subject or the appropriate legal protector thereof, understanding that research must have as its purpose the furtherance of the health of that individual. Into whatever patient setting I enter, I will go for the benefit of the sick and will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief or corruption and further from the seduction of any patient.

Bishop Martino Again Rebukes Sen. Casey, Instructs Withholding of Communion from Pro-Abort Politicians

Martino is on a roll :) Just yesterday it was reported that he asked Misericordia University to close its Diversity Center, which hosted a homosexual activist as a speaker. And this is the 2nd time he's corrected Casey (a CINO) for being pro-abort and calling himself Catholic.

Bishop Joseph F. Martino of Scranton issued yet another rebuke this week against "pro-life" Catholic Senator Bob Casey, who persisted in his decision to vote against restoring the abortion-reducing Mexico City Policy. The bishop simultaneously reminded ministers in the Scranton diocese that public figures in a persistent and objective denial of the Church's teaching on life must be denied Communion.

Bishop Martino had condemned Casey on February 5 for the vote, which permitted taxpayer funds to abortion providers overseas, saying that in so doing Casey "persist(s) formally in cooperating with the evil." Casey, who bills himself as pro-life, issued a statement suggesting that the Hyde amendment suffices by forbidding the direct funding of overseas abortion procedures - a notion the bishop firmly rejected.

"It is a matter of deep concern that your recent vote against the Mexico City Policy is continually misrepresented by your staff as a pro-life vote intended to promote 'contraception and other family planning that avoid unintended pregnancies,'" said the Bishop in a an open letter to the senator dated February 26.

story here

Pro-Life Leaders Hail Bishop Martino's Courageous Outspokenness for Pro-Life, Pro-Family Values

Bishop Martino writes Sen. Casey over vote against Mexico City policy

Anyone Against Abortion, Raise Your Hand

Obama Paving Way for Health Care Rationing, Say Budget Committee Republicans

More of Barry's "Culture of death".   Rationing health care means that some of the people who need medical care the  most will be deemed "not worth" helping.

The ranking Republicans on the House and Senate budget committees see President Obama's proposed fiscal 2010 budget as a first step toward health-care rationing in the United States.

The budget includes $634-billion that the administration is calling a “down payment” on a health-care reform plan that Obama wants to enact this year. Obama wants to set aside the money before announcing how the plan will work.

“It could lead to rationing,” said Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, who was initially nominated by Obama to be Commerce Secretary before he withdrew his name.

Obama’s budget assumes that the government will recognize nearly $700 billion in projected “savings” on health care spending, and it plans to use that money to expand health-care coverage for uninsured Americans.

But Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee, said that the president’s claim to be able to save $700 billion a year by cutting unnecessary medical tests and procedures shows that the administration has already decided to ration health care -- and knows how it plans to do it.

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President Obama Starts Process of Removing Doctors' Protections on Abortions

It's bad enough that Barry is so pro-abort. It's even more vile to try to force pro-lifers to do abortions.



The White House quietly announced on Friday that President Barack Obama is starting the process of overturning protections President Bush put in place to make sure medical staff and centers are not forced to do abortions. The move is the latest that will add to Obama's growing pro-abortion record.

Existing federal laws already make it so doctors and hospitals are not required to perform abortions. Because those laws aren't always followed, the Bush administration added additional protections.

Bush officials noted a pattern of grant recipients being unaware of or flouting existing laws protecting medical professionals’ rights of conscience. So, HHS enacted the new law to require grantees to certify compliance with them in order to receive funds.

In August, 2008 the Department of Health and Human Services proposed regulations to strengthen those existing laws. The regulations were finalized on December 18, 2008 and went into effect January 20, 2009.

Abortion advocates complained about the new regulations and made false claims that they would somehow deny women access to birth control even though the regulations do not limit or restrict any legal practice or product.

Three pro-abortion groups and pro-abortion attorneys general from seven states filed a lawsuit to overturn the rules and today's news makes it clear the Obama administration is preparing its own move to rescind them.

Obama officials told the Chicago Tribune that they are opening up a 30-day public comment period, after which they will roll back the protections for medical personnel and facilities.

story here

RIGHTS OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS THREATENED

Obama administration may toss pro-life conscience protections

Catholic survivors attribute ‘miracle on the Hudson’ to God’s mercy

I used to live in Charlotte, and I travelled to New York weekly for my job (I was a consultant at the time).  This is one of the flights I would have taken home.  Needless to say, I am also grateful to God.  While the crew was fantastic and deserves much credit, I'm glad to see God get his share.

"The odds were against us but God was with us," said Fred Berretta, a survivor of US Airways Flight 1549 that crash landed in the Hudson River Jan. 15. He was flying home that day from a business trip in New York when the plane struck a flock of birds, causing both engines to fail.

"We had a phenomenal flight crew, but God was our air traffic controller," he said.

Berretta, one of several Charlotte-area Catholics aboard the flight, is a parishioner at St. Matthew Church.

All 155 people aboard the flight survived the emergency landing.

Berretta said he believes it is "a testimony to God’s mercy."

"I believe it was miraculous that all the things came together that allowed us to survive," said Berretta, himself a pilot.

Just hours after the crash, he was asked in an interview with a national television network if he was a religious man. His answer was honest, "I try to be."

"Quite a long time ago I had a conversion type of experience back to the Catholic faith," Berretta said in an interview with The Catholic News & Herald (the newspaper of the Charlotte Diocese).

story here

St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

The Saint of the Day for February 27 is St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

Born in Italy into a large family and baptized Francis, he lost his mother when he was only four years old. He was educated by the Jesuits and, having been cured twice of serious illnesses, came to believe that God was calling him to the religious life. Young Francis wished to join the Jesuits but was turned down, probably because of his age, not yet 17. Following the death of a sister to cholera, his resolve to enter religious life became even stronger and he was accepted by the Passionists. Upon entering the novitiate he was given the name Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Ever popular and cheerful, Gabriel quickly was successful in his effort to be faithful in little things. His spirit of prayer, love for the poor, consideration of the feelings of others, exact observance of the Passionist Rule as well as his bodily penances—always subject to the will of his wise superiors— made a deep impression on everyone.

His superiors had great expectations of Gabriel as he prepared for the priesthood, but after only four years of religious life symptoms of tuberculosis appeared. Ever obedient, he patiently bore the painful effects of the disease and the restrictions it required, seeking no special notice. He died peacefully on February 27, 1862, at age 24, having been an example to both young and old.

Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows was canonized in 1920.

Catholic Pro-Life Leader Responds to Time Magazine on FOCA, Abortion Battle

The pro-aborts are really concerned about the opposition to FOCA.

A leading pro-life advocate who is a representative of the nation's Catholic bishops has responded to Time magazine. Time was criticized last week for bashing pro-life advocates who oppose the radical pro-abortion FOCA bill even though the measure hasn't yet been introduced this session of Congress. Yet Obama has promised to sign it.

Time staff writer Amy Sullivan said pro-life groups, including the nation's Catholic bishops, were silly for mobilizing against a "mythical abortion bill."

In an editorial column at National Review, USCCB spokeswoman Susan Willis said Sullivan's piece is "rife with inaccuracies and non sequiturs." Of course. It has to be to support abortion.

Willis says Sullivan misrepresented the postcard campaign the bishops sponsored and failed to note that the target is Congress, not the White House, and that the postcards ask elected officials to also oppose any bill that is similar to FOCA and that they also support current pro-life laws limiting taxpayer funding of abortions.

story here

BISHOP WILLIAMSON APOLOGIZES FOR HOLOCAUST COMMENTS

Finally!  Hopefully this will put an end to the matter.   He never should have made those ridiculous statements.  I am especially tired of people using this to bash the Pope.

Bishop Richard Williamson, formerly excommunicated member of the Society of St. Pius X, apologized today for statements in which he denied the extent of the Holocaust.
In a statement published on his return to London on Wednesday after being expelled by the government of Argentina, the prelate explained that "the Holy Father and my superior, Bishop Bernard Fellay, have requested that I reconsider the remarks I made on Swedish television four months ago, because their consequences have been so heavy."
The bishop, along with three other Lefebvrite prelates, had their 20-year excommunication lifted at the end of January, in the framework of Benedict XVI's continuing efforts to heal the schism between the society and the Church. Around the same time, the bishop appeared on public television and made reductionist statements about the Jewish Holocaust that gave rise to extensive controversy.

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Pope condemns Holocaust denial, reaffirms solidarity with Jews

Bishop Williamson expresses ‘regret’ for Holocaust comments’ effects

Vatican rebuffs Bishop Williamson’s Holocaust apology

White House Officials Admit Abortion, Tiller Holding Up Kathleen Sebelius Pick

What a shame...Barry cannot name pro-abort Sebelius for Health and Human Services yet, ironically because of her support of, and protection of, George Tiller (the killer) who is now going to go on trial for illegal late-term (partial birth) abortions.  I hope that he is convicted and locked up for life, which is more than the babies he aborted got.

White House officials have acknowledged that abortion and the controversy surrounding embattled late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller (the killer) are holding up President Barack Obama's potential selection of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to become the next Health Secretary.

As LifeNews.com previously reported, White House aides told the New York Times last week that Obama had settled on naming the pro-abortion governor as his top health official.

Following the news, pro-life groups launched an all-out blitz to highlight Sebelius' extreme pro-abortion views and her cozy relationship with Tiller (the killer), one of the few to do abortions so late in pregnancy.

Yesterday, a district court judge dismissed an effort by Tiller (the killer)'s attorneys to throw out charges the state attorney general has filed against him for allegedly doing illegal abortions.

story here

Late Term Abortionist Tiller Will Stand Trial after Judge Denies Motion to Suppress Charges

Late-Term Abortion Practitioner George Tiller Will Stand Trial After Court Ruling

Tiller to Stand Trial for Late-Term Abortions

Well... at least it's not a Baptism

Thomas found this picture of a priest using a super-soaker to bless the congregation.

Bishop asks university to consider closing Diversity Institute

Bishop Martino is one of the best.  I wish we had more Bishops like him.

Following controversy over the Diversity Institute at Misericordia University’s hosting of a homosexual activist, Bishop of Scranton Joseph F. Martino has asked the university to seriously consider discontinuing the institute and to explain its efforts to teach Catholic sexual morality.

Bishop Martino had warned before Keith Boykin’s appearance that he had “absolute disapproval” for the institute’s invitation to have him speak at its annual dinner and as part of Black History Month. The bishop charged that the university was “seriously failing” to maintain its Catholic identity in the case.

On Tuesday the university issued a statement saying Misericordia University “has been committed deeply to its Catholic mission and the teachings of the Catholic Church for 85 years.”

“Misericordia University welcomes the opportunity to discuss these matters with the Bishop and his delegates at their convenience,” the statement continued, saying the university will not make any further public comments.  What's to discuss?  The Catechism is clear, and so is the Bishop.  

story here

From the Catechism:

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

Bishop Martino Calls for Dissolution of Misericordia U's Homosexualist "Diversity" Institute

Targeted Proposition 8 supporter urges Catholics to ‘stand up’ despite critics

I can hardly believe this is still going on.  Despite losing 2 elections, the homosexual lobby refuses to accept the will of the people.  They are trying to use the California Supreme Court, 7 people, to overturn the votes of millions of people who believe in the family,  and to force their agenda on society.   Well, we're not going to give up either!

The owner of a family-owned ice cream shop and restaurant in Sacramento who has been targeted by angry phone calls and e-mails and obscene Valentine’s Day cards because of his support for the Proposition 8 campaign says Catholics should “stand up” for marriage despite the consequences and the “lies” of extremist activists.

The passage of Proposition 8, which overturned a California Supreme Court decision instating same-sex “marriage,” prompted major protests from homosexual activists and their allies.

Allan Leatherby, 46, told CNA that he and other family members decided to contribute to the Yes on 8 campaign after Bishop of Sacramento Jaime Soto personally called him to ask for his support.

Members of the Leatherby family, which owns Leatherby’s Family Creamery, gave $20,000 to the campaign. “It was a response to his personal request. Otherwise we might not have supported it in that amount,” he explained to CNA.

“Obviously as Catholics we value marriage,” he said, saying they saw some “huge red flags” about the effects of same-sex marriage.

When the family’s support for Proposition 8 became public, protesters targeted their business. The ice cream shop was picketed, employees in company sweat shirts were harassed and angry callers phoned the business. The business reportedly received hundreds of angry e-mails and was targeted by bloggers.

stop by their website (use the 'contact us' page) and voice your support!

http://www.leatherbys.net/

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Novena begins for Proposition 8 legal case

The San Francisco-based group Catholics for the Common Good  has announced a novena of prayer and fasting for the seven California Supreme Court justices who are considering three lawsuits filed to overturn Proposition 8.

Catholics for the Common Good describes itself as “a new Catholic Action based on the social teachings of the Catholic Church.” It is different from the Washington, DC-based group Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good.

St. Porphyry of Gaza

The Saint of the Day for February 26 is St. Porphyry of Gaza.

We go far back in history today to learn a bit about a saint whose name is not familiar to most of us in the West but who is celebrated by the Greek and other Eastern churches.
Born near Greece in the mid-fourth century, Porphry is most known for his generosity to the poor and for his ascetic lifestyle. Deserts and caves were his home for a time. At age 40, living in Jerusalem, Porphyry was ordained a priest.

If the accounts we have are correct, he was elected bishop of Gaza—without his knowledge and against his will. He was, in effect, kidnapped (with the help of a neighboring bishop, by the way) and forcibly consecrated bishop by the members of the small Christian community there. No sooner had Porphyry been consecrated bishop then he was accused by the local pagans of causing a drought. When rains came shortly afterward, the pagans gave credit to Porphyry and the Christian population and tensions subsided for a time.

For the next 13 years, Porphyry worked tirelessly for his people, instructed them and made many converts, though pagan opposition continued throughout his life. He died in the year 421.

Congressional Budget Bill Cuts Abstinence Funding, Increases Family Planning

It's easy to see what the pro-abort Democrats' priorities are:  more sexually-active teens and more abortions.

"family planning" is the ultimate oxymoron. It is about preventing families, not planning families.

The new omnibus spending bill Congressional Democrats proposed this week does exactly what pro-life advocates expected it would do when it comes to abstinence education. Funds for abstinence programs were cut while more money is given to Planned Parenthood through family planning dollars.

The Democratic spending plan cuts total funding for abstinence education by $14.2 million, compared with the previous year.

It also cuts abstinence education funding by $42 million compared to what President Bush had asked for in his last months of office.

The cuts are seen as the first step by abortion advocates in Congress to zero out all abstinence education funds through the Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE) program, the Adolescent Family Life Act, and through Title V.

Democrats cut the CBAE budget by 13%, leaving only $95 million to fund national programs to help teenagers make healthy choices for a positive lifestyle.

Apparently, a "positive lifestyle" includes forcing abortion on women:

Democrats Shut Down Pro-Life Move to Stop UNFPA-Forced Abortion Funding

story here

Pro-life amendments blocked from consideration on House floor

Top Ten Orthodox Catholic Pick-Up Lines

Patrick Madrid writes a Top Ten for his Envoy Magazine, and I especially liked this one.

10. May I offer you a light for that votive candle?

9. Hi there. My buddy and I were wondering if you would settle a dispute we're having. Do you think the word should be pronounced HOMEschooling, or homeSCHOOLing?

8. Sorry, but I couldn't help but noticing how cute you look in that ankle-length, shapeless, plaid jumper.

7. What's a nice girl like you doing at a First Saturday Rosary Cenacle like this?

6. You don't like the culture of death either? Wow! We have so much in common!

5. Let's get out of here. I know a much cozier little Catholic bookstore downtown.

4. I bet I can guess your confirmation name.

3. You've got stunning scapular-brown eyes.

2. Did you feel what I felt when we reached into the holy water font at the same time?

1. Confess here often?

Guess Who Got Ashes Today?

Thomas found this picture of pro-abort Biden sporting his ashes today.

Parents Shouldn't Tell Kids What's Right or Wrong about Having Sex: U.K. Gov't Pamphlet

When I saw this headline, I thought it must be some sort of parody.  Sadly, it's not.  This nonsense is really happening in Britain.

 pamphlet set for distribution by the British government is advising parents to keep quiet on the morality of sex, and instead to ensure that their children are provided with contraception from an early age and are aware of their options, the Sunday Times revealed.

According to the Times, "Talking to Your Teenager About Sex and Relationships" will be distributed in pharmacies starting March 5th as part of an initiative by MP Beverley Hughes, the Children's Minister, to instruct parents how to address their children's sexuality.

The news of the government's plan to release the pamphlet follows widespread news coverage of the case of a 13 year old U.K. boy, Alfie Patten, who recently became a father. Alfie's story has been widely received as emblematic of the U.K.'s troubles with high rates of teenage pregnancy, and sparked a national discussion about the problem.

"Discussing your values with your teenagers will help them to form their own," says the new pamphlet. "Remember, though, that trying to convince them of what's right and wrong may discourage them from being open."  That's the problem of relativism.  How can people avoid sin if they're taught that there is none?

The document reportedly suggests that parents should start the "big talk" with children as young as possible. Parents are also encouraged to ensure contraception availability for children as young as 13. Oh yeah...13 year-old parents is a great idea, isn't it?

story here

State of the Union

Did any of you catch Barry's State of the Union Address?  I caught about 20 seconds of it while channel surfing.  I couldn't take any more of it, seeing the 2 pro-abort "Catholics"  behind him.   I thought Pelosi was going to bounce off the stage, the way she kept jumping up to applaud Barry's every word.  She was like a jack-in-the-box.

Paul Nichols provides a more realistic assessment:

Pro-Abortion President Barack Obama's Approval Ratings Drop to New Low

Ash Wednesday

This Wednesday, February 25 is Ash Wednesday. It is the first day of Lent, and it is a Day of Fast and Abstinence.  Don't forget to get your ashes!

40 Days for Life Pro-Life Campaign Targeting Abortion Begins on Wednesday

The latest round of the 40 Days for Life campaign begins Wednesday and more than 130 cities in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia and Northern Ireland, will participate. The effort, which involves prayer and fasting and a peaceful presence at local abortion centers, goes through April 5.

The latest campaign coincides with the start of the Christian season of Lent, and sponsors hope pro-life advocates will sacrifice their time and talents to be involved.

"The economy is weak and the political landscape is challenging, but people recognize they can make a life-saving difference by going to pray outside the places where women and children are at risk - abortion facilities in their local towns," Shawn Carney, spring campaign director, tells LifeNews.com.

http://www.40daysforlife.com/

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"Catholic Advocate" has Brownback support, organization confirms

Isn't it sad that we actually need to inquire or investigate to see if Catholic politicians are living the faith?   Fortunately,  Deal Hudson is on the case.

The new initiative "Catholic Advocate," whose goal is to expose politicians "who hide their pro-abortion record behind a smokescreen of faith," confirmed to CNA that they do have the support of Senator Sam Brownback for their initiative.
Last week, “Catholic Advocate” sent a fundraising letter signed by Kansas Senator Sam Brownback questioning whether his Democratic colleagues, including the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi were genuine Catholics.

"Real Catholics need a new voice — not the likes of Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi who have campaigned as Catholics while voting to undermine the values that we hold most dear," Brownback said in the letter, asking for support against the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) and in favor of "Catholic Advocate," a nonprofit created by the Catholic activist Deal Hudson.

But on Friday, Joe Feuerherd, a staff writer of the National Catholic Reporter (a Catholic dissenters' publication), questioned the authenticity of the letter, quoting Brownback's spokesman Brian Hart, who said that "our chief of staff ... had never seen, heard of, or approved it."

Feuerherd's main concern, nevertheless, was the fact that letter is the first public criticism of a pro-life Catholic politician against pro-abortion colleagues. "It is unusual, and perhaps unprecedented in modern times, for one senator to question the religious practices of another," Feuerherd wrote.

story here

Here's another good site I found that details the pro-life or pro-abort activities of "Catholic" Politicians.

http://www.onenationundergod.org/

Denver archbishop warns against ‘spirit of adulation’ surrounding Obama

One of our best Bishops isn't "smitten" with Barry, despite the fact that the media is still bending over backwards to help him.

Canadians packed St. Basil’s Church in Toronto on Monday evening to hear Archbishop Charles Chaput speak about how Catholics should live out their faith in the public square. He warned that in the U.S., Catholics need to act on their faith and be on guard against "a spirit of adulation bordering on servility" that exists towards the Obama administration.

The public lecture by Archbishop Chaput took place on the campus of the University of Toronto at St. Basil’s Church and was attended by an overflow crowd of more than 700 people.

After giving a sketch of the basic principles in his New York Times Bestseller "Render Unto Caesar,"(I've read it..here's my review) the archbishop offered his insights on the need for an honest assessment of the situation of the Church in the public square.

"I like clarity, and there’s a reason why," began the archbishop. "I think modern life, including life in the Church, suffers from a phony unwillingness to offend that poses as prudence and good manners, but too often turns out to be cowardice. Human beings owe each other respect and appropriate courtesy. But we also owe each other the truth -- which means candor."

story here

Archbishop Chaput tells business leaders to ‘light the marketplace’

I agree with Paul Nichols' assessment of Barry.

http://catholiccartoonblog.blogspot.com/

Blessed Luke Belludi

The Saint of the Day for February 24 is Blessed Luke Belludi

St. Anthony was preaching conversion to the inhabitants of Padua when a young nobleman, Luke Belludi, came up to him and humbly asked to receive the habit of the followers of St. Francis. Anthony liked the talented, well-educated Luke and personally recommended him to St. Francis, who then received him into the Franciscan Order.
Luke, then only 20, was to be Anthony's companion in his travels and in his preaching, tending to him in his last days and taking Anthony's place upon his death. He was appointed guardian of the Friars Minor in the city of Padua. In 1239 the city fell into the hands of its enemies. Nobles were put to death, the mayor and council were banished, the great university of Padua gradually closed and the church dedicated to St. Anthony was left unfinished. Luke himself was expelled from the city but secretly returned. At night he and the new guardian would visit the tomb of St. Anthony in the unfinished shrine to pray for his help. One night a voice came from the tomb assuring them that the city would soon be delivered from its evil tyrant.

After the fulfillment of the prophetic message, Luke was elected provincial minister and furthered the completion of the great basilica in honor of Anthony, his teacher. He founded many convents of the order and had, as Anthony, the gift of miracles. Upon his death he was laid to rest in the basilica that he had helped finish and has had a continual veneration up to the present time.

Oscar Winners Use Awards Event to Slam Same-Sex "Marriage" Opponents, Promote Homosexual Agenda

Don't you love how Hollywood pretends that making a movie about something makes them an expert on the subject?  It's even worse that they use any opportunity to advance the homosexual "lifestyle".

Last night's Oscars awards ceremony became a platform for promoting the homosexualist cause, as honorees involved in the pro-homosexual movie "Milk" suggested that their awards were a victory for the same-sex "marriage" movement and strongly criticized opponents of same-sex "marriage."

"Milk," a movie about the life of America's first openly homosexual politician Harvey Milk, was honored with Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay awards. The director, writer and two producers of the film identify as homosexual.

Sean Penn, who played Harvey Milk, used his acceptance speech for the Best Actor award to strongly condemn those who protest against same-sex "marriage." He referred in particular to a group protesting outside the Kodak Theater, where the awards ceremony took place.

story here

Oscar winners take swipes at Proposition 8

Actor to Lobby for Harvey Milk Day in California

Archbishop Dolan expert at church workings but prefers 'the folks'

Like his predecessor, Cardinal Edward M. Egan, Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan is very familiar with the workings of the church in Rome.

The new head of the New York Archdiocese served for seven years as rector of the Pontifical North American College, the U.S. national seminary in Rome, and was a student there himself in the 1970s. In addition, he was assigned for two years to the staff of the apostolic nunciature, or Vatican embassy, in Washington.

But Archbishop Dolan, who turned 59 Feb. 6, described himself in a 2002 interview as "a sort of fish-fry and bingo guy" who preferred being "in the field ... on the front lines ... with the folks" to carrying out the administrative duties of an archbishop.

A church historian, he also tends to take the long view in regard to any crisis facing the church.

story here

Milwaukee bishops praise Dolan, bid him farewell

Archbishop Dolan prays for future ‘full of hope’ in New York City

Arkansas Enshrines Partial-Birth Abortion Ban into State Law

The liberal media would have us believe that the majority of people support abortion.  This story shows us otherwise.

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe on Friday signed into law a state ban on partial-birth abortion, following the bill's overwhelming support in both Congressional houses.

The ban, which was sponsored by Democrat Rep. Dawn Creekmore, passed the House of Representatives 84-6 on Wednesday, and the Senate 30-3 on Thursday. Republican Sen. Cecile Bledsoe sponsored the bill in the Senate.

Creekmore told the congressional committee that, although the gruesome procedure is already banned by the federal government, state law should adopt the ban as well, in case the Democrat-led federal Congress overturns the national ban.

The Arkansas law is similar to the national version, except that it authorizes the state medical board to seek action against doctors who perform the procedure, and that those convicted could be punished with up to six years in prison. The federal ban carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.

Both the ACLU and Planned Parenthood spoke out fiercely against the bill, arguing that it contained no exception in case the procedure is deemed necessary to protect the mother's health.  And can you name one case where abortion improves a mother's health?  No you can't, because abortion does great damage to women.

story here

Professor Kmiec calls Pope's clarification to Pelosi ‘intrusive’

I really debated writing this post.  I hate to give a dissenter like Kmiec any more attention, but when I see someone intentionally distorting Catholic teaching and deliberately trying to lead others astray, it is clear that we Catholics must respond.  I have two points to make: 

1. Catholics CANNOT support pro-abort politicians!  Kmiec is an Obama hack trying to state otherwise.  What he is really trying to do is lead others astray, which leads me to point 2. It is bad enough that Pelosi regularly distorts Catholic teaching.  The Pope was 100% correct to admonish her.   Who are you, Doug, to correct the Pope?   Please go to confession Doug...and bring Pelosi with you.

And Kmiec wants to be Ambassador to the Holy See?   ROFLOL!

Professor Douglas Kmiec, the scholar who provided a justification for allowing Catholics to vote for Barack Obama, despite the president's consistent pro-abortion track record, wrote last week on Time Magazine's website that Pope Benedict XVI's words to Nancy Pelosi were "intrusive" in legal matters, because they put the whole judicial system in an impossible moral dilemma.

In his piece Prof. Kmiec implied that the Pope exaggerated or at least did not measure the consequences of his words when he told Nancy Pelosi that "jurists," in addition to legislators, must work "in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development."

From the Catechism:

2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law:
You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.

God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.

From the Bible:

whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:6

story here

Pope Benedict appoints Archbishop Dolan to head Catholic Church in NY City

I grew up on Long Island, and I used  to commute to  New York City.  I frequently attended Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral (Cardinal O'Connor was the Cardinal then).  Now, I listen every week to "A Conversation with the Cardinal" (Egan) on the Catholic Channel.  I pray that Archbishop Dolan is as good as I've heard he is.

Today Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee to become the next Archbishop of New York, a see that the Vatican more than once has described as “the capital of the world.” Indeed it is :)

Timothy Michael Dolan was born February 6, 1950, the first of five children of Shirley Radcliffe Dolan and the late Robert Dolan.
In 1964, he began his high school seminary education at St. Louis Preparatory Seminary South in Shrewsbury, Mo. After studying at Cardinal Glennon College and then at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Archbishop Dolan was ordained a priest on June 19, 1976.

Dolan then began his time in parish ministry serving as associate pastor at Immacolata Parish in Richmond Heights, Mo., until 1979 when he began studies for a doctorate in American Church History at the Catholic University of America.

story here

The announcement on the website of the New York Archdiocese.

Archbishop Dolan of Milwaukee named to head New York Archdiocese

And Bill Donohue is smiling :)

ARCHBISHOP DOLAN—PERFECT FOR NEW YORK

St. Polycarp

The saint of the Day for February 23 is St. Polycarp

Polycarp had known those who had known Jesus, and was a disciple of St. John the Apostle, who had converted him around the year 80 AD. He taught, says his own pupil Irenaeus of Lyons, the things that he learned from the Apostles, which the Church hands down, which are true. Irenaeus, who as a young boy knew Polycarp, praised his gravity, holiness, and majesty of countenance. He had lived near Jerusalem and was proud of his early associations with the Apostles.
Polycarp became bishop of Smyrna and held the see for about 70 years. He was a staunch defender of orthodoxy and an energetic opponent of heresy, especially Marcionism and Valentinianism (the most influential of the Gnostic sects). Toward the end of his life he visited Pope St. Anicetus in Rome and, when they could not agree on a date for Easter, decided each would observe his own date. To testify his respect and ensure that the bonds of charity were unbroken, Anicetus invited Polycarp to celebrate the Eucharist in the papal chapel on this occasion. Polycarp suffered martyrdom with 12 others of his flock around the year 156.

Movie Review: The International - R

Warning: Potential Spoilers.

The main character is Louis Salinger, an Interpol agent, and he is working with the Manhattan DA, investigating IBBC.

The 'villian' is an international bank (IBBC).
Anyone who has investigated IBBC is either dead or missing.
IBBC apparently makes alot of their money by getting involved in conflicts (wars) by picking a side to arm. That fact becomes key to the investigation and efforts to bring them down.

The most interesting part of the movie revolves around the killing of Umberto Calvini, the head of IBBC, and the search for the hitman(men) involved.

The part of the movie I didn't appreciate was the way the Manhattan DA just walked away from the investigation.

I found the first half of the movie much more interesting than the second half, but I found the ending an appropriate one for the story.

Content Warnings: In the first scene, there is a guy who is dying, and they show him throwing up. I didn't think that was necessary.
In a couple of scenes, people get shot and there is an excessive amount of 'gushing' blood. The F word is used a few times.

If you like James Bond movies, you'll probably like this one.


http://www.everybodypays.com/

Bishop of Scranton bars pro-abortion officials from St. Patrick’s Day Masses

If only we had more bishops like this....

Explaining that he is determined to “prevent scandal,” Bishop of Scranton Joseph Martino has said that he will cancel Masses for St. Patrick’s Day or for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade if any pro-abortion officials are honored at the holiday events.

The bishop said that scandal could arise if the Catholic Church is seen to be involved in honoring such officials.

John M. Dougherty, the Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton, explained Bishop Martino’s views in a Feb. 6 letter to John Keeler, President of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick of Lackawanna County.

Saying that St. Peter’s Cathedral plays “no small role” in the local observance of St. Patrick’s Day, Bishop Dougherty noted that local celebrations often honor elected public officials. This honoring takes place when they are given parade positions or dais opportunities.

“While some of the officials have merited the pride our local people take in them, others have positions and voting records that have contributed to the daily killing of the unborn by abortion,” Bishop Dougherty wrote.

Saying Bishop Martino “understands and blesses” the ethnic pride of men and women in the diocese, he is also “determined to prevent scandal.”

story here

St. Peter Damian

The Saint of the Day for February 21 is St. Peter Damian.

St. Peter Damian must be numbered among the greatest of the Church's reformers in the Middle Ages, yes, even among the truly extraordinary persons of all times. In Damian the scholar, men admire wealth of wisdom: in Damian the preacher of God's word, apostolic zeal; in Damian the monk, austerity and self-denial; in Damian the priest, piety and zeal for souls; in Damian the cardinal, loyalty and submission to the Holy See together with generous enthusiasm and devotion for the good of Mother Church. He was a personal friend of Pope Gregory VII. He died in 1072 at the age of 65.
On one occasion he wrote to a young nephew, "If I may speak figuratively, drive out the roaring beasts from your domain; do not cease from protecting yourself daily by receiving the Flesh and Blood of the Lord. Let your secret foe see your lips reddened with the Blood of Christ. He will shudder, cower back, and flee to his dark, dank retreat."

In his poem, the Divine Comedy, Dante places Damian in the "seventh heaven." That was his place for holy people who loved to think about or contemplate God.

Group counters stimulus with Jesus in TV ad

'Health Care' in the Stimulus

Huckabee: Stimulus is 'anti-religious'

CNN Rejects Pro-Life Ad With Barack Obama as Unborn Baby, Opposing Abortion

Even after he's won the election and been President for a month, the media are still bending  over backwards to help Barry.  Fortunately, EWTN wasn't afraid to air it.  The ad isn't even critical of Barry.

CNN has rejected the airing of an advertisement by a pro-life Catholic group depicting President Barack Obama as an unborn child and asking what would happen had he been a victim of abortion. This is the same ad NBC prevented from airing during the Super Bowl.

The ad shows a beautiful picture of an unborn child during an ultrasound and says it would have been a tragedy had Obama been aborted.

The pro-life Catholic group Fidelis and its CatholicVote web site are the sponsors of the commercial, which became an national phenomenon after NBC rejected it.

story here

The 'A Word'

(click for larger image)

Archbishop Chaput responds to Pelosi-Pope meeting

Archbishop Chaput was one of the first to rebuke Pelosi when she made the ridiculous assertion that the Catholic Church hadn't decided when life begins. That's only one reason why Chaput is one of my favorite Bishops :)

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver is in complete agreement with the message that Pope Benedict XVI delivered to Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday. The archbishop also went so far as to say that since she disagrees with the Church on the "black and white issue" of abortion, she should not present herself for Communion.

The comments by Archbishop Chaput were made following Nancy Pelosi’s meeting with Pope Benedict, at which the Pope reminded the Speaker of the House that all legislators, but especially Catholics, are bound to protect human life from conception to natural death.

FOX News’ Neil Cavuto (also a faithful Catholic) invited Archbishop Chaput to give his reaction to the Pope-Pelosi meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

Cavuto began by pointing out the disparity between Pelosi’s statement about the meeting and the Pope’s.

story here

Pelosi Spin on Meeting With Pope Dramatically Different From Vatican Statement

Archbishop Chaput Weighs in on Pelosi Meeting with Pope - Says Pelosi Should not Receive Communion

Catholics United targets Archbishop Naumann, defends Gov. Sebelius

To put this story in its proper context, let's understand who and what "Catholics United" is.  CU is a group of Catholic dissenters who were started to help Obama get the Catholic vote, and get elected President.  They are funded by billionaire leftist George Soros.  

Of course the Archbishop is correct.  He had asked her to stop receiving communion, which is what a Catholic (CINO)  who supports abortion should do. 

In a startling defense of legal abortion supporter Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Catholics United has attacked Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, accusing him being more interested in trying to score political points against the governor than in crafting effective abortion policy within the reality of politics.

The salvo from Catholics United comes as advisors to President Obama have told the press that he has decided on Sebelius as his next secretary of Health and Human Services nominee.

Kathleen Sebelius, who professes to be Catholic, has a problematic record on abortion.

Although Catholics United mentions the Kansas governor’s "tireless support for children's health care and education, and her efforts to provide public financing for adoption and pregnancy support centers," the group fails to mention her 30 years of simultaneously advocating to keep abortion legal.

story here

SEBELIUS—ENEMY OF THE UNBORN—TO HHS?

Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto

The Saints of the Day for February 20 are Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto.

Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three children, Portuguese shepherds from Aljustrel, received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria, near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon. At that time, Europe was involved in an extremely bloody war. Portugal itself was in political turmoil, having overthrown its monarchy in 1910; the government disbanded religious organizations soon after.
At the first appearance, Mary asked the children to return to that spot on the thirteenth of each month for the next six months. She also asked them to learn to read and write and to pray the rosary “to obtain peace for the world and the end of the war.” They were to pray for sinners and for the conversion of Russia, which had recently overthrown Czar Nicholas II and was soon to fall under communism. Up to 90,000 people gathered for Mary’s final apparition on October 13, 1917.

Less than two years later, Francisco died of influenza in his family home. He was buried in the parish cemetery and then re-buried in the Fatima basilica in 1952. Jacinta died of influenza in Lisbon, offering her suffering for the conversion of sinners, peace in the world and the Holy Father. She was re-buried in the Fatima basilica in 1951. Their cousin, Lucia dos Santos, became a Carmelite nun and was still living when Jacinta and Francisco were beatified in 2000. Sister Lucia died in February 2005 at the age of 97. The shrine of Our Lady of Fatima is visited by up to 20 million people a year.

FOCA’s Friends

I think we pro-lifers have done well so far in presenting our opposition to FOCA, but we need to keep up the fight!  If these pro-aborts think abortion is so great, why do they have to keep pretending they aren't pro-abort?

Amy Sullivan, a writer for Time magazine who shills for the Democrats, posted a piece today saying that the Catholic Church’s campaign against the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA)—the most radical piece of pro-abortion legislation in history—is much ado about nothing. Following the talking points of her pro-abortion friends in the Catholic community who insist they are against abortion, she says “no such bill has been introduced.” Just a lie...they will try to get it through.  Barry has already promised to sign it.

The fact is that Rep. Jerry Nadler and Sen. Barbara Boxer previously introduced FOCA, but they got nowhere. The fact is that they have publicly pledged to reintroduce the same bill this term. The fact is that the reason they haven’t done so yet is due to pro-life Catholics who are honestly pro-life.

What it comes down to is this: pro-abortion Catholics are angry that pro-life Catholics have succeeded so far in intimidating FOCA supporters from going forward.

story here

www.fightfoca.com