Pewsitter News

Scandal-Ridden USCCB Brings Pro-abortion, LGBT Rights Activists To Speak At 4-Day Event

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Washington, DC - February 4, 2010 - Already embroiled in an abortion scandal, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will host a line-up of progressive leaders – including prominent pro-abortion activists – to their “Catholic Social Gathering” in Washington, D.C., Feb. 7-10. ...

USCCB Exec Carr, at Center Of Pro-Abortion - Gay Marriage Controversy, Responds But Fails To Address Key Issues

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

February 2, 2010 - Washington, DC – American Life League and the Bellarmine Vertias Ministry, working with the Reform CCHD Now coalition, released two separate reports Monday on United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) ties with the Center for Community Change (CCC), a stridently pro-abortion, pro-homosexuality organization....

Conference of Catholic Bishops Exec Chaired Pro-Abortion, LGBT Rights Group

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

February 1, 2010 - Washington, DC - An exec with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, has deep ties with a national group that promotes abortion and homosexual rights according to a report released Monday....

The Renewal of Catholic Architectural Identity

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

January 29, 2010 - There is a new wind blowing within the architectural designs of Church buildings in Catholicism. It is the restoration of the Church’s ancient and traditional appreciation of our Eucharistic celebration as an act of transcendence towards a deeper understanding of the Divine. New church buildings and sanctuaries are undergoing a restoration of traditional applications of classical art and architectural motifs, which thankfully call our liturgical prayer to an awesome appreciation of the mysteries of salvation history. Time and space again are reconciled through the architecture of this shrine that loudly calls the worshiper to metaphysical and ontological beliefs that go beyond modern presentations of secular humanism, towards an ascent into the sacred mystery of God’s existence....

Openly Lesbian "Catholic" Woman Is Member of USCCB Subcommittee For Health Care and Work

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

December 3, 2009 - According to the USCCB website Mary Kay Henry was appointed to the USCCB Subcommittee for Health Care and Work in 1998. Now more than a decade later, Ms. Henry continues to provide consultation to the USCCB in this capacity – in spite of her open dissent from Church teaching on homosexuality.

Michael Voris of Real Catholic TV, who first reported this story, stated that when he called the USCCB their only immediate comment was that someone would get back to him. Mr. Voris in his daily video commentary states: “Where do the bishops find these people to consult? Surely, there has to be .. somewhere in America .. a faithful Catholic the bishops can turn to for advice on matters of health care.”

What Mr. Voris is referring to is the information found in Mary Kay Henry’s CV posted on the SEIU web site. The last paragraph of that CV follows.

“Mary Kay is also active in the fight for immigration reform and gay and lesbian rights. She is a founding member of SEIU's gay and lesbian Lavender Caucus. She and her partner, Paula Macchello, have been together for 20 years.”

There appears to be a growing distrust and credibility gap between faithful Catholics and the USCCB. Just last month the USCCB’s annual CCHD collection was challenged by a coalition of Catholic lay groups, over the CCHD funding of anti-catholic organizations.

Last year, immediately after the 2008 elections, CCHD finalized their decision to defund Acorn and end its many years of association with this controversial group....

Catholic Pro Life Organizations will Benefit from Online Toy Company

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

St. Louis, MO., November 24, 2009 â€“ Angel Heaven World, a St. Louis-based online company, unveiled their interactive Web site and Toy line at Toy Fair this year and now announces that 20% of all proceeds will be distributed to select Catholic Pro Life Organizations nationwide....

Theologian Authors New Book on the Catholic Perspective of "2012" and End-Times Prophecy

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

New Hollywood Movie ‘2012’ Causes Increase in End-Times Speculation; The Catholic Church Uniquely Has Divine Insight into Apocalyptic Events; Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary Prophecy That Apocalyptic Events Are Imminent; And That There Will Soon Be a Great Renewal of the World....

CCHD Funding Debacle Continues To Grow

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

November 17, 2009 - In the 2009 funding year, the Catholic Campaign For Human Development (CCHD)awarded approximately 250 grants totaling almost 8 million dollars. When you open the summary funding document provided on the USCCB website and begin to peruse the grantees it doesn’t take long to arrive at a couple of conclusions. The first is that many of these organizations are involved in community organizing. The second impression is many of these organizations espouse the mission of peace and justice. While it would be a mistake to paint all justice and peace organizations or all community organizing groups as bad or undeserving of funding, the philosophical underpinnings and track record of these types of organizations does not inspire confidence. Quite the opposite, it raises red flags.

As you begin to go to the individual websites of some of these organizations, and look around and see what they are doing, the uneasy feeling about just how these organizations are using your collection donations only gets worse. Structural discrimination; opposition to military recruiting; empowerment; voter guides that equate support for the poor, death penalty opposition and several other issues as equal in value to the fight against abortion; radical Alinsky style non-violent training and activism, support of undocumented people (illegal aliens), opposition to WTO, NAFTA, CAFTA are just a few of the surprises in store for the intrepid that have the desire and time to investigate the 2009 CCHD grantees.

Bellarmine Veritas Ministry has released two separate reports over the past couple of months identify organizations funded by CCHD that support causes or have taken positions in opposition to Church teaching. CCHD recently responded to these charges be defunding two of these organizations, but continue to fund others that were uncovered by Bellarmine Veritas’ investigation. The explanation provided for this decision was “bizarre” according to Michael Hitchborn of American Life League (ALL). ALL released a video response to the CCHD’s explanation which points out the organizations that CCHD did not defund support same sex marriage, legalization of prostitution and abortion....

The Catholic Bishopsâ€™ Greatest Victory Since the Onset of the Sex Abuse Scandal

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Novermber 13, 2009 - Sometimes, you can detect spirituality by the very "feel" of a vicinity. Visit the Church of St. John Lateran! Visit Assisi! Visit the Vatican!...

Archbishop Dolanâ€™s "Not Fit To Print" New York Times Editorial

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

November 9, 2009 - One assumes that The New York Times would have been glad to receive an Op-Ed article from the new Archbishop of New York. The Archdiocese of New York is responsible for a very important part of the cityâ€™s educational, medical, and charitable life. The newspaper refused to print it. Such censorship only whets the appetite to know what was thought not fit to print. There are many items that the Times, which claims to publish everything thatâ€™s fit to print, has printed although they were not fit. There were, for instance, its mockery in 1920 of Goddardâ€™s hypothesis that rocket propulsion can take place in a vacuum, a denial of Stalinâ€™s forced famine in Ukraine and a whitewash of his show trials by its Moscow bureau chief Walter Duranty, its advocacy of Fidel Castro, and its benign regard for the Soviet spy Alger Hiss. So there had to be some journalistic equivalent of a cerebral stroke to make the editors of the Times unable to print Archbishop Dolanâ€™s words....

A Boomerang Effect: The Catholic bishopsâ€™ parish outreach could lead to a wave of Catholic support

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

October 31, 2009 - The USCCB is not the best source to counter a liberal political agenda. But this weekend, they are it. By asking parishes to discuss the Federal healthcare bills at Sunday Masses and reject the current plans, they put additional pressure to stall the progress of an already unpopular project. Moderates and conservatives have been unable to get amendments attached to the bill that would eliminate abortion funding, prevent rationing and euthanasia and protect conscience rights.

This is a very dangerous move done at a time when the healthcare bill is already facing strong resistance. Aside from these moral policy issues of abortion and euthanasia; abortion already being well established into society by the courts and euthanasia covertly practiced to an unknown degree; on every other item the Bishopsâ€™ Conference sides with the Left.

The Bishopsâ€™ have a very long and fruitful history of delivering Catholic votes for Democrats. These are the same Catholic leaders who enabled the huge Ted Kennedy funeral event and whose President was so happy Barack Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize. The partnership stretches deep into the last century and beyond.

In their fantastic thinking, the bishops believe that Congress can move the entire country to a national health bureaucracy, and it will expand the medical services to people and not uniformly contract them. This utopian pie-in-the-sky error is standard reasoning from their quarter.

There are endless ways that Congress can seemingly capitulate to the Bishopsâ€™ demands, thus giving them a green light to do what they would very much love to do, support the bill wholeheartedly.

Regardless of the U.S. Bishopsâ€™ healthcare formulations, there is no real way to produce this government takeover and not have more abortions, rationing, euthanasia, and coercion. It is intrinsic to the machine being set into motion. The details are incidental. Any possible protections would be temporary at best, and the bishops, poised and hoping for success of the plan, are vulnerable to a Democrat feint.

Even if the Bishops were able to force the adoption of pro-life amendments that have been introduced by Republicans and blue dog Democrats, the courts would still be free to change these provisions and unleash the pro-death lobby against the elderly, sick and unborn. The court majorities exist and most of the insidious amoral laws we suffer with today have relied upon key court interventions around the country.

We are in great danger that the bishops will turn around and bolt in the wrong direction based on some weak or deceptive accommodation, and that much of the best part of the Catholic population--mass-going, sensible, elderly, impressed by their bishopâ€™s pastoral attention and Washingtonâ€™s new listening ears, will shift their opinions from where they are today and seal their own fates.

Itâ€™s amazing to me that a group of leaders who give so much time on behalf of the unborn, the sick, and the poor would ever support a national health scheme in the first place. Has the Conference solicited the advice of one medical professional, perhaps even the Catholic Medical Association?

I would not be so cynical to guess that this boomerang scenario might be a co-coordinated effort between the congressional leaders and the USCCB, but I would not be astonished if it were. Too often, these people play for the same team.

...

New Coalition Calling on Catholics To Boycott Upcoming CCHD Collection

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Front Royal, VA - October 28, 2009 - A coalition of Catholic organizations has formed to ask faithful Catholics to boycott this year’s Catholic Campaign for Human Development collection, scheduled for Sunday, November 22 in many dioceses, and place a specially-designed coupon in the collection basket instead of money.

The group has also launched a website dedicated to informing Catholics and tracking the progress of the campaign at www.reformcchdnow.com. The coupon may be downloaded and shared directly from the Web site’s home page.

The coalition has formed in response to the continuing scandal of the CCHD, and is calling the CCHD to a major reform, focused on ensuring grantees’ fidelity to Church teaching on social justice, family and life issues.

“It is said that ‘sunlight is the best disinfectant’, and we are trying to shed some light not only on the CCHD, but also on some wonderful organizations that actually serve the poor and disenfranchised in a way that is consistent with Catholic teaching” said Rob Gasper, president of Bellarmine Veritas Ministry, one of the groups calling for a reform of the CCHD. “We just think that faithful Catholics in the pews should be able to trust that the money they give to the CCHD is going to reputable organizations that in no way work against the Church.”

WWW.REFORMCCHDNOW.COM was launched today with four goals:

To call the CCHD to greater transparency in its grants process, and to revisit its criteria for choosing grantees,
To encourage faithful Catholics to download, share and place the REFORM CCHD NOW coupon in this year’s annual special CCHD collection, held in many parishes on November 22, 2009,
To suggest reputable alternative organizations that faithful Catholics can be sure perform great service to the poor but do not oppose the Church in any way, and
To create a clearing house for information on the campaign to reform the CCHD going forward.

“We support without qualification our Catholic bishops,” said Stephen Phelan, Communications Manager for Human Life International. “We are confident that many of them will support this call for greater transparency in the CCHD, and to a deep reform in the organization. In this campaign we are asking that the CCHD reconsider its philosophy and practices.""We respectfully call the CCHD to respond to Pope Benedict’s call in his recent encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, when he challenged development professionals to work.

American Life League another well known and respected national organization has also signed on in support of this effort. Groups or organizations that wish to support the boycott sign on as supported from the coalition's website.

...

Withholding Communion: A Modest Proposal For Catholic Bishops

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

October 15, 2009 - Every passing day the un-ending stream of news stories continues about Catholic politicians voting in support of gay marriage, abortion, embryonic stem cell research or some other serious moral issue - - placing themselves in opposition to the Church’s teachings. Such support by dissenting Catholics raises the question of what it means to be Catholic, or perhaps better put - does it mean anything when one calls themselves Catholic in the United States in the year 2009?

According to the website OneNationUnderGod.com that tracks Catholic politicians and their votes, there are 161 Catholics currently serving in Congress. Twenty-six have a 100% voting record on all life issue votes and twenty-eight have never taken a pro-life position earning a 0% voting record. Thirty four Catholic lawmakers co-sponsored the Freedom of Choice Act of 2007. Seventy-five Catholic members of Congress accepted campaign donations from groups that advocate for unrestricted abortion rights.

Nancy Pelosi, the current Speaker of the House, is one such example. Mrs. Pelosi was first elected to Congress in 1987. Precisely when her first Congressional vote on an issue placed her in opposition to the Church occurred is unclear. We do know that as far back as 1993 her dissent from Church teaching was on public display when she voted against the Hyde Amendment. Three years later congressional records show she voted against the Defense of Marriage Act. It is clear Mrs. Pelosi’s record of dissent goes back at least 16 years.

Recently it was revealed that Cardinal Ratzinger, while head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a letter to Letter to Cardinal McCarrick back in the Summer of 2004 on the issue of whether politicians who back abortion rights should receive Holy Communion. Cardinal McCarrick chose not to share the letter with America’s bishops. Its contents were recently leaked by a source in Italy.

In this letter the then Cardinal Ratzinger said that when a person’s “formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistent campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.”

Years later in the Spring of 2007, that same person, as Benedict the XVI, repeated this sentiment while en-route to the country of Brazil. A reporter aboard the Pope’s plane asked Pope Benedict XVI if he supported the Mexican bishops in their warning to politicians who supported legalizing abortion that they would face excommunication. The Pope responded saying, "Yes, this excommunication was not an arbitrary one but is allowed by Canon law which says that the killing of an innocent child is incompatible with receiving Communion, which is receiving the body of Christ."

No clairvoyance is required to know where the Pope stands on this issue.

The Bishops’ upcoming semiannual meeting in early November contains nothing on the official schedule that suggests that this issue is going to be discussed or placed on the agenda. However there are several very good reasons why it should be:

Dissenting Catholics, knowing that the Bishops tolerate such open dissent, will continue dissenting, leading others into error....

Claim That Rome May Soon Issue Direction on Medjugorje Appartitions Puts Focus On Pope Benedict

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

October 15, 2009 - There is no question that Bishop Ratko Peric of Mostar-Duvno, Bosnia-Hercegoivina, has jurisdiction over church property and liturgical issues in his diocese, which includes the famed apparition site of Medjugorje, and also no question that the bishop -- while disallowed by the Vatican from ruling on the apparitions themselves -- should be obeyed in matters that involve use of church property and presentation of the sacraments....

Pelosiâ€™s Continuing Dissent from Catholic Church Teaching

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

October 13, 2009 - Late last year Speaker Pelosi made a couple of rather outrageous statements about the teachings of the Church with regard to abortion and when life begins. Several bishops responded to correct Pelosi’s false statements. There was sufficient outrage among faithful Catholics to prompt Pelosi’s bishop, Archbishop Niederauer of San Francisco, to meet with her in February of this year. The result of that meeting? Pelosi’s spokesman confirmed that a meeting had taken place and that Pelosi was not about to change her position on abortion.

Since that February meeting Pelosi continues to dissent from Church teaching as evidenced by both her public statements and actions. Here is a small sampling of activities by Pelosi since she met with Archbishop Niederauer in February:

On Embryonic Stem Cell Research (April of 2009)...

Abortion Coverage the "Red Herring" in the Health Care Debate: Will the Bishops Fall for It?

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

October 1, 2009 - Remember the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA)? Catholics got rather worked up over the prospect of this proposed legislation. It occupied a great deal of the time and focus of the Catholic Church and the Pro-Life community during the early weeks of the Obama administration. The USCCB even got into the act with a nationwide, parish-by-parish postcard campaign. Remember also that it never materialized....

Palinâ€™s New Tack and the Catholic Bishopsâ€™ Old Game

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

September 28, 2009 - Sarah Palin is starting to slowly re-appear on the world scene. Now that she is free of the hopeless McCain campaign and no longer tied up in Alaska, she’s presenting a clear ideology with a potent delivery. It's a pure antidote to the current American pathology. Many U.S. Catholic leaders, so key to the liberal government’s ascendance, should try to hear what Sarah is ready to teach the country.

Sarah Palin's Determined Message...

Thirty-five Catholic Lawmakers Defy Church Teaching And Co-sponsor Bill To Repeal Defense of Marriage Act

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

September 26, 2009 - The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) defines marriage as a "legal union between one man and one woman for purposes of all federal laws, and provides that states need not recognize a marriage from another state if it is between persons of the same sex." Thirty-nine states have passed legislation and constitutional amendments to protect marriage as the union between one man and one woman....

New Service Launched For Contacting Catholic Bishops and Diocesan Newspapers

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

September 22, 2009 - Pewsitter.com, a Catholic News Portal, has launched a new service on its website that makes it easier for Catholics to contact their bishops or diocesan newspapers to express support or concerns. This service consolidates the names and email addresses of Diocesan Bishops and Newspapers into one place....

Nationâ€™s Largest Catholic Prolife Group Challenges U.S. Bishops to Oppose Obamacare

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

September 9 , 2009 - Washington, DC â€“ As Obama prepares to address the nation Wednesday on his health care plan, American Life League has challenged the nation's Catholic bishops to be prepared to shut down Catholic health care and make it clear that they prefer this action to compromising with the intrinsic evils currently contained in various Obama care proposals....

Liberal Catholics and Catholic Liberals

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

September 7, 2009 - Now that Cardinal Oâ€™Malley has renounced the love and admiration of the faithful, he can freely pursue a more worldly respectability. I pray it does not happen, but it may be easier for him to make compromises going forward, and heâ€™ll get even more pressure to do so. But looking at his record, Oâ€™Malley has generally been a faithful bishop. He hasnâ€™t accumulated a list of gay accusers, preached heresy, or attacked the Pope. He has encouraged Catholics to vote against pro-choice politicians. He has even promoted the sacrament of penance. Oâ€™Malley has an easy humble likeable manner. He lobbied hard in the hopes that Pope Benedict could stop in Boston and he has handled the ponderous scandals and financial problems of that diocese with grace and skill. Why then this late fall? The Cardinal has become a striking example of one of the most insidious and pervasive problems in the Church today. He is a Catholic liberal....

Catholic Mass Honoring Kennedy Legacy Raises Serious Questions

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Washington, DC (27 August 2009) â€“ Once again, President Barack Obama will be given a Catholic stage to eulogize the memory of a man whose life was spent committed to the destruction of innocent preborn life. And once again, the bishops are silent....

New ABC "Mockumentary" Sitcom Built Around Two Gay Men with a Child

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

August 24, 2009 - This fall ABC is premiering a single-camera style mockumentary comedy about a gay couple with an adopted child. Modern Family, which tested well in pilot, has been carefully promoted and is highly anticipated by the industry....

Canadian Prime Minister Communion Fiasco Did Happen: Blame Goes to Bishop

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

August 20, 2009 - Recently the Canadian paper, Telegraph-Journal, published a retraction on the Stephen Harper Communion story. On July 8th that paper reported that Prime Minister Harper received Communion at a Catholic funeral although he is not a Catholic. The article cites witnesses who claim Harper put the consecrated host in his pocket. The actual moment is captured in a video that has been repeatedly taken down and then re-posted on Youtube. In the segment the PM seems to hesitantly accept Communion in the hand but does not consume it. The Telepraph-Journal article quotes a New Brunswick priest who demanded that Harper explain what he did with the host....

Planned Parenthood Overcharging Medicaid in Yet Another State

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Washington, DC (11 August 2009) â€“ Another Planned Parenthood affiliate has been caught defrauding taxpayers of hundreds of thousands of dollars....

Three Top Lay Catholic Organizations Divorced Themselves from Catholic Teaching By Supporting Obama Health-Care Plan

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Washington, DC (29 July 2009) â€“ Three of the top lay Catholic organizations have divorced themselves from Catholic teaching by supporting the Obama health-care plan, which would foster a culture of mandatory abortion coverage, contraceptive services, and permissive sex education, euthanasia and eugenics....

Catholic Politicians Continue to Advance Abortion Lobby Agenda

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

July 19, 2009 - Pro-life legislators in the House and Senate are working overtime battling attempts to broaden abortion policy in both appropriation bills and the healthcare reform bill. Some Catholic politicians have led efforts to advance the abortion lobby agenda making abortion universally accessible and funded by taxpayer dollars....

Contradicting NY Times Article, Many Sisters Have Prayed For and Welcome the Vaticanâ€™s Visitation

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

July 9, 2009 - The July 2 New York Times article "Nuns in U.S. Are Facing Scrutiny by the Vatican" stated that the Vatican action "surprised many because there was no obvious precipitating cause." The fact is, people who have been watching the deterioration of many of the womenâ€™s religious orders in this country were not at all surprised. Indeed, many sisters themselves have asked and prayed for Vatican attention to the condition of womenâ€™s religious communities....

'Curse of the Mad Scientistsâ€™ created the chaos described in Pope Benedictâ€™s encyclical

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

DETROIT (July 7, 2009) â€“ The landmark encyclical issued today by Pope Benedict XVI addressing the causes of the current global economic crisis could have been titled, "The Curse of the Mad Scientists," according to Professor Harry Veryser, director of the graduate studies in economics at the University of Detroit Mercy....

New Timeline Vindicates Brazilian Archbishop Against Pro-Abortion Hit Piece From High Vatican Office

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

July 6, 2009 - A timeline has emerged which gives a detailed account of what is now known as the "Recife Affair." It was included in a memorandum delivered to the Roman Curia in June. The report re-traces the acts of now retired Archbishop, Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, in March 2009 when he tried to forestall an abortion on a nine-year-old girl who was four months pregnant with twins. The little girl had been raped by her stepfather and the abortion was already scheduled when Cardoso learned of the situation. In this document, Marcio Miranda, the attorney who worked closely with the archbishop, presents a clear picture of a man who is a loving pastor and did everything possible to prevent a tragedy.

When Cardoso learned about the girl he immediately began working through proper channels at the hospital and state agencies. He met with the child's father who was also trying to halt the abortion process. The hospital superintendant and other physicians certified that with close monitoring the girl could safely carry the twins to term. Legal and psychological experts were consulted.

We see in the Miranda Report that Cardoso then began working with the court to determine if it had received the proper request for an abortion. But, while he was pressing these legal avenues, he didn't know that state officials had arrived at the hospital. Along with some members of a feminist group, Curumim, they were able to convince the mother to place the child in their care. She was then removed to an undisclosed location and the twins were aborted.

The Archbishop was unable to learn anything more about the child even after contacting the governor's and vice governor's offices. Not knowing the status of the girl, he decided to make a final plea and summoned the press to help find and protect the young mother and her two children. With the small hope that the publicity and his appeal to conscience might force a change of heart, he reminded those involved that the Church applies an automatic excommunication for the sin of abortion.

A firestorm of outrage and contempt ensued, culminating in a discouraging public rebuke to Cardoso from the President of the Pontifical Academy for Life in Rome. This attack, published in the Vatican's unofficial paper, "L'Osservatore Romano," painted a blatantly false picture, claiming among other things that the mother's life was in danger. Most insidious however, was the office's assertion that those caring for the girl might have been justified in terminating the pregnancy.

"Because of her extremely young age and precarious health conditions, the life [of the girl] was in serious danger from her pregnancy. What should be done in these cases? It is a difficult decision for the doctor, and for the moral law itself. Decisions like these [...] have to be made every day [...] and the doctor's conscience is left alone to decide what is the best thing to do."

"We are on your side [the pregnant girl...] There are others who deserve excommunication and our forgiveness, not those who allowed you to live."

This article, contrary to Church teaching and penned from a high Vatican post, had the immediate worldwide effect of giving cover to those who would legitimize pro-choice Catholicism.

That is the essence of the events documented by Mr. Miranda below. They don't tell a story of rashness, cruelty, or poor pastoral care. Instead they reveal a faithful bishop who felt a keen responsibility for every soul in his diocese; for the children involved as well as the adults who victimized them.

______________________________________________________________________________

The Miranda Report

Action taken by the Archbishop of Olinda and Recife to prevent the Abortion of the twins carried by the young girl in Alagoinha (Pernambuco State - Brazil)...

Pro-Abortion Violence on Rise After Media Build-up

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Washington, DC (July 2, 2009) â€“ Pro-abortion violence is on the rise in recent weeks, according to a new video report from American Life League....

Why Is The USCCB Selling Out Catholic Health Care Workers?

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

June 30, 2009 - For more than a decade, Catholic health care workers have been the targeted for unionization by some of the countryâ€™s most powerful, radically anti- life union bosses, efforts that have included slick television advertising campaigns that demonize Catholic hospitals as a public health risk....

Boston Cardinal Oâ€™Malley Withdraws Caritas Christi From Potential Abortion Scandal

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Washington, DC (26 June 2009) â€“ The following is a statement from American Life League president Judie Brown regarding Boston Cardinal Sean Oâ€™Malleyâ€™s announcement that archdiocese-affiliated Caritas Christi Healthcare has withdrawn ownership of CeltiCare Health Plan. The announcement comes only two days after A.L.L. announced it would launch an investigation into the scandal....

Did Cardinal Ratzinger Visit Medjugorje?

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

June 25, 2009 - The discussion of whether or not Pope Benedict has visited Medjugorje while he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger comes at an interesting time; yesterday was the twenty-eighth anniversary of the first reputed sightings....

Attempted Poisoning, Splattered With Abortion Blood, Dog Head Thrown Into Church; Fr. Tom Euteneuer Recounts Violent Acts of Pro-Abortion Radicals

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

June 19, 2009 - Pro-life leaders world-wide, having chosen to stand effectively against a violent and powerful industry, become targets for hostility. This week I asked Fr. Tom Euteneuer, of Human Life International, to describe what he and his organization have encountered.

Question: As an outspoken visible pro-life advocate, you work against the goals of pro-abortion politics and the abortion industry. In what ways have you been threatened, either written or verbally, with physical harm?

Fr. Euteneuer: In the days when I was more actively doing sidewalk counseling, I was threatened with death twice by abortion clinic workers, threatened with physical harm numerous times by boyfriends and others who accompanied women to the clinic and several times I was assaulted by people in vehicles trying to run me over. The verbal harassment is too numerous and gross to recount, especially when directed against a man of the cloth.

...

Former Miss California, Archbishop Niederauer Given Anti-Award By SF Gay Community

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT
San Francisco, CA - June 18, 2009 - The Pink Brick is awarded annually by the organizers of San Francisco's Pride Parade to "a person or institution that has caused significant harm to the LGBT community." This year, organizers voted to give it to former Miss California Carrie Prejean for her publicly-stated belief in natural marriage....

Pro-life Leader Slams Proposed State-Sponsored Sexualization of Latin American Children

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT
FRONT ROYAL, VA - June 17, 2009 - Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, today castigated members of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) following reports of the organizationâ€™s declaration earlier this month calling for "comprehensive sexuality education starting in early childhood."...

Pro-life Leaders Face Death Threats, Require Protection From Abortion Rights Radicals

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT
...

Caritas Christi Abortion Scandal: More Questions, No Answers

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT
More Questions, No Answers from Boston's Cardinal...

Diocese of Rochester Partners With Anti-Family Judge and Notorious Abortionist to Develop Anti-Catholic Holocaust Series

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT
June 1, 2009 - Three years ago Dr. Morris Wortman watched a presentation by Deacon Thomas Driscoll, of Holy Family Parish in Rochester. That evening Driscoll outlined the assertion that Pius XII and the Catholic Church were complicit and even approving of the Nazi Holocaust. Dr. Wortman, an outspoken politically active abortionist and son of Holocaust survivors, saw Deacon Driscoll’s lecture and conceived the idea of an interfaith program along the same lines. Thus began the joint effort of the Rochester Diocese and Temple B’rith Kodesh. This new team then enlisted the help of Catholic Deacon, former family court judge and city councilman, Anthony Sciolino.

The final fourteen-part indoctrination that Wortman initiated, “2000-Year Road to the Holocaust,” accuses the Catholic Church of depriving Jews of their basic rights as citizens, fomenting hatred of Jews, and encouraging their persecution since the time of Christ. It attributes much responsibility directly to Popes throughout the ages and presents a re-hash of the recent stream of phony indictments against Pope Pius XII. Nothing is mentioned of the history of Papal support for Jews or of any intervention on their behalf against injustices up to and including the heroic efforts of Pope Pius.

The following Anti-Catholic rhetoric is the surprising work of the two Catholic deacons, Driscoll and Sciolino:

Granting equal rights to Jews violated church doctrine, which mandated their “marginalization” as punishment for the arch-crime of deicide and their continued refusal to embrace Christianity.

Anti-Judaism remained an integral part of doctrine and practice. As in the past, Jews were scapegoated for events that adversely affected church, state and society.

In 1820 and again in 1831, popular revolts erupted against papal authority in the Papal States. Its reactionary worldview shaken again, the Vatican’s siege mentality continued. Increasingly, Jews were viewed as the personification of all the ills of modern times.

By the 16th century, the papacy had established supreme authority over the whole of Western Christendom.

(French Revolution ) “Radical” ideas, as reflected in the slogan “liberty, fraternity, equality,” tore at the fabric of papal authoritarianism.

Abe Foxman of the anti-defamation league is quoted at the program’s Holocaust Road website:

For almost twenty centuries…the Church was the arch-enemy of the Jews, our most powerful and relentless oppressor and the world’s greatest force for the dissemination of anti-Semitic beliefs and the instigation of the acts of hatred. Many of the same people who operated the gas chambers worshiped in Christian churches on Sunday…The question of the complicity of the church in the murder of Jews is a living one. We must understand the truths of history.

The Holocaust Road presentation draws mainly from the discredited writers James Carroll Constantine’s Sword, John Cornwell Hitler’s Pope, and Daniel Goldhagen A Moral Reckoning: The Role of the Catholic Church in the Holocaust and its Unfulfilled Duty of Repair. The broad accusations, poor scholarship and conspiratorial speculations made in these popular works have been carefully refuted by Rabbi David Dalin and Ronald Rychlak.

Deacon Thomas Driscoll, author of the original Holocaust presentation, lectures at St. Bernard School of Theology and Ministry. That institution is dedicated to providing advanced degrees, training and background for future Catholic clergy and parish staff. Noted Catholic dissident Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB, is scheduled to speak at the school summer 2009.

Deacon Anthony Sciolino is a former Monroe County family court judge. While deciding the fates of spouses and children he made a key ruling advancing the legal status of same-sex parents. In 1993 Judge John W. Sweeny in Putnam County denied a request by a lesbian woman to adopt her partner’s biological child. That court declared that domestic relations law does not provide for adoptions by a same sex partner. The following December, Judge Sciolino ruled that such an adoption was not prohibited by New York law and approved an adoption by a lesbian partner. In this ruling Deacon Sciolino treated the lesbian couple as two unrelated individuals, waiving the rights of the biological parent(s), ignoring the same sex and homosexual relationship of the parties, and set critical precedent. Commenting on his ruling, Sciolino stated, “It is unrealistic to pretend that children can only be successfully reared in an idealized concept of family, the product of nostalgia for a time long past.”

Dr. Morris Wortman, founder of Holocaust Road, is a fierce defender of women’s and reproductive rights. An unabashed abortion provider, Wortman is actively lobbying for the repeal of the conscience laws protecting health care providers from being forced to give abortion-related assistance. Dr. Wortman has performed abortions since 1973. He founded the Center for Menstrual Disorders and Reproductive Choice in 1986, which provides a full range of women’s reproductive health services including abortion and sterilization. Dr. Wortman was honored at the annual National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League luncheon celebrating the 26th anniversary of Roe v. Wade in 1999. He is also an active member of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, an organization which supports policies that promote reproductive healthcare for all, including increased access to birth control, emergency contraception, and abortion services, as well as comprehensive sex education....

Notre Dame History Professor and Holy Cross Father at ND Response Rally Today

Sun, 17 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT
South Bend, IN - May 17, 2009 - ND Response is a student-organized coalition that held an all-night prayer vigil last night, and plans a rally Sunday afternoon, followed by another prayer vigil during the commencement ceremony. Students who plan to protest at the ceremony will display yellow crosses and yellow babyâ€™s feet on their mortarboards. Holy Cross Father Wilson Miscamble, currently a history professor at Notre Dame, will give the following prepared remarks at the ND Response Rally today....

Will Catholic Lawmakers Support FOCA-like policy in Health Care Reform?

Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT
May 15, 2009 - Last year during his presidential campaign Barack Obama made a promise when speaking to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, "The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act." FOCA has yet to be introduced in this Congress, but thirty-five Catholic members of Congress co-sponsored this direct assault on life in 2007 and thirty-four of these Catholic lawmakers remain in office. Many pro-life advocates believe attempts to pass FOCA may be done stealthily and incrementally. One vehicle to do so would be through health care reform. Health care reform bills have now been introduced in both the Senate and the House by abortion rights advocates....

Obama Controversy At Notre Dame Highlights Problem of Dissenting Professors at "Catholic" Universities

Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT
May 15, 2009 - The controversy over Notre Dame and its awarding of an honorary degree to President Barack Obama brings to mind a professor named Father Richard Peter McBrien and the urgent need for the Church to rein in "Catholic" institutions of higher learning, which in some cases are outright renegade....

Notre Dame: A Timeline of Dissent from the Catholic Teaching

Wed, 13 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT
May 13, 2009 - As Notre Dame prepares for the arrival, commencement speech and conferral of an honary law degree upon President Barack Obama this weekend, a look back at the history of Notre Dame's dissent from Catholic teaching is in order. The history of this dissent goes back almost 50 years, to the bestowal of the Laetare Medal on the first Catholic President, John Kennedy in 1961.

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