Free Republic

The convergence of several stories I've been reading over the past few days is triggering a reaction in me which I find singularly unpleasant. First, we have Nancy Pelosi - a Catholic - pushing for massive spending on contraception as part of the Democratic stimulus plan.  This morning, Deal wrote about  the 18 Catholic Senators who did not support the restoration of the Mexico City Policy.  Also today, the story emerges that Cardinal Mahony is under investigation for fraud regarding his handling of the sex abuse crisis in his diocese.  (Whatever the outcome of this, one could argue that...

ON SEPT. 23 I walked down the center aisle of our parish church, genuflected and made the sign of the cross while saying, In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Thus began my first Mass according to the Roman Missal of 1962 more than 22 years after my first experience of celebrating the Eucharist. When Pope Benedict XVI issued his letter of July 7 eliminating most restrictions on the use of the so-called Tridentine Mass, my reaction oscillated between mild irritation (Will this ignite conflict? How will we ever provide such Masses?) and vague interest (Is there perhaps some...

We are told by the mainstream media that there is a priest shortage which will cripple the Church and that empty convents will never be occupied again. These same media organizations float that idea that only non-celibacy can save the day. Increasingly, the numbers of young men entering the seminary to become priests and young women entering religious life are telling these media gatekeepers that they are wrong. In my book, The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism, the facts are clear: those dioceses that are orthodox in nature and taht defend the teachings of the Church generally find themselves with a number of...

While the contents of what Pope Benedict XVI may eventually say about the pre-Vatican II “Latin Mass” remain a tightly guarded mystery, that vacuum hasn’t stopped Vatican officials, bishops and liturgists from pondering the possible fallout – from the political to the eminently practical. In the Vatican, one concern is that such a move would be seen as an ideological statement about the general direction of the church, and especially its commitment to the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). They insist that Benedict XVI’s motives are actually pastoral rather than ideological. Some bishops, meanwhile, hope that if a ruling does come,...

An attempt to recapture the Catholic vote has been launched by Democratic supporters. A new 2006 Voter Guide has been put out by "Catholic in Alliance for the Common Good" (CACG) a group headed up by Alexia Kelley who in 2004 worked as a religion advisor to John Kerry in the closing weeks of his campaign. An initial printing of one million copies of "Voting for the Common Good: A Practical Guide for Conscientious Catholics" will be distributed nationwide through on-the-ground organizers and partner networks in all 50 states, says CACG. The groups admits in a press release that the...

Few would dispute that the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin exercised great influence in the Catholic Church in the U.S. Sadly, however, that influence was not for the good of the Church. The following are pertinent excerpts from Randy Engel's new book The Rite of Sodomy. Chapter 15 The Special Case of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Introduction This segment on Joseph Cardinal Bernardin was originally incorporated into the previous chapter on homosexual members of the American hierarchy. However, because of his extraordinary influence on AmChurch, I decided Cardinal Bernardin deserved a chapter all his own. To do real justice to Cardinal Bernardin...

I could no more stop being Catholic than I could stop being a native New Yorker or of Irish descent, my parent's child or my children's mother. Being Catholic is a condition of my being. It might as well be genetic. Catholicism is my faith, my culture, my heritage. The Church is my social community and my spiritual sanctuary. It is the source of the very language with which I contemplate life, and death, give thanks, seek comfort, define and comprehend the substance of things hoped for. To leave the Church for another—less sexist, less maddening—religious institution would save me...

Minnesota churches will soon see a sign of protest in collection plates. Gay Catholics and their supporters plan to mark their donations to send a message to let the church know who exactly is giving them their money. Cash donations will be marked with a pink triangle around the pyramid on the back, while checks will have a notation in the memo field. “If you want our money, then support us,” says parishioner Tom Degree. “They need to know how much they are receiving from GLBT congregants.” Degree and others are concerned about several positions the Catholic church has taken...

The mother of a Loretto High School student obtained photographs that exposed a drama teacher as a former Planned Parenthood volunteer, a revelation that led to the teacher's firing last week. It wasn't the first time Wynette Sills raised her anti-abortion views on the all-female, private Catholic campus. Sills, who leads anti-abortion rallies outside Sacramento-area Planned Parenthood offices three times a week, complained to school administrators last year about a classroom presentation on domestic violence, said Gail Erlandson, a theology teacher for 11 years at Loretto. Sills objected to brochures listing agencies that offer help for women because they included...

From a "homily" given at St. Bede the Venerable Church in the affluent community of La Cañada. I'm gonna give you a little bit of a trade secret here that we don't often mention from the pulpit. And that's something about Church law itself which says that Church law is to be applied more strictly the more generally it's applied and it's to be applied more loosely the more particularly, specifically, it's applied. What that means is if I am standing up here and we have a discussion going, let's say, on birth control. As a Catholic priest I'm sort...

What happened? On August 5, 2005 Bishop Paul Loverde suspended Fr. Joseph Clark without notice and without serious cause. Why? On Sunday, July 24 Fr. Clark celebrated the 11:00 a.m. Mass at Holy Family Church in Dale City assisted by a permanent deacon who committed serious liturgical abuses in handling the Precious Blood. After Mass, Father attempted to correct and instruct the deacon who was unreceptive. Father told him in the future he would not permit him to assist if the abuse continued. How did the deacon respond? A few days later Fr. Robert Avella, the Bishop’s Delegate for Clergy,...

Bishop Matthew Clark took over my home diocese of Rochester, New York, in 1978 when I was about ten years old. So fixed is his name in my memory that regardless of where I attend Mass, during the liturgy of the Eucharist I half expect the priest to say "Matthew our bishop" despite the fact that I haven't lived in Rochester for almost twenty years. A Visit Home The controversy surrounding the renovation of Sacred Heart Cathedral is something I've followed off and on since the bishop announced his intentions in 2000. Clark’s plan was to "update" the small 1928...

Fr. Robert Carr, Holy Cross Cathedral, Boston, sends us the following: "We have been alerted here that there is a move to make an assault on the Church in the US and an attempt to bring down Pope Benedict XVI in Rome through propaganda.   The Rainbow Sash Movement has called for protests in churches throughout the United States in favor of Gay rights and against Pope Benedict. http://www.rainbowsashmovement.com/New_Web_Site_12_18_04/Stories/RSM_Pentecost_2005.htm   Meanwhile Voice of the Faithful, another movement against the Church is using the case of Fr. Marcial Maciel the founder of the Legionaires of Christ who is accused of...

A young adult minister reflects on the election of Pope Benedict XVI We were at the zoo. Every few months our parish staff tries to do something just for fun. When you spend a good portion of your time together talking about who’s dying and who’s dead its important to go outside and play once in while. So, we were at the zoo. We had admired the tiger and the elephants, applauded the sea lion’s tricks, wondered at the wolves and were on our way through the reptile house talking about where we wanted to go for lunch when we...

U.S. Roman Catholics adored Pope John Paul II but vast numbers of the nation's 67 million parishioners openly disregard the pontiff's core teachings about abortion, divorce, extramarital sex and birth control. But Catholics have become more conservative in recent years, a movement fueled, in part, by the growing numbers of more traditional Latino members. Church officials estimate Latinos will comprise half of the U.S. membership within a decade. A majority of Catholics voted for President Bush, the first time a Republican presidential candidate has taken the Catholic vote. A historic union between conservative Protestants and Catholics helped re-elect Bush. Catholic...

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The board of directors of the Catholic Theological Society of America has expressed "profound distress" at the Vatican action condemning a book by U.S. Jesuit Father Roger Haight and banning him from teaching Catholic theology. "Father Haight's book 'Jesus Symbol of God' has done a great service in framing crucial questions that need to be addressed today," the board said in a statement given to Catholic News Service Feb. 16. It said the book, sharply criticized for doctrinal errors in a notification issued Feb. 7 by the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has provoked...

HOME | ABOUT US | PRESS | EVENTS | PEOPLE | ISSUES | NEWSLETTER | CONTRIBUTE | CONTACT US | SEARCH AMCHURCH UPDATE: Protestantization of Catholic Parishes Continues Unabated in Kentucky, home of the holy trifecta: "Creator, Redeemer, and Holy Sanctifier" 1/31/2005 9:42:00 PM By www.catholicmediacoalition.org - Mary Ann Kreitzer, President, Catholic Media Coalition "Creator, Redeemer, and Holy Sanctifier" CCI recieved this letter from our friends at CMC. And you think you have it bad in your Diocese? Thank GOD you don't live down the street from St. William's... ### Catholic Media Coalition, 1216 Mill Rd., Woodstock, VA 22664...

(TUCSON, Arizona) -- A former Catholic seminarian is suing the Diocese of Tucson, its bishops, and Bishop Wilton Gregory, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops among other high-ranking American prelates. The suit alleges a pattern of racketeering activity exemplified by fraud and obstruction of justice. Attorney Ivan Abrams filed the case under provisions of federal RICO - Racketeering Influence and Corrupt Organizations - statutes. The federal RICO law is a set of statutes that was initially directed at shutting down organized crime. Over the past two years, however, RICO has been used by some plaintiffs who argue...

"GLBT Pride/Twin Cities Presents the 2004 Community Pride Award to Church of St. Joan of Arc." This distinctive award inscription honored St. Joan's for their committed support of their GLBT members. To show that support, over 150 members of the parish marched in this year's Ashley Rukes GLBT Pride Parade held June 27 and attended the "Dreaming Out Loud GLBT Prayer Service-A Celebration of Pride and Community” held in SJA's church on June 23rd. In a time when right wing conservatives of many churches condemn the lifestyle of homosexuality, some excluding gays and lesbians from worship while perpetuating a message...

Presidential Candidate John Kerry charged in Catholic Court for Abortion Stand BOSTON, July 5, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Catholic canon lawyer has filed suit with the Archdiocese of Boston, charging John Kerry with causing a "most serious scandal to the American public," for continuing to take Communion while being an active proponent of the grave sin of abortion. Marc Balestrieri, a Canon lawyer and Associate Judge for the Los Angeles archdiocese tribunal, launched the suit June 14, which was released to the public on Sunday. "Heresy is a public, ecclesiastical crime," Balestrieri told the Washington Times. "It affects entire communities....