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July 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Newspapers, blogs, talk-shows on radio and television are full of discussion over Pope Benedict XVI's supposed call for a "new world order" or a "one-world government." These ideas are, however, neither based in reality nor a clear reading of the Pope's latest encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, the release of which yesterday spawned the heated discussion. The Pope actually speaks directly against a one-world government, and, as would be expected from those who have read his previous writings, calls for massive reform of the United Nations. Confusion seems to have come from paragraph 67 of the...

Special Note: In last week’s column, I wrote about the seemingly inexplicable events that are unfolding throughout the world. How do we understand the demonization of Israel, the new escalation of anti-Semitism, and the preponderance of Islamic terrorists throughout the world? Whenever we encounter challenges, be they major or minor, general or personal, it is always best to consult the Torah. But, you might ask, where are we to look? To which page should we turn? It is always best to focus on the first place the subject is mentioned, for the first is always definitive. So if we are...

In regard to the Memorial service today in LA for Michael Jackson, as I watched the service I was overwhelmed with grief over the hopelessness, the false comfort, all the lies and deceit, the illusions and delusions, and all of the wishful thinking and erroneous expectations in the light of the awesome realities of Time and Eternity. Great achievements and worldly success bring absolutely no merit or redemptive qualities in light of our fallen humanity (Romans 3:23; Ephesians 2:8-9). The absolute bankruptcy of humanity dictates its greatest need for the righteous perfection demanded by our Divine Creator - Almighty God....

'Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names. To the more thou shalt give the more inheritance, and to the fewer thou shalt give the less inheritance.' (From this week's Torah portion, Pinchas; Number 26: 53-54). Property rights are a basic value in the Torah. Our Forefathers were all wealthy men. Jacob even endangers himself and re-crosses the Yabok stream to retrieve some small belongings. Our Sages teach us that righteous people hold their money as dear as their bodies. An entire Talmudic tractate deals with the minute details of a "strange"...

What is portrayed as the debate between religion and science feels increasingly like watching the very bitter dissolution of a doomed marriage. The relationship started out all roses and kisses, proceeded to doubts and regrets, then fights and silences, a mutually agreed separation, and finally to curses and maledictions: “I wish you were dead!” In a recent Wall Street Journal opinion article, cosmologist Lawrence Krauss declared “the inconsistency of belief in an activist god with modern science.” Krauss’s essay was the latest eruption of a vituperative argument going on in the scientific community over “accommodationism.” Accommodationists hold that even atheists...

Pope Benedict XVI has sacked two Vatican officials over the readmission of a British Holocaust-denying bishop to the Roman Catholic Church. He also abolished the Vatican department responsible for the lifting of the excommunication of Richard Williamson, who is one of the leaders of the Society of St Pius X. The rehabilitation, in January, threatened to undo decades of work to heal rifts between Catholics and Jews. The German-born Pope was forced to apologise to Jewish leaders and atoned by visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Israel in May. The incident made Pope Benedict, one of the most admired...

On the 3rd Encyclical "A Better Future for Everyone Is Possible" VATICAN CITY, JULY 8, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience in Paul VI Hall. He reflected on his third encyclical, "Caritas in Veritate," which was released Tuesday. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: My new encyclical "Caritas in Veritate," which was officially presented yesterday, was fundamentally inspired in a passage from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians, in which the apostle speaks of acting according to truth in charity: "Rather," we have just heard, "living...

Church officials in the Diocese of Metuchen are helping to oversee a church investigation into whether a nun who's being considered for sainthood is the cause of a medical miracle. The probe, the first in the history of the Diocese of Metuchen, involves Mother Mary Angeline Teresa McCrory, who died in 1984 at age 91 and was founder of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm. A unidentified married couple in New Jersey whose unborn baby was diagnosed with a genetic disorder is claiming that prayers to McCrory helped their child, who was born far healthier than expected, said...

RIVER EDGE — A borough resident is on a mission to get saint status for a beloved Detroit priest, who he believes answered prayers to heal his son's cancer.           Ryan Blute holding photo of the Rev. Solanus Casey, whom he prayed to for a cancer cure. Kevin Blute hopes the Vatican will make the Rev. Solanus Casey the first male saint born in the U.S., and     suggested a friend's prayer group name itself after the friar. Blute's teenage son, Ryan, was diagnosed with melanoma in 2007 and has since recovered.  "I feel like I'm in gratitude to him big...

MANILA - Local governments should come up with their own reproductive health policies to address the growing number of mothers dying from pregnancy-related complications, because the national government is obviously not keen on doing something about it. Aurora Governor Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, a former congresswoman, on Wednesday called on local officials that it’s their constituents who are suffering while Congress sits on the reproductive health (RH) bill. She said it is now time for the local government units (LGUs) to enact ordinances that would take the place of a national RH law. Among the LGUs that have passed ordinances on reproductive...

The Reproductive Health Bill currently being considered by Filipino lawmakers has stirred up significant debate over its potential to promote economic development and improve access to healthcare, particularly reproductive healthcare. But one crucial point has been neglected: the Reproductive Health Bill is essential to remedy egregious violations on Filipino women’s international and national legal rights occurring under restrictive, ideologically driven policies, such as Manila City’s de facto ban on birth control. The Manila City ban on contraception, also known as Executive Order 003, was passed nine years ago by former Mayor Jose “Lito” Atienza to effectively prohibit Manila City women...

Father Steven Voss has been given a second chance at life, and he owes it to a fellow priest. Father Voss, parochial vicar at Spirit of Christ Parish in Arvada, underwent a successful kidney transplant April 22 at the University of Colorado Hospital. The kidney donor was Father Matthew Hartley, 31, parochial vicar at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Northglenn. The transplanted kidney may add anywhere from 10 to more than 20 years to the life of Father Voss, 30, who has suffered severe health problems since the age of 1. On April 8, Father Voss was on his way...

On July 5 the Washington Times online reported that Pastor Rick Warren told his Islamic audience, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA,) that he envisions "a coalition of faith." Whether Pastor Warren knows this or not, this is just another term for the coming one-world religion outlined in Revelation 13. It is further outlined in Revelation 17. I have not taken on the issue of Rick Warren all that often, but after reading what the Washington Times has to say about his message to a group of spiritually lost Muslims, I feel I must address this in an open...

"My assignment tonight is to address the very broad subject of the role of the Holy Ghost in missionary work, with special emphasis on 'teaching by the Spirit,' " said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve, speaking to nearly 600 missionaries in the Provo Missionary Training Center, and another 100 mission presidents and their wives attending the 2009 New Mission Presidents Seminar, June 26. Nearly 600 missionaries at the Provo MTC assemble to hear Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, who welcomed them to the "work of angels." "I have entitled these remarks 'The Divine Companionship,' " he...

Caritatis in Veritate: papal encyclical calls for new moral approach to global economy Jul. 7, 2009 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican has released the text of Caritatis in Veritate, the long-awaited social encyclical in which Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) calls for "a profoundly new way of understanding business enterprise" and a global economic system that values the common good above private profits. Explaining the title of the encyclical, Pope Benedict writes that the social teachings of the Catholic Church offer a means of appraising the secular world, judging social and economic systems against a clear moral standard. The guiding...

Pope Benedict XVI's third encyclical -- Caritas in Veritate -- arrived today containing 30,468 words: an introduction, six chapters, conclusion, and 159 footnotes. It's not thrilling reading, even by encyclical standards, but as the latest papal statement on the Church's social teaching, "Love in Truth" will be a work of lasting significance.   Those who dig through the document to see whether it leans left or right will be disappointed: There is something here for everybody. For the Left, anxious to set the scene for President Barack Obama's meeting with Benedict in a few days, there are plenty of...

An Open Letter to Pastor Rick Warren By Jan Markell On July 5 the Washington Times online reported that Pastor Rick Warren told his Islamic audience, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA,) that he envisions "a coalition of faith." Whether Pastor Warren knows this or not, this is just another term for the coming one-world religion outlined in Revelation 13. It is further outlined in Revelation 17. I have not taken on the issue of Rick Warren all that often, but after reading what the Washington Times has to say about his message to a group of spiritually lost...

In public school classrooms across the country, religious liberty is under assault. Last month in Florida, two Christian student leaders at Pace High School were barred from speaking at their graduation ceremony due to fears they might mention their faith in violation of a court order stemming from an anti-religious lawsuit filed by the ACLU. Across the country in California, UCLA administrators grudgingly allowed senior Christina Popa to thank Jesus in her graduation testimony after a widespread public backlash against their initial decision to sanitize any mention of Jesus from her statements (in Colorado, former high school valedictorian Erica...

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Calvin 500, the international Quincentenary celebration of the 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth (July 10, 1509), opened today at St. Pierre Cathedral in the old town of Geneva. Beginning with a welcome by Mr. Guillaume Taylor from the St. Pierre Parish Council, approximately 500 worshipers attended the opening convocations, featuring morning worship from Calvin’s time and a sermon on Philippians 3:8-12 by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson of the First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. The evening services featured Ugandan Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi, much psalm singing, and a sermon by Dr. Bryan...

Ever since Sarah Palin entered the national political arena last summer as the Republican VP nominee, she has caused sheer panic in the hearts and minds of the Leftist Liberals in America. Accordingly, the Leftist media is hell-bent on doing all they can to discredit Palin’s accomplishments and destroy her character at any cost. Even now, much effort and energy is being expended to deceive the American people regarding her considerable achievements. Her popularity among conservatives is astounding, and many believe that she will get the 2012 endorsement for the presidency. The Left and its State-Run Media Minions are now...

Prayer for the Celebrity’s Purgatory There are no eyes that watch me in this place. Did I not spend my earthly life in faith that when the people saw me and adored, their adulation brought its own reward? But truth be told, that faith was never sure. I was bound up, I know - could not break free. The whole of life, from youth, was on a stage. The habits of the child live into age and tempter’s lies so sweet are hard to leave. At least I grew suspicious of the scripts: all different in detail, all ends the...

VATICAN CITY (AFP) – Pope Benedict XVI has not escaped the economic downturn, with donations hit by the global financial storm, official figures showed Saturday. The Vatican City ended 2008 with a deficit of 15 million euros (21 million dollars) and had been affected "like other states, by the economic and financial crisis", a statement said. Gifts from churches to the head of the Roman Catholic Church had gone down, particularly at the festivals of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and came to around 54 million euros (76 million dollars), the Vatican said This represented "a small drop due to...

Monday morning 7/6Kohen--Numbers 25:10-12Levi--25:13-15Yisra'el--25:16-26:4 Thursday 7/9--Shiv`ah `Asar beTammuzMORNING Kohen--Exodus 32:11-14Levi--Exodus 34:1-3Yisra'el--Exodus 34:4-10 EVENING Kohen--Exodus 32:11-14Levi--Exodus 34:1-3Yisra'el/Maftir--Exodus 34:4-10Haftarah--Isaiah 55:6-56:8 Strday 7/11--Shabbat Parashat PinechasMORNING Kohen--Numbers 25:10-26:4Levi--26:5-51Shelishi--26:52-27:5Revi`i--27:6-23Chamishi--28:1-15Shishi--28:16-29:11Shevi`i--29:12-30:1Maftir--29:35-30:1Haftarah--Jeremiah 1:1-2:3 EVENING Kohen--Numbers 30:2-9Levi--vs. 10-13Yisra'el--vs. 14-17

Prayer request from a Catholic missionary in Honduras Received this morning via e-mail: Dear Friends, I realize that the current political instability in Honduras may not seem like a big deal, and maybe to the rest of the world, it isn't a big deal - but what happens over this weekend will determine the fate of this small country, and more specifically, the fate of the Church in this country, and the fate of our mission here in Comayagua. Over the past ten months, I've put down roots here, which is why when I was faced this week with the...

If Mormons’ “HBO moment” was not bad enough, it seems that Hollywood, Broadway and the publishing world aren't likely to give up on portrayals of Latter-day Saints on screen, on stage and in books any time soon. Such Mormon portrayals, often stereotypical, have been showing up since the 1800s. For example, When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduced detective Sherlock Holmes in the story, “A Study in Scarlet.” It was set against the backdrop of anti-Mormon inaccuracies about Latter-day Saints and their beliefs popular in England at the time. On a later visit to Utah he apologized for the inaccuracies. Here...

Have you ever wondered why Americans drink coffee and British tea? In 1773 the Boston Tea Party went down in history as a revolt against the unfair taxes, fines and fees of King George. Secret meetings were held throughout churches in the New World seeking the wisdom of God and discussing strategies to throw off the unrestrained thievery of liberty from Britain and its cronies. The colonist believed that something had to be done and there came a time when our Founding Fathers said enough. It is said that history often repeats itself. Are we getting close to that time...

In response to Joe Feuerherd’s question about whether the president might “write off the bishops,� President Obama had this to say. He said that he would not “write off the bishops,� and gave his reasons. “Number one, one of the strengths of our democracy is that everybody is free to express their political opinions, and I take people’s opinions seriously. I’m the President of all Americans, not just the Americans who happen to agree with me,� said the president. “The American bishops have a profound influence in their communities, in the church, and beyond,� he continued. “What I will...

President Obama wrapped up his interview with the Catholic press with a question on the Middle East and how his administration plans to address the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. “We have been very clear that we think settlements should stop ...,� said the president. “On the other hand, it’s not just the problem of Israeli settlements. The Palestinians have a set of obligations, some of which the Palestinian Authority have met, some of which they have not been as strong on. We want to encourage them to clamp down on violence, to end the incitement that you still hear, unfortunately, in...

In response to a question from The Washington Post regarding finding a home church, President Obama had this to say: “Michelle and I decided that we would wait a few months after arriving before we made a decision on this, partly — let’s be blunt: I mean, we were pretty affected by what happened at Trinity and the controversy surrounding Reverend Wright,� said the president. “That was deeply disturbing to us, and it was disappointing for us personally. It made us very sensitive to the fact that as president the church we attend can end up being interpreted as speaking...

The divide in practicing versus non-practicing Catholic voters (Gallup). Another questioner asked the president if he felt as if he had been dragged into a longtime family feud among Catholics, liberal and conservative. For the second time during the discussion, President Obama mentioned the influence of Cardinal Bernardin. “When I was first becoming interested in social justice issues, the American bishops were talking about nuclear freezes and sanctuary for illegal immigrants and protesting U.S. policy in Latin America,� said the president. “And there was, I think, a very different set of perspectives that were represented, arising out of the Second...

The buzz on the Internet seems to be interested in what questions were asked of the president at his meeting with members of the Catholic press, and who asked them. Given the press’ recent grilling of White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, it should be known that the questions were not pre-packaged. Here’s a rundown on who asked what… Joe Feuerherd, of the National Catholic Reporter, who was sitting on the president’s right, asked the first question. He asked, “Outside of your partisan political opponents – the Republicans – there’s one group that has also been critical of you in perhaps...

“Marriage is a cultural thing.” So began a very good sermon that I recently heard. My mind was set in rapid motion as I considered the raging arguments that are now taking place all over the country. What is marriage? How should we codify marriage in the laws of our land? The discussions become very sticky when our gay friends enter the debate and ask for equal treatment under the law. The exchanges become very heated when a participant demands that we turn to the Bible for answers that will once and for all settle the issues. Many well-meaning people...

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow my obedient ones yet undoing and harrasment shall be the spoils of the rebellious and defiant , therefore be my Watchmen of unity and delight in my ways .Become Peacekeepers and the Pavilions of my love canopied in my ways for I AM The Stalwart , bridge and guide to all you find in me " For I AM The Kingdom and The Glory forever " and a day in My courts is eternal as you find your way to Zion . Therefore be of Me and walk in My fullness you shall find...

Chase Kear after his accident / Fr. Emil Kapaun Wichita, Kan., Jul 3, 2009 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- Considering the beatification of the Servant of God Fr. Emil Kapaun, a Vatican investigation has found enough evidence of a miracle in the unexplained recovery of a young man who broke his skull in a near-fatal athletic accident. The man’s mother and her family had prayed for the intercession of the heroic U.S. Army chaplain.Andrea Ambrosi, a lawyer and investigator for the Vatican, on Friday visited family members and the doctors of two Wichita-area families who believe the survival of their...

Posture is and must be absolute before me now in that as I am your pinnacle of attention all things fall away that are not of me or come through me alone , for I AM THAT I AM in you " predestined " and " Absolute " , so allow me to be and come to you in an absolution and I then shall become your filter to which all your words and life's song shall become " YES AND AMEN " in accordance to The Word of My Will That IS " JESUS " for he IS True...

MAGNA -- Accusations of sex abuse and assassination threats are swirling around a small religious group led by a man who claims to be the Holy Ghost. He calls the charges a pack of lies, but they prompted a raid by the Secret Service, the FBI, and child protection investigators. Six weeks ago, officers surrounded and searched the Church of the Firstborn and the General Assembly of Heaven's headquarters in Magna, interrogating members for hours. According to the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, they found nothing. If the charges are lies, they reveal a most unusual church, torn apart by...

Just a few months before the 150th anniversary of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, a newly released Zogby poll shows that the American public overwhelmingly rejects Darwinian theory in favor of intelligent design. When asked if life developed “through an unguided process of random mutations and natural selection,” a standard definition of Darwinism, only 33 percent of respondents said they agreed with the statement. But 52 percent agreed that “the development of life was guided by intelligent design.” zogby%20graph%206-30-09.bmp The poll results come from one of four questions commissioned by Discovery Institute for a national Zogby telephone survey conducted...

I begin by asking all of our readers to pray for Fr. Geoffrey Farrow. He was the pastor of the St. Paul Newman Center at California State University at Fresno until he was suspended by his Bishop and removed from his position. This strong action was required and intended to be remedial, as are all canonical sanctions. Fr. Farrow openly defies the teaching of the Catholic Church concerning marriage and human sexuality. He also openly condemns the Catholic Church in public for her defense of marriage. Let me be clear, Fr. Farrow needs our prayer. We ask the Lord to...

U.S. President Barack Obama holds a roundtable briefing with journalists from the Catholic press and the Washington Post in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington July 2. The briefing was held in advance of the president’s scheduled meeting with Pope Benedict XVI July 10 at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Lawrence Jackson, White House) WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama told a round table of religion writers July 2 that he continues to be profoundly influenced by the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago, whom he came to know when he was a community organizer in a project partially...

Bishop Ricardo Blázquez, Bishop Giuseppe Versaldi, Archbishop Ricardo Ezzatti, Archbishop Charles Chaput and Bishop Ricardo Watti (top to bottom, left to right) Rome, Italy, Jul 1, 2009 / 02:45 pm (CNA).- After the announcement on March 31 that Pope Benedict XVI had ordered an Apostolic Visitation of the Legionaries of Christ, many wondered when it would begin. Vatican watcher Sandro Magister has answered the question by  reporting it will begin on July 15 and that five bishops have been charged with the task. Magister states that the visitors will be Bishop Ricardo Watti Urquidi of Tepic, Mexico; Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver,...

"It is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations." (From this week's Torah portion, Balak, Numbers 23:9) Currently, Israel's very essence is its unrequited ambition to be reckoned among the nations. Official Israel does all in its power to be "normal -" in other words, to be like the nations of the world. Israel yearns to be accepted, to "belong," to enjoy the patronage of the nations. It will settle for almost anything. As long as it will not have to dwell alone. Jewish home in outpost. Sign says "G-d is King." But...

News out of Great Britain indicates that Richard Dawkins, perhaps the world's most famous living atheist, is setting up a summer camp intended to help children and teenagers adopt atheism. As The Times [London] reports: "Give Richard Dawkins a child for a week's summer camp and he will try to give you an atheist for life." The camp, based upon an American precursor, is to be financially subsidized by Dawkins. According to media reports, all 24 places at the camp have been taken. As Lois Rogers of The Times reports: Budding atheists will be given lessons to arm themselves in...

1. Is Iran a kind of . . . dry run . . . experiment in 'rebellion control' for the USA? 2. Can we expect ANYONE in the MSMedia break ranks with their oligarchic controllers and serve the people at a crisis point with THE TRUTH? 3. What percentage of our military can we expect to be truly patriotic in behalf of the mostly already shredded U.S. Constitution? Honduras comes to mind [as well as the reply from the recently retired U.S. Navy Captain FREEPER when I asked him what percentage of Navy officer corps did he believe to be...

Independence... For You! "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD...Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that FEAR HIM, upon them that hope in His Mercy" (Psalm 33:12,18). "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" (Leviticus 25:10 as inscribed on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia) INDEPENDENCE One of America's greatest historic foundational documents, The Declaration of Independence, was approved on July 4, 1776 by the Continental Congress and signed by John Hancock in the city of Philadelphia. George Washington said that The Declaration marked “an experiment on the practicability of republican government,...

Reports in Vietnam's state-controlled media claim that government authorities now have enough evidence to arrest a Redemptorist priest on charges of counter-revolutionary activity and damaging national unity. On Tuesday, June 30, the People's Public Security Newspaper and other state-run media outlet reported that Father Joseph Le Quang Uy had “bent his head, admitting that he had committed crimes against people and the government.” The newspaper, run by the Vietnamese police force, went on to state that the day before “at the headquarters of the customs at Tan Son Nhat airport, Mr. Le Quang Uy signed a statement admitting that had...

On Priestly Identity "One Who Prays Is Not Afraid; One Who Prays Is Never Alone" VATICAN CITY, JULY 1, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the address Benedict XVI gave today during the general audience in St. Peter's Square. He continued with the theme he took up last week: the Year for Priests. * * * Dear brothers and sisters: As you know, with the celebration of First Vespers for the solemnity of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the Pauline Year has come to a close -- the year...

 July 1Most Rev. Joseph N. Perry, Aux. Bishop, Archdiocese of Chicago; Fr. Frank Phillips, St. John Cantius Church Rebirth of a dying parish

Tomorrow morning at 10:45 Eastern time, the president is hosting a round table at the White House for members of the Catholic press. The National Catholic Register’s publisher, Father Owen Kearns, will be among eight religion reporters and editors in attendance at that gathering. The purpose of the gathering, according to Chris Hensman, press secretary with the National Security Council, is a “preview of the president’s upcoming visit with Pope Benedict XVI.� The president is meeting with the Pope on July 10. Father Kearns just received the invitation to the meeting yesterday via e-mail. At this point, there isn’t a...

NEWARK -- Hundreds of people -- some sobbing and crying out, "Why are they doing this?" -- bid an emotional and largely ceremonial goodbye today to a Newark priest who served the same Italian-American parish for 54 years. It was Msgr. Joseph Granato's last day at St. Lucy's Church.Officially. For now. But this story won't end as easily as all that. Even the much reviled Jim Goodness -- reviled by St. Lucy's parishioners -- the spokesman for Newark Archbishop John J. Myers, held out the possibility the 80-year-old but energetic priest might return "some time down the road" as pastor...

Sam Miller is a prominent Cleavland businessman. He is also Jewish. His essay was sent to me by a friend who didn't give any information about where he found it. —————————————————————————————— Why would newspapers carry on a vendetta on one of the most important institutions that we have today in the United States, namely the Catholic Church? Do you know—the Catholic Church educates 2.6 million students everyday at the cost to your Church of 10 billion dollars, and a savings on the other hand to the American taxpayer of 18 billion dollars. Your graduates go on to graduate studies at...