Sounds like a bad idea to me, and apparently the Pope agrees that a common Muslim/Catholic house of worship doesn't really make sense. If they want the Cathedral, I say we make them give the Jews back Temple Mount with equal access. When that happens, we can talk. I think that's fair, no?

Check it out.

Safire rails that “The Passion” is the “bloodiest, most brutal example of sustained sadism ever presented on the screen ... reveling in savagery to provoke outrage and cast blame ...”

The villains at whom the audience’s outrage is directed are the actors’ playing bloodthirsty rabbis and their rabid Jewish followers. This is the essence of the medieval ‘passion play’ preserved in pre-Hitler Germany at Oberammergau, a source of the hatred of all Jews as ‘Christ killers.’

But this is nonsense. The only people who come away from this film in “outrage” are those who went into it in outrage. Even Foxman, who slipped into a preview, acknowledges as much:

As the lights came up, the silence was etched with stifled sobs and tears. The 3,000 Christian pastors, leaders, students and others who attended the preview of the film’s graphic portrayal of the events leading up to the Crucifixion were visibly moved by the images that brought them closer than they may have ever been to bearing witness to the Passion of Jesus.

Does this sound like the “kind of sentiment we would expect from Christians ready to act on their latent anti-Semitism?” asks Dr. William Donohue of the Catholic League. That brings us to the heart of the matter. Though we all see the same movie, we hear and see different messages. Where they see Caiaphas, perfidy, and anti-Semitism, we see Christ, his suffering, and what salvation cost. As Bruce Anderson writes in the Spectator, Christians do not focus on the characters that so captivate Safire, Charen, and Krauthammer.

[T]he horror does not come from the artist’s imagination. It comes from the self-sacrifice of the son of God who, after preaching to and living among the poor and the outcast, endured a felon’s humiliating death. Mocked for His pretensions to kingship, He revealed the nature of His Kingdom by embracing His Cross.

Glad to see someone got here on the search "homo drugs april 2004". Sorry, we don't sell any homo drugs here.

VIDEO footage of US soldiers torturing Iraqi prisoners of war horrified America yesterday.

The TV stills showed a hooded captive standing on a box with wires attached to his hands, and naked prisoners stacked in a human pyramid while jeering troopers look on laughing.

Thanks to Mr. Shea for allowing me to plagurize his weblog.

1945, as Russian troops approached his Berlin bunker, Adolf Hitler
committed suicide along with his wife of one day, Eva Braun.

Nothing I like more then the smell of dead Nazi.

Seriously though I recently got into a discussion with a friend of mine on human dignity. Essentially, I was arguing that people always have dignity. That is, people have intrinsic value, not dependent on what they do or who they are. They are valuable solely because they are human. He, of course, disputed this point. It seems to me, however, once you abandon hominis dignitas, if I may make up a Latin phrase, even for someone like Adolf, you're throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

Conversations tend to move quickly from "Look how much war there's been in the past hundred years" to "quality of life" and thence to the culture of death. It always amuses me, in a sad sort of way, how, though life's gotten so much better for so many materially speaking, it was the people of the past who valued their childre. I guess that's because they saw children as having intrinsic wealth, so "quality of life" was something that children made, not something that they destroyed. These days, people with every blessing in the world talk about how we need abortion lest womens' lives are ruined. No. Life is better than it's ever been, from a "quality of life" standpoint. The problem is that we're spiritually three years old, on average, and we don't understand one-tenth as well as a fourth-century Christian just how good life is, because we don't have any concept of what life is about.

Life is not about self-fulfillment. If it is, give up. You lost. You're going to die. Pretty shortly. Think about for a second. You're going to die. I'm going to die. Death is the lense that we have to look at life through, becaues that is our end. Don't fret about how innocent children are ruining your life. Love. Pray. Die a good death. Stop pretending secularism and sex offer answers. Do not conform to the world. Do not conform to the culture of Death.

Jn:15:20:
Remember my word that I said to you: The servant is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept my word, they will keep yours also. (DRV)

Make sure the world is persecuting you. It's good for your soul.

Human dignity. We all have it. From fertilization. To death. Intrinsic value, we all have it, same parameters. That's the Catholic teaching, which has been described as hateful, anti-woman, anti-choice, anti-life, bigoted, patriarchial. Sorry. But I think that it is the world that needs to do the rethinking.

Let me give you some advice. If there's a Jewish group, and they spell God with an o, stay away. They're probably out of their minds and screwing up something important, like Madonna's Kabbalah center, or wherever she goes. I mean,

The Centre claims that merely scanning the text of the Zohar, the seminal thirteenth-century Kabbalistic commentary on the Bible, offers divine protection. You don't have to understand what you're reading; in fact, you don't even need to know how to read the Hebrew letters to absorb their magical properties. Everyone in the room wears a red thread around the wrist as protection against the evil eye. In the "Kabbalah Café," located in the courtyard, a sign reassures patrons that all coffee and tea is made with kabbalah mountain spring water, blessed by the Centre's leaders. An adjacent gift shop sells scented candles, for relaxation and better sex.

The Centre sees itself as, literally, the center of the struggle against Satan. By releasing the hidden traditions of Kabbalah to humanity, it claims, it is threatening Satan's power of "chaos," which is responsible for everything from wars and illness to depression. The end of chaos will mean the end of human suffering. And so the creation of the Centre is nothing less than the most momentous event in history.

If that doesn't sound like intellectual whordom, I don't know what does.

Stupid Politician Quotes

"I have to march, because my mother could not have an abortion". -- US Democrat Congress-rep Maxine Waters

User Warning: Do not attempt this level of stupidity while driving or operating heavy machinery.

Sometimes people amaze me. But I've come to expect this.

Hey all,

Back from the "March for Women's Lies" ... i think i'm scarred for life. I
have never been told so many times that my mother should have aborted me,
and further, i have never been flipped off by a 70 year old woman before!
All firsts. The whole ordeal was extremely frightening because one had,
deep in the gut, the ominous feeling that might be expected in the
antechamber of hell or something. I have never seen so much hate in my
life. Got spit on too. Screams, cursing, it's all good. It was
*definitely* worth it, and i wish you all would've come! I met the
Villanovans for Life and told them how much i admire their website. I also
got a bunch of pro-life rose stickers and met a family in Yonkers that is
going to let us borrow their Silent Scream tape next semester. I saw
H*ward Dean and Whoopi G*ldburg, Cyb*ll Shepherd and a bunch of fellow NYU
Voices for Choice pro-aborts who at first, seeing my huge "NYU STUDENTS
FOR LIFE" sign coupled with "EQUAL RIGHTS FOR UNBORN WOMEN" somehow got
the impression that i was pro-choice -- i think just because of the fact
that my sign had "NYU on it.. when they actually read it they scowled and
got migraines...mwaahhahahaha...and a lot were surprised to find out that
we even existed. So now thousands of people know that NYU, perhaps the
center of this vast pit of hell we call Manhattan, has a Pro-Life club.
Mwahahahahaa. w00t, as some say. I got a lot of "I thought they only let
smart people into NYU, sh*thead!" and "You're a f*cking idiot, NYU should
kick you out!" ... it was great. I think we said about 20 Rosaries and 15
Divine Mercy Chaplets throughout the day, along with some Panis Angelicus
and Tantum Ergo. The reporters were actually quite sympathetic too --
being at least a *little* neutral they saw how vicious and rabid the
pro-aborts were to us (they even tried to break down the big guard rails
the cops put up along the sidewalks at one point, theatening to punch my
little brother, Frank!) ...so that was nice.

I'm on the cover of a newspaper! In Westchester or Yonkers or something or
other. Slattery called me up to tell me... and i got interviewed by the
Seattle Post or something and a bunch of other ones i can't remember. We
were also on TV for a little while, the night before when we were making
signs at the hotel, the media showed up to film us, and i think my
brother made it on to CNN. Randall Terry is definitely all over the news,
as is Chris Slattery (his catch phrase Sunday was brilliant -- "Father,
forgive them, they do not know what they are doing." Anyway. That's about
all i hate to say about that, other than, check out the list of the
celebrities who endorsed the march and BOYCOTT THEM. Uma Thurman, Jennifer
Aniston, Charlize Theron (i KNEW i hated her!), Salma Hayek (i hated her
already for Frida!), Ani DeFranco, Whoopi, Cybill, ...there's a list
somewhere on line.

Okay, more updates. So, i have some bad news. The breakfast we were going
to attend tomorrow has been sold out and Chris was only able to get one
ticket, and he doesn't want to go alone, so he's not going. I'm really
terribly sorry to disappoint you all, and i'm sure there will be more
things like this in the years to come, since Chris knows a heck of a lot
of people... so please...don't kill me? I just found out late last
night when i was talking to him.

So, since we can't go tomorrow...tabling anyone? Chris said he would come
tomorrow as well -- i'll make a flier tonight and send it off you to
everyone and i figure i'll get to the Kimmel Center at around 10am to get
the tables and everything. Brian, you don't have to miss your 11am class
-- though i could *really* use someone's help (Larry, are you free
tomorrow at all?) to set up the table and man it until Brian gets out of
class at.. 12:15, right? Anyway, if you're around or have any free time,
please get back to me anytime tonight or tomorrow to let me know if you
can help. And come to the talk tomorrow. Chris Slattery is AWESOME.
Totally AWESOME. And his family is adorable. So come. 7pm. Catholic
center, i hope? I'm going to talk to Father John today, hopefully.

Okay, God bless!! I'll be around campus all day today, so if anyone wants
to meet up with me somewhere after 4:45 to plan for tomorrow, that'd be
fine, just send me a note.

With Mary,

Jenni

# posted by Squach : 12:56 AM   |  0 comments

In the newspaper!

"It is not our policy to deny Communion to anyone."

Anyone? Let's imagine a hypothetical test case.

Imagine that Adolph Hitler is discovered alive. Let's say he escaped to Paraguay, where Nazi scientists had unlocked the secret of cryogenic storage, and he's just now been thawed out; he has the appearance of a healthy man in his 60s.

So Hitler flies to Boston and holds a press conference in front of the State House, announcing his plans to set up a Nazi regime in the US. In answer to a reporter's question, he says that he considers himself a good Catholic, and will be attending Mass at the closest available Catholic church-- which, as it happens, is the Paulist Center.

The phone rings at the chancery. It's the Paulist Center. How do you think that conversation goes?

And if Hitler is denied Communion, what do you think the Boston Globe will say?

Paulist Center: Sorry, you're only pro-abortion for Jews and you're against homosexuality.
Globe: Opus Dei member Adolph Hitler was refused communion at the Paulist Center today for his homophobic views.

Me: I probably couldn't receive at the Paulist Center. They'd kick me out when they saw the scapular.

Former ICEL official faults new Mass translation

Sydney, Apr. 29 (CWNews.com) - Speaking on an Australian radio program, the former executive secretary of the International Committee for English in the Liturgy (ICEL) sharply criticized new procedures for liturgical translations, charging that the Vatican has endorsed "a more secretive process and definitely a process that seems to be less open to the wider Church."

In an interview for the "Religion Report," broadcast by the Australian ABC network, John Page complained that a new translation of the Mass is the result of a closed process, in which "the bishops are the only participants in the conversation." He said that ICEL, during his years there, had tried "to bring the wider Church into the conversation."

Wait. You mean it's going to say the same thing in English it does in other languages! Now that's exciting. I've been waiting for this even since I learned Latin and realized the translation wasn't just sketch, it was wrong. I wonder if, by wider Church, he means Protestants?

Living English, sure. But let's keep it Catholic.

[ T O D A Y I N H I S T O R Y ]

On this day in …

* 1813, rubber is patented

* 1852, the first edition of Peter Roget's Thesaurus appears

* 1945, during World War II, American soldiers liberated the Dachau
concentration camp; that same day, Adolf Hitler married Eva Braun
and designated Admiral Karl Doenitz his successor.

* 1961, ABC's "Wide World of Sports debuts

* 1974, President Nixon promises to release edited tapes made in
White House

* 1994, Israel and PLO sign economic accord

What a great day for moral theology.

At the same time, though, the fact that a decision is to be made using one's prudential judgment does not necessarily place the decision beyond moral reproach. A matter of prudential judgment can be decided in a culpably evil way.

For example, I have the right and responsibility of making prudential judgments concerning the education of my children. My judgment may prove more or less sound, depending on how prudent I am, but if I do my best there's not much others can say beyond, "A shame for those kids their father's an idiot."

However, I might also refuse my responsibility to judge prudently. If I decide my children's education will consist of watching television and dodging the truant officer, then it is not a matter of me being simply "wrong, not immoral or criminal." I would, in fact, be all three, and the fact that I would be all three would be observable to others.

Because almost no one I know understands it.

Taking the evidence both scriptural and traditional as it actually stands, one may fairly maintain that it proves papal infallibility in a simpler, more direct, and more cogent way than it proves the general doctrine independently; and there can be no doubt but that this is so if we accept as the alternative to papal infallibility the vague and unworkable theory of ecumenical infallibility which most High-Church Anglicans would substitute for Catholic teaching. Nor are the Eastern schismatical Churches much better off than the Anglican in this respect, except that each has retained a sort of virtual belief in its own infallibility, and that in practice they have been more faithful in guarding the doctrines infallibly defined by the early ecumenical councils. Yet certain Anglicans and all the Eastern Orthodox agree with Catholics in maintaining that Christ promised infallibility to the true Church, and we welcome their support as against the general Protestant denial of this truth.

They also lay down the law better than I've ever heard it.

Nor does such a sanction lose its significance in this connection because the same penalty is threatened for disobedience to fallible disciplinary laws, or even in some cases for refusing to assent to doctrinal teaching that is admittedly fallible. Indeed, every mortal sin, according to Christ's teaching, is punishable with eternal damnation. But if one believes in the objectivity of eternal and immutable truth, he will find it difficult to reconcile with a worthy conception of the Divine attributes a command under penalty of damnation to give unqualified and irrevocable internal assent to a large body of professedly Divine doctrine the whole of which is possibly false.

In July 2003, Cardinal Edward Egan, current archbishop of New York, submitted to the Holy See's Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life documents outlining the purpose and governing structure of the community. Approval has now been granted and Cardinal Egan officially has established the Sisters of Life as a religious institute of diocesan right, or diocesan religious order. The sisters, their friends, relatives, and benefactors, plus a large contingent of media celebrated with a Mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral, attended by 1,200 people.

The Sisters of Life have managed to overcome the perception that women's religious orders are dying because young women are not interested in joining religious communities. The so-called vocations crisis is, for them, a housing crunch as more and more young women join them in their work. Their ministry is counseling, giving adoption resources to women, and following "a philosophy of non-abandonment." A woman who needs the sisters has them for as long as they need and want.

An excellent look on Catholic thought about abortion, euthanasia, war, and death.

As I said above, I do not doubt the sincerity of many Catholics who are concerned about things like the death penalty. And by saying that issues like the death penalty are of less importance than abortion I'm not saying they are trivial. They are just less important. But I cannot help but wonder at the motivations of some of the advocates of the so-called "seamless garment" approach. Why is it that their seamless garment always seems to result in downplaying, or even dismissing, the protection of the unborn? Why is it that protection of the innocent always ends up on the fringes, the tattered edges, of their "seamless garment", if not trimmed off altogether? I cannot help but think that, at least sometimes, it's because they really think that issues such as the death penalty, poverty, saving the whales, etc., are more important than the lives of unborn children. I cannot help but suspect that, for such people, voting for the Democratic Party, and what it represents for them, weighs more in the balance than innocent human life. I hope that this is not the case, for those who do so are indeed selling their birthright for a mess of pottage.

What motivates this skewing of priorities? I'm not sure, but I can think of one possibility: We can see the faces and hear the names of those put to death for some terrible crime. We can see their families, broken by grief. We can have compassion for them and wish that they could be moved to atone for their crimes. We can see the pictures of Iraqi wounded, and those killed. We can see the funerals and the imprecations against America hurled by those hurt by the war. We can see the wreck and ruin in the cities and towns.

But the holocaust of abortion is largely invisible, because those who operate the machinery of death do their utmost to keep it that way. We do not see the small bodies torn limb from limb. We do not hear any screams from the victims of abortion. No news cameras report on their deaths. The media studiously avoids acknowledging the grief of the thousands of women who have come to lament their terrible "choice". There are no cemeteries marking the graves of the innocent unborn. They have no names, except those known to God alone.

The 5-foot, 100-pound student was carrying "several ounces of high-grade marijuana and a scale" when she was arrested, police said.

She was charged with possession of illegal drugs, criminal sale of drugs and intent to sell drugs.

Some dorm mates on the third floor of NYU's Hayden Hall expressed surprise at Diaco's arrest but others said it was bound to happen. Cops said the teen was arrested on a drug charge in New Jersey last year.

Dood, that was my floor. Man has it gone downhill since they found Chris drinking on duty Fall 02.

"It was too late for me," one unnamed speaker told the throng of pro-abortion protestors. "I had my children before the 1973 Roe v. Wade court ruling. I tried to bring them up right--you know, teaching them that this world is a horrible place to bring children into. My legacy has been passed on to them. Thanks to my efforts, they don't have to pass on anything to anybody."

. . .

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, in a speech reminiscent of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., told the crowd that she had a dream that racial tensions in America would fade because blacks have three times the abortion rate of whites.

Washington Pro-Abortion March Characterized by Naked Anti-Christian
Bigotry

April 27, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - First-hand accounts are being
published online of the behavior of the marchers in Washington's "March
for Women's Lives" that show the undisguised hatred of Christians that
characterizes such events. Websites and personal weblogs are carrying
accounts of abuse and vitriol hurled at Christian counter demonstrators
who attended the march to witness the value of life.

The Free Republic website carries a first hand account that highlights a
priest who prayed for the conversion of the marchers as they marched past.
"Father Reynolds stood for hours this afternoon on Pennsylvania
Avenue…Almost nonstop, he made the sign of the cross with his right
arm…Father Reynolds was cursed at and flipped off by hundreds of marchers,
many of whom sported Kerry stickers. Many other marchers mocked the sign
of the cross…He was repeatedly accused of being a child molester by those
who support the murder of children."

One report is published on a weblog, "After Abortion," by a woman who
works with the organization, Silent No More. Annie, who does not give her
surname on her website, attended the march wearing black as a symbol of
mourning for her lost child. Her group of about five hundred stood in
silence for the entire five hours of the event. She writes, "…nothing
prepared me for literally mobs of livid people screaming the most hateful
vicious snide things at me personally. We were spit on, and had an egg
hurled at us from the marchers. There were two groups of Satanists…"

One particularly moving part of her account, however, shows that the
contradiction of abortion rhetoric is not always lost even on abortion
activists. "A woman…caught my eye from the crowd as I'd been crying. She
gazed at me, and called out, 'I regret my abortion too!' … suddenly she
broke free and ran back, past the riot cop, and threw her arms around my
neck to hug me, to console me! I was stunned, but I hugged her back and
wept hard again, whispering to her, 'WHY are you out here in this? HOW can
you still believe it's OK??'…

"She didn't say anything, because I could hear her start crying too. She
hugged me tight for what seemed like very long minutes. The whole crowd
beyond her stopped and stared. No one spoke or made a sound… We just cried
on each other's shoulders in the midst of all this madness and hate… when
she finally pulled back, I thanked her, and we just looked at each other a
moment, feeling each other's pain, but then she ran back into the crowd
and disappeared."

Read the full account of Fr. Reynolds
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1124410/posts

Annie's personal account:
http://afterabortion.blogspot.com/2004_04_25_afterabortion_archive.html#10
8304137944458162

When is Independance Day for our Semetic bros? If it's today, I don't know how to say anything good in Hebrew. If not, let me know.

"Without ethical foundations, democracy runs the risk of deteriorating
with the passing of time and even of disappearing," the Holy Father told
his guests.

This is the legacy left by Giorgio La Pira (1904-1977), a jurist,
politician and deputy of the Christian Democratic Party who participated
in the assembly that wrote the Italian Constitution after World War II.

La Pira was elected mayor of Florence in the periods 1950-1956 and
1960-1964.

The Pope described La Pira, a member of the Dominican Third Order, as an
"eminent figure of politics, culture and spirituality of the century that
has just ended."

The mayor of Florence served "the cause of fraternal coexistence among
nations," fostering in particular "friendship between peoples, whose
reference is Abraham," the Holy Father said.

"Before the powerful of the earth, La Pira expressed with firmness his
ideas as believer and as a man who loved peace, inviting his interlocutors
to a common effort to promote that fundamental good in different ambits:
in society, politics, the economy, cultures, and among religions," the
Pope added.

Note: this didn't happen yet, they had some bad data when writing the article, but the rest is good

CULTURE & COSMOS

April 27, 2004 Volume 1, Number 38

FDA Approval of Morning-After Pill Based on Inconclusive Data, Charges
Group

According to a charges leveled by the Population Research
Institute (PRI), the FDA decision to grant the morning after pill (MAP)
over the counter status was based on inconclusive data on the effects and
efficacy of the drug. The status is currently scheduled for the change in
May. Dr. Carole Ben-Maimon, president and chief operating officer of Barr
Research, the producers of the drug, has reportedly said MAP is "an
additional contraceptive option" that will provide a "significant public
health service to American women."

When testifying in front of the FDA in December, proponents of the
drug relied primarily on estimates by the Allen Guttenmacher Institute
(AGI), the research arm of abortion provider Planned Parenthood. The main
Guttmacher study on contraceptive use relied on just a single medical
study done in 1999, the data from which determined the morning-after
pill's efficacy rate to be 65%. The overall calculated estimate used by
proponents of the drug during the hearing was 75%, but Dr. Chris
Kahlenborn admitted that this "rate could be artificially inflated."

Critics explain that the danger of attaching higher efficacy rates
could create an even greater use of the MAP as a contraceptive. MAP
producers have run advertising making these claims and at least one
received a warning letter from the FDA for radio and print ads that
"overstate efficacy, fail to convey important limitations on use, and
minimize important information about risks associated" with the drug.

While producers exaggerate the efficacy of the drug, they also
downplay the health risks. Last week USA Today reported, "The pill
prevents 89% of pregnancies" and "does not pose health risks in other
nations." Yet, concerns have been raised by experiences in other
countries, notably the UK, where MAP has already been widely available to
girls. Sir Liam Donaldson, the UK government's chief medical officer,
posted an urgent notice to all doctors in 2002, that among other potential
risks, MAP causes an increased risk of ectopic pregnancies.

Critics also charge that the drug is marketed without letting
women and girls know that is can cause an abortion. Producers and
proponents now make the claim that pregnancy starts at implantation and
therefore any interruption prior to implantation could not be considered
an abortion. This contradicts what is presented in all medical textbooks
that place pregnancy starting at conception.

Critics also wonder if young people will know how to use the drug.
A label comprehension study provided to the FDA showed some age groups
answered incorrectly 60% of the time. Even the FDA admitted “participants
did not clearly understand” the schedule to take the drug.

PRI says that approving the morning after pill amounts to
inflicting "upon our nation's youth a great medical and social experiment"
because "the use/abuse of Plan B by adolescents has not been adequately
studied."

Copyright---Culture of Life Foundation.
Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required.

Kerry had opined that, since only a cardinal, and not the Pope, had said he can't receive communion, it wasn't really all that important. Well, kaching.

Cardinal Francis Arinze, a top Vatican official who said Friday that Roman Catholic lawmakers who support abortion rights should not receive Holy Communion, was speaking for the pope, local Catholic leaders said yesterday.

"He is the highest-ranking person in the whole chain under the pope with regard to the sacraments," said the Rev. Joseph Koterski, head of the philosophy department at Fordham University.

Pope John Paul II said virtually the same thing in an encyclical fairly recently, he added.

Mainstream Christian Religions Backed 300,000 Strong Pro-Abortion March

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - While pro-abortion
organizers claimed some 1.1 million marchers, police and media estimates
put the marchers at last weekend's pro-abortion march at somewhere between
300 and 500 thousand. More than the numbers however, some observers were
saddened by the support of mainline Christian church denominations (or at
least their leaders) for the anti-life march.

The Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), United Methodist Board
of Church and Society and the United Methodist Women's Division were all
listed as endorsers of the march. The march's organizers included the
American Civil Liberties Union, Feminist Majority, NARAL Pro-Choice
America , National Organization for Women, and Planned Parenthood
Federation of America. Some march events are occurring in the United
Methodist Building on Capitol Hill.

Diane Knippers, President of the Institute on Religion and Democracy
lamented the support for the march by Christians. "What a scandal that
officials of mainline churches have attached the names of their
denominations to this march's support for government-funded, abortion on
demand, with no restrictions, including partial-birth abortion," Knippers
commented. "A majority of church members, even many who call themselves
pro-choice, would be disgusted if they knew that their denominations have
joined with aggressively secular organizations in backing this kind of
dubious cause." Knippers cited the march's distorted objections to modest
government programs that help men and women develop health marriages.

"Pro-life is to Christianity as al Qaeda is to Islam."

No, Pro-life is to Christianity as Pro-life is to Islam. Get it straight. Remember, the Cardinal Newman Society is the Catholic equivlent of al Quaeda.

lol.

Next time I fly a plane into a building to keep you from killing your children, we'll have a conversation.

Thanx to afterabortion.blogspot.com for the link.

I need to write my Lit Hum essay, study some Calc, and then turn the pressure on and not let up until finals are over lest I explode. How does that sound?

Woman Is Named Undersecretary of Vatican Congregation

Salesian Appointed to the Dicastery for Consecrated Life

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 25, 2004 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II has entrusted for the first time to a woman a post with executive powers in a congregation of the Roman Curia.

Sister Enrica Rosanna, 66, was appointed undersecretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

There is a second historical reason for why the daily celebration of the Eucharist is rare in Eastern Christian Churches. Ancient legislation once forbade married people from receiving the Eucharist the day after having sex. This used to apply in the Roman Catholic Church too, until Pope Pius X changed this rule. In the Eastern Churches we have a tradition of married priests. Because it is forbidden for a priest to celebrate the Eucharist without receiving it, married priests had to abstain from relations with their wives for a day before celebrating the Divine Liturgy. If married Eastern Christian priests were expected to celebrate the Eucharist daily, as Roman Catholic priests were, they would never have relations with their wives, and thus would never be blessed with children.

Whoa. That's pretty intense. How come that never came up in my history books?

Fr. Levis,

I find it interesting that people write to you about their apparant loss of faith, yet they fear hell. It would seem to me, and I could be wrong about this, that as long as one fears eternal punishment, a thread of faith may yet remain. Hardened atheists that fear not God nor man, sin mortally without worrying about the consequences, for they truly believe there are no consequences. As long as one fears eternal retribution, still has the glowing embers of a faith that God exists.

Too often in our society we put our feelings ahead of true faith. I think often times what we feel is lack of faith is actually the lack of the good feelings we think should follow faith. The two things are not the same thing. Some people FEEL that they are great saints and are wretched sinners, while others that FEEL they are wretched sinners are actually great saint. Rather than worrying our supposed "lack of faith", I think a person should commit themselves to read the Sermon of the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7)and put Christ's teachings into practice for a long time, years and decades if need be. A person with true faith is obedient to Christ, regardless if they have the good FEELINGS they assume is the evidence of faith.

Something I've often struggled with, actually. Doing, not feeling, and fighting feelings with will. An excellent post at any rate, and there's more!

You're not Catholic. Stop pretending. You cause grave scandel and lots of people believe you.

Though few will concede it, there is more than one way to fight evil.

An article of inspiration

The question is: Was he the one, great and final scapegoat for mankind? Did mankind load him with all its guilt, and did he, the Lamb of God, carry this guilt away? This is the thesis of a modern ethnologist, René Girard, whose books have attracted much attention in America, France and recently in Germany. According to this view, all human civilization, right from the outset, is constructed on the principle of the scapegoat.
. . .
When life is hard and apparently hopeless, we can be confident that this darkness of ours can be taken up into the great darkness of redemption through which the light of Easter dawns. And when what is required of us seems too burdensome, when the pains become unbearable and the fate we are asked to accept seems simply meaningless—then we have come very close to the man nailed on the Cross at the Place of the Skull, for he has already undergone this on our behalf and, moreover, in unimaginable intensity. When surrounded by apparent meaninglessness, therefore, we cannot ask to be given a calming sense of meaning; all we can do is wait and endure, quite still, like the Crucified, not seeing anything, facing the dark abyss of death.

I almost got into an argument with the priest in confession about the MAP. He was talking about conception being at implantation, and I was protesting.

Is that ok?

On not abusing the Divine Liturgy

NO COMMUNION FOR PRO-ABORTION POLITICIANS, SAYS CARDINAL ARINZE
Clarifies That Priests Must Refuse Them the Eucharist

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 23, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Politicians who support
abortion must not go to Communion and priests must deny them the
sacrament, says Cardinal Francis Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Sacraments.

The cardinal clarified this position of the Church today at a press
conference called to present the instruction "'Redemptionis Sacramentum':
On Certain Matters to Be Observed or to Be Avoided Regarding the Most Holy
Eucharist."

In response to a journalist's question, Cardinal Arinze said: "If the
person should not receive it, then it should not be given. Objectively,
the answer is there."

The cardinal explained that a priest must not give Communion unless it is
a surprise occasion and "he does not have the time to reflect."

One of the journalists asked the cardinal if he could give his judgment on
the concrete application of this norm in the case of U.S. Democratic
presidential candidate John Kerry, who says he is a Catholic but supports
abortion.

"The norm of the Church is clear," he said. "The Catholic Church exists in
the U.S.A. and there are bishops there. Let them interpret."

Kerry supports abortion and has said he would nominate only U.S. Supreme
Court justices who support his position. Pro-life groups in the United
States say Kerry has a "perfect record" of voting for legislation that
allows abortion. ZE04042302

I'd like to see Pius XXIII get you out of that one. Or maybe that part of Vatican II that revoked our belief in the divinity of Christ.

In Israel wearing a kippah also has a social significance. While wearing a kippah shows that you are somewhat religious, notwearing one is like stating, "I'm not religious." The style of kippah in Israel can also indicate political and religious affiliations. Classical orthodoxy uses a large, smooth, black one shaped like a bowl. Many Hasidim use large black felt or satin, and a "rebellious son" may wear a slightly smaller black kippah to show his independence while remaining in the Classicist camp. Another play on this rebellion is to wear a knitted black kippah. This is also usually used to confuse people as to where you stand.

________________________________________________________________________

Message: 12
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2004 15:40:16 -0000
From: "seekingchai"
Subject: Re: FW: Just Wait Till the Muslims See It

--- In AssocHebrewCatholics@yahoogroups.com, "Blisard, Frank"
wrote:
>
> Get back to me when you stop gagging!

Not gagging, but cracking up, definitely. You've all heard the joke of no
Palestinians during the time of Moshe Rabbeinu, right? LOLOL!

-------------------------------
Negotiations In Israel

The Prime Minister of Israel sits down with Arafat at the beginning
of negotiations regarding the resolution of the conflict. The Prime
Minister requests that he be allowed to begin with a story.

Arafat replies, "Of course."

The Prime Minister begins his story: "Years before the Israelites
came to the Promised Land and settled here, Moses led them for 40
years through the desert. The Israelites began complaining that they were
thirsty and, lo and behold, a miracle occurred and a stream appeared
before them. They drank their fill and then decided to take advantage of
the stream to do some bathing-including Moses.

When Moses came out of the water, he found that all his clothing was
missing. "Who took my clothes?" Moses asked those around him.

"It was the Palestinians," replied the Israelites

"Wait a minute," objected Arafat immediately, "there were no
Palestinians during the time of Moses!"

"All right," replies the Prime Minister, "Now that we've got that
settled, let's begin our negotiations."
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Palestinian taqqiyah, taqqiyah, taqqiyah...now gagging...blech!

Hannah

Nympholept

Redemptionis sacramentum[1] Mater Ecclesia in sanctissima Eucharistia firma fide agnoscit laetanterque accipit, celebrat et adoranter veneratur, Christi Iesu mortem annuntians eiusque resurrectionem confitens, donec ipse in gloria veniat,[2] ut, Dominus et Dominator invictus, Sacerdos aeternus et universorum Rex, regnum veritatis et vitae maiestati immensae omnipotentis Patris tradat.

Tastes like honey and flows like it too, except for that one part where every word is genitive.

My thesis is a simple one. In the past, many of us learned some of our first lessons in manners and morals by watching Sesame Street: cooperate, play fair, share things, don't hit people, say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Today, in watching The Sopranos, about 11 million viewers an episode are taking an advanced course (i.e. containing-adult language, violence, nudity, and explicit sex scenes) about the self defined universe of Mafia ethics: What is Duty? What is Honor? What is Omertà? But more than just a curious and titillating analysis of an aberrant ethical code—the tribal or warrior justification of murder, mendacity, prostitution, infidelity, extortion, and usury—it is, in some sense, a traditional morality play. The Sopranos may not be high art, but neither is it a cheap action-thriller or a murderous melodrama. I believe it is a mass media, action-packed, X-rated version of Waiting for Godot, a story of both existential despair, and, in the words of Victor Frankl, "man's search for meaning."

Having never seen the show, I can't comment. But it might be of interest to someone?

It is, moreover, Our will that Catholics should abstain from certain
appellations which have recently been brought into use to distinguish
one group of Catholics from another. They are to be avoided not only as
"profane novelties of words," out of harmony with both truth and
justice, but also because they give rise to great trouble and confusion
among Catholics. Such is the nature of Catholicism that it does not
admit of more or less, but must be held as a whole or as a whole
rejected: "This is the Catholic faith, which unless a man believe
faithfully and firmly; he cannot be saved" (Athanas. Creed). There is no
need of adding any qualifying terms to the profession of Catholicism: it
is quite enough for each one to proclaim "Christian is my name and
Catholic my surname," only let him endeavour to be in reality what he
calls himself. (Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum, 24), P.P. Benedict XV

So, Rutgers puts out a cartoon saying it's ok to gas Jews and it's no problem. Columbia puts out a racist cartoon and it's an international incident. I conclude from this unscientific expariment that modern academia places race discrimination against geocide, which is expected given the number of Commies walking around on campus who think Stalin and Pol Pot were ok guys.

Nuke 'em. Just give me a three day head start so I can get to sunny Chile, one of the few countries in the world actually run by the Pope.

Defense Department rules prohibit media coverage of human remains arriving at Dover, and Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Gary Keck said release of the mortuary photos appears to be in conflict with department policy.

Defense officials said the purpose of the policy is to protect the privacy of the soldiers' families -- not to circumvent or violate the Freedom of Information Act or any other law.

"Quite frankly, we don't want the remains of our service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice to be the subject of any kind of attention that is unwarranted or undignified," said John Molino, a deputy undersecretary of defense.

At a rally in Dover last month, war protesters criticized President Bush for continuing the practice of previous administrations of not allowing the public or media to witness the arrival of remains at the base.

"We need to stop hiding the deaths of our young; we need to be open about their deaths;," said Jane Bright of West Hills, California, whose 24-year-old son, Evan Ashcraft, was killed in combat in July.

I donno, it seems to me that death requires a little more dignity. There's plenty of time to parade around their coffins after they're all set. No need to make their deaths into a media circus in the manner of Di.

About that abortion tv show thing in Britain:

Journalist Lauren Booth, a pro-choicer who has also had an abortion, said
she recoiled when watching the film's pivotal moment.

"My hand flew to my mouth in shock," she said.

"I swallowed. I didn't want to say it, but the word 'murder' came to my
lips."

Sancte Jude, ora pro nobis

Homosexual Group Stages "Day of Silence" in US Schools
In thousands of US classrooms from grade schools to college campuses

April 22, 2004, (LifeSiteNews.com) - A US homosexual activists
organization that specializes in conditioning students in the acceptance
of homosexual lifestyles and activities organized a "Day of Silence" April
21. In thousands of US classrooms from grade schools to college campuses
participants were encouraged to spend the day in silence, not responding
to teachers' questions, in order to protest "the silence faced by lesbian,
gay and transgender people and their allies." Students were issued a card
by the organization, Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, (GLSEN)
that read in part, "My deliberate silence echoes that silence, which is
caused by harassment, prejudice, and discrimination. I believe that ending
that silence is the first step toward fighting these injustices."

GLSEN was heavily criticized in 2001 for staging a student/teacher
conference at Tuft's university at which press and parents were excluded.
The conference distributed materials from Planned Parenthood that taught
students how to perform homosexual acts "safely." The GLESN website
features an emotional, professionally produced television spot featuring
Mathew Shepard's mother, Judy, warning that children in schools are being
taught "hate" against homosexuals. The group's purpose is to help teachers
and school boards incorporate "gay history" into curricula.

Rabbi David Eidensohn, director of the National Non-Sectarian Council of
Pro-Family Activists, said, "Students who should be learning to get along
with others are making a 'hit list' of teachers and students who are
Biblical or who refuse the homosexual agenda."

To view the GLSEN TV spot:
http://glsen.policy.net/

WASHINGTON, DC, April 22, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The American Center
for Law and Justice filed a suit Tuesday against the Secretary of the
Interior and the National Park Service after the government revoked a
permit issued to pro-life organizations to display pro-life signs in
Washington, D.C. this upcoming weekend - to counter the pro-abortion
message expected to be delivered at the upcoming March for Freedom of
Choice.

"The National Park Service maintains the sidewalks along the National Mall
but it does not own them, and it cannot, barring exceptional
circumstances, deny to citizens the right to use them for the purpose of
expressing their views on important issues of the day," said James M.
Henderson, Sr., ACLJ Senior Counsel.

The ACLJ filed the suit on behalf of Reverend Patrick Mahoney and his
pro-life organization the Christian Defense Coalition along with Brandi
Swindell who heads up Generation Life - an Idaho-based organization of
young Christian, pro-life activists.

The dispute resulted when the National Park Service announced that it was
revoking a permit for a demonstration, obtained by Mahoney, because his
pro-life message would conflict with the anticipated large scale,
so-called "March for Women's Lives" on April 25. Until the permit was
revoked, Mahoney had planned for up to 24 people to assemble and display
pro-life signs on sidewalks adjacent to the National Mall, where
pro-abortion groups are scheduled to meet this Sunday. Last Friday, the
National Park Service notified Mahoney and Swindell and told them their
permit had been revoked.

"It is very troubling that the Park Service has crushed and trampled the
First Amendment by denying our right to peacefully demonstrate on public
sidewalks," Mahoney said. "It is our hope that the courts will stand
against this kind of censorship and affirm our right to peacefully
articulate our views in the public square."

Campaign Life Coalition National President Jim Hughes, who is in
Washington this week, said that all the network television stations there
are "beating the drum" for the March this Sunday. "It's appalling," Hughes
said. "It's like paid advertising."

Just realized why NOW likes Andrea. She kills children! And as their mother that's ok. That's what they're all about. Almost slipped by me there for a second.

Yeah I need a lot more sleep

No, nothing to do with Pharasee food, just an interesting look at those lovable first-century Jews that Jesus didn't get along too well with, courtesy of Catholic Encyclopedia. Good if you're trying to figure out what's up with that whole perfious generation thing.

Just moved from blogger.com hosting onto columbia's FTP servers. Now i can do all sorts of screwy things and blogger will never know . . . hehehe.

Next up -- hosting it on my own server. Nice.

Again, almost nobody in NOW, the National Organization of Women, supported radio personality Laura Schlessinger while her media career was being destroyed by homosexual activists. Now Schlessinger is undeniably a woman, so clearly NOW's guiding principles are not to support all women but to support only certain women. Had NOW been about all women, it would have supported Schlessinger, pointing out perhaps that although they do not endorse all her views, since she is a woman under attack the organization supports her just as it was formed to do. After all, in 2001, NOW had no compunction supporting Houston child murderer, Andrea Yates, who cold bloodedly drowned her five tiny children. As Deborah Bell, president of the Texas chapter of NOW put it, "One of our feminist beliefs is to be there for other women." "Other women" obviously doesn't include Laura Schlessinger. Not only couldn't NOW bring itself to support Schlessginger, it named Andrea Yates Mother of the Year. An honest explanation is that NOW seeks to advance secular fundamentalism, and since Dr. Laura preaches religious conservatism, NOW, in remaining true to its guiding principles, had no option but to oppose her.

Yeah, what's up with that? A lot of these organizations seem to be very selective and very over-named to make it seem like they're bigger than they are. EG march for women's lives. You know me I just go around hating women left and right and supporting wife beating . . . wait no.

Will do! Wow, have gotten four prayer requests in past hour! A college
freshman in serious car accident, family has been told that they need to
make decision about removing him from Life Support due to the nature of
the head injury, a young woman eight weeks pregnant who is bleeding and
though has a heartbeat on ultrasound, is now considered a threatened
pregnancy risk, and Daniel, a preemie who weighs four pounds, going
downhill fast... Will pray for Bruce WITH these others.

Marcia
----- Original Message -----
From: F. Pfaff
To: AssocHebrewCatholics@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, April 21, 2004 2:05 AM
Subject: [AHC] please pray for Bruce


My cousin's husband, Bruce, Jewish and Catholic, is scheduled for
serious abdominal surgery on Friday morning.

I am a diabetic, and sure, I would love to see a way to cure my condition. But, not on the backs of murdered human beings. Apparently these scientists have no concept of love of neighbor, even those we cannot see or talk to. Jashu

The Pope can't make it to the synagogue. As a borderline-Eborite, I have to protest. Two cardinals do not a Pope make!

Well, I suppose I can pray that he will feel healthier and make it himself. It sure would be cool, seeing as I was 2 the last time in 1986.

Q: Your party, that of the Democrats, has on the whole drifted toward the
left since the late 1960s, embracing abortion, for instance. Can a
practicing Catholic find a place, and a voice, in the Democratic Party
today?

Flynn: Not unless Catholic voters decide to get politically involved once
again.

Catholics have become politically homeless in the United States. Neither
the Democratic nor the Republican Party represents the values and
principles of the Catholic faith. At one time, the Democratic Party fought
for social and economic justice and was the party of blue-collar,
working-class Catholic families.

Today, the Democratic Party is controlled by wealthy left-wing activists
whose extreme political agenda, for the most part, excludes loyal,
faithful and patriotic American Catholics.

These political activists who now control the nominating process have
forced Catholic politicians to change their positions on key moral and
political issues, or they won't be recognized or appreciated in the party
organization.

But it's not just the Democratic Party. The Republican Party has also not
been willing to give working-class Americans a seat at the table, either.

When I was mayor of Boston, a reporter called me the Lech Walesa of Boston
politics. I was also called a John Paul II Democrat. It's too bad they had
to go all the way to Poland and the Vatican to define how many millions of
American Catholics like me feel today.

Wouldn't it be nice to hear that voice of social and economic justice once
again in the Democratic Party? So far, the Democratic Party has shown no
openness to Catholics who believe in the values and principles of their
faith.

Perhaps they ought to hoist a big banner outside where the Democratic
National Convention will be held in July that reads: "No Catholic
politicians who support Catholic values and principles welcome." Maybe the
Democrats could loan the same sign to the Republicans when they host their
national convention in New York City later on in the summer.

Here's something to whet your whistle, whatever that means.

Extrapolating from a tiny and unrepresentative sample of humanity (in Western Europe and parts of North America), this theory holds that as history moves forward, science displaces dogma and reason replaces unthinking obedience. A region that has not yet had a reformation and an enlightenment, such as the Arab world, sooner or later will.

It's now clear that the secularization theory is untrue. The human race does not necessarily get less religious as it grows richer and better educated. We are living through one of the great periods of scientific progress and the creation of wealth. At the same time, we are in the midst of a religious boom.

Islam is surging. Orthodox Judaism is growing among young people, and Israel has gotten more religious as it has become more affluent. The growth of Christianity surpasses that of all other faiths. In 1942 this magazine published an essay called "Will the Christian Church Survive?" Sixty years later there are two billion Christians in the world; by 2050, according to some estimates, there will be three billion.

St Jude, fastest response time ever.

Pray for us, patron saint of causes almost lost, for we are almost lost. Thank you for the many graces we have received through your intercession.

DEATH PENALTY WON'T DEFEAT TERRORISM, SAYS JOHN PAUL II
Urges an Emphasis on Respect for Life

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 19, 2004 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II says that
terrorism is not combated with the death penalty but, on the contrary, by
the promotion of respect for the dignity of the human person.

The Pope expressed this today when receiving the credentials of the new
ambassador of the Philippines to the Holy See, Leonida Vera, until now the
president of Lever Properties Corporation and a member of the Executive
Council of Caritas-Manila.

In his English-language address, the Holy Father appealed to all parties
in the Philippines "to end the terrorism which continues to cause so much
suffering to the civilian population, and to embrace the path of dialogue
which alone will enable the people of the region to create a society that
guarantees justice, peace and harmony for all."

"Accordingly, it is essential that the state continue to promote dialogue
in society, fostering mutual understanding and appreciation among the
various religions," the Pope continued.

"This process is most effective when all levels of public education
include curricular components that help people to recognize the value of
tolerance and encourage them to strive towards a culture based on
authentic peace and justice," he said.

"We can together eliminate the social and cultural causes of terrorism by
teaching the greatness and dignity of the human person, and by spreading a
clearer sense of the oneness of the human family," the Holy Father added.

After appealing for respect of the Philippine Constitution, "which
explicitly recognizes the sanctity of family life and the protection of
the unborn from the moment of conception," the Pope reiterated his
opposition to the death penalty.

"Aware that the issue of capital punishment and its use has again become
an important topic in your national debate, I would reiterate that the
ends of justice in today's world seem better served by not resorting to
the death penalty," he said.

"Modern society in fact has the means of effectively suppressing crime by
rendering criminals harmless without definitively denying them the chance
to reform," he said, repeating a teaching he articulated in his encyclical
"Evangelium Vitae."

He added: "While civil societies have a duty to be just, they also have an
obligation to be merciful." ZE04041931

This is so bad i've been doing online perosnals instead of stat. BUT it turns out there's a girl in south orange that I have an 82% match with and one in manhattan somewhere w/ a 75% match. Nice.

Whoa. And I'm still answering these questions. Jess, this is a personal entry, all for you :-).

They should have said:

"You're the seminarian. Your opposites are the satanist and the pagan. You should consider nuns and Raskolnikov's fiancee."

Protracted isolation has led to steep economic decline. Recent PA figures show that 84 percent of the Palestinian population lives in poverty, as defined by the World Bank, four times the number that did so before the Palestinians stepped up the violence in late 2000.

"The message found in just the cell nucleus of a tiny amoeba is more than all 30 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica combined, and the entire amoeba has as much information in its DNA as 1,000 complete sets of the Encyclopedia Britannica." And "we must emphasize that these 1,000 encyclopedias do not consist of random letters but of letters in a very specific order -- just like real encyclopedias."

Or -- why atheism is more of a "religion" than any religious faith. Plus, his name's David. Good article.

The National Review Board, a group a prominent laymen investigating reports of sexual misconduct by priests, in a February 27 report castigated the American bishops in general for their handling of the sexual abuse crisis, but singled out four bishops by name. One of these was Cardinal Roger Mahony. "The inaction of those bishops who failed to protect their people from predators was. grievously sinful," said the report. "Somehow, the 'smoke of Satan' was allowed to enter the church, and as a result the church itself has been deeply wounded."


But addressing the archdiocese of Los Angeles, the report said that "after allegations were made that Cardinal Mahony had allowed numerous predator priests to remain in the ministry, the archdiocese engaged in a very public spat with law enforcement agencies who questioned his level of cooperation in the criminal investigation. The archdiocese resisted grand jury subpoenas ... by arguing that communications between priests and bishops were privileged. . . ."

I say clean 'em out and replace them with Dominicans. Anyone who builds a cathedral that ugly has to have something wrong in his head.

I donno. Whenever I see someone say "God is cool!" It just gives me the shivers. He is awesome, mighty, all-loving, all-knowing, and a host of other things, but "cool" just doesn't seem to fit the bill. He's not what's "in", but exists outside of such things . . . maybe I just need a little more sleep.

Feminists for Life will not join the upcoming "March for Women's Lives" sponsored by a coalition of abortion advocates on April 25, announced FFL President Serrin Foster. "What organizers don't seem to recognize is that too many women know the gut-wrenching truth about abortion," Foster said. As many as 25 million to 30 million American women have had one or more abortions.
Women continue to die from legal and lethal abortion, just as they did before Roe. California teen Holly Paterson, age 18, died in 2003 after taking RU-486. In February 2002, in the same state, Diana Lopez' cervix was punctured during an abortion. Though rushed to an emergency hysterectomy, she died of trauma. Foster asked, "Who will mourn for them now? This march won't bring them back."
Women are also rendered infertile, and risk future miscarriages. Dana Powell of Ohio was given RU-486 in October 2002. But Dana was left infertile after her left fallopian tube ruptured due to an undetected ectopic pregnancy. "How will this march help Dana?" asked Foster.
Twenty-nine of 38 worldwide epidemiological studies show increased risk of breast cancer after an abortion, including 13 of 15 studies on American women. Will March organizers continue to deny medical research?
March co-sponsor and outgoing President of NARAL Pro-Choice America Kate Michelman asks, "Who decides?" She had an abortion after her husband left her pregnant with three children, no house, no car, no job, and no money. "Didn't Kate deserve better than abortion?" asked Foster. "Women need to know there are perfect strangers who will help when those she counts on most let her down. The decision should not be left to those who would abandon pregnant women."
Another March organizer, Planned Parenthood's President Gloria Feldt, has said, "Roe v. Wade enabled women to participate in the social, financial and political life of this country." Foster responded, "Abortion does not 'enable' women. Women need housing, childcare, health care that includes maternity benefits, maternity leave, the ability to telecommute, a living wage and a supportive family for themselves and their children. A woman needs and deserves support from the father of the child-both emotionally and financially. The lack of support and resources are what concern women the most. Addressing these unmet needs must become our priority-not abortion."
"Abortion just masks the problem-and creates new ones," says Foster. "This march is misdirected energy."
According to the Center for the Advancement of Women, founded by former Planned Parenthood president Faye Wattleton, 51% of U.S. women of all ages oppose abortion in all or most cases for the first time since Roe v. Wade. A recent survey conducted by the Polling Company indicates that 63% of people aged 18-24 are pro-life.
"March organizers are leading women in the wrong direction. Abortion is a reflection that we have not met the needs of women. Abortion is not the best we can do. We need to focus on systematically eliminating the root cause of abortion-primarily a lack of practical resources and emotional support. We need our leaders to know that women deserve better than abortion," said Foster.
Like Susan B. Anthony and other early American feminists who celebrated women's life-giving capacity and opposed abortion, FFL seeks to address the root causes that drive women to abortion. "We refuse to choose between women and children. We refuse to choose between sacrificing our education and career plans or sacrificing our children," Foster explained.
Feminists for Life is challenging the status quo, redirecting energy of those on both sides of the debate towards woman-centered solutions.
The stories of women who have lost their health or lives to legal but lethal abortion can be found at:
http://www.feministsforlife.org/voices/index.htm and http://www.feministsforlife.org/weremember/index.htm

Host: "Our next item is a pair of panties we confiscated from a prostitute."
Quagmire: "50 bucks"
Host: "She had 7 STDs"
Quagmire: "45 bucks"
Host: "And when we caught her she wet herself"
Quagmire: [Pause] "50 bucks"

How does the partner of a sperm donor get partial custody? Something is seriously wrong with this world.

Word.

Peter: "NOOOOOO. Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids. Damn longears, trying to take Easter away from Jesus. Anyway, what was that you were saying?"
--Family Guy

We can all get good jobs anyway!

Rich, opulent, powerful and respected, the Catholic Church of today is on the road to becoming the Troy of yesterday. With a kingdom spanning the four corners of the Earth, the Church is an institution of insurmountable force. Its presence, not unlike Troy, is felt in political, social, cultural, and academic circles. Its word has long been respected and its doctrine is found in the hearts of over one billion people. Its gates are impenetrable.

For two-thousand years, the Defenders of the Faith have shed blood, sweat and tears to preserve and protect the gates of the Church from the worldly forces that surround it. From the Crusades of the Middle Ages to the Vatican councils of modern times, the Church has lead the battle against pornography, homosexuality, adultery, abortion, and the entirety of the secularist mindset against which its teachings are juxtaposed. And for two-thousand years, the Church has been steadfast and firm in its battles, largely because it has educated its soldiers in the Gospel of Christ.

. . .

After two millennia of solid education, the Trojan Horse has rolled up to the gates of virtually every major Catholic university in America and Europe alike, and in that horse are professors and academics who have rejected Catholic doctrine and abandoned the biblical mandate to spread the Gospel of Christ. The message of the coffeehouse clerics? Tolerance should replace tradition, the Gospel should make way for gay student unions, and faith in the Church's teaching on controversial issues should be relocated to the fiction section of the student library. The handful of Catholic universities that have already accepted the Trojan Horse, and its contents, have effectively removed Catholic teaching from its sovereign mantel of absolute truth and placed it in a marketplace of ideas in which such truths are placed beside Vagina Monologues and Sex, Lies and Videotapes. The white flag has been raised behind the walls of those schools.

CatholicKerryWatch considers the question

Does criticism of Kerry (such as is the nature of this blog) necessarily entail an endorsement of the Bush administration, and translate into a vote for Bush in the upcoming election?

Quite an interesting comment-discussion ensues. Highlights abound, highly recommended reading. My quote over at . . . where was it . . . Southern Comfort maybe? was along the lines of

"I'm no fan of the Bush administration. But I could never never never never never never never vote for someone who thought that the minimum wage was more important than murder."

"We are not called to be successful but to be faithful."
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

From www.gentlyusedbooks.com

Parting Shot:

Yup. This is where I get in trouble every week.
Some of our readers come here first to see how far I
can get my foot in my mouth.

This time I'm not going to do it.

I had a great joke to tell ya'll, but had to do some
editing to make it absolutely un-offensive to anyone.
This joke is completely sanitized so as not to hurt
liberals or conservatives, animal rights activists
or hunters, lawyers, blonds, blond lawyers, men, women
or the gender unspecific or neutral. It's ok to tell
to an Irish person, Italian, or even Greek. You can
tell it to anyone, anywhere. It doesn't even require
a sense of humor. You can tell this in church, or
synagogue or mosque. Ready?

A ___ and a ____ and a ____ walked into a ____.
The ____ said, "Hey, you can't have a _____ in here."
The ____ said, "Why not? My ______ here has a _____
in his _______."

Isn't that a hoot? And so true.

Have no ememies. Have only friends: friends on the right -- if they have done or have wished to do you good; and on the left -- if they have harmed or tried to harm you

St. Josemaria

I agree 1,000%!! If the "good old days" were so good - if everyone was so
firm in the Faith - then we wouldn't have the problems we have today. The
fact is that plenty of people were just going through the motions.

Tom Faranda

Excellent review of how important that space on the side of paper is to how the world works. How is it important, you say?

Imagine you're a doctor and you're filling out a form for a patient. He tells you that he can't eat that hospital Jello. Ugh. So you scribble a note on his chart saying NO JELLO lest he die b/c the administration didn't see fit to put a Jello checkbox on the form.

Now imagine you're using a computer and there's still no place to put the information. Yikes. Better hope he can adjust fast.

Librarians actually used to use this all the time with card catalogs. You could store all sorts of useful information on the cards for a book. This became a big problem when the card catalogs of big libraries started going digital because there were years and years of stored information that had no official status in danger of being lost. I hope they saved it.

Hey, your tax dollars are paying for this thing. You might as well use it and take the government for every cent you can. They have all kinds of good stuff, like information about how to move, federal programs, a picture of a bird of some sort . . . first rate.

Most CTOs have a passion for technology detail within the larger context of driving the strategic goals of their businesses. Many CTOs, myself included, joyfully run home networks that rival the Pentagon's in complexity and security.

That's me! Seriously now I have something to aspire to in life. All that religion is secondary when compared to a patch panel.

Actually it's an article about the difference between CTOs and CIOs. Bet you didn't even know what those were.

My father was a religious man in a respectable mode. When he joined me up to his golf club he gave me the classic advice passed on from father to son in such circumstances: 'Don't talk about religion or politics'. Sound advice, especially in a society which knew sectarian division and discrimination solely on a person's religion. This was a view of religion which linked it to good manners, to moderation, to being civil to each other in an establishment sort of way. This was a religion which jogged along minding its own business and turning imperceptibly into a Christian-influenced ethical system which encouraged social harmony.

The religion of my father makes such good sense, you wonder why all don't adopt it?

I started worrying when I read this. But then I read this:

I am not a fundamentalist, but I have a sympathy towards fundamentalism. I believe that we should all share that sympathy so that we can have an insight into what creates the phenomenon. My point is this: modernity is worse than fundamentalism. I would argue that the exaltation of human reason has led to a society in the grip of ceaseless and yet apparently purposeless change; we are being churned in the untameable waters of history; we are (to vary the metaphor), suffering from spiritual vertigo. From the Christian point of view, modernity involves the misery of relativistic and shallow values, based on a profound misunderstanding of who we are.

Hilare Belloc stopped rolling over in his grave for a second when this was written, I think.

Whether it's a card, a Mylar balloon, or a big decorated cookie, it's really nice for someone to say 'Good job. I notice what you do,'" Rumsfeld said. "Some secretaries say, 'I work my hiney off all year round, and I'm supposed to go nuts over a $25 Bath & Body Works gift certificate?' But I'm telling you, every smidgen of recognition counts. I've worked in places that didn't observe Secretary's Day at all, like the Ford White House."

I need a job like that.

Could the Universe be shaped like a medieval horn? It may sound like a surrealist's dream, but according to Frank Steiner at the University of Ulm in Germany, recent observations hint that the cosmos is stretched out into a long funnel, with a narrow tube at one end flaring out into a bell. It would also mean that space is finite.

That, Jessica, sounds like Gabriel's horn to me.

FRIDAY FAX

April 16, 2004
Volume 7, Number 17

Homosexuals Call “Barbaric” Church Purveyor of “Nasty Dogmas”

As the drive to establish international homosexual rights has
apparently stalled at the UN Commission on Human Rights now taking place
in Geneva, homosexual advocacy groups have begun lashing out at their
opponents, even calling the Catholic Church “barbaric” in its defense of
“nasty dogmas.”

The Commission was supposed to vote on a resolution over whether
“sexual orientation” should be recognized as an internationally protected
human right, but none of the Commission’s 53 member states has yet to
introduce such a resolution. In a major setback to the homosexual lobby,
Brazil, the country that had introduced the resolution last year, declined
to do so again during this session. In a statement released by its UN
mission in Geneva, the Brazilian government said that, “Since November
last year, we have been consulting with delegations of several countries
on the text. We have not yet been able, however, to arrive at a necessary
consensus.”

This apparent setback has enraged supporters of international
homosexual rights, who have been lobbying worldwide since the resolution
was deferred last year in the face of widespread opposition. Michael
Cashman, a British homosexual activist and member of the European
parliament, blamed the “aggressive lobbying” of the Vatican and Muslim
countries, such as Egypt, Pakistan and Malaysia, for this year’s problems,
labeling their cooperation on this issue an “unholy axis.”

Yup, Muslims love the Church and the Church loves Islam. You know how it is

The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) has been even
more explicit in its condemnation of the Catholic Church. George
Broadhead, secretary of GALHA, said, “the Vatican …trumpets itself as a
champion of human rights and a model of compassion. This continued
barbaric contempt for gay people shows that the Vatican is prepared to go
to any lengths to promote its nasty dogmas.”

Barbaric contempt for gay people. Perhaps you can point that one out to me in some document or other. The Church says that sodomy is bad news, and it doens't matter if it's a man and his wife getting some anal action or two guys getting it on, but if anything that's a barbaric contempt for sodomy. I can think of a few homo-attracted Catholics I know who would question your statement . . .

Broadhead believes that the Vatican should be punished for its
position, saying, “The Vatican has a special status at the United Nations
that is granted to no other religion. It is seeking to gain full status
that would give it even more power to impose its will on an unwilling
world. We call on the United Nations to immediately strip the Vatican of
its observer status. It has shown itself unworthy of having it.”

Nota bene. The Vatican is not a religion. The Catholic Church is a religion. It doesn't impose it's will on anyone because the UN is a DEMOCRACY. That means that people propose bills and then THERE ARE VOTES ON THEM. If the world is unwilling the BILL WILL FAIL BY A LARGE MARGIN.

Why is it that the far left always sees any democratic situation as an attempt to impose one's will on an unwilling majority?

Maybe we should just kick out all countries that are like the Church on this issue. Chile? Gone. Egypt? Finished. Australia? Bunch of bums. All theocratic states worthy of the contempt of the UN. Get 'em out before they impose their religiously driven will on others. You disagree with me? That means you shoulnd't be at the UN.

Hehe. Maybe GALHA'll finally get their asses tossed out. Oh wait. It's forbidden that UN members berate UN members on the floor. But NGOs can do whatever they want because they're "right". Sorry.

Wait. Humanism is a religion. How come they're trying to impose their religious beliefs on an unwilling world?

Although pro-family observers are heartened by the developments in
Geneva, the Human Rights Commission is scheduled to vote this afternoon on
whether or not to make reference to the controversial recommendations of
Paul Hunt, the Commission’s “Special Rapporteur” on physical and mental
health. These recommendations, first reported in the March 26 Friday Fax,
include calls for the creation of new international “sexual rights,” such
as broad rights for “men who have sex with men, lesbians, transsexual and
bisexual people.” If the recommendations are referenced by the Commission,
it is feared that an international law foundation for homosexual rights
could still be created, even without the Brazilian resolution.

Copyright – C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute). Permission
granted for unlimited use. Credit required.

[The Friday Fax is reported and written by C-FAM Vice President Douglas A.
Sylva.]

Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute
866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 427
New York, New York 10017
Phone: (212) 754-5948 Fax: (212) 754-9291
E-mail: c-fam@c-fam.org Website: www.c-fam.org

Actually it was a liturgical nightmare.

Seriously.

I took a nap, and I saw visions of the most disrespectful mass you could ever imagine going on. There were dancing kids, tv music, people using computers (me too somehow), it was a general mess. I think you finally acknowledge that there's something seriously wrong in your head when your nightmares are about bad masses. Weird.

On a more serious note, please pray for two friends of mine that are going through difficult times. They need all the help they can get.

The Jewish calendar, of course, reckons days to begin in the evening, which is partially reflected by the Church's Sundays and solemnities, which also begin the evening before the daylight period. They are, though, "super-days," longer than twenty-four hours, lasting past the second evening until Night Prayer is prayed a second time.

The one time during the year when the Catholic Church fully observes the Jewish custom is the Paschal Triduum, which lasts from the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday to Vespers on Easter Sunday.

Or, why the Last Supper logically concludes with the Crucifixion.

Infant Orphans in NY Catholic Home Used as "Guinea Pigs" in Dangerous Drug
Experiments

NEW YORK, April 14, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Up to a hundred children
infected with HIV, some as young as three months, were used as "guinea
pigs" for experimental research by pharmaceutical companies anxious to
test dangerous drugs on human subjects. The children were in the care of a
charitable home for HIV infected orphans, Incarnation Children's Center
run by the Catholic Archdiocese of New York and the New York
Administration for Children's Services.

The Center was the location of at least 36 experiments since 1995, testing
"safety," "tolerance" and "toxicity" of drugs for a variety of illnesses
related to HIV infection, including herpes. Drugs used on the children in
the dangerous Phase I experiments, are similar to those used in
chemotherapy and often have harmful side effects. In most cases the
children's parents were either dead or untraceable.

The pharmaceutical giant, Glaxo SmithKline has admitted it provided funds
for some of the trials but defended the action saying it is the
responsibility of federal regulatory agencies "to ensure all subjects in a
clinical trial provided appropriate, informed consent to conform with all
local laws…"

Glaxo has been implicated on other occasions in violations of ethical
norms. In 2001, the Observer's Anthony Barnett reported that in the
1960's, Glaxo allowed thousands of British babies to be inoculated with
toxic whooping cough vaccines it knew had not passed crucial safety tests.

At the Incarnation home, the responsibility of granting permission to use
the children in drug tests was that of a panel of doctors and lawyers. The
actual trials were carried out by Columbia University doctors. A spokesman
for the University said that trials stopped in 2000. But New York
Archdiocesan spokesman, Joseph Zwiller said the experiments were not
halted until 2002. Brooklyn councilor Bill de Bloasio is demanding that
the New York Administration for Children's Services reveal who gave
consent for the use of the children.

Vera Sharav, president of the Alliance for Human Research Protection has
written to the Office of Compliance of the FDA, demanding that an
investigation be made as to the possible violation of the federal laws
regarding human research subjects and informed consent. Said Sharav, "The
most vulnerable, disadvantaged children are being exploited by powerful
entities and used as guinea pigs as if they were not human beings."

Alliance for Human Research Protection letter to FDA outlining
experiments: http://www.ahrp.org/ahrpspeaks/HIVkids0304.html

Message: 3
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2004 18:32:20 -0500
From: "Douglas"
Subject: Priest intends to "leave the priesthood"

I just heard some sad news that a parish priest in a certain diocese sent
a letter to every family of his parish to inform them that he is "leaving
the priesthood". We know that's impossible, but he seems to have
forgotten. Not only does he intend to break his vows to his bishop by
abandoning the diocese, but he intends to get married to a woman that he
apparently has already been seeing for at least some time. Please pray
earnestly for his conversion, especially to St. Thérèse de Lisieux, St.
Monica, St. Edward, and Our Lady (pray also to his patron saint and
guardian angel). Offer up masses and rosaries for him and tell your
friends to do the same - pray with great love and we can, through our
prayers, obtain his conversion.

In Iesu, Maria, et Ioseph,
Duglasius Arturus Ludovicus-Maria de Sancto Petro

# posted by Squach : 12:08 PM   |  0 comments

I say we just go over there and kick butt. I mean, they're not priests or nothin', so it's ok, right?

Fr. Charles Murr sounds like my kind of priest. You've got to admire a guy
who resigns his pastorate on principle. Here's what happened, according to
"Newsday" and, especially, according to a letter Murr wrote to his flock
on April 5.

St. Francis de Sales Parish, located in Manhattan, has a parish school.
"No one knows what the financial condition of the school really is," said
Murr, because no financial statements have been prepared since 2001. The
school hasn't been paying for insurance or into its pension plan and owes
the Archdiocese $638,000.

Murr tried to get the school administration to prepare financial reports
but had no success, so in January he told the Archdiocese that he was
going to replace the principal and vice principal. The Archdiocese
approved and said it would send auditors to go over the school's records.

Finances weren't the only problem the school had. The school failed to
teach the Catholic faith. The Archdiocese gives standardized religion
tests, and two-thirds of the students at the school failed. "The major
reason for this was that several of our teachers were not committed to
teaching the Catholic faith," wrote Murr.

One teacher took students to non-Catholic religious services on Sunday
instead of to Mass. Another wouldn't teach her students to make the sign
of the cross. A third said that teaching that remarriage after divorce is
a sin violated the students' constitutional rights. Other teachers refused
to teach defined doctrines with which they disagreed.

To resolve such problems Murr appointed a new director of religious
education, but the heterodox teachers "disrupted his classes, belittled
him in front of his students, instructed his students to ignore him, and
even spread slanderous reports about him." Murr decided not to renew those
teachers' contracts. Striking back, the teachers kept their students after
class, read to them the dismissal letter Murr had sent them, and worked
the students into "tearful hysteria."

One might think that the Archdiocese would put down its foot. Well, it
did--on Murr's neck. The chancellor ordered him to renew the employment
contracts of the principal, vice principal, and teachers.

"Since I could not in good conscience, as a pastor charged with the care
of souls, comply with this order, I resigned as pastor," said Murr. On
April 3 the entire eight-member parish council wrote to Edward Cardinal
Egan and told him that they backed Murr and that they all were resigning.
The parish trustees also resigned.

The Archdiocese went into damage-control mode. A spokesman, Joseph
Zwilling, said, "Such a high turnover rate was not what was best for the
school or the students." Huh? What does it matter whether the turnover
rate is high or low? Why should that trump whether the faith is being
taught (versus being undermined) and whether the finances are in order?

Ah, the smell of fresh New York Times caught with their pants down in the morning. Ain't it sweet? This comes from our hellish friend MolochNow who is quite the demon, which i'll admit even though I'm a Catholic that likes to sic St. Michael the Archangle on his sitapon.

Now you might initially think that this type of open testimony just might be damaging to my cause. Nonsense, if your an anti-abortion activist you might know about this testimony - but those people are currently lost to me anyway. The rest of America is going on with business as usual since most news sources won't even give them the cool gruesome details. My friends at the New York Times are totally with me on this as usual. One of my readers who unfortunately is not one of my followers, never-the-less gives me the good news.

...the editors of the NY Times, the newspaper of record. Guess how much ink
they've devoted this week to this hugely important trial happening right
under their noses in downtown Manhattan? Would you believe... none? Nada.
Zippo. Total and complete news blackout. It's as if it isn't happening,
that these doctors aren't testifying about their little secrets at all.

about foot-washing and the like, from Zenit. Will sez:

Okay, there were actually two Zenit Liturgy sections that dealt with this. The first initial one (which said what you said and addressed some other interesting Lent related issues) and a follow up article that addressed additional questions and comments that were made by people who read the first article.

So you can read those at
here
and at
here

Since I just brought you Deal Hudson's anti-fence view, I though I'd plagurize Dave Morrison's article which I am more in sympathy with myself. Excellent, like usual.

Only a small minority of college administrators(21%) know tha thte First Amendment guarantees religious freedom, and a minority(41%) beleve that religious people shoudl be allowed to use any legal means to promote their religion. "On the other hand", reported Richard John Neuhaus, "74 percent of students and 87 percent of administrators think it is 'essential' that people be able to express their beliefs unless-- and then comes a host of qualifications, all amounting to the condition that their beliefs not 'offend others'.

Touchstone, April 2004, p.51

Hat tip to Schulyer for this one. It is, however, dedicated to Laura.

“Not everyone who says to be ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven. Many will say to me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers’” (Matt. 7:21-23).

Good stuff about our friend Pontius Pilatius as well, and a rather rousing rally of the fact that any "Christian" who engages in random Jew-hatred has to, in fact, selectively ignore his datasource, the Bible, to actually justify his beliefs.

For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. Rom 9:3-5

Americans don't Approve of Homosexual Lifestyle, but don't Hate Gays

LOS ANGELES, April 12, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A slim majority of
Americans favour a federal constitutional amendment that would define
marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The Los Angeles Times
polled about 1600 people and found that most Americans do not support the
granting of "marriage rights" to homosexual partnerships. 55 % agreed that
"if gays are allowed to marry, the institution of marriage will be
degraded."

Sixty-two percent of respondents said that homosexuals should receive the
kind of civil rights protection afforded racial minorities and women.
About the same number felt that homosexual activity is against the will of
God.

Activists frequently claim that personal hatred of homosexuals, or
"homophobia," is the root cause of all opposition to "gay marriage."
However, the poll showed that most Americans, though they do not generally
approve of the homosexual lifestyle, do not harbour any ill will toward
homosexuals themselves. 70% said that they would continue a friendly
relationship with friends if it was revealed they were homosexual.

My Lit Hum class, which is, I suspect, in favor of abortion, didn't flinch when my professor, who is, I suspect, in favor of abortion, started talking about unborn babies and how kiling Lizaveta was really killing two people.

Yet you ask them to vote on it and it goes the other way.

Doublethink anyone?

Interesting email:

Think of how many "good Catholics" believe that abortion and contraception
are acceptable. Could this REASONABLY be attributed to the change from
"became incarnate" to "was born" in the Creed?

I have to say, I never realized it before, but the difference is utterly tremendous.

The Wall

CRISIS Magazine - e-Letter

April 12, 2004

**********************************************

Dear Friend,

I hope you had a blessed Holy Week and a joyous Easter. As you might
remember, I mentioned to you that I was traveling to the Holy Land last
week. In fact, I returned from the trip Saturday night...just in time to
celebrate Easter with my family. As I listened to the Gospel account of
the Resurrection Sunday morning, I could picture the place where Mary and
Mary Magdalene found the empty tomb...I had just been there.

This was my first trip to the Holy Land. If you've never been there, I can
only tell you one thing: Find a way to go. It will renew your faith in
ways you can't imagine. I love the grandeur and splendor of Rome, but
being in the Holy Land -- seeing the places where Jesus taught and lived,
walking the roads He walked -- is an experience like nothing else.

But while the trip was rejuvenating, if you go yourself, be prepared for a
shock. When you venture just east of Old Jerusalem onto the Mount of
Olives, the first thing you'll see is a freshly-built 28 foot concrete
wall -- almost five times my height -- rudely dividing the sacred land.
(It's sometimes described inaccurately as a "fence.")

You'll see the same thing on your journey to Bethlehem. And soon,
the wall will completely divide the city of Christ's birth from the
road to Jerusalem, only a short distance away.

I had seen photographs of the massive wall before I went, but
pictures simply don't do it justice. It didn't take long before I saw the
devastating impact it was having on the lands surrounding it, including
convents, monasteries, churches, homes, businesses...and, of course, the
people of the West Bank.

On Good Friday I walked along a nearly-finished section of the wall
behind the convent and school of the Daughters of Charity. My
meditative thoughts were interrupted by a bulldozer roaring away
nearby, leveling the land belonging to the sisters. This particular
section of the wall runs directly through their property, cutting
them off completely from their own garden and many of the
schoolchildren and families they minister to on the other side.

The next day, I read about several neighborhood Palestinians,
protesting the arrival of bulldozers and chain saws in their
neighborhood. Israeli security guards scattered the crowd with rubber
bullets while an olive grove of over 150 trees -- the sole means of income
of one family for generations -- was cut to the ground.

And the wall isn't just creating physical divisions. Many people I
spoke with in the area told me that the arrival of the wall was
driving out the few remaining Christians from the Holy Land (who now only
number 10,000 now).

But it isn't just the wall that's forcing Christians out. Religious
workers in the area are now having a difficult time obtaining the
standard two-year visas from the Israeli government. What was once a
fairly routine process has become a thorny situation for Christian
missionaries, priests, and religious who minister to those in the West
Bank. Many of these groups organize simple works of mercy -- serving the
poor, teaching children, and housing elderly on the West Bank. Even
Protestant Evangelical ministries -- as pro-Israel as they come -- are
being denied visas.

Like you, I've read with horror about the suicide bombers and the
Israeli citizens who live in fear for their lives every single day. I
nodded sympathetically -- from afar -- about the steps that were taken to
stop the stream of terrorists into city streets and onto buses. No one can
question Israel's obligation to protect its people.

But standing underneath the massive wall on the convent property, I
had to ask myself: Is this the way to do it? Confiscating the
property of nuns and denying them visas to live and work there... is this
an effective anti-terrorist strategy?

What will become of the Christians of the Holy Land? Only time will
tell. But it's certain that their difficult lives will become still
more difficult. And each year, fewer of them will remain.

Pray for them.

Deal

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