Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, the Pope’s delegate, will have authority over the Legionaries and the affiliated lay group, Regnum Christi “for as long as it takes” to complete necessary reforms, under the terms of the papal appointment.

I hope he can clean up the mess. I still think it would be better to throw it away and start from scratch.

Labels: catholic, religious life

Labels: prolife

That they are apparently a Catholic website.

I was curious to see how Jim Hoft, the homophobic, bigoted, borderline illiterate religious fanatic who blogs at Catholic website First Things . . .

I guess I'm probably in the same category?

Labels: catholic

As one person has observed, "I'll pray for you" is often Christianese for "F*** you."

The actual article is much better than this, but the line is classic.

Labels: prayer

I've received a prayer request for someone who is having a hard time with cancer. Please do kick in.

St. Peregrine is the preferred saint, if such is your preference.

Labels: prayer requests

My friend is making a movie about falling in love with a GPS device. They're filming a scene in my favorite coffee shop. You should give her money.

Labels: art, humor

And in related commentary:

The anti-Semite, not the Jew, is the real Christ-killer. He thinks he's religious, but that's a self-delusion. - Rev. Flannery

Labels: jewish

I've had this book on the "What I'm reading" section of my website for four years, and that's not because I haven't been updating. Never before have I been so humbled by a book. Well, a non-religious book anyway.

Having no formal training in number theory, or anyone to talk about these things with, I don't know if this book is really good, but I do know that I learned much about what numbers are, the relations between infinite series and infinite products, and that it is possible to understand a page that is mostly Greek letters and arrows. I think seeing the deep relationships between apparently unrelated numbers, especially when it comes to counting things, is a view of the infrastructure of the universe. Sort of like going backstage at a play.

Perhaps the material is a little advanced for the introductory student, however, as in the middle of one proof the author drops in a result from Ramanujan which he later describes as pulling a rabbit out of a hat. For the non-math types, this is essentially proof by graduate student, except using the most brilliant mathematician who ever lived.

At any rate, this is a fine text if you want to expand your mind, though I also recommend having four years to bang your head against a brick wall. Though now that I've finished it, perhaps I can help you and it will only take you a year or two. I have to start studying things with actual economic value.

Labels: books

I never had much problem with the doctrine of the papacy, I think many of the theological differences between Catholics and Orthodox are greatly exaggerated, and I could never get past the sensation that a lot of Eastern hostility to Catholics was indistinguishable from the sort of hostility my Canadian relatives would exhibit toward Americans. I decided I wasn't interested in getting into a fight with people with whom I hold 99% of Christian teaching in common while the world is burning down around us.

Labels: catholic, eastern orthodox

My favorite holiday all year.

Labels: public service announcement

Labels: humor

Where science is represented by the Catholic Church and faith is represented by Ms. Kagan.

Kagan saw ACOG’s [n.b. - American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists] original paper, which did not include the claim that partial-birth abortion “may be the best or most appropriate procedure in a particular circumstance to save the life or preserve the health of a woman,” but, on the contrary, said that ACOG “could identify no circumstances under which this procedure . . . would be the only option to save the life or preserve the health of the woman.” She wrote a memo to two White House colleagues noting that this language would be “a disaster” for the cause of partial-birth abortion, and she then set out to do something about it.

When you don't like science, rewrite it! It's good to be the king, or at least to work for the king.

Labels: politics, religion, science