Roman Catholic

Pope: Church Needs Priests in love with Christ

August 13, 2009August 14, 2009 by Orthodox Editors

Catholic Online | Aug. 6, 2009

“Contemporary relativism mortifies reason, because in fact it arrives at the point of affirming that the human being knows nothing with certainty beyond the field of positive science”. Thus man remains a “beggar for meaning and fulfilment,” “in constant search for comprehensive answers to questions of substance that he ceaselessly poses to himself”.

Thus, just as the Council invites, the priests of today must remember this “thirst for truth,” that is burning in the heart of every man, and become teachers of the faith, capable of “opening up the way that leads to Christ [and the Church] to all people”. [Read more…]

Pope: Today’s Church Needs Saints and Martyrs

August 13, 2009August 13, 2009 by Orthodox Editors

Catholic Online | Aug. 10, 2009

Recalling some saints whose memory is celebrated in the weeks to come, Benedict XVI affirmed that they are witness to a “Christian humanism” that differs deeply from an “atheistic humanism”.

The Saints – the pope cited in particular the martyrs Maximilian Kolbe and Edith Stein – are indeed witnesses of “an antithesis which spans history, but at the end of the second millennium, with the contemporary nihilism, we have come to a crucial point, as major writers and thinkers have perceived, and as events have amply demonstrated. ” [Read more…]

Obama’s Conscience Claws

July 23, 2009July 23, 2009 by Orthodox Editors

American Spectator | Matt Bowman | July 9, 2009

President Obama has a masterful ability to convince people he is their friend even while he attacks them. This talent was on display last Thursday July 2, when the President spoke to members of the Catholic press about conscience rights for pro-life doctors.

Obama seems to be persuading even pro-life Catholics that he supports “robust” conscience rights. The theologically conservative National Catholic Register said it was “most noteworthy” that the President “dispell[ed] … the expectation of the worst regarding conscience clauses.” [Read more…]

The Pope, the Rabbi, and the Moral Economy

July 17, 2009July 17, 2009 by Orthodox Editors

Acton Institute | Samuel Gregg | July 15, 2009

The pope and the rabbi had a similar message, which amounts to the following. Some of our contemporary economic problems reflect a deeper moral crisis within Western civilization. Until we acknowledge this, shifts in economic policy and business practice will only provide limited solutions.

To be sure, it’s not a message everyone will appreciate. But that doesn’t diminish its accuracy.[Read more…]

Caritas in Veritate: Why Truth Matters

July 10, 2009July 10, 2009 by Orthodox Editors

Acton Institute | Samuel Gregg | July 8, 2009

Relativists beware. Whether you like it or not, truth matters – even in the economy. That’s the core message of Pope Benedict XVI’s new social encyclical Caritas in Veritate.

For 2000 years, the Catholic Church has hammered home a trio of presently-unpopular ideas into the humus of human civilization: that there is truth; that it is not simply of the scientific variety; that it is knowable through faith and reason; and that it is not whatever you want or “feel” it to be. Throughout his entire life, Benedict XVI has underscored these themes, precisely because much of the world, including many Christians, has lost sight of their importance. [Read more…]

Pope: We Have Drifted into a Desert of Godlessness

April 11, 2009April 11, 2009 by Orthodox Editors

Obama Bows Down to Saudi King

Daily Mail | Apr. 11, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI last night attacked the rise of aggressive secularism in Western societies, warning them that they risked drifting into a ‘desert of godlessness’.

He used his Good Friday meditations to compare deliberate attempts to remove religion from public life to the mockery of Jesus Christ by the mob as he was led out to be crucified. [Read more…]

Notre Dame’s Betrayal of Faith

April 5, 2009April 6, 2009 by Orthodox Editors

AmericanThinker | Selwyn Duke | Apr. 5, 2009

When John the Baptist said to King Herod, “It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife,” the price he paid was his head on a platter. He had spoken Absolute Truth to power in a time when power was absolute. It was the bravest of acts, the kind only undertaken by those very rare men for all seasons.

Lying in stark contrast to this is catholic (note the small “c”) Notre Dame University’s genuflection before Barack Obama, a man embodying the very antithesis of Catholic teaching. [Read more…]

Ten Ways to Make a Delinquent

January 9, 2009January 10, 2009 by editor-main

Catholicism.org | Sister Maria Philomena | Jan. 7, 2009

The police department of Houston, Texas, gave the following ten rules for raising delinquent children.

1. Begin with infancy to give the child everything he wants. In this way he will grow up to believe the world owes him a living.

2. When he picks up bad words, laugh at him. This will make him think he is cute. It will also encourage him to pick up “gutter” phrases that will blow the top off your head later.

3. Never give him any spiritual training. Wait until he is twenty-one and then let him “decide for himself”. [Read more…]

The Power of a Bold Bishop

December 2, 2008 by editor-main

LifeSiteNews.com | Deal W. Hudson | Dec. 1, 2008
Bishop Martino credited for fact Pennsylvania Catholics did not vote for Obama as they did nationally

An article published yesterday in the Scranton Times announced, “Bishop takes his place on the national stage with his staunch anti-abortion stance.” Bishop Joseph F. Martino wasn’t the only bishop who spoke boldly during the presidential campaign, but he was noticed, in part, because Scranton is Vice-President Elect Joe Biden’s hometown.

Martino was also noticed because he quite literally crashed a seminar on “Faithful Citizenship” being held against his wishes at St. John’s Catholic Church. Objecting to the spin being put on the bishops’ conference document, Martino told those attending the seminar, “No social issue has caused the deaths of 50 million people,” adding, “This is madness, people.” [Read more…]

‘Freedom of Choice Act’ nightmare for bishops, pro-lifers

November 18, 2008November 18, 2008 by editor-main

Why is the Orthodox Church silent on this? Why aren’t the Orthodox bishops taking a public stand against FOCA and Obama’s abortionist policies?
NCR | JOHN L. ALLEN JR. | Nov. 13, 2008

America’s Catholic bishops have been talking about abortion and politics at least since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, but their discussion this week in Baltimore had a special sense of urgency – driven by what many bishops and their pro-life advisors regard as a looming nightmare scenario under the new Obama administration in the “Freedom of Choice Act,” or FOCA.

Candidate Obama pledged to support the Freedom of Choice Act, which was first introduced in congress in 2004 but to date has not made it out of the committee stage. It acknowledges a “fundamental right” to abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy and at subsequent stages for health reasons. It would also bar discrimination in the exercise of the right “in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services or information.”

In effect, FOCA could undo most, or even all, of the existing restrictions on abortion under a patchwork of state and federal laws. Experts say that around the country there are currently some 300 such restrictions, including parental notification laws, waiting periods, requirements of full disclosure of the physical and emotional risks inherent in abortion, and limits on partial birth abortion. [Read more…]